Amber and Iron - Margaret Weis [132]
At first the new Beloved believes all of the promises of eternal life and youth have come true. It seems a beautiful, impossible dream, and it is just that—an impossible dream—for instead of eternal life, a Beloved finds unending death.
The lusts and desires that led a Beloved down a path of damnation and servitude continue to plague it in unlife. But wine and spirits neither satisfy thirst nor lead to pleasant, mind-numbing intoxication; no amount of food can cure the Beloved’s endless hunger. Though consumed with desire, it can never feel satiated.
The Beloved’s memories, both of its former life and its activities after death, eventually fade away like a dream upon waking. Friends, family, and former lovers are all forgotten. Only its endless cravings and the commandments of Chemosh remain.
Eventually, however, the Beloved of Chemosh discover a terrible pain in their existence. Even as other senses dull, they begin to experience a throbbing pressure. Only killing eases the pain. Poisons, swords, suffocation—it makes no difference. All souls go before Chemosh, and the Beloved’s suffering is eased for a time.
The only subject known to distract a Beloved from its purpose is the mention of a name: Mina. All other interests and activities cease at the sound of her name. All hope to find her. Though most have never met Mina, all know her name and see her in their minds whenever they close their eyes. Her voice echoes in their ears, bringing with it the commandments of the Lord of Death.
DETECTION
Even those aware of the threat posed by Chemosh’s new disciples have trouble seeking them out. Simple spells fail to reveal the wolves among the sheep. Glance among revelers at a village fair, and the Beloved might well be anyone among them. Some keep up the façade of their former lives, so Beloved can even be the acquaintances or loved ones of those who hunt the undead.
Some who look deep into the eyes of a Beloved claim to be able to see the emptiness within, but this is neither certain nor consistent enough in practice to be relied on. Some animals shy away or may even attack at the presence of the undead, but only those who are sensitive or exceptional seem to sense that something is truly wrong.
Physically, the Beloved appear exactly as in life. Though dead, the flesh is still warm to the touch. They breathe, eat, drink, smile, laugh, and weep. The only reliable sign of a Beloved is a mark that can always be found above the heart, a discoloration in the shape of a woman’s lips—“Mina’s Kiss,” they tell those who ask of it, and speak the name with reverence and longing.
Divine magic is the only reliable method of revealing the Beloved, and even this is the province of those whose magic deals with souls or the spirits of the dead. Clerics and mystics who are able to detect the aura of the living, along with the unusual kender who call themselves “nightstalkers,” can see that the Beloved possess no soul, no living aura; that they are nothing more than very lively corpses.
DESTRUCTION
After early failed attempts to stop the threat of the Beloved, some feared they could not be destroyed. Indeed, the Beloved give every indication of true immortality. Both arcane and divine spells have little effect on the Beloved of Chemosh and usually rebound on the spellcaster, while rarely making the Beloved so much as flinch. Suffocation, fire, ice, lightning, and holy water might slow the Beloved, but they do little else. Dismemberment merely inconveniences the Beloved, since the undead being is quickly able to pull itself together again.
Though a Beloved is stronger in undeath than in life, it does not gain any special powers beyond its unaging invulnerability. Thus most Beloved have to resort to mundane methods to bring their quota of souls to Chemosh, since very few possessors of true power and ability will swear themselves over to the god of death.
Lately word has spread that the Beloved do indeed have a weakness—one so terrible that few are willing to pay the awful price to end the threat of Chemosh’s chosen disciples.