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NERO
International Drae Race Package
Draelonde Culture, Miydranda
Culture, Tarandok Culture
Outline
Within all Drae cultures there are three distinct names that the people go by. Each of these may have a varying degree of acceptance based on the culture, but they will always follow these guidelines closely.
Dark Elf
The name Dark Elf is one that is always used by those living outside of Drae culture. This name comes from the close physical resemblance to Elves. This name is usually acceptable to the members of any given culture, but a small minority of hard-core radicals may dislike this term.
Drae
This word has come to be associated with a negative connotation by most Drae cultures for one reason or another. It most often refers to outsiders or those that have become dishonored in some way. Almost all Dark Elves will be offended if called a Drae.
Vornae
This is the term that Drae use for themselves. Drae do not generally try and push this word's use to other cultures, as they are generally too unintelligent to understand the distinction. A Vornae is a person that is accepted as a good-standing member of the local Drae culture..
Depending upon the particular Drae culture that you are playing, the following myths may or may not be known by your character. If your culture makes no mention of specific myths, these stories are considered to be part of their folklore. In all cultures the words Vornae, Drae, and Dark Elf are somewhat
Dragon Myth
Ages
ago great and terrible Dragons walked the lands and flew the skies of Tyrra. They were all powerful and none dared challenge their rule,
for all the creatures, great and small, were but bugs unto the Dragons.
And above all Dragons the Great Dragons were the rulers of their kind.
Although
the Lesser Dragons served the Greater Dragons well, from time to time the
Lessers needed to be reminded of the strength of the sovereign brethren. For this purpose, the Black Dragons served as warriors to the
rulers, for the Black Dragons were known for their strength and fury in battle.
The Black Dragons carried out their duties with loyal devotion, and
blood-thirsty passion. For their
services the Great Dragons taught them their magic.
For
many years this was the way of the Dragons and the flourished upon Tyrran soil. But the Great Dragons had grow fat and lazy and most of all,
dependent upon the Black Dragons for security.
The Black Dragons saw the greed and sloth of their Overlords and wished
to free the Lesser Dragons from their cruel reign. And so Forel, the legendary mistress of their kind, led the
Lesser Dragons in rebellion against the Greater Dragons.
The
Black Dragons were swift and deadly but the Greater Dragons had magics far
beyond any of the Lessers'. They
used this magic to create a being, because they were too lazy to hunt the rebels
themselves, a being that would track the rebellious Dragons and destroy them
once found. But the powerful magics
that created the Panthergast, as it came to be known, were flawed. instead of destroying the Lessers it transformed their bodies upon contact. The new shapes retained the Dragons' natural color, and so
the Elves were born. Many of the
Elves were too small and frail to survive in their new forms and quickly died.
But many of the Elves used the new form to their advantage and
prosperity.
Seeing
the failure of the Panthergast, the Great Dragons banished it and thought again
how to eliminate the rebellious Lessers. Many
of the Elves were captured and forced to serve the the Greaters.
After much debate and argument, the Greaters summoned the Panthergast
once again. This time the ritual
held no flaws and the Panthergast obliterated the spirit of the Elves and
Lessers by a mere touch. So great was the power of the Panthergast that even the
strong and brave Black Elves fled from its touch.
They fled deep underground, into caverns that were dark and quiet.
Here they built cities and grew strong once more.
On
the surface, the Great Dragons grew fatter and lazier than ever.
They grew so docile that the Lessers and the Elves easily slew them until
they were no more.
Spider
Myth
Long
ago in a much simpler time, the underworld was ruled by the giant Spiders.
These great creatures were not like the giant spiders we now know.
Indeed they were as different as night and day.
Back then the Spiders stood higher then the tallest man, and they were
intelligent enough to speak and cast magic.
Their magic was powerful and deadly.
But because of the size and awkward bodies they feared the lands above.
They knew there were many things on the surface that would want to
destroy them because of the way they looked.
So
it was decided by the High Council of Spiders that they would create agents who
could move amongst the surface world without being noticed.
Several of the smaller Spiders were sent to the surface to capture a
specimen so the Spiders could copy that being.
After only a few hours the smaller Spiders returned with a strange
creature. It was only 5 1/2' tall,
walked on two legs, had green skin and pointed ears. In their struggle to return to the underworld the Spiders had
accidentally killed the creature. Because
of this the Spiders were unable to find out anything about the creature or its
world.
They
proceeded as planned and the Spiders used their powerful magics to create a
spell that allowed the Spiders to transform at will into the new form. But when the transformations took place they detested their
new body's appearance. So using
their magic again they changed the form so it was more appealing to them.
What they came up with is what came to be known as the Vornae.
Pantherghast Fable
Set your head down to rest
but keep your sword upon your breast.
When sleep falls over little eyes
the formless terror comes to rise.
It knows the deeds that you have done
It eats your heart, you cannot run.
Heed the words your mother speaks
the blood of children It most seeks
Bind your tongue and bind it fast
or you will meet the Panthergast.
III. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS TOP
As
described in the NERO Rule Book all Drae have black skin, white hair, and
pointed ears. But there is more to
the Dark Elves than that. This
section deals with some of the physiological aspects of the race.
Age
A
Dark Elves life span averages about 500 years.
Although there are cases of longer life spans these are rare cases and
anything past 800 is extremely rare. This
is the same for all Elves on Tyrra.
AGE
STAGE
HUMAN EQUIVALENT
0-3
Infant
0-2
4-7
Toddler
3-5
8-20
Child
6-8
21-70
Youth
9-11
71-90
Adolescent
12-14
91-100
Puberty
15-20
101-200
Young Adult
21-30
201-300
Mature
31-40
301-400
Middle Age
41-60
401-500
Elderly
61-90
500+
Venerable
90+
Pregnancy
& Birth
Drae
reproduction is almost identical to human.
The Dark Elven term of pregnancy is 9 months.
Light
Because of centuries of underground habitation all Dark Elves are weakened by the sun. This is represented by the loss of 2 body points during the daylight (sunrise to sunset). Although some Dark Elves, especially Drae, have adapted to living on the surface it still is uncomfortable during sunlight hours. For this reason even those that have been living on the surface for a long period would generally prefer dark places and night. As long as there is no ultra-violet radiation (i.e. underground) the sunlight will not affect the character. Tents and other temporary structures are usually not enough to deter the radiation. Also any magical light will often blind a Drae.
Under
NERO rules all Dark Elves must wear jet black face
And lastly, but not least, is white hair. This is the most often abused aspect of Drae PC's. There are several different ways to achieve this the most common being hair white dye. The best type is the concentrate in a bottle. The spray does not cover well enough and because of the amount you must use it can be extremely expensive. A wig also works well. Most of these supplies can be purchased at theatrical and costume shops. If for some reason you are unable to get ears or sufficient hair coverage please make every effort to conceal them. But do not make it a habit because repeated failure to wear the proper make-up will result in disciplinary action by the race marshal.
ALL Drae CHARACTERS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR FACE BLACK, POINTED EARS AND HAVE WHITE HAIR. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS WILL RESULT IN LOSE OF THE RIGHT TO PLAY A Drae CHARACTER. ANY VIOLATION WILL RECEIVE WARNINGS ON THE 1ST AND 2ND OFFENSE, AND THE 3RD WILL RESULT IN THE LOSS OF THE RIGHT TO PLAY A Drae CHARACTER.
Please
make sure you understand how to apply and remove any make-up and/or prosthetics
before arriving at the event.