tsr 9451 van richten's guide to the ancient dead

7/27/2019 TSR 9451 Van Richten's Guide to the Ancient Dead

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AncientDead

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Lake Geneva

CreditsDesigned by Skip WilliamsEdited by Jonatha Caspian

Product Coordination by Dori Jean Hein and Andria HaydayCover Art by JeffEasley

Interior Art by Stephen Fabian and Paul JaquaysArt Coordination by Peggy Cooper

Graphics Coordination by Sarah FeggestadElectronic Prepress Coordination by Tim Coumbe

Typography by Angelika LokotzProduction by Paul HanchetteProofreading by David Wise

Special thanks to David Wise, Bruce Nesmith, Dori Hein, Andria Hayday, and Lisa Smedman.

~. . . . , . . .

. . , . . . . ~RandomHouse andu t 4 o h eWok andial is protected undeis prohibitedwithout . ....

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TSR Ltd.120 Church EndCherry HintonCambridge CBl3LBUnited Kingdom


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Introduction............................................ 4A Different Kind of Menace ........................... 4The Priest of the Tor .................................... 5Chapter I: Necrology ................................. 7The Planar Connection................................. 8The First Ancient Dead .............................. 10DM Notes ................................................ 11

The Ancient Dead Defined ....................... 1 1Chapter II: Types of Mummies ...................12Power Rank ............................................. 12

First Rank ............................................ 13Second Rank ........................................ 14Third Rank ........................................... 15Fourth Rank ......................................... 16Fifth Rank ............................................ 16

Background ............................................. 17Physical Origins........................................ 17

Accidental ............................................ 17Created................................................ 18Invoked................................................ 18

Psychological Origins ................................ 19Servitude ............................................. 19Restlessness ......................................... 20Recalled............................................... 22Dark Pacts............................................ 23Forms .................................................... 23Humanoid ............................................ 24Animal ................................................ 24Monster ............................................... 24Composite............................................ 25State of Preservation .................................. 25Skeletal ............................................... 25Withered .............................................. 25Intact................................................... 25Pristine ............................................... 26

Conclusion .............................................. 26DM Notes ................................................ 26Fear and Horror Checks .......................... 26

Natural Mummification........................... 27Monster Mummies................................. 27Mummy Raiment .................................. 27

Chapter 1:Typical Powers ....................... 28..................... 29

Rejuvenation............................................ 3Disease................................................... 31Fear ....................................................... 3Other Typical Powers................................. 3DM Notes ................................................ 3Power Ranks ......................................... 34

Invulnerability ....................................... 34Energy and Elemental Attacks.................. 34Spells That Are Useless AgainstAll Mummies ...................................... 35Special Weapons ................................... 35Rejuvenation......................................... 35Disease................................................ 36Fear .................................................... 37Lnt?avision ............................................ 38Enhanced Strength................................. 38Animal Mummies................................... 39

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Monster and Composite Mummies.............39Chapter Iv:Salient Powers ....................... aAlter Form............................................... 48Animate Objects....................................... 40Charm .................................................... 40Curse ..................................................... 40Command Undead .................................... 42Create Undead ......................................... 42Delay ..................................................... 42Elemental Command ................................. 42Grapple .................................................. 42Illusion.................................................... 43Passage .................................................. 43Resist Magic ............................................ 43Retained Abilities...................................... 43Summon Horde ........................................ 44Symbiosis ............................................... 44Weightlessness ......................................... 44DM Notes................................................ 45

Alter Form............................................ 45Animate Objects.................................... 45Charm ................................................. 46Command Undead ................................. 46Create Undead ...................................... 46Curse .................................................. 46Delay .................................................. 46Elemental Command .............................. 46Grapple ............................................... 48


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he long habit of lioingindisposeth us for dying.

S i r homas BrowneWhen green buds hang in theAnd sprinkle the lime like miniForth I wander, forth I mustAnd drink of life ag ai n

elm like dust,

-A.E. HousmqnPoets and philosophers of everyage and nation have noted thatlife is an insignificant momentwhen compared with theenormity of death. It isundeniable that death lastslonger than life. For most, this isnot distressing: one life spanseems to be sufficient. Manyothers see death not as the endof life,but a s the beginning of an entirely new

state of being, often superior to mortal existence.But some fe w bemoan their short lives, fearingwhat lies beyond the grave.

There is no question that some spirits endurebeyond death, and that an incomplete or tragiclife can bind a spirit to the mortal realm after itsbody has perished. Vampires, liches, and ghostsstalk this land of Mists. They are twistedcreatures, pathetic in their torment, butdangerous nonetheless. I know these creatureswell, having made it my business to oppose theundead wherever they lurk.

Not entirely by choice have I taken up thisunending quest. Unending it truly is, for thewickedness that permits some dead to mock andtorment the living is eternal. Just as theprocession of day and night will continue longafter I am dust, so will the dead continue to risefrom their graves after I am gone.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr.Rudolph van Richten, sometime purveyor ofherbs and medicines, full-time hunter of theundead. Once, I lived a mundane life as aphysician, husband, and father. Had tragedy not

struck, I should have spent all my days in thesehappy pursuits. But a vampire, abetted byhuman agents, took from me my son, and thenmy wife. Ironic, that like the creatures I hunt, Itoo was transformebrebor~through iolenceand tragedy.

This book, in a sense, eflectswhat separatesme from my undead enemies, for I haveembraced what is holy. There always will be acorner ofmy spirit that grieves for my wife andchild, but that recess is bright. It is filled withwarm memories, recollections of sharedtriumphs, and all the joys of enduring love.

I do not brood on what I have lost, nor do Ibegrudge others their happiness. Rather, I striveto preserve those who cannot otherwise prevailin the face of evil. My own grief is less importantthan the struggle to spare others the pain I havefelt. That one lifetime is too short to accomplishthe lofty goals I have set for myself troubles menot at all. Others will take up my work when I amgone. Even now, folk I have never met share myquest and carry on the fight. After all, I cannot beeverywhere at once.

I have written thii book and others like it toshare my knowledge, for knowledge is the mostpotent weapon in any struggle. I have no desireto linger in the world after death. Instead, I leavethii volume so that others might benefit from myexperience after I am gone: it is all theimmortality I require.

A Oil lerent Hind o f Menaceegends of the living dead abound. This bookconcerns those corporeal creatures I call theancient dead, villains more commonly known

as mummies. But let me backtrack a moment.By and large, undead creatures can be neatlydivided into two categories: corporeal and

incorporeal. The first encompasses dread lichesand vampires, creatures whose corrupted spiritsdwell within their own dead flesh, as well a s theirweaker cousins, mindless aummatons such aszombies and skeletons. The second includesghosts, creatures whose force of will grants them


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an existence independent of the body, and a fewlesser kin such a s spectres. This dualclassification is incomplete, but for years theshortcoming escaped my notice.before I became an undead hunter. Even after Ihad taken up my work, however, I regardedmummies a s merely a lesser form of corporealundead. l eg ends about bandage-wrappedcorpses rising from their tombs I could easily dis-miss on many grounds: Ignorance of the world'smore elaborate burial customs, I reasoned, wasthe mainspring of mummy legends. Funeral cus-toms in many places include ceremonies thatsymbolically bestow senses and motion upon thedead, that they may enjoy the afterlife. A simplemisunderstanding of these rituals, and an occa-sional incident involving genuine necromanticmagic, would be enough ( I thought) to startmany tales circulating among superstitious folk.The truth is not so simple.

I was, of course, aware of the lore of mummies

The Pr ies t o f the Torne years ago, my comrade Shauten thewizard and I heard rumors of undead' maiauders in eastern Darkon, and w e

decided to consult a former companion of ours inNevuchar Springs about the veracity of thereports. Along the way, w e visited severaluncharted villages and questioned the localsabout the tale. We discovered very little in theway of hard evidence until w e entered apicturesque little hamlet not far from the banksof the Vuchar. Tidy cottages lined a dusty mainstreet, which gave way to a track that woundthrough fields bursting with ripening crops. Butthere were no people.

Our search of the deserted village revealedsigns of violence everywhere, but neithersurvivors nor bodies. The lack of corpsesseemed ominous, and soon our fears wererealized. As w e studied the tangle of footprints


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left by the hapless villagers and their attackers, aquartet of ragged zombies emerged from thefields and attacked. Two monsters were foul anddecrepit, and must have been in a state ofundeath for months. The remaining pair,however, were hesh and clad in the tatteredremains of farmer's garb. We no onger had anydoubts about the villagers' fate.spell, and w e had little difficulty tracking themthrough the trampled grain. We knew w e weretaking a risk, as the village was large enough toproduce a veritable army of zombies.Nevertheless, I desired to rescue the livingcaptives-if there were an y- an d Shauten tooseemed eager to continueo ur investigation.

The trail through the grain led us o a hugecemetery, ancient beyond belief. A sprawlingexpanse of headstones skirted mausoleumscarved into a rocky hillside. Gaunt figuresskulked among the monuments, keeping furtivewatch on us. Our attention was immediatelydrawn to a particularly large hillside tomb>withaclassical facade and a massive iron gate. Whenwe approached this edifice, the figures, whichturned out to be ghouls, attacked. Shauten'sspells prevailed once again, and we set aboutexamining the gate.

The portal was shut fast, and I immediatelyapplied myself to opening the lock, in perfectworking order despite the tomb's great age. Acry from Shauten cut my efforts short. Severalmore tombs had opened and a horde of zombiesshuffled out. Further, I began to discern motionwithin the inky blackness that filled the cryptbeyond the gate. Shauten and I beat a hastyretreat.

Our flight took us directly to NevucharSprings, where we quickly organized a properexpedition to locate and eradicate whatevercreature held sway over the undead in thecemetery. Upon our return, w e set about asystematic exploration of the hillside and sooncame face to face with our adversary.

What some might have taken for luck, but Irecognized as adroit maneuvering on our foes'

Shauten quickly dispatched the zombies with a

part, brought wave after wave of zombies,sometimes accompanied by ghouls, to attack usat inconvenient times duringour exploration.Clearly, a k e q actical mind had been observingour movements and chose to advance when wewere most vulnerable.

Through our own shrewd observations, mycompanions and I deduced where our unseenopponent must be standing, and we pressedforward to a final confrontation. Our foe provedto be a spellcaster whose skeletal body wasadorned with several amulets, and clothed in aflowing robe embrdidered with priestly symbolsof an unholy nature. We concluded that w e faceda clerical lich.Through sheer force, and Shauten's spells,wewon through. Welost no time in entering thetomb. where we found a wealth of treasures andartifacts of great antiquity. We promptlyassembled every object w e w g h t could be alich's phylactefy and destroyed them all.Afterward, we-kept a strict vigil over the tomb, a sw e could not be sure we had prevailed.To our dismay, the "lich" reappeared within aweek. Its fury knew no bounds. Only after muchfighting and travail did I discern our foe was nolich, but a wholly different creature!The most valuable clue that led to my discov-ery was the simple fact that the monster hadreturned from destruction in exactly the samephysical form as we had originally seen it. Clearlythe creature's spirit had not issued horn somestill-hidden vessel to usurp another body. Yet ourfoe reappeared to menace us again and again.

If not a lich, what was our foe? It was thecreature I had dismissed from my classificationsystem: an ancient dead. Not until w e hadspecially crafted a mace, based on the symbols Ideciphered from the creature's robe.were w eable to inflict a final death upon the monster.

In the years since, I have fought the ancientdead in many guises. I use the term "ancientdead" throughout this work; for all practicalpurposes, it is interchangeable with "mummy,"and I use it to remind the reader that these-reatures come in many forms


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hosts? No! Youdont callanything a ghostthat you can takein your hands andlook at in broaddaylight, and thatrattles when youshake it Doyounow? -F. Marion

CrawfordMost of theancient dead wereonce livina,breathing&oplewho have defieddeath to walkagain among theliving-as

mummies. Their tortured spirits remain bound tonow-lifeless bodies.

I have infrequently encountered or discovereddoomed spirits who have been compelled tobecome ancient dead through no fault of theirown. Most of them, however. are not innocentvictims of powers beyond their control.After years of research and interviews witheyewitnesses who have encountered the unquietdead (including two interviews conductedmagically with the dead), I have concluded thatsome spirits pass into death with a predilectionfor returning as mummies. The common factoramong these cases seems to be a fascinationwith, and desire for, the trappings of the mortalworld. This emphasis makes the ancient deadmost closely akin to ghosts, a t least inpsychological terms.between ghosts and the ancient de ad The latterare fully corporeal and the former are not. In mywork on ghosts, I described one class of spiritsthat possessed solid form. Are these spiritsancient dead? No. A corporeal ghost creates abody for itself through b r a e of will or

There is,of course, one explicit difference

supernatural power. Such is not the case with theancient dead; their spirits actually re-occupy thebodies they possessed in life. If one searchesdiligently enough, one oRen can locate acorporeal ghosts mortal remains, which mightprove advantageous in combating the spirit.There is no need for a search in the case of anancient dead-the creatures mortal shell isimmediately present.

Indeed, because the ancient dead a re fullycorporeal, any discussion of them invitescomparisons with the other corporeal undead,namely vampires and liches.

Outwardly, most mummies strongly resembleliches. Both creatures tend to have withered orskeletal bodies, and both share an intense desireto destroy or manipulate the living. If one isunfortunate enough, as my companions and Iwere, to encounter a mummy that has retaiiedthose spellcasting abilities it had in life, it mightbe next-to-impossibleto know what manner ofcreature one is facing until it is too late. Suchwas nearly the case with my group.liches and spell-casting ancient dead1) Transformation: A lich initiates and

There are five important distinctions between

completes the process that transforms itfrom living being to undead. While theprospective lich still lives, it begins anelaborate, dangerous. and expensive ritual inwhich it is the principal, if not the only,player.process in which the subject is only apassive participant. Though some individualsarrange to return from the dead asmummies, they must depend upon others tocarry out their wishes. Planned or otherwise,the process can truly begin only after thesubject dies. The first step is embalming thecorpse. A mummy can be createdspontaneously through natural preservationof a body and the spiritsown orce of will.Even then, some external event triggers the

The ancient dead are created through a

Tetum.


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2) Phylactery: Every lich possesses a phylactery

destruction of this vessel must be the focus ofany effort o destroy a lich.ome ancient dead creatures possess itemsilar to phylacteries. These sortsof items

do not house the creatures spirit-thatresides in the creatures body-but they arethe keystone of that creatures existence. Notall ancient dead have key items, however.Some mummies can be physically destroyedby a direct assault on their bodies (thoughthis is never a simple undertaking). Othermummies cannot be destroyed, but can belaid to rest under the right circumstances.

that houses its spirit. The location and i

intenance: Liches require periodic ritualsmaintenance to sustain their unlives.

cient dead can exist indefinitely withefforts. A few require small

amounts of herbs or other rare substances tomaintain their powers; still others requiresome form of veneration from mortals. N omummy, however, risks destruction if thisdependence isnt satisfied; it merely suffers a,temporary ability loss.

4) Increasing power: Liches continue toaccumulate more power and knowledgethroughout their existences.when it is created, although a very fe wmummies receive their powers slowly overtime. While the latter type, like a lich,becomes more powerful, it is not gaining newabilities; instead, it is overcoming limitationsthat keep it from using the widest array of thepowers it has.

The full extent of a mummys powers is sc .

5) Departure: A lich eventually discards i t sphysical form and departs the mortal realm toexplore other modes of existence.

Barring outright destruction, the ancientdead are inexorably bound to the mortalworld. Surely no creature can exist forever,and there must be som- --:nt at which a

ravages of time aconfess that I haempires can rise, fa4 an

The ancient dead aboth sortsof creatures are destinedeither oremain in the mortal world or perish. In addition,I have documented several mummies thatexhibit powers similar to those of vampires.These powers include: flight, the ability to charmtheir victims, shasummoning. This, however, is wheresimilarities end.

Unlike vampires, the ancient dead have noneed to feed upon the living. Often less fearsomin battle than vampires, mummies also have feor none of the typical vampires weaknesses.Ancient dead are generally unaffected by garlicor mirrors, for example. As with ghosts, howeversom e mummies have aversions to objects orsubstances. These articles are linked to themummys origins.

The ancient dead share a few characteristicswith other undead They have no need-for food,air, or sleep. since their bodies a10 lifeless,sothey are immune to all forms of poison andparalyzation. Likewise, they are immune toenchantments that produce sleep,charm, or holeffects.Th e Planar Connection

he ancient dead are unique among theundead in that they appear to have apositive-energy component. This doesmean the ancient dead are good-far from

that is disruptive and inimical to life. It isthis positive connection that the ancientanimate and maintain their corporeal.bod

Positive energy might also be the sourc*-eancient deads most dreaded attack,


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rot. This appalling disease is alwaysefforts to cure it.y magical intervention can alter it s course.

f its positive energy to a victim. It mightcaustic effect of such energy it that makes

victims flesh rot away. The energys disruptives on the body might also explain why a

eal properly, and whywith the rot.

three other powers every ancientme degree:

invulnerability, and fear. Asisof the body that

i t s effect is similar to ation power. Regeneration,

, involves the accelerated healing ofres whole body. Clearly, a mummy must

w on a supernatural source of matter andto accomplish such a feat.or another. A mummys strangely

s are nearly impervious toal harm, and only enchanted or specially

an affect them. Even then,e never as effective against a

s one might expect. Ancient dead arearly impervious to some energy attacks.

can shrug off other forms of energy asWorse, a few can resist several kinds ofI suspect this resistance stems from aof the body.All mummies inspire some form of fear or

Thisgo beyond simply inducing opponentsflee.Victims can be so overcome with dreadare unable to act. My studies suggest

s project an aura of power thates and disables a living personsvche. This aura is constant and it seems tolergy.

The theory of positive energy is also helpful in

All mummies are resistant to weapons, to one


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Readers should not over-hastily conclude anycreature that does not project an aura ofpalpable fear is not a member of the ancientdead. Many high-ranked mummies have theability to halt or even delay the effectsof theirpowers, and some mummies inspire fear by theirgaze, voice, or gesture. I once encountered amummy which could inspire fear in an area of itsown choosing.Belinderissa and I descended the grand stair andentered a narrow vault. Behind us, I heard softfootfallsas the restof he group followed. I wasanxious to decipher a lengthy runic inscriptionon the walls of he vault, and bade Belinderissato hold her torch higher as we moved into thechamber:wall slid open with a stony whisper.Ahandsome youth clad only in a white linenloincloth and conical headdress stood before us.He smiled and made an elaborate bow, his handdescribing circles 'in he air with a doubleflourish."Holy watec Claudia," called to my assistantas raised my silver cross to ward o ff hecreature. As Ispoke, Belinderissa aimed a viciousswipe at the youth's neck and struck a blow thatshould have separated the creature's head f r omhis shoulders. Instead, there was a dull thud, asthe sword failed to bite. The impact left behindonly a dry gash.holy water was not forthcoming. Turning awayfrom the beast, I beheld the remainder ofmyparty rooted in place on the stairs, motionlessexcept for a communal nervous quiver. Mycompanions looked for all the world like a standof leafless trees trembling in an autumn wind " Ifear you must distract our young foe a whilelonger, Belinderissa," said as fumbled withClaudia's haversack.

Before could study the runes, a section of the

"Quickly. Claudia," commanded, but still the

-from the private journal of Dr. Van Richten

"f'ince that incident I always have carried my oholy water.

Th e f i rst Ancient Deadw did the ancient dead first cothe world? I have uncovered v

scholarly debate on this subject. It seemsthat ancient dead are so elusive that they haveescaped the notice of cholars who are not a sdedicated to cataloguing and defeating undeadmenaces a s 1. Indisputably, the fact that mostancient dead easily can be misidentified as othtsorts of creatures has contributed to thisignorance.origins of ancient dead, most sages andmediums are unable to give any credible answer--at all. A few priests, adventurers, and delvers inforbidden lore speculate that those rituals andprocesses used to create an ancient dead weredeveloped after some long-ago theoristwitnessed a spontaneous occurrence. One of mcolleagues, Deved d e Weise of I1 Aluk, in Darkonhas offered a succinct explanation of the

When confronted with the question of the

reasoning behind this the0. as o the Drobable oriains of the cre Iyou call ancient dead, you [Van Richten] must @concede that history is ul l of ncidents inuolvinthe return of he dead to the world o fth e living.Here in Darkon, asyou know, the rising of hedead is ingrained in local legend.spirits can return to their preserved bodiesthrough forceof will, then it must have beeninevitable that some priest, obsessed with deatfand hungering fo ran extended life (or desperateto grant such a "gift" o a demanding liege) mushave come uponan account ofsuch an incidentj us t asyou have, or actually wi tnwed theeventneed only the proper research materials andsufficient time to recreate the event. . . .

I f . as you seem to have documented, departel

Armed with this knowledge, thepriest wouk

-from the letters of Dr. Rudolph van RichtBecause I have uncovered conclusive proof thrthe ancient dead can rise unassisted, I fin&


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hard to contradict de Weise's reasoning andconclusion. There is a more sinister theoryabout the origins of the ancient dead, however,to which I must at tach greater verisimilitudebecause it is derived from first-hand knowledge.It comes from the journal of De'rah, a wanderingpriestess and a gifted medium. This fair ladyclaims to have been only a visitor to this land ofMists, and in any event she has disappearedutterly. Before departing on her final journeyaway from these lands, she entrusted a copy ofher journal to a wandering Vistana, whodelivered it to me. The fact that lady De'rahcould induce any Vistana to serve as a reliablemessenger only increases my admiration for herabilities:Once the mummy lay quietly in it s coffinagain:we sought to discouersome method ofputt ing itto rest permanently, While my companions setabout trying to decipher the numemuscartouches and hieroglyphs on the tomb's walls,I fingered my enchanted prayer beads andchanted a [div ination] spell. Soon, I wasconuersing with the creature:

Q: Huseh Kah, why do you walk among theA: Becauseof the curse ofAnhktepo t . ..Q: Who s AnhktepoPA: The i rst of my kind. . . .

iiuing?

-from the journal of De'rahDe'rah was able to pose no less than half a dozenquestions to Huseh Kah, but I have included onlythe two most pertinent here. De'rah concludesthat ancient dead creatures did not walk the landuntil a being called Anhktepot returned fromdeath.her encounter with Huseh Kah's mummy, and Icould not share what I knew of An hk po t withher.

I first heard the legend of Anhktepot during avisit to the land of Har'Akir, many years ago.According to Har'Akiri folktales, Anhktepot w as

Unfortunately, De'rah and 1 parted ways before

an ancient king or pharaoh. Hd becamof ruling that he could not bearreign ending, even in death. Hetoward cheating death and returningthrone. When he finally died (say), his burial was accompanied by a Iavishceremony and the ritual devaluable advisors. If Anhktepotthe dunes of his arid country. hhis wish.

If Huseh Kah was correct in his belief thatAnhktepot is the progenitor for all the ancientdead. then it appears that, in seeking his ownimmortality, Anhktepot loosed an entirely newevil into the land.

en -.: t


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ut tellWhy thy canonizd bones,Have burst their cerements; whyWherein we saw thee quietly, Hath opd his ponderous and

most deeply held convictions. Fortunately, I annot prone to despair.In this chapter I hope to acquaint the reader

with certain terms and concepts which are vitalto understanding the ancient dead. The materiepresented here provides a framework for all thafollows, and the reader is advised not to treat itlightly.

I have identified five broad categories that Ifind useful when discussing and classifying theancient dead. These are power rank, physicalorigin, psychological origin, form, and state ofpreseruation.

hearsed in death,the sepulcre,interrd,marble aws,Tocast thee up again. What may

7hat thou, dead come, again inRevisits thus the glimpses of theMaking night hideous: and weSo horridly to shake ourWith thoughts beyond the ,

Power C--4foolsofnature h first ullu ost important category by

which I classify *ancient de& is theirI evel of power, which4 call thek rank;Ever

mummy has a rank, reg ad kss ofattributes it may display. Readersmy previous works know that hayk devebpedsimilarsystems or desctibing vampires andghosts. A mummys rank is similar: o avampires age or a ghosts magnitrid-thehigher the rank, the more powerfullthe mumm)I must-warn the reader that the qalues of ea(rank category are neither absolute rioruniversal. A mummy of he irst rahk, forexample, might exhibit some abiliiies of:ahigher rank, even though itsme& evel ofpower is relatively weak. U s e the Quidelinesbelow to your best advantage, but never take

reachesofoursouls?

are enigmatic creatures that 1identiv and thtk are hard to I

anythingfor granted. i :As noted in theppeviouschapter4amummy!powers* set, but not ne@essf~rily;fixed at Ehemoment of i ts creation. The-chie+ctors hatdetermine themummysrankare +e strengthI t s attachment to the mortal world, :thedeceaseds emotional state at the $me of deaththe intricacy of the ritual used to create themummy, amitthe opuimced then k m y stomb. In some cases, other factors;can increasia mummys r+:These&~&~de%h+nver d f lcreature.or Creatures creating the +urnmy, a d

t the ancient dead. Alas, this work is far

atch, Nevertheless, the supernatural

y accumulating immutable truths: allbandon even myi h e amount of espect, fear, orveneration a


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mummy receives from the living. The legend ofthe aforementioned Anhktepot of HarAkir is acase in point.

If the tales are true, a desire to cheat deathdominated Anhktepots thoughts during life.Furthermore, as a pharaoh, Anhktepot couldindulge in his obsession to a degreeunimaginable for a common man. H e had theresources of a nation at his disposal, and he usedthem. Anhktepot commanded for himselfembalming and funeral rites on a grand scale,and an elaborate tomb to match.among the people of HarAkir. Anhktepot is aneternal bogey man that haunts their dreams. IfAnhktepot still haunts the sandy deserts ofHarAkir, he must be formidable, indeed.Likewise, any mummy created by the hand ofAnhktepot would be a more fearsome creaturethan it might have been if it had been createdunder more typical circumstances.

Long after his death, this ruler still inspires fear

f i r s t RankAncient dead of the first rank are creakedspontaneously, with little or nopomp andcircumstanca Although they possess potemaallydangerous pow@s, hey are not particularlyformidable. A first-rank mummy usually can beannulled simply by destroying its physical form.This s seldom a aunting task for anexperienced undead-hunting group.creature of hii inferior rank. I make this claimnot out of arrogance, but to illustrate just howdifficult identification of the ancient dead can be;in retrospect, I am certain I must have battledthese creatures at least once.

During our quest to defeat the lich known asthe PhantomsBane,desccibed elsewhere, mycompanions and I suffered numerous assaults bylivid, shambling creatures which we took o be .some form of greater 7nqbie, for they po-sed

I never have knowingly faced an ancient dead.,

k


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a modicum of intelligence and proved to bedisturbingly agile in combat. We never did growaccustomed to their gruesome visages, and fearclutched at our hearts whenever they appeared.Gedlan Ironheart, our dwarf fighter, remarkedafter one battle that the bloodless creaturesabsorbed more punishment than he expected.Later, we discovered that several wounds thecreatures had inflicted on us had begun to fester,and this sepsis proved to be resistant to myherbal remedies. Only a miraculous salvesupposedly imported from the Free City ofGreyhawk-a metropolis I never have visited-proved at all efficacious.

With the benefit of hindsight, I conclude thatthese creatures must have been first-rankmummies created by the Phantoms Bane,probably from victims who had succumbed to h j iparalyzing touch.

Fortunately for my party, these creatures werenot so strong a s to render our ignorance fatal.Unfortunately for everyone, mummies of the firstrank are fairly rare; the majority of the ancientdead are not so weak.

Second RankAncient dead of the second rank are generallyonly slightly more dangerous than their lesserkindred. In many cases, second-rank mummiesrise spontaneously if the circumstancessurrounding their deaths are sufficiently chargedwith emotion. In most other cases, mummies ofthis rank are created by evil spellcasters or byother undead. Consequently, they usuallyfunction as servants for more powerful beings,and defeating them is often but a single steptoward ultimate victory. My first experience withmummies of this rank provides an illustration:

I undertook an extended expedition to gatherherbs and found myself wandering among thebleached, dead trunks of trees that litter th e baseof the Balinoks in eastern Falkovnia. I have oftenwondered what blight afflicts these trees, whichare otherwise so hardy. I had no time, however,to ponder this particular botanical mystery

because a more urgent matter drew myattention.

I came upon a mining camp where some 30souls labored to wrest treasures from the verybosom of the earth. The camp overseer was abrutish woman of acerbic demeanor and ashovel-like jaw. A s with most organizations inFalkovnia, the camp was patterned alongmilitary lines. The overseer, Captain Twyla Kahalso commanded 10 haughty soldiers.to the camp and continue with my herbcollecting; however, when the captain learned Iwas a physician she called upon me to attend aminer who had survived a tunnel collapse.My patient was dazed and appeared to besuffering from septic wounds that seemedcompletely impervious to my treatments, andalthough the patient was in no immediatedanger, my instincts told me I was dealing withterminal case if I could not locate a cure. Mysuspicions were aroused, and I continued to trethe fellow while the collapsed tunnel was cleareand reinforced.A s the last bit of rubble was removed, theminers discovered an ancient chamber whichmust have been hewn from the living rock at atime when the mightiest tree in Falkovnia was amere sapling. Three curving orifices opened nethe floor on one side of the chamber. Thetrapezoidal blocks that framed the openingsunpleasantly reminded me of snarling mouthsfilled with decaying teeth. I thought I detected acharnel stench coming from them a s the captaand I surveyed the place.hideous creatures emerged from these openingThey were fleshy, but with entirely skeletalheads. The captain and her soldiers had little dficulty hacking them down, but dismembermenseemed merely to inconvenience the creaturesand their sundered bodies kept right on attack-ing. At my suggestion, the captain bade hertroops to fall back into the tunnel; the momentthe living had quitted the chamber, I hurled throil-filled lanterns, all lit, into the cavern. The

I had intended to pay only a brief courtesy vi

My worst fears where realized when three


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res twisted and wailed as the flames con-them, and soon all was blessedly quiet.

When the smoke and heat from the funeralwe discoveredfe w trinkets-and the disturbing

ate distance.mber filled with rubble and directed the

I felt this was a prudent decision.For my part, I found myself faced with three

f the inexorable rotting diseaseI accompanied the victims

ilbervas in hopes of finding a cure for them.the soldiers it was an easy task-the military

ure for themselves almost any service theyso fortunate,I was forced to accompany him to

e before finally discovering apriest.

Three months later, I was back in the vicinityamp, still seeking my herbs. I waso find the mine tunnel sealed and the

deserted.I did not learn anything more about this caseil some time later, when 1 visited a tavern in

and encountered one of the soldiers I hadThe tale the solder related was, of were

t, but it seems the new tunnel dug ons orders breached a second ancient

new area was huge, and itrelief of a face. The

s eyes, Iwas told, were rubies the size of aof miners went to work

ing the gems.Ju st a s the first chisel bit into the rock,

er, the carved mouth sprang open toA legion of skeletal horrorsut, directed by a dimly seen creature

ding a staff. The miners fled screaming,

hampering the soldiers, who soon fell under therelentless onslaught. The captain was overcomealong with h er troops.of mind, fired the mine as he fled. Theconflagration undoubtedly consumed theadvancing undead, but also collapsed the shaft.Rallying the terrified miners, this officer orderedthe mine entrance to be completely buried, andquit the site.

I have no doubt that the mysterious figurewielding the staff was a mummy of great power.In my subsequent campaigns against ancientdead, I have often found that what first meetsones eye is seldom the whole truth. The ancientdead do not show all their strength at once, andan early victory often is merely an indication thatthe true battle is still to come.

The remaining officer, being somewhat quicker

Third RankAncient dead of the third rank are powerfulenough to pose a threat to even the best-equipped adventurers. Unless one is fortunateenough to discover a weakness quickly,destroying these creatures requires great force ormeticulous detective work-or both. It is at thisrank that the ancient dead first exhibit salientabilities, such a s spellcasting and the creation ofother undead. Some third-rank mummies areindeed vulnerable to physical destruction, but itis unwise to depend on such a weakness, assome ancient dead exhibit superior rejuvenationpowers at this level.M y own experience leads me to believe thatthird-rank mummies make up the vast majorityof ancient dead. One can expect to encounterweaker mummies only when unusualcircumstances prevail, and even then the lessercreatures are often tools of more powerful ones.spontaneously, though I have no evidence tosuggest that they cannot do so. More typically,these types of mummies are created as the resultof a powerful ritual or by the hand of a more-powerful ancient dead creature.

Mummies of the third rank do not normally rise


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I place the mummy found in desertm,n Ito mundane fire, but they have a-potmbarmythis rank. Many of hese creattqxare vdn&powers, including pmalyzingilear, a virulent fmpof mummy rot, and immunitytonomumgical ~weapons. The s~ -c&d greaw.mun&oes . i(such astoncient dead priests ofWW) re. :also third-rank: although the$ate for&id&de, 1they usually-cease to be a threatonce defAatedi

2N I C I ~ I I L ueadformidabkMost conventionalmetho&&me,i:/only to delay or drive off these creatumsp~- .!mummies of this. ankfrequently seem to haw.!been defeated only b.reappear and menace q i ropponents once again.

Ancient dead creatures of fourth r d ~ T i % p l ,after a powerful ritual has been completiicandtheir bodies have beeR i n t d n an d a b o r e !tomb. Usually the &eased has taken as1a d v qrole in planning hism er funeral rites&~). .Often the *eased .bIL&ntends to returne&vmortal world as. a m-y. Many of &?eindividuab believe themselves~o.besolpwerfu!that death h a e m s wa y over them. .actively embrace death in an at tempt togreater power er to gain conk01 over tple.a&xIii+.

There can beno do&bthat.to bec~m-. :~ /undead mummy is towiejd~pewe+&utufh.power comes on1y;athep&e of thesspirants 1own mortality. Power Lies within a mutnm#s jgrasp, but.the~crupial act (and, onemustinpgine, the fad,& &n ignored byastosuch unholy power) s thatthe flesh whiencases an ancient.deads spirit is truLydeada#capablesf feeling~nooy. A mummy cen ev er. ./b.e truly happry; thebest it can hope for is to . !reduce it s misery.

Likewise, an un dean spiritmight,escapewhatever immediate @rrnen tsawit it&ey@d

?

, f i f th Rank~~. ~,-. .. . ., . .the mortal r e ah , but it&heart; burden& wit&:spirit is shackled to the memoiy of its.iniqWies!misdeeds, does,mt~e,lighter. :j


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11 TYPIS bF MUMM I E Snation is required to invest a mummy with thislevel of power. Few lands that I know possess thenecessary means to complete this kind ofendeavor, even if the will to do so is present.After many discussions with priests about thecollective power of worship, however, I havecome to the chilling conclusion that the livingcan grant power to the dead. Indeed, there aresome mist-shrouded corners of our land wheredevoted cadres of supplicants grant the power oftheir combined wills to the ancient dead. In thesecases the dead welcome the living, not to feedupon them in the manner of a vampire, but todraw sustenance from them in a far more subtlemanner.Back-wnd

h- ...ans by which a living being istransformed into an ancient dead creature isT ften the pivotal factor in determining the

creatures appearance, powers, and actions.When dealing with very powerful mummies,learning the creatures history is a vital taskbecause that past often holds the only key tolaying the mummy to rest.

Each ancient dead creature has a dual origin.First, a creatures mortal shell must be preservedso hat it may house the spirit even after death.Second, the spirit itself must be compelled orinduced to return to i t s body.

The first statement might lead some readers toconclude that destroying all corpses would checkthe propagation of ancient dead. This is true tosome extent. The ancient dead can exist onl?within those physical bodies which were theirown in mortal life. However, burial customs inmost communities require that the deceased beinterred intact. I have visited some lands (suchas HarAkir) where it is believed that thedeceased will be denied an afterlife if the bodynot properly embalmed, preserved, and interretAdventurers who meddle with funerals andgraves risk not only the wrath of the localcommunity, but the displeasure of the godsthemse ve!

Furthermore, the deliberate destructionof abody,no matter how well meaning, can set inmotion a karmic resonance thai creates a ghost.As explained in som e detail in an earlier work,the more charged with emotion a spirit is,themore powerful a ghost it becomes. baghe heanger of a spirit that believes it has beendenieda blissful after lii because its body has beendesecrated! Enraged ghosts are ikely moFepowerful than whatever sort of ancient deadbeing they might otherwise have become.destruction of an ancient deads hody is notnecessarily sufficient t@permanently s h y it. 1know thii seems incredible, since the andentdead are, after all, corporeal. Nevertheless,many of the ancient dead can mmnstructtheirbodies when the need arises. Assaulting a-mummy with physical weapons and damegingspells is often sufficient to reduce thece todust. The immediate result can besatisfirtrg, butdo not be lulled into cornplacenag. One annever be sure the creature has been permaaentlydefeated without car&& *search.

Further, as I will explain in ChapterUl, the utter

Phgsical Originsvery ancient dead creature Iknow about fallsinto one of three subcategories: accidansal,E reated and inooked. The terms refer only to

the processes that preserve the creatures body,and not to their motives or psychic traumas.Those Iwill discuss in a separate section. Bewarned, however, that ancient dead crewhose origins bear no semblance todescribed here might stalk the land. Undeath is aphenomenon that often confoundsmortalw.I-.r+anding.- .ccia11seem UML the mcient dead can form when acorpse is naturally preserved. The majority ofthese mummieswere suddenly overcome bydeath. The mat ur es al sosuffered, usually theirdeaths included greatpain or emotion. In many


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cases the medium that preserved their bodieswas instrumental in bringing about death-perhaps even directly caused it. TheEag MonsterofHrothwas one of several armed raiders whowere lured into a bog, entrapped, and slain bythe defendersof the town they would pillage. Theraider who later returned a s the bog monstermust have felt a strange mixtureof fear,humiliation, and frustration as death overcamehim.

Any environmental condition that prevents abody from decaying can create a naturalmummy. The most common conditions includeburial in dry sand, freezing, and immersion inswamps or bogs. There also might be otherconditions that can naturally embalm a corpse.My colleague George Weathermay, a ranger ofsome renown, speculates that quicksand, thecool waters of subterranean pools, and tar pitsmight also preserve the dead.are extremely rare. They also tend to be amongthe weakest of mummies, since there is nooutside agent to invest them with power.Nevertheless, even the most moderate ancientdead can be dangerous, and a natural mummycan attain substantial levels of power if itsmotivation is strong enough. The aforementionedBogMonster of Hroth was fairly weak asmummies go, but it posed an unstoppablemenace to the poorly equipped woodcutters whofirst encountered it.

Ancient dead creatures created unintentionally

I CreatedThe vast majority of the ancient dead rise when apreserved corpse is deliberately tumed into anundead creature. The typical mummy found inmany lands is created from the corpse of apriest, carefully embalmed and wrapped for theritual that will bind its spirit with its body onceagain. My observations and research lead me tobelieve that there are two ypes of createdancient dead subseruient and usurped.control over the creatures mortal form, the

When the entity that creates a mummy had

resulting monster becomes it s creators servant.The greater mummies of HarAkir are examplesof this. The nature of th is bond varies greatly, buoften it provides the key to defeat.

When the entity that creates a mummy did nohold sway over the creatures mortal form, theresult is a usurped mummy. Many powerfulmummies (and a few of their lesser brethren)have the ability to create other ancient dead,usually by transforming their slain victimsthrough some ritual or arcane process. Theseusurped mummies then become the mindlesstools of their undead masters.

Sometimes a usurped mummy has a moreinsidious origin. Even the most reverent andwell-intentioned funeral rites can lead to undeathfor the deceased if an enemy can subvert thoserites and lay a curse on he corpse. Beings whohave been thus victimized often lie helpless forcenturies, trapped in a state between life anddeath, denied the afterlife that funeral rites weremeant to assure. Ancient dead creatures of thiskind are driven by a inhuman rage born ofendless disappointment and despair. Even if thevictim was good and virtuous in life, i t sinvoluntary undead sta te transforms it into acorrupted monster. Careful research can oftenreveal a method for putting these types ofcreatures back into slumber. Sometimes theycan be permanently laid to rest, freeing thecreatures tortured spirit and ending themummys threat forever.

Inu kedThis subcategory includes the most terrible andpowerful of all ancient dead. h o k e d mummiesembraced undeath willingly, laying plans for acorrupted form of immortality while still alive.Such creaturesoften lie undisturbed in theirtombs for decades-even centuriesbeforestirring and walking the land. What passesthrough their d i v i n g minds during theirslumbers I do not know; however, all myexperience and research leads m e to believe thayears of unnatural life weigh heavily on the once


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If slumbering mummies dream,visions can hardly be pleasant.

Certain archaic scrolls I acquired during anill-fated voyage on he Sea of Sorrowsh a creatures spirit might

the mortal realm and go to dwellThis is not genuine, however, as the spirit can be drawn

in order to fulfill certain dutiesThe chief condition appears to be that the

must be remembered and veneratedy the living. Without such support, the spirit is

d exist in ate of undeath. These spirits must beth assurances that they receive

pport, and must be willing to return fromIn many cases the deceased seems to be

ith the understanding that it will beequired to return from death, either to at tend toso important as to beckon even

grave, or to assist the living.o are often revered by a cult (see

hapter VII). Timothy Strand, the Lamentingake ofparidon, almost certainly was an invoked

ests and worshipers who usedis tomb as a temple doubtless served as well as

pport ing cult.

Invoked mummies are not only very powerful,

sych ological OriginsA we the physical body is transformed into a

ressel capable of holding the creatures- pirit, some other factor must secure thespirit within that body. Remains that have been

erely animated, and thus lack an intrinsicsense of self, become mindless automatons suchas skeletons and zombies. The ancient dead, bycontrast, possess at least a modicum ofintelligence, and often they are empowered withformidable intellects. Even first-rank servitormummies follow orders with a sense ofpurposand the ability to adjust their tactics. When ahapless party has mis ide nti fi such foes a s

common zombies or skeletons, even thew d e smummy can be deadly.bodies, the ancient deads motivationsdefy easyclassification. men it is the cinnunstances of-acreatures death, or of ewntsdhatocclrrredafterward, that determineswha$mmtimtesthemummy. I have discovered four broad categoriesthat describe a mummys psyc holagid arigins:seruitude, restksness,&l, and cia& pacts.That I identify d y our categories should notlead the reader to betieve that anaientdead aresimple or predictable cm tu nz s- fa r fromitRather, the reader shouldunderstarrd hat theancient dead riseonly under specificcircumstances, and4hese factors often leavetheir mazk on he resulting creahpe71lipsychologic al factowseparately fmm theprocesses of preservation tou n m r ethe faetthat preservation and motk@mscan accm inmyriad combinations. A mummys dual miginsusually are tightly interhvined. What existsseparately in theory isoften nseparable inreality. Further, many ancient dead hdocumented could fit m more &an one catkgory.Even in such cases, hbwever,.one ctw sdominant and has thegreatestW e n c e over themummvk exact nature.

Unlike the processes that preserve their

Thii creature lies under anothers contral. Theextent of th is control ranges from independentservice to complete mental domination, in whichthe servant must act against its own self-interestwithout resistance if so ordered.

Servitor mummies are most often created byother mummies or by a mummy cult. suchservants are never the o dy ancient deadassociated with the cult They usually se rve asguards and soldiers, front-l ie troops whichdelayand wear down an enemy until the main m g t harrives.

Most servitor mummies are fairlyweak, butthere are exceptions, especially if the coneolling

Fature is a powerful one. TheIich-priest


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Pythian had at his command a force of third-rankmummies that obeyed him even unto their owndestruction. Their final assault also ended thelives of three of my companions.Many restless and invoked mummies stalk themortal world, seeking of their ownvolition toprotect something.

When facing an undead menace, it isimportant to keep in mind that a servitorcreature might be pursuing it s masters goals,which usually are not immediately apparent toan observer. Servitor mummies also may haveaccess to vast resources or be backed up by ahorde of other creatures. Fortunate hunters candiscover the link between servant and masterand sever it. Even if one cannot break the link,one might discover that the terms of a mummysservice restrict its actions in some manner. Thisknowledge could help in the development of aplan of attack that exploits the mummyslimitations.

Servitor mummies are almost alwaysdeliberately created, usually by the creature thatcontrols them. The tomb guardians of HarAkir,for example, were created for the expresspurpose of watching over the pharaohs tomb.An invoked mummy may be a servant,especially if it has returned from the dead inorder to render service. Such creatures are rare,but I have no less than three independentaccounts that document them. Natural mummiesseldom become servants unless they fall underthe sway of a more powerful undead creature onan evil priest.

It is important to note that if a mummy is notcreated specifically to serve, then its servitude isa condition of its existence, rather than a part ofits origin. If the control over such a mummy isbroken, the creature will immediately beginacting in a manner consistent with its ownmotivations. One of my own experiencesillustrates this point:of a vampire into the snowy peaks surroundingLake Kronov in Tepest, and we were finally

Not every ancient dead guardian is a servitor.

My companions and I had been long in pursuit

withiin a few feet of our goal. Yet as weapproached the creatures final stronghcave atop an icy slope, a horriblyfigure clad in rotting furs rose frombodder and attacked us; the cold aslippery footing didnt hamper it in the leaa moment we stood.dumbfolrnded and overcby pure dread, yet we soon recovered.andbattled the creature, but it seemed to ignorblows from our weapons.

Finally, Corwin, our priest, raised his holsymbol with a triumphant shout and thrust ittoward our assailant-the monster froze in itstracks. Success?No, but it turned and scurriedup the slope. When the creature reached thesummit, it: dove into the cave.

To our amazement; an inhuman screechimmediately split the air. A scan t few secondslater, the creature reappeared, dragging a plainpine coffin with a vampire st i l l sitting upright init, into the open air. For a moment our f oe looknot unlike an aged matron, indignantly protestian intrusion into her private b t h at aninopportune moment.A s the vampire squirmed% the slsdight, themummy snatched an object from the coffin andheld it aloft. It was a small hand-axe withweathered haft and a corroded copper heHooting with delight, the creature scramof view once again, escaping with i t s prize whilewe advanced on our original target.

I shudder at might have been f we had heldthat ancient copper axe. As it happened, fa teintervened on our side and granted us a swift, ifsomewhat anticlimactic, victory.

RestlessnessReaders familiar with my earlier work on ghostswill understand some of the emotional forceswhich bind the dead to the mortal world. Someancient dead creatures arise from the samof circumstances that create ghosts. This particularly true of accidental and invokedmummies: something in the creatures ps-maintains a link between spirit and body that


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outlasts even death. This link can arise without aconscious desire on the dying persons part;sometimes it merely provides a path throughwhich an outside agent can create a mummy.This type of mummy strongly resemblesbut the creature is fully corporeal.

Restless ancient dead often remain quiunless their tombs are disturbed or allowed todecay, or until some task they could notcomplete in life suddenly becomes possible. Amummy with an unfinished task might riseperiodically to set about trying to achieve it.

I have recorded one such case involving adedicated collector of fine armor. This wealthyman , one Quinn Roche, ordered the choicestitems from his collection to be placed in histomb along with him. When one of the itemswas stolen, Roche rose to regain it. A similaraccount alleges that Roche rose whengroundwater seeping into his tomb had causedthe valuablearmor to rust. The collector came

forth not only to see that this armor wasrestored, but also to insure that his preciouscollection would not be so endangered again.Yet another tale maintains that Roche wakenedand tirelessly pursued a victim who owned arare suit of plate mai l ofetherealness,whichRoche (spelled Rotch in this particularmanuscript) sought to add to his collection.After studying all the materials carefully, I haveconcluded that these stories, which cover aspan of 260 years, all refer to the samecreature, which rose several times for differentbut obviously related reasons.

My own experience with restless ancient deadinvolved a pitiful, though romantic, tale. Duringmy visit to the parchedland of Kalidnay, I struckup a friendship with several priests.community in an uproar, for a young woman wasmissing. A quick examination of her home leadus to believe that she had simply wandered off,

One morning, we woke to find the whole


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into the desert, yet the natives remainedconvinced of foul play. Suspicion immediatelyfell upon one lurudef Hamid, a visiting strangerwho had shown an uncanny familiarity with thepeople and customs.

In due course, the priests and I were able todetermine that lurudef Hamid was actuallyAhmose Tanit, a warrior priest who had diedsome 300 years before. Ahmose Tanit was asuccessful adventurer whose life had beenmarred by a great tragedy. His greatest love wasa young woman named Simbel, who died duringa massive pestilence while Ahmose Tanit waspursuing his career as an adventurer in a distantland.sweetheart, had he been present. Remorse andguilt seem to have mingled with the passion thisadventurer felt, building instead of easing overtime. Ahmose Tanit lived for many yearsthereafter, but died an unhappy man.

The missing woman, we discovered, was anindirect descendant of Simbel's, and was verymuch like her in every way. Apparently her merepresence was enough to attract the ancient dead.With the "reappearance" of Simbel in the area,Tanit was compelled to seek her out and claimher a s his bride.

The tale does not have a happy ending. Myfriends and I located Ahmose Tanit's tomb, butw e r e unable to save the woman. In the end w ewere obliged to acknowledge the union that Tanithad consummated with his victim, and we laidthe pair to rest together. Should the two bodiesever be separated, I have no doubt that AhmoseTanit will walk the land again. Perhaps hisunliving lover will rise a s well. . ..

Tanit's powers as a priest might have saved his

RecalledSometimes the ancient dead can rise in responseto events that occur long after their deaths. Aftermany hours of study and countless interviewswith priests and mediums who have had someexperience with these matters, I have come tobelieve that a being can pass fully from the

mortal world, only to be drawn back whencertain conditions prevail. Some forceorsummons compels the spirit to re-enter itsmortal body.

Ancient dead of this type are usually invoked,but not always. h one case I have documented,the creature returned in response to an ancientcurse it had successfully avoided throughout itslife.Strangely enough, when one of herdescendants triggered the curse, he blight fellupon the dead ancestor. The curse was wordedin such a way that the victim's repose in deathwas interrupted so hat she could waken and feelthe curse's effects.

One might be tempted to place theaforementioned Ahmose Tanit into thissubcategory: however, it was clear to me thatthis ancient dead creature had stalked the landfor centuries, waiting for his sweetheart to bereincarnated. Had Ahmose Tanit risen only whenhis reincarnated Simbel had reachedmarriageable age, I would have placed him in therecalled category. It is lamentable that Tanitwalked the land for so many years. If he hadslumbered for three centuries, it is likely that hismannerisms would have been severalgenerations out of date: that, in turn, would havemarked him as an unusual being and made hima more obvious danger, one that might havebeen defeated or thwarted before he could claima victim.

Quinn Roche the armor collector might alsofall into the recalled category: however, I havelabeled him "restless" due to his continuingfascination with his collection of armor.

I have acquired several accounts of guardianmummies rising to protect ancestral estates ,temples, and other areas that were important tothem in life. Once case involved a dedicatedpriestess who was interred beneath a temple andreturned when the building fell into disrepair. Ineach of the cases I have labeled "recalled," theindividuals appear to have died and departedfrom the world in the normal way, only to returnin response to events that occurred long aftertheir deaths.


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The material I have on the priestess whoreturned to save her temple from ruin isfragmentary, but she might have been interredwith the stipulation that she protect or maintainthe temple if necessary. If this is true, as Isuspect it is, she is an example of an invokedmummy, recalled by a specific trigger (seeChapter VI).

Dark PactsTo many short-sighted individuals, the thought oiphysical immortality beckons like a sweet,radiant dream. It is true that the mortal worldoffers many pleasures, but fate has decreed thatonly mortals may enjoy them. There is noshortage, however, of dark powers all toowilling to indulge the misconceptions of thefoolish.

I do not know, nor do I care to know, how orthrough what agency undeath is granted; I canonly attest to the results. The victim alwayssuperficially gains what is desired. In the case ofthe ancient dead this is most often continuedownership of material things. I am sure thatagents of darkness always take more than theygive, however, and the victims never gain any jo yfrom their possessions. Instead, possessionsbecome obsessions.

Often, one or more of the objects associatedwith a mummy is a key to destroying it (amummy that can be destroyed in this fashion issaid to be dependent upon the object-seeChapter W).Nevertheless, Imust warn thereader that mummies are the most single-mindedly possessive creatures that exist. Theirpassion for the things that gave them joy in lifeexceeds even that of the legendary dragons.Tampering with the goods kept in a mummystomb is almost certain to bring about a curse orsome other deadly assault.

Ancient dead that have gained unlife throughdark pacts are most often housed in elaboratetombs filled with guardians, traps, and curses,frequently maintained and guarded by a cult.Often, the cult regards the mummy as a direct

representative of their deity, and sometimes theyvenerate the mummy as heir deity.In many cases a mummy depends on its cultfor its powers, even for its continuing existence.

Many mummies become powerless unless theirnames are remembered and celebrated by theliving. I do not mean to suggest that my readersshould seek to slay every mummy cultist theyfind. Such extreme--indeed, I must call themveng efd-ac ts can bring terrible retribution downupon the perpetrators. I cannot condone them.More importantly, some cults actually serve tokeep a mummy a t rest. If the cult ceases tovenerate such a creature, it rises in a rage andseeks to reestablish the interrupted rituals.forms

ince the ancient dead are fully corporeal,creatures form often is immediatelys bvious. Further, one can deduce quite a bit

about an ancient dead creatures origins andpowers just by observing i t s physical form.Unfortunately, the physical form one sees is notalways the creatures true form. Also, forms canbe deceptive and one can never be certain if oneis dealing with the ancient dead or some other,often lesser, type of undead menace. Disasterawaits those who classify their foes withoutcareful research and observation.common images that spring to mind are of theclassic mummies found in the desert lands ofHarAkir and Kalidnay. These horrifyingcreatures have desiccated human bodiesswathed in yards and yards of musty linenbandages. They move with a shuffling gait thatseems ponderous, but their movements can bedeceptively quick.As he subcategories below reveal, the ancientdead vary greatly in corporeal form and physicalappearance. I am convinced that familiarity withthe full range of aspect a mummy might assumecan prevent fatal mistakes. The four types offorms I have identified are humanoid, animal,monster, and cornpasite.

When one thinks of the ancient dead, the most


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I .

A word of caution: This section and the one ~that follows present a great deal of inforrnation~on the physical forms the ancient dead take. Bbeware! Misidentification is all too easy. To 1further complicate matters, I have compiled ndless than 21 authenticated accounts of ancient1dead creatures which have command over theiown orms. Readers who value theii lives andclues that their senses reveal, but neither s h d pthey depend on any piece of information that idnot backed up by careful research. The undead,are complex and deadly foes, and deception is

1

P

elives of their companions should not discard 4one of their most potent weapons. ~

I Humanoid IMost of the ancient dead have humanoid form.These creatures were once living, breathingpeople, and they retain a recognizably humanshape. Without careful study, there is no easyway to tell what a humanoid mummys originsare. Details of dress and ornament, hair style a heven facial features may provide clues to theculture or era from which an ancient dead firstissued. Sometimes an observant hunter candeduce the pertinent facts by observing amummys actions for a short time, but I must9-emphasize that haste and fatal errors can gohand in hand.

I

111

AnimalIn some cases, the preserved bodies ofanimals can become reanimated a screatures. In most cases an animal mummy isdeliberately created, as animals have neither+intelligence nor the force of will to retum to the mortal world on their own. Thus, most animalmummies serve another mummy or a mum my^cult.

Nevertheless, certain extraordinary animalscan retum on their own, especially if they werecarefully interred upon their deaths. The fabledHissing Cat of Kantora was such a creature. Inlife, this creature was a mages familiar that 1

I

i

wasted away and died after its mistress, Camnde Annemi, met an untimely death. The slainwixardesss companionscarehlly laid the animato rest to commemoraOe-their faken comrade,whose body could notbe recovered. The catreturned a generationker when a foolish youngwizard claimed some of e Annemis researchinto illusions as his own.

Monsters tend to die violent deaths that do notleave behiid intact bodies.This makes ancientdead monsters merciful& rare. Likewise, onlyfully mortal and corporeal cm aa re s can becomancient dead. Thoughcreatures have phy si ca lk dk s, not every bodyremains a suitable vessel for a spirit once deathovertakes it. Evil spirits such a s the rakshasas ofSri Raji, so-called exdplanar. creatures suchas aerial servants, and created creatures ahatnever were truly alive, such as golems, cannotretum a s ancient dead. Thisisa blessing forwhich w e all should be grateful.

Like ancient dead animals, ancient deadmonsters are most often created. My collectionof documents includes one harmwing account oa visit to a huge, royal tomb in anunspecified land (probably Harmr). Theintruders found a catacomb infested withcreatures collected fromwidely scattered landsand pressedinto service asguardian mummies.The final portion of the narrative is in a differenthand, which suggests the -mal authorperished before the venture was complete. Thissecond writer &CEibes many weirdmeaturtzs, adead, which attacked out of the darkness. Theaccount is disjointed and the -res desaibedare so bizarre that I suspect the author is guiltyoembellishment.

Perhaps the most improbable example is a trioof tall but w ky c r e a mwithwarty green hides,gangly arms ending in wickedty clawed hands,vacant white eyes, and abswrdlylong noses.suspect that this final narrator s o u t olace inthe bottle after his escape, and was plagued by

o t h e r types of


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e armies of improbable brutes for thelife.

m i t eVI the most horrifying and physically

of ancient dead a re compositeare almost certainly

d (my years of undead hunting have bredharp sense of caution that prevents me

m saying always).They are constructedeces of several different

es, sewn or otherwise joined together inas a flesh or bone golem isme humanoid parts invariably

s the mummy. Rarely are such creaturesis a s u r e sign

a containing them is a vast complexg with vileness. (My years as an undead

d news isreliable than good news.)

o f Preservat iono discussion of the types and forms thatancient dead take would be completeithout considering the bodys state of

I must confess that the fourI have identified-skeletal,

withered, intact, and pr i s t i n w r e somewhatI believe thatis important. How well the

houses an ancient deads spirit hastood the ravages of time often determines

unately, the creatures state ofis not a reliable guide to its rank.

arethe lesser forms ofa common zombie can have grave

garments or wrappings. The exact typeand appearance of the mummys raiment

Most, but not all, ancient dead are clad in

depends on he type of funereal rites that havebeen performed over the corpse, and these intum vary with the local culture, religion, andfashion. A lack ofgarments or wrappings oftenindicates a relatively weak mummy, but this isnot always so.A colleague of mine oncerecounted a tale ofa vengeful mummy who hadreturned because grave robbers had unwrappedthe corpse to strip it of its burial goods.SkeI aIA skeletal mummys physical body has beenreduced to bare bones or bones only thinly cladin shards of dried flesh. Such creatures are easilyconfused with common skeletons. As I related inthe introduction to this treatise, I myself oncebriefly feared I had come face-to-Face with adreaded lich when in fact I faced a skeletalmummy.

I once-reluctantly-employed a Vistanimedium to help uncover a particularly difficultmummys secrets and learned a previous groupof invaders had succumbed to a skeletalcomposite mummy which they had misidentifiedas a bone golem.

This is the typical state of preservation for amummy: many fully wrapped or clothedmummies have desiccated bodies under theirraiment. These creatures have fleshy butemaciated bodies. They often look skeletal, butthe bones are fully clothed in leathery skin.Almost all naturally mummified ancient deadsurvive in thii state of preservation.I n t a c tAncient dead in this state of preservation havebodies that show no decay at all; often theyappear to be freshly dead, or even living but veryold. This kind of ancient dead can be confusedwith ghosts or vampires. When acing thesecreatures, one can often quickly determine that


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the ancienfdea$Srom vampil;es is througldaeuse ofaunirrorithe amzht dead cas t

vampire, seeing the creatures mtlecti-mmirror could lead him to overlook his

misdiiectims f#equentJy lead to

This is the most insidious type of ancient deadfor their bodies, though long dead, appear to behealthy and alive. It is nearly impossible toidentify such creatures a s undead until theyreveal themselves, usually through the use oftheir deadly powers. By then, of course, it usuallyis too late.

Conclusionany reader whohastext h a n o cbmbt su

physical characteristics, and motivations,trove of secrets.


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c t ac


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am the daughter ofearth an

knowledge of folklore is wellaware of the powerstraditionally attributed to thundead. This body ofdifficultiesfor the mummyhunter. The homespun chatt rof the fireside, however viviundependable in its details. s Ihave mentioned in my other

knowledge poses it s own

and compelling, is notorious y

works, however, folk wisdotly contains hidden truths about theipernatural. For more than three decades Ive made it my task to separa te these grainsspeculation, distort on,

where in the whole spectrum of the lore ofath is the truth so heavily veiled as it is i?ase of the ancient dead. Many self-ibed experts are wholly unaware that :hent dead exist a t all. Such unenlightened

the ancient dead a3creatures, akin to mindless skeletons endes, or they mistake them for corporeal

mies are desert dwellers and cannot abidenot be fooled. The ancient dead are

lightly less rare in and places than they arelsewhere, but they can rise wherever mortalsolish enough to scorn the inevitability of

hosts. Still others confidently sta te that

itions about mumm esentially lethal snares for those whothem. Of these, there are perhap LI LEuaidaged-wrapped horrors writhed in the flameswe gave chase to the fugitives. Trackingpromto be effortless,as one of the Peeing mummieobliged us by leaving a trail ofemerald greensplotches which appeared to eat away the turWe made good time in our pursuit, and so0wertook our quarry, but our exultation wasbe short-lived. Sensing our nearness, themummies disappeared into a raoine, where tregrouped and turned on us, forming a wedgOnce again we hurled our pots of laming oilgreat effect,and the wedge broke apart. Amummy swathed in smoking green wrappinsallied forth from the flickering mass. Beforecould launch another volley of laming oil,tcreature was among us, roaring like an auturwind and swatting everyone it muM reach.saw Ashlocke crumpk under a blow, screamyet it wasnt the force of the blow that madecry (though that must have been considemban ominous green stain spread over thewoodsmans breast. Ashlockes leatherjerkindisappeared in an instant, converted to the semerald slime we had seen on the trail. As thwoodsman clawed at his chest, hiis gloved hcollapsed into slime as well. With a shudder a scream of my own, I struck the lmonster wimy sword, and it too collapsed into slime.

-from the letters of Caul?\) +he~--=mW ei gh t l us s n t s s

y studies have revealed an account ormummy with a unique and lbaffling pow

IThis creature had command over its owbody weight and could render itself literallyalight as a feather. This supernatural weightlesness allowed it to tread on water, run straightvertical walls, and perform other astoundinafeats of mobility. I have heard additionalaccounts of mummies that could levitate, ananother of a mummy that could fly through tair while locked in a stiff, upright posture. If taccounts are accurate, I suspect that the munies they describe had this power.


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a l t e r s

ll the assumed form's

+At the fifth rank, a mummy calike the 9th-level wizard spellTypically, a mummy can use


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save vs. death each round or suffer 2d4 pointsof damage (the elemental is immune). Livingcreatures touched must successfully save vs .speU or they become unable to breathe for ld4rounds (-2 or -10% penalty to all die rolls for

Earth: Everything the elemental touchesturns to stone. The air within 20 feet fillswithgraveyard dust, obscuring vision. Livingcreatures within the area must hold theirbreaths or choke and suffer ld4 points ofdamage each round. Stone, crystal, and metaltouched must successfully save vs. blow orcrumble to dust (5 cubic feet of material can beaffected at one time). Living creatures mustsuccessfuliy save vs. petrification or be turned

* The number of senses (sight, sound, touch,taste, smell) that the mummys illusion canaffect.** The number of 10-foot cubes a singleillusion of the listed rank can fil l . A mummy canopt to create smaUer illusions. Note that mobiteillusions, such as creatures, cannot leave thearea of effect.4- A mummys illusions generally last as longas the mummy concentrates on the effect, plusone turn p e r power rank once concentrationstops.

4- A mummy usually can create an illusion inany area it can see , regardiess of range..t.A mummy with an illusion rank of third orhigher usually can programD t s illusions as if itwere using the 5th-level wmrd spell aduancedIllusion.The mummy can create one suchilfusion each day.higher can crea te itlusions with quasirealcomponents as if using the 4th-kvelwizardspell shadow monstersor the sth-level wizardspell shadowmagic.The mummy can createthree special illusions each day, either quasirealor programmed.

4- A mummy with an illusion rank of fifth cancreate quasireal illusions as if using the 5th-6th-level wizard spem u m y can create

Mummies with this power make two normalaccording to the mummy Strength table below.If both melee attacks hit, the victim is enfoldedin the mummys arms and crushed orstrangled. A victim can win freeof a mummysgrapple by scoring a throw or gouge on thewrestling table (see the Players Handbook), yinflicting damage on the mummy with aweapon (the mummys iron grip imposes a -4

melee attacks, inflicting melee damage

+A mummy with an illusion rank of fourth or

* A mummys effective Strength ability score


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was ever a fighter, so -one fightThe best and the last!I would hate that death

Be warned, however, that these ordinary1 more, Neaknesses seldom lead to a mummys ultimatdefeat. Rather, they serve a s checks andrestraints that allow the hunter time to discover monsters true and fatal weakness, or to gatherthe materials necessary to send the mummyhack into slumber.

bandaged my eyes, andforbore,And bade me creep past.-Robert Browning

To orchestrate a victory over a Elemental Uuln erabi l i tymummy, it is usually necessaryto discover and exploit somevulnerability or weakness in themonster. Often a group with theproper knowledge can utterly effective.destroy a mummy. At othertimes, a mummy can prove tobe indestructible. Even then,however, a mummy can be laidto rest. If not indefinitely, at leastit can be stilled temporarily.

In this chapter I shall discuss what I knowabout the weaknesses of the ancient dead. All ofwhat I am about to reveal is genuine. I havegleaned this information through both researchand first-hand experience. Nevertheless, I mustwarn the reader that what follows is not anirrefutable guide to battling the ancient dead.What I am about to present are methods thathave led to success in the past. What mightprove efficacious in the future has yet to berevealed. Still, take heart! The mummy hunterstask is to discover the fatal chink in a mummysdefenses. A judicious mix of common sense,courage, and a smidgen of luck makes this goalattainable.

Typical Weaknesses

3ost ancient dead creatures are vulnerable toa/ttacks based on some form of energy or theelements: fire, cold, electricity, air, earth, andwater. Of these, fire is the most frequently

When used against a very weak mummy, firecmn have a spectacular effect. Flames cancm su me a creatures embalmed body, feedingoh the very resins and tinctures that preserve thdummys tissues.

I believe that a mummys susceptibility to fireis partially symbolic. In many cultures fire is paroif the funerary ritual, consuming the body andfiteeing the spirit to ascend to the afterlife. Itseems that fire can break a mummys ties to themortal world and put a creatures spirit to rest, oat least destroy its physical body and force thecreature to retire to its tomb and rejuvenate. Indearly all cultures fire is a great purifier. Itbanishes disease, consumes rot, and clears awathe old to make way for the new. Insofar as amummy represents a being existing beyond itsalllotted time, it is no wonder that fire is amummys bane.epergy, cold and water seem to be the least liketo cause a mummy harm. Because a mummysbody is biologically dead, exposure to freezingcold o r immersion in water usually has littleeffect.However, naturally preserved mummies thatoriginally froze to death or perished from someailment brought on by cold frequently arespsceptible to magical cold. This may be thecase even with mummies found lurking onmountaintops or glaciers. So strong is a

Of the remaining elements and forms of

ust as I began my discussion of the ancientdeads powers by examining those fewabilities that seem to appear almost

universally among mummies, I shall begin thisdiscussion with a few weaknesses that alsoappear to one degree or another in most of theancient dead.

I J


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)mys tie to its former life that what was a

A mummy thatbeen drowned, however, might have an

to water (see below).

Surprisingly enough, mummies found

ymb olsVan Richtens Guide to

explained that ghosts maintain few con-or repulsed by physical mani-of mans faith. It s tands to reason,

he ancient dead, with their tenaciousthe mortal world, would be affected by

y objects. One might also surmise that the

s, exceptfor holy symbols wielded by priests or paladins,usually have no effect on the ancient dead at all.The same is true for hallowed ground; unless it isprotected by some potent magical ward orformidable physical barrier, a mummy caninvade any sanctified place.

It is true that a ghost is unhindered byconsecrated objects and places because of itsdetachment from the mortal world. Mummies aresimilarly unaffected by the symbols of mansfaith because they maintain their holds on themortal world in complete defiance of all naturaland supernatural laws. A mummy is no moredeterred by a mere holy symbol than a thief is bya no trespassing sign; the convictions that liebehind a holy symbol or sanctified place haveceased to have any import to a mummy.

Mummies that have retained priest abilities are- - ad are restricted from passing throughctified areas and are subject to damage if a

or blessed object so much a s touches them.an exception. By maintaining links with theirdeities, these creatures leave themselvesvulnerable to the symbols of mans faith. A


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mummy is not repulsed by a holy symbol anymore that a warrior is repulsed by a sword.Nevertheless, a holy symbol from a faith that isnot the mummys own inflicts damage if it strikesa priestly mummy. Conversely,-a touch from thesymbol of its own faith actually heals a priestlymummy. It is worth noting that it is entirelypossible for a mummy to have an auersion (seepage 58) to certain holy symbols or to specificpieces of sanctified ground.Holy Water

rous supply of this remarkable liquid is1 for any successful undead hunt.mummies are immune to other blessed

or holy objects, holy water has the power todissolve a mummys preserved body in the samemanner as acid sears living flesh. I believe this isthe case because of the sheer power imparted tothe water during its creation.

Unfortunately, the more powerful the mummy,the less effective holy water is when usedagainst it, and a very powerful mummy isentirely immune to holy water. Note that,however efficacious, holy water only serves todestroy a mummys body once-it does notprevent rejuvenation.

Further, a mummy hunter must be sure thatthe creature actually is splashed by holy water.

1 SpellsMagical spells are perhaps the most potent anversatile weapons in a mummy hunters arsenThey possess many virtues, not the least ofwhich are their ability to work at a distance (itoften pays to stay as far away from an undeadopponent as is practicable) and their renewab(assuming the spellcaster survives to acquirespells once again).

Unfortunately, the o redictable naturof magic, combined w mysterious powethe ancient dead, can n the unexpectedand even in disaster. Worse yet, I a m given tounderstand that wise spellcasters never count their magic to work perfectly inTherefore, one should never cospell to be a panacea in a battllet alone m y other creature of darkness. Even

seems to be the ideal solutioy urge the spellcaster to test m a safe distance before facing

at close quarters.Recall as well that many ancient dead arequite resistent, if not immune, to any numberspells. See my notes regarding magic resistanin the preceding chapter of this book.Turnin g Undead

This usually means opening a flask and hurlingthe contents. Simply tossing a stoppered vial at amummy is not a good idea. Mummies arecorporeal, but a vial seldom if ever shatters if itstrikes one. Instead, the vial usually bounces offand falls to the floor, where it may or may notbreak. In the latter case , the mummy is notharmed at all. In the former case, a splash ofholy water from a broken flask might not besufficient to harm a mummy. Hurling a stopperedvial at

tsr 9451 van richten's guide to the ancient dead

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