Villains of the War of the Lance

There are an incredible amount of evil NPC’s and creatures the Heroes will meet during the War of the Lance, but only a handful or so of true villains. Let’s meet some of the great villains of the War of the Lance. Buy the Classic Dragonlance Bundle: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/141690/classic-dragonlance-bundle?affiliate_id=50797

Transcript

Cold Open

They come in every shape and size with one thing in common, self interest.

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about the Villains of the War of the Lance. 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 DL1-14 Dragonlance Modules for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

Discussion

I find it interesting, the differences between future releases and repackagings of the AD&D Dragonlance modules and the originals. They seem to forget that there is a war at the backbone of traditional ttrpg’s . In AD&D it used Battlesystem to illustrate mass combat, and in future editions, it just seems to be missing entirely. I have to nod my cap to D&D 5e’s Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn board game, as at least they built a war game to go along with the admittedly flawed Dragonlance: Shadows of the Dragon Queen adventure. In my opinion, you can not separate Dragonlance from Battlesystem. It was originally presented as a successor to Chainmail, and would present stripped down or modified rules for the Dragonlance modules, beginning with DL6 Dragons of Ice in 1985, which it preceded in release by only a few months. The Battlesystem boxed set even featured an advanced scenario focusing on the Battle of Qualinost during DL2 Dragons of Flame. This is all to say, Dragonlance is a war time campaign setting, and Battlesystem provided the means for that mass combat, and it was traditionally through that mass combat that many of the following villains were featured, though not all of them.

Fewmaster or later, Lord Toede was first introduced to the heroes in DL1 Dragons of Despair, but would make recurring appearances in many future modules. He seemed to consistently fail upward in the ranks of the Dragonarmies. He is a Hobgoblin Lord, illustrated as a flabby figure with yellow green and hairy skin. He is ambitious and surprisingly resilient, and as cruel as he is ugly.

Khisanth or Onyx, is an ancient, huge black dragon. She is duty bound to keep the Plates of Mishakal from the Heroes. She is the first dragon the heroes encounter, opening up the larger world to them, and she prefers to use her Darkness spell to confuse her prey while she circles far above them in the air, picking them off one at a time.

Verminaard, Dragonlord of the Red Wing, an 8th level human Cleric, is first encountered in DL2 Dragons of Flame. He is the first true cleric, other than Goldmoon, that the heroes encounter and he is ruthless. His face is concealed behind his Dragonlord mask. He is dedicated to the ruthless destruction of good in all its forms. He has no conscience and controls all the lands from the Seeker kingdoms south to Pax Tharkas, pressing into Qualinesti, and searching for the entrance to Thorbardin. Verminaard appears in three modules, unlike his quick death in the novel, and even reappears late in the saga under an alias.

Feal-Thas, Dragon Highlord of the White Wing, a 7th level elven fighter/magic-user is introduced in DL6 Dragons of Ice. He is a slender elf, with unusually dark skin. His armor is gleaming black and his eyes glow with a fire of madness. He is proud and courageous in the face of opposition and is prone to fly into a rage if his opposition are elves. He sold out his race for power and needs no reminders of that act.

Sleet, An ancient, huge white dragon working with Feal-Thas. I mention only those dragons that provide narrative opposition to the heroes, and Sleet certainly does that! She has no spellcasting abilities, but her breath and natural weapons make up for it in spades. She will alway preserve a breath attack for escape as she believes in self preservation more than making a stand, unlike her Highlord.

Blue Lady, otherwise known as Kitiara, a 12th level human fighter is first presented in DL8 Dragons of War. The one time innfellow and companion has become the Blue Dragon Highlord and rules over the conquered territories with a tempestuous hand. She has a wild spirit and often experiences dramatic mood swings. She is wholly driven by her thirst for adventure and power. When she discovered the Dragonarmy building in the Khalkist mountains, she saw an opportunity and took it! She now stands second in power only to Ariakas, the Red Emperor of Krynn.

Bakaris, a 10th level human fighter, is Kitiara’s Lieutenant. He is a skilled mercenary who rose in the ranks by any means necessary. He hitched his proverbial wagon to Kitiara and rose in the ranks with her. Bakaris’ unshaven and sloppy appearance belies a keen tactical mind. He loves to fight and glories in the thrill of battle.

Soth, The Black Rose Knight was an ancient Lork Knight of Solamnia at Dargaard Keep, and is now a Deathknight. Through his own actions he brought doom to himself and his knights. He now resides in his dark castle, brooding, with groaning spirits singing a never-ending dirge of his folly. The Blue Lady has made a contract with him and he fights beside her.

Ariakus, is a 23rd level human Cleric and a 10th level Fighter. He is introduced in DL9 Dragons of Deceit. He is the personification of ambitious evil. He cast aside his fighting days to learn about the Queen of Darkness, Takhisis, and is dedicated to her service. He answers only to his Dark Queen. His only weakness seems to be his arrogance. This causes him to misjudge his enemies, to his detriment.

Harkiel is a Huge, Old Red Dragon. It has been appointed by the Dark Queen to preside over the foul draconian creation process, and takes her role on enthusiastically. Harkiel bears a fanatical and undying hatred for all that is good, and good dragons in particular. If she is prevented from engaging in her duty she is prone to go berzerk, and will fight to the death.

Wyrllish is a 10th level human cleric, and also devoted to Takhisis. His role is the clerical controller of the perversion of the dragon eggs in the depths of Luerkhisis. He is ugly and misshapen and wants nothing to do with the world of men. He lives in a subterranean chamber and controls the pace of the chant needed to perform the corruption of the eggs.

Dracart is a 19th level human magic-user. His magical incantations are the final component necessary in the corrupting of good dragon eggs. Together with Harkiel and Wyrllish, he goes through the daily ritual in the chamber underneath the Temple of Luerkhisis. He despises good and is enthusiastically dedicated to evil. He is never found outside the temple depths.

Cyan Bloodbane, Green Dragon was first introduced in DL10 Dragons of Dreams. He was one of the largest and most powerful of the evil dragons to reenter Krynn. He could have easily been a leader but forsook those petty ambitions. He was drawn to Silvanesti by the Dragon Orb and has been filling Lorac’s mind with nightmares ever since. His first concern is for himself and will flee if necessary, and hates the lesser races of Krynn.

Gildentongue, an aurak draconian, is introduced in DL12 Dragons of Faith. He is an agent of the Dark Queen with a directive to keep the peace between Lord Toede, Kitiara and her allies. He is in truth a spy for the Dark Queen and does not like Kitiara, siding with Toede over her whenever he can. He hears of the Oracle assisting the heroes and seeks to destroy her. He will try to misdirect the heroes every chance he gets.

Highmaster Ettel Rense, a 10th level human fighter & Highmaster Beyla Donth, a 7th level human cleric are Kitiara’s lieutenants. Ettel is the left wing leader. He loves the thrill of battle and believes all problems are solved by the sword. Beyla is the tail wing in the flight. She is aggressive, sadistic and a master of subterfuge. They are directed to discover the heroes and bring them alive to Kitiara.

Chot Es-Kalin, Minotaur Chieftain. He is the violent leader of the minotaurs, ruling through terror. He cannot speak common and will not speak to lessers unless he is deciding their fate. He has an abiding respect for the dragons and their masters, but sees all others as inferior. He has a pact with the Dragon Highlords but does not trust them. In this light, he has entered into a secret alliance with the human pirate chief to protect his interests.

Lucien, the new White Dragon Highlord, a 12th level human fighter is introduced in DL13 Dragons of Truth. He is the most crafty and political of the highlords. His emotionless face hides his fevered mind which is constantly working to enhance his power. His greatest weakness is his preoccupation with the manipulation of others.

Salah-Khan, the Black Dragon Highlord and 13th level human fighter always hides his face behind a black cloth. This is because he has no face, his features were destroyed in a duel with a wizard. He utilizes stealth and ruthlessness to carve his way to the top. He is known for his terrible vengeance, and his greatest weakness is his rage, which makes him reckless.

And finally, the Queen of Darkness. Takhisis is the Goddess of Evil. It is her machinations which started this War of the Lance. She is worshiped by all of her Dragon Highlords, draconians and human Dragonarmies. She commands the evil forces from her temple in the heart of Neraka. Her physical form on Krynn is that of Tiamat, the chromatic dragon. She is bent on world domination and nothing will stand in her way, certainly not the Heroes of the Lance!

Outro

But that is all the time I have to talk about the Villains of the War of the Lance. What do you think of all these non-player characters? Would you be interested in playing a version of the War of the Lance as villains? Finally, would you ever revisit the original AD&D modules? Leave a comment below.

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:

I don’t care about your name, Red. I don’t want to know your name. If you survive your first three or so battles, then maybe I’ll learn your name.