The Tale of Vandal the Butcher

This tale came to existence within the last three hundred years, but has still greatly influenced modern thinking in countless ways. Vandal was a man who lived a comfortable life with his wife and children. They had built their home in a tropical oasis, in the south west corner of Bachadinn. One day, a great black dragon sept across the land, destroying all in its path. Vandal’s land, home, and family were all destroyed, but this beast for some reason left Vandal alive. Enraged, Vandal sought to butcher this nameless beast as the dragon had done to his family. He took his wood cutting axe, and his ancestor’s armor, a full plate suit that had been maintained since the Golden Empire, and brought them both to nearby Witch Doctor to be enchanted. The Witch Doctor required a price, but Vandal cared not for what it would cost him. “You must give life to take life, how much life are you planning on taking?” Vandal responded a dead stare, and the Witch Doctor understood. He used his immense power to sap the life from the nature of the oasis, funneling it all into the plate armor. Many researchers believe that this story explains why the Expanse is barren and covered in sand, if the tale is to be believed. Vandal took his axe, and tracked down the dragon to a series of hidden nests, protected by young drakes and dragons too young to fight off the enraged and seemingly invincible berserker. The armor, enchanted by the life of an oasis, prohibited Vandal from dying. Every wound would heal, bones would realign themselves, even his skull would return to its shape if it were crushed. The first nest led him to another, then another, and then another, each containing eggs of a different colored dragon, and none the color of shadow. Eventually, the beast he’d hunted for so long found him, but agreed only to duel at the site of his family’s death. Vandal agreed, and journeyed several miles back to see what had become of his oasis, sand and dust. There, atop what had remained of his home was a gargantuan dragon, much larger than the beast he’d seen before, and instead of black this one was blue. It was the Sapphire Queen. Thinking he was a servant of Maghran due to the black iron of his armor, and thinking she was a servant of his opponent, the two did battle in the sand. It is said the combat lasted several days, and while the end of the battle is unclear in translation, we do know a few things. For one, a sect of the Church of Rao created a tomb in honor of Vandal the Butcher, seeing him as a warrior who fought for a greater peace. They would then go on to create their own city in the sands, now guarding the hidden tomb they’ve sworn to protect. Many theorize this tomb possess the lost Armor of the Butcher, while others believe that the black beast from this tale is none other than Maghran himself.