Drawn by  Rhinoking

The last of the dragonspawn created by Necron, Nethric is unique amongst his brethren. He alone was not created by the infusion of an adventurers soul. His egg, stolen from the lair of a shadow dragon deep within the Shadowfell, was brought forth to Necron. In a display of arcane power and high magic, Necron used his own blood infused into a soul crystal to meld a portion of his essence directly into the egg. He then immediately cast another High Spell to link the dragonspawn together and as the sigil of power appeared around each egg and a magic circle sprang into existence encompassing them all. The shadow egg within surrounded by the other eggs inside the circle of magic that would remain and infuse the incubating young within and strengthen the link between them with Nethric as their leader.

However, the spell that would link the eggs to Nethric had an unintended side effect. One that even Necron did not fathom or understand. The souls of the adventurers "colored" the spell and Nethric as they incubated within their eggs. It did give Nethric control over his siblings but not in the way that the necromancer had intended. When Nethric hatched, followed soon by the other dragonspawn the link between them only strengthened the bond Nethric felt towards them. Instead of a tyrant lording over the others, Nethric instead harbored a deep sense of purpose and protection. He was created to be their leader and a leader he would be to his brothers. The one time he commanded them to do something, they did indeed do it but the feeling of wrongness and abhorrence he felt seeing his brothers enslaved to his will filled him with revulsion. He did not want to command slaves, he wanted his brothers to work as a unit and a team bringing their varied strengths to bare against their opponents. Not an army of mindless puppets. He vowed from that point on that he would never use that power on them again.

Years passed and Nethric and his brothers grew up amidst the Dead City where their creator resided. None of them had any clue they were slaves to the necromancer and had been made to be his "hit squad". They assumed everything was normal and raised to fight and to use their abilities in service to Necron. The necromancer rarely stopped by except to see how their training was going...distant and cold but providing for their needs he left the care of the everyday lessons to his intelligent undead cohorts. Eventually though they would go on missions to further the designs of their Lord. Nethric led them in all their missions but even he would make mistakes and some nearly cost him his life. His siblings however always were there to help him when he went down or miscalculated a course of action. Mindless puppets would not do that and he was thankful to have the trust and respect of his brothers and he never broke his vow to never command them.

Nethric wields a scythe crafted from dark and obscure materials. His own magical abilities can cause it to burst into spectral flames that burn not only the victims flesh but their souls as well. Anyone who dies by this weapon can never be brought back to life except by the most powerful of magics. His breath weapon is a cone of shadows that sap the life essence from the bodies of whoever is unlucky to be in it. If they die by this method they are turned into shades under the control of Nethric for exactly 24 hours before they dissipate into nothingness. A gifted tactician he leads his brothers into every battle but not before he takes into account their strengths and weaknesses as well as their input. He values his siblings ideas and strategies and incorporates them into his plans. He is a leader of his men, not a dictator.


"What have you done to my brothers!?" Nethric shouted as he brandished his weapon at the five who wore his brothers forms but were not them anymore. "Release your hold on them or I swear I will find you and make you wish you had never been..." He stopped as his head once again was wracked with pain from their link. He dropped his scythe and roared in pain as he fell to his knees. He could still catch glimpses of their past lives for brief moments but the brothers he knew were also there but...overshadowed in a way. The pain slowed ebbed away but he still couldn't summon the strength to get to his feet.

"Please...please give me back...my...my family." He said softly to no one. Almost weeping as another wave of pain hit him though less then before.

The others watched as their elder brother hit the ground and something in them snapped into place within the now complete lattice of their minds and psyche's. He was their elder brother despite their past lives and all that they had been through they were all still family. The bodies they inhabited were theirs. Their minds, though having two lifetimes now, were still knowledgeable of everything. They were born into these forms and the bodies felt like their own...the only thing that was different was they knew what had happened to them and that they did NOT want to serve Necron anymore.

Raiger went over to their elder brother and nuzzled him softly. "We are still here big brother, but...things have changed. You need to make a choice...but know we will be here for you whatever you decide."

Nethric had a lot to think about once his brothers had explained the situation and how they had all come to be. He wanted to be alone with this thoughts and think about everything that was told to him. He flew away for many hours, as they had to return before the day was done, and he took what time he could to contemplate his own existence and that of his purpose. His siblings would not serve Necron anymore, their old personalities were the dominate ones now but they still regarded him as one of their own despite the shift.

Would he doom them to eternal service to the only one he ever served? Which by all rights he had the power to do. Or would he leave behind everything he ever knew in this world and countless others? His tactical mind weighed the possibilities but over and over his thoughts returned to one thing over and over that would demand an answer every time. Finally, he made his decision.

Returning back to his siblings just as the sun was beginning to set, he entered the cave with his fists clenched and his eyes blazed with conviction. His brothers rose at his entrance and Eiseng let out a low and menacing growl...which the rest joined in on. It was fruitless and they knew it since he could make them serve Necron, but they would fight with every fiber of their being against him and the compulsion. Nethrik stood before them his power flowing outward as he proclaimed his decision.

“All of my life, I have been raised to be your leader. I was created by Necron for this role and I take that role seriously. He made me what I am.”

The five dragonspawn’s clawed hands clenched tight, the tone of their leader’s voice was not comforting and they dreaded what was coming next.

Nethric continued, “In that time we have fought many battles. We grew up together, we were raised by each other’s side. I aspired to be your leader but also your older brother. You are my family so here is my decision.”

The five looked to him, Eiseng’s lips were pulled back into a silent snarl while Baum’s one hand clenched Ritters own. Raigar glared at him but held his tongue and Cindrax’s fiery breath glowed in the growing darkness. Nethric smiled at this willful display of defiance that his brethren displayed, even if it was all for naught but he was glad to see their fighting spirit still blazed brightly.

Nethric’s toothy grin gleamed in the dying light as he made his proclamation.

“Screw Necron and his plans! You are my brothers and my family and my trust and loyalty is to all of you, not him!”



To be continued... :D


** This was just a excerpt of the story I am writing but trimmed it down for this entry. I will eventually be posting the entire story (I hope) with illustrations alongside it. However, I will continue the story for a bit with my next entry which will feature the last of the dragon guys..oh yes there is one more that none of them know about but will be...well you will just have to wait and see. :) **