[Dragon #37] Adapting Sardior the Ruby Dragon to Mystara
by Håvard
I did not realize that Gemstone Dragons were introduced in Dragon #37 before their introduction in BECMI/Mystara. Obviously other edition Gemstone Dragons are not identical to the ones found in Mystara, both differing in types that are found and the fact that later editions assoicated them with Psionic Powers.
What made me even more interested though were the named dragons in the article:
First we have Sardior. He is detailed as the Prince of Neutral Dragons.
Sardior also has five thanes:
- Hrodel (Female Crystal)
- Tithonnas (Male Topaz)
- Smargad (Male Emerald)
- Charsima (Female, Sappire)
- Aleithilithos (male, Amethyst)
Seethyr's post in this thread made me aware of the fact that this old Dragon article was revisited at WotC's old Wizards.com website as part of a series called Draconum Psionicus by Mark A. Jindra and Scott Brocius.
Fellow Mystarans, I would like to direct your attention to the following articles from that series:
- Draconum Psionicus
- The Legend of Sardior Part 1 and Part 2
- Blithen of Many Names, detailing Blithenpaxantadravos, a three-headed gem dragon.
- Aleithian Dwarves, a race of Dwarves living on another plane, linked to the dragon Aleithilithos.
- Obsidian Dragons a race of Gemstone Dragons who are opposed to Sardior and most other gem dragon
I think that the fact that Gemstone Dragons are so strongly associated with Mystara makes these articles worth considering adapting to our favorite setting. I am not suggesting incorporating Psionics or things like the Plane of Ectoplasm from the wizards.com articles. However, I like that these articles gives us names and a few details of some gemstone dragons.
I would not make Saridor a Dragon Ruler in Mystara terms, but instead I think he could be a lieutenant of The Opal Dragon. Blithenpaxantadravos is another interesting creature that could be a unique dragon, which is possible on Mystara through the draconic reincarnation. I would make Aleithilithos an Amber Dragon with Neutral Alignment, Amber Dragons are officially Chaotic, but IMC I have split Amber and Brown dragons into two separate types (both similar in power to Gold Dragons), but with Ambers being Neutral and Browns Chaotic.
I don't think Mystara needs psionics or new planes, but I do like the Aleithian Dwarves and the idea of having some dwarves being transported to the Ethereal Plane by a Gemstone Dragon. BTW, I think the idea of both Gnomes and Dwarves having an interest in Gemstone Dragons could be something we could explore further.