Ashardalon

A traditional song called The Coming of Ashardalon describes the depredations of this red dragon of immense power and self-importance. Ashardalon is well known for his tenacious clasp on life, no matter his injuries and setbacks. When he was struck a mortal blow, the dragon bound a demon into his breast as a second heart. But when that too threatened to fail him, Ashardalon left the world to find the sustenance he required to live forever.

Ashardalon resembles an ancient red dragon in its prime, but certain odd features stand out. He has a demonic visage, and on his chest is a gruesome scar in the shape of a large winged humanoid—a balor. The dragon’s eyes are twin beams of burning fire, and tiny bolts of lightning constantly play between his claws and fangs.

Immortality at Any Cost. Ashardalon received a blow so grievous that his heart was damaged beyond repair. The dragon, calling on all his craft and knowledge of ancient rituals, managed to replace his heart with a magically bound demon—no less than a balor, named Ammet. But so terrible was Ashardalon’s wound that even Ammet’s enchanted labor began to fail the dragon’s body. Ashardalon began to search for a source of life energy so pure that nothing could ever again threaten to kill him, ending up at his current lair on the Astral Plane.

The Sunless Citadel. Ashardalon was a creature of great fury and power even before he achieved his legendary status or gathered a cult following. Indeed, at least a century prior to the wound that ultimately paved the way for his demonic heart, he and his red dragon mate hunted a lush green land called the Golden Plain. The Golden Plain was ruled by a human king who dwelt in a many-towered fortress. As Ashardalon grew more reckless with his power, he came into direct conflict with the kingdom and its king. Thinking to show the dragon a monarch’s true might, the king sent a secret force of his knights to slay Ashardalon’s mate. Upon learning of his mate’s death, Ashardalon went on a rampage so fierce and so extended that the land itself finally buckled, pulling the king’s fortress beneath the ground. The once-lush region was renamed the Ashen Plain, and the fortress was rechristened the Sunless Citadel. In this sunken castle, Ashardalon’s first followers came to revere him.

Heart of Nightfang Spire. Remnants of the cult survived this disaster, and it reconstituted itself around a relic of its dragon liege: Ashardalon’s heart. With a magic born of equal parts skill, faith, and desperation, the cultists rekindled the heart—but not to life. The ritual infused it with the energy of the Shadowfell and transformed it, reborn in undead darkness, into the center of faith and necromantic power for the cult. The cultists hoped to call back Ashardalon, but the dragon never answered their summons.

Some sages and adventurers are aware of Nightfang Spire, where the remnant of Ashardalon’s cult yet keeps its faith alive, worshiping the undead heart of Ashardalon. Stories paint a picture of a tower overrun by undead, former cultists that linger despite their dragon lord’s departure. The cultists are led by a vampire named Gulthias, whose single-minded dedication to the memory of Ashardalon keeps the residents of the tower—including the heart— animate and instilled with a sense of purpose. Gulthias, growing more and more desperate, has initiated the mass sacrifice of nearby villages and cities to attract the attention of Ashardalon. No matter what atrocities Gulthias commits, though, Ashardalon is unlikely to return to his undead heart and his followers.