Writing Prompt: “Fear not the necromancer; His is the tireless arm that defends our land. There is no greater service one can offer the realm than use of that which you no longer need – your body after death. The duty of the living is to live. The duty of the dead is to serve as tireless protectors.”
We owe everything to the necromancer. For his powers give us protection and keep us fed. Without him, the living would have to work to death in order to supply the town with its food and wealth. Now the dead are the ones that supply us with their labor.
They grow the food out in the fields and harvest it for the village to eat. They build the houses and the fortifications around the village. They forge the weapons and use them to protect us. The dead offer security and freedom from the beasts of the grasslands or warring neighbors.
We owe them and the necromancer everything. And for that reason we give our service to him after we pass on.
For many, death is a horrible thief that comes in the night cutting our connection to our world. That much is still true. Death is not something we welcome into the village. We have apothecaries that use medicine to fight against disease and priests that give blessings. But when death does come and takes its victim, that is not the end.
We do not mourn the dead and then bury them into the dirt. We instead honor their lives and then hand them over to the necromancer.
He assures us that the soul of the person passes on peacefully and a new soul is added. A soul of magic created by the necromancer. The dead then rises and is given a task. Protection. Farming. Building. They never grow weary or tired. They do all of it for us and they never complain.
They are our saviors and by extension the necromancer is our savior. He brought order to a chaotic world. Our elders told us stories of famine and war. When people had to break their backs to plow the fields or fight invaders and spill their own blood for protection. Death was such a waste because afterwards they were nothing. Their legacies died when they drew their last breath.
Now people are free from working the fields or fighting wars. They can spend time with their families and live a fulfilling life. Our time can be spent pursuing art and literature or setting our sights on bettering the life of others. We no longer struggle with the basic necessities.
And the dead? Well when our final moments come for us, we can leave our bodies behind. They will be giving a new purpose by the hand of the necromancer. Our legacy will continue with the dead and the service the body can give back to the living.
So do not fear the necromancer or curse his ways. His power is a blessing he shares with all of us and we are grateful for it. Without him death would be meaningless and that would make our lives meaningless.
Header Photo Credit to Paul Limbourg, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry found on Spartacus Educational
https://spartacus-educational.com/EXnormans11.htm
Allen The Writer 