DOTA: Dragon’s Blood Season 1 Episode 1 Recap – What the Thunder Said

Prologue

We are first introduced to the creation story of the DOTA universe. Two fragments: the Radiant and the Dire, were created from a singular Primordial Mind. These two forces fought for millennia, causing The Chaos of the Infinite world. It was a scramble for power and wisdom— affecting Kings, Queens, Gods, and Monsters alike. In this madness, Terrorblade gazed into the chaos and found his own Truth—remake creation in his own infernal image.

Introduction

Dragon Knight Davion joins a group of mercenaries to fight against a dragon. Davion comes in headfirst, clad in scaly plate armor, a sword, and a hook-like contraption, assisted by his squire, Bram. He manages to snag the dragon, but it digs down and seemingly escapes.

Despite his better judgment, Davion follows the dragon into the enormous hole. He moves through the dark with only a glowing blade attached to his wrist. Then, from the top, he is ambushed by the dragon. As they fall deeper into the hole, he fights back and finally kills the dragon with repeated stabs to its chest.

Captain Frühling and his mercenaries inspect his kill. Still, they discover more: piles and piles of dead dragon hatchlings scattered across the cavern. Davion guesses the dragons killed each other in a frenzy of madness; they come to inspect further.

Going deeper, they discover a large cavern—an Eldwyrm lair, with its host probably asleep, Davion recognizes. They retreat to the surface, considering themselves lucky.

To celebrate the spoils of their battle, Davion heads to the local tavern. The villagers cheer him on and join him as he pays for drinks. Here, he meets with Mirana, the Princess of the Moon.

Mirana is with Marci, there to meet an elf informer Gwanwyn on their quest to find the stolen lotuses of Selemene. An altercation ensues with Gwanwyn and a drunken patron, exposing his elf heritage. Tensions rise among the villagers for their hatred of elves—a fight ensues. Davion intervenes, leading the elf outside to free him instead of killing him—this surprised Mirana.

Tempted by a powerful, mysterious voice, Captain Frühling goes to the Eldwyrm lair to confront the dragons. The next morning, Bram calls Davion to stop the captain from doing something foolish. Davion sends Bram back to the Dragon Hold to call for reinforcements as he heads back into the tunnel.

Dragon vs. Demon

Davion finds Frühling as he pulls his sword from the dragon, Uldorak. The captain is in a trance, possessed by the demon Terrorblade. He taunts Davion with memories of his past, reminding him of his regrets and appealing to his hatred of dragons. The demon tempts Davion with the power to slay all of them. All he has to do is let him in.

The earth rumbles beneath them, revealing Slyrak, an Elder Dragon. Frühling’s body is immediately burned by Slyrak, making the demon transfer to Uldorak’s body.

A battle ensues between both dragons. They go toe-to-toe, each sustaining significant damage. Davion’s conscience leads him to side with the dragon, so he helps Slyrak defeat the possessed Urldorak with a stab at its core. They win, successfully thwarting Terrorblade.

Despite this, Slyrak was fatally wounded in the battle and neared his last breath. Slyrak pleads for Davion for an honorable death. But before the Knight could kill him, Slyrak slices Davion’s throat and asks for forgiveness for what he is about to endure.

The next morning, Mirana and Marci find Davion bloodied and lying naked in the middle of the forest. They decide to help him.

Our Thoughts

It is a great pilot episode, introducing the world of the DOTA universe while providing us with two great main characters to follow. The action scenes are well choreographed. The mystery of Slyrak’s power leaves for an intriguing cliffhanger.

I rate this episode 4 stars out of 5.