User blog:Ilniaj/The Undead Armies

While the Pharaoh Queendoms are a single culture with single section of land to call their own, the Undead Kingdoms throughout the world are scattered across various lands and often have a very similar culture to the greater country that shares their borders. For example, on the southeastern border of The Empire is a small country called Sylvania, ruled by Wight Queens and Von Carstein Vampires. Other undead creatures such as Vampires and Dullahans hide within plain sight within human societies, keeping their monstrous nature a secret. Dullahans travel the lands, seeking combat to improve themselves, and marrying or recruiting those warriors who they deem worthy. The Lahmian bloodline of Vampires rules from their base of operations known as the Silver Pinnacle, their agents are tied up throughout the world, invisibly exerting untellable control over history. Liches are devoted to understanding and mastering the art of necromancy, either acting as an adviser in the way of magic to Vampires, Dullahans or Wight Queens or living in isolated places in the world, mastering their magic in secret. Ghouls and Jiangshi lurk the wild wilderness of the world, ambushing and capturing men and women to breed with or turn into more of them and Zombies form the standard citizenry of Undead settlements. With the ascension of the current Demon Lord and the restructuring of Necromancy by the goddess Hel, the nature of undeath has changed considerably between ages. While Vampires, Dullahans and Lichs maintain very similar mentalities and forms between ages, the vast bulk of undead, the ghouls, the zombies, the ghosts were changed considerably. While other monster armies are very careful to minimize casualties among their opponents as possible so they can breed with them, the undead are an exception since they can simply use necromancy to revive the dead on the opposing side.

In the previous age, the zombies that formed the bulk and backbone of the undead military were mere automatons animated by the magic of necromancers. These mindless undead feared nothing, needed no supplies, can become quite strong and resilient, were immune to poison and their appearance could frighten opponents but they were also unskilled fighters, would crumble apart should the Necromancer animating them be slain or when put under stress and only had the intelligence for the most basic of tactics. The zombies of the current age now have intelligence and stability, which has caused them to exchange their strengths and weaknesses for new ones. While they are still the bulk and backbone of an undead military and can become quite strong and resilient, an undead army now suffers from the weaknesses of supplies and morale that a living army suffers. Poison can lay them low and their appearance will no longer frighten others. However, these new undead won't crumble apart, can become skilled fighters and have the intelligence for complex battle tactics when well-drilled instead of only when led by a more intelligent undead.

Ghouls and Jiangshi of the previous age were horrid creatures. While zombies were raised from a corpse with little alterations, ghouls and jiangshi are created by warping and twisting the flesh with dark magic before raising it. Both were ugly stooping creatures with only a vestigial sense of reason, tearing at foes with vicious claws coated in a paralyzing poison. They both also possessed a low cunning that allowed them to use marginally more complex tactics than zombies, able to use harassment, ambushes and stalking to reach their foes. In the current age, ghouls and jiangshi in the military operate in the same manner as they did in the previous age, fighting in the same manner using claws and cunning. However, the enhanced intelligence and comely bodies that they now possess allows them to use a few more complex tactics such as impersonating humans and the power of speech.

The last main difference was the presence of humans in undead armies. The Vampires, Dullahans and Lichs of the previous age entirely perpetuated their kind (now they do so by both transforming humans and giving birth) by transforming humans and as such, undead kingdoms would always have an underclass of humans. While it was rare for a loyal human to be sent into battle by the upper-class undead above them since they could simply use lesser undead to fight their battles just as effectively, the basic zombies did not have the intelligence to effectively use ranged weapons. As such, when humans were sent into battle by their undead masters, they wielded ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows rather than being sent into the thick of battle. With the transition to the current age and all zombies able to gain intelligence, the human populations of undead kingdoms were killed and then raised as undead. This also makes it incredibly difficult to re-take territory that the undead gain control over as any population they come across will be killed and then raised.

The armies of the undead kingdom lack warmachines and ranged options, which take the form of either magic missiles used by casters, crossbows and bows used by zombie warriors, or throwing weapons used by ghouls. Their lack of ranged units can be made up for by the abundance of flying creatures they have available and units able to move through terrain easily, allowing them to pick off ranged units and warmachines and then flank the melee line. Despite the gains in intelligence and stability that human shaped and sized undead have gained, the same has not occurred for undead constructs. Dire Wolves, Necrofex Collosi, Terrorgheists, undead horses and Abyssal Terrors all need a Necromancer of some kind to control and animate them or else they fall apart. The leadership of the Undead Kingdoms are very good in combat and few other armies can match them in battles of attrition, as those wounded can be healed and brought back into the fight during a battle rather than between battles.

Liches and Banshees are the magical masters of the army, with powers over the world of the dead and even over the dead themselves. Her magic enables her to extend her "life" and the lives of those she loves for centuries and to raise fresh corpses to create legions of undead. Despite their undeath, their bodily functions are perfectly preserved by powerful magic, their souls bound to the mortal remains. Although her flesh has greyed, she is still immensely powerful, in fact probably more powerful than she ever was when alive. They have had centuries to perfect the study of magic, and they are some of the most powerful spell casters one can encounter in the entire world. To an undead, the passage of time is no longer a yoke that holds them. They are free to devote all their time and efforts to gaining and perfecting forbidden knowledge. While Vampires, Dullahans and Ghoul Queens/Princesses will sometimes display magical abilities, these undead necromancers are above all of them in the magical arts. They maintain and create the various magical constructs that provide brute strength to an undead army, as well as maintain their numbers by resurrecting casualties that are sustained.

Vampires are incredibly powerful creatures and as a leader, combine martial prowess, magical capabilities and cunning military leadership into a single deadly character. Since they can pass as a human as easily as a succubus, they have also infiltrated many of their number into noble courts, either impersonating a noble or turning an existing noblewoman. Those with the capabilities of a vampire are not limited to being all female, husbands raised into an Incubus by a Vampire will display the same powers a female Vampire possess. The vampires can be divided into three bloodlines, the Von Carsteins, Lahmians and Jade-blooded. While physically identical, they operate a bit differently. The Von Carsteins are the most infamous of the three, preferring to rule their undead realms openly. Von Carsteins use their eldritch power to control dire wolves and attract swarms of mundane bats to support their armies. Black Coachs follow their armies to resurrect their kin and sap magic from the field. The Lahmians are the least infamous of the three and they prefer it that way. Beautiful human women from noble families are chosen to be given the Blood Kiss of the Vampire, who then strive to gain control of humans around them by cunning and intrigue. They prefer the ethereal variants of the undead for the ability to stay hidden. The Jade-blooded live in the far Mist Continent and are the most enigmatic. They prefer massive armies of zombies and wights, just like the human Cathayans field massive armies of humans.

The martial Dullahans are similar to the Vampires but with less magical abilities and more raw physical power, modeling themselves after the Knightly orders of human kingdoms. A Dullahan appears to be a human woman but should their head be removed, their true nature as undead monsters is revealed. A Dullahan suffers no debilitation from decapitation and can freely remove her head. Their way is the way of the warrior and each one strives to become the perfect warrior. Dullahan's are travelers, seeking to find a man to marry, recruit worthy women into their kind and become stronger fighters. A man raised into and Incubus by a Dullahan will display the same powers as her, just like how Vampires strengthen the men they marry. Using a small, tactically flexible force of elite troops is the Dullahan way of waging war, because this leaves plenty of scope for individual feats of arms.

Wight Queens/Princesses are incredibly powerful Undead, almost as hard to destroy as Vampires. They operate like the Generals and Captains of human nations, being capable fighters in both ranged and melee ability and capable leaders of undead subordinates. Wights most often wield demon realm silver swords that act as an extension to their ability to drain the spirit energy of their foes. Many, favor greatswords or huge axes instead, again acting as an extension to their ability to drain spirit energy. The merest touch of their spear tip or blade can drain the life from their foes. Even to stand before one of these undead warriors takes an extreme effort of will. For these reasons, a Wight Princess will often be charged with carrying forth the Undead general's personal banner, the Wight Princess able to hold aloft the army standard amidst the fiercest fighting. Undead battle standards are particularly horrible creations, made from the remains of the dead, animated by necromantic magic. Such a duty is often integral to the army's stability, and these indomitable Undead warriors are able to hold aloft the army standard whilst tirelessly striking down one foe after another.

The Ghoul Queens/Princesses are the leaders of Ghoul packs in an undead army. Strong of limb, sharp of claw and possessing a bestial cunning, they lead Ghoul packs in placing themselves in advantageous positions or sometimes even go alone. These Ghoulish nobles spend their days creeping through the hidden places of the world. Despite their savage appearance and behavior, Ghoul Queens/Princesses possess many of the same powers that vampires have, such that it is thought that Ghouls are an imperfect prototype to what led to the creation of the Vampires. Their claws can lay low an enemy in the blink of an eye, and their authority over the Undead and the myriad creatures of the night is still strong. The Ghoul Queens have not lost the power to raise the dead from their slumber and bind them to their will, but they do so in their own instinctual way. Their magic is less subtle than the forms of necromancy practiced by other Vampires, but in the cut and thrust of combat, their savagery gives them a definite edge.

The backbone and bulk of an undead army are provided by zombie soldiers. A freshly raised zombie is a mindless creature, wandering aimlessly and raping any human in sight regardless of the gender of the human she targets. However, with time, a Zombie can regain her mind, becoming mentally and physically identical to a typical human, though with grey skin, a more beautiful body and increased lust. While trained to be decent fighters, they are often considered an afterthought compared to more glamorous units such as Dullahan Knights so they are lacking in professional tactics and discipline compared to the professional armies of other factions. Zombie Warriors have a diverse array of equipment available to them such as halberds, shields, spears, hand weapons, bows and crossbows and are sometimes well-armored as well.

Occasionally, an undead army will be padded out with fresh zombies. These zombies have not regained the minds they had in life and because of that, are mindless flailing creatures that require a Necromancer to direct them. Due to their mindless nature, there is nothing quite so lacking in agility and speed as Fresh Zombies and such, are the weakest of undead making it easy for local militia and adventuring warbands to destroy individuals or even to bring down small groups. To call the way a Zombie attacks 'fighting', is perhaps to give the creature credit beyond its due. They have no skill to speak of, but are instead driven only by the insatiable urge to rape and mate. Any warrior unfortunate enough to be pulled down by a Zombie horde will find himself or herself molested and corrupted. Their only use in an undead army is to tie down enemy units and catch ranged fire. Naturally, undead armies will try to have fresh zombies regain their minds as quickly as possible in massive orgies.

Ghouls and Jiangshi resemble human women, but have odd skin colors and their fingernail have grown into great tough talons that secrete a viscous black venom that can paralyze and monsterize. Ghouls are an unarmored skirmisher unit who will try to flank around enemy armies in an envelopment tactic. Ghouls are even more dangerous than Zombie warriors, being considerably more agile, tougher and with poisoned claws. However, a lack of armor or overwhelming numbers makes them a poor front-line. They are reliant on flanking maneuvers to overwhelm the foe. An elite unit of Ghouls is the Charnel Guard who are Ghouls that have become faster, stronger, more agile and more disciplined through experience. These Ghouls are also impressive scouts, able to lie in wait for hours to appear wherever needed when the time to engage and enemy army appears.

Humans are not the only creatures that undead are made from, the Dire Wolves are made from wolves as one would guess. A Dire Wolf is a macabre parody of the living wolves that roam the forests and badlands of the world. They have skull-like heads, rotting black fur, their flesh hangs in tatters from cracking bones and their skulls and innards are exposed through tears in the skin. The undead use such creatures as hunting hounds, gathering them in great packs around the castles and towers of undead lords. In battle, Dire Wolves will speed along the flanks of the undead army, driving away enemy cavalry and picking off small, vulnerable regiments or war machine crew. More care is taken in specific wolves called Doom Wolves, which are created to lead packs of Dire Wolves, glutting them on living cattle.

The creatures of the nights consist of a variety of races such a Gargoyles, Night Gaunts, Werebats and Vampire Mosquitos, all predators as dark as midnight and silent as death even when in full flight, that prey on men to take as husbands. These monsters typically hunt alone, in which case they will seek out small groups of travelers or better still lone merchants and wanderers. Rarely, several may hunt together, or be recruited into the army of a prominent undead. In this case they will attack more openly, but otherwise with variants of their usual tactics – either overwhelming a group who have inferior numbers, or else carrying off victims. Vargheists/Vargoyles are creatures of the night who have proven themselves above the rest commanding the lesser creatures. Sometimes, these leaders are a spell caster instead of a physical combatant, serving the same role as a Lich but flying, which gives the advantage of increased maneuverability.

When the armies of the undeath go to war, the skies above them are obscured by a multitude of otherwise mundane bats. Like great nebulous shadows these immense clouds obscure light of sun and moon alike, swathing the battlefield in darkness, the better to confound and demoralize the living. As battle commences, hundreds of these animals descend on the enemy, battering and clawing in order to distract the foe, often buying enough time for the Undead army to close in. In dark clouds they fall upon the foe, chittering, scratching and biting. Though each bat presents little threat to an armoured warrior, when numbered in their scores they can tear the skin from a man.

When the undead march forth, the Grave Guard advance at the head of the undead host. They form a formidable corps of warriors, protected by heavy armor, their enchanted blades cutting down the toughest of enemies with strike after pitiless strike. The Grave Guard are elite units consisting entirely of Wights. The resilience of Grave Guard are well-known throughout the nations of man, elf and dwarf. Their combination of stout shields, thick armor plates and undead resilience means that more than a simple sword blow will be required to stop them. Sometimes, they will abandon their shields for halberds and great weapons but the loss in defensive power is worth the gains in offensive power. In addition, the ability to drain the energy from targets that all Wights have makes them incredibly effective against armored or resilient foes as they sap the very life force from living enemies.

Black Knights are similar to the Grave Guard but mounted on the animated skeletons of horses. Their steeds are trapped in a strange half-life by rituals that have bound them to their riders. Borne by their sorcerous steeds, the Black Knights exist neither wholly in the hereafter, nor wholly in the material world. They can pass through walls without hindrance, and gallop at full speed across fen and moor. There have been reports of Black Knights galloping straight through the rubble of ruined cities, or even charging across the surface of a lake without leaving so much as a ripple. These unliving cavaliers crash into the ranks of their living enemies, spitting their foes on lances wreathed in cold flame, and lashing out with heavy swords once the charge is finished.

A corpse cart is an unnatural wagon filled with an orgy of the undead and driven by an undead ox. Those who get too close to the Corpse Cart risk being dragged in. The Corpse Carts act like magnets to Dark Magic, drawing its power from the ground and air and animating the undead around them. Sometimes a Corpse Cart is hung with a great bell, the clapper of which is a fell lodestone of eldritch provenance. When Necromantic magic is cast upon the Corpse Cart the bell tolls menacingly and ripples of Dark Magic spread out from it. Under the influence of this mystical knell, the undead are drawn back together and corpses stagger to their feet. Other times, Corpse Carts have been sighted with braziers burning with dark flames. The smoke from these balefires contains particles of warpstone, which interfere with the Winds of Magic and making enemy spellcasters more likely to have a mishap in their casting.

No Vampire starts off in the leadership of undead society, every one of them starts off as a handmaiden. Each Vampire woman is an exquisite beauty, but only those with both cleverness and wit will ever ascend beyond the rank of Handmaiden, or be granted vampirism after starting as a human. Potential inductees are identified by the Vampires vast web of influence, which entangles all the major cities of the world. The chosen maiden's journey – consented to or otherwise – is arranged in secret, and fulfilled via luxuriously appointed carriages that no border guard dares challenge. In their courtly disguises they are ravishing ladies – porcelain-skinned nobles and exotic princesses from afar. While a Vampires true skills lie in courtside infiltration and the politics of subversion, they are still deadly foes on the battlefield. When Vampire Handmaidens fight on the battlefield, they form a lightly armored skirmisher unit, skilled at both ranged and missile combat.

Dullahan Knight are among the most fearsome cavalry in the world. Their training and discipline is enhanced by the unnatural speed and strength of a Dullahan. Dullahan Knights are nigh indestructible, riding through storms of arrow and shot. Such is their honor that they will refuse no martial challenge, and will fight at the forefront of an Undead army without question. It is said that even the fabled Grail Knights of Lescatie cannot match the Blood Knights lance for lance upon the field. The knights do not ride flesh and blood horses, but charge across the field of battle upon undead horses with fiery eyes and foetid breath, that are clad in thick barding painted with disturbing icons of necromantic power.

In a world saturated with magic, the dead do not rest easily. Ghosts, shades and spectres of the dead return to haunt the land of the living. On certain nights these lost souls can be seen hovering above the places of their death, shimmering with unnatural light. Spectres are insubstantial and often semi-transparent, glowing pale white with magical energy. They are silent creatures but no less frightening for being so. When a mortal dies, their essence will dissipate over time unless their body is revived with Necromancy. However, should the body be destroyed, some spirits may force themselves to remain in the mortal world, becoming the various kinds of Ethereal Undead. As spirits, they can turn invisible at will and are immune to mundane weapons. On the field of battle, these apparitions cluster together in vast hosts that drift towards their enemies with terrible inevitability. Even a cannonball strike will not damage a Spirit Host, for they exist only partially in this world. However, this twilight state does not render a spirit harmless, they can easily possess someone they reach or tear their soul out to join them.

Spirits who ride spectral horses are known as Reaper Knights, and are one of the most feared units of the undead. No guard or fortress can protect against them, simply passing through both as if they are not there. The scythe-like weapons they use to slay their prey would be lethal enough in the material realm, but because the Hexwraiths shimmer between worlds, their spirit scythes are able to pass through armor or scaled Dragon-hide without hindrance. A single blow from a spirit scythes can snatch away a mortal's essence whilst leaving his physical form completely unharmed. It is these strange weapons that have earned their name as "Reaper Knights".

Among the greatest of Ethereal Undead are the Wraiths, the oldest and most powerful among them. They are among the most dreaded of all Undead. Lacking physical forms altogether, they cannot be put down by axe, sword or hammer blow. Even the strongest faith cannot banish such creatures easily. They have gained the ability to drain the spirit energy out of mortal men like a Wight and their ethereal nature makes this even easier with no armor or flesh able to protect against it. Wraiths are excellent shock troops these creatures glide across the battlefield, robes rippling in etheric winds as arrows, bullets and bolts pass harmlessly through them. Unhindered by cannonball or flame, the Wraiths close in on their prey, seeking out and cutting down the enemy without so much as a whisper. Because they are impervious to physical weaponry, only the raw energies of magic or a well-placed blow from an enchanted weapon can slay a Wraith. The crippling fear that arises from having a nigh-unkillable spectre scythe down any too slow to escape causes even brave men to quit the field. Those who do resist the urge to flee find their return blows passing through the Wraith's incorporeal form. It is well that such creatures are so rare, for these silent assassins are quite capable of slaughtering their way through an entire garrison over the course of a single moonless night.

Equal or perhaps more dangerous than the Wraiths are experienced Phantoms, undead enchantresses. The nature of an ethereal undead bars them from conventional magic that those of flesh and blood enjoy. Instead, Phantoms can transmit their thoughts to others, which has been nicknamed "The Silent Howl". In battle, this is used to lull warriors unconscious, a very potent technique. A single Phantom is a terrifying prospect, and even those warriors skilled enough to match blades with a Dullahan have little defense against her unnatural howl. Phantoms prefer to use stealth to attack an enemy, concealing themselves within a suitable object. A concealed Phantom will periodically peek out, leaning forward and passing her head out of the object to do so. When her chosen prey is close, she will leap forth and attack. The more cunning Phantoms may attempt to pick their victims off one at a time, targeting stragglers or lone scouts first before attacking the rest of the party.

A Black Coach is a Coach with the remains of a powerful undead within it, drawn by a Wraith and pulled by grisly zombified horses. When powerful undead are slain and the undead are unable to retrieve the remains before humans do, the remains are often burnt. This does not signal their demise, as their spirits can live on in these remains. If a follower of one of these monsters can gather the remains and place them within a coffin, the remains will be safe. This gives the servants time to perform rituals to bring them back. By creating a Black Coach the retainers of powerful undead can transport the rejuvenating form to places full of magical energy such as battlefields or monster orgies to hasten the regeneration of the undead's body. When the Black Coach absorbs a lot of magic in a short time, it transforms and grows stronger. The driver and steeds are invigorated with energy, the coach manifests spectral blades, it alights with witch-fire, forms a barrier against magic, starts to flicker between the world of the living and dead and even gains the ability to fly.

There have been many Master Liches throughout history, so saturated with power that their forms radiate magic. No mere casket or hearse would be fit to bear the remains of one of these masters of death. Instead, they are enshrined within a Mortis Engine, a cage of fused bone, surrounded by trappings of grandeur and borne to war by a host of spirits and phantoms. The Mortis Engine is watched over by an apprentice necromancer who has been made inured to dire energies that emanate from it. When the locks are removed and the reliquary opened, the deadly artefact inside can be held aloft, stealing life from the enemy and energizing the nearby undead. The longer a battle rages, the more energies the artefact absorbs and the more powerful it becomes. Mortis engines are usually found where the fighting is thickest, drifting ominously near to the battleline where their power is needed. However, opening the reliquary is not without risk, its power can sometimes tear apart the engine itself. If such a relic is shattered on the battlefield, the release of magic has been known to smite everything in the vicinity. Some reliquaries also carry fell tomes into battle, the winds of magic becoming nigh uncontrollable when near such a tome. These books are a boon to the practitioners of Necromancy but are the bane of reckless and unwary spellcasters.

The art of necromancy has born many a morbid creation into the world and one of the most terrifying is the Necrofex Colossus. Only Necromancers of singular power and vision are able to fashion one. These colossi vary in size and composition, but always hold true to a basic form, a monstrous humanoid shape fashioned upon a frame of timber, iron and bone onto which the flesh and musculature of the dead have been bound and shaped, with scores of sometimes hundreds of corpses used in their creation. If these dark rites prove successful the Necromancers will have created a truly terrifying monstrosity, a giant of unloving flesh that fear neither pain nor injury, a walking vortex of deathly energy that gives power to dark magic and against which no mortal can stand. No two Necrofex Colossuses are quite alike, and are instead the product of the ambition and morbid imagination of the Necromancer that has fashioned them.

One of the most ostentatious mounts for a female vampire to ride is the Coven Throne, a gilded palanquin born aloft by a swarm of ghostly spirits. Vampires are self-indulgent and take great pains to present themselves in splendor and majesty at all times. As such, a Coven throne is bedecked with rare artifacts and strewn with silk-embroidered cushions and other finery. Over the centuries, the Vampires have become skilled in the arts of foretelling and prescience in order to stay one step ahead of the agents who pursue them. The Coven Thrones bear great enchanted bowls full of the blood of beasts, within which the handmaidens accompanying the Vampire Lady can scry the future. Any who focus on the Coven throne to attack it risk getting ensorcelled, inhibiting their ability to attack or causing them to turn on each other. Despite their luxury, these ostentatious palanquins are potent weapons upon the battlefield. The Vampires themselves move so swiftly as to be virtually invisible to the eye, but their true strength lies in their unity. A coven of Vampires fighting as one is as formidable a prospect as any Dragon or Archangel.

In hidden reaches, titanic bats the size of dragons known as Terrorgheists soar out from their caves to hunt. Terrogheists have poor vision, but will render its foes motionless by emitting an ear piercing shriek so loud and unexpected that it can stun a horse into paralysis. A creature so powerful in life is just as powerful in death, streaking through the clouds or blotch-skinned pinions. When undead, it's shriek is transformed from mundane sound to a blast of eldritch power, able to knock people out for hours. By venting this unholy noise, a Terrorgheist can cripple an enemy regiment before it slams into the reeling survivors. Worse yet, Ghoul Queens have been known to ride these fearsome creatures, forming a terrifying partnership. It is the mortal remains of these troglodytic beasts that the Ghoul Queens bind to their service. As Dark Magic swirls around the monstrous cave-creature, a bond of blood is formed between master and beast. Much like any other creature that drinks from a Ghoul Queen's veins, Terrorgheists have necromantic power running in their blood that can heal even the most severe of wounds. In death, a Terrorgheist becomes a nightmare made real. Guided by its master's will, the monstrosity creaks through the clouds above the battlefield on blotch-skinned pinions, its rotten flesh and withered organs open to the night air. Clotted hanks of fur cling in patches to its skeletal neck, and its skull swings from side to side as it tracks its prey on the plains below.

Normally, the pride of a dragon cannot be overcome in the service of allowing someone to ride her, not so for the Dragon Zombie. A man that she has married will be raised up into an equal to a Lich, Vampire or Dullahan. As such, these powerful men will sometimes ride their wife into battle. Wreathed in a miasma of rot, a Dragon Zombie can turn the tide of a battle purely by dint of her horrific presence. A Dragon Zombie is borne aloft by great tattered wings, its body covered with thick, withered hide. Though in life it once breathed fire capable of melting steel, a Zombie Dragon can only belch forth a cloud of pestilent gas which strips the inhibitions from men and women and corrupts them. A Dragon Zombie's claws and sword-like teeth remain as sharp and deadly as they ever were, and it is capable of toppling an armored knight and swallowing his warhorse in one motion. When such a monster is used as a steed by a powerful man, even the greatest heroes and sturdiest warriors quail before the raw might of undeath, for the combined might of hero and mount is enough to break the back of any army. Despite their undead nature, Dragon Zombies grow as they live and can generally be classified into three sizes. Young dragons are the smallest with weaker bodies and scales, "Standard" Dragons are middling in capability and Great Dragons are the oldest and mightiest among them.

A female monster could never convince a Zombie Dragon to let them ride her. However, there is a workable, if inferior way around this. Many Vampires, Lichs and Dullahans have created the Abyssal Terror, crafted out of dozens of animal corpses. Abyssal Terrors are inevitably borne to war on ragged wings, allowing their Undead masters to strike at the heart of the enemy army. Creating an Abyssal Terror is considered the pinnacle of achievement for a master of the necromantic arts. The creation of these disturbing constructs has more to do with the unholy science of those who follow the dark arts than with any natural process. The Necromancer has to cast many terrible spells to meld and fuse the remains of these monsters into this nightmarish horror. An Abyssal Terror is at least as dangerous as the creatures it has been created from with the addition of unholy strength, for a talented Necromancer can mould flesh and bones as if they were clay, to make the creature even more deadly, festooning it with tusks, fangs, spines and huge malformed claws. Their vile creation is finally given animus when Morrslieb is at its fullest and a portion of that cyclopean moon's power is invested in the beast as it lurches and twitches upright. When the Spell of Awakening is complete, the Abyssal Terror rises and is ready to impale any who stand against its master, with its deadly spines, tusks and huge razor sharp claws. Whatever their form, these creatures are powerful and deadly, and cause grown men to flee in dread. These abominations are favored as beasts of war, mostly because their terrifying appearance alone has been known to rout entire forces. If the galloping charge of a Lord on an Undead Steed is enough to scatter entire units of troops on the field of battle, the sight of a Lord entering the battle on the back of an Abyssal Terror can send entire armies fleeing in terror. A Lord mounted on the back of such a monster can smash regiments and overwhelm the strongest heroes of their enemy.

The Skeletal Steed has already been mentioned as a mount for Wights but another such mount that Wight Queens/Princesses use is the Barrow Chariot, ridden by a Wight Queen/Princess and pulled by skeletal steeds able to travel any terrain. These Barrow Chariots advance along battle lines, ready to break battle lines under their wheels.

Vampires and Dullahans do not ride to battle upon mounts of mortal flesh and blood. They instead ride the zombified carcasses of dead warhorses animated by magic, known as Hellsteeds. Though their flesh is withered and their skin pocked and rank, these mighty steeds are infused with Dark Magic and can easily bite or kick a soldier to death. Their shadowy flanks shimmer with magical energy, their eyes glow like hot coals and their hooves burn with a magical flame. These beasts are often clad in heavy barding or wear caparisons of rusting chainmail. They have viciously spiked chamfrons to protect their heads and gore a soldier, and barbed flanchards on their flanks to tear at the flesh of foes. Some Hellsteed's have bat-like, broad spanned wings tipped with talons and when furled they are protected by thick scales and bone protrusions.