Who’s Who in the Wyrmsteeth Part 1

The true power of the Dragon kingdom is a mystery to us in many ways, and I believe no amount of investigation will solve it in reasonable time. We know the theoretical extension of the Kingdom and the alleged population of dragons and humanoids, but such figures are tentative guesses at best. Some past adventurers and spies say no dragon kingdom really exists, as the dragons are too independent to have a society similar to the humanoid ones, and the Wyrmsteeth is just a pretense so that the dragons are left alone. Others say instead that the Dragon Kingdom is much larger and more powerful than we can conceive, spans huge territories all over Brun and pulls the strings of all the humanoid nations. I believe we will never know for sure, unless the dragons themselves let us know.

From a report written by unknown adventurer (or spy), to King Ericall, around 1010 AC.

So you want to know how the Dragonking is chosen? Well I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.

Mu’shadir Akraman, dragonkin citizen of the Wyrmsteeth, joking (or not) with a Norwolder friend.

Dragon history and society

Dragons have inhabited the Wyrmsteeth mountains² since the dawn of time. Before the Great Rain of Fire, the Dragon Empire dominated a vast area that included modern Norworld and surrounding lands, then a warmer country. At the time, sages believe the Empire spanned almost the entirety of Brun. The red dragon Mengul was the Emperor for many centuries. The Dragon Empire fought against Blackmoor several times, but was never conquered. After the Great Rain of Fire, it seems the Empire was dissolved, and at some point the Wyrmsteeth Dragon Kingdom was created, at least by 1900 BC when the red dragon Syare ruled it with an iron fist. In 745 BC Syare became an Immortal, and for many years he had no successor, until around 500 BC the blue dragon Lyalia became queen. After she was killed fighting humans, the red dragon Pradapukran succeeded her around 100 BC. She ruled almost unchallenged for five hundred years, except for a brief tyranny by the white dragon Quesa between 330 and 336 AC. The Queen however abdicated for unknown reasons in 400 AC, leaving rulership to her mate Verslen. He was not as popular as her among the dragons, however, and by 500 AC the Kingdom no longer had a king, and was ruled by the Parliament of Dragons and its appointed Speaker, the gold dragon Marthaen. After the brief reign of the Dragonking Thelvaeneir (513 AC), and some more years with Marthaen as Speaker, by 550 AC it was eventually decided that the Parliament would elect a King, or a Queen, that would remain in charge as long as he or she had the trust of the Parliament. Therefore in recent years reigns have lasted from a few years to centuries, as the Parliament has to confirm the King or Queen every three years. Sometimes a would-be King (or Queen) can challenge the ruling monarch to combat to gain some votes in the Parliament. Such duels are never to the death, but the losing dragon will have to submit to the winner. If the Parliament is so divided that it cannot agree on a single King or Queen, a Diarchic, Triarchic (or even more, theoretically) kingdom may occur. In this case however the rulers are called Earls instead of Kings (or Queens).
Verslen, having learned to build better alliances, ruled almost continuously from 550 AC to 670 AC, then the blue dragon Lhoran³ became King until 828 AC, when he ascended to Immortality. Verslen became the Dragonking again, creating the modern Wyrmsteeth Kingdom as it is now.

This map was taken from Robin D’s Detailed Map of Northwestern Brun 8mph http ://pandius .com /tm _north _by _6 inchnails -d 5 yfvcd .jpg and from my map of Brun 24mph but it updates both as I replaced several dragon lairs and added some more. Each one of these lairs should be considered a city, with dragon vassals and humanoid servants. More possible dragon lairs are indicated on the map, but are unnamed as their occupants have not been developed yet. The dragons only exert nominal control over their borderlands, mainly to prevent encroachment into their territories by foreign powers such as Norwold or the Heldannic Knights, and in truth even many dragons outside the borders of Wyrmsteeth are loyal to the Dragonking.

Dragons in Mystara

The article “From Hatchling to Immortal Guardians” by Bruce Heard, published in Dragon Magazine 170, June 1991⁴, and the Dragonlord Trilogy by Thorarinn Gunnarsson, published in 1994-1996 are the main canon sources for dragon society in Mystara, but each has a quite different approach. The Ceremony of Sublimation as detailed by Bruce Heard generates a highly hierarchical society where hoarding treasures has a great importance, and the Omens of Coming caused by the sublimation can have a major impact on the campaign, creating also a major natural enmity between lawful and chaotic dragons. In Thorarinn Gunnarsson’s depiction the ceremony isn’t mentioned and the different types of dragon seem to get along much better in an organized and complex society. It’s up to each DM to decide how to use these different ideas⁵.

Dragon rulers

Verslen aka Mors Rufus aka Red Death aka Renffeodagg, 23 HD Huge Red Dragon, Dragonking

The current Dragonking⁶ (from 828 to 1014 AC) was once a vassal of Pradapukran and he is rumored to be the father of her children. He more or less created the Wyrmsteeth as they are now, inviting new settlers such as the Glantrian dwarves, werewolves and Thyatians, and allowing some contacts with the outside world. He is also a priest of Pearl. Even if Eruptaar is his chief rival, he is on good terms with him and the other golds, and with Jherdar, even if he tends to favor Pearl over other religions⁷. He doesn’t trust Ferrimyx, even if she has supported him so far. He has alway been prudent in the relations with dragons outside Norwold, even when others requested much more decisive actions, as in the case of Idris and Vitriol⁸.

Incendiarious aka Pradapukran, 23 HD Huge Red Dragon, former Dragonqueen and Dragonlady of the Second Legion

Incendiarious⁹ was the Dragonqueen of Wyrmsteeth from 100 BC to 400 AC. A great wyrm of superior intelligence, originally from Rockhome. She had long lived with humans, roaming the world in search of adventure and magic. She eventually abdicated and settled at the source of the Sabre river, where she now lives with her 5 children. She now rarely meddles in the politics of the Dragon Kingdom, but her moral authority still has great weight nonetheless. The current Dragonking is the father of her children (a fact not widely known) and she officially commands the Second Legion of the Wyrmsteeth’s army. She maintains contact with her subjects using magical scrolls.

Gemstone dragons (Crystal, Onyx, Jade, Sapphire, Ruby and Amber [or Brown]) are canon Mystara dragons, but only the Dragonlord trilogy by Thorarinn Gunnarssonn gave a possible explanation for their origin, summarized in Simone Neri’s History of Dragonkind (http ://pandius .com /drgnkndh .html). Gemstone dragons were powerful dragon sorcerers that tried to reach immortality and failed, gaining their present aspect. They eventually started a war against Blackmoor, but were defeated and exiled to another world, where they fell under the control of a being known as the Overlord. They returned to conquer Mystara with him in 513 AC, were freed from the Overlord’s control and spared by the Dragonking Thelvaneir (also the Immortal Diamond). Since then, Gemstone dragons have returned to Mystara and some of them also live in Norwold and the Wyrmsteeth. Their leader in Norwold is Thyralax, a 22 HD Huge Ruby Dragon, often contested by his rival Mardius, a 22 HD Huge Brown (Amber) Dragon (They appear in AC10, Bestiary of Dragons and Giants, page 45, where Mardius tries to destroy Thyralax). My personal take on Gemstone dragons is to use them as ancient breeds more common in Skothar than in other Mystaran continents.

In AD&D and later editions Gemstone dragons are of different kinds (Amethyst, Crystal, Emerald, Sapphire and Topaz) and have psionic powers, but could be used alongside the Mystaran ones if the DM wishes so.

Eruptaar aka Hessuarveeum aka Gheradaen the Golden, 24 HD Huge Gold Dragon, Speaker of the Golds and Ruby¹⁰

Speaker of the Golds and cleric of Diamond, Eruptaar¹¹ is working to become the next Dragonking, and is likely to succeed within a few years. He has a young son, Kindling, whom he loves dearly. He is an old friend of Marthaen and all the other gold dragons are ready to support him. He advocates a decisive intervention against Vitriol and Idris.

Xanesh aka Khukh aka Y'ilorchaem, 20 HD Huge Blue Dragon, Speaker of the Blues and Sapphire and Dragonlord of the First Legion

Xanesh¹² is the Speaker for the Blues and the commander of the First Legion. He cares little of other dragons, but he doesn't want to raise the ire of Verslen, and so is loyal to him. Xanesh hates Vedmak, and would oppose him in any case. Neither does he love the other reds, so could be inclined to support Eruptaar in the future, if he cannot raise enough support to become Dragonking himself. Xanesh’s lair contains a portal to Yggdrasil¹³, the World Tree, and was once a sacred place for the northern men, now lost in legends. Xanesh thinks he could build a public temple around the portal, gaining support from humans and even the northern Immortals, but he also fears the other dragons might not like such a move very much.

Jherdar aka Vedmak, 23 HD Huge Red Dragon, Speaker of the Reds and Amber

The Speaker of the Reds¹⁴ is a powerful dragon in the Wyrmsteeth, and rumored to be very rich. He is on friendly terms with the gold dragons, particularly with Marthaen and Daresha, and respected by Verslen and Pradapukran, and is for this very reason despised by some younger and ambitious reds, such as Ferrimyx and Emberash.

Medyanka aka Ipsilon, 18 HD Huge Green Dragon, Dragonlord of the Third Legion, Speaker of the Greens and Jade

Commander of the Third Legion, Medyanka¹⁵ is probably the most savage dragon of Wyrmsteeth. A Great Wyrm of incredible strength and magic, he considers himself as strong as Verslen but has not challenged him yet because the current king gave him the title of the Dragonlord, and also because he has very few supporters among other dragons. Medyanka despises humans, and would greatly enjoy waging a war against Norwold - naturally with himself crowned Emperor of the region as the outcome. That is very unlikely as his vassals are not very strong and not many others would follow him, unless he can become powerful enough to force them.

Hk'rhal the Dragonlizard aka Thalbar, 17 HD Huge Black Dragon, Speaker of the Blacks and Onyx and Dragonlord of the Fourth Legion

Dragonlord of the city of Th'hral and commander of the Fourth Legion, he enjoys the self anointed title of Dragonlizard. Hk'rhal¹⁶ genuinely loves all lizardkin, whom he has always regarded as made in the image of dragons. He has helped them build the city of Th'hral, where he is often found in the shape of a lizardman. The city has also a population of dragonborn and dragonkin. He doesn’t likes non reptilians much, but some live peacefully in his city nevertheless. He respects Verslen, though he does not fear him. So far he has always supported the Dragonking, but he is considering Eruptaar’s claim. He really hates Vitriol for the influence he has over black dragons of the world.

Klaki, 14 HD Huge White Dragon, Speaker of the Whites and Crystal

Klaki¹⁷ is a staunch supporter of Verslen as the Dragonking always shows him respect and gives him magnificent gifts, a small trick Pradapukran employed before him. Klaki has cordial relations with the golds, the blacks and the blues but is annoyed by the arrogance of many reds and greens, such as Medyanka and Ferrimyx.

Marthaen, 25 HD Huge Gold Dragon, Speaker of the Dragon Parliament

Marthaen¹⁸ is a old and powerful gold with great influence and great expertise of magic. Still the Speaker of the Parliament, he has never desired to become Dragonking but has always been an informal “prime minister” of the dragon nation for all the kings in the last five centuries. He is one of the most powerful dragons of the Wyrmsteeth but also the most likely to interact with agents, ambassadors and adventurers. Thelvaeneir, now the Immortal Diamond, mated with Marthaen’s sister Kharendaen, and he became the foster father of their daughter, his niece Therandael (described in the next issue of Threshold), when they left for the Immortal realms.

Sandryth, 12 HD Small Gold Dragon

Appointed by the Parliament as envoy¹⁹ in the surrounding human dominions to represent the Wyrmsteeth Kingdom, this gold lives at the moment in the Barony of Arcadia²⁰ and is a friend of Marthaen.

Krasniy, 10 HD Small Red Dragon

This small red²¹ rules the town of Saffir in disguise on behalf of the Dragonking, as the place is considered strategic by the Wyrmsteeth kingdom.

Dragon personalities

Daresha, 23 HD Huge Gold Dragon

Mate of Marthaen and foster mother of Therandael, Daresha²² is a powerful gold who has no official power in the Wyrmsteeth but holds much influence, as dragons and others often try to reach her for petitions or informations meant for Marthaen and the Dragonking. She patiently receives almost everyone who asks for an audience, eventually.

Tugar aka Lhorandyn, 22 HD Huge Gold Dragon

Tugar²³ is another powerful and influential gold dragon who maintains good relations with the humans, the centaurs and the other people who live near to the Wyrmsteeth western border. He is also informally called the Fifth Dragonlord, and he is considering asking the King for this to become an official position. Tugar has developed an affection for Ellimyris (see below) and is preparing himself to challenge Raruk and eventually Ferrimyx²⁴ to free her.

Seldaek, 16 HD Large Gold Dragon, Priest of the Great One and High Priest of Diamond

As a cleric of The Great One and now also the High Priest of the Immortal Diamond, Seldaek²⁵ is respected by everyone in the kingdom and is even able to influence Verslen, even if the King is notoriously one of the faithful of Pearl. He maintains cordial relations with pretty much everyone and does much of the everyday work of Saerna.

Saerna, 30 HD Ancient Huge Grey Dragon, High Priest of the Great One

Saerna²⁶ belonged to the original race of the Great Dragon from before the Great Rain of Fire, and no one knows how old she is. Her skin is gray with blue hues and wild rumors circulate about her, such that she is the daughter of the Great One or she was the mate of Emperor Mengul. She intervenes very rarely on matters regarding the Kingdom but when she does, Kings or Queens do as she says. She sleeps for long times and Seldaek attends to most of the church’s everyday work for her.

Rzhavchina or Ferrimyx²⁷, 19 HD Large Red Dragon

The ambitious red female had 12 offspring with two different fathers (Aarl’lek and Emberash), 8 of them still living. She has been building a power base for centuries, and controls directly her offspring (from Aarl’lek) Virraxn, Nithramor, and Lithiar and the dragons Aillucent, Gwa-Dthorim, Hekhekh, Sutkehr, and Emberash. The five young offspring from Emberash still live with her. She hates Aarl’lek, who killed three of her (and his own) children. She also hates Verslen, the current Dragonking, who killed her son Hedfang in self defence when the young fool attacked him. She pretends to support the king, waiting for the right time.

Virraxn, 9 HD Small Red Dragon

The smallest of Ferrimyx's offspring from her mating with Aarl'lek, Virraxn²⁸ is content to stay in her mother's shadow. Ferrimyx tolerates the young female, for she is completely beholden to her mother. She can most often be found in the presence of Ferrimyx.

Aillucent²⁹, 12 HD Large White Dragon

The ancient white was sheltered by Ferrimyx after his defeat by another white dragon, and now he uses his magical knowledge to benefit her. Aillucent however hates Ferrimyx, who taunts him every time she visits his laboratory lair. He is working on a way to distil lycanthropy though he doesn’t plan to deliver it to Ferrimyx as promised, but rather to infect himself with lycanthropy³⁰ to strengthen his failing body. He has several lycanthropic servants.

Gwa-Dthorim³¹, 13 HD Large Green Dragon

A slender green who lives in the forests below Ferrimyx's lair, subjugated by her in 990 AC. He controls a flock of seven young greens (2 small dragons, and 5 young [treat as 1/2 hit die of Small in the RC]) all hatched from the same brood.

Hekhekh and Sutkehr³², 8 HD Small Black Dragons

This brother and sister dominate several different lizard men tribes in the area, but they too are vassals of Ferrimyx.

Raruk aka Emberash, 16 HD Large Red Dragon

Emberash³³ mated with Ferrimyx 4 decades ago and was subjugated by her. He cannot openly defy Ferrimyx, but he secretly plans for her downfall. He controls Laythanix, Ellimyris, and a flock of six white dragons that live near the peaks of his mountain territory. The whites are not from the same brood, but have banded together in order to better survive in these lands. Raruk has recently discovered that the caves under his lair go all the way to the Hollow World, and he is now planning the best way to exploit this.

Laythanix³⁴, 15 HD Large Red Dragon

This large red has just emerged from a successful Ceremony of Sublimation and with his newfound size and strength, is considering re-challenging his feudal lord Emberash. After his master is taken care of, Laythanix intends to widen his power base. He is uncertain however about Ferrimyx’s reaction to such a move.

Ellimyris, 10 HD Small Gold Dragon

Ellimyris³⁵, originally from the west, has lived in the Wyrmsteeth for many years, focusing her attentions on the local humans and dwarves. Emberash subdued her several years ago. She detests obeying the red, but has to admit that her fealty to him now affords her the ability to act in a much more open manner in this harsh land.

As the Mystara campaign setting was officially converted to AD&D in 1994, dragon breeds of that edition and following ones have appeared both in canon and fanon Mystara, even if the official Mystara AD&D Monstrous Compendium Appendix did not use them. The young copper dragon Vasylion the Younger appears in Poor Wizard Almanac III, pages 232-233, and some bronze dragons have appeared in fan works. If a DM wishes to use the typical AD&D breeds, metallic dragons such as Brass, Bronze, Copper, Electrum, Mercury and Silver could be appropriate as subspecies of the canonically Gold dragons quite common in Davania, where James Mishler placed the Golden Empire before the Great Rain of Fire. Gemstone dragons could be used in Skothar, see previous sidebar for details. AD&D Council of Wyrms could also be a good source for the Wyrmsteeth, even if the geographical setting is completely different (an island chain), with interesting rules for half dragons and dragon “kindred”. The Forgotten Realms 1990 Draconomicon introduces Yellow and Steel dragons and Chromatic crossbreeds, has some adventures and details several aspects of the life of dragons. The 3ed 2003 Draconomicon is another good sources with new dragon breeds, magic and prestige classes. Also the d20 2002 Slayer’s guide to Dragons by Gary Gygax (Mongoose publishing) has more details, breeds, lairs, spells, rules and adventures. The 3ed Monsters of Faerun describes Brown, Deep, Fang, Shadow, Song dragons and dragonkin. The 4ed 2008 Draconomicon: Metallic Dragons describes Adamantine, Cobalt, Iron, Mithral, Orium and Steel dragons, and contains encounters, adventures, and more material on dragon society and drakes. The 4ed 2009 Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons details also Brown, Gray and Purple dragons and contains also encounters, adventures and information on dragon society.

Nithramor, 15 HD Large Red Dragon

Nithramor³⁶ is the only remaining male of Ferrimyx's first brood with Aarl'lek. Nithramor banded with his brother Ligander, after leaving his mother’s lair, and the two brothers did fairly well for themselves, until their own father Aarl'lek slew Ligander, and drove away Nithramor. In exile, Nithramor established a small domain in the deserts of Ylaruam, subjugating a small bronze³⁷ and a large blue. After completing his first Ceremony of Sublimation, Nithramor has returned to the Wyrmsteeth to reclaim his birthright. Ferrimyx has lent him support in his efforts to re-establish himself, and Nithramor is not ungrateful. He may be persuaded to offer support to his mother in a time of need, but will not risk what he has. He has also formed tentative alliances with several dragons who lair near his father, in the hopes of avenging his lost brother.

Lithiar, 14 HD Large Red Dragon

Another offspring of Ferrimyx and Aarl'lek, Lithiar³⁸ was the first to leave her mother's lair. She roams about the entire Wyrmsteeth Range but has a small lair in the north west. Lithiar despises her father, and covets his lands. She has helped in various schemes of Nithramor's, but has never proven to be completely reliable. She holds Virraxn in contempt, and doesn’t like the fact that Ferrimyx tolerates her, and for this reason Lithiar has not spoken to her mother in over 150 years. She has never lifted a finger to harm either her mother or sister, but neither would she lift one to help them in any way. In fact she often dreams of their eventual downfall.

Other Norwold dragons

The following dragons do not live inside the proper borders of the Wyrmsteeth Kingdom, but in other regions of Norwold. All of them are, at least nominally, subjects of the Kingdom and must theoretically obey the Dragonking. Each of these dragons however rules usually over a sizable number of local dragons and often also several humans and humanoids communities.

Quentin Jax aka Jaq’antixuen, 16 HD Large Gold Dragon

See Rogues, Barons and Pretenders by Simone Neri in this issue for more details about him. He is loyal to the Dragonking and a friend of Marthaen.

Aarl'lek, 21 HD Large Red Dragon

First mate of Ferrimyx, this huge red male³⁹ is a vicious dragon hated by many. Ferrimyx, her clan and many others have asked the Dragonking to declare him a Renegade⁴⁰ for years, but Verslen has always refused so far because Aarl’lek is powerful, has many vassals, and controls the strategic region of the Jagged Teeth. He also traditionally keeps an eye on Quesa on behalf of the King. Besides, if the king does declare him a renegade, he will probably not hesitate to ally with the Onyx Ring.

S’hastarl, 18 HD Huge Black Dragon

This ancient black dragon⁴¹ is the lord of the Dragon Spur Hills for so many centuries that many doubt he is still alive. In truth he is almost always asleep, but eventually he could gather enough strength and power to perform a final ceremony to become an immortal. In the meantime his domain is ruled by his daughter Jahinyar and his first vassal, the green dragon Vinradrais⁴². The two have not decided yet if they should fight or mate, in the meantime they compete for power, but usually in a non-lethal way.

Dominagon, 19 HD Huge Blue Dragon

The powerful son of Lhoran⁴³, former Wyrmsteeth king that supposedly ascended to immortality in 828 AC, Dominagon now lives just outside the south eastern border of the kingdom. He is jealous of Verslen, who stole his birthright and even favored Xanesh over him among the Blues. He is considering a reckless alliance with Vitriol of Denagoth and the Onyx Ring⁴⁴ to gain more power.

Quesa, 20 HD Huge White Dragon

Probably one of the biggest white dragon of the world, Quesa⁴⁵ doesn’t recognize the authority of the King at all, but as she is now confined in her massif, Wyrmsteeth dragons do not consider her a big threat. Should she be free again, the matter would be different, as Quesa reigned over the Norwold dragons centuries ago and even the whites do not remember her harsh reign with fondness.

Grunevar and Geryashan, 13 HD Large Green Dragons

Brother and sister, these two dragons⁴⁶ have quite different personalities. Grunevar lives in the Katfjellene hills southeast of Leeha, ruling over hill giants and orcs, and he has sometimes tried to attack the halfling shire. Geryashan instead lives in the Wyrmswoods, further east, where she has established an alliance with elves and fairy folk. Neither tolerate trespassing in their territory, but recognize the authority of the Wysmsteeth king, even if Grunevar does that only grudgingly.

Zilant the green, 17 HD Huge Green Dragon

Zilant⁴⁷ is the undisputed lord of the Maghnar Valley, a heavily forested area west of the Azure Lake. As he hates Denagoth, and local humans and humanoids share this sentiment, he is a close ally of the Dragonking, but keeps asking for a direct intervention against Vitriol and the church of Idris.

Svartbak the black, 14 HD Huge Black Dragon

Lord of Menascha, the great northern swamp, Svartbak⁴⁸ is always playing a game with Verslen and Vitriol, professing fidelity to both and promising each to spy “on the other one”. Should he be forced to decide, he will probably side with Vitriol, as he is closer.

Pavystet, 11 HD Large White Dragon

Ruler of the Vuoret Muistamisesta⁴⁹, Pavystet controls several snow pardasta tribes and other humanoids of the mountains. He has good relations with the Crones of Crystykk and he is rumored to be a son of Icyclyn or even of Quesa, or both. He recognizes the Wyrmsteeth king, but he hates Aarl’lek and insists he should be declared a renegade.

Icyclyn, 21 HD Huge White Dragon

Believed to be older and bigger than Quesa, and supposedly once her mate, this white dragon⁵⁰ is a true legend of the north. He rules over a vast area, some say that indeed all the dragons north of the Great bay bow to him rather than to the Wyrsmteeth king. Despite this, he officially recognizes the king, some say, provided that he is never bothered by him.

Shardarath, 14 HD Huge Crystal Dragon

One of the few gemstone dragons known to hold a sizable domain in Brun, Shardarath⁵¹ rules Crystylyne Island in the far north. He has visited the Wyrmsteeth at least once and it’s believed he recognizes the authority of the king.

Jaakultien, 15 HD Huge White Dragon

Her name means something like golden ice in Kaarjalan, and she⁵² rules all the eastern Everwinter lands and Itämaa. A mysterious dragon, supposedly another child of Icyclyn, she officially recognizes the Wyrmsteeth king.

Ginzalias and Zydrazalias, 12 HD Large Green Dragons

“Amber green” and “Azure green”, as they like to be called, are two green dragons, female and male, who rule the Draudīgs Woods⁵³ south of Littonia and part of the plains to the west. They dominate several tribes of goblins and have a great influence in the area.

More on the Wyrmsteeth and the other dragons of the world in the next issue of Threshold magazine!

2 The Wyrmsteeth Dragons appeared in CM1 (page 8) as 1000 dragons organized under a 23 HD Huge Red Dragon Lord. Dragons of all colors except Gold were said to be common in the range. The Dragonlord trilogy changed the picture, as the dragons were ruled by a Parliament and its Speaker was a Gold dragon, and later a Gold dragon became Dragonking. Jamers Mishler’s Age of Blackmoor (http ://pandius .com /ageblack .html) created the Draconian Empire from before the Great Rain of Fire as inhabited by chromatic dragons, enemies of the Golden Empire founded by metallic dragons in Davania. Giulio Caroletti’s (and John Calvin’s) Gazetteer of the Wyrmsteeth (http ://pandius .com /wyrms .html) assumed a Dragon Kingdom where the King is a red and the Church of Pearl dominates, ignoring the Dragonlord trilogy. Simone Neri’s History of Dragonkind (http ://pandius .com /drgnkndh .html) and his article “A Traveller’s Guide to Norwold” in the last issue #7 of Threshold magazine, page 5, used mostly the Dragonlord trilogy as primary source, ignoring Giulio’s Gazetteer. Bruce Heard’s Future Heldannic History (http ://pandius .com /hk 2000.html) places a Gold dragon, Eruptaar, as the Dragonking. The Mystara Fan Almanacs of 1014-1019 AC ignored all previous works and placed in the Wyrmsteeth a Triarchic Kingdom. There is also a striking difference in tone between one version or another, in the Dragonlord trilogy in particular the Wyrmsteeth are an ancient and civilized realm, while in other fan version the chaotic nature of chromatic dragons seems to prevail. The history and political system above is a tentative way to harmonize all the different ideas, but each DM can obviously choose what he or she prefers. Subsequent notes will indicate who created a particular dragon and provide a link to the original description, if available. Many canon dragons are also listed in the article Who’s Who among Dragons by Bruce Heard, which refers to the Known World, originally published in Dragon Magazine 171: http ://pandius .com /whoswho .html and a general list of canon and fanon Mystara dragons is also here: http ://pandius .com /dragons 2.html

6 He was created by Giulio Caroletti too. I postponed his reign to make time for the events of the Dragonlord trilogy and the ascent of Dominagon’s father Lhoran. I also think his reign should end before 1014 AC to account for the presence of Eruptaar as Dragonking in Bruce Heard’s Future timeline of the Heldannic Knights: (http ://pandius .com /hkfuture .html). By 1017 AC, according to the 1017-1019 AC Fan Almanacs: (http ://pandius .com /wyrmdrac .html), there is a Triarchic Kingdom ruled by Verslen, Eruptaar and Xanesh, at least until 1019 AC. By the end of the year probably a new vote will occur in the parliament. Note that I decided to merge him with Giampaolo Agosta’s Verslen as nominated in his map of the Draconic Omens of Coming in his “Skaufskogr and beyond” article, issue #7 of Threshold magazine, page 170. I also unified him with the Renffeodagg nominated in the 1017-1019 AC Fan Almanacs, and I suppose he is also the 23 HD Red Dragon indicated as Lord in CM1. This unification of different figures is of course totally arbitrary on my part and the original authors, even if I tried to inform them when possible, could not agree fully with my choices.

9 This dragon originally appears in CM3, The Sabre River, where she has 5 children. Giulio Caroletti here: http ://pandius .com /wyrmsgaz .html and here http ://pandius .com /wyrmgaz 2.html supposed the CM3 dragon was the child of another, male Incendiarious that reigned over the Wyrmsteeth. I prefer to unify the two figures, also because dragons have longer lifespans in my campaign, but other DMs could decide otherwise and follow Giulio’s version instead. Pradapukran (potent flame) is just a “dragon name” I chose for her using some sanskrit-like sounds.