Westgard/Libris Mortis

Foreword

This manual will attempt to document, categorize, and codify the nature and types of undead and methods of fighting them in hopes that their scourge may be ultimately defeated, or at the very least, ease the suffering their shambling ranks inflict upon the living.

Of the Nature of the Dead

The Undead, in a general sense, are the animated bodies of the deceased. They are with only the most limited of exceptions (a singular occurence, to be discussed later) innately hostile to mankind. Oddly enough, they do not engage in hostilities with monsters, despite a history of opposition, and the monsters possessing qualities that would seem compatiable with their unholy diets. The Undead propogate in three distinct ways which will be explored further in this chapter.

Propogation

The Undead first and foremost require human corpses, or in some rare cases, an undead may rise without an intact body, instead being a being of spirit that was once Human. There are no recorded cases of undead Daimons and only limited anecdotes of undead Monsters. The Undead are a twisted mockery of life. Feeding and breeding in an unholy parody of Humanity. One might note the absence of summoning the undead from this chapter, it will be covered elsewhere.

The first method of undead propagation is the least understood, but also the easiest to combat. The spontaneous rising of the Dead. This can occur anywhere, anytime. Ancient crypts, tombs, graveyards all hold corpses which untended, will rise again as the Undead. Left unchecked, the most powerful of these will form hordes and menace civilized regions. However, this can be largely kept in check by adventurers, who cull the ranks of the Undead before they grow too powerful. What we can observe from this however, is the undead draw an unholy power from numbers. The more undead in a region, the stronger they become.

The second method of propagation is perhaps the most terrifying. When undead take over a region they convert it into an undead sprawl, and the dead buried within (or the unfortunate souls living there) are turned to shambling corpses. This can be combatted by halting undead takeovers and imposing order on regions. The simplest math is: the fewer regions in anarchy, the fewer regions capable of harboring undead sprawls. Fell energies coalesce in these areas, animating bodies and giving rise to attacks on civilized regions.

The third and final method of propogation is the direct conversion of living victims to undead. The methods vary between types of the Undead, but are always violent. After a battle it is important to monitor the wounded for bites and tell tale signs of undead curses. Ghouls and Ghasts, for example, spread their curse through bites. The victim will suffer a terrible fever, and then some time later rise as a ghoul. Wraiths, the semi-corporeal, shadow like spirits convert any they kill. If the victim of a wraith is not burned, it will rise as another wraith come the next sunset.

Combatting the Dead

Fighting the Undead may seem like a straight forward affair, but those who would engage them as they would a human opponent will find their ranks quickly overrun, and joining the ranks of their foes. A soldier has to change tactics. A sword driven through the abdomen of a man will stop him. A sword driven through the sword of a ghoul brings you closer to its slavering maw. However, a head smashed in is still a head smashed in and will stop anything. Man, Daimon, Troll, Wyvern, Wraith, Wight... That being said, this chapter will discuss effective methods of combatting the Undead.

Silver. Silver is a purifying metal, one with an intrinsic connection to life and purity. Keep a silver coin in a waterskin and the water stays fresh. Remove it from the skin, and it will become foul and stagnant. So it is against the undead. Silver weapons will stop the dead in case where they would otherwise ignore the blow. Silver csn be used to treat undead maladies like Ghoul Fever. Use silver whemever possible.

Ranged. The undead lack the intelligence or motor functions to utilize ranged attacks. Thus, by deploying ranged forces in the back, and melee in the rearguard, you can shoot them all day before they even get close. Done right, you shouldn't even engage the dead in melee.

Holy Light. Magic will be its own section, but Holy Light bears special mention. Without getting into theological territory, Holy Light channels the divine essence that gives us life. Undead, possessing none of this Light, are vulnerable to it. The twisted mockery of life that fuels the Undead is driven out of their vessels by this raw channeling of divine energy, destroying them. Bar none, Holy Light is the best way to combat the undead.

Magic. The undead are just as vulnerable to magic as anything else, even those spells that seem as though they wouldn't. Scrolls of Fear are particularly effective, given undead units lack leaders and are susceptible to being routed. Curse of rust, splash of acid are both viable combat spells. Magic weapons and armor both aid immensely in fighting the dead. Fireball remains useless, as the wizards appear to revel in some sort of joke, as if hurling a ball of fire isn't useful.