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dramioneficrecommendations · 4 years

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Hiii I accidentally jumped in dramione fandom, and I'm looking for good stuff for this weekend. Could pls tell me your 5 (or more)favorite dramione fics ever? Thanks!

I hope you like it here and stay with us… forever. LOL (Honestly, we have the best fics and authors in the entire HP fandom.)

Here are some of my all-time favourite Dramione fics (you can also check out my fic rec tag):

Revert by SUPRNTRAL LVR: Six months post-war, Malfoy is in serious trouble. He’s on the run from the Ministry, Death Eaters, and a deadly curse which is eating him alive. When he hits rock bottom, a change in fortune lands him in 12 Grimmauld Place under the Ministry’s custody - and forces Hermione to remember the secrets they’ve both kept for years. Dramione, Sick!Draco, flashbacks to Hogwarts, hurt. Rated: M - Chapters: 24 - Words: 260,266

Manacled by SenLinYu: Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret locked away in her mind. She is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve, to be bred and monitored until it can be accessed. COMPLETE. Rated: M - Chapters: 77 - Words: 384,000

Isolation by Bex-chan: He can’t leave the room. Her room. And it’s all the Order’s fault. Confined to a small space with only the Mudblood for company, something’s going to give. Maybe his sanity. Maybe not. “There,” she spat. “Now your Blood’s filthy too!” DM/HG. PostHBP. Now complete with epilogue. Rated: M - Chapters: 49 - Words: 284,050

Five Days by RavieSnake: No one knows that they are missing. No one knows where they are. No one knows that they are trapped. No one knows that they are dying. Dramione. WINNER for Best Drama/Angst and Best Tragedy in the Winter 2017 Dramione Fanfiction Awards! Rated: M - Chapters: 14 - Words: 32,001

Aurelian by BittyBlueEyes: Two years after the war, a young stranger pays a visit to the burrow. His arrival alone is baffling, but the news he brings of an upcoming war turns the world upside down. Hermione’s quiet, post-war life will never be the same. Rated: T - Chapters: 43 - Words: 270,571

The Politician’s Wife by pir8fancier: Hermione hates Draco in the springtime, Hermione hates Draco in the fall, Hermione hates Draco 247. Rated: M - Chapters: 14 - Words: 68,629

The Revenant by atalanta84: Sometimes fate brings us far from home, and sometimes it brings us back again. When a friend’s mysterious death causes Draco Malfoy to return to Britain, he is finally forced to face his past, and the love he left behind. A story about second chances. Rated: M - Chapters: 10 - Words: 67,866

The Fool, the Emperor, and the Hanged Man by ianthewaiting: Ten years after the fall of the Dark Lord, Hermione Granger leads of life of self-imposed obscurity, that is, until the day Headmistress Minerva McGonagall is murdered and a certain ‘hero’ is responsible. DM/HG, written originally in 2007-2008, and finally making its debut here! AU, DH-EWE, non-canon elements, time travel, character death, etc. Rated: M - Chapters: 28 - Words: 229,334

The Dragon’s Bride by Rizzle: 7th year. Draco & Hermione awaken in a Muggle hotel room, naked, hung-over and tattooed. They also happen to be married. Thus begin a desperate search for a solution to their sticky situation. Rated: M - Chapters: 61 - Words: 225,164

The Eagle’s Nest by HeartOfAspen: COMPLETE: Hermione’s eighth year at Hogwarts is already going to be difficult in the aftermath of the war, but it is further thrown into upheaval when Headmistress McGonagall orders a re-sorting of all students to promote inter-house unity. But when the Sorting Hat sends Hermione to Ravenclaw with Draco - and without Harry or Ron, how will she cope? [AU/Dramione] Prevalent alchemy. Rated: M - Chapters: 70 - Words: 306,322

Thirteenth Night by Nelpher: When Hermione is assigned to keep tabs on a memory-charmed Draco, she is faced with a decision that could change her life forever. Rated: M - Words: 77,997 Chapters: 23

Ordinary People by inadaze22: “Let me be clear about something tonight, Granger. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted. It’s always been you.” Draco steps in the fireplace, drops the Floo powder, and disappears in a burst of green flames. Rated: M - Chapters: 18 - Words: 133,759

This, Too, Is Sacred by HeartOfAspen: COMPLETE: An ancient power has required generations of purebloods to pledge their lives to the blood pact. Draco has long known he was born to uphold this tradition… but Hermione’s parents have secrets, hidden details about her heritage, and soon it will be her turn to cast in with fate. [Dramione AU] Fantastic cover art by Witches-Britches. Rated: M - Chapters: 23 - Words: 90,994

Gravity by luckei1: It’s about arranging stacks of books, wall colours, and jumping off a cliff. Draco/Hermione Rated: T - Chapters: 10 - Words: 87,155

Dystopia (new version) by Rizzle: Kidnapped and expecting to be abandoned to his fate, Draco Malfoy writes a personal account of recent life, love and loss after the end of the Second Wizarding War. His story encompasses two unforgivable acts, a wedding, a divorce, a kidnapping and maybe, just maybe…a rescue. Rated: M - Chapters: 15 - Words: 19,885

A Slow Cruel Descent by SenLinYu: The war grinds on and Hermione Granger is captured. Unable to crack her through interrogation without risking her mind, Voldemort conceives a cruel method of breaking her that involves Draco Malfoy. “He stared at her in disgust. She looked— broken. The fire she’d still had when she was dragged in was now extinguished. Her eyes were locked on his face like she were memorizing him.” Rated: M - Chapters: 2 - Words: 8,687 (Sequel: A Fragile Ascent)

Heavy Lies the Crown by luckei1: For seven years, Draco has carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and just when he thinks he’ll be released, something happens that will make him seek help from the last person he could have imagined. Rated: M - Chapters: 36 - Words: 289,967

To Wear a Dragon’s Skin by creativelymundane: When Bellatrix Lestrange takes control of the wizarding world after the demise of Voldemort, the remnants of the Order keep fighting. Seven years later, Draco brings Hermione a piece of magic that might be the key to finally ending the war. Together they will destroy Bellatrix Lestrange or die trying. Violence, Implicit Rape, Sexual Situations. Rated: M - Chapters: 26 - Words: 137,484

A Pound of Flesh by PennilynNovus: One night at a strip club, Hermione is faced with someone from her past, and an opportunity too good to pass up. What starts as revenge quickly grows into something else, and she may find it to be more than she can handle. Limes, Lemons, M. Rated: NC-17 - Chapters: 33

A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy by Countess of Abe: Draco loves his son more than anything in the world. So, when his ex-wife plans to take his son away, Draco asks the most unlikely person for help. Hermione must decide whether changing her entire life is worth helping the man she hates unconditionally. Rated: M - Chapters: 25 - Words: 136,998

Apple Pies and Other Amends by ToEatAPeach: “It’s a veritable PTSD tour. With pastries. And hand-skimmed clotted cream. And Hermione has no idea why she’s doing it, but it’s becoming very apparent that she is.” Sometimes you’re sad. Sometimes you need dessert. And sometimes, it’s a little of both. [COMPLETE, DRAMIONE] Rated: M - Chapters: 30 - Words: 80,226

Fairy Stone by Colubrina: Draco is sentenced to one year in Azkaban, release contingent upon someone willing to vouch for his good behavior. Hermione does. “Oh, I want you,” he said. “You, just you, always you. You forever and you for always and you until the bloody sun explodes.” Dramione. COMPLETE. Rated: M - Chapters: 4 - Words: 13,827

The Mountain and The Sea by Alexis.Danaan: Hermione Granger was perfectly happy with her life, her job as a Healer Trainee, her ugly cat and her cute little house in the countryside. And then Draco Malfoy had to go and mess that all up, typical git. Post-Hogwarts, EWE, OOC, creature!fic. 18 Rated: M - Chapters: 12 - Words: 43,464

Celestial Navigation by phlox: Lost, without direction, unable to find your way home? Coming soon, a new Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes Ekeltronic to guide you on your journey! *Your mileage may vary.*Rated: T - Chapters: 3 - Words: 13,640

Waiting Room by Nelpher: A series of encounters with Draco Malfoy in the waiting room at St. Mungo’s teaches Hermione about love, friendship, and the intersection thereof. Rated: T - English Words: 61,418 Chapters: 14

Voices by Kyonomiko: Hermione has long accepted she might not make it through the war alive, but after years on the battlefield, she never expected to be at the mercy of Draco Malfoy. Not untouched by his own experiences, his manic behavior leaves her living in constant fear of the unknown, suffering both affections and afflictions at his hands. Rated: M - Chapters: 3 - Words: 19,724

Friend Number Three by riptey: COMPLETE - How do you deal with the Pureblood aristocracy, Ministry corruption, Muggle culture invasions, and constant questions about your love life while juggling more than two friends and not being a total jerk? Don’t ask Draco: he doesn’t know. D/Hr Rated: T - Chapters: 26 - Words: 138,388

Seven Days In April by inadaze22: They were still the same people with the same problems on either side of a bathroom door. Rated: T - Chapters: 7 - Words: 40,097

Everything Changes by inadaze22: “Thank you for cheating on me, Ron. It’s the best thing you could’ve done. Thank you for stopping me from making the worst mistake of my life.” My first Dramione story. Rated M for strong language and sexual content. Rated: M - Chapters: 17 - Words: 76,191

Out of the Silent Planet by ianthe_waiting: Post-Hogwarts - Hermione Granger fulfills Severus Snape’s final wish, to journey to Japan to ‘retrieve’ something of importance. Set eleven years after HBP. Rated: NC-17 - Chapters: 39 - Words: 229,710

Ardent Bonds by Musyc: Maybe it was wrong to think about this, maybe it was horrible to even consider, but if Draco Malfoy liked to dominate, she couldn’t stop herself from picturing it. Picturing him. Rated: E - Words: 16,741 - Chapters: 1

Seven Times by kerriclifford240879: Seven times can mean a lifetime of change. Rated: M - Chapters: 7 - Words: 16,526

#dramione #draco x hermione #hermione x draco #Draco Malfoy #Hermione Granger #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #dramioneficrecommendations #ask

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ohhdarlings · 5 years

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𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝒶𝓅𝓅 ( reese witherspoon. cisfem, she/her, light on + maggie rogers. ) i heard CONSTANCE GODFREY singing the other night, though it didn’t sound like english… it’s so admirable that someone who’s only 46 can sing latin so fluently! heard they hang out with those LUX CIRCLE, that must be because they’re a CURATOR at THE GUGGENHEIM. i always see them going home to BROOKLYN by CAR under the moonlit night. (gracie,24,she/her,est) *godfrey leader, *eliot wc  hello its gracie here with my second small blonde ready to ruin your life or adopt you. Bio and info below the cut! Like and i will slide into your dms.  The house, she tells you, sits on a vital magical nexus and must remain with the family. You are ten years old, and it is cold. You do not want to be shivering in the yard waiting for the moon to slip into exactly the correct position to foretell the sex of your expected younger sibling. You definitely do not want a younger sibling, you and your older sister are enough. Huffing with the impertinence of childhood, you whine louder, but stop at the sharp words from your father. He likes your sister better, she’s smarter and more adept than you are. You want to resent her but are unable. She is all starlight and laughter, winking at you from across the circle, she makes you feel like you belong. She does not treat magic with the same deistic reverence your parents do, almost as if they are afraid of what they can do. No, Cassandra casts with love and enthusiasm, and she teaches you to delight in the possibility of the world. You don’t know what she plays with the nights she stays out later, you believe her when she says the scars were accidents. And two years later when she heads off to school, you somehow know she will never come back. Eliot grips your hand, unable to understand why everyone is so upset. You vow never to leave him. Magic, you learn, is about balance.  Steady Constance, once a command, a warning, became a mantra. You are steady like the river, feeling the pull of the tide in your bones and the rush of the water through your veins. Always moving, always going, but always constantly there. You stay in the city, get a degree in Art History your mother scoffs at. You try to bring some joy to the house, the coven. You teach Eliot to delight in the wonder of the world around you. Magic is not something to be feared, but loved. If you can love it for what it is, not fear it, if you are allowed to revel in the majesty - perhaps less and less witches will be drawn to the darker aspects. Defensive doesn’t mean weak, and teaching them to fear themselves will only drive more away. Your parents balk at this suggestion, but steadfast you remain. Steady does not mean boring, life can be beautiful and you wish to know it all. Heartbreak and sadness, exaltation and bliss. It all matters, and you want to revel in it all. Your sister doesn’t invite you to her wedding, and she does not come to your mother’s funeral. You only learn of your niece’s existence in a dream, and you aren’t entirely sure it is true. There’s a man who’s laughter reminds you of your sister, you let yourself fall for him. When your brother’s heart breaks, you let him tattoo the constellations on your back. Upon your father’s death, the last of the old way dies with him. In your first hours as leader, Eliot tattoos the upright empress tarot card from the deck your sister sent for your 15th birthday on your forearm. Family, you learn, is the most important thing to cherish.  You were not born to rule, and certainly not to lead. The anxiety and pressure nearly kill you that first year and you try to find time to delight in your children. Balance, that crucial piece of any magic, is much more difficult. Your desire to live and feel everything remain, and you give a bit of yourself to every witch or lost soul who walks through your door. Each individual you take in carries a piece of your heart with them when they go, and they return like the warmth of the sun peeking out from behind a cloud. You become the mother to them you wish you had - drink water, wear sunscreen, have you eaten today, come sit and tell me what happened. Steady like the river, steady like the seasons, steady like the perennials in the back garden. And there is the world outside your door to deal with, factions and politics and ancient feuds begun by those whose names no one can remember. It is, frankly, exhausting. And something has to give. You blink and your babies are not babies but boys, the older twin tugging on the strings of memory with the smirk like your sister’s, his brother following adoringly like you always did. You cannot give them as much as you need, you cannot be everything for everyone. But by god, do you try. You feel her magic begin to stir from the other side of the continent and learn of your sister’s death from a lawyer. And so, for the first time in your life - you cross the river and head west. The child you find in this arid land wears far too much sorrow for her age, jumps at shadows and flinches at her own power. For a flicker of a moment, you understand the draw to that dark offensive magic, the anger for the brother in law you never knew filling you with such an intensity it scares you. But you are steady, and you hold her shaking hand the entirety of the plane ride. The last of that terrifying rage vanishes as you watch your niece almost smile at her first spell. Leadership, you learn, requires sacrifice.  But no matter how steady you are, things still break. And sometimes - they completely shatter. You should have seen this coming, you should have recognized the signs. He was so like her, curiosity and boldness. Had you paid more attention to your own children instead of spreading yourself thin among all the coven, you could have stopped it. Maybe your parents were right, maybe magic should be feared, or at the very least you should have told him the possibility of fear. But your son left, left you and his twin and everything, and it feels as if one of your lungs has been ripped out. His brother pulls away from you too, not to the dark, but into himself. You should have told them, should not have spared them from the cruel truth of the aunt they never got to meet. She died because she pushed too far, threw off the balance. And magic, you have always known, requires balance. Now you fear he is headed the same way and you will move heaven and earth to prevent this. You feel more unsteady these days, plagued by an irrational fear that the river will run dry or the house will fall down. You try to delegate, to learn to let others help you with the wider world order as you struggle to maintain the family ties you still have. Steadiness, you learn, often demands loss. TL/DR : constance is the mama bear who is literally just doing her fucking best. Think molly weasley specifically in the ‘not my daughter you bitch’ mode combined with sandra bullock in practical magic (gracie you’ve mentioned this in BOTH do you maybe only know one witchy movie? Yes ok midnight margs forever). She has never touched dark magic, nor would she actively seek to harm another. But she will fight you and the entire PTA to protect those she loves - the embodiment of ‘do no harm but take no shit’. Curses like a fucking sailor because she’s a fucking lady. The house is in Prospect Park, an old victorian mansion that is for sure haunted, the door is literally always open. Witch, werewolf, vampire, hunter, human, whatever you are, you are welcome if your intentions are pure or if you really just need help. She has two poodles named Artemis & Apollo and they are the biggest attention whores, will follow anyone around the house for pets.  Wanted plots: Gimme all the collected children please! Other founding family leaders that Constance has to interact with. Someone to threaten her children/family. Friends! Exes! If anyone wants another character we would LOVE a husband/partner/baby daddy.

#nightsbound:intro #( constance / and im still dancing at the end of the day )#yesss come like and play with everyones mom #( constance / like the dam was breaking and my mind came rushing in )

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champs-and-chumps · 6 years

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don’t judge me, i didn't proof read it. i wrote it 2 in the morning.

DM notes (don't read out loud) the original text is color coded FYI but you can probably tell

You wake up from your day dreaming on a public bench in a huge entertainment square of a bustling and busy city “yorkhaven”. Letting you eyes wander you notice the people socialize in the street, children running around, and vendors peddling their wares with sizable carts surrounding the area, all under a brilliant blue sky it was truly picture perfect.

Would like to look around the carts? There could be something interesting to buy

-Theres a sheepish man seemingly the sweetest man you’ve ever met selling tonics and potions. He greets you as he looks up from his thick brim glasses from across the way.

- a loud mouth half orc female waving her arms to attract attention “got a beast problem? Need to feel safe? Or just dont like someone and want ‘em to go away?! Then see my weapons”

The town guard constantly keep an eye on her for her sales pitch, but they know she’s lawful and possible not to bright

-A well dressed bearded man peddling armor and miscellaneous clothes

-and various other shops that are gathering buyers but aren't to interesting to you that full the space.

( after choices were made)

As you walk around the kingdom streets admiring the cityscape you pass a group of well armed men talking about a demonic fiend living in a castle atop a mountain beyond the forest of shadows. Ears twitch with interest as you eavesdrop then join in on the conversation to get more info

(the leader of the group is doing the talking he, has two short swords and medium armor and his AC is 14 and his two buddies have either small ranged weapons or melee weapon just in case things go bad, they are also racist against dragonborns which will trigger an instant fight) if things go well read the following black text and don’t red the red text if they go bad skip down to the red text

*“Uh Yea there a lich that lives in the abandoned castle sanguis, rumor has it that the smell of blood and war from rivaling kingdoms awoke it and it slaughtered everyone, now if someone were to die on his god forsaking lands the person will then be a walking corpse in the lich’s undead legion. Every so often he would send a few soldiers to kidnap men and women but lately he’s been stealing tons of gold from convoys and camps so the horde of gold must be massive”

And the bow man interrupts “ but no one in their right mind would go up there, not even paladins were even seen again. so whatever curse is up there must be strong”

You say goodbye as you a part ways with the other group and set off to the road ahead

The men lay beaten and bloody in the streets and you are confronted by the city guards “ pay the fine and leave or be fired upon” the guards are too much for you to handle and everyone lose 20 gold pieces *if anyone has less the 20 they go to jail

All thought the story have people tell different rumors about the lich and make up backstory and even fake moves that he may have

Eh i'm lazy to be honesty i'll leave the the rest to you but here the story line for things in the future.

If things go bad with the first group you travel on the road and hear about the lich later on in a tavern,traveling from the tavern you find and make your way to the kingdom “New Sanguis” who is being protected by a lesser god and ruled by queen Laura who sends you to find Thomas her old friends and commander of her guard who went missing you then

Travel with a small group that wants to find the lich(use them to spread misinformation, make the players grow attach then kill them later) find a small town on the edge of the shadow forest( open for side missions)

Go into the shadow forest the smell of death and decay lures vampires (possible battles)

Traveling the forest find Thomas “the immortal bard” who is drunk he was the teacher and personal bard of prince jasper aka the lich you need to kill and fills you in on the real story

Jasper was a rebellious wizard who wanted nothing more than to be the best ruler in his family's history however he had an anger complex that was problematic one day in their mountaintop kingdom, Joseph the king of sanguis got a message from his fortune teller “if blood is spilled before the prince takes the throne a demon unlike any other will rise and kills us all”. This was a problem because the king got a message from his scouts saying there will be a planned attack on the castle so things will have to be handle diplomatically meanwhile jasper finds a girl who he falls in love with like Grade A wife material blah blah blah things don't go well and he gets egg on by one of the rival’s kingdoms generals, he punches him which is declaration of war blah blah blah wife gets sick And jasper goes insane because of stress from sick wife and guilt in that time he researches immortality blah blah blah she gets better but the kingdom is at war blah blah blah gorely invasion king and princess get escorted out jasper is left behind because wife is trapped in castle, she is found but she and Jasper gets separated for a bit not to long after, wife gets stabbed by that general from earlier jasper picks her up and escapes to the huge labyrinth that leads to a vault. Shes says with her final breath my heart belong to you forever jasper” he says “i wont die with your love in my heart, not until i make them pay” then does the transformation ritual to lichhood writing the symbols with his lover’s blood and uses the rest for it for the endless nights potion and the lich’s phylactery is his lover’s heart which is in buried under the mountain of gold in a small chest inside the vault, he kidnaps people to feed their souls to the phylactery, he wants to destroy this sister’s kingdom and transcends into godhood to kill the god who protected his sister for all these years she is a constant reminder of the shame he brought to his family and what he could have been, a leader with the love of his people

So *Kill the lich

Tips to beating it...get a cleric good luck, maybe have some of the history and story be told by a soldier mid-dying or something just to get some background on the place idk good luck

#dnd 5e #dnd character #backstory #lich #wizard #story #dnd shenanigans #dungoens and dragons #dungoen master #storyline

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creativerogues · 7 years

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The Many Forms of Magic (Part 1)

Beings that cannot exist inhabit a place that cannot be.

Cursed by gods and feared by mortals, these entities fall outside the boundaries of life, death, and undeath.

They are untouchable by even the most powerful deities, though they can be summoned and used by the weakest mortal.

The practitioner of pact magic contacts these alien forces by means of special symbols and rituals.

Once a summoning is complete, he strikes a bargain with the summoned being to gain great supernatural power.

In addition, DMs might find many uses for the strange monsters associated with pact magic, the descriptions of the organizations that either employ it or battle those who do, and the sites for adventures involving this form of magic.

LESSER PACT MAGIC

Pact magic exists in many forms.

Oaths, a lesser form of pact magic, are often used to add power to words.

Indeed, oaths are so commonplace that few recognize their similarity to the pacts made by pact magic practitioners.

OATHS TO IDEALS

Many characters make pacts with themselves. Such an unspoken promise can be as binding as any contract signed by a merchant—and far more effective at forcing a person to keep his word.

For example, a druid who abandons her allegiance to nature or adopts an extreme outlook must seek forgiveness or remain forever divorced from her former source of comfort and power.

A monk who sets one foot off the path to spiritual purity can never walk that path again.

Even barbarians, wild and inconstant as they are, must gird their thoughts against lawful leanings or risk losing the wild emotion that gives them power...

VOWS TO DEITIES

By pledging to serve a deity, a cleric puts his soul into the hands of a greater power.

If he thereafter falters in his duty, he can lose his wondrous powers.

Similarly, the cause of a paladin requires a constant heart.

The slightest doubt or hesitation can lead to disaster, rendering the paladin unable to continue her mission without a deity’s consent.

BARGAINS WITH OUTSIDERS

Mortals can make binding agreements with outsiders. Certain Spells allow a spellcaster to bargain for the services of an outsider or elemental.

The planar binding spells work in a similar manner, allowing a character to task a particular creature in return for its freedom.

THE METHODS OF PACT MAGIC

A promise possesses power.

An oath owns its maker.

These two simple statements express the fundamental principle of pact magic.

From this kernel, pact magic grows and branches, letting mortals draw from a wellspring of power that no divine power can touch.

VESTIGES

A pact magic practitioner gains his power by bargaining with entities called vestiges—the remnants of once-living beings now trapped beyond life and death.

Whether they were mortal souls strong enough to shatter the cage built by death, wayward outsiders too willful to cease existence, or dead deities unable to lie quietly in their astral graves, vestiges are the outcasts of the cosmos.

They dwell in a place no one can reach and exist in a manner no one truly comprehends.

This eternal distancing from reality drives most vestiges mad and twists their views of all beings—even themselves.

Because vestiges have been divorced from normal reality by some extraordinary means, they can return to it only by binding themselves to other souls.

Binders, so named for their willingness to share their souls with these exiled spirits, can summon them forth by means of special rituals.

Since vestiges constantly hunger for any small taste of reality, they always answer the call of any binders powerful enough to draw them forth from the void.

VESTIGES’ SEALS

Each vestige is associated with a seal—a series of lines within a circle—that acts as its symbol and as a portal through which it can enter normal existence.

To call a vestige, a binder must know and be able to draw its seal. In fact, anyone can draw a seal, but only someone with the power to host a vestige can hope to create a pact that opens a door for it.

SUMMONING

Immediately after drawing a seal, a binder must ritually invoke the desired vestige’s name and title to summon it.

Again, though anyone can intone the proper words, the binder’s power is the key to success.

Even so, a binder can summon only those vestiges that are within the range of his personal power.

The origins of a vestige’s name and title seem associated with both its previous existence in reality and its current state.

These appellations can change over time, although such alterations occur only rarely.

For this reason, most binders spend a great deal of time studying the origins and theories of pact magic in order to gain the insight that will allow them to foresee future developments.

PACT MAKING

Once a summoned vestige manifests, a binder must formally address it and request a pact.

The general terms of the pact are always the same, no matter which vestige is summoned.

To gain the powers that a vestige offers, a binder must agree to host it for a period of 24 hours.

When a binder offers a pact, a contest of wills ensues between him and the vestige.

This contest might be played out by means of an argument, a staring match, a riddle posed to the binder, or in any number of other ways.

If the vestige ultimately wins, it maintains an amount of infl uence over the binder for the duration of the pact.

If the binder does not act as the vestige wills, it can punish him.

However, if the binder reigns supreme after the contest, the vestige quietly accompanies him.

BINDING

Once a binder makes a pact with a vestige, the two are inextricably bound.

A shard of the vestige’s soul fuses with the binder’s spirit, creating a link so tight that the binder’s body manifests some physical sign of the vestige’s presence.

The inconvenience of such a sign is a small price to pay for the supernatural powers that the vestige grants—powers that require no components, no complicated gestures, and no tongue-twisting words to use.

When a binder wishes to use the abilities granted by a vestige, he simply wills the desired result to happen.

LEARNING PACT MAGIC

Those who practice pact magic expound upon its ease.

A binder need never beg on his knees for power or study moldy tomes for hours on end to grasp the secrets of a few simple spells.

Once he learns the basics of pact magic, he can call up a vestige at any time and take its power for his own.

Vestiges never refuse pacts, and they ask little in return for the power they grant.

However, the tempting ease of pact magic and the necessity of soul binding with a being whose nature is completely alien generates suspicion about its practitioners.

Many churches actively hunt binders and attempt to eradicate evidence of pact magic to prevent the faithful from learning that beings can exist that are beyond the reach of the gods.

This general condemnation of pact magic makes discovering it difficult, even though the art itself remains quite simple.

Many binders are defrocked priests or acolytes who took up pact magic after discovering the rituals to contact vestiges in heretical texts kept hidden in secret temple libraries.

Others take up the path after discovering the secrets of pacts and seals during investigations of ancient ruins.

A few gain their knowledge of the binder’s arts from elder binders, but tutelage is rare because of the secrecy that most binders try to maintain and the cloud of suspicion under which they must work.

MAKING A PACT

A summoned vestige is interested only in striking a bargain with its summoner.

As soon as the pact is made, the vestige vanishes and the binder shows its sign, unless he has the means to suppress it.

Once made, a pact cannot be broken.

Neither the binder nor the vestige can end the association before its duration elapses...

Occasionally, a vestige might speak with a binder about other matters before the process of binding begins, though its willingness to do so is based entirely on whim.

The information gained in such a conversation, however, is suspect because vestiges are notoriously unreliable sources.

They don’t seem to recall anything except their own lives, and even those memories are often confused or incorrect.

To make themselves more attractive to binders, vestiges often pretend to possess much greater knowledge than they are capable of having; indeed, some even assert that they can see the future or monitor present events occurring in distant locations.

It’s impossible to force a vestige to tell the truth or even determine whether it is lying, since vestiges have immunity to all spells except antimagic.

Even so, however, some binders regularly consult with vestiges.

Although the information provided is unreliable, it sometimes bears a startling similarity to the truth, and strange coincidences abound.

Years of questioning various vestiges about their origins have yielded many different versions of each one’s story, but the binder scholars who collect vestige legends have become adept at compiling the common elements and researching their veracity. In this way, the individual vestige histories have gained at least a degree of credence.

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