The Undead are one of the factions you will encounter in our Closed Beta in November. This little snippet of lore of our world is also an outlook on the first novel about Albion Online, currently written by published Fantasy author Peter Newman.

October 27, 2015 at 4:28 PM by Christoph

A great and devastating war once wreaked havoc on the lands of Albion. Magical powers, far beyond what should be humanly possible, were wielded on both sides. As the forces unleashed threatened to destroy Albion entirely, a powerful ritual was held.

The ritual swept the dark menaces away and the war was over. But at what price?

Thousands of brave knights had fought the war’s countless battles but their souls were now taken – the ritual had shattered them, leaving the remains neither fully in the bodies they had once inhabitated, nor fully out of them.

Strange cries carried on the wind as old bones moved once more, creaking inside rusty armour, while elsewhere, darker shades took wing, driven by a hunger that could never be sated.

The Undead remain an uncomfortable reminder of Albion’s past. They can often be avoided but are too dangerous to be ignored and too terrible to forget.

Skeletons

A broad group made of those killed during the war. Some still believe they are fighting that war and battle each other endlessly, pointlessly, while others shuffle without purpose. The most pathetic do not move at all until something with a pulse gets too close. Most Skeletons are driven by a hatred of all things living and will attack them on sight. However, there are rare stories about Undead that retain some semblance of their former selves.

Shades

These patches of living dark are often found in catacombs where Skeletons dwell. They are interested in one thing and one thing only: life. When they find it, they steal it. Drinking mindlessly until the soul is consumed. They cluster around powerful undead, and in large numbers their movements can become excitable, even hypnotic.

The Harvesters

Some were caught at the heart of the ritual when its power was unleashed. Their bodies exposed to dread powers, their minds tortured, their souls repurposed. Each was transformed into a Harvester, a walking gateway to the plane of the dead. The Harvesters are incredibly dangerous, not only for their own power but because of the magnetic quality they have for lesser undead. A touch from them can be fatal, and to stand in their presence for too long can cause premature ageing, infertility or bring about such intense misery that victims have been known to sit down on the spot and refuse to stand again. Fortunately, they tend to only be found in Albion’s deepest depths.

Tell us of your terrifying encounters with the Undead on our forums.