Or Dnùrū

Essential Form of Death

Among Dekàli cultures, Or Dnùrū is a forbidden study whose secrets are fiercely guarded by the followers of Drāūn, the god of death. Although it is possible to learn and practice Or Dnùrū outside that Cult, the faithful seem very attuned to its powers and are attracted to the places where it is sensed.

Very few of the Dràgyr teach the black art, fearing reprisal from the Temple of Drāūn. In recent times however, the practice has grown more widespread due to an absence of representation by the Drāūn faithful. The most common transgression of this “law” are the creation of elixirs of longevity. Pryr Drāūn are entitled by old Dekàli Law, to seek and destroy all renegade users of Or Dnùrū.

Despite a hold on the use of Or Dnùrū, there are many interpretations of the magic and how it is used. Drāūnyr believe that the soul of a person leaves the body following a series of rites. Without these rites, it is believed that the soul cannot cross the River of the Dead but instead floats or sinks among the thousands of heathen dead which also come to the River. Or Dnùrū magics drag these souls backward to the waking realm and employ them for worldly uses. This process robs the God of the Dead of his rightful souls and is considered a trespass into her realm. In ancient times, the Pryr Drāūn trained witch hunters to seek out such necromancers, and to commit their souls to the faith.

“The belief that disembodied spirits may be permitted to revisit this world, has its foundation upon that sublime hope of immortality, which is at once the chief solace and greatest triumph of our reason. Even if revelation did not teach us, we feel that we have that within us which shall never die; and all our experience of this life but makes us cling the more fondly to that one repaying hope.” – from Charles Mackay’s “Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds”

Outside the Dekàlan Circles, necromancy is much more widely practiced (though commonly shunned in civilized areas). This state of affairs has influenced and led to more than one war, prodded by the urging of the allied Temples of Drāūn and Īrul. The First Crusade was launched to unseat the Acèntyri necromancer king Taltàs Bludspar. This action initiated a long history of warfare between the Dekàlyr and their eastern neighbors, which may have ultimately led to the Empire’s downfall.

Or Dnùrū encompasses magics that deal with death and undeath. While other philosophies of magic include disease, sickness, and enervation as necromantic, Teréðori scholars disagree. The Dekàli tradition places disease at the doorstep of Voradrū and Vīsìktrū. Disease and sickness are the opposite of Halra (i.e., the mending or creation of health). Draining magics that transfer health from one subject to another are considered ælàmra (move) Voradrū (health), Or Dnùrū being the state achieved should those magics be successful.

An exception to the Drāūni “monopoly: on Or Dnùrū magics, is the Pryr Kændlan use of reincarnation. The most famous example of “misused necromancy” occurred following the death of the High Priestess of Pæð. The priestess was on the verge of solving a centuries old magical puzzle at the time of her death. A priest of Drāūn was summoned, but after conferring with oracles and many night’s prayers the priest reported that his god would not release the priestess’s soul. The priests of Pæð were outraged, and convened to construct their own ceremony of resurrection. The ritual was carried out in private and the High Priestess’s soul was retrieved from the River of the Dead (or snatched from its journey to that place). Following the ceremony, a ghost (rf. Sorrom) began appearing in the High Library, draining the lives of gathered priests. The High Priestess understood then the price of her revival, and went alone into the Library. There she confronted the servant of Kyrçul, and was taken back into the Realm of the Dead.

It is not believed that all transgressions warrant the response of Drāūn and his powers, though the god’s faithful are known to be sensitive about these matters.

Spells

Dragàmyr

  • Moryna’s Eye of Omen (orys orádra Or Dnur)
  • Moryna’s Recall (orys orádra Or Dnur)
  • Sârul’s Eyesigil: Life (ka shurt orádra Or Dnur)

Vornàmyr

  • Calling of the Dead (ildra Or Dnùrū)
  • Eyes and Ears (ka shurt orádra Or Dnùrū)
  • Find Remains (vazàllor orádra Or Dnùrū)
  • Spirited Bones (ælàmra Or Dnùrū)
  • Servant of Bones (sorádra Or Dnùrū)
  • Sleep of Death (sorádra Or Dnùrū)
  • Vision of Doom (orys orádra Or Dnùrū)
  • Words of the Dead (endàrtra Or Dnùrū)

Foci

  • Bones of the Dnurū. The bones of a Dnurū are potent fetishes for the Weaving of Or Dnùrū. The two main factors contributing to the potency of these components are the power of the Dnurū and the length of the bone. The femur of a powerful Dnurū is a potent ingredient. Once a bone has been used it crumbles to dust.
  • Teréð Domdnur. Grave dirt is the least powerful focus for Or Dnùrū spells. A notable exception to this is when the dirt has been gathered from the grave of the spell’s target. In this latter case, the power of the teréð domdnur is relative to the number of years the target was buried (longer = greater effect).

Resources

  • Dral Drènum Nom. An oversized folio with dark green cover and grey Dekàlic lettering. The interior illustrations depict the stages of decay and provides annotation as to which periods are more receptive to Or Dnùrū. The main illustrations are expertly worked woodcuts of a man, a woman, and female child. A short appendix describes working with animals, but is cursory and not illuminated. The book is believed to be a copy of a much older book or scroll written in the 2nd century DR. Pieces of the earlier book are believed to have been omitted by Drāūn “requests”. The book is of interest to anyone dabbling in Or Dnùrū and of vital importance to those seeking to create undead. The books were originally printed for the Zûn but became popular among other Circles and can be found throughout post-Dekàli Teréðor. (74 pages)
    • Author: Unkn. (Zûn of Kændal)
    • Language/Script: Dekàlic 13+ / High Davar
    • Written: Unkn., cir 200 DR
    • Published: Es Tudur,Kændal, Zûn Printing, 398 DR
    • Copies: Unkn,; House of Ðarád Zor (Oð), Dalmor’s Books (Oð)
  • Vor Kyùrada. A large soiled tome written by the Ghûl mage Ðarád Zor about experiences following his transformation from life to undeath. The book contains many interesting references to Ghûl “anatomy” and “ecology” that would greatly interest students of Or Dnùrū. Much of the book takes an almost poetic turn, as the author attempts to describe the “hunger”, an obsession throughout the text. The title is a metaphysical reference to the veil which separates the Waking and the spirit worlds. As a diary, the book also contains mention of current events around the City of Oð during this period. The book also contains incomplete references to an elaborate Ghûl network that the writer hints spreads throughout the City of Iron’s “subterranea”. (232 pages)
    • Author: Ðarád Zor
    • Language/Script: Old Oðic 18+
    • Written: 620-652 DR
    • Published: Self-published, Cenotaph,
    • Copies: 1; House of Ðarád Zor (Oð)

Nomenclature: Or Dnur Dekàlic: Or Dnùrū (magical form), Dnùri (pertaining to), Dnùryn (specialist), Dnùryr (specialists)