«Жизнь – это перемены, хаос, разврат и страдание. Смерть – это мир, порядок и бесконечная красота».
Also known as: Necromancer, Living Dead.
Briefly: Necromancers formed as a small sect of Mages and developed into a powerful nation. They worship Asha in the form of a spider, her darkest aspect. At the same time, Necromancers interpret it in their own way, attaching special significance to death and extolling the state of the undead, to which all Necromancers belong. They study death magic, allowing them to live forever; on their path to immortality, they also study ways to control the souls of dead people (ghosts aka призраки) and methods of raising the dead from their graves (skeletons aka скелеты).
Sources of inspiration: Ancient Egypt (Book of the Dead), Buddhism (asceticism and rejection of the world of flesh and blood as illusory and fleeting), various sects (fanaticism, cult of the leader, striving for order, freedom from all accepted moral foundations).
Colors: black, white, fluorescent (poisonous) green.
Symbolism: Death Spider, Number 8: vertically oriented (Asha – mistress of Time – hourglass) or horizontally (Asha – mistress of Space – infinity).
Revered deities: Necromancers worship Asha, the Prime Dragon of Order, in her twisted "dead" image.
Foundations of worldview: “Embrace the void. Enlightenment can only be found after liberation from the flesh. Time is our ally for everything that lives and will one day perish…” An unhealthy fascination with death and a fanatical attachment to all causes of death.
Country/kingdom: Silver Cities.
Capital: absent during the events of Might & Magic: Heroes VI.
Social organization: Necromancers are exceptional ascetics. Fleshly pleasures meet their disapproval, as do any kinds of entertainment and celebrations. Citizens prefer to speak softly or even in whispers; no one is in a hurry, and the streets do not differ much between day and night. Those who have errands perform them calmly and then go home, where there are primarily childless social groups called "families," since no better term has been thought of. Necromancers mark their birthdays in isolation and repentance. Producing offspring is usually disapproved of, as it is considered a distraction from more sublime pursuits.
Magic: Lords of Death specialize in destructive directions of Magic with a particular fondness for the Prime Magic of Order (revealed by Sar-Ilam, the Seventh Dragon) and the elemental spheres (?) of Darkness and Earth. They also created their own branch of magic, which they called Necromancy. Most of their spells consist of destruction, weakening the body, and controlling the spirit.
Necropolis Strategy: “A dead enemy is a good ally.” Necropolis generals try to buy time while weakening the enemy army and raising fallen troops from the dead, thereby creating an unstoppable army. In this regard, they can rely on several abilities that provide prolonged mass curses and "damage over time" (referring to spells like "Plague"), cancellation of healing for enemy troops, and resurrection of fallen troops.
Strengths: mass curses and "damage over time," targeted cancellation of healing and resurrection (this seems to refer specifically to the "resurrection" spell rather than the racial ability of necromancers related to raising the dead), hardy troops, always neutral morale.
Weaknesses: low mobility, low damage, limited abilities to support their own troops.
Racial ability: Necromancy – any living creature or undead that falls on the battlefield "feeds" a special gauge. The player can use it to increase the size of one of their units. A certain percentage of creatures raised in battle remains after the fight. Necromancers, like Mages, are rarely found directly on the front line. They prefer to remain in the rear as command staff or support units. Necropolis armies consist of countless hordes of undead, absolutely obedient, immune to fear and pain, advancing one wave after another. However, the living dead are usually slow and clumsy, but by their numbers they force the enemy to literally drown in bodies, and ranks of dead enemies rise to replace their own fallen troops. Necromancers also involve ghosts in battles for swift and precise strikes. In many ways, ghosts for Lords of Death are analogues to Djinns for Mages. As a rule, Necromancers prolong attacks for long hours, knowing full well that this is one of their main advantages. After all, their troops never tire. Unlike most factions, the Necropolis, relying on its ability to "outlast" enemies, usually does not focus on support, but rather on dealing damage. Your goal on the battlefield should be to suppress the enemy's ability to deal more damage than your army can withstand.
Also, any support on the enemy side capable of removing and canceling your curses must become one of the primary targets for suppression.
Canonical Necropolis Hero: Necromancer (Magic Hero) Most high-ranking Lords of Death choose the path of Necromancers, masters of dark curses, earth-based enhancements (?), and, above all, focus on fundamental control over time.