Draedan

Draedan, or Demigods, are the half-blooded heirs of the Gods, both Living and Corrupted. They are exceedingly rare, and seem even moreso because many of them never learn what they are. Many of those that do learn of their identity choose to join their parents in Bel or Muid, fighting in their wars or seeking to fulfill their aspirations. Among all of the entities on Atharen, Draedan can become some of the most powerful, due to what begins as the hollow shell of Divinity, and grows into the full breadth of a Divine Spark. Merely the ability to manipulate Divinity rather than Ether offers them limits near unbound, though Draedan must grow over a long period of time, while evading the desires of others who would steal from them, and the violent tenacity of their father or mother's enemies.

Abilities

Draedan can acquire up to fifteen abilities as they progress towards their zenith, what is often called 'The Exaltation', or sometimes 'The Awakening'. These fifteen abilities are unique and inherent to them, formed by the impulse and will of their Divine Spark. Often, their parent's Domains will influence these abilities and their growth, as - unlike a Draedan's divine ancestor - they are not a primordial being of creation, instead taking after the omnipotent aspects of their parent and honing them.

An example of a Draedan and their abilities might look something like this: the child of Valteran may have abilities around subjecting others to starvation, or forcing them into a state of pain and bloodlust; forcing the allegiance of others with fear of misery and torture. Then, they may take after other aspects of him, such as his innate powers of blood magic. Not all abilities are active: many of them become a passive part of the Draedan themselves, inherent to their being. All of them are powerful, or at least become powerful by the time they are mastered. The final three abilities, the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth, are the most powerful of all.

Innate to all Draedan are also a few natural abilities: they naturally have higher vitality, which makes them more capable of enduring pain, fatigue, injury. They are harder to kill, though beheading most of them tends to be enough. They tend to be stronger and more dexterous than most mortals, and even more intelligent. They are also virtually immune to poison and illness, but the magic of Bane is still capable of affecting them to the same degree, due to its ethereal nature. As one nears Exaltation, all of these passive enhancements to their being -- a result of the Divinity flowing within them -- grow in scale, until they are truly unrecognizable from the mundane being they once were.

Progression

All fifteen of a Draedan's abilities are considered to be their own skill. For example, if one has an ability called "Bloodrage" (in the case of the Valteran example), that will go onto your CS as a skill with 0/100 XP, and will need to be mastered like any other skill. You begin with your first three abilities, and after mastering those three, you will gain your next three, with this process repeating until you have mastered all twelve. At this point - with 1200 XP dedicated to your divine abilities - you will begin the process of Exaltation. You will gain your first Domain, which comes with it an incredibly powerful ability, often superior to the abilities of Ascended mages. Once that ability is mastered, you will gain your second Domain. Once your second is mastered, your third, and once that is mastered... the process of Exaltation is complete, with a total of 1500 XP dedicated to all fifteen abilities.

At this point, the Draedan's Divine Spark fully matures, and becomes that of a Lesser God's. While they cannot even closely be compared to a Creator-God, the Draedan is no longer considered to be a half-blood mortal, but an eminent and divine being. They lose access to the ability of their mortal race. Their mortal physiology changes entirely, and they become an immortal and ageless creature capable of what would seem like limitless growth. They gain the power to expand their strength through worship, much as the Gods do, with each soul committed to them upon death slightly bolstering their power and reserves of Divinity. Like all Gods, an awakened Draedan can extract the make-up of souls and channel it through their Divine Spark, harnessing the Divinity from that arcane organ to be used as their own source of energy.

Domains

While the abilities of the Draedan tend to be influenced by their heritage, the process of Exaltation allows them their own Domains. These three Domains become a sort of summation of their divine identity, an expression of their purpose and will. These Domains are often inspired by their parents, but need not always be. It is possible for the child of Quarae to be the God of Attraction, or for the child of Malek to be the God of Protection. The acquisition of Domains allows the Draedan a chance to redefine themselves. In doing so, they are also capable of changing or influencing their previous abilities to be more closely likened to their full, divine identity.

Channeling Divinity

Channeling Divinity is what the Gods do to 'bless' or share their divine powers with others. It is not to be mistaken with harnessing or using the substance of Divinity itself, which is a process similar to mages drawing on Ether. Unlike the Creator-Gods, a Draedan - even if they experience Exaltation and become a Lesser God - cannot Channel to the same degree. They cannot, for example, simply make new races or create new magics at will, though these feats are theoretically possible for the most powerful of them, at the expense of an incredible amount of Divinity.

Instead, if a Draedan wishes to benefit a follower or ally, they can stream some of their Divinity through them in a way that may offer them temporary access to one of their own abilities. Doing so expends Divinity, however, and so this ability should not be too frequently used. There are other uses for this ability that may interact with other things present in the world, but in most cases it is simply a way of allowing others to access some semblance of your divine powers.

Expending Divinity

Like Ether, Divinity can be expended, and may come to a point where it needs to be recovered. Divinity is regained passively over time, ranging from a period of one to three days. Unlike with Ether, there are absolutely no negative drawbacks for expending one's Divinity, even to the point where only the barest scrapes remain. Once it is empty, it is empty. There is no Magithermal Entropy, Strain or Mageblight. Also: Divinity appears to grow as one gains more divine power, and by the time Exaltation is complete and their Divine Spark is fully matured, a Draedan's reserves of Divinity expand vastly. At this point, even an Ascendant mage will have a wildly difficult time in any battle of attrition with a Draedan.

Divine Physiology

Once acquiring Exaltation, the physiology of the Draedan becomes truly divine, surpassing even that of Ascendant mages. This opens a new array of 'powers', some might call them. Resistances, protections, and the removal of limitations. To begin with, a Draedan who becomes a Lesser God is immortal, at least in terms of age and the decay of their body. They are also extremely difficult to kill. A fully exalted Draedan is capable of building a 'realm' for themselves in Bel and Muid, and while not as impressive as the original Adac, this realm is something they can recall themselves to at-will, upon fully ascending. They also become innately capable of traversing all of the existing planes, even the Outlands, making them able to evade death fairly easily, by means of retreat. Further, once the Draedan becomes a Lesser God, they cannot be killed unless their Divine Spark itself is destroyed or completely severed from their form, which is a feat only the greatest of Griscian Inquisitors have been able to perform, and not without incredible preparation.

The Adac cannot easily succumb to magic or blades, as their skin itself appears to become like a coat of thick armor. The durability they knew before has dramatically expanded, and so too has their strength and mobility. They are also capable of changing all manner of things about themselves: they can choose to look however they want, taking on any appearance or gender, changing their proportions and size however they wish. The Adac can choose to radiate divine energy, fully revealing the majesty of their divine power, or they can conceal it to a muted degree. They can disguise themselves as members of the lesser races, perhaps as a simple man or Elf, often choosing to appear as they once did before reaching full divinity.

The Draedan's true form resembles that of the Living Gods, even if their parent is a Corrupted: golden, glowing lines radiate along the lengths of their body, forming tattoo-like designs. Their eyes often glow a sun-like gold, and the whole of their appearance seems to display a sort of health, and perfection. Impurities correct themselves the moment they occur, and their immortal complexions are not marred by even the faintest touch of asymmetry.

Once the Draedan becomes a Lesser God upon becoming exalted, they no longer need to eat, or breathe. However, interestingly, they do appear to require sleep. This seems to serve the purpose of helping to replenish their Divinity, as their body goes dormant during this time, allowing them to consume less divine energy to function.

Reproduction

Like Gods, Draedan can reproduce without the need for sexual contact (though it is an option), and with members of any intelligent race or sex. They may do so conventionally, through insemination, or by a method often called 'providence' in religious circles: a child will simply be created, whenever they wish, though for weaker Draedan this may require copulation as a prerequisite. It will form through and be nourished by the energy of their body and that of their partner's, being created fully formed. This child will be considered a Draedan-in-waiting, though their parent may only awaken their Divine Spark if they themselves become fully exalted. Otherwise, they must rely on their later ancestor, or perhaps they may simply die mundane.

There appears not to be any particular weakness inherent to that of a Draedan and a mortal parent, despite having 'diluted' lineage. This is perhaps because a Draedan's power comes from the Divine Spark itself, rather than from some conception of 'holy' blood. As such, even if a Draedan reproduces with a full-blooded God, their child will not be any closer to divinity than they themselves were.

Interestingly, while full-blooded (or Creator) Gods may not reproduce with one another, a fully exalted Draedan may reproduce with a Creator-God. One theory of why the Gods even made mortals to begin with has sprung from this truth: that they did so in order to reproduce and further their own race, as for some reason they are sterile among one another, yet not with their creations, even those who bear drops from their own lineage.

As a note, the Gods do not reproduce incredibly often due to the toll it takes for them to create a child. The toll is much more severe when it comes to awakening a Divine Spark, which is why few Draedan ever fully realize their identities. Gods tend to pick and choose their spawn very selectively when determining who they will awaken to their Divinity.

Becoming a Draedan

There are a few ways to 'become' a Draedan. The first two options involve being born as one, and having your divine heritage become known as a result of fate.

1. Death. Many Draedan realize what they are upon the moment of what would have been a mortal death. Their parent, who may feel some pity or remorse for them, will choose to awaken their Divine Spark and they will not succumb to whatever it was that would have killed them. This is often the beginning of their divine journey, as they will feel the Divinity moving through them, and will begin to understand its nature.
2. Being chosen. If your parent - or even another God - chooses you as a champion or agent of theirs, they will likely detect the sleeping Divinity within you. At this point, they may decide to awaken it, perhaps to gain your gratitude or make you more useful to them. Many Gods will specifically do this for their children just to make them aware of their bond, and destiny, before allowing them to do whatever they wish with their newfound powers.

The third option is perhaps more sinister, and does not require that a Draedan be born any God's child at all.

1. A person may become a Draedan by stealing the Divine Spark of another. This is done with extreme difficulty: it must be extracted while they are still living, before binding it to your own soul. This is an elaborate ritual, and one that is not well known. Information about it must be learned ICly in order to perform this ritual in-character. Considering the strength of most Demigods, and the fact that most live in either Muid or Bel (typically with retinues of their own), this is an incredibly challenging way to acquire a Divine Spark. However, it has been done before.

Acquisition Rules

1. In order to become a Draedan, the PC in question must have six months worth of play under their belt, most of which should have been active. They must also have 'at least' 500 XP between their skills, as an objective measure. This, however, is the bare minimum and depending on the consistency of activity, either or both of these factors may be considered insufficient. In such cases, we will likely offer a guideline as to what you need to do to become eligible.
2. We will be far more scrutinous to players and PCs with warnings and behavioral violations in determining whether or not they should be allowed to be a Draedan.
3. In order to apply to become a Draedan, simply state your interest and your intended parent in the SF. At this point, a moderator should communicate with you to survey ideas of yours for a plot. Most interested PCs will be allowed, but we will likely ask many questions and heavily discuss your plot and Domain ideas before offering a cursory approval.
4. Once cursory approval is given, you will be asked to submit a minimum of three of your new abilities in the SF, though you may submit up to all fifteen if you wish. Once they are properly balanced and tuned, you will be given full approval and will be asked to give the mod a plot prompt, which will require a moderator's final validation at the end of the plot, likely in the form of a moderated post or thread. After the thread is complete, you are a Draedan.

Progression Rules

1. Unlike other skills, divine abilities do not have lore requirements.
2. Upon becoming a Draedan, the PC loses most (or all) of their magics except for World Magics, due to World Magics relying on tools, rather than Ether. The Draedan's Divine Spark removes their magics by consuming their Marks of Control, due to the volatile nature of raw Ether interacting with their Divinity. If they were Ascended, this state recedes and they lose those benefits. All mutations are also lost. However, all XP spent on magics is refunded, and must be diverted into divine abilities. This means that a truly powerful mage can start well into their divine journey, though at the cost of all of their magical power.
3. Ability XP does not need to be specifically gained from use and exploration. However, we strongly encourage that it is at least significantly gained through use and development as a Draedan, rather than dumping as much social thread XP as one can get into divine abilities. If these rules are abused, they may be changed, and PCs may be asked to refund their XP into different skills and start at a previous point. The ascension of a Draedan is something we observe and regulate.
4. You can only master as many Draedan abilities as you have equivalent, regular skills mastered. This is to prevent Draedan PCs from purely focusing all of their XP into their divine powers the moment their Divine Spark awakens.

Draedan and Magic

All of a Draedan's Marks of Control are either lost or become dormant upon awakening to their divine blood, as is stated earlier. A mage who possesses more than one Mark of Control will lose the excess, with one 'random' (player determined) Mark becoming dormant, and the rest being devoured to fund the Divine Spark (the XP being transferred into Draedan abilities). This means that all fresh Draedan have no magics. However, it is possible for Draedan to learn how to perform magic through Divinity, rather than Ether, as they progress. In the beginning, though the Draedan loses access to their present magics, they may reawaken a single dormant Mark upon mastering their first ability, and may learn to use it via Divinity. This magic will pull from their pool of Divinity just as their abilities do, meaning it is draining from the same source, and therefore must be used wisely lest the Draedan cut themselves off from their most integral abilities. Rather than causing Overstepping, Mageblight or Strain, a Draedan who has nearly emptied out their pool of Divinity will find their inherent abilities beginning to diminish; they will feel more mortal-like, more fallible. Their strength, speed and endurance will become more human-like (though not entirely), and they will become easier to kill than usual. This makes magic an incredible risky prospect for Draedan, as it inherently invites over-use.

Upon mastering their sixth ability, near the middle of their progression towards Lesser Godhood, the Draedan may "learn" an additional, final magic: one that they create themselves. They may effectively share this magic as a sort of blessing, a mark of their divine favor, with others. Mages initiated by the Draedan themselves into their magic do not face any serious risk of death from the initiation, and failure will result instead in a grievous, prolonged fever. In addition, Draedan can also block the ability of a mage initiated into their magic to use it while in their presence, preventing their own creation from being used against them. Please note that creating such a magic is an incredible feat that will require a significant amount of moderation. Atharen has very high standards for its magics, and we will scrutinize this magic submission as if it were one created by our own Moderators.

If a Draedan chooses to create a magic, they must devote their seventh ability to their magic, in the form of a magical artifact connected to their creation. This artifact weapon is known as the Draedan's "Crusader," and will amplify or otherwise compliment their ability to wield their own magic in a way that no other mage has access to.

If a Draedan wishes to re-learn a magic that they lost upon acquiring their Divine Spark, then they must re-learn it. They must learn how to perform all of the abilities again, but with Divinity rather than Ether, and still need to have magic XP explicitly requested and approved in their review requests. Old lores do count for lore requirements, but again, all abilities must be re-learned and you must go through the leveling process as usual.

Draedan do not gain mutations, as the Mark of Control has no ability to transmute its will onto their soul. As a final note, Draedan cannot ascend in any magics.