Risen
Born Again But Never Whole
The Risen are those who have died and returned, pulled back into the world by divine error, necromancy, or an ancient curse. They walk a narrow line between life and death, their bodies sustained by will and residual magic. Some are preserved mummies bound by a curse, others are Reanimated corpses stitched together by forbidden rituals, and a rare few are Divine’s Wail, souls half-restored by failed resurrection. However they came to be, the Risen endure as living proof that death is not as absolute as it seems.
When death releases its hold, not every soul stays gone. Across Erenel, magic, faith, and folly collide to create the Risen, those who return from death. Their existence defies natural order and is sustained by remnants of magic, divine will, or lingering curses. Though they can appear among all species, every Risen shares a single truth. They crossed the veil and came back changed.
The Risen are a paradox made flesh. They breathe, think, and feel, yet something essential remains distant. To the living, they are objects of awe or disgust, reminders that death can fail and that divinity is not infallible. To the Risen themselves, existence is both a miracle and a punishment. Some search for meaning in their second life, while others crave an ending that will finally bring them peace. Whatever their path, all carry the silence of the grave with them.
Echo of the Soul
Each Risen emits a subtle aura detectable by sensitive creatures and spells. Animals become uneasy around them, and even the dullest mortal can sense a chill when they pass by. Clerics and paladins can perceive a Risen’s contradiction, where life and death coexist. This aura does not make them evil, but it unmistakably marks them as something unnatural.
Necrotic Vitality
The magical energy that powers the Risen functions as both blessing and burden. They do not age, hunger, or suffocate, though they still feel fatigued. Their muscles grow stiff without motion, and cold climates slow their reactions. The Divine’s Wail emits faint warmth or chill depending on the divine influence within them, while Reanimated often radiate a low hum of latent necrotic energy. Some attempt to stabilize their form with ritual markings, amulets, or constant contact with sources of death magic. Mummies will often tightly wrap themselves in their runic bandages during sleep. Reanimated line their stitches with powdered silver or charcoal to absorb rot. The Divine’s Wail often pray, not for guidance, but to keep their spark from burning out.
"We are held together by stubbornness, not grace.”
Risen Lineages
Death does not return all souls the same way. The circumstances of revival shape the form, mind, and essence of every Risen. Scholars divide them into three broad origins: Divine’s Wail, the Mummy, and the Reanimated. Each carries the mark of its resurrection, a lingering memory of what brought it back, and the magic or faith that refuses to let it rest.
Divine’s Wail
Souls Half Restored by Divine ErrorWhen resurrection magic falters or divine intent is stretched too thin, the soul may return without full reformation. The Divine’s Wail are Risen who hover between life and divinity, glowing faintly with celestial residue that can both bless and burn. They are living paradoxes touched by the heavens, haunted by the grave.
Their skin is often marked with cracks of radiant light, veins that shimmer like radiant gold or pale moon fire. Their voices carry faint echoes, and when they sleep, they dream of angelic landscapes, cities in the clouds, rivers of light, or endless stairs into starlight. Some can still channel fragments of the magic that revived them, though it strains their conflicted bodies. Most speak softly, moving through the world as if afraid of breaking it again.
How They Rise
A Divine's Wail could rise from a failed resurrection spell, an interrupted divine miracle, or clerical intervention that has gone wrong.
Common Physical Traits
Skin marbled with faint glowing fractures or luminous veins, with eyes that lack pupils and are replaced by pools of soft light. Their voices echo with hidden harmonics, as if multiple tones speak simultaneously. Healing magic drawn too close to them flickers, uncertain whether to mend or recoil, and clerics often describe a cold pressure in the air when one of the Divine’s Wails enters a holy space.
Mummy
Ancient Flesh Bound by Cursed OathsThe Mummies are Risen born of curses, preserved through ritual, oath, or divine punishment. Their resurrection is rarely an accident. A broken tomb seal, a spoken name, or the will of a vengeful spirit can rouse them from centuries of silence. Once entombed servants, priests, or rulers, the mummy awakens wrapped in blessed cloth, their bodies desiccated yet unnaturally strong. The energy that sustains a Mummy is fueled by faith twisted into bondage. Some are kept alive by their own refusal to die until a wrong is corrected or a promise fulfilled. Others are forced back by ancient curses that demand eternal guardianship.
How They Rise
A Mummy could rise from a cursed tombs, failed funerary rites, or divine punishment for betrayal or theft.
Common Physical Traits
Beneath the bandages, their skin is dry and leathery. Their bodies are embalmed and wrapped in enchanted linens inscribed with runes or sigils that shimmer faintly. Their eyes burn like faint coals, shifting in hue with emotion. Where a mortal bleeds, a Mummy sheds dust and light. They move with rigid grace, each step deliberate, each breath shallow and unnecessary.
Reanimated
Flesh Reclaimed by NecromancyThe Reanimated are corpses or skeletons resurrected through necromantic or alchemical craft. They are the physical remnants of death, sustained by the echo of the soul that once inhabited them, or in some cases, by a foreign spirit entirely. Unlike the Mummies, their return is rarely personal or ceremonial. Despite their unnatural composition, many Reanimated display remarkable endurance. Wounds that would cripple others barely slow them, their body reknitting around the damage as if remembering its former shape.
How They Rise
A Reanimated could rise from necromantic rituals, failed experiments, or deliberate resurrection through forbidden craft.
Common Physical Traits
A Reanimated body varies from near-human to grotesque. Some are stitched with surgical precision, flesh reassembled from a single corpse. Others are patchwork things, held together by metal pins, bone grafts, and stubborn will. Their voices crack like old parchment, and their eyes may glow faintly with soul fire.
Civilization and Culture
History
Coexisting with the Living
The Risen exist in a fragile space between reverence and revulsion. To the living, they are reminders of something most would rather forget: that death is not absolute, and that faith and magic alike can falter. Some are met with awe, others with anger and torches. It depends on the place, the culture, and the corpse. In rural regions, Risen often live as wanderers or quiet outcasts, choosing isolation over confrontation. A Mummy might guard ancient ruins, tolerated so long as it keeps grave robbers away. A Reanimated might serve as a gravedigger, its undead nature forgiven through service. A Divine’s Wail can pass more easily among mortals, wrongfully mistaken for a celestial touched by divine grace. Urban areas are less forgiving. Some factions would hunt the Reanimated as forbidden constructs. Churches could demand their destruction to preserve the sanctity of judgment. Even those who mean no harm will find that taverns are empty when they enter and innkeepers watch their steps closely. Many Risen wear heavy cloaks or use illusion magic to hide their nature, learning quickly that peace is easier behind a lie. Yet, some communities grow to accept them. Scholars and mages value their perspective on life and death. Artists paint their haunting visages. Mercenaries hire them for their resilience. In rare cases, entire villages form quiet pacts of mutual benefit: the Risen protect their people from evil, and the people keep their secret. Acceptance, when it happens, is not born of comfort, but of the passage of time. For the Risen, coexistence means constant restraint. They walk among the living as guests, not equals. They learn to smile when called “it,” to bow their heads in temples that would see them burned, to laugh at jokes about rot and grave dust. Those who endure do so with patience and, often, an understanding deeper than pity. After all, they have been both alive and dead, and they know which state holds more kindness.
Lifespan
Risen do not age and can live indefinitely if undisturbed and preserved.
Average Height
Medium (about 4-7 feet tall) or Small (about 2-4 feet tall), chosen when you select this species.
Including a Risen Character
Dungeon Master Tips!
A Risen player character should add tension to the campaign, not dominate it. Their presence is a mystery and a story hook, not a constant spotlight. Here are ways to integrate them smoothly:
A Risen player character should add tension to the campaign, not dominate it. Their presence is a mystery and a story hook, not a constant spotlight. Here are ways to integrate them smoothly:
Normalize Unease
Let NPCs react differently based on region and faith. One town priest might see the Risen as holy proof of divine error, while another orders their destruction. Use this to empower scenes, not derail them.
Anchor to the Party
Tie the Risen’s return to a shared event, artifact, or party character change. If their resurrection was linked to a party quest, it keeps everyone invested in the mystery rather than isolating one player.
Balance Spotlight
Avoid making every session about the Risen’s condition. Include small moments like a passerby whispering a prayer, an animal refusing to approach, or a child offering a flower that remind the player who and what they are.
Respect Tone
The Risen should fit your campaign’s tone. In grim campaigns, emphasize existential dread and divine consequence. In heroic stories, focus on redemption and second chances.
Endgame Opportunities
A Risen’s arc naturally points toward closure. Death, peace, or transformation can make powerful narrative endpoints. Give them a way to find meaning, not just to survive.
Handled with care, a Risen can be one of the most memorable characters in a campaign. A living question that asks what life, faith, and purpose truly mean.
Becoming Risen Mid Campaign
Death is not always the end! For many characters, it is a turning point. The process of becoming Risen mid-campaign should feel rare, powerful, and even unsettling. A story moment that reshapes both the character, the adventuring party, and the world around them. Check out the examples below on ways to become a Risen mid campaign!
Divine Error
Sometimes, resurrection magic goes wrong. The Cleric’s Raise Dead or Resurrection might falter under stress, or divine will might choose to return to the soul imperfectly. The character awakens pale and cold, veins shimmering faintly with light, unable to feel the warmth of their own heartbeat. They become one of the Divine’s Wail, carrying a fragment of divinity that cannot decide if it belongs to them.
The experience could create long term roleplay effects such as flashes of divine visions, partial memories of the afterlife, or a burning sensation when regaining Hit Points from spells. For many, this path feels like a gift tainted by guilt.
The Stitcher's Work
A desperate ally or a villainous necromancer refuses to let the dead rest. They reassemble the fallen character’s body and force their soul to return or replace it with another fragment of will. The character rises as a Reanimated, their body imperfect but functional.
This method fits campaigns steeped in dark experimentation or gothic horror. A Reanimated character might be haunted by stray memories from others whose flesh now forms their own. Their new existence could bring strength, endurance, or horrific resilience but at a terrible emotional cost.
Curse Awakened
Not all deaths are accidents. Some are traps. If the character dies in a cursed tomb, desecrated temple, or on sacred ground bound by oath, the curse itself may call them back. Such an adventurer rises as a Mummy, bound to complete an ancient task or guard a relic they never meant to protect.
This origin works well in campaigns with dungeon crawls. A Mummy Risen retains purpose beyond personal will, their continued existence might hinge on fulfilling or breaking the curse that sustains them. They are as much relic as adventurer.