The Dragon Kingdom of Wyrmsteeth
by Giulio N. Carolettias it appeared on the Tome of Mystara issue #2
by Iulius Sergius Scaevola
Foreword by the Author
I wrote this Gazetteer in order to complete the information found in CM1: Test of Warlords and Dawn of the Emperors, which explained briefly how 1,000 dragons lived in the Wyrmsteeth range in Norwold. The presence of such a large dragon population was apparently unknown to people due to the ability of the Dragon King of Wyrmsteeth, a cunning red dragon who avoided mass attacks against Norwold in order to keep his home free of human armies that probably would crusade against the "foul beasts."
But I thought to myself: would a large red dragon really hide himself in a shell like a trembling mortal human in a city, or a dwarf in the mountains? Are not red dragons one of the greatest races of the World? So why hide? A red dragon that old would surely make himself one of the protagonists in the world theatre. So obviously, I had to change something. Humans are inferior beings, but may prove useful; a large army of human servants would be a fine toy in the hands of a dragon. The kingdom begun to form in my mind; I have tried to build it in the most believable way, taking into consideration (a) dragon philosophy (we are better than the other races; we are free and don't need anyone; humans are servants); (b) dragon political beliefs (political plots and intrigues can appeal to any dragon as well as an open confrontation, and the evil nature of some of them make them perfect to plan projects that can kill many people if necessary without shedding a tear); and (c) the schemes of dragon Immortals. In the final section, I have traced a way you can fit Wyrmsteeth's history inside the recent wars of the Wrath of Immortals. {Note: For my own purposes, I have changed the gender of the dragon Immortal Pearl. As Immortals may change their appearance at will, I did not see this as a great dilemma.]
If creators of Mystaran web pages would use my information partially or totally to build material for their Mystara, I would like to be informed, although they may of course do as they wish with this information in their own campaigns.
PLAYER'S GUIDE
The Kingdom of Wyrmsteeth: What Everyone Knows
Jasper, a guard in the city of Alpha:
"Why do you want to go to Wyrmsteeth? Ain't you got enough dirty work in this country? Ain't you got monsters enough, here 'round Alpha? Ah, I see, it's too hot here, so you wanna cool down with a holiday in the mountains, heh? Boy, I don't wanna scare you, but you see, Norwold's a big place enough to find trouble, if you search for some. You can get killed in Landfall two minutes after you're there, if you enter there dressed like that - boy, I know you're a mage, but Norwold isn't Alphatia, and they'll just stab you in your back if you think you might be revered just because you know the power words for 'fireball,' got me? So, if you really wanna know somethin' 'bout the wyrms down there, well, listen to me and try dress like a man on your trip round Norwold.
"Wyrmsteeth...first of all, you see the mountains. Ice everywhere, and you'll wonder how to get there. The roads seem to be all the same: you walk until you're as cold as the snow filled tops, then a stronghold will block the way, and then you'll see the members of the army. They'll fill your head with questions, and they'll check your answers, and if something doesn't match or seems strange, well, you can turn your back and forget to enter the country. Then they'll give you the permit on parchment to enter. And they will check it in every town you pass through, so you'd better take care of it, or it's jail for a long, long time. The cities are no cities. They call them so, but they are not more than military barracks mingled with dark wooden houses and shady inns. Military everywhere. Think people in Norwold are reclusive? Well, you never hear a word in Wyrmsteeth. Nobody speaks with strangers; they seldom speak to each other. They who're not soldiers are mercenaries, adventurers or people who's hiding or wants to be left alone. No fun up there. The only ones to speak are treacherous Thyatians that will play you all sort of nasty trick as soon they understand where you come from. And the laws are strict. Break them and you're in prison, and after that you're thrown out the country, and no way to get back. No one is stupid enough to do that, anyway.
"And then there are the dragons. You never see them. You never talk to them. They live alone in their lairs, and leave the people in peace. They have armies to help them when their raids against us get to be too much for us to tolerate anymore. And if they decide to, they feed themselves on people in Norwold, or Wendar, or humanoids in Denagoth. There are plenty enough for them, so they don't care 'bout humans in their realm. They are served and revered, and protected in case of war. Dragons treat their servants well."
The dwarf Balin of Rockhome, in a Corunglain tavern:
"Well, you 'civilised' humans ain't wise enough to understand those people. They just want to be left alone, and do as they wish without asking anything of anyone. They have a strict society. The rules are simple: Stay out of trouble. Don't bother your neighbours. Don't bother the dragons. If you follow them, that's ok, it's a perfect place to live in. If you don't, you're out, they don't want problems so they erase them. It's simple. You humans think it is cruel, but it's just life as we dwarves see it. There are many dwarves in Wyrmsteeth. It's the only place outside our clans where we can live without being annoyed by your exuberant ways. Wanna' live in peace with humans? Wyrmsteeth. All religions tolerated; mages and clerics the same status as fighters; no thieves, no bandits, no rogues; lycanthropy is legal but controlled very well. Maybe too much army. But the dragons there ain't stupid or evil. They, too, just wanna' be left alone. It has worked until now - you don't annoy dragons, dragons don't attack you. Simple enough for a dwarf...but you humans are too stubborn to understand."
Former Thyatian ambassador Lucius Balbus:
"Wyrmsteeth is a strange and gloomy country. You can live there for years and not know anything about anyone you have met in the streets each morning of your residence there. You see dwarves, humans, dragonkin, half elves, and they're ready to share a beer in the tavern, paying no attention at all whether you are a peasant or the emperor of Alphatia - but they will keep mouth shut on their lives, their origins, their ideals in politics and religion, even if you consider them to be friends. People who live there are all soldiers of fortune in the army, misanthropes, solitaries, refugees, or people who had enough of their troubles and want to live unnoticed and un-annoyed. It's a very unnerving place to live if you are fond of social life, parties, games, jokes, or just of a good brawl in a tavern, except in Seel. The people are as cold as the air around them.'
General Stats
Area
The official Wyrmsteeth Kingdom area is 48,822 kmē (19,071 square miles), though dragons live beyond the official borders on the cliffs of Wyrmsteeth Range, Icereach Range, and Final Range. Most of the area of the official territory is not settled.
Population
The Wyrmsteeth population is composed of 28,000 humans and humanoids of different races. The people live only in towns and cities, because the harsh climate makes it nearly impossible to survive in the wilderness. The most represented race are the humans (20,500), of which 13,500 are of Antalian, Heldann, and Northern Reaches descent. 5,000 are Thyatians. Of these humans, approximately 4,000 are werewolves. The 7,500 non-humans comprise 3,000 dwarves; 1,500 dragonkin; 2,500 lizardmen and lizardkin; and 500 of other races (elves, gnolls, half elves, etc.). Apart from these, in the Norwold Mountain Ranges (both inside and outside the official territory of Wyrmsteeth), there are approximately 1,200 dragons. Most of them swear fealty to the Dragon King of Wyrmsteeth.
Language
The official language of Wyrmsteeth is the common chromatic dragon tongue. Most inhabitants of Wyrmsteeth, and all the natives, speak it. Other used languages are dwarvish (Stormhaven dialect), Antalian, and Thyatian.
Coinage
The Wyrmsteeth official coin is the elke, a coin which bears on one side the symbol of Pearl, the Moon Dragon Ruler, Immortal of the sphere of Matter, and on the other the rising moon accompanied by an animal. When the coin is in silver (the common elke), its value is 1/10 of a gp, and it bears the symbol of a wolf; if it is in gold, it bears the symbol of a dragon (value 1 gp). If it is in copper, it bears the symbol of a boar (in honour of the dwarves of Wyrmsteeth, which recognise the boar as their symbol), and is worth 1/2 silver elke (1/20 gp).
Economy
The economy of the region deals with two principal occupations: the first is the work done by freemen, soldiers of the army, clerics and wizards in agriculture (who, by their efforts, are able to produce potatoes and wheat enough to sustain the population, along with lamb and beef; fruit and other meats are imported), and woodcutters. The second economic base is the mining of minerals and iron. These mines are owned by the dragons, who usually employ dwarven engineers and miners to oversee work conducted by criminals when possible, and by specialised dwarven miners when the need arises. Some citizens also work as artisans (many dwarves craft jewels for the dragons; humans and dwarves alike are weapon forgers) or to provide services (cartographers, astronomers, sages, mercenaries, innkeepers). Many Wyrmsteeth citizens are adventurers who hold Wyrmsteeth as their home.
Life in Wyrmsteeth
Most of the people of Wyrmsteeth are humans, mainly of Antalian descent (people from Norwold or the Northern Reaches), but there are Thyatians, lycanthropes from Averoigne, dwarves, and members of other races. The customs are varied, because each group is normally devoted to his personal traditions. The people from different races keep themselves loosely in touch, and some national holidays are celebrated locally. Obviously, there is no nobility in Wyrmsteeth - or, better said, there is no humanoid nobility in Wyrmsteeth. Its true lords are dragons.
Most people in Wyrmsteeth are very serious, due in part to the influence of dwarven culture and the harsh climate. The normal humans of Wyrmsteeth are generally cold and unfriendly Heldanners or Viking types who embody the more asocial aspects of the Northern Reaches populations. They talk very little, and they have few social activities. Additionally, many Wyrmsteethians are descendants of refugees or exiles, so a many have developed a sort of cultural paranoia, believing that strangers (particularly those of the race from which they have fled) are hostile at best, and searching for them, or their family, at worst. They don't like people messing around, asking too much questions, and making too much noise. Otherwise it wouldn't have been possible for dragons to coexist with them. This feeling is less present in the Thyatians, and Seel is nearly a normal city. Life in Wyrmsteeth is mainly work and rest, for citizens of all races. And then there are the dragons: The dragons live on their own, and are rarely seen. Most of them have learned spells to look like humans or dwarves, and they often visit the cities in disguise, but no one knows who they are, and no one really cares.
Population is controlled by the authorities. Families are restricted to four children; those who have more must leave, or give the child up for adoption. In the future, if the population continues to grow, the authorities will surely reduce the number to three or two, if necessary. The dragons don't want new cities and too many humans around.
Laws, Crimes & Taxes
The most important laws of the state are included in the Constitution. They include:
Every citizen of Wyrmsteeth is free. He may be of any race, country, gender or faith (except the illegal churches of the "heretical" dragon Immortals). Every citizen of Wyrmsteeth is protected by the law against the crimes detailed in the following paragraphs. Harm done to a citizen must be recompensed by the local authorities. If they cannot deal with it, the cause passes on to the High Courts. Crimes are judged by the local army, who act as tribunal, police force, and militia. Clerics of different faiths are used to resurrect the wrongful dead. Usually clerics or mages can be asked to use their spells to help find the truth in controversial matters.
Principal crimes and punishments:
Theft or Fraud
The thief is jailed for 10 days each moon (monetary unit) they have stolen; the thief must repay the sum. If he is unable to pay, the state will provide him with the money, though each moon missing is another 10 days in jail. If two thieves rob 300 moons, then each of them must give back 300 moons; three hundred go to the victim, three hundred to the Treasury.
Treason
Traitors are stripped of all possessions. If the traitor has (innocent) heirs, the confiscated property passes to them; if not, it passes to the Treasury. Traitors are jailed for life. There is no death penalty in Wyrmsteeth.
Espionage
Spies are accorded with the same as traitors. Falsely accusing a citizen of treason gets you half his potential punishment.
Murder
First-degree (intentional) murderers serve a sentence ranging from 20 to 100 years, depending upon circumstance (age of the victim, type of murder, etc.). They must also reimburse the church for their victim's resurrection. If resurrection is impossible they must be jailed for twice the period stated. If they don't possess the money to pay, the amount will be translated into days of jail (see "Theft") to add the punishment. Second-degree murder gets 1/5 of the punishment shown above, but must still pay the full fine. A temporarily insane killer will be examined by clerics at his expense and cured, then set free after he has paid (in money or jail days) the amount needed to resurrect his victim. An involuntary or accidental killer must simply pay back the sum to resurrect the victim.
It is to be noted that an intentional assassin will be banished from Wyrmsteeth lands, as will a two-time second-degree offender, a three-time "insane" offender, etc. Jail time is served as a hard labour period in the mines of Wyrmsteeth. All the mines are directly subject to dragons, so in fact the jail period is a dragon service period. If a dragon wishes so, he can use the human or humanoid in others ways. No one usually cares if a 20 years condemned man vanishes mysteriously, and tears are seldom shed for one who dies in "jail." The dragons have the power to exile the punished instead of having them at their service. Usually, dragons don't do so.
The killing of a dragon by other dragons of the territory is allowed. The dragons are not subject to the laws governing their subjects, but the stronger ones usually keep the less intelligent and powerful from harming the humanoid citizens. The murder of a dragon by humanoid hands has never happened since the Constitution was approved, but if such a case were to present itself, it would surely mean hard time for the assassin.
Taxation is progressive in Wyrmsteeth. Taxation is high, taking from 10% to 50% of annual income. Dragons are not taxed. Half of tax revenue goes to the Treasury, the other to the dragons, with a hierarchical distribution that is reviewed every month. Not paying the taxes is equivalent to theft against the state. If a citizen does not pay the taxes twice he is exiled. Wyrmsteeth citizens don't typically mind paying the taxes, though, because the state services (army, healing, law) are good, and the progressive criteria is quite honest.
Religion
As explained before, there is no official religion in Wyrmsteeth, though the country hosts the most important clerical temple and school of Pearl, the Moon Dragon. This presence has slightly reduced the religious tolerance level of the country: clerics and followers of Diamond (the Star Dragon) are no longer permitted; and those of Opal (the Sun Dragon) are watched with suspicion. However, most people of Wyrmsteeth don't care about religion, and clerics are seldom zealots.
Clerics and followers of the religions must not break the Wyrmsteethian laws in following their faiths and rituals, so strange religions usually are not present here. The most common immortals followed here are:
Pearl, the Moon Dragon - The Moon Dragon is extremely popular in Wyrmsteeth. His cult is very old, and many humans who are not otherwise interested in religion appreciate him because they believe that it is thanks to him and the presence of dragons (which scares ignorant outsiders) that they can live in peace and be left alone. A great order of clerics of Pearl is the Holy Blood Sword, which is detailed in this work. Many lizardmen and dragonkin also revere him.
Kagyar (Vulcanus) - Kagyar the Artisan, sometimes known as Vulcanus by Thyatians and fire elementalists, is revered here. Many artisans are present in Wyrmsteeth, most of them dwarves; most of these are Kagyar's followers.
Creating Wyrmsteeth Characters
[Note: Notes on creating characters may be found in TSR's Gazetteer series. Notes relevant to Wyrmsteeth are found below.]
Thyatians - Thyatians are mostly found in the city of Seel, which hosts 5,000 Imperial natives. They are by far the most friendly culture of Wyrmsteeth. Although they are not so active and lively as their southern relatives, they are among the nicest people to deal with. They keep different inns and taverns in Seel, and travel often out of Wyrmsteeth, many to visit their relatives in Thyatis, with whom they have still contact. Thyatians came here from three different sources: some were lycanthropes, werewolves that searched for a more easy way to live their condition; others were adventurous men who were searching for a new place to settle; still others were leaving Oceansend after the declaration of independence of the city during the Alphatian attack of 959. The Thyatians of Wyrmsteeth are so concerned with feeling that they are still a part of the Thyatian Empire that many buy houses in their ancestral country, spending great amounts of time and money in order to travel there and spend some time in the company of their parents. Usually they do so in the coldest winter months. They also spend lot of time and money in order to import Thyatian wines, cheeses, and other products.
Wyrmsdanners (Heldanners & other Antalian peoples transplanted to Wyrmsteeth) - The Antalians are the largest ethnic group of Wyrmsteeth (13,000). Heldanners and men from the Northern Reaches living here call themselves Wyrmsdanners. Many of them have lost a lot of their violent cultural traits, because the most violent and dangerous people were thrown out the country after AC 831. They have developed a more vengeful personality, easily offended by insults, and they have a special hate for the race that has caused their exile: Heldanners nearly all escaped the Order of Vanya's attack. Northern Reaches men are mostly descendants of pirates and bandits that hid themselves in Wyrmsteeth. Some of them (30%) are people of Norwold who found more safe to be under the dragon's control than be exposed to their raids. These are more similar to Northern Reaches men, and more relaxed than their somewhat paranoid Wyrmsteethian cousins.
Werewolves - Werewolves number approximately 4,000. 800 are Averoignian; 1,000 Thyatian; 1,500 Heldanners or Northmen; and 700 of various other nationalities. They differ in nothing from their human neighbours, and it is nearly impossible to find who a werewolf is (though this is also because of the Wyrmsteeth laws that help them remain unnoticed, as long they do not harm others). The laws forbid the use of anti-lycanthrope herbs or charms, and any visitor that is found bringing them in the country is cast out of the country, after a heavy fine. In 802, the Dragon King invited many refugees from Glantri, driven out by the persecutions and by the great plague, to settle down in Wyrmsteeth. In his invitation there was an explicit mention of werewolves, so many of them undertook the long journey to Norwold. Some werewolves found it easier to settle down in that country, but others decided that they were too tired of fighting with humans, and perhaps the shelter of the dragons could protect them from the endless persecutions. In the following years, the lycanthropes tried to build themselves a new life in the country, but some of them had no intention of controlling the nature of the beast and proved often to be a threat to dwarves and other humans, so the risk of a new purge was high. The problems went on for many years, until in 831 the Constitution, approved by clerics of Pearl and dwarves, set a stop to them by imposing the exile to all troublemakers, both werewolves and humans. Many were forced to leave the country, others left of their own will, dissatisfied with the new laws. A large number remained; these were the ancestors of the Averoigne-origin lycanthropes. Soon, other werewolves from Norwold, Heldann, and Thyatis tried to secure permission to live in Wyrmsteeth, and the population grew. Werewolves gained control of the Order of the Holy Blood Sword; many serve in the Army; and there is a branch of the Canine Protection Society in Seel. For more information on werewolf characters, see PC4, Night Howlers.
Dwarves - Dwarves of Wyrmsteeth are like any other dwarves on the surface of Mystara; they are short humanoids of heavy built, of strong constitution. Dwarves were the first race to be invited to Wyrmsteeth after the 802 events. Some of them accepted, forming the Wurkrest clan; others refused, fearing dragon intrusion in their clan activities, and went to build the Stormhaven fortress. There are now 3,000 dwarves in Wyrmsteeth. Dwarves of Wyrmsteeth are all members of the Wurkrest clan, which is mostly composed of miners and gem crafters. The Wurkrest dwarves are of light brown skin complexion, and have blue or golden eyes, with red or light brown hair. They are isolationists; they want nothing to do with the outer world, and also have little to do with other Wyrmsteethians, apart from those from their home town, Tua'than. Even then, dwarves think of Tua'than as two separate towns: Tua'than, the outer town, where humans live; and Groggat, the "real" town, the dwarven town (mostly under the surface, inside the mountain). Despite their isolationism, the dwarves have strong ties with their cousins of Stormhaven, and holds some contact (with clan Ambassadors) with Rockhome. Dwarves have their own society, and have a Clan Master and a Dwarven Relic. They consider themselves as employed artisans for a race that must be respected, and they believe that the dragons return this respect in kind. Thus, they are extremely proud of their work (perhaps excessively so), and view humans of Wyrmsteeth as a sort of lesser race that works for the sustenance of the nation, while they dedicate themselves to higher activities.
Lizardkin - Nearly all lizardkin live in Th'hral, which they founded in 845 AC. They are all under the direct rule of the Dragonlord Hk'rhal, who pleases himself with the name of Dragonlizard. Hk'rhal genuinely loves all lizardmen and lizardkin, whom he has always regarded as small, human-proportioned dragons, made by the lizard gods in the image of dragons. He has helped them build the city and devotes a lot of time to the city of Th'hral, where he is often found in the shape of a Lizard King. There are two different races of lizard-kin represented here, members of the arctic lizardman subspecies (they are white-azure in skin colour, and like cold climates) and varkha (presented in MCA III as underdark lizard men, here simply shorter and subterranean dwelling lizard men). Some live in the surface Th'hral, but most prefer to live in the subterranean lake that provides them with an abundance of fish. They are a reclusive race, and don't care much for other people in Wyrmsteeth. They love their dragon ruler Hk'rhal, and are totally loyal to him, but care nothing for other dragons. In lizardkin society, males typically become fighters, while females become clerics of Ka; though it's not unusual to find a male cleric and a female warrior. Arctic lizard men receive a +2 bonus to strength and a -2 to dexterity. Varkha receive a +1 to strength, +1 to constitution, -1 to dexterity and -1 to charisma. Basic armour class is 5. Most are of neutral alignment, with varkha inclining to lawful evil.
DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE TO WYRMSTEETH
[Players, read no further!! - This section contains possible spoilers for playing in Wyrmsteeth, and by reading on you will ruin your gaming experience there. If you have enjoyed reading this Gazetteer, please refer your DM here. For now, please scroll to the bottom of the screen and click "Home" to continue enjoying the Tome of Mystara. - Editor.]
Dragon History of Norwold
This is the true and complete history of dragons in Norwold. Most of the dragons of Norwold and Wyrmsteeth are perfectly aware of it, simply because many of them have lived through many of the below events.
Dragons as a race are one of the oldest created in Mystara. After the axis shift brought about by the Great Rain of Fire, Norwold became one of coldest regions of the planet. Dragons, as a race, have subspecies that adapt to any climate easily, and the high mountains of Norwold were a preferred choice for these intelligent flying lizards. The first dragons to come here were the White. They had moved from the Arctic Regions that had become too hot with the polar shift, and many settled here; others searched further, and finally moved along with frost giants to occupy barren Frosthaven. The White lived in Wyrmsteeth from around 2800 BC in relative peace, little bothered by Antalian tribesmen who were occupied Norwold (indeed, these men proved tasty if frozen)
Problems arose around the year 1900 BC, when a solitary red dragon named Syare stumbled upon the volcanoes of Wyrmsteeth Range and decided to make them his new home. His encounter with the white dragons of the region didn't deter him; he defeated the greatest of them and the others fled, some to the Icereach range, some even to Frosthaven. Then he begin to ravage the Antalian villages and cities, contributing to the fall of that civilisation. Syare forced the Antalian cities to revere him as a god, demanding sacrifices in his name. His rulership was cruel and savage, but it provided the Antalians protection against the horde of King Loark in 1722 BC. Syare ruled undefeated for centuries, finally leaving his realm only to seek Immortality in the Sphere of Matter.
During his Quest, Syare spent years to regain an old Artifact, the Shard of Sakkrad, which he found protected by a gold dragon. The battle was hard, but he destroyed the wyrm and delightedly passed to a new life in which he had the powers of a red, a blue and a black dragon. In this shape, he decided to create a new land that would be the Testimony of his might and the final step toward Immortality. To this end, he defeated dragons and dragon clans without killing them, having them swear loyalty to his power and follow him to live in Norwold. This was the birth of Wyrmsteeth, and in 745 BC it was also the birth of the Immortal Moon Dragon, Syare (which in the dragon tongue means "Pearl"). Syare looked upon Wyrmsteeth and decided that before his leaving he would not appoint a successor. He was enthralled by the chaotic situation that would follow his departure, and he left Norwold suddenly, without a trace. The dragons took their time to discover what happened. Many simply didn't care of his leaving, and continued to live in Norwold; others were happy and left for their old homes. But other, more clever dragons saw the possibilities of power hidden in his departure. For the moment they did not act; dragons have plenty of time.
While the strongest dragons of Norwold gathered their followers and prepared for a major war to obtain control on the region, Pearl cultivated with care the Antalians' old cult of the "Dragon God from the mountains" (in fact, Syare himself). The Wyrmsteeth range became taboo for the barbarian tribes of Antalian descent, and although not many of the Antalians worshipped Pearl, many continued to fear him, and to live in the hope he would protect them from conquest outsiders, as he had before. Pearl watched with great satisfaction over Wyrmsteeth, because it would be theatre to an epic war between dragons that would both satisfy his sense of drama and find him a worthy successor. Many dragons of different races fought for years, while the Antalians, barred from the mountains by religious beliefs, never suspected what was happening. As dragons clashed for generations, the memory of Syare-Pearl began to fade for most humans; but the mountain people, who could sometimes see a dragon pass by, still believed in the presence of a dragon spirit who protected the land.
When the war finally came to an end, around 500 BC, it was Lyalia who succeeded. A blue dragon, she led the Blues to become the greatest force of Norwold, aided by the White clan; most Reds and Greens, being inferior in number, fled to southern regions, with thoughts of vengeance. Black dragons, who had allied with Browns [D&D: Ambers], stayed low, but remained in Norwold, and waited. Lyalia's rule was not as wise as Syare's. She enjoyed leading great bands of dragons to destroy and sack human settlements, driving humans to hate the great creatures that they once believed to be their protectors. Not long passed before wyrmslayers began to appear in the now-infamous region, to destroy every trace of the "foul race." Lyalia was killed by a great barbarian leader, and dragons lost their ruler and their unity, scattering throughout Norwold. Reds and Greens, Blacks and Browns, returned to Wyrmsteeth under the iron rule of a new commander, Incediarious (not to be mistaken for the female dragon of CM3: The Sabre River; that Incendiarious is the strongest of his children currently alive). Incediarious was a great wyrm of superior intelligence, originally from Rockhome. He had long lived with humans, roaming the world in search of gold and magic, and was one of the strongest creatures of Mystara. He saw in Wyrmsteeth the same chance for power that his predecessor Syare had seen. But he acted very differently from Lyalia, keeping a loose control on the dragons, knowing that their free nature could only with difficulty be tamed into forming a real society. And he was not willing to spend all his time ruling; wielding raw power was good enough if it allowed him to concentrate on his treasures and his magic. This allowed him to reign for centuries over the dragons, whom he prohibited to organise and conduct great raids on villages of Norwold (in order to keep the humans from knowing the vast amount of dragons that lived there). The dragons lived and prospered.
Centuries passed without significant events, until AC 802, year of the Great Plague. Many dwarves fleeing Glantri escaped to the north, and - to avoid crossing elvish territory - crossed the mountains to Norwold, where they formed the Stormhaven clan. Dragons who lived there were not overjoyed by the event, but the new ruler of Wyrmsteeth, a dragon known as Mors Rufus ("Red Death" in Thyatian) who had succeeded Incendiarious around 400 AC when Incendiarious left in search of Immortality, saw a new way to attract followers. He presented himself in the guise of the "ruler of the mountains," who allowed the dwarves to stay. He asked the dwarves if they were willing to work for him in the mines of Wyrmsteeth in exchange for settling in his kingdom, and some of the more young and ambitious agreed. They founded the mountain city of Grag Cath, while the others sought shelter in the caves of Stormhaven. Mors Rufus then made his intention known to other important rulers of the Known World and began attracting followers to his nation. There were not many people who liked the idea of working under a dragon, but Mors Rufus had carefully planned the immigration by inviting members of hunted races, such as werewolves, and those hated by humans who still had enough culture and civilisation to be a good ally for the dragons (some lizardman, human exiles and refugees, misanthropes, a few half-elves). Many clerics of Pearl from all over the Old World left for Wyrmsteeth; there they founded the Order of the Holy Blood Sword, elite fighters in the name of Dragonkind, in 828 AC. The Dragon Kingdom of Wyrmsteeth was born.
CONTEMPORARY EVENTS
831 AC: Clerics of Pearl and dwarven barristers design the Constitution, framing the laws of Wyrmsteeth. Many lycanthropes and humans are expelled from Wyrmsteeth or arrested to work in the mines, being accused of different crimes. Grag Cath is renamed Tua'than, with Grag Cath becoming the dwarven quarter under the surface.
843 AC: Foundation of the city of Th'hral.
859 AC: Sire Philippe de Suveire, a Glantrian noble werewolf in exile, becomes a cleric of Pearl.
871 AC: Sire Philippe de Suveire becomes High Cleric of Pearl and begins recruiting werewolf followers.
876 AC: Founding of the Legion of Moon, the elite force of the Holy Blood Sword, formed exclusively by lycanthropes.
883 AC: It is decided that only the High Cleric of Pearl may be the General of the Legion of Moon.
885 AC: Founding of the city of Seel.
893 AC: Founding of the city of Wheine.
952 AC: Wyrmsteeth rulers invite Heldannic refugees to the nation. This act irritates the Order of Vanya. Mutual distrust follows the event.
964 AC: Official alliance between Rockhome and Wyrmsteeth dwarves.
981 AC: The current Moonlord, Harald Hardråde, signs a mutual aid treaty with Malachie du Marais, and supports Malachie's claims on Morlay and Malinbois.
985 AC: Sire Malachie du Marais founds the Canine Protection Society. Many Wyrmsteeth citizens become full time members or sympathisers.
993 AC: Thyatian noble Julius Penhaligon becomes General of the Legion of Moon.
998 AC: Alliance between Wyrmsteeth and Thyatis.
1000 AC: Gazetteer time. All information in this booklet is presented with this date in mind.