Draca Family

The Draca family is an oddity among hermetic wizards - a lineage of magi remarkable both for the uniformity of its members magic, and its persistence over time. The family credits both to its progenitor - a serpent that family members call the Dragon Ancestral.

History

The Draca family traces its lineage back to a union between the Dragon Ancestral and a Roman woman, her name and station now lost to time. Family members do not know exactly when this occurred, although the abrupt shift from latin to celtic names early in the lineage suggests that it was shortly before the Roman withdrawral from Britain.

For many generations, the family was centred around the Cotswolds, in what is now England. Saxon expansion into their homeland forced the family west into Wales, where they resided until the mid-ninth century. Sites in Wales continue to have spiritual (and possibly ritual) significance for family members.

The family joined Pralix in her war against Damhan-Allaidh, participating in the final battle at what is now the covenant of Cad Gadu, and were among the founding members of the Ordo ex Miscellanea. This membership carried over when Pralix' Order was incorporated into the Order of Hermes, and the family is now a minor tradition within House Ex Miscellanea.

Following the coming of the Order to the British Isles, the family settled again in the Mourne Mountains, in the Hibernian Tribunal. They have supported several covenants in and around the region, and currently claim the covenant of Cathair as their headquarters.

Family Magic

Not all family members have the Gift. In fact, it frequently skips a generation entirely. However, the family produces Gifted magi with sufficient regularity that certain traditions have built up around it.

Family members with the Gift are easy to recognise by their ability to breathe fire. This tends to manifest around the age of seven to ten years, though it has been seen from infancy. In such cases, the child is usually given to a family magus to raise, as they uniformly have a special knack for warding against flame.

Draca magi suffer from the hereditary limitation that they cannot work magic without gold touching their skin. For this reason, they usually keep large amounts of golden jewellery around their person, and gifts of such jewellery are traditional among both Gifted and un-gifted family members.

The family is, in effect, an esoteric mystery cult within the Order. Senior family members act as mystagogues to younger ones as they explore the full effects of their draconic heritage. The first initiation inovlves retreating to a secluded location, imbibing an intoxicating brew and reciting the magus' lineage back to the Dragon Ancestral. Magi have reported receiving visions of their deceased ancestors during this process.

Un-Gifted Draca

By far and away the largest portion of the family are born without the Gift. Family tradition keeps the un-Gifted family members on good terms with the magi in their midst, and they often serve as ambassadors and travelling companions to young Draca magi.

Un-Gifted Draca make up approximately half of the population of Cathair, with their young men frequently spending a few years working as guards. Their neighbours in Ireland tend to regard the family as a reclusive, though not belligerent, hill clan, which jealously protects the source of its mysterious wealth.

The Dragon Ancestral

The family is either ignorant or unforthcoming regarding its draconic ancestor. It is not clear whether or not the Dragon is still alive, or where it may be living if that is the case.

Augusta Draca received a vision of the Dragon as part of her first initiation. This was the first occasion in several hundred years that such a thing is known to have occurred. The Dragon that Augusta saw was huge, with scales fused into huge, scarred plates the colour and texture of lead.

Notable magi

Notable Draca magi include:

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