The body is but a vessel, a thing of sinew and bone, once animated by the breath of the Living Spark. But what is life if not repetition? If blood once flowed, it may flow again. If breath once stirred, it may yet return—though not as it was. The Flesh Remembers. You need only command it.
The Rite of Graven Awakening
(To be performed beneath the pall of night, where the moon weeps unseen)
The Vessel – A corpse, no more than three days dead, lest decay invite chaos into the rite. The eyes must remain, even if hollow, for they are the last to forget.
The Price – A drop of one’s own blood, to bind master and servant. Let it fall upon the tongue of the deceased, for in death, thirst remains.
The Breath – Whisper thrice the name the corpse once bore, that the bones might stir. If the name is forgotten, call it by the name of the void: Ahz’ural Vathis.
The Flame – Burn black incense and the marrow of a beast born under an eclipsed sun. Smoke must fill the mouth of the dead. The lungs must know hunger once more.
The Binding – Inscribe upon the forehead the Sigil of Returning (see appended illustration), using ink of ash and bile.
The Word – Speak the final command: "Rise, hollow vessel, and serve."
Sigil of Returning
"A man once whispered into the grave, seeking answers from the silent. He offered flesh, he offered breath, but the dead are not so easily bribed. They listen, always, but they do not answer—unless compelled."
"The eyes! They do not forget! They do not forgive! If they had tongues, they would scream!"
"The longer it walks, the more it listens. The more it listens, the more it remembers. The more it remembers… gods, shut your doors! Shut your doors!"
"You think them mindless? Ha! They hear the whispers. They know the hunger. And hunger… hunger always learns."
