Exemplars of Evil

Sons were allowed to claim mates from among the dragon’s
human servants, thus securing Borak’s bloodline.
Generations of would-be champions of the desert folk have
sought to slay the dragon—but their bleached bones now
decorate her palace in Imer, and their goods have been added
to her hoard. Indeed, most members of the desert tribes have
come to believe that the Thunder Tyrant cannot be slain, that she
sees and knows all, and that they can do nothing but continue
to meet her demands in the hope of avoiding her wrath.
GOALS
Borak dwells comfortably in the ruins of Imer. From the
desert tribes, she receives annual tribute to fatten her hoard
and satisfy her various appetites for human flesh. The dragon
is safeguarded by Rajief—her djinni servant—and her halfdragon
guardians, and she is feared and practically worshiped
by the scattered descendants of the Imerians.
Maintaining her power is her primary concern, of course,
but she takes an exceptionally long view. Generations have
passed since she laid waste to Imer, and she expects that
decades or even centuries more will pass before she is roused
sufficiently to destroy another city.
The dragon passes the time by taking an interest in obscure
arcana. Now and then, a particular item or bit of arcane lore
catches her attention, and she decides that she must have it. She
usually has the Al-Iborak track such articles down, but if her
object is particularly far away or difficult to acquire, she might
send Rajief instead. Borak’s servants have practically picked her
domain clean of such things, so a character who brings a unique
magic item or knowledge of an unusual spell within Borak’s
grasp might have the misfortune of attracting her attention.
Borak still has two wishes remaining from Rajief. Rather than
squandering them on trivial matters, she holds the wishes in
reserve as her ultimate “aces in the hole”—particularly the third
wish, since granting it will release Rajief from servitude.
USING THIS VILLAIN
The legendary Thunder Tyrant is best utilized as a campaign’s
climactic villain. Even the people dwelling in her domain
rarely, if ever, see the dragon. Her isolation allows you to
spread intriguing story seeds early on, with hushed tales
about Borak’s merciless reign over the desert people and the
cruel deeds of her minions.
Rajief and the Al-Iborak can provide challenges and opportunities
for lower-level adventurers. For example, the PCs might
run afoul of the Sons of the Dragon early in their careers,
finding the remains of a caravan or village that refused to tithe.
Although the PCs do not find the culprits, they start to learn
about the Al-Iborak—preparing them for a later encounter
with the Sons of the Dragon themselves. During this faceto-face
confrontation, you can adjust the quantity, levels and
abilities of the half-dragons to suit your needs, giving the
PCs a reasonable challenge and piquing their interest in the
master dragon behind the Al-Iborak.
Once word of the characters reaches Borak’s ears, she
might send Rajief to learn more about them, while she uses
divinations and other methods for additional research. In
this case, the noble djinni sees the party as a means to be rid
of Borak once and for all. Perhaps he makes contact with the
PCs, or he could simply observe them from a distance at first,
quietly helping them from behind the scenes.
For her part, Borak determines whether or not the PCs
could threaten her reign. If she thinks that they might,
she dispatches the Al-Iborak to eliminate them, giving the
characters even more reason to oppose her.
If assassination attempts and the promise of a dragon’s hoard
are not enough to tempt the PCs into action, Rajief might offer
them a wish, or an NPC friend of the party might be chosen as a
potential sacrifice and taken to the ruined palace. If necessary,
you can have the Thunder Tyrant take the offensive and launch
direct attacks on the characters, as well as on anyone who aids
or shelters them, until they have no choice but to strike back.
BORAK IN EBERRON
The depths of the Blade Desert in Khorvaire conceal the
crumbling city that Borak claims as her own. Parts of the
ruins feature cryptic passages from the draconic Prophecy,
which the Thunder Tyrant has been studying.
The halflings of the Talenta Plains and the elves of Valenar
know of the blue dragon and her spawn, but they consider
it wise to let sleeping dragons lie as long as Borak preys only
on the nomadic desert folk. However, halflings and elves
on both sides warn that it is only a matter of time before the
Thunder Tyrant becomes more ambitious.
BORAK IN FAERÛN
Borak’s lair lies in the depths of Calimshan’s Calim Desert,
half-buried beneath sands that blow and shift in frequent
storms. The powerful blue is a remnant of the dragons that
menaced Calimshan centuries ago, now driven into desolation
far from ports and cities.
Borak and her spawn deal primarily with the nomadic
desert tribes, but she is beginning to draw the attention of
the pashas and the caliphs, who worry that the dragon will
not remain content in her isolation for long. They might
recruit explorers to journey into the desert to learn more.
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BORAK THE CONQUEROR
This chapter treats the Thunder Tyrant as a distant but growing
menace for a valiant group of adventurers to seek out and
destroy. If you prefer a more immediate and epic threat, you can
make the Thunder Tyrant’s plans more sweeping and ambitious.
In this case, having dwelt in the desert for untold generations,
the great dragon has built an army led by her half-dragon offspring,
and uses it to conquer the surrounding lands.
This plot can make Borak the mastermind villain that defines
an entire campaign. For example, an arrogant Al-Iborak commander
could lead the army to destroy the homes of the player
characters, forcing them into the rootless lives of adventurers.
Swearing to learn all they can about the ancient blue dragon,
they vow that one day they will seek her lair and slay her.
At one point in such a campaign, the djinni Rajief could secretly
find a way to spare the player characters from certain death. In
return, he gains their friendship, though his ultimate desire is to
turn the PCs into cat’s-paws to use against his master.
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CHAPTER 9
BORAK, THUNDER
TYRANT
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