The Dragon of Tyr and its ilk - the sorcerer-kings and other dragons of Athas - are evil creatures created from defiler mages, wholly unlike the dragons of other worlds, and thus Athas lacks the good dragons usually seen in other D&D settings. So what might happen if a good dragon were introduced to Athas? And what if said dragon was tied to the name sake of the setting - the crimson sun? What if the Sun Dragon came to Athas?

Sun dragons (or solar dragons) are a relatively obscure type of wyrm, first introduced in AD&D’s Spelljammer setting and now included in 5e Spelljammer once more, they are generally good-aligned dragons that reside near or even inside suns, so what could be more intriguing to insert into a setting called Dark Sun?

But how would such a dragon arrive in the setting? Would it have just appeared from elsewhere? Did it just awaken on or within the Athasin sun? Perhaps it’s a manifestation of the crimson sun - a last-ditch attempt to fix the sickly state of the angry red star? Or is it a refugee from the paraelemental plane of Sun? Maybe it’s from beyond the sphere containing Athas and the worlds beyond it, flung or exiled here by unknown forces and wounded after floating though the Black Gulf that lies in the far recesses of the crystal sphere (see the Crimson Sphere for more details on the void and worlds beyond Athas). Or perhaps it’s simply the result of a horrible accident by an overconfident spellcaster?

But what would happen when the Sun Dragon arrived and what would it do? The dragons of D&D are rather well known for affecting the natural world with their elemental natures, and solar dragons are known to cause solar flares when their eggs are laid. So perhaps the arrival of the Sun Dragon would be marked with change to the Athasian sun? Maybe by landing on the sun and making its home there, the Sun Dragon would cause the very sun itself to shine a warm yellow color, or even the blue of bygone epochs?

This change in the sun might be followed up with other actions. Sun dragons are good creatures, and they respect life, but perhaps not always civilization; maybe the presence of such a creature might be felt by people of Athas in some ways? Druids and Sun priests might have strange dreams or visions where the Sun Dragon reaches out to them, and perhaps to the dray with their draconic shapes as well. Perhaps the dreams are attempts at communication, offering aid and trying to learn of the world. Maybe a comet or shooting star can be seen in the sky as the Sun Dragon flies throughout the sphere to examine its new holdings. This wouldn’t go unnoticed by the sorcerer-kings or their agents of course, and they would likely attempt to discover what this new celestial sign was; maybe they’d even try to find and kill the Sun Dragon, or claim it as a slave.

What if the presence of the dragon was paradoxically corrupting? Perhaps dray children born after the arrival of the Sun Dragon come into the world with orange scales, glowing eyes, or unusual markings. Maybe this effect extends not just to the dray, but to all creatures born on nights when the new comet streaks through the sky, with them all bearing the so-called ”mark of the comet”.

What might happen if the Sun Dragon seeks to learn the joys of Athas and, finding few, instead becomes more akin to a good-aligned natural disaster? Athas is quite parched and comets are made up of water; perhaps great chunks of ice begin to be sent towards the planet’s surface as attempts to overcome the thirst of the poor denizens of Athas…

Possible Timeline of Events:

Weeks before the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• A mangled pile of flesh, scales, wings, claws, and spines is seen hurtling through the Crimson Sphere at high speed, heading directly towards the crimson sun.

Days before the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• Upon reaching the center of the star system, the mass of flesh is swallowed by the sun. Soon after, a powerful solar flare bursts out around the star.

The Day of the Yellow Sun:

• The normally crimson Athasian sun begins to shine a bright yellow like it was rumored to have in the days of old. It shines this gentle yellow color for 27 hours before returning to normal.

One day after the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• Dray across Athas begin to have odd dreams: visions of a flaming serpent or drake, or even an orb of malformed draconic body parts, muttering and uttering odd questions such as “What is the name of this star?” and “What ails your world, children?” Those who express their woes find that they are met with generally kind, if confused responses.
• The sorcerer-kings seem uneasy for several days after the appearance of the Yellow Sun. Apparently confused by its wrongness and familiarity, they order their templars to investigate the matter.

One week after the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• Dreams of the so-called “Sun Dragon” begin to appear to both dray and druids throughout the worlds of the Crimson Sphere. The questions are now more specific and the speech is clearer, though the tone is still warm and patient. Some report not only getting questions, but also being told tales of heroes fighting tyrant kings and evil monsters.
• A new comet is seen moving through the sky each night, its trajectory erratic and unnatural. Templars of the various sorcerer-kings are soon ordered to investigate this as well.

10 days after the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• The odd new comet is seen again above Athas, streaking through the sky before turning sharply over the Sea of Silt and continuing northwards from there. Small fragments fall to the ground as it passes, fragments that look like nothing so much as pieces of scale-like rock.
• Dray born on days the comet passes overhead bear patches of bright orange scales. Some first generation dray begin to feel an odd warmth, sleeping easily and painlessly on such nights, as their warped bodies begin to glow with a gentle orange light…
• Druids and elemental clerics find that spells tied to light, heat, and the growth of plants last longer and produce more powerful effects on days when the comet is seen in the sky and the days that immediately follow.

15 days after the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• Many non-evil people living and traveling along the Sea of Silt begin to experience dreams warning them to leave the region and watch the skies.

25 days after the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• The forces of the sorcerer-kings begin to stir, with some sending agents to observe the shores of the Silt Sea.

27 days after the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• A much larger comet is seen in the sky again, eventually splitting into two separate comets, each still headed for Athas.

30 days after the Day of the Yellow Sun:

• The sorcerer-kings send their forces out to intercept the “great monster” flying toward Athas. As the comets continue on their path, it becomes clear that one of them is a great lump of ice headed straight for the Sea of Silt; if it hits, it sends a shockwave and tsunami of silt across the sea and its shores, inundating the coastlines and small islands. If the great beast wins the battle in the skies, however, it destroys the comet with a great blast of sunfire, blanketing the entire region in a great rain cloud. Amidst the rain, another dragon touches down on the world, one the likes of which Athas has never seen before…

The Sun Dragon:

The creature behind this series of events is in truth a mutant dragon from far beyond the Crimson Sphere. Once the subject of experiments on a captive dragon egg, its original species is now unclear, as enough other draconic body parts have been grafted onto it to make identification difficult.

Its creation process was horrible, long, and painful, but many of the minds of the dying draconic creatures clung together for succor. Kindness and hope still linger in the heart of this creature, and the many minds have now formed into a single entity, calling themselves “The Sun Dragon” and seeking to aid any creatures it can. Still confused about its own power and what truly is needed, however, this creature will require aid and guidance if it is to truly become a force for good in the world and not just another disaster rampaging across Athas…

Abilities:

The horrible and malformed nature of its biology has left the Sun Dragon with some notable abilities. It can resist great heat, and in fact finds resting in the heart of a sun to be reinvigorating. It also possesses a form of shapeshifting - while not as elegant as the true shapeshifting powers of the dragons of other worlds, the malleable form and multiple limbs and heads of the Sun Dragon allow it to take on the shape best suited for a task, be it fighting in the void above Athas as a dangerous orb of teeth, claws, and fire, a creature of such great speed that it appears as a comet in the sky, or the shape of true dragon, malformed and mutated but still awe inspiring to look at.

However, there is another side to the creature’s nature: whether due to powers used to mutilate it or the effects of Athas’ sun, the presence of the Sun Dragon mutates those in its sphere of influence. At first, only creatures created by defiler experimentation or those with ties to dragons of Athas - such as the dray - are affected; with their many mutations, first generation dray are the most affected, mutating further and growing closer in appearance to the Sun Dragon.

These mutations get stronger and more prominent the closer one is to the creature, with children born within 100 miles of the Sun Dragon showing marks of the sun or developing patches of scales, while those within a mile could begin to change if healing magic is used on their injuries, growing closer in appearance to the Sun Dragon’s own mutated features. The worst effects are reserved for those within 100 feet of the creature, where one might mutate on the spot if the dragon expresses too much power.