This set of collected papers is written in Common and contains the notes of Professor Benkovic regarding the process of becoming a lich. A key passage reads as follows:
To complete the Ritual of Becoming, the subject's soul must be placed into their desired phylactery, either by the subject or the magician performing the ritual. After the etheric self has been safely stored, the physical changes required by the subject's impending state can begin. Magical energy absorbs much of the body's moisture; skin shrivels and often changes colour, giving the subject a corpse-like appearance. The subject may experience some physical or emotional discomfort as the changes take hold, but so long as their spiritual self is bound to its phylactery, there is no danger of it physically perishing. In fact, once the transformation is complete, the subject's continued physical existence can only be ended via the phylactery's destruction.