The Notes of a Traveling Priest: Ilthuliak

by Tyrin Dean
"Imagine this: A girl (whose name I shall not disclose) comes to town and immediately purchases the most expensive suburban villa. This newcomer spends unfathomable amounts on charity, even returning several tragically perished citizens to life at her own expense. She's very young; her rough speech and manners indicate that she's not of noble birth. This leaves the whole town wondering: how did this young lady come into possession of such a huge fortune, and why does she spend it so eagerly?
Those secrets were revealed to me when I was invited to the mysterious girl's house to provide healing services. The young lady reluctantly displayed something she'd been hiding from everyone -- terrible acid burns. She forestalled any questions with a single word: 'Ithuliak.'
The monstrous black dragon's name was well known in the River Kingdoms. She'd lived in the region for hundreds of years, inspiring terror and emptying settlements. Many experience dragon hunters attempted to put a stop to her -- and all perished. No one knew where Ithuliak's lair was, or where she would strike next. The wounds Ithuliak's acid breath left on my patient's body were terrible, but her soul was hurt much worse. The girl and her friends had found the lair of the dragon. They could have gathered hunters to destroy the monster, but they instead kept silent in search of profit. When the lair's mistress was absent, they would carry treasure out, little by little. Ithuliak suspected something was happening, so she set an ambush for the thieves, and they were dealt with cruelly. My patient pretended to be dead, surviving while the dragon devoured the bodies of her friends.
She had much gold left at her disposal, but it came with the burden of memories that recalled devastated cities and countless people burned by acid. Unable to tolerate the guilt, the girl tried to atone for ill-gotten gains with good deeds.
I was able to heal her physical wounds. When we parted, she told me she planned to spend the rest of her wealth organizing an expedition to Ithuliak's lair to end the beast.
I recently heard rumor that the villa has been abandoned for quite some time now. It's possible the owner left for other lands, but my heart tells me her bones lie in the lair of Ithuliak -- that winged terror and plague to the River Kingdoms..."
Category:Pathfinder Kingmaker