Mortal to Lich Notes

Contents
"Inside a leather folder embossed with the word LICH are several pieces of parchment written in a variety of languages, most of them foreign to you. Two sheets are legible, though. The first, written in a spidery hand, reads as follows:

"To complete the Ritual of Becoming, the subject's soul must be placed into their desired phylactery, either by the subject or the magician performing the ritual. After the etheric self has been safely stored, the physical changes required by the subject's impending state can begin. Magical energy absorbs much of the body's moisture; skin shrivels and often changes colour, giving the subject a corpse-like appearance. The subject may experience some physical or emotional discomfort as the changes take hold, but so long as their spiritual self is bound to its phylactery, there is no danger of it physically perishing. In fact, once the transformation is complete, the subject's continued physical existence can only be ended via the phylactery's destruction."

The writing on the second parchment, neater and more easily read, is quite possibly a professional scribe's work, presumably a copy or transcription of another's words:

"On the matter of Phylacteries

The phylactery is simultaneously the source of the lich's greatest power and its greatest, indeed its only significant physical weakness. Any independent lich should take pains to ensure its phylactery is kept secure at all times. Though not strictly necessary, the transition from mortal to lich is more easily achieved if the item which will store the transformee's soul (ie, the phylactery) is something with which they are familiar. This is particularly the case in Rituals of Becoming that are performed by a party other than the one undergoing transformation.""