A pamphlet produced and distributed by the Ruby Order that has the aim of dispelling some of the most common misconceptions about their art, and encouraging those who are interested in it not to fall under the sway of Dark Deities and instead remain respectable members of the community. It is often accompanied by it's sister pamphlet 'Ten Things You Always Wanted To Know About Necromancy, But Were Too Scared To Ask'.
Seven Common Misconceptions About Necromancy
1:You must swear yourself to a Dark God or Goddess to gain access to necromantic knowledge: This is one of the worst myths surrounding the school of necromancy. It is just a school of magic, much like conjuration, divination, or evocation. It is quite possible to learn without any such deal. Indeed, many arcanists have studied the art of Necromancy without swearing allegiance to ANY deity. It is just the manipulation of mana in certain patterns that have similar effects.
2:Awakening undeath requires the sacrifice of life.: This nonsense is usually peddled alongside the first cited myth, not only by servants of said dark gods, but unfortunately often by well-meaning individuals substituting zeal for insight. In simple terms, the creation of most sanctioned undead involves infusing a dead body with the energies of the negative planes which preserves it and allows it a degree of independent functioning under the mage's control, somewhat like a puppet on a string — all this requires is a focus, usually obsidian, and a solid amount of arcane skill.
3:Necromancy is only about creating an controlling the undead: While much of the school is, in fact, about creating or controlling undead, that is NOT it's sole focus. There are nearly as many spells that are focused on combating the undead in the school, and there are a number that have nothing to do with undead at all. At it's core, the school is about life. How it comes into existence, how it changes over time, and what happens to it after it leaves what we consider 'life'.
4:Necromancy is the way to go about achieving immortality: Well, yes and no. While a couple of necromancers have indeed achieved such a goal, it's by no means easy, or even feasible by most ordinary means. You might as well become a transmuter hoping to create gold from cow dung — chances are it won't happen and you'll end up in a smelly mess for someone to clean up.
5:Necromancy is evil: No, plain and simply. While there are outlawed rituals that undoubtedly qualify as such, so is summoning devils or certain forms of mind alteration, yet few would call conjurers and enchanters "practitioners of the vile arts". A large fraction of common necromantic spells manipulate the flows of life force, and while such can be used for murder or torture, so can a fireball. Actually raising the dead is a different manner, but as addressed earlier, there's nothing particularly horrifying or vile about the means to do so, and the body used is merely an empty husk that the soul has long departed. Make sure you obtain the body legally, though.
6:Necromancers are evil: Again, no. While the field does often attract unsavoury individuals, not the least because of the myths and misconceptions dispelled earlier, your average necromancer is no more evil than any other arcanist. Indeed, many necromancers these days apply their talents in the fields of crime scene investigation, and if you're from a larger city, your local Leaden Mace branch is likely a home to one or two such mages.
7:Necromancers are demure/asocial/always dress in black: The popular image of a necromancer, spread mostly by way of literary cliche, folk tales and beer talk. The easiest way to disprove this one is to go and have a talk with a necromancer yourself. Necromancers come in all sorts, and perhaps the only surefire pointer that you're talking to one besides a Ruby Order issued certificate of aptitude is a cigar or a pipe hanging from the corner of their mouth - due to the often unsavoury nature of their work, many tend to take up smoking to ease up their stomach.