The Birth of Arsenic and Belladona

Life, Birth

Well before the flames of the War of the Ancients engulfed the lands of YonZora, a dark and unholy ritual marred what was intended to be a sacred act of stewardship. On the tranquil yet arcane shores of Mermaid Island, two dragon eggs—priceless relics of the Stewarts of YonZora, descendants of ancient draconic bloodlines—were entrusted to a devoted priestess of the old ways for safekeeping.

But treachery struck from within.

The caretaker priestess was assassinated in secret by High Priestess Velathria Oakencrown, a Moon Elf and hidden devotee of Lolth, the Spider Queen. In a calculated betrayal of dragonkind, Velathria absconded with the eggs and performed a forbidden corruption ritual within the obsidian caves beneath the island. Tapping into shadow-woven magic drawn from the Abyss, she infused the unborn dragons with eldritch energies meant to twist their destinies.

From this act of blasphemy, two dragons hatched—Arsenic and Belladonna, twin wyrmlings marked forever by the shadow.

These dragons, once prophesied to rise as noble Crimson Titans, were instead born as Brass Dragons—but unlike their kin, their forms shimmered with unnatural bronze-gold scales marbled by veins of sickly green and violet, visible proof of their corrupted incubation. Though not inherently evil, both bore the taint of shadow magic, a trait that made them feared by mortals and dragons alike.

Yet destiny is not so easily unraveled.

Despite their origins, Arsenic and Belladonna would go on to become the youngest of the Twelve Guardians, a legendary fellowship of dragonkind bound to the defense of YonZora. Their unique blend of shadow and poison made them key agents in several battles during the War of the Ancients—unpredictable, volatile, and devastatingly effective.