Pathfinder Creature Feature: The Undead

[Music] hi there I'm the mythkeeper welcome back to my channel last week I talked about the nation of Geb a nation that's primarily populated by the undead so it seemed to make sense that this week in my Creature Feature I would talk about the undead now in this video I've tried to cover all of the undead types that I mentioned in that video which means that it is a very long video and we cover a broad range of different kinds of Undead creatures I think there's some really fun content here and it's a long video so I won't waste any more of your time enjoy my last video published was a regional Deep dive into the nation of Geb a nation primarily populated by the undead in that video I make reference to numerous kinds of Undead such as skeletons zombies vampires and liches and even more obscure creatures such as devourers Ghasts and morgues but what is an undead creature is it simply any creature that's died and been resurrected that may sound right on the surface but what about a creature brought back from the dead by a good aligned cleric using a resurrection spell that's not Undead right to get technical an undead creature is any type of creature whose animating force is necromantic Magic to understand what I mean by this I have to briefly touch on how Soul's life and death work in the world of Pathfinder but I'm only going to provide a brief summary here because I provide much more detail on the life cycle of souls in my introduction to planar cosmology video where I go deep into the river of souls judgment and the afterlife and which I'll link in the description below what you need to know for this video is that a living creature's Soul provides it with animating force in Pathfinder the soul is more than just a spiritual center it has a physiological impact on living tissue when it is present and it is the singular marker that makes the difference between life and death a living organism that has its Soul stripped from it instantly collapses its heart stops it dies a soul is composed of a certain material called quintessence and quintessence leaves the body when a living creature dies but it doesn't exit the body physically on the material plane instead it is dispersed into the Ethereal plane before the gravitational pull of the river of souls draws it inexorably to the next stage of its existence typically is a postmortal form in some kind of afterlife when a good cleric resurrects someone who has died he entreats their chosen deity to free the soul of the Fallen companion from the river and return it to the material plane resurrections only work on the recently deceased because the spell must be cast while the soul is still in the river prior to judgment and assignment to its relevant afterlife resurrections only work if the deity who sponsors the cleric is supportive resurrections only work if the soul itself is willing to return When successful the spirit re-enters the body and the body is biologically healed and revivified it is truly alive once more conversely necromancy is a school of magic that can accomplish many of these same things that Resurrection can but as fewer of these roadblocks or preconditions nor does it require the collaboration with a deity although it may as many dark gods are willing to sponsor this kind of magic one of the simplest ways that necromancy can interact with these natural processes of life and death is by acting as an alternate animating source for the body a necromancer who finds a pile of dead bodies and raises them up as zombies has done exactly this he has animated the dead tissue with necrotic magic effectively mimicking the animating force of a soul this simpler method of necromancy Mastered by even the most Junior necromancers produces a Mindless Undead creatures in this scenario the creature's Soul has already moved on to the afterlife depending on the power of the spell the undead creature will have motility up to or even exceeding that which it had in life it can obediently follow instructions and may even possess some memories from its former life especially muscle memories as it shares the same brain organ with the creature it was where those memories were stored biologically but make no mistake it is not the same creature that creature is passed on and this is effectively a simulacrum using the same body another way that necromancy can be used is to bind the soul to the material plane and the living tissue of the creature preventing its Escape into the Ethereal plane and therefore into the river of souls this is how for example vampirism works and why it seems like vampirism is a kind of contagion to the uninitiated just like lycanthropy The Vampire's Kiss that produces a new vampire is in fact a necromantic ritual that kills the creature while also permanently bonding the soul of the creature to the body the creature's heart stops its lungs though they can draw breath no longer are required to do so and so forth after being turned the vampire's biological life has ended and it would begin to Decay just like other dead things were it not for the supernatural ability it possesses to consume blood and self-repair the body a feature that makes vampirism a very popular form of undeath since it preserves the body better than most methods so to recap a vampire's biologically dead but kept animated by the necromancy magic that ties the soul to the body the critical difference between this second scenario and the first scenario is the presence of the creature's own Original Soul this creature is not just a new animated automaton like the Mindless zombie discussed earlier but the original creature preserved served and evolved this is not the only way to create intelligent Undead though a particularly Advanced Necromancer may even be able to draw quintessence out of the river of souls itself in defiance of the will of the Gods this is a kind of dark resurrection and just like preventing the soul from escaping after death this type of necromantic ritual produces intelligent Undead piecing together someone so long after they have died can be a lengthy and difficult process something only the very powerful can attempt it is said it took the ghost King Geb a year and a day to resurrect the Fallen Herald of aridan arasny who would serve him for many years as the queen of Geb finally some necromancers to better protect themselves have mastered the art of using an advanced mix of necromantic techniques animating their bodies with necromancy but tethering that necrotic Life Force to their soul which is then safely stored in some external object typically called a phylactery this process is what produces a lich one of the most powerful types of intelligent Undead creatures a creature that remains essentially indestructible so long as the phylactery remains intact in addition to Undead creatures created by necromancy there are certain conditions that may lead to an undead creature being created that don't explicitly involve necromancy we refer to these rare incidents as naturally occurring on death the most common example of this is the ghost The Entity which occurs when a soul refuses to leave the Ethereal plane because of some strong emotion often Vengeance envy your betrayal that emotion is so strong that it counteracts the pull the river exerts on the soul and the ghost will remain in the Ethereal plain sometimes materializing horrifically back on the material plane to haunt its final resting place typically if such a ghost can be encouraged to release its painful emotions it will abandon the material plane and complete its Journey To The River as intended in this video I'm going to present a range of Undead creatures from the Mindless types of Undead used as menial servants to the more sophisticated kinds of Undead the undead types I will cover today will be sequenced according to their typical hierarchy in the Undead Nation of Geb as outlined in that video this includes the Mindless dead such as skeletons and zombies The Enforcer class such as bodaks devourers and morgues the spectral dead which includes such beings as alops banshees ghosts shadows specters and wraiths the Lesser nobility which includes Ghouls and Ghasts grave Knights and whites and the bloodlords which is the highest class in gab and typically comprised of liches mummies and vampires mindless dead the Mindless dead are easily recognizable by their slack masks of decaying flesh or their gritting skulls and empty eye sockets devoid of human emotion and intelligence these are the faces of skeletons and zombies the most basic and widespread of all Undead creatures these are simply dead bodies reanimated Through The Dark Art of necromancy and are typically unthinking automatons who follow their Creator's commands evil priests and wizards usually employ skeletons and zombies as their simple tools using spells such as animate dead to raise corpses however sometimes these Undead creatures arise spontaneously often due to the presence of another powerful Undead creature nearby certain profane areas with a strong necromantic aura or a History of Violence such as battlefields sacrificial altars Mass Graves or sights of massacres can also generate the Living Dead such Undead are masterless and do not follow any commands but may exhibit an instinctive ability to work together or with more intelligent Undead as far as their basic Consciousness allows skeleton when a corpse is animated as a skeleton all of its muscles organs and flesh are Stripped Away leaving only Bare Bones the resulting animated skeleton closely resembles the creature's appearance in life although there can be significant variations in their appearance some newly created skeletons may have white and smooth Burns while those of older skeletons are often yellowed and cracked with age despite lacking eyes and ears the necromancy that animates them also grants them a sensory perception that mimics seeing and hearing enabling them to navigate and perceive their surroundings even in total darkness although they lack a brain in their empty skulls the magic imbuing them with Consciousness also gives them a basic level of awareness skeletons are surprisingly quick and agile in the case of animated Warriors they retain muscle memory and can wield weapons they were familiar with in life skeletons make use of a wide range of weapons and can be surprisingly effective archers catching many adventurers off guard the hard bones and lack of Flesh make skeletons challenging to injure and bludgeoning weapons are typically more effective against them than cutting or piercing wounds despite being relatively easy to create skeletons can make formidable foes able to ignore wounds that would be fatal to a living creature to destroy an animated skeleton it must be completely dismembered or its bones smashed to properly dissipate the negative energy that animates it numerous variant skeletons exist such as those whose bones burn with unending fire or those who drip with Gore and reassemble themselves over time the most common skeletal variants include acid skeletons the bones of an acid skeleton constantly ooze Caustic Acid given time acidic skeletons can claw their way through iron bars and slowly through thick iron doors and walls so necromancers will often use these creations to infiltrate dungeons or other secure locations bloody skeleton a bloody skeleton is coated in a slick layer of blood and gore infused with negative energy this Gore allows the skeleton to reform and heal itself bloody skeletons are often favored as Guardians by necromancers as even if they are killed by adventurers the skeletons will in time reform and reawaken burning skeletons a burning skeleton is perpetually lit surrounded by an aura of flames that burns those at strikes burning skeletons are among the most powerful skeleton types and can wreak havoc in places with homes made of flammable materials exploding skeleton also called bone bombs an exploding skeleton detonates in a burst of razor-sharp bone fragments when it dies sometimes exploding skeletons are made in conjunction with other types such as an exploding acid skeleton which shoots acid in every direction or an exploding burning skeleton that erupts as a small Fireball and death Madras skeleton also known as Whirlwind skeletons these skeletons have been animated with an extra set of arms each capable of wielding weapons although frightening to behold in truth mudra skeletons are more about the Necromancer showing off their talents as an artisan of undeath than they are about combat Effectiveness as the additional blades only add minimal lethality to the skeleton skeletal Champion some skeletons retain the intelligence and cunning of the creature they were in life making them formidable Warriors these Undead are far more powerful than their mindless kin and they may have class levels as barbarians Fighters Rangers or Rogues in gab such skeletons will typically form a part of the enforcer class rather than the Mindless or thrall class where the rest of their skeletal can lie skeletal Mages some skeletons don't just have intelligence but possess spell casting abilities to boot a necromancer able to consistently summon skeletal Mages as a force to be reckoned with since the Mages are then able to summon their own unthinking skeletons and in this fashion The Necromancer May create a vast pyramid scheme of Undead and swiftly assemble an Army in gab skeletal Mages May Ascend to the ranks of the Lesser nobility and some may even rise to the lofty position of bloodlord zombie zombies are the most basic form of undeath even more basic than the skeleton though typically of similar power and Threat Level to their other mindless Undead cousin this is because zombies don't require quite the same amount of necromantic power to animate the bones or to Grant the creature perception instead the necromancy here hijacks the rotting organs and musculature and simply Shores it up to compensate for its atrophied condition zombies are the first thing a young Necromancer learns to bring to life simply put it is an awakened corpse eager to serve the Necromancer that brought it into being unlike skeletons zombies are slower creatures and for a seasoned Adventure even a few zombies shouldn't be too much of a threat however necromancers can summon these creatures with great ease and there's nothing an ecromancer enjoys more than the sight of overwhelming Force even the most experienced Adventurer will eventually relent when a horrifying tide of the Living Dead is brought to bear against them like skeletons zombies have fully functioning motor skills and can operate close combat weapons effectively but their slightly reduced Speed and Agility makes them less effective as archers like skeletons numerous subtypes of zombies exist these include fast zombies a favorite choice of more advanced necromancers fast zombies are not the typical slow plotting creatures of undeath but instead ones that move with Supernatural alacrity this can catch their enemies by surprise since anyone that has experienced fighting zombies will likely be expecting a much easier fight host corpses this zombie has been infested with a swarm of vermin that it can release from its body to afflict its enemies zombie hosts frequently carry locusts or flesh-eating cockroach swarms inside their rotting husks this type of zombie is rarely engineered by a necromancer but is more likely to occur naturally as uncontrolled zombies develop a symbiotic relationship with the Vermin and carrion that live on their remains Relentless zombie Relentless zombies are even more frightening than fast zombies they possess all the abilities in Supernatural speed of fast zombies but they can track their prey over long distances due to their magically enhanced and acute sense of smell and they are incredibly capable climbers capable of crawling rapidly over sheer vertical Cliffs or even along the ceilings to reach their targets zombie Lord zombie Lords are the fleshy counterparts to skeletal Champions rare zombies who have somehow managed to retain their intelligence zombie Lords do not differentiate themselves between those with magical abilities and those without such intelligent Undead in Geb just like skeletal Mages may find themselves at various levels of the gebite undead hierarchy depending on their overall power level and charisma enforces the enforcer class in Geb makes up a cross-section of powerful Undead creatures with a varied range of Origins and Powers who generally all possess powerful combat abilities bodaks the world is Rife with malevolent and unspeakable atrocities dark clerics worship abominable deities while power-hungry Wizards make pacts with demonic entities all of which Foster an environment for nefarious forces to thrive among the living but evil is not limited to the supernatural man's own brutality towards fellow humans also spawns malevolence and wickedness Wars and acts of genocide result in countless personal tragedies leaving indelible scars on the minds and Souls of those who bear Witness victims of torture and you're agonizing mind-altering pain for days weeks or even years leaving them irrevocably changed if they survive yet for some the experience of witnessing true horror and Supernatural evil goes beyond twisting their minds it takes such a profound toll on their souls that they undergo a metamorphosis transforming them into something new entirely a bodak the process of transforming into a bodak is both physically agonizing and spiritually damning the victim experiences excruciating pain as horrific images repeatedly play in their mind causing them to convulse uncontrollably their eyelids become stuck shot and only cutting or prying them open will allow sight eyeballs shift around the face changing size as if trying to escape limbs elongate hair falls out and skin dries on the bone leaving the person with a withered and genderless appearance after a day the transformation is complete and the victim has become a bodak its eyes are now blank orbs oozing foul smoke and it moves with a slow shuffling gait due to severe muscle damage the creature's intellect is often reduced due to this transformation but it retains the ability to speak often spewing venomous and threatening words the touch of sunlight is unbearable to a bodak burning and damaging it severely and forcing it to flee at its sight as a result bodaks only venture out at night seeking a hidden location to hide during the day the bodak's defining quality are its eyes the bodak's eyes act as a conduit for the horrors that caused its transformation these milky orbs can briefly Mesmerize anyone unfortunate enough to meet their gaze victims who lack the will to look away are quickly overwhelmed and perish beginning the transformation into a bodak themselves survivors report experiencing a flood of bizarre memories and flashes related to the event that caused the original bodax transformation though those who resist the gays are unharmed they may be haunted by memories of someone else's darkest horror for the rest of their lives bodaks are tortured creatures driven by endless sorrow terrible longing and extreme bitterness and jealousy towards the living unlike fiends who take joy in tormenting and killing Mortals bodaks find relief only by forcing living creatures to gaze into their eyes and perish this short-lived relief forces them to seek out new victims in an endless cycle some boat Acts were so consumed by the desire to turn others into their kind that they drag victims to secluded places to oversee their transformation once the new bodak arises however its creator typically loses interest and abandons it rarely bodaks band together in small gangs though this seems to stem from a bond of hate and Loathing rather than true companionship because the kinds of Horrors that can bring about a boat act are often extra planar in nature bodaks May wander the planes when free but are rarely seen outside of evil aligned planes particularly the abyss where powerful demons find them useful minions they may serve as Guardians assassins or thralls especially for nabasu demons on the material world liches mummies and vampires are sometimes able to subdue these creatures using their powerful Mastery of necromancy to relieve them of their constant pain and thus earn their loyalty devourers devourers are towering skeletal creatures that have transcended the limitations of the mundane world and had their being Twisted by the knowledge of the unknown unlike mindless zombies devourers pursue their own enigmatic goals and their defining feature is their chest cavity which contains a captured Soul often seen desperately trying to claw its way out of the creature's cavernous ribcage devourers feed on the Soul's Essence as they slay their enemies they are able to draw more souls into their chest cavity which feeds them in much the way blood feeds a vampire devourers are highly intelligent but often speak in riddles or unknown languages their Madness is believed to stem from a connection to a Sinister alien entity or Force despite their capacity for soul Annihilation devourers are not creatures of mindless hunger but rather wander the planes in pursuit of their own goals they only become hostile when individuals interfere with their plans in truth the precise nature of devourers remains a mystery as the rituals used to create them use magical processes that can be followed by a skilled Necromancer but which rely on occult secrets so obscure that the Arcana underpinning the ritual remains a black box to the spellcaster in short new devourers can be created by necromancers but the necromancers themselves do not know how they work some devourers of course are not created by necromantic rituals at all but come into the world from the great Beyond in this case they always originate from two types of creatures either evil mortal spellcasters or extra planar fiends such as demons or Devils when such a creature gets lost in the far reaches of the dark tapestry they may return as a towering ten foot tall Devourer with a body Twisted beyond recognition their transformation does not occur at any specific location or plane known to Mortals but rather in Realms Beyond mortal and perhaps even Immortal comprehension the fact that this transformation can afflict a demonic post-mortal entity means that in many cases devourers are quite literally demon zombies a frightening sentence if ever there was one magically created devourers or those potentially summoned from elsewhere exhibit the same traits as their naturally transformed counterparts the Arcana Behind These rituals have baffled spellcasters for Generations some believe that the power to create devourers may have originated from a single spell introduced long ago possibly provided by malevolent entities lurking beyond the planes although much remains a mystery what is known however is that they are clearly an undead creature no longer animated by quintessence but by necromancy and negative energy and on the Mortal plane they tend to traffic with other intelligent Undead creatures and can only be found in large numbers in places like Geb or the gravelands among others of their kind devourers are regarded as a blemish on the natural order of the cosmos repelling most right-thinking creatures these beings have abandoned their own spiritual progression in favor of undeath and must consume The Souls of others as a vampire must drink blood this insatiable hunger deeply affects their interaction with other races and even those in Alliance with devourers may become targets if the Devourer grows bored or deems them expendable devourers are highly cunning and secretive prioritizing their own interests Above All Else however they may align with other more powerful beings if it benefits their current obsessions and furthers their goals various Devourer subtypes do exist mostly varied depending on their creature type of origin evil spellcasters turned into devourers form the most common type but fiendish origin devourers may have a host of different unique abilities depending on the post-mortal creature type they were before their transformation hellish Devils Abyssal demons aberdonian demons and other fiendish types like azuras and rakshasas may produce all kinds of curious Devourer subtypes morgs just as with many other Undead creature types I've discussed morgues can occur in one of two ways as a spontaneous event after death or as a result of a specific necromantic ritual being used to create one let's take a look at that first scenario since it's how the first morgues came into being the first morgues were humans who died in places of profane power but always a specific type of human whether they were Savage Warriors who reveled in the slaughter of their foes or methodical assassins who meticulously planned their kills most morgues were once mortal humanoids who took pleasure in the demise of other sentient beings in their undeath these creatures continue to Harbor a fierce animosity towards all living creatures especially those who are aware of their own mortality and the possibility of imminent death despite their insatiable urge to kill which often started when they were alive and drove their transformation into Undead morgues are not mindless beings they possess intelligence and are fully aware of their actions taking perverse Pleasures in the act of killing especially when it involves other sentient beings the feeling of pleasure is not only psychological but also physiological as negative energy rushes into their bodies to animate the latest victim as a zombie which they crave their intelligence and memories of their past lives make them formidable Predators capable of manipulating human society and recruiting living agents into their Macabre plans morgues can display a remarkable amount of patience when executing their schemes gradually killing off people to build an army of zombies and ultimately destroying a settlement they prefer to use the same killing techniques they employed in life creating Eerie parallels to their past crimes the most dangerous morgues are those who remember their mortal lives entirely and still take pleasure in each and every kill seeking to surpass the murderous exploits they committed as Mortals these creatures are anathema to life itself and their desire for death far exceeds that of any sociopath not all morgues however are the result of a serial Killer's demise in a place of profane power these days morgs can be readily created by necromancers and though necromancers who are creating such creatures to be a living weapon May well favor a human who was Savage and ruthless in life they also are perfectly capable of creating a morgue out of any recently deceased humanoid in this case where the remains of a perfectly innocent humanoid are used to summon a morgue the resulting creature may still become a violent creature and a killer this is because such Innocents are often driven mad by being deprived of a peaceful death and then watching the transformation and slow decay of their own bodies those traumas coupled with the loss of memories that tied them to The Living World to family friends and lovers festers Within These newly created morgues typically resulting in the same hatred for the living that resides in the unbeating hearts of naturally occurring morgues only in places like Geb where the population is largely Undead do beings such as morgues have any hope of overcoming their baser instincts and applying their malign intelligence to tasks and activities Beyond Simple murder and here they collaborate with other types of Undead or may even become leaders to lesser Undead types while there may be some variations in the appearance of different morgues most share a common physical description they are humanoid skeletons with bizarre purple coils of intestines growing within their torsos which then emerge from their mouths as Twisted claw-like tongues this new organ will over time replace all of the original organs that once resided within them it can seem as though A peculiar purple creature has possessed and animated a skeleton for Mobility but in reality the morg is both body and organ when a morgue first becomes Undead it does not resemble the terrifying creature it will become instead it appears as a zombie a decaying corpse with whatever fleshy remnants remain from its previous life as time goes on the negative energy that fuels its existence causes its innards to bloat and turn purple sneaking up through the body and out through its mouth even if its entrails are removed they will regenerate as the remaining flesh continues to decompose the morgue is eventually reduced to a skeletal frame entwined with pulsating swollen purple tendrils morgues lack the ability to feel pain have no requirement for sustenance and possess only a rudimentary sense of touch devoid of any means to derive physical pleasure or satisfy hunger these Undead creatures experience only one real form of pleasure response which occurs when creating zombies from their victims as this happens morgue's experience an almost euphoric response to the rush of negative energy that follows however they must balance this pleasure against their instinct to survive and those president year Beyond a few weeks quickly learned to control their appetites or at least to manage their spawn and avoid detection most types of morgues create zombies of the fast zombie subtype and are able to exert mental control over their raised victims however morgues do come in a variety of subtypes a desert morgue is born from the remains of a violent Criminal Who has been executed in the scorching heat of arid environments using methods intended to kill them through exposure and prolong their suffering to create a desert morgue the criminal is either affixed to an object such as a rock or tree or buried up to the neck and left to bake in the Sun despite appearing dry and leathery a desert morgue has the same attributes as a regular morgue though its spawn rise as burning skeletons instead of fast zombies a fleshwalker morgue is created when a criminal is executed in a way that leaves no visible injuries such as by poison or a death effect and then the corpse is preserved with a gentle reposed spell despite functioning like a regular morgue the Flesh of these creatures don't decompose therefore the only way to discern their true nature is through close examination or in combat when their grotesque tongues May emerge from their mouths although as with vampires a faint underlying scent of death or the absence of breathing can be detected by the very astute a frost morgue is a variant found in Northern climates easily recognizable by the Frozen appearance of its blue innards and tendrils like a desert morgue a frost morgue is born from the body of a violent criminal executed through exposure to the elements but in a cold environment frostmorks still retain much of their flesh which is blackened by frostbite when they strike at their foes with either claws or their tendrils these natural weapons apply a supernatural chill that blackens the skin with frostbite and quickly incapacitates their victims the morgue mother is an especially grotesque variety of morgue that arises from a pregnant woman these creatures have the unique and exceptionally powerful ability to create other morgues albeit at a reduced rate relative to the rate at which typical morgues would produce fast zombies the most disturbing quality of these morgues however is that the undead fetuses of these monsters can be seen in the creature's ribcage attached to the morgue's exposed entrails often laughing maniacally or providing color commentary during battle spectral dead existing alongside the material plane is the Ethereal plane a misty plane of existence which serves as the realm of spirits accessible only by departed souls and other strange esoteric entities some Spirits refuse to leave the world of the living due to feelings of Injustice delusion Fury or fear these Spirits exist in a state of boundless sorrow or deathless malice no longer connected to the living but instead an embodiment of thought and form these entities are sometimes collectively called the spectral dead and these Wayward spirits take on many forms and have Myriad intentions the spectral dead are not just aimless Souls cast out from eternity by chance most disembodied Spirits have a purpose whether it be driven by their own desires or the circumstances of their death ghost stories often describe Spirits lingering on the Mortal plane to rectifying Injustice that led to their demise or to prevent a terrible fate however the appearance of a ghost need not be so so dramatic although death remains a mystery to Mortals traumatic circumstances surrounding a spirit's death seems to be the primary factor for its manifestation it need not be a gruesome murder or betrayal the knowledge of a great responsibility or a loved one's endangered life can be sufficient cause to compel a soul to linger extreme circumstances can also lead to the formation of spirits such as Tales of unquiet battlefields ghostly ships and haunted cities such conditions must be exceptionally painful or damaging to the Mortal mind and not every Fallen Fortress or disaster-stricken Community results in Mass haunting while individual ghosts typically require some measure of personal connection suffering or desire to bind them to the Mortal realm such requirements are lessened for ghosts created on mass the shared experience of multitudinous lesser Horrors is significant enough to match the singular distress of a lone Spirit allowing large groups of spirits to manifest due to an incident of extreme shared emotion or disturbance that may not provoke the ghostly manifestation of an individual undeath may carry a dark appeal for some but becoming one of the spectral dead rarely does the transition from life to Spirit is mysterious and unreliable with no known cases of a willing purposeful transition into the state of unlife furthermore the ghostly state is typically stagnant with most ghosts unable to retain new knowledge after their deaths even memories of their Undead existences seem blurred and Timeless exceptions exist of course but they are exceedingly rare with even those existing for Millennia having little impression of the modern age or the passage of time since their deaths perhaps the most obvious and striking exception is that of the ghost King Geb himself who has retained most of his intelligence and will but even he is confused about his own state of being and he is either unaware of or resolutely refuses to acknowledge his own suicide and subsequent change the spectral dead come in a vast array of subtypes which I will touch on here briefly aleps are cursed with an existence of eternal torment a fate more horrifying than a life of fear and suffering these mad dead Are the souls of the insane who are too vicious and hate craze to find their way to the afterlife they wander the land as nightmarish hallucinations blathering endlessly in profanity and demanding to rods from forms stripped of mortal reason banshees are the enraged Undead Spirit of an elf typically a female created by heinous actions in her last moments a dreadful and agonizing death or a wretched betrayal by those she loved the banshee's sole purpose is to annihilate all those who still inhabit the Mortal realm blinded by Fury and driven to Badness by their sorrow banshees are compelled by their thirst for revenge against any who dare to enter their domains unleashing wailing cries that can freeze Mortals in their tracks despite the curses that surround them banshees are paradoxically gifted with potent abilities and sharp senses they can even detect the heartbeats Immortals which reveal their trespasses into their abodes ghosts are the most common form of restless Spirit when a soul is denied peace because of a significant Injustice whether real or imagined it may return as a ghost these Spirits are typically in a constant state of Agony lacking any physical form and incapable of correcting what went wrong although ghosts can be of any position most are motivated by an intense feeling of anger and hatred towards the living world and ghosts cannot be relied upon to have the same temperament they had in life haunts are not so much Restless Spirits as they are hazardous regions created by unquiet Spirits a haunt May manifest by reacting violently when living creatures are present the exact conditions that cause a heart to manifest vary but Hans always arise from a source of terrific mental or physical anguish endured by living tormented creatures a single source of suffering can create multiple haunts or multiple sources could consolidate into a single haunt haunts May manifest as doors opening and closing unexpectedly windows clattering or walls that weep blood driving all Mortals who witness them to Madness the relative power of the source has little bearing on the strength of the resulting haunt it's the magnitude of the suffering or despair that created the haunt that decides its power Shadows distorted like their namesakes are a type of incorporeal Undead that can move silently and effortlessly along surfaces blending in with true Shadows this allows them to approach their prey unnoticed and those who aren't caught off guard usually only catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of their eye before the shadow strikes greed and covetousness often lead people down the path of evil in betrayal ultimately resulting in a shameful death or a lonely end While most of these Petty and Despicable Souls pass on to their final resting places like everyone else there are some gluttons misers and thieves who waste away into nothing but Shadows undead beings that can reach and grab but cannot hold specters are a lesser form of spirit that arise from extreme violence and hatred they are The Souls of Rage compelled to linger upon the Mortal plane by their Fury these vicious Spirits seek to Revenge themselves upon all living creatures violently afflicting others with their own terrible condition the light of the sun weak inspectors forcing them into dark dismal haunts that only further fuel their loathing for life in all its forms wraiths are manifestations of true evil The Souls of exceptionally malevolent individuals they torment the living not out of any particular desire or rampant emotion but in the Indulgence and sadistic enjoyment of malice for malice's sake those that intrude upon their darkened Realms risk falling victim to their deadly touch a freezing grip that drains the vital energy from the living until all that's left is an ashen husk and a pathetic Soul enslaved to the wraith's cruel whims the Lesser nobility in Geb the Lesser nobility typically refers to those Undead types that are both intelligent and have a better handle on their more violent inclinations than do those of the enforcer class Ghouls and Ghasts according to Legend the first person to consume the Flesh of their own brother became Afflicted with the rare magical ailment after suffering for days they died and rose again this was cabreri the first ghoul cabriri would over time descend into the abyss and later attain the lofty position of Demon Lord and He is known today as cabriri the Lord of Graves and ghouls whether he was indeed the first of his kind is a hotly debated Topic in Necromancer circles but since then Ghouls and their more ferocious cousins the Ghasts have become one of the more common forms of Undead throughout the material plane necromancers have also long since mastered spells to awaken the hunger in a dead body and transform it into a ghoul the hunger that arises Within These reanimated corpses is insatiable and the ghoul will feed on anything it can get its hands on especially the sentient living the method of turning corpses into ghouls is not limited to the powers of necromancers however there are stories of individuals turning into ghouls spontaneously after resorting to cannibalism out of desperation or Madness in the darklands there is also a magical Aura called lazarite which is responsible for the rise of many ghouls lazarite is thought to be the remains of a dead God that left behind black bloodstains in the deepest caverns of the world when exposed it appears as a thin black crust on white veins of rock known as marrowstone lazarite itself exudes a strong Aura of necromancy and it can bring corpses back to life if a dead body is left within a few Paces of a significant lazarite deposit for a day it is likely to rise as a ghoul or ghast often retaining any abilities it had in life ghouls often build their layers near lazarite deposits as it gives them increased strength and resistance against holy energy another common way for corpses to become ghouls is through contact with other ghouls this contagious disease is known as ghoul fever and is transmitted through a ghoul's bite those who contract ghoul fever experience intense hunger pangs and painful spasms before eventually dying and Rising again as a ghoul what is interesting is that those who perish from ghoul fever always animate as Undead at midnight suggesting that this process can only complete its course under the cover of Darkness ghouls are a type of Undead with a unique characteristic their hunger while they don't have any natural biological functions they constantly feel hunger and the only way to temporarily relieve It Is by consuming humanoid flesh once they finish their meal their hunger returns forcing them to seek out new prey interestingly if a ghoul goes without food their hunger remains constant but doesn't grow in strength essentially the hunger represents the limits of sensation and cannot get any stronger however ghouls are not mindless creatures and they have other needs besides satisfying their hunger they are intelligent creatures who spend their time decorating their underground layers reading ancient texts tormenting prisoners or exploring their territories they typically seek to satiate their hunger once per day usually coming out at night to find prey each ghoul has its own preferences for flesh which can further limit their violent interactions with the living one of the Mysteries surrounding ghouls is what happens to the flesh they consume they don't have a natural digestive process and they don't excrete solid or liquid waste however it seems that the act of swallowing fresh flesh or carrion causes the meat to be absorbed directly into their decaying flesh over time a ghoul's body endlessly rots away and bits of Flesh fall off however the consumed flesh somehow replaces what drops away in Decay and a ghoul size does not diminish apart from their insatiable hunger and the disease they can spread the paralytic Touch of a ghoul is another defining danger it poses the top alone is not enough to paralyze a victim a ghoul must inflict damage by piercing the flesh with its claws or teeth survivors of this terrifying Affliction describe it as a sudden and overpowering hunger that weakens the limbs leaving them incapable of movement while Paralyzed by a ghoul victims are helpless and unable to escape as they experience the horror of being eaten alive it is noteworthy that elves possess an unusual immunity to this paralysis many attribute this to the legacy of cabriri the Demon Lord who is said to have been the first ghoul who was once an elf before succumbing to his cannibalistic urge indeed most ghouls do tend to develop features that are almost Elven including long ears and slender bodies which is believed to be a manifestation of cabreri's legacy just as with other types of Undead ghouls come in a variety of sometimes the most common are the Ghasts particularly strong humanoids or those who were already gluttons or cannibals in life often become Ghasts gas are similar to ghouls but are generally larger more powerful and more aggressive another variant of ghoul is the lacedon a type of ghoul commonly found among the Isles of the shackles these are ghouls who have risen from the bodies of starving humanoids that died from drowning often as a result of a shipwreck finally there are the ghouls of Leng a large and culturally sophisticated ghoul type found in the plateau of Lang an extra planar location I discuss in more detail in my guide to the demi-planes video grave Knights some evil Warriors have such a strong desire to win and love for battle that they can withstand even their final defeat these fearsome combatants somehow Forge a connection between their vengeful spirit and their armor which allows their Spirit to persist Beyond Death similar to Elitch's phylactery the armor of a grave Knight rebuilds the undead Knight's body whenever it is defeated in battle only by completely obliterating their armor can an opponent truly put an end to these detestable creatures unlike liches grave Knights don't plan for their return it typically happens spontaneously and to those who were unprepared for an undead existence since they're bound to the physical world but stripped of all sensory pleasure by their deathless state grave Knights respond to their transformation in various ways some seek the service of a dark God or more powerful evil creatures in hopes of having their curse lifted others resume their pursuit of domination over Mortals and the exhilaration of crushing their enemies and still others struggle with a monotony of their existence while attempting to recreate the horrors and atrocities that once excited them grave Knights don't require pain or death to survive but some kill out of anger revenge or the desire to prove their battle prowess others do so without much thought akin to swatting a fly in many ways their behavior makes them even more terrible than those Undead who need to Prey Upon the living to survive how a grave Knight approaches violence depends entirely on the Mortal Warrior it once was but all were killers and many lose what little Humanity remains in them as the centuries of Slaughter go on a grave Knight's body is a desiccated husk of bone and flesh and its armor is the lifeline that connects it to the physical world the creature's glowing eyes are not its actual eyes but rather a manifestation of its raging Spirit grave Knights imitate their living role as Warriors and leaders of troops they can't create Undead but they can command those they encounter to March under their Banner this ability makes them less cautious about killing or rebuking their own soldiers as every death only strengthens their armies once one of their clerical liten animates the Fallen people near a grave Knight experience a soul-rending sensation of isolation and loss that feels like the gods have abandoned them this impression isn't just a feeling as prayers and use of positive energy regularly fail near grave night these Undead capitalize on the sense of Abandonment caused by their sacrilegious Aura and often use it to instill fear and uncertainty in their opponents despite seemingly despising their existence grave Knights can't commit suicide while they're willing to fight to the point of the destruction of their own bodies they never let up their attacks in the hopes of defeat grave Knights look for ways to teleport their armor to a safe location if they're beaten but they'll never willingly reveal their secret weakness that destroying their armor is the only way to end them grave Knights arise from defeat fueled by their anger towards their failure and seek to make up for it through greater triumphs and atrocities however they are unable to experience physical Pleasures such as sleep food or even physical touch and must settle for the emotional satisfaction of dominance and victory as time passes even these feelings may lose their appeal requiring greater Conquest to achieve satisfaction while they cannot experience Terror pain or grief themselves they can inflict these emotions on others encounters with a grave Knight usually ends in a quick death and they do not restrain their violent impulses and they kill innocence and champions both without remorse Whites Whites are corpses that have been given Life by a dark Spirit driven by a craving for The Souls of the living they might appear similar to zombies or skeletons but are distinguishable by the glowing lights and their empty eye sockets whites can be mutilated dried out and repulsive to look at they often move among other types of Undead imitating their shambling gate so that their true danger is not immediately apparent the touch of a white can drain the life out of a living being making them weak and vulnerable when they hunt in groups they become more deadly and stealthy lurking in Shadows to Ambush their prey whites don't need to breathe but some of them retain habits from their past lives such as breathing motions which produce a putrid tainted Mist when they exhale the glow in a white eyes indicates the power of their own life which they can suppress when they want to remain undetected however their hatred and rage can't be hidden when they attack some believe that whites still draw breath because they are closer to life than other Undead and that this proximity fuels their hunger and fury they hope that by consuming The Souls of others they can satisfy their craving and rekindle their own life force however no matter how many Souls they consume they can never be satisfied for long which only makes them more bitter and frustrated the Genesis of whites are diverse some are the result of Arcane necromantic rituals and are bound to serve necromancers or Wicked priests others are Unfortunate Souls who have been transformed into undead beings by the touch of other whites these whites Harbor a strong self-loathing as well as a hatred for the living they strive to regain their stolen Life Force to rekindle their Soul's fire failing that they seek to create an army of minions who share their anguish and pain when a white touches a living being the victim's soul is drained while a portion of the White's Undead Spirit flows back into the victim replacing their life force with the raw energy of death every touch pushes the target closer to death until they are themselves transformed into a miserable being of suffering and hatred enslaved to their Creator's will there are a few additional unnotable white subtypes brute whites or white Giants typically brutish hunchbacked simple-minded Savages that serve necromancers or other more intelligent kinds of Undead Karen whites are specialized whites created by certain societies to serve as tomb Guardians typically for Barrows or other burial sites a Karen White is a powerful white that fights with an ancestral weapon often a sword and that can Channel its energy draining attacks through the weapon dust whites arise in harsh desert environments and they have a desiccating touch that saps the moisture from their victims these whites are typically found in desert tombs or ruins and a fiery orange eyes and very little flesh save for leathery scraps clinging to their bones Frost whites are common in cold environments typically becoming pale Undead with blue white eyes and eyes in their hair like other types of cold infused Undead like frost morgues their attacks also confer a debilitating icy chill to their victims and a frost white that grapples its foes May well freeze its enemy solid Mist whites can be found in fog shrouded harbors and along the Misty coastlines of temperate climates Mist whites are silent creatures that can disappear into the dogs and can sense the subtle intake of breath in creatures around them allowing them to pinpoint any creature that isn't holding its breath even in total fog or darkness in addition Mr whites can summon fog and Mist themselves magically either in the form of an obscuring mist or in some cases as a choking fog that can cause its victims to suffocate around them bloodlords the three types of Undead that comprise the highest tier of Undead Society are liches mummies and vampires these intelligent creatures are the most intelligent self-aware and magically gifted of all the undead types and wherever they are found in galerion they are invariably powerful Lords and masters of Undead fiefdoms of Their Own Lich although many fear death and crave immortality few creatures can escape The Natural end of life aging bodies and deteriorating Minds lead to the collapse of one's accomplishments leaving their names forgotten in history however the Lich through mysterious and unknown techniques seeks to Halt the inevitable conclusion of Life by drawing on their faith or dark knowledge the most powerful spellcasters can transcend the boundaries of life and Achieve Undead immortality the transformation into a lich is a deliberate and calculated process it is not a result of an accident or a manifestation of Rage or despair the Lich is a creature of Ultimate Will and design carefully planning its transition from life to undeath this deliberate Choice makes the Lich a formidable opponent as it is ambitious and clever enough to tear its soul from its body and create a new home for it called a phylactery the phylactery a strong and impressive object ensures the lich's immortality as long as it remains intact however the process of becoming a lich often drives the initiate into the arms of corruption seeking out forbidden magic and lost lore the initiate's focus on achieving Undead immortality drives out all other concerns including friendship and love although the magic that powers the liches on life keeps their mind sharp and Spirits fresh the endless centuries eventually lead to Madness and paranoia the cycle of time speeds ever faster and the Lich only remembers those who seek to destroy it this leads to a generalized hatred for life and the construction of fabulous fortresses filled with traps and deadly devices to eliminate Intruders despite this some liches grow weary of their confinement and travel in Disguise to seek out new Delights or gather rare ingredients the Lich relies on powerful magic to maintain its existence while its magic Wards off the effects of death and prevents Decay it does little to protect its flesh from drying out once the Lich abandons food and drink its body loses the nourishment needed to keep its skin and muscles Supple causing them to contract snap and wither however the Lich does not require these physical attributes to move as its flesh is only for show Even If It suffers a mortal blow it has no fear of immobilization as its magical state allows it to remain fully mobile even with broken bones liches aren't almost universally ambitious creature type often using their magical abilities to force slave populations into constructing vast projects or conducting Arcane experiments liches possess a Timeless and patient mindset that few mortals can comprehend often making plans that take several generations to come to tuition while some liches aspire to godhood most are so consumed by their visions that they have little interest in gaining the worship of Mortals their work is deep and introspective focused on achieving their obscure and personal ambitions beyond the standard Lich there is also one common Lich subtype the demilich as liches continue their unending existence some become lost in introspection unable to face the passing of time others detach their Consciousness from their bodies traversing planes Beyond mortal comprehension without the Vitality of the soul the lich's physical form gradually decays until only its skull remains intact however the lich's undeath prevents the complete dissolution of its Remains the skull retains fragments of the lich's intellect which awaken in a terrible rage when Disturbed the lich's will to live imbues the skull with extraordinary hardiness surpassing that of any steel its greed and thirst for power causes gems to grow within the skull though only remnants of its Eldritch might survive a demilich still possesses enough power to utterly destroy the soul of any who disturb its final resting place mummy the preserved bodies of ancient and respected individuals can be found in forgotten tombs and prisons of nature these Crypts give rise to warnings from Scholars and Poets cautioning against terrible curses and the wrath of souls Disturbed from their Eternal rest the depredations of the Dead are common folk tale with stories of them feasting on the living however this is not the case with mummies who are incorrectly thought of as vengeful dead the retaliations are never mindless Vengeance and the curses they place on those who have awakened them are usually deserved and their actions carry the justice of those who have already faced Judgment of their own even the term mummy is a misnomer in fact when referring to these undead beings while cultures that practice mummification have contributed to their creation spontaneous reanimation of corpses has been witnessed in many ancient societies with various differing burial rights unfortunately alternative terms like cursed souls or ancient dead are less understood and probably just as misleading identifying a mummy is difficult as there are no uniform physical characteristics linen wrappings alone cannot be used to identify them and some mummies may not resemble typical and shrouded cadavers they come in various forms such as mud-caked skeletons Frozen and frostbitten cadavers or corpses buried in revered clothing or armor depending on the burial rights of the culture in which the mummy has arisen what actually identifies a mummy is its curse and the strength with which it exacts its revenge luckily mummies are rare and require elaborate and expensive circumstances for the resurrection if one does come across a mummy and incurs its wrath it is likely deserved as they only return to the mortal world in response to severe trespass or desecration mummies like other sentient Undead have an intense Vice that extends Beyond the Veil of natural death for mummies this Vice is covetousness while it may seem like an unusual distinction many mummies were not animate before being disturbed and their remains were not Undead although mummies can be created through necromantic Magics these days they can also spontaneously manifest due to an outside influence such as the desecration of a burial place or the violation of physical Remains the attachment between a departed soul and its immortally coveted remains possessions or philosophies is so strong that it draws the spirit back across the Gulf of mortality to defend that which gave meaning to it in its life there are various factors that may provoke a mummy's resurrection with cultural generalities existing the most important requisite appears to be a lifelong preoccupation with death which is typically held by an individual and compounded by his Society populations that believe in the finality of death or the dissolution of the Mortal Spirit rarely they produce mummies those societies Who tie their Eternal rewards to the state of their physical remains or other monuments to their lives and believe that departed Spirits might return to interact with the living unwittingly inflict a self-fulfilling curse upon themselves this is why mummies are so common in places like Assyrian where the burial rights of the wealthy dead are lavish indeed mummies that are created through means other than dark magic often have a spiritual connection to their resting place which they perceive as either a sanctuary or a prison granted to them by their descendants the form of these resting places is of little importance it is the spiritual connection and the significance that the deceased places on them that hold the meaning therefore mummies can just as easily rise from hidden Barrow Mounds ancient catacombs or Acres of holy mud as from grandiose tombs however cultures that place great importance on monumentalizing the resting places of the Dead are more likely to be cursed with mummies once awakened mummies usually retain a sense of their former lives such as pharaohs Champions or priests they seek to carry out their reawakened Ambitions or seek Vengeance in ways reminiscent of their past lives therefore imami's behavior is more a reflection of its life than its Undead form and their unpredictability makes it difficult to identify and combat them most Undead Mummies Believe that no time has passed since their deaths and the knowledge weapons and magic of their era are still fresh in their rotted Minds however even the wisest of these resurrected figures rarely show any interest in passing along the lore of their era mummies possess the frustration of individuals who are out of time and who have been weakened by the dissolution of all that once granted them esteem thus many mummies seek a return to death they are God Kings of Empires reduced to dust High priests who have outlived their deities or the great who have been weakened by the passage of time the most maniacal of the ancient dead might overcome their histories or seek to recreate them Anew establishing mockeries of era's past with themselves occupying their former positions of power as mummies draw their power from their moot obsessions none can accept the loss of what they once had they are driven forward with all the Vigor of deluded yet immortally powerful Fanatics vampire the topic of vampire is fraught with centuries of Legend and fiction where myths and Fantasies muddy factual evidence the truth behind these Horrors is riddled with contradictions vampires are dead but still alive their bodies are cold yet their beauty never Fades they bring suffering and death but bear the faces of friends although holy talismans cough and dirt stakes and sunlight are often cited As Weapons against these Undead in reality there is no such thing as a common vampire each one is unique possessing knowledge of its own vulnerabilities and the experience to continue its Undead Rampage only a thorough understanding of the fundamental nature and goals of these elusive creatures might assist in deterring their insatiable appetites yet even then the living are no match for the supernatural power an age-old cunning of these rulers of the undead despite the existence of a wide range of folklore and legends across various cultures it is uncommon to find individuals who are at least not Vaguely Familiar with the vampiric cycle of predation and rejuvenation though Fireside Tales serve to spread General details they are hardly a reliable source for identifying these Undead creatures much less combating them the primary fear of vampires arise from their reputed kiss the bite and Telltale marks that bring about death and the dark curse of unlife as the most discussed and feared power of these unliving Hunters the pronounced fangs of the vampires draw the blood of the living allowing the vampires to feed upon the vital fluid and more terrifyingly to create more of its kind from its victims though not an uncommon trait of the undead in Vampires this corruption is refined giving them the choice of slaying their victims outright or resurrecting them as either deathless thralls or true vampires the distinction between these similar Abominations elude most would-be hunters yet two distinct types of vampires exist true vampires and vampire spawn also known as thralls slaves or Brides thus vampire spawn are bound to the will of their masters being slaves to their whims typically exhibiting no more control or ambition of their own than feral ghouls or Untamed Hunters without the control and foresight of their masters the properties of a vampire's bite the fanged kiss through which they drain the blood of the living are shrouded in mystery debates extend even unto the manner in which the vampiric fangs Aid in feeding whether they merely serve as tools to start blood flowing or siphon blood themselves regardless of such particulars the effects of a vampire's bite remain the same gradual weakening until death While most vampires visit their victims night after night draining them of their Vitality little by little some Gorge themselves drinking away an entire life in a single Feast from such deaths new vampires might arise though victims physically unfit for the transformation might still resurrect as mere spawn with this in mind many vampires drain Mortals near to death but allow them to succumb to death from weird weakness and wasting not the act of being drained directly thus vampires choose who they pass their curse onto avoiding the hindrances and evidence that multiple members of their kind sometimes present vampires have basic needs Beyond sustenance such as rest healing and protection from sunlight to fulfill these needs they require a personal coffin Sanctuary these sanctuaries not only serve as a place for the undead to recover from injuries but also provide the death-like Repose necessary for their nightly activities each vampire has a unique connection to their coffin and only a personal and meaningful one will suffice if their coffin is destroyed of vampire will go to Great Lengths to find or create a new one that meets their deathly requirements the powers and vulnerabilities of vampires vary widely making them difficult opponents to detect and defend against they have been described as having control over Vermin and nocturnal creatures transforming into their shapes and even controlling the weather or spreading disease it is said there are various methods of destroying vampires although no weakness is universal sunlight is generally lethal while Rushing Water weakens them and a stake through the heart immobilizes them but much to the dismay of adventurers and heroes none of these rules are foolproof and what may work for one vampire might not work for another the habits of vampires are difficult to generalize and their behavior can vary greatly from one individual to the next however all vampires share a fundamental difference from other Undead creatures in that they seek out living beings to sustain their existence they typically hunt in urban areas where they can blend in and their depredations can go unnoticed vampires who try to live in seclusion require complex arrangements to ensure a steady fly of blood in their interactions with others vampires May mimic mortal Behavior or abandon convention entirely they may hunt in the shadows like serpents or prowl like wolves on the edge of civilization some vampires attempt to uphold the societal Norms of their former culture While others become beasts driven only by their hunger the path that a vampire chooses to take in immortality depends on its psyche in life many struggle to adapt to their new existence and may starve go insane or become rampaging monsters most vampires are arrogant both towards the living and other Undead and rarely associate with one another except in Master Slave relationships when they do meet differences in personality and methodology often lead to rivalry or loathing vampires come in a variety of sub-reads the streegoi were said to be the ancestors of the modern vampire theorized to have originally hailed from the plane of Shadow these ancient beings made their way into galarian at some ancient time likely during the age of creation but none of their original kind still exist at least not in galerion if such an ancient entity were ever to be found it would likely be a terrifying creature indeed since the most ancient vampires are among the most powerful creatures to dwell on the mortal world and the strigoi are said to have predated them by Millennia whatever happened to the original srigoy is not known but this is a hotly topic among vampiric Scholars the Aswang are a frightening type of vampire that are commonly found in remote Eastern lands and can only arise from female victims by day they appear mostly human and are unafraid of light but they possess powerful shape-shifting abilities that allow them to undergo monstrous Transformations during these Transformations they grow terrifying wings claws and a long sharp tongue which they use to Feast on flesh and hearts with a particular taste for the young or even The Unborn Jiang Shi vampires occur like a kind of vampiric mummy due to an unfulfilled Obsession that festers in the decay of its corpse however the years it takes for the vampire to revive may result in the object of its Obsession being long gone thus the zhangshi returned to a world that has moved on searching for new signs and symbols to obsess over these fixations are often incomprehensible to others and anyone who Bears the mark of the vampire's current obsession is in grave danger it is uncertain whether a permanent resolution to the obsession exists but for a creature facing an eternity without fulfillment even the slightest chance of release is worth pursuing monoroy vampires all cultivate an image of sophistication and for Millennia the moroi have attempted to reshape the perception of their curse they have inserted romantic and seductive stories into folklore and try to downplay their violent and Savage Tendencies as a form of punishment or torture rather than instinct or desire however this portrayal of nobility is nothing more than a falsehood the Affliction breeds bloodlust and evil not refinement or culture each moroi is a product of their environment and this can lead to significant variations in their behavior while moroy are most well known for being elegant and fashionable their arrogance is the only real thing that sets them apart from other vampire types the Nosferatu are the eldest descendants of the strigoi so even among vampires the Nosferatu are considered ancient and Powerful there they are the eldest of the vampires as with the streegoi to whom they are closely related a great Calamity befell them and only a handful now remain all of them are forlorn Furious or insane for despite their formidable powers and abilities the Nosferatu are the most wretched of vampires their ancient bodies horde the very ravages of age withering more each year and seeding them with a desperate longing for the bodily youth of which they are robbed shame and self-loathing marry endless Decay to create the anguish of a being who creeps ever closer to the coattails of death but whose inevitable demise yet eludes it erdefons are a war-like race of clear-skinned blood drinkers who live in the darklands realm of ORV sometimes called the orvian vampires the first erdophones were created from the hunted petitioners of a baton by the oiner demon of a baton who was then the ruler of demon kind though oina demon removed them from Abaddon and put them in the Vault of Minos pashat in ORV so they might Thrive when the oena demon Was Defeated and imprisoned by The Four Horsemen the erdophones lost the ability to reproduce and left amino's pashat out of anger in an act of so-called charity the horsemen of War offered them the ability to reproduce albeit only with demons of Abaddon that they are to summon to the material world expressly for this purpose and in exchange the horsemen marked them with a hunger for blood giving rise to a new kind of vampire the Vitale are a specific kind of vampire breed typically limited to turned children or young adults they have a unique disposition as the moroi and the Nosferatu continue to exist on Earth a vitala aims to surpass its physical limitations by feeding on pure Essence rather than mere blood enabling it to exist between bodies although it remains bound to this plane its malevolent nature and ability to possess others allow it to roam freely for a few glorious hours even among the living the vatala moves from one host to another preying on the memories and thoughts of intelligent creatures by devouring the creativity imagination and memories of its victims the vatala accumulates a chaotic collection of unconnected Secrets making it highly prized by Scholars of Legends despite their vast knowledge only a few Brave or foolish Mortals would dare to seek to consult with such a dangerous creature are bestial beings lacking The Pride romance and seduction of other vampire breeds similar to ghouls yet much more cunning these animalistic and shape-shifting corpses arise from their tombs at night to terrorize the living and spread a horrifying life-sapping illness with fewer weaknesses than traditional vampires they prove to be notoriously challenging to defeat and can effortlessly decimate overconfident hunters or entire unsuspecting communities finally we should touch on vampire thralls who are lesser vampires Bound in service to the vampire that turned them possessing many of the powers of the parent vampire but to a lesser degree and on The Damp here youngest and most distant of all vampire kind the inevitable result of thousands of years of vampires walking among the fertile races of galarian shunned by both their Undead progenitors and The Mortals curse to Bear them dampers face difficult lives sometimes in service to full-blood vampires and sometimes lives LED as far from their accursed progenitors as they can possibly get I discussed damp here's more detail in my pathfinder ancestry guide special Bloodlines video thank you so much for watching if you enjoyed this content please be sure to like And subscribe if you want to hear about other kinds of creatures you can make your requests for different types of creature features in the comments below I read all of them also if you want to support the channel there's a join button somewhere up here that'll allow you to join my myth Watchers Club that'll give you early access to video special Badges and other perks I'll see you next week [Music] thank you [Music]

Channel: MythKeeper

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Id: eCJ10IaMIQc

Length: 69min 55sec (4195 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 21 2023