Brumesgarth

In their relentless pursuit of more magical might, some liches use their rotting forms to hold magical secrets, hiding precious tomes in their ribcage, inscribing formulas on their withered flesh, even replacing some bones with powerful magical items. The process is painstaking, as the soul cage tries to repair any damage caused by such alterations.

A desire to live eternally motivates a spellcaster to become a lich, and necromantic knowledge makes the desire real. The typical lich takes the most direct path, keeping their undead form fairly close to their appearance in life. But undeath can also bring greater freedom for those with a less conventional view of what they can become. The horde lich and runecarved lich reshape themselves entirely.