[Channel Teaser] How A Legendary Paladin Fell From Grace Down
The Path Of Madness Hi everyone. All Things DnD is back with another story. You either die a hero or live long enough
to see yourself ending up becoming a villain. Tell us if you’ve ever become the villain
after listening to this: I’ve always looked at the lore of dnd and
been happy to use it as a guideline, not alway concrete setting laws. I keep most of the gods, and certain groups
within, but usually I just make my own world with the building blocks provided. But one thing in DNDI love and will never
change, the dragons. The whole metal vs chromatic bit is something
I absolutely adore. And I love stories of beings struggling against
their nature, in the words of Paarthunax: “What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil
nature with great effort?” Needless to say, no one can blame me for loving
this theme and playing around with it and similar ones, but I was poking about online
when I saw the question “Who’s your favorite villain with good intentions from your campaigns?” And instantly I was reminded of one of my
favorite “villains” given to us by a good family friend who is no longer with us. So without further ado, please listen to the
tale of Hadar the Golden, Hadar the wise, Hadar the kind, Hadar the Righteous, Hadar
One Eye, Hadar the Honored...Hadar the Mad… Once long long ago, there were five cities
built at the base of a massive mountain. They divided five plots of land surrounding
the mountain into five separate kingdoms. Despite their proximity, the kings of these
kingdoms did not get along, despite all five kingdoms CONSTANTLY trying to get along and
arranging marriages into each other’s families pushing for unification and trying desperately
to bring their peoples together, it never worked. Every time they were close to establishing
a new uniting law or ceremony between two or more of the kingdoms, assassins or military
groups would strike. But it was impossible to determine who was
responsible for the nefarious actions because there would always be evidence to implicate
multiple kings. For hundreds of years this continued, the
kingdoms struggling just barely at the brink of war, unable to get a hold of proof to justify
war, but every outstretched hand ended up with their fingers metaphorically lopped off. But the kings had a secret weapon, all of
the royal families shared a single family ancestor, and as corny as it was, they trusted
each other and they knew this was not each other’s doing through the blood oath that
bound them and their forefathers. They were all heroes of their own people and
wanted to unite the kingdoms through their people, but despite their best intentions
and efforts, something kept intervening. It took several generations, but they finally
discovered extremely deep roots into each and every one of their kingdoms, rotting them
from the core out. They came to the understanding that something
was manipulating the kingdoms, pulling their strings, and for the most part succeeding. Years were spent secretly searching for the
cause. And almost by accident...the source was finally
discovered. Living deep within the mountain between the
kingdoms was a particularly nasty dragon. An odd, very ancient red dragon who didn’t
seem concerned with killing and destruction but was obsessed with manipulating the lives
of mortals. He played the kingdoms as if they were instruments
in his grand orchestra of pain and suffering. This discovery gripped the king’s hearts
with fear. They realized this ancient threat was far
beyond any normal dragon or even an ancient dragon. This beast was something...else. He declared himself to be a spawn of Tiamat,
he proved to be much older and much more powerful than any other dragons. The discovery of the dragon plunged the kingdoms
into chaos. The kings, now finally united by a common
enemy, sent their armies to the mountain. When opposed, the dragon who had named himself
Nalahar the Red quickly showed his hand. As the armies approached the mountain, dozens
of cultists in the kingdoms began to riot and perform horrible blood sacrifices. It was an odd and horribly destructive event
which led many to believe that Nalahar was trying to ascend into godhood through constant
ritual sacrifices. But the kings felt this was a distraction
for a much more simple mission. Nalahar had ruled this area since long before
the cities were even built, it was more than likely that he simply enjoyed convincing the
mortals to kill each other. But despite Nalahar’s cleverness and cruelty,
he did not expect the kings to react in the way that they did. The five kings were unable to stop the cultists
or Nalahar’s champions who served as the most violent and powerful of his hands, but
they were able to call upon the sole heir to the bloodline that aligned them, they called
upon Hadar the Golden. They knew very little about him, only that
he was a powerful and noble Paladin of the Platinum dragon and something of a renowned
slayer of chromatic dragons. But while only the kings knew why he made
such a good slayer of dragons, Hadar was even more of a mystery to the people. He quickly became their hero as he relentlessly
hunted the cults, effortlessly slaying them in droves and blessing their foul lairs making
their rituals impossible to repeat on the same ground. Nalahar took notice and sent his champions
forth. It was that day, the start of the golden war
had truly begun. The kings declared a unity of all the kingdoms
and marched out with Hadar the Golden to face the chosen champions. In Nalahar’s opinion the kings riding to
battle was ruining the fun. Going for the kill meant there was no chase,
no squirming, no game. But what happened next both infuriated and
thrilled the cruel Nalahar. The champions stood against the five kings
and Hadar. Great draconic wings sprouted from the backs
of the kings as they were enwreathed in flames. Together the five kings strode forward in
unison cutting through the armies of Nalahar. They planted the banner of the Platinum Dragon
into the center of the blood soaked battlefield. But as the people looked on from the safety
of the kingdoms walls and Nalahar who magically watched from his lair
As Nalahar’s champions drew their weapons, Hadar the Golden put himself between the exhausted
kings and the champions. An inhuman, guttural roar ripped from his
throat. His skin flashed gold, his eyes blazed and
a gout of flame shot from his open mouth. A golden dragon erupted from it’s armored
humanoid form. The towering golden dragon lunged forward,
teeth as long as swords sank into the red scales of the nearest champion. Effortlessly, Hadar tossed the champion into
his golden maw and devoured it whole. The Golden War had truly begun. Despite the reveal of Hadar the Golden, and
the five kings secretive bloodline, the war had only just begun. The battles raged on as the people fought
for their safety, freedom, and their homes. Nalahar sent his minions to attack the cities,
wreaking havoc and reigning terror upon the people, hoping to break them and force them
to flee. But to his annoyance, Hadar would arrive and
annihilate the attackers. It wasn’t long before Nalahar was running
out of minions and starting to lose the war through attrition. He was a deceitful hate filled trickster at
heart, he had not planned on being discovered much less waging a war and a siege. But he knew the truth. He was losing. In a final act of desperation he burst from
the peak of his mountain and roared a challenge to the kings and Hadar below. While he was a trickster, he was still a hulking
juggernaut of red scales and unholy magical blessings of his mother Tiamat. The kings and Hadar answered the challenge
and flew to the peak of the mountain, engaging the demigod red dragon in combat. Legends still sing of the days they spent
fighting above the mountain. They spent five days fighting, claw, tooth
and breath and on the fifth and final day the night sky turned to blinding daylight. They claim it forever blinded those who looked
directly into the light. As the light faded onlookers looked to the
skies and saw only the empty starry night. Only the bravest of knights and paladins moved
into the mountain to search for the leaders of these kingdoms, what they found brought
both pain and joy. Their kings and the champion were alive…. Barely. The kings returned to their thrones crippled
from their battle, missing limbs, shattered bodies and so damaged that could never be
healed. When Hadar the Golden was found, his claws
were plunged through Nalahar’s chest into the beast's heart. But Nalahar’s horn had pierced through Hadar’s
right eye. It took weeks of healing and work, cutting
through the ancient red dragon’s horn to free Hadar. He was extremely weak and forever wounded,
the horn had penetrated his brain and remained stuck inside, unable to be removed without
killing him. The following months were an endless celebration. Hadar was declared the Golden King, The Protector
of the Five Kingdoms. A golden throne was built from Nalahar’s
treasure horde. It took a long time for Hadar to recover,
but eventually he took to his new title and took up the duties as protector of the five
kingdoms. The horn plunged into his eye was enchanted
and carved to look like an eyepatch, he became more than just iconic, the Golden King quickly
built a temple to Bahamut and began training Paladins, choosing mostly the orphans of the
war to forge into weapons of justice against evil. Years, decades, and centuries passed. No one in all the lands does not know of the
hero, the One Eyed King, Hadar the Golden, Hadar the Humble, Hadar the Kind. Mostly found either training Paladins, caring
for the world’s orphans, or forging armor in his holy forge. He was the herald of a golden age of prosperity,
a saint that was not beyond the reach of the common man. Thousands would take up pilgrimage to see
the Golden King, and they would always succeed, receiving his wisdom, and his kindness. But all good things must come to an end. It may have been caused by Nalahar’s horn
still occupying his skull, or his old age, but for a brief, regrettable moment, he believed
a common beggar asking for a blessing and a meal to be one of the champions of Tiamat. Thankfully, he only frightened the man half
to death, but sadly the one most frightened was Hadar. It was only the first of many close calls
and scares that told him that his time in this world was drawing to a close. He withdrew from the world and began to seeth
in endless fear. Not just fear that he could injure someone
innocent, but fear of what would befall the world when he left it. The fear of losing his legacy or even his
life was nothing compared to all those he cared for and loved falling to some threat
the moment he died. He sadly became even more reclusive and obsessed. The pilgrims and even the local Paladins saw
nothing of him for the few short years when these problems started boiling to the surface. The Paladins and kings of the age, dismissed
the actions regretfully as they assumed that their king was dying. Their approach was more or less to give him
room and overlook the fact that he was slowly descending into madness. A kindness that nearly cost the world a thousand
times over. It was an early morning when a young bright
eyed squire, desperate to see the legendary Hadar snuck into the mountain and found something. Coming from a family of wizards the young
man vaguely understood the research set out on the table. His eyes widened in horror at the realization
of his discovery. He fled the mountain and returned to the Paladins. The boy was almost killed on the spot by the
Paladin order for even suggesting it was possible, but the boy had taken the research papers
with him as proof. It wasn’t long before the Elders of the
Paladin order as well as the current kings themselves came to confront Hadar. They wished with all their hearts that he
would clear it up, tell them it was not true. Brush it off as anything else, but when they
found him and...it...their hearts sank. The papers and research were correct, Hadar
the Golden was creating a machine, a device that in his madness he didn’t even recognize
for what it was. “Oh… you’re here… come… see it… I won’t have to fear dying… you will all
be protected… the machine, it will burn the souls of the guilty, it will protect the
innocent from those who would commit evil!” The madness in his voice and eye were unmistakable. He had convinced himself that this solution
would save and protect those he loved. The machine would look into the hearts of
every living creature in the world. If it discovered even the slightest evil in
their hearts it would kill them. The souls of the wicked would power the machine
and the bodies would be reanimated to serve the “greater good”. But Hadar didn’t understand, even after
his centuries-long life that no heart was completely pure. Completely devoid of evil. It would be a global genocide. It was a sin that could not be avoided or
ignored. Tears streamed down the king’s faces as
they attacked Hadar the Golden. Despite his ancient age, the golden king was
endlessly powerful. The battle raged and the kings managed to
take Hadar to the ground. They strained to keep him down as he thrashed
and screamed beneath them. But the kings were weakening, they knew that
once Hadar broke free he would kill them all...and everyone else. The guilt stricken young squire watched the
kings fight in horror. Then he heard a strange voice whisper two
words in his mind. The horn. Slowly took a step toward Hadar. Then another. He understood what he had to do to save the
world. Trembling fingers pressed against the eyepatch
that was Nalahar’s horn. The boy choked out an apology and pressed
with all his might. Horn ground against bone as it sunk deeper
into Hadar’s skull. Hadar thrashed and roared in agonizing pain
until he convulsed one final time and lay motionless. After the death of Hadar the kingdoms wept. They mourned the loss of their great hero
but with his death the kingdoms also died a little. Their trust in each other waned with each
passing year until the kingdoms were once again at war with each other. In the end Hadar had only delayed Nahalar’s
victory… I can’t help but feel sad for Hadar. Did he go crazy because of age? The horn in his head? Who do you think was whispering in the squire’s
mind? Was it Nalahar? Please let us know what you think and comment
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