Banefire Dragon

**Vorgothus Torrax**, better known as the **Banefire Dragon**, was an ancient dragon that resided in the Black Cathedral and the Charred Lands between Cumbria and Urgovel. In early spring of 2S 1871, Queen Ionia Moonshadow utilized psionic resonators to cause the dragon to attack the Golden Fields of Brisa where it was vanquished by the Emerald Caravan. Despite being encountered briefly by the caravan, the banefire dragon has a deep and complex history tied to the setting of *WovenRealm.*

## General Information

### Homeland(s)

* Charred lands between Urgovel and Cumbria

## History

### Culutral touchstones

* Godzilla
* Midir
* Balefire dragon

## Description

Vorgothus Torrax appears as a mighty, serpentine dragon but with a rather sickly and strange appearance. It's scales are a uranium-type material and its metallic ribcage is exposed to show a nuclear-core heart that pumps with radioactive green aether. Boney growths turn into massive horns that plate the head of the dragon and its eyes glow an intense, neon green. When enraged, the banefire dragon becomes engulfed in banefire, its wings igniting. With each stroke, a gust of pyroclastic clouds is sent out in a massive shockwave. Its back is lined with jagged, boney spikes that glow when the dragon emits its beam-like atomic breath.

## Abilities

As a dragon, Vorgothus Torrax has the abilities often associated with such creatures; a massive pool of hit points, mighty defenses, flight, and a breath weapon. In cast chats, it was stated by GM Alex that the banefire dragon's stats were based off of one of the powerful dragons present in *13th Age*'s ruleset. The banefire dragon's breath weapon is an super heated beam of atomic energy, therefore causing massive amounts of fire damage as well as inflicting radioaction sickness. Being near the dragon itself inflicts the condition as the fire and the dragon itself are radioactive. The dragon's base attacks can deal supplemental damage by incorporating pyroclastic wing gusts and tail attacks. When the dragon becomes staggered, its nuclear core heart begins to melt down, giving the dragon the ability to attack twice in a turn as well as a potential 'meltdown' that can trigger when taking damage.

The heart of the banefire dragon is essentially nuclear reactor giving the dragon many uses of its powers as well as fueling its rage. With its heart, the dragon does not effectively need to eat or sleep to survive with the beast entering a deep slumber solely to dream and exist in the dreamtime. What the dragon does in its dreams is unknown, but it suggests that banefire dragons originate from Golden Dragons. Biologists suggest there is credence to this theory given the psionic sky whales and their natural gold aether production.

## History

A rare occurrence most could never originally even conceive of, a banefire dragon is the result of a radioactive aether somehow synthesizing with the blood of a dragon. The scholarship on banefire dragons is limited with their only being three confirmed sightings of such creatures.

The Cumbrian and western Commonwealth of Higard region is legendary for the number of powerful dragons that have resided in the region throughout its history. Stories of the terrible Vorgothus Torrax were told throughout legends in history, but the dragon was not encountered in the modern era for some time after it had entered a deep slumber at the edges of the Wight Wilderness, its range. Unbeknownst to those who founded the White City, the natural springs were made warm from the nuclear dragon that slumbered far below the earth beneath their feat. It was only after the arrival of Pontiff Belphaegor and his goddess, Melain, was Vorgothus Torrax discovered by the foreman charged with digging the crypts deep beneath the White Cathedral. The Pontiff saw in the dragon a great power source to be tapped. Taking advantage of the banefire dragon, the bishop of the Melain faithful used the dragon to not only power the city, but also to increase the power of his 'miracles' all unbeknownst to his followers and the residents of the city.

In 2S 1837, the dragon erupted from the catacombs beneath the white cathedral and rampaged through the White City and turning it and the region around it into a smoldering, radioactive ashland with the ruins of the city and the once snow white cathedral charred black from bane fire and radioactive soot. The banefire dragon would remain a fixture of the border between Cumbria and Urgovel with the dragon proving a challenge to either side who dared to contest the border.

## Campaign

### SteamSpell

The banefire dragon and Melain were hinted at throughout the course of SteamSpell's campaign.

### Pre-Campaign

Living in the White City in 2S 1837 during the terrifying emergence of Vorgothus Torrax was a young Josef von Zeppenstein whose legionnaire father was stationed in the Kovithian territory. Having witnessed firsthand the horrors that heresy could sew and the death of his family at those very dire consequences, Josef was forever changed. The White City's faith in Pontiff Belphaegor's false goddess Melain and the ensuing attack by the banefire dragon inspired von Zeppenstein to join the Inquisition.

### Season 3

After returning from Gehenna, the Emerald Caravan was dismayed to learn that despite only being away in the planes for what felt like a couple of days, months had passed on the material. Ionia Moonshadow had called her Erinyes banner to attack the Golden Fields of Brisa for housing Poven Zaran (Egon Morgenstern). There were rumors that she had managed to rouse the dragon, Vorgothus Torrax, to follow her forces to the region. During the events of Episode 23 'Flight of the Furies,' the banefire dragon attacks the Golden Fields of Brisa and Nature's Nectar under the influence of psionic influencers utilized by Ionia. The Caravan acted swiftly to goad the dragon away from the settlement to allow folks a chance to evacuate the ensuing siege. In the season finale 'Banefire,' the Emerald Caravan fights for their lives against the banefire dragon, grounding it with the damselfly and finishing the fight on foot.

Slaying the dragon and ending its cursed existence, the Emerald Caravan fled as its green aether heart underwent a nuclear meltdown, tainting the Golden Fields of Brisa and turning them into an irradiated wasteland for untold millennia.

## Trivia

* The concept of a radioactive dragon is partially inspired by Godzilla. Vorgothus Torrax also bears some resemblance to Midir from *Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City* with both being corrupted dragons with a beam-like breath.
* The appearance of the banefire dragon as well as its naming convention are primarily inspired by the artwork for the *Magic the Gathering* card called 'balefire dragon'