Undead slayers were elves that devoted their lives to the cause of hunting down and combating undead.[1][3]
Culture[]
Undead slayers came from all walks of life and all the elven subraces. The majority of undead slayers lived on mainland Faerûn, owing to the lack of undead on the elven island nation of Evermeet, though a few did live on the island in case an undead threat ever arose.[1] They tended to be rather grim and serious-faced individuals, their chosen line of work having made them lose the lust for life that was typical of elves. They spent time studying the various patterns of undead existence and developed methods to combat them, but each went on to specialize in the knowledge of how to combat particular forms of undead.[3]
Undead slayers were resolute in their mission. Chances to eliminate undead were never turned down or backed away from, regardless of what the personal cost might be. If sacrificing themselves would lead to the perishing of undead, slayers would not hesitate to take that cost. However, their feelings towards undead were not evenly spread. While mindless undead such as skeletons and zombies were no less worthy of being slain, undead slayers held particular animosity towards sentient undead, making no exceptions for those that had proven themselves to be friendly or harmless. For example, even if a lich that had proven itself to be a neutral good and kindly individual, their mere existence would infuriate undead slayers to no end and be cause enough for their destruction.[3][note 1]
Abilities[]
Undead slayers tended to be variously skilled in the fields of healing, herbalism, ancient and local history, ancient languages, and survivalism. Additionally, they learned how to hone the keen senses of the elven people to accomplish the unique feat of detecting the unnatural rhythms that most undead produced, though this ability couldn't detect the movements of vampires. Even without the use of this sense, undead slayers were knowledgeable enough of undead to notice signs of infestation and thereafter trace them back to their source.[3]
Possessions[]
The commonly carried gear amongst undead slayers included two or more vials of holy water, a silver mirror, several sharpened stakes, multiple holy symbols, and tinder for torches. Amongst these items, holy water and a silver mirror were considered paramount starting points for any undead slayer's arsenal. In terms of weaponry, they typically carried a bludgeoning weapon, though sometimes complemented it with a piercing or slashing weapon. These weapons were always made of silver.[3]
Notable Undead Slayers[]
- Argus Hawkmoon, a mage and cleric of Sehanine Moonbow.[4]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Interestingly, the brief snippet on undead slayers in Elves of Evermeet brings up that baelnorns, an elven form of lichdom, are one of the few undead to exist on Evermeet and yet makes no mention of there being any hostility towards them from the few undead slayers that lived on the island.
See Also[]
- Deathslayers, human mages that similarly devoted themselves to wiping out undead.
- Necrobanes, Kelemvorite specialty priests similarly devoted to wiping out undead.
- Undead hunters, paladins who trained to be especially effective against undead opponents, albeit at the cost of neglecting their healing capabilities.
Appearances[]
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
A Goodly Apple
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Anne Gray McCready et al. (March 1994). Elves of Evermeet. (TSR, Inc), p. 112. ISBN 1-5607-6829-0.
- ↑ Robert Wiese (September 28, 1995). A Goodly Apple. Living City (RPGA), p. 20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Colin McComb (1993). The Complete Book of Elves. (TSR, Inc), pp. 94–95. ISBN 1-56076-376-0.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 158. ISBN 978-0786906574.