Undeath and Resurrection

The Purpose Of This Article

This article is the logical sequel to the article on Death and the Afterlife and describes what happens when fate intervenes to interrupt the natural process of death and degeneration. Such interruptions are almost always the result of arcane intervention and so much of this article will focus upon the nature and practice of Necromancy and how it works in this world.

Necromancy

In its most simplistic terms, necromancy is the study of the means to overcome death. Some of those who study necromancy claim to be trying to prolong life, but this is self-delusion. Physicians and doctors may seek to prolong life through medical studies and clerics and healer may also do the same through divine healings and prayer. But once death has occurred and the psyche has left the body no amount of healing can bring the dead back to life. At this point, any intervention is a direct interference with the natural process of decay not with death itself which has already occurred.
Necromancers tend to focus on overcoming one aspect of death and decay at a time there being no means of reversing the split between the psyche and the body. The most common technique involves the re-animation of the corpse which gives the bodies of the dead the outward appearance of life but leaves the necromancer in the role of puppet-master.
A less common and more advanced technique is the trapping of a mortal soul in order to prevent it finding rest in the afterlife.

Necromantic Blu-Tack

Whilst necromancy is a complex art requiring careful manipulation of warp energy and considerable personal risk the basic aim is to create a necromantic shell. This shell is similar in concept to the Necrodermis used by The C'tan to encase their own ethereal bodies and give them a material form. Except that in this instance it forms a sort of necromantic blu-tac which encases a dead body or skeleton and binds it together in its original form and shape so that a necromancer can animate it and make it appear to be alive.
The fact that necromantic blu-tac is so similar in function to a Necrodermis is no coincidence as the art of necromancy originated amongst the ancient Necrontyr who worshipped the Sun Gods who were manifestations of the C'tan and taught them the basic concept. However, it was the Necrontyrian Priest-King Nagash who finally discovered the secret of necromantic blu-tac and became the first true necromancer by combining his understanding of the Necrodermis as taught to him by the Mortuary Cult with the arcane skills of manipulating warp energy he gained from his Dark Elf captives.

Captured Souls

Less common amongst necromancers is the ability to trap and capture the mortal soul or psyche of the recently deceased. There are various methods of doing this but the process requires to be completed as soon after death as possible to avoid a loss of psychic integrity as the soul begins to disperse.
The elves use what they call soul stones or spirit stones to trap the souls of their dead and prevent them degrading and many elves wear such stones routinely upon their bodies ready to capture their souls if they die suddenly. By this means, the spirits of dead elves are always on hand to provide advice and guidance to their living kindred and elves tend to refer to death itself as a mere transcendence from physical to spiritual existence.
Likewise, souls can become trapped by their own emotional anchors and can actively resist the natural dispersal process usually haunting a specific area, location or mortal being whilst trying to resolve whatever emotional trauma is preventing them finding eternal rest.
The final and most brutal form of entrapment is that used by more the skilled necromancers who will create a necromantic shell to trap and hold a spirit in a prison of necromantic blu-tack that prevents it finding peace. Needless to say, such souls need to be captured as soon after death as possible to avoid psychic degradation and some necromancers are not beyond committing the act of murder to ensure that the soul is as fresh a possible.
The advantage from the necromancers point of view is that the trapped a soul retains the psyche of its recently dead host and so if bound together with a corpse, even of another mortal, it will provide the same motivation and influence over the corpse as it did over its mortal body.
However, a key issue for any necromancer is to choose the right soul for the task. As stated in the article on Death and the Afterlife a soul ceases to evolve as soon as it is severed from its mortal shell and so its psyche remains frozen for all eternity. So, far no necromancer has managed to reanimate the psyche of a soul after death and so selecting the right soul is crucial in determining how an undead creation will behave if that soul is trapped within it. Binding the soul of a good and lawful mortal into the body of an undead corpse will effectively create a good and lawful corpse which might look horrific but will probably refuse to comply with any evil instructions it is given.
Thus necromancers are frequently very selective about which mortals they steal the souls from.

Resurrection

If a mortal were to be resurrected then the process would require reconstitution and binding of that individual's body and soul.
To date, no method has been found to reverse the decay of a corpse or its psyche and thus even if a necromancer or cleric was able to capture the soul of a recently deceased mortal and trap it back into its former body the result would quite literally only be a shade of its former self.
Not only that but unfortunately whilst the trapped soul might remain frozen in the state that it was at the time of its death the mortal remains it inhabits will still continue to decompose with all the understandable trauma that will entail for its loved ones and its spirit.
Finally, the psyche of the deceased will still remain frozen even though it has been forcibly bound back into its former body. So, it's emotional and moral state will remain fixed in the state it was when it died and nothing it experiences after death will change its psyche.
Probably the most notable demonstration of this is The Great Necromancer Nagash himself who has successfully trapped his own soul inside his former body but still cannot prevent the gradual degeneration of his mortal remains despite the enormous efforts of his minions to preserve him and who remains as brutal and evil in death as he ever was in life.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane