Death

This spell is a part of the Mourning Bell spell chain and is found in the Mourning Bell rune stone.

Death, the final rest that awaits all who draw breath. Death rarely comes suddenly. While there are times when death arrives violently, there are also times when it comes silently, softly, and without struggle. In these moments Serenity hovers over the dying, comforting them as they take their final breath and welcoming them into the sweet slumber of the unknown.

The necromancer knows death well, and knows the patient shepherd that guides it — Serenity. Long has Serenity shown why it is the positive symbol of necromancy. Serenity does not come to cause pain, but to gently guide the dying to their final rest.

When this spell is cast, the necromancer whispers to Serenity that the marked one's time has come, and Serenity answers the call.

Serenity falls upon the target like a warm and comforting blanket. At first the target feels a strange calm and understanding wash over them, as though something unseen has come to ease their suffering. Yet beneath this comfort something deeper stirs. The stillness of the grave begins to call to them, and though dread begins to grow, Serenity keeps the full terror of what is to come silent within their mind.

The countdown to the target’s final breath has begun.

During the first round the target may continue to act normally, though an uneasy sense lingers within them. By the second round the veil between life and death begins to thin. The condemned begins to see things just beyond their sight — shadows shifting at the edge of vision, movements from a world not meant for the living. Still Serenity keeps their fear subdued, allowing them to act even as the end draws closer.

When the second round ends, Serenity completes its work.

The gentle guide becomes the silent hand of death. Serenity smothers the target and draws forth their soul and spirit, carrying it away into the long slumber from which none awaken.

The target dies.

If the battle ends before the second round concludes, the magic fades and Serenity withdraws. The target is spared, never knowing how close they came to leaving this world forever.