Maladraedior

Maladraedior is known to those that attend him as the Millennium Wyrm because of his enormous lifespan (even by the standards of dragons). Outside of a few devoted followers in the town of Dalath in Unther, none but the most learned of scholars is even aware of this dragon’s continued existence.

History

Maladraedior was born a slave of the Imaskari Empire like many other dragon servitors (bred as mounts for their artificer masters), he was left orphaned and alone when the heroes of the Mulan brought Imaskar low and so he fled into the expanding desert sands of Raurin.

Maladraedior gathered a coterie of blue dragons to him (all former slaves) and ruled over them as the Dragon Overlords of old had done in the southern lands. He was one of the many dragons tempted to TiaMa’ats cause and he sent his children against the lords of Unther many times before withdrawing his support suddenly. He was finally ousted sometime around -1300 DR by one of his kin and fled the Raurin Desert south towards the empires of Unther and Mulhorand. Unluckily for Maladraedior he was soon captured by the godking Amar-Du’uk and chained in a magma chamber beneath the Smoking Mountains by Gir-Ubil.

Here Maladraedior has worked tirelessly at some ancient dwarven machine that pumps magma from the ground to the surface and so keeps the pressure low which prevents the western arm of the Smoking Mountains from erupting violently and smothering the plains around it in lava (instead lava trickles continuously down the mountainside and ash rains down on the plains to the south as directed by Maladraedior).

The Millennium Wyrm has been kept alive by the magical relics bestowed upon him by the godking Gir-Ubil (although these magics were meant to keep him in perpetual servitude so that a replacement did not have to be found) and by Maladraedior’s own research. The ancient blue dragon is now an expert in several magical fields as well as the culture and genealogies of Unther and its godkings.

At some point in the last two centuries, Maladraedior acquired the knowledge to perform a ritual known only to the most senior clerics in Mulhorand that allows the target to become imbued with the power of a godking. Maladraedior has now imbued himself with the powers of an unknown godking, becoming what the Mulhorandi term a Oblaran (which translates roughly as divine servant). With his magical abilities increasing exponentially and youthful vigour returning to him, Maladraedior is desperately searching for a way to escape the chain of eternal servitude that binds him so that he can wreak his revenge upon the godkings of Unther (of whom Gil-Geamesq is the last).

Lair

Maladraedior is bound deep beneath the Smoking Mountains in a magma chamber that serves as a shrine to Gir-Ubil. Here the great blue dragon is chained to the mountain itself although the chain is long enough for him to venture through tunnels that take him as far away as Dalath and even reach the surface in places (although he seldom does so).

The Mountain Heart: This large natural magma chamber was extensively remodelled by dwarves long ago who created a complex stone machine that is capable of siphoning off magma from the main chamber beneath the Smoking Mountains, and redirecting it towards the surface through a number of different vents that lead to different locations on the surface. If done regularly the machine is capable of averting the explosive pressure that builds beneath the Smoking Mountains.

Maladraedior has worked this machine for over 2,000 years and it is his efforts that keep the mountains perpetually smoking instead of violently erupting. Of course Maladraedior has not always been so vigilant, after the death of Gir-Ubil, Maladraedior laxed in his efforts (to see if he had been forgotten) and a number of violent eruptions buried several Untheric settlements in the centuries following the Orcgate Wars. Now that Maladraedior has vested interests in Dalath he keeps the lava and ash flowing down the southern side of the Smoking Mountains and down onto the Black Ash Plain (also because he knows of the location of the Citadel of Black Ash which is filled with supporters of Gil-Geamesq and lies on the southern side of the mountains).

The Mountain Heart once contained a stone statue, presumably to some dwarven deity, but was refashioned to resemble Gir-Ubil (although the differences are miniscule). The statue presides over a large magma pool that is continually bubbling away (and is large enough for a dragon to bathe in), a huge chain with links as thick as tree trunks leads out of the magma pool and tethers Maladraedior to the bedrock itself. A number of large stone see-saws are present at the edge of the magma pool and by pressing and depressing them the magma is drawn off through a vent beneath the surface of the pool.

A network of tunnels connects the Mountain Heart to Dalath and other sites in or near the Smoking Mountains (presumably including the Citadel of Black Ash as well). The dwarves built these tunnels long ago, and they were later expanded by the faithful of Gir-Ubil. No-one alive today knows the layout of the tunnels except for Maladraedior, and he can easily escape into the tunnel network filled with traps and monsters (although his chain will make it easy to follow him).

Domain

Maladraedior once claimed all the lands of Unther, Mulhorand and Raurin as his domain. His flight of dragons assailed the lands of Unther for centuries at the behest of TiaMa’at. Ultimately Maladraedior lost his position as Suzerain (overlord) to a great grandsire that had the full patronage of TiaMa’at (although myths among the dragons claim that the Suzerain abandoned his position).

Since that time Maladraedior’s domain has encompassed a small portion on the northern side of the Smoking Mountains but should he ever escape from his imprisonment it is likely that he will seek to reclaim his territory and assert his dominance over all other dragons in the region.

Resources

The Eternal Claws: The Eternal Claws are a secret network of merchant spies that run messages (text written in draconic or dwarven script using a language devised by Maladraedior) to allies of the Millennium Wyrm in far flung corners of the Old Empires region. They are also on the lookout for items identified by Maladraedior, and hire foreign parties to perform certain tasks (plunder ruins, attack caravans, assassinate individuals).

Magic: Maladraedior is one of the few beings outside the most senior clergy of the Mulhorandi churches that has mastered the rituals necessary to imbue a being with the powers of a god. It is unknown how he acquired knowledge of the ritual but he does have an extensive network of agents and may have gained it from an original source (the ruins of Imaskar).

Maladraedior has used this ritual upon himself to increase his mastery of The Art and he has acquired a number of spells from across the Old Empires and is now capable of casting spells of the highest mysteries of The Art. The ritual has also restored youth and vitality to Maladraedior and he no longer feels weary from his millennia of servitude.

The Chain of Eternal Servitude: This enormous stone chain was constructed by the dwarves long ago and enhanced with magical runes that make it impervious to most forms of damage (that Maladraedior has tried and has access to). There is a rune capable of locking and unlocking the chain (which was used by Gir-Ubil to bind Maladraedior originally) but the knowledge of this rune was lost with Gir-Ubil and the Millennium Wyrm believes the only remaining knowledge of it lies in the depths of the Citadel of Black Ash (or perhaps with the dwarves of the Great Rift).

Apart from being impervious to the strength of a dragon, lava, electricity, and a number of other magical forms of damage , the Chain of Eternal Servitude’s only power is to bestow those damage resistances upon the being bound to the chain

The Pool of Fiery Vigour: The magma pool in the Mountain Heart rejuvenates those that rest within it (and can withstand the heat of lava), preventing natural ageing and restoring wounds while immersed. It is not known if the pool was enchanted by the dwarves or whether the magic comes from another source.

The Banespear: This artefact was acquired by Maladraedior through his agents from the market in Messemprar around 600 DR. The spear is obviously not native to the southern lands, it is forged of cold iron with brutally functional aesthetics except for a blood groove running the length of the blade and along the shaft to the wielder’s grip.

The spear is inscribed with runes reminiscent of ancient Narfell and Netheril and is rumoured to be capable of slaying any being; including giants, dragons, and even godkings. Tapestries, paintings, and carvings of this spear decorate the halls of the Black Lord’s Cloak temple in Mourktar and it was rumoured to have been wielded by Bane during his ascension atop Mount Thulbane.

Allies

The Eternal Claws: As the founder and head of this organisation, Maladraedior can command all the resources that this spy and merchant network commands. It has agents in every settlement and merchant house in Unther, as well as friends among many of the An’Ulae families.

If needed Maladraedior can secretly hire several adventuring bands to deal with anything that is threatening him or his plans.

Enemies

Gil-Geamesq: Maladraedior considers the godkings of Unther to be his enemies as they imprisoned him so long ago. As Gil-Geamesq is the only remaining godking of Unther, Maladraedior has devoted all his time and resources to destroying Gil-Geamesq and his tyrannical regime.

The Suzerain of Raurin: Maladraedior was once the Suzerain of all dragons in the Old Empires region. As he grew older he knew he would be supplanted by a younger and stronger rival. Now that his vigour has been restored to him via magical means he will likely seek to reclaim his position.

Fate

Maladraedior’s fate is a large unknown. While he remains imprisoned beneath the Smoking Mountains he is safely hidden from danger.

Should he ever escape from his prison then Maladraedior is likely to immediately seek out some of the most dangerous beings in Unther to destroy them (Gil-Geamesq and the reigning Suzerain). While Maladraedior is capable of winning combats with his opponents it will be a close contest.

Once he has beaten his enemies, Maladraedior will likely find himself under constant attacked from adventurers and other fell organisations for the knowledge and artefacts in his possession.