The Undead Horde 2024
Structure
The Undead Horde is an absolute monarchy, ruled by the Night Monarch with an iron fist. However, whenever a Night Monarch is defeated, the new Night Monarch is nominated by popular support, and confirmed by simple vote. In many ways, it is much more democratic than any of the Lesser or Greater Houses.
Defeated Night Monarchs maintain some popular influence within the Horde, however, and council the current Night Monarch on affairs of state, assuming they become undead again when the new Night Monarch begins their reign. It is known that former Night Monarchs are often drawn back into the Undead Horde in subsequent years without any other magic being necessary, as if they maintain something of a "taint" on their spirit.
Culture
When a new Undead is welcomed into the fold, they are, by tradition, given a name by the reigning Night Monarch to represent their new status. This is often wordplay on their living name. The Undead also refuse to be bound by "living-supremacist spelling conventions."
Undead revel in being villains. They exist to defeat the living, and if anything, they write harder than they did as living Tome Knights However, their villainy does not extend to each other. Their democratic structure makes them fiercely loyal, and their thralldom to the Night Monarch assures that unlike in the living Houses, there is never any betrayal.
Some Undead, however, miss their living House of origin and long to return to them. They will still act upon their sinister impulses — to eat the brains and blood of living Tome Knights, and devour their word-magic —but therein lies the tragedy. It is not uncommon for Undead to apologize even as they are feeding.
Public Agenda
The Undead seek to destroy the living through their Literomancy and take The Iron Tome for themselves. Nobody knows what will happen if they get their greyish hands on it. No one wants to know.
History
The Undead Horde first made its appearance in the First Word War of 2020, the Year of the Plague. Their first leader was the Nite Qing Erin Righ. They were ultimately defeated by the living, but not without a brutal fight. Upon their defeat, the Undead were all restored to life, and the Nite Qing joined House Chiroptera as its general.
Prior to the Second Word War, Erin Righ disappeared. He was later confirmed to have returned to the Undead Horde, and was a significant player in the hierarchy.
The second Night Monarch was AuthorGoddess, who developed the ability for the Undead to steal Literomantic Power from the living to sustain themselves, as opposed to life energy or brains (although that never really stopped being necessary)
In the Third Word War, two Night Monarchs emerged; ECC Books, chosen successor of AuthorGoddess, and Lord Galakrond, who was corrupted by the lure of The Iron Tome. They each maintained and controlled independent Hordes with differing abilities and weaknesses, but in general, agreed to work together to acquire the Iron Tome, on the understanding they would sort out who was actually in control later. However, power struggles did create internal conflict within the Horde, which may have contributed to their ultimate defeat.
In the Fourth Word War, AttorraRu, the Lapin House Librarian, was corrupted in the Battle vs the Nite Qing, and became the Night Monarch through that insidious influence.
No one yet knows what corrupted The Bard with Many Names. He was widely regarded as one of the happiest, and most self-assured, Tome Knights of the Realm prior to their corruption, and this has deeply disturbed many who have studied the Night Monarchs and the Iron Tome.
Demography and Population
2024 Horde Population
Cutoff 1
Cutoff 2
This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.
This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.
Amass the Horde
Founding Date
1 November 2024
Type
Alliance, Military
Alternative Names
The Dead, the Zombies, the Wild Hunt
Predecessor Organization
Demonym
Corpses, Deaders, Deados, Zombies
Leader
Leader Title
Founders
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Power Structure
Transnational government
Economic System
Post-scarcity economy
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