Editing Illumian (section)

===Gravewhisper===
Like other illumians, members of gravewhisper cabals speak fluent Illumian—but they speak it to the dead. Gravewhisper cabals keep their elder members active after death by turning them into [[lich]]es, [[vampire]]s, or similar [[undead]]. Gravewhisper researchers [[Necromancer|study necromancy to the exclusion of other schools of magic]], and undead minions guard the sinister enclaves of the gravewhisper cabals. Illumians in gravewhisper cabals regard themselves as more pragmatic than the rest of their race. There’s no need to lose the accumulated wisdom of the cabal to old age or misadventure, they contend, when necromantic rituals can keep those who sit at the Black Table alive—and contributing to the cabal’s agenda—forever. Notable gravewhisper cabals include Cryptdelver, Blackshroud, Finalveil, Darkwake, and Lore-Reborn.

'''Typical Directorates:''' In addition to the usual directorates of security, intelligence, research, and education, gravewhisper cabals maintain an acquisitions directorate (which acquires unusual or noteworthy bodies from the outside world), a rites directorate (which handles burial and body-preservation activities), and a deathruler directorate (which handles day-to-day control of the cabal’s undead minions). The administration directorate, responsible for feeding and caring for the denizens of the enclave, tends to be smaller and less powerful than in other kinds of cabals because many gravewhisper cabal members don’t require sustenance or creature comforts.

'''Plots:''' Gravewhisper cabals know that much of the outside world doesn’t understand their fascination with necromancy and the undead; on occasion, crusading [[paladin]]s and various other do-gooders have put gravewhisper enclaves to the torch. Gravewhisper cabals rely on the wisdom and leadership of powerful [[undead]], so a successful attack can leave a gravewhisper cabal permanently bereft of such leadership. Gravewhisper cabals are therefore paranoid about the safety of their enclaves. They aggressively infiltrate any nearby power structures (political, religious, or magical) and maintain a network of agents to warn them of potential threats. Gravewhisper cabals lust after necromantic lore of all kinds, going to great lengths to acquire tomes that detail the finer points of lichdom rituals, ways to contact a soul after death, and similar matters. They also occasionally engage in corpse snatching, stealing the body of a recently deceased noble, hero, or notable citizen. Once the body is safely ensconced within the gravewhisper cabal’s enclave, the illumians raise it, transform the body into a loyal undead minion, or perform other experiments on it.

'''Enemies and Allies:''' Undead creatures perform the basic functions within a gravewhisper cabal. [[Zombie]]s and [[skeleton]]s make up much of the cabal’s manual labor, while [[ghoul]]s and [[wight]]s guard the enclave from attack. [[Shadow]]s and [[spectre]]s act as the cabal’s spies in the outside world. Intelligent undead, however, are actually members of the cabal, not just its servants. A gravewhisper cabal usually includes [[vampire]]s or [[lich]]es among the members of its Black Table.

'''Enclaves:''' Gravewhisper enclaves feature extensive catacombs. While the catacombs crawl with ambulatory undead, they are dominated by bodies lying in various states of preservation, waiting for resurrection, conversion to undead, or ritual use.