The undead brood, the Nix are hated and feared by all
other dragons. Their embrace of necromancy makes them
unique among dragons and more powerful, in a sense, than
all others, for they have cheated death. Nix dragons are not
born but are created through a magical rite that strips away
their flesh but imbues them with necromantic powers of
their own. Their azhurma, Nixis, is not just the progenitor
of their line but truly their creator and, as such, is shown
loyalty and respect from those of her brood.
Characteristics
Looking like gaunt, skeletal carcasses, Nix dragons bear an
unnatural glow in their mostly empty eye sockets. Since they
are created through necromancy, the Nix brood is a strange
amalgamation of skeletal dragons from other broods; what
was once a Coatl dragon will sit side by side with what was
once a Fulgen or a Magnifex, all their previous hostilities
forgotten in their new unlife. The very breath of a Nix dragon
can drain one’s life force, consuming souls to add to the
dragon’s power.
The creation of a Nix dragon is a long and difficult
process, and few outside of Nixis herself have managed to
successfully complete it on another dragon. Depending on
the age of the transformed dragon, they may retain some of
the personality traits of their former brood, which become
tempered over time with an eerie, quiet patience. Nix dragons
created while still in their eggs never learn the ways of their
original brood and know only the cold embrace of undeath.
Many Nix dragons are satisfied to remain in the background
and let the other dragon broods war amongst themselves,
quietly confident that, in the end, death will take them all—
and death, after all, is their domain.
As they don’t need to feed, and kill only to further their
necromantic research, Nix dragons rarely venture out of their
territory except to steal eggs so they can bring them back for
Nixis to transform into new broodmates. These raiding parties
are a favorite target of other broods, particularly Exors.
The Nix embody calm, patience, endurance, resilience,
and community. Reliant on one another in a way the other
broods are not, these dragons often lair in close proximity to
each other, or even share lairs with multiple other Nix. They
will often work together as a cabal, pooling their necromantic
power to raise stronger and more powerful undead creatures
than they could manage on their own.
Azhurma
Nixis, the Veilbreaker, is a massive skeletal dragon of great
power. She was the first to unlock the secrets of draconic
undeath, creating her own brood through necromancy and
building a legion of undead creatures to serve her.
As a young dragon, Nixis was often described by her
kin as tame and weak. She struggled to hunt and often
had to satisfy herself with carrion and cast-off bits of her
broodmates’ kills. Shunned by the other dragons, she led
a solitary life and spent much time in the company of
corpses, ruminating often on the essence of life and death.
Her wanderings brought her in close proximity to the
Ossarium, a vast valley filled with the bones of combatants
from some ancient struggle long forgotten and steeped
in latent necromantic energy. This energy eventually
permeated Nixis herself and, coupled with her loneliness,
granted her the insight to teach herself the basics of
necromancy. She began animating small creatures by
carving runes into their bones and feeding a small portion
of her own essence to the corpse, but she often mourned
the limits of her power.
When she stumbled into the territory of another
dragon, a fierce battle occurred. Nixis harbored no illusions
that she would win the fight but could not face the shame
of fleeing. It was in that moment that she realized the
truth: In death, the fear she felt every day scavenging for
scraps would be gone, replaced with certainty and singular
purpose. Nixis died at peace, and when night fell, she rose
again, an undead dragon surrounded by her creations.
Nixis now resides deep within the Catacomb Reaches
on Drakha. By stealing, killing, and resurrecting eggs from
other dragon broods, she has successfully created more
necromantic dragons like herself. These undead creatures
act as her phylactery, allowing her to remain untouchable
if even one survives. Each of them wields undead powers
in their own right, but each also holds a tiny fragment
of Nixis within themselves, a vessel for their azhurma’s
strength and eternal life.
Nix Lairs
On Drakha, the Nix brood lives in the Ossarium in the Catacomb Reaches. The Reaches themselves are craggy badlands
on the edge of the Drakhan deserts, with little in the way of
natural life. Here, Nix dragons establish their lairs and use the
ambient necromantic energy of the valley itself to aid them in
the construction of skeletal creatures of all sorts. Nixis resides
within the Great Mausoleum at the heart of the Ossarium.
In Valerna, Nix dragons make their homes in isolated
locations, such as toxic swamps, the peaks of jagged mountain
ranges, and scarred, desolate wastelands. Ancient catacombs,
haunted battlefields, and crumbling dungeons are all ideal
Nix lair settings, where the land itself provides them with the
bones and bodies for their necromantic experimentation.
