Walking Corpse

Biodata

Background / History

Abyssal Hand secretly stockpiled bodies in the whaling ship’s hold and transformed at least fifty of them into Walking Corpses. Its demands for corpses had not been driven by hunger; they were intended to create distrust among the survivors and secure material for its undead force. 22 25

The reanimated first mate served as the first visible Walking Corpse. Controlled by Abyssal Hand, it delivered written orders to Daolunte: assassinate Xia Lun, seize the helm, sail for Twin Bays, and use the Walking Corpses to take the gangway and free their master. 25

During Daolunte’s attempted coup, the corpse horde emerged from the cargo hatch and advanced through the fog toward Xia Lun and the ship’s defenders. Xia Lun’s execution of the first mate proved that the undead could be killed, preventing the pirates’ morale from collapsing before the larger battle began. 25 26

Later, Abyssal Hand reanimated pirates killed in its gunpowder-barrel explosion, creating another group of Walking Corpses to delay Geliide while it fled from Xia Lun. 31

Walking Corpses also appear outside Abyssal Hand’s force. On the deserted island, Brigadier General Ralph Delmaster revives several as attendants and orders them to carry the dying Demon. In Longeryasi City, a Walking Corpse is overtaken by a creature Xia Lun calls Blind Light; its body remains active after its head is destroyed. These later undead are not established as members of the original shipboard horde. 152 227 228

Appearance

Deep-Sea Walking Corpses are decayed, waterlogged humanoid bodies whose undead condition is marked by marine corruption and extreme physical deterioration. 26

• Hunched posture and sluggish, stiff movement before attacking. 26
• Rotten blue-gray skin compared to fish skin. 26
• Barnacles attached across their bodies; the barnacles turn toward nearby living humans like eyes. 26
• Carry improvised or stolen weapons, including knives, clubs, flintlocks, and firearms. 26
• Some returned corpses retain severe fatal injuries, such as the first mate’s gunshot-damaged skull. 25

The Longeryasi Walking Corpse wears a padded cap and leather gloves and carries a large cowhide pack. After Blind Light destroys its head, a tangled glow occupies the space above its neck; the headless body later shows charred skin and exposed flesh as it batters a door. 227 228

Abilities & Skills

Undead Persistence

Walking Corpses can continue attacking after injuries that would incapacitate living people.

• They fight even with broken bones, torn flesh, and exposed organs. 26
• Their persistence makes close combat especially costly for human opponents. 26
• They are not invulnerable: Xia Lun beheads the reanimated first mate, while concentrated gunfire and sword strikes destroy other corpses. 26
• The Blind Light-possessed corpse remains mobile without its head, although the possessing creature may account for this continued activity. 227 228

Secret-Art Animation and Control

Abyssal Hand creates and directs Walking Corpses through a secret art.

• The corpses are explicitly described as extensions of Abyssal Hand’s will. 25
• The undead first mate can act as a messenger, dropping written instructions prepared under Abyssal Hand’s control. 25
• The force can coordinate with living allies such as Daolunte and follow operational objectives, including seizing the helm and gangway. 25
• Abyssal Hand can raise additional Walking Corpses from newly dead pirates. 31
• Brigadier General Ralph Delmaster can revive Walking Corpse attendants and give them orders. The account does not establish that he uses Abyssal Hand’s particular method. 152

Armed Assault

Some Walking Corpses retain enough coordination to use firearms effectively.

• Five reanimated former sacrifices return carrying flintlocks and ambush Xia Lun’s group with sustained fire. 26
• One armed corpse is a skilled sharpshooter capable of pinning the survivors behind cover. 26
• Flaming Walking Corpses carry gunpowder barrels onto the deck as part of Abyssal Hand’s explosive trap. 29

Blind Light Possession

A creature Xia Lun calls Blind Light takes over a Walking Corpse in Longeryasi City after destroying its head. The resulting headless body continues moving and repeatedly throws itself against a door while the light clings to it. This possession is distinct from Abyssal Hand’s demonstrated control of the shipboard corpses. 227 228

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sea Battle Royale

• The corpses emerge as Abyssal Hand’s concealed army after Daolunte discovers the bodies stored in the hold have been reanimated. 25
• They assault Xia Lun’s undermanned group in the fog, initially outnumbering the seven nearby pirates by more than twenty to one. 26
• Xia Lun uses Heightened Focus and a rapid succession of flintlocks to kill sixteen Deep-Sea Walking Corpses, earning 160 Memory Points. 26
• The remaining horde is pushed back in close combat until armed reinforcements reverse the battle with a firearm ambush. 26
• The scenario settlement records Xia Lun’s slaughter of the Deep-Sea Walking Corpse horde among his special kills. 34

Deserted Island

• After the battle in Bonefall Valley, the wounded Brigadier General revives several Walking Corpse attendants and orders them to carry the dying Demon as he prepares to make a sacrifice. 152

Longeryasi City

• Xia Lun sees a Walking Corpse wandering the street before Blind Light enters its head, destroys it, and takes over the still-moving body. The possessed corpse later finds Xia Lun and Renee’s shelter and tries to break through its door. 227 228

Relationships

• Abyssal Hand — Creator and controlling master of the original shipboard Walking Corpses; they act as extensions of its will. 25
• Daolunte — Living collaborator instructed to use the Walking Corpses during Abyssal Hand’s planned coup. 25
• The First Mate — Reanimated into a Walking Corpse and used to convey Abyssal Hand’s orders before Xia Lun beheads him. 25 26
• Xia Lun — Principal enemy of the shipboard horde; he destroys numerous Walking Corpses through gunfire and swordsmanship and later encounters a Blind Light-possessed corpse. 26 34 228
• Geliide — Ordered to hold off a later group of reanimated pirates while Xia Lun pursues Abyssal Hand. 31
• Brigadier General Ralph Delmaster — Revives and commands several Walking Corpse attendants on the deserted island. 152
• Blind Light — Possesses a Walking Corpse in Longeryasi City and uses its headless body to pursue Xia Lun and Renee. 227 228

Trivia

• The scenario settlement specifically calls the group the “Deep-Sea Walking Corpse horde.” 34
• Abyssal Hand’s corpse demands functioned partly as a means of acquiring bodies for its undead army, not as a need for food. 22 25
• Xia Lun initially takes an undead creature aboard the Serko for another Walking Corpse, but the Information Panel identifies it as a Bound Salt Skull. 104 105