| “ | You act as though the laws of the anthill affect the foot that crushes it. You speak words of importance, but I've seen laws and people come and go, change, die, turn to dust, and rise again. People kill neighbor, families die from the inside and out. They say I'm diseased but look upon you, you insignificant creatures. You do more to your people than I've done in an entire lifetime.
— Raishan
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An ancient green dragon from the Rifenmist Peninsule, Raishan was cursed by a druid of Melora as revenge for killing the goddess' followers in one of her sacred temples. This curse manifested as a sickness that slowly overtook her entire body, with her spending half a century attempting to find a cure. She was eventually sought by the dragon Thordak, who offered a cure in exchange for her assistance in conquering Tal'Dorei. She reluctantly agreed, forming the Chroma Conclave and recruiting another three chromatic dragons for their plans.
Raishan then infiltrated the Fire Ashari, gaining their trust for four years and learning how to free a captured Thordak from the Fire Plane. She eventually released Thordak at the Winter's Crest, with the pair killing most of the Ashari in the escape. The Chroma Conclave then conquered Emon, killing Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei. Raishan eventually deduced that Thordak had no intention of giving her the cure, and she betrayed the Conclave by assisting the adventuring party Vox Machina in overthrowing the Conclave. Before she could resurrect and torture Thordak's soul to learn his cure, she was ambushed by Vox Machina and their allies in her lair. After killing half the party, Raishan was ultimately slain after the ashari Keyleth magically removed her mind, reducing Raishan to a savage beast, before Kerrek killed her with his hammer.
Battle vs. Flemeth (by MovieStuff65)[]
As she swats another annoying fly from her face, Raishan grimaces as she wipes the fly's guts and the sweat from her dwarven shape's brow. Unconsciously flexing her hand, the phantom feeling of her claws provoking even more yearning for her true draconic brilliance, she takes a glance up at the thick canopy of the Emerald Graves in reassurance. "Yes, better to slink carefully and intelligently than to soar blindly." She muttered to herself, finding her minor annoyances rewarded as the tree line begins to separate.
The disguised dragon walks into a clearing, the bright sun nonetheless piercing through the apparent coverage of branches and leaves and reflecting from the clear pool of water onto a solid stone wall, no larger than a human barn. Despite the serene locale, the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she scans her surroundings. The source of her discontent manifests immediately, the rapping of Flemeth's metal glove against a stone bench across the pond disrupting the sounds of nature.
"Good morning, Raishan," Flemeth says, a teasing smile on her lips as she continues to look into the pool rather than her guest. For her part, Raishan crosses her arms, allowing her green eyes to flare ant scales to re-emerge over her skin. The dwarven features quickly melt away, as Raishan takes the form of a young human woman, horrific scars and pustules manifesting on her face before it is replaced by pale skin and vibrant green hair.
"If you know my name, Witch of the Wilds, you know what I seek, and what I will do to acquire it."
Flemeth laughs, with Raishan's frown shifting into a snarl, as she calmly stands. "I knew that your curse had worsened since last we met, but I didn't expect it to take your senses as well as your health. I will do no such thing, least not while you demand it like a child." Her laughter turns into a cackle as Raishan steps forward, palm facing upwards as a small green line appears in her hand. "I warn you once, Flemeth, before I decide to take the truth from your corpse."
Despite the threat, Flemeth finally stands up, a glint of amusement in her eye as she rises. "And so quick to resort to threats? You must be in a rush, then..." She muses, looking directly into Raishan's eyes. "Or perhaps you are scared? Yes, I think that's the case."
The tense stand-off ends abruptly as Raishan silently pushes her palm forward, the green line growing and flying towards Flemeth as an arrow dripping in acid. Flemeth merely raises her own palm to face it, a spell shield manifesting to block the arrow in its tracks. "I'm insulted, dragon, that you would trivialize me with such a spell." The Deceiver merely opens her mouth and hisses, a haze of necrotic blight spewing out and obscuring Flemeth. The shield shatters as it washes over Flemeth, who temporarily stumbles as the vitality drains from her body. "Consider it one last attempt at civility," Raishan yells as she seemingly vanishes.
Tensing, Flemeth brings her finger to her forehead, before a blast of telekinetic energy sweeps around her. She turns as she feels the magic hit her adversary, only to face the oozing boils and smiling rows of draconic teeth of Raishan's open mouth. Flemeth raises her arms and brings her hand together, a flurry of snow and ice blasting into Raishan's mouth, to no avail as the cone of cold is wiped away and melted by the dragon's poisonous breath. Reducing her opponent to a fit of coughs and seeing blotches of burnt skin already forming, Raishan continues her assault as she attempts to devour Flemeth.
The Witch of the Wild finishes twirling her hands just as Raishan's jaw clamps over her torso. As the teeth pierce her skin and poison leaks into the wounds, Flemeth finishes her incantation, transforming into a swarming of flies. The insects pass between Raishan's teeth as Flemeth flies into Raishan's face, stinging and biting the dragon. "MORTAL INSECT!" She yells, shaking her head to disperse the flies. Flemeth floats past the dragon's eyes and gather on her back, before Flemeth briefly returns to her human shape. She grabs one of Raishan's spines, draining the life from her, before beginning to mutter another incantation under her breath.
"If you wanted to fly, you should've just asked!" Raishan says, jumping into the air and taking off into the sky. Effortlessly breaking past the scant branches and leaves of this clearing's canopy, she ascends into the air. She smirked to herself as she felt Flemeth leave her back, and Raishan spins to see her foe fall to the ground. Her cocky smile quickly gives way as Flemeth slams into her in her high dragon form, slashing a claw alongside Raishan's belly. The two dragons yell as they separate, flying apart as they survey each other.
"How dare you take our form!" Raishan yells over the howling winds and beating wings, using her front claws to form a sigil in the air. Flemeth only roars in response, flying towards Raishan as she spews a blast of fire at the green dragon. The Deceiver finishes her spell, yelling "Imitation!" as a spray of rainbow energy blasts from the sigil before transforming into a wall of lightning, which Flemeth flies into without faltering. Piercing through the remaining smoke of the two elements colliding, Flemeth soars forward, sinking her teeth into Raishan's left haunch.
She roars in pain, but grabs Flemeth with her front claws and grapples her, spewing more poison onto Flemeth's back as she flies the pair upwards. The Witch flaps her wings in Raishan's face, forcing the two to separate again, with Flemeth quickly disengaging to prepare for another fly. As she gathers her bearings, Flemeth collides into a wall of invisible force. She easily flies higher to go above it, but it buys enough time for Raishan to finish her spell, a small, black portal appearing above Flemeth. Before she can fly away further, dozens of 40-foot meteors descending from the portal, several slamming into Flemeth as the meteor swarm descends upon her and the forest below.
Roaring and spewing fire the whole time, Flemeth begins to fall, plummeting and spinning into the earth below. Before she lands, Raishan flies above her, grabbing Flemeth's neck in her front claw. "You are nothing, mortal. An annoyance, a trifle, a curiosity. This, is real power." she taunts, before causing icy crystals to form around Flemeth's neck above and beneath her claw. With a final roar and snarl, Raishan slashes, with her other claw, decapitating Flemeth as she shatters the Witch's neck.
Taking a moment to collect herself, Raishan flies back to the ground, transforming back into her human shape. The smell of burning trees and the sound of screaming animals fill the air, yet Raishan merely looks at the corpse of Flemeth. She picks up Flemeth's head, smiling at her victory, before snapping her fingers to teleport away. A large magical sigil forms on the ground beneath her feet, and in a flash of blue and green magical energy Raishan and Flemeth's head disappear.
WINNER: RAISHAN
Expert's Opinion[]
While Raishan's arrogance and Flemeth's equal if not superior talent for plotting were important factors, they weren't enough for Flemeth to triumph here. Raishan's draconic form proved too powerful, both in sheer strength and size and in its versatility, with her poison breath and ability to cast spells as a dragon giving her far more options for dealing overwhelming damage. While it's unlikely Flemeth could ever truly die, the Witch of the Wilds at least falls in battle decisively and viciously at the hands of the Diseased Deceiver, Raishan.