"It hates us. It hates us, and it needs us. Truly Malekith has excelled himself with this: He has taken our self-loathing and given it form."
- —Drutheira[3d]
A Dark Elven general riding a fearsome Black Dragon.
A Black Dragon is a corrupted breed of Dragon created through the use of Dark Magic by the Dark Elves. All Black Dragons currently reside within the cold frigid lands of Naggaroth, the homeland of the Druchii in the New World. They often serve powerful Dark Elves as mounts and companions.[1a]
Not all Dragons with black scales are the result of Druchii experimentation, some appear to have natural origins. Kalgalanos the Black, the father of Dragonkind, predates the creation of the Black Dragons in service to the Witch King Malekith by millennia.[4a]
Like all intelligent creatures, Dragons are prone to acts of good or ill depending upon their nature and upbringing. Black Dragons are traditionally regarded as ranked among the most malevolent creatures, revelling in indiscriminate murder and slaughter for its own sake.[4b]
Elder Carmine Dragons have scales of such a dark shade of purple that they appear to be black, sometimes leading to mistaken identifications.[4b]
History[]
When Prince Malekith began his schemes to usurp the Phoenix Throne of Ulthuan for himself before the Sundering, his agents stole Dragon eggs from the Kingdom of Caledor and used them to create a new breed of Dragons.[1a]
These Dragons were secretly nurtured in Nagarythe by Malekith and were enchanted with Dark Magic that would both corrupt and enhance the unborn Dragons within. The fiercest Black Dragons from the first clutch was Sulekh, who became the Witch King's newest mount following the loss of his own Dragon. Since Sulekh's death, her children have continued to live alongside the Dark Elves and have fought for them for many generations.[1a]
The Dark Elves do not use Dragonsong, but brute force, narcotics, Dark magic and pain to control their dragons. As a result, the relation between a Druchii dragon rider and his mount is one of dominance and forced servitude, with each side eying their opponent for the slightest sign of weakness that can be used to reverse the situation.[3b]
Appearance and Abilities[]
Black Dragons are relatively similar to their more pure-blooded cousins in appearance. However, they have lost the ability to belch flaming breath, and instead gained the ability to breathe a noxious gas that can wither the lungs of its victims and rot their flesh.
Due to the excess of Dark Magic pulsing within their bodies, Black Dragons are notoriously stronger than their pure-blooded counterparts, without the horrific side-effects of mutation common in most such tainted creatures.[1a]
Perhaps their greatest weapon is the overwhelming wyrm-dread that fills the enemy upon sighting such a bloodthirsty and destructive monster.[2a]
Notable Black Dragons[]
- Korzarandar - Korzarandar was the Black Dragon slain by Caradryan during the Battle of Finuval Plain.
- Maelstrom - Maelstrom was the favoured Black Dragon mount of Lokhir Fellheart.
- Seraphon - Seraphon was the second Black Dragon mount of Malekith, the Witch King.
- Shackolot - Shackolot was a Black Dragon known as the Calamity.
- Sulekh- Sulekh was the first Black Dragon mount of Malekith, who was slain in battle by the Phoenix King Caledor I.
- Urislakh - Also known as Bloodfang, this black dragon escaped his capturers during the Sundering and fled to the Old World.[3a]
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (6th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 14
- 2: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (8th Edition)
- 2a: pg. 50
- 3: The War of Vengeance - Master of Dragons (Novel) by Chris Wraight
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Battle: Storm of Magic (8th Edition)
Gallery[]
