Tamriel Data:Lichdom: A Trap, an Escape

Book Information Lichdom: A Trap, an Escape
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Lichdom: A Trap, an Escape

On two paths to Lichdom

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Every proud necromancer of sound mind knows the failings of mortal flesh. And quite a few of them work to overcome it. If you are among them, heed my warning!

For far too long, the path to Lichdom consisted of rote memorization of chants from dusty old tomes, rediscovering rituals from fragments, and learning from texts that put the "Philosophical" into "Philosophical Necromancy". Were that a master of old had written clearly and directly instead of ranting about "carving a path with shining dark to the ninth secret of Magnus Eternal"!

But, miraculously, the Tiber Wars happened! An unforseen [sic] consequence of victory: whole libraries were "acquisitioned" by the victorious Empire and moved to the Imperial Palace. Generations of uprisings and civil wars later, precious few of those tomes found themselves appreciative new owners. And while knowledge does not want anything in itself, I do find myself willing to bridge some gaps.

Not that I will have an answer for everything, of course! But certain Ancient Elven accounts, entirely non-magical, unfortunately, have given me insight on the roots and philosophy of Lichdom rituals. It is now possible for me to state with near-certainty that the dusty books and the "Philosophy" essentially contain a series of unconnected rituals originally intended to attaining godhood.

What I have learned is this: while you may believe that attaining Lichdom is akin to spiritual amputation, in which parts of your soul are replaced with carved space which the magicka flow of Magnus Eternal fills, this is incorrect. This is what you should already know and it is all wrong.

Philosophically speaking, the rituals entail spending a bit of your soul to carve a pattern into the world. If you are thinking of the Monomyth, you are thinking correctly. Of course, a single mortal soul is not powerful enough to become a second Jephre, but it is powerful enough for its attached body to last in undeath without requiring additional sustenance.

But is this really the goal?

The magicka of Magnus Eternal does not simply flow into the world, it follows certain patterns. Lichdom carves a pattern into the world, and all patterns entirely depend on the pattern screamer. For most people, it is a trap they cannot escape from. For a few, it can be an escape.

I have wondered why this is. If we dig deep enough, whose skull will grin back at us? And what was their goal? Good questions, perhaps, but for another time.

In practical terms, there are two possible results of the pattern: what I have chosen to call the Common Lich and the True Lich.

The Common Lich

When the pattern is undirected, by a mind that is not curious enough, the practitioner has gained immortality by carving their immortality into the word. But that is all there is to it, they cannot achieve anything from there on.

It is understandable if this feels counter-intuitive, but consider: what happens when the Lich is killed by force of arms, as so often happens?

Their immortality has been disrupted and so the pattern collapses. The Lich simply dies, no better than a mortal.

The same thing happens if this kind of Lich tries to change its pattern, perhaps because it has found the problem with its state. The pattern collapses and the Lich dies. Immortality cannot sustain immortality.

This is the trap. If you have already walked down this path, you have my sympathies.

The True Lich

By caution, chance, longing, or luck, these practitioners have found that simply becoming immortal is not good enough.

The patterns they carve are tied to a focus, be it a concept, object, or even a more esoteric thing. It could be as mundane as a needle or as outlandish as a song or sickness. Their immortality is merely the result of their focus, however, and not the focus itself. And this is the crucial difference.

If this kind of Lich is killed by force of arms, the pattern is not disrupted as such, and they will rise again. For some, only under certain conditions, but they will rise without error.

But, like a metaphysical bank account, if the pattern is removed, this changes. If the needle is broken, the song no longer sung, or the sickness cured, this Lich is about as immortal as the Common variety - but there is yet another crucial difference: they can carve a new pattern with their soul, secure themselves again and learn and grow as they have before.

It would be difficult, ascending a second time. Maybe they could try to go back on the path of the original intention of the rituals. Maybe they can try for godhood. They will probably fail.

But at least they can try.