Recent History
The Dracolich race has been scattered since the War against the Southland Lizards. This war was an attempt to establish their status as living Gods and for a brief period they enjoyed limitless living sacrifices and the worship of thousands.
General Description
Dracoliches are skeletal in nature, completely without skin or real flesh and with their organs held in by a visually disturbing mass of blackened tendons over bleached white bones, giving them a terrifying appearance but making them somewhat physically frail in comparison to other Draconic species. Historically the Troll Empire has made use of this terror to inflict dread onto their Southland enemies. Dracoliches use their long fanged maws to suck the life energy from their victims which they use to sustain themselves, a process which both increases their lifespan and heals their wounds, because of this Dracoliches are most commonly killed by starvation. They also do not possess a breath weapon, a trait only shared by Wyverns. The species is particularly few in number as any large grouping of the species attracts the fear of the local populace, generally leading to hunting parties being formed.
Mysterious Origins
The species’ origins are unknown, and their extremely unusual physiology has been the subject of intense dracological study, but to date the reason for their bizarre adaptations remains a mystery. Some wizards have noted the similarities in bone structure between Fire Dragons and Dracoliches. None of these wizards, however, have survived the study of a living Dracolich, or at least not long enough to record their findings.
Use in War
During the War of the Lizards in the Southlands the Dracoliches formed armies of barely a dozen adult warriors who flew into battle without weapons or armour. Their terrifying auras spread chaos among their enemies and lead to great losses on both sides. They were next used in War by the Troll Emperor known as the Dark Paladin, he wrestled a juvenile Dracolich into submission becoming the only mortal to ever topple one in single combat. Using this as a mount, he lead his forces against the Southland Crocs in the Southern Crusades, thereby ending all chances of peace between their nation and the Empire. There are no other recorded uses of a domesticated Dracolich.
Fighting Dracoliches
Dracoliches can be killed by much of the same methodology that one would use on a True Dragon, and in fact having their organs more exposed makes them far more susceptible to piercing injury. However, attacking one up close is rarely a wise idea, as Dracoliches are far more aggressive and are noted to be much less likely to take their own safety into account when attacking someone. So, much like True Dragons, it’s much better to keep them at a distance, if at all possible.
