Liliana Vess (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deathsmajesty) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2024-02-15 03:07 pm
deathsmajesty) wrote in fandomhigh2024-02-15 03:07 pm
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Necromancers Guide to the Undead, Thursday, Period 1
"Skeletons," Liliana announced as soon as class began, "are obnoxious." Glad she could clear that up for you. Class dismissed.
Haha, yeah not really. "Skeletons are, as most of you can guess I'm sure, creatures made of animated bones. They differ from zombies and mummies in that they are only bone, it is pure necromantic magic that keeps them upright and mobile. That, unfortunately, makes them incredibly hard to kill. On top of that, most skeletons have reanimation, so even the ones you've managed to kill are able to come back and continue to make your life - whatever is left of it - miserable. They are the preferred creature of many a weak or novice necromancer, as they require little in the way of finesse. You simply put together some bones, cast a few spells, and then give some orders and the magic does everything else."
Liliana vastly preferred zombies, but that didn't mean she couldn't understand the appeal of skeletons. "Most skeletons are humanoid; in fact, most skeletons are human, though that's hardly universal, especially in places where humans are rare. Animals can also be animated into skeletons. Most animal skeletons are animated with some abilities of their previous lives, even those that don't make sense otherwise in a skeletal creations; for example, many snakes are reanimated with the ability to bite or spit poison, many skeletal horses and dogs can run, and skeletal cats can hiss. This seems to speak of some kind of memory that skeletons remain, not of their specific, individual life, but of the creature type they were before. Furthermore, many humanoid skeletons can understand the languages they spoke in life, though a very few skeletons have the intelligence or ability to speak at all. In addition to skeletons that follow the form they possessed in life, some necromancers are able to take disparate bones and reassemble them in new ways to create skeletal creatures unlike anything that's ever walked a plane. Some do it for the intimidation factor, some choose particular forms that they believe will be useful, and some just do it for entertainment, like putting together an ivory jigsaw puzzle and seeing if it works."
Your teacher was absolutely the latter, yes. And this was why there were skeletal versions of things that didn't have skeletons, like skeletal octopi and spiders. Because necromancers loved to get creative in the creepiest possible ways.
"As with all undead, skeletons can arise spontaneously, if someone dies near a particularly powerful source or black mana, or if there has been a great deal of death in an area. Many skeletons arise on sites of old battlefields, for example, or places where there have been massacres and mass graves. These skeletons, referred to as 'unbound' - that is, not bound by a necromancer's will, are usually quite vicious and are far more deadly than their bound counterparts. There is no proof that they have any tie to their living selves, but the circumstances of their demise seem to leave them with a deep hatred for the living. This is different from, say, a feral zombie, who has a deep hunger for living flesh, but no emotional motivation, and also from ghosts, who generally do have some kind tie to their living selves, even if that tie is no more than 'died with a grudge in their heart' or 'drowned at sea.' Of all of the spontaneously arising undead, skeletons are the least likely to rise, with spirits being the most and zombies in the middle, though closer to skeletons. It takes a lot of ambient mana to raise the body, as opposed to simply holding the spirit. And, contrary to popular mythology on the subject, spirits and bodies will not rise in tandem. For both to be present, necromancy is involved. The mana required to ensure one - usually a spirit - will deplete it for the other, until the mana replenishes enough, which often takes years.
"On an individual basis, skeletons are not a particularly concerning foe, even those who arose spontaneously in grim circumstances. Skeletons are not particularly equipped for running, and are limited to brawling and biting if they have no other weapons. However, most skeletons you find will be equipped with weaponry, anything from crude cudgels to swords to bows, shields, or even manning the occasional siege weapon. They're also inclined to travel in groups of at least three to five, and often more. This is what makes skeletons so obnoxious and dangerous. They require no special magic to use weapons, especially weapons with which they were proficient with in life. Walking across a battlefield, you could easily find yourself on the wrong side of a skeleton in platemail with a sword or a lance and the ability to use either skillfully. Zombie cavalry is not unheard of either. And skeletons bound by a necromancer are even more dangerous, as they will have tactics and discipline on their side, fighting as a cohesive unit. If a necromancer has a standing army, you could do worse than assuming the infantry is made up of skeletal fighters."
Liliana paused to take a sip of her tea. Lots of talking today. "Most importantly, here's how to deal with animated skeletons. One thing to note is that skeletons have red lights like burning embers in their eye sockets. Thus, small red lights in the dark are often a useful, though not foolproof, way to determine if there are skeletons ahead, and roughly how many. One of the best ways to handle skeletons is to simply flee, if you have the opportunity, especially if you are not prepared to fight. If that option is not available to you, or you wish to fight them for some reason and aren't a necromancer--" poor life choice but you do you "--blunt weapons are best. Sharp weapons are meant to hurt, to bleed, to slice through muscles and tendons, and to pierce organs. None of those apply to skeletons. If anything, you're more likely to get your sword or knives caught in bone and lose your weapon entirely. Cudgels, maces, hell, a sock with rocks in it are better because they're more likely to break bone. Smashing a skeleton's hand will impede it's ability to wield a weapon. Breaking its lower jaw will prevent it from biting. Breaking feet or shinbones will stop it from pursuit. Notably, breaking the spine will not paralyze it, and removing the skull may or may not cause the skeleton to stop fighting. You do want to be careful about destroying a skeleton entirely - usually by inflicting more damage than the animating magic can account for - as they can and do reanimate, fully restored. Unbound skeletons generally animate only the once and may be weaker for it, bound skeletons often carry the ability to regenerate more than once with no change to their overall strength or abilities. Shields are incredibly useful in fights against skeletons, both to ward off attacks and to bash one's way through.
"As a final note, although they lack the intellect they possessed in life, skeletons aren't mindless. Rather than break its limbs attempting to batter its way through an iron door, a skeleton tries the handle first. If that doesn't work, it searches for another way through or around the obstacle. Bound skeletons are chained to the will of their creator; they follow orders to the letter, never questioning the tasks their masters give them, regardless of the consequences. Because of their literal interpretation of commands and unwavering obedience, skeletons adapt poorly to changing circumstances. They can't read, speak, emote, or communicate in any way except to nod, shake their heads, or point. If you can find ways to ambush, trick, or trap skeletons, that is another worthwhile strategy to pursue."
Haha, yeah not really. "Skeletons are, as most of you can guess I'm sure, creatures made of animated bones. They differ from zombies and mummies in that they are only bone, it is pure necromantic magic that keeps them upright and mobile. That, unfortunately, makes them incredibly hard to kill. On top of that, most skeletons have reanimation, so even the ones you've managed to kill are able to come back and continue to make your life - whatever is left of it - miserable. They are the preferred creature of many a weak or novice necromancer, as they require little in the way of finesse. You simply put together some bones, cast a few spells, and then give some orders and the magic does everything else."
Liliana vastly preferred zombies, but that didn't mean she couldn't understand the appeal of skeletons. "Most skeletons are humanoid; in fact, most skeletons are human, though that's hardly universal, especially in places where humans are rare. Animals can also be animated into skeletons. Most animal skeletons are animated with some abilities of their previous lives, even those that don't make sense otherwise in a skeletal creations; for example, many snakes are reanimated with the ability to bite or spit poison, many skeletal horses and dogs can run, and skeletal cats can hiss. This seems to speak of some kind of memory that skeletons remain, not of their specific, individual life, but of the creature type they were before. Furthermore, many humanoid skeletons can understand the languages they spoke in life, though a very few skeletons have the intelligence or ability to speak at all. In addition to skeletons that follow the form they possessed in life, some necromancers are able to take disparate bones and reassemble them in new ways to create skeletal creatures unlike anything that's ever walked a plane. Some do it for the intimidation factor, some choose particular forms that they believe will be useful, and some just do it for entertainment, like putting together an ivory jigsaw puzzle and seeing if it works."
Your teacher was absolutely the latter, yes. And this was why there were skeletal versions of things that didn't have skeletons, like skeletal octopi and spiders. Because necromancers loved to get creative in the creepiest possible ways.
"As with all undead, skeletons can arise spontaneously, if someone dies near a particularly powerful source or black mana, or if there has been a great deal of death in an area. Many skeletons arise on sites of old battlefields, for example, or places where there have been massacres and mass graves. These skeletons, referred to as 'unbound' - that is, not bound by a necromancer's will, are usually quite vicious and are far more deadly than their bound counterparts. There is no proof that they have any tie to their living selves, but the circumstances of their demise seem to leave them with a deep hatred for the living. This is different from, say, a feral zombie, who has a deep hunger for living flesh, but no emotional motivation, and also from ghosts, who generally do have some kind tie to their living selves, even if that tie is no more than 'died with a grudge in their heart' or 'drowned at sea.' Of all of the spontaneously arising undead, skeletons are the least likely to rise, with spirits being the most and zombies in the middle, though closer to skeletons. It takes a lot of ambient mana to raise the body, as opposed to simply holding the spirit. And, contrary to popular mythology on the subject, spirits and bodies will not rise in tandem. For both to be present, necromancy is involved. The mana required to ensure one - usually a spirit - will deplete it for the other, until the mana replenishes enough, which often takes years.
"On an individual basis, skeletons are not a particularly concerning foe, even those who arose spontaneously in grim circumstances. Skeletons are not particularly equipped for running, and are limited to brawling and biting if they have no other weapons. However, most skeletons you find will be equipped with weaponry, anything from crude cudgels to swords to bows, shields, or even manning the occasional siege weapon. They're also inclined to travel in groups of at least three to five, and often more. This is what makes skeletons so obnoxious and dangerous. They require no special magic to use weapons, especially weapons with which they were proficient with in life. Walking across a battlefield, you could easily find yourself on the wrong side of a skeleton in platemail with a sword or a lance and the ability to use either skillfully. Zombie cavalry is not unheard of either. And skeletons bound by a necromancer are even more dangerous, as they will have tactics and discipline on their side, fighting as a cohesive unit. If a necromancer has a standing army, you could do worse than assuming the infantry is made up of skeletal fighters."
Liliana paused to take a sip of her tea. Lots of talking today. "Most importantly, here's how to deal with animated skeletons. One thing to note is that skeletons have red lights like burning embers in their eye sockets. Thus, small red lights in the dark are often a useful, though not foolproof, way to determine if there are skeletons ahead, and roughly how many. One of the best ways to handle skeletons is to simply flee, if you have the opportunity, especially if you are not prepared to fight. If that option is not available to you, or you wish to fight them for some reason and aren't a necromancer--" poor life choice but you do you "--blunt weapons are best. Sharp weapons are meant to hurt, to bleed, to slice through muscles and tendons, and to pierce organs. None of those apply to skeletons. If anything, you're more likely to get your sword or knives caught in bone and lose your weapon entirely. Cudgels, maces, hell, a sock with rocks in it are better because they're more likely to break bone. Smashing a skeleton's hand will impede it's ability to wield a weapon. Breaking its lower jaw will prevent it from biting. Breaking feet or shinbones will stop it from pursuit. Notably, breaking the spine will not paralyze it, and removing the skull may or may not cause the skeleton to stop fighting. You do want to be careful about destroying a skeleton entirely - usually by inflicting more damage than the animating magic can account for - as they can and do reanimate, fully restored. Unbound skeletons generally animate only the once and may be weaker for it, bound skeletons often carry the ability to regenerate more than once with no change to their overall strength or abilities. Shields are incredibly useful in fights against skeletons, both to ward off attacks and to bash one's way through.
"As a final note, although they lack the intellect they possessed in life, skeletons aren't mindless. Rather than break its limbs attempting to batter its way through an iron door, a skeleton tries the handle first. If that doesn't work, it searches for another way through or around the obstacle. Bound skeletons are chained to the will of their creator; they follow orders to the letter, never questioning the tasks their masters give them, regardless of the consequences. Because of their literal interpretation of commands and unwavering obedience, skeletons adapt poorly to changing circumstances. They can't read, speak, emote, or communicate in any way except to nod, shake their heads, or point. If you can find ways to ambush, trick, or trap skeletons, that is another worthwhile strategy to pursue."
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Anatomy and Physiology
Feel special, class. She looked up the proper anatomical names of various bones used here on Earth.
Once she finished going over the best areas to attack per creature, a store of various types of weapons, from swords to bows to lances to clubs to hammers appeared next to them.
"I would suggest you take the time to practice here," she said. "So you have a good idea how and where to strike should this ever come up in the real world."
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OOC