"No mortal can defeat me! I am the greatest of the dragonlords!"
Gryvorn of the Shadows was an incredibly powerful Dragonlord who fought against Terrinoth during the Dragon Wars, rivaling even High Lord Margath in strength and influence. He was a Shadow Dragon, a master of stealth in the skies. He would seemingly appear from thin air to wreak havoc on human towns, taking what lives and treasure he could, before disappearing again. Very few even knew he existed and there is little record of him in the histories of the Dragon Wars.
During the Dragon Wars, Gryvorn and his minions set out to harness some of the most primal powers of the world. After many rituals, his sorcerers were able to contain the elements of power into the Four Storms - artifacts that control the four elements.
The dreadful dragonlord survived the end of the Third Darkness, as he was too strong for any hero or army to defeat. In a desperate bid, Sir Arcite wielded the Dawnblade to bind Gryvorn to a runebound shard called the Shadow Rune. Many years passed, and by some unknown method, Gryvorn the Shadow escaped the runestone.
A group of heroes called the Shadow Binders eventually re-bound Gryvorn to the Shadow Rune. Viceroy Pellin, Sir Palamon, Lord Theodir, Cardinal Koth and Frederick Far-Shot battled Gryvorn in the Carthmounts, where they used the Staff of Light to force the dragonlord into a cave and bind him with the Twin Idols of Sun and Skulls. They then broke the rune in half and hid one half in a secret vault (the Shadow Vault) in the barony of Rhynn. The other half was hidden at an unknown location.
Gryvorn was sealed away only until the next fool released him. Baron Zachareth reforged the Shadow Rune, thinking he could bind the dragonlord to his will and become King of Terrinoth. A band of heroes fought to defeat Zachareth and stop the return of Gryvorn.
References
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition)