Kyoto (as of 1/12/101PA)was one of 3 dragons resident in Shiftsville and by far the oldest. Kyoto first came to Shiftsville in late 75 PA when the "Purges" were in full flood. Strangers, especially those who chose to stand upto the local thugs, were not particulary welcome in town in those days, and when the inn he was staying in was raided,he teleported away. Materialising in the woods by the small lake in the North-East of the city he encountered a small boy, of perhaps 13 years of age. The boy had obviously very recently taken a serious beating. In a flash of insight the dragon picked up the boy and dimensionally teleported out of town arriving at the residence of some from friends in Baveria. Leaving the boy in their care the dragon returned to America, and took-up residence in Wells.
By this time Kyoto was well into his twilight years, and like most dragons is given to know the time and place of his death. When Kemp started his campaign of terror in early 101PA, Kyoto mearly packed his few precious things and moved back to Shiftsville, seeking out Raghnall for permission to stay. Until his time Raghnall, whilst sensing the presence of another dragon in the area had no idea who it was (Kyoto had, amongst other things, an Amulet of Masking). Raghnall, was flabergasted to say the least, and didn't really know what to say, so Kyoto stayed and began to teach Raghnall what he would need to know in the months ahead.
The knowledge Kyoto imparted is known only to a few dragons, mainly because it is no longer passed in written form. There is a legend even amongst Dragons of a book in a long forgotten tounge that contains not only these spells but others and the researches of a dragon called Alazar. Legend has it that he was killed by the Old Ones when he became too powerful and dared challenge them, but that he hid the book lest they learn its secrets and gained eternal power over dragon kind.
When a dragon uses a DeathKnell spell the focus must be a rune weapon of some description, preferably a Greater Rune Weapon, as those of a lesser ilk are destroyed by the magical forces unleashed in the incantation. Even Greater Rune Wepons have a chance of perishing (1 on a D20), but usually they are flung into the Megaverse and lost for thousands of years. This can be prevented but requires the help of a second dragon, and can be fatal to both dragons.
The first part of the ritual requires that the dying dragon imbues part of his essence in the assisting dragon. This is so that at the critical moment the dying dragon can momentarily unlock the dimensionsal prision that he traps his assistant in.
He then casts Psychic Tap on the assistant allowing them to tap not only his power (PPE) but also that contained in the essence fragment.This is followed by the creation of the dimensional prison, with a delayed trigger and a specific target, the assistant.Once the assistant knows the timestop spell then all is nearly set. The last step is for the assistant to enter the prision (not that they now have any choice in the matter)
Once the casting of the DeathKnell spell begins timing becomes of the essence. As the PPE of the caster pours into the focus, he must hold it in check, and at the same time unlock the prision his assistant is now housed in. The assistant must momentarily step out of the prison, stop time the instant the DeathKnell spell detonates, grab the focus (which is now white hot), and step back into the prison, all without getting crisped. Inside the prision the assistant is safe from the forces unleashed but as soon as he steps outside he takes their full force which is why timing becomes critical. Once the door is unlocked he must judge the approching detonation, start the timestop spell such that he can finish it as close after the detonation as possible, get back to the prison before its duration expires, and relock the door. He then waits for the spell duration to expire before he is released.
Once out of the prision, the assistant now finds he has grown a conscience and the essence of the now dead dragon remains with the assistant until the assistants death. If the assistant should die before he is powerful enough to pass a fragment of his essence on then the knowledge is lost. Since the ritual requires immense trust by both the dying dragon and the assistant, this combination is only known by a few (and dwindling) number of Good aligned dragons. Dragons knowing these spell find they can only teach the Timehole and DeathKnell spells to others. Knowledge of the others can only be imparted by the essence transfer and the dying dragon won't reveal this to the assistant. The assistant learns this once they reach the point at which they can use the Imbue spell (when they reach Ancient status).
When Kyoto casts the DeathKnell spell Bambi actually misjudges the timing for the TimeStop spell and is exposed for n hundredths of a second before the detonation suffering y MDC. This causes him to miscalculate the actual timestop and get caught by the blast as he locks the prison door. When he immerges from the prison he has 3 MDC left and his right foreclaw will be out of action for several months.