There can be no necromancers without necromancy, that much is a fact. Throughout the franchise’s history this unique school of magic has gone through multiple transformations, much like humans’ concept and belief of death. From raising simple skeletons, to awakening liches, dragons and vampires, necromancy has been one of the most controversial abilities that’s been considered extremely powerful if not outright overpowered by most players. In Heroes III it was possible to obtain a powerful set to further empower it, whilst in Heroes V it was limited by Dark Energy.
How does it work in Olden Era?
We wanted to preserve the feeling of power and grandeur raising the dead gave you in the previous games, whilst at the same time trying to ensure it doesn’t get too crazy too quickly. In order to do that, we made it so that necromancy affects ALL of your units - however, it can only raise units that you already have in the army (so no farming peasants to get vampires during the first week) and the amount of units raised is based on the total health pool of enemies slain in combat. We hope that by introducing these checks and balances on Necromancy both the Necromancer and the potential skele…We mean, the enemy player will enjoy facing each other off. We’ll definitely keep an eye on it and adjust it should there be any concerns in the future.
That is not all, though. Whilst uncovering this knowledge for you, we’ve come across an arcane page from our scholarly friend’s lexicon where he records a conversation with his dark but rather friendly acquaintance. Here’s what it says:
Kelarr: Many legends and rumors surround you and your kind. Some call necromancy “the magic of death”.
Khel: True in a way, but the more precise term would be “the applied science of death”. The art of necromancy has its roots in alchemy even more so than in magic, though darker magical practices are certainly important as well. We study death and what happens with the spirit after death. Necromancers strive to perfect the process of resurrecting the dead, to remove any limits to it that traditional spirit magic might have, and achieve immortality.
Kelarr: And you have been working towards those goals for a long time now — in Jadame and elsewhere.
Khel: Indeed, necromancy began centuries ago. Among magicians and clerics there were those who sought to peer beyond the veil of death, to master it, which would allow them to avoid it as well as gain more power and knowledge. One can say that such studies coalesced into what is now known as necromancy when a mage first came back to life as a lich in the west — in Enroth. But many students of death made important discoveries separately from each other, as it oftentimes is with various fields of science.
Kelarr: And yet eventually you “death scientists” became quite organized.
Khel: It was only natural for practitioners of an art like ours to form an order that would help us share knowledge with colleagues, coordinate research efforts and protect ourselves. But although the Necromancers’ Guild operates worldwide, its branches across different lands and continents are quite autonomous. The ways they operate also vary. Here in Jadame, necromancers don’t have a solidified ruling body — the Guild acts more like a support network. While in Antagarich, for instance, Guild members rule a feudal monarchy called Deyja, the kingdom of death. And in Enroth, our colleagues are subjects to the crown and the Mandate of Heaven, though not easily accepted by the populace.
Kelarr: From what I gather, there is actually more than one chapter of the Guild in Jadame alone.
Khel: The most well-known and currently strongest one in terms of military is based in the Shadowspire region of eastern Jadame, as you are well aware. But there are indeed others. it is much more a land. I myself belong to a different branch operating in the isles of the Ifarine Sea. Though we do work closely with the Shadowspire Guild, and I visit those parts rather frequently and with pleasure.
Kelarr: And your reputation as a researcher does precede you… That reminds me. My apologies, but which spelling of your name is correct?
Khel: *chuckles* I know a genie who has been asked the same thing. I prefer “Khel” a bit more, but “Kehl” is also an acceptable way to spell my name.
Kelarr: Thank you. Regarding Shadowspire, while it is an important stronghold of necromancers today, and has been in the past, it is actually ruled by vampires.
Khel: I would say this is rather simplifying it but they do hold sway there, yes. Although the relations between us necromancers and the children of the night have not always been easy (or peaceful), we have enjoyed fruitful cooperation with vampires for several centuries now. Our cultures are indeed separate, but they are intertwined — both in Jadame and other lands. The Necromancers’ Guild itself is rather young by vampire standards. Our history began during the first several centuries after the Silence, and they have been around since millennia before that. Having similar powers and their own brand of immortality, they sometimes help us in our studies, also learning much themselves.
Kelarr: I suppose the fact that the current head of the Necromancers’ Guild in Shadowspire is a vampire certainly helps.
Khel: Oh, yes! Lord Thant doesn’t hail from Jadame, but has made quite a name for himself here. A powerful practitioner and researcher of Nightshade Magic, some of his creations have done much to help his vampiric brethren in their endless struggle with the sun, gaining Thant favor with the legendary Nosferatu Korbu himself — and Thant is certainly a highly talented necromancer himself, an asset to the Guild.
Kelarr: And not only that. As far as I know, his policies actually helped bridge the gap between necromancers and common people.
Khel: Also true. Many living people that dwell alongside necromancers (or under our rule) in various towns and regions of Jadame entrust us with the remains of their dead. While those sanctimonious priests from the Temple of the Sun constantly blame us for “interfering with the passing of souls” and whatnot, at times the funeral rites we perform actually help the spirit ascend.
Kelarr: However, it should be noted that this is not the only reason Sun clerics and others revile your kind. They say necromancers prey upon life itself, much like vampires drink blood. To restore life the way you do, you need to get life energy somewhere.
Khel: Practicing our art does require such sacrifices.
Kelarr: Sometimes, quite literal ones…
Khel: True, but many necromancers are beginning to shy away from ritual sacrifices. They prefer to draw life from the land, and use more subtle, slow ways.
Kelarr: We’ve talked about the Sun worshippers, but the Moon Temple is no less relevant to the necromancers…
Khel: The twin Churches of Sun and Moon have competed for the hearts and minds of people across the globe for so long now, sometimes clashing openly. While our order is separate from the Church of the Moon, we naturally prefer them over the Sun clerics, and many Moon clerics practice necromancy and employ undead in their armies. Those in our Guild who are more religious actually practice either the Moon faith or its offshoot called the Path of Dark. I myself am more of an agnostic when it comes to powers that be.
Kelarr: While I agree that the Necromancers’ Guild has been rather peaceful for a long time, there are some necromancers and vampires who may disturb that peace. Like the certain someone I’m sure you have heard about…
Khel: Ah, Galthran. Freshly bitten, and very young by vampire standards, he does indeed seem rather ambitious and warlike. Galthran’s experiments with skeleton transformation are both admirable and risky. I have been privy to many talks among our leaders regarding what should be done about him, if anything at all. He seeks to gain power separately from the Guild. While he has every right to try and do so, he could get himself and others in trouble that way.
Kelarr: I only hope that the people of Jadame will not have to suffer from that.
Khel: Time will tell.
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