Necromancer

"And they will rise from their graves to march upon the world of the living. Each and every mortal that falls will swell their numbers until only a world of darkness remains. Only then will the world know of the eternal order that lies within the peace of Undeath."

—Grimoire Necronium, Chapter XII, from the Book of W'soran^[2a]

A necromancer is amongst the most cursed of all those wizards who practice the magical arts, for they have damned their souls and exchanged their Humanity for the ability to use the Dark Magic of necromancy to raise the dead and command them to wage war upon the living as the Undead.

What is the ultimate goal of a Necromancer in Warhammer? toggle section

In Warhammer, a Necromancer's primary objective is to control the undead, aiming to conquer the world of the living. Every fallen mortal boosts their ranks, leading to a world engulfed in darkness and symbolizing the eternal order in the tranquility of Undeath. The path of necromancy often descends into darkness, with Dark Magic's pulsating energy causing their minds to warp and madness to ensue. The Great Necromancer sought the boundless power of the Warpstone, resulting in a ceaseless conflict.

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What does a Necromancer exchange for their magical abilities? toggle section

In Warhammer, a Necromancer trades their moral compass and mental stability for magical prowess. They exert control over the dead, a practice that often drives them to madness or evil. Their magic animates corpses, bringing them back to the battlefield. They can summon the Undead, given they have access to fresh or buried corpses. They can also reanimate the dead into Skeletons or Zombies, although this magic ceases at dawn.

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What is the Grimoire Necronium in the context of Necromancy? toggle section

The Grimoire Necronium, a pivotal necromantic tome, was crafted by W'soran, an early vampire and Nagash's loyal disciple. W'soran combined his spirit realm research with the knowledge from the Nine Books of Nagash, granted by the arch-necromancer himself. This tome, intended for the dead, delves into all facets of undeath, but readers risk eternal damnation.

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How does a Necromancer in Warhammer 40k increase their army? toggle section

In Warhammer 40k, a Necromancer expands their forces by utilizing necromancy to resurrect the deceased as infantry. These undead warriors, often battlefield casualties, are equipped with a wide array of armaments. The army's existence, however, is linked to the Necromancer's life. If the Necromancer perishes, the army disintegrates.

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What is the role of female Necromancers in Warhammer? toggle section

Female Necromancers in Warhammer are potent figures, particularly in Undead factions. They wield necromancy, witchcraft, daemonology, and Chaos Magic. Their damaging abilities make them preferred front-line field commanders. Some become Tomb Banshees post-death, becoming restless spirits mourning their past lives.

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History

In the time before the founding of the Imperial Colleges of Magic following the end of the Great War Against Chaos in 2304 IC, magic-use in the Empire of Man was far less structured. Almost all Human wizards were hedge wizards of one kind or another, who had either learned to channel the Winds of Magic inherently or had learned at the feet of a master of a particular tradition of magic. Wizardry of any kind was technically illegal across the Empire, but different types of wizards were accepted in different places at different times.^[4]

For instance, during the period known as the Anarchy in ca. 2276 IC when the Empire was riven by civil war and lacked a central government, even necromancers were not automatically viewed as intrinsically evil or corrupted. Their spell lore drew from the abilities provided by Shyish and included such useful powers as clairvoyance and communing with the spirits of the dead. Asking the spirits for advice on behalf of a noble lord of the Empire, for example, was seen as perfectly reasonable by most of the powers-that-be.^[4]

A problem only began when certain necromancers, driven by an unwholesome curiosity about the nature of death or the need to increase their own power, began to emulate the practices of the Vampire Counts of Sylvania and use Dark Magic upon the corpses of the recently deceased to raise Undead. But during the Anarchy, the Vampire Wars had ended and the von Carstein bloodline of Vampires was no longer considered a threat. As such, malevolent necromancers were rarer than they had been earlier in Imperial history or would become by the time of the early 26th century IC.^[4]

Once the Orders of Magic were established, many of these earlier necromancers who avoided the use of Dhar helped to found the Amethyst Order which specialised in the use of Shyish, and were the early Magisters who laid down the organised principles of what became the Lore of Death.^[4]

Role

Nec3 — A powerful necromancer confronts a Bright Wizard.

Such willingness to damn one's soul through the embrace of Dark Magic is often a sign of desperation, for at the heart of each necromancer's morbid obsession is the need to escape the inevitability of death and to subjugate and punish those who have persecuted them in the past, regardless of the cost.^[1a]

Once these men and women walk down this dark road, there is no going back, for although they may extend their lives beyond the mortal limit, death is still an inevitability, and Morr, the god of the dead, shows little mercy for those who would transgress his will and deathly domain.^[1a]

It is usually Men, rather than the longer-lived mortal races, that delve into the study of necromancy. These few individuals are not necessarily evil to begin with. Some may desire knowledge for its own sake; others may seek immortality, or to prolong the life of a loved one.^[1a]

Warhammer-Fantasy-FB-Песочница-фэндомы-Total-War-3096896 — A necromancer leading his Undead forces against the foe in *Total War: Warhammer*.

Regardless, something about their unnatural pursuit invariably turns them to a darker path. Perhaps it is the horror and revulsion their fellows feel for them, or perhaps the pulsing energy of Dhar that warps their minds. Either way, when Men take to the path of necromancy, madness is just as much an inevitability as death itself.^[1a]

To learn the dark art, an aspirant must find either a necromancer or a Vampire and become their apprentice. It is from this need to learn the dark arts that necromancers are often driven to become servants of the Vampire Counts of Sylvania, hoping to learn firsthand from the masters of Undeath themselves.^[1a]

However, such servitude often comes at a steep price, for once a Vampire takes in an apprentice, they are bound to the Vampire for all eternity. In order to avoid such a fate, some have gone the path of studying the forbidden lore by reading through unholy books.^[1a]

Paul-presley-ca-vamp-01-sickle (2) — Necromancer staves, as rendered for *Total War: Warhammer*.

Seeking out books of forbidden lore has its own perils altogether. Many are copies of older texts from long-forgotten times, and there is no guarantee that any of the rituals found in them are correctly transcribed. Some simply do not work at all, and others may go disastrously wrong. Even with all the danger, these individuals still persist to accomplish their goals, driven by their unnatural obsessions for power, forbidden knowledge and immortality.^[1a]

As a person follows the dark path of the necromancer, they become ever more detached from their mortal roots. Morbidly questing after the secrets of death, a necromancer who is deeply steeped in the lore of the dead stands on the threshold between worlds, neither wholly alive, nor one of the Undead.^[1a]

Their body twisted with unholy power, their mind seared by the horrors they have witnessed, a necromancer often has more in common with their lurching, moaning minions than with the living they seek to slay.^[1a]

Master Necromancers

"Drifting between the living and the dead, a master necromancer summons Undead minions to fight enemies on his behalf."

—Description of the Masters of Necromancy^[3]

Master necromancers are those few individuals whom have dedicated their entire existence to the learning and practicing of necromancy and Dark Magic.^[1]

Extending their lifespan beyond their mortal limits, these evil men and women are truly powerful wizards that have the ability to conjure up an entire army of Undead all by themselves. Ancient and malevolent beings, they have since lost all touch with their former Humanity.^[1]