Night Dragon

The eponymous villain and final enemy of the Fighting Fantasy gamebook Night Dragon, the monumental Night Dragon is famous for being the most powerful monster ever fought in any of the series' gamebooks. (Though it must be noted that there is one enemy with a higer level of power, but he cannot be defeated with his primary stats, while the dragon does.) The Night Dragon is an awesome ancient monster of unfathomable might, whom the player must destroy before he awakes, or else the entire world of Titan will be reduced to a wasteland.

About the Night Dragon
The Night Dragon appeared even before Time itself, during the very beginning of the world of Titan, and was one of the very first dragons ever created. It is not known wether he was the first dragon created by the Dragon God Kilanirax, and was later corrupted by the forces of Evil, or if he was created directly by the Demon Gods, in retaliation for the creation of the dragon kind.

What is sure is that the Night Dragon is one of the very first dragons, that he doesn't fit in the regular dragonic species of Titan, (Golden, Silver, Black, White, Green, Red and Blue) and that he is much more powerful than the Dragon Elders. (Who are the strongest beings ever seen in Titan, and stand between 18 and 14 skill points. 6 to 2 points above the usual maximum of 12.) He is mostly seen breathing fire, (like the Golden, Green and Red Dragons) but he also proven able to breath poison. (like the Black Dragons) He has very likely the breathes of any other dragon kind, (the cold flame of the Slilver Dragons, the ice of the White Dragons and the lightning of the Blue Dragons) and their frightful gaze, able to easily shatter a strong spirit by merely staring at someone. The Night Dragon also displayed a formidable control over shadows and darkness, and incredible strength and magical powers, far superior to that of any other Ancient Dragon. Finally, being an Ancient Dragon, he is protected by the Unbreakable Oath, that prevent any dragon to act against the first ones of the dragon kind (even indirectly) without dying.

The Night Dragon himself is a gargantuarian abomination over fourty meters long, with scales darker than night, that glimmer with siver reflections, a double spiked crest and many spiky protrusions all over his monumental body. His head with black fangs as big as a human arm and piercing blue eyes colder than death itself, is naught but a horned mask of purest terror. The Night Dragon himself was never heard speaking by human ears, but he surely has the ability to speak every existing language and the immense intelligence befitting any other Ancient Dragon.

Before time itself came to the word, bringing with it the mortal creatures, the forces of Good led the Gods of Titan, and the forces of Evil led by the Demon Gods, Death, Disease and Decay (named after what human consider to be the worst disasters in the world) fought in a long and cataclysmic war, remembered as the First Battle, during which the formidable Night Dragon fought alongside the forces of Evil. The deities eventualy won, and they threw the Demon Gods and many of their evil followers into the Abyss, also known as the Pit. As for the Night Dragon, he entered a slumber that was to last for all of eternity.

It is said that the Night Dragon was once defeated, thanks to the use of three mystical weapons crafted by the Gods themselves: a sword, a shield and a chainmail. It seems quite likely that the ones who accomplished this incredible feat were of divine descent, as human didn't existed in this era. What is sure is that the immortal beast survived the battle and entered a slumber. Since then, most of the living beings don't know about the formidable monster, contrary to many worshippers of Chaos, who created a sinister cult, entirely devoted to his return.

Now, many eons have passed since the First Battle. The formidable Night Dragon is about to emerge from the Dreamtime, and all his worshippers are working towards this goal. If the antediluvian beast were to reappear, everything alive would be blown away like dust under the icy northern winds, and the entire world of Titan would be reduced to a chaotic wasteland.

Role in the Gamebook
While the Night Dragon is the final enemy faced in the game and the primary threat, he remains in his slumber during the major part of the story, and the player has to reach him and destroy him before he fully awakes. Because of this, the game's real antagonist is the Cult of the Night Dragon, a doomsday cult formed by many worshippers of Chaos, who seek to accelerate the return of the demonic deity.

The story begins in the infamous Port Blacksand, the awful City of Thieves populated by the vilest kind of scoundrel ever seen in Titan. There the player meets a Dark Elf, who warns him or her against the upcomming threat of the Night Dragon, and tell him/her that the legendary Conclave of Dragons is asking to see a warrior brave and skilled enough to rise against the fearsome beast.

There is two special rules in the game. The first one is Time, the more time the player spends, the stronger the Night Dragon will be during the final battle. The other one is called the Eye of the Night, which measure the Cult's weariness towards the player. The higher it is, the more determined the cultists will be to kill the player and the more dangerous the game will become. Unfortunately, the Cult has spies everywhere and they regularly kills the players contacts and try to get rid of him/her. Among the monsters controlled by the Cult are the horrid Stalkers. Powerful mutants created from dragons' eggs through the use of dark magic.

Thanks to the help of the Dark Elves, (who may be a chaotic race but doesn't want the world to be destroyed) the player reaches the Conclave of Dragons, a meeting of the elders of the six major dragon races, who admit that they are powerless before the Ancient One, who in spite of his evil nature is protected by the Unbreakable Oath. They tell the player about the divine Sword, Shield and Chainmail that the player must find in order to stand a chance against the Ancient One, and about the Loremaster, whom the player must meet.

The player can search for the three divine relics in any order he/she wants and can also visit two nearby towns, Ismater and Carnex during his quest. Carnex is a very dangerous town which the Cult has taken over, controlling the townsfolk through a potion in their food. If the player ventures in Carnex and manages to slay the Cult's High Priest, the Eye of the Night will decrease significantly and the player will gain a valuable grimoire. The player needs to visit a tribe of Giants to gain the Shield, an ancient crypt to gain the Sword and an ancient dwarven mine to gain the Chainmail. Having the three divine weapons isn't compulsory but it still proves highly useful against the many powerful monsters encountered.

Then, the player meets the Loremaster, who sends him into the Dreamtime, an oniric world made from the dreams of any living creature, including the Night Dragon himself, who can be fought as an oniric dragon, far weaker than the original one but still very dangerous. This Dream Dragon has 12 in skill (level of power - the regular maximum) and 16 in stamina. (life points) If the player manages to defeat his oniric avatar, the real beast will lose 1 skill point and 2 stamina points for the final battle. The player can also gain powerful magical artifacts that will prove extremely useful. The Magic Mirror and the Light Sphere being the most useful ones.

After exiting the Dreamtime, the player must head to the Dragon Reeches in the Icefinger Mountains, and sneak into the Dragon Caves, the lair of the cult where the fearsome Night Dragon is resting. There is several magical devices that provide the dark energies needed to awake the Ancient One and to help him regain his tremendous power. The more devices the player destroys, the weaker the beast will be during the final battle. But the player must also face many traps and vile high-ranking members of the Cult, including its supreme leader, the Bone Stalker Mage.

The Bone Stalker Mage is a very powerful creature able to use many magical attacks. He has 13 in skill and 16 in stamina and he fights by summoning snakes of red energy that cost 4 stamina points and a poisoned scimitar that can cost 2 to 4 stamina points. Fortunately, if the player wields the divine weapons, even the wretched Cult Leader won't be a match for him/her. As for the Night Dragon himself, that's another story.

Fighting the Night Dragon
When the player finally encounters the Night Dragon, the monumental beast isn't fully awake and has yet to regain his full power. Despite this, the beast surpasses any monster ever fought in a Fighting Fantasy gamebook. If the player wears winged boots or has a magical plant, he/she will be able to descend into the abyss faster than the half-asleep Dragon can react and engage a fight directly. If not the player will have to climb down the stairs.

The divine Shield is the only thing that can whithstand the Night Dragon's fearsome flamming breath, without it, the player loses 6 stamina points each time he/she is struck, no less. The dragon will also cast a spell and conjure shadowy threads, which threatens to destroy the player's armor, should it be the divine Chainmail. If the player has used the Sphere of Light on the Pyramid Cell, the Dragon won't be able to use his magic and the player will avoid this threat.

The Night Dragon has 17 in skill (5 points over the regular maximum) and 32 in stamina no less. Considering this astonishing level of power, one can guess that the beast would have around 22 skill points if he were fully awake, fortunately, this never happens. The Night Dragon's stamina will also be increased depending on how much time the player spent to reach the gigantic monster. Depending on how the player lead his quest, the Night Dragon can also lose to 2 skill points and 4 stamina points. The player needs the divine weapons to gain enough strength to face this formidable and immensely powerful enemy. If the player hasn't got any divine weapon, he/she is as good as dead. Only one weapon is far from enough, but if the player wields the three, the battle will be way easier. Be careful though, as every time the Night Dragon strikes, it costs 3 stamina points instead of the regular 2. Moreover, if the player hasn't got a Sphere of Light, the Night Dragon will be surrounded by shadows that hide him and will be far harder to strike.

When the Night Dragon is slain, the battle is not over yet, as the beast's severed head animates itself and attacks the player one last time. The Night Dragon Skull has 11 in skill and 12 in stamina, but in spite of its high level of power, it is hardly a match for someone who defeated the nightmarish, antediluvian deity and shall be slain quickly. However, after slaying the beast for good, the player will have to exit the Dragon's Caves safely to fully finish the game.

Balthus Dire 11:52, July 15, 2010 (UTC)