Daek-nuit

From Mizahar Lore

The Daek-nuit (meaning "make Nuit" in the ancient tongue) is a ritual by which a master Animator can create a Nuit undead. The Daek-nuit is one of two ways a Nuit comes to exist, the other being ingestion of a substantial amount of ichor from another Nuit; while both methods are dangerous, the Daek-nuit is certainly the safer one. There are many versions of the ritual, which have generated subtly different "strains" of Nuit over the eras.

Contents 1 Requirements 2 The ritual 3 Nuit strains 3.1 The ancient masters 3.2 The Everwalking 3.3 Sahovan Nuit 3.4 The fringe Nuit

Requirements

• Master Animation skills
• Lore of the Daek-nuit
• A suitable laboratory

The ritual

As mentioned, there is no unified Daek-nuit methodology. However, all versions of the ritual begin with the subject being stripped and bound to a flat surface, usually a surgical table (or an altar, in more ancient times). Much like any other work of Animation, there is a source and a destination, only this time an actual soul is transferred instead of just information. A fresh body is arranged on a separate surface and in a similar pose. Both are surrounded by circles of power, which the Animator activates with a drop of his blood as in standard Animation. The main difficulty of the ritual, aside from the much greater mental strain in transferring a soul, lies in killing the subject at the right time. Usually an assistant will take care of this, piercing the heart as the Animator gives the order. At the same time, he will begin the soul transfer; any delay will cause the subject to truly die and the ritual will fail. If the Animator is too hasty, however, the soul will try to leave the body while it still lives, which can scar the mind permanently.

Nuit strains

The Nuit can be categorized into families or strains. Strain is the most accepted term, as there is no parenting or natural birth to these creatures. A Daek-nuit version defines a Nuit's category, which is considered to be transmitted to their Nuit descendants.

The ancient masters

The first master Animators created a basic, but complete version of the ritual, supposedly with help from the undead god Uldr. It was very unscientific and filled with chants and early, superstitious beliefs about magic. Most of the earliest Nuit are dead now, but their progeny still exist in Mizahar. They tend to be aloof and philosophical, shunning action for the most part in favor of contemplation.

The Everwalking

About 500 years before the Valterrian, an Animator called Yovinkus Wotch revolutionized the discipline, at the time still dependant on greatly subjective and almost shamanistic notions, by rewriting it in a more logical, scientific light that appealed to the Alahean vision of magic. Among other things, he rediscovered the Daek-nuit, taking away all mystical elements and replacing them with formulas and strict measurements. The resulting Nuit tend to be cold, cynical but still more involved than their predecessors.

Sahovan Nuit

Most Nuit on Sahova are the creation of pre-Valterrian Archwizard Zarik Mashaen. Mashaen was responsible for the ARMED project (Advanced Rapid Metalife Extraction and Deployment), an Alahean military plan aiming at the quick production of a large number of undead. While these Nuit tend to wear out their bodies faster than the rest, they also possess greater curiosity and drive, making them good researchers - some of them could be considered active by living standards.

The fringe Nuit

There were many other masters living before the Valterrian. History books do not record each individual name, and some practiced the Daek-nuit in secrecy, often breaking the law in the process. The resulting personalities are wildly different, and some may be tinged with madness, as well.