Great Evil: The Malevolent Power of Necromancy

A spell of dark magic, the black wave damages those in its path. Here, a blue wand with alternating light and dark shades is emitting a cloud-like wave in the center. The wave spreads out in all directions, alternating between black and clear. Each wave has a purple edge. In the background is a pink-purple gradient with the pink in the image's center. Going outward, the pink transitions to purple which fills up the rest of the image. This magic also contains the power of necromancy.
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Sunfire

CONTENTS

The Premise

For these worlds that have it, magic sprinkles every corner of them, from making objects float to instantaneously cooking food. People become reliant on it, using it in their everyday lives. There is one form of magic that is so riddled with darkness that only those with a demented mind would dare practice it: the power of necromancy.

Necromancy largely focuses on resurrecting the dead and using them to wreak havoc upon the world. Dark wizards and witches are notoriously fond of using this magic against their foes. It allows them to create an army literally out of thin air or from the ground.

The power of necromancy is not something easily found. The best wizards have gone to great lengths to conceal the steps needed to raise the dead, leaving only those with an ironclad determination to go hunting in the world to get the answers they seek. The steps to make it happen depend on the world.

Just like with all the other dark arts, necromancy is a mockery of what’s good in the world. It tarnishes the image people have of their loved ones when they see their undead forms harming people. The sight of seeing the people they’ve lost walking around in a mummified or zombified form fills them with anguish.

As for the world, this sinister power is only used in times of darkness. Rising dark lords need an undead army that is difficult to kill in their bid for domination. Weak only to several powers, the undead is free to terrorize people and cause mayhem as their master steadily amasses more power.

This is article number four in the different parts of magic series. If you want to check out our many other articles, they’re all on our blog page!

Discovering the Power of Necromancy

Necromancy is one of the vilest forms of magic ever seen in the world. Malevolent wizards perform an incantation to summon them and they either clamber out of the ground or suddenly materialize out of thin air. They are then ordered to do the bidding of their master and they do so with ghoulish wails.

This dark power is not one that is readily found in any magical tome. Many knowledgeable wizards dare not speak of it, for it is an utter perversion of everything they know and cherish. They deliberately eliminate as many traces of it as they can so that it cannot be ever used again in the future.

A tyrannical government in fantasy rules its lands from dark towers or castles. This dark gray tower has a diamond-shaped hole at the top where parts of it jut out in different directions. On the tower's front is a series of steps going diagonally. A path runs from the door to the bottom of the image. On each side is a rock plateau. Behind the tower is a gray mountain range with a volcano on the right side. The volcano has a ring of clouds swirling above it. Above the mountains is the black sky with gray clouds.

In their efforts to eradicate the power of necromancy being used again, the wizards didn’t erase all of its traces. The clues to rediscover it still lay hidden in parts of the world, parts that they dare not step foot upon, leaving it to those who will stop at nothing to obtain this power to go hunting for them.

Some corners of the world are imbued with darkness, serving as a magnet to all would-be evil sorcerers. It could be a long-destroyed fortress where a dark lord once dwelled or an environment filled with roaming spirits that trap all those who venture there in the netherworld, doomed to become spirits like them. These sorcerers walk through these areas, brushing aside all these threats to their life as they scour them, hoping to find the secret to unlocking this terrifying power.

Should they be fortunate enough to obtain what they need to unlock the power of necromancy in these dark-riddled areas, the sorcerers use them immediately. They grin maliciously as the undead come to them and their wailing cries fills them with delight. To evaluate their fidelity to their new master, they command them to cause chaos upon the world, which they do so with a terrifying wail.

The Power of Necromancy: A Sinister Perversion

Necromancy is a deep mockery of what good people hold dear to them. It essentially destroys the image people have of the loved ones who they’ve lost when they see their undead form savagely terrorizing them and other people. They are forced to carry the painful recollection of seeing them for the rest of their lives.

In some worlds, channeling the power of necromancy requires a sacrifice. It could be part of the flesh of the sorcerer conjuring it or someone’s life. This is a hideous act against the laws of nature that govern the world and only those who have descended into madness and insanity would brazenly perform such an act out of a lust for power.

The silhouette of one of many fantasy criminals, this one is all in black with only 2 visible white eyes. It appears that this criminal is wearing a cape. Behind it is a purple-pink background with the latter shaped like a diamond, situated right behind the person.

It also mocks the deity who created the world, for it represents an utmost rejection of his wishes and vision for the world. It is an act of defiance and blasphemy against him. Those who use it believe they ought to be the one in charge of the world, not the deity, and view it as a stepping stone in their campaign for world domination.

The undead is a terrifying sight to behold. Their dead skin, hollowed out eyeballs, and mummified body frightens many who view them. Though they may move slowly, the powers they harbor can send chills down the spine.

Exemplifying the power of necromancy, they have several nasty tricks up their sleeve which they use to great success. The screams these eldritch horrors make immobilize all those nearby, making them vulnerable to be attacked by them. They can also breathe poison or spew forth a chemical that entraps those unfortunate to be close by. Furthermore, they can suck the life out of their victims, essentially turning them into fellow undead.

How the Power of Necromancy Affects the World

Regarding the world, the undead don’t appear in times of peace and prosperity where people are happy and content. They arise in tumultuous times, usually caused by an evil sorcerer bent on world domination. Their appearance heralds dark times for the world and they are used to devastating effect.

One of the first moves all aspiring dark lords make is to assemble an army that serves them. The undead is one of their first though they can only appear once the dark lord has mastered the power of necromancy. These malevolent spirits answer the call of their master and carry out his instructions.

Anarchy in fantasy depicts a lawlessness world. This image features a city with a castle on a hilltop above it. The city has both rectangular- and square-shaped buildings with a wavy roof on each one. The buildings come in four colors: light yellow, brown, light blue, and white. The roofs come in the following colors: dark blue, red, light black, and dark brown. Many of these buildings have windows and some have a visible door. The road itself runs down the middle of the image, swaying to the right and then the left, ending at the doorstep of the castle. The road also meets two others, one that runs to the left, and the other to the right. Behind the city is a grassy field with blades of grass scattered throughout. A river cuts through the field, meandering from the left edge to the right edge of the image. The castle itself is white with gray shadows. It has four red turrets and diamond-shaped windows. Smoke billows forth from the buildings and castle, as if they're on fire. The grassy field is yellow-orange and the sky is a pale yellow with gray clouds. The castle and town being on fire is an effect of the fantasy military and war.

These terrors swarm their prey in large numbers, using their numerical advantage to conquer them. They are one of the most difficult foes to overcome in battle for they have a medley of powers that they use to kill their enemies, meaning only seasoned veterans can fight them.

The undead can appear in just about any environment which is one reason why many dark lords are fond of using the power of necromancy to call them forth. They can lurk in the depths of the sea, poisonous lakes, haunted forests, just to name a few. In times of war when they’re around, all travelers must keep an eye out for them no matter where they are.

Though they may inspire fear among the enemies of darkness, they have a few vulnerabilities. For instance, they are weak to fire and the holy light. Using the former against them effectively destroys them but the latter is the one they fear the most. As servants of evil, they wither away in agony when the light shines upon them.

Tying it all Together

The power of necromancy is among the most potent in the dark lord’s arsenal. It raises scores of undead who then roam around, terrorizing citizens. Through this power, fear grows around the world like a weed. Only those with great courage can stand against these mighty horrors and overcome the fears they spew forth.

There’s a reason why those with a sinister mind would dare seek out this power. All rising dark sorcerers hunt for it so that they can use it to greatly assist them as they endeavor to subjugate the world. It is precisely for this reason that it lay hidden, found in the darkest of the dark places that no good wizard would ever step foot on.

The reason why the power of necromancy is one of the vilest forms of magic an evil sorcerer could use is because it debases what is good about the world. It is an utter act of blasphemy, as if mocking the deity who created the world. It is also an aberration of the natural order.

Necromancy affects the world in terrifying ways. The undead is among the dark lord’s deadliest servants, for they are notoriously difficult to slay and they possess powers that instill fear in the hearts of many people. In order to defeat them, one must exploit their weaknesses and use them against them while avoiding being stricken with fear.

Many stories and worlds use the power of necromancy to great effect. The undead is a terrifying sight to behold. It is also a great storytelling tool to use, for it adds a dark undertone to magic that not a whole lot of people are aware of. 

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Sunfire

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