Margalathyx, the Scarlet King

The earth ignites and stones melt in the awe-inspiring presence of this titanic dragon. Rivulets of magma and open flames course between its scales, and its eyes are like suns.

Male great wyrm red dragon (CR 30/MR 10)
CE Colossal dragon (fire, mythic)
Senses: dragon senses
Aura: fire (20ft, 4d6 fire), frightful presence (720 ft, DC 33)

==Defense==

AC 59, touch 59, flat-footed 51 (+6 Dex, +2 dodge, +49 natural, -8 size)
hp 694 (29d12+506), regeneration 20 (cold)
Fort +28, Ref +24, Will +25
Defensive Abilities: evasion, mythic immortality, mythic saves
DR 20/epic and magic; SR 33
Immune: fire, paralysis, sleep
Weaknesses: vulnerable to cold

==Offense==

Speed: 40ft, fly 250ft (average)
Melee: flaming burst impact bite +46 (6d8+33/15-20/x4), 2 flaming burst impact claws +46 (6d6+33/15-20/x4), 2 flaming burst impact wings +44 (3d8+33/15-20/x4), flaming burst impact tail +44 (6d6+33/15-20/x4)
Special Attacks: breath weapon (70ft cone, 24d10 fire damage; Ref DC 36 half) crush (6d8+33, Ref DC 36), tail sweep (3d8+33, Ref DC 36)
Space 60ft, reach 30ft (80ft with bite)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 29th)
—At will: Detect Magic, Discern Location, Find the Path, Pyrotechnics, Suggestion, Wall of Fire

==Statistics==

Str 49, Dex 22, Con 35, Int 28, Wis 29, Cha 28
BAB +29, CMB +56, CMD 72 (74 vs trip)
Feats: Wingover, Flyby Attack, Improved Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (natural), Improved Critical (natural), Improved Initiative, Quicken Spell, Widen Spell, Dodge, Maximized Spell, Lightning Reflexes, Vital Strike, Powerful Maneuvers, Intensified Spell, Greater Vital Strike
Skills: Appraise +41, Bluff +41, Climb +44, Diplomacy +41, Fly +46, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, history, local, nature, planes, religion) +41, Perception +41, Sense Motive +41, Spellcraft +41, Swim +44, Use Magic Device +41
SQ: agility, immense

==Equipment==

—Head: crown of blasting
—Neck: flaming burst impact amulet of mighty fists
—Body: belt of stoneskin

==Magic==

Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 20th)
—9th (6/day): Create Greater Demiplane, Summon Monster IX, Time Stop, Wish
—8th (6/day): Create Greater Undead, Greater Planar Binding, Mind Blank, Prediction of Failure
—7th (6/day): Control Undead, Greater Teleport, Plane Shift, Reverse Gravity
—6th (6/day): Contingency, Disintegrate, Greater Dispel Magic, Sirocco
—5th (6/day): Cloudkill, Communal Stoneskin, Permanency, Suffocation, Wall of Stone
—4th (6/day): Animate Dead, Detonate, Enervation, Fire Shield, Greater Invisibility, Terrible Remorse
—3rd (6/day): Blood Biography, Displacement, Haste, Slow, Wind Wall
—2nd (6/day): Alter Self, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Command Undead, Glitterdust, Summon Swarm, Unnatural Lust
—1st (6/day): Ant Haul, Color Spray, Magic Missile, Shield, Silent Image, Sleep
—0: all

==Mythic==

Feats: Improved Critical, Vital Strike, Power Attack, Dodge, Ascendant Spell
Additional Mythic Abilities: Critical Master (2nd), Perfect Strike, Critical Potency, Pounce, Uncanny Resilience, Improved Aura, Agility, Mythic Immortality, Wild Arcana
Mythic power 10/day, surge +1d12

==Special Abilities==

Agility (Ex): Despite his ponderous size, the Scarlet King is surprisingly nimble. He gains evasion, and his maneuverability while flying increases to average.

Arcane Supremacy (Su): The Scarlet King casts spells as a 20th-level sorcerer (rather than 19th) and can add any metamagic feat he knows to a spell without increasing the spell level or casting time (for example, he can add metamagic feats to his 9th-level spells). This increases his CR by 1.

Critical Potency (Ex): The Scarlet King’s natural weapons threaten a critical on an 18, 19 or 20 and have a critical multiplier of x3. This stacks with Improved Critical.

Immense (Ex): The Scarlet King is much larger than a normal red dragon of his age category. His space increases to 60 feet and he gains all the traits of a kaiju’s massive ability. This increases his CR by 2.

Improved Aura (Su): The radius of the Scarlet King’s frightful presence and fire aura are doubled. Creatures between 20 and 40 feet away from him take 2d6 nonlethal fire damage. In addition, his fire aura superheats the ground, causing stone to melt and the air to shimmer. He has 20% concealment and the ground where he walks becomes difficult terrain, but only for non-massive creatures; the Scarlet King himself is unaffected by this difficult terrain due to his sheer size.

Permanent Spells: The Scarlet King has made the following spells permanent on himself: Freedom of Movement, Greater Arcane Sight, True Seeing.

Uncanny Resilience (Ex): The Scarlet King’s natural armor bonus applies to his touch AC.

=====

No one knows where the Scarlet King comes from, only where he ended. While he has spent the past few centuries trapped in the Plane of Fire, he has returned to the Material Plane to wreak havoc upon the Southern Continent. He is curiously content to remain in his arid mountains, right on the boundary with the Plane of Fire… but when he comes north, there are none who can withstand him.

While the Scarlet King has always been a fearsome beast, on his return a single refrain hung in the air, in the powerful voice that made the sands of Invictus tremble.

“Seven seals, seven rings,
Seven brides for the Scarlet King.”

==Using the Scarlet King==

The Scarlet King is best served as a final encounter, to truly test the abilities of the PCs. The “seven brides” he seeks are mythic members of various races; one such is Dia of Dagrau, ruler of Celernus. His final goal is to use the combined power of himself and his mythic harem to drain the life out of the Southern Continent, fueling his ascension to godhood. High-level PCs (17th to 20th-level and 8th to 10th-tier) might be given the duty of rescuing Dia of Dagrau or one of the other brides. This would, of course, escalate to one of the brides tasking the PCs to destroy Margalathyx.

Unlike other evil characters of similar power (such as, for instance, Cleffid Rulock), the Scarlet King makes a poor patron for evil PCs; Margalathyx seeks only to complete the ritual that will enable him to ascend to godhood. He is very capable of seeking the seven brides himself, and only the seals on his soul (placed by Tonza, and slowly breaking) prevent him from finding them all.