Litany of Undeath

The Litany of Undeath is a booklet written by Ozmandius Tal and passed to his apprentices in 1946, shortly before he became a lich. Eventually the book would find its way down from those apprentices to the next, and so on until every necromancer of the modern age had been exposed to a copy. All necromancers in Meranthe are in possession of this booklet unless they have explicitly deviated from its teachings. It is a short booklet of 13 pages that details major necromantic rituals about strengthening undead and other rituals, as well as philosophy on how to live.

Contents

To Live in Death

At the end of the book is what many consider the most important part of the Litany; Ozmandius' personal philosophy and guiding rules for masters and apprentices.

For the master:

• The dishonours of your student reflect on yourself and must be amended by yourself.
• Do not hesitate to reveal secrets to your student when they are ready.
• If you have multiple students, make it clear which one is your favoured, and how the others can surpass them.
• Act with politeness and grace in front of your student.
• Your duty as master ends only when your student has surpassed you. Train them to this goal.
• Do not raise your students as undead.

For the student:

• Obey your master and act with logic and politeness.
• Trust in the words of your master.
• Do not kill your fellow apprentices (anything else is fine).
• Surpass your master.
• Proudly announce and defend the glory of your master.
• Do not raise your master as undead.
• Address your master as Master.

For all necromancers:

• Greet your peers with 'grace given' and depart with 'walk softly'. (This is a perversion of an archaic greeting and goodbye once used by priests of Caius, which has philosophers contemplating why Ozmandius adapted it.)
• Never be comfortable with how much you have achieved. Always look for greater power. Always be greater than the necromancers that came before you, and teach your students to do the same.
• Do not deviate from the practices in the Litany lest you weaken future necromancers by robbing them of knowledge and security.
• In creating new rituals, follow the principals of occult geometry. 2- 'purpose'. 3- 'success'. 4- 'stability'. 5- 'ambition'. For example, using 4 of a key ingredient in a ritual will help to stabilize it and avoid undue influences from the netherworld.
• Do not trust black sorcery.
• Do not rush to resurrect a loved one until you are certain you have the power to do it flawlessly.
• Find a purpose that is greater than yourself.
• No cost is too high to pay to advance new necromancy. The value of a human life can be measured in mana and flesh.
• The greatest necromancer of the age may adopt the title 'Tal'.