Necromancy

Necromancy (also called the Dark Arts) is the practice of bringing the dead back to life. A closely guarded secret of the Pasharti Absorbers, no other species in the galaxy has managed to fully unravel the secrets behind this mysterious science. As no Pasharti necromancer has ever come forward and revealed the secrets of necromancy to the galaxy, researchers have had to make educated guesses on how the practice works.

The mainstream view by most researchers is that the practice of necromancy is somehow related to psionics and the Shroud. The few Pasharti that have commented on this have denied the claims, insisting their necromancy is a form of magic unique to their own species, pointing to the fact that the Pasharti as a whole are not psionic. However, historically, many societies have viewed psionics as magic, and the way psionics can manifest themselves depends on how a group of individuals believes it will. In essence, if a given group believes psionics look purple, psionic residue will appear purple. If a group believes it is green, it will appear green.

With this in mind, it is believed that Pasharti are at least latently psionic, capable of using this ability to draw Shroud entities into corpses, then command them to follow their bidding. Regardless of the precise methods behind necromancy, a reanimated corpse (called a "zombie" or "undead") is capable of following basic commands and performing simple tasks, with an intelligence comparable to a young child. Virtually all undead raised by Pasharti necromancers are used for military purposes, as they are highly resistant to conventional weapons and never flee in the face of overwhelming odds. Zombies are enhanced with a variety of genomic and cybernetic augmentations, designed to substantially reduce their rate of decay and make them more lethal in combat.