Liches: The Eternal Sorcerers of Death

Liches are the remnants of great sorcerers, priests, and scholars who have willingly embraced undeath as a means to transcend mortality. Unlike ordinary necromancers who dabble in the dark arts, a lich is a master of forbidden knowledge, sacrificing its own life to achieve an eternal, undying state. No longer bound by the frailties of flesh, these beings devote themselves entirely to the pursuit of power, knowledge, and the unraveling of the universe's most terrible secrets.

Completely removed from the concerns of the living, a lich views the passage of time as nothing more than a tool, weaving plans that may take centuries—or even millennia—to unfold. With no fear of aging or natural death, it manipulates history itself, orchestrating events in ways that few could comprehend. These beings of undeath are not driven by the need for conquest or companionship; their hunger is singular—the acquisition of knowledge, no matter the cost.

Appearance and Form

A lich is a skeletal figure, its flesh withered to a thin, leathery husk clinging to its ancient bones. Its once-living eyes have long since rotted away, replaced by pinpricks of malevolent, burning light that flicker within its empty sockets. Cloaked in the tattered remnants of robes that may have once signified nobility or power, a lich's garb is a testament to the centuries it has endured. Rings, amulets, and other remnants of its former life may remain, though dulled and tarnished by the relentless march of time.

The very air around a lich feels wrong—an unnatural cold that gnaws at the spirit. To gaze upon one is to know instinctively that it does not belong to the world of the living.

The Forbidden Path to Lichdom

Becoming a lich is no casual decision, nor is it a simple feat. The transformation requires knowledge of rites that have been buried and forgotten for ages, guarded jealously by the most powerful of entities. Only those willing to make unthinkable sacrifices and plunge into the depths of the darkest magic can hope to achieve this state.

The Bargain for Immortality

To achieve lichdom, a sorcerer or scholar must seek out forbidden knowledge, often making pacts with ancient and malevolent beings. Fiends, fallen gods, and entities of the Shadowfel or Abyss hold the secrets of the ritual, demanding unbreakable oaths of fealty in return. Among these dark patrons, the Demon Prince of Undeath, Orcus, is infamous for granting the path to lichdom—though he ensures that all who seek his blessing remain bound to his will.

Even those who do not bargain with an external entity must still perform unthinkable acts, for the ritual demands blood, sacrifice, and the deliberate severing of the soul from the cycle of life and death.

The Phylactery: A Vessel for the Soul

At the heart of a lich's immortality lies its phylactery—a vessel that traps its soul and binds it to the mortal world. Without this anchor, the soul would naturally pass into the Outer Planes upon death, beyond even the reach of the lich’s magic. The phylactery is not merely an object of power; it is the lich’s very essence, the core of its undeath.

Traditionally, a phylactery takes the form of a small amulet, often a box inscribed with ancient sigils of binding, immortality, and dark magic. However, a phylactery can take many forms—a gemstone filled with eldritch runes, an iron-bound tome, a gilded skull, or even a fortress built atop cursed ground. The one requirement is that it must contain an interior space in which the arcane inscriptions of the transformation ritual are etched in silver and blood.

Once the phylactery is prepared, the final step of the ritual requires the prospective lich to drink a Potion of Transformation—a vile concoction brewed from a mixture of lethal poison and the blood of a sentient creature whose soul has been sacrificed to the phylactery. Upon consumption, the mortal dies in agony, their soul torn from their body and trapped within the phylactery. Moments later, the lifeless corpse stirs once more, eyes burning with the cold fire of undeath—the being has ascended as a lich.

Sustaining Undeath: The Price of Eternity

Unlike mindless undead who merely persist through necrotic energy, a lich must actively maintain its existence. The magic that binds it to its form requires a steady supply of sacrificed souls—each one consumed to fuel the phylactery’s power.

Using the imprisonment spell, a lich captures its victims and traps them within its phylactery. This process must be repeated periodically, for if a lich fails to sustain itself, its physical form will begin to deteriorate, crumbling into dust until only the phylactery remains. If left unattended for too long, a lich may lose all sense of self, degenerating into a demilich—a shattered mind, reduced to little more than a whisper of its former intellect, its physical form nothing more than a floating skull.

Only those who diligently maintain their phylactery and continue the cycle of soul sacrifice retain their full power and mind.

Death and Restoration

Destroying a lich is no simple matter. Even if its physical form is shattered, the essence of the lich does not die—it simply retreats into the phylactery, where it remains dormant for a time.

Within days, a new body reforms near the phylactery, coalescing from shadows, bones, and residual magical energy. Because of this, liches are nearly impossible to truly kill unless their phylactery is discovered and destroyed.

Destroying a phylactery, however, is an even greater challenge. Each phylactery is unique, requiring a specific ritual, item, or weapon to break. Some may need to be submerged in the blood of a celestial, others must be shattered with a blade forged in a star’s heart. Simply smashing a phylactery with brute force will never suffice—true destruction requires uncovering its specific vulnerability, which often becomes the heart of legendary quests.

A lich will go to unimaginable lengths to ensure its phylactery remains hidden. Many keep it in an unknown location, heavily guarded by undead minions, magical wards, or layers of deception and false leads.

The Eternal Isolation of the Lich

A lich exists beyond the need for companionship, and few maintain any ties to their former mortal lives. Their obsession with knowledge, magic, and power consumes them, and they rarely engage with the outside world unless it directly threatens their plans.

However, even in undeath, remnants of mortal emotions may linger. Some liches, especially younger ones, are prone to nostalgia, occasionally drawn to past acquaintances, former homelands, or even ancient grudges that refuse to fade.

Many liches do not retain their old names, instead adopting titles and monikers that instill fear and legend. Among their number are those known as The Black Hand, The Whispering Tyrant, The Forgotten King, The Lord of Dust, or The Sleepless Archivist. These titles become synonymous with fear, legend, and calamity, whispered only in hushed voices.

Collectors of Magic and Power

As eternal beings of arcane mastery, liches hoard magical knowledge like dragons hoard gold. Their lairs are treasure troves of ancient spellbooks, enchanted relics, and powerful artifacts. Potions, wands, staffs, and scrolls are tools to them—nothing more than instruments to further their plans.

Few dare to challenge a lich in its own domain, for within its lair, it is at its most dangerous. Every spell, every ward, every undead servant is positioned to protect the master of the domain.

To face a lich is to battle a foe whose power has grown unchecked for centuries, a being whose plans have already accounted for your presence before you ever set foot in its lair.

And should you fail to destroy it utterly, you will become yet another forgotten soul, bound forever within its phylactery.