Old man Joe knew his boy Johann was going to be his ticket to power. Joe had him educated in all the most prestigious boarding schools the Empire had to offer. He even captained the snotball team at Altdorf University where Joe had to pretend to care and even bought one of those stupid "We're #1" gloves. After graduating with honors, Johann boy even did a stint in the Imperial Navy where he captained a small patrol while raiding some villages in the far east.
Everything went sour though, on that parade Johann had. See, Joe had to make some deals with some of the seedier elements in town to help sway Johann's mayoral campaign. But then, Johann and Rupert didn't seem to care who they owed. Instead, Johann took to the ladies while Rupert actually started trying to arrest those same people that Joe owed! And that's why Johann took a crossbow bolt to the face.
Old Joe tried to use all his magics to save him. He burned through every expensive ingredient while making Rupert exhaust himself in support. But all Joe could do was raise a shambling corpse. Things go even worse after Rupert was also murdered. Rupert wasn't Johann, and therefore wasn't important, so Joe has his corpse thrown into the town dump. After having put forth his blood, sweat, and tears trying to raise Johann, Rupert's soul was enraged when he saw that his father didn't even come to claim his own body. With this rage, Rupert was born anew, as a wraith intent on haunting his father for all eternity.
