A Dragonborn, Alone
So I wrote this little bit of lore for Sahed ages ago, and thought I’d finally share it! This is based off of his DnD lore, which is a bit different than my BG3 lore for him, though his characterization is the same. I originally wrote this to help me establish some background for him while working on my DnD campaign, and it was one of the early points where I finally started to get a sense of his personality. Anyways, hope you enjoy!
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Sahed, a young golden dragonborn, was born in a small dragonborn colony that belonged to the clan Delmirev and was the child of two of the clans’ most powerful wizards. Not only was he naturally gifted with the magic that came from his dragon ancestry, but he also had a natural aptitude for the arcane. He studied his parents’ tomes and library, reading stories of great wizards and incredible artifacts, inspiring him to live a life of greatness and power. By his first year, he had learned his first cantrip: fire bolt. What was odd about his flames though is that when he cast the spell, they appeared black instead of red. His parents saw him cast this spell and immediately forbade him from entering their library again.
From that day on, they kept a cautious eye on their only son. They were concerned about him leaving their home when going out amidst the colony, telling him that it wasn’t safe to leave without an escort. They looked over every book that Sahed wanted to read, safeguarding the information that their son absorbed. Anytime they sensed something wrong with their son, they immediately directed their child’s attention to what they thought would be the right thing for him. If he seemed interested in burning bugs in the garden, they would redirect him inside and give him a book they thought was appropriate for him to read.
As Sahed got older, he found these rules more and more absurd. What could be so terrible about a child wanting to read certain books? Weren’t the dragons of a clan supposed to be close? What could be so dangerous to him if he went outside alone? Eventually, he began to sneak out into the night when he was supposed to be asleep. He would wander into town with a disguise spell he learned with great ease, wary of being recognized by others and having them report back to his family. In this disguise, he would go into taverns to hear tales from the adventurers who came from other lands and into bookstores to find books on topics he’d never find in his parent’s library. Over the years, these escapes were his only solace as his parents closely monitored him at home. The hovered over his every action out of what seemed like fear, though Sahed was never sure exactly why. They did their best to find other things for Sahed to enjoy, specifically non-magical activities such as crafting and hunting, but magic was the only thing Sahed cared about. He practiced cantrips late into the night when he wasn’t out in town, playing and swirling his black flames around his bedroom. He eventually learned True Strike as well, sometimes opening his window in the late hours of night and practicing his aim of fire with the advantage of True Strike now in play. Over time, plants and stones weren’t the only targets he had. He eventually started targeting small creatures too. Watching them burn and hearing their little shrieks were a particular joy to him, though he’d never tell anybody that.
One day, at the age of 15, Sahed found an old book in the store he frequented telling the story of the great dragon Ansur, a golden dragon of legendary renown. Sahed had always been captivated by the power a true dragon held, but in this story, he learned for the first time of the ability that powerful ancient dragons possess. They could easily shapeshift into dragonborn and other, smaller disguises at will, hiding their true form and power at will. The idea of a creature so powerful hiding in an inn or a tavern and behaving like any normal humanoid fascinated Sahed and got his brain thinking: what if the reverse could be true as well? What if a dragonborn could ascend into the form of a true dragon? He would have such incredible power!
He took the tome of Ansur back home and began studying the story for any clues as to how he may achieve the ability for himself. He read the tome cover to cover almost every night, eventually memorizing passages because of how incredible he found Ansur and the prospect of his own hypothetical.
It was a few weeks after finding that tome that something strange happened. One day, as Sahed was standing outside his family’s home and trimming the foliage in their small garden, a strange human in a black robe approached him. The tall, thin man had a terrifying smile with a few teeth missing, and the remainder were almost sharpened to a point. He had a short beard that framed his gaunt face with eyes black as pits. He stepped closer and closer to Sahed as he spoke. “There you are, my child.” His voice was shrill, yet commanding. Sahed looked at him in great confusion. He had never seen this person before in his life. He must be an insane man that needed help if he thought a dragonborn was his son.
“It’s taken me too many years to find you again, my boy. Come, we have much work to do.” He waved to Sahed to follow, but Sahed stood in place with his garden shears, still confused as to what this man could be thinking. He stayed silent and didn’t move an inch. The man had been leaving the way he came before turning around and seeing that Sahed was still in the same spot, staring incredulously at the visitor. The strange man huffed, then said, “my, did my magic end up making you a fool? I thought a golden egg would at least have the potential for competence. Fine, then this shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Before Sahed could ask him what he meant, the strange man snapped his fingers, and something overcame Sahed. His mind clouded into a black fog, his vision blurring at the edges and his limbs moving of their own accord. “Come, my child. I thought being raised amongst your kin would bring out those powers of yours that make you unique, but it seems they’ve only been smothered. Not to worry though, you will follow me and I will train you properly. It will take some time, especially if you truly did turn out a fool, but I’m sure that you will serve me well in time, my little dragon.”
Sahed’s parents must’ve been in the library because they did not follow or seem to know that their son was being kidnapped. The library had no windows and was well insulated from sound due to all the paper lining the walls. If they had seen the scene that had just transpired, they surely would have counterspelled whatever magic this human just cast on Sahed. Unfortunately, Sahed hadn’t gotten that far in his personal, hidden studies, so he had no hope of countering the spell himself. The best he could do was try to focus on whatever spell had been cast and try to break his way out of it. From the fact his body was being commanded by this man and that his head was clouded, it was likely a sort of domination spell. Weaker versions of the spell would only last a few minutes, but it was more likely that this wizard was more capable, meaning there was no way to know for sure how long the spell would last. Waiting for the power to fade was not an option for Sahed. Typically, the easiest way to break a spell like this is for the dominated to be hurt, but how would he manage that when he had no control of his limbs?
His mind was so clouded that thinking straight was a difficult task. He barely registered what direction he was walking in behind the wizard, though they seemed to be heading towards the borders of the colony. It seemed that the man had every intent on stealing Sahed away from his home and away from his people. He’d be led away from the little life he knew, but on the terms of a servant. Sahed couldn’t let that happen. Something in him, some source of pride, roared in his heart that he needed to break this domination and escape this man. He would not be made a mere pet.
Then Sahed realized he still held the gardening shears. He hadn’t been commanded to drop them earlier. If he could just time it right to drop the shears on his foot, perhaps the pain would be enough to break the spell. With each step, he felt the swing of his arm in time with his leg, and when it was at the right rhythm, he willed himself with all of his might to release the shears. The first time failed, as did the second time, but the third time, his will was strong enough. The blade dug into his foot and Sahed roared. As his voice rang out, his vision cleared and his body was his own again. His plan had been a success! The human turned around and looked down at the shears sticking out of Sahed’s bare foot, annoyance filling his face with a displeased sneer. Sahed pulled the shears out from his wound and pointed them at the human. “Alright, just who in the hells are you? What did you do to me?”
“Ah, just as clever as I believed an aurak to be, but still a bit too rebellious for my tastes.”
Sahed looked at him, perplexed. “An aurak? Like a draconian?”
“Precisely,” said the man. “It was I who took your egg and blessed you with your dark magic, though that colony of yours made quick work of forcing me out. I meant to taint as many eggs as I could find, but alas, I was not as sneaky as I once thought. I traveled to other clans afterwards and blessed other children too before returning here. It took me many years to find my way back into your colony and to find you, my boy. Thankfully, there are very few true golden dragonborn left in this day and age. There was little room for confusion when it came to locating you, my special, golden child. As I have said, now that I have you once more, you will follow me and serve me well, and in return, I will show you how to master your powers.”
Sahed’s stomach lurched. The idea of servitude was appalling to him, and any sense of being indebted to this disgusting wretch filled him with disgust. That same roaring voice from earlier filled his head, telling Sahed that he must learn his powers on his own, for indeed he was clever and capable. Perhaps it was a foolish notion to refuse the help of someone who knew Sahed’s true nature, but being led around as a pet by this cretin was a fate much more shameful.
“I have no intention of following you.” Sahed said. He held the shears with one hand, and in the other, sparked a fire bolt. The man’s face changed to one of fascination at the sight of the black flame. “Incredible! A black flame, inspired by the power of Dis! I have never seen the likes of it before! You truly are a creature to be proud of!”
“Don’t you dare speak of me in those terms, you wretch!” Sahed’s fury raged, the flame growing larger as his temper flared.
“Do you not wish to know what you are capable of, my boy? What kind of havoc you could wreak upon this world?”
“Perhaps I do, but I have no intentions of following you to find out.” Sahed said with a sneer.
“But you have not heard your role, golden child! I have a grand design to rule over a great deal of dragons with an army of draconians, just as Takhisis once did. You are the first of my children. You, my most powerful pet, I would groom to be the model for the other beasts, and together, we would conquer all dragons and their spawn, and after that, all the realms!” The man looked at Sahed with a psychotic smile, expectant for some reaction from the golden dragonborn. Though an intriguing plan, Sahed still stood by his position that he would never serve anyone. Instead, he would be served.
After a moment and a soft breath, Sahed spoke calmly, “a fascinating plan, old fool, however, I have no intention of serving you. I only serve myself.”
The strange man scowled at this and readied to snap his fingers, likely to dominate Sahed once more, and this time, restrain Sahed so that he couldn’t break the spell so easily. Before he could though, Sahed launched the fire in his hand at the man’s feet. The cretin danced like a marionette as his robes were set aflame, his concentration broken from any spellcasting as the flames rushed up the sides of the flammable fabric. Sahed launched another fire bolt at him, using the aid of True Strike to focus his blast exclusively on the wizard’s right hand, burning it to a crisp. The wizard screamed in agony as he clutched his burnt fingers. “You wretch! How dare you! I made you what you are!”
Another fire bolt directly to the wizard’s chest sent him sprawling onto his back. As he thrashed in pain from his burning clothes and cindered hand, Sahed approached and towered over him. He looked down on the loathsome creature and felt a smile curling at his lips. In this moment, dominating and torturing another soul, he felt powerful. He was loath to let it end, but wouldn’t it be satisfying to hear the sound of his suffering as Sahed watched the pathetic remainder of life fade from his eyes? Sahed took the shears and stabbed with all his might straight into the center of the old man’s chest, the cracking sound that came from his sternum shattering from the dull blade filling Sahed’s ears.
The sounds were everything he hoped for, and more.
He looked down at his work and felt a surge of glee fill him. How wonderful it was to conquer. How thrilling it was to dominate. How beautiful the scream that filled his ears, though it didn’t seem to come from the corpse he created. He looked to his left, and a silver girl looked on in horror at what Sahed had done. With a relaxed smirk, Sahed looked at her and said calmly, “don’t worry, he was an intruder of the colony. We’re safe now.”
His words were not enough to calm her though as she sprinted off in the other direction, running towards the town. Ah… perhaps I made a mistake. He looked down at his work once more, and decided that no, he did not make a mistake. Whatever consequences came of his actions, he would endure them. He felt no remorse for what he had done and would not pretend he did, even if it meant a kinder punishment.
He strolled back home as if nothing had happened, and when a set of soldiers came bashing on their front door minutes later, he did not act the part of a fool when asked about his crimes. His parents were none the wiser though, and when they heard of their son being spotted burning a man to death with black flames and stabbing him through the chest, they knew that whatever hope they had for keeping their son pure and good had vanished in an instant, and there was nothing they could do to protect him now.
His mother hugged him as she wailed, apologizing for failing Sahed. “I still remember the day that they found the wizard in the hatchery, but I was so sure that you were safe and would still be pure. It’s in our nature, after all. When we saw those black flames, we hoped that there was a way to save you from this curse. I’m so sorry that we failed you, my darling boy.”
Sahed did not think she had failed, though. His parents had been kind, and now knowing what he was, understood why they raised him in fear. They must’ve known for years already that he held something evil in his heart, yet despite that, they still chose to show him kindness in hopes that he would reflect that instead of treating him as a monster.
He wouldn’t forget that.
The guards grabbed Sahed away from his mother’s embrace and led Sahed into town. During the short trek, Sahed thought to himself of what came next. I can’t recall what they do to auraks… I’ve never heard of one in our histories, and the books have been purged of most mentions… I guess this means that they intend to purge me as well. The Delmirev have always been known for their purity and grace. An aurak in their midst would only bring their legacy shame. The only true shame I can see though is that I won’t have the chance to see the full extent of my power. A true shame indeed…
Soon, they reached the center of town where a platform stood. Sahed was led onto the stage and forced to his knees. The leader of the colony - another gold dragonborn - spoke with a booming voice. “This boy has been accused of being a draconian! The evidence of black flame is proof enough that he may not be allowed to live!” Sahed sat still, though the idea of his life ending now when it had just begun was devastating. He wanted to do something, wanted to live in order to explore this new part of himself, but there seemed to be no chance of escape. There were too many powerful soldiers that would snap his arms in two if he so much as twitched lining the stage and the town square. They feared him, and though a part of him felt a twisted excitement at the idea, there was nothing he could truly do to them to earn that fear now. Instead, he fantasized about transforming into a giant, ancient dragon like Ansur, burning the crowd to cinders and clawing the stubby colony leader to shreds. Alas, he had no such power, and seemingly never would now.
“Wait!” a voice from the crowd screamed. All eyes turned to the source of the sound. It was Sahed’ father. Though Sahed’s parents had gotten lost in the crowd earlier, his dad had managed to shove his way up to the stage. “Please, do not take my son’s life.” He pleaded to the colony leader. “He is only just a boy who made a grave error. If what he told us was true, the man invaded our colony. My boy’s actions were only in self-defense. If he is not allowed to live, let it be not here in the colony. Force him to live elsewhere, so that his life may be spared but his actions will be punished.”
Their leader, who was shorter and huskier compared to the soldiers on the platform with him, looked at the pleading in Sahed’s father’s eyes, then to Sahed. “An aurak that lives to tell the fact that they were born to the Delmirev clan would be one of the greatest shames in our history.” Sahed’s father begged once more with another desperate plea. “Please. He is still my son. We’ve always raised him to know what is right. Allow him the chance to fight this evil within him, even if it must not be here.” Sahed scoffed under his breath. Fighting the evil? That’s hilarious. They may as well cut my head off now if that’s what they expect of me. If I’m forced to leave, then power will be my priority. Good, evil, those terms mean nothing. Power is all I want.
The leader sighed, then spoke in that commanding voice of his to the audience, “alright, the boy will face a lifetime of exile, never welcome back to our colony, but will live another day! He will not tell a soul of his origins, and if he claims to anyone that he belongs to the Delmirev, the colony will refuse his existence! He will be escorted immediately to the gates, never to return!”
“Thank you.” Sahed’s father said while deeply bowing his head. Sahed was jerked to his feet by the soldiers, and as commanded, immediately escorted to the colony gates. His parents followed in tow. When arrived at the gates, Sahed stood and looked at the welcoming wilderness. It seemed that they were now to be his new home. He looked back towards the colony and saw the small city in the distance. Though he had fond memories, he had never truly cared for that town. There was so much of the world he wanted to see, and in a way, this was his chance to go explore it. To be free to discover his potential and identity.
Sahed saw his mother approaching a moment later, her arms wide as she ran to him and held him close once more. She squeezed him tight and begged him to be safe and to try and be good. Sahed jokingly told her that he made no promises, though he sincerely meant it. He was not going to pretend to be good now, at least not for his family’s sake. His father’s begging was convincing, though it still didn’t dissuade Sahed from what he believed to be his true nature. What use was there in pretending to be good anymore?
His father joined the embrace of his mother, and the three stood together as a family one last time before Sahed finally broke away and smiled at them. “I promise I’ll be alright. I don’t regret what I’ve done, and so the fact I can continue to live is enough. Thank you both, for everything.” His parents both broke into tears at his final words. Sahed turned away from them and began walking off into the woods, where he would begin to plan how to take that wizard’s plan and now make it his own. He would be back for this colony, and next time, he would be here to conquer it.
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And that’s a bit of Sahed’s backstory! Playing him as a durge run worked well as a parallel to his aurak nature, since Baldur didn’t really have an option for that. He has always had a natural penchant for evil and violence, so let that be known to all!
