Necromancy

Necromancy was the dark and mysterious art practiced exclusively by Clan Tarentum. While the art involved several core Force powers under different names, the term "necromancy" was used to classify the ritualistic and ceremonial practices that the clan partook in. It also symbolized Tarentum's alliance with the strange entities known as the Keepers, who had been able to strengthen the Force powers of the Tarenti so that they may better commune with both the dead and the living.

In 32 ABY, the Necromantic Order was ended and Necromancy was shunned by the reigning leadership of Clan Tarentum, in light of the fact that the Keepers had apparently been manipulating the Clan the entire time to cause more people, and subsequently members of Tarentum, to die. All of the remaining Keepers were ultimately slain killed in a series of events involving many enemies and conflicts within the Yridia system.

After the abolition of Necromancy, the Force school was phased out in favor of canon Clan Force Powers. Secretly, however, many of the eldest of Tarentum continued to practice the darkest arts on their own. While Necromancy would never again have official ties to Tarentum, there were some who were so intimately entwined with the arts, and with the study of all forms of life and death, that they would not completely release themselves from the practice. Sith Bloodfyre, the Sith Master of Tarentum, was perhaps the most visible adherent of the arts publicly. With his return as head of Tarentum's Household, some have stepped forward to publicly acknowledge their study and practice of Necromancy.

Necromancy Terms

• Death Dealer

  A member of one of the sects of the Necromancers of Tarentum. The Death Dealers differed from the Watchers in their manners, roles, and Necromantic powers used.

• Keeper

  A term used only among the Tarenti, a Keeper was generally the title of the eldest and most-powerful Necromancers of the Clan. Until reaching the Inner Order of power, most were simply called "Necromancers."

• Oblivion

  Oblivion is a term that was used both for the plane of the dead, as well as the great "nothingness" that some believe await the souls who pass into the Force. The Necromancers of Tarentum generally referred to the plane of the dead when they spoke of Oblivion.

• Restless, The

  Also known as "Force spirits" in some circles, the Restless were those souls who had gone beyond, but had not joined with the Force permanently. The Restless were often those souls who felt as though they had unfinished business, and could not pass into the Force without finishing whatever held them back. They were wells of emotion, generally negative emotions such as sorrow, anger and despair, which stemmed from their unfinished business. If whatever held them back was finally fulfilled, the Restless were likely able to pass into the Force.

• Shroud, The

  While most know of the Shroud of Antei, the Shroud referred to by the Necromancers of Tarentum was actually one that separated the plane of the living from the plane of the dead. This Shroud was not actually a tangible item, but was more like a veil of power that prevented the living from viewing the ghostly plane of those who have passed, and yet were still always "there."

• Watcher

  A member of one of the sects of the Necromancers of Tarentum. The Watchers differed from the Death Dealers in their manners, roles, and Necromantic powers used.

Minor Tier

As the initiate Necromancers of Tarentum began to study the dark arts of the Keepers, concepts of life and death began to have new meaning. All things are connected through the Force, as every Light or Darksider knows. But within the mysteries of Necromancy, ties that bind could have a great affect, indeed.

Level One

• Buffer of Life

  With this power, a Necromancer was able to use the Force to buffer his own life energies, and defend himself from the life-negating powers of other Necromancers. In addition, tapping into the powers of the Force with regards to Necromancy, and further powers that part the Shroud and delve into Oblivion, would cause "negative backlash" that would attack the very life force of the Necromancer. The Buffer of Life acted to defend from these backlashes of power and death. All Necromancers of Tarentum were taught this power first, before any other secrets of life and death were delved into.

• Eyes of the Keeper

  This power would have been more appropriate if it were called "Senses of the Keeper." However, with this power, the Necromancer was able to detect body signs that could be interpreted for greater information by the educated. A Necromancer could literally hear a person's heartbeat from several meters away; they could detect the smell of perspiration from some distance, or even the smell of infection from someone. They could sense a rise in a person's body heat, or other physical symptoms. This information could be used in a variety of ways by educated and insightful Necromancers; a Necromancer would be able to detect if someone was lying by their physical response to a situation or question, among other things.

• Touch of Tel'Ratha

  With this power, the touch of a Necromancer took on the cold of the grave, instilling localized hypothermia into the victim wherever they were touched. This was not a normal absence of heat, however, that could be warmed through normal means. It took several hours for the cold to finally leave the victim. This effect would also be negated within minutes through healing powers of the Light Side of the Force. Dark Side healing powers would not negate the cold sensation, but would allow the affected area to be completely useful once again.

Level Two

• Festering Wounds

  With this power, a Necromancer could cause any current wounds on a victim to become infected and fester. The exact results would depend on the wound itself, but only those wounds touched by the Necromancer while using this power would be so infected. The festering wounds would remain until it was negated by Force healing, or aggressive antibiotics administered for several weeks (if treated early enough). As with any infection, it could cause severe injury and death if not treated quickly, or adequately.

• Last Rites

  The youngest Necromancers of Tarentum would often be charged with taking care of failed experiments for their masters. They would also become morbidly obsessed with death, as did much of their Clan. To avoid the risks associated with rotting and festering corpses, this power allowed a Necromancer to speed up the process of decay. Flesh and tissues rapidly broke down and became dust that was easily swept away. Only the bones of a corpse were left after this power, which also helped in the future, when a Necromancer may have been looking to speed up the decaying process on a chosen corpse servant.

• Paralyzing Touch

  This touch of a Necromancer instilled localized paralysis into a victim. The affect would vary by region, but the touched area (and only the touched area) were paralyzed for a specific period of time and were rendered useless. Only Force healing would negate this effect quickly, though the effect itself would likely wear off within a few hours.

• Throbbing Bones

  This power allowed the touch of a Necromancer to instill pain in a localized region of bone, located wherever the Necromancer touched or grasped the victim. The pain itself was not debilitating directly, but would be sufficient to distract the victim from concentrating on specific tasks, or even distracting them from adequately defending themselves in a fight. The effect would wear off eventually, after the space of about an hour, unless Force healing was used to speed the process through within about five minutes.

Level Three

• Awaken the Fallen

  The first of the Necromancer's powers capable of raising up the dead, this power animated a corpse, no matter how long the corpse had been deceased. This power provided for basic animation only, infusing the corpse with enough latent energy through the Force that it had basic mobility, was capable of carrying out very simple commands, and the like. Whether the corpse was that of a warrior or a farmer made little difference; these servants could only carry out the most basic of tasks, such as sweeping and carrying things; and in cases of defending their masters, they were only capable of holding a foe, possibly pinning their arms to their sides. Large numbers of these Fallen in groups would be much more useful and deadly than one or two. The major drawback to the Fallen, even beyond their lack of skill, was their lack of speed.

• Rigor Mortis

  Through their study of life, death, and all things surrounding existence, the Necromancers were intimiately familiar with various side effects of living and death. Rigor Mortis was one of these effects of death that they were able to pass onto living victims. A much more advanced use of a "paralyzing touch, this power overcame a victim with the effects of rigor mortis. The victim's body slowly grew stiff, and they were eventually unable to move or speak at all. Once the Necromancer's touch had passed on the effects of rigor mortis, the victim would be under the effects of this power only so long as the Necromancer maintained a conscious effort over them. As soon as a Necromancer broke concentration over holding the victim, they would be released within a few short minutes, as their body finally began to loosen the muscles holding them, allowing them to come to action once more.

• Stolen Breath

  With nothing more than a kiss to the mouth, a Necromancer was able to steal the "breath" and stamina of a victim. As the Necromancer kissed their victim, the Force was drawn out of the vitim. They soon began to cough and wheeze as though under the effects of an asthma attack. They were incapable of anything remotely strenuous as they attempted to regain their breath and vigor once more. The Necromancer, however, received renewed stamina through this power. No matter their physical condition beforehand, the Necromancer was now completely healthy for the duration of this power, and acted as though he was fully rested. For the victim, the effects of "losing their breath" wore off in about ten minutes. They slowly regained their strength throughout this time, and though weakened a bit from the power, they were quickly back to full strength within half an hour. The effects for the Necromancer lasted the entire half hour, after which time the Necromancer then succumbed to a fatigued state for several minutes, without the asthma attack.

• Touch of the Recluse

  Comparisons are often made between this power of a Necromancer's touch and the bite of a recluse spider. Hence, the name. Touching a victim while drawing on this knowledge allowed a Necromancer to infect the victim with a toxin that slowly began to break down the skin and tissues beneath with necrosis. This process could often be extremely painful for the victim, both physically and mentally. Only Force healing or aggressive medical treatment started immediately could halt the necrosis. The effects of the necrosis varied with body region affected, but only the area actually touched would suffer the effects, at least immediately. It was possible that the infection would spread with time.

Major Tier

The well-practiced Necromancer understood the ties that bound, but also understood that everything connected through the Force was drawn into Oblivion. What was taken to Oblivion could be brought back, for those who held the keys to the Shroud. Nothing, not even the dead, was beyond the powers of the experienced Necromancer.

Level Four

• Blackhand

  This power was somewhat different from some of the other powers available to the Necromancers of Tarentum. Where other powers were passed through the Necromancer touching an intended victim, this power was activated through a more passive touch. The Necromancer's hand gained a slight, dark hue to it, as if covered in a light coat of dirt or grime. While the Necromancer could touch anyone he wished without activating this power, anyone who willingly took the Necromancer's hand received the ill effects of the Blackhand. The victim of this power was infected with the plague, which slowly began to spread throughout their body; it generally took up to three days before symptoms began to emerge.

• Creeping Death

  Some of the powers available to the Necromancers of Tarentum had a morbid taint to them. This power, while activated through touch, actually required the Necromancer's blood or bodily fluids to contact the victim's skin to take effect. Most Necromancers made it a practice to cut themselves beforehand, although some did instigate this power through spitting on an intended victim, or otherwise. When the Necromancer's fluids contacted the victim's skin, a flesh-eating mold began to grow and devour their skin. The mold devoured skin at the rate of several square centimeters a day. Though the mold was quite aggressive, it could actually be taken care of easily, through washing it from the victim's skin thoroughly, and applying appropriate medications (if done within the first hour of infection). Once past the first hour, though, it could only be healed through the Force.

• Passing of Shade

  This power was named after a mysterious, and often unseen master of Tarentum, Shade. His passing left areas of vegetation sucked dry of life and all traces of health. Using this power allows a Necromancer to suck the life from surrounding areas of vegetation and draw it into himself, to increase his overall health and stamina. Strength is drawn from sources of vegetation within a twenty foot radius. If no vegetation was present, no benefits were gained from this power.

• Ray of Sickness

  Activating this power caused a sickly, bone-colored ray of light to shine forth from the Necromancer's fingertips, striking a specific victim. While concentrating, this beam of light caused bouts of sickness and nausea to overcome the victim, forcing them to their knees or stomachs. The victim typically succumbed to the nausea and began vomiting. This power was only effective so long as the Necromancer was able to maintain concentration over his victim. Removing the victim from his sight, or any other lapse of concentration would end the effect immediately, though it still would take several minutes for the victim to regain their composure.

• Siphon of Life

  With this power, the Necromancer thinned the Shroud a bit, and caused a wraithly "siphon" to appear and connect the Necromancer's heart to that of a victim within twenty feet. This siphon drew the life from the victim and returned it it to the Necromancer, helping to increase stamina and strength, but also to heal very minor wounds. The drawback for the victim, however, was that the fatigue and wounds healed on the Keeper were transferred back through the siphon and infect the victim instead. This power could not heal large wounds, but it could heal small lacerations, burns and otherwise.

Level Five

• Call of the Guardian

  The second power that gave a Necromancer the ability to raise the dead as servants, this ability allowed for the corpse servants to be infused with the Force and knowledge enough to become skilled defenders. The risen servants continued to have the abilities of skilled laborers as do the Fallen, but they also "thought," in a sense, and focused their efforts on defending whatever person or place they were charged with. They "understood" how to block doors and other portals. They could act for their own defense, as well as the defense of others; they knew that if they formed a "wall" around their charge, that person was less likely to be harmed. They would use any tools available to themselves to aid in their defense, or that of others. The only drawback with the Guardians, as with lesser risen servants, was that they tend to be limited by speed.

• Compel the Shade

  This power actually helped a Necromancer bypass the Shroud for a very specific purpose. Force spirits could bypass the Shroud to be seen and heard by the living. However, they still existed within Oblivion, and could not affect or be affected by the living, unless they chose to do so. This power allowed a Necromancer to bypass the Shroud to affect the Force spirit, and actually "strike" the Force spirit. Combined with the power of his will, this would allow the Necromancer to force the spirit to do his bidding. The benefit of this power was that the Force spirit could not assault the Necromancer in return, and had to either bow to the will of the Necromancer, or succumb to the wraithly injuries. Most of the more mundane Force spirits would succumb to this power easily. Those Force spirits who were powerful Force-users in life, however, were not so easy to dominate, and would actually fight back.

• Summon the Soul

  This power offered the Necromancer the ability to instill in one of the Restless (Force spirits), those beyond the Shroud, an irresistible desire to come forth to the Necromancer's location. Necromancers had to understand, this power did not provide the ability to command the Restless, only the ability to make them want to come before him. The Force spirit would generally appear before the Necromancer within minutes, depending on how deep within the Oblivion the spirit was. This power called forth a random spirit, unless the Necromancer held an item that had previously belonged to the spirit in life.

• The Underlings

  Worlds are littered with the dead of the present, and especially of the past. With this power, the Necromancer was able to call forth the dead to do their bidding, but only partially. The dead crawl forth from their hidden graves partially, their hands and forearms emerging from the earth to catch victims of the Necromancer's wrath in their grip, and drag them under. These temporarily risen corpses were indiscriminate, and would clutch at anyone passing within the area where they rose, with the exception of the Necromancer who called them. The arms were generally skeletal, though in graveyards with fresh corpses, there would be a few that still had flesh about them. They were, though, purely physical, and could be fought off and destroyed if they latched onto someone. The disadvantage, though, is that they came up by the hundreds or thousands, and could drag down a helpless victim before they were able to fight free. Persons dragged under began to suffer hypoxia, and would be killed within several minutes. Those freed, though, still suffered hypothermia where the corpses grasped them; the cold hands of death drew life from the living with negative effects on the victims.

Level Six

• Armor of Death

  This power actually had two possible uses, neither of which could be used jointly. With this power, the Necromancer could form one of two types of armor around themselves. The first type of armor called forth either the bones of corpses within the earth, which crawled up and around the Necromancer, and formed an effective suit of bone armor that defended against nearly all types of physical attacks. The bone armor did not defend against piercing attacks very well at all, and could not defend against the blade of a lightsaber. The second type of armor called forth the Restless to encircle the Necromancer with their wraithly forms. Those viewing the Necromancer could see their ghostly images encircling him. The wraith armor protected the Necromancer from attacks through the Force, but was also able to lessen (but not negate) the damage from the blade of a lightsaber. These types of armor could be shrugged off by the Necromancer, who called the Restless or corpses to return to their planes of existence, or they could be destroyed with enough damage done to them.

• Cannibalism

  This power gained some of the more morbid Necromancers of Tarentum a very devilish reputation. Through consuming the flesh of others, the Necromancer was able to draw racial qualities and strengths from the consumed flesh through the Force. The specific advantages gained varied according to the kind of flesh eaten, but an example could have been gaining notable strength from eating the flesh of a Wookiee. The drawback, though, was that disadvantages were also gained. A Necromancer gaining the strength of the Wookiee could also take on a temporarily shaggy look to him, as the Force sped up the growth of his hair. The effects of Cannibalism would last for several hours, or could last indefinitely if the Necromancer continued to use this power and consume more flesh.

• Contagion

  The power of Contagion caused the Necromancer's victim to become something of a "Typhoid Mary." The Necromancer inflicted the victim with a terrible disease that became highly contagious to others unable to defend themselves from it, either through the Force of quarantine. This power spread the disease rapidly among those the initial victim came in contact with. One oddity of the power, whether intentional or not, was that the victim himself did not actually succumb to the disease, but merely acted as a carrier for it. The power of Contagion seemed to grant them immunity to the disease, but only for as long as the power lasted, which could be up to several weeks. After the power had faded, though, the initial victim could then contract the disease from his own victims.

• Drown

  A Necromancer with this power was able to cause a victim's bodily fluids to quickly build up within their lungs. The fluid itself gathered at an unnatural rate. Suction could remove the fluid from the lungs, but during the duration of the power, it simply kept filling back up. Eventually, the victim would either drown in their own bodily fluids, or had to receive aggressive healing measures to combat this. Immersion in bacta was not enough to counter this effect, but was one of the treatments among many that would be necessary. Force healing would be enough to slow the body's fluid buildup.

Level Seven

• Curse of Tel'Ratha

  The dark Master Tel'Ratha was said to have suffered the curse of a rather painful flesh-eating disease that ravaged his body. Over time, the Master was forced to use his dark powers to prolong his life, which included grafting various "stolen" body parts and pieces of flesh from victims to himself, to replace that which was lost to the disease. This power was said to draw on the very life of Tel'Ratha himself, and infect it into another victim. The victim was infected with the very same horrid disease, which began to work within a few hours, and started eating away at the victim's flesh and body slowly. Natural or medical healing methods would not work; only the Force could rid a victim of this disease, and even then, it would take much effort from several individuals to heal a person. It generally required days of effort from the most potent Masters to halt this disease.

• Dehydrate

  This power was very simple in effect. It drew the fluids out of a victim's body somewhat naturally, forcing them to perspire at a ridiculous rate, and eventually left them dehydrated and looking like a raisin. No amount of fluid could possibly halt or negate the effect; the body simply continued to perspire unnaturally until the power had been ended, or the victim died. This power generally lasted while a Necromancer concentrated on their victim's suffering, though they did not need to be within sight to affect their victim; meditative trances used to focus on the victim would suffice. The powers of another Force-user of greater strength than the Necromancer could disrupt this power and negate it.

• Rise of the Favored

  This level of power to raise corpse servants began to impart impressive abilities upon a Necromancer's servants. The Favored were actually very skilled laborers and warriors. The Favored were capable of carrying out skilled tasks of labor, from acting as craftsmen or pilots. The only limitation was, they had to possess these skills at some point in their lives; they could not be taught new skills. The Favored were also skilled warriors, if they possessed any combat skills in life. No matter what their combat ability in life, if they were trained in any weapon, or form of martial art, the Necromancer's arts enhanced these skills and made them rather impressive in their capabilities. The Favored were also capable of some forms of sentient and independent thought. They were still subject to the will of the Necromancer, but they were capable of thinking out problems to find a solution, capable of acting for self-preservation (unless they are first acting in defense of their master), and so on.

• The Bridge of Life

  Similar to the power of the "Siphon of Life," the Necromancer "thinned" the Shroud, and caused a wraithly siphon to appear between two individuals. The Necromancer controlled the flow of health and life between the two individuals. One received the health and strength from the other, in turning giving up their fatigue and wounds to the other. It was possible to cause the two to take "equal" shares of health and hurt, but this power was generally used by Necromancers to heal an ally at the expense of a bystander or enemy. The only limitation on this power was that the Necromancer himself could not be one of the two joined by the Bridge.

• The Doom Within (Avasculate)

  "The Doom Within," also known as "Avasculate," was a rather sadistic power used by some of the more aggressive Necromancers of Tarentum. This power caused bodily fluids and the circulatory system tissues to expel violently from the body in a mass of blood and gore. This power would always result in the death of the victim. The power would only be defended/resisted through the Force.

• The Harrowing

  Certain Necromancers of Tarentum were so familiar with the Shroud that parted the living from the dead that they were able to manipulate it on somewhat impressive levels. This power allowed a Necromancer to thin the Shroud enough as to allow any within the area to have vague and random glimpses into the plane of the dead. These visions were never "head on." Persons in the area would only catch glimpses past the Shroud out of the corners of their eyes, or as they tried to drift off to sleep, and so on. The Restless would sense a thinning of the Shroud, and would often flood the area with their negative emotions in an attempt to break forth, but most Necromancers were smart enough to remain vigilant in keeping the Shroud secure enough not to allow the angry dead to enter the plane of the living.

• The Keeper's Hunger

  The powers of the Necromancer were often used in mysterious ways, or for morbid purposes. This was one such power. The Necromancers of Tarentum had the ability to cause others to hunger for and seek out dead flesh and consume it. Victims of this power would have a morbid fascination with corpses, and had an overwhelming desire to eat their flesh. Victims still understood that this practice was very much taboo, and would often suffer mental duress from such consumption, as well as negative physical effects from it (most victims would immediately vomit, even as they continued to consume dead tissue).

• The Presence of Anubis

  Anubis was rumored to have been a Master of the Dark Side, and a person truly obsessed with death and Oblivion. He was also said to have been a god of the dead, or a lord of the underworld. Whatever the true role of Anubis, he was a person of great power, especially among those of little or no power in life. His presence was rumored to have caused great awe and fear in those who were in his presence. With this power, the Necromancers of Tarentum mimicked his power and aura, and all those within fifty feet of them were so overcome by their power and majesty as to either fall to the ground and tremble in fear, or flee in terror outright.

Inner Order

The eldest and darkest of the Keepers understood secrets few others could comprehend, even the Grand Masters. Oblivion had unlocked its secrets, and the currents of life and death were drawn and pushed away at the whim of the eldest. The darkest armies of the Restless heeded the commands of these Masters.

Level Eight

• Avascular Mass

  Building upon the sadistic mess that is "The Doom Within," this level of power for the Keeper of Tarentum actually forced the victim to live through the avasculation, and shaped them into a trap of Human gore and tissue. The veins of the victim needed a place to anchor themselves for this power to work; using this power on a person in open space would result in the same effect as "The Doom Within." However, when the person's gore could anchor to the walls, floor, or ceiling of a room, they became a trap of living tissue and tortured victim. The anchoring walls had to be "opposing" for the power to have the correct effect. The expelled tissue could anchor properly to floor and ceiling, opposing walls, or all of them and create a spider web-like trap. The amount of pain a victim underwent with this effect was great physically, but the mental duress was probably far worse. The most-Humane fate for a victim would have been to kill them. Only a potent Necromancer or a Master of the Force would be able to undo this power.

• Blackflames

  Wraithly flames with a black hue about them came into creation at the will of the Keeper. These flames could be hurled at intended victims, or could shoot forth from the Keeper's hands. The flames did no physical damage immediately. Instead, they attacked the very soul of the victim, who felt intense agony and despair that could ravage the body as well as the mind of the individual. Eventually, the blackflames began to kill even the tissue of the victim, who began to suffer necrosis throughout every system of their body. Those who suffered in the blackflames for more than a few minutes would soon find themselves on death's doorstep and be hurled into Oblivion from the wrath of the eldest Keepers.

• Call of the Hungry Dead

  The Restless were nothing, if not rage, passion, and intense emotion. Those who existed in Oblivion know happiness, but found it to be so fleeting an emotion, because they knew above all else what they had lost in passing through the Shroud into Oblivion. These Force spirits were drawn by the will of the Keeper, who shaped the essence of their intended victim to act as a beacon of emotion to the Restless. This power acted to thin the Shroud around this victim in such a way that the victim could actually be affected by the Restless. In short order, these angry souls would often attack the very life and soul of the victim, killing them in short minutes, and tearing their immortal soul asunder.

• Finger of Death

  The Keeper could focus his powers over life and death with such potency, that by placing their finger on the chest of a victim, directly over the heart, they were able to instantly snuff out the life of that individual. The victim's body immediately decomposed to ash, and the soul was ready for immediate harvesting or subjugation by the Keeper himself. Nearly all victims who were killed in this manner came back as one of the Restless.

• Fleshcraft

  As masters of manipulating life and death, one of the more fascinating areas of study and power among the Keepers of Tarentum was fleshcrafting. With this power, the Keeper was able to physically manipulate the flesh of a victim, either physically shaping the victim's tissues as if it were clay, or adding in "harvested" tissue and grafting it to the victim's body for a variety of somewhat unique, but definitely morbid purposes. Limited manipulations could be made on yourself by using this power, but it found most of its use in a Keeper manipulating others, especially their own servants.

• Wail of Doom

  The Keeper was able to draw the powers of the Force and Necromancy into their own vocal chords, and let out such a dreadful wail as is often attributed to the banshee, or other such doomed figures. This wail caused great pain and bodily suffering in those who heard it. It acted upon every nerve and fiber in a person's body, and could only be overcome through the Force. Those people who were deaf, or who were somehow unable to hear the wailing, were completely unaffected by it.

• Wall of the Dead

  The Keepers' arsenal of powers had some extremely unique and often morbid powers, but this was perhaps one of the most useful, and least grotesque of the powers available to the Clan of Life and Death (grotesque being a relative term). The Keeper called forth to those corpses within 100 yards, who uprooted themselves from the ground and formed a wall of bone and body parts around the Keeper and any allies present. The wall itself could be any shape (circle, rectangle, etc.) but was limited in size; a wall of about 15 feet in height would guard an area of roughly 50' x 50'.

Level Nine

• Bonecraft

  Once a Keeper had mastered the art of Fleshcrafting, they typically moved onto learning the art of Bonecrafting. This power allowed the Keeper to manipulate the skeletal structure of their intended victim. Through advanced techniques that came with study and practice, the Keeper could even graft bones and flesh onto a victim, and create truly unique new forms of life, or simply mimic other creatures of both myth and reality. As with Fleshcrafting, limited manipulations could be made to yourself, but the true potency of this power came in manipulating others.

• Call the Hordes of Anubis

  In some ways a more advanced form of "The Underlings," this power afforded the Keeper the ability to call the mythical "hordes of Anubis," one of the greatest dark powers of myth or reality. None were certain about the true nature of Anubis, but he was said to have been able to call forth great legions of the undead who would wipe out all of his enemies as a wave of the dead washing over all life. With this power, the Keeper called forth these hordes from the bones of the earth. The undead legions crawled up from the earth and assaulted the Keeper's enemies as a wave of death and destruction. The hordes would attack the Keeper's enemies with any weapons available, and would attempt to grasp onto one enemy each, and then pulled them down into the depths of the earth where the horde would return to. Any trapped victim unable to unearth themselves, or unearthed by another, would slowly suffocate and die, and spend an eternity as one of Anubis' minions, as well.

• Destruction

  With but a touch, the Keeper possessing this power was able to cause time and decay to focus upon an inanimate object, destroying it in a few short seconds. The item itself would begin to gray almost immediately, and soon after, an unnatural breeze would come along and sweep the destroyed item away as useless dust. Once an item was so destroyed, the only way to retrieve it would be to find it on the plane of Oblivion and restore it to a newly crafted item of the same physical appearance made from obsidian.

• Final Retribution

  With this power of vengeance, a Keeper was able to utilize the body of a recently dead Force-user and cause it to explode, sending shockwaves through the Force much like a "Force Scream." The body itself was destroyed unnaturally, and was spent in a shockwave that left behind only smoke and the smell of burned flesh. The Force "shockwave," however, scattered outward for a radius of 150 feet. Any within were assaulted by the power of the Dark Side. Those unable to defend themselves through the Force were immediately slain.

• Kingdom of the Dead

  The ability to raise corpses was taken to different degrees, depending on the dedication that a Keeper gave to this path of study. There were some of Tarentum's eldest Keepers who possessed the ability to raise corpses without limitation to raising each specific corpse, or group of corpses. The power referred to as the "Kingdom of the Dead" made it so that a specific area was empowered with the Force sufficient to raise any corpse brought into its radius. This power had a radius defined by the amount of power the Keeper wanted the corpses to have. For an area that bestowed corpses the power of "the Fallen," the effects had a 150 yard radius from the spot the Keeper enacted this power. Bestowing the power of "the Guardians" reduced the radius to 100 yards. Infusing the area with the power to raise corpses at the level of "the Favored" limited the area to a radius of 50 yards. Corpses brought into an area under the effect of this power would raise up within several seconds. Any traveling outside of the area for any reason would immediately fall to the ground, a lifeless corpse once more. The effect lasted for a full month, and could be frequently "restored" to continue the effect over a specific area.

• Shattering

  The "Shattering" could almost be considered a very specific use of the power of Bonecraft, with one very specific difference; the "Shattering" did not require physical contact as Bonecrafting does. Through the Force and the powers of Necromancy, the Keeper could affect the living form of any victim, and cause their bones to instantly shatter. As the difference in power and ability with the Force became greater between the Necromancer and his foe, more damage could be done. An elder Keeper using this power on those blind to the Force would often break every bone in their body, and be fatal within minutes.

• The Tide of Life

  The Force could often act as a tide of power and strength. The elder Keepers of Tarentum had learned how to affect the tides of the Force. With this power, it was possible to manipulate the flow of life and energy to a certain place, or away from it. The size of the area wasn't greatly limited, usually a city of moderate size could be affected. The real "drawback" to the power was that, as a tide in one area was enhanced, another was diminished, and not at the Keeper's whim. The Force drew power away from another area to enhance the place the Keeper so chose. The Force could draw power and life away from an area that a Keeper chose, but would disperse it at random, possibly dispersing the energy all over in equal amounts. This flow of life affected things tied to the planet itself, animals, vegetation and so on. This power only stayed in effect for as long as that planet's tide period.

• The Waters of Styx

  In some myths, the River Styx is the body of water that separates the realm of the living from that of the dead. Those who crossed the River were always bound for Oblivion; rarely did anyone return back. This power temporarily granted any body of water the traits attributed to the River Styx. Crossing became a journey of nightmarish visions and great despair. Also, once the body of water was crossed, the person setting foot on land on the other side died immediately. The limitation to this power was that only by "completely" crossing the River would an individual be slain. Any who chose to "turn back" from the nightmares and visions are, luckily enough, saved. It was somewhat ironic that those who ended up being determined and resolute enough to push past the nightmares and cross were the unlucky ones.

Level Ten

• Call the Euthanatos

  The Euthanatos were warriors of death and destruction of legend. They were said to spill into existence from a tear in the fabric of reality, where the planes of life and death were unnaturally joined by dark and dreadful Necromancers. This power recreated these fearless warriors of death, and infused a number of corpses with the life and power of the Dark Side of the Force. No matter what the person was in life, their corpse was now one of the Euthanatos, and was truly a servant of death. The Euthanatos were more powerful than any of the Keeper's other servants, and were possessed of great will, as well. The Necromancer who called forth these warriors of doom devoted their full concentration towards dominating their great wills, or the Euthanatos would break free of the Necromancer's power, and would kill at random until they were destroyed, or until the power of the Dark Side left them, and returned them to being nothing more than a corpse once more. The Euthanatos had no apparent limitations, and were capable of nearly anything. They were incredibly strong, swift and agile; in some ways, they were "Force-enhanced," and acted as if blessed by the strength and speed of a powerful Equite calling on the Dark Side. They were intelligent and quite cunning. They could communicate with each other, as well as with the Necromancer who brought them into being. They could also communicate with any lesser forms of undead, and would be able to impose their own will upon those undead. The Euthanatos were truly creatures of nightmare and legend, and were not called forth except by the most powerful and willful of Keepers.

• Circle of Death

• Eyes of Doom

• Gift of the Mad One

• Immortal Curse

• The Quickening

• The Touch of Phalanthus

Level Eleven

• Ray of Entropy

• Wail of the Banshee

• Waves of Death

• Waves of Destruction

Level Twelve

• Soul Typhoon