Drowned dead

A drowned dead was a creature who had died via drowning. These creatures could be animated as undead.

Relationships
Drowned dead were used by a range of other creatures and persons, such as priests of Umberlee, pirates, and the demon lord Zuregurex. Umberlant priests could use the speak with the drowned dead spell to contact such a creature. The divination process required the priest to call out the fallen's name, and once the spell was cast, the caster could ask the drowned dead two questions. The drowned dead spirit could reject the priest if they were a lot more powerful when living, or of largely different alignment.

Pirates often hired Umberlant priests to cast such a spell, so they could ascertain the location of a fallen shipwreck or sunken treasure.

History
Zuregurex was the tanar'ri demon lord of the drowned dead and storms, who occupied the 480th layer of the Abyss, known as Guttlevech. Guttlevech was a realm of blood-soaked beaches, hurricanes, and endless shipwrecks.

The lord of the drowned dead once wished to own the waters of Gaping Maw, and thus led an army of animated drowned dead and air elementals against another demon lord. However, his armies were defeated by Demogorgon and they pursued him back to the 480th layer of the Abyss. Here, the layer was ravaged by Demogorgon and his minions destroyed the realm. He turned the violent and turbulent waters of the realm against Zuregurex, but he escaped to another layer, known as the The Scalding Sea. It was rumored that the lord of the drowned dead was rebuilding their realm.

Trivia
Powerful clerics could animate drowned dead using the animate dead spell.

Appearances

 * Video games
 * Icewind Dale series (Icewind Dale • Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter • Icewind Dale II)