Draconians

DRACONIANS

Class: Magical race

Known Representatives: Grargk

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Krynn, Earth-TSR

First Appearance: (comics) Dragonlance #2 (December, 1988)

Powers: Draconians were humanoid dragons possessing claws, a fierce tail, and wings. Some were magic-users able to create illusions or spit poison.

History: (Dragonlance #2) - The Draconians were part of Lord Soth's dragon armies in service to the Dark Queen and her dark gods. Soth sent a Draconian to pursue Vandar Brightblade and his ally Riva Silvercrown who possessed the Medallion of Majere, a god of good. The duo were saved by wizard Fizban and his youthful companion Tip. They joined up to go to Silvercrown keep to warn Lord Silvercrown of tidings of war. Riva argued with him because he still refused to see her as a knight because she was a woman, and was angered that he preferred her alcoholic brother Marik. Fizban interrupted the awkward conversation by trying to remember a magic trick, and Marik asked him to show him some magic on the roof of the castle. He revealed himself as a Draconian, he'd killed the real Marik, and was acting as a spy, but he sensed Fizban had powerful magic even though he played a doddering fool. Vandar suspected something was up, and the Draconian tossed him a sword, knowing the cleric had foresworn weapons. He stood by helplessly as the Draconian threw Fizban down a shaft. Tip and Riva heard the commotion, and were both in a rage. Riva demanded single combat against the Draconian and slew him. The Draconian then shapeshifted into her own likeness.

(Dragonlance #7) - Takhisis raised the Temple of Ishtar and set Draconians to guard its' gates. Heroes Kalthanan and Myrella were on a quest to stop the Dark Queen, and slew several Draconians on their way to the temple.

(Dragonlance #8) - Raistlin's brother Caramon Majere brought Everman to him. Everman's sister Jasla was embedded in the foundation Stone, wedging open the entrance to Takhisis' realm. He convinced Everman to impale himself on the stone, freeing his sister, and shutting the doorway between worlds. Takhisis bellowed in anger, realizing she was being banished from Krynn. Her armies fell into chaos, and Kalthanan and company had to fight off a number of Draconians before fleeing on Kalthanan's griffon.

(Dragonlance #13-15) - The council of wizards chose Myrella as an initiate, and she'd have to locate the Tower of High Sorcery to complete her training. Myrella journeyed to the Forest of Wayreth where the Tower appeared to her. It was under siege by Draconian magic-users, and she managed to save councilmember Az-Araz-Zar from them. He told her the Draconian attack came without warning, and they'd seized control of the Tower's teleportation power. Some wizards managed to escape, but they passed by a dead black magician, and Myrella said better him than a red or white mage. Az-Araz-Zar scolded her, reminding her that order depended on good, neutral and evil to function. Az-Araz-Zar and Myrella suspected Raistlin was behind the attack, and they were soon overwhelmed by the Draconians. Az-Araz-Zar used the last of his power to teleport Myrella away to Que-Shu. She met Que-Shu's leaders Goldmoon and Riverwind, telling them she needed to find Raistlin and save the Tower, but they told her Raistlin was dead. A group of Draconians attacked them, then vanished, and Myrella concluded that they were realistic illusions created by the ancient mage Spyranus, who was in control of the Tower. Justarius, head of the red robes, insisted on leading Myrella through her trial, despite the fact that Dunbar Brothersmate would normally shepherd a hopeful white-robe. During Myrella's first trial she met Kalthanan, who helped her fend off Al-Araz-Zar and a group of Draconians.

(Dragonlance #17, 18, 20) - The Draconians reestablished a presence in Krynn, and their forces terrorized farms and villages, torching crops and killing residents. A small group of dissidents formed the resistance, including Riva Silvercrown, now an old woman. In a confrontation with the Draconians they killed her dragon Ktarrh and gravely injured her. She was cared for by two children Darial and Shaya, whose parents had been killed by the Draconians. Riva insisted on helping them bury their parents, despite her wounds, and told them the story of Wistan Dawnbringer, whose village was destroyed by dragons, but put aside his motives of revenge to become a Knight of Solamnia. Riva began to feel woozy and collapsed. Darial and Shaya brought Riva to town in search of a village healer. Draconians asked them their business, and Shaya claimed to be sick and in need of healing. The Draconians threatened to light the hay in their car, which hid Riva, ablaze, but then decided they weren't worth their time. A healer, grateful for the resistance, healed Riva, and gave them food and shelter for the night. Darial told Riva he wanted to be a knight like her, and asked her about her history, but she told him it would be more instructive to hear more about Wistan. The Draconians learned of Riva's location and attacked the village, killing the healer, Riva and the children fled on horseback, and Riva said she had information to end Draconian rule. They reached a mesa, and Riva summoned her fellow Knights of Solamnia, who came flying in on the back of Bronze Dragons. She presented them a spell created by Takhisis herself, meant to reign in the Draconians if they ever got beyond her control. The spell summoned Draconians from miles around, and put them in a weakened state which made them easy pickings for the Knights.

(Dragonlance #24) - Erestem, Queen of Darkness, sought control over the corrupt continent of Taladas. She recruited five champions to serve her, Minotaur Axantheas, a Traag Draconian, a Hobgoblin, a Glass Sailor and a Thenolite. During a meeting the Hobgoblin and Draconian got into a fight, with the Draconian calling the Hobgoblin an idiotic incompetent and the Hobgoblin calling his enemy a failure of Erestem’s early experiments, just like all the other Traag. Axantheas learned that the Thenolite still served Lord Hoth, evil god of the Thenol and immolated him with a flame spell.

(Dragonlance #28) - Erestem sent a troop of Traag Draconians to kill Riva Silvercrown, and they made their way through the swamps of Aurim, where they encountered a Hobgoblin den. Hobgoblin Feh, angered that Olob, the woman he wanted to marry, was engaged to mighty hunter Snonk. Feh decided to seek out Hobgoblin pundit Hanuk, asking him for a way to unseat Snonk as the most respected member of the clan. Hanuk got his hands on a Draconian spell, but admitted he hadn’t been able to translate the entire scroll. The scroll was a recipe for a potion which Feh drank, sending him to the dream-realm to commune with Erestem, Queen of Darkness. She was initially annoyed at seeing him in the dream-realm, but decided such an unassuming creature could serve some of her evil plans. She imbued Feh with power, and told him to bring her an offering that shined like the sun. The Traag Draconians raided the Hobgoblin den, but Feh repelled them with his magic and grabbed the prize Erestem wanted, the Draconian leader’s ring. Feh convinced Olob to get engaged to him and banished Snonk. Erestem told him to go to the lands of the west and kill her enemy Riva Silvercrown, saying she chose Feh over her Draconians because she knew Riva would never see Feh as a threat. Before he left Feh proclaimed that all sludge-spreaders would be elevated to hunters, and all hunters demoted to sludge spreaders. In his absence Hobgoblin society went downhill, but everyone still obeyed his last orders fearing Feh would return and destroy them. Hanuk told them to return to the old ways, saying he’d finished translating the Draconian magic, and was sure Feh would not be back. Feh’s magical powers let him conquer all that stood before him, but left his back vulnerable. Feh blasted everything in his path, but was oblivious to the fierce monsters sneaking up behind him.

Comments: Adapted to comics by Dan Mishkin & Ron Randall.

The Draconians were a race from TSR's AD&D role-playing game adapted to DC Comics. For more information see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dragonlance_creatures#Draconians.

Draconians had a cameo in Dragonlance #3, 9.