[✗] Nephilim - Lesser Dragonkin

[excited 10834]

THE CORROSION OF IMMORTAL ESSENCE

 

 

 

 

 

Author’s Note

When I wrote this lore in April, it was supposed to have been accepted but due to unknown reasons -- whether it be confusion on my behalf or the LMs being rather busy at the time, or actual denial for other unknown reasons I have decided to repost it in its current state, having noticed the prior piece, despite it being “accepted” wasn’t up to date.

 

Following the acceptance of Wraiths as a playable creature I had to make some modifications to my lore, seeing as the previous “Enwraithed” state was very much like Môrdring’s creatures. I would like to think that in the past 3-4 months despite all this confusion, the article has improved significantly and has been ironed out to the point where it can stand on its own in LoTC’s canonical lore.

 

Now, contrary to what people might expect, Wraiths and Nephilim have many notable differences in both their roles and overall purpose. It should also be noted that although Wraiths and Nephilim have similarities, Nephilim did indeed precede the Wraith lore and were originally written by me, Swgrclan, and Voorhis. Without further ado, here is the updated article.

 

 

 

Explanation:

 

These are the prominent differences between Nephilim and Wraiths, despite their similarities they are very incompatible and do not share the same utilities.

 

Wraiths are incorporeal, Nephilim are corporeal. Wraiths are undead, Nephilim are living transcendents.

 

Wraiths are ashy, and cannot wear armor. Nephilim tediously maintain their draconic bodies and due to that, can bear arms and armor.

 

Wraiths are produced through a bone catalyst bestowed by the drake Satar, Nephilim are produced from a ritual that invokes the direct power of a drakaar and fuses immortal essence with mortal blood.

 

Wraiths are prominently susceptible to fire whereas Nephilim are unscathed by it entirely.

 

Nephilim, due to their nature as a transcendent with a glitched soul blueprint can change their features through very exhausting meditation. Wraiths disguise themselves via ‘husking.’

 

Nephilim exist as a method to which a drakaar, due to their inability to breed and produce offspring, to pass on their physical and mental traits for their own aims. Wraiths were created as a means for Môrdring to have servants to usher in a new age of dragons and birth new dragonkin through descendant life-force.

 

Wraithdom is a means of undeath, whereas Nephilim are living beings who take on draconic traits.

 

Properties of Dragon Blood

 

In retrospect, dragon blood serves as a malleable force for transformation. All dragons in the hierarchy bear the immortal essences of the daemon Dragur, and because of this they are capable of acting as a catalyst for greater powers through immolation, blanketing the soul in a perverse darkness and birthing a new entity through the change to the mortal coil.

 

Physiology

 

When Nephilim are slain their coil degenerates into a loose gathering of particles which can be blown away with the wind to reform elsewhere. Because of the gradual darkening of their fractured souls, they are unable to make use of voidal or deific magics. Their eyes grow noticeably reptilian and they become cold blooded, greatly weakened when traversing chilly climates. This elemental waring is just one of their many flaws, because of the nature of their tainted bodies and shattered souls they are susceptible to both holy magic and aurum. Due to the nature of their glitched soul blueprint, however, they are also able to shapeshift to a slight degree through rigorous meditation.

 

Psyche

 

There is a great shift in mentality following the transformation which often leads to a lack of homogeneity with humanoids. They grow obsessed with objects of relevance and historical value, and preserve trinkets from their past. This behavior is compulsive and part of their nature, and could even grow maddening as the years go by.

 

Ritual
 

There’s one method for ascending to Draugardom, a ritual dubbed as “the Transference.”
 

• An excruciatingly painful change brought on by imbibing the blood of greater dragonkin, this process would begin to rapidly kill the individual should they not be infused with a surplus of genus enhanced life-force.

 

 

Pros
 

• Alive, they bear mortal functions.
• Longevity: they are unable to die and are resurrected upon being slain through the alternative method of regeneration. Death rules still apply.
• Preserved Physique: their bodies are at the peak of physical condition.
• Temporal Resistance: immune to fire that isn’t generated through holy means.
• Lesser shape-shifting, thorough understanding of the Dark Tongue.

 

Cons

 

• Soulbound Aversion: holy or “aengulic” magic harms Nephilim on account of the darkness that enshrouds their souls.
• Darkened Soul: unable to possess arcane and deity-sourced magics of any kind.
• Golden Suffering: susceptible to aurum due to the nature of their body acting as a “tether” to which their lifeforce is held in limbo, rather than flowing openly.
• Draconic Traits: they are cold blooded and thus weakened in cold terrain, they possess reptilian eyes no matter what form they take.
• Mental Contortion: loss of humanoid identity, gradually becoming more and more like their creator. Compulsively intrigued by objects of relevance or historical value.

 

Their Contribution to Role-Play

 

- Nephilim don't exist as an antagonizing force, but a means to transcend by means of dark magics. This means their alignment may be dynamic and they may take any side depending on the qualities of the character.

 

- Nephilim in the case they do choose to become antagonists, can prove to be quite a force to oppose, though can be killed in reason. They may die like all other physical beings, which gives players a fair chance against a stronger force.

 

- Draugardom can be sought by anyone who wishes to go through the ritual, meaning players can have an additional, dark-sided goal to pursue.

 

 

Draconic Hierarchy

 

                     Dragur

                 /                   \

Dragaar -                     - Drakaar

                  \ Nephilim /

                 /                           \

Dragon  -                          - Drake

 

Dragur is the daemon or "source" from which this transformation comes, without his essence its impossible to ascend to Draugardom. His essence is contained in the blood of "sentient" or Greater Dragonkin and thus is not carried by bestial dragonkin like dragons or drakes. Nephilim fall under neither category because while they can be considered dark creatures, they don't exist to ravage the world or protect it, they simply follow through on their own aims. 

 

MECHANICS:

 

- When successfully completing the ritual, you must apply with the following prefix in the Magic Apps forum:

- [CA] [Necrolyte] (Name)'s Nephilim Application.

 

If accepted, the player receives Necrolyte buffs.

 

FAQ:

 

- Unlike most dark entities, Nephilim are without a doubt alive.

 

- Nephilim are capable of reproducing, but the child will not be a Nephilim themselves, nor will they hold any special abilities/be able to be harmed by holy magic.

 

- Nephilim are also dubbed: Darkreavers, Draugr, and Draugar.

 

Citation:

Dragonkin
Original Corrosion of Immortal Essence

[excited 10834]

The arguments against my lore piece are as following.

 

-Takes up the slot of a new undead which was highly fought (too many undead forms already, overcomplicating things)

They are not on the same level as other undead, rather, they're transcendents. They're living beings, and they're hardly overcomplicated.

 

-Small scope of affected people

The same could be said for any other lore piece your team has accepted, to be honest. These beings, again, are an open role that people can strive to become.
 

-Thought of as too highly self serving 

If it was self-serving it'd be far more powerful, believe me. I, and a few others, wished to rp these so I wrote lore for them. People loved the concept, some people despised it, but most people I've spoken to support this article.
 

-Overpowered (too strong, cannot die outright)
They have a lot of debuffs such as aurum, holy magic, and the fact everybody and their mother will want to kill them for existing in the first place.

 

-Wraiths fill a very similar role already

Wraiths, like Liches, serve a less martial utility. My lore precedes the lore on Wraiths, my lore also happens to be very balanced. If needed just list them as necrolytes but the Enshadowed state itself is being removed from the piece in favor of something more up to date. 

 

-"Too many concepts that cover topics we do not want covered"

Most of this is rather straight forward, do tell me please what topics you don't want covered.
 

-Undefined place of resurrection (could be their own body and that would make them literally invincible with the only downside being memory loss)

Reavers once they die disintegrate into ash, that ash is blown off by the wind, allowing them to reconstruct elsewhere.

 

-"Unsure what to make of this"

Explain how and I'll remedy it. 

[KBR 1484]

i cannot support this

 

 

 

+1

[Lhindir_ 3439]

Yes

[Malgonious 2758]

+1 looks great!

[Pando_ 446]

+1

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

+1, improvements have been made.

[TavernLich 324]

+1 better than dark stalkers

[Mephistophelian 972]

Why are these creatures able to change form so easily?

 

To make my question easier to understand, here is an answer to 'Why can Frost Witches change form?': Frost Witches can change form because they are made of ice and they manipulate this ice.

[GDPR 014 24]

On 7/10/2016 at 7:52 PM, Gorget said:

"And with strange aeons, even Death may die." 

I too have read the necronomicon I never knew the mad Arab was in LoTC 

[ThumperJack 923]

 

+1, looks good!

[excited 10834]

On 7/31/2016 at 4:06 AM, Mephistophelian said:

Why are these creatures able to change form so easily?

 

To make my question easier to understand, here is an answer to 'Why can Frost Witches change form?': Frost Witches can change form because they are made of ice and they manipulate this ice.

 

Glitched soul blueprint. 

[arakrsptec 171]

I love this. Well, love is a strong word. Am I ready for that commitment? 

 

Anyways, +1

[Mephistophelian 972]

8 hours ago, Gorget said:

 

Glitched soul blueprint. 

Ah, so they can manipulate it at will?

 

I think a nicer way of putting it could be: 'As Dragaar and Drakaar may shift from Draconic to descendant form, so too may the nephlim warp form, granted this ability by the ichor running through their veins. Though it is a far lesser amount, it allows them to slightly manipulate their soul blueprint.'

[excited 10834]

1 minute ago, Mephistophelian said:

Ah, so they can manipulate it at will?

 

I think a nicer way of putting it could be: 'As Dragaar and Drakaar may shift from Draconic to descendant form, so too may the nephlim warp form, granted this ability by the ichor running through their veins. Though it is a far lesser amount, it allows them to slightly manipulate their soul blueprint.'

Amended.