Jack O'Bears

Chen Durelite Vessel in the form of a Jack O'Bear

History
Jack O'Bears first appeared in the Great Darkness, when many chaotic horrors roamed the land. Unlike many of these horrors, no single source has ever been found for the Jack O'Bears. Instead, they seem to have just emerged fully formed from the primal wellspring. Despite this, many peoples have come up with their own explanations of how the Jack O'Bear came to be.
The troll lovers of the Kingdom of Ignorance say that when the dark god Tien came to attack them in the darkness, their masters slew and devoured each and every one of Tien's soldiers. Alone and without any protectors, Tien stumbled into a bear-den while attempting to hide from his pursuers. Surprising the bears as they hibernated, he cut off their heads and bound their souls to him, and then raised their bodies as horrific monsters. To replace their heads he had them place a pumpkin atop their neck, and carved a fearsome face into its surface. He then set them loose to plague the world, while he fled back into the wastes.
In the west, it is popularly said that Jack O'Bears are the spawn of a hellish plant, created by the Devil to feed his army. The Jack O'Bears were its seeds, sent out to gather refuse and waste to feed this monstrous thing. The leader of the Black Horse Troop, Sir Ethilrist, claims he met this beast in his travels, and cut his way out when it swallowed him whole. Certainly his description of this devouring monster as a giant pumpkin would suggest a connection, but despite common folklore, the Jack O'Bear an animal, not a plant or hybrid of the two.


Appearance
Jack O'Bears (Joannursus paralysis) resemble the brown or grizzly bear of western Genertela, at least for the most part. The Jrusteli Naturalist Ocran Everseer believed they represented an offshoot of brown bears, although so far altered by the touch of Chaos that they can no longer breed with any other bear. Certainly they share much of their range with the brown bear, the majority of Jack O'Bears being found in a band from Fronela, through Ralios, to Maniria. Despite this, a subspecies (Joannursus paralysis ignoramus) has been found in the Kingdom of Ignorance, north of Kralorela. Whether these are native, or the result of some chaos cultists spreading them deliberately, is unknown.
The most striking characteristic of a Jack O'Bear is its head, which is completely hairless, lacks external ears or lips, and only has a thin pair of nostrils. Instead of fur, the head is covered with a layer of leathery skin, beneath which runs a network of blood vessels, which gives the head a blood red appearance in infant bears, before paling to a vibrant orange colour when the skin thickens at maturity.
With older Jack O'Bears, the skin has instead been likened to that of a pumpkin or other gourd, giving rise to legends that the beast is part plant.


Habits
Found only in the most isolated and desolate of places, Jack O'Bears are solitary beasts, who view even their own kind as enemies and rivals. Only the Jack O'Bears of the Kingdom of Ignorance have been known to ever socialize, congregating along the great coast of Koromondol in great numbers. Magical observation has shown the beasts swaying from side to side and making a great sussuration, which has been referred to as "singing." The purpose of this act is unknown, but knowing their chaotic nature, it can be assumed to be a grave danger to Glorantha.
Elsewhere, Jack O'Bears can occasionally be found in chaos nests, where Broo, Ogres, or other horrors feed them with parts of their victims. It is likely that the Jack O'Bear merely tolerates their presence because of this tribute, while the chaotics feel this is a small price to pay for the protection the Jack O'Bear provides, for while they may ignore their chaotic "guests", they will attack all others who intrude, acting as guardian and protector for the chaos nest.


Magic
Although possessing of a certain diabolical cunning, the Jack O'Bear is rarely intelligent enough to worship the Lords of Terror, and so only the most extraordinary individuals have learned magic. This can be seen as a blessing, for they already possess an insidious Chaotic power, to freeze and stupefy their victims, making them unable to resist the Jack O'Bear's attacks. Although commonly held to be the result of meeting the creature's gaze, the Jack O'Bear in fact needs only to think about a nearby person for them to fall victim to their insidious gift.

Sprites

Pelandan painting of a sprite

History
It is unknown exactly when sprites first appeared in Glorantha. Conventional wisdom claims they were creatures of the Green Age, like the vast majority of Aldryami. However, sprites are intricately connected with flowering plants, which were proven by the God Learners of Jrustela to first appear in the Golden Age.
Even their origin has been called into question, some of the myriad of stories include:

• In Dara Happa it is said that the god Arraz (sometimes called by the elven name Shanassee) created the first sprites in imitation of the winged Certami, to please the goddess Erenbaya mother of plants.
• In Ralios, sprites are said to be the flowers born by Flamal the great tree, which fell to the ground in mourning when he was destroyed by Zorak Zoran.
• The Orlanthi say that the sprites were created by the elves in imitation of Orlanth's Impests, the spirits which fly to vex those who have offended the King of the Gods. Like these petty gods, sprites are sent to plague those who have offended, and the Heortlings are known to call them Imps, after the messengers of Orlanth's wrath.

All of these myths, and others have enough evidence supporting them; but the Dara Happan legend has spread wide enough that it is accepted in many lands as the truth, even when Arraz is unknown to them.
What is known is that the sprites were present when Flamal fell at the hands of the trollish war god, and all died on the spot, or were sent into the underworld by his servants.
The sprites themselves, on those rare occasions when one has been interrogated, claim that they saw the thralls of Zorak Zoran, the burrowing rodents. These beasts chewed through the roots of the Great Tree, rendering him vulnerable to Death. They dove into the underworld to pursue the rodents, and have been fighting a war against them ever since, even after they reappeared on the surface at the dawn.


Appearance

God Learner Woodcut of a sprite bound by a dog spirit

It is very hard to get a decent look at a sprite, due to their caution and small size. Their appearance is further
clouded by the motes of some luminous substance, the infamous pixie-dust desired by alchemists and poisoners. Most who have seen them describe them simply as tiny humanoid figures with brightly patterned wings.
When examined closely, any idea of them being child-like or beautiful quickly falls away. Sprites, like other Aldryami, more closely resemble plants than humans. Their body is formed around a large central root acting much as the torso does with other creatures, while other more slender and flexible roots sprout off from it, acting as arms and legs, with no great distinction between one or another.
These limbs rarely display any form of symmetry, with odd numbers of finger-like rootlets sprouting from their limbs almost at random, which they use to grasp objects.
The "head" of the sprite sprouts above the central root, formed out of a flower-like organ, the result resembles the antenna of a timinit, with stamen-like organs providing sight, sound, and other senses to the sprite, all concealed by protective petals when not being used.
The wings of a sprite are formed from what, on a normal plant, would be leaves. The network of veins across them giving a superficial resemblance to those of butterflies or moths, as does the ever-present dust which coats them.
This radiant dust is shed in vast amounts by a sprite when confronted with humans and other non-Aldryami, and seems to be its pollen. Exactly why this is done has been debated amongst scholars. The two most dominant theories are as follows: Firstly, that it is done to ensure survival of the species, to lay the seed of the next generation even when the current generation of sprites is endangered. The other is that the pollen acts as a kind of language mankind is not privy to, and is much like how an animal roars to scare off a predator.


Habits
Sprites have the shortest lifespan of any Aldryami, living for just a single year at most. While the vast majority are born in Sea Season and die in Storm Season, there are some forms, kin to winter flowering plants, who are active in the Dark and Storm seasons.
Sprites spend most of their short life in a dormant state, buried just beneath the surface, with only their head and wings exposed. In this state, they resemble just another flower or weed, and on occasion an unwary traveller has camped in a field to rest, only to discover he is in a nest of sprites. The reason for their dormancy is unknown, with God Learner studies determining that your average sprite spends less than a season active.
When active, sprites spend much of their time guarding flowers in isolated groves, or spying on intruders into elven forests. They will often serve as spies for the larger elves, watching invading humans or trolls from high branches out of sight, or even from the spirit world.
When forced into violence, sprites will typically flee, for they are flimsy beings, and at great danger from enemies. They will take advantage of their ability to fly, and when enemies cannot reach them, will often pelt them with small stones or nuts. This poses little risk, but can distract enemies to allow elves or other Aldryami to flank them.
The one exception to a sprite's caution, is against rodents of all kind, which the sprites blame for the death of Flamal. They will attack rats, shrews, and even rubble runners with a fury unseen outside of berserkers. Occasionally a visitor to an elven wood may even find rodents impaled on thorns, like the victims of a butcher bird.


Magic
Sprites are beings that stand on the boundary between the inner world, and the spirit world, and are able to see and interact with spirits as if they were solid entities. Sprites may even become spirits themselves through concentration, abandoning their material form, and appearing to vanish into thin air.
In this state, sprites are vulnerable only to spirits and shamans, but likewise cannot attack those in the inner, material world.
Sprites are loath to remain as spirits for long, suggesting that it is uncomfortable, or even painful to them.
Other than this, sprites have no other innate magic. However, like other Aldryami all sprites are part of the Aldrya tradition, although none has ever become a great magician or shaman.

Unicorns

History

Fresco from the Great Temple of Pavis depicting a Unicorn

Unicorns were one of the earliest kinds of beast to walk across the surface of Glorantha, and records of their existence were dated by the God Learners to extend all the way back to the Green Age.
Here they dwelt amongst the forests of the Spike, as yet untainted by war or strife. They were said to pull the chariots of gods, and were the favoured amongst all wild animals.

But paradise cannot last forever, and when strife came to the world, nature was inevitably separated from the worlds of gods and men. The unicorns stayed with nature, to be their protectors. Led by Sorza, their king, the unicorns acted as guardians when man or other creatures attacked wild beasts, slaying any who wished harm on the natural world.

During the Great Darkness, chaos horrors and creatures from the Underworld emerged, the unicorns suffered greatly. They alone could not protect the wilderness, and their wives were devoured by Chaos. The remaining male unicorns would have perished after this, but Sorza showed them how they could join with the animals they protected, to produce new unicorns. These new unicorns were less noble than their ancestors, but they survived.

Eventually, the great forest of the world was destroyed, separating many beasts from one another, and the unicorns were no exception. Their once great forces were now many smaller bands, eventually dwindling into solitary figures, each guarding a small portion of nature.

Yet still they fought on, with whatever allies they could find against monsters and Chaos, even allying with Aldryami or humans for added strength. When the dawn came, unicorns were almost extinct. Still, they survived, and have so far proven immune to the grasp of time, with no unicorn dying from old age since the sun returned to the sky.

Appearance
From a distance unicorns appear to be nearly identical to horses, with only their legendary horn proving the difference. But when studied, several notable differences appear. Firstly, their toes are cloven, like that of a deer, with two toes and two smaller dewclaws behind them; and secondly, unicorns possess a long tail that ends with a tuft of fur concealing a small bone spur. Despite this armament, the tail is not used in combat, and instead the tail seems to be used mainly to balance the Unicorn.
The unicorn's coat is made of soft, downy fur, like that of a rabbit, this provides the beast with great protection from the weather, although it has made it a target for hunters.
The infamous horn of the unicorn is unlike that of other creatures, for it does not curve or bend, but rises straight out of the beast's forehead, with a spiral ridge around it.


Variations
The God Learner Ocran Everseer called the Unicorn "Unicornis sylvanus" in his records, classing specimins under the same species and taxonomic name. Later investigation reveals that although this is the most common type, others do exist.

• The Fronelan Unicorn (Unicornis valindus) lives in the Winterwood, on the edge of the glacier. Larger than the pony-sized common unicorn, the Fronelan unicorn is equal in size of larger warhorses, such as the Daron or Sered. Its pelt is also much thicker than that of other unicorns, resembling the Mastodons and Kunkorns of the region, leading to its other name of "Woolly Unicorn."
• In the Wastelands there exists a small population of desert adapted unicorns. commonly named the Praxian Unicorn (Unicornis generti), who are are leaner and more agile than their kin. Their coats, unlike the simple snow white of the Fronelan and common unicorns, are marked with darker patches, often appearing as stripes or rosettes, especially on the legs and face. The presence of facial markings, combined with their shaggy and unkempt manes, has given them the appearance of being in mourning. Alone among the other unicorns, the Praxian unicorn's dewclaws are enlarged, even touching the ground when the beast jumps or is in soft sand. This makes it more sure-footed in the wastelands, where there are no trees to hide behind, and speed is even more important.
• The Monoceros, or Greater Unicorn (Unicornis regina), are the last remaining of the original noble unicorns from before the great darkness. They are now native to the otherworld, and only rarely enter the world of mortals, and even then do so reluctantly. They stand nearly as large as a Rhinoceros, with a coal black coat, and a golden mane. Few beings have ever seen a monoceros, and they are believed by most to be extinct.
• Although not a true unicorn, the Praxian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros praxianis) was believed to be descended from them by early Malkioni scholars. They claimed that the Rhinoceros was the result of a unicorn who became too cowardly, and retreated from the forests, into the wastelands. In doing so, they became monstrous beings, ugly and unnatural. The God Learner Ocron Everseer dismissed these claims, pointing out, amongst other things, bore five toes upon its foot, marking it as completely unrelated to the even-toed unicorns.

Habits

Mosaic of a Monoceros from the Great Temple in Voi

Although as intelligent as humans, it is a mistake to think of unicorns as if they were another Elder Race. They lack any form of culture, or language. In fact, unicorns do not even associate with members of their own kind, even when in close quarters (such as in the grounds of a Yelornan temple, or within the Unicorn Tribe of Prax) individual unicorns will ignore each other as they go about their business.

Unicorns are browsers, preferring to eat leaves, berries, flowers, and other tender parts of trees and similar plants. Unusually, their diet consists predominantly of poisonous plants, seeking out wolfsbane, nightshade, hemlock and similar plants. This stems from a natural immunity to such toxins, and it also proves an effective defence, for their body absorbs many of these toxins, making the flesh poisonous to any who might try to prey on them.

So powerful are a unicorn's digestive systems that even their dung has proven to be anathema to the forces of Mallia. Elves and Yelornan cultists have been known to follow unicorns around to collect this dung to form into healing poultices. This practice seems to amuse the unicorns to no end.

Lacking any females, unicorns reproduce with other animals, typically deer, horses, or goats. This is a rare occurrence, for unicorns live long lives, and would view any other unicorn, even their own offspring, as a rival. Still, when such matings do occur, the unicorn protects the mother, even at the risk of its own life. If the offspring is male, it is another unicorn. If female, it is a perfect example of the mother's species. These does, hinds, or mares are sought after by hunters for their beauty, and a unicorn-fathered mare, if caught early and tamed, makes an excellent steed.

The young unicorn foal resembles its father in all respects, save the horn, which takes several years to grow from a small nub on its forehead. Until the horn is grown, the foal cannot use magic, and is near defenceless, requiring the foal to stay close to its father for protection.


Magic
Like all other sentient beings, unicorns know of the otherworld, and possess a connection with it. When in the wild, a unicorn will often spend its time in a trance-like state, meditating on the power of the natural world. From this meditation, unicorns are able to work magic, which acts much as wizardry does, manipulating the magical nature of the world.

Most of the magic used by unicorns involve healing, cleansing diseases and closing wounds. Even wild animals know that unicorns possess this gift, and a unicorn's home is often filled with wildlife, each waiting, almost unnaturally still, for the unicorn to heal them. This calming power has led wizards to claim that unicorns are a combination of the Beast and Harmony Runes, and the unicorn was one of the Forty Ancient Beasts of Danmalastan.

Unicorns and Others
Unicorns have ever been wary of creatures of the Man Rune, even viewing many of the Elder Races with the same distrust. Only amongst the elves have they found long standing allies, with them regarding each other as near kin. Still, the elves sometimes find unicorns as pests, for they devour many of the warding plants of the elves, to feast on their toxins.
Many elf groves will instead present tribute to a nearby unicorn, in the form of poisonous fruit, to avoid the unicorn destroying their defences when hungry.

Yelornan Silver Star coin

Amongst humans, unicorns have found unusual allies in the worshippers of the goddess Yelorna.
This goddess is native to Vanch, where she is said to be the daughter of the Sun God and the Green Lady. They say that during the darkness, Yelorna acted as a protector of the unicorn king, and the unicorns seem to agree (or at least do not care enough to denounce this).

During the Bright Empire of Nysalor, Yelornan worshippers spread as guardians of the Sun Dome temples, along side the Yelmalians. They acted as cavalry, riding horses and other steeds when there were not enough unicorns to carry them all. When the empire collapsed, the cult of Yelorna fragmented, and now many of them have been wiped out.

Of the groups who are still known to exist, the following are well recorded:

• In the wastes of Prax exists the Unicorn Tribe, who claim to follow their own, older traditions, the God Learners claim that the Sun Daughter they worship to be another form of the goddess Yelorna. Certainly the Unicorn maidens of the city of Pavis do not see a difference, and are strongly allied with the Yelmalians of the city, and each of their temples bears shrines to the other's deity.
• The guardians of the Karia March Sun Dome temple are still allied to a small tribe of unicorn riding Yelornans. With the collapse of the Bright Empire in the first age, this tribe has become far more insular than the surrounding peoples, having retreated to the woods to live in harmony with their unicorns and wild animals. Because of this self-imposed isolation, when they do appear in the cities of Delela, they have been mistaken for a band of unicorn Hsunchen.
• Amongst the cavalry forces of Mirin's Cross is a small group of unicorn riders, made from the remnants of the protectors of the Sun Dome Temple, these warriors first fought against the Lunar heroine Hwarin Dalthippa, but when she came amongst them astride her own war unicorn, they became her loyal followers. Reformed as some of her elite warriors, these unicorn riders are also followers of the Lunar Way, and worship Hwarin Dalthippa alongside Yelorna.
• In Seshnela, the soldiers of the land are organized into many martial beast societies. One of these is the Unicorn Society, which dates his history back to the first age, when Arkat attacked the Tanisorian allies of the Bright Empire. The Yelornans were amongst the forces the Empire sent against Arkat, but when he defeated them, the Yelornans were convinced that the Bright Empire was corrupt. The unicorn riders became absorbed by the Seshnegi, and became another one of the martial beast societies, their pagan origins almost entirely forgotten.

Nymphs

History
The classification of nymphs originally comes from Dara Happa, where they were the daughters of the great gods and goddesses of the world. The nymphs were divided into four great families, tracing back to their mothers.

• The Oriads, descended from Oria the great Mother. These were the nymphs of mountains, fields, valleys and also natural life, through her daughters Erenbaya and Uryarda. As Oria was the most fecund of goddesses, the Oriads are the most plentiful of nymphs, and could be found everywhere in Dara Happa.
• The Ouraniads, created by Ourania, the daughter of Dayzatar. These were the nymphs of above, who dwell in the sky world as wives of gods and servants of great heroes. The Ouraniads were among the fewest of nymphs, for Ourania was a virginal goddess, and each celestial nymph was formed purely from her powers of creation.
• The Oslirads, daughters of the great river goddess Oslira. These were the nymphs of streams, lakes and other bodies of water, and were respected by the people of Henjarl as nurturers and providers.
• The Annarads, who were the terrible children of Annara Gor, queen of the Third Hell. Like their mother, they were monstrous creatures of the underworld, and were said to hate all those who dwelt above. Despite this, they were also said to keep many monsters restrained by their powers.

In early myth all nymphs, including the horrific annarads, were respectful and dutiful beings, as Dara Happans expected their wives and daughters to act. But when Yelm died, many were said to have lost their way and retreated out of civilization. The worst of these became monstrous beings, hostile to men, and gave birth to monsters.

Those who remained loyal to the Dara Happans were given proper respect, and often became patrons of cities, such as the great oriad Thilla who watches over Yuthuppa to this day. Others became the wives of great heroes, and their divine lineage has been proven to run in the noble families of Dara Happa.

In the age of Nysalor, when Dara Happa and the peoples of the Second Council joined together, mutual exchanges of knowledge occurred Dara Happans, Orlanthi, the Elder Races and others. The Dara Happan families of nymphs were expanded to encompass the daughters of many foreign deities, and were adopted by others as appropriate terminology.

The names of the families were changed during this period, sometimes merely an alteration in spelling or pronunciation, such as oriad becoming oread, or ouraniad becoming the aurae.
Others underwent a more drastic reclassification. The oslirads, being the nymphs of rivers, were recognised as merely one branch of the greater family of sea nymphs, descended from Mirintha, the mother of all sea peoples. Due to an unfortunate scribal error, the sea nymphs were not recorded as mirinthe, as the merfolk know them; but were instead confused with the ancestresses of the merfolk, the niiads. The sea nymphs were thus given the name naiads, and this widespread error has proven impossible to correct.

Due to elf influence on the Bright Empire, the children of Erenbaya, the tree nymphs, became recognised as their own family. Recognising Erenbaya as an aspect of their great progenitor Aldrya, these nymphs became known as aldryads, and eventually the first syllable was dropped, resulting in the modern name of dryad.

With the trolls having left the Second Council early on, and despising the Dara Happans for their worship of the sun, little research was ever performed into the nature of the annarads. In the time of the bright empire, the common name of hag was applied both to them and to any other malign nymph. A misconception which has proven hard to shift.

When the Bright Empire was destroyed both the newly liberated Orlanthi, and the maudlin Dara Happans kept this revised family tree of nymphs. This proved of interest to the God Learners as they absorbed the Orlanthi of Ralios and Kethaela into the Middle Sea Empire.

The God Learners attempted to classify nymphs into five families based entirely around the elemental runes they recognised.

• The Oreads were the daughters of all earth gods and goddesses. The God Learners even attempted to reintegrate the dryads into this classification once again, but this proved a short lived solution.
• The Aurea became the name of the nymphs of air and storm, ironically separating them from their original ancestress, who as a star goddess had no connection to the air.
• The Asteriae was to be the new category of celestial nymphs, the children of star gods who inhabited the sky world. Any other lesser goddesses of fire were placed into this category as well, for the God Learners proved that all fire originated in the sky world.
• The Naiads remained mostly untouched, although it has been suggested that the God Learner usage of their erroneous name is part of the reason it is so hard to correct.
• The Suberiads were the one time annarads. The God Learners having investigated them heavily through both Dara Happan and trollish myth, they discovered that what the Dara Happans had feared were merely the most surface dwelling of a far more ancient and numerous family of nymphs, which they linked to Subere, the great goddess of darkness and secrets.

Among the discoveries of the God Learners was that the description of the now Suberiads as "hags", was something of a misunderstanding. Nymphs, they declared, were incarnations of the feminine principle of nature. As such, when they were contented, they appeared as beautiful young women, pleasing to the eye of all who look at them. This desire was part of their divine nature, and even their usual enemies could fall victim to it. (However, this was not always to the nymph's advantage, as found when trolls viewed a pleasant dryad, they saw it not as a beautiful troll-wife; but instead as the most delicious looking tree possible).
Conversly, when a nymph is angered or saddened, they reflect the more hostile aspect of nature, becoming monstrous beings of hate and fear. The God Learners believed this to be a result of man and nature becoming separate and hostile at the end of the Golden Age.

The God Learners used this discovery to their advantage in heroquesting. When encountering a hostile nature goddess in a myth, they could appease her rather than fighting her, reverting the hag to their nymph form, and bypassing the threat.

As was not uncommon in those days, this backfired on the God Learners when they claimed that the goddesses Babeester Gor and Voria were in fact the same goddess in a hag and nymph aspect. They sought to use this revelation to plunder the temples of Esrolia. Despite their confidence, Babeester Gor was unsatiated by their offerings of blood wine, and the remains of these foolish sorcerers can still be found tortured deep within Babeester Gor's cavern.


Appearance
Nymphs usually appear as supernaturally attractive women, although this is merely an assumed form, and not their true nature. As such it is likened to the temporary creation caused by Illusion magic (and a cult of Pelorian mystics has praised and condemned Glorantha herself as the nymph of all creation). While universally attractive, each nymphs form will take on aspects of its home. A dryad's skin will be green, and her hair will be wreathed with blossoms and vines; likewise some oreads are known to be hairy and bestial, resembling the beastmen they dance with.
However, nymphs are not bound to this form, and may dissolve it at will, or manifest through the physical parts of their home, such as naiads appearing in a body made of shoals of fish, or aurae as intangible mist.
Whatever their form, a nymph always resides within a particular area of the natural world. whether materially, or spiritually. Any nymph's assumed body which leaves this area will dissolve as soon as it leaves, leading to the legend that a dryad will die if it travels too far from its home grove.

When hostile, a nymph reflects the malevolent aspect of nature. Their assumed forms will be monstrous, often covered in thick hair or scales, and the hair atop their heads becoming like wild serpents or curling vines. Their faces become caught in a grim expression of hate and rage, and their appearance inspires a supernatural terror, much as they once inspired desire as a nymph.

Undead in HeroQuest

Undead in Glorantha can generally be divided into three categories, the material, immaterial, and the animated.

Immaterial undead are known by many different names, Ghost, Wraith, Spectre, Ancestor among them. When a living creature dies, its soul is meant to travel to the court of the dead for judgement. However, some souls either remain in the Middle World, or are called back for some purpose.
When in the Middle World, these souls act like any other spirit, being able to be bargained with, befriended, worshipped and offended. Many societies will call their favoured ancestors to once again walk the world during holy days, that they may share their wisdom in return for gifts. Others will call on their ancestors for aid, providing charms for them to inhabit, to once again experience the world through their descendants.
Not all people or souls are so quick to be allies, and angry ghosts can plague their slayer or his allies, or be bound into charms and fetishes unwillingly by shamans.

The animated undead are the result of binding a spirit into a dead body. If the body is not preserved, the flesh will continue to rot, although this in no way hampers the functioning of the walking corpse. In fact, they will continue to act until their remains are wholly destroyed, or the spirit possessing them is banished.
Necromantic scholars have named them differently depending on the spirit in question, so that Zombies are said to be the result of binding the body's former soul into it before it reaches the court of the dead. Ghouls are evil spirits from the underworld that devour the flesh of the living for sustenance, and animate bodies to do so. Sorcerers animate Skeletons using unintelligent spirits much like an Elemental. Despite this, in practice most people will use the same term to refer to any number of undead monsters.

The material undead are the unnatural ones. Vampire, Lamia, Mummy, Draugr. The bodies which walk without life. Here we get an interesting question. What separates the undead from the living?
It may seem a strange question with an obvious answer, but with HeroQuest2 in Glorantha the answer can provide some interesting opportunities.

We know the undead lack life, being walking corpses, but this is not always the entirety of the matter. In the third edition of RuneQuest the undead were incomplete beings, lacking the POW characteristic. POW was a creature's soul or life force, their connection with the Otherworld and their capacity to work certain forms of magic.

While HeroQuest2 has no direct equivalent of the POW characteristic, a character's Runes are somewhat similar, providing magic and acting as the basis for their personality.

If we take that as a base, it would make sense for undead in HeroQuest2 to have no Runes. This would have some interesting knock on effects, such as:

1: Theism. The undead would lack divine rune affinities, preventing them from using theistic magic. On the other hand, there would be nothing preventing them from using animism or wizardry, unless the tradition or school required a rune to join (such as Kolat).

2: Personality. Lacking any connection to the Runes will result in a less imposing personality. While nothing prevents the undead from having personality traits as abilities, they do not have the same core personality traits as others. Making them seem colder, and less emotional.

3: Soullessness. When viewed using magical senses, the undead are practically invisible, as they leave no impression on the world. Undead hating cults will often provide specialized magic to spot these creatures by their absence.
This invisibility leaves its mark on the Middle World as well, with the undead lacking many signs of having a soul, such as no shadow, no breath, and no reflection.

Of course, there are several ways around these weaknesses. Many undead become accomplished sorcerers, favouring the usage of Tapping, to drain their victims of their Runes, and using that energy to work their own magic in turn. This leaves their victims with wounded souls, becoming more emotionless as their Runes fade away. Many victims of undead attacks are little more than husks when the undead have finished with them.

Other undead have bound spirits into themselves, even their own ghostly remains. This mixture of bodiless soul and soulless body allows them to return to a state akin to life, granting them Runes once more. On many occasions, these Runes will not be the ones they possessed in life. Many undead favouring the Runes of Death and Darkness, believing them better suited to their new existence.

The Unlife Rune

What of the Unlife Rune then? It does not describe the immaterial or animated dead for they are created with other powers. The spirit of a man and the spirit of a horse are not connected with the Rune, but instead the appropriate form Runes. The same applies to those spirits possessing a corpse.
This would leave the Unlife Rune as being linked to the material, soulless undead, a seeming impossibility if these beings do not have Runes at all. However, the Rune itself is a paradoxical combination of Life and Death, perverted by the power of Chaos, which thrives on such apparent impossibilities. And those mortal servants of the undead would find it an attractive option for commanding the dead in imitation of their masters.
Of course, it is quite possible the Unlife Rune does not refer to the Undead at all, but that which the Undead represent, the gnawing devouring nature of Chaos, which feeds on the Life of the cosmos. The Rune itself has been called the Hunger Rune, and this does make sense in this light. Perhaps the Rune itself is something that was created to describe that which cannot exist, but desires to. An attempt at giving form to something that truly should not be.