[With thanks to Ken Beuden.]
The Five Dragon Artefacts of Vatos (#4/30, #156/365) [EA:V2] (Artefact)
"In pursuit of such evil powers, Malbordus grew into manhood. In order to prove to the [Dark] Elves that he was ready to receive the Elf Lords' knowledge, he first had to pass a test. He was ordered to journey south to the Desert of Skulls to find the lost city of Vatos. In the city were hidden five Dragon artefacts which he would have to find and collect. A simple incantation would bring the Dragons to life to serve the forces of evil. Malbordus would then instruct them to fly him back to Darkwood Forest, where a massive army would be assembling. He would receive the ancient powers and lead the hordes of chaos across Allansia in an unstoppable wave of death and destruction."
- Temple of Terror by Ian Livingstone (p. 20, Wizard edition)
The Dragon Master is a mysterious figure, an Animal Mage so adept they command the most powerful beasts within the Animal Court, the Dragons themselves! Various personages have claimed such a mantle in times past on Titan, such as the priestess Gwarthran who created the races of Dragonmen and Lizardines, or the unnamed Lizard Man sorcerer who learned the secret of spawning War Dragons. One of the more recent however, although still from before the great War of the Wizards, was a southerner who forged the five mighty Dragon artefacts and hid them within the now-lost city of Vatos, among the trackless dunes of the Desert of Skulls.
Much of the accompanying lore about these mysterious Dragon Artefacts has been compiled with the aid of Landor Shanzul of Alkemis, a priest of Kilanirax and learned sage of the draconic creatures. Each of the five Dragon artefacts is made from a different substance, as follows:
- Bone Dragon: This is an old Dragon bone that has been carved into the shape of a Dragon.
- Crystal Dragon: This is a small chunk of Crystal (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 81), that has been carved into the shape of a Dragon.
- Ebony Dragon: This is a small piece of Ebony (see The Titan Herbal, p. 28) heartwood, that has been carved into the shape of Dragon.
- Gold Dragon: This is a small charm made of gold and sculpted into the shape of a Dragon.
- Silver Dragon: This is a small ornament made of silver and sculpted into the shape of a Dragon.
If one is lucky enough to possess all five Dragon artefacts, they gain the following powers:
- Control Dragon: The owner of all five Dragon artefacts can make up to five unfamiliar Dragons in the immediate vicinity react as if Friendly. The effects last for one hour and during this time the Dragons can be commanded to do anything within reason, such as leave the area if possible, or attack a nearby enemy.
- Commune with Dragon: The owner can speak, read and understand the language of Dragon Speech, used by all draconic races, effectively with a Special Skill rating of 4. This lasts for one hour.
- Immune to Dragon Attack: The owner is immune to the attacks of any Dragon, including any special abilities. For example, an owner of all five Dragon artefacts would be completely immune to any Dragon's breath weapon attack. This does not apply to spells cast by a Dragon however. This lasts for one hour.
Each power can be used once per day, but only if the owner of all five Dragon artefacts is a spellcaster, and requires a successful Magic Special Skill roll to work. In addition, someone who possesses just one Dragon artefact, may cast the Ritual of the Draconic Companion (assuming they are a spellcaster; see below) summoning a Dragon to aid them.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many have tried to retrieve the Dragon artefacts from Vatos for their own use. One of the latest is the Dark Elf-trained spellcaster Malbordus the Storm Child, who some say is heading to the lost city as soon as possible to acquire these potent adjuncts in order to further his plans of conquest. In order to foil this attempt, mighty heroes are needed to venture to Vatos first, armed with the legendary Hammer of Gillibran with which to destroy the Dragon artefacts once and for all.
Some mages claim such a hero must destroy the artefact they first acquired when venturing into Vatos, assuming they have captured all five. Otherwise, the artefacts are protected by an unseen evil force and the attempted destroyer will suffer the loss of -1 SKILL and -2 STAMINA points as they suddenly feel very weak when trying to the smash the Dragon artefact with Gillbran's Hammer. Woe betide those who attempt to destroy any Dragon artefact without the Hammer of Gillibran; they must Test their Luck or be instantly petrified.
Not available to buy
New spell:
Ritual of the Draconic Companion
Magic-Conjuration: 6 (or 8 Magic Points, see below)
Type: Summoning
Components: At least one Dragon artefact
Time Taken: 1 Hour
Rarity: Legendary
Description: This ritual requires at least one of the above five Dragon artefacts, and summons one Dragon for each Dragon artefact possessed by the caster. Roll on the table below to determine the type of Dragon that has been summoned, and if multiple Dragon artefacts are owned by the ritual caster, reroll any duplicates - each Dragon must be of a unique type. (Thus, someone who possessed all five Dragon artefacts and cast this spell would summon all five types of Dragon from the the table below; note that Gold Dragons are never summoned for this is an evil artefact and spell to use.)
Roll Dragon Type
1 Silver Dragon
2 Red Dragon
3-4 Black Dragon
5 Green Dragon
6 White Dragon
The summoned Dragon will be an adult of its type, and serve the caster faithfully for as long as they posses the Dragon artefact in question, or until the Dragon is slain. The creature(s) will obey all reasonable commands; an unreasonable command will end their summoning.
The Ritual of the Draconic Companion can be learned by many different types of spellcaster. It can be cast, with no penalty, as an Animal Mastery, Conjuring, or Arcane Ritual, but the caster will suffer a -2 penalty if they are using Wizardry or Marrangha Magic. It costs 8 Magic Points if cast as an Animal Mastery, Wizardry or Marrangha Magic spell, or as an Arcana Ritual; for Conjuring it requires a Special Skill score of at least 6.
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