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over legions of weaker monsters and savage humanoid tribes.
For centuries, vicious dragons and their minions preyed on
caravans and outposts in the southern portions of Solon,
while Soloni warmages and eldritch knights fought back
with spells and swords.
Tiphera tir-Yseldre grew up on the southern marches of
Solon, the daughter of a minor lord who had been sent to
the most dangerous frontier of the realm by the cruel King
Andizen. Lord Yseldre fought for years to protect his remote
fief from the depredations
of Sturykkazynarr’s brood,
while raising his family as
best he could. Finally, the
noble’s efforts aroused
the blue wyrm’s ire. Sturykkazynarr
descended
on the Yseldre stronghold
and destroyed it, killing
Lord Yseldre and as many
of his family and retainers
as he could catch. Tiphera, who
was away studying sword and staff
in the imperial capital, was the only
member of her family to escape this
fate. (DC 15)
Devastated by the deaths of
so many loved ones, the young
eldritch knight swore a terrible
oath of vengeance against Sturykkazynarr.
Leaving Solon, she
set out to deal with the vile overlord
and its kin. First, she located
the lair of Vurkkazynarr, a scion
of the great blue wyrm, where she
defeated his guards and then slew
the young dragon in a furious battle.
To honor her fallen family and mark herself
as an enemy to dragonkind, she fashioned
The Wyrmbane Helm
the skull of Vurkkazynarr into the Wyrmbane Helm. (DC
18; Trial by Dragonbreath)
For the next ten years, Tiphera waged an unrelenting campaign
against the dragons of the southern desert and all their
minions. She became an accomplished dragonslayer and a
greatly celebrated hero of Solon. Under King Andizen’s rule,
the realm had become decadent and corrupt; the merchants
and lords of the capital ignored the long war raging on the
frontier, spending their gold and effort in schemes against
each other. But Tiphera’s exploits heartened the common
folk of the realm. She was courageous and determined, while
the rulers were cunning and false; she acted while they did
nothing. Tiphera became more popular and admired than
any lord of Solon. (DC 25; Enemy of Wyrms)
King Andizen grew jealous of the famous dragonslayer.
With every success, she weakened his own grip on the
populace. Remembering his old rivalry with her father and
fearing that she would eventually depose him, Andizen
decided on treachery. He could not move against her directly,
because that would provoke the populace. So the Soloni king
struck a secret deal with Sturykkazynarr, offering to deliver
Tiphera into the wyrm’s clutches. The great dragon agreed
to the bargain, eager to exact
his own vengeance against
the impudent human who had
slain so many of his brood.
Andizen lured Tiphera and her
companions to a palace in the Raurinshield
Mountains by inviting
them to a public celebration of their
achievements. But when they arrived,
they found only Sturykkazynarr and a
dozen of his most powerful dragons.
During the tremendous battle that
followed, the heroes perished, but
not before Tiphera slew Sturykkazynarr.
(DC 25)
King Andizen cleverly
hailed the fallen Tiphera tir-
Yseldre as a great hero whose
sacrifice had rid the kingdom
of its nemesis and saved his own life
from an insidious dragon attack.
He had a spectacular mausoleum
erected on the site of Tiphera’s
last victory and interred her
body there, attired in her famous
dragonskull helm. But soon after
the dragonslayer was laid to rest,
the Wyrmbane Helm vanished from
the tomb.
In the centuries since, the Wyrmbane
Helm has been connected with a number of other heroes,
often warrior-wizard dragonslayers much like Tiphera. (DC
31; Honor the Fallen)
LEGACY RITUALS
Three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of the
Wyrmbane Helm.
Trial by Dragonbreath: You must singlehandedly defeat
one evil dragon with a Challenge Rating that is equal to or
greater than your character level minus 1. Cost: 1,500 gp; Feat
Granted: Least Legacy (Wyrmbane Helm).
Enemy of Wyrms: You must travel to the lair of a great
wyrm and there perform a ritual that marks you as an enemy
of dragonkind. The lair need not be currently occupied, so
Illus. by J. Carlisle
CHAPTER 3
DRACONIC
MAGIC
105