Concerning necromancy:

[DoS Archive]

From: blindfoldproxy@aol.com (Blindfold proxy)
Date: 06 Sep 2002 19:55:58 EDT

The following is taken from Phenomenon Magazine vol. 245, May 1997 C.E., pg. 113-114:


The Truth About Necromancy:
An Interview with Dr. Van Keller

by Jack Skeen


Today I am joined by Dr. Van Keller who studies psychological magics at Ranstad University in Loranglon. Thank you for joining us today, Doctor.
My pleasure, Jack.
Is necromancy real, Doctor?
Necromancy is very real, but not in the Frankenstein-sense of the word or in the idea of conjuring the spirits of the dead to predict the future. The term necromancy itself is not entirely accurate, but suitable for today's purposes. It's a fairly recent phenomenon, only involving the past seventy-or-so years.
What is necromancy then?
Necromancy stems from the resuscitative magic-sciences, as I like to call them, which were developed to restore life to a person whose heart has ceased beating. The human brain is considered to be the absolute center of an individual, and bear with me as I go into detail. It, of course, stores memories, conceives thoughts, and controls most of the body's functions; but we should also recognize that the body is built ultimately to nurture,
maintain, and protect the brain. The lungs acquire the oxygen, the digestive system acquires the sugars and molecular brain-foods, the heart and the circulatory system deliver these to the brain, the body finds the oxygen and food and disposes of the excesses, and everything else deals with body maintenance and reproduction. In the grand scheme of nature, the brain is that which is most precious, and most fragile.
We know that the brain begins to die after about ten minutes without oxygenated blood. The skill of most worth to the necromancer is a good sense of timing. It is to our understanding that the brain, when starved of fresh blood, first sacrifices the conscious recognitive memory in order to preserve the more primal, essential functions. When done accurately, the necromancer revives the patient directly after this point.
So the person is revived without memory, but can function normally?
Yes, for the most part. The patient is essentially reborn into the world. And what is the first thing a newborn sees when it opens its eyes?
The mother, or father?
Precisely.
So the patient thinks the necromancer is his father or mother?
In a sense, but on a more profound scale. Think of it this way: When an obese person burns away all of his or her fat in a short period of time, what happens to the stretched skin? It wrinkles together; it doesn't retract like rubber. The brain's memory bank is much the same way. It takes that first image and compounds it to fill up all that empty space. This becomes an extreme stage of imprinting, and the patient ultimately feels an
overwhelming sense of compassion and loyalty for this person.
So then are necromancers evil?
The first necromancers were good people, medical doctors, who by sheer luck revived patients during that critical window. Our personalities are primarily defined by our memories; these patients simply had nowhere else to go. Their friends and families were complete strangers as far as they were concerned. It was up to the doctors to direct them through life. The first necromancers really just fell into it.
But nowadays, to purposely hold off on resuscitating a patient in order to reach that critical window obviously calls for serious questions in ethics.
Do you personally know any necromancers?
No, and not many do. They prefer to keep out of sight. For a patient to have seen the necromancer prior to the near-death incident runs the risk of a "recognition block." When the patient is resuscitated and observes the necromancer's face, he may tie it to a leftover memory -- these leftovers are typically of the short-term or most-recent variety. If that memory had invoked fear or a similar emotion in the patient, then the patient may be
rendered mentally unstable and henceforth useless to the necromancer, permanently. This is why a necromancer will never murder his patient-to-be.
I have heard rumors in numerous states of small necromantic cults, such as the existence of one in the Raeth kingdom, but none have been confirmed.
How do you recognize a victim of necromancy?
Total amnesia is obviously a major indicator, but that only works if you knew the person beforehand. Also, look for a strong loyalty and selflessness toward an unusual someone. The victims have characteristic scars, such as an incision scar to the chest or abdomen. Necromancers avoid injuries to the head or those that involve a great loss of blood. They like sharp, quick-death injuries that are easier to time, such as serious
electrical shock or a mortal blow with a sword. ~