lthough the necromancer is not a Common member of such armies as may be found defending Albion or reclaiming lands reverted to barbarism, those few of Arawn's Chosen who do participate are amply rewarded. The heady blood-fever of engagement is conducive to insights into the True Nature of the Dark Arts, and every fallen foe is another lesson to be studied and savored.

Death is augmented with Powers learned on the Battlefields of Life.

The knowledge which is acquired in facing Enemies of the Realm is of a different nature than that which is found in defeating the beasts and bandits of the land, and for this reason, strikingly different skills are acquired. Seeking and defeating vermin in their lairs, pixies in their groves, and defiled spirits in their crypts allows for the slow and gradual refinement of the Dark Art; facing down a young Lord of the Sidhe at Caer Hurbury's gate prompts a more immediate learning experience which inspires quick adaptation of what is already known.

These Adaptations thus acquired may be considered of two sorts. The first sort, being the more common, is somewhat Passive in nature; once learned in a flash of illumination, it remains always with the reanimator and affects all that is done. The second sort is Active in nature, not an overall improvement in any way but an Act of Will that is both more dramatic and more tiring, requiring a short interval of recovery before it may be invoked again.

Note well that that great majority of these abilites in no way influence the behavior or efficacy of the summoned minion.

Improvement of Qualities

The first and most obvious choice for the aspiring Battle Necromancer is self-improvement, for what fight could not be better fought if one were only stronger and smarter?

These simplest of choices bring into stark light the great difference between the necromancer and the rest of the world's souls: reliant as we are upon the Unliving Servant brought by Arawn's power, self-improvement is of little regard if it does not grant a boon to the minion or magnify our spiritual magics. Remember this throughout! The interplay between the qualities of the reanimator and those of the servant having been covered in another place, they will not be reiterated here except to note that of these diverse alternatives, only Augmented Acuity holds any great promise.

Refinement of the Physique

Further options for self-improvement focus on pushing the physical form beyond its ordinary limits, both in regenerative ability and in extensive activity which may exhaust lesser beings.

Of course, the physical form is of small concern to the Walker in the Spirit, so little time and even less effort is typically accorded to improvements such as these.

Purification of Energy Channeling

In the area of Spiritual Energy, we now begin to approach the necromancer's proper domain, for gain in this area certainly reflects well Arawn's power and ever-expanding beneficence.

Unfortunately, even these Mystical powers fall short of the Dark Summoner's needs and desires. Such a one has Other more direct means of regaining lost power, and at the same time is bound to the Undead for the casting of most spells. Nonetheless, a slight boost to power is occasionally a great boon, and so Mystic Crystal Lore and Serenity may have their place.

Enhancement of Spell Force

The bodily form and the niceties of ritual have been largely turned aside, having as they do little influence on the necromancer's place in the tides of War. What then remains? Raw bleeding power, the force to shatter frail mortal shells and disintegrate disobedient spirits.

Here we find the Bloody Heart of the matter, and undoubtedly the greatest focus of improvement for the one who wishes to share Arawn's touch with those who would threaten our lands. When the unstoppable force of Death is further driven to higher intensity and keener aim, the necromancer truly reaches the purest expression of the Inevitable Darkness. It is then fully understandable that Wild Power, Mastery of Magery, and (to a lesser degree) Wild Arcana are developed by nearly all who follow the Path.

[Translator's Note: If the wide range of possible paths appears excessive, this is a manner of Illusion; in Truth, most of these alternatives are never realized as is suggested in the text. Scholars of Death readily agree that there is a Recommended List of which paths are indeed worthwhile. – B]