Skulm

Skulms are considered the lowest form of all undead. They are typically mindless and have been known to follow commands of higher life forms like necromancers and, most recently, liches known as the Undead Kings. Typically they reside in the frozen reaches of Arctica, but when the Undead Kings rose, they traveled south, as though following an unknown signal. But when Brazius, the commander of the Undead Kings, was destroyed, and then Demios, another Undead Queen, was redeemed, that control was broken. Many Skulms made the journey back north to Arctica, while some, somehow by some unknown magic, gained some form of sentience, while many others remain under the control of some other unknown force.   These sentient Skulms have tried integrating with society, only to be rightfully shunned by fearful people who remember the death and destruction wrought by these creatures only a short time ago. Many consider their sentience to be unnatural. The very act of realizing their undead status is traumatic. They have no memories of any previous life, and many have no memory of anything they did while under the control of the Undead Kings or some other force. For some, these memories may return over a long period of time. For others, these memories are gone forever.   Skulm adventurers must come to terms with their identity. They aren't bound by the limitations of the living and are often underestimated.  

You Might. . .

 

• Work harder than most to prove you are a capable and distinct individual.
• Wade into danger with little regard for the safety of your undead body.
• Desperately seek the acceptance of the society you might have once tried to destroy.

 

Others Might. . .

 

• Assume you're the servant of a necromancer or the Undead Kings or some other unknown evil working to advance their agenda.
• Have difficulty empathizing with you.
• Regard your undeath with either pity or envy.

Physical Description

  Skulms are skeletal creatures reflecting the broad diversity of all living beings. They can be tall, short, or anywhere in between. Skulms of creatures with horns, wings, or tails retain them, although they are usually useless in the skeletal state. Skulms from the frozen reaches of Arctica or raised from fresh remains tend to have stark white bones, while older ones who might not have spent time in such frozen climes tend to be grey or yellowed. Skulms who adventure for a while often have faint lines crisscrossing their bones, indicating they were injured in previous battles.  

Society

  Most Skulms have lived in Arctica and formed massive militaristic armies, preparing for the day when some powerful force would come and lead them into battle. That day came with the Lich Lords and Krosin the Dragon Lord of Death arose. But when the Lich Lords were defeated, something happened that created a spark of intelligence and individualism within some Skulms for the first time. But the people of the world fear them and most can never accept them. So they instead stay hidden.    Non-intelligent Skulms largely have returned to the frozen reaches of Arctica. These Skulms know enough to form a military chain of command within their own ranks. They have built siege machines and weaponry of their own accord. They somehow, by some strange force, manage to work together and formulate and enact military strategy. But when they have fallen under the control of necromancers or liches or a Dragon Lord, they fall in line behind this force they see as a general and are treated as servants and slaves, with no upward social mobility. Sometimes, while they might enact their own military strategies and can do so highly effectively, when they are forced to follow the orders of some higher power, their own ability to successfully act out these orders are compromised by the military capabilities of that higher power, or lack thereof in some cases.  

Alignment & Religion

  While non-intelligent Skulms will tend towards evil, that is often because the powers that call to them are typically of the evil variety themselves. They follow the orders of whoever calls to them. Intelligent Skulms will often find their own way in their un-life, and much like living people will create a wide range of morals depending on the individual Skulm. Some might tend towards whatever morals they had in life, others will find their own way. Every Skulm is different in this way.   Religion-wise, Skulms who embrace their undeath will tend to lean towards gods of death, while Skulms who reject and resent it will embrace gods of life and redemption, such as Maryve or even the Quatrican Guardian and legendary Mystimon, Phoenix.