Mythrix

Mythrix is a god of death worshiped in the Dracarian religion, and has attempted to destroy the world twice in recorded history. Mythrix takes the form of a gargantuan black dragon, reaching heights that rival that of the highest mountains.

## Appearance

Mythrix appears as a large black dragon, with glowing eyes of a deep purple. Surrounding it is typically a dark black cloud that flashes with purple lightning. Mythrix does not necessarily have scales, its body made up of rot and perpetual decay with a pungent stench that is carried on the wind.

Mythrix grows indefinitely, and it is unknown how large it can become. In the first arrival of Mythrix, it was said to have been taller than the highest mountain in Midland, with wings that cast shadows over multiple kingdoms.

## The Coming of Mythrix (XXX DC)

The first time Midland was faced with Mythrix, it possessed a dragon hatchling. As the hatchling grew it was left to die by its parent due to the black scales and dark purple eyes, a bad omen in the Dracarian belief. Despite this it grew, feeding off of the life force of plants, animals, and other living things that were near it. It was drawn to death, and soon appeared in civilized areas. Rumors of a Death Dragon spread quickly, and fighters rallied against it to no avail. Mythrix killed them all, and grew larger and stronger because of it.

### Mythrix Rises

Some were not affected by its presence, which dried up rivers and drained the life from living creatures just due to their proximity. It seemed to choose a select few to do its bidding and help it further its goals. Wars became more common, crimes became more deadly, and sickness disease spread fast. Mythrix grew further, in size and power. It was said to have been taller than a castle and growing still.

A group of rebels was formed called the Balhorguard. These knights were chosen by three of the most powerful dragons from all races. Dwarves, elves, humans, dragonborn, ork, and a sixth but unknown race. The Balhorguard fought against Mythrix and its allies. They assassinated corrupt rulers, waged war against the forces of Mythrix, and slayed the lesser dragons it had turned against the land. The conflict only further fed Mythrix's power and influence, bringing ruin and death to all the corners of Midland. The Balhorguard had to find another way.

### Creating the Towers

The dragons, along with six of the strongest Balhorguard Knights, harnessed the powers of soul gems and advanced magics to create three towers at specific locations across Midland. These three towers were built to draw and amplify Magic powers, concentrate them through a conduit, and allow a focused strike against Mythrix. The towers were placed in three locations where the lines between the physical plane and other planes became thin, allowing them to tap in to power beyond the single material plane. The dwarves were have said to have learned and worked with an unknown race to develop a mechanical device that would house a giant soul gem and focus the energy at a specific point at which all three towers would focus their energies.

### Mythrix Banished

The dragons learned through smaller efforts that Mythrix would not be destroyed by any practical means, and that even destruction of the body meant the spirit would remain alive within the physical realm, free to possess another form. The dragons agreed the only solution would be to remove the soul from this world. They created a spell in which one could banish the soul of a creature to another plane of existence, and got to work preparing the towers. Mythrix had gained immense size by this time, rivaling that of nearby mountains. It was impossible to get close to it, and it simply sat and absorbed the death its minions brought to the world. This would have made Mythrix unstoppable, but the towers worked best with a stationary target and were aimed at Mythrix.

Despite the power of the towers, a fuel was still needed to provide the energy to cast the spell. The dragons knew that their long life and powerful connection to magic made their souls the ideal source for the towers. The Balhorguard appointed three heirs to the dragons, loyal and steadfast in their duties, to take the place as protectors and defenders of the towers and the land. With that, the dragons sacrificed themselves to the soul gems, nearly shattering them despite their capacity.

The spell was cast, and three great beams of copper, silver, and golden light traveled across the land, hitting Mythrix and causing a rift to open and swallow the beast whole. Those that were marked by the god died as their life was tied to its. This ended the conflict, and the world was free of Mythrix for a time.

## The Second Coming of Mythrix (XXX DC)

A group known as the Cult of Three formed shortly after Beiryll’s desertion of the tower and his resurgence as General Ferenor of Gildran.

The Cult of Three, led by Beiryll, Auriel, and Paetris, began efforts to resurrect Mythrix. Auriel, an outcast witch, was to use her necromancy in a ritual to bind Mythrix’s soul to the corpse of a recently murdered dragon. Meanwhile Paetris, a dishonored and banished Nightborn, gathered mercenaries comprised of wayward kobols, orks, and goblins to raid and pillage known soul gem locations in order to aid Autiel’s ritual. Ferenor simply disregarded their actions to stall, and occasionally provided assistance through a network of hidden agents and spies, including Gavin Aldair of the Lion’s Paw Mercenary Guild, who was a hidden successor to Beiryll himself, after he had murdered his previous for opposing him.

### The Fall of Wheatriver

During this time, a group that called themselves Dench and Friends worked with the Lion’s Paw, and were inadvertently caught in the midst of the conspiracy. It all came to a head when Auriel seduced Steven Ward of Wheatriver. Steven and Glessile of Dench and Friends were hidden successors of the dragon guardians if the three Towers. Thus Auriel attempted to assassinate both Steven and Glessile during a wedding ceremony that sparked the beginning of an attack on Wheatriver by the Cult of Three and their forces.

Dench and Friends managed to escape the chaos, along with Steven. They took refuge with the brothers Tomas, Hank, and Wilson in a hut near the Midland River, and connected with the druid Grigamagent, the giant Moss Stonesmasher, and Thalassa. Cairne Dawnstrider left the group to return to the church, and the party continued on to Tower Edanis to awaken the golden dragon.

For the Cult of Three, the attack of Wheatriver was a success, having slaughtered enough people to fill the soul gems to be used to resurrect Mythrix. Auriel began the ritual, and Mythrix was successfully brought back to the world, causing an earthquake that was reported as far as Westaranis. While Auriel worked to oversee the ritual and growth of Mythrix, Paetris gathered a large force and followed Dench and Friends to assassinate Glessile and Steven. He gathered at Callahan's Outpost, killing the Gildran rangers stationed there, and readied to face the party.

### Tower Edanis

On their way to Tower Edanis, Dench and Friends suffered a loss, Maynard Binbongo, who decided to drink a vial of acid. Shortly after, the party reached a river high in the mountains, and joined with a cleric of Atar, Bingus Lusquitus.

Dench and Friends reached Tower Edanis well before Paetris, and were able to scale the tower after a brief rest following a Sandworm attack that nearly killed the party, if not for Steven Ward destroying the worm in a mysterious fiery explosion. There, they met the golden dragon Elderon, the guardian of Tower Edanis. It was there that Elderon revealed to Steven he was to be his successor, and his true form was that of a young gold dragon. Elderon gave Dench and Friends the honor of becoming the Final Order of the Balhorguard. All but Moss Stonesmasher joined, and received Black Rings after swearing the oath.

Shortly after this, the party found themselves face to face with Paetris, with a large platoon of cultists and attack wolves. The ensuing battle was a bloodbath for the cultists, as kobols and goblins were slaughtered. Eventually, the party was worn down enough for Paetris and his ork chieftain Korgesh to enter the fray. The two forces clashed, with Korgesh managing to kill Moss Stonesmasher before succumbing to his own wounds. Paetris fought against Dench Denchkins, and was brutally killed with Dench's signature spiked shield, sending the Nightborn falling over a balcony and in to a fountain.

### Tower Aurumis

With their victory, the Party continued on through the desert, heading north towards Erendel where Glessile's sister lived. On their way, they rescued a viscount named Joulias Valentine, a wizard who became trapped in a chitril hive. Escaping the chitril hive, the party found themselves inside an ancient Elden machine, a large humanoid giant that could be controlled by two drivers and was powered by a large soul gem the party had acquired week prior. They destroyed the hive, and fought a Sandworm Queen before climbing over the mountains to deactivate the machine in the forest of Erendel, hidden under trees.

As they journeyed to Erendel, Dench and Friends recruited a Druid named Reymoira in their quest. The party reunited with old friends, helped Cairne Dawnstrider acquire the Crossbow of Light, and lost KuKul Kahn to obtain it. They still pressed onward, and were joined by Ekeko, a blue dragonkin woman sympathetic to their cause.

Meanwhile, Auriel had laid traps on their journey to the tower, some theorizing she was responsible for the Vale Crisis in an attempt to kill Dench and Friends. However, before the party was able to reach Vale, she lured them in to her cave under the guise of a resistance of Wheatriver survivors. Even after the trap was sprung, the party was able to kill her quickly, and escape the cave. On their way through Vale, Dench and Friends reunited with Jasmine Underhill, only for her to become yet another victim of the Vale Creature. Dench and Friends were powerless against in, and retreated to expedite their journey north.

They reached Tower Aurumis, and freed the silver dragon Sienrene. She unlocked Glessile's abilities and connected her with her draconic bloodline, revealing that she was the heir to the Tower Aurumis, just as Steven was the heir to Tower Edanis. The party also knew now that the final member of the Cult of Three, Beiryll, was General Ferenor of Gildran. They set out to end their journey after the new members of Dench and Friends took the oath of the Balhorguard.

### Killing Beriyll

Arriving in Gildran, Dench and Friends were escorted to the keep, where conflict erupted when Ozey shot Ferenor's advisor through the eyes, killing him. The fighting continued until Reymoira forced Ferenor out of his human form with a spell. Due to the size of Beiryll, the keep began to crumble, and the copper storm dragon brought a violent tornado upon them, destroying the keep and preventing anyone from entering. Dench and Friends were forced in to the courtyard, now a large circular stone platform, and faced Ferenor in human form.

The fight resulted in Joulias being stabbed through the chest with Ferenor's legendary greatsword Giant's Bane. It was here that Gavin Aldair finally revealed himself, fighting along side Ferenor before he was killed by Ozey and Dench. Seeing as he was losing the fight, Ferenor transformed in to Beiryll, the copper dragon. Before he could kill the rest of Dench and Friends, Steven burst through the raging storm as a golden dragon, and protected the party as Glessile, for the first time, transformed herself in to a silver dragon. She and Steven fought off Beiryll, and Glessile delivered the final blow, biting off his head.

### Mythrix Defeated

In the aftermath of the storm however, Dench and Friends could see their victory was short lived. In the south a black cloud was approaching, and they could see the form of Mythrix lumbering towards them. While it was miles away, it's roar was heard across Midland. Sienrene arrived, and quickly absorbed Beiryll's soul inside a large soul gem, and flew off as fast as she could to Tower Beiris after resurrecting Joulias Valentine. Dench and Friends gathered together, along with Cairne Dawnstrider and the Sunlight Crowssbow, and transformed in to dragons using the power of the Black Rings of the Balhorguard. Cairne climbed on the back of Ozey, and the group departed.

Below they could see thousands of undead, and could see the line of death and decay that permeated from Mythrix. The god was already approaching the size of mountains, and lumbered onward. Dench and Friends flew around Mythrix, blasting it with their dragon breath while Cairne shot at the beast with the Crossbow of Light. Three powerful beams of light, sent far from the three towers, struck Mythrix, placing him in a weakened state. On Steven's command, they grouped together for one final attack, combining all eight dragons' breath in a concentrated beam of devastation. As all four beams burned away at Mythrix, it began to shrivel and shrink, imploding in on itself. When it was finished, a sudden thunderous blast sent a shockwave that knocked the dragons out of the sky, broke apart the clouds, and disintegrated the undead of the land. Mythrix was defeated.

A special ceremony was held by the Emporer of Arania, King Riccar III. All members were knighted for their heroic efforts, and Steven and Glessile wed shortly after. Dench and Friends was disbanded in its original form, and Dench, Ozey, and Ekeko found the famous Dench and Friends Mercenary Guild.