Stinker

A cadaver raised to undeath during the stages of decomposition, after the systems of the body can be functionally revived; typically done in haste to bolster numbers and spread desease. Only their bones are animated, the dead flesh still rots, falling away as they move. Their physiology makes them tougher than their naked counterparts, and the diseases they carry only increase the danger. Volatile creatures with gas pockets often bulging and exploding from their bodies, they are not the first choice for necrocasting. If allowed to settle in bogs, swamps, or other environments conducive to biodiversity, they may merge with their surroundings, mutating into other forms of Revenant.

Bearers of plague and contagion, their smell serves as a warning of their approach. The cadaver may contain nests of rats, insects and other creatures; they may develop a symbiotic relationship with these occupants. A long-lived Stinker may foster a sense of responsibility over these inhabitants, and defend them fervidly. Stinkers typically lose their flesh, eventually transitioning into Clinkers. A few persist long enough, form strong enough bonds to other creatures, and find a reclusive area with a niche to exploit, that they grow to become Bog Fiends.

I once saw a stinker with a bird's nest in its noggin'. No joke! I'm hiding up a tree, waitin' for it t'go on its merry way, and as its shambling past, this little bird pops out of its eye socket! I almost fell from the flamin' tree! The weirdest part was hearin' the lil' chicks tweatin' for grub from inside its rotting head. (shudders). Haven't touched an egg since.