Lore: Few creatures have a greater proclivity for evil, or strike greater fear into the hearts of those they encounter than the Ghost Dragon Morkarth. He has been a scourge upon the land for ages uncounted, and though his goals and efforts are beyond the reasoning of mere mortals, it is clear that his actions are not taken on a whim, but are the carefully calculated maneuverings of a master strategist. Calculated Immortality Legends about the origins of Morkarth are older than most of the civilizations that now grace the lands of Stoica. It is said that over three millennia past, Morkarth the Great was the most powerful of the dragon lords, a masterful drake whose conquests won him the riches of the world and the fealty of all the lesser races. However, long-lived as dragons are, even these mighty beasts are eventually felled by the passage of time. This slowly impending death sat poorly with Morkarth, who, in his final years, retreated to his lair, emerging at increasingly infrequent intervals. Eventually, the mountain lair of this great dragon lay silent, and after nearly a century, a powerful necromancer approached the lair of the dragon, hoping to confirm that the creature was indeed dead, and could be used to fuel their own machinations. The necromancer was gratified in this desire, and found the great wyrm's corpse at rest amidst the treasures it had collected over the lifetimes of hundreds of mortals. However, something went amiss in the necromancer's spell, for as he began the incantation intended to drain the dragon's essence and infuse himself with its power, another spell, one inlaid into the walls of the lair itself, took hold, transforming the unfortunate necromancer's own spell and turning it against him. The spell laid down years before by Morkarth, who had spent his final years preparing for this eventuality, took hold and drew from the necromancer's own dark powers, draining the mage of life and vitality while it infused Morkarth with strength anew. As the spells merged and finally became complete, both the Dragon and the necromancer found themselves in a new ghostly form. The necromancer, drained of most of his power and transformed into a simple undead, was forced to serve the now ghostly Morkarth, Hate Incarnate, from this moment forward, until even his undead form was spent, and his soul consumed by the greed of this newly awakened dragon, who would no longer be subject to the ravages of time, but was free to once again spread terror and death to the far reaches of the world. Felled by Arrogance Upon his awakening, Morkarth immediately set about to reclaim the lands lost to him during the years that had passed since his death. He laid waste to towns and cities with his newfound power. The touch of undeath gave him the ability to collect the souls of his victims, and with each warrior that fell before him, and each soul harvested, he became more and more deadly. His rampage was swift, vengeful, and reckless, for who could stand against the strength of a dragon? In spite of his initial successes, however, much had changed in the years since his death, and events beyond those which he had foreseen eventually led to his downfall. The mortals had grown strong since his death. Left to their own devices, their magics had grown to a level beyond his expectation, and these magics proved to be more powerful than he had ever anticipated. As Morkarth continued his ravaging of the towns and villages of the mortals, he was met by an army of their greatest warriors and spellcasters, gathered together from the ranks of almost all of the small races. Aelves, Dwarshka, Daemus; even the short-lived race of Men had sent their finest to stop this great threat to their world. Morkarth, arrogant and haughty, thought them to be no match for his might, but was, in the end, proven to be wrong. He ravaged their ranks, but their great mages and clerics were able to summon forth the power of five great prayers, each imbued with the power of the mortal's gods, and the strength of their masterful mages. These four prayers were powerful indeed. So much so, in fact, that their combined power sealed Morkarth away in a small, dark, and lonely pocket dimension, saving the mortals from his wrath and putting an end to his reign of terror. Or so they thought... Careful Rebuilding Bested by mere mortals and sealed away in a singular dimension of which he was the only denizen, Morkarth spent years in rage and anguish. However, as he slowly came to accept his fate, he sensed a small stirring of magical power, not his own, but that of others, reaching for strength in the great beyond, and hoping to find one powerful enough to give it to them. He latched on to this opportunity, seeking to make contact with those desperate for power. He eventually found them - warlocks from the material realm who were willing to bargain power for favors. Now wary of mortals, but clever as ever, Morkarth began carefully building up a presence on the material plane once again, sending his warlocks on simple, seemingly trivial and unrelated tasks. However, all the while these small efforts paved the way for his return, culminating in their efforts shattering the power of the first of the five prayers, the prayer that protected their magic from interference by another. This shattered prayer was all Morkarth needed to escape his imprisonment, for with the first shattered, the rest were malleable, and his mastery of magic allowed him to twist them, binding them to his command. He emerged once again from the ashes of history, three-thousand years from the time in which he was sealed away, and once again seeks destruction and lordship over these lands that are, in his mind, rightfully his. His efforts are now more subtle, and less reckless, for while he has broken the chains imposed upon him by mortals, he has not forgotten their strength. This caution makes him all the more dangerous, as he now underestimates no foe, investing himself fully into the defeat of any who dare to challenge him, and treating any and all challengers as opponents worthy of his full respect and power.
Resin printed in extreme detail for tabletop gaming such as D&D 5e. Use this to paint or bring your tabletop games to life!
This model comes in the colour bluish grey and is unpainted and unprimed.
NOTE: All models are made to order and take a few days to print and dispatch Resin printing requires the use of supports, which can sometimes leave small artifacts. These can be easily removed or sanded away.
Please note that some model come split in parts or split from their base and require some sort of adhesive like super glue to attach to the other parts.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or require a custom size for the miniature.
This model design and the digital render is by the creator at The Dragon Trapper's Lodge and part of the The Harvest Moon Festival, October 2021 Release, who can be found at https://www.patreon.com/dragontrapperslodge
(I have the merchant license to sell these models)