Revenant

Revenants are frightening undead known for their great strength and speed and strange, glowing eyes. Unlike shambling dead, revenants are corpses animated using a true soul.

Much of this article is taken from excerpts of Vita Mortis by Grigore Summers.

Names

Revenants are known by nigh upon countless names. Most common folk would never know a revenant from any other type of undead despite their differences. Thus, like all other sorts of undead, revenants may be called "draugr" in Northrim as well as "ghouls" in Deshret; however, a Ghoul is often considered different creature entirely and is not undead at all but a demonic entity and is used interchagably with "demon." In Achaea, revenants are sometimes called "shades."

Appearance

Being undead, revenants may vary wildly in appearance. They will of course look like whatever being they were originally but as an animated corpse. Revenants vary in degrees of decay. Some may have dead grey flesh while others are fleshless skeletons, and still others may simply be ghosts. All revenants have a faint glow to their pale eyes, the color of which varies in different individuals.

Nature

Like shambling dead, all revenants wildly crave to devour flesh. Some believe they may have fairly intelligent thoughts, but they never reflect this except through cleverness. They are quick and strong, smart enough to know how to catch their prey. They are far more dangerous than shambling dead as a result. Revenants are capable of regenerating their dead flesh and "healing" their wounds through the consumption of the living, almost like a vampire drinking blood. Unlike a vampire, however, a revenant will never again resemble a living creature. Holy power can repel any revenant, and all revenants are utterly destroyed by the light of the sun.

Creation

Generally, revenants are created by necromancy. Necromancers raise and call upon revenants to fulfill their every command. Sometimes, a revenant itself calls upon dark powers to reanimate its flesh, or to allow it to linger as a spirit, after death to carry out some desired deed such as vengeance. Other revenants are bound by some sort of oath to carry out a duty for all eternity. Some cultures, such as ancient Kemhet, may put curses upon burial sites to recall spirits from their rest and force them to rise as revenants to defend certain tombs.

However, some revenants are tethered to the mortal world against their will with no demonic involvement, such as ghosts that haunt the site of a truly terrible murder, unable to pass on without some kind of aid. It is unknown how or why this may occur.