Undead

Not all Undead are the same, as their physical condition and manner of reanimation have impacts upon their bodies. Different types or variants may possess additional abilities, and crucially for adventurers, unique weak points to exploit. The known variants are as follows:

• Zombies are freshly reanimated and typically still have muscle and skin, albeit rotted. Their movements are stiffened by death—limiting their ability to use weapons to a strict melee level. With extra muscle and skin, they’re harder to destroy, but by destroying the brain or heart, they will cease to be.

  • Ghouls are similarly recent recruits but have not undergone rigor mortis yet, enabling them to use the full extent of their muscles for rapid bouts of speed. They’re most proficient with one-handed weapons to strike at foes speedily. This complements an erratic nature that scholars are still puzzled by, causing them to twitch and jitter about where other Undead would be idle. Because their blood remains uncongealed, they’re more susceptible to attacks and cannot wear heavier armors (e.g., Plate Armor). Like Zombies, they can be killed absolutely via the destruction of either the brain or the heart. 

• Drowned are the reanimated remains of sunken sailors and castaways, colored by the sea itself. They often have growths of algae and other marine plants on their skin, which provide some level of camouflage. Their bloated bodies and flabby skin grant them added purchase against the current, letting them swim* at the same speed as a Gillian regardless of their previous race. Besides that, they have the same physical limitations as Zombies do—killed absolutely by destroying the heart or brain.
  *Besides Drowned, all other Undead Variants are not buoyant or capable of swimming; instead, they sink to the bottom of any body of water to walk upon the floor. 

• Skeletons are veteran Undead whose age is shown by the complete decay of all but their bony components. Without muscle to impede them, their movements are fluid and fast, granting them added dexterity and the ability to use ranged weapons. With their age comes an accustomed understanding and intellect, so they often serve as commanders within The Pale’s forces. They can be finally slain by destroying their head or shattering their spine. 

• Wraiths are perhaps the eldest form of Undead, having taken on even further necrotic energy. Their form is spectral and partially translucent, which reveals the swirling dark magic inside: using this, they’re able to fly at speeds no greater than a man’s sprint (15 mph) and passively levitate slightly off the ground. The hollowness of their disposition drives them to seek out the living as a host, killing them to assume their body and become Possessed. To do this, they may use melee weapons, but their wispy form makes aiming ranged weapons impossible. What remains of their corporeal form can be armored, but doing so weighs them down to prevent flight. Wraiths can be destroyed by piercing the swirling “core” in their chest, which causes the ectoplasm to escape. 

  • Banshee are a unique subgroup of Wraiths explicitly found in women. Their shrill voices can be weaponized into ear-splitting shrieks so loud that it makes aiming projectiles impossible for two (2) turns, though they must wait three (3) turns to use their scream again. Dagger-like claws emerge from their hands that can puncture like a steel blade—rendering them unable to use other weapons. Like Wraiths, they’re destroyed by the piercing of their core. 

  • Possessed emerge when a Wraith possesses a recently deceased body. The Wraith takes elements of the host, such as their memories, though any magical abilities are left behind. Once a Possessed has formed, it cannot be broken by the Wraith: they’re stuck together and will both perish if the host is slain. With intact vocal cords, Possessed can speak if only in single-word utterances. As the Possessed persist, they’ll eventually begin to decompose, starting the cycle anew. Like Zombies, they can be entirely slain by destroying the heart or brain.

Behaviour

Undead might have once been people, but they never act like it. A hollowness of thought compels many, while others know a sadistic wickedness—but both are motivated to extinguish all life. They will attack anything placed before them, but specifically prefer sapient beings for reasons unknown, choosing to attack them over any other living being whenever they’re present. How they feel about this compulsion seems to vary: some are mindless and apathetic, while others seem to derive enjoyment from the suffering of others. Neither can know reason or barter, as any negotiation that isn’t the seizure of one’s existence would be undoubtedly denied.

It’s thought that parts of who they once were live on in the shadow of the husk they’ve become: frequently, Undead are spotted performing repetitive tasks or carrying around items of personal significance that serve no practical purpose. An incorrect belief persists that they’ll even spare loved ones, one that is regrettably disproven when they attack even their closest former family members. What remains behind those sunken eyes, if anything does remain, cannot withstand the compulsion to kill. 

The dead know a tongue unto themselves which is innate to all Undead beings. Depending on the type of Undead, it is spoken through groans, whispers, and rattling bones. Undeath itself is entirely unintelligible to the living’s ears, but all Undead, regardless of linguistic heritage, understand it. It’s thought that within The Pale, this is further exemplified by a psychic link, allowing the Skull King to communicate with his underlings from afar.

Lastly, despite lacking functioning eyes—or even any eyes at all—they can still perceive the living. This perception is not superior to that of humans, nor does it grant any form of enhanced sight or night vision. Scholars theorize that the Undead do not rely on physical vision, but instead “see” souls through their inherent magical nature. This may explain why Gnomes can sometimes approach or pass by the Undead unnoticed.

History

Undead have always existed in small populations, but only recently have their numbers ballooned. Beneath the Pale, a compulsion to mass together has allowed for armies of the dead to emerge. Unlike their wild “natural” counterparts, they have developed a sense of pseudomilitarism and appear to be waging a war of conquest against the living.