SotF: Codex: Bestiary: Risen

  • The lowest form of the Undead, the Necranous or more commonly known as the Risen are corpses brought back to life by magicks. Having no will, Risen are nothing more than meat puppets but the clever Vigilant would do well to not underestimate these creatures.

     

     ************************

     Draugr

     

    If the little child does not behave,

    The Draugr shall drag ‘im to his grave.

    - Children's Rhyme

     

    In the old days of Skyrim where Dragons claim dominion over man and man had yet to see the light of the Nine, fallen warriors proven and worthy were given baths of salt and ice and locked away deep in the cold catacombs of the North so they may one day rise again to serve their masters… And when they do, these forgotten warriors are known as Draugrs.

     

    Endemic to Skyrim, Draugrs are a common threat to the many ruins that dot the landscape though as any Nord would tell you, Draugrs do not venture very far from their masters so one would only encounter a Draugr if one were looking for one. As far as a Necranous go, Draugr are quite an anomaly in their numbers. By definition, a Necranous has no free will and thus are incapable of any thinking higher than a clever wolf but Draugrs have been observed fighting with skill and coordination and their daily activity in their tombs of maintaining them suggests some level of intelligence. Of course as a Necranous, it has been suggested that their actions are merely a result of magicks and not of true will or intelligence for a puppet only moves at its master’s command.

     

    Novice adventures might be surprised to learn that Draugrs no simple corpses to be cut down and many a Priests of Arkay end up giving these same adventurers their last writes because of their ignorance. Draugrs are skilled in their arms and sometimes skilled in the art of magic. Yes many doomed adventurers only realise too late that these creatures are known to spells of frost and cold. Rumours unconfirmed but preparation may be necessary that some Draugrs have been known to know the ancient tongues of the Dragon and like the Greybeard of High Hrothgar these undead know of the art of the Thu’um, the Storm Voice of power.

     

    As a boon of being dead, the Draugr feel no pain and poisons do little to harm them, so make every attack a killing blow when possible. The cold does little to bother the Draugr but fire will sear their mummified flesh to the bone. Treat Draugrs are one would treat a living foe and make quick work of them.

     

    Nonethless, we still have many questions on the Draugr. Who were they? How were they created exact? Why are they still here? However despite centuries of study, the true nature of Draugrs however remains elusive.

     

    - Excerpt from Bestiary: Draugr by Vigilant Bran

     

    5th Sun’s Height, 4E 171

    Keeper Carcette,

    My reports indicate that your suspicions are proven true: that more and more Draugrs have risen within the ruins of Skyrim and that the creatures seem be wandering closer and closer to settlements and roads. As to the cause and reasoning, I cannot say yet but know that we are devoting every resource we can to uncover the truth.

     

    Signed,

    Brother-Vigilant Moric Sidrey

     

    - Ruunvald Excavation, Final Correspondence

     

     

    ************************

     Fleshfiend

    By order of Emperor Titus I of the House of Mede: All corpses both loyalist and pretenders are to be burned. No exceptions.

    - Legion Order 113

     

    Fleshfiends. Where can I start? The name perhaps for what is in a name but a title that says it all? Fleshfiends are corpses that resembles flayed decomposing bodies, even untrained children will know when such a creature is near by the terrible scent they emit and the howls they cry.

     

    ‘Where do they come from?’ you, dear reader may ask and I will answer. Fleshfiends hail from the corpses of battle and plague, powered by the residue of unclean magicka and sometimes by the will of necromancers although this is rare as Fleshfiends have been recorded to be difficult to control. Dead as they may be, Fleshfiends are known for their ravenous glutton of flesh; both of the living and dead and are more than willing to tear themselves apart for sustenance if need be. As such, one may find a Fleshfiend wandering in places of tainted death. When one rises, it is not uncommon for a horde to follow and extermination is more effective by performing proper burial procedures on the dead and of course, prevention is better than the cure.

     

    On fighting these abominations, Fleshfiends are mere savages, swinging their arms and gnashing their teeth but take care not to get bitten lest the rot set in in your flesh. Remember that Fleshfiends are nothing more than corpses so they feel no pain but crushing the head or ripping the creature into pieces will be enough to kill it. Try not with poisons: the blood does not flow and the poison will do nothing. Take care with fire: while the cleansing flame will purge the creature like any other Risen, the miasma that seeps from its flesh is known to explode when in contact with fire.

     

    On avoiding these creatures, well one can simply avoid plague pits and battlefields. Barring that, Fleshfiends have poor sense of vision, smell, and hearing and sneaking around these creatures should be an easy task but beware of detection for the howls are a call to meal and running is nigh impossible for their shambling state belies their agile nature.

     

    And despite the name, Fleshfiends have no discernible relation to Bloodfiends.

     

    - Excerpt from Bestiary: Fleshfiends by Vigilant Villem Venatii

     

    ************************

     Ghoul

    Dog and wolf bites don’t make these kind of wounds. See here – this one is made by blunted teeth. Human teeth.

    - Excerpt from Autopsy Report #76 by Father Mortanius

     

    Old wives’ tales speak of the origin of Ghouls: poor souls driven to cannibalism by either desperation or madness and for their crime against the natural order, they are transformed into Ghouls. Ghouls resemble people for the most part – emaciated and diseased by people nonetheless. But one quick glance at a Ghoul and one would quickly learn that is where the similarities end.

     

    They bear no sentience in their eyes, only a feral hunger left in their minds for the flesh of Men and Mer alike. Should they stand they would capture the bearings of a common man but Ghouls do not stand, they crawl on all fours like a dog.

     

    The brave and the unfortunate tasked with exterminating the vermin should take heart these truths. One, Ghouls congregate in places of death such as graveyards, catacombs and battlefields. Two, ghouls hunt in packs and in times of scarcity they are known to feed upon one another. Three, Ghouls like others pests of its ilk fear the cleansing flame but numbers are known to give them confidence.

     

    Remember above all – Ghouls may behave like rabid dogs, they may move like rabid dogs and they may fight like a rabid dog but one must never forget that they are not rabid dogs. Ghouls are an abomination to the natural order and thus deserve no mercy, no mercy but a swift and clean death.

     

    - Excerpt from Bestiary: Fleshfiends by Vigilant Crassius Cain

     

     

    ************************

Comments

1 Comment   |   Vezrabuto likes this.
  • Delta
    Delta   ·  October 25, 2018
    Updated:

    - Added entry for Draugr
    - Added entry for Ghoul