etlan

Description

Etlan was a green dragon and one of the first dragonborn to ascend to titan-hood. He was the brother of Andes and served as his foil — where Andes sought to guide mortals through benevolence, Etlan believed the only true control over lower life forms was domination.

History

The Civil War

During the age before the first empires, the dragon brothers clashed over how to carry out their divine mission: infiltrate mortal ranks and prevent the rise of titans. Etlan drew forces from orcs, goblins, and ultimately a dragonborn necromancer. When the Wardens exposed his alliance with monsters and his research into necromancy at Vivski, the mortals turned against him. Andes defeated him in a private battle but could not bring himself to kill his brother, instead banishing Etlan to The Deep.

The Deep

In The Deep, Etlan recruited a tribe of wood elves that had left Shaa Thalas a couple hundred years prior. He spent millennia regrowing his strength, building their population, and battling Feywild forces. Over time, he found a measure of peace controlling his small domain — presenting himself to the elves as the god Zevorus.

When Nero returned from adventuring with the Salt Mercenaries, his exposure to the western world led him to question his god. Realizing his people were essentially held hostage by a dragon, Nero reached out for help. Etlan responded by crowning Nero ruler of the tribe using a magical crown that made Nero unquestionably loyal, repressing his memories while retaining his combat training. Nero became the “Sleep Walker,” slaying his fellow Salt Mercenaries Eitak and Kronka when they came to help.

Alliance with Eye Ripper

Etlan made a pact with Eye Ripper (the Lich known as Sorvharn) to conquer the west:

1. First: Assassinate Sol and Auroratine of Shaa Thalas, capturing the gathered elves as fodder.
2. Second: Instigate a war between Zatar and Andes, weakening both.
3. Third: Conquer the west with elves and a growing undead army — Etlan would rule Edous while the Lich expanded further.

To fuel this, Etlan offered Eye Ripper access to Nero’s cousin Stevaren, whose duplicating ability could generate an endless supply of bodies to raise as undead.

Death

Etlan was slain by the Dragon Slayers in his cave beneath the Zevorus settlement. During the battle, he revealed his true form as a green dragon. His death, combined with Andes’s sacrifice, ended the era of the first dragons and stripped all dragons of their Change Shape abilities.