She was the warlord who claimed the miceram, with plans for global domination. Unfortunately for her, her passions, companion, and family seemed to be working at odds to her ultimate ruin. Buy the Legends of the Twins sourcebook: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3252/legends-of-the-twins-3-5?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
It was a confluence of machinations that caused and ended the Blue Lady’s War.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about The Blue Lady’s War. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Annotated Legends and the Legends of the Twins sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
Kitiara Uth Matar was the most powerful Dragon Highlord in her time. She commanded total devotion from her soldiers as she took care to treat them better and pay them on time, in contrast to her peers. Kitiara had total respect and cooperation from her dragon mount, Khellendros, known as Skie, and she alone captured the attention of the Death Knight Lord Soth, and for a time, bent him to her will. With his aid she claimed the Crown of Power, the Miceram, from Tanis Half-Elven at the end of the War of the Lance, and used it to unify the disparate and broken forces of the Dark Queen in three hundred and fifty three Alt Cataclius. At the end of the War of the Lance, she alone held the Dragon Queen’s favor, though it was from banishment in the Abyss, thanks to her half-brothers and the Heroes of the Lance.
With a Flying Citadel, a reunited army, a Death Knight and his minions, and her Blue Dragon nothing seemed to stand in her way from accomplishing what Ariakas could not–domination of Ansalon in this post war era. It would only take her five years to mount an assault on Palanthas, one of the few locations in Ansalon no one ever expected a successful attack to be made in, as it was protected by the Vingaard Mountains and the High Clerist’s Tower. What Kitiara was unable to see was that she was merely a pawn in a number of schemes, whose ambitions were even greater and in direct contrast with her own.
First, her half brother Raistlin Majere, the most powerful magi on Krynn, was planning to confront and overthrow Takhisis herself. Second, Raistlin’s hubris led him to inform Dalamar the Dark, his apprentice, who was spying on him for the Orders of High Sorcery. And third and most devastatingly, Lord Soth wanted Kitiara for his own… and not alive. Kitiara’s most trusted commander, Lord Soth, actively worked against her in her schemes, sealing her fate. When Raistlin told Kitiara about his plans, she couldn’t believe it. She was sure he would fail, and she wanted to use his magic on her behalf. Lord Soth convinced Kitiara that she could stop him by destroying Lady Crysania, Raistlin’s key to entering the Abyss. She sent Lord Soth to kill her, and if it weren’t for the god Paladine’s direct interference, he would have succeeded.
Lady Crysania’s corpse was delivered to the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth and sent back in time to be resurrected by the Kingpriest himself. But Lord Soth was not content in defeat. As Kitiara was forging an alliance with Dalamar to stop Raistlin, and potentially use him in her coming conflict, Lord Soth was poisoning the connection, by telling Dalamar that Kitiara planned to allow Raistlin to succeed by meeting him outside the Portal to the Abyss in the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas. As Lord Soth pressed Kitiara to invade Palanthas in three hundred and fifty-six AC, in order to stop Raistlin herself, the pieces on the Khas board were in position.
The Blue Lady was able to keep the Flying Citadel secret by eliminating Lord Gunthar’s spy network in Sanction. Dumping the bodies in the courtyard of the High Clerist’s Tower. Even with Tanis Half-Elven actively working against Kitiara, and with Gunthar Uth Wistan, Kitiara outmaneuvered them both, a credit to her military skill as a leader, lest we think she was a mere pawn completely. As Lord Gunthar summoned the Knights of Solamnia to the High Clerist’s Tower to face the might of the Blue Lady’s Army, none suspected what was actually coming. Dragonfear swept over the forces and reality hit them like a ton of bricks. Kitiara wasn’t looking to repeat the battle of the War of the Lance, she commanded a Flying Citadel and was headed directly for Palanthas, bypassing them completely.
The Flying Citadel is slow, so Tanis rides Fireflash to Palanthas and informs Lord Amothus and Sir Markham of the coming assault. Days later Lord Gunthar arrives with Bronze Dragons from the Tower, and a few Silver dragons from the area. They draw the citizens into the Old City and man the gates. Lord Soth appears alone outside the gates demanding surrender. If they refuse, they will all die. Lord Amothus refuses and Lord Soth’s undead knights freeze the gates, and he destroys it with a single word. Then Lord Soth rides with his undead knights through Palanthas murdering everyone who dares stand in their way while his Banshees’ wails drown out all screams from the fearful and dying. If that weren’t bad enough, dragons drop from the skies leaving scorched remnants in their wake, as Draconians drift from the citadel, as goblins and mercenaries are lowered, raising the city to the ground. Palanthas has never seen a moment like this, I dare say nowhere on Krynn has faced such a threat all at once.
Kitiara is not interested in the defeat of Palanthas as her true goal is to stop Raistlin, so she rides Skie to the Shoikan Grove, and once there, Skie returns to the battle. Tanis instructs Tasselhoff to return the protective bracelet Dalamar gifted him after seeing Kitiara fly off, and plans to stand his ground against Soth. But Soth has other plans. He wants to face Dalamar, Kitiara and Raistlin in his moment of triumph and claim his prize. But without the army’s commanders, the Palanthas militia and Knights of Solamnia turn the tide of the battle. After hours, the only buildings left unscathed are the Great Library and the Tower of High Sorcery. All but a few knights remain alive, and the city is raised to the ground.
As Tasslehoff and the gully dwarf Rounce are controlling the Flying Citadel, Caramon and Tanis enter the Tower of High Sorcery. Kitiara, wounded and poisoned, refuses to give up on her mission, and wounds Dalamar who seems to now be working against her. Dalamar and Kitiara fight with Kitiara suffering a lightning bolt attack from Dalamar. As Kitiara lies dying, Tanis and Caramon enter the chamber. Dalamar reveals Lord Soth’s betrayal and Kitiara begs Tanis to save her from eternal damnation with Soth. In the most difficult decision of his life, Tanis finally accepts that Kitiara is not his true love, and he is not beholden to her. Dalamar convinces him to stand down as Lord Soth enters the chamber and demands her corpse.
Lord Soth masterfully played all sides against each other to sew mistrust and ensure his prize. One might argue that Kitiara sealed her own fate by initially stepping into Dargaard Keep and convincing Lord Soth to join her in the War of the Lance so many years before. She made a deal with the Death Knight without truly realizing the price to be paid, and now payment was due. We know all of the authors would keep Kitiara’s soul from Lord Soth, as her pact with the Dark Queen kept her in her service in the Abyss after death. Palin Majere was attacked by Kitiara while rescuing Raistlin after he sacrificed himself by closing the Abyss from the inside so the now blind Lady Crysania and his twin brother Caramon could escape, preventing the Dark Queen from entering Krynn.
With the flying citadel parked on some unsuspecting lords front lawn, the Blue Dragonarmy routed, and Lord Soth and his minions returning to Dargaard keep with their true prize, Kitiaras corpse, the Blue Lady’s War had ended, putting the final nail in the coffin of Takhisis’ attempt to reentering and ruling over Krynn once and for all…. for a while at least. The location of the Miceram is unknown, and Lord Soth would be pulled into the Domains of Dread for a time, never gaining control of Kitiaras Soul. Kitiaras impact would be felt for decades, even into the Age of Mortals, as Khellendros, now a Dragon Overlord, would create Dragon Spawn to house Kirtiara’s soul. Though like Soth, he would never claim command over it.
It turns out that the Blue Lady would remain elusive, ever living as a specter in the minds of those whose lives she touched. Tanis, Lord Soth, Dalamar and Khellendros would attest to her power and authority and if it weren’t for Lord Soth’s betrayal… who knows if the Blue Lady would have become the Blue Empress.
Outro
And that is all I have to say about The Blue Lady’s War. What do you think of the conflict in Palanthas? Would Kitiara have control over Ansalon if she wasn’t so wrapped up in her brothers and lovers? And finally, would Lord Soth have taken control of the Blue Dragonarmy forces if he wasn’t obsessed with Kitiara? Leave a comment below.
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Any path is always the right path, unless it’s the left fork.
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