Aterian’s Whelps - Hatchlings of Aterian

When Aterian fell into slumber, she took hundreds of her egg clusters with her, burying them within her burrow, to awake alongside her when her slumber came to end. That time is now, and dozens have already begun to hatch, though many lay inert from the millennia passed, dozens more still await. The life cycle of the Black Dragon embodies survival of the fittest greater than any other creature, with broods spawned in dozens to hundreds, all vying for the place as their parent’s successor. Few will survive, as most perish at the hands of their siblings, ascending along the draconic hierarchy. Those who survive will fulfill the wishes of their mother, one day ascending beyond her and inheriting the world she plans to create. For now, they dwell within her lair, fighting among themselves as they grow more powerful, fed by sacrifices brought forth from the Ilgritharm tribals that have pledged allegiance to their mother. Though even these orcs are unsafe from the intrepid nature of the juvenile whelps, and one more than one occasion has an orc met an unfortunate end as they are torn to shreds by hordes of the creatures. Experienced adventurers would not fare much better, should they be assailed by that many whelps.