Rift prepares us for the coming of Maelforge, Dragon Lord of the Fire Plane

There are dragons that steal gold, dragons we train as young vikings, and dragons that eat entire worlds while backstabbing everyone close to them. Maelforge, Rift's Dragon Lord of the Fire Plane, is the embodiment of the latter. His thirst for destruction in battle can't be quenched, and he's waking up with a craving for all of Telara.

Rift is packed full of lore revolving around the Dragon Lords of the different planes. Maelforge is one of the most insane: threatening to burn his enemies, resurrect them, and burn them again just for giggles. He's like that crazy kid in school that even bullies don't want to fight for fear they might lose a vital organ. Trion Worlds has released an interesting piece of lore that dives into the twisted nature of Maelforge to mentally prepare players for the coming encounter. I'm not sure about you, but after reading this I think I'll just hang at the pub and work toward becoming the town drunk that all fire wielding maniacs ignore.

Maelforge – Dragon Lord of the Fire Plane

These Telarans. They have forced sleep and stillness on me. How I hate them.

In long-gone eons I blazed from star to star, far ahead of my sisters and brothers, the void screaming, scorching in my wake. I would tear the cores from living worlds and gulp them down like beating hearts. And as the molten juice ran down my chin, warrior gods would come give me battle for the ashes of their dying creations. We would clash in the sky and the spaces between the planes. I slew them with great relish, and my triumphal roar blasted their brittle remains across the heavens.

We came at last to this world. I had heard of Telara's mighty god of war, and yearned to paint his death in glorious relief against a smoldering sky. But Thedeor heeded his cowardly fellow gods and hid from me as they forced us to fight worthless mortals. The frustration! One snort of flame and armies shriveled like ants, and they could not even challenge me anew before Regulos claimed them all.

Then Crucia whispered to us, “Why not turn on Regulos?” Ahh, now this would be battle! But when we fell upon his bloated form, sly Crucia hung back, as if to direct us like some upstart general. I scoured her with flame, and then turned upon the rest of them, and together we clashed through the planes.

Slaughter, agony, bright red ruin! Glorious! I lost myself amid the wreckage of kingdoms.

Glorious.