Undeath

Life loops naturally take in winds through eating food, and release them through various activities throughout the day. This process is what allows living things to grow and interact with their environment, and fine control of ones life loop allows for the casting of spells. Normally though, this process ends with a life loop dissipating and the creature dying. There are a number of other outcome that are possible however. Raised dead, roaming spirits, and multiple types of vampires can all be the outcome of a long life.   Raised dead are the simplest form, and life loop is locked into a body after death. It may not even be the original or a complete life loop, and the usual result is zombies, which are technically alive, as there is a life loop present, but lack most of the functions of living things, and cannot sustain themselves long.   Roaming spirits are life loops that exist outside of a body, having somehow found a way to stabilize without an attached body. This basic description also includes gods and demons, and that is no accident, the most common way to become a roaming spirit is simply to have a life loop so large and powerful that it can sustain itself on its own without a body.   Vampirism is the most complex and interesting form of undeath, or rather forms. The traditional form, started by the vampire "god" is a magical ritual which locks a person's life loop into their body before they die. This has many advantages over zombification, most notably that there is no decay of the life loop initially. It can decay as energy is lost, but replenishment can return the vampire to full function. A notable feature of this method is that replenishing ones life loop cannot be done through eating, the life loop must directly consume other life loops, often through the ritual drinking of blood. This version can be passed on through a consensual linking of life loops between the vampire and a mortal. A more rare version of vampirism is arcane vampirism. The basic idea is the same, but the way the life loop is maintained is far simpler, as raw winds can be used to replenish the life loop. Many ancient and powerful wizards have obtained immortality through this method, and its effectiveness basically depends on the vampires skill as a wizard.