---> (uncensored artwork available on Deviantart) <---
Special thanks to the LG fandom for giving their input on this one!
Class: Monster, Faery, Midweight
PPL Category: 1 - Generally passive, dangerous only when provoked
Drau were Queen Titania’s third attempt at monster-forging. Her skills had improved by that time, which is apparent by the drau’s impressive powers. Titania considers them “almost perfect”, though their sensitivity to light is their most notorious weakness.
Most of the world’s drau live in the Unseelie Court. They are not quite as intelligent as adhene, but are far more intelligent than the other faerys (kobolds and pixies). Drau are naturally nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night.
Drau look fairly similar to elves, as they were in fact forged using many parts of dead elves. Titania claims she also used spiders, amethysts, coal, and volcanic ash to create them, among other things.
They have slender, skeletal builds and stand a couple heads taller than elves. All drau have jet-black complexions, soulless purple eyes, and white, straight hair. While the species can appear quite androgynous, males can be identified by their whisker-like facial and body hair. Both sexes can secrete a sticky substance from their palms that allows them to scale almost any surface.
They can also turn their heads around almost 360 degrees, similar to an owl. This, combined with their large ears and sensitive hearing, makes them difficult to sneak up on. Drau are excellent at sneaking up on others, however, as their black skin helps them blend in with the darkness and their long limbs allow them to move more quietly. While these long limbs give them an impressive reach in combat situations, they have very little muscle and rely mostly on raising undead thralls to defend themselves.
Like all faerys, drau are born with an innate magical power. Their power lies in necromancy, able to reanimate corpses of peoples, beasts, and even other monsters to do their bidding. When they are young, they can only reanimate small creatures. But as they grow older and develop their skills, they are able to control powerful battalions of undead.
Drau have poor vision in daylight, so they are most active during night time hours. If they must be out during the day, they protect their eyes with dark glasses or face veils. For some reason, all drau are repulsed by the smell and taste of citrus.
The average drau lifespan is around 50 years. Their life stages are infant (0-1), toddler (2-4), child (5-9), adolescent (10-19), adult (20-39), and elder (40+).
The draus’ affinity for necromancy gives them a bad reputation just about everywhere on Gaia. Other peoples are also put off by their “creepy” appearance, swiveling heads, and wall-climbing behaviors. They are feared and even prohibited from many territories, and even when they are allowed to exist, they are prohibited from using their necromancy powers.
Only the Unseelie Court welcomes them with open arms, as it was founded by a famous drau named Queen Morgause, specifically as a haven where her kind could practice necromancy freely. Because of this, the vast majority of the world’s drau are Unseelie.
This was not always the case, however. At one time, most drau called the Seelie Court their home. It was after the Seelie queen, Titania, outlawed necromancy that most of them migrated to the Unseelie Court, as they felt stifled by her restrictions. Small tribes of drau also live in Mogdir Kingdom, mostly in its rural eastern territories, where they practice their dark magic in secrecy. They are known to keep close company with vampires.
In the Seelie Court, drau have their own special district called Undercity. This is a dark subterranean city built by and for drau, and it is not very welcoming to other species. Undercity has its own exclusive police force, hospitals, and other services for drau only. Light is prohibited in Undercity and many buildings are only accessible to those who can climb walls, making it very hard for most non-drau to navigate.
While drau have some subterranean neighborhoods in the Unseelie Court, they are more well-integrated with other species there, and many drau can be living topside as well. However, they tend to only leave their houses at night.
Culturally, drau have a bit of a sibling rivalry with adhene, as they often compete for the same high-ranking positions in the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Drau are widely stereotyped as necromancers, cannibals, serial killers, and bullies. In reality, drau are not evil by nature, and are in fact quite reasonable and intelligent creatures. But peoples tend to react poorly to them at first sight, which pushes these faerys into dark and desperate corners of society. They often mingle with vampire clans and malicious cults in search of safety and community.
