Dragon Knight

“I thought the dragon knights would save us, but even they couldn't stop Ajax. Now the roads aren't safe. People are taken from their homes without cause or warning, never to return. I don't know what's going to happen now, except everyone's afraid all the time.”

“I think things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.”

The Ritual of Dracogenesis that grants the power to create a generation of dragon knights—also known as draconians or wyrmwights—is obscure and supremely difficult for even an experienced sorcerer to master. Small populations of draconians in Khemhara, Higara, and Khorshir attest to this. Descendants of original generations created millennia ago by powerful wizards, they have never been numerous. A typical clutch yields only a single egg. After only a few generations, these draconians begin to show new adaptations like feathers or frilled ridges.

The largest extant population of draconians is the remnants of the Dragon Phalanx in Vasloria. Created by Good King Omund's wizard Vitae, the Dragon Phalanx once numbered several thousand of the king's greatest knights, ensuring the rule of law across the land.

Knighthood was a title carried by every member of that first generation of dragon knights. Within the Dragon Phalanx were shadows, censors, tacticians, and elementalists. Members of virtually every heroic vocation could be found in one of the eight dragonflights that made up the phalanx. For over thirty years, these heroes were symbols of justice, protecting the weak from the strong, and standing between the common folk and those who sought power over others. Those who grew up in that place and time could never have imagined any other way of life.

Then Ajax came.

On The Dragon Knights

The cloaked figure at the back of the inn stood up. As they did so, their hood slipped down, revealing their head and face. A susurration rippled through the crowd. One man standing near the bar dropped his jaw, followed by his flagon of mead.

A tall, broad draconian stepped into the light. He was old, his scales battle-scarred. He rested one clawed hand on the pommel of a mace that hung from a loop on his belt, while the other carried his shield by a strap. His flat, expressionless look was more terrifying than any threatening glower.

The three human bandits took a step back. One of the dwarves just sneered—then, sensing his human compatriot's reluctance, turned to look at them. “What's this?” the lead dwarf growled.

“Don't be cowards now!” the other dwarf said, a hint of joy in his voice. “Look what a prize we have caught!”

“We didn't…” one bandit said, shaking. “We didn't know…”

Looking at the dragon knight, the other bandit added quickly, “We didn't know there was one of you here.”

The draconian didn't move. Didn't give any indication he heard the man. Just stared unblinking at the lead dwarf.

“Think of the bounty,” the dwarf hissed to the humans, but he kept his eye on the draconian. “We'll all be rich.”

“I don't…” One of the bandits dropped her sword and held her hands up as she backed away from the group toward the exit. “I don't need it that bad,” she said. Then she turned and ran out the door. Her human compatriots followed.

The two dwarves surveyed the tavern. The people were now all facing them. A few had stood up. They weren't afraid anymore.

“We'll be back,” the lead dwarf said, and the two of them backed out of the inn, sheathing their shortswords before they turned and left.

As one, the people in the tavern turned to look with undisguised awe at the dragon knight. He noticed this, ducked his head to avoid their gaze. “Show's over,” he growled, then he turned to go back to his seat in the rear.

“Thank you,” the woman behind the bar said. “Thank you for…”

She stopped when she saw the draconian was ignoring her.

A short, doughty, middle-aged man stood up, and two equally doughty women at the same table stood up with him. “Excuse me, sir knight,” the man said as the dragon knight walked past their table.

The knight moved on, ignoring them. The man reached out and grabbed the massive draconian's arm. The knight wheeled on the peasant, looming over him.

The man bowed his head and touched his forelock. The two women with him curtseyed and tried to avoid making eye contact.

“Begging your pardon, sir, but we been lookin' for you.”

The dragon knight sneered and bared a set of sharp teeth. “Look for someone else,” he growled as he pulled his arm away.

The man scurried around to stand in front of the draconian, blocking his way. He took off his worn cap and held it over his breast. “I'm sorry sir, but there ain't no one else. And there's this new tax, you see, from the new baron. And a priest says he's of Saint Ajax.”

The knight bared his impressive teeth, ready to scare Jago and the other two away—when someone else spoke.

“You might want to hear 'em out, Vaant,” said a voice from the table the three peasants had been sitting at.

The dragon knight turned sharply to look at the man who'd spoken. His back was to the draconian, but the voice gave him away.

“John?”

The man turned to look up.

“Hi Vaant,” he said, smiling. He rose from the table. He was middle-aged, fit. Black hair hung down to his shoulders. He was armed with many weapons, looked like a captain of the guard. “Folks,” he said, “this is Vaantikalisax, Knight of King Omund in the Thunder Phalanx. He may be the last of the Storm Knights.”

The man held out his hand. The dragon knight looked at it for a moment before reaching out slowly to grasp it. “What are you doing out here?” Vaantikalisax asked.

“These people need help. I said I'd find it. Heard a rumor someone matching your description was holed up here having a drinking contest with Mr. John Barleycorn.”

The draconian sniffed, released John's hand, and looked at the three peasants. “Why do you people need me? You're in the company of Sir John, Commander of the Fifth …”

“Just John,” Sir John said, holding a hand up. “The new baron stripped me of my title. My lands.”

“I didn't know that.” The draconian's voice softened. “I'm sorry.”

“I'll be fine. But these people…” John said, gesturing to the three older peasants. Vaantikalisax waved him to silence.

“Sure,” he said. “But why me?”

“Thought maybe you'd like to get back in the game.”

“The game.”

“Yeah.” Sir John smiled. “The hero game.”

Vaantikalisax said nothing. The inn had mostly gone back to its business but the three peasants watched intently. Eventually, the dragon knight spoke again, his voice low.

“I owe you a lot, John—but not everything.”

“I'm not asking everything.”

“No, that's not how it starts. But I have this feeling that's how it'll end.”

“What does your oath say? ‘Even should the sun stop in the sky, even should the night—'”

“John,” the dragon knight said, his voice suddenly sad. Exasperated. “You don't want to quote my oath to me. You really don't. I liked serving with you. I have fond memories of that time—of you. Don't spoil it.” He looked at his friend, the three peasants, then shook his head and turned to leave the inn.

“Vaant,” Sir John said, following. “Sir Vaantikalisax, by your oath!”

The dragon knight stopped and spun around. Everyone in the inn was watching the show again. Act two.

“The people need leadership,” John said as he looked at all the folk watching.

Vaantikalisax's reptile eyes flashed in anger. “They had it. Thirty years, and what did it amount to?! I watched Ajax… I watched him…” The dragon knight's eyes flinched. His clawed hands tightened on his mace and shield. “I watched the oath… fail.”

“Vaant… Vaant, the Dragon Phalanx didn't fail. You were betrayed. It was Mandrake! One of your own, don't you get it? You're just as fallible as the rest of us. You were never ‘incorruptible.' It's just what we wanted to believe. You're just people—like the rest of us.”

The dragon knight looked at the people around him, at the three peasants desperate for someone, anyone, to help them. Then he looked back to his friend.

“Exactly,” Vaantikalisax said. Then he turned and left the inn.

Dragon Knight Benefits

As a dragon knight character, you have the following benefits:

Wyrmplate

Your hardened scales grant you immunity 5 to one of the following damage types: cold, corruption, fire, lightning, or poison. You can change your damage immunity type while out of combat (no action required).

Knighthood

The legacy of the Dragon Phalanx lives in you. Choose one of the following benefits.

• DRACONIAN RUSH: As a maneuver, you can fly in a straight line up to your speed. Until you reach level 6, you must end your turn on a solid surface or fall, then fall prone.

• DRACONIAN GUARD: When you or a creature adjacent to you is attacked, you can use a triggered action to swing your wings around and guard against the blow, reducing any damage from the attack by an amount equal to your level + your Victories.

• DRACONIAN PRIDE: You can use the following ability:

DRACONIAN PRIDE

You let loose a mighty roar to repel your foes and shake their spirits.

Keywords: Area, Magic	Type: Action
Distance: 2 burst	Target: All enemies

Power Roll + Might or Presence:

• 11 or lower: 2 damage; push 1

• 12–16: 4 damage; push 3

• 17+: 7 damage; push 5; frightened (EoT)

Effect: You have a bane on the power roll for this ability when you use it in consecutive rounds of the same encounter.