Undead are those prevented from passing into the afterlife or finding final rest of any kind. Their living bodies cease to be or function as merely a shadow of what they once were. Undeath is a “state” more than a creature type; It subsumes the secondary aura of its original species, becoming the prevalent nature for detection in mystic passive capabilities, though both can be revealed through active discernment such as Aura Sight.
Cenotaph Thread: All undead possess a thread within the weave which is identified as the Cenotaph Thread – that which binds their essence to the state of death. It is the heart of what gives them their “undead” state, and when cut can usually only be pulled in one direction – towards the ending. This makes it nearly impossible to restore the undead to life. This is one of the primary differences in how the undead manifest and interoperate with The Pattern.Because it has words to express concepts the normal living, mortal material realms do not, T O R Q U I M O T is often used by greater Undead of the iVerse™ that practice Magic to record and modify their studies as it affects their nature.
The undead are a terrifying presence in any place. They are eternal and undying, suffering an unending pang which can never be quenched. The undead are one of the greatest plagues to the living, to life itself. They are bound through a connection to The Void, once living and part of the normal cycle of life and death, now trying to fill that void with living energy. They are numb to their core and cannot feel anything but their base urges. Pain becomes a distant memory (yet one they remember), and their bodily processes are nothing more than a twisted facsimile of what was once something that gave pleasure, warmth, and contentedness. For them all love becomes hate, warmth becomes cold, appreciation becomes jealousy and the drive to give and share becomes to consume endlessly to try and feel just a flicker of the life they once felt. Many undead are bound strongly to experience their surroundings as The World Beyond. Contact with true undead is almost always on their terms; they either actively seek out interaction or flee it – their choice. These entities often require, or at least desire, Eternal Repose.
Most have one or more qualities which make them a difficult opponent – The Mind Beyond, The Body Beyond, Phantasmal Presence or Ghostly Presence.
Undead itself is a form of Affliction! The afflictions will begin within a number of hours equal to their Health when they are Hale.
Essence Blight: True undead are afflicted with a form of Essence Blight. This is a condition where the binding to The Void immediately causes the creature afflicted to be unable to gain any more Essence – Essence gained is siphoned off by The Void.
Essence Torture: A creature with no Aptitude to lose half their Essence. A creature with Aptitude must immediately drop a point of [any] Aptitude and assume a Void Aptitude of 1.
Essence Hunger: Undead are driven to fill this void of Essence with the vitality of others. Some eat the flesh, some drink the blood, and other drain their will to live – of higher order/sentient beings. Each method reduces Essence; sometimes permanently. Their new Essence total becomes twice their normal current permanent Essence. Newly made undead begin with a full Essence pool. While at full, they do not suffer from the pangs of Essence Hunger.
HUNGER CHECK: Sanity to resist (unless they have been “Quieted” = killed with Body Beyond).
Undead who consume Essence can store the Essence and use it to shift their properties. They use it through Cruces Shifting.