RHUAGH

Real Name: Rhuagh

Identity/Class: Dragon magic user, presumably extradimensional / alternate reality (see comments)

Occupation: 

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Macros, Tomas, Valheru

Enemies: 

Known Relatives: Ryath (daughter), other unidentified offspring, unidentified mates

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: A cavern deep below the mines of Mac Mordain Cadal, Grey Towers mountain range, continent of Triagia, Midkemia

First Appearance: (novels) Magician (October 1982);
   (comics) Magician Apprentice#10 (December 2007)

Powers/Abilities: Rhuagh was a massive dragon, immensely strong and heavily armored, with huge claws and fangs. He could fly using his giant wings, and knew magic, allowing him to cloud minds, draw people to him, cast energy bolts and teleport others. He could also breath fire. Like all dragons he was able to sense when his time of death was approaching.

 

Height: 25' at shoulder (by estimation); 75' snout to tail tip (by estimation)
Weight: Unrevealed (see comments)
Eyes: Red
Hair: None

 

History:
(Magician Apprentice#10 (fb) - BTS) - On the world of Midkemia dragons were the second oldest sentient race, and servants of the oldest, the Valheru, known to later races as the Dragon Lords, since the dragons were their willing servants, as were the elves and Moredhel (dark elves) until the Valheru chose to leave Midkemia. The dragons then became the most powerful of the free people, dominating the region until dwarves and men arrived. One of the dragons was Rhuagh, who lived a full life, enjoying mates, children, health and riches. He flew all across Midkemia, visiting far lands where humanoid tigers lived in cities, and mountains where eagles could speak. For a time there was peace between the sentient species, but soon enough the elves drove out the Moredhel, and men and dwarves warred with the dragons. While individually far more powerful, dragons were massively outnumbered by humans, so eventually they fled south. Much that Rhuagh cherished was lost in the wars with men, and he was the last to remain in the north, residing deep below the Grey Towers mountain range, now old even by the measure of his people. Using dragon magic he turned away most of those who sought his treasure, and the ones whose own magic protected them from having their minds clouded he killed. In time however he grew sickened by killing. Kobolds (known as gnomes by the dwarves) living in the mines worshiped the dragon as a god, and brought him offerings of smoked fish caught in subterranean lakes; since he could no longer hunt, he found it an agreeable arrangement. 

(Magician Apprentice#10 (fb)) - Eventually a human wizard found Rhuagh. For three days they battled, pitting their magic against one another, but in the end the human bested the dragon. Rhuagh expected to be slain, but instead the man, Macros, stayed with him for the next three years, for his only intention had been to learn the dragon's magic so that it would not be lost when Rhuagh died. Because of Macros the dragon learned to respect life, vowing to spare any that came him. Macros had also suffered at the hands of others, and he had the art of healing the wounds of both heart and mind. By the time he left Rhuagh, the dragon felt he had been the victor, not the vanquished. Macros was the first human Rhuagh called friend. When he departed, he left Rhuagh a gift to be used when his time to pass came.

(Magician Apprentice#10 (fb) - BTS) - Sensing his death approaching, Rhuagh hoped to locate someone to sit his deathwatch, as was the custom of his people, though no other dragon was close enough to call. Meanwhile, while using dwarf tunnels to traverse the mountains a youth, Tomas, became separated from his party. On an urgent mission, most of his party continued on, but a dwarf, Dolgan, stayed to search for the lost boy. Aware he was nearing his time of death, and wanting someone to sit his deathwatch, Rhuagh used his magic to draw the boy down to him. Ending up deep within the mines Tomas spotted a pack of goblins, and though he knew they would be hostile he hoped that if he followed them covertly they might lead him to the surface. Instead they took him to Rhuagh's chambers. Unwilling to kill, but also not wanting goblins invading his privacy, Rhuagh magically transported them far away. However Tomas was welcomed, and offered food and a place to sleep.

(Magician Apprentice#10) - Shortly after Tomas' arrival Dolgan reached also Rhuagh's chamber. Initially the dwarf failed to spot the dragon among the piles of gold, focused as he was on the boy, but he reacted in shock when Rhuagh spoke to him. The dragon reassured the new arrival that he would not harm either of them. Tomas explained how he had come to the dragon's chamber and how the dragon had welcomed and cared for him. Rhuagh explained his history and asked if the pair could wait for him to pass, sitting his deathwatch, before they departed, to which they agreed. They spent the night listening to his tales of his travels and the wonders he had seen, and of his friend Macros. Finally, sensing his time nearing, Rhuagh asked Dolgan to fetch Macros' gift from the wooden chest holding it, a heavy rod ending in a knob. The dragon informed the pair that the box also contained gifts for each of them, thanks for spending the dragon's last night with him, and he added that they could take whatever else pleased them. Then he asked Dolgan to touch the rod to him, saying that then he would end. Regretfully Dolgan did so, and Rhuagh suddenly reared up. 

(Magician Apprentice#11) - His vitality temporarily restored, Rhuagh breathed a huge spout of flame. He thanked the absent Macros for a magnificent gift, and heard the wizard's voice whisper that he was welcome. Then Rhuagh flew up into the air, and vanished in a burst of light.

(Magician Apprentice#11 - BTS) - Tomas shed a tear for the passing of his new friend, and, not wishing to linger, they claimed Rhuagh's gifts - for Dolgan the Hammer of Tholin, a lost symbol of the last dwarven king, and for Tomas an ornate sword and gilded armor; these last would prove to be Valheru, and soon transform the boy, giving him the power of the Dragon Lords.

 

Comments: Created by Raymond E. Feist; adapted into comics by Bryan Glass and Ryan Stegman.

   Rhuagh first appeared in Magician, the initial novel in Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga. A lengthy tome, in later printings Magician was usually split into two volumes, Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master, with Rhuagh's small appearance falling into the first part.

   For Marvel stories, even licensed ones and ones published by companies tied to Marvel rather than Marvel itself, one question we always consider is: could this be set on Earth-616 (the main Marvel Earth) or at least within that universe, perhaps on an alien world somewhere out in space or in another dimension that is still part of the overall Reality-616? We can rule out it being Earth-616 immediately. Rhaugh lives on the planet Midkemia, a fantasy world which doesn't seem to be an alternate Earth given that it has completely different continents. Additionally, the reason the series is known as the Riftwar Saga is because in the first book Midkemia is invaded by Kelewan, another fantasy realm, via interdimensional or inter-reality portals. Though it's not inconceivable that the portals are traversing "only" interstellar space with Midkemia and Kelewan both planets in the same universe, the implication is that they are in different dimensions or realities from one another.

   As I write the above, it occurs to me that while the differences between all these terms are clear to me, they probably aren't to many who might be reading this. Hopefully this will clarify:

   Because Kelewan and Midkemia don't seem to be alternate reality versions of one another nor of Earth, and because an inter-reality portal and an interdimensional portal look very much the same, we can't really say if they are just in different dimensions or if they are in different realities, and so we can't rule out them being in dimensions that are part of the overall Reality-616.

   Estimating Rhuagh's size is tricky. The novel only notes that his head was the "size of a small wagon" and that he is "huge." We see in one panel of the comic when he is lying with his head resting on its side that his muzzle is as wide as Tomas is tall. The cover of Magician Apprentice#10 gives a passable comparison shot, depicting Tomas and Dolgan standing tiny in the foreground as Rhuagh rears up. To his shoulder, and not including his lengthy neck, he's easily at least four and half time times Tomas' height, his torso length seems to match his standing leg height, and his tail and neck are each as long as his torso, making him three or more times as long as he is high. A comparably-sized dinosaur would be in the sauropod family, and that works well overall given they too would have a long neck and tail, though not wings. A similarly sized sauropod would apparently be in the 20 to 40 ton weight range, but Rhuagh is a magical beast and can fly. Does he weight 40 tons, but his wings are just that powerful, or maybe magic overcomes the weight, or is he far lighter than his size would suggest, perhaps with hollow bones like a bird? We just don't have the information to figure this out.

   This profile was completed on 09/25/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event to represent Magician: Apprentice.

Profile by Loki.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Rhuagh has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Magician Apprentice#10, p12-13 spread, pan1 (main image)
Magician Apprentice#10, p14, pan6 (headshot)
Magician Apprentice#10, p16, pan5 (battling Macros)
Magician Apprentice#11, p6, pan1-3 (Rhuagh's passing)
Magician Apprentice#10 cover (Rhuagh rearing up with Dolan and Tomas below, providing scale)

Appearances:
Magician Apprentice#10-11 (December 2007-January 2008) - Raymond E. Feist (writer), Bryan J.L. Glass (adaptation), Ryan Stegman (artwork), Mark Paniccia (editor)

First Posted: 09/28/2026
Last updated: 09/25/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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