They shall be called the Arisen[]
In the distant past, the Great Necromancer Tep, a magician from the Zem High School of Magic Hicut, managed to solve the mystery of life and death. He found that every living substance is composed of a common basic component – the Spark of Life. This resides in every living being and leaves the carnal corpse whenever a so-called death occurs.
In the world of Sarnaut, this spark is commonly known as either a “soul” or a “divine essence”, but Tep viewed it with a much more pragmatic approach, leaving any philosophical considerations to the religious. He spent many years trying to trap a spark, until one day he was finally able to succeed, capturing the soul of a rational creature.
Tep was not a philanthropist and wanted to keep the secret of endless life to himself. This meant that he would use any mean necessary to ensure that his discovery stayed secret. Building a pyramid-shaped prison, he trapped many sparks emitted by those who died from incurable diseases.
His vanity and self-confidence led him to believe that his actions would stay unnoticed, but the Zems found out about his plan and launched an attack on the prison. During this battle, the last representatives of a nation of skilled mechanical engineers died and Tep was defeated and killed.
The captive Zem sparks were freed from the pyramid prison and rushed back to their original mechanically-enhanced bodies. Rising from the dead, they formed a new race of creatures in the modern world of Sarnaut in their rotting bodies. They retained their minds and memories from the ancient tribes of Sarnaut, and collectively they became known as “The Arisen”. However, the pyramid remained functional and continued to capture sparks.
Tensess’ Gift of Life[]
The story did not stop with the appearance of the Arisen.
Many years later, the Great Mage Tensess was slain during the battles with the Astral demons and his spark became trapped in the pyramid prison. However, his spark was so strong that it managed to overcome the will of Tep that trapped sparks in the prison.
Tensess’s spark summoned special spirits to assist the inhabitants of the allods to resurrect. They became known as “Tensess’s servants” and within a short period of time, all those living on the allods understood their destiny. The understanding of their spark meant that when their body died, they remained alive and could continue to exist in a limited form beyond their death.
Tensess gave this gift to all those on Sarnaut, Empire and League alike. It was his desire that old enemies would unite against their common enemies – the Astral Demons.
In the time since, any living being has a way to resurrect after death. By completing the rite of purification in Purgatory, people will be able to return to their bodies and live again. A Servant of Tensess protects the gates of Purgatory, successful completion of the rite will allow one to pass back to the mortal world, allowing them to fight another day.