Mavros Skia

Mavros Skia was the reigning Lord of Shadeveil Keep and husband to Ophilia Skia. This persona however was a facade, the young adult Black Dragon Cysgodion's humanoid form.

## Appearance

Being a polymorphed dragon, Mavros' appearance could in theory vary. But as maintaining his disguise required consistency he generally took the shape of a built, stout man with thick black braided hair and beard. The colors he had chosen for himself were purple and gold, which reflected in his attire, usually in the form of an embroidered purple shoulder cape over a black doublet. One thing that never changed, regardless of his other features, were his piercing green eyes, betraying his inhuman nature to those with a sharp enough wit.

## Personality

Mavros in his human form was a cruel ruler who reigned from a distance and had his troops enforce draconic laws with little room for moral gray areas. In person, it was easy to spot a sadistic streak and sense of entitlement in him. He, partly due to his draconic nature, truly believed in a natural order of things with people falling into two distinct categories: Rulers and servants. All this was apparent in his taste for art that depicts moments of suffering, opression and cruelty. His sizable collection of paintings and statues supposedly acted as an unusual dragon hoard.

One person has been known to warm his cold nature: His wife Ophilia. Scholars are unsure if he truly loved her or viewed her as another possession that appealed to his sense of beauty. Whatever the case, her curse taking hold caused him to turn even more cruel and isolated than he had already been.

## History

Cysgodion hatched in Zulastar, his egg hidden in an underground lake unlike his older brother's, which made him the only surviving hatchling of the nest. Having to survive in a hostile environment he quickly learned to pose as a human and use the disguise to rise into ruling ranks. Eventually he traveled to Kalaren where he took Deimos under his figurative and literal wing and claimed the at the time abandoned Shadeveil Keep.

During his tenure as lord over the land of Witchwood he met his future spouse Ophilia. Taken in by her unnatural beauty it did not take long for him to take her as his betrothed. Their marriage was said to soften his cruel demeanor. This change however only lasted until Ophilia's medusa curse manifested.

Years after Ophilia turned a man clad in black offered him to cure his wife in exchange for razing the temple of Silvanus in the neighboring woods and killing each and every gnome residing there. He ordered his soldiers to carry out that exact order after signing a fiendish contract, though his wish remained unfulfulled, as at least one gnome appeared to remain alive.

Once a soldier stationed in Forstend reported recognizing Daergel as a gnome he had seen during the raid, Mavros dispatched assassins and sent a poisoned letter to D.R.U.N.K.s residence, both times just barely failing to kill his target. Mavros went on to make one final attempt when the party confronted it in his home, which ultimately resulted in the demise of both humself and his wife. Mavros' soul was collected by the Fiend of the Crossroads after his death.

## Encounters

### Dragonsend

Following the king's assassination, Daergel the gnome spotted the Skia crest in a crowd of nobles at the gates of the Citadel. He briefly confronted Mavros and his wife before the two left the scene, unaware of Daergel's past.

### Shadeveil Keep

Suspecting Skia's involvment in the destruction of the Temple of Silvanus and the bounty on Daergel's head D.R.U.N.K. journeyed to Shadeveil Keep, under the pretense to merely reclaim their possessions, which were kept stored on the castle grounds while the party ventured into the Feywild. With Daergel disguised - and allegedly dead - the group dined with the nobles, carrying on an increasingly tense conversation until the ruse was uncovered. Mavros and Ophilia left the dining hall to enter the courtyard after ordering the guards under the command of Deimos to kill the adventurers.

Dissapointed by his men, Mavros was forced to take on D.R.U.N.K. on his own, aided by his wife. Ophilia quickly fell in the ensuing battle at the hands of Slarvik Ironbeard. Blinded by rage at the slaughter of his spouse Mavros revealed his true, terrible draconic form and took full advantage of the fact that the fight was happening in his own lair. After very nearly succeeding in killing both targets of his wrath, Daergel and Slarvik, he was incapacitated by one of Krislee's arrows and put out of his misery by Valerix.

## Trivia

* Mavros' name is derived from greek, meaning "shadow", "black"

* Cysgodion is derived from the welsh plural word for "shadows", harkoning back to his title of "The Black Shadow".

* During the battle with Cysgodion, Slarvik Ironbeard was literally a coinflip away from death. Unconscious and submerged in water, after dealing the killing blow to Ophilia the dwarf was one of two priority targets for the dragon. A coin flipped by the DM determined a still standing Daergel was attacked instead, most likely saving Slarvik's life.