Khothax
The Old One Khothax (a.k.a. High King Tandoril Laraethan, Scourgewing, Snaketongue)
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
One would be able to see Khothax's powerful muscles ripple slightly as he moves, and he boasts powerful natural weapons. He moves lithely, like a slithering snake. Even in his human guise, one can tell that he would be a dangerous opponent.
Body Features
Khothax is an immense dragon with deep, forest green scales. On his head sits a large reptilian crest that continues down the rest of his spine, reaching full height just behind the skull. He smiles with a perpetual crocodilian grin—full of crooked teeth. His serpentine neck hangs low to the ground and his powerful wings seem cramped even in large spaces. His matte black claws are extremely sharp, drawn into sharp points at the end. His powerful tail sweeps back and forth across the ground, making a slithering sort of sound. Vibrant green energy runs under his scales, largely conglomerating on his underside. Dark yellow liquid drips from his scales, hissing as it falls and hits the ground.
A Close-Up of Khothax's Scales
Facial Features
Khothax has a crocodilian face, with a reptilian crest running from the back of his head down the length of his body, reaching full heigh just behind his skull. He has vibrant green draconic eyes, with small slit pupils. His teeth are jagged and unorganized, set in a grin as if he is sizing up his next meal. Every so often, his forehead pulses with a pinkish energy.
A Close-Up of Khothax's Eye
Identifying Characteristics
His forehead, and sometimes other parts of his body, pulses with a pinkish energy. This is a product of the Calm Emotions spell he was subjected to under Tandoril's torture. The spell still effects his mind, and the pinkish energy is a physical manifestation blocking the regions of the brain that deal with empathy and most other emotions.
Special abilities
Khothax had merged his anatomy with the various disease created by the Plague, allowing him to use his breath weapon to produce two separate deadly diseases.
Blighted Breath
When Khothax uses his Blighted Breath, the target is instantly infected with a stage 4 version of The Blight, which begins eating away at the target's muscle, deteriorating their strength until they are healed.Breath of Madness
When Khothax uses his Breath of Madness, the target is instantly infected with the Breath of Madness. This disease starts at stage 1, where it is undetectable.Mental characteristics
Personal history
Show spoiler
A lush jungle—untouched by the fledgling civilizations of Tourceia. Verdant vegetation and vibrant fruits dominate the landscape. A plethora of uniquely colored creatures roam the beautifully unchecked forest. Turquoise streams of water run through the overgrown jungle, culminating in a river that runs through modern day Wistonland. In the center of this beautiful forest, hidden in the undergrowth lays an emerald green egg, about the size of a small barrel. A capybara nudges the egg—perhaps deciding whether it is an acceptable meal—before the egg begins to crack. The capybara skitters away into the jungle. The cracks in the egg grow, and eventually the small head of a green dragon pokes through its shell. It cocks its head, confused—but curious—of this new world which it has been born into. As it stumbles free of the egg’s shell, it soaks in the magnificence of its new home. It walks awkwardly around its egg, sniffing and prodding it with its nose, before prancing off into the dense vegetation—in awe of this new world. Khothax is born.
As a wyrmling in the vast jungles of Wistonland, Khothax quickly realized that he couldn’t merely rely on his physical strength to survive, as many creatures were stronger and larger than him. He was forced to quickly become a tactician, and rely primarily on his wits. So, he began to think about where he should create his lair. What place could he live relatively safe, and have all the resources he would need to survive? He decided he couldn’t sleep out in the open, or else he’d quickly become a meal for the next hungry panther. Not that he blamed the panther though, he realized that everything in the forest had to eat to survive—just like himself. Khothax had a great respect for the ecosystem into which he was born—he saw it almost as a work of art. This did not, however, mean that he wouldn’t do what he had to in order to survive. Eventually, Khothax chose to hollow out a large Dinizia tree—careful not to compromise its structure—and then proceeded to dig out a small cave under the tree. He was proud of himself. He had made himself a home, a place he could call his own. It had everything he needed: A nearby freshwater river, a relatively safe hunting ground in addition to a surplus of wild fruits, and his small—but safe—underground treehouse.
Khothax loved his jungle—his home. Perhaps contrary to his survival, he spent much of his time attempting to befriend other creatures, in awe of each of their gifts. He developed his shape changing and spellcasting abilities much earlier than most other dragons because of this fascination. He would often change into the species he was befriending, in order to put them more at ease. He even learned to use magic to allow him to speak to the other wildlife. He flew with birds, slithered with snakes, swam with fish, scampered with rodents, pounced with tigers—and he loved every minute of it. Every animal in the forest loved him, as he loved them. There came a day where Khothax was nibbling on a patch of wild berries in the form of a wild pig when, suddenly, a tiger pounced on him—mistaking him for an actual wild pig eating the berries in his territory. The tiger never intended to kill the pig, no, that didn’t happen anymore. He merely wanted to give him a scare and remind him that those were his berries, in his territory. Nonetheless, Khothax quickly shifted into the form of a tiger and—in a singsong voice—called out to the tiger, who he recognized as Slink. This was a name he earned partly because of his prowess in stealth, and partly because it annoyed him to death. Slink quickly jumped off of Khothax, and the two began to wrestle—playfully—as the rest of the forest’s denizens watched in amusement. This was the kind of effect Khothax had on his home. A once cutthroat jungle had turned into a peaceful paradise. Animals in the jungle had stopped hunting each other, since Khothax came into his magic. Combined with his empathetic nature, he had been able to make the animals understand each other—he had created a sense of community—and as a result, killing began to lose its luster. They were happy in their harmony, with Khothax as their leader—although he’d never admit it. That was the way he was. He was not a dragon who took from others to satiate his greed, rather, he was a dragon who gave to others to benefit the whole. Even taking into account his magic, Khothax’s greatest gift was his ability to feel. His ability to feel what others felt, to see their point of view. He knew right from wrong, good from evil, kind from cruel. He knew how he wanted to be treated, and so he treated others the same way. The animals often said that the entirety of the jungle was Khothax’s heart.
Then one day, everything changed. Khothax had been flying with a flock of birds, over the canopy, when he spotted them. The Army of Wistonland. Naïve as he was, Khothax did not recognize them as a threat. A high elven man rode on a white horse at the front of the company, which must have been around fifty heavily armored men, and ordered them to enter the jungle. His home. Khothax was curious. This naïve curiosity was his downfall. He flew to the interior of the forest, along what he thought would be there intended path, and he shifted into a high elf. He waited—near his home—for the soldiers. To greet them, welcome them, to his beautiful jungle home. The animals of the forest gathered around Khothax, slightly more wary of these strange visitors than he was—but they trusted his judgement. Eventually, the company broke through the brush. The man on the horse stopped in front of Khothax. He looked confused, but mostly he looked suspicious. Khothax welcomed them to his home, spreading his arms wide as if showing off the entirety of the jungle. The man looked at him pityingly, as if Khothax were an idiot not worth his time. Then he laughed, as he told Khothax that this was no longer his home—that this was the property of the Wistonlandic Theocracy. Khothax’s entire body tensed at these words. These soldiers couldn’t take his home, they had no right. He could reason with them, he thought. And so he tried. The army was unreceptive, as their leader waved the flagbearers of the company forwards. The flag of Wistonland was dug into the ground next to Khothax. This was the animals'—who had so far been watching quietly from a distance—breaking point. Slink, who was intent on protecting his territory, was the first to attack. He jumped off of a tree branch and lunged for the throat of the nearest flagbearer. He connected. The man writhed on the floor as blood flooded from his neck. Khothax watched with horror as the jungle he once pacified turned into a warzone once more. The elven leader reached out his hand towards Slink, as if trying to grab him. Slink tensed up and stood stock still, as Khothax watched the fear well up in his eyes. He couldn’t move. The elven man dismounted his horse and walked over to Slink. He unsheathed his sword, which glowed softly along the engraved blade. Khothax watched—frozen in terror—as the elf brought his sword down through Slink’s neck.
Something inside of Khothax broke. Rage swelled up within his chest as he shifted into his true form. The first few soldiers who had begun to approach him were knocked onto their backs by his rapidly expanding form. More soldiers rushed at him. He stood on his hind legs and beat his wings, sending them backwards. He snapped and bit at them as they approached. Eventually ten or so of them attempted to charge at him. He felt his grief rise in his throat—the poisonous, debilitating feeling of loss—and before he knew it a yellow-green gas rushed out of his mouth. He watched as soldiers breathed in his breath weapon—choking, wheezing, vomiting. The elven leader, who had moved backwards to allow his soldiers to fight watched his soldiers die with a sick sort of fascination. He moved forwards, along with five other men—magic arcing across their fingertips—and held up his hand for them to pause. “This one is mine. Do not slay him, subdue him. He shall make a fine weapon for Wistonland,” he grinned. With these words, the leader and his men stepped forwards towards the growling Khothax. They held up their hands and pink energy blasts from their fingertips, towards Khothax’s skull. As the spell hits, Khothax feels lightheaded. His brain feels clouded. Why was he fighting again? This wasn’t worth it. He felt a slight purring in the back of his mind as he lay down in the grass—content. The elven leader walked over to the calmed Khothax, and placed his hand on his forehead. Khothax felt the warm pull of sleep calling him. He accepted, and drifted away into slumber, as the animals of his forest fought on—and many were slaughtered by the elves. They had lost.
When Khothax awoke, he found himself chained to a cold cobblestone floor in a huge circular room. The short iron chain lay connected to the center block of the room. Khothax knew he needed to escape. He needed to reach his home, his companions. They needed him. He needed to make sure his forest was protected. After his initial grogginess subsided, Khothax first thought he could fly and attempt to rip the chain out of the ground, but the low ceiling quickly showed that such and effort would be in vain. Next he attempted to change his shape into something smaller, like a rodent, so he could slip out of his shackles. Though, for some reason, he felt a block. He was unable to shift, nor could he cast any magic. So, he began to bite the chain, hoping to gnaw on it until it eventually broke. His teeth did not seem to have much of an effect. After about a half hour, the door to his—what he now assumed to be a cell—swung open. The leader of the elves stepped carefully through the door, hands held behind imperiously behind his back. He walks a few feet into the room, then stops. Khothax rushed towards him, but was halted inches from the elf’s face by his chain. He strained against it, to no avail. The elf laughed coldly in his face as he struggled. Khothax spat at him in draconic, a language with which the elf was unfamiliar. This only amused him more. After a few more moments, the elf introduced himself, as the King of Wistonland, Tandoril Laraethan. He went on explaining his plans of expanding Wistonland, and about how Khothax would help him. Khothax snapped at him. Then he tried to conjure up the great poison gas in his throat, the same gas he used to kill the king’s men. However, when Tandoril saw the light in Khothax’s throat, he quickly shot him with another calming spell. This time, however, he forced the energy into a continuous beam—a feat in it of itself. He held the beam of pink energy on Khothax for a minute, until he finally left the room. While Khothax was under the spell’s effects he felt nothing but calm, and with that calm came something else—something much more useful. While Khothax was under the spell, he was calculating, and he began planning this escape. Khothax was held for months—perhaps even years. Subjected to the same calming every day, and each day—even after the spell wore off—his emotions felt duller. He still wanted to return home, to reclaim his land, but he felt less fear. Less anxiety. Eventually the dulling of his emotions didn’t wear off before he was subjected to the next dose of the king’s magic. The king knew not the true effects of his magic; the effects on Khothax’s brain, which due to the life cycle of a dragon, was still developing. However, the spell shut a part of Khothax’s brain off. His brain didn’t need emotion. It needed a cold, calculating mind in order to plan its escape. So that is what Khothax became. Eventually his brain was permanently affected by the magic. The magic affected his emotions, the strongest ones he was feeling at the time—anger, sadness, fear, regret—and shut them off. However the most important emotion the spell took away was Khothax’s empathy, which had been at the forefront of his thoughts. He felt intensely each day for the denizens of the jungle he left behind. And so, his empathy—which had once been considered his greatest strength—was lost to his brain.
This new Khothax—the scheming, manipulative Khothax—was a force to be reckoned with. Still not by his pure strength, rather, by his uncontested mind. His mind—in its psychopathy—was a master tactician. Escaping his confinement was his first priority. His next was to reclaim his territory. His third was to make the King pay. But, perhaps, all could be done with the same plan. In one fell swoop. And so his brain worked—and it found the solution. All he needed now was the King. He wouldn’t have to wait long, the King returned to him everyday. This time however, he would pretend to have been subjugated. He would humor the King as his weapon, if only to escape captivity. The King’s magic—along with his own practice—had made him a very convincing liar. He had once even convinced one of his many caretakers to get close enough to him where his chain would allow him to reach. That caretaker did not make it out of the room alive. So when the King came in the next day, Khothax put on his act—an act to seem completely defeated. At first the King was skeptical, but after about a week or so of the act, the King’s pride soon made him believe. The King removed Khothax’s chains and Khothax morphed into a human—so he was able to exit his prison. As soon as the sky touched Khothax’s scales, he shifted back into his true form, and fled back to his jungle. He made sure he was in full view of Watlema’s citizens. This was the first step of his plan. The second was to wait until the King sent soldiers after him—which he quickly did. Then, Khothax used his magic to confuse the King’s men and split them up, until the commander was alone. It was there Khothax slit his throat and hid the body deep within a tree. He then grew a plant into the shape of what he imagined his own corpse to look like, and set an illusion of himself onto it so it would appear convincing. He then regrouped with the rest of the army unit, and showed them the corpse. Celebrations were had and Khothax rode back to capital on a white steed. He reconvened with the King, became a celebrated hero, and was thrown a feast. He quickly rose through the ranks of the army until he was an advisor to the King himself. He then integrated himself into palace life until he was invited to almost every gathering, every feat, every party. Then one night, he made a point of leaving the palace to take a walk by the river at night, and then made sure he was seen leaving the palace. After he was out of view, he shifted into a bird and flew to the King’s window, where he turned into a flea and slipped through the cracks in the palace. He shifted into his human guise, and cast Silence on the King’s room. He then smothered the King in his bed, unlocked the window, and turned into a large bird. He then flew high above the clouds, until he was near the outskirts of the city, where he dove down and deposited the body face down in the center of the river. He then quickly flew back to the King’s bedroom, shifted into the King and slept. He was awoken the next day by the royal guard who informed him of the commander’s—whose body he stole when he faked his death in the forest—disappearance and reports of a body being seen floating down the river. Khothax feigned devastation and held a ceremony in the commander’s honor. From that day forward he was the King of Wistonland.
He then moved the Wistonlandic Capital to a few miles outside of the jungle from which he was born all those years ago. He made the entire jungle his personal palace gardens, justifying the move as the “will of the gods.” None of the animals he once knew were still alive, as it had been decades since the massacre. As such, he no longer had any emotional ties to living creatures. About a year after Khothax had taken the post of king, he was approached by The Night Terror—in the guise of a diplomat from another country. He approached Khothax was an offer: to help him lead the the Cult of Chroma, and gain more territory and subjects in return. Khothax saw the offer as a great opportunity and accepted. It was after this point he began orchestrating tensions with the Berfordians. He recruited the five Dragon Chosen of his branch of the cult, the Blightseekers, and began to task them with working on the Blight. His goal was to be able to upgrade his own toxic breath to be able to spread a disease, and make himself even more powerful, along with giving him a powerful political tool. Eventually, the Blight was almost ready, and he declared war on Berfordia. He also began work on a new project—one more subtle than the Blight. While he was fascinated with the destructive power of both the Blight and his breath weapon, he had not gotten to his position by strength. He had gotten there by subtlety, and tactics. What if there was a way for him to conquer lands without resistance? What if he could cause people to fight amongst themselves to the point where they didn’t notice his conquest. His subjugation. His control. What if he could make the humanoids—save for dragonborn, since they had proved to be useful—into the feral beasts he knew the were. The feral side of them they worked so hard to hide, yet Khothax could see so very clearly. Thus, his work on the Breath of Madness began.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Khothax was able to completely infiltrate the Wistonlandic Theocracy's political structure. After his capture at the hands of Tandoril Laraethan, he was able to convince him that he was no longer a threat, and could be used as a trained weapon. However, as soon as he was released, he took off into Laraethan Gardens. He killed a high-ranking military officer, changed into him, and lived his life. He worked his way from there up to a close advisor of High King Tandoril, and eventually ended up assassinating the High King in his sleep. He changed into the High King's body, and from that point on he has ruled over the Wistonlandic Theocracy.
Failures & Embarrassments
In his youth, Khothax failed to protect the forest he called home. He failed to defeat the Wistonlandic Army attempting to take and control the land, and was ultimately captured. In addition to this, he also failed to protect his tiger friend—Slink—who was killed by Tandoril Laraethan. This event became his motivation to take back his land, by subjugating the Wistonlandic Theocracy and killing High King Tandoril. He also uses it as a sort of twisted justification for trying to take the land of the Torlans and Berfordians.
Slink Prior to the Elvish Attack
Mental Trauma
He was subjected to a powerful version of the Calm Emotions spell over a long period of time by Tandoril Laraethan. This damaged his brain, locking away his empathy, along with emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness.
Intellectual Characteristics
Khothax is extremely smart. He does everything for a reason, often putting long and elaborate plans in motion to reach a goal. He prefers to do things the longer, but easier way. He is also able to lie as easily as many people speak. In addition to this he often uses informants to keep tabs on everything he feels is of use.
Morality & Philosophy
Khothax will do anything to grow his hoard and territory, and he does not care what he has to do to achieve his goals. He lacks empathy, and does not care about the effect his actions have on others. He believes that all "lesser beings" should bare their throats to their betters.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Territory
Khothax wants to weaken nearby countries so that he can take them over politically. He will achieve this by using the Wistonlandic-Berfordian War to sow discontent in the countries and weaken both of their armies. He will then start various political movements to install himself as the new monarch. He wants to subjugate these countries and grow his territory because of the territory taken from him earlier in his life. He wants to take from the humanoids what they took from him.Breath of Madness
Khothax also wants to release the Breath of Madness, which rewires creatures' brains to become more violent and less empathetic. Khothax wants to make more creatures like him. He has been able to biologically combine the disease with his own breath weapon, but he feels that such a delivery method would be too obvious. Instead, he will attempt to create some sort of bioweapon as a delivery method for the disease. In addition to this, he will also enlist the help of the Plague.Savvies & Ineptitudes
Psychopathic Manipulation
Khothax is a master of Persuasion and Deception. He is so effective, that he has made the entire Wistonlandic Theocracy his puppet. He learned these skills while lying to Tandoril Laraethan, in order to escape his torture.Natural Domination
Khothax is well-versed in the use of nature magic, and can influence creatures and plants to do his bidding. However, his magic tends to cause dark shifts in the nature he manipulates. He is especially powerful in his lair within Laraethan Gardens.Skilled Tactician
Khothax is extremely intelligent, especially when it comes to ambushes and political tactics. He never takes a fight that isn’t on his own terms. This is also why the Wistonlandic Theocracy has been so effective during the Wistonlandic-Berfordian War. Khothax is able to use his intelligence to become a master general, and he often oversees troop placements and directly communicates with his generals during battle.Vices & Personality flaws
Underestimation
Khothax sees humanoids as unimaginably stupid—because of the ease with which he manipulated Wistonland’s monarch. This causes him to underestimate the party until they show themselves capable of significant damage to him.Psychopathic Tendencies
Khothax lacks empathy and remorse for his actions, which often cause him to incorrectly account for emotion in his plans.Personality Quirks
Khothax constantly grins in an attempt to appear trustworthy and convincing. Although, oftentimes this grin appears more crocodilian in nature, and makes him look as though he's sizing up his next meal.
Social
Reign
During his 46 year-long reign as the High King of Wistonland, Khothax made many changed to the country. One of his biggest changes was declaring war on the Berfordians, starting the decades-long Wistonlandic-Berfordian War. In addition to this, he also privatized Laraethan Gardens, forbidding citizens of Wistonland from treading on those grounds. He also renamed the town of Stanter to Drakgir, which loosely translates to "Dragon's Grove" in Draconic. He also made many economic changes to Wistonland which allowed more wealth to flow through the palace, at which point he could grow his hoard. He also released the Breath of Madness virus into Wistonland, which turned some of its inhabitants into mindless savages. This disease would become his legacy, spreading sporadically across all of Tourceia.
BECAME TREE
The Crown of Wistonland in the Overgrown Castle Laraethan
Social Aptitude
Khothax is a master of manipulation, and as such is often perceived as extremely charismatic. He is able to make people perceive him exactly how he wants them to, and is often able to convince the stubbornest of Wistons that he is in the right. He is also extremely confident in his skills, which also helps him to make himself a powerful voice in Wistonland. On the inside however, Khothax is cold and calculating, lacking the actual traits and emotions he puts on for show. This is part of the reason he is such an effective politician, and has been able to avoid detection by the Wistons for so long, even as he holds the guise of their High King.
Speech
Khothax has a generally raspy voice, and hisses on his S's. He chooses his words carefully and often takes long pauses in conversation. This is due to his calculating nature, and has served him well in his time as High King. The citizens of Wistonland misinterpret his cool calculation and pauses as thoughtfulness, which has further served his image as a good king.
Relationships
History
About a year after Khothax had taken the post of king, he was approached by The Night Terror—in the guise of a diplomat from another country. He approached Khothax was an offer: to help him lead the Cult of Chroma, and gain more territory and subjects in return. Khothax saw the offer as a great opportunity and accepted. It was after this point he began orchestrating tensions with the Berfordians.
History
Khothax approached the Plague after the Plague accidentally released a devestating virus on his own village. Khothax manipulated the Plague into joining him by using the Plague's own sense of self-preservation. He pushed the Plague to further develop his disease based skillset, ultimately turning the Plague into a master of maladies. This skill has made the Plague Khothax's most valued Dragon-Chosen, because of his plan to release the Breath of Madness.
History
Khothax took the Serpent in as an orphan begging on the street, after hearing his oration skills. Khothax trained the Serpent in the ways persuasion, and the Serpent has become indispensable for him. His primary job is to keep the Wistons supportive of the war, and handle controversy, which he does masterfully. Although Khothax keeps his true plans hidden from the Serpent, as he finds him too weak to handle them.
History
Khothax used the Doctor's familial connection with the Poisoner in order to convince him to join the Cult of Chroma. He also persuaded him that joining him was the best way to get revenge on those who had wronged him and his family. The Doctor serves as Khothax's assassin and saboteur, making him a valuable Dragon-Chosen.
History
Khothax approached the Poisoner shortly after his brother Klonik's death. The Poisoner had made a name for himself as the leader of an underground gang in Torleigh City, which Khothax saw as useful for his long-term plan to ally with Torleigh against Berfordia.
Wealth & Financial state
Khothax is extremely wealthy. He controls both his personal hoard, as well as the entire treasury of the Wistonlandic Theocracy. His most prized possessions consist of natural treasures, such as rare plants or the remains of rare animals. Like most dragons, he also has a powerful affinity for gold and jewels.
Khothax
Khothax using his Toxic Breath on Wistonlandic Knights, before he was captured.
Writer's Room
Inspiration
General
- Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
- The Monster Manual
- The 3.5 Draconomicon
- Psycho/Sociopathic Research
Early Life
Later Life
Personal Inspiration
Alignment
Lawful Evil
Current Status
Ruling the Wistonlandic Theocracy
Current Location
Species
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Old One
Khothax is a member of the second highest ranking group in the Cult of Chroma, the Old Ones. He controls a unit of his own hand-picked Dragon-Chosen and sets their agenda. He has access to many funds and resources due to his position, and he uses it to gain power and influence throughout Tourceia.High King
After taking on the guise of Tandoril Laraethan, Khothax gained the title of the High King of Wistonland. This position allows him to control the entire Wistonlandic Theocracy, grants him access to a large military force, and gives him an entire country of people to do his bidding. This makes him one of the most powerful creatures on the continent, due to his control of such a large and powerful country.
Date of Birth
21 Gamvirte, 425 B.R.H.
Date of Death
19 Kardes, 228 R.H.
Life
425 B.R.H.
228 R.H.
653 years old
Circumstances of Birth
Formed from the magical energies found in the lush forests of Wistonland.
Circumstances of Death
Incinerated by Heigolor Goltorah
Birthplace
Somewhere within modern day Laraethan Gardens
Place of Death
Castle Laraethan Courtyard
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Castle Laraethan
Pronouns
He/Him
Gender
Male
Eyes
Vibrant green, draconic
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Deep green
Height
14'9"
Weight
19,592 lbs
Belief/Deity
The Night Terror
Other Affiliations
Related Plots
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