Sha'korzhan, also known as the First Dragon of Avalir, was a true[2] dragon who used to have his hoard on the top of Mount Ygora, which would become the floating city of Avalir. As a NPC, Sha'korzhan was played by Brennan Lee Mulligan.
Description[]
Appearance[]
When summoned by Nydas, Sha'korzhan's spirit looks glittery and somewhat translucent.[3]
In the halls of the Golden Scythe his head was described as "in gold".[4]
Biography[]
Sha'korzhan created his lair on Mount Ygora at some point in the Age of Arcanum, amassing within it a considerable hoard that included gold coins. This dragon seemed to have a cordial relationship with the humanoids of Toramunda, although he jealously guarded his part of the mountain, and when the city split into two (Avalir and Cathmoíra) Sha'korzhan remained on the now floating top, and began to call himself "the dragon of Avalir". However, at some point after Avalir's creation the dragon died, and the city's inhabitants used his hoard and lair to create the Golden Scythe, a mercantile and financial guild.[5]
By the eve of the Calamity the Guildmaster of the Golden Scythe was Nydas Okiro, a former pirate, draconic sorcerer, bard and the founder of the Sorcerer's University who had among his belongings the first of the coins taken from Sha'korzhan's hoard, marked with the dragon's effigy.[6]. With this piece of gold Nydas could summon the spirit of the creature, who did not like it too much, especially since the Guildmaster had begun to use the nickname "dragon of Avalir" himself.
During the night whose events led to the start of the Calamity and the destruction of Avalir Nydas summoned Sha'korzhan twice: the first was during the Ring of Brass's confrontation with Lacrytia Hollow and her forces, in which the dragon showed his usual annoyance but helped his summoner; the second time was just before dawn, and Nydas cut off any attempts at complaint from Sha'korzhan, having the dragon help him move quickly through the city. The First Dragon of Avalir assisted the former pirate by attacking the traitorous Badran Esparad (dealing the final blow),[7][8] and later helping to defend Laerryn Coramar-Seelie as she worked on her Astral Leywright to save Exandria, until the attack of a taxman takes down the draconic spirit. In that battle Nydas Okiro dies[9] and the gold coin with which he summoned the draconic spirit is lost in the destruction of Avalir, making that combat the last in which Sha'korzhan was called to the Material Plane.
Abilities[]
Sha'korzhan's ghost is summoned through the spell Summon Draconic Spirit,[10] which gives him a physical form that does not necessarily correspond to the size and capabilities that the dragon had in life.
As a Draconic Spirit, Sha'korzhan has:
- A damage resistance chosen by Nydas that he shares with the dragon.
- Immunity to the charmed, frightened and poisoned conditions.
- Blindsight 30 ft. and darkvision 60 ft.
- Knowledge of the languages his summoner understands.
- A breath weapon of the same type that his resistance.
Sha'korzhan's dragon type[]
In Exandria Unlimited: Calamity there is no explicit confirmation of what type of dragon Sha'korzhan was in life.
His head is described as "gold" at one point,[11] and there is a huge golden statue of a dragon at the entrance of the central warehouse of the Golden Scythe,[12] with which Sha'korzhan is closely associated.
That said, he was represented on the map with a blue miniature with greenish wings,[13] though the cast has not confirmed whether the miniature is intended to represent the dragon's type (he could be a sapphire dragon, for example), his ghostly nature, or something else.
Lou Wilson's use of the Summon Draconic Spirit spell may offer clues:
- The spell only allows the summoning of a True Dragon.[14]
- The first time Nydas summons the dragon, he gains as a benefit resistance to necrotic damage. This resistance is only manifested in topaz dragons, a type of gem dragon.
- The second time Nydas summons him, Sha'korzhan has a psychic breath weapon, which of the dragon types offered by the spell is only available to emerald dragons, another type of gem dragon.
While this information doesn't confirm Sha'korzhan's dragon type, both of the portrayed attributes were specific to summoned gem dragons. Nydas was summoning the spirit of a specific dragon, but the spell, as written, doesn't say the summoner must maintain the same breath weapon and resistance on each use. In Critical Role canon, gem dragons haven't been mentioned as being present in Exandria, but they do exist in 5th Edition rules.
Quotations[]
Trivia[]
- Sha'korzhan is, with Guuthal the Ever-Fed, one of the few named dragons known to have lived in the Age of Arcanum. Thordak is also known to have been born late in that era.
- His cause of death is unknown.
- According to the description of the Summon Draconic Spirit spell, the material component is a valuable object with the image of a dragon engraved on it; in Sha'korzhan's case, said object is a coin of his own hoard. Dragons are known for their magical connection with their treasures.
Appearances and mentions[]
- Exandria Unlimited: Calamity
- "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) (first appearance)
- "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04)
References[]
- ↑ See the Sha'korzhan's dragon type section.
- ↑ See the Sha'korzhan's dragon type section.
- ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 0:29:31.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 3:18:35.
- ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 0:23:05.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, p. 21.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 3:11:40.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 3:12:20.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 5:25:25.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, p. 21.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 3:18:35.
- ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 1:12:13.
- ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 0:30:41.
- ↑ See Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, p. 21.
- ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 0:23:05.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Sha'korzhan and Nydas, by Nosnexus (source). Used with permission.
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