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 hunting gaze 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 Jaxkael may have abilities around subjecting others to their will, or forcing them into a state of bloodlust and fury; forcing the allegiance of others with fear of pain and tyranny. Then, they may take after other aspects of him, such as his incredible strength in battle. They may become more durable, stronger, quicker, more capable with a weapon. 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 Jaxkael 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 true 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. 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, which will be explained later on in this article.

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 Melphas 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 full 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, a process that can be hastened through prayer and commitment by their followers. 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 Threshold Sickness, 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 true 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 true God, they cannot be killed unless their Divine Spark itself is destroyed or completely severed from their form, which is a feat that no living scholar appears to actually know how to perform.

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 to has their strength and alacrity. 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.

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. It will form through and be nourished by the energy of their own body, 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.

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 a year's worth of play under their belt, most of which should have been active.
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.

Progression Rules

1. Unlike other skills, divine abilities do not have lore requirements.
2. Upon becoming a Draedan, the PC loses all of their magics. If they were Ascended, this state recedes and they lose those benefits. 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.