Necromancy Prohibition

Lore & Background

The law is absolute only within White Walls and the surrounding region under the Church of the God of Life's influence, not across all civilized lands. Any individual caught practicing necromancy within that jurisdiction faces immediate excommunication, trial, and often execution. However, the prohibition has created a paradoxical situation where knowledge of the art survives in the shadows, particularly among those who have been cast out or live beyond the reach of the Church's authority. This ban is central to the conflict between the holy knights and the necromancers who roam the ruins.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled through the shattered arches of the ancient ruin, carrying the scent of damp earth and old decay. A young knight tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes scanning the shadows where a figure in tattered robes stood over a pile of bones. The air grew heavy with static as the necromancer's hands glowed with a sickly violet light, whispering words that made the knight's teeth ache. 'By the decree of Barbatos,' the knight shouted, his voice trembling not from fear but from righteous fury, 'you shall not desecrate these souls.' The prohibition was not just ink on parchment here; it was the line between order and chaos.

Reader's Guide

The Necromancy Prohibition serves as the moral and legal backbone of the Holy Kingdom's society. It dictates that life is sacred and death is a final journey, making any attempt to reverse this process a capital offense. This law is strictly enforced by the Church of Barbatos, which views necromancers not just as criminals but as existential threats to the world's stability. The practice is believed to invite demonic influence and corrupt the land itself. Despite the strict ban, the art persists in the wastelands where civilization has crumbled. This creates a tense dynamic where holy knights must constantly patrol the borders to prevent necromancers from spreading their influence into populated areas.

Did You Know?

• The source (The Faraway Paladin) does not feature a Holy Kingdom of Barbatos; the prohibition is enforced by the Church of the God of Life in the city of White Walls.
• The source describes necromancy as the practice of magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions for the purpose of divination.
• The oldest literary account of necromancy is found in Homer's Odyssey, where Odysseus raises the spirits of the dead under the direction of Circe.
• The Book of Deuteronomy (18:9–12) explicitly warns the Israelites against engaging in the Canaanite practice of divination from the dead, including necromancy.
• Medieval necromancy is believed to be a synthesis of astral magic derived from Arabic influences and exorcism derived from Christian and Jewish teachings.