Scales is the name of an extremely large and old dragon who appears out of nowhere near the beginning of Dark Lord of Derkholm. His wings are damaged, he seems weak and out of sorts, and he is very very angry.
Unfortunately for everyone, he has come to give the Dark Lord a piece of his mind, and although wizard Derk tries to explain that it is just a part he is playing, the old dragon bathes him in very hot steam for long enough to damage the wizard very badly, and just before the Pilgrim Parties are about to start for the year.
An Ill Wind[]
Several good things, as wella s that one very bad thing, come from this event. First, Derk's wife Mara is present, and knows enough to tell her son Blade to bathe Derk in a cooling spell and to fetch a healer immediately.
Second, Mara takes the old dragon to a nearby valley and assists the healer in bringing him food to eat, stitching the torn wings, and healing as many parts of him as they can.
Mara and the healer also explain to the dragon just who Derk really is and that the real dark lord of the piece is Mr. Chesney, whose selfish aims have created the tours that are damaging their world. The dragon listens carefully, and tells them he has been asleep for many many long years. He tells them to call him "Scales."
Reparations[]
To undo some of the damage he has done, once Scales has regained some strength, he flies to the location where Derk's children Blade, Shona, Kit and Don are trying to carry out the contractual obligations of the Dark Lord, even though none of them are really old enough or trained enough to know what they are doing. Scales is a great help, and turns out to be of even greater help as time goes on.