Undead

Undead is a catch-all term that describes many entities that formerly were alive but returned to consciousness by profane mystical forces or abominable sciences.

It includes [[[vampire]]]s, [[[zombies]]], [[[ghosts]]], and others.

The creation of an undead can take on several forms. Common necromancy often invokes an 'echo' of a departed [[[soul]]] to fuel a biological construct. Others may invoke ambient spirits and force them to create a manifested form created from the stuff of the [[[Astral]]] plane.

More potent undead such as [[[vampire]]]s are created by forcibly ejecting a mortal soul from a physical form. The body remains connected to the soul, but the space where it should be is filled with profaned energies or dark magics.

For many mortals, icons of true faith are the most effective weapons against these monstrous entities. Purified materials such as silver, water, or iron rip away the underlying structure of profane magic that displaces the soul. If the form of these creatures is sufficiently disrupted they will become incoherent, weakening or disappearing entirely.

Though they share certain weaknesses and similarities, [[[Revenants]]] and other spirits of possession are taxonomically considered [[[demon]]]s and not undead.