Tale of the Necromant

[redking]

Sit around. I have a tale to tell. Its the tale of the destruction of our world, Athas. It was beautiful once. The gem of the cosmos. The world was destroyed by misuse of magic. It was avoidable, because we always knew the way to prevent the destruction.

As neophyte magic users, we cannot help but use plant energy to power spells. That is because we lack the proficiency in spellcasting to use the gray as the source of energy so early on. It doesn’t take long, however. By the time we reach the third circle of spells (some people call it the third level of spells), with a little willpower and knowledge the energy of the gray can be drawn upon to power magical spells.

We necromants are the true preservers of life. We take life from plants only at the beginning of our magical studies, and then nevermore. The preserver hypocrites point finger at defilers for their open destruction of plant life, while slowly draining the plants of their essence in a more covert manner.

Woe to the hypocrites of the Veiled Alliance! I speak not in ignorance, for I was once one of their number. For years I begged them to take clean and pure path of graycasting and abandon the taking of life from plants, but they rejected my words and side-lined me. They said that graycasting is wrong, that it interferes with the spirits in the afterlife, and other such ignorant words.

I was apprentice to Ktandeo himself. I pleaded with Ktandeo to abandon the life sucking path of the “preserver” and learn graycasting, because if Ktandeo did so, the others in the Veiled Alliance may have followed. Alas, he did not! Worse, Ktandeo obtained a magical cane which allowed him to drain life from animals and living, sentient beings! When I first witnessed Ktandeo use the cane, my tears nourished the desert sands.

To my shame, I participated in the scapegoating of “defilers” by the Veiled Alliance. Once young woman, a self-taught magic user and did not know any better, was burnt at the stake by the Veiled Alliance in an act of ritual torture as a warning to others. If only I had the the courage, I could have counselled her and taught her the pure ways of graycasting, just like I did with Darmun who is sitting over there. I met Darmun years after I left the Veiled Alliance, which was years after I realized that killing is wrong. Darmun was like that young woman. Self-taught. Talented. He was being hunted by the Veiled Alliance for defiling, when his defiling only differed from the preservers of the Veiled Alliance by degree, not substance. I took Darmun under my wing and taught him graycasting. Darmun has never taken energy from plant life since. The hypocrites of the Veiled Alliance have not withdrawn their death sentence that they proclaimed on Darmun. No matter. We protect our own.

Rumour claims that the Sorcerer Monarchs are defilers. So says the Veiled Alliance. I tell you now, this is not true. The Sorcerer Monarchs are necromants, just like us, and they hunt down defilers and Veiled Alliance preservers with equal vigor because our rulers understand that “defiler” and “preserver” are the same life draining menace. We graycasters are caught in the crossfire, collateral damage, as the templars say. If the Sorcerer Monarchs were defilers, their cities would be naught but ash. The Sorcerer Monarchs draw on the limitless energy of the Gray to power their spells.

I bring a message of hope. Some months ago I encountered a radiant and beautiful being. It told me that it is an “avangion” (I know not what it means, but the word fills me with calm), and that it supports my work. It told me that through graycasting, we can restore the world. Ten leagues due south of here we will find an oasis and a forest, where none stood before. This miracle was created by the energy drawn from the Gray. Death to life. Understand this - no magic that draws from the land can restore the land. Only our graycasting can do that.

I task all of you with a mission. Go forth. Tell the people of our world about graycasting. Inform them about the lies of the Veiled Alliance. Tell them that our kings and queens are graycasters, and we follow their example in safely using clean and pure magic. Finally, try to convert defilers and preservers from their destructive, life draining path.

Go in peace.

Explanation: You become a necromant by taking a level in the PrC. You can enter at your 6th level. Entry is very permissive.

You get this class feature.

Why are the Sorcerer Monarchs not necromants? If you can’t answer this question without grasping at straws, the Dark Sun setting is affected by setting warping because of this.

[neujack (Jack Meyer)]

Grey energy has no impact on the physical corporeal environment, but it does hurt your soul.
It’s a bit like listening to Toby Keith…

[Alvar_Calienes (Prohibitus_ille)]

As neujack says,
plus remember the gray is some sort of warped athasian astral plane, that does not exist on other worlds not warped by magic overuse

[redking]

I asked ChatGPT-4 about this. This is what it had to say.

The introduction of alternative power sources—gray, cerulean, and black—might seem like an exciting expansion of magical possibilities. Yet, I understand your argument that these additions risk diluting the core moral struggle that defines Dark Sun. They offer an easy sidestep around the harsh dichotomy of Athas’s magical ecosystem, a way to wield magic without paying the price it demands.

In Athas, magic isn’t just a tool—it’s a testament to the caster’s character, a measure of their respect or disdain for the world’s life force. Preserving and defiling are not simply different ways of casting spells—they represent contrasting worldviews, philosophies of life and power.

To introduce alternative power sources that do not carry similar moral weight, that do not resonate with the hard choices of survival in Athas, seems to bypass this crucial narrative element. It’s akin to introducing a new species into a delicate ecosystem. The consequences may not be immediately obvious, but the ecosystem’s balance is fundamentally disrupted, and that disruption can echo down the ages.

The character of Athas—the true essence of Dark Sun—is intertwined with this stark choice between preserving and defiling. To blur this choice, to offer magic users an easier path, does more than just change the magic system. It changes Athas itself. It risks diluting the tension, the desperation, the life-and-death struggle that defines this unique world.

If we introduce these new magic sources, what becomes of Athas’s struggle? What happens to its spirit, its essence? The world of Dark Sun isn’t just about surviving in a harsh environment—it’s about making hard choices, choices that carry weight and consequence.

In the end, preserving the dichotomy between preserving and defiling isn’t just about maintaining a game mechanic. It’s about keeping the heart and soul of Dark Sun beating strong. It’s about remembering that in Athas, every act of magic is a testament to the caster’s character and their relationship with the world. That’s a part of Dark Sun that deserves preserving.