LEGENDARY DRAGONS
In working on Legendary Dragons I got to do some of my most fulfilling creative design work yet. The brief for this book required that the dragons that would appear within in needed to be wholly unlike any of those that Dungeons and Dragons had previously made and that they each have a distinctive, larger-than-life personality. These traits shaped their lairs, goals, and treasures (or other lures for players). I was responsible for the following five dragons that appear in the book:
Balaur. A tortured and broken dragon, his scales reforged by Deurgar for whom he now serves as a living siege engine.
Kiennavalyriss. An elegant semi-divine dragon whose senses are fading, presenting a challenge as she works to protect the trove of forbidden knowledge she protects.
Naghi. Slowly turning to stone, this fierce dragon has sought magic that would empower his mind so that he might slip the frustrating bonds of his body and travel the planes once more.
Umunairu. Mother of the couatl, she will not know death so long as any of her children yet live. Should they perish, a precious memory is lost, leaving her confused and temperamental.
Vyraetra. Suffering a divine punish, this dragon spreads a pestilence as she burrows beneath the landscape.
Of all these dragons, the work on Kiennavalyriss was the most personally interesting. I wanted the interests and abilities of the dragons I worked on to align with elements of their environment that they controlled. Kiennavalyriss with her failing eyesight and hearing impairment presented a challenge. I do not personally have experience with these conditions and so I sought out a disability consultant. Kiennavalyriss borrowed her name from the wonderful Kienna who helped in my understanding of the everyday impacts of living with sensory differences.
Artwork © JetPack7