Draugr

"When cold fires burn over a barrow, it's time to pack up and leave. Your home belongs to the dead."
-Hodla Frekisdottir, volva

Death is a frightening thing to all mortal beings. As such, there are those who will do anything to hold on to life to forestall whatever waits for them after. Always, those fell creatures who refuse to remain dead cause dread in even the most stalwart of hearts.
In Bjornland, warriors often laugh in the face of fear. However, even the bravest of them go pale at the merest mention of the fearsome draugr. Such creatures are not mere beasts to be slain, but instead a plague on the living.

Basic Information

Ecology and Habitats

As undead beings, draugr are tied to the barrows in which they were buried. They can leave their tombs, but never stray far beyond them, often attacking the community where they lived or died. These fell creatures shun the light of the sun, leaving only at night. They are not vulnerable to sunlight, however, as more than one brash adventurer has learned the hard way.
These creatures have a devastating effect on the local environment. The dark power that animates them seems to drain the life from the entire area, creating a lifeless region where plants refuse to grow, and animals fear to tread. These barrows are lit aflame by a baleful pale fire. Many villages will leave their ancestral home as soon as they witness the barrow-flame lighting up the night.

Abilities

First and foremost, draugr maintain whatever skills and powers they possessed in life. Most are very skilled warriors, but mages, and bards are not unheard-of. Some rare few were even priests in life, and they retain their powers even after being forsaken by the gods they once served. It is believed they were granted these dark gifts by Hel, in mockery of what they once were.
They have other abilities, as well, many of them shared by other undead. Their touch can drain the life from living beings, and this power also extends to any weapons they wield. Those who die to this frightening power rise as undead servants of the vile creature. Also, they have the ability to grow their size and strength, leading even the weakest of draugr mages to be threatening beasts in close combat.
One of the most feared powers of the draugr is their ability to curse others with their second dying breath. Such curses vary wildly based on the specific individual, but always the draugr's nightmarish eyes plague the victim in the dark. Such curses can steal away the victory of their killers and cannot be removed through simple magic.

Origins

Unlike many other undead beings, draugr cannot be raised through simple necromancy. Neither can one deliberately become one. Instead, they rise on their own not long after their death. In particular, they rise from their grave when the deceased have an irrational connection to the world of the living, especially their grave goods.
However, when most people return for such reasons, they usually return as wights. Everyone who returns as a draugr is both very powerful and vile beyond all measure. It's unknown why such creatures only exist in Bjornland, but it is believed they are cursed by the gods of that land-- deemed unfit even for Hel's hall. Truly, these dread creatures are rare in the extreme.

Appearance 

Draugr are mockeries of the living creatures they once were. They look much as they did in life, although warped by the grave. They are wizened and desiccated-- the extent of the rot that touches them. Their gait is twisted and lopsided by rigor mortis, but they can still fight as smoothly as any living creature.
The most dramatic feature of the draugr is their dreaded eyes. They glow with the dark powers of hatred and unlife. Those who see them in the dark are often cursed with them until the end of their days. Many Bjornlander children believe they see those baleful eyes alone on dark nights.

Behaviour

More than any other undead creature, draugr hate the living. They are envious of passion and joy that no longer touches their cold, dead hearts. They do anything they can to cause suffering and dread to the living. They are also vindictive creatures, hunting down thieves and any who've done them harm in a relentless manner living creatures simply can't match.
Draugr retain their intelligence and cunning into death, and the older ones often carry out very slow and very elaborate plots. Due to the coldness of their hearts, they are rarely overcome by emotion, leading them to be very difficult to sway from their current focus. They take no joy in their vengeance and show no pleasure in the possessions they cling to, only trying in vain to lessen their pain.

Lifespan

Immortal

Average Height

As living

Average Weight

As living

Geographic Distribution

• Skogsmark