Rimeheart

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BACKGROUND
Long ago, the dragons banded together under the direction of the red wyrm that the mortal races named 'Pyreheart'. This confederacy, held together by a council of the five greatest wyrms, one each of the red, blue, green, black, and white, formed an unstoppable army that swept across the land. They slaughtered, pillaged, and burned their way across the globe, destroying the kingdoms of the lesser races in their path with neither pity, nor mercy. Those that did not submit were destroyed, and darkness and fire descended across the land. Nothing could stop the dragons and it was a time of tears, for the wyrms intended to eradicate the lesser creatures from the face of Terra once and for all. It seemed that nothing could stop the dragons and their terrible conquest.

Ultimately, the world was saved by hubris.

For the dragons are a proud race, and the other four great wyrms thought it should be they, not the Pyreheart, that should be first among the council. The blue wyrm, the one the mortals called the 'Craghorn', manipulated the green wyrm, 'Snaketongue' into challenging Pyreheart for rulership. But the Craghorn did not make good on his promise of assistance and Snaketongue was slain by Pyreheart in single combat. The black wyrm, called 'Nightsky', saw an opportunity and struck down the weakened Pyreheart from behind. He was, in turn, struck down by Craghorn, whom then looked towards the white wyrm, 'Frostfang' to secure his dominance. But Frostfang, far wiser then any had given him credit for, had already withdrawn.

Craghorn did not have the force of personality that Pyreheart did, nor the sheer power backed by overwhelming brutality to keep the proud dragons in line. Without the council's guidance, the alliance split apart swiftly. Brood turned upon brood, dragon upon dragon, and all the while the mortal races scurried about, surviving the rampage of the god-beings however they could. In the end, the mortal races banded together, raised armies of dragon-slayers, and took back the ruined lands that they had lost. There are few dragons anymore, and they do not trust each other. What was once proud has been laid low.

But while most other dragons where being hunted down and killed, Frostfang returned to the southern lands of ice and snow, and there he retreated from the world, planning a new strategy. The flaw the first time, Frostfang reasoned, was that there was no trust between the prideful wyrms. Buy what dragons could he trust? Only his own offspring... and that, he realized, was the answer. Frostfang set out to create an army, his army, composed of his offspring and their offspring!

Frostfang mated with other dragons and had many offspring, but he realized that their numbers would never equal the numbers that the dracon race once boasted in the days of his youth, and so the great wyrm realized that he needed shock troops of a lesser stock, though the lesser races were inferior and not to be trusted. And so he came up with a clever compromise... half-breeds. The old wyrm sent his children out to capture strong specimens of other creatures and breed with them (for dragons, being magical creatures, can breed with almost anything). In this way, eugenics was invented, and the matings produced many unusual creatures. Humans, he had found, were suitable for mixing with dragon-blood to create the basic shock troops of his army, elf breeds made for good skirmishers, dwarves for linebreakers, and so on and so forth. More unusual creatures that were experimented with were ogres, medusae, demons, and far, far less humanoid monsters, often with varied and occasionally useful results. The only best of breeding stock was permitted to breed with Frostfang himself, to create some of the most powerful of the half-breeds to be his lieutenants.

But Frostfang needed a general. Someone physically strong enough to keep order, smart enough to win battles, wise enough to win wars, and most importantly, loyal enough to not turn upon him. A special mother would be needed, someone both strong, intelligent, fierce, and brave. Frostfang settled upon Asyalinda Wyrmslayer, the High Paladin of the Jeweled Order, a group of women dedicated to slaying dragons. Frostfang spent many resources acquiring Asyalinda, and several years making her a suitable mate. The poor woman died in childbirth, bringing into this world the half-breed that mortals would later name 'Rimeheart'.

Rimeheart was secreted away in a high place of ice and snow, and from the day of her birth her education began. Instructed by Frostfang himself in the ways of combat, tactics, ethics (such as a dragon has them), science, and the arcane, Rimeheart is the only half-breed to be raised by a dragon as a dragon. And she has grown to be frighteningly powerful, indeed.

But disaster (from the dragons' perspective) struck, when Cathlyndiel Oathbow tracked down Frostfang and killed him, with a single arrow through the eye, as revenge for the kidnapping, rape, and torture of her personal friend, Asyalinda. This lone arrow saved the world from a second Dragon War. The fallen wyrm's plots exposed, the Jeweled Order descended upon Frostfang's brood all over the world, slaying anything that could not escape fast enough. But Rimeheart, secreted away in a high place of snow and of ice, escaped the pogrom. And she, like her father, has bided her time... and waited.

Generations have passed. Dragons are a bad memory among the wise, and a fairy story used to frighten disobedient children at bedtime. The Jeweled Order is a pale shadow of what it once was; there are no more dragons to slay, so who needs dragon slayers? The humans have become complacent, their guard has been lowered. Even the long-lived elves have become lax in their watch over the world. But in that high place, of snow and of ice, of bitter cold and winds that strip flesh from bone, the Rimeheart has given the order and plans have been set in motion.

The Rimeheart will finish the job her beloved father could not!

PERSONALITY
The creature that mortals call 'Rimeheart' is as prideful, as arrogant, as lustful, as domineering, and as cold and vicious as any evil dragon you could dare hope to never have the misfortune of meeting.

Though only half-blooded, the Rimeheart has been treated by her father and his brood as a full-blood and as such considers herself the equal of any and all true dragons. Because she comes from such powerful stock, she is capable of apotheosizing into a full dragon in times of need, a feat beyond most 'mere' half-dragons, a term she considers a slur and does not apply to herself. The Rimeheart is a vain creature, thinking herself beautiful either as a humanoid (in which form she does have her mother's famed beauty) or as a dragon.

As all dragons do, the Rimeheart lusts for treasure, prizing silver and white jewels (such as diamonds and pearls) above all others. She has little appreciation for art, though she can recognize it's value, and non-edible trade goods are worthless to her. Additionally, the Rimeheart has a fondness for music and considers talented bards to be particularly valuable slaves. Musical talent has saved more then one young maiden from becoming food or breeding stock... for a time, at least. Willing slaves can expect at least marginally better treatment then unwilling slaves and competence and talent is always rewarded. The rewards, however, are occasionally dubious improvements and even being one of the Rimeheart's personal concubines is still, ultimately, a disposable position. Those with particular knowledge and talent that swear an oath of fealty are, however, welcomed into the Rimeheart's ranks regardless of race, with one exception. Elves.

The Rimeheart's hatred of elves runs very deep. Cathlyndiel Oathbow slew the Rimeheart's father and a good number of her extended family besides, and thus the Rimeheart blames the entire elven race for the crime. She will never accept an elf as a servant, and those elves captured by her forces are rarely lucky enough to be devoured outright. The Rimeheart prefers to 'break' them first, though what she means by 'breaking' changes based upon her whims.

The Rimeheart's path to domination is a cruel one. The half-dragon does not care who she must kill, what she must destroy, or what pain she must inflict upon the world, but it will kneel to her in the end. She has become obsessed with this goal, vowing to complete her father's work. But she is a cold blooded creature, given to thought, to planning, and to patience. She is capable of waiting for the right time to strike, and is content to build her power and her army of half-dragon abominations while the world around her grows fat, complacent, and weak. When she unleashes the full might of her forces, it may already be too late for the world!

RP HOOKS
Adventurer Wanted!: The local towns have hired an adventurer, you, to go into the mountains and put an end to the 'bandits' that have been raiding local populations suddenly.

Dragon Attack: Do you have a queen/princess/duchess/countess? Because you know what dragons do with those when they find them...

Lost Explorer: Lost on the mountainside, you take shelter inside a cave... and inside you find a lot more then you bargained for!

Raid: The Rimeheart's forces attack your village, killing and burning what and who they will, carrying others off for slaves!

Tribute: Your city has decided to pay tribute to the half-dragon to appease her... and you are a part of the bribe!