Lichdom

A Lich is universally seen as an evil form of undead spellcaster of great power, usually a wizard, but also possibly a sorcerer or cleric, who seek to defy death by magical means such as necromancy. However, it is possible for non-spellcasters to become liches, but not without the aid of a powerful spellcaster or through the aid of dark gods.   Liches were feared by mortal beings for their malign magic, their intelligence, and their willingness to embrace undeath for a chance to live forever (or rather, to exist forever).  

BECOMING A LICH

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Individuals pursue Lichdom for numerous reasons. Some people assume Lichdom to learn magical secrets and master their schools of magic. Others may assume Lichdom to serve their benefactor for eternity. While acts involved to become a Lich may be evil, the ultimate morality of the ascension boils down to the potential Lich's initial intentions for pursuing immortality.   The knowledge of Lichdom is usually a well-guarded secret, and as such is not readily available in libraries and such. One might bargain for the knowledge from supernatural beings such as powerful fiends, gods or a divine benefactor.   Essentially, the knowledge of the method in which one becomes a lich is referred to as the Ritual of Becoming or the Ceremony of Endless Night. The process requires three pivotal components, and all must be known in order to begin the ascension to lichdom. The three required components are:  

• The creation of a magical container known as a Phylactery to house the soul of the potential Lich, allowing it to age and reform without the looming threat of death. (Most believe that in order to do this, one must be a powerful spellcaster to achieve this step - thus it is rare but not impossible for non-magic users to acquire a phylactery by other various means).
• The creation and consumption of a deadly mixture composed of numerous poisons and the blood of various creatures - known as the Elixir of Defilation - which is to be drunk on a full moon when the veil of the soul appears to be at its weakest. The most controversial component of the potion is the heart of a sacrificed humanoid - used as a container for the potion rather than an ingredient.
• The Ascension Ritual - performed in an area replete with magical energy, and prepared with binding sigils written in the potential liches blood.

Although the exact details of the potion are described differently in various sources, the creation of the potion almost universally entails acts of utter evil, such as using an ingredient the blood of an infant slain by the potential lich's own hand, or other, similarly vile components. The potion invariably kills the drinker but if the process is successful it rises again some days later as an undead Lich.   Occasionally, this metamorphosis occurs by accident as a result of life-prolonging magic.   Unlike most other forms of undead creatures, the Lich retains all of the memories, personality, and abilities that it possessed in life - but it has a virtual eternity to hone its skills and inevitably becomes very powerful. Like other powerful forms of undead (such as vampire or mummy), a Lich has unnatural powers owing to its state. For example, it can put mortals in a paralyzed state of hibernation with their minds, making them seem dead to others, and can, through its typically powerful magical spells, summon other lesser undead to protect it. A Lich's bones do not decay. The Lich is capable of sustaining tremendous physical damage and is immune to disease, poison, fatigue, and other effects that affect only the living. However, despite all its undead "gifts", a lich's most valuable resources are its vast intellect, its supreme mastery of sorcery and limitless time to research, plot and scheme.   Since a lich's soul is mystically tied to its phylactery, destroying its body will not kill it. Rather, its soul will return to the phylactery, and its body will be recreated by the power keeping it immortal. Thus the only way to permanently destroy a lich is to destroy the phylactery as well. Therefore, the lich will generally be extremely protective of the priceless item. The phylactery, which can be of virtually any form (the default form is a metal box filled with rune-covered papers, but it usually appears as a valuable amulet or gemstone), will often be hidden in a secret place and protected by powerful spells, charms, monsters and/or other servants; the phylactery itself is usually of magical nature, meaning its destruction will generally be no easier than obtaining it.  

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES TO LICHDOM

  Whilst the prior method is the most common, and the one in which allows you to retain your own freedom. Other methods rely on making pacts with powerful fiends or usually evil divinities. The only issue with this is that one must sacrifice their freedom and their soul, dedicating it in service of these powerful beings for all of eternity. Even before one is capable of becoming a lich through a pact, they must perform any amount of tasks, years of service or dedication to become favorable enough to these powerful beings before they may allow them to become Liches. Only the most devoted, desperate or even mad would follow this path.   In the past however, there was another way one could become a Lich, but this route has become extinct. Limited to the Elves, one could follow the path of becoming a Baelnorn, a guardian of a prominent house of Elves. Becoming eternal undead defenders of their clan and territories for centuries. The choice to embrace this undeath was allowed and considered only on rare occasions when a clan or settlement had need of lorekeepers or defenders beyond the norm. The creation of a baelnorn was through the action of a High Magic or divine ritual, where in some cases they did not require a phylactery, as their undeath was obtained by a powerful ritual or gifted to them by Arvanos or the Seldarine. Less fortunate baelnorns were able to become liches with the aid of phylacteries. They could use soulless clones of themselves in order to avoid destruction, and if their bodies were destroyed, their soul wandered to an unharmed mortal shell when killed.

ACTIVITIES

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Because liches had eternal longevity, they often used this time to form schemes that took decades to develop, sometimes preferring to outlive a foe instead of confronting it, and as such most liches lived in secluded areas of Aetheus, where they were content with furthering whatever research or plots they had in motion.  

THE LICH'S PHYLACTERY

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The process of achieving lichdom required that the spellcaster construct a powerful magical artefact, a phylactery, in which the lich stored its life essence.   The most common physical form for a phylactery was a sealed metal box containing strips of parchment on which magical phrases had been transcribed. Other forms of phylacteries existed, often small or tiny trinkets such as rings, amulets, or similar items. But it must be a non-magical item, and the choice of which item being of preference to the potential lich. It could also take other shapes if the lich expended more gold and experience to make such alterations.   When the phylactery was created, the potential lich transferred a bit of life force into the creation. They would then become mentally linked to this phylactery and see it as though one were using the Scry spell at will. Were it to be destroyed before the ritual is performed, the soul returns to the body temporarily and another phylactery must be used or created.   In order to prepare the object to receive your soul, you must bond with this item using the arcane Ritual of Soul Bind. One may perform this with exceptional arcane talent and knowledge, or if one possessed a scroll of Soul Bind it would be possible. Without these options, one must become intrinsically knowledgeable to this object, knowing each and every millimetre of its form, shape, size, weight, height, composition, and even the sentimental value of the object. Thus, when it has been prepared, it will stay open to you for up to a week, where it will close off to the potential lich forever if the Ritual of Ascension has not occurred yet. It has also been known for magical items to be used as phylacteries, so long as they do not contain a soul already.   If the phylactery was to be crafted, then it would require exceptionally high quality. Prepared with marks of binding made of silver. While crafting the phylactery taxed the physical strength of the caster, the materials and components could easily exceed and range from 5000gp to 120,000gp. Overall, creating a phylactery was a very daunting task for anyone of arcane power.   As long as this phylactery was unharmed, the lich was immortal and would attempt to reassemble if it was ever vanquished (this happened within 10 days after its apparent destruction). It did not, however, grant any of the normal benefits of a phylactery until it was fully completed. For these reasons, liches took great care in protecting their phylactery from harm, employing decoys, traps, and other defences.   Every lich has a phylactery that stores its life force. The creation of this phylactery is a prerequisite for becoming a lich. They could potentially construct multiple phylactery's. A lich whose phylactery is destroyed suffers no harm but must construct a new one. If a lich without a phylactery is slain, the lich is forever destroyed. A phylactery in an antimagic field cannot recreate a destroyed lich.   Liches rarely carry their phylacteries with them, since this would result in the easy discovery of the item by would-be slayers. Most liches keep their phylacteries well-hidden (either somewhere in their lair or in some distant location, possibly on another plane). Most often disguise their phylacteries or similar effects to prevent easy location by enemies. Some employ guardians as well, preferring guardians that can keep a secret (such as golems) or those willing to work without asking too many questions. Under no circumstance does a lich tell the guardian the true nature of what it guards!  

THE ELIXIR OF DEFILATION

  By drinking this deadly potion the potential lich embraces the ingredients' natures of life and death for the last time before ascending into undeath as a lich. The potions ingredients must be consumed within the one week period of your phylactery being in the soul receiving state. Depending on the ingredient used, the potion may or may not be prepared ahead of time, and then consumed when appropriated.   The potion used for a Lich's Ascension must be brewed from five of nine of the following ingredients:  

• A Vial of Wyvern's Blood.
• A Vial of Manticore Venom.
• A Vial of pure Arsenic.
• Crushed Belladonna.
• A crushed Unicorn horn.
• A pint of Griffon's blood.
• A pint of Vampire's blood.
• A pint of specially prepared ale that has had the spell-book or brain of another spell-casting creature soaked in it for one dull day. (Sometimes referred to as Arcagnogg).
• The heart of a sacrificed humanoid. The humanoid must have been sacrificed within an hour of the potion being created and is used as a container for the potion rather than an ingredient. If used as an ingredient, the heart must be consumed immediately after drinking the potion.

 

THE ASCENSION RITUAL

Only when the phylactery is in the soul receiving state an the potion component has been assembled can the ritual be started. The ritual must occur in an area replete with magical energy, be it a sacred area or a magical tower. The area must be carefully prepared with the Binding Sigils of Ascension written in the potential lich's blood. Failure to do so delays the ritual from occurring for a day. Performing the ritual in the light of a full moon makes the ritual more likely to succeed, as the veil between the realms is thinner and the soul's connection to the Fugue Plane is ascertained. However, the phylactery does not need to be in the area for this ritual to succeed, but it must be in the soul receiving state to successfully work. Once the area is prepared, the magical energies of the ritual begin to coalesce, signifying the time of initiation and the potion assembly. If using a sacrificed humanoid's heart, the potion must be mixed together first before killing the humanoid and pouring it into the heart as a vessel for the potion. The humanoid in question, whether they are good or bad morality, is inconsequential to the ritual. Thereafter, the potion is sparkling with black ooze and glows with ominous blue energy. The entire potion must be consumed and after one minute, the effects of Lichdom begin to take hold. If utilizing the heart, the majority of the heart must also be consumed lest the potion has no further effects.

TYPES OF LICHES

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• Alhoon: An alhoon was an illithid lich, or an Illithilich.
• Archlich: Whilst the overwhelming majority of liches were evil, an Archlich was not. Archliches were able to memorize spells through intuitive nature and did not need spellbooks; they also remained in their form for eternity.
• Baelnorn: An elven archlich was called a Baelnorn. They did not use phylacteries as their undeath was gifted them by the Seldarine. Elven liches become undead to become the backbones of their family. They were sources of magic, wise council and guardianship.
• Banelich: Clerics of Bane can be transformed into undead servants by the Dread Emperor. As baneliches grew older, their powers increased as well, until they were as powerful as any other lich.
• Demilich: This advanced form was achieved when a lich felt it could not learn anymore in its present state and sought other avenues to attain knowledge. It might do so by using Astral Projection to travel to other planes of existence. During their travel across the planes of existence, their body gradually deteriorates until only a skull or even a single skeletal hand remains.
• Dracolich: A dracolich was a dragon who had achieved lichdom. The process was kept secret to most dragons.
• Lichfiend: A lichfiend is an evil outsider (usually a demon or devil) that achieves lichdom.
• Psilich: They are powerful users of psionic powers, who have used non-magical means to achieve this state of undeath.
• Suel Lich: Powerful wizards who learned the secrets of transferring their souls from one body to the next - at the cost of the bodies burning out in brief periods.