ZA: Redead

Just about every knowledgable person in Hyrule has heard of the black arts. They are whispered of in rumors; spoken about in hushed tones. Most look upon it with superstition and many regard it as such, saying that the dark arts are nothing more than a nightmarish tale told to scare away little children. But they are very, very real. Among the darkest of these arts is the art of Necromancy; summoning the dead. By far, the most wicked of any of these creations is perhaps the most vile and deadly creature ever to walk the planet. They are mindless, soulless monsters desiring only one thing; the blood of the living. They are known by many names; Effroi, Mort, Riddedo, Zombie; but the Hylians know them by the names they were given by the first of their masters - Redead

It is truly unclear the name of the first Necromancer to ever summon a Redead or even when they first appeared, though it is known that the knowledge of the art arrived with the Sheikah during the end of the Clan Wars, which led many to believe that it came from the eastern Sheikah kingdoms. Like all Sheikah experiments in Necromancy, the Redead likely was born first as a means to summon a soul back from beyond the grave and reanimate its body, though likely it was done to a corpse that had been mummified for extended periods of time or had underwent extensive decomposition.

Regardless of what the initial Redead would have turned out, it had now become a weapon of destruction. Not a weapon of war like the Stalfos or a vanguard of death like the Poes and Ghinis, a Redead wanders about slowly across the battlefield not long after the fighting stops. Redead are slow to move, and while they are resilient can be killed easily when stricken fast enough. It is in the dark of night, when no one is around, that they show their true colors as guardians; beasts designed to keep others out and harass those who would otherwise search for the wounded or recover weapons and armor.

Redead specifically guard one vital resource; the dead. Undead creatures can only be summoned from the bodies of those who were once alive, and the easiest way to do so in large numbers is to secure mass death sights either through the finding of mass graves or from securing bodies. Securing bodies by far is the easier of the two, and the easiest way to do that is by sending the undead to roam among the slain. Unfortunately most Necromancers are either killed or disappear before they can pick the bodies up, leaving their creations to wander for eternity in search of prey.

Redeads are nasty creatures. Essentially they are a body made up entirely of skin and bones. There have been no sign of organs within them at all. Their only source of food comes from a very deadly source; blood. Drinking the blood of the living provides them with the lifesource they need to keep functioning, otherwise they'd crumble into dust. Given that Redeads are slow, they have acquired a means to feed upon the living by catching them by surprise. Gazing at victims with their empty eye sockets, they let out a paralyzing scream that leaves the victim so frozen with fear that they cannot move for extended periods of time; sometimes hours. The Redead may then slowly wander up close and feed at its leisure; attacking by leaping upon the victim's back and sucking the blood from within.

Waiting for a Redead to kill is likely the most horrifying experience one can live through. These monsters have caused nightmares to some and drive others completely insane. This, of course, is if people are lucky to even survive an attack. During many battles with Necromancers the bodies of the dead pile up in mass graves long after Redeads have been posted and their masters have gone.


Abilities and Categorization:
Zone: Kakariko Region, Hyrule Castle (Oot/LotS timelines), most graveyards
Size: 4-6 feet (average Hylian height)
Number of variations: Redead, Redead Knight, Redead Mauler (Legacy of the Sages)
Games/Fiction featured: Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Legacy of the Sages, The Secret of the Lost Woods

(These guys have got to be Nintendo's scariest enemies. When I first played Ocarina of Time I had decided to explore the Kakariko Graveyard and discovered an open grave. Jumping down, I mistook the guy sitting in the middle of the room as some kind of NPC, so I decided to approach him...and boy, did I get the scare of my life. Even Redead Knights are frightening; the idea that some kind of zombie can paralyze you with a stare and then a scream just before it kills you is never a comforting thought.)

Next: Death Mountain