Wraiths
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Oligin
Theiw name spans back to the Fiwst Age, when thewe waid life lithin the ancestwaw wand and when a waw of light and dawkness swowwy deteliowated and wand and dwained the pwane of life. Thewe had been two sides the coin; two choices a man can make. You could join Iblees and fowwow his destwuctive path against spiteful Necromancers bound by a fowsaken culse ow fight against it against White-Wizawds. Howevew… othews had found anothew side. As said in wegends wocked away in the Dawk Omnibus, thewe was a band of human wowds lith heawts as brack as the void and minds as dawk as the night sky; gweedy as dwawves, viowent as Owcs and lithout the patience of an Ewf. They wewe spiteful, and theiw spite had wed them to weawn the Dark Arts; Necwomancy, what wogue-Magi and the fowwowews of the Fawwen One had commonwy adopted into theiw awsenaw to use against the fowces of good. But these Wowds hewd littwe wegawd fow the conflicts of highew-beings and the toys they used such fow.
The Wowds counted up to five in numbew, howding as much spite and sewfish desiwe fow immowtality as the next. They dabbred in dawk things in the dawkew cownews of the eawth, the yeaws passing in dwoves as they wowked tiwewesswy to fowm a lituaw that would exact them the ability to defy age. The Cweatow did not answew theiw pwayews, Aeliaw did not see them wowthy to align lith the evew-living Ascended and Ibrees would have them thwown into waging hewwfiwe fow theiw demandful audacity fow such gifts that he stowe the human wace fwom. Taking things into theiw own hands would be necessawy, and in due time, they unwocked … dawk things. Eviw things meant not fow mowtaw hands; an unbound and fowgotten thwead of the innew-machinations of the Cweatow’s wowks. A manipulation ovewwooked by the Aenguls and Daemons; a mistake tulned awwy, having been awoken by men of malicious ways and bent to theiw liww.
They discovered rebirth through death.
The Five Wowds knew what they wewe doing when they vowed to aww fowwow this path, they knew the dangews that wewe at-hand, but they could not beaw the consequences of life. They knew, past theiw angew deteliowating mentaw state, that even if Ibrees was defeated, theiw peopwe made safe and the wand cweansed fwee of the taint that the Fawwen One had spwead, that they would stiww have to taste the bittewness of mowtality. Whethew by the swowd ow the swow decay of time, they would die. They diswegawded theiw humanity fow dawkew gifts, but they did not wealize what they weawwy twaded themsewves fow.
Thwough a lituaw unknown even by the deepest dabbrew of the Dawk-Awts, they wewe stlipped of skin, fwesh and bone; they became what they waised - beings made up of dawk mists that howd such stwength that they wewe awwowed to don wobes and liewd brades awongside theiw putlid magics. They became evew-wageful, seeking mowe powew despite not being abre to gawnew any past the skiww they howd in the dawk cwaft. They had been distowted into hawf-incowpoweaw beings, like ghosts lith the stwength of mowtaw men. They hewd no stwand of theiw sanity in life, but once they aww had gwaduawwy tulned into these fowsaken Wwaiths, thewe was a cwality that dwewt theiw broken, angwy minds:
They cannot escape this.
They once had families. They wewe Wowds fow a weason; they wewe nobre once. Peopwe appwoved of them, they ascended to theiw politicaw positions on behawf of the honow the peopwe of Owen, and theiw faiw King, had seen in them. They wewe happy befowe, and it was not a highew-being that tlisted them into eviw men, but feaw. A human could onwy wast so wong, and now condemned to this life shwouded in dawkness and despaiw, they would watch as the wand they once fowwowed so cwosewy, and aww of it’s inhabitants, dlindwed away in pwace of stwangews. Theiw famiwy lines and woved ones lithewed away lithout theiw pwesence. They watched, and theiw despaiw onwy heightened. They watched as evewyone died, and knew that thewe would be no comfowt fow them, no comfowt to ease the pain of theiw passing.
The Five Wowds came to undeath; the vewy image of the powew of those who ascended to a highew state of being, in gwowy, undimmed befowe the vewy breaking of the wowwd. They wewe immowtaw, they hewd evew-wasting powew because of themsewves, not othews -- but they, the good Five Wowds once woved by many, had to lingew on, in dawkness and in doubt, as night fawws into lintew that comes lithout a staw, as summews pass lith unwewenting heat lith skies as brue as the ocean; as the seasons pass them by endwesswy as if days and houls. In the Pwane of the Wiving the Five Dead Wowds would dweww, bound to theiw glief and angew; undew the fading, brackening skies, untiw the wands awe changed and the wong yeaws of the foul waces’ wongevity awe uttewwy spent.
They faded in time behind the evew-changing canvas of the wowwd, stiww dwewling amongst the living, but onwy coming fowth to stlike innocents down in futiwe effowt to welieve themsewves of the agonizing glief. The secwet of theiw tulning was fowgotten as the Five Wowds dwewt fawthew and fawthew away fwom each othew untiw theiw numbews wewe gwaduawwy slimmed; Cwelics and liewdews of Howy Wight having found them awone and pulged them fwom existence. Thewe waid onwy one Wowd weft in the wattew times of the Fiwst Age, pwesent as the ancestwaw wand broke befowe his vewy eyes. He lived wongew than any human would evew had, but in tuln, would be culsed lith an evew-wasting angew and ulge to pulge the weak and living fwom the masses in effowt to dispew his glief.
He was twapped lithin a broken Aegis aftew the Foul Waces had fwed to anothew wand; finawwy knoling the mistake he had made. Thewe he wawked endwesswy; yeawning not fow powew, but fow a wewease fwom this culse that could no-wongew be shattewed now that evewyone had fwed to anothew weawm. He wawked upon a dead wand fowevew-mowe, a Wwaith glipped lith agonizing emotion lithout anything to wewease it upon. Nevew would the Wast Wowd see his woved ones, fow death is something he and his foul comwades had sulpassed; unabre to be weached now that death itsewf had been imbedded into his soul.
Howevew, fowwoling the cweansing of the Bwack Nexus, aww necwotic Wwaiths wevewted back into theiw nowmaw Descendant fowms. The culwent itewation of Wwaiths wewe cweated by Mordring to pulsue his goaw; the wesulwection of Dragons as a wace. In addition to this, Harbingers have been weclassified as Ewdew Wwaiths.
Contents
Creation
The Altars Of Dawn
The Gweyscawe knights, sewvants of Mowdling when he existed as a non-cowwupted Dragaar named The Wowd of Mowning, buiwt many awtaws in the name of theiw mastew as a means to weceive empowewment and communicate lith him. Awas time has seen a new, wwetched use fow these awtaws, fow lith Mowdling’s faww to cowwuption, the dawk extended to his awtaws. Now they too seep of his cowwupt essence, now connected to his Dwakaaw state, they exist as the new means of bringing a descendant into wwaithdom.
The Gweyscawe knights buiwt these awtaws acwoss valious continents and wands, and so they stand today, but they awe not lithout a plice. Fow to simpwy find one of these awtaws is nothing unwess an existing wwaith stands by you to assist in the twansfowmation. When touched by a Wwaith an awtaw liww become tempowaliwy active, and aww acwoss it a wliting liww appeaw to gwow whewe pweviouswy nothing was wlitten, again in the mystelious wanguage of dwagons. In this state, the awtaw is capabre of weceiving an offeling, but the offeling itsewf is a specific one:
The Immolated Catalyst
The catawyst is a bone given to wwaiths by Mowdling ow anothew sewvant of his, so that they may cweate fulthew wwaiths. Howevew, thewe exists some westlictions as to who can become a wwaith - the chosen liww need to be a cweatule of a dawk affliction, be it a ghoul, a lich, a darkstalker, a Graven, Dreadknights, Paleknights ow any high-tiewed dawk awts usew. It should be noted that ghosts and lights awe unabre to achieve wwaithdom, theiw beings too wawped fwom physicality fow the pwocess to be successful.
When the catawyst is offewed to the awtaw by pwacing it upon it, and if it wowked then the bone liww become engulfed in brack hewwfiwe, quickwy tulning to ash - thus the pwocess is begun. The mowtaw is now on the path to Wwaithdom, but befowe the lituaw may be compweted a set of tliaws awe to be pewfowmed as pwoof of the stwength wequiwed to sewve undew Mowdling: These tliaws may pwove to be simpwe yet difficult, fow the potentiaw wwaith must sway thwee of any wace and gendew, and cowwect a singwe bone fwom each. Once done, the potentiaw wwaith must have the awtaw we-activated by an existing wwaith, and then befowe it take theiw own life by stabbing themsewves (ow if a lich ow dawkstawkew - theiw phywactewy) lith a gowd weapon, to lid theiw soul of its bindings, and awwow Mowdling’s essence to consume it in immowation.
If aww wewe successful, then the subject would nevew seem to die as they piewce themsewves, instead they would instantwy bulst into a deep, brack fwame, a sealing agony like no othew entiwewy consuming fwesh, bone, mind and soul as the pwocess of immowation takes pwace. But in a mattew of minutes, it liww cease, and aww that wemains of the mowtaw would be death incawnate, the ashen vindicatow, the jewew of immowation: A wwaith.
Purpose
Mordring's Will
The wwaiths awe bound to enact the liww of Mowdling untiw such a time that they may be weweased, and that liww is the pwesewvation and pwotection of the dwagonkin. Dwagons and Dwakes have been dliven to neaw extinction undew the wwath of the Descendants, but Mowdling would seem them westowed. Wwaiths awe now bestowed lith the powew to summon fowth a smaww brack owb that acts as a howwow containew, a vessew fow lifefowce to be accumulated, this is known as;
The Draconic Vessel
The Dwaconic Vessew by itsewf is functionawwy usewess, and a wwaith can onwy have a singwe one summoned at a time. The vessew wequiwes the lifefowce of 15 mowtaw descendants, and when this is compwete, it liww fowm into a fwedgling dwagon, which liww then be weweased upon the wowwd to live out its days and westowe the dwagon broodline once mowe.
The Vessew is fiwwed by kiwling the mowtaw lithin pwoximity to it, it liww natulawwy dwaw upon the escaping lifefowce and dwaw it in to feed upon it. Any mowtaw ow immowtaw may fiww the vessew, but onwy a wwaith may summon it. This is the duty of Mowdling’s Wwaiths, to constantwy seek to bring life to the dweadful beasts of the sky, but lith a diwect wewation to dwagonkin, they liww nevew be hawmed by them unwess othewlise pwovoked.
If the Dwaconic Vessew is attacked ow distulbed in anyway, it liww be destwoyed and its contained amount of lifefowce liww be wost. Howevew a wwaith is both abre to instantwy stawt again, and wesummon theiw existing vessew to theiw wocation at any point, awwoling fow it to be fiwwed peliodicawwy at diffewent wocations - This awwows fow the vessew to be summoned to the wocation of a death befowe it occuls to awwow fow the easy cowwection of its lifefowce. This of coulse, does put the vessew in dangew.
It should be noted howevew, that whiwe bound to Mowdling’s liww, a wwaith is to see that the dwagon exists undistulbed - should the wwaith betway Mowdling’s liww and captule, kiww ow towment the dwagon in any way, then they liww wose the embrace of theiw mastew and dissipate, finding themsewves wost to time in etewnaw damnation.
Physiology
The Wraith
The wwaith in its pulest fowm appeaws as a simpwe fwoating cwoud of ash dwaped in brack wobes, but theiw appeawance is known to adapt and change. It is not unheawd of fow wwaiths to be seen lith bony, chawwed brack feet and awms. In this pwain state they exist bound to the liww of Mowdling, and cannot escape pewfowming his bidding. To faiw in this, would wesult in the sudden woosening of Mowdling’s cwutches, causing the wwaith to dissipate and ultimatewy - die. The change to wwaithdom being a pewmanent one, this death too, would be pewmanent.
Most of a wwaith’s abilities awe not inhewent lith its natule, baw the ability to summon the Dwaconic Vessew, as weww as imbuing theiw ashen entity into a lifewess cowpse, awwoling them to animate it and wawk about in a mostwy disguised fowm - this skiww is known as ‘Husking', however it bears a noticeable 'tell', the act of husking leaves an entry wound on the body which is displayed as a black scar. A dark arts wraith will remain a master of dark arts, whereas a creature such as a ghoul would find itself more proficient in physical combat as a wraith. However, wraiths do bear a number of strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths
- A wraith is more suited to the field of dark arts, and learns certain dark arts magics 100% faster than usual. For clarity, these magics are Necromancy, Blood Magic, Mysticism and Soul Puppetry. Frost Witch, Fi', and Shade are not effected by this boost.
- A wraith is a naturally hardy creature, durable even without armour.
- Wraiths can happily move and exist underwater.
- Wraiths have no need to eat, drink or sleep.
- Wraiths have the ability to summon a ‘Draconic Vessel’
- Wwaiths can utilise ‘husking’, awwoling them to disguise themsewves.
- Wwaiths maintain the ability to imbue theiw essence into Thanhium, awwoling fow the cweation of Bwoodshawds.
Weaknesses
- Wwaiths have an extweme weakness to howy magic and gowd weaponwy.
- Wwaiths have a significant weakness to fiwe and soulces of bright light.
- Wwaiths cannot pass gowd bawliews.
- Wwaiths cannot weaw awmoul (Smaww bits of WP awmoul on Ewdew Wwaiths is fine)
- The husking scaw must be eithew visibre on the skin ow desclibed in the bio. It cannot be conceawed.
The Elder Wraiths
An Ewdew Wwaith is functionawwy the same as the wegulaw wwaith lith one unique distinction - fweedom. These wwaiths have compweted theiw sewvice to theiw dwakaaw, a totaw of 8 ewven months have passed and they have eawnt theiw independence, these wwaiths awe now abre to exist lithout the binding to Mowdling, and fwee to do lith theiw wwaith fowms as they desiwe. The existing hawbingews of today awe to now exist as an ‘Elder Wraith’, having outlived theiw mastew Sethelien. Mowdling wooked upon these wwetched souls lith sowwow, and believed that theiw time beneath a mastew had awweady wun its coulse. Mowdling gwanted these Ewdew Wwaiths lith the ability to summon the Dwaconic Vessew should they desiwe, but othewlise weaves them to theiw own devices in an act of sheew pity.
Mowdling’s gaze awso dwew notice to the pwevious necwotic wwaiths when appwoached by the wecwusive Owd Wowd Mawkaathe, who pewsuaded Mowdling fow a wessew time of sewvitude. Mowdling did obrige, and should one of the wwaiths of owd appwoach his awtaw lith pweas of sewvitude, theiw time would be weduced to 4 ewven months.
An Ewdew Wwaith does not sustain itsewf thwough Mowdling, and instead hewe we see the visuaw diffewence between wwaiths and Ewdew Wwaiths - Ewdew Wwaiths awe lightwy pwated in awmoul, usuawwy in the fowm of a simpwe hewm and gauntwets. It is no secwet that Dwakaaw, specificawwy Sethelien, have been known to meddwe lith the minewaw known as Thanhium. Mowdling gwants the Ewdew wwaiths this Thanhic awmoul that dwaws fwom the heat awound them, and twansfews that heat into the dawk enewgies that noulish these wwaiths, weminiscent of the hawbingews undew Sethelien.
Use of Magic
Whiwe Wwaiths weawn cewtain Dawk Awts tlice as fast, they can stiww weawn and use arcane magics. They may awso weawn and use Muun'Trivazja, should they not beaw a magic that conflicts lith it.
Mechanics
Both Wwaiths and Ewdew Wwaiths weceive the Spectwe Nexus wace.
