Magnifex dragons are beautiful, vain, and self-indulgent.
They enjoy decadent luxuries more than any other dragon,
making their homes only in the most stunning landscapes,
collecting the most splendid art objects as treasure, and
eating only the most well-seasoned prey.
A Magnifex is mercurial and quick to anger but cunning
enough to fight only when victory is likely and risk minimal.
They dislike physical damage, for it mars their beauty,
and never let an insult pass. In combat, a Magnifex is a
breathtaking sight, with the light shifting and reflecting
off its shimmering scales, earning them the nickname “the
dancing death.”
Characteristics
Magnifex dragons are slim and agile, their long necks and
tails giving them a serpentine look. They often sport frills or
fans on their necks, backs, and tails and may have barbels or
spines along their jaws. Their colors typically range in the dark
blacks, reds, and purples, often with opalescent, iridescent, or
shimmering accents in one or more colors. Magnifex dragons
are proud of their appearance and flaunt their unique features
whenever possible, especially in the presence of their kin.
Though all dragons are proud and vain, Magnifex
dragons exemplify these traits. With a particular eye for
beauty, they strive to surround themselves with elements
they find aesthetically pleasing. Each Magnifex has their
own interpretation of beauty, however, and their tastes
often tend to the extreme. A Magnifex may find rapture
in the particular arrangement of corpses, for instance, or
in delicate patterns traced into the ashes of a razed village.
Many Magnifex create art from carnage, earning them a
particularly disturbing reputation.
Not all art is appealing to a Magnifex, however. Though
they are easily appeased with gifts and displays fitting their
particular tastes, they are just as easily enraged by items or
performances they consider ugly or mediocre. An entrancing
song on the lute may earn their mercy, but one wrong note
earns their wrath.
Devious and fond of cutthroat social politics, Magnifex
dragons enjoy elaborate parties where they can display
their superiority and revel in the adoration of others. Such
gatherings with more than one Magnifex present often end in
bloodshed, however, as the goading and posturing eventually
leads at least one of them to frenzy, to the horror—or
delight—of the other guests.
Azhurma
Sivax Magnifex, the Prince of Perfect Ecstacy, is the azhurma of the Magnifex brood. From a young age, Sivax was
known for his keen eye for beauty and his violent hatred of
everything he considered less than perfect. It was with that
discerning eye that the young Sivax saw something, some
flaw he could not clearly identify, within Yurvix, the brood’s
first azhurma. He scrutinized Yurvix for years, analyzing the
great wyrm, determined to find the reason for his distaste
toward his azhurma.
Finally, one evening, Sivax realized the flaw in Yurvix.
The flaw was undeniable and one that was so much a part of
Yurvix that it would taint the azhurma for the rest of his days.
And so, under cover of night, Sivax slaughtered Yurvix, using
the azhurma’s fatal flaw against him, and crafted the defeated
azhurma’s body, blood, and entrails into a masterpiece within
the shining square of the city of Paradis. When the Magnifex
population awoke and saw what Sivax had done, they exulted
in his exquisite genius and unrivaled skill.
Now, Sivax is the unrivaled authority on beauty within
the Magnifex population. Capricious and arrogant, he is
secure in his position as the most glorious of all dragons,
holding court within the glass spires of his lair on Drakha.
Magnifex Lairs
On Drakha, most Magnifex dragons lair within the great
city of Paradis, nestled within a subterranean complex of
winding tunnels and vast caverns known as the Crystalline
Maze. Since their beauty must be admired, Magnifex prefer
to live in close proximity to other creatures, so that their
splendor may be seen and remarked upon regularly. They
craft great structures of metal, glass, and crystal and enjoy
pools and fountains of mercury, which act as shimmering
mirrors that reflect their magnificence. They fill their halls
with works of art and maintain a large population of artists,
performers, admirers, and sycophants. The uppermost levels
of Paradis house Sivax’s grand palace, the only structure that
is visible aboveground.
In Valerna, Magnifex dragons desire only the most
beautiful of locations to establish their lair. Whether this
means a rocky promontory with a breathtaking view, onceforgotten ruins with ancient and elaborate stonework, or
carefully cultivated gardens of the rarest blossoms is up to
the particular Magnifex. But once a location is chosen, the
Magnifex sets to work making it their own, breathing into
existence sculptures of shimmering bismuth, adorning the
walls with priceless tapestries, or even kidnapping mortals
to serve them and witness their majesty.
