Alter Aeon The Great Library

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Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  13786
Title: The Necromarcanorum Volume VII: Lichdom

 This scroll is made from black leather, rolled around a waxed rod of
darkwood. The text is large and blocky, written with dense white chalk that
is sealed into the leather:

"One of the most dark and profound abilities developed by necromancers is
the power to remove their own souls and bind them to inanimate objects. A
fusion of the possession spell and undead raising rituals, this process
creates a potent form of undead known as a lich. These processes border on
violating the divine mandates governing souls. As a result, many liches,
even well-intentioned ones, find themselves facing persecution and outright
assassination attempts.

Liches resemble well-preserved mummies, zombies or even naked skeletons.
They are extremely tough and usually strongly resistant to magic. They
possess all the memories, skills and spellcasting ability they had in life,
and can continue to learn new abilities. Very ancient liches sometimes
develop their own spells and specialized artifacts to protect themselves
from destruction.

The lich's soul is often bound outside its body, stored in a specially
prepared object. Some liches have learned how to split their souls into
pieces and store each piece in a separate object. These special items are
sometimes called phylacteries.

Non-humanoids can become liches as well, as long as they have the proper
magical knowledge and desire. At least one dragon, known as the Dracolich,
went through this process.

Death Knights are a variant of lich. These undead creatures were warriors
that, like liches, were transformed into undead while they were still
alive. Unlike liches, the ritual is performed on their behalf, as they are
not powerful spellcasters themselves. They retain a full memory of their
life, skills and abilities. They are often garbed in heavy armor and wield
powerful weapons. Some Death Knights have their souls bound to their
favorite weapon, though most have their souls bound to their armor or body.

Probably the most famous lich is King Es'Pawmarow, the long-standing ruler
of the City of Jo'Kerin."