Lowerniel Drakan

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Lowerniel Drakan
Released4 June 2020 (Update)
Combat level927
MembersYes
RaceVampyre
QuestSins of the Father
LocationCastle Drakan
League regionMorytania Morytania✓
GenderMale
ExamineThe ruler of Morytania and the lord of Vampyrium.
Advanced data
NPC ID9579

Lord Lowerniel Vergidiyad Drakan is the vampyre dictator of Morytania. Drakan is a trueborn vampyre hailing from Vampyrium, brought to Gielinor alongside many of his kind by Zaros during the Second Age to contribute to the Zarosian Empire. Drakan later supported Zamorak in his rebellion against Zaros, and later led an army into the kingdom of Hallowvale, which was conquered by Drakan and his forces. Drakan then became the overlord and tyrant of the land he named Morytania, transforming its capital into a blood-farming ghetto and corrupting the entire land. His reign has been marred by violence, including, amongst countless other incidents, the Misthalin - Morytania War, and the Morytania Campaign.[1]

Despite his immense importance to both ancient and modern history, Drakan has managed to remain unseen by the public eye during much of his reign until Sins of the Father, apparently having isolated himself in lamentation over the Stone of Jas being beyond his reach,[2] despite, ironically, having once been located directly beneath Hallowvale.

History

Early History

Born to unknown but presumably high-status parents, Lowerniel was raised by his parents alongside his siblings Ranis, Vanescula, and Draynor on the vampyre homeworld of Vampyrium. His father taught him the joy of the hunt, which came to be very important to him and his idea of what defined a vampyre.[3] Eventually, his father also decided to take Vanescula along, and Drakan later remarked that her talent was among the best he had seen.[4] Drakan grew to become one of the most powerful amongst his kind, his numerous victories at the "Night of the Blood Moon" festival displaying his immense power.[5] The burgeoning House Drakan became one of the most prominent Vampyre Houses and ultimately was able to subjugate the other seven Houses under his leadership.[6]

At some point, the vampyres were visited by Zaros, who became known as the Stranger from Afar; he taught the vampyres of higher culture and society, changing them from hunting animals to more civilised beings[7] — a change which Drakan would later come to resent.[8] Eventually, Zaros returned to the planet and requested the vampyres join him and contribute to his empire. Following the resulting exodus from Vampyrium, Drakan was among Zaros' most powerful and high-ranking followers, but over time, he grew restless in Zarosian society.

Conquest of Hallowvale

Lowerniel eventually decided to support Zamorak, participating in his betrayal against Zaros. He was convinced to support Zamorak after being promised to have the lands of Hallowvale as his for the taking as a reward for his loyalty. Lowerniel amassed an army of vampyres and werewolves following Zaros' defeat, where they fought the Icyene and humans residing there. Despite the immense number of soldiers at his disposal, Lowerniel was unable to obtain total victory, and the armies were locked in siege.

Thanks to the assistance of Verzik Vitur and his brother Ranis, however, he learned of a secret entrance to the castle of Queen Efaritay and sent a few vampyres inside, where they were able to capture Ascertes, Queen Efaritay's husband.[9] Efaritay surrendered in order to convince Drakan to spare her husband.[10] Instead, Lowerniel had Ascertes converted into a vampyre, and Ascertes became Vanstrom Klause.[11] Although Vanescula suspected that Lowerniel was disappointed with this unsporting end to the conflict, he accepted the outcome regardless.

Following the conquest of Hallowvale, Lowerniel had the vampyric city of Darkmeyer created on the site of the Icyene queen's former city and set up the ghettos of Meiyerditch to serve as a pool for human blood tithes to feed the vampyre population. He would later heavily reward Verzik and Ranis for their contribution in ending the war, gifting the former with the Icyene royal castle.[12] Verzik then modified the castle to her own liking and created the Theatre of Blood to entertain herself and the vampyre nobles.

In the aftermath of Efaritay's surrender, a group of holdouts led by the former Saradominist Justiciar known as Phosani decided to defect to Lowerniel's cause, believing that Saradomin had abandoned them.[13] Lowerniel accepted Phosani's offer to convert her troops into blood tithes and thralls in exchange for their offering of Saradominist villagers, whom they led into a trap. He then allowed her and the other turncloaks to create a settlement of their own, which they did in an old hermitage east of Darkmeyer called Slepe, where she founded The Sisterhood.[14]

Under Drakan's rule, all of the local humans and werewolves were forced to pay blood tithes, although the inhabitants of Slepe were the only humans to willingly comply with the law.

Overlord of Morytania

A portrait of Lord Drakan's immediate family,[15] (from left to right) Ranis and Vanescula; Lowerniel himself is not present, although the moon is believed to bear his visage.

During his rule, two major conflicts with Saradominist humans from the west unfolded. The first was a massive crusade launched by the Barrows brothers during the late Third Age, at the height of the God Wars, with the aim of reconquering Hallowvale from the vampyres. The brothers, empowered by their gifts from a mysterious stranger and leading an army of several thousand Saradominist soldiers and mercenaries, culled a great number of vampyres and gained significant ground into the heart of Morytania, but the crusade was stopped at the walls outside Meiyerditch due to the stranger's intervention, which caused the weakening and eventual death of the brothers.[1]

The second, beginning in the year 1100 of the Fourth Age, happened when Drakan, emboldened by his previous victories, attempted to expand westward into Misthalin across the River Salve through the Silvarea mountain pass, culminating in the Misthalin - Morytania War.[16] During this conflict, the Saradominists discovered previously unknown weaknesses of the vampyres thanks to the efforts of Ivandis Seergaze. Ultimately, the expansion was thwarted after a century of fighting, when Drakan's forces were pushed back across the Salve and the river was blessed by the Seven Priestly Warriors at the conflict's climax in 1200.[17] The temple of Paterdomus was built over the site of the blessing to protect the source of the River Salve.[18] Verzik Vitur, who had played a major role in the invasion, was rewarded once more for her service to Lowerniel with the Sanguinesti staff, which he had crafted himself.[19]

Some time after the Misthalin - Morytania War, Lowerniel banished his brother Draynor from Morytania for unknown reasons — likely due to his weakness, which was further exacerbated by crossing the blessed River Salve.[20]

In 1777 of the Fourth Age, humans came to Morytania to settle in the northern lands, building Canifis, Fenkenstrain's Castle, and Port Phasmatys. When Lowerniel heard of this, he immediately ordered them to pay the blood tithes or be destroyed. Though the others capitulated, the inhabitants of one of these settlements, Port Phasmatys, refused. Lowerniel proceeded to besiege the town, but the locals were able to enlist the help of an eastern necromancer called Necrovarus, who used the Ectofuntus to protect the town. Though successful in repelling the vampyres, Necrovarus had his own treacherous motives for doing so, trapping the villagers in a permanent state of undeath to serve as his followers. The locals died and became ghosts, forcing Lowerniel to leave the town as it was, since the ghosts were of little use to him.

Lowerniel is responsible for the unknown vile magic that turned the once prosperous landscape of Hallowvale into a harsh land of decay and death, creating gloomy environments such as Mort Myre Swamp and Mort'ton; a strange "mist" was unleashed that turned the people of Mort'ton into Afflicted,[21] and the shades beneath were freed from their catacombs.[22] Although a tithe was attempted, the blood obtained was so foul that Lowerniel had the town left alone, as the inhabitants proved to be no threat.

Lowerniel also created the Haemalchemy Laboratory, which found disturbing results. The lab discovered that the vampyres could survive without blood, and also uncovered the viability of blisterwood weaponry. Vanescula suspected that the former would mean that he would likely not survive, as history had shown that current leaders did not survive fundamental changes to society.[23] The latter proved to be deadly against vampyres, including the trueborn vyre nobility.[24]

A massive mine was excavated to the south-west of Morytania, which provided Lowerniel access to numerous ores. However, when a disturbing secret was found within the mines, Lowerniel had the mine destroyed, with everyone working there killed to keep its secret safe. Lowerniel had one of his followers, Treus Dayth, imprisoned to guard the mine, his tortured soul still remaining even in death to protect its secrets.

Wishing to learn more about the Shadow Realm, Lowerniel gave a dark beast to a vampyre researcher to study it, promising a massive blood reward in return. The vampyre researcher managed to manipulate the dark beast to travel into the Shadow Realm,[25] where it gained the name Sotetseg, but the results of the research remain unknown, since the researcher opted to go into the Shadow Realm to meet the beast's mysterious "master" on the other side.[26]

Scorning what he viewed as complacent "farming" of blood and recognising that the vampyres needed to return to their old way of life, Lowerniel returned to Vampyrium to reflect on his past. He recalled the Yarasa, a cunning, powerful, and agile race that the vampyres had fought against before Zaros had arrived.[27] When the eight tribes were united, they were able to defeat the Yarasa, the remaining survivors being lured out and killed in a graceless "slaughter" which deeply disgusted Drakan, filling him with shame for having taken part in it.[28] However, Xarpus, the king of the Yarasa, had evaded all such attempts. Lowerniel, knowing that he was likely still alive, set out to find and capture Xarpus. He stated he would bear no regrets should he fall, but he was able to overpower the Yarasa king and imprison him in the Theatre of Blood as a gift to Verzik Vitur.[29]

Drakan has also become obsessed with the Stone of Jas during this time, so much so that he has neglected affairs of state almost entirely due to his frustration in having lost it, as Vanescula chidingly remarks.[30] It is unknown at what point the Stone was present in the daeyalt essence mine, only that its former plinth therein now lies empty. Having personally witnessed Zamorak's ascension to godhood, it is possible Drakan desires a similar gain in power for himself, and sees the Stone as a means to this end.

The Myreque Rebellion

Lowerniel Drakan makes his first appearance in years.

At some point, Lowerniel learned of the existence of the Myreque, and tasked Vanstrom with dismantling the rebel cell. Although they long remained hidden, Vanstrom was eventually able to locate the cell after enlisting the help of an unassuming adventurer, but was able to kill only two of the members before the rest escaped. From this encounter, Drakan also learned that his brother, Draynor, had been slain; although they had not been on good terms, his brother's death angered him. Soon after, Ranis was killed by the same human that had killed Draynor, which made Drakan furious.

Due to the growing vampyre population, shrinking human population, and Drakan's lack of leadership, the vampyre nobles became increasingly desperate. Vanescula, knowing that Lowerniel was no longer fit to rule due to his single-minded obsession with the Stone, sought to dispose of him,[31] but could not do so herself, as the nobles were still loyal to Lowerniel.[32] She recruited the Myreque to assist her in their shared goal of taking out Lowerniel.[33] Vanescula brought the Myreque to Castle Drakan to dispose of her brother, much to Vanstrom's surprise, as he wondered how she had managed to "capture" all of them.

As the two nobles were talking, Lowerniel suddenly emerged from the castle, immediately aware of her intentions.[34] Disappointed with his sister's actions, he demanded the truth. Vanescula admitted to him that she believed he was unfit to rule, as he was doing nothing to address the growing population and faltering supply of blood. Lowerniel stated that he had simply allowed her to do whatever she wanted, as her trifles were insignificant to him, but Ranis' death had prompted him to step out once more to stop the uprising. With little effort, he slew Vanescula's vyres and most of the remaining members of the Myreque, before easily overpowering Vanescula and capturing her. He then charged Vanstrom with dealing with the remaining Myreque as he left with Vanescula.[35]

Trivia

  • In Sins of the Father, his combat level is revealed to be 927.
    • His combat level is significantly lower than Verzik Vitur, despite possessing far more powers and being the ruler of Morytania.
      • However, his combat level is more than double that of entry mode Verzik Vitur.

References

  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 "The Fall of Six". RuneScape Lores and Histories. Jagex.
  2. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "You have been gone too long, brother. While you spend your days hidden away, lamenting about that stupid rock, our kind suffer."
  3. ^ Lowerniel Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "I rememeber when I was young. Our father would take me out into the woods, hunting. That was where I truly discovered what it meant to be alive. The constant fear. That knowledge that if you fail, your very life may well be over. But then at the same time, the thrill. The thrill of the chase. Of the conquest. Nothing can match it."
  4. ^ Lowerniel Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "One day, he decided to bring my sister along. He felt it was time for her to develop her own taste for the hunt. She was a natural. A raw talent I had never seen before, and rarely since. I felt a unique pride that day."
  5. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "Back on our homeworld, new clan leaders were selected during a festival known as the Night of the Blood Moon. It was a simple concept. A full night of killing. At dawn, the one with the most kills became the new leader. Lowerniel loved it. He won every time of course."
  6. ^ Lowerniel Drakan. "A taste of hope (book)". Old School RuneScape. "As the head of the newly formed House Drakan, I drank in the Stranger from Afar's lessons more eagerly than my peers. Before the concept of laws were passed on to our newborn aristocracy, I seized an opportunity to co-opt my neighbouring houses by draining their leaders of blood. These smaller houses fell under my leadership, and the House of Drakan became the prevailing power on Vampyrium."
  7. ^ Lowerniel Drakan. "A taste of hope (book)". Old School RuneScape. "The arrival of the Stranger from Afar [Zaros] brought an end to the tribal system, with him forming the tribes into the early houses of Vampyrium. He introduced to us alien cultural concepts such as society and art."
  8. ^ Lowerniel Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "You and your kind, you have spent your years engrossing yourself in culture, in aristocracy. Pretending to be something you're not."
  9. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "During the war, they managed to capture a justiciar, one of Efaritay's most elite warriors. They tortured him for days, until he gave them what they needed. [Player: Which was?] A secret tunnel, leading directly into Efaritay's castle. The tunnel was here, in this very graveyard. Once they were inside, capturing Ascertes was easy."
  10. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "Efaritay surrendered that same day. She walked into Lowerniel's camp, alone, and willingly handed herself in. I guess she had hoped that Lowerniel would free your father in exchange for her."
  11. ^ in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "Safalaan Hallow: What happened then? After you had your way with him, what became of my father?
    Vanescula Drakan: He still lives to this day, under a different name of course.
    Safalaan Hallow: What name? Tell me!
    Vanescula Drakan: Vanstrom Klause."
  12. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "Verzik ended up getting Efaritay's castle. It was quite the boon for her."
  13. ^ Phosani. "The turncloak". Old School RuneScape. "Where's our god now? The king has been taken and so the queen has no choice. She'll surrender the capital causing the fighting to stop, and the killing to begin. Those who resist will be enslaved, especially the pious - they taste the best, or so I've heard. I'll ask you again, where's our god now?[...]I'll make Saradomin rue the day he turned his back on us."
  14. ^ Phosani. "The turncloak". Old School RuneScape. "His-Dark-Self accepted our offering! My sisters and I have been tasked with clearing out the hamlets and leading the cattle right into the heart of his vampyre host. Our armour is black and our cloth crimson, but they still know a Justiciar when they see one and they know it would be heresy to defy me. A small hermitage to the north east of the capital is our next target, while our master moves further south."
  15. ^ Drakan's Bloodline, Official RuneScape Website. Retrieved 7 May 2099.
  16. ^ Drezel in Priest in Peril. Old School RuneScape. "Alas, all that ended when the vampyres invaded, claiming the land as their own. Morytania wasn't enough for them though. Soon, they set their sights on these lands as well."
  17. ^ Drezel in Priest in Peril. Old School RuneScape. "Before they were defeated, the Seven Priestly Warriors managed to bless the Salve with the holy power of Saradomin."
  18. ^ Drezel in Priest in Peril. Old School RuneScape. "The temple here was built soon after. It guards the source of the River Salve, and acts as the only passage between Misthalin and Morytania."
  19. ^ "The Theatre of Blood". RuneScape News. Jagex. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original. "One of the more recent additions to Lady Verzik's collection, the Sanguinesti staff is a powerful weapon that was crafted by Lord Lowerniel Drakan himself. The staff was given to Lady Verzik by Lord Lowerniel Drakan as a reward for assisting him in their fights against the Seven Priestly Warriors."
  20. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "Ah yes, the great 'Count' Draynor. He loved his stupid titles. He was weak even before he got trapped on the wrong side of the Salve. A coward as well. There's a reason Lowerniel had him banished."
  21. ^ Ulsquire Shauncy in Shades of Mort'ton. Old School RuneScape. "The emanations from the rest of Morytania affect the people here terribly turning them into mindless creatures."
  22. ^ Ulsquire Shauncy in Shades of Mort'ton. Old School RuneScape. "The people are affected by the emanations from the rest of Morytania and the dead from the tombs have manifested into shadow creatures."
  23. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "For our kind to be less reliant on humans would be a fundamental change to our society. History has told us that leaders generally don't survive such a transition."
  24. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "It seems that the bark of the Blisterwood tree can be used to create weapons that are deadly to my kind."
  25. ^ "The shadow realm". Old School RuneScape. "Lord Drakan has tasked me with learning more about the shadow realm. To aid in this task, I've been given a dark beast. The natural connection this creature has with the shadows should make the task far easier.[...]Success! The creature has managed to connect to the other side, and early telepathic intrusions show that they've made contact."
  26. ^ "The shadow realm". Old School RuneScape. "I will travel with the creature and ask this mysterious being about the secrets of the shadow realm. Lord Drakan will be most impressed with my findings. I can already taste the blood prize and it is delicious."
  27. ^ Lowerniel Drakan. "The wild hunt". Old School RuneScape. "Before the Stranger from Afar domesticated us, our people were hunters unlike any others. No creature on Vampyrium could match our strength or our cunning. No creature, except one. The yarasa. The yarasa were our true equals. Strong, fast, and unpredictable. They made for the ultimate hunt."
  28. ^ Lowerniel Drakan. "The wild hunt". Old School RuneScape. "But with unity under the eight tribes came a power we had never before experienced. We massacred the yarasa with ease, their strength no match for our superior numbers. I have many regrets, but none more so than the events of that day. It was no hunt, just a joyless slaughter."
  29. ^ Lowerniel Drakan. "The wild hunt". Old School RuneScape. "However, there was one that managed to defy us right up to the day we left Vampyrium. Xarpus, the last King of the yarasa. The yarasa were a formidable foe, but compared to Xarpus, they were no foe at all. He is the apex predator of Vampyrium and he is my target.[...]I had no doubt that he would have survived all these years.[...]At long last, I will face a true foe again. At long last, I will feel the joy of the hunt.[...]However, if I should fall, let it be known that I am finally free again."
  30. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "You have been gone too long, brother. While you spend your days hidden away, lamenting about that stupid rock, our kind suffer. Out there, in your city, they're starving. There's not enough blood to go around and their great leader is unwilling to provide a solution."
  31. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "Every day that goes by, the number of humans in Morytania decreases. Yet while this happens, our population continues to grow. Unsurprisingly, we no longer have enough blood to go around.[...][W]hile all of this happens, our great leader remains absent.[...]Under my rule, I would see us return to that way of life."
  32. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "[E]ven today there are many in Darkmeyer who still blindly believe in Lowerniel. It will be much easier for me to take his place if I am not responsible for his demise."
  33. ^ Vanescula Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "You will pose as my prisoners and I shall escort you to Castle Drakan. Your capture is something that even Lowerniel will be unable to ignore. [Player: And once inside, we kill him.] Exactly. A nice and simple plan."
  34. ^ Lowerniel Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "Tell me, Vanescula. What is the cause of this latest betrayal? How is it I have displeased you this time?"
  35. ^ Lowerniel Drakan in Sins of the Father. Old School RuneScape. "[W]hen you play your games of politics, you do not do so because you're smarter than me. When you weave your words and make your schemes, you are not getting the better of me. No. You do these things only because I allow it. Because your plots are so insignificant to me, that I do not even care to pay attention to them. But now Vanescula, now you have my attention. And now, you will be reminded what it means to cross the lord of Vampyrium."
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