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On that bitter night when the Fate of Krynn was to be decided, when the world itself was changed forever, Azuryllith was wracked by the seething Chaos magic flooding throughout Krynn. Caught up in the flow of absolute Chaos, she was changed forever into a creature beyond a wyrm, beyond mortal constraints, and beyond the living. And so she lived, yet she didn't live, forever trapped in the eternal limbo of undeath. |
Azuryllith: The Azure Plague
By Eric Jwo
Rumors have begun to spread across the Plains of Dust like wildfire. Talk of a powerful new dragon contestant has even reached the ears of Onysablet, the Black Overlord. Worried, Sable has sent many of her draconic minions to investigate such a rumor. Although such a search turned up no conclusive evidence, word of the "Azure Plague" has begun to spread across the Plains of Dust and beyond.
The only evidence of such a wyrm, is a dozen once-prosperous villages now reduced to ashes, and a few, half-mad survivors telling the tale. Babbling about a giant, winged skeleton that wields thunder and lightning have mainly been ignored. Only the recurring pattern of destruction have caused several sages in the area to link this new wyrm with one of legend, that supposedly terrorized the countryside in previous ages. Anymore talk of skeleton dragons and other undead powers are immediantly dismissed as the product of a mind kept too long in the sun.
However, both versions of the tale bear truth. The wyrm emerging from the trackless Plains of Dust is an ancient dragon named Azuryllith (blue dracolich female old wyrm, sadistic demeanor). This once glorious blue, named so for her brilliant azure scales, has been consumed by Chaos magic, and transformed into a creature of undeath. Now her once rippling muscles have gone, revealing stark-white bones underneath. Her once proud, azure hide, her name-sake, has long since disintegrated. Azure has been reduced to a former shell, a rotting shell at that, of her former self. She would do anything to regain the splendor she once knew of. The rage at her transformation has overwhelmed her judgement. Brimming with rage at the seemingly helplessness of the situation, Azure has decided to wreak her vengeance on those unfortunate enough to be around her.
The confusion over Azure's true indentity has its roots in her past. Azure was born in the Abyss sometime before the Cataclysm. She her first three hundred years in that heelish plane. There, she grew into a wyrm of immense proportions, as well as ferocity. Her rage was well-known throughout many of her kin. When Takhisis sent her dragons back to Krynn before the start of the War of the Lance, Azure was one of the Dark Queen's most lethal weapons. She fought bravely in the war, and was one of the top dragons in the Blue Dragonarmy. Her rider was one, Cardak Kolbard. He was once a Knight of Solamnia, but he was disgraced, and cast out of the order. Cardak then joined the Dragonarmies, and proved to be a very capable warrior. He rose through the ranks very quickly, and was partnered with Azure.
Azure also had a mate. A great blue wyrm of almost equal size, his name was Raurath. Together, they reared several eggs. However, when the War of the Lance began to favor the forces of light, Azure's good life was shattered. Her eggs were killed in a raid by several Solamnic knights, whom she devoured in a mad rage. Her mate, Raurath was also killed in a subsequent skirmish. On her final mission, her rider, Cardak was killed by a silver. The silver was quickly mangled under Azure's vengeful claws.
After that battle, Azure deserted from the Dragonarmies. She could see what was happening. She knew that the Dark Queen could not win this conflict. With bitterness in her black heart, Azure flew away from the war in Solamnia, and settled in the comfortable Plains of Dust. She settled into a happy life of raiding and destroying villages on the plains. Her lair swelled with the riches she accumulated as a result from her plundering. Azure was also a very cruel dragon, who wanted the hapless mortals in what she considered to be her domain to suffer. She devised a new spell that created a viscious disease. Everytime she destroyed a village, she would let half of its inhabitants survive. From a distance, Azure would then infect the survivors with her loathesome disease. This disease was traceless, until several weeks later, when the infected person would die. The plague was highly contagious, and was even air-borne. Her disease spread like wildfire across the Plains of Dust. Much to Azure's delight, she was nicknamed, "The Azure Plague," due to her sadistic usage of diseases. However, her "fun" was halted when clerics of Mishakal and Paladine entered the Plains of Dust, and purged her disease from the land.
However, before she could become too vengeful, the Dark Queen contacted Azure once more. Takhisis informed the Azure Plague, of the gathering Knights of Takhisis at Storms Keep. Once the ideals of the knighthood were explained to Azure, she immediantly jumped at the chance to do battle in the name of Takhisis. She therefore left her lair immediantly, and flew to the small island to convene with Lord Ariakan.
Azure participated in the quick and decisive battles in the following few months, and even helped in the takeover of the High Clerists Tower, and the grand city of Palanthas. She was once again paired with a very capable warrior. This time, her partner was Sir Trael Wyverlin, a Silvanesti half-elf who was a Knight-Officer at the time. All seemed well off, until the fateful day, when Chaos, the Father of All and Nothing, released his hordes of Chaos upon Krynn. Azure and her partner were among the knights held in reserve as the daemon warriors and shadow wights overcame the forces of the Knights of Takhisis. She was among hte proud few, who entered the Abyss with Steel Brightblade, and Palin Majere,a nd a host of other heroes that fateful day. Sir Wyverlin and Azure fought against Chaos with all of their might, but were knocked aside without any trouble. Battered and near death, Azure could only watch in helpless fury as the battle continued to rage around her.
On that bitter night when the Fate of Krynn was to be decided, when the world itself was changed forever, Azuryllith was wracked by the seething Chaos magic flooding throughout Krynn. Caught up in the flow of absolute Chaos, she was changed forever into a creature beyond a wyrm, beyond mortal constraints, and beyond the living. And so she lived, yet she didn't live, forever trapped in the eternal limbo of undeath. For, as Chaos was sent screaming in fury from Krynn, he cast down one more wave of Chaos. This effect, would later be named the Chaos Ripple. The Chaos Ripple caught Azure and Sir Wyverlin in its grasp, and twisted them horribly. Azure was forever changed into a creature of undeath, a dracolich. Sir Wyverlin was changed into a Death Knight. Using the last of her magic, Azure teleported herself and her partner back to her old lair in the Plains of Dust, where the strain of the transformation reduced them to a comatose state. And in that state they would remain, while the world continued to change around them.
Around 28 S.C., the pair awoke from their deep slumber. Confused, they both took some time to adjust not only to their new forms, but also to theri new surroundings. Many things had changed. Deciding the use discretion instead of brute force, Azure spied on those around her, and learned of the Dragon Overlords. Intrigued by their power, Azure immediantly began to slay dragons (secretly of course), and build her own skull totem. However, her totem is far from complete. She still needs the skulls of a black, red, blue, silver, bronze, and green dragon to complete her totem. However, Azure is afraid of Malystryx, whoc alled an end to the Dragon Purge a long time ago. Therefore, Azure bides her time. Meanwhile, she pours over ancient text to find a way to reverse her transformation into lichdom. Sir Wyverlin also searches for a way to escape the fate of a Death Knight. He longs to be nortal once more, and to rejoin his comrades.
Currently, the search has gone bad. Because of the lack of High Sorcery on Krynn, Azure cannot find a way to transform herself and her partner back to what they once were. Seething with rage, the two undead beings have then turned their attention to ravaging the villages nearby.
Azure no longer retains the splendor that was her namesake. Her body is now composed of bones. Her wings, while still able to allow her to fly, are tattered, and cracked. Glowing pinpoints of blue flame dance eerily in her eyesockets. Once able to savor the taste of hot blood running down her throat, Azure can now only imagine. Trapped in the shell of death, Azure searches desperately for a way out.
Azuryllith's Lair
Azure currently resides in her former lair in the Fourth Age. After her desertion from the Dragonarmies, Azure stumbled upon the ruins of an ancient city nestled deep witihn a valley. Apparently, the Cataclysm (the first one) had decimated the city, and killed allo of its inhabitants. Although it was crumbling and in ruins, in more than served its purpose for Azure. Azure actually lives beneath the twon, as she discovered catacombs large enough to admit her large body beneath the town. A maze of crumbling tunnels and passageways, her lair is a danger to all but herself and her rider. In the center of the crumbling maze is a large cavern, where she stores her vast treasure. She uses undead she animated from recent attacks to guard her lair, as well as patrol the catacombs, and the citty above. Nearly all forms of undead can be found here, from zombies and ghouls, to shadows and ghosts.
Lord Wyverlin lives in a massive fortress set in the southern part of the city. This large structure is the only tall building left standing, although it too suffered immensly from the Cataclysm. Undead also patrol this keep, as do twelve skeletal warriors that Azure and himself devoted a lot of time to animate. These skeletal warriors are far more dangerous than normal skeletons, and they attack anyting that is living.
 Skeletal Warriors. Undead. Co 7, Ph 13, In 7, Es 7, Dmg +8, Def -6, SA mysticism(necromancy), and sorcery(electromancy).
Her city is located near the center of the Plains of Dust. In fact, the city is near the boundary of Splendor's realm. Azure is in fact wondering whether to ally herself with Splendor, as the blue lord would certainly welcome additional support against Iyesta. However, Splendor does not know of the existence of Azure, or her city, and Azure would like to keep it that way.
Azure's Domain
Although Azure considers her city her domain, there is actually nothing of interest among the ruins. Adventurers may be able to find lost treasures among the ruins, but nothing of that sort currently interests Azure. Azure would one day like to control the Plains of Dust. Following the examples of the other Dragon Overlords, Azure has begun constructing a skull totem. When she's finished, she will begin to change the land to her liking, and expand her borders. Currently however, she is far from achieving her goal. Also, she fears uprisal from the other Overlords, and she knows that she wouldn't stand a chance against any of them.
The Deeds of Azure
Currently, Azure is searching for a way to change herself back into a normal blue dragon. She wants more than anything to once more become her former self, and she'll stop at nothing to achieve her goal. Azure has now only latched onto one plan. Azure plans to construct a skull totem. However, once it is complete, she won't use it to expand her borders. Azure plans to use the energy inherent in the totem to change both herself and Sir Wyverlin back into their former states. After that, then Azure will attempt to make herself an Overlord.
However, her plans aren't coming along as well as she'd like. For one thing, the Dragon Purge ended long ago, so Azure can't hunt down dragons without risking the wrath of Malystryx. Also, there aren't many dragons left to hunt, which has also frustrated Azure. The only dragons she knows of are a lot stronger than she is. And although Azure wants to become herself once more, she isn't willing to risk a permanent death. Neither, apparently, is Sir Wyverlin.
Azure has attempted to contact outside assistance. Using her magic, Azure contacted a young, scholarly gold dragon named Phalanthane in Palanthas. Pretending to be a silver dragon named Launath searching for magical lore from previous ages, Azure was able to procure several scrolls from the gold. While these scrolls did help her better understand her transformation, they did not reveal a cure. However, Phalathane began to suspect that his fellow wyrm was not all she seemed to be. Azure set up a meeting with Phalathane, in some large, rocky outcroppings near her lair. On the meeting, Phalathane detected the lingering traces of undeath on Azure. Launching his roaring dragonbreath and damaging spells, Phalathane managed to catch Azure off guard, and woulded her badly. However, Azure was the elder, and managed to destroy the impertinant gold. Since that disappointing encounter, Azure has given up on outside help.
Therefore, Azure is currently amusing herself by pillaging villages, in hope that something will turn up. She has even used her newfound abilities to once again infect the inhabitants of the Plains of Dust with a disease. While it serves as amusement, this sadistic torture cannot satisfy the Azure Plague much longer.
Azure's Magic
The transformation into a dracolich has given Azure tremendous powers. She still retains the use of her devastating lightning breath. In addition, the powerful aura of dragonawe surrounding her makes it one degree more difficult than normal for anyone to escape its effects. Also, Azure's gaze is so eery and menacing, that she can paralyze an enemy within far missile range. Azure also possesses powers beyond the normal dracolich. Azure can animate several undead once a day. However, she needs corpses to do so. Azure can animate 10 skeletons, 6 spectres, 6 zombies, 5 ghouls, 4 ghosts, 4 wraiths, 3 wights, or one banshee. Azure is also highly magic resistant. Anytime anyone attempts to cast a spell one Azure, the Narrator must make a random draw with the Fate Deck. A card with a black aura, or a Dragons card, means that the spell automatically fails. If the spell succeeds, then the normal procedure for casting and resisting spells must still be followed.
The Chaos magic that transformed her also augmented her powers. Once, Azure had to cast a spell to spread her virulent disease. Now, Azure herself is infected with the disease, but it does not affect her. Sir Wyverlin is also unaffected by the disease, as is all undead. All those who are damaged by Azure succeed in an average Endurance (Physique) action or contract the disease. Those who contract the disease have their Physique scores drop to 2X, and have their Hand of Fate reduced by half. Every day afterwards, the hero must discard a card from his or her Hand. When a hero runs out of cards, then he or she dies. A healing spell with an effect of five points or more will purge the disease, but not heal any damage. After the disease is curea, the hero's stats increase by one point and one score a day, and the hero receives a fresh card to his or her Hand of Fate a day. This continues until the hero is fully healed, and the process cannot be augmented with healing spells.
Beyond those abilities, Azure also possesses great magic. Azure knows the schools of electromancy, divination, and summoning. She also knows the spheres of mentalism, necromancy, and channeling.
The following is Azure's favorite spell. She uses it to immobilize creatures, while causing the most pain.
Ball Lightning
School: Electromancy
Invocation: Instant
Range: Near Missile
Duration: 15 minutes
Area: Small group (5 people)
Effect: Painful
Total: 19
This spell, when cast, releases a large, glowing ball of lightning. The ball will fly at its intended targets, and explode in a loud, thundering boom among the enemies ranks. All targets affected will be dealt five damage, and hurled to the ground. All who suffer the effects must succeed in a challenging Perception (Reason) action or be paralyzed for fifteen minutes. During this time, Azure usually, slaughters the affected one by one.
All flammable items are immediantly ignited, and all armor with a defense rating of -3 or below is instantly charred and rendered useless.
The lightning ball can be used on creatures at a closer range, and may even affect more targets than five. Azure likes to cast the spell while flying above the targets, so he can get a birds eye view of its effects. Afterwards, he can then swoop down and slowly kill everyone.
Azure's Fate
Azure is getting to the point of frustration. She is bound to snap, and then do something drastic. She'll probably bring herself to the attention of the Dragon Overlords, and be killed. And of course, tales of the Azure Plague will eventually reach the ears of brave adventurers. If Azure continues to destroy villages carelessly, then bold adventurers will hunt her down. Although it is unlikely that heroes with skills short of the Companions will be able to destroy her, it still is a threat.
Azure is playing a deadly game, and her patience is wearing thin. One day soon, she'll make a mistake, and suffer the wrath of those around her.
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