Billy is Dead

The following is in character:

So.. Right. Billy. Billy is dead. Dead dead. Not unintelligent dead, or undead. Ash on the wind dead. I understand that you're all upset, worried and maybe even angry now that I've just told you that I've destroyed Billy but please hear me out.

Billy was an accident waiting to happen. Understand that undead can be categorized into three types; 1) That which has no need to feed and exists solely on negative energy, 2) That which needs to feed to retain its mobility or other abilities, and 3) That which is driven to feed by an inescapable craving. After watching Billy for some time it has become apparent that he is one of the latter categories, most likely the second type. This means that to retain his sanity and ability to function, Billy needs to feed, MUST feed, at regular intervals. His food of choice, as you might have guessed, is the souls of the living. And he doesn't just kill the living, or drain their souls. No, he destroys the souls utterly. Similar to what Pendral did to cleric rob.

The act of utterly destroying a soul is an abomination, even by undead standards. Existence is cyclic in nature. Things are created, live, die, and then are recreated into new things. To continue his own existence, the creature Billy had become breaks this cycle. It is all well and good to justify the destruction of a few black souls, but what about the life that would have later sprung from the energy their souls left behind? And what about those who might not deserve complete destruction? Mable was deluded and misguided, but not evil. Hubert can attest to that. The lycanthropes Billy destroyed around Podunk were evil, but likely some of them had little choice in their lot in life if they wanted to survive. I can hardly blame them for taking an out when it was offered to them.

In addition, these hunger cravings eventually overwhelm Billy. He can go weeks, maybe even a month without feeding, but then he must. It is not a matter of choice. If he does not feed then his body will do it for him. That is what happened back in the spider's lair. There was a final spider in that chamber, gargantuan beyond belief. Decrepit with age, grown into the wall, and wounded by the inferno we ignited in there. Seeing its helplessness, I let it be and left with the body of the warrior Coppin. Billy sensed the spider's weakness, and the richness of its soul. Such an ancient soul deserved better than ultimate destruction, so I did my best to order Billy away from the elder spider, but the cravings were too much for him. He leapt to the top of the spider and proceeded to bash it to pieces, only stopping momentarily when the force of my will was able to push through the blinding hunger. Seeing that Billy was beyond reason, I did what I could to stop Billy. I risked my life to use this gaudy piece of jewelry to send him to a hostile plane of existence, which destroyed him utterly. The elder spider was beyond hope of recovery at this point, so I used Hubert to end its misery as well. A pitiful end to such an old soul, even that of a spider.

I had not been feeding Billy souls in the hope that he could sustain without them, but it was a vain hope. This could have ended much worse as well. Billy might have attacked an eaten one of us. You all know what strength he had, likely we could not have stopped him before one of us was gone forever. And seeing how easily I gained partial control of him, it was only a matter of time until another, possibly more powerful, necromancer fought us and turn him against us.

Araja, I know you wanted to use his ability to detect marks, but seeing as how he was so heavily marked himself that is a dangerous game to play. There was no telling if his mark would become as virulent as the ancient mark you described from your childhood.

Rekka, I know that Billy was your friend, but his unlife was not a thing to envy. Beholden to his hunger and at the mercy of any skilled death magician, he was a slave in that body. His soul is now free, and will be renewed in the next life. The boy you knew died in that cave, this form was a poor substitute until he reached his next stage.

Know that I did not reach the decision to destroy Billy lightly, and I do not revel in his second death. If the form he had were not so destructive I would have set him free, or taken him someplace else. However I could not risk that. He would continue to destroy souls, with or without me, and would be at a constant risk of being controlled by anyone who had the skill to do so. He was in my charge, so it was my responsibility to answer for his actions. You can chose to hate me for the choice I have made, but I stand by what I have done. I will hold no ill will to those who decide to leave my side. If you wish to attack me then do so. I will not fight back.