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This fan-fiction article, Deszeldagavaeros, was written by SchoolOfTheLycan. Please do not edit this fiction without the writer's permission. |
Deszeldagavaeros (Common Speech: Bright Blue Flame), also known as The Dragon Under the Mountain, was a melanistic red dragon that laired deep in the caverns beneath Mount Gorgon. Unbeknownst to any living mortal or historian, a dragon did indeed sleep under the mountain and had been asleep for quite some time, ignorant of the dramatic changes happening in the world above. According to him, when he fell asleep elves still ruled in Toussaint.
He claims to have been present for much of the Continent’s early history, during the early age of man was something of a scourge, and after a life of conquest decided to settle in Mount Gorgon. He had amassed a horde of unparalleled size and knew that dwarves and humans would want to steal it from him, so he settled in elven lands instead. Despite this, he does not have a positive view of the elves, he finds them entitled and pretentious and believes their only redeeming quality to be that they lust for nothing.
Appearance[]
Deszeldagavaeros is a large dragon, as large as if not larger than an adult black dragon and capable of swallowing cattle whole if he so chose. His neck is long and muscular, with large dark wings the color of wine at their tips. Near the belly, this color deepens into a smokey ruby. The scales of his body are obsidian black and glossy, indicating good health despite his long slumber. Upon his head is a crown of long spines, with a pair of primary horns followed by smaller protrusions. At the end of a long, powerful tail is a classic arrow-headed tip, with a pair of bony spines at the ends of each corner. Despite having the coloration and prodigious size of a black dragon, Deszeldagavaeros is a red dragon. By his own admission, he was born of a darker complexion and attributes this, as well as his size, to his great success in his younger years.
The fire that Deszeldagavaeros is notably a blue, with a white-blue core and darker azure rivulets. These flames are hotter than that of a normal red dragon and remain burning intensely for far longer.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
According to himself, Deszeldagavaeros was born to a female red dragoness in the Dragon Mountains. He was reared by his mother until his fledging, at which point she barred him re-entry to her lair on pain of death. As was custom, the fledged Deszeldagavaeros ventured forth in the world. His darker coloration allowed him great success as a night-time hunter, and he grew very strong, very quickly. By the time he was considered an adult he rivaled the females of his species.
Adult Life[]
Per his mother's teachings, Deszeldagavaeros steered clear of mortal settlements, preferring to hunt in mountains and forests and occasionally venturing to the coastline. He claims to have on occasion encountered the Wozgor and the Dauk during his ventures, and witnessed the fall of elven cities as humans began to propagate the lands. He cared little for the events that plagued the mortal races, whom he grew to detest for their pretentious claims on the lands that belonged to no one. His aims were instead to amass impressive deeds, that his name and reputation become legend, as to attract the affections of a mate. In so far as achieving this goal, Deszeldagavaeros challenged other male dragons for their territories and riches and eventually claimed a territory the size of a kingdom from which he guarded against others.
Though he avoided them, this did not mean he did not come into conflict with humans, dwarves, and other mortal races. He did not make his presence a secret within his territory and often flew its expanse to survey the land. This eventually drew the attention of dragon hunters, questing knights, thieves, and adventurers alike all of whom perished once they confronted him. In addition, rival males were want to openly challenge him by burning huge swaths of his territory, resulting in innocents getting caught in the crossfire. Deszeldagavaeros met every challenge with a wrath that was near to divinity.
His efforts eventually bore fruit, for a female red dragoness named Vaervalaotho, whose name meant "Song Cloaked Queen", demanded as dowry that he compose a song of his deeds to her. To this end, Deszeldagavaeros forcibly enlisted the assistance of a bard from one of the villages in his territory. He spoke his deeds to the bard, who helped compose the song, and then performed it for the dragoness. Afterward, the bard was given a king's ransom in gold from the dragon's own horde and sent on his way. Vaervalaotho enjoyed the song such that she agreed to become his mate. They stayed together to raise their hatchlings and then would part once the proverbial nest was empty. Together they reared several successful clutches, though as per tradition the hatchlings are shunted from the lair the moment they learn to fly and so he cannot speak to their survival.
Asleep Beneath Mount Gorgon[]
At some point Deszeldagavaeros' rather prodigal life took a turn. His mate was slain by dwarven dragon hunters between breeding seasons and had managed to tunnel their way into his lair. In a rage that lasted years, Deszeldagavaeros burned the countryside and hunted for those that stole his love from him, slaying and devouring any human or dwarf that stood before him. He destroyed villages and cities in his territory to ensure his quarry had nowhere to hide and when they sought refuge in the mountain, he chased them deep underground and usurped their burgeoning kingdom.
Once his bloodlust was sated, Deszeldagavaeros sought for himself new territory far from the realms of dwarves and men. He flew south, to a quaint elven kingdom nestled on all sides by mountains, but whose peaks could not rival that of the single mountain that rose at the edge of the range. He carried his riches, as well as those he plundered from the dwarven kingdom he laid waste to, and eventually settled in the vast caverns beneath what is now known as Mount Gorgon. The entire process took nearly a full year, and he was active in his new territory for several decades after, until he went to sleep sometime in the late 1000s.
Awakened[]
Centuries later, Deszeldagavaeros would waken when vampires, pushed deeper and deeper into the caverns by knights and vampire hunters in the aftermath of the Night of Long Fangs, attempted to feed on him in desperation.
Trivia[]
- According to Deszeldagavaeros' own recollection, at least two of his offspring inherited his coloration.
Notes[]
- This is a FAN-MADE Article of a non-canon character. The article for this character prescribes to the lore as described in Andrzej Sapkowski's works, and of the lore on Dragons, as described in CDPR's Witcher game series, the Gwent stand-alone, and R. Talsorian's Zerrikanian DLC for the Witcher TRPG.
- This fanon intentionally deviates from the history and lore proposed by Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni.