Draol

Vorsys flows and imbues everything around us. It is freedom. Embrace it. Strict adherence to a set of decrees is simply dogmatism disguised as virtue. The Draol offer choice.

—Orilac the Wise

Draol
Vitals
Leader	Draol Grandmage
Positions	Draol Grandmage, Draol Adept, Draol Mage, Draol Apprentice
Sub-groups	Joint Illition Directorate, Scions of Geth
Founded	EE 1245
Founder	Jylath of Milgrund
Motto	none
Status	extinct
Headquarters	The Tamaligus
Locations	widespread
Items
Texts
Ceremonies
Deities
Statistics
Appearances	Eulogy for Magic
Mentions

The Draol were one of the two primary generalist orders of magic users prior to the Great Purge, alongside the Eari. At the outset of the Second Age, they vastly outnumbered their counterparts and were widely regarded as the dominant arcane tradition of their time. The Draol studied their arts from a campus called The Tamaligus, which was originally located in Greater Galwyndor before being relocated to a secluded region in northeast Letania (now Scurn) during the later years of their existence.

The Draol were predominantly a human order, though individuals of other races were known to join their ranks. Unlike the Eari, whose rise was closely tied to the aftermath of the 1st Great War, the Draol emerged during the same period but followed a markedly different philosophical trajectory. Where many sought to regulate and restrain magic following the war, the Draol embraced it as a natural and fundamental force, to be explored and mastered rather than restricted.

Trademark Style

The Draol school of magic preferred to hoard magical energy and release it in large, concentrated bursts. This approach often produced devastating effects, and as a result the Draol became associated with destructive applications of magic, particularly in times of war. They were frequently employed as warwhores, leveraging large-scale conflict to harness and manipulate the ambient energies generated by violence and upheaval.

The Draol were also widely believed to practice the illicit arts, which were explicitly forbidden at the Earian Institute of the Arcane. Whether this reputation was entirely deserved or partially the result of political and philosophical opposition remains a matter of debate.

Levels of Mastery

There were several levels of mastery among the Draol, though fewer than those recognized by the Eari. One began their studies at the Tamaligus as a Draol Apprentice. After completing several years of rigorous study, they would graduate to Draol Mage, at which point they were free to pursue independent study or apply their abilities in service to others.

Those who demonstrated exceptional skill might be invited to teach, achieving the rank of Draol Adept. The highest rank was that of Draol Grandmage, who served as head of the order and oversaw the academy. Unlike the Eari Archmaster, this title was often retained even after stepping down from active leadership.

History

The Draol order was founded by Jylath of Milgrund in EE 1245, in the years immediately following the 1st Great War. In contrast to later structured institutions such as the Eari, the Draol arose during a period of instability, when knowledge of magic was fragmented and poorly understood.

In the centuries following the war, numerous informal magical circles and proto-orders emerged as individuals sought to study and reclaim arcane knowledge left behind by the departing sorcerers. While many of these groups failed due to lack of structure or internal conflict, others coalesced around shared philosophies.

The Draol represented one such philosophy: that magic, or Vorsys, was a natural force that permeated all things and could be accumulated, shaped, and wielded by those capable of doing so. Rather than imposing strict limitations, the Draol encouraged exploration, adaptation, and the pursuit of power through understanding.

As the order grew, it attracted those who rejected rigid systems of control in favor of a more flexible and individualistic approach to magic. This brought them into increasing ideological conflict with emerging institutions such as the Eari, who viewed such practices as dangerous and irresponsible.

Philosophical Position

The Draol believed that magical energy, known as Vorsys, was a singular, universal force that permeated all existence. Unlike other schools, which categorized magic into distinct types or essences, the Draol viewed such distinctions as artificial constructs imposed by limited understanding.

They held that vorsys could be drawn from any source and adapted to any purpose, provided the wielder possessed sufficient mastery. This belief stood in direct opposition to the doctrines of the Eari and other traditions, which maintained that specific sources of magic were inherently tied to particular applications.

The Eari believe the mystical casts its essence upon the subject, but this is folly. The subject endows the mystical with pieces of itself, like with the gods. The gods take on the character of their creator.

—Threpae

To the Draol, magic represented freedom—freedom from constraint, from dogma, and from imposed limitations. This emphasis on autonomy and power made the order both influential and controversial, and contributed to their reputation as unpredictable and, at times, dangerous.

Vorsys Mythos

The Draol taught that vorsys originated from a cosmic battle between two vordragons, whose conflict gave rise to the fundamental energies of the world. In this view, magic was not divided into discrete categories, but was instead a unified force shaped by the characteristics of its source.

Where other traditions believed that magical sources were imbued with inherent essences, the Draol argued that it was the source itself that imparted its qualities onto the vorsys drawn from it. This distinction allowed them to apply magic more flexibly, often using whatever sources were available rather than adhering to strict conventions.

Because of this approach, the Draol were capable of adapting their magic to a wide range of situations, though critics argued that this came at the cost of precision and safety.

The Great Purge

Main article: Great Purge

At the time of the Great Purge, the Draol were one of the last remaining orders of magic, alongside the Eari. As the conflict escalated, factions within the Draol—most notably the Scions of Geth—were accused of increasingly destructive and destabilizing acts.

The Eari, perceiving these developments as an existential threat, successfully persuaded world leaders to sanction the elimination of magic. In the ensuing purge, the Draol were systematically hunted and destroyed.

At this time, the most powerful Draol was Orilac, who served as head of the order. The last known Draol was Atury, known as the Glyphmaster, who vanished during the final stages of the conflict.

Notes

• Because the Draol emphasized accumulation of magical energy, a mage's power was determined primarily by how much vorsys they could absorb, and secondarily by how effectively they could wield it.