Draughir
Draughir
Sobriquets
Draugr, Wendigo, the Cold, the Wise, the Kindly, the Hungry, Feaster, Ghul, Aberrant, Monster, Dread
Realm Affiliation: Winter
The Draughir are touched by the realm of Winter, a nightmare realm of hunger and death that nonetheless possesses hidden wisdom. They are monstrous in appearance, and fight with instinctual urges to act in an inhuman manner. They are a Lineage that expresses itself physically in a number of ways, and Lineage strength varies greatly based on part how inhuman they appear. The Lineage encourages players to be creative when coming up with personal looks, and has a wide range of potential expressions.
The Draughir Lineage is intended to appeal to players who want to play something “other” or “inhuman.” It empowers them to flirt with some “wicked” tropes but hopefully without descending into casual LRP eeeeeeevil for its own sake. The Lineage serves a role in “humanising” the otherwise easily-mistaken-for-evil Winter Realm. The Draughir encourage an element of “anti-hero” or “misunderstood outsider” and also allows for “wrestling with inner demon” roleplaying ideas. It also allows a player to explore “darker” roleplaying themes through the roleplaying emphasis on calculation, pragmatism and expediency.
An inspiration for the Draughir might be a fictionalised “Vlad Dracul” who does cruel things to their enemies, burns extraneous peasants alive, and still thinks of himself as a sort of “protector” of what is theirs. The Sith in the Old Republic are also an inspiration, as to a degree are the morlocks of H G Wells’ Time Machine.
Draughir Trappings
The Eternals of the Realm of Winter are monsters that use magic to conceal their monstrous appearance. The Draughir lineage lacks this magic and so looks like a monster all the time. There’s a fair bit of variation, but we need some clear limits to avoid “open world” creep. With an eye to the trappings – the physical changes that set a Draughir apart from a human without Lineage – I’ve put together this short list. The “required trapping” is intended to be the baseline thing that defines a Draughir – a starting point from which to build a look. This is very much a Lineage where players have a lot of creativity when designing their costume. It also needs some work narrowing it down.
Required Trapping: “Weird” Skin
Pale, corrupted, scabrous or discoloured 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, Small claws, talons or iron fingernails “Bestial” or “Predatory” roleplaying – staring, sniffing, twitching and so on.
Roleplaying Draughir
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. I’m not sure about “hungry” as it is close to Cambion “driven”, and I think there is definitely a better way to say “us-and-them.”
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 the Draughir suggests 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 structure is history. food cannot be carried during a retreat, it will be poisoned or destroyed rather than left for the enemy.
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. I think maybe there’s 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.
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 cease to be human in their thoughts, and view other people as cattle or prey. They 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. The Draughir express some werewolf concepts without the lycanthropy, or “serial killer” ideas – they can seem reasonably normal up to the point where they eat your granny, or you discover they’ve been putting corpses in the stew because all the beef has run out.
The Blood
Draughir are as warm blooded and vital as any human, they just sometimes have corpse-like characteristics. 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.
Possible 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 (for example). They’re not body disposal experts, because 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.
Lines of the Draughir
Some Draughir children are killed or given away because people fear them and what they may turn into. Varushkan Draughir may be heroes who can make harsh decisions and understand monsters. 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.
