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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Mengkare

Intent on living up to his own unrealistic expectations as a force for good in Golarion, the gold dragon Mengkare has fallen far from his original intentions.

Mengkare's parents made sure he knew that he was to help the other people of Golarion, particularly humans, in hopes of bringing out the best in everyone he met. The young gold dragon took to these early lessons well, only for them to be torn apart bit by bit by the cruelties of the world over the course of the centuries to come.

The first and perhaps most bitter of these lessons came when Mengkare and his parents were magically controlled by the Orb of Gold Dragonkind. The resulting draconic uprising came to be known as the Dragon Plague, and as heroes rose up to save Taldor, Mengkare's parents were slain by dragonslayers while he was himself banished to the Wastelands of Axis by the violet ray of a prismatic spray.

His grief at losing his family transformed into a simmering disappointment in humanity. The concept of how free will seemed to engender tragedy increasingly intrigued Mengkare. As his years on Axis reached the century mark and then beyond, Mengkare grew jaded and came to the conclusion that merely doing good was not enough to help the world. Not long after, Mengkare returned to Golarion and lived his life among humans to better understand them.

Mengkare's travels during this time led him to join the Shining Crusade, where he witnessed the atrocities of humanity manifest in the lich Tar-Baphon. Mengkare fled to Hermea, only to return to Avistan to face the wizard Ilgreth, who had gained control of the Orb of Gold Dragonkind. Ilgreth used the orb to dominate Mengkare, and for some time the dragon found himself once again enslaved. When he was able to break free of the influence, his destruction of the orb resulted in the eruption of Droskar's Crag and countless deaths. Mengkare fled the mainland once again to lick his wounds on Hermea with the shattered remnants of the orb, where he spent many more years justifying the sacrifice of all those who perished in the volcanic eruption as a necessary price to secure the destruction of an object that had twice ruined his life and forced him to do evil. It was during this dark period of his life that Mengkare began to use the phrase, “Tomorrow must burn so the days thereafter can prosper” as justification for his actions.

When he discovered the manifestation of Dahak trapped in Alseta's Ring, Mengkare took that phrase to heart, beginning the Glorious Endeavor with the secret goal of building up the perfect supply of perfect souls to weaponize against the dragon god. Since starting the Glorious Endeavor, however, Mengkare has increasingly lost sight of the tragic part of his plan and now sees himself as a self-appointed savior of Golarion. He believes that completing the Glorious Endeavor and destroying the manifestation of Dahak is the only act that would live up to the unrealistic expectations he set for himself. Mengkare is now committed to see the Glorious Endeavor through until the end, even if it means that he has to commit increasingly unscrupulous acts in the process. He believes the ends justify whatever means he takes to reach them and is willing to dispose of anyone that could pose a threat to his goal. As ever, tomorrow must burn so the days thereafter can prosper.

Campaign Role

Mengkare is the greatest force standing between the PCs and the manifestation of Dahak. Mengkare is so dedicated to the Glorious Endeavor that he sees the PCs as competition for the glory he believes himself entitled to. Mengkare is not entirely cruel and uncaring, however, and he still cares for the people of Promise, if only as a dog breeder cares for the kennel. His change in alignment to evil was a long time coming, and recent enough that, with the right argument from player characters, it can be reversed—but direct confrontation with a party of PCs eager to fight him only cements his opinion that tomorrow must burn.

Recall Knowledge - Dragon (Arcana): DC 56
Unspecific Lore: DC 54
Specific Lore: DC 51

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

MengkareCreature 23

Legacy Content

Unique LE Gargantuan Dragon Fire 
Source Pathfinder #150: Broken Promises pg. 90
Male great wyrm gold dragon
Perception +40; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 120 feet
Languages Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnomish, Infernal, Sylvan, Utopian
Skills Acrobatics +32, Arcana +38, Athletics +36, Diplomacy +43, Intimidation +43, Medicine +36, Nature +32, Occultism +38, Society +43
Str +11, Dex +5, Con +9, Int +8, Wis +7, Cha +7
AC 50; Fort +37, Ref +34, Will +42; +2 status to all saves vs. magic
HP 575; Immunities fire, paralyzed, sleep
Weaknesses cold 25Frightful Presence (aura, emotion, fear, mental) 90 feet, DC 43Extra Reaction Mengkare gains 2 reactions at the start of his turn each round.Attack of Opportunity [reaction] Jaws only.Contingency [reaction] Trigger Mengkare fails a saving throw against a spell. Effect Dispel magic (7th level) attempts to counteract the triggering spell.Golden Luck [reaction] Trigger The gold dragon fails a saving throw. Effect The dragon improves its result by one degree of success, turning a failure into a success or a critical failure into a normal failure. The dragon can't use this ability again for 1d4 rounds.
Speed 60 feet, fly 200 feet, swim 60 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +42 [+37/+32] (fire, magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 6d12+11 piercing plus 4d6 fireMelee [one-action] claw +42 [+38/+34] (agile, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 6d10+11 slashingMelee [one-action] tail +40 [+35/+30] (magical, reach 25 feet), Damage 6d10+11 slashingMelee [one-action] horns +40 [+36/+32] (agile, magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 5d12+11 piercingArcane Innate Spells DC 45, attack +42; 10th contingency (*This spell has been cast already.), wish; 9th disjunction, meteor swarm, telepathic demand; 8th dream council, maze, power word stun; 7th dimensional lock, dispel magic (*This spell has been cast already.), plane shift; 6th dominate, true seeing, wall of force; 5th chromatic wall, mind probe, sending; 4th creation, dimension door, suggestion; 3rd dream message, locate, slow; 2nd comprehend language, invisibility, water breathing; 1st charm, magic missile, unseen servant; Cantrips (10th) daze, detect magic, forbidding ward, prestidigitation, read aura
Arcane Rituals DC 45; 8th imprisonment; 7th legend lore; 5th resurrect; 3rd geas; 2nd animate object, inveigle; 1st Anima Invocation
Breath Weapon [two-actions] The gold dragon breathes in one of two ways. The dragon can't use Breath Weapon again for 1d4 rounds.
  • Flame (arcane, evocation, fire); The dragon breathes a blast of flame in a 80-foot cone that deals 24d6 fire damage (DC 46 basic Reflex save).
  • Weakening Gas (arcane, necromancy); The dragon breathes a blast of weakening gas. Each creature within a 80-foot cone must succeed at a DC 46 Fortitude save or become enfeebled 4 for 1 minute (or enfeebled 5 on a critical failure).
Change Shape [one-action] (arcane, concentrate, polymorph, transmutation) Mengkare assumes a Medium humanoid form, posing as the human wizard Lamond Breachton.Draconic Frenzy [two-actions] The gold dragon makes two claw Strikes and one horns Strike in any orderDraconic Momentum When the gold dragon scores a critical hit with a strike, it recharges Breath Weapon.Explosive Breath When Mengkare uses Breath Weapon, he can expel an explosive orb of flame instead of a cone. When he does, he fires the orb at the corner of a square within 60 feet. The orb immediately detonates and deals 24d6 fire damage (DC 48 basic Reflex save) to all creatures within a 30-foot burst. Creatures that critically fail their save catch on fire and take 4d6 persistent fire damage.