Volvox Worldbane

                    Elder Black Dragon

          Volvox Worldbane was an elder black dragon residing in the swamps of northwest Therra. He had a short-lived reign of terror in that region until a group of adventurers slayed him. His death was celebrated throughout Therra; in northern Therra because the reigh of terror was over; and in southern Therra because the north opened up again to full trade. While Volvox's destruction of the land was great, he is more remembered for the festivities that followed his

defeat, as well as the distribution of his enormous hoard.

His Death

          The battle that ensued after various groups of adventurers stormed the lair of Volvox has gain much recognition as a tale of bravery and heroics across Therra. There are many variations of the story, but most agree that the killing blow was landed by Jocco, the famous Gnomish adventurer, after a long battle of epic proportions. The average estimate of the amount of men who stormed Volvox Worldbane's lair that day is 40. This consists of a few small groups of adventurers, a small squadron sent by a local regency, and a few solo heroes lending a hand. The battle Resulted in the death of 28 men, as well as the destruction of thousands of gold worth of siege equipment.

          The most famous part of this battle was in the final 10 minutes of the dragon's life. Volvox fl

ew high up in his lair, and made a sweeping diving attack on his enemies. He swept close to the ground, unleashing his fury. However, he got close enough for Jocco to grab onto his tail. Jocco had predicted this move on Volvox's part, and positioned himself accordingly. What ensued has become a tale of courage told by parents and commanders to inspire those under them. Jocco had made a great leap just as Volvox flew by, and narrowly grabbed onto the dragon's tail. Jocco then slowly crawled up his tail, using the spikes as hand and footholds. After about five minutes, Jocco reached the back of the dragon. It was this point that Volvox realized Jocco was on his back. He started crashing his own back into the sides of his lair to lose the gnome but the incredible agility and acrobatic prowess of Jocco allowed him to always stay out of contact with the wall. Soon, Volvox became enraged and his thrashings became even more violent. Eventually, his continuous poundings against the wall caused a cave-in of his lair. To escape, Volvox flew straight up and broke straight through the ground and out into the open.

          As Volvox flew higher and higher, Jocco remained latched onto his back, slowly crawling closer to his head. Volvox dive-bombed, barrel-rolled, and attempted various other maneuvers to fling the gnome off. However, the attempts were unsuccessful. Jocco eventually made his way to the head of the dragon. When he got there, he knew that the skull was too tough for his small blades to penetrate. He tied each end of the rope to each horn on the dragon's head. He then swung down below the head of Volvox remaining attached by the ropes. He then used a small dagger and repeatedly stabbed the throat area to make a large incision. Volvox continued to try to fling Jocco away, but the gnome was tightly attached. Finally, Jocco in one final move thrusted his rapier into the incision he made, instantly ending the life of Volvox. The dragon began falling immediately after his death. Jocco removed his rapier and flipped himself back on top of the dragon's lifeless head. He held on for dear life as the dragon's corpse began a long freefall. The body crashed into the ground at right near Terronsdale, and the body slid for nearly a half-mile before coming to a stop a few hundred feet outside of the front gate. On top of the dragon's head stood a proud Jocco, cleaning the blood off of his blade.

          The King of Terronsdale approached Jocco and thanked him for his noble deed. For the next three days festivities were held because Volvox had finally been defeated, and Jocco was given a substantial monetary gift.

Legacy

          The legacy of Volvox Worldbane and his death have a lasting impact on Therra. First and foremost, Volvox Worldbane's hoard was enormous. Estimated at over 3,000,000 gold, it provided a substantial revenue for the local regencies. The gold was used in various manners but almost all places that recieved gold had some sort of benefit from it. Jocco's famous flight with Volvox also has become a story still told throughout Therra. It was a battle of epic proportions, usually seen only in fairy tales. It is also a story shared by gnome parents to explain to their children that size doesn't matter. Jocco himself has told the story on multiple occasions, although he is well known to greatly embellish his own stories. The head of Volvox was embalmed and is still on display in Terronsdale. Below the head is a small inscription reading "To the heroes who lived and died to vanqiush Volvox Worldbane". It remains Jocco's most lucrative kill in terms of gold and in fame.