Jaysehn (prime)/Ranshai's Guide to the Lesser Undead

Preface

A man I long respected once said, "Fate will guide you to where you need to be." Growing up on my family's estate, one could not have convinced the youth of those times that he would one day live in the distance reaches of famed Jontara. He would likewise find it incredulous to be believe he would be beholden to an Oath to spend his days attending to the destruction of the undead. Such a thing would have been wholly impossible on every front.

Ranshai_Dialogue_Box_1_Intro.jpg And yet, Fate guided me to those lands of Jontara. Fate guided me to the west, where a small monastery outside of a frontier town housed the beginning steps upon the mysteries of would become my duty to the Order of Voln. Fate would later guide me south, to Aldora, where my training in those mysteries would be completed.

More than a decade later, I now find myself at the pinnacle of my Order's teachings. Somewhere along that journey, I shifted from novitiate to Master. Now, perhaps the time has come to become something more. To move my duties from mere Hunter, to Teacher. It is a hubris to presume that one has something to offer others in ways of knowledge and understanding and a great many fools presume themselves wise in the course of spreading false or mistaken knowledge. However, I have been proded to this work by people whom I respect. They likewise assure me that this attempt is not an excercise of ego, but of my greater duty to the Order. I will proceed with this principle in mind.

This guide is not meant for a particular audience. Nor do I intend for it to inspire people to the work of the Hunter either through my Order or otherwise. Instead, let it simply be said that not all evils in this world can be avoided. Should your life, your work, or your calling bring you into conflict with the evils written upon these pages may these words provide some glimmer of advantage in that moment.

J.Ranshai

On the Nature of the Lesser Undead

Though the distinction is arbitrary and of my own design, I believe it is necessary to distinguish between those undead which are driven by the pure malevolence of their creation versus those of their own malign will. Thankfully, if one should encounter the undead at all, it will almost always be one of the lesser varieties. Those of the Greater variety, which this work will not cover, are best left to only the most seasoned of Hunters or to the Order of Voln.

The lesser undead are therefore composed of similar nature, even if their forms can vary greatly. An encounter with the lesser undead is likely to be one of raw aggression. Though some of these creatures may move swiftly and others may plod slowly, they all will seek to snuff out life when they find it. It is rare indeed to find any that have any sense of self-preservation. Such creatures are usually not capable of anything resembling tactical thought. This can be used to a Hunter's advantage, as we will discuss in subsequent pages.

The Once Mortal

Perhaps the most terrifying weapon of many lesser undead is their tendency to be spawned from the mortal remains of once living creatures. Such creatures, particularly when they are of the remains of a sentient species, can invoke a core revulsion in even the most stalwart heart. The mortal mind recoils at the thought of its own death and when faced with the mockery of life that the Once Mortal presents, it can take an iron will to fight down that revulsion in order to destroy the thing before you.