Wraithe

Lord of the Undead

Cult of the Necromancers

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History

Before Time

When the forces of Chaos rent the Universe during the Great Darkness, and the Chaos Wars began, many Gods were shocked and dismayed. They started searching for ways to counter the new threat. Some sought special arcane knowledges to turn the weaons of chaos against itself. One such is now known by no name, only what he became. Those who delve deeply into the matters of evil frequently ensnare themselves, and so it was with The Wraithe.

He was originally a Darkness deity, possibly a son of Stygia, certainly close to her son Zorak Zoran, though not so violent. Inspired by the Troll Death God, Wraithe studied long and deeply, paying particular attention to the vampires. Finally completing his studies, he rallied his friends and allies, including Zorak Zoran, and met one of Christos Farlae's greatest lieutenants. There Wraithe subverted the Vampire Lord's undead and even turned the Vampire Lord against his master. Later Wraithe proved instrumental in defeating Christos Farlae and expelling him into the void.

Gratitude turned to rancour however when Wraithe refused to destroy his legions of undead or his vampire slaves and the Necromancer retreated to the hospitality of his friend and possible brother Zorak Zoran. Secretly now, he worked to forge the ultimate anti-vampire weapon. Rapidly he lost his reputation, all his friends deserted him, until even Zorak Zoran instructed him to destroy his vampires or leave his demesne.

Bitter and vengeful at this supposedly cavalier treatment by the Gods of Law, he made the final transition and twisted himself to become The Wraithe, the ultimate undead. In horror the forces of Law, spearheaded by Humakt and Rhadamanthus, found themselves fighting both Chaos and Wraithe's vampire legions. But Wraithe's following was thankfully small and could last only until the Chaos Hordes had been destroyed, then, at the end of Godtime, Wraithe was defeated by the Gods of Death and Justice.

Since Time

The cult of Wraithe has followed in their God's footsteps, attracting men who have reason to hate the vampires, fear Chaos or Death, or who simply hunger after power. The necromancers remain cryptic, worshipping in secret, flourishing occasionally - usually under the aegis of a misguided nobleman - only to be smitten by the forces of Law.

Life After Death

Wraithe offers the alternatives of physical continuation within a preserved body as undead, or else as an external spirit serving him as do other spirits serve their gods, occasionally incarnating as undead familiars to serve Runelevels. He will not permit resurrection, but divine intervention will raise a dead or dying cultist as a sentient undead. The cult practices burial, often constructing elaborate tombs for their dead. They place the departed's possessions with him, so that they are to hand when the dead rise up. In the past some nobles have been interred with their wives and household. Even entire regiments have been entombed alive with a dead noble officer in the expectation that one day the Wraithe will return and raise them en-masse to serve him as front-line infantry units.

Runic Associations

The God arises out of the Cold of Death to Master Undeath.

Nature of the Cult

The cult, like its God, is not inherently evil and its ethos resides in fighting chaos, particularly vampires. Hence from time to time, it has been endorsed openly in some areas. But the cult inherits the fatal flaw of its God and a slide into evil by an individual or on a scale as large as a nation is inevitable. This is the tragedy of Wraithe. Persons attracted to the cult may do so for noble reasons, or out of fear of death, thirst for knowledge or even mundane lust for power. Whether their intentions are good or evil, intimate contact with an Undead deity ultimately corrupts all who join the cult. For this reason, the cult is generally anathema.

Socio-Political Position and Power

Very little overt power pertains to this cult, but it occasionally rises to prominence briefly before succumbing to the powers of Light and Law. Otherwise and elsewhere, the cult leads a cryptic existence, worshipping in secret hidden temples. Sometimes isolated nobles in fear of death immerse themselves in the study of undeath and thereby become ensnared. In such places Wraite may be encountered in limited force.

Particular Likes and Dislikes

The cult of course hates vampires and since Wraithe's denunciation, all anti-undead cults. Humakt and Rhadamanthus are especially feared. Chaos aside from undead is viewed with deep distaste and will be eradicated if possible. Most other cults are viewed with a cold neutrality and people merely as a source of undead with which to fight the next Vampire War. Only Baal, a cult with a similar philosophy and condition remains associated to Wraithe. Zorak Zoran was once very close, but finally denounced his brother; however, it was not wholehearted and it is sometimes noticed that, without spiritual supervision by Stygia Priests, Zorak Zoranis still become mesmorized by the Necromancer's powers over undead. Witness the berserker allies of Thanatos during the recent Timestop.

Organisation

Organisation varies from temple to temple, but is always rigidly controlled by the upper echelons, many of whom are undead and effectively immortal. Thus conservatism is a feature of this cult, though not as much as in the Stasis rune cults. Security is the overriding factor and there are always several layers of seemingly normal people between the outside world and the hierarchy which is usually at least half undead. Temples are too infrequent for there to be an inter-temple organisation.

Centres of Power and Holy Places

Centres of power occur wherever the cult can gain a foothold. There have been large states where the state religion is the cult of Wraithe. The most notable have been on the Moon River, between the Great Southern Desert and the south-west coast of the Great Middle Sea, and twice on the upper reaches of the Nile. The most recent threat by Wraithe during the Timestop was in the person of Thanatos, who achieved the state of being a Wraithe and may have been personally responsible for the stoppage of time itself. He had a powerbase in the eastern and southern Trollands, but in his quest for world domination this never amounted to a state, merely a source for chariot-fodder.

Holy places include the place where Wraithe defeated Christos Farlae, the place where Wraithe attained his ultimate goal, and the place where Humakt struck him down.

Holy Days and High Holy Days

As a parallel to Christos Farlae, Wraithe shares the same seasonal Holy Days on Freezeday of Deathweek. The High Holy Day is Godsday, Stasisweek, of Darkseason as the traditional anniversary of Wraithe's final transition to the ultimate undead.

Lay Membership

Layman status open to all races save Faeriekin and Dragonewts, but all non-human races save Trolls have a −10 CHA modification. Persons wishing to join the necromancers are rare, but assuming a temple is there to be discovered, every season a character has a POW×1% chance of being approached. If he can convince the temple of his dedication and veracity, (POW+CHA)×⁵⁄₂, then he can commence his studies.

He may learn the weapon skills of mace and small shield, plus undead lore, spot hidden, and listen. He may also learn skills appropriate to his cover if applicable. The following spells may be purchased at full cost: Detect Spirit, Detect Undead, Darkwall, Demoralize, Mindspeech, and Corpse Healing. He will be found some form of free room and board, usually as an apprentice in his cover profession. He must strive to study and pass his exams for initiation. In the meantime he will be expected to partake of cult missions, frequently involving grave robbing and gallows snatching. Laymen msut sacrifice one point of POW on Holy Days.

Initiate Membership

To initate, a candidate must have been known to the cult for at least a year, and a layman for at least a season. He must know undead lore at 50% or better and pass a test of (POW+CHA)׳⁄₂ + read/write sandscript. He must take one gift and the concomitant geases and is known as Brother. Upon attaining 90% in Undead Lore, he may take another gift and is referred to as Master. He must sacrifice 2 points of POW on a Holy Day and 4 points on the High Holy Day.

Benefits include half price training in 1-handed mace attack and small shield parry, free undead lore and half price listen, spot hidden, hide in shadows, move quietly, r/w sandscript, oratory, death lore and embalming. The cult teaches free Corpse Healing II, Detect Spirit, Detect Undead and Detect Life, and half price Darkwall, Demoralise, Mindspeech, Bludgeon, Parry, Protection, and Corpse Healing. Most other skills and spells are taught at full price save for healing skills which are double cost and the spells of Fireblade, Firearrow, Light, Lightwall, Ignite and Healing which are forbidden and will be forgotten if known.

The initate is expected to work towards Runelevel, especially the Priesthood. He may be required to conduct or supervise difficult missions for the cult. He should avoid the anti-undead cults and report all indead sightings, particularly vampires, to his superiors. All the mundane benefits are his including free room and board, succor, etc. in return for which he is expected to serve with strict obedience every command of his supervisors. Whenever possible he must attend the ceremonies and the rituals and is expected to serve at least one week per season in direct cult business. He must tithe 10% of all his income to the temple coffers.

As a god of Cold rather than darkness, Wraithe cultists have little aversion to normal light sources, unless indicated by specific geas.

Notes:
1. Lightbringers are held to be Humakt, Typhon, Viking, Shadowjack, and any cult with a Light, Fire, Sun or Moon rune.
2. Roll 1d8: 1=Freezeday, 2=Waterday, 3=Clayday, 4=Windsday, 5=Fireday, 6=Wilday, 7=Godsday, 8=Roll twice.
3. Eisoptrophobia - the fear of mirrors. Cultists will shy from mirrors or get out of their way or turn them over. If he sees his reflection, he will instinctively lash out to break the mirror on failing a POW×5% roll. If fumbled he will flee screaming.
4. Hates daylight. Suffers from splitting headaches in sunlight and consequent loss of skills in daytime.

   Photophobia Effects

   Day	Season
   	Sea	Fire	Earth	Dark	Storm
   Fireday	−20%	−30%	−20%	−5%	−10%
   Freezeday	−5%	−10%	−5%	−0%	−0%
   Other Days	−10%	−15%	−10%	−0%	−5%

   Sudden bright lights have a similar effect to an eisoptrophobic reaction to mirrors.
5. Fear of fire. The cultist always avoids it and, if facing fire in combat, must make a POW×5% or only parry and defend each round. If burnt, then damage done attacks remaining hit points as a Fearshock attack.
6. Fear of flowing water. POW×1% chance of crossing flowing water. If he falls in then he must make a POW×5% roll every round or suffer a Fearshock. If damaged by water, then the effect is as described above for Pyrophobia.
7. To any normal person, the person suffers this penalty to his normal CHA score, unless the cultist is already a Wight or a Lych. The penalty is rolled once and thereafter is always applied. Rolls of 5 or more imply that the appearance is gross and that the cultist cannot pass himself off as merely ugly.

One gift must be taken upon initiating, a second upon mastery of Undead Lore, another upon attaining Runelord status, and one upon ordination as a priest. Geases must be accepted for each gift up to the number shown plus one for each successful Divine Intervention and upon attaining Undead status. Divine intervention can of course be used to take a desired gift, but Wraithe extends a special dispensation to his followers; whenever they are entitled to a gift, they may choose Spirit bound into body instead of rolling, but at a doubled geas cost. Alternately they may roll randomly and divint or accept the roll at normal geas cost, but the intent must be stated before rolling.

Runelord Membership

Referred to simply as Lords, the Runelords of Wraithe are the military leaders of the cult, but are definitely subservient to the priesthood and are expected to be self-sacrificing in the event of a threat to the Temple. Their responsibilities include training the Brethren and leading those troops with volition. It is important to realise that although they lead they do not direct, that is the prerogative of the preisthood. Most of their missions are clandestine, so stealth skills are usually important.

Candidates must have been initiates for at least two years, unless Masters, in which case the temporal requirement is only one year. They must have 15+ POW, mastery of a weapon attack and parry, plus any four from hide in shadows, move quietly, listen, spot hidden, and oratory. They must pass a test of the average of r/w sandscript, undead lore, and CHA×5%. If the test is failed then they must wait a further year before reapplying, two if they are brethren. If the test was fumbled, the Runelord status is closed to them though this does not affect their position in the cult elsewhere.

Runelords gain all the normal benefits of their status, though they will probably not be given much iron aside from a mace and helm. They gain a Runelord divint, though still at the cost of a geas. They must take another gift and the relevant geases. Finally they do not gain an allied familiar until they have raised an undead creature to put it in, i.e. a skeleton or zombie.

Lords have the responsibilities of initiates, plus they must spend one season per year on cult business, usually training. they must obey the priests in all things even unto death.

Runepriesthood

Runepriests in Wraithe are referred to as Father or Holy Father, High Priests becoming Most Holy Father. Due to the nature of the Runemagics, living priests usually show a most venerable appearance, if not actually decrepit. They are dedicated to researching death and undeath, they raise undead in unprecedeted numbers to act as servants and soldiers. They regard the living merely as cattle for experiments.

Candidates for the priesthood must have been masters for at least two years and know r/w sandscript at 90% and death lore at 75%. Many temples insist upon 90% death lore and 100% undead lore for their priesthood. They must pass a test of the average of listen, spot hidden, and INT×5%. Failure and fumbles have the same effects as for Runelords.

All the normal benefits accrue to a Runepriest, save that they must raise a skeleton or zombie before they gain an allied familiar. They may choose their gift.

Fathers must spend one season per year in spell teaching and may additionally be called upon to take up duties outside the temple. Once again, discipline is total, but preists are valuable and are not expected to risk themselves as each Runepriest is capable of founding a new temple. He is expected to create an entourage of undead and place it at the disposal of the temple. He may have his own spacious chambers within the temple or he can find himself a dwelling which must be vetted by the cult for security.

Runespell Compatibility

Wraithe priests gain access to the following standard Runespells - Absorption, Dismiss Elemental I, II, and III, Divination, Divine Intervention, Extension I, II, and III, Matrix Creation, Multispell I, II and III, Shield, Spell Teaching, Spirit Shield, and Spirit Block.

The cult special Runemagics are very powerful, however, because Wraithe was unable to perfect his spells before being forced into battle, Wraithe runemagic has a serious side-effect in that it causes the caster to age each time certain spells are cast. This ageing factor is what inhibits the cult from dominating the world. It also ensures the eventual slide into evil of even the most well-intentioned Necromancer as the permanent ageing can only be avoided by becoming undead or else by resorting to the evils of Vampiric Rejuvenation.

The cult uses small shades as elementals and Runepriests can sacrifice for the following cult special Runemagics.

One Point Spells

Chill: Range: self; Duration: 15min; Stackable to 4 pts; Reusable
Creates a field around the caster of 15m radius within which mortals of any cult, including Wraithe, except for the caster will feel an icy grip upon their hearts causing a −5% penalty, per point stacked, off all DEX based skills including defence. It has no effect upon elementals, undead, demons, dragonewts, faeriekin, humakti initiates or windchildren. It is incompatible with Shield. Each point stacked ages the caster one year.

Command Spirit: Range: 160m; Duration: 15min; Stackable - no limit; Reusable
Upon a successful POW vs. POW roll, the caster gains complete control over one disembodied spirit. The spirit can be ordered to attack a person, answer questions concerning the local Spirit World or the real world if it is aware of it, or simply to leave the caster alone. This spell also works on summoned ancestors and spirits of reprisal. Stacking doubles the duration per point stacked. Each casting ages the caster one year regardless of the points stacked.

Create Skeleton: Range: 40m; Duration: instant; Non-Stackable; Reusable
Animates dry bones which will fight at a skill level of DEX×5%. If the skeleton has the original spirit bound into it, it is known as a Wight. Casting ages the caster one year.

Recall Spirit: Range: touch; Duration: 15min; Non-Stackable; Reusable
Cast upon a dead body, summons its spirit back from the dead to reinhabit the corpse for the duration of the spell. The caster can then ask it questions or even raise it as a wight or lych. The wight or lych can be mafe permanent by using Permanent Possession, otherwise at the spell expiry is turns back into a skeleton or zombie as the spirit leaves. Ages the caster one year per casting.

Two Point Spells

Command Ghoul: Range: 40m; Duration: permanent; Non-Stackable; Reusable
Upon a successful POW vs. POW attack, causes one ghoul to fall completely under the control of the caster. The spell is reusable and may be recast though the effects can be dispelled. Ages the caster three years if successful.

Command Undead: Range: 40m; Duration: permanent; Non-Stackable; Reusable
When cast causes, causes all skeletons and zombies within spell range to fall infallibally under the caster's control provided he can make a successful POW vs. POW attack roll against the Undead's POW or, if they are under the control of someone within 160m, against the master's POW for wach undead. Failure causes the undead to ignore the caster. A fumble makes the undead attack the caster fanatically. Ages the caster three years regardless of success.

Create Ghost: Range: 40m; Duration: instant; Non-Stackable; Reusable
Binds the spirit of a sacrificed, mortal victim into an area or object as a ghost. A POW vs. POW roll is unnecessary and the victim need not be a volunteer. Wraithe cultists use this spell to protect their temples and other important places in lieu of Warding. Skulls are the usual objects chosen, giving the cult the ability to transport the guardian spirits. Such skulls may also be used as watch devices. Ages the caster three years.

Create Zombie: Range: 40m; Duration: instant; Non-Stackable; Reusable
Creates a zombie from a recently dead, fully fleshed corpse which will fight at a skill level of DEX×5%. If the zombie has a spirit bound into it, it is known as a lych. Ages the caster three years.

Vampiric Healing: Range: touch; Duration: instant; Non-Stackable; Reusable
This is a healing spell which works by transferring all wounds from the caster to the victim touched. Only hit point damage is affected - poison and disease remains with the caster. This spell can quite easily kill the victim, and if it does the body will be useless for creating undead. Ages the caster three years.

Three Point Spells

Command Vampire: Range: 40m; Duration: permanent; Non-Stackable; Reusable
Upon a successful POW vs. POW roll, will cause the target vampire to fall completely under the control of the caster. A fumbled POW vs. POW roll will cause the opposite to happen and the caster is controlled by the vampire. The spell may be dispelled, but is reusable after the usual prayer. Control can even include self-destruction. Ages the caster seven years regardless of success.

Mass Raise: Range: 40m; Duration: instant; Stackable; Reusable
Causes all corpses within spell range to become animated as skeletons, zombies, lyches and wights. However the spell does not place them under the caster's control, therefore the spell must be combined with Command Undead. If done at casting, then no POW roll is necessary. Preists are fond of casting this spell in graveyards or battlefields. Ages the caster seven years.

Vampiric Rejuvenation: Range: touch; Duration: instant; Non-Stackable; Non-Reusable
Must be cast upon a victim of the same race and opposite sex to the caster. The victim should ideally be a young adult, 16-20 years old. The spell functions so as to transfer the age difference between the caster and the victim. However, any size mismatch reduces the amount of rejuvenation. If the victim is larger, the victim ages proportionately less; if the caster is larger, he receives less rejuvenation. This spell is vital to the living priests. Must be cast on a Holy Day.

Subservient Cults

Spirit of Reprisal

The only spirit of reprisal, other than cult vengeance is that the undead Brethren lose the binding that holds the spirit to body and become mere undead.

Associate Cults

Baal

The demonologists share very similar aims, views and methods to the necromancers and though not a formal cult, the cult of Wraithe gains the following spells.

Possession: Range: touch; Duration: 15min; Stackable; Reusable; 2 pts
Allows a willing spirit of the caster's choice to possess the body of a victim, usually a corpse. No POW roll is necessary. The spirit can be a ghost, fetch, summoned ancestor, or the discorporate caster himself. The possession lasts for as long as the spirit is available, or until the spell expires. The possessing spirit cannot do permanent harm to the body whilst possessing it.

Permanent Possession: Range: touch; Duration: instant; Stackable; Non-Reusable; 3pts
Requires a careful preparatory ritual and must be stacked with Possession. Allows the permanent displacement of the victim's spirit by a willing spirit of the caster's choosing. This spell allows the creation of permanent wights and lyches. It cannot be cast upon a living person to bind his own spirit into his body. He must be killed first. If a fumble is rolled, then the nominated spirit possesses the caster and displaces his own soul permanently.

Zorak Zoran

Wraithe commenced his researches with help and inspiration from the Troll Death God and his knowledge of undead. Although the two cults are now sundered, generally, Wraithe still has this spell from that time when togetther they fought Chaos in the Great Darkness.

Fear: Range: 160m; Duration: instant; Non-Stackable; Reusable; 1 pt
The caster can attack one victim as the initial attack of a shade with POW equal to that of the caster. Attacks POW vs. CON.

Miscellaneous Notes

Cult Battlemagics

Corpse Healing: variable; focussed; range: touch
As per Healing, or Xenohealing, save that it heals any dead, or undead, body.

Cult Skills

Undead Lore: Knowledge skill; Base 00%; 500/1000/2000/4000
Knowledge of the legends and capabilities of undead of all types.

Death Lore: Knowledge skill; Base 00%; 500/1000/2000/4000
Knowledge of legends pertaining to and the philosophy surrounding death and related subjects.

Embalming: Knowledge skill; Base 05%; 200/400/800/1600
Knowledge of the methods of preserving dead flesh to obtain certain effects, e.g. life-like appearance, recognisable appearance, integrity of muscles, etc.

Aging and Death

Most player characters are aged between 16 and 30 with the vast majority around 21/22. However, it is possible that a character will age to a point where his characteristics will deteriorate. The point at which this happens depends upon race and the characteristic concerned. The following are the senility thresholds by characteristic and race.

SIZ and POW are not subject to ageing. The maximum possible age is twice the largest senility thresholds, e.g. 120 for humans, 360 for dwarves, 240 for mistress race trolls. Regardless of ageing, the character will automatically die when his age reaches this figure.

If the senility threshold for a characteristic is reached, then every year on his birthday, the character must roll to avoid senility effects. The test is (Characteristic+POW)×⁵⁄₂. Any failure causes him to lose one off the characteristic and one off the racial maximum. On a fumble, the characteristic and racial maximum are halved and the character must roll Characteristic×5% to survive. If this last roll is failed or the stat reduces to 0, then death occurs as per the table below. Divine intervention cannot be used to avoid senility or its effects.

Senility Effects

Characteristic	Failed Crises Roll, or reduced to 0	Reduced to 3 or less
Strength	Death from coronary	Bedridden
Constitution	Death from canker	No other side effects
Intelligence	Death from stroke	Senile Dementia
Dexterity	Death while sleeping	Palsy - DEX skills halved
Charisma	Death from melancholy	Depression and dipsomania

Ageing is a characeristic of the body - even INT loss. Senility can only be avoided by transference to a younger body, by Vampiric Rejuvenation, or becoming undead.

Player Character Undead

Player characters may become ghosts, ghouls, lyches, wights, vampires and wraithes. Vampires are dealt with in Christos Farlae, the others below.

Ghosts Ghosts occur as a result of one of two events:

1. a spirit being bound in someway by arcane Runemagics, e.g. Bind Ghost, Create Ghost, Create Head, and
2. a person dying in unhappy cicumastances, particularly if not buried or his corpse is not dealt with as he would wish.

There must be a good reason why the spirit should persist as a ghost, usually vengeance. If properly buried then the chance of the spirit becoming a ghost is only 1%. If buried improperly, or not at all, then this chance rises to POW as a percentage. Characters in spirit cults have a POW×5% cance of becoming a ghost if left unburied, and any character can make a personal request to his god to become a ghost, i.e. through divine intervention. Ghosts may haunt places, objects, or people. Places are haunted when the place is an important factor, terrain was used to kill, or is the location of the ghost's unburied body. Objects may be a murder weapon or possibly the reason for a murder, such as a magic item or piece of jewelry. People are haunted usually through their deeds or inactions. Ghosts are vindictive and usually prefer to molest and taunt a vicitm rather than kill them outright. They may haunt his dreams, damaging his sleep. They may appear to distract him at moments of stress. They may attack, drain most of his POW and then withdraw to attack again some other time. Sometimes they attack to possess and withdraw when the victim has been placed in jeopardy, but before he dies. They have been known to attack merely to frighten their opponents - anyone in spirit combat knows that they are fighting for their existence not merely their lives.

Ghouls
Ghouls are most often created when a perosn catches the disease of ghoulishness, which is contracted principally through the bite of another ghoul. Over the course of the disease, which may take from one day to one year, depending upon the CON roll of the victim, the victim's STR increases by a third, and his INT falls by a third. He develops talons and his hands and teeth become large and pointed, suitable for stripping flesh from bones. He will find himself craving the rotting flesh of his own species, and all other food will make him sick. His diet will produce a stench as of rotting meat around him. He will become photophobic, c.f. geases, and his voice will grow low and hoarse but capable of delivering a blood-curdling howl that demoralises all who hear it, if a POW vs. POW roll is successful. A ghoul is on the borderline between the living and the dead, and shows up on both Detect Life and Detect Undead. There is no cure for ghoulishenss once it is fully developed, but divine intervention can cure it before it is terminal, and some say that certain herbs can do the same if properly used. A favourite tactic for packs of ghouls is for the ghoul with greatest POW to get close to the campfire and howl, while the others lie in wait to jump the fleeing victim's, grappling to immobilise and bite them. In open melee, they use claws generally, but some can still use weapons. A ghoul is recognisable by his face, claws, and stench.

Lyches and Wights
These are zombies and skeletons respectively, but inhabited by spirits. They do not have total hit points and do not feel pain or suffer from system shock. A limb must be destroyed to render it unusable. both can be immobilized by spashing the skull, for it is the seat of the spirit.

Zombies and lyches have their STR and CON multiplied by 1½ and DEX reduced by a third. Zombies can attack at DEX×5% and parry at DEX×2½% Lyches retain full skills, but modified by their new characteristics.

Skeletons and wights have a STR based upon their SIZ only. STR=7+SIZ ⁄ 3. They retain full DEX. Skeletons attackk and parry at DEX ×5%. Wights retain full skills, but have only one hit point in each location. Corpse healing VI is still needed to fully replace a limb.

Player character wights and lyches are limited by the fact that they are clearly undead and the level of acceptance of this fact locally. It is generally unacceptable for undead to reveal themselves openly!

Skeletons and zombies do not have CHA, but lyches and wights have full CHA towards Undead rune cultists, but suffer a −15 penalty versus others.

Lyches and wights cannot speak, and therefore communicate via mindspeech. They can still hear normally. They perceive the material world only dimly and for this reason avoid unnecessary movement. However they perceive life-force clearly and have no difficulty fighting normal people. Wraithe battlemagics are especially designed to be cast without speaking. This is compensated for by the gestural component being magnified and such spells cannot be cast without gestures at all.

Wraithes
Wraithes are, according to masters of undead lore, the ultimate undead. The process whereby a necromancer becomes a wraithe is unclear, but it almost certainly involves an exotic runemagic. It is believed that only a living, breathing person person can become a Wraithe who is both a Runelord and High Priest of the Cult.

The abilites of wraithes are not entirely known. They are said to have immense strength.

Starting Player Character Necromancers

People born into the cult from the peasant or townsman social classes may have previous expereince as follows.

Each person will have basic training in the cult skills plus a body of skills to enable them to maintain a cover similar to other organised, cryptic cults, such as Ma Fear, or Thanatar. Covers are as follows:

JesterDancer

Necromancer Covers

1D100	Cover	1D100	Cover	1D100	Cover
01-04	Scribe	33-34	Militia	69-77	Carpenter2
05-13	Apothecary	35-54	Undertaker	78-86	Mason3
14-22	Brewer	55-58	Merchant	87-88	Blacksmith
23-24	Painter	59-60	Thief	89-90	Jeweller
25-28	Minstrel1	61-62	Leatherworker	91-92	Armourer
29-30	Thespian	63-64	Glass Blower	93-96	Monk
31		65-66	Tailor	97-99	Own choice4
32		67-68	Potter	00	Select own cover5

Notes:
1. Funeral musician
2. Coffin maker
3. Monumental mason
4. Own choice of the covers listed above
5. Gain four skills: 1 at 50%, 3 at 30% to support the cover.

All starting characters are taught Detect Undead, Detect Life, Darkwall, Demoralise, Mindspeech II, and Corpse Healing II; they are trained in the skills of undead lore, listen and spot hidden to 50% plus bonuses, r/w sandscript, death lore, hide in shadows, and move quietly to 30% plus bonuses. they learn the weapon skills of 1-handed mace, with or without small shield, attack and parry to 50% plus bonuses. They will also gain skills appropiate to their cover.

They get a set of raise rolls as if a member of their cover profession, plus an extra POW raise roll.

Nobles usually pass for sages, and gain experience as detailed below. They have a noble's allowance. They may have either a noble set of weapons, or 1-handed mace and one noble weapon. They gain the spells detailed above, in addition to their noble allowance.

Other starting player characters start with 1d100 shillings, no armour (unless dictated by trappings for a cover), but will be members of suitable guilds and cults. They may initiate into Wraithe if they qualify and pass the test.