Honored Herald,
It is rumored that the tales of Krynn are yours to know; however, in my travels I have come across one which you might not know – The Treatian Manuscript.
I came to possess this manuscript purely by happenstance. It was placed into my hands by a young Solamnic man who appeared to be fleeing in fear of his life. He pressed it into my hands with the admonition to "protect it lest the truth be lost." I must profess the truth it discloses flies in the face of everything we know about the Third Dragon War.
The Treatian Manuscript, as this document is called, is a scroll in the same style as many of the scrolls in the Great Library; however, it differs in its dating. Unlike most scrolls in the Great Library which are dated using the Alt Cataclius or Saer Cataclius dating systems, this one is dated Prae Magus, or Pre-Magic in the common tongue, and is written in the wizard language of Magius.
The Manuscript details the Third Dragon War. It differs from established canon of the Legend of Huma, in that it records that the famed wizard Magius, not Huma, was the one responsible for banishing the Queen of Darkness from Krynn. Our histories have long held that it was Huma that banished the Dark Queen with aid from Magius. The Treatian Manuscript takes a different view.
Many of the details of the Treatian Manuscript are similar to those contained in the Legend of Huma; however, according to the Treatian Manuscript, Magius, Wizard of Three Robes and of None sought the paths of power to combat the growing threat of the Queen of Darkness. He was joined in this by his manservant Kaz, a minotaur he purchased at the Daltigoth Slave Auction, and Huma of Eldor, a low born Knight of the Crown and Magius’s childhood friend, whom he rescued from cultists of Morgion during his mission.
He was guided by the Gods of Magic in his search for power and subjected to tests of reason, responsibility, and right action. His final test was to venture into the lair of the mighty Wyrmfather and take from him the means of ending the war. Magius did so taking the dragon’s soul into a specially prepared crystal orb. Without his soul to maintain his body, Wyrmfather melted into a molten pool of silver dragon metal; the very substance of which he was forged.
Magius gathered a portion of the dragon metal and used it to craft a wand into which he set the orb containing Wyrmfather’s soul. The crystal orb was held in the claw of a dragon. The mighty war wizard wove powerful spells over the orb drawing on the captured essence of Wyrmfather. When he was finished; he dubbed the artifact, the Dragonwand.
Around the same time he became the acquaintance of a silver dragon. Heart, the silver dragon fell in love with Magius when she first laid eyes on the archmage. Magius did not return her love though. He foresaw a need for the dragon and led her to believe that he loved her in return. The dragon proved to be a stalwart companion though and was instrumental in defending Magius from several attacks that otherwise might have cost him his life. Blind and mortally wounded on the battlefield, Heart called out to her love; however, the archmage having no further use for her, left her to die and he flew away to battle the Queen of Darkness.
A daring, but suicidal feint by Huma allowed Magius the time he needed to enthrall the Dark Queen with the Dragonwand and unleash its potent magic upon her. Fearing defeat at the hands of the archmage; she made a bargain with him. She would leave Krynn and take her dragons with her. Magius agreed. As a parting shot, Takhisis breathed from all five of her heads sundering the Dragonwand and mortally wounding Magius. Magius fell from the sky as the Dark Queen and her shrieking hosts left the world of Krynn. It is said the Gods of Magic showered the world with their tears for weeks after the death of Magius.
The war came to an end and the nations put aside their differences ushering in a time of peace; however, as we well know – peace is fleeting.
As you can see Herald, this manuscript paints a much different picture of the Third Dragon War. It is my personal belief that the Treatian Manuscript is not of our timeline; but the history of an alternate timeline in which Magius really was the hero of the Third Dragon War. As the young man who entrusted it to me has disappeared there is no way to prove my hypothesis. I have enclosed a copy of the scroll for your perusal.
Your loyal servant,
William uth Compton.
