Necromancy in Carcosa

[korgoth]

I rather fancy Smith's Zothique tales, and they seem a good fit in some ways (though not in some others) for the general vibe of Carcosa. In particular I have always liked "The Empire of the Necromancers", where two necromancers wander into a dead kingdom animating everything with 2-4 legs and causing all sorts of trouble until the inevitable CASian ending. The beings they animate are rather like D&D skeletons and zombies... basically mindless animated slaves. Also, go to www.eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/61/the-empire-of-the-necromancers and read this story if you haven't already... great stuff!

I have been thinking about ways to add this element (the necromantic animation of servitor undead) to Carcosa. I wanted to trot out a couple ideas before the group here.

It seems like a good way to handle it is as a ritual. However, this does raise the whole question of non-Cthulhoid rituals in Carcosa, which seems like going too far perhaps. Though perhaps an isolated case does not cause too much of a problem. As described in the story (not that it has to be like the story, since this is Carcosa and not Zothique... but I'm using it as a model) the necromancers draw a threefold circle, "perform an abominable ritual" and sprinkle magic powder into the nostrils of the beings to be animated. They seem to remain animate indefinitely.

So I suppose one could make this a very rare ritual (its possession making one a "necromancer"), and make the powder the object of a quest.

An alternative would be to tie the ritual in with Nyarlathotep, since he is already associated with mummies on Carcosa.

Splitting the difference, perhaps the magic powder is the powder of Carcosan mummies!

One could also go the "Witch route" ala the Carcosan Grimoire and make Necromancer a full class.

Any of that sound reasonable?

[crusssdaddy]

What about Primordial One technology as the basis for reanimation? That would provide a clear delineation between the current sorcerers and your necromancers, who would scour Carcosa for ancient machinery as well as victims to test it upon. That might also provide a better springboard for creating a new class, which seems like where you might be headed.

[thelizardofoz]

Another idea you might be able to work with that shows up in Lovecraft's writing is the "essential salts" of man. A sorcerer's body is reduced down to these "essential salts" and they can be used through the proper rituals to bring the sorcerer or whoever really, back to the land of the living. Some have this done purposefully at their death so they can come back at some future date, while others take great pains to make sure their body is hidden. Because they can be brought back and tortured for information other would-be sorcerers want.

Makes ya wonder if there are any long dead bodies of the snakemen somewhere that can be brought back. Maybe some of those snakemen planned for this and are waiting in jars somewhere for someone to bring them back............