DragonLance Saga

Join us as we begin our AD&D liveplay of DL16 World of Krynn adventure,  Dargaard Keep with this part three! You can buy DL16 World of Krynn here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/16936/dl16-world-of-krynn-1e?affiliate_id=50797 

Last time on Dargaard Keep: The heroes climbed to the top of the wall point to discover draconians. They fought through them, only to return to the courtyard, hoping to enter the keep in what turned out to be a false entrance. There they received more information from a Bozak, and waited for the search parties to pass before bluffing their way into the keep. Once inside, they climbed up to the 3rd-level, defeated more guards and discovered Kitiara Uth Matar, trapped by Lord Soth, alive! She joined them in their search, as she wants to make Soth suffer for forcing her to be his slave companion. They rise up to level four and the desecrated temple of Paladine, where they discover a clue in a mutilated corpse from the Cataclysm! They search for the library only to discover traps and undead before finally entering it.

Dargaard Keep Conclusion: The heroes pressed into the library, making quick work of the Sivak Draconian guard. Once inside, they searched every square inch of the library, finally discovering the Undead Compendium and underneath it, a symbol of Soth, a snakelike S carved or burned into the bookshelf. Upon touching it, they were individually transported to a Rod Room which was protected by three Storopers. Once defeated, with half the party wandering aimlessly for an hour, they discovered a pedestal with a blue 10-inch rod part stuck in it. Krellic, the paladin, took possession of it, and they all decided to rest after the battle. The Kender, Azalea, went to investigate the library only to be ambushed by the Aurak Draconian they encountered in an elven cleric form in the reading room. She nearly killed Azalea and cut off her topknot. When the worried party investigated, they found and healed her, returning to the Rod Room for protection. After eight hours it was time to continue exploring, only it was now nightfall, and the undead were out. Once they descended to level 3, they heard the Banshees wailing the Song of Soth echoing up from the entry hall. Stolos, Azalea, Krellic, Indar, and Aulus immediately seized up and dropped dead. Prophet Siswik magically appeared to rescue and raise them from the dead, but their bodies were not capable of being raised. He teleported them all back to his clearing in the woods to bury their corpses. The survivors, Armantaro and Selma must decide whether to find new heroes to reenter Dargaard Keep with, or to abandon their quest.

You are cordially invited to enter the dangerous world of the Dragonlance saga. The World of Krynn brings you to previously unexplored corners of Krynn with new challenges for your characters.

Explore Dargaard Keep, the vast and perilous lair of Lord Soth, and perhaps you will discover what really happened to Kitiara! Journey into the volcanic lair of a dragon to defend the city of Palanthus. Run a merry chase over hill and heath in search of a lost boy—can you find Master Lor before the other, more sinister searchers? Travel to the far-away isle of Mithas and save the remnants of a dying race of bird-men from the savage minotaurs, while simultaneously trying to thwart a massive invasion of Ansalon.

The World of Krynn beckons to you; return to adventure once again in the world of fearsome dragons and vile draconians.

Join me as I review Night of the Eye by Mary Kirchoff, live! Share your thoughts on this first novel in the Defenders of Magic trilogy, released on July 1, 1994. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/3NusP5N

Magic at its peak!

It will soon be the Night of the Eye, a rare time when all three moons align in high sanction over the lands of Krynn. On the eve of Guerrand DiThon’s political marriage to a rival family, the young noble is visited by a strange, powerful mage who knows more about him than he does himself. Seduced by promises of wizardly might, Guerrand slips away beneath the triple moons and journeys for the Tower of Wayreth.

No one thinks he will survive the deadly trek to the tower, but he does. It’s only then that Guerrand realizes that he has made many enemies in his journey. One of these foes would not only see Guerrand dead, but the three orders of sorcery destroyed with him.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Kirinor, Gildember the 23rd. My name is Adam and today I am going to give you my review of Night of the Eye by Mary Kirchoff. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. This year is the 40th Anniversary of Dragonlance, so join in on the celebration by submitting a video, piece of art or writing about Dragonlance to [email protected]. It will be added to the dlsaga.com/40th-anniversary celebration landing page with all other contributors! This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat.

I cannot express my relief that the first third of this novel is great! Having never read it, and knowing nothing about it, it’s like rolling the dice with Dragonlance novels sometimes. But this, my friends, is good. The author has done a wonderful job of introducing us to the seeming protagonist Guerrand DiThon, and the state of his family in Northern Ergoth. She even goes to great lengths to ingratiate us to some of his family members and force us to dislike others a great deal. The setup is this: Rand was overlooked because he is the second-marriage son of his father, so his brother, a proper dick, was given control of the estate after their fathers death. The dick, Cormac, has a gambling, leadership and drinking problem, so the estate is in a poor, well, state. To make matters worse, he hates magic with a passion, so his brother, Rand, can’t even leave to practice it. Then they discover the good brother was killed by bandits. This forces Rand into a position of marrying his brothers betrothed so the family can regain a parcel of land that the dick sold off.

A mage, who happens to be the current Master of the Order of Red Robes of the Wizards of High Sorcery, Belize, talks with Rand about going to the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth for the Test of High Sorcery and apprenticeship. Rand has taught himself quite a lot already, so he is torn between his duty to his family, and his passion for magic. Belize gives Rand a mirror that can lead him to the bandits that killed his brother, so he sneaks out one night to get proof of their actions and his sister Kirah ambushes him, she is an accomplished petty thief herself. Frustrated, Rand allows her to join him and they sneak up on the bandits to find their brother’s medallion, but they end up having to fight them off, and Rand casts Sleep, ties them all up and brings them home for trial. 

This is the lynchpin, for as his brother the dick berates him for using magic, Rand finally has had enough and tells him off. In the morning he leaves for Wayreth with his seagull familiar Zagarus. I don’t know what it is about pets and familiars, but I am a fan. Zagazus is a funny, inquisitive and colorful seagull. Again, I’m a fan. They sneak away, finally arrive at Wayreth, wander around for two days before a unicorn directs them, and they enter the tower. He is offered to choose an order and after being explained what they are, he chooses red. Justarius is sitting in for Belize initially and takes him as his apprentice. Talk about having a great master, the future head of the Red Robes! 

The second third of the novel reveals Belize as the architect of Quinn, Rand’s good brother’s death, as he wanted access to the runes that were on the property that would return to the DiThon’s if he got married. Elize also tried to buy the property outright and talk to Cormac for access, but both offers were rejected, causing Belize to take the drastic action. He wants power, and he wants access to The Lost Citadel from the founding of the Orders of High Sorcery from the gods after the Second Dragon War. He will stop at nothing to gain access which he believes in in Southern Ergoth. 

Meanwhile Rand, apprentice to Justarius and Lyim, apprentice to Belize must travel from Wayreth to Palanthas, and they end up traveling together, becoming friends. They arrive after a ship attack which ends with Lyim casting Web and the sailors throwing them off at port. No one likes mages apparently. As they finally arrive in Palanthas they are met by Justarius’ senior apprentice Esme. She is a beautiful woman who immediately attracts both Lyam and Rand. Time passes as the three become friends and study. Justarius demands a lot of study and Belize is hardly there, giving Lyim access to his spellbooks rather than instructing him. 

Finally they get to the Festival and everyone heads out to enjoy the sights and food. Lyim instigates the knights joust with Rand, but Rand was trained to be a Cavalier, even if he wasn’t good, he’s better then Lyim, so he ends up beating him, but something takes over Lyim, I believe it was Belize, and he becomes angry and aggressive. This ends with Lyim being knocked off the ostrich and Belize collecting him, clearly angry. We can see that Belize was just trying to stop the marriage in Southern Ergoth, expecting Rand to die en route to Wayreth rather than actually show up and be a good mage. I can’t wait to see how this final third act ends… will Rand realize what Belize has done? Will there be further attempts on Rand’s life by Belize? Will we ever see Kirah again? 

The final third was a proper mage adventure and test. It was so good! It began with Justarius questioning Rand about the jousting and Rand admitting to believing someone was trying to kill him. They considered Belize, but dismissed it initially. Justarius led Rand to a crystal ball to see if it was coming from his family, and they learned that Cormac claimed Stonewall, the territory he sold as the owner was away, and now the owner was building an army to take it back. This led Rand to want to travel to Southern Ergoth to help his family, but Justarius said that if he went, he would not longer be his apprentice. The Magic comes first, always. Torn by the choice, he was overlooking a harbor when Lyim arrived to apologize and they overhear sailors talking about the call for mercenaries. This led Rand to tell Lyim his plight and Lyim offered to go in Rand’s stead and save his family. Rand was reluctant but Lyim insisted. 

Lyim ended up doing a great job, as the mercenaries were going to strike the DiThon castle while the army was at Stonecliff. So he devised a subterfuge with Kirah and turned the army away.  Then went off to celebrate before his three week journey back to Palanthas. Meanwhile Rand needed to cross Esme off his list of possible murderers and was trapped in her room with a spell. She arrived and he told her everything. They ended up agreeing that it was clearly Belize who is trying to have Rand killed, but not knowing why, they snuck into his residence for proof. They discovered a lot of crazy shit. Belize was dabbling in black magic and acting as a renegade, while he was head of the red robes! He was trying to open the gate which led him to use subjects and deform them horribly. 

They fall into a trap and end up breaking out by using the mirror to transport themselves to Justarius’ home. Surprised to find them, and even more bothered by their tale, Justartius travels to Wayreth to consult with the council over Belize, Rand and Esme’s actions. Refusing to accept being kicked out, Esme reenters Belize’s home and is caught by him, then transported to Stonewall for the Night of the Eye to enter The Lost Citadel. Rand travels there with the mirror to his sister’s room and rides to the ruins. He confronts Belize and they have a magical and scrapper fight. Then Lyim comes stumbling across it drunk. He overhears Belize’s monologue, realizes the threat of Belize and joins in the fight. 

Ultimately Belize enters the portal and Rand devises a spell to stop him, causing him to be ejected and mutated like his test subjects, and Justarius arrives. The council will judge Belize if he lives long enough, and Esme and Rand are no longer his apprentice as they have proven they are strong and clever enough to be mages of their own. In the battle Lyim had his hand transformed into snakes by Belize from the portal, and will return with Justarius to see if they can fix it.

This was such a great novel. It has mystery, suspense, great magic traps and battles, it kept me guessing the whole time, but explained every motivation and justification perfectly. It didn’t once feel contrived and I felt like there were real characters and real consequences. Truly a masterpiece of Dragonlance fiction. It seems the further away we get from those original stories, the better the writing gets, and I am looking forward to the second novel in this trilogy. 

If you love magic and Dragonlance, this is a must read. You will not regret it!

And that’s it for my review of Night of the Eye by Mary Kirchoff. What did you think of the lost citadel being the macguffin? Did you enjoy the DiThon family? And finally, will Lyim get his hand back in the next novel? Feel free to email me at [email protected] or leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content.  

This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).

Introduced in The Dark Disciple trilogy by Margaret Weis, The Beloved of Chemosh are a terrifying and intriguing creature. Let’s learn all about The Beloved of Chemosh. Buy Amber and Iron here: https://amzn.to/3NrB2I2

They willingly give their mortality for everlasting frivolity.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about The Beloved of Chemosh. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Holy Order of the Stars sourcebook and Amber & Iron Appendix for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

Many of the gods saw the absence of Takhisis as an opportunity. Someone had to take up the mantle as the primary evil deity, and Chemosh was not going to sit this one out. For millennia he has had devoted followers. His clerics wielded dark magic, able to infuse a semblance of life back into long-dead corpses. Devoted wizards of Nuitari would approach the god of death to learn the secrets of lichdom. Even those terrified of Chemosh like graverobbers, would leave offerings to the Lord of Bones. In fact, this would be a turning point for Chemosh. He was tired of the vile and ugly necromancers and embalmers who worshiped him. He wanted the vibrant, young and full of life devotees that so many other gods enjoyed. Rather than enjoy the fear of mortals, he would gain their love.

This is where the scorned and lost Mina would come in. Chemosh’s first task was to seduce this young woman into worshiping him, and then grant her authority to create what would be referred to as the Beloved of Chemosh. Mina, in the absence of her One God, Takhisis, took kindly to Chemosh, and they struck up a healthy love affair. When he asked her to bring more worshippers who loved life, Mina saw it as an opportunity to serve another god well. And she was incredibly successful. She would have those who wanted to love her, and thrill in eternal life, swear an oath to Chemosh, the Lord of Death, then she would kiss them right over their heart. This would sere her kiss into them turning them into the Beloved.

You would never know a Beloved for who they are. They remain in their prime of vibrant health and beauty. They are known as those with a lust for life, not a devotion to death. This juxtaposition ostensibly masks them from detection, as they may now be the friends of those who hunt undead, and they wouldn’t even know it! The Beloved are confident and charming. But the Beloved want to, nay, need to convert others into the service of Chemosh. They do not have difficulty finding those who want to live carefree as they do, or to enjoy a night of love with them. That is when the Beloved present the oath: I pledge myself to Chemosh. Once uttered, they plant a kiss directly over the heart, just as Mina did in the beginning.

This is when Chemosh allows death to take the victim, and he takes their soul. The victim feels their life slipping away in pain and spasm. But it is only momentary, for as the soul is ripped away, peace seems to settle upon them. As they open their eyes again, a new Beloved of Chemosh rises to repeat the process all over again. The initial experience of a Beloved is just as promised, eternal youth and life! It’s as if a beautiful and impossible dream has come true. However, in time, the lust and desires that led a Beloved down their path of damnation and ultimately servitude, begin to plague it in unlife. Wine and spirits no longer satisfy. Food no longer curbs their hunger. Memories of their former life fade as family, friends and lovers are forgotten. In the end, only the endless cravings and the commandments of Chemosh remain.

This, however, isn’t the worst of it. The Beloved will eventually discover that pain is all they feel, but there is a way to curb its endless torment… They must kill. They are able to use all the faculties they had in life to this end: Poison, melee, suffocation are all options and anything else they can imagine. As the newly dead souls go to Chemosh, the pain subsides for a time. In the end, only the name Mina can distract the Beloved from its purpose. They yearn to find her, even if they have never met her. They see her name in their minds, and her voice echoes in their ears delivering the Lord of Death’s commandments.

In time, even though you cannot detect a Beloved by sight, it is clear something is ravaging the countryside. As people abandon their lives and begin to travel, only seeking joy, then lives. There are those few who may be able to look deep into the eyes of a Beloved and see the emptiness within. Some animals may shy away from them, or even attack them as they are undead. But only those with incredible sensitivity can detect that something is wrong. Their skin is warm, they continue to eat and drink, laugh and weep. The only tell-tell sign is a discoloration over their heart on their skin, Mina’s kiss. Only divine magic can reliably reveal a Beloved, and only those who practice the disciplines of souls or spirits of the dead. They can detect the aura of the living or the absence thereof, and the Kender known as Nightstalkers are able to see that the Beloved are missing their souls.

Once the Beloved were discovered for the insidious evil they are, there were those who attempted to destroy them, but this proved infinitely more difficult than expected. Regardless of what was tried, the Beloved appeared to be truly immortal. Arcane and divine magic has no effect on them. In some cases it rebounds on the caster! Suffocation, fire, ice, lightning and holy water only slow a Beloved. Dismemberment is only an inconvenience, as it is able to pull itself back together again! This incredible power does not extend to causing death. They only hold the faculties they did in life, their skill or lack thereof with a weapon or magic is not imbued or enhanced. However, a weakness has been discovered, though it is loath to be used.

As the laws of balance and magic on Krynn, set down by the Highgod during the Age of Starbirth, doesn’t allow the creation of immortal servants, there was a small and terrible flaw. The Beloved could become unraveled, by the hand of a child. Yea, if a child strikes a beloved in anger, its true nature is revealed, and it is consumed in an unnatural fire that does not harm anyone but the Beloved. Innocence is all that can destroy the Beloved, but the innocence in turn is also destroyed. Children who do this are traumatized for life to witness the spectacle. They will require the care and attention of the gods to be healed from this tragedy. 

Lest you find the idea of militarizing children an obvious tactic, let’s remember that it is the job of adults to protect the innocence of children for as long as they can, while preparing their developing minds for adulthood. To murder and watch those you strike ignite in flame as they scream and flail and curse and strike out at you until falling to ashen heaps at your feet, would torment anyone, let alone the fragile, developing mind of a child. This often leads to incurable trauma or worse, a desire to repeat the behavior in adulthood. 

No one knows how many Beloved there are, or if they truly serve the Lord of Bones, or Mina, as long as she serves him. And no child can destroy more than once, as it’s at the cost of their innocence. The end of the Dark Disciple trilogy reveals Mina as a god who destroys the Beloved who have followed her to the Blood Sea, but are there more out there? 

And that is all the time I have to talk about The Beloved of Chemosh. What do you think about this new form of undead? Will the Beloved ever reappear in the Age of Mortals? And finally, would you ever play a campaign where they are the antagonists? Leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

It’s going to get stranger.

Join me as I review the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook, live! Share your thoughts on this first of the three revised D&D 5th Edition core rules, released on September 17, 2024 by Wizards of the Coast. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/3BAdJJh 

Join me as I unbox Night of the Eye by Ellen Dodge Severson. Released on July 1, 1994 by TSR Inc. This is the first volume in the Defenders of Magic trilogy. You can buy Night of the Eye here: https://amzn.to/3NqGaMw 

Magic at its peak!

It will soon be the Night of the Eye, a rare time when all three moons align in high sanction over the lands of Krynn. On the eve of Guerrand DiThon’s political marriage to a rival family, the young noble is visited by a strange, powerful mage who knows more about him than he does himself. Seduced by promises of wizardly might, Guerrand slips away beneath the triple moons and journeys for the Tower of Wayreth.

No one thinks he will survive the deadly trek to the tower, but he does. It’s only then that Guerrand realizes that he has made many enemies in his journey. One of these foes would not only see Guerrand dead, but the three orders of sorcery destroyed with him.

The Tower of High Sorcery in Istar has a long storied history that extends into the Fifth Age. Let’s learn more about Istar: The Bloody-Fingered Hand. Buy Towers of High Sorcery: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/2940/towers-of-high-sorcery-3-5?affiliate_id=50797 

Once believed lost during the Cataclysm, Istar’s Tower of High Sorcery is under the Blood Sea.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about the Tower of High Sorcery in Istar: The Bloody-Fingered Hand. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Towers of High Sorcery sourcebook and Amber and Ashes Appendix for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

The history of the Tower of High Sorcery in Istar is one of irony. For when Kharro the Red sent members of the Conclave to scout possible locations for the construction of the Towers of High Sorcery, areas where magical energies were at their strongest, the lakeshore town of Istar was nothing but huts. Asanta, a powerful white robed wizard, chose the location, and it wasn’t what Kharro expected. Asanta knew this would be a bastion of power one day, and though she was advanced in age, raising the Tower would become her life’s mission. She led the powerful incantations that created the Tower from the bones of the earth itself. And when complete, the beautiful crystalline structure stood as a stark contrast to the surrounding huts. The wizards who lived within the Tower would contribute to the safety and security of Istar and contributed to the town’s rising popularity and population. For years they would protect the citizens from evil, and magic was their savior.

Among many Istarians, the tower was known as Pulmo spo-ponires, the Bloody-Fingered Hand. This was the second highest structure in Istar, standing five-hundred feet tall. This flawless white crystal tower would catch the sunlight and split it into sparkling rainbows. At its top, arranged in a circle surrounding a dome of black marble were five red turrets bent slightly inward. When viewed at a certain time of the month, the hand appeared to be grasping a silver moon. The fingers would glow with eldritch light as shadows moved within its transparent walls. The outer walls were a ring of alabaster with grand gates of silver. Red and black roses grew on a trellis around it. The tower’s many windows and balconies overlooked the grand courtyard. At night, enchanted light would play on the windows’ surface, making the tower appear to be made of stars. Surrounding the tower was the Balakan Grove. It consisted of gnarled olive trees, heavy with green and black fruit, and populated by songbirds and wild creatures. Those who walked the grove’s paths, felt a strong urge to walk among the trees. When they inevitably did, they immediately forgot why they had come to the Tower, and where they were going. When they emerged, their memory would slowly return coupled with a desire to never approach the grove again. If you eat the fruit in the trees, you would emerge with your mind wiped clean. You couldn’t even remember how to speak! 

Then the Third Dragon War came and while the wizards convened in the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas to create the Dragon Orbs, Istar had no one to protect it from the Dark Queen’s forces. So they turned to the church. The patriarch of the Temple of Paladine rallied the people and protected them with divine magic. From that moment on, Istar would question whether they could trust the wizards, and knew they could put their faith in the gods. As Istar grew into the mighty empire we all know it would, the church of Paladine rose at its center and the head of the church was known as the Kingpriest. Then came the Three-Thrones War, which further turned opinions against the wizards in the Tower of High Sorcery. The kingpriest sent a force against the tower but it was rebuffed. The wizards and priests lived in an uneasy truce as no blood was shed, until Beldinas Pilofiro took the throne.

Treasury, misfortune, and violence shaped the new Kingpriests reign, and when he formed the Knights of the Divine Hammer, he sought to attack the Towers of High Sorcery across the continent. Rather than allow the magic to fall into the Kingpriests hands, the wizards sacrificed the Towers of Istar and Palanthas. Destroyed the towers of Losarcum and Daltigoth, and retreated to the Tower of Wayreth. The Tower of Istar was rededicated and used as a repository of sacred artifacts confiscated from heretical religions. They were all stored in the Hall of Sacrilege called the Solio Febalas. As corruption set in, the evil artifacts were joined by neutral and good artifacts, and when the Cataclysm struck, it was believed that all of the ancient and sacred magic and knowledge was lost forever. But it was not.

The Gods of Magic had plans to restore the Tower, but the Solio Febalas still held all of its treasures and the gods didn’t believe the mortals of the world were ready for the deadly artifacts, so it remained a future project of the gods for centuries. Then came the War of the Lance, then the Chaos War, and the War of Souls. When the gods finally recovered their lost world they discovered that the Orders of High Sorcery which guided magic since the Age of Dreams was disbanded. They quickly set out to reform its Orders. They banned Dalamar the  Dark from the Tower of Palanthas which now resided inNightlund, leaving it hidden until they could decide its fate. As Lunitari and Solinari began to work on the Tower of Wayreth, Nuitarti was filled with rage over the betrayal of his mother Takhisis. He began to cement his own power and position in Krynn, as many gods of evil did in the vacuum of the Dark Queen. And the shattered Tower of Istar seemed the perfect opportunity. Nuitari cast an incantation to redesign the Tower rededicating it as the Tower of the Blood Sea, a bastion of dark wizardry. The powerful, holy and profane artifacts remain hidden inside the Tower, watched over by a powerful guardian.

The Tower of the Blood Sea looks much like its original structure with delicate, crystalline walls. The light that penetrates the ocean gives it a mesmerizing beauty which attracts creatures of the sea. The main difference is the dome at its top. There is an orb of black marble with a circlet of red-gold intertwined with silver and a black void at its center as a crown. This is meant to honor Lunitari and Solinari. There are many windows of clear crystal, allowing those outside the Tower to see a field of sparkling stars on a night sky from the lamps lit within. With the central doorway buried under sand and debris, the wizards have created a magical air lock. This also allows them to capture fish. The only time they are visible is when they are swirling open or closed. The Hall of Audience now holds Nuitari’s throne. The Chamber of the Eyes holds the Gods Eye, an unsurpassed magical scrying device. The Tower was temporarily raised above the surface revealed to the world, and has since been returned to the depths.

The future of the Tower of the Blood Sea and its relics are entirely up to your own gaming table, so I would encourage you to include this wonderful new Tower of High Sorcery in your game. And what is the future of the Orders of High Sorcery? Do they regroup and add in sorcerers or maintain only wizards in their ranks treating all others as renegades? This is also entirely up to you and your campaign. 

But that is all the time I have to talk about the Tower of High Sorcery in Istar: The Bloody-Fingered Hand. What do you think about the tower being reused? Will the tower ever be permanently risen, or simply used with the Blood Sea as its protective grove? And finally, would you want to explore the ruins of the Tower? Leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

What sort of life can there be for one who is half of two things and all of nothing?

Join us as we begin our AD&D liveplay of DL16 World of Krynn adventure,  Dargaard Keep with this part two! You can buy DL16 World of Krynn here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/16936/dl16-world-of-krynn-1e?affiliate_id=50797 

Last time on Dargaard Keep: The heroes were meeting up in a small inn near the Vingaard River when Solamnic Knights arrived on dragons, led by Sir Elmorr, calling for adventurers. Our heroes stepped up and rode with them to a sacred grove a few hours south of Dargaard Keep. They were met by Prophet Siswick and Archmaster Bergg who told you about Lord Soth opening an Abyssal Rift after having taken an ancient artifact. The heroes didn’t ask many questions about the situation and agreed to invade Dargaard Keep to collect the five pieces of the artifact, rejoin them, and insert it into the Abyssal Rift to close it. As they entered the graveyard outside the keep they were met by Storopers, Vargouilles, and wereboars before finally approaching the bridge. The Wereboars refused to get closer to the keep and Baaz, Sivak and Bozak Draconians were guarding the keep. The heroes defeated them and learned that level 5 and 6 are the barracks levels and that the Draconians stay as far away from the undead of the keep as possible, which come out at night. They attempted to enter through the front door of the keep only to be met by Lord Soth himself who gave them as friendly a warning as possible. Leave now if you want to live. Then he erected a wall of ice barring entry. The heroes quickly ran to one of the wall points up to the keep wall and terrace level only to be confronted by even more Draconians.

You are cordially invited to enter the dangerous world of the Dragonlance saga. The World of Krynn brings you to previously unexplored corners of Krynn with new challenges for your characters.

Explore Dargaard Keep, the vast and perilous lair of Lord Soth, and perhaps you will discover what really happened to Kitiara! Journey into the volcanic lair of a dragon to defend the city of Palanthus. Run a merry chase over hill and heath in search of a lost boy—can you find Master Lor before the other, more sinister searchers? Travel to the far-away isle of Mithas and save the remnants of a dying race of bird-men from the savage minotaurs, while simultaneously trying to thwart a massive invasion of Ansalon.

The World of Krynn beckons to you; return to adventure once again in the world of fearsome dragons and vile draconians.

There are a number of dramatic changes in the post War of Souls, Age of Mortals Era. One such significant event was the invasion and claiming of the elven homeland by minotaurs. Let’s examine Sargasanti formerly known as Silvanost. Buy Age of Mortals: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/557/age-of-mortals-3-5?affiliate_id=50797

Mina and the One God were not the only ones executing long laid plans during the War of Souls.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about Sargasanti – Formerly Silvanost. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Age of Mortals sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

The Minotaur nation has a legacy of slavery going back to their creation by the Graygem. They have never had a place of ownership or power on Ansalon, though they have long fought and bled for one. It would take the destruction of Istar in the Cataclysm to separate the mainland of Ansalon from the Blood Sea Isles where the minotaurs lived, and even then, their cultural traditions of warfare and might makes right style of ruling led as often to inner conflict as much as outer conflict . In the Age of Mortals, General Hotak De-Droka assassinated the former Emperor during the Chaor War, and established an empire by blood. Rather than any great warrior being able to challenge the emperor for control, it was now a monarchy. He laid plans of expansion into Ansalon proper through their old enemy’s territory of Silvanesti. This was not the first attempt at an invasion by the Minotaur Empire, and while the last was some two thousand years before the cataclysm, the lessons learned were not forgotten to time.

Only a little over a year after claiming power, Hotak De-Droka ordered the invasion as Mina was leaving Silvanesti after having felled the shield that was raised by Cyan Bloodbane, and Cyan himself. The minotaurs made quick work of the Dark Knights occupation force and claimed Silvanost as their own, renaming it Sargas’ Glory, or Sargasanti. With the Dark Knights expelled from the capital, the Minotaur Empire had the foothold it always wanted, and could now base all of its future operations from the mainland rather than their islands of Mithas and Kothas at the other side of the Blood Sea. Massive amounts of troops and settlers began to arrive and within six months, the millenia old nation of Silvanesti was renamed by its imperial Minotaur Colonists as Ambeon.

While the forest was being sectioned off into five by five acre plots for the settlers to build upon, extensive roads were being built to connect the colonists and military troops. Outposts were raised along the forest borders for security including six fortresses by 421 AC for protection, with more in the planning! The leadership made an alliance with the Ogres of Blode to the north, and the old political machinations inevitably returned. Hotak’s wife, Nephera De-Droka sought to see her son Ardnor De-Droka on the throne, and assassinated her husband to see it done! But this particular game of thrones isn’t over for while many minotaur soldiers and citizens accepted the new bloodline of the Emperor, not all of them did. Ardnor would be beheaded by Faros Es-Kalin the same year of his rise to power with the full blessing of the now returned god Sarganas and took Hotak’s daughter Maritia de-Droka as his wife, shoring up any possible dissent and entrenching his position of power.

The capital city of Sargasanti fundamentally changed the once timeless Silvanesti capital of Silvanost in a number of ways. Entire districts were razed. Ancient towers that once housed the great Silvanesti Houses were now homes to prominent minotaur Clan leaders. There are seven Clan Towers that formed the Emperor’s Fleet. Clan Droka took the Tower of Stars. It is said the ghost of Lorac appears at dusk, seated on the Emerald Throne and will remain until the elves have reclaimed their homeland. The superstitious minotaurs sealed the chamber and hold audiences in the governor’s palace across the garden. Defensive barricades have been raised around each for added security. In the center of the towers is the beautiful Garden of Astarin. It is seen as a symbol of Strength and renamed to the Garden of Triumph. The other clans include the loyal Clan Bregan, the wealthy merchant Clan Athak, the Stone Clan Lagrangli who are raising the fortifications on the borders, Clan Zhakan who is in charge of the non-minotaur mercenaries. Clan Teskos who is a rare clan experienced in arcane magic. They were declared renegades when the Orders of High Sorcery were around. And finally Clan Entragath who are political masters in their own right. 

The beautiful Palace of Quinari is now the Governor’s Palace. It is the largest residence in the city, standing over three hundred feet high. It is divided into three distinct wings. Much of the elven furniture was used for firewood or sold on a now thriving black market as both Elven Nations are all but extinct, their wares are sought after in their rarity. Astarin’s temple is now a Temple of Sargas. All traces of the elven god have been removed. The temple consists of three towers, two smaller ones flanking a single large tower. The two smaller towers house shrines to the lesser gods according to the empire, with shrines to the other deities of darkness and Balance. There is even a small shrine to Kiri-Jolith. The central tower is dedicated to Sargas himself.

The Field of Dishonor was once the home of the House Meralline. This area is now used to execute traitors. The Parade Grounds were once home to House Cleric. Now, every morning the Imperial Guard and soldiers from the Great Clans run drills on the grounds. The Governor of Sargasanti gives weekly speeches here to the colonists as well. The Market Grounds were once home of the legendary House Protector. It is now an open-air market where merchants import goods for the colonies. From dawn-to-dusk this bustling center is a place of trade. The imperial guard imposes a curfew at night for security. The Fields of Honor were once the location for House Mystic. This is the location for the future grand coliseum currently under construction. The Barracks of the Wildrunners are now inhabited by mercenaries and ogres. It is one of the only areas where non-minotaurs are allowed in the colony. And finally the Quarries. These areas were walled off and captured slaves now carve out stone blocks for use in construction all across the former elven city. 

With the minotaur empire’s emperor now in position and Ambeon, their new imperial colony secured, it was time to plan their expansion into the west. This was undone in two ways. First was Wizards of the Coast who canceled all of the Dragonlance novels and second was Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman who had to take them to court to have their Destinies trilogy published, and won in settlement. The authors that began Dragonlance novels, ended the Age of Mortals by erasing it from the timeline in their same Destinies trilogy. So we will have to decide o n our home gaming tables where the Minotaur Empire goes from here, leaving an age ripe for your own storytelling.

But that is all the time I have to talk about Sargasanti – Formerly Silvanost. What do you think about Minotaurs claiming Silvanesti? Will they ever expand their territory on Ansalon? And finally, would you play a war game focusing on the minotaur invasion? Leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

A testimony of fools is still a testimony.

Join me as I review The Dragons of Krynn edited by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, live! Share your thoughts on this first anthology in the Dragonlance Dragons series, released on March 1, 1994. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/4eCQIUo

In this one-of-a-kind collection, you’ll find:

These exciting and other-worldy short stories are by authors of the Dragonlance saga, one of the world’s best-selling fantasy series. Authors include Nancy Varian Berberick, Jeff Grubb, Richard A. Knaak, Roger E. Moore, Douglas Niles, Nick O’Donohoe, Michael and Teri Williams, and Margaret Weis.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Bakukal, Gildember the 4th. My name is Adam and today I am going to give you my review of The Dragons of Krynn edited by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. This year is the 40th Anniversary of Dragonlance, so join in on the celebration by submitting a video, piece of art or writing about Dragonlance to [email protected]. It will be added to the dlsaga.com/40th-anniversary celebration landing with all other contributors! This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat.

The seven poems in this series are Approaches, Dragonhoard, The language of dragons, Hymn of the lair, Paladine, The journey, The Dreams of dragons. They are more style over substance, abstractly creating an atmosphere over an image of anything specific. Only Paladine was a bit substantive, but even that was nebulous. I enjoy reading them, but I would enjoy them more if they were about something substantive.

This was a wonderful story about the druidess L’indasha in Taman Busuk. A gardener named Mort came and brought her a flower he cultivated and she told him a story about a dragon egg. Just before the War of ht eLance, L’indasha noticed evil dragons flying overhead, and an egg fell from one of their grasp. It was a bronze dragon’s egg. She knew she was supposed to ignore it as is the Druid way, nature will take its own course, not to be meddled with. But she couldn’t help look into it and see it for what it was. THen one day it hatched and rather than let it die alone in these rough mountains, she took it in, and named it Oliver. L’indasha and Oliver had a lot of time together and eventually she knew she had to teach it how to be a dragon, but Oliver was a bit of a scamp and was always getting into trouble. One day a Solamnic Knight was traveling through looking for evil to thwart and came across hunters who killed a deer. He demanded to know who owned the forest to see if they were poachers and they said the druidess. The knight was sure this was a baby thieving witch of a druidess so he hunted her lair and entered, challenging her. The only problem was that she was gone and Oliver was there getting into her food stores. Oliver breathed gas which took out the knight, turned and knocked his head into a stalactite knocking himself out, and L’indasha arrived to see the sorry scene. She took care of the two until they were healthy, sending the knight on his way now grateful and informed about the mercy of druids. The dragon was told to find his kind as she knew they were coming. It left but would return to visit and make sure L’indashsa had water. IT was nice to see a baby dragon being silly and learning, also becoming aware of a war torn world and needing to find its own kind.

This was a wonderful story about a mercenary named Ryle who watched his father die because he was too afraid to help him. This haunted him and he did everything he could to prove to himself and others that he wasn’t a coward, but deep down he felt like one. One day a dwarf named Tarran came to town looking to hire him. A Copper dragon named Claw had killed his entire party as they were trying to steal his hoard. The dragon used Tarran as bait and then let him go. He wanted revenge more than anything. Ryle agreed to go with him, and eventually they made it to the dragon’s lair, and the dragon was out. It turned out the dragon’s favorite possession was the skull of his dead mate that was all dressed up with jewels. The dragon came back when Tarran was destroying the skull. They hid as the dragon consumed its meal, then it discovered them slinking away. It grabbed Tarran and used him as bait again, looking into Ryles head and seeing that he believed he was a coward. Ryle turned his bow on the SKull which allowed them to leave and as they were on their way out, Ryle hit the skull crushing it once and for all, and they heard the dragon’s wails of sorrow the whole way out. This was a story about loss and fear and pain. Each one of the characters were scarred and in emotional pain. It was painfully real and I really liked it.

This was a touching tale about a knight of the crown who lived for his oath and measure. So much so that his devoted wife left him as he only has a place in his heart for his honor. He went off looking for ways to gain renown and came across a village who was supposedly terrorized by a dragon. He knew that by defeating an evil dragon he would bring glory to his name, and went in search of it. He came to the cave and called out to the dragon. It appeared white in the dim light and the dragon refused to fight, saying that it had harmed no one. This didn’t matter to the knight, if it was a  white dragon, then it was evil and should be killed. He snuck in a back way and fought and ultimately killed the white dragon. In its dying breath it asked the knight to look after its young, as it and she are not what they appear to be. The knight was certain that this beast’s offspring should also die and when it was about to kill it, he stopped. The breath weapon the dragon used was gas, not cold. The size was much larger than a white should be. He realized that he killed an albino silver dragon and almost killed its offspring. He killed a good dragon! This sent him spiraling, questioning everything. His honor and desire for glory led him to an evil act. It caused his marriage to end and almost kill an infant. He decided he would take the baby dragon to his wife who loved all animals and beg her to take him back and protect this creature. I love a story that forces you to rethink evil and good, honor and glory. Justice and what is right are colored heavily by perspective and when you are forced to see things differently, you often come to new conclusions and grow as an individual. It’s great!

You will always enjoy reading one of Nile’s stories. This was about an ogre in the Third Dragon War who ambushed a group of knights, then were driven off by a squad of dragon mounted knights. The ogre fled into the mountains looking for easy pickings and came across a gold dragon. Terrified, it took him a while to realize the dragon was dead. He approached it bravely, kicked and spat on it, and it didn’t move. Then he saw a hatchlink approach. He crushed the hatchling with his club and immediately realized the dragon’s lair would be nearby. If there dragons’ lair is near, there would be treasure! THe ogre examined the area and saw claw marks leading up to a cave. He entered and started moving through it feeling as though he were watched. He spotted one more hatching and scared it off before climbing through some precarious places, only to notice many more hatchlings around him. He felt urgency to get out of this area and get the treasure that must be here, only to dodge another hatchlings bite, fall and break his limbs as the hatchlings all slowly climbed down to consume him. He was the easy pickings. It’s so much fun to see a story from a bad guy’s perspective then have them get their just deserts.

What a tale! This focused on a gnome named Gilbenstock who lived in Palanthas after the War of the Lance. He invented a dragon shaped drumming machine, but it broke. He was approached by three men who hired him to dig out a collapsed mine. They paid him in diamonds so he was very happy about it, and wealthy. So he agreed, but was visited by a mercenary type named Zorlen. It turned out that Zorlen was hunting Sivak draconians that killed his wizard friend in Kalaman, and tracked them here. He initially thought Gilbenstock was one, but learned otherwise. Gilbenstock was terrified of the man and thought him dead at one point, but Zorlen just killed one of the Sivak’s. He took his machine out of Palanthas to the location in the canyon, en route he was met by Dalamar who was going to stop him till he destroyed a  statue of Elistan. Dalamar was pleased and let him go, but told him not to return unless he was on foot, as the dragon drilling machine was incredibly loud, large, and destructive. So the gnome met the remaining two men at the site and used his machine to dig a hole, breaking into a cavern. It turns out the men who hired him were Sivak draconians who learned that an ancient Dragon named Bloodglitter from the second dragon war was buried under here. Later discovered by dwarves who reburied him. The dragon was anxious to get out and wreak destruction, so the gnome discovered the truth and ran out of the tunnel into Zorlen who fought one draconian and was wounded. He was helped out and the gnome used his machine to reseal up the mine, burying the dragon and killing the draconians. It was a funny, exciting, twisting story where you weren’t sure who was good ro bad, and I really enjoyed it. There was a great Gully Dwarf named Squib that was the gnome’s helper that brought a bunch of care and humor as well.

This story is about friends who live in a run down town and made a batch of incredibly potent ale. It actually set the inn on fire, and in the morning the town was convinced it was a dragon, so they sent the friends off to kill or run the dragon off. Many of them had loves but couldn’t marry them as they were broke, but the town offered a reward, so this was their chance. But the only problem was, there was no dragon. They accidentally lit the inn on fire. So now they needed to find a dragon and kill it or drive it off with witnesses to come back and collect. They traveled to a nearby town and saw a farm house destroyed. The mad old woman inside said it was a dragon and the group climbed a hill into mist to find it. They were attacked but it ended up being a gnome in a mechanical dragon that needed fuel to take himself back to Mount Nevermind. The party gave them their alcohol and it worked! The dragon flew off, and the friends returned to the village as heroes. It was a fun story about consequences and the fear of committing to love for not having the ability to take care of the person you love, even if they don’t need it. I enjoyed it.

What a wild tale! This focused on a stranger coming to town with a dog called fools gold. The stranger named Jengar is cursed by a dragon to tell the truth, which has forced him to leave town when honesty is not always appreciated. The baron of this new town wants to get rid of a gnome because the gnome’s assistant is the love interest of the waitress the baron wants to marry. So he hires all mercenaries who enter town to get rid of the gnome. The only problem is that the home is a delightful fellow! All the mercenaries return to the baron telling him the gnome is not a threat and then the baron uses a wand to capture the mercenaries and watches them starve. Jengar is told to look into the Gnome and when he returns telling the same tale, the Baron shrinks and captures his dog. Now he is forced to get rid of the gnomish threat. This forces Jengar to examine the situation closer. He brings plans to make a speed boat to the gnome so the gnome can leave but after building it, they wanted to show it off to the village. As everyone including the baron arrives to watch, they marvel at this wonderful boat that works! The Baron demands to use it and not knowing how, and ignoring all warnings by Jengar, he rides it to the horizon and is never seen again. Thereby removing the threat of the gnome and making everyone happy. Somehow the dog was let loose and they lived happily ever after. It’s a great story about honesty and how a solution to a problem is not always what is expected.

This silly story is about a kender named Mapshaker Wanderfuss who steals or borrows a magical dragon statue that turns him into a brass dragon. He flies all over the land, learning what it means to be a dragon, and that birds and insects don’t care what you are, they still annoy you. Then he inadvertently terrified a knight’s horse who swore to kill him. The mage wakes to find his statue gone and goes in search of it with his assistant. They find a farmer whose home is  broken due to the kendragon, and points them in the direction of a knight chasing the kendragon. It all culminates in the knight fighting an ogre and the kendragon helps but puts himself to sleep with his breath weapon. When he wakes the knight is ready to slay him, but is stopped by the mage, and he is turned back into a kender after having given the statue back. Then he goes off on another adventure as the mage and knight go off on their own way frustrated. Just a fun little bite-sized kender tale.

What an odd little story. It is about a mercenary named Stoic John and his companion Copper Dragon Croesus. The dragon likes to eat small children of all races and species. The story suggests a lot of truly nefarious activity between the two of them, but stops short of saying much out right. The meal the dragon is about to eat is a young boy who is fearless and screaming back at the dragon. This throws them both for a loop as it should be terrified. It turns out that the child’s name is Jax and he is a she. Moreso, the child was left at the cave by a woman that John had fooled around with, a lot. This woman is a mage and she warned John about leaving her. It turned out she had a child and the child liked to set things on fire. Including her village. So the mother sent her to her father. Abandoned her more like, but still. The dragon and John decide to keep the girl as she makes them food. Turns out the child is a good cook. It was just an odd little story that I don’t really know why, but I enjoyed it.

This was a great short story. It is about Kang and his engineer regiment, and the second short story that I have read about the regiment. In this story Kang is brought to Highlord Ariakas and ordered to build a bridge for the armies to cross into Elven lands. Ariakas demands it be built overnight, which is an impossible task, but tired of building latrines, Kang says it can be done and leaves to go do it. The regiment is excited to do their actual job so they happily head out. As they are building it, elves attack and SLith crosses the river to attack them, hunting elves while the bridge is completed. A SIlver Dragon notices them and Slith kills two Bozak’s that were carried off by the dragon to kill the dragon as they explode, and the dragon dies. Finally the bridge is complete with casualties, and when the officer arrives Kang reports it complete, and now the Dragonarmies don’t need it as the Golden General is close, so Ariakas wants to adjust tactics. Then draconians cross the bridge, bury their dead and return to camp. The whole story is about troops ordered to do the impossible and when its done, its not needed. I feel like I lived through this exact situation my entire military contract. It’s one of the many reasons I didn’t reup. 

This story had an interesting twist, that I will spoil in a second. It begins with a town in the middle of nowhere. It is populated by scribes but we don’t discover til the end that they are scribing the Dark Queen’s teachings. I told you I would spoil it. But there is more! This group is tormented by a dragon that appears, and it’s coming again, so the mayor goes to a local wizard and asks for help. THe wizard is willing to aid but requires a 60% tax of all the towns profit for as long as he lives. The mayor agrees out of desperation, and they are given stones which will capture the dragon, so when it breathes fire, it will only kill itself. THe plan goes off without a hitch  and the treasure is taken. Years go by and there is a festival commemorating the day annually. The town is sick and tired of giving their money away for seemingly nothing, and they are going to vote out the mayor. The mayor then hears a bard playing and brings him into his home. He tells him that he will pay him to play at the festival, and that he has a job for him. He uses him to distract the wizard then kills him, bringing the treasure back to town to surprise everyone. What he doesn’t realize is that the bard is a gold dragon, the child of the slain dragon from years before and as the townspeople are dying they ask why the wizard isn’t protecting them, and the mayor knows it’s because he just killed him. Great twist, and great story.

A wonderful return of Kaz the minotaur. Kaz is traveling after the war and comes across a mysterious beast that he barely fends off. THen he is caught by a black robed wizard named Master Brenn. The wizard doesn’t know who Kaz is an dKaz plays up that he was on the Dark Queen’s side of the war. He is brought into the wizards lair as a servant and shown that the wizard captured a weakened silver dragon and her eggs. He was inspired by a dark cleric of Takhisis who wanted to turn dragon eggs into monstrosities, proto-draconians. The wizard was doing the same with the silver dragon eggs. He used an illusion to make the dragon believe her eggs were safe out of reach as the wizard used her magic to experiment on her real eggs. Kaz tried to release her only to be caught by the wizard and was trapped, preparing to fight the monster proto dragon-man the wizard created. The dragon man broke through the prison and attacked the weakened wizard as its form started to deteriorate. The wizard now panicked and let Kaz loose, hoping he would save him, and Kaz fought the dragon-man to the death. After killing it he turned to the wizard who ended up being trapped in his own spell and died. Kaz found the silver dragon dead after having realized what was happening, and Kaz took the dragon eggs to find her mate and deliver them safely. This was a great story about the original attempts at creating draconians, which does date back to the third dragon war.

This was an emotional story about a Plains of Dust tribe that was slaughtered by dragons. The only survivors were a warrior named Torin, an apprentice mage named Biar and an outsider who was married to a tribesman, now dead, named Mari. They found eachother in the aftermath of the destruction and began to travel together to an oasis as all the water was poisoned. The rumors of dragons were not believed by them all, but they had to focus on the task at hand. At night they felt the fear of the dragons overhead and a crystal artifact the mage carried grew hot to the touch when the dragons flew overhead, as it did when the tribe was attacked. Torin wanted to go to Silvanesti when he learned Mari was an elf from there, but she refused as she’s a dark elf. She died in the Thon Thalas river and was told to go back to the world and tell them the gods have returned as have the dragons. Then she told Lorac he banished her, as only the higher classes in their culture could speak of the gods. She was welcomed by her husband in the tribe, but she never spoke about the experience. No one really believed her, so they headed to the Khalkist mountains. Torin was wounded and weary so he was lagging behind and they saw a river so Mari and Biar ran toward it. Mari was abducted by a draconian and Torin rushed to help her after seeing Biar with a sword wound that was fatal. He defeated the Draconian which turned to stone, trapping his weapon. Then another draconian came and nearly killed him, but Mari used the crystal artifact to shield his body, and when it was struck, it blew apart the draconian and revealed a holy symbol of mishakal. She used it to heal Biar and Torin and realized she had to return to Silvanesti with this proof to save her people. This is bitter because we know what has happened to Silvanesti in the interim, but the love that built over the story between Torin and Mari was beautiful and really touched me. It was a  lovely tale.

I have read this short story a handful of times and it never gets old. I have even reviewed it before on this channel in another anthology. What makes the story so great is not the twist at the end, which itself is great, but the characters and their interplay with each other. They are a great party of believable characters interacting in a stressful situation. The setup is that a dragon has been raiding the treasure from the entire area and multiple kingdoms. The king was kidnapped and being held for ransom so his seneschal called out for the best to join at a tavern and go after the dragon. THey all met up and the seneschal explained the task. He alone knew where the dragon’s lair was. So the whole crew went together to the lair, snuck in and found their way into the lair. Fought some skeleton guards and entered the lair proper, seeing all their stolen treasure and more besides. That is when the seneschal revealed that he was in fact the dragon and killed them all in their tracks. It was a wickedly satisfying tale that I can’t imagine ever tiring of reading.

What a strange and somber way to end this anthology. This story is about a Solamnic Knight that is hunting a black dragon named Borac. He is obsessed, and driven. He has been hunting it for as long as he can remember and encounters a shade in the swamp which he slays, then finally finds the dragon. It is ancient, and dying. It asks to be murdered and granted peace in death, but Galan doesn’t want to grant him death like this, he wants a fight. The dragon asks if he remembers his life and the knight doesn’t. He is told that he died a long time ago and he is just a specter, and the knight is shocked, realizing the truth. The dragon dies, and the knight butchers it in fury as his prey is dead, but he will live forever. It’s a story about our passions, our hatreds taking over our lives. We have to stop focusing on the negatives in this life and instead take ownership, and find joy in what and who we can. The internet and social media is just a machine of hate and anger. It fuels negativity and yet we as a species are addicted to it. We grow frustrated with it but are drawn back. But we don’t have to live in this cycle of pain. We can walk away. Take a walk, a hike. Get in nature, disconnect. It’s a choice we make. Find joy. Read a book, like this anthology. Connect to what it actually means to be human, through adventure and exploration, connection with other people in real life, search for love, have some sex! We are so much more than that which brings us down. That is what this story reminds me of. For that, I truly loved it.

This entire collection is great. There is not a stinker of a tale herein. I highly recommend it to everyone who loves dragonlance, and dragons, even if the tale is only tangentially about them. You will not regret it. And allow me to reiterate, seek out joy in your life, and if you find yourself consumed by negative emotions, stop what you are doing. Examine where they are coming from, and make the choice to change your behavior.

And that’s it for my review of The Dragons of Krynn edited by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. What did you think of the dragon centric stories? Do you have a favorite kind of dragon? And finally, have you ever fought a dragon in a roleplaying game? Feel free to email me at [email protected] or leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content.  

This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).

The Age of Mortals saw more changes than any other age. Let’s take a look at Teyr – A Draconian Nation. Buy Age of Mortals: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/557/age-of-mortals-3-5?affiliate_id=50797

If it weren’t for Kang and his regiment, there would have been no future for Draconians.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about Teyr – A Draconian Nation. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Dragonlance Campaign Setting and Age of Mortals sourcebooks for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

The legacy of Draconians is one of the Dark Queen trying to rule Krynn. They were shock troops in a brutal war made from the eggs of her enemies. That is until Margaret Weis and Don Perrin wrote a few short stories and a couple novels about Draconians, completely redefining them. After the War of the Lance and the defeat of Takhisis, most mortals, both good and evil, saw Draconians as needing eradication. In fact their very designed existence was engineered to die out, as they couldn’t reproduce. They could live an incredibly long time, but there was no future generations of their race. Until Kang and his regiment heard about female eggs being hidden away. This was a long shot, and it could spell their doom, but the Draconians saw it as their only hope for a future, so they took up the quest.

The only problem was, these eggs were secreted into the depths of Thorbardin, and it was at the same time that Chaos was unleashed, and waging the Chaos War on all creation. They were ultimately successful in discovering the eggs and defeating the Chaos Minions that were in their way, securing their race. The downside to discovering the one thing that can perpetuate your race, is that one typically over protects them. We see this with religious women adopting roles defined for them by their culture, and we saw it with the Draconians and their females. And what it all ignores is that life itself is difficult and the only constant is chaos. So that overprotection diminishes what would otherwise be a valuable contribution to a society. This was ultimately realized, and they discovered these females had talents and abilities that were different from the males.

The next step in securing a future was to locate a home. Somewhere these Draconians could live in perpetuity. What they discovered was an ancient dwarven settlement called Thoral Des. Its origin was nearly two hundred years before the Cataclysm, and its purpose was to guard against the Ogres of Blode and act as a settlement for trade. When the Kingpriest demanded fealty, the Dwarves refused, and Istar attacked. Just before the Cataclysm Thoral Des was attacked, defeated and fell to ruins. When the Draconians under Kang’s direction discovered the ruins, they began to use their engineering background taught to them in the War, and rebuilt the city stronger than ever with an Onion motif as inspiration. The new city was noticed by the Knights of Takhisis in Neraka and they tried to bring the city under their control, but ultimately failed. The Draconians had had enough of living someone else’s life, and it was time to take their own destiny in their own claws.

Teyr rests north of Neraka, and east of Estwilde. It is just south of Nordmaar, and buts-up right next to the Astavar Mountains. Its territory is framed by the Woods of Lahue to the west. It is a mountainous region with heavy forests and massive grasslands to the north. It is ruled by a civilian tribunal led by now Governor Kang with representation from both the draconian civilian and military population. There are outposts in addition to the primary city which are controlled by outpost commanders. They do accept humans in their territory, but they live mostly lawless lives as mercenaries by contrast. 

Some important sites in the region start with the city of Teyr has a population of just under six thousand and five hundred. It is one of the most impregnable cities in all of Ansalon. Again, it is built with an onion motif, with its walls in successive layers. The first layer is thick outer walls, then the walls of a great central bastion, and then finally the bastion itself. This walled city of stone features its government house, known as the Bastion, at its center. It features military barracks within the walls, and civilian businesses and domiciles outside the walls. There is a great centuries-old dwarven crafted hall underground called the Hall of Thanes, which Governor Kang uses as a shelter beneath the government center. It is large enough to house the entire population if disaster returns to the region. It features deep wells to draw water, and features four incomplete underground highways; two of which extend beyond the city walls. The gate house was reconstructed to a massive four stories with reinforced two-story oak doors. Seven towers look down over the city’s seven corners. All are constructed the same save for Slith’s Perch in the far northeast corner of the city. The Bastion is the nerve center of the city. This fort has five turrets with views overlooking the city’s outer walls. The chophouse known as Kang’s Kitchen rests near the bastion at the center of town. The smells of exotic spices and fresh meat drift through the nearby streets. Its cozy warm interior is designed specifically for Draconians. At its far end is a raised platform for the governor and his top aides.

The Drunken Dragon is located outside the city and earned its name due to the wicker dragon used as a roof. It’s more of a social hall than a bar. Its inner wall features a mural of the Battle of the Fortress of Maranta by Mak. The Noresh Outpost is sixty miles south of Teyr and thirty miles west of Robann. It overlooks the ancient dwarven royal highway, and covers the northern pathway through the Astivar Mountains. Ten draconians man the outpost and are commanded by a junior officer. It’s hidden atop a rock promontory which is nigh impossible to scale. It is not intended to be a defensible position, but its layout is typical of the outposts around the region. Robann is a small town of just under a thousand. It’s located in the southeastern tip of the mountain chain and is the only settlement on the plains. Its walls are made of wood and stone and were structurally crafted by Kang. The Ruins of Mount Brego are rumored to be left from an ancient dwarven Kal-Thax. It hasn’t yet been mapped as any who enter the ruins never return from them, so Governor Kang has declared the ruins off limits.

Some other major geographical features include Mount Brego. It’s the central feature of the western horizon as seen from the city of Teyr. Wild ogres can be seen wandering the ancient ruins scattered over its surface. And lastly, but certainly not least, is the Peak of Destiny. It is the Southernmost peak in the Astivar Mountains and is unique due to a staircase that ascends from a small meadow halfway up its base to the peak itself! At the top of the peak is a viewing platform carved out of the living rock. On a clear day, the three peaks surrounding Sanction, known as the Lords of Doom some two hundred miles away,  can be seen.

But that is all the time I have to talk about Teyr – A Draconian Nation. What do you think about Draconians turning from wartime monsters to player characters? Will the nation of Teyr ever expand due to war with its neighbors? And finally, would you ever play a draconian in this era? Leave a comment below. 

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Don’t look downcast. You will have a chance to die.