Nephilim - Lesser Dragonkin

[excited 10833]

 

((Disclaimer: This lore is held by AerialKaibab and freema5,
and has been rewritten and updated as of 11/13/16.))
[Lore Trial - 2M from 29/09/16 ] 

An illustration of a siege led by Azdromoth. [Artwork by Numirya]

 

 

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"It was then that the dragonflight took the skies. Dragur released a cry that shook the heavens and the very Earth buckled to the Daemon’s declaration of war. It was Dragur’s own judgement upon Iblees. Pouring from their misty abode they swarming the skies. The Dragaar lead platoons of dragons to the battalions of Iblees. The cries of the descedants had been received by Dragur. He joined the flocks of his dragonkin and laid waste to the scourge of unliving that had been amassed by Iblees. The Daemon was set upon a war path to rectify his fatal error and banish Iblees from the realm of Aegis. Packs of the dragonkin spread far across the land. Some perched themselves atop the towering walls of Horen’s beloved city.

 

"Others took to the outskirts of Malin’s forest and acted as wardens. Bathing the intruding minions of the Betrayer in brimstone and fire. Yet Dragur’s armed intervention had not gone unnoticed. Iblees took to the front of the conflict and set his gaze upon the first Dragaar and child of Dragur. In Iblees' right hand, a sword wrought in flame. The ravaging Arch-Daemon challenged the chieftain of the Dragaar to a duel. Constantly taunting the Dragaar with promises of receding from the realm if he was bested in open combat by the leader.

 

"Foolishly the Dragaar was taken by the moment and charged for the towering monstrosity. It was with one fluid movement that the Arch-Daemon launched a hand and warped its fiendish digits around the beast’s neck. The creature howled whilst an ebony poison dripped from the clutches of the Arch-Daemon. The blight fall over the scales of the Dragaar. Color was zapped and replaced with a hollowing black. His mind had fallen into the clutches of Iblees and left perverted by his touch."  

 

-- Genesis, Rise and Fall of the Dragonkin

 

 

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In times of yore after the first dragons took to the skies, men were rewarded for their everlasting faith to the Old Gods, what would now be called Dragaar in modern day. The progenitors of the mutants that would come to be called the Nephilim, prior to the conflict in which Dragur and his brood took flight to end the scourge of Iblees Draugardom was bestowed to those of great renown who served the dragons faithfully. However following the wars waged against Iblees the dragonkin suffered, the first of their own kind being turned against them while the very earth shook under the brunt of godly magic and tactless violence. Very few Nephilim remained, and with their forebearer sealed away there was nothing they could hope to accomplish any longer but to continue on, wandering the vastness of the world only to eventually be consumed by it in their hopelessness. Unable to pass on their traits, they dwindled and died out, alone and forgotten, with scarce hints as to what had transpired. The Age of Fire had run its course, and now it was to be a time of peace and tranquility once again as the plights of the ancestral races and the Four Brothers were forgotten entirely. Thus, the world came to flourish without the aid of gods, that is, until great upheaval once again shook the pillars of creation. Then came the resurgence of the dragonkin following the deeds of Mordring and the freeing of the Black Titan from his ethereal shackles, beginning the Age of Contempt and the resurrection of the numerous draconic species, most notably the Dragaar.

 

 

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Concept of a m/f Azdrazi both changed and unchanged in themed armor. [Artwork by Numirya]

 

 

"Kindle your inner-flame and thwart the malevolent."

 

 

There is one  method for ascension to Azdrazihood, a ritual dubbed “the Transference.”

 

• Contrary to popular beliefs regarding the Nephilims process of Draconic siring, not all stem from a Dragaar or Drakaar. Those that do hail from such lineages, however, hold the peculiar capability to spawn children from their own blood - however, a lesser generation that is imbued with a once diluted version of Azdromoths (or another Dragaar/Drakaar who knows the ritual) find themselves incapable of such reproduction.

 

 

With regards to the process of conversion, there are a plethora of required elements. The body must first and foremost be doused in flame of a natural origin, and subsequently (prior functions just as well, though tradition dictates it must be performed after/during the dousing). Next comes the blood of a Sire or Draconic entity. Be it poured into their mouth as if it were a drink or otherwise directly dripped into an open wound, any method of introducing the fluid serves the function.

The first method is far slower, and the second needs only enough time to circulate and reproduce for the process to be completed - during the transference, they are entirely crippled and wracked with pain incomparable to the rigors of the mortal world. Once the blood of the Mortal had been overwhelmed with that of the Dragon, the initial stage of the conversion was set. (read below for more information on the nature of the changes)

 

 

 

Physical Abilities

 

On development and thought:

 

“To reject the form is to blaspheme.”

 

From the dreary monotony of times before their nascence, the Azdrazi is a creature that sees no ends to their own development; from the day one first dies to the day their existence is wholly wiped from the longstanding memory of existence, their form subjects itself to an eternal series of metamorphoses.

 

Each step is a longstanding choice; every foot forward brings the individual’s capabilities and ability to consider oneself a “member” of the descendant questions into a greater question of accuracy. On the first dawn of their Dragonsflame, they find their bodies inconstant - malleable and warm meat affording itself no challenge to reorganization as their innards and soul struggles to grasp the full breadth of the changes they have been afforded by their Gods, and the vehement intensity that accompanies its onset is normally accompanied by a change in mindset. In some, the traits of their family manifest as obsessive compulsions and being wont to particularism. Such is most often found in familial units of similar Dragonkin, most notably the flights of their Draconic sire.

 

Yet such a time does not last. If the soul finds itself capable, the array of changes and onset of the tumultuous rejection of entropy is began in earnest. His embraces’ cost is freedom; what was once the ability to act as they pleased and without restraint afflicts only the malus and crux of the burden hewn into their blood.

 

The first step is one of penitence. What the lesser man saw as “polymorphing” became a natural process, in which the only “change” they may desire and will into being is the sequestering of natural features. This exposition and divergence from the natural form is a transition.

 

Skin hued the colour of the being they consider to be their Progenitor, the loving father who permitted his light to enter a world so filled with taint and misuse for the sake of protecting the afflicted children of it. Horns, a display befitting a crown of steel and fire - weapons and ornamentation alike sat atop his head. Eyes from which they view the world in a new perspective - slitted, vertical irises that cast their clout and weight wherever they wander and lastly a hide thick like leather, proudly adorning the colours of the aforementioned “Progenitor.”

 

 

Time saw now peace for forms conjured from the primordial womb of Azdromoth. Those honored creatures, wreathed in crowns of bone and fire, saw the putrefaction of their boons towards the end of the Third Dawn; in the place of their humanity, they were granted a form of monstrous content - looming beings that reeked of cinder and ash, and all the terror the early world once knew when Iblees woke from his aeons slumber.

 

Their hands found themselves as weapons of war, wreathed in the flames of kindling when they were so inclined. A maw filled with long and terrible teeth designed to do naught but consume and devour.  their body bloated and huge, filled with contents inexplicable Perhaps once they were more than vestigial burdens.

 

Progress comes at a cost. The form they found taxed them building up residual acids, rendering muscles inert after a brief passage of time; the next, most conceptually unnerving to the sound mind is the motivation to remain. What they were granted came as a boon, but the minds of its benefactors briefly lose their grasp on the sense of the Humanity. The realization that their enkindling burns away what remained of what they were, and with every subsequent transference it worsens.

 

 

With all the time long since past, the kindred wait to see of what more will come. The natural course of all things but they is entropic, and the Azdrazi long since gone search for the process through which their venerated ancestors undertook.

Depiction of the Nephilim’s superior form. [Artwork by Numirya]

 

 

Digression on the nature of the superior form:

 

 

“In retrospect, the frailty of the Human form becomes exceptionally apparent.”

 

To the eye of an observer, the metamorphosis from man to monster was a horrific thing. Flesh hardened and ripped to set scales in it’s place, rapid contortions of the spine and bone structure that leant them height and densely-set muscles; their hands found themselves becoming rapidly inarticulate, with long claws in place of what were once dexterous fingers. Not even the mercy of a swift transformation shielded them from these agonies - each portion of the transcendence took time and force of will, in which they broke their bodies to return to their place as a weapon at the Titans’ hand. In certain environs, however, the transition was impossible - chilled peaks or tundras found the fire in their blood cooled to nothing but low-burning cinders.

 

Yet each served the greater purpose, and the ideal essence of their Kin. They were the progeny of the Arch-Dragaar, a being with powers that invoked fear in all, even Aenguls. Their hide was thick and tough, the scales a compliment and shield to the form - tough, almost resistant to strikes from a blade, though it was possible to puncture or rend it with a great excess of force such as that of a bodkin bolt from a wise and well prepared Smith and Arbalest.

While some scholars argue that they are weapons in and of themselves - designed by the Arch-Dragaar, their claws and inarticulate hands wielded no implements of their own design; so powerful was their penultimate form that the Titan showed that they had little reason to desire the forsaken weapons of Mortals matter, and that they may simply rip through flesh or dent plate with heavy swings and much abused muscles.

 

A maw and tail that held weapons of their own. Their maw operated off powerful incisors and a mutant jaw that served to supply a terrible pressure, and the tail long and corded muscles and a prehensile nature - in which some wielded like clubs, content to rain death upon their foes, and others as adept tools. Neither served a definitive difference, and rarely did one see a Human clever enough to exploit their reliance on it for balance or mobility. They'd had far less sess self control and muted senses after the turning. Hearing and vision isn’t as capable as that of your average Mans.

 

 

 

With the ascension to a state rarely considered ‘Human,’ the heirs of fire and ash found themselves capable of deeds once unthinkable . After the duration of their stay in the poorly dubbed ‘Primal’ state of the Azdrazi, mortal flesh could barely operate of it’s own accord for hours - and some say in old stories that those who remained for too long found their Human form out of reach or dead.

 

Last came his punishments for the First Child's’ hubris; an Azdrazi who grew so bold as to challenge all the lights in the nights sky with the vehemence of his own, was struck with weakness and his form found his scaled underbelly weakened and without the natural armor it provided - though a thick hide was still a strong deterrent, one way or another. Yet this was not the only plague or affliction that was dire to them - this form made their bodies entirely susceptible to the God-Given magics of Xan and Tahariae for all its impurity.

 

 

On “the end,” a conceptual fallacy:

 

 

“Within the span of millennia, a lapse in judgement is expected. You are meant to minimize the damage.”

 

Eternal warriors know no respite. Their crusade is an eternal goal, in which their heritage demands a service that transcends the mortal concept of “life” to an extent unnatural in their entirety; upon the time when the coil of blood and fire is extinguished, the remnants of their husk immolate till nothing commemorates their shame besides charred earth and the scent of smoke in the air.

 

The crux of their infernal mechanism through which the form rejoins is alien and prone to wide speculation. Little research has afforded understanding, regardless of its endorsement or origins - but after their Reprisal from service, the form regenerates at the base of a monument or locale of great historical or emotional significance to the Azdrazi. Most common are the instances in which they wake from their slumber before a shrine to their Father, though if none such locale is available it may occur in a location of historical relevancy.

 

 

The adulteration of the form:

 

Even with all the grandeur of their immortal Father, the Nephilim were not without his imperfections. The volatility of their form is what lay the burden of power upon their shoulders, but it left them unaware and weak to the taint of Iblees; the same dark magics that’d reworked the minds of Draconic Patrons and broke them from the inside out served just as well on their yoke.

 

The touch of Necromancy or other Dark Magics are capable of polluting their minds and bodies with an eternal paranoia and wracking agony. Even their flames took to bearing evidence of their corruption, seeming more of the ilk of living shadow rather than the true minded flames.  Its effects on their variety of forms greatly differ, though the underlying changes are still the same - somes skin takes on a sickly grayed hue and some find themselves a mixture of discoloured blacks and purples..  

 

To see an end to the taint, their body must be picked apart by the same magics they revile - every inch of their being is scourged and cleansed of the taint that spread through their blood and being like wildfire and deeply imbibed itself in. The energy needed for such a process was momentous and agonizing, and the pain something no creature would submit willingly to - the darkness that manifested within their flame fights to keep its hold over their mind.

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

On Mana

 

After the transference, the “mana pools” present in their body are repurposed and turned into internal reservoirs colloquially referred to as the ‘inner flame.’ One could say this is a derivative adaptation of their fatherly Dragaars abilities and find some truth in the matter - as it’s abilities are scarcely so the use of ‘mana’ more than biological functions and a magical ignition. From it they derive a mastery over fire - something meant to enhance their martial capabilities rather than one that serves as a weapon in and of itself.

 

(When the flames make contact with spectrals, apparitions, and undead, they deal concussive force.)

 

 

Kindling: Setting weapons alight with dragonflame.

Redlines: cannot be thrown or formed into projectiles, and cannot be used in tandem with other spells.

1 focus emote required.

 

Anethera brandished a lengthy blade of ferrum, raising it high overhead. His veins pulsed as he shuts his eyes. A bright swathe of flame slithers forth from his fingertips, dousing the blade in fire.

 

Fiery Breath: Dragon’s breath, when Nephilim part their lips to release a burst of fire within 3-5 meters.
Redlines: Instacasting.

1 focus emote required.

 

Karseroth inhales deeply, reeling backwards as he outstretches his arms. Parting his lips, his lurches forward, bellowing forth a mighty plume of fire, catching all things before him alight.

 

Burning Heat: Healing, cauterizing wounds with flame.

Redlines: purging taint, disease, or magical afflictions.

4 emotes required, 1 focus 3 preparation.

 

Maladeroth looms over his marred ally, grimacing. Blood seeped from the most obvious of wounds, staining the ground a dark crimson. The Azdrazi kneeled, shutting his eyes. He uttered a litany of praise to his draconic lord, beckoning forth a ribbon of flame. He bent forward, pressing the purifying fire to the soldier’s wound. (This spell is but to seal and make wounds less severe. It is by no means the equivalent of a cleric’s healing.)

 

Burning Talons: A fuller form of Kindling to set your arms alight with dragonflame.

Redlines: cannot leave your arms.

2 emotes required, 1 focus 1 preparation.

 

Suldaeroth grunted, looking around him. He shivered audibly, trapped in an icy den. Kneeling, he collected himself. Outstretching his arms, his veins throbbed. Not soon after, warm flames enveloped him.

 

Furthermore, the fire is capable of dealing concussive blows equivalent to that of being struck by an olog on a spectral or undead body, for any other it would seemingly do what fire normally does.

 

"Disconnection"

 

It is impossible to revert back to the race they were previous to their ascension, and thus the following should be kept in mind.

 

• The Aspect of Dragonsflame is snuffed out following three months of inactivity. Nephilim characters go into a coma when their players are gone becoming solid stone, this means they must be awakened by their creator or two Nephilim by similar means of the Transference.

 

• If a character is asleep far too long, they are liable to being pk'd by the Lore Team. Furthermore, if the player abuses the opportunity to play one of these creatures they will be subjected to a lasting pk via the Immaculate Blade.

 

The Immaculate Blade

 

An honorary title anointed within the Azdrazi to a Nephilim blessed by Azdromoth. The Immaculate Blade is capable of severing Nephilim's inner-flame and forming new life. The defeated ashes are scattered somewhere in the Abyss, unable to reform until they're freed. This process is done through conflict, the Immaculate Blade in slaying its mark can ultimately decide in their fate.

 

Pros

• Longevity: they are preserved physically as a draconic being.

• Revival: they are resurrected upon being slain through the alternative method of regeneration. Death rules still apply.

• Draconic Traits: Temporal Resistance: wholly immune to heat.

• Lesser Polymorphing

• The Aspect of Dragonsflame

• Nephilim possess a draconic soul soul after the Transference is complete. They're considered a full draconic creature.

 

Cons

• They cannot wield magic whatsoever whether it be an external or internal connection that alters their soul, connects them to the void, abyss, or deity. They don't expend mana.

• Draconic Traits: they are cold-blooded and thus greatly weakened in chilly terrain. All spells asides from Kindling stop working, and they grow frailer and frailer until they wither away and die.

• Mental Contortion: loss of humanoid identity, gradually becoming more and more like their creator. Compulsively intrigued by objects of relevance or historical value. Furthermore, they can be mania induced when corrupted or immolated by a darker being, causing them unparalleled agony.

• Mortal weaknesses, they are affected by all things that would kill a normal person.

• Susceptible to all boons bestowed by the Aengul Xan.

• The Immaculate Blade

Cons (Extended for understanding Azdrazi "Superior" form weakness):

• Slow and far less dexterous, this makes up for their size and strength. By average they can scale from 9ft to 12ft, weight varying.
• Near sighted creatures, but still posses all other senses.
• Scaled belly made of a weaker composition of scales, easily penetrable but remember it is still a hardier creature than most.
• Susceptible to any form of ranged attacks or magic, distance for lack of error is obviously recommended than fighting one in its reach.
• An Azdrazi exiting this form must roleplay the severe fatigue, essentially rendering them K.O. for up to a portion of the day, the longer spent in this form means the longer you're out for.
  
  The Superior form by all means should not be utilized as a "win" mode, if you believe an Azdrazi is abusing this form or simply roleplaying incorrectly report them immediately to the MAT.

[Mephistophelian 972]

I did ask most of these privately but it still seems you didn't outline it in the lore. So I will ask again (with some new questions)!

 

Does their dragon flame use mana to cast? If so, how much can they cast before becoming tired?

 

Are they able to cast their dragon flames if they are in a cold environment or afflicted by ice?

 

If corrupted by some immolation (or any other corruption), what happens to them?

 

Does the 'combustion' ability summon flame or do they spit it out?

 

How does a descendant soul become greater? If dragon blood does this? If so, how does blood affect the status of one's soul?

 

Hopefully this helps clarify some issues the LT might have with the lore.

[Sultan 3949]

• Longevity: they are unable to die and are resurrected upon being slain through the alternative method of regeneration. Death rules still apply.

 

This should not be a thing tbh. That's just meh they should die, from battle but not from age if "Dragon blood is needed in the ritual" "AKA Dragons getting slain." And these guys are immortal kinda ridiculous. 

 

We already have too many "We don't die crap" when something has a chance of dying there actions become more rational. 

[excited 10833]

Just now, Mephistophelian said:

I did ask most of these privately but it still seems you didn't outline it in the lore. So I will ask again (with some new questions)!

 

Does their dragon flame use mana to cast? If so, how much can they cast before becoming tired?

 

Are they able to cast their dragon flames if they are in a cold environment or afflicted by ice?

 

If corrupted by some immolation (or any other corruption), what happens to them?

 

Does the 'combustion' ability summon flame or do they spit it out?

 

How does a descendant soul become greater? If dragon blood does this? If so, how does blood affect the status of one's soul?

 

Hopefully this helps clarify some issues the LT might have with the lore.

1. All magic uses mana, Baptism of Fire is tiring and mediocre, it's only good for gashes and shallow stab wounds. Conjuring fire into streams however is very tiring if you do it more than once, and you need to connect every time you do it unlike normal magi. 

 

2. Not effectively, they are unable to use all their spells except for Kindling in cold environments.

 

3. They grow tainted, they can choose to suicide via turning themselves to stone or they grow demented. In the case they turn demented, they become Draugr, their scorching flames turn grey. If that happened they'd need to be cleansed, and holy magic would hurt them.

 

Combustion summons, Tempest allows you to spit it out. Tempest is a last resort spell. 

 

It just happens, it's not just the dragon blood, it's the entire process. As the traits manifest their soul warps and changes, these changes are not "dark" or tainted so despite the temporary agony it results in them having a Greater Soul or something close to that level. This soul change results in their incompatibility with other magic forms. 

1 minute ago, Sultan said:

• Longevity: they are unable to die and are resurrected upon being slain through the alternative method of regeneration. Death rules still apply.

 

This should not be a thing tbh. That's just meh they should die, from battle but not from age if "Dragon blood is needed in the ritual" "AKA Dragons getting slain." And these guys are immortal kinda ridiculous. 

 

We already have too many "We don't die crap" when something has a chance of dying there actions become more rational. 

They're long lived, they die physically, but they just get resurrected. It's figurative really, anybody revived by the monks is a pseudo-immortal as well. They can actually die, that term is residual from past pieces, they just get resurrected/can't die from old age and are preserved physically. 

[Mephistophelian 972]

4 minutes ago, Aerial said:

1. All magic uses mana, Baptism of Fire is tiring and mediocre, it's only good for gashes and shallow stab wounds. Conjuring fire into streams however is very tiring if you do it more than once, and you need to connect every time you do it unlike normal magi. 

 

2. Not effectively, they are unable to use all their spells except for Kindling in cold environments.

 

3. They grow tainted, they can choose to suicide via turning themselves to stone or they grow demented. In the case they turn demented, they become Draugr, their scorching flames turn grey. If that happened they'd need to be cleansed, and holy magic would hurt them.

 

Combustion summons, Tempest allows you to spit it out. Tempest is a last resort spell. 

 

It just happens, it's not just the dragon blood, it's the entire process. As the traits manifest their soul warps and changes, these changes are not "dark" or tainted so despite the temporary agony it results in them having a Greater Soul or something close to that level. This soul change results in their incompatibility with other magic forms. 

They're long lived, they die physically, but they just get resurrected. It's figurative really, anybody revived by the monks is a pseudo-immortal as well. They can actually die, that term is residual from past pieces, they just get resurrected/can't die from old age and are preserved physically. 

 

Awesome! Include this in the lore, though! We are reviewing the lore, not the points you make on the posts below it.

[excited 10833]

updated, ignore the spoiler, forums are **** 

[idiot 501]

Really nice!

I look forward to seeing more about these.

[Sultan 3949]

That's what I am saying they are Immortal if they just get resurrected without any consequences. What do you mean by preserved physically? 

[Harri 4813]

Just now, Sultan said:

That's what I am saying they are Immortal if they just get resurrected without any consequences. What do you mean by preserved physically? 

Theoretically everyone's immortal, due to how our monk system works.

[Ambduscias 1027]

probably the finest work of art i've ever seen +1

 

(((approve nephilim)))

[ooooowee 559]

like the changes

[Drak3 365]

Muy muy bien. Excellent writing this time around.

 

+1

[excited 10833]

6 hours ago, Sultan said:

That's what I am saying they are Immortal if they just get resurrected without any consequences. What do you mean by preserved physically? 

They're incredibly long lived, more so than elves. They are kept relatively youthful and their physical strength is preserved as the years go by. They turn into demi-dragons due to the changes that occur in their very being, changes that're brought on by the dragon ichor and rituals. Daemons are known as creatures that drive change, and Dragur was no exception because when he first created the dragons he left a powerful divine essence inside them.

 

They have the same consequences when they die as any other player, most importantly, they don't remember it in the slightest and they can't acknowledge they died.

[Gladuos 857]

I like this rewrite much more than the previous versions. I'm glad you took the time to actually do that instead of immediately resubmitting.

 

Firstly, mortal souls are already classified as 'Superior Souls', so why is it distinctly stated in this lore that they 'obtain Superior Souls' or what have you? Unless I read it wrong.

 

What separates these flame-based abilities in essence to fire evocation? Minor details aside, what will separate this in effect and style to the evocation?

 

The creation of these beings directly from dragaar/drakaar gives that version of Nephilim a possible purpose in RP, however the second (original) method still suffers the problem of potentially being without purpose and vague. I'd suggest finding a way to address that.

 

In the case where a Nephilim is created by a dragaar/drakaar, would they keep or lose the state upon the death of the dragaar/drakaar?

 

That's all I can really think about asking for now. Good luck.

[excited 10833]

58 minutes ago, Gladuos said:

I like this rewrite much more than the previous versions. I'm glad you took the time to actually do that instead of immediately resubmitting.

 

Firstly, mortal souls are already classified as 'Superior Souls', so why is it distinctly stated in this lore that they 'obtain Superior Souls' or what have you? Unless I read it wrong.

 

What separates these flame-based abilities in essence to fire evocation? Minor details aside, what will separate this in effect and style to the evocation?

 

The creation of these beings directly from dragaar/drakaar gives that version of Nephilim a possible purpose in RP, however the second (original) method still suffers the problem of potentially being without purpose and vague. I'd suggest finding a way to address that.

 

In the case where a Nephilim is created by a dragaar/drakaar, would they keep or lose the state upon the death of the dragaar/drakaar?

 

That's all I can really think about asking for now. Good luck.

Eh, I misinterpreted it then. 

 

1. I meant to signify that their souls are the same level as dragaar and drakaar.

2. They cause concussive force to spectral beings, and can be used to heal and cauterize wounds. They can't be used in any ways that aren't listed as those spells.

3. The second version, Draugr, are without purpose. They're tainted and forced to do things on behalf of whatever greater being corrupts them.

4. They retain it, they're independent asides from their worship of dragons and forced servitude to them.