Draughir

Overview

The Draughir are touched by the realm of Winter, a nightmare realm of hunger and death that nonetheless possesses hidden wisdom. They are calculating, practical to the point of expediency and protective of what is theirs but they are monstrous in appearance, and struggle with inhuman instincts.

Draughir are most comfortable in military and economic roles which give them the independence they need to make the sort of pragmatic decisions they want to take. Draughir are often drawn to positions of political power but they can find it frustrating to share power with others, if they get in the way of the draughir's ability to provide effective leadership. Draughir priests are relatively rare; while draughir can be as virtuous as any human, their pragmatic nature means they tend to proritize solutions over principles and their virtue is often more instinctive than intellectual. While many take dominant roles, there are plenty of draughir who actively seek out second-in-command and lieutenant roles and they make excellent companions, attendants and right-hand henchment- they are capable of fierce loyalty, to the right commander.

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The draughir lineage is intended to appeal to players who want a character that is callous and merciless towards their enemies. Draughir are often pragmatic to the point of being brutal and are an option for anyone looking to play an emotionally hardened or otherwise unsympathetic character. The draughir give options for playing an anti-hero or misunderstood outsider, as well as a character that is “wrestling with inner demons”. It also allows a player to roleplay themes of practicality, morality and personal responsibility.

Inspirations for the draughir might include the heroes Batman or the Shadow who use fear as weapons against the criminal underclass, the comic-book villains Ras al Ghul or Magneto who do terrible things with the best of intentions. Other inspirations might include a fictionalised Vlad Dracul who does cruel things to his enemies but still thinks of himself as a protector of what is his; the Livia of I, Claudius who performs and encourages terrible acts for the greater good of the Roman people; the Bride from the Kill Bill movies; Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo; the Sith from the Star Wars Old Republic, Gaius Helen Mohaim of the Bene Gesserit from Dune, and to a degree the morlocks of H G Wells’ Time Machine whose desperation to survive turns them into monsters. Marisa Coulter from the Northern Lights is a great example of an often heartless character conflicted by her feelings for those she cares about.

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What they are not

• Sadistic or evil. Draughir are practical to the point of expediency, they are not innately wicked or corrupt. They are prepared to do cruel things only to achieve necessary ends, they do not delight in cruelty for its own sake.
• Undead. While draughir may often have a corpse-like appearance, they are living creatures.

Sobriquets

Wendigo, the Cold, the Wise, the Hungry, Ghul, Dread

Iconic Trappings

• Pale skin. A draughir's skin is usually pallid, pale or discoloured as if from ill health. You can use white or yellow make-up to lighten or jaundice the skin tone. You can paint every inch of your skin bone-white, but if you do this, then avoid leaving your neck visible and unpainted, as it undermines the appearance. The alternative is to apply make-up more traditionally to lighten the skin tones and give your skin a deathly pallor, if you do this then you can blend in the make-up rather than trying to cover all visible skin.

Other Trappings

• Prominent veins.
• Scarred or gouged flesh.
• Wrinkled skin. especially around the eyes.
• Hollow, deepset eyes.
• Predatory teeth
• Predatory eyes. Especially red or yellow contact lenses.

Commercial Prosthetic: http://www.mostlydead.co.uk

• Clawed fingers. Draughir may have talons that replace their fingernails. These claws are never large enough to be used as a weapon. Clawed fingers should be black or bone white, with the claws short and protruding from the end of the finger where the nail bed would be. Wolverine style claws that protrude from the back of the wrist are not appropriate.
• Predatory Demeanor. Draughir tend to exhibit “Bestial” or “Predatory” roleplaying, staring, sniffing, twitching etc.

Roleplaying Draughir

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Draughir blood influences the character of the one who possesses it. Not every draughir expresses these effects to the same degree, but characters who strongly express these roleplaying effects often possess stronger blood than those who do not.

• Draughir are practical. They do what it takes to stay alive. They choose the most effective course of action without letting ethical or moral concerns get in the way. Altruism is not part of their nature. When a village is starving to death a draughir will suggest eating the dead without a second thought, and will do it themselves even if the rest of the village reacts with revulsion. If the destruction of a village will slow an advancing army, that settlement is history. Food that cannot be carried during a retreat, will be poisoned or destroyed rather than left for the enemy.

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• Draughir are calculating. Everyone is either useful, dangerous or not a threat. Every situation advances the Draughir’s aim or hindering it. If something is useful, it should be used. If something is dangerous, it should be destroyed or avoided. A draughir on a vital mission will leave a lame companion behind rather than risk slowing the group down. They’re the kind of people who are comfortable with sacrificing ten lives to save a hundred, with using disease or terror as weapons.
• Draughir have an us-and-them mentality. They can be loving and gentle towards their friends and family, but tend to treat strangers and acquaintances as potential rivals and competitors. Draughir are socially dominating – they expect those they are looking after to treat them with respect and deference. A draughir might even have a definition of “us” that is remarkably selfcentred, viewing everyone else as potential prey. There may be an element of “territoriality” or “pack” here – what’s theirs is theirs and they look after it but woe betide anyone who threatens it, or who isn’t grateful for being part of their domain.

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• Draughir are hungry. This might be a physical hunger, but is often a metaphorical hunger for power, wealth, security, knowledge or sensation. In either case, it is a hunger that cannot be satisfied. This can be positive; they refuse to become complacent. It can also negative; they are never satisfied with what they achieve.
• All Draughir risk becoming monstrous. They can cease to be human in their thoughts, and view other people as cattle or prey. They can lose their empathy, and become prey to alien hungers that make it easy for them to commit unspeakable acts. Lone Draughir or individuals who have contact only with other draughir seem to be particularly prone to this loss of humanity, which is why most draughir seek out human company.

Advantage: Carrion Eater/Iron Stomach

Draughir get sustenance from anything they can eat or drink, even if it would cause a normal human to become sick. They can eat rotting meat, spoiled vegetables and uncooked flesh, as well as drinking blood, stagnant water or rancid milk without ill effect. They also don’t “need” as much food, drink or sleep as anyone else – they can survive by eating cockroaches if they have to. They’re no more resistant to poison than anyone else; this is a survival tool that also allows them to subsist on leftovers and offal while their friends and family get the stuff they need to stay healthy. They’re not body disposal experts, however. It takes *forever* to turn a human into 180lbs of raw meat and eat it, even if you don’t throw up every time you swallow a mouthful.

The Blood

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Draughir are as warm blooded and vital as any human, although they sometimes have corpse-like appearance. They mate and breed just like humans, they have hair, and they give birth to live offspring. While a few draughir – especially those of strong lineage – are born with clear draughir marks, others appear entirely human but undergo a transformation in later life (generally before they hit puberty).

This unexpected transformation of a beloved child helps fuel the fear that many fear for the draughir. A common belief is that people who turn to cannibalism will have draughir children, or will slowly become draughir themselves. The Eternals of Winter might feel especially paternal/maternal towards a draughir. This is likely to be an unsettling experience.

Lines of the draughir

Some draughir children are killed or given away because people fear them and what they may turn into. Some people might make a “sacrifice” by becoming draughir as part of a pact so they can survive hard times, but with a “cautionary tale” element about those same draughir ultimately eating the people they were trying to help.

• Varushkan draughir can make harsh decisions and understand monsters. In a land of Winter, this can make them heroes.
• The 'Unveiled' of Highguard include a few draughir, their teeth filed down in shame at their blood.

Film: Sleepy Hollow

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