When one hears the word Necromancer you tend to envision a guy in his mid 40’s sporting a cape and tux combo that would make Dracula drool in his coffin. We’re talking someone like Doctor Orpheus from The Venture Brothers, here. The stereotype of a necromancer is outlandish, so ridiculous that we have a hard time believing anyone would call themselves one at any point in history. Which is probably a good idea. Playing with the dead isn’t the smartest thing to do. Something always goes wrong.
Necromancy is a form of magic. Dark magic steeped in rituals used to call upon the dead. These rituals are long, exhausting, and involve sacrifices of blood. The amount of blood varies on the magic being conducted. Early necromancers believed that more was better. Accounts tell of practitioners standing before blood-drenched altars to work their magic. Some necromancers use the spirits of the dead to predict the future. Others recover the corpse and “push” their magic into it, creating an animated corpse to control and communicate with.
During the early Middle Ages, necromancy was both fodder of myths and reality. The Norse told tales of heroes contacting spirits of dead relatives and asking the dead to cast spells against their enemies. Another Norse saga depicted Skuld, a princess so skilled in magic and communicating with the dead that in the midst of battle she could force dead warriors to rise and continue their attacks. Skuld wielded and army of the undead, the likes of which we consider a big sign that the Zombiepocalypse is upon us. This undead army made her nearly invincible on the battlefield. A feat most men would be envious of and all feared.
Medieval necromancers believed that in order to raise the dead the Christian god had to be invoked during rituals. Because of this the vast majority of medieval necromancers were highly educated clergy members. There were few seminaries at the time and made knowledge of Holy Scripture rare unless one was taught under an apprenticeship. The common man would not have access to the Bible. Nor would he be able to read the Latin it was written in. This was long before the printing press and the idea that every household should have a copy of the Bible in order to be closer to God.
At this time necromancers began to believe that they were not calling forth the souls of the dead to reanimate bodies, but demons instead. The Roman Catholic Church forbade members from practicing the dark magic for this reason. However enforcing the ruling was near impossible given the amount of time it took to deliver missives to other countries.
Despite the Church’s declaration, necromancy was still widely practiced. Through time, necromancers used the stigma towards magic by Christian faithful to fuel their rituals. Necromancers were hunted as witches, driven further underground to conduct their rituals and raise their dead. They twisted Holy Scripture, uttered names of demons never meant to be spoken by good, God-fearing people.
Modern necromancy has returned to the idea that they are communicating with the souls of the dead. While some of the demonic still exists, it is more as a warning. Great care is taken to “protect” the area of ritual, usually with a circle of some sort, to keep “evil spirits” (demonic forces) at bay. Necromancers nowadays typically aren’t attempting to raise an army of undead from their graves. But you should never disregard the idea.
Armies of undead under the control of a necromancer will move together. Unlike a typical hoard of zombies, these won’t fight with each other while reaching for their goal. Think of them as decaying marionettes. The necromancer will use their power over the dead to manipulate zombies to do their will. It could be anything from petty theft to a string of murders. Because necromancy is a type of magic, there are repercussions to using the power. Sustaining the undead will drain them, leave them vulnerable to attack. If you can break the tie between zombie and necromancer, the zombie will return to the grave or attack the person that disturbed their rest. We suggest trying salt or salt water. If that fails, use fire. Zombie flambé, anyone?
Call to Action: Zombie Survival Crew First LieutenantNeil Brown Jr. – Guillermo from the Vatos episode of The Walking Dead – talks survival and what he learned during Battle: Los Angeles.
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Sometimes the fiction I portray helps me to understand real-life truths. Working on Battle: Los Angeles gave me some insights I thought wise to share with my Zombie Survival Crew brigades ahead of the film’s 3-11-11 release.
Battle: Los Angeles asks the broader questions about survival during a cataclysmic global event as major U.S. cities are attacked and marines are sent into Los Angeles to evacuate civilians before the government launches a massive counter-offensive. Sure, we’re battling aliens, not zombies, but many of the same rules apply.
Lesson 1: Stealth Tactics
Filming took us through some real Marine training and as much as I’d like to say the weapons work was the most valuable, the truth is how many of us are going to encounter military-grade weapons right off the bat during a zombie infestation? (Unless you have them already…)
No. The most valuable lessons were in learning how to really take cover during a firefight and how to conceal your presence. Tactics like the following:
– Don’t leave evidence of your presence. Pick up empty shell casings, cigarette butts, etc, etc.
– People do what you see in movies when a firefight breaks out. Big mistake.
– Process: Get low. Find solid cover. Identify source of fire or danger. Examine your environment.
– A car door will not protect you from bullets. The only safe places to take cover around a vehicle are behind the engine block or axles.
– In a house dry wall will not protect you. Get into the residence and take cover behind additional items such as a bookcase or table.
Lesson 2: Teamwork
As a cataclysmic event unfolds it is time to put aside differences and work together. This is about humanity, about survival. Everyone has something to offer.
If we are to survive, we have to band together as I learned filming both The Walking Dead and Battle: Los Angeles. Understand the enemy – how they operate; what they want; the best ways to defeat them. It cannot be done alone.
Lesson 3: Strategic Choices
Every person has something to offer towards common survival in the case of a cataclysmic global event but having a good command team in place is essential. From my Battle: Los Angeles cast mates I’d offer up the following as top recruits.
Cory Hardrict – He’s the type of guy who will receive the phone call, look at the bottom line, come up with a plan and execute it. No questions. No doubts. But he’s also a team player.
Michelle Rodriguez – She’s kind of a nerd but down to fight to the death for anyone on her team. She’s gritty and grindy, and something to watch in a battle.
Will Rothhaar – This kid is young, ready for anything and fast. He’s a team player unafraid of a dangerous assignment.
As you know, we had one of you formulate a rescue plan to extricate Anthony and Juliette from the containment facility where they were being held. Anthony led the charge to rescue our Fearless Leader and fell prey to the unnamed government agency. It wasn’t what we planned, but when Anthony tried to rally the troops in this video, he was captured. The rescue attempt wasn’t an easy job by any means, but we (the crew) did manage to get our captain and co-captain to a certain point using @Wulfie_‘s plan. Unfortunately, some casualties took place during the attempt . . .
We’d sent in crews equipped with small cameras so the other co-captains, first lieutenants and I could keep track of the situation. I retrieved this satellite transmission Zulu 1032 during my shift in the Command Center in the midst of my ZSC tweet-a-thon.
As far as we know, they’re not out yet, and I haven’t found anymore feeds so I’m a little concerned. I’ll keep searching and whatever I find, you’ll be notified. Let’s just hope they’re safe.
As an aside, arm yourselves, just in case. *grabs compound bow and looks at Sean and Donut, the zombie assassin dog* Man, I should have trained Moon for that. *looks at Moon, who just pants with playful puppy look* That’s great.
You’re walking down the street on your way to work, same as you do every day. A stranger steps out of a shop and walks towards you. Even though you try to move out of the way, they crash into you. After a few muttered apologies, they leave. Only then do you notice that your forearm is bleeding from a small cut and going numb. Within minutes that entire side of your body loses sensation. A little while later you are unable to control any of your movements.
You’ve been made into a zombie.
How can it be that easy, you ask? If you lived in Haiti, where Voodoo reigns supreme, there would be no question about the existence of zombies. However, unlike other “breeds” of zombie we have explored here at ZSC, zombies created by Voodoo are living, breathing humans.
Victims are dosed with a neurotoxin. There has been extensive debate about which neurotoxin is actually used during the zombie making process. In The Serpent and the Rainbow, victims were given a dose of tetrodotoxin powder. Tetrodotoxin is found in puffer fish and its history of being extremely lethal puts the legitimacy of these claims into question. But for the sake of simplicity, we’ll use it here.
The tetrodotoxin works into the nervous system and shuts it down. The victim’s breathing will become shallow. Their body is unresponsive to stimulation. While they cannot feel, move, or breathe properly, most victims remain fully aware of what is happening to them in this state of living death.
Treatment of tetrodotoxin involves maintaining the body until it processes the chemical. Most villages don’t have the means to put someone on life support, let alone the manpower and supplies to do so when that person may pass away anyway. Tetrodotoxin has no known antidote. Once the physician sees no visible signs of life, they declare the patient deceased. The victim then ends up buried alive.
In the cover of darkness the Bokor, or sorcerer, will venture to the graveyard to dig up the victim. At this time the newly made zombie is given a powerful hallucinogenic. Most believe the substance to be derived from the datura plant. Datura causes violent hallucinations and photophobia (extreme sensitivity to light). One dose will affect the victim for approximately 48 hours.
The heavy influence of the Voodoo religion in the region is the key element to the zombie creation process. If the victim survives exposure to the various chemical compounds at play, they should recover themselves and become normal within days. Believers that go through the process convince themselves, with influence from the Bokor, that they are actually a zombie. These zombies will continue to work under the bokor for years. It is only when family members see them that legitimacy of their “undead” condition comes into question.
Bokors are believed to be able to manipulate the zombi astral, the spirit of a person. What we call the soul. Those that practice dark arts (making zombies, curses, etc…) are said to capture souls inside jars. Some will sell the jars as charms. Others gather them. The more captured souls in their control, the more powerful the bokor. To go against a powerful bokor is begging to be “cursed”. That is why so many of these living zombies strive to believe their conditions and remain in service to the bokor.
If the family recovers their loved one, they won’t find much of that person left. Years of believing yourself dead and exposure to powerful hallucinogenic drugs warps the brain. Zombies without a bokor riding herd on them often end up in asylums. Those who aren’t discovered tend to haunt graveyards, as they feel closer to the dead than the living.
We here at the Zombie Survival Crew consider these zombies to be victims. That is unless they attempt to harm a crewmember. Unfortunately it is difficult to tell them apart from the other breeds. Keep in mind that newly claimed zombies of this type would appear sweaty. Their eye movements will be erratic, and though it will be difficult to tell, they are breathing. If you think they are the victim of a Voodoo spell, report the zombie but do not dispatch them.
It has come to our attention that there is a commonality to The Walking Dead cast made up humor, intelligence and just plain chutzpah.
Every time the Zombie Survival Crew reaches out to take on a cast member (think IronE Singleton, think Anthony Guajardo) we seem to get just a little bit more than we bargained for.
Steven Yeun is no exception!
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Steven – from all of us on the #zombiesurvivalcrew – THANK YOU for doing this, for taking the crew’s craziest questions and putting them back with panache! You will forever have an honorary spot on Command’s rapid response team!
Notice the stance. The speedy reflexes. Notice Sean’s refusal to allow his opponent to get in too close… Things to remember during the zombiepocalypse.
This is an all-around instructional video on how you can survive the coming Zombiepocalypse. Pay close attention, as Jinxie G picked this one specifically for some of its content, with exception to the comments about women because Jinxie is an amazon, not a screaming little girlie-girl who’s going to freeze at the sight of a zombie . . . unless they’re running. She does not, however, take issue with shooting you in the event you’ve been bitten.
Happy zombie hunting prepping while we put our rescue plan together to get Juliette and Anthony out!
You’ve had your time to plot and scheme; now we act. Zombie Survival Crew, grab your go bags! It’s time to rescue our missing captains.
The winner of the Escape Plan contest is Wulfie_. Hearty congratulations to you. You will be on point to lead a squad of your picking into the secret government facility. (Oh and you get some neat ZSC gear too. I’m jealous!)
We have included the winning plan below. Crew members, pay attention. This is the important part. We must find Juliette and Anthony!
Scouting:
One of ours could pose as someone trying to get a job in the power plant. Surely someone in our group can pass as someone qualified enough to get work in a power plant, so as to avoid suspicion.
Some of the civilians are wary and suspicious of what’s really going on in the place. We get a few of these to give us some intel. Plant workers tend to hang out at bars after shifts and on weekends. Alcohol loosens tongues, you know. People talk and we’ll pick up some info just hanging around, during a round of drinks or a nice game of darts or pool. People love to bitch about work, right? We may be able to get one to help us during the attack, but that plan isn’t totally reliable. I imagine disgruntled workers are being watched. Best to be suspicious of everyone.
The Attack:
We can’t just bomb the shack or the power plant because that will put the underground on lock down. The place has to have ventilation shafts if it’s that far down. We’ve scoped those out and on the day/night of our rescue attempt we place groups of 3 at these shafts (Team C), armed with weapons and gas grenades to be dropped down the shafts. In the event of a gas or toxic air readout, the plant’s automatic emergency generators should kick off. Beta Team will hit the areas with the most civilians. The civilians have to be evacuated and will be freaking out while soldiers/security try to get them out in an orderly fashion. Lights and power should shift to emergency generator power. There’ll be half light, blinking lights, and alarms going off everywhere.
Alpha Team will target Glasses because he, evidently, can get the furthest into the place with his ID and thumb prints. Scouts revealed that he’s married. His family knows nothing about what he really does for a living. We have a small team kidnap his wife and kids right after he leaves for work in the morning. The second half of Alpha Team waits at the coffee shop. One of ours hides in his car while he’s distracted getting coffee. (This will require someone capable of breaking into his vehicle without setting off the car alarm OR someone to fake illness when he’s returning to his car. After he unlocks it, they use a gun to get him into the car.) At this point, a cell phone call to prove to him that we have his family and he’d better cooperate or we’ll kill them (we won’t, but he doesn’t know that). The scheduling will be tight on this. How long is his coffee break, for instance? Quickly obtain intel from him as he drives to the shack. From that, we place teams around the plant and the spokes. We put the best armed of our crew by the SW spoke (Team C), because there’s ingress and egress available there.
Using Glasses and his ID, Alpha Team will gain access to the facility and Anthony’s holding cell, taking out whoever gets in our way. If Glasses decides not to cooperate, remind him that his ID badge and the fingerprint detector will work whether he’s alive or dead. Just sayin’.
Getting out will be harder than getting in. Go figure. By the time we get to Anthony the entire place will be pretty crazy. Beta Team will have been detected. This will shift the emergency evacuation to lockdown and defense mode. This is when we drop our next surprise on them. Team C will deploy more gas grenades, but this gas knocks people out cold. That’ll drop a lot of them. Lightweight masks will be given to the Alpha Team, Beta Team, Anthony, and Glasses so we can recover Juliette. Glasses, by this time should be pretty freaked out. Anthony will have to be carried out or, if he’s not too hurt, should be pretty ticked off. Set him loose on Glasses to make him lead us to Juliette. Once she’s located, feel free to take Glasses’s mask off or knock him out. Have at him Anthony!
Alpha Team escorts Anthony and Juliette out through the SW spoke. Beta Team will be inside and outside that area to cover them. Team C, at the shafts, will evacuate but not before planting C-4 explosives that can be remotely detonated. Once they’re clear, we give the signal to trigger the explosives.
We must be prepared to lose people. We’ll send in well-trained members who are willing to die for the cause. Beta Team must be our special forces. They will be on their own through much of the rescue, distracting the security forces and keeping them busy while the Alpha Team does the rescue. They should have weapons and plenty of ammo, and at least six or seven grenades of their own. They can cause as much havoc as needed before ordered to retreat. Beta Team will be encouraged to swap clothes with the security forces in order to sneak past opposing forces.
Not everyone will make it. This is a high-risk rescue.
Note:
There may be experiments going on in the Labs. There is a risk of these being released into the air, infecting even to those with breathing masks. If this is true, even the facility’s security forces will be making a B-line to escape. This could be what triggers the Zombie Virus. However, if we can blow the place to smithereens we might avert it. The facility is a mile down and only has that one point of entrance at the SW spoke, which we will blow up to prevent anything from getting loose. But we must be prepared on the off chance that somewhere in the depths of this evil place, there is a zombie or two who escape.
In effect, our rescue attempt may be the very thing that triggers the Zombie Apocalypse.
Nicely done, Wulfie! We will contact you soon for details on your ZSC gear.
We were very impressed with the plans the crew members came up with and it was a tough decision. We look forward to seeing what you can do with future challenges! You all did a great job! Thank you!
Time is running out. The contest to have YOUR story/article/artwork featured in the first Zombie Survival Crew Anthology will close to submissions tomorrow 1/11/11 @ 11:59 PM. Don’t miss out on your chance for inclusion in the anthology.
What is the contest? It is three-fold.
A writing contest for short stories and articles to include in our Zombie Survival Crew Anthology – Undead’s Not An Option
An artwork contest (high quality black & white only) for inclusion in the anthology
A cover design contest to design the hottest cover for Zombie Survival Crew – Undead’s Not An Option
How it works:
Before midnight 1/11/11 write/draw/design something Zombie/Survival related and send to ZombieSurvivalCrew@gmail.com
All submissions must have ZSC Anthology Contest in the subject line in addition to the submission type indicator as outlined below.
All written submissions must be between greater than 1,000 words, but no greater than 10,000 words of original material written by you.
All written submissions must be in word doc or RTF standard submission format.
Non-fiction articles about survival, weaponry, escape route planning, etc. should state Article in the subject line.
Short Stories should state Fiction in the subject line.
All written submissions must include a pitch statement (cover letter/summary) of up to 300 words.
Artwork submissions must be an original work of art created by you and must be high quality black & white – no color artwork will be considered.
Black and white artwork submissions should state Art in the subject line.
Cover design submissions must be an original work of art created by you in full CMYK color.
Cover design submissions should state Cover in the subject line.
All entries will be reviewed by the co-captains and first round acceptance determinations will be made and communicated 1/21/11 in our Members only area. All entries which have made it into the second round will have the opportunity to make revisions based on feedback from the judges for resubmission no later than 2/5/11. The final determinations for inclusion in the anthology will be conducted at that time.
The prize is inclusion in the anthology and we request both first print and first e-rights for the work to be exclusive for a period of 90 days, but non-exclusive thereafter. The work will remain in print and ebook format for as long as the anthology is being made available to the public, but after 90 days, the work may be in print in other publications or displayed online or in ebook form.
There is no cash prize for this contest and all proceeds for the anthology’s sale will go to the Zombie Survival Crew.
Since you must be a member to participate in the contest, please ensure you have registered on this site as all entries will be validated against Zombie Survival Crew membership.
Given the experiences of his cast-mates IronE Singleton and Anthony Guajardo – we would argue Steve Yeun is now undertaking the ultimate act of zombie-preparedness by agreeing to take on Zombie Survival Crew.
You have until midnight, EST time on Monday, January 10 to ask your questions.
ZSC Command will select the top 10 most original, intriguing questions for Steve to answer.
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Steve – from all of us on the #zombiesurvivalcrew – THANK YOU for doing this! We appreciate your willingness to engage with the fans like this! If you survive, you will have an honorary spot on Command’s rapid response team!
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A few ground rules:
You can ask all you want, but Steve’s a busy guy (and so are we) so let’s keep it concise please!
There are certain things he can’t reveal, so if you ask about Season 2 or future plans he may not be able to give a full answer.
Keep it clean and respectful! We will toss any questions we find offensive or vulgar.
You can ask your question here in the comment section or via email at zombiesurvivalcrew (at) gmail (dot) com.
