Tenes -- "Eclipse"
Description
Tenes seems smaller than the average example of dragon species. But he is no less frightening at over 27 feet long and over 8,600 pounds. The stocky shadow dragon looks like any common drake save that all color and texture has been blotted out and replaced with nothing but inky darkness. His sleek tail and back and neck boast common spines and the wings seem crafted of the usual leathery material, but details cannot be determined. Even his sharp teeth set in the maw of a boxy head are as black as night. Above his forelegs' broad claws are clasped a pair of sized bracers crafted of rare black gold and etched with sigils of arcana power. Yet these accouterments blend in with his body, too. Only Tenes' eyes, which glow a baleful red, contrast with the rest of his shady form. Something truly creepy and unnatural surrounds this monster, a darksome aura or force that pervades his every sepulchral breath.
When taking up a human form, the better to communicate with his Lower Kingdom allies, Tenes goes by the common moniker of Eclipse. And it's a name that reflects his appearance quite well. Even now, he seems as black as night. From head to toe, his muscular body is clad in inky robes and shoes. The cowl is typically cast up over his head, permitting a glimpse only of cruel, scarlet eyes. But when the hood is down, it reveals that even Eclipse's skin and shoulder-length hair are as black as the shadows he embodies. His handsome if devilish features are twisted into an expression of balor and mockery. The robes conceal whatever devices the draconian necromancer may carry save one: a long staff etched with wicked sigils, capped with a small polished skull, and crafted of ebony heartwood relaxes in his right hand. Still that terrible, suppressing air of evil power surrounds Eclipse, repelling the light and drawing in the dark.
History
Tenes was born in the Shadow -- that was, the Plane of Shadow -- 741 years ago. He hatched with two other siblings and received his mother's protection until he matured just enough to fend for himself. His mother implanted the ideal in his mind even then that he was to be worshiped as a god, feared and served. Once released from her care, the young shadow dragon dwelled among the other shadow beasts and the terrible undead of that shady realm as a god-child, feared and respected indeed for his ability to quell the light and empower the darkness. Then the Great Exile came, expunging all shadow dragons from that plane and forcing them to the Material Plane, where shadow and light existed in equal amounts. Ugh.
Naturally, Tenes retreated to the Lower Kingdom. He at first lingered in the depths of Anad-hâl beneath the Cort Mountains. But once he grew strong enough he established a lair closer to the underworld's humanoid societies: near Noirazhan in Hale, a combined civilization of dark dwarves and dark elves. There he made a name for himself, becoming known as Eclipse, for he showed favor to those that showed him the proper reverence. He took treasure from other rival monsters and foolish challengers among the duergar, drow, or even outsider adventurers. Among his trophies were wizards' spellbooks, which he began to study in earnest. He was growing more powerful over the centuries, true. But Tenes sought to reacquire the privilege he once enjoyed back in the Plane of Shadow by learning how to control the very essence of the dark: death.
Personality
Tenes is a lording, commanding beast. He's very expectant of those around him, and of course he expects nothing more than submission and obedience. The authoritarian dragon is not interested in lofty laws or codes, however. He simply wants to recover his "birthright" -- to master all things of the dark. And this shadow dragon's hunger for that kind of power is never ending, never satisfied.
Goals
Tenes will follow the Wizard class until he becomes a masterful Necromancer (20th level). Then he will take up the Archmage prestige class.
Character Sheet