Name: Draugr (P. Draugar)

Classification: Living Corpses 

Variations: Land draugr, Sea draugr

Occurrence: Anywhere with people

Risk Factor: Severe

Entry: 

“My grandpa always told me not to go near the caves. He told me all about his days as a youth playing adventure with his friends across the fields. One day they went inside the caves, where a horrendous gargling haunted the caverns. My grandpa was the only one to make it out alive. I have never set foot near those caves in my entire life, though sometimes I do hear great pangs of hunger coming from those caves even now.” 

—Edward of Radford, Cobbler 

 

The name Draugr comes from the word meaning “revenant.” Draugr are undead creatures that bear some kind of duty or resentment that ties them to the mortal world despite having experienced death once. Draugar, depending on the state of their first raising, can vary from horrible, blackened, and rotting bodies, or be indistinguishable from normal men. However, the stench of decay will always give one out amongst a crowd. It is said that anyone can become a draugr, but in order to become one, one must be powerful enough to draw one’s own soul back into their body after death, or one must bear enough resentment and possess enough luck such that one’s soul does not leave their body upon death. 

However, being raised as a draugr does not equate to a second life. Even the most brilliant of men who came back a draugr are only able to express childish levels of intellect. The level of intellect seems to vary depending on how long it takes for the corpse to raise as a draugr. This decay of intelligence is observed to not affect the draugr’s ability for murder however. Although legend has it that a sorcerer from an ancient time successfully turned himself a draugr while retaining all his wits and continues to live to this very day.

Draugar are the mortal enemies of the valkyries, whose job it is to sort and guide the souls of the dead to either Hel of Valhalla. When a valkyrie spots a draugr, they drop whatever it is they are doing to prioritize in slaying the draugr. Stay far away when this happens. The draugr may attempt to devour nearby people to empower themselves to press against the valkyrie. (See Valkyries, Chapter 12: Addendum and Miscellaneous)

Most draugar are known to guard their treasures against grave robbers, but some are known to wander freely, roaming the lands for victims to fill their insatiable hunger. Sailors who die have also been known to come back as sea draugr, sailing endlessly on half a ship and preying on those who are unfortunate enough to come across their paths.

Additional Information: 

Draugar are known for many things, being powerless is not one of those things. There are many accounts of a Draugar’s capacity for harm. A draugr can change its size and weight at will, possess the strength of many men working in tandem, heal itself from blunt trauma and cutting wounds of all shapes and sizes, transform into wisps of smoke, travel through solid stone and earth, shapeshift, enter the dreams of the sleeping, and even place curses on its victims of which includes anything from temporary spells of blindness to permanent insanity and madness. 

The best way to deal with a draugr is to not deal with one at all. Run, if one is able to, although a draugr may be able to easily catch up. Avoid places where one such being may show up, such as the graveyard and burial sites in particular. Although if it comes to be that one must deal with a draugr, then a draugr’s biggest weakness is their physical bodies. 

As simple and obvious as this may sound, although draugar may possess a plethora of dangerous abilities, if one manages to destroy their physical bodies, then their souls would have nowhere to go except straight to the frozen wastes of Hel. This is simpler said than done however. There strength of a draugr can vary, just as the strength of a man can vary depending on the environment of their upbringing, however burning the body and spreading the ashes via the wind or sea will give the draugr a second death and permanently stop it from walking the mortal realm ever again.

 

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