Lich - Creature Conpendium - The World Arcanum
ich. The very mention of this unnatural creature strikes terror into the hearts of man, for the beast was itself once a mortal being, and now has been transformed, by its own hand, into living death.
Only the mage of rare power is capable of transforming himself into a lich, and the grim possibility of failure, the consequence being eternity as a demi-lich, deter most from even attempting the forbidding and arcane right. When a lich is first created, it appears in every sense as the being it was as a mortal, both in intellect and form. It is only through time that the differences begin to display themselves to those who would observe. Slowly, the sinister magicks that gave birth to the unnatural being begin to twist and deform the lich, causing the facial features to become sunken, gaunt and skull-like and the body and mind to decay. As the years pass, the lich alters appearance completely, no longer resembling a mortal being, it is now purely a living skeleton with huge, sunken eye sockets and long, bony limbs held together by the dried sinew that was once its skin. Likewise the once great mind that controlled the lich has deteriorated into that of a crazed, yet immensely powerful beast, attacking anything unfortunate enough to cross its path, for a lich retains its full knowledge of magickal spells, no matter the stability of its mind.
It seems beyond reason, especially in this age of enlightenment, that a mage would willingly choose to transform himself into such a monstrosity. I have done much research on the subject and found that, in the creation of a lich, there is usually a specific driving reason behind the choice. First and foremost there are those among us who fear death greatly, and would go to any length to save themselves from its cruel hand. For a select few, transformation into a lich grants the immortality they so desperately seek. The lich that results from this vein of thought survive purely for their own ends, existing to terrorize and destroy those left living. These are truly the most dangerous form of the beast.
On the other hand, there are those individuals throughout history who have transformed themselves in order to serve a higher purpose, perhaps that of guarding a specific sacred item, or protecting an area from some ancient bane or curse. Those who had a task to perform that would require their immense magickal powers for a much longer period of time than their mere lifespan would provide. A lich of such history, while still terrifying, is usually benign unless disturbed directly. They are most often found in ancient ruins or secret caverns, guarding items long forgotten.
It is believed that the ancient wizard K'an T'au has become just such a lich. Legend has it that he secluded himself in his great castle, S'nel N'fa many generations ago and attempted to transform himself into a lich so that he might forever protect the elven staff of great power that he is said to have possessed. K'an T'au was a great wizard, highly studied in many schools of magick, most notable were his accomplishments in necromancy and summoning. Many have gone in search of the staff of K'an T'au, and most of these adventurers have never been heard from again. It is highly possible that K'an T'au succeeded with his dark task, and even now stands guard over his most prized possession, a ghastly, nightmarish creature awaiting the next thief foolhardy enough to enter its domain.
