Balaur, Beast of War

Balaur was once a proud dragon. he soared over a vast woodland territory filled with a multitude of creatures that cowered before him. Then came the adventurers. For their wizard, it was not enough to just defeat a dragon. Balaur was captured alive and became the subject of this wizard's dark fascination.

Like many proud wizards before him, Balaur's captor became increasingly obsessed with expanding his knowledge. Eventually, this growing curiosity drove the wizard into madness, and he began to vivisect Balaur, prying arcane secrets from the dragon at the ends of cruel implements. Finally, the dragon snapped.

Thought the wizard was dead and Balaur's belly was full, the dragon was still imprisoned within the bowels of a remote tower. As luck would have it, this tower had long been coveted by a band of Duergar marauders. Without the wizard's magic to protect it, these Duergar finally captured the fortification, only to discover a dragon within.

Balaur had been stripped of all his scales by the time the Duergar found him. The Duergar offered to rehabilitate him, forge a new set of scales for him and in return would march with their army and bring down the walls of their enemies.