Undead - Skeletons

The lowest form of undead, Skeletons are bones animated by essence and driven by a hunger they are no longer able to sate. Most skeletons are made when another undead is starved of essence until all their flesh has rotted from their bones, and they lose the ability to regain essence. As such, every step a skeleton takes brings them closer to dissolution, but it doesn't stop them from trying. Only in the essence-rich environment of a Dungeon can a skeleton survive. Their only advantage is their myriad of forms, as every dead creature can in theory become a skeleton.

Skeletons are weak and brittle, and the bonds that hold the bones together break easy. Most are dressed in rotting rags or nothing at all, and wield rusty, broken weapons. Larger, more fierce creatures with thicker bones are more dangerous and tougher to destroy if only by sheer weight. If a majority of the flow of essence is disrupted, the undead will cease to function, which can make them surprisingly tough - an arm here or there won't stop them - humanoid skeletons are considered so weak that most guilds won't even pay a bounty for them. They function on instinct and will either wait or wander when no prey is within range, or chase any that are.

It is unclear if Bone Collectors are a form of Skeletons or another kind of creature entirely. Evidence to prove it either way would, at least, be worth something.