Death Magic

As I am a Dragon myself people often ask me what my opionion is on death magic which saved many of my kind. I agree that it has been beneficial to some degree but according to me it is used for evil more often than not. We at the Keepers therefore do not celbrate its use and stay clear of it as much as possible.

— High Sage Syronikir

Not all death casters choose their life as some are born with it. But regardless of this fact they are often shunned in society as the use of death magic is in most cases not beneficial for others. They create undead, siphon life, wound people or control diseases.

History

Ancient Time

Intially the spread of death magic casters was rather equal across Niorath. However when the Dragonborn communities grew there were more and more Green Dragonborn who had a great affinity for this magic. Eventually they seperated from the other Dragonborn and create their own nations. The most famous of these ancient nations is the Chim Empire which was led by several necromancers and a dragon who was a master of the death magic.

Advancement

Not all death magic uses were discovered from the start. The first uses were the ability to siphon life and wound creatures from a distance. Eventually the creation of undead was discovered somewhere in the Ancient Era. This allowed the Chim Empire and other nations using this magic to make great progress. Eventually it was discovered that Divine Magic could be used to destory these undead which caused the power of these nations to diminish somewhat.
Somewhere during the Avaronian Era the death casters discovered the shadow control abilities. This gave them a new weapon to use in their arsenal and some nefarious organisations were quick to make good use of it. Secret services and assissins still quite often use death casters as they can move through the night without being seen.

Dragon Scourge

Most death casters in the world were Dragonborn but this balance changed when the Dragon Scourge hit. This decimated the Dragonborn population and left many powerful nations in ruins.
However, over time the Dragonborn death casters discovered that they could use their magic to control diseases to a degree. This allowed them to have better protections against the scourge. The largest Dragonborn nations therefore have quite a lot of death casters and death magic is celebrated there instead of feared.

Death Falls

Death Falls are not the most common type of Falls but can still be found in quite a few places. People can be born with an affinity for this type of magic. However, there is quite a stigma around the use of death magic and it is kept secret by many. This means that it is quite difficult to make a good estimate of how many death magic users there actually are.
Most of the Death Falls are located in eastern Pavanor and northern Avak'am but can also be found in other places of the world. Many of these areas are controlled by Dragonborn and most death casters born with an affinity for this magic are Dragonborn. These Green Dragonborn can be found in many Dragonborn communities. But they are most common along the Draconic Coast and the successor nations of the Chim Empire, which was ruled by them.

Uses

by kefkejaco with midjourney

Undead

When someone thinks of a death caster the first thing that comes to mind is the creation of undead. This is of course to be expected as the most infamous of these casters were known to sometimes create small armies of these beings. Normally life ends after death but the death casters try to get around this, not by reviving people, but by making them into undead minions.
Any undead lose all sense of their prior life and only live to fulfill the bidding of their new master. Creating undead is forbidden in many countries but some relax to rules to a degree that it can still be used in during combat if the death caster returns them to their rest afterwards. For this reason undead are much more common during periods of war.

Life Siphon

One of the most common uses of death magic is the ability of a caster to siphon life from a victim to themselves. This does not only provide a form of healing but can also extend one's life. Many born with the ability to cast death magic keep their magic hidden but still use this magic in secret on either unsuspecting victims or prisoners. People who look younger than their age are therefore always a bit under the suspicions of using death magic.

Shadow Mastery

Advanced death casters can make the shadows of the world their ally. This make them a real menance especially during dark nights. They are able to merge with shadows and appear in another shadow further away in an instant. This makes them very useful for assisinations attempt as it is quite difficult to defend against. Casters that are especially skilled in this type of magic are able to give shadows form and use them as allies in combat.

Offensive

Death magic can also be used to deal damage in a more direct. It can be used to deal damage to a person or spread disease. It essentially allows the caster to inflict wounds from a greater distance without the need to physically hit them with a weapon. In addition to that they can actually worsen the effects of these wounds.
It can also be used to spread diseases but just as easily control them. This gives death casters the ability to prevent diseases as well which is considered one of the beneficial uses of this type of magic.

by kefkejaco with midjourney

Further Reading