The Procession of Untethered Breath

Classification: Soulblight-affiliated group using necromantic containment systems

Origin: Unknown, likely military necromantic infrastructure unit

Common Locations: Southern marches, often near ancient crypt lines or entropy fractures

Allegiance: Undeclared; presumed Death-aligned

The Procession of the Untethered Breath is a Soulblight warband structured around the containment, rather than the reanimation, of corpses. Its members rely on a combination of necromantic binding rituals and engineered restraint systems to stabilize undead forms at the moment of death. The aim appears to be the prevention of further decay, rather than animation in the traditional sense. Reports suggest that many of the Procession’s corpses are suspended in a kind of undeath that preserves breath, posture, and identity with unnatural precision.

Members of the warband wear heavy breathing apparatuses, masks, and structural supports that appear necessary for maintaining form. These devices do not match standard Soulblight regalia and are often etched with stability markings or entropy counters. Observers describe a low mechanical hum that precedes the Procession’s movements, likely from the breath-limiting rebreathers worn by each figure.

The warband includes both animate and semi-animate elements. Grave Guard units function as stabilized remains, held in recognizable configurations with minimal external animation. More mobile components, including armored revenants and blood-marked constructs, show signs of being controlled indirectly through localized necromantic fields. The Kastellan is believed to act as an anchor, with a centralizing effect on the cohesion of nearby undead. Without this presence, most components of the Procession appear prone to collapse or dissolution.

The group’s origin remains unclear, though its structure suggests a former logistical or containment role rather than battlefield command. Some believe it was once tasked with preserving high-value corpses in unstable conditions, while others see it as a failed Soulblight experiment in sustainable undeath.

The name “Procession of the Untethered Breath” is recorded across several witness accounts but does not appear in any known command registers. It may refer to the audible hiss of the rebreathers or to the suspended moment of death preserved in each figure.

While their movement is limited, the Procession maintains an intact formation and shows no signs of deterioration over time. Wherever they pass, the air grows still.