Necromancy, in its broadest definition, is the use of magic to control entropy, but also what once was. Skeletons, for example, can't move by themselves, but they represent the idea of a body that once could. Of course, death is a big part of this. It is the frontier between what is and what isn't, and clever uses of this frontier make a huge part of most necromancy spells. It is, however, interesting to note that actual death is not a necessity. Wraiths, for example, can be summoned even without the death of the original creature. If the creature in question went through enough of a change, its previous state has "died", and thus, can be summoned. Some people can even be haunted by themselves, as the wraith believes that a doppleganger has invaded their home.
Liches function on a similar principle. At first glance, Lichdom might seem like an outlier. A ritual of Lichdom is cast to preserve a body, not destroy or raise it. However, this is ignoring the fact that the ritual demands the death of the subject. The simpler (but not easiest) way to achieve this is to just that. The future lich kills themself, usually using poison, and raises their own body under their control. This, however, requires tremendous quantities of mana. A post mortem spell is extremely difficult to cast, to fail such a spell means actual death.
One way to circumvent this is to have someone complete the ritual for you. This option, however, also has its caveats. First, you need someone you trust completely, of course. The person can do anything to the would-be lich, including raising them in their service. Second, it is a huge strain on the person completing the ritual. Messing with death is no trivial matter, and if they aren't careful, the ritual can rend their very soul apart. Even if they are, the spell has consequences on the body, sometimes permanent ones, and can hinder the caster's ability to use magic.
Finally, the third option is to kill a part of oneself. The killing part is as not difficult as it sounds, and does not have to be a moral sacrifice. Parts of a person die all the time, mainly when we take decisions. The part of ourself that vouched for the other option dies, if we are certain enough, and that is enough for the ritual. However, the hard part is knowing exactly when it dies, and casting the ritual at this exact moment. Usually, it is easier when one is confronted with a moral conendrum, as they are ready to cast the ritual.
This is the option I will take.
First, because I cannot ask anyone to risk themselves to get me to Lichdom. There are people I would trust with my life, but the risk for them is to great. Second, I do have a moral conendrum to solve.
Despite what I said to Serioth, I'm still unsure. The Council's members are a permanent danger to me and my loved ones, and I don't want to live on fear of the day they'll catch up, but immortality is often a curse. A painful one. I don't know if I'll ever be ready to see the world wither around me as I remain.
So the plan is simple. I'll go to @ratazom 's tower (thank you for proposing your help, by the way), and use one of the artifacts I stole. Jaress the Pink's Orb will allow me to "store" the ritual. Once my decision is taken, I'll use it, and become a lich.
