Drained

A new and strange race, the Drained provoke pity, hostility and terror.

File:Drained.png

## **Antimagic**

Just about every living being contains a spark of magic which sustains them and allows them to connect with other magic in the world. Every living being, except for the Drained. A subrace barely 30 years old, these people not only lack magic, they are actively anti-magic. It is believed that their ghost-pale appearance is related to this, as evidenced by certain other phenomena.

## A Sorrowed Birth

Most of Kalarain’s academics believe that the Sorrow was behind the creation of the Drained.
actions. Approximately nine months into its rampage, a group of magi in the Provinces of Ash attempted to weaken the being. Tragically, they only drew the Sorrow’s ire onto themselves, and it destroyed them. But after they were stricken down, a powerful force of \*something\* rippled outwards from the site. Thousands of people across the world fell, writhing and clutching their chests in agony. Those who fell rose as Drained.

After this historic event, the Sorrow vanished for three months. No new Drained appeared after this, except for those who were born to Drained parents. Academic specialists believe that some kind of “pulse” travelled largely along magical leylines. This is based on study performed on the resulting concentrations of energies and the initial clusters of Drained.

Questions remain. The magical mechanics by which the Sorrow created the Undead, the Psychotropes and the Warped Ones, other racial enduring of its rampage, have been successfully studied. These arcane mechanics are understood, if not necessarily replicable. But no one knows what the Sorrow did to create the Drained. And it certainly didn’t do anything like it at any other point in its rampage.

## A Cursed Folk

The Drained are highly distinctive. They can be identified by the peculiar vertical red scar which runs down their cheek, from below the eye to the jawline. Additionally, most Drained have ghostly white skin, grey or white hair, and either purple, black, yellow or white eyes. There are Drained hailing from every sentient race there is, save for Dwarves and Elementals.

Because Drained are naturally anti-magic, they are incapable of using magic or channelling spiritual power, as others may be able to. This extends to magical items, most of which are rendered useless while a Drained holds it. For a magical item to be useful to a Drained, it must be either specially designed, or extremely powerful.

Most non-Drained people find it to be physically unpleasant to be close to a Drained, likening the discomfort to a candle which does not have enough air. To be touched by one is to feel like your life is being sucked out of you. People commonly react negatively, with pity, fear, or revulsion. This often causes them to be rejected by society, with many cities and towns chasing them out.

## Siphons

While typical Drained experience a moderate anti-magic effects, some may demonstrate something more extreme. These exceptional cases are called Siphons. Their anti-magic is so potent that they may walk through fireballs unscathed, and are often completely immune to specific strains of magic. However, these impressive properties come with a cost. The further one’s anti-magic develops, the greater their vitality-draining effects become. The discomfort that others feel around them radically increases, plants wither at their touch, and animals avoid them. In the most severe cases, Siphons can drain the life from anything they touch. This can include people.

## Unusual interactions

Drained Ectochoirs are extremely rare, as the spirit possessing the Drained must have its possession stabilised by powerful, eternal magics. This anchoring is completely necessary, and usually takes the form of a specially-crafted item the Drained keeps on them at all times. If the foreign spirit doesn’t have these magics, it is simply absorbed, crushed by the anti-magic.

There are some interesting things to note about Drained and the Beasts of Alabaster. Most obviously, they have very similar appearances, both with pale white skin and odd eyes. Curiously, too, the Beasts of Alabaster are not sent into their usual frenzy when they are close to a Drained. This does not mean there is no risk to letting the two get close, however. Prolonged exposure can cause a Drained to become frenzied and violent in the same way that the Beasts are. All of this only fuels the cultural fire of fear and resentment surrounding Drained.

**OOC Note**: Mechanically, the Drained have some extra rules which apply to them. These can be found on page X and page Y of the Tome of Rules. They are also the only ones who can take the Siphon class.