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Undying
The undying are undead creatures sustained by positive
energy or the devotion of mortal'beings. Where strong
negative emotions can trap a spirit as a ghost or wraith,
the undying are spirits who linger because they are
cherished and who in turn seek to protect and guide the
people of their community.
Though it's possible for undying to appear anywhere,
it is rare for them to manifest naturally. The only place
where they are found in significant numbers is the is
land of Aerenal, a land whose close ties to the plane of
Irian suffuse it with positive energy. The elves of Aere
nal spent thousands of years working to develop rituals
that tap into this energy, allowing them to preserve their
greatest citizens as undying.
The Face of Death. The light of Irian sustains the
spirit, but it doesn't preserve the physical body. The
undying appear as desiccated corpses, their flesh with
ering away over centuries. At the same time, the spirit of
the undying surrounds the body-an aura of light form
ing a spectral shadow of the soul. The light shed by an
undying doesn't generate heat, but it provides a sense of
warmth and comfort.
The most powerful of the undying can separate their
spirits from their physical forms, existing as beings of
pure light. This state is the ultimate goal of the elves
of Aerenal, and such beings are known as ascendant
councilors.
Bound by Love and Light. Undying are sustained by
positive energy, whether found in manifest zones tied
to Irian-such as in Shae Mordai, the Aereni City of the
Dead-or freely given by the devotion of mortal beings.
The worship of the Undying Court is what sustains the
undying of Aerenal, but devotion is a finite resource. As
such, each elf that becomes an undying must earn their
afterlife. If an undying elf leaves Aerenal, they require a
community of elves or another source of positive energy
to sustain them. Failing this, their light fades and they
eventually die.
The Undying Court. The honored undead of Aerenal
are united in the Undying Court. Based in the city of
Shae Mordai, the members of the Undying Court spend
their time meditating, engaging in research, or continu
ing to perfect the arts they practiced in life. They serve
as guides and advisors to the living, and members of the
noble lines of Aerenal can exercise the rite of counsel to
consult with ancestors in Shae Mordai.
The greatest members of the Undying Court are the
ascendant councilors. These beings of pure light are
focused on contemplating the mysteries of life and the
planes, and can work together to wield godlike power
that allows them to shield Aerenal from almost any
threat. However, the ascendant councilors can exercise
power beyond Aerenal only by acting through devoted
mortals-paladins and clerics of the Undying Court.
Undead Nature. An undying doesn't require air, food,
drink, or sleep.CHAPTER 6 I FRIENDS AND FOESUNDYING SOLDIERUNDYING COUNCILOR
Undying councilors guide and protect the people of Aer
enal. They are the most powerful members of the Undy
ing Court who still maintain their physical forms. While
many undying councilors spend their days advising the
living, some devote years projecting their consciousness
into the Astral Plane, seeking new knowledge to share
with their people. Still, not all minds are capable of
assimilating immortality, and undying councilors some
times buckle under the strain and go mad.UNDYING SOLDIER
Undying soldiers make up the army of Aerenal's City of
the Dead. They guard the temples of the Undying Court
and the mansions of the noble lines of Aerenal, and
Aereni ambassadors are often accompanied by undead
bodyguards. Undying soldiers wear heirloom armor and
wield ornate weaponry.