[Apocrypha] Skeletal Dragons

[Excerpt from Enchanted Weapons of Tamriel, vol. 27, published 3E 430]

While necromancy has always been a rather taboo art in mainland Tamrielic culture, we have seen that there has been almost no end to the various undead beings under the charge of various mages, rulers, and would-be despots. From draugr who haunt the halls of Nord ruins to the undead legions of Ayleid kings and pretenders, the dead have proven to be an inexhaustible and (relatively) inexpensive alternative for those seeking to army-build.

So it would come as no surprise that there are those who would seek to have a dragon within their ranks, yet are unable to convince a living, breathing Wyrm to fight for them.

While even in 'death' it is extremely difficult to enthrall a dragon, Archmage Shalidor of the First Era seems to have been the first mage to do just that. Scattered reports exist of Shalidor reanimating a dragon within the ruins of the Nord city, but with limited success.

By the second half of the Second Era however, it would seem that dragon-related necromancy had become more refined. The infamous Daedric Titans of Coldharbour were large constructs made as a sort of profane simulacrum of the dragons of Nirn. Subsequently used by Mannimarco and his Worm Cult, Titans were often fielded as great siege weapons and as effective anti-infantry units.

Of course, even a Titan was rather hard to come by, and for the rank-and-file Legions of the Tharn pretenders a more 'inexpensive' alternative was used.

With the great strides made by Mannimarco and his Worm Cult in the necromantic arts, the skeletons of long-dead dragons were dug up by members of the Order of the Black Worm under the guise of Imperial Battlemages. Reanimated and enslaved to their dark-yet-mortal masters these skeletal dragons saw limited use with soldiers of Legion Zero, the infamous undead bodyguard of the Tharns.

Given the complexity of fully reanimating a being as powerful as a dragon, these skeletal dragons were more akin to constructs fueled by lesser, 'cheaper' souls. And of course, they could not fly. While there are some reports of more elaborate skeletal dragons possessing magical flight, most of these dragons were limited to basic fire or frost 'shouts', as well as siege-type melee attacks.

For the most part, the few skeletal dragons cobbled together by Legion Zero were seen merely barreling their way through enemy ranks until finally being felled either by enemy weaponry or with the soul bound to the skeleton being worn out. The more elaborate skeletons capable of flight were seen providing relatively-successful 'sky support' for the troops, but in the end, the magickal expenditures required for the upkeep and extended use of these 'dragons' far outweighed their usefulness. Either traditional siege weaponry and shock tactics proved more effective, and for the more arcane engagememts, the Daedric Titans proved more than sufficient.

Either way, no amount of dragons (fleshy or otherwise) could save the Tharn Pretenders, and the end of the Interregnum saw the end of this rather-curious chapter in the history of the dark arts. Since then there has only been one recorded use of a dragon in a major engagement - Nafaalilargus, crown jewel of the Empire. But that is a story of a different chapter.

Since then there have been no more recorded attempts of reanimating dragons, though this may be due to the scarcity of their remains in the milennia since the Dragon War and the Interregnum. Perhaps some dragon corpses still lie dormant, waiting for a battle call which will never come, or maybe waiting for a hapless adventurer to disturb its dreamless slumber. Only time will tell.