Literature

These are excerpts from books of interest in the world of Tiien, for easier comprehension.
[Hider= Books ]
 Book of the Dead (Work in Progress)
Written by Xair Brentbrood, Master Necromancer, 1543-1550, TA.
 
The Essence of Death 

Before you continue in the following pages of this tome, let me give you some useful advice.
You're going to die.

No matter how hard you try, you will. Your soul will leave your body and be cast into the dark river of death, but what then? 
You may be wondering what exactly death is.

Well, it isn't. Death is a state of being, not a place; but Gaurot's realm and the Pit are places.
Perhaps I should elaborate.
***
 
As I said, you are going to die. But don't be afraid; dying is a simple action. When your soul-carrying vessel has existed for so long it can no longer function correctly; your soul leaves it. Simple as that. But what happens after this vacation, you ask? You die. Obviously. But what REALLY happens is more complex. You see, this mortal realm exists alongside three others. The first: The Inferno. The Second: The Free Realm. The Third: Death. Death in itself is impossible to enter as a mortal. At least, as yourself. As one with the Gift of Mageblood, you can will yourself to die.

Who would want to kill themselves, you ask?

Well, Necromancers, for one. And, since this a book on Necromancy, I won't go further than that.

Death is the River.
The Pit is the Lake...
More on Death itself in the next section...
 
[Hider= Death, among other things ]
Well, seems you've read this far. Good. That means you're interested. So, since you seem to be a dedicated student, allow me to teach you a few things. As with the introduction, I'll be telling you about death, here.

Now, as a Mortum Necromancer, you probably have some sort of affinity for death. At least, I hope you do, otherwise you're in the wrong profession. Now, just because you enjoy death, or the aspect of it, doesn't mean you understand it. In truth, very few people understand it. I, however, am one of those people. But, instead of trying to make you all understand, I'll put it in metaphorical terms for you all. 

Think of death as a swift, flowing river. It is ice-cold and relentless, but you are in a boat. That boat is your body; it is life. It floats in death, but you stay on it. Now, let us think more of the river. Rivers have rocks, right? Some of them do. Let's think of death as a very rocky river, then. Life is constantly being smashed against the rocks. Of course, Life is a strong boat. But, it can't last forever. Eventually, the Lifeboat is broken down, piece by piece, with you still on board. Holes spout water up; you are closer to death than ever before. And, eventually, you fall in. You are gone. The Boat, your body, useless. Your spiritual form will sink into the depths of death, and be pulled with the current.

Alas, you have saviors. The Angels of Death like to intervene; they like to pick you out of the water, build you a new boat, and set you off once again, alive. But, those who were not good; those souls which do no good for the world, do not get saved. They get no new boat, they get to be borne down the river, over the waterfall, and into the pit.

I like to liken the pit to a lake, for it is much calmer than death. This, the lake, is where you will be pulling souls from. Of course, that's only for ethereal Necromancy, which we will get to later on...
[/Hider] 
[Hider= The Harsh Reality ]

Since you've got a minor understanding of death itself, it's time to go into the more Necrotic sections of Necromancy. Now, if you have a weak stomach, I advise you against this art. Perhaps Demonomancy is for you? Either way, it requires a liking, or at least a respect, for corpses. This is the most mundane part of Necromancy; the Corporal minions.
 
Now, we all know there are two types of people in the world. Dead ones, and living ones. But, unlike some believe, you can only travel one way in that endeavor. You can die, but you never truely come 'back to life' in your original body. Ever. In fact, it is almost impossible for a Pitted soul to ever be graced a body again. Why, you ask? Because the main job of Necromancers is NOT to slam unwilling souls into bodies. In fact, only high-grade Necromancers even use Ethereal minions (look at the next chapter), and none of those require a body. Now, let’s go through with a list of basics for Corporal Necromancy.
 
Corpses are your main ingredient. It makes it sound like a recipe for pie, but it is true.
Now, again against popular belief, the more meat on the body means the easier the animation. Sure, Rigor Mortus has set in, usually, but that still means you have joints, nerves, and muscles in your minion, allowing for easier and less straining bindings on the body.

For example, if you were to bind a skeleton, you would have a lot of trouble, and use a lot of blood, trying to bind every joint, hold every bone together, and so on, often for less of a minion than you would have gotten from a fresh Cadaver.
[/Hider]