Drustai

Archmage Drustai of Koramor
Title	Arcanist, Archmage, The Necromancer, Abomination, Man'ari, Lich'dorei
Gender	Female
Race	Draenei (Undead)
Age	~27,000 (aging ceased)
Character class	Wizard, Inscriber, Archmage, Necromancer Formerly: Warlock, Priest, Death Knight
Affiliation	Independent
Former affiliation(s)	Burning Legion, Auchenai, Exodus, Twilight Guard, Farahlon Reclamation, Scourge, Knights of the Ebon Blade, Ebon Shroud, Exodar, Grand Alliance, Ere Argus, War Sect
Occupation	Alchemist, Scribe, Enchanter Formerly: Lieutenant in the Burning Legion, Auchenai Soulpriest, Knight of the Ebon Blade, High Librarian of the Ebon Shroud, Senior Mystic of Ere Argus, Lecturer of Defense against Dark Magic at Dalaran, Master of Warlock Sector
Relative(s)	Renaal, Liyaa (parents) Alevei (sibling)
Alignment	Neutral Evil

"By all means, if you wish to trust her, go ahead. But when the day comes when she falls under the sway of a new master, or makes a bargain to serve her own needs, stabbing you in the back, I only hope to get to her before anyone of worth is lost."

— Zanadaar

Drustai was an ancient draenei female. Born long ago on Argus, she witnessed the coming of Sargeras and the split between the man'ari eredar and the draenei. Though the draenei fled across the stars, Drustai remained, having chosen to side with the Burning Legion. She came to regret her choice, after she witnessed first hand the cruelty and malice of the man'ari. She prayed for guidance and, with the assistance of the Naaru, managed to escape the Legion and rejoin her people. She became a devoted follower of the Light within the necropolis of Auchindoun, in effort to atone for what she viewed as an unpardonable sin.

Evil followed at Drustai's heels, however. The orcs were tricked by agents of the Burning Legion, and Drustai watched in horror as they slaughtered her people. She fell into a deep depression, one she never truly recovered from, and, like many of her fellow Auchenai, turned to Shadow and began a quest for vengeance.

A century later, after the draenei joined the Alliance, Drustai would fall to the Scourge after having traveled to the frozen lands of Northrend in search of necromantic lore. She was risen as one of the Scourge’s death knights, and, while wielding the runeblade, Avaritus, participated in the annihilation of the Scarlet Crusade. She broke free of the Lich King’s domination during the Battle of Light’s Hope Chapel.

After the war against the Lich King, Drustai returned to the Exodar, reuniting with her commune, Ere Argus. Though her unholy condition disturbed many of her kin, they welcomed her with open arms as their sister. Drustai still struggled with the darkness in her soul, and the ravaging hunger that threatened to consume her sanity, but with their support she finally began to come to terms with everything that had happened to her. Her soul was released from the last shackles binding her to the Lich King when Farseer Sanara destroyed Avaritus.

However, in the time since, Drustai has continued to practice her dark arts in the hopes that she might be able to save her people. The darkness she refuses to leave behind threatens to pull her deep into its clutches once more.

Biography

Early life

"I long for those days... How long has it been? A thousand years? Ten-thousand?"

— Jessera of Mac'Aree

Drustai was born in the city of Koramor on Argus over 27,000 years before the opening of the Dark Portal. She was born to Renaal and Liyaa, and had an older brother, Alevei. Her family was fairly wealthy, and her mother was a powerful arcanist. Despite traditional gender roles prevalent in eredar society at the time, Liyaa managed the family's affairs, and she had significant influence within the local community. Liyaa had high expectations for her mate and children.

Drustai was quiet and reserved in her youth, spending much of her time in her own personal space. She did not have very many friends, though she was very close with those she did associate with. She loved her father most of all, and he was a significant role model for her. Drustai's relationship with her mother, however, was poor, due to Liyaa's high expectations of her.

Drustai did have a difficult time growing up. Her mother expected great things out of her children. Liyaa wanted both to be great arcanists who would go on to achieve positions of power and significance within eredar society. Liyaa even hoped that Drustai would be able to break through the gender roles of eredar culture and land a seat on Koramor's triumvirate, a position that Liyaa herself had been vying for but been unable to achieve due to its being traditionally filled by men.

Unfortunately, while Alevei proved to be up to the task and excelled in everything he did, Drustai was too carefree. Though she enjoyed magic, she wasn't particularly talented at it and found it difficult to learn. She also had little desire for the leadership role that Liyaa wanted her to take. Ultimately, Liyaa began regarding her daughter was a screw up whom would never achieve anything of greatness.

Drustai did try hard to please her mother, and became highly competitive as a result of the pressuring. She pushed herself to the extremes in everything she did, trying to become perfect. Though at times her spirit was endearing, she had a tendency of pushing her friends away by taking things more seriously than them. Where they partook of activities for fun, Drustai saw them as something to win. Of course, "winning at games" was of little concern to Liyaa, who considered Drustai's focus on them to be even more proof that she would never amount to anything.

The Academy of Arcanistry, Izaar

While Alevei was sent to a private tutorship to hone his magical abilities, Drustai was merely enrolled in a large boarding school--the Academy of Arcanistry in Izaar, a port city on Argus. She would spend the next several centuries there studying magic and other skills. In a way, this was Liyaa's attempt to wipe her hands clean of her "failed" daughter. The academy had little reputation of note, Liyaa sent Drustai there because she had written her daughter off as a lost cause.

For her part, Drustai actually enjoyed the academy. It allowed her to get away from her mother, and so she preferred staying at the academy than at home. It actually helped her magical studies, as she was able to take things at her own pace instead of having to worry about her mother constantly pressuring her. Though she was not as talented as many of the other students on the campus, she was able to keep up with them out of sheer dedication to her studies--again treating it as something competitive, something to be won. She often delved into studies above her class, and was fascinated with learning about more esoteric or uncommon specializations. She understood the basics of difficult magic like chronomancy, and, though she did not practice it at the time, had a near-encyclopedic knowledge of shadow energies. This improvement actually did impress her mother, which elated Drustai.

Though the academy offered closer relations between students than Koramor, Drustai remained socially awkward, and found few friends. Most of these were outcasts, such as herself, those whom had fallen from grace in some way or another. She didn't want to be an outcast, however, and so she desperately tried to attract the attention of the popular and powerful instead. Few of them gave her much attention; they didn't want to have anything to do with someone as mediocre as she.

In her loneliness, Drustai could not help but look into tantric magic: sexual spells and enchantments. She began experimenting with illusory partners to make up for her poor social skills, and she permanently transmuted her body into a more pleasing shape, twisting and reshaping her bones and flesh until achieving what she believed was the "perfect" form. She had hoped that this would attract people to her, and did not care about how shallow such attractions would be.

End of one life, and beginning of another

"Eredar... this word once held meaning."

— Exarch Admetius

Even after completing her studies, Drustai stayed at Izaar for many years more. She initially pursued a job working at one of the academic libraries, but later moved on to administration. Though it was not the prestigious position Drustai's mother had wanted from her, by then the two had finally managed to settle their differences--though their relationship remained distant. After a century or two working at the academy, Drustai retired from her position and went on to take a position at an apothecarium, where she helped prepare various magical and non-magical potions and salves.

Drustai's life after the academy was both an improvement and a step backwards for her. While her relationship with her mother had improved, and she had certainly made something of her life, however ultimately unimportant it was, her naturally anti-social demeanor caused her to feel lost without the close social environment of the academy. Her previous hollow friendships had all but evaporated once they all had finished their studies. She thus began relying on her illusory simulacrums for company. She crafted copies of people she desired to be close to, and pretended that they were the real thing.

It was during this time that Sargeras, the Destroyer of Worlds, arrived on Argus. The event would have almost completely passed Drustai by, lost as she was in her fantasy world, if not for her mother's insistence that this was a world-changing event to keep close watch over. Dutifully, Drustai complied, and she listened to Sargeras' promises and the announcements of Argus' leadership.

Almost immediately, she found herself open to the fallen Titan's promises. Her life had become stale ever since her studies had finished--a dead end. In her mind, if this new, godlike being could truly open their minds to magic they had as of yet undreamed of, then perhaps she could finally amount to something of true significance? They would all be at the forefront of a great new magical venture--like the explorers and innovators of old.

There were whispers of doubt about his claims, however. Though she would later deny it, Drustai's brother, Alevei, did in fact approach her and warn her that it was all a trick. When he asked her to come with him and flee, she scoffed. She thought he was just being paranoid. This was an opportunity, one that she would not pass up. She dismissed him, not realizing that it would be the last time she would see him for tens of thousands of years.

Eredar society split into two. With fel energies beginning to warp her mind and body, Drustai laughed as the "regressives", the draenei, fled the world. They were cowards, unwilling to embrace the future.

Drustai would come to greatly regret this decision thousands of years later.

The Burning Legion

Drustai while she was in the Burning Legion.

Drustai was quickly overwhelmed in the early years of the Legion. Her explorer's mind could not help but be astonished by all of the new creatures and locations she was opened up to. She could not help but watch in wonder as the new energies they wielded--the power of demons--twisted and warped the world they had once called home. Though it became little more than a fiery land of black and green, to Drustai Argus had become more beautiful than ever before. This was true power--the power to shape reality to whatever one wished. They had become living gods.

Drustai easily fell into the new power scheme. Though she lacked the talent and outright ruthlessness of many of the other eredar--whom included her mother--she was quick to latch herself onto rising stars.

[...]

Discovering the Light

Drustai found herself coming to believe in the goodness of a group of Light-worshippers she had sought to infiltrate during a Legion invasion of a world. She came to believe in the Light and understand the sins she had committed, and began to secretly rebel against her demon masters.

[...]

Escape from darkness

When the Burning Legion arrived on a planet the draenei had been settling on, Drustai took her chance and escaped. She begged the draenei to take her in so that she might atone, and, though wary, they agreed to give her a chance.

[...]

Draenor

On Draenor, Drustai learned what it meant to be truly loved. Despite all of her past evils, the draenei accepted her as one of their own. Though she felt great guilt, and terrible sorrow, the draenei forgave her and instead sought to help her find peace and redemption from the Light, with the Naaru's blessed guidance.

In her effort to atone for her crimes, Drustai chose to join the Auchenai Priesthood, which had recently formed during the building of the great necropolis-temple of Auchindoun. She thought herself unworthy of the main priesthoods, such as the Aldor and Karabori, and indeed had something of a morbid fascination (and fear) of death. As always, the dark forces of the universe enticed her.

Among the Auchenai, Drustai spent most of her time among the monk order. She felt she lacked the charisma to be a priestess, and for many centuries made no effort to move to any different role. She was content with where she was, though a part of her always longed to escape the cloistered monastery life.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle Drustai had was the limit on arcane use. The Legion were always watching and had discovered the draenei before on previous worlds because of their magic. By the time of Draenor, however, the draenei had finally learned that arcane magic was a beacon that lured the Legion to them. Thus they restricted it and instead turned to "natural" forms of magic, such as runecasting. Unlike their traditional arcane magic, runecasting did not force magic to obey the whims of the caster.

Though Drustai did learn how to cast through runes, she continued to long for the power and pleasure her spellcasting provided. In secret she would often cast minor spells and cantrips, including her hedonistic illusionism, unable to bear being without her magic. This got her into trouble on several occasions, and she was warned many times of the dangers of casting arcane spells while the Legion was hunting for them.

The Orc War

"I remember, too, the day the orcs came."

— Akama

Eventually, the Legion did find the draenei. Whether lured by those who couldn't resist continuing to cast arcane magic, like Drustai, or simply through dumb luck, the Legion descended upon Draenor. However, it was not with demonic armies, as they had done before. Instead, it was a race of natives, whom the draenei had lived side-by-side with ever since they had arrived on the planet. The orcs were easily fooled by Kil'jaedan and his pawns, Ner'zhul and Gul'dan. With lies nursing the long-held distrust of the alien "blueskins", the orcs became convinced that the draenei were an enemy that sought their ultimate destruction.

Drustai, having finally become a soulpriest by this time, was like many draenei confused and bewildered by the sudden betrayal of the orcs. Though she had only rarely seen one, let alone spoken to one, she had thought them a kind if primitive people. Whatever sympathy she had, however, would be irrevocably destroyed by the traumatic years to come.

While Auchindoun was spared much of the direct fury of the Horde for the early years of the war, it was perhaps harder hit by the effects of it than any other settlement. Many draenei wished to be buried within its crypts, so that their souls might become one with the Naaru, D'ore. During the war, the amount of bodies being sent to the necropolis became staggering. Drustai was forced into duties she still had little experience with, having never expected to be in such dire conditions. She and the other soulpriests were taxed to their limit caring for the souls of the departed while simultaneously attempting to keep the morale up for those left behind, family and priesthood alike. Many broke under the pressure, as the sight of so many bodies--and so many agonized, terrified spirits roaming the halls--tore at their consciences. Drustai did her best over the seven years of war, but largely abandoned her duties by the end of the fourth year. Though her time in the Legion had taught her how to kill, it never taught her how to deal with the death of her own kind, of loved ones.

It was in the sixth war that the orcs finally laid siege to Auchindoun. Though the Auchenai put up a valiant defense--many employing the shadow magic and basics of necromancy they had honed over their millennia of caring for the spirits of the dead--they were incapable of holding the Horde back. Within a short time, the orcs broke through and invaded the temple's heart.

Drustai did not participate in the fighting. Already broken, and terrified for her life (which she now understood to be quite fragile), she tried to hide from the orcs while her kin fought and died to protect the temple. With the orc victory, however, she was quickly discovered and rounded up with other prisoners.

Under the orcs, Drustai and the other prisoners were forced to bear every manner of atrocity. Some were taken to be sacrifices for the orcs' demonic magic while others were tortured and killed for amusement. Drustai, along with some of the surviving women (and some of the men) were beaten and raped, before being tossed into one of Auchindoun's crypts and sealed inside with the dead--both old and new--to starve.

Several of the prisoners killed themselves within the first few days, unwilling to bear the hunger and believing that their souls would unite with D'ore. Others simply allowed themselves to wither away. Drustai and a few of the other survivors, however, were unwilling to accept death. Terrified, starving, and desperate, they began to eat the bodies of their kin in order to survive.

The few remaining survivors would eventually be saved, by the group of remaining Auchenai lead by Exarch Maladaar. Of the survivors from the crypt, only Drustai and three others were left alive. Two of them would pass away in the days to come, as malnutrition and sickness claimed them.

Shadow of the Light

Drustai hid in the deepest levels of Auchindoun alongside Exarch Maladaar's remaining Auchenai. She saw Maladaar as a hero for rescuing her from the crypt, and took his word as gospel. Like the rest of the Auchenai under Maladaar, she became convinced that the Light was hollow and false, that striving to resurrect D'ore had been an error. D'ore had continued to sleep even in their darkest hour, consuming the spirits of the dead they interred but never waking to save them.

Drustai dwelt amongst the surviving Auchenai for several decades, believing that they were the last draenei in existence. During that time, she greatly expanded her study of necromancy and shadow magic. She was unwilling to let go, and believed that the Auchenai should use their unique knowledge of necromancy to bring back everyone who had died in the war. She believed that with enough time and study, they would discover a way to undo all the suffering. While some few agreed with her, Maladaar and most of the others had become fatalists, believing that the apocalypse had begun, and the Legion had won. They sought to poison D'ore's rejuvenating remains, to feed him dark and twisted souls instead of purifying them as they once did.

Auchindoun, destroyed by Shadow Council rituals.

Though Drustai still viewed the Auchenai as heroes, she became frightened of the direction they were taken. She had come to spurn the Light, as they did, but believed that tampering with a Naaru's corpse was to invite divine wrath upon them. Her fear were later confirmed in her mind after a Shadow Council experiment in another wing of the occupied Auchindoun caused an explosion that nearly destroyed the entire necropolis. Following this incident, Drustai decided to flee. She would never see Maladaar's Auchenai again, as her fears proved prophetic--the Auchenai would be destroyed by the forces of the Light assembled by the Sha'tar decades later.

Once beyond Auchindoun's walls, Drustai was fortuitous to run across a draenei hunter from Zangarmarsh. She had thought that the Auchenai were the last of the draenei, and was amazed to learn that others had also survived. The hunter helped Drustai travel through the orc-controlled Terokkar Forest, eventually reaching the refuge of Telredor, deep within the swamp of Zangarmarsh.

At Telredor, Drustai discovered that the surviving draenei were just as bad off as the Auchenai in Auchindoun. The streets were cramped with refugees, and food was scarce as most of the flora and fauna within the unbearably hot swamp were poisonous. The krokul had already been exiled, for fear of their condition spreading as well as to preserve food for those who were still "healthy". Death was still common, even in Telredor, as many passed away from starvation.

Exodar and Azeroth

[...]

Fallen into shadow

[...]

Crusade and the macabre

[...]

Drustai at the ruins of the Scarlet Enclave.

The Scourge and the Ebon Blade

"How are you, Sister? I have heard rumors that you-..."

— Exaythe the Abjurer, on seeing Drustai as a death knight for the first time

[...]

Drustai in Acherus, the Ebon Hold.

Another chance

[...]

War against the Lich King

[...]

Return home

[...]

The Shattering

[...]

Against the Twilight's Hammer

[...]

The rift of Westfall

[...]

The Path of Conquest

[...]

Eye for an eye

"I only hope, draenei, that your spirits will one day help you to rid the hatred within you. For you are more blinded by it than anyone I have ever met before. I am... sorry."

— Mazguul Sharpeye

[...]

The Ebon Shroud

[...]

Improvement

"I did not think you the kind to start dancing, Drustai. So... sporadically, at least."

— Sanara

[...]

House arrest

"I know it hurts, Drustai. I know you are frustrated, and frightened, and above all else desperate not to lose everything your life has built up to at this point. But everything I'm doing is because I want to help you through this... without having to start over every time you get upset."

— Sanara

[...]

Cleaning up the mess

[...]

Betrayal and departure from the Ebon Blade

[...]

Phylactery

[...]

Drustai making her opening statement at her trial.

No good deed goes unpunished

[...]

A party

[...]

Teacher

[...]

Release and Yub'yob

[...]

Hope spot

[...]

A game of Go

[...]

Drustai consumed by her hatred for the orc prisoner, Sadok.

Painting a continent

[...]

Drustai squares off against Sadok's mate, Vashnarz.

Physical appearance

"And if my word can matter and make you feel better, the truth to be told, you possess a rare beauty and elegance. They are not entirely lost, unless it is an illusion."

— Almerius to Drustai, who was indeed hiding her undead state with illusions

Throughout her life, Drustai always took great care of her appearance, and she was considered beautiful by many. She was vain, spending every morning dressing herself in elegant clothes, makeup, and sweet, rosy perfume, and used magic to artificially enhance her beauty. She had deep lavender skin, which was marred only by glowing arcane marks running up and down the outer edge of her arms and thighs. She had straight, silky dark purple hair, reaching just past her shoulders, which she kept neatly styled in order to give it volume. She was lean and fit, and her tall height was accentuated by her raised horns and long tail. She was also shapely, with wide hips and a large bosom (though, like many other things, both had been enhanced through her magic). She regularly kept a proud posture around others, and a practiced, elegant gait that emphasized the swaying of her hips. Like many draenei, her large, expressive eyes glowed icy-blue, though she had a depressive, wistful gaze. She spoke in a thick Eredun accent.

Drustai as she has appeared over the years.

One of the greatest shocks to Drustai after her death was its effect on her appearance. After she died, her body began to rot and decay, growing thin and pale as her cold, dried-out skin clutched tightly at her bones. Her hair turned stark white, and became wispy and stale. In an effort to hide what she had become, she began using her magic to project an illusion of the beauty she once possessed, burning away countless reagents in order to uphold the spell day after day. This illusion made her look and feel like she once had, but there was a lingering sense of wrongness in her touch--her skin felt almost waxy, too perfect. She did not initially fix her hair color, but began dying it black again a few years after her death. Despite her efforts, there was no mistaking what she had become. Her chest did not rise or fall with breath, there was no pulse at her neck, and a cold, unholy aura seemed to pervade the air around her.

Drustai preferred wearing a variety of flowing robes and other elegant attire, occasionally suggestive and usually adorned with arcane or necromantic symbols like runes and skulls. She usually wore earrings and necklaces, but rarely any other jewelry. She regularly kept her facial tendrils and tail unadorned, unlike many other draenei. When wearing a belt, she frequently carried pouches filled with magical reagents of various kinds, as well as a spell tome, scroll case, and a small notebook.

Personality and traits

"I dare say I appreciate and love life quite a bit more than you do. You, who constantly wallows in her own misery. Who never laughs, never smiles, never has fun or plays games."

— Thelos

Drustai was considered by many of her peers to be distant, withdrawn, bitter, selfish, and power-hungry. She was a woman broken by her past, and who seemed to find little joy in life despite her claims to the contrary. She could be very harsh around others, and this attitude won her few friends. Few saw the woman that Drustai really was. To most, she was a solitary woman who was obsessed with magic--especially dark magic--and cared little for the plights and troubles of others.

In reality, Drustai was very insecure, as she was raised to believe she was inferior to others. She shut herself away from the world out of fear of being hurt, and spent most of her life struggling desperately to become something important. This lead her to magically alter her appearance to make herself beautiful, and she would often keep letters or other mementos of people praising her for her accomplishments. She joined the Burning Legion out of a desire to be part of something powerful and lifechanging, and her devotion to shadow magic stemmed from this desire to be special--she knew she would stand out because it was "forbidden". It gave her attention and made her feel important.

Despite her narcissism, Drustai had a caring soul. She broke away from the Legion because she was horrified at the destruction she was causing, and the loss of what had become her family during the Orc War devastated her. She longed for companionship, and so was very protective of those few whom she was able to grow close to. She also frequently empathized with outcasts like herself, as she understood the pain of such a life. She was very distant even in her relationships with family and friends, however, as she was afraid that she would be hurt if she allowed herself to get too close to others.

Life and death

"Come back to us, Drustai. Have you truly forgotten the careless joys of the immortal existence? To never again fear hurt, to never again fear loss. To never lose those close to you again, and never fear death."

— Navii

Unlike many draenei, Drustai was terrified in death. Her long experience with death amongst the Legion and during the Orc War made her see death as the ultimate evil in the galaxy. Thus, after the Orc War, she became desperate to unlock a way to safeguard those she loved, and to bring them back from death if she could not. Indeed, death came to define Drustai in a way nothing else did. Her life revolved around it, even before she became undead.

Few realized it, but Drustai cared deeply for life. Her appreciation for it only grew after her experiences with death. Despite often seeming distant and even sad, especially after becoming undead, she still felt that life was worth living for. She wanted to see, feel, taste, and experience everything. She loved to explore, loved to read and learn. She wanted to be the best, the first, the fastest in everything. She wanted to love, and be loved. Death was a threat to all of these aspirations.

Drustai's greatest desire was to see death conquered, and to never have to fear loss again. Necromancy thus became everything to her. Though she had always felt inclination towards dark magicks as a matter of prestige, necromancy meant far more to her. It was the solution to everything she feared.

Sexuality and romance

"You expect relationships to be more about the sex... this powerplay, making it fun and thrilling. But loving someone isn't about that."

— Sanara

Having been brought up in the hedonistic society of the eredar, Drustai was promiscuous and sexually aggressive throughout her life. However, despite often claiming to have pursued excessive intimate encounters during her time on Argus, Drustai actually lacked the confidence to approach others (though she did accept most advances others made on her). She instead relied on her illusion magic to fulfill her fantasies, using it to create lifelike caricatures of people she was attracted to.

Drustai's confidence raised while she was in the Burning Legion, and it was here that she began actively pursuing physical relationships with real people. As she was not as powerful as her peers, she instead focused on getting close to powerful eredar so that she could leach on to their successes. This often caused her hardship, however, as she found herself actually falling in love with several of her subjects before eventually being betrayed by them. This pattern would repeat itself many years later while she was leading draenei forces against the remnant naga in Zangarmarsh, when she found herself unwittingly falling for the naga's imprisoned eredar, Kuwuuja. Just like in her demon days, she felt attracted to Kuwuuja's suave, confident demeanor, and the demon exploited her feelings by pretending to be romantically interested in her.

Following Drustai's escape from the Legion, she largely returned to her old lifestyle of focusing on illusion-created harems instead of real people. She had become afraid of allowing others to get too emotionally close to her after her life amongst the Legion, and felt that her illusions offered everything she needed to fulfill her physical lusts, without having to worry about emotional betrayal. Sanara frequently called Drustai out on her fear of attachment, and rightly believed that Drustai desperately needed an emotional anchor.

Unlike some other draenei, Drustai largely pursued only heterosexual encounters. This was to the consternation of individuals like Larem, who's advances were consistently rejected to the point of nearly destroying what had been a close friendship.

Undeath

"You've lost so much. Not just your life, but your ability to live. You're walking around, every day, every night—unable to sleep, unable to feel, unable to eat. I can never imagine what kind of suffering you are going through."

— Larem, to Drustai

Drustai lost most of her ability to express strong emotions after becoming undead. Though she was able to feel hints of her emotions, they were empty and hollow. A smile or laughter devoid of joy, or a quiet depression without tears or sorrow. The only emotion she remained capable of feeling in its entirety was anger and hatred, due to the tinkering of the Scourge necromancers in order to make their death knights more effective warriors. As a result, Drustai was incredibly aggressive, and often used her anger as a way to express her other emotions because it was the only one that she could truly feel. When she felt sad and alone, or afraid, she expressed it through her anger, and as such she became much more violent in general.

This anger was rooted in the bestial lust for battle that all death knights felt. Drustai was able to feel a twisted form of pleasure in combat, and often would lose herself to it unless she maintained firm control over herself. She almost killed Larem and Iliira after being provoked into such a state, and she was nearly put down like a rabid animal as a result.

Avaritus, her runeblade, also had a marked effect on her personality. Its dark whispers encouraged her violent displays, while at the same time soothing and relaxing her when she was near it. In fact, Avaritus was the only way in which Drustai could find some form of rest after becoming a death knight, as it deliberately helped relax, calm, and even hypnotize her. As she had found the mental exhaustion of living her undead years as one long day to be unbearable, Avaritus' presence became incredibly addictive. Its destruction by O'ros left behind a hole that Drustai felt she could never fill.

Indeed, Drustai made several attempts at restoring Avaritus, or at least filling that hole. She was worried that her soul, which had been bound to the blade, had been released with its destruction. Without anchoring her soul to another object, she believed that she would eventually go mad as most undead did. She attempted to create a phylactery for herself, but Sanara and the rest of the commune did their best to steer her away from that path. Eventually they had her anchor her soul to a spirit totem, though Drustai longs to replace this with a true phylactery.

Powers and abilities

"Do you even care, Drustai, about all the draenei murdered by necromancy? About the skeletons raised to murder even more?! No, of course you don't. It's just power to you. And by the Light, you love power so fucking much you don't care what form it comes in! So you know what, Drustai? You can fucking rot. I'm done. Enjoy the loneliness. It's the life you've chosen."

— Sanara

Drustai was an exceptionally powerful arcanist. With over 25,000 years to perfect her magic, she had experience with every school and discipline, including fel. Though not innately talented, she made up for it with dedication and strength of will, devoting herself completely to her studies.

Apothecary: Drustai was a skilled herbalist and apothecary, and grew herbs in her garden which she would then use in the creation of potions, salves, and other alchemical mixtures. She was confident enough in her abilities that she was able to combine her skills with her magic, and created not only potions, but also magical inks and other compounds. She brewed special liferoot tea to help Exaythe overcome fatigue, and even knew the formula for the creation of the poisonous Potion of Transformation, a brew necessary for the process of becoming a lich.

Drustai was a powerful sorceress, adept at many types of spell and rune casting.

Arcane Fire: Drustai had a particular talent for manipulating arcane energies, and was capable of channeling raw mana into Arcane Fire on a whim. She enjoyed the rush from using arcane in its pure form, as she, like most spellcasters, was addicted to it. Though she would come to focus on the elements of shadow and frost, she remained capable of channeling Arcane Fire and used it as her primary offensive spell when disarmed.

Conjuration Mastery: Drustai was known for being a master conjurer. While in the Burning Legion, she relied on summoning lesser demons to protect her from danger, rather than risking herself in the fighting. After leaving the Legion, she continued to conjure beings to aid her, and mastered the summoning and binding of elementals, gargoyles, shadows and shadowfiends, and the creation of undead servants without the need for a nearby body.

Dead Sight: As a former Auchenai Death Priest, Drustai was able to see the restless spirits that continued to walk the world. With the proper preparation and an intact soul mirror, she was able to speak with them as well. She learned to ignore their presence, though was incapable of blocking them from her sight.

Duelist: Though Drustai preferred to avoid combat, and was often bested when taken by surprise, she was an incredibly capable duelist when given forewarning and the opportunity to prepare. She had mastered the art of counterspelling and shielding, and was adept enough to hold her own against several Kirin Tor archmagi and mage-hunters with nothing but Arcane Fire and the rune marks on her skin.

Fel Magic: Drustai learned to channel fel magic after she joined the Burning Legion, seduced by Sargeras' offers of godhood. She became incredibly skilled in its use over the millennia as its dark influences corrupted her soul, but she gave up most of her power after she left the Legion. She continued to possess knowledge of its use, and could call upon it if she desired, but she swore to never use it again. Despite this, she was quick to call upon it when in dire situations, as she secretly longed to feel it course through her again.

Frost Magic: Drustai began to focus in frost magic after she started studying necromancy, though it did not become prominent until after she arrived on Azeroth. Her own research into the Scourge’s necromancy, which utilized frost to an almost equal amount as shadow, encouraged her to pursue it. Her frost spells were used to great effect during the elemental invasions when she managed to decipher an elemental ritual and save the night elf priestess, Neferi, who was bound to a Twilight's Hammer altar.

Illusion Expert: Drustai was a skilled practitioner of illusion magic, having specialized in it while living on Argus. After she was risen into undeath, she was noted for keeping up a near-constant appearance-altering spell to make her look and feel alive. Even before then, she frequently made use of illusions to hide blemishes and scars, and she later created an enchanted crystal eye for Laraan to conceal the large wound across the right side of her face.

Linguistic: Drustai was well-versed in many languages. These included Eredun, Draenei, Demonic, Common, Ravenspeech, and Thalassian. She also learned the basics of the Titan language while researching Titan ruins around Azeroth, and studied the language of the dead while she was with the Auchenai, later mastering it after she became undead.

Loremaster: In her endless pursuit for greater knowledge, Drustai accumulated a wealth of information about the people and worlds on which she had traveled. She had first-hand knowledge of the Twisting Nether, the Burning Legion, and undeath, and was able to provide esoteric details on various other subjects. She possessed a wide variety of research books, including copies of illegal Scourge necromancy tomes, which, after the end of the war in Northrend, became priceless. Drustai was one of only a handful who still possessed such books, as the rest were likely confiscated and destroyed by the Argent Crusade.

Magical Mastery: Drustai was a very powerful arcanist. Though she was not innately talented, she surpassed other students through dedication, never ceasing her quest for greater power, and was even willing to cast aside the moral objections of her peers in order to expand her knowledge into darker arts. By the time the draenei arrived on Azeroth, Drustai had become well-known for her spellwork. She was the senior spellcaster in the Ere Argus commune, rivaled only by Sanara, who, though talented and well-trained, had long ago given up the practice of arcane magic. Drustai occasionally helped instruct younger magi in developing their abilities, and trained several apprentices while on Draenor. During the elemental invasion just before the Shattering, she was notable enough to be summoned to the Dalaran Summit of the Leading Magi of Azeroth. After she was tried and convicted for using necromancy in Dalaran, she was even given a position as lecturer for Defense against the Dark Arts and employed in mage-hunting, as the Kirin Tor recognized that she was more useful to them alive than dead.

Drustai was a skilled practitioner of necromancy.

Necromancy Specialist: Though Drustai never fell to the same madness that gripped the majority of the Auchenai Death Priests, she followed closely at their heel. Even before the Scourge raised her as a death knight under their command, Drustai had begun to practice the dark art of necromancy. She was terrified of death, of both her own life and the lives of others, and believed that necromancy would allow her to conquer it. Her skills were impressive, such that she knew the process of creating and lich and was even capable of raising the recently dead to life (rather than just unlife).

Priestess: For much of her time on Draenor, Drustai was an anchoress of the Light. Under the Auchenai she learned how to channel the Light's divine energy, using it to tend to wounds and aid others. She lost her powers after she fell from her faith, though briefly replaced them with the powers of Divine Shadow until she gave that up as well. She became completely cut off from the Light after she was raised as an undead.

Runecaster: Like many draenei arcanists, Drustai was proficient in the use of runes in order to cast arcane magic without the inherent corruption that was involved with normal methods of spellcasting. She possessed tomes containing detailed diagrams of various ley-lines, and often tattooed her body with some of the more useful patterns. This served her to great extent when she was on the run from the Kirin Tor, as she was forced to rely solely on her rune marks after her spellbook and reagents were confiscated by the Stormwind Regiment. Over the years, many of these went dormant, as only the runes pertaining to the present world were of any use, though the marks from Azeroth and Draenor remained useful whenever she was on one of those two worlds.

Shadowcaster: Drustai was skilled in the use of shadow energy, thanks thousands of years using it in the Burning Legion, and later with the Auchenai. After the Orc War, she even briefly turned from the Light to follow Divine Shadow, but she gave it up after becoming undead. Even after she turned away from the worship of Shadow, she continued to utilize shadow magic in her necromancy, despite objections by her peers. She had an obsession with shadow magic, seeing it as her art, and continued to use it despite knowing just how much damage it was doing to her soul.

Undead: As an undead creature, Drustai had all of the strengths--and drawbacks--of her unholy state. She was exceptionally strong and resilient for her frame, and could run and fight for days at a time without tiring. She did not need to eat or sleep, had exceptional hearing and eyesight, and did not feel significant physical pain. She could also take on an unholy, berserker-like fervor in combat. However, she lacked the ability to feel most emotion and physical sensations, and the lack of sleep was mentally draining on her. She could become too predictable and aggressive in combat, frequently abandoning her spells for the raw carnage of melee if she did not maintain strict discipline over her urges. She was also very weak against fire--which easily burned her dry, decayed flesh--and spells of the Holy Light. Merely being in the presence of a powerful beacon of the Light, such as a Naaru or the Cathedral in Stormwind, was very discomforting for her, and she was all but defenseless against holy spells.

Relationships

Family

[...]

Sanara

"I wanted the choice to live my life as I wish, not as you wish. You are just like my fucking mother.""

— Drustai

[...]

Exaythe

"Look at what you've done, sister. Do you think I could've done it had I been in your situation? I think not. You are a draenei, you followed the Light and lived by your heart. How hard must it have been for you to deny the only emotions you had left--rage, hate, bloodlust? Yet you do deny them. You have been shunned when you came to the commune, you could have given up and walked away to stay with the Knights--but you did not. The elves put you through all manner of abuse, and yet you helped them again and again, and endured. Sanara broke that which is most precious to you now, and you call her a sister still."

— Exaythe

[...]

Merandil Haldén

[...]

Larem al-Tolah

"There is still the woman, who came to me when I lay exhausted in bed. She gave me food, then stood by me when I recovered, treated me so kindly every time I met her until I could do nothing but adore and love and worship her. She was not a necromancer, death knight, or demon. She was just Drustai. Arcanist. Anchoress. My friend."

— Larem

[...]

Kiryakk

[...]

Toraam

[...]

Jariak

[...]

Theraluin Dawnspire

"You're his minion, his obedient pet."

— Tsurana

[...]

Lexgrad Bleakwind

[...]

Thelos

"I wish you best of luck holing up in that crashed ship, clutching onto the relics of your long-forgotten glory."

— Thelos

[...]

Skarain Feirand

[...]

Behind the scenes

"I think by now you are like... last seriously-RPed DK around."

— Exaythe's player, commenting on Drustai

Drustai was created on the Defias Brotherhood EU server in the opening hour of The Burning Crusade expansion pack, originally as a Holy Priest. Her progression from Holy Priest to Shadow Priest was initially due to Shadow Priest being easier to level, but it soon became apparent that the character took to it well and thus she became one ICly as she feel from her faith. As her story progressed, she was recreated as a Mage, representing her original powers before her priesthood, and later Death Knight. Her conversion to Death Knight was initially going to be used just to represent her necromancy, but adding the Death Knight story proved to be too tempting to ignore, and has since gone on to become her primary character development arc.

Drustai's appearance was based off of the in-game succubus models.

Drustai had been designed initially as a repentant demon, based off of the succubus pet of Drustai's old character, a warlock on Argent Dawn named Saffra. That succubus had been given the randomized name of Drustai. The first idea for Drustai's background, long before TBC's launch, was a Warlock's succubus, but that was quickly determined to be far too cliche. Instead, she was kept as a draenei but given the Burning Legion background. While in some ways this could still be seen as over-the-top, Drustai's character was from the start intended on being grander than the weak and insignificant civilian-type characters that her player had preferred using in RP up until that point. It was also essential for the concept of penitence which was Drustai's key character trait. Though the succubus idea was not kept, Drustai's appearance referenced it, as she shared the same hair style and color and the same horns that succubi use.

Demona from Disney's Gargoyles was an inspiration for Drustai.

A major inspiration behind Drustai's background and character was Demona from Disney's 90's televisions series, Gargoyles. Demona was a rogue Gargoyle that had witnessed the destruction of her colony by humans, and developed a genocidal hatred of them as a result. This inspiration is most clear in Drustai's opinions about and treatment of orcs, but also comes across in Drustai's propensity for displaying very animalistic qualities (snarling, baring teeth, hissing, etc), as Demona and the other Gargoyles were often quite feral.

External links

The Phylactery

Preceded by: None

Position: High Librarian of Ebon Shroud

Succeeded by: ---

Preceded by: Grenier Blackwrath

Position: Master of War Sect

Succeeded by: Incumbent