| The Tale of Dakkon Blackblade |
| Dakkon Blackblade, eh? Yeah I heard of 'im. 'course, who hasen't. You been living under a rock yer whole life!? Way I figure, he's just some kinda bogeyman that mothers use to frighten their children of the dark. But if you really don't know, here's the way I heard it... Sir Dakkon was a captain in the legions of Agrios when that empire was the power in the west. Never knew why he left, prob'ly mutiny or some such unsavory buisness, it certainly wouldn't have been his first. From what I heard he ended up hooking up with the Rune Knights 'bout a hundred years after the order was founded. The Knights were on some crusade or other against the Black Emperor Kieris Najamiil to make the world safe for mages. Dakkon played nice with the elven leader until the opporitune moment. As the Lord of Runes and his party crept through Kieris' stronghold, Dakkon turned rogue and murdered the ranger Erinne Windsong. The leader went ahead to confront the Emperor and his son and his Leutenant fought Dakkon and eventually killed him. But the Evil in Dakkon's soul had found favor with the Dark Queen. Drawing his soul into the Pit, she favored him, nurturing his hatred and finally laying upon him a terrible curse, that of the Death Knight. 200 years passed before the Dark Lady was able to sneak her servant into the mortal world with one overwhelming command which tugged at his dark soul. "Revive my greatest servant," the Lady commanded him. "Restore the Black Emperor to this world and I shall end your torment. Destroy any who block your path in My name, for you cannot die." To that end, the Lady granted Dakkon a weapon, a greatsword forged of adamantine and imbued with evil powers by the goddess Herself. It's said that any living being struck by that sword has part of his very soul ripped away to feed the death knight. From what I hear, even if it's lost to him, he can sense its location and woe to the mortal who has taken it! Dakkon was a powerful warrior in life, nigh 7 feet tall he was, an' broad across the shoulders as two men. Though he still looks mortal by night, Dakkon is gigantic now; enhanced by black sorcery by his Queen. A full 10 feet in height he is, and he wears adamantine armor, black as the night itself. The Death Knight Has so grown so powerful that even the eye of Akaeris cannot destroy his cursed soul. Protected from that fate by the Dark Queen. Even still, in full daylight he's but a spectre and cannot make use of most of his dark gifts. Returned to the mortal realm, Dakkon set out to accomplish his task with the aid of the half-vampire Paladin of Mytheris, Sebastian Galilae. Still the hatred and rage in Dakkon's soul was focused on the elf who killed him 200 years before. Sending his minion to infiltrate the conclave of mages, Dakkon engineered the collapse of the mythic isle of Enhasa. After a brief duel with his one-time slayer on the falling island, Dakkon left the boy to die. His path clear, his vengence settled, Dakkon traveled across Kajir; his undead armies killing hundreds as they passed. No power in the land could stop him and he was set to revive the Black Emperor at the ruins of his castle! I suppose it best for all of us that Dakkon's overconfidence blinded him back on Enhasa. Despite everything, the boy had survived his duel and assaulted the dark champion with magic! Backed by Rynthaellel, her children Rishi and Claudia, the dwarf Hrothgar Rungirmiir, and Mathias Cloudwalker the Silver Dragon, the Death Knight was killed, but the price of victory was high. Of the 6 heroes who gave battle, only Sir Rungirmiir lived to tell about it. Dakkon's come back time and again to try to accomplish his dread task, each time he's been stopped just short of his goal. Most recent thing I heard was that he came back 30 years ago, but was stopped by the King himself and sealed away by Lord Arkol of the Ivory Tower. |
| <===Back |