Supernatural Entity Data Files: The Lich

Supernatural Entity Data Files: The Lich

Important Details: The lich is a unique and incredibly powerful necromantic entity. In form, he seems most similar to a wraith. We believe he still retains his ‘life’, however – in a similar fashion to elementals (as gleaned from the efforts of an ESP agent who has met with him). It has been difficult to get anyone capable of observing him close enough to observe, and also difficult pinning down what is actually him.
            His origin – name, where he was born, details of his early life (or anything before he took over the Meander cult after lichdom) – has been impossible for us to discover. We believe several high ranking Meander Corporation ‘executives’ know some details, but they have not been forthcoming with them. These days (although he never meets any non-necromancer/tainted Meander employees) he goes by ‘James Sanders IV’, owner of sixty percent of the Meander Corporation. Several false births and deaths have allowed him to pass the company through the ‘generations’.
            Records we do have access to indicate that the Meander Corporation was founded one hundred and fifty years ago by ‘James Sanders’; this, combined with an offhand comment about founding the company after he became a lich, gives us a rough age of at least two hundred years, likely two hundred and fifty (due to necromantic age extension practices).
            As leader (though never in an official, public facing capacity) of the Meander Corporation, the lich is at present an ‘ally’. We are unsure if he is behind the decision to cease hostilities between our organisations, or our tenuous alliance that exists to curb increases in blackwing. Direct dealings with him have been limited to a couple of encounters that seemed to be matters of pure curiosity on his part. Current information indicates that he does not consider us a threat to his life, and as such is probably for the alliance.

Physiology: As a proper, detailed examination has proved impossible what follows is mostly conjecture. It is also important to note that the little information we do have was garnered with the lich’s foreknowledge; as such, we may have been fooled completely. The lich is most similar to a wraith. He has dissolved his body into dust, and imbued each part with large amounts of necromantic energy. His ‘life’ – somehow unaffected by the presence of so much necromantic energy – is used to hold his body together.
            Beyond this, details of his physiology are unknown. We do, however, know the extent of his power. He is capable of actively channelling necromantic energy in amounts equal to thousands of apprentice necromancers; and his body serves as a reservoir that likely holds enough necromantic energy to destroy an entire city. This is more power than we thought was possible, and makes destruction of the lich (an eventual necessity) a highly difficult task.

Other Details: The lich is responsible for Meander Corporation’s creation and growth into a powerful, multinational organisation. Though it remains privately held, Meander Corporation has expanded worldwide (for more details, see Supernatural-Aware Organisation Files: Meander Corporation).
            As far as we are aware, ‘the’ lich is the only lich in existence. There are several ‘failed lichs’ (of varying properties and power), but all are incapable of accessing necromancy following their failure. The uniqueness of the lich despite the attempts of contemporaries to replicate his achievement hopefully means that there will not be a ‘creature’ file for lichs any time soon.
            We do know that the lich has been behind (though acting through the Meander Corporation) the elimination of many necromancer cults (and, we suspect, vast numbers of non-necromancer magi). Records gained from various sources indicate that there was little unity amongst necromancers, beyond certain small cults, until the emergence of the lich and his ascension to the head of Meander (“They by the river”).  Amongst magi in general they were a minority.
            Over the past one hundred and fifty years, however, Meander has absorbed or eliminated most necromancer groups; and necromancers have exploded in number while magi have dropped in number. This is the work of the lich; no lieutenant of his remains from the earliest years, yet the drive and nature of Meander remains the same. Of late, we have fewer instances of magic-using groups being wiped out. This is likely because, for all intents and purposes, the lich has already won.