Onyxus, The Black Dragon

The Second Great War was a distant memory for most, and the countries were enjoying an extended peace. After the discovery of divinium, the town of Illion had quickly grown into a city thanks to its proximity to the mine, and all the work and wealth the mine drew. The city had flourished like none before it, but it also drew the attention of a Dragon. Coming down from the sky, she struck terror into the hearts of the inhabitants, but also awe at the sight of her magnificent silver scales. Her name was Veralia, and she came in relative peace. She demanded a tribute from the city, and sat patiently outside, head craning over the 25ft stone wall, for a response. The inhabitants made the right choice, and chose not to attack her. Instead they gathered a small flock of sheep and an ample chest of gold. Veralia found the tribute quite pleasing, and after a bit more fussing and compliments from the humans, she made to leave with her gifts. However, her presence had not gone unnoticed by an old foe. The black Dragon, Onyxus, second to the Dragon-lord Xartas, descended upon Veralia.

Though they were relatively similar in size, where Veralia was slender and agile, Onyxus was a colossal hulking monster of muscle. He smashed his entire weight into Veralia, crushing her into the ground. She clawed and bit and fought to get him off, but he was much stronger. However, the people of Illion city realized the danger. If Veralia was slain, there was nothing to save them from this new threat. So they rallied to aid the Dragon. Archers took post on the wall and peppered the black Dragon with arrows, and horsemen of steel nerve rushed from the gate. They distracted Onyxus long enough for Veralia to slip free from under the larger Dragon. However, instead of helping the humans, she fled while Onyxus was distracted. And so began the black Dragon’s rampage. The Dragon turned his attention to Illion, and decided that before he pursued Veralia, he would destroy the city as punishment. He began by eradicating the knights outside its walls, and smashed through the wall. The Human defenders fought back as much as they could, but there was little they could do in the face of the Dragon’s onslaught. The call for help was sent, to the Kingdom of Mondolin and the Eldross, who were closest to the city. However, no force would reach the city before it was razed. Or so the humans thought.

As it had turned out, an Eldross legion had been posted on the border between Harodriel and the Free Lands. Illion was only a few miles from the border. Though they had no orders, the Eldross commander there, one Kira Toril, seen the threat the Dragon posed to her home. Kira sent out a call for help to the homeland, and the Eldross legion marched to the defense of Illion. They arrived in much haste, though half a day had passed since the attack began. Still, the Dragon was not finished his work, and the city, though in ruins, still had survivors inside. Proficient archers, Kira marched her troops into range, and loosed a volley of deadly fire upon the dragon. Onyxus was barraged, and though his scales were tough, the Eldross bows were far superior to the human defenders. They actually succeeded in hurting him. However, it was not enough. They were unable to take down Onyxus. He turned and descended on the Eldross legion, and within a few minutes, Kira was forced to sound the retreat, for they could not endure Onyxus’ onslaught.

As the Eldross fled, Kira Toril drew her sword and charged the Dragon. She had commited to buying her troops some time to escape. Leaping onto Onyxus’ back, she drove her sword between his shoulder blades. Onyxus let out a roar and his head snapped around, striking her and throwing the Eldross off. Spinning around he tried to crush her into the ground with a mighty foreleg, but she evaded his attacks. Kira managed to hold out against Onyxus for almost half an hour before he finally caught her in his mighty jaws. A hero had fallen that day, and she would not be the last. However, her sacrifice, and the sacrifice of many of the Eldross in her legion had not been in vain. Many of the people trapped in Illion had managed to escape into the countryside, fleeing the battle site. The remnants of her legion made it back to Eldross lands, where the leaders of the Collective were informed of what had happened here.


News of Onyxus’ attack spread rapidly, and forces all across the lands began to marshal. The Humans and Eldari sent soldiers to reinforce the Eldross’ troops. Dalrodir Shor, along with his daughter Mariel Shor were some of the first Eldari on the scene, though more trickled in. A small force of Heanta led by Celaena the Hornless were in the area, and came to aid the effort. Though dubious of their intentions, Shor vouched for Celaena and they were not turned away. Humans arrived in great numbers. They dared only wait so long however, so when less than half the forces sent had arrived they marched on Illion out of fear that the dragon would turn his attention to a new location. As it was, Onyxus had been busy during this time. Once he had finished with Illion, he rested within the ruins. He made the city a temporary lair, and within a day, he had left and struck a settlement nearby, razing it and devouring anything or anyone who was not quick enough to escape. He struck two more villages over the next few days, before slumbering. No one could explain why the Dragon had decided to stay in Illion, after all, this had all started with him attacking Veralia. Perhaps he was waiting for her to return, however no one managed to figure out his reasoning, for the joint forces had arrived at the city.

Their approach was noticed by Onyxus, unlike before when the Eldross had managed to sneak up on him. The force was ready for him, and as he glided towards the army, he was assailed with a barrage of arrows and magical attacks. Onyxus was knocked from the sky, and the Heanta, along with Dalrodir Shor, descended upon him. A concerted effort from the Heanta and Shor drove him back from the mages and archers, and then the Human knights charged him from the opposite flank, pinning him. They dealt significant damage with their lances, and wounded his leg, causing him to fall. In the rear flanks, several Eldari magi, including Mariel, unleashed a mighty spell, striking the Dragon with a lighting bolt so powerful the earth beneath him was charred. However, despite the concerted attack, it was not enough to slay Onyxus. He smashed away the knights as he pushed himself up, and reared up on his hind legs. Unleashing a powerful blast of fire on the archers and mages, he broke their lines in an instant and sent them running into chaos, before smashing the Heanta forces with tooth and claw.

Celaena the Hornless launched herself up onto the Onyxus’ head and stabbed him in the right eye, blinding him before she was thrown loose. The attack gave Dalrodir Shor the opening he needed to potentially end the fight, however the Dragon had turned, talons poised to rend Celaena open. Again Shor kept to his promise to his greatest foe, and saved her life by throwing her from the path of the attack. Both were wounded, but Celaena survived because of Shor. After one last blast of fire, the dragon rose into the air.. Before he flew from Illion, he promised all present that Harodiel would burn next. Soon, he would deliver on that promise.


The Dragon left a path of destruction hitherto unheard of across the forests of Harodiel. He destroyed the tree fortress Kira’s legion had called home, snuffing out the life of many innocent Eldross in the process. He burned everything in sight, as he made his way to Annis Galaris, the Eldross’ main city. The fires he left behind raged throughout the forest, burning and killing many who dwelled within it. Shor and those who were able to continue fighting tried to follow after Onyxus, but the path was dangerous as the fires began to rage wildly. Despite his wounds, Shor decided that the best course of action was to go ahead alone in the hopes that he would catch the Dragon before the worst could happen, while the remaining forces followed as quickly as they could. He would not make it in time. Onyxus had reached the city, and though the Eldross there knew what came for them, they had no chance to stop it. Onyxus hit the city like a fiery storm, and in one fell swoop, he destroyed the home of the Collective, killing many of the high ranking Eldross who had stayed to defend the city from such an attack. The death toll was catastrophic.

Dalrodir Shor had witnessed the atrocity, and he eventually found his way to a clearing in the forest. Standing in the ruins of the once-great forest, Shor swore an oath to himself that the Dragon would end here, no matter the cost. He shouted a challenge to Onyxus, who became enraged by the audacity of the mortal to dare challenge him. Onyxus landed in front of Shor in the clearing, and the Eldari simply bowed in respect to the fallen, before commencing the final confrontation. The fight was fierce and violent. Several times Shor came within a step of being killed. But he held his own, and that fact slowly enraged Onyxus further. The Eldari, for his part, had sustained may serious burns, and though he was adept at fighting through the pain-barrier, the wounds he had sustained earlier while protecting Celaena were beginning to take their toll. He began to slow down, and though he had also inflicted heavy damage to the Dragon, the beast still showed no significant sign of weakening.

Eventually Shor’s fatigue and damage caught up to him, and Onyxus caught him in his maw. The Dragon shook Shor violently before hurling him through a stack of fallen tree trunks. Shor assessed his current health and ascertained that he was about to lose this fight. He had sustained serious lacerations and more broken ribs than he could count. His left arm was mangled and useless, and hung lifelessly at his side. Fortunately, such was Onyxus’ belief in the inferiority of mortals, the Dragon assumed that shor was dead, and prepared to leave. Shor knew he had one last chance to try and end the fight, and he took it. Despite the enormous pain he was enduring, Dalrodir Shor rose from his wooden tomb and leapt on to the Dragon’s back. Onyxus was outraged that Shor was still alive, and tried everything to shake the Eldari off. He spun and flipped and even smashed himself through trees, but Shor was not to be denied. In a last gasp effort to dismount the Eldari, Onyxus flew straight up, attempting to gain altitude before diving to the ground. Shor wrestled his way one-handed towards the Dragon’s head, and just as Onyxus began his dive, Shor drove his blade down through the beast’s skull. Onyxus was killed immediately, but Shor did not have enough left to free himself from the carnage. The two foes plummeted to the ground, landing in the burning remains of the Forests of Harodiel.

A unit of troops, led by Celaena the Hornless, had followed Shor from Illion and tracked the fight as best they could, and it was they who found the great warrior’s final resting place. They found a crater with the Dragon’s body lying in it, with Shor’s body lying close by. Onyxus the Black Dragon, was no more. Dalrodir Shor’s body was returned to the Eldari by Celaena, who did not envy the denizens of the afterlife, knowing that Dalrodir Shor and Ren the Hornless were about to be reunited. The blazes in the forest were eventually extinguished, and the remaining Eldross were granted sanctuary in the lands of their kin. A massive funeral service was held in Gilderan for Dalrodir Shor, one of the greatest warriors the world had seen. The service was attended by all of the surviving Eldross, as well as Celaena, who was given special dispensation to attend out of respect to Shor. The ruins of the Forest of Harodiel was closed off, and was visited only by Eldross Rangers who guarded their former home.