Who's Who Among Dragons
by Bruce HeardIn DRAGON issue #170, ancient secrets of the dragons in the D&D game world were revealed. But nothing was said about the major draconic personalities in the Known World. Unbeknownst to humankind, their home is the setting for a whole network of kingdoms and dominions ruled by dragons. The more important dragon kingdoms in the Known World are now revealed here, along with their rulers and their personality quirks. These are by no means the only realms of this nature. A multitude of other draconic states-some insignificant domains that are vassals to other states, and others truly gigantic, sovereign empires- exist elsewhere in the D&D game world, but these are for you to sketch out. The borders of these dragon kingdoms are accurate as of 1000 AC (2000 AY).
Almaruddya: The ruler is Marudi, a 14-HD blue dragon. His lair is located at the southernmost end of a rocky desert strip, near the centre of the Emirates of Ylaruam. Marudi's territory covers a 40- mile radius, including the oasis of Hedjazi, his main watering point. Marudi's invisible lair is a typical Alasyian palace with a large throne room, except that it is guarded by lesser djinn. Marudi is a mischievous creature who enjoys fooling others, especially his foes. He is a master at illusions. When he sees a worthy victim for his pranks, he may cause his palace to appear as a small oasis. Marudi is likely to assume the shape of a desert prince or a rich merchant. His pranks, as annoying as they may be, are most often inoffensive except to true enemies. Marudi tends to underestimate his foes to the point of being outright cocky. Aside from his jovial habits, Marudi is a rather peaceful creature. The youngest among the Known World's huge dragons, he is 98 years old and particularly skilful as a thief among humans and dragons. Marudi is the impudent son of Khanistar, described later.
Amanthyr: The ruler is Amanth, a 19-HD red dragon. Amanthyr covers a great part of the Wendarian Reaches, a chain of mountains north of the Principalities of Glantri, separating the famous magocracy from the elven Kingdom of Wendar. Amanth's lair is located on Mt. Amador, exactly 200 mites north of Glantri City. It opens on a cliff inside a narrow, hidden gorge guarded by a small army of wyverns. Amanthyr openly supports Druuwor, essentially to harass Ambur (both described later). Amanth is 332 years old and is almost blind. She uses magic, her sense of smell, and cunning to remain ahead of the pack. Amanth has mated twice, once with Ambur. She is very cautious and will avoid any confrontation she is not sure to win. Pride and jealousy are her only flaws. Amanth has but a few decades to live before she dies of old age. She has been seeking an opportunity to steal the ivory plume of Maat from Azem (see later) to complete one of her last attempts at attaining Immortality. Amanth still does not know where Azem hides the coveted artifact. She is contemplating the idea of making a pact with Entropy if her next attempt at Immortality fails.
Amburyr: The ruler is Ambur, a 17-HD red dragon. Amburyr covers the Altan Tepes Mountains within Rockhome and the Dwarfgate Mountains separating Darokin from Ethengar. Ambur's lair is located in the ruins of Jhyrrad, 50 mites northwest of the City of Stahl. It occupies a large, dwarven-made hall under the city. The city is crawling with his followers, especially hobgoblins. Ambur is a young, successful dragon, merely 152 years old. Impulsive and bloodthirsty, he seeks to destroy whatever stands in his way. He uses fear and raw power to rule. Ambur has been relying on a greater talisman of elemental travel to surprise his foe s. Ambur will save this item until he is ready to attain Immortality. Ambur became a direct rival of Amanth after he mated with her. He also is an ally of Jargnir (see later) against Druuwor, whose mountain territory he covets.
Argosyl: The ruler is Argos, a 14-HD green dragon. Argosyl occupies the Dymrak Forest in Karameikos, on both sides of the Rugalov River. Argos' lair lies 48 miles north of Rugalov Village, in a cave under a small hill on the east side of the river. The dragon must immerse himself completely in the Lake of Lost Dreams in order to reach the entrance. The forest is guarded by several tribes of wolf-riding goblins that have submitted to his rule. Argos is 148 years old. Very quiet, he always prefers stealth and trickery to violence. Argos' sphere of influence has spread steadily to the north, seeking to rally further humanoid tribes. Argos' worst enemy is Attura (see later), with whom he once attempted to mate. He was almost bound to her as a result but narrowly escaped. Argos fears Attura and has been seeking an alliance with Marudi in case of all-out aggression. Argos' flaw lies in his inability to make quick decisions. He hesitates and worries far too long for his own good. Other dragons taunt Argos by calling him Argos the Worrier.
Atturamak: The ruler is Attura, a 16-HD green dragon. Atturamak covers the large forested area in the southern Atruaghin Clans. Attura's lair is located at the centre of the forest, very deep underground. It has more than a dozen entrances, some as far as 80 miles away. These entrances are overgrown with vegetation or are protected with magic. A large part of her lair is sculpted in Azcan fashion, Attura is familiar with the Hollow World. Attura is 202 years old. She is a treacherous creature, quite skilful at politics among dragons or humans. She gained most of her power by tricking weaker dragons to come closer, then challenging them in order to bind them. She has never mated. She dislikes Argos for escaping her, and Azem for criticising her evil ways. Attura currently plans on establishing her dominance over Thalkor (see later) to gain control over his lizard man army. She also was approached by a wizard, a follower of the Sphere of Energy, who promised great wealth and increased magical power in exchange for her oath. Attura is a power-hungry fool and an unscrupulous beast, which presently puts her at risk becoming a puppet and follower of the Sphere of Energy.
Azemur: The ruler is Azem, an 18-HD gold dragon. Azem's lair is located in the village of Wereskalot, in the Five Shires. Her territory covers an 80-mile radius. Her lair is no more than a small halfling cottage, but it is laced with powerful magic. It actually contains a gate to a pocket plane that is fully attuned to Azem's mind. This microdimension is bigger than a large cavern and physically responds to Azem's commands and moods. Azem appears to be a common looking, little old halfling lady. She appears as a very sweet person who loves growing flowers in her well-kept garden. She commonly has to leave the house to go sell her flowers in nearby villages. Three cats live in the house as her pets; they really are three shape-changed dragonnes bonded to Azem (see AC: Creature Catalogue, page 69). No other dragon knows of Azem's second identity. Azem is 323 years old. She keeps the ivory plume of Mast in her microdimensional lair. Azem has mated once and is on good terms with Marudi, whose constant irreverence amuses her. Khanistar and Azem respect each other. Azem's flaw lies in her love for common halfling delights and especially for wines of the Shires, sometimes causing her to lose control of herself.
Druuwmet: The ruler is Druuwor, an 11-HD white dragon. Druuwmet covers the Makkres Mountains stretching between Rockhome, Vestland, and Soderfjord. Druuwor's lair is located 24 mikes south of the town of Rhoona. It is an ancient fortress built millennia ago by a forgotten civilisation, before the Makkres became high mountains. White dragons and other creatures of the cold have lived and ruled from there, maintaining the dismal fortress. Druuwor occupies the cavernous hall in the keep. Frost giants guard the ancestral fortress. Druuwor is a very old dragon, now 112 years old. His power has been waning ever since he battled Jargnir, twenty years ago. Druuwor lost the right side of his face to Jargnir's acid breath and bears other battle scars. His lair became magical when Druuwor grew into a huge white. It prevents aging from occurring within the fortress, but the sense of isolation and boredom that this place creates slowly causes the fortress inhabitants to go insane. Acutely paranoid, Druuwor hardly ever leaves his lair, fearing theft of his treasure by his rather unstable followers.
Jargnara: The ruler is Jargnir, a 12-HD black dragon. Jargnara includes the Great Marsh in Soderfjord, the hills to the south between the Great Marsh and the Hardanger Mountain Range, and part of western Rockhome Jargnir's lair is in the western part of the marsh, below the muck. Jargnir rules from there, with the help of trolls, oozes, slimes, and other swamp things. Druuwor and Jargnir have been longtime foes, separated by their mutual claims over the Three Volcano Lands in western Rockhome. Jargnir is a relatively young wyrm who arose to power in a mere 105 years, She is a vicious lizard bent on destroying all human life in her path to satisfy her voracious appetite and that of her trollish minions. Jargnir is a swamp horror, a glistening black, winged serpent with slightly glowing, green eyes. Aside from weak claws at her wings' main articulation, and a thorny, prehensile tail. Jargnir is a limbless serpent. Jargnir nourishes a profound hate for Druuwor, who killed her progeny while she was off at a dragon gathering. Jargnir's weakness is her sadism, which often causes her to stall the destruction of an dangerous foe in order to gloat and torment it.
Khanistan: The ruler is Khanistar, a 17-HD blue dragon. Her lair is located on the World Mountain, at the centre of the Land of the Black Sand in eastern Ethengar. Khanistan stretches 80 mikes from there in all directions. Khanistar's lair lies deep inside a tall mountain that is dotted with sinister towers. The towers, built by magic over the centuries, are covered with stone barbs and talons. Minor dragons and other lesser minions occupy these towers, remaining constantly on the watch. Khanistar is a long, coiling, serpent-like wurm, Oriental in style, with large globular eyes and light blue scales. She has no wings but is skilful enough a spell-caster to overcome that limitation. She spent most of her 180 years of life seeking magic. She built an impressive library of rare and ancient spells, including a few abominations dating from Nithia. Khanistar relies heavily on magic manipulation for reaching her goals. Khanistar is famous among dragons for using pocket dragons as spies or messengers. These are specially bred strains with blue scales, She mated once and so far has remained neutral with other dragons. Her weakness lies in her excessive attraction to magic. She may agree to suspicious deals just to acquire an old spell or lost artifact that she's been seeking for so long.
Thalkoria: The ruler is Thalkor, a 13-HD black dragon. Thalkoria covers all of the Malpheggi Swamps in Darokin, with Thalkor's lair in the middle, inside the petrified remains of a very large, ancient ship built by a race of forgotten giants. It is mostly overgrown now with lichen, Spanish moss, and glowing growths. Thalkor is the current king of the lizard men, imposing his brutal authority on the primitive tribes. Thalkor is 118 years old. He has been defeated in combat several times by Azem, who stole many of his dragon followers. Thalkor had to gain control over new dragons several times from scratch, for which he has vowed to kill Azem. Thalkor is allied with Amanth in a plan to discover Azemur. Thalkor's lizard men have been quietly exploring the wilderness and the fringes of the Five Shires under various disguises. They do not suspect Azem to be in Wereskalot. Thalkor's weakness lies in his incredible greed for gems and jewellery, especially crowns and sceptres.
Thundiara: The ruler is Thundar, a 13-HD sea
dragon. Her lair is located within an underwater inactive volcano
crater called Thun, just north of the Aloysius Reefs in legends.
The lair is the hollowed, out hulk of a fossilised kraken. The huge
eyes have been replaced with thick crystal panes, and the entrance
is located underneath the hulk, where the kraken's beak should be.
The beak can be opened or closed magically. Algae overgrow the
outside of the hollow fossil. A dozen lesser sea serpents keep the
lair safe at all times. The magic affecting Thundar's lair causes
the water surrounding it to be permanently breathable by surface
dwellers. Thundiara has an 80-mile radius. Treat Thundar as a huge
green dragon as far as aging and ceremonies go. Thundar is 163
years old and has a colourful personality. Under a magical guise,
she often mingles with tritons, whom she sees as her pet people.
She hopes to influence their philosophy toward rebuilding an empire
over the ruins of the past Undersea Kingdom, when she attains
immortality. In so doing, she plans to become their patron Immortal
in the Sphere of Matter, while the lair would become their temple.
Thundar is a megalomaniac. She mated once, many decades ago. She
does not involve herself with dragons of the Known World's surface.
Thundar: AC - 1; HD 13***; hp 73; AT 1 bite or spit; Dmg 3-24 or
poison; MV (swim or fly) 180'; Save F24; ML 9; TT H X 2, I; AL N;
SA fin-wings allow Thundar to glide for up to 6 rounds, poison glob
breath 3 X /day to 100' (Saving Throw vs, Breath Weapon or die);
spell-casting as a huge green dragon. For sea serpent statistics,
check the Masters DM's Book, page 44, or AC: Creature Catalogue,
page 64.