I keep finding pictures I haven't uploaded here yet... This was done back in the day when I used to use colour pencils more regularly (am a bit out of practice) and shows two legendary dragons of Tymaera:
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The story of the great silver dragon Madrukh Jakara and the black dragoness Nihilerax Deryos is a tale of a doomed love that was never meant to be (usually the case with doomed loves).
It is rare for lawful metallic and anarchic chromatic dragons to become lifemates yet it is not unknown for dragons to fall for one another so deeply that they can put aside the ancient, ingrained traits of their colours and bloodlines and become one. This happened between Madrukh and Nihilerax in a relationship that began, surprisingly, as a war between the two over territory with Madrukh defending not just his land but the people that lived on it against the marauding black. Each being ancient wyrms possessing vast and powerful magics seemingly equally matched the war went nowhere but their respect for one anothers' abilities outgrew their animosity and gradually a relationship formed.
Dragons will mate to procreate very rarely. In the millennia they were together, Nihilerax became pregnant with a clutch of eggs just once but this time of joy spelled the end of their time together. Unlike most mortals dragons do not age once they have reached their prime so age is no enemy to them however they can still contract disease and such happened to Nihilerax. She realised she was dying but had no desire for her life to end and resolved to use her magic to harvest the lifeforce of her offspring to banish the disease and bring her back to health.
At first, desperately wanting his love to live and frustrated that his own not inconsiderable power could not heal her, Madrukh agreed. But as time passed he realised he could not condone for his innocent young to be sacrificed. He could not tell Nihilerax of this for such was her selfish will to survive at her youngs' expense he suspected she would flee to some hidden place to give birth and then steal the life from her own hatchlings without him to stop her. He waited, gathering his strength until the day Nihilerax laid her eggs. Teeth bared Madrukh gathered the eggs to him and told her he would never, could never condone such murder.
Nihilerax had not suspected this betrayal from her lifemate, thinking egotistically his love for something as wonderful as herself would know no bounds. Something inside her snapped and the centuries of inherent evil she had withheld for the sake of their love was unleashed. Screaming she flew at him and the two fought more fiercely than ever before. Of the eight eggs laid, seven were destroyed in the battle. Choosing to save a life rather than fight to a bloody, bitter conclusion, Madrukh took the last egg in his talons and fled, using his magic to teleport across the continent, not caring for the destination so long as Nihilerax would not follow too quickly. His magic brought him to the Evermoors, a seemingly endless wilderness of fen, marsh and moor. Here he hid the egg, casting upon it spells of protection and concealment before he flew on, hoping the dragoness would not expect him to abandon the egg and so track him.
For a time Nihilerax did hunt Madrukh but her weakening state soon stopped that. Death was close and without having any young with her blood - her lifeforce - running through them for her to reclaim as her own, the disease would kill her. In her long life Nihilerax had studied many forms of dark and black magics and in her final hour she called upon an incantation she had read in the crumbling and mouldy pages of a book on necromancy believed to have been stolen from the Necroclast himself. She altered her Word of Being, thus changing her state from alive to undead and became a dracoliche.
Nihilerax now haunts some of the world's most ancient peaks, the hoary Grey Mountains and guards the ill fabled House of Dusk. Madrukh's whereabouts however are unknown. He lives somewhere in Caevalonia with only the deep and horrible scars he received in their confrontation as a reminder of what he once had and lost. Each secretly dreads the day their paths are destined to cross for one final, bloody battle.
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The story of the great silver dragon Madrukh Jakara and the black dragoness Nihilerax Deryos is a tale of a doomed love that was never meant to be (usually the case with doomed loves).
It is rare for lawful metallic and anarchic chromatic dragons to become lifemates yet it is not unknown for dragons to fall for one another so deeply that they can put aside the ancient, ingrained traits of their colours and bloodlines and become one. This happened between Madrukh and Nihilerax in a relationship that began, surprisingly, as a war between the two over territory with Madrukh defending not just his land but the people that lived on it against the marauding black. Each being ancient wyrms possessing vast and powerful magics seemingly equally matched the war went nowhere but their respect for one anothers' abilities outgrew their animosity and gradually a relationship formed.
Dragons will mate to procreate very rarely. In the millennia they were together, Nihilerax became pregnant with a clutch of eggs just once but this time of joy spelled the end of their time together. Unlike most mortals dragons do not age once they have reached their prime so age is no enemy to them however they can still contract disease and such happened to Nihilerax. She realised she was dying but had no desire for her life to end and resolved to use her magic to harvest the lifeforce of her offspring to banish the disease and bring her back to health.
At first, desperately wanting his love to live and frustrated that his own not inconsiderable power could not heal her, Madrukh agreed. But as time passed he realised he could not condone for his innocent young to be sacrificed. He could not tell Nihilerax of this for such was her selfish will to survive at her youngs' expense he suspected she would flee to some hidden place to give birth and then steal the life from her own hatchlings without him to stop her. He waited, gathering his strength until the day Nihilerax laid her eggs. Teeth bared Madrukh gathered the eggs to him and told her he would never, could never condone such murder.
Nihilerax had not suspected this betrayal from her lifemate, thinking egotistically his love for something as wonderful as herself would know no bounds. Something inside her snapped and the centuries of inherent evil she had withheld for the sake of their love was unleashed. Screaming she flew at him and the two fought more fiercely than ever before. Of the eight eggs laid, seven were destroyed in the battle. Choosing to save a life rather than fight to a bloody, bitter conclusion, Madrukh took the last egg in his talons and fled, using his magic to teleport across the continent, not caring for the destination so long as Nihilerax would not follow too quickly. His magic brought him to the Evermoors, a seemingly endless wilderness of fen, marsh and moor. Here he hid the egg, casting upon it spells of protection and concealment before he flew on, hoping the dragoness would not expect him to abandon the egg and so track him.
For a time Nihilerax did hunt Madrukh but her weakening state soon stopped that. Death was close and without having any young with her blood - her lifeforce - running through them for her to reclaim as her own, the disease would kill her. In her long life Nihilerax had studied many forms of dark and black magics and in her final hour she called upon an incantation she had read in the crumbling and mouldy pages of a book on necromancy believed to have been stolen from the Necroclast himself. She altered her Word of Being, thus changing her state from alive to undead and became a dracoliche.
Nihilerax now haunts some of the world's most ancient peaks, the hoary Grey Mountains and guards the ill fabled House of Dusk. Madrukh's whereabouts however are unknown. He lives somewhere in Caevalonia with only the deep and horrible scars he received in their confrontation as a reminder of what he once had and lost. Each secretly dreads the day their paths are destined to cross for one final, bloody battle.
Category All / Fantasy
Species Western Dragon
Size 600 x 825px
File Size 252 kB
Listed in Folders
An intriguing story for an equally interesting piece.
I always loved the old lore for Dungeons & dragons. About how the dragon god Io created two equal and opposite children (Bahamut and Tiamat) hoping that they would breed and create the perfect species. Until it turned out that they were too opposite and started a war. This reminds me of that.
I always loved the old lore for Dungeons & dragons. About how the dragon god Io created two equal and opposite children (Bahamut and Tiamat) hoping that they would breed and create the perfect species. Until it turned out that they were too opposite and started a war. This reminds me of that.
Thank you
I actually don't know much about the D&D mythos... I'd have loved to have been into gaming when I were a kid but I didn't know anyone else of my 'leanings' and at Uni our gaming club was mostly with the war games. I knew there was a Tiamat and a Bahamut in there somewhere... I know more about the babylonian Tiamat though :D
I actually don't know much about the D&D mythos... I'd have loved to have been into gaming when I were a kid but I didn't know anyone else of my 'leanings' and at Uni our gaming club was mostly with the war games. I knew there was a Tiamat and a Bahamut in there somewhere... I know more about the babylonian Tiamat though :D
I like that the death dragon's design isn't the typical red and black demon that one see's everywhere. The way you've done green and black looks surprisingly good. I would have never thunk it. As always your detailing is impeccable. Another neat thing I noticed is the life dragon actually looks like how most would draw a demonic dragon, based on the ram style horns. Very unique your style always gives an old school bestiary vibe.
Thanks! I always feel green and black make a more sinister colour scheme, especially for the undead (red works too but sometimes comes off as more demonic than a nice bit of sickly, putrescent green).
hm, now you mention it I could picture this on a parchment type background :)
hm, now you mention it I could picture this on a parchment type background :)
Just philosophically speaking... Life is dirt blood and bone (our bodies), life decays, life is temporal, life is the original sin.
Death is eternal, death is transcending, death is rebirth, death is ascension, in death is god, death is never the end. Thus it's the dragon of life.
"You're the harbringer of death Kara Thrace, you will lead them all to their end." Deus ex machina.
Sorry... just some philosofical inspiration I got from your image. I love it entirely, great detail and I'm very very fond of the design.
Death is eternal, death is transcending, death is rebirth, death is ascension, in death is god, death is never the end. Thus it's the dragon of life.
"You're the harbringer of death Kara Thrace, you will lead them all to their end." Deus ex machina.
Sorry... just some philosofical inspiration I got from your image. I love it entirely, great detail and I'm very very fond of the design.
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