THE RISE OF T1AMAT By St e v e W i n t e r a n d A l e x a n d e r W i n t e r JYK ANNY of TfR AqONS,.
C r e d i t s K o b o l d P ress Designers: Steve Winter, Alexander W inter Developer and Producer: W olfgang Baur Editor: Scott Fitzgerald Cray Interior Illustrators: John-Paul Balmet, Nicole Cardiff, G uido Kuip, M arcel M ercado , Bryan Syme Cartographer: Jared Blando Art Director: M a rc Radle W izards o f t h e C o as t D&D Lead Designers: Mike Mearls, Jeremy Craw ford Producer: Greg Bilsland Adventure Contributors: Mike Mearls, Christopher Perkins, M a tt Sernett, Chris Sims, Rodney Thom p son , Jeremy Craw ford Art Directors: Kate Irwin, Shauna Narciso Cover Illustrator: M ichael Komarck Graphic Designers: Bree Heiss, Emi Tanji Project Management: Neil Shinkle, John Hay Production Services: Cynda Callaway, Jefferson Dunlap, David Gershm an, Anita W illiam s Brand and Marketing: Nathan Stewart, Liz Schuh, Chris Lindsay, Shelly M azzanoble , Hilary Ross, Laura Tomm ervik, Kim Lundstrom , Trevor Kidd Playtesters: M elissa Bassett, Andre Begin, M ik Calow, M elanie Cote, M anon Crevier, Ben Danderson, Dave Eadie, Frank Foulis, Rodrigo G orgulho , Pete Griffith, Liam Gulliver, Jon Harvill, Joseph Kauffmann, Yan Lacharite, Renata Landim , Rodrigo Landim , Eric Leroux, Carlos Eduardo Lopes, Julia Lopes, David Muller, Claudio Pozas, Paula Pozas, Coun t Response, Sara Servin, Robin Stacey, Jaime Thayer, Keoki Young Disclaimer: Tiam at does not apologize f o r TPKs. F o r e w o r d With this adventure, you are ready to begin the final assault against Tiamat, wrapping up the first great campaign for the fifth edition of D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s . Whether or not you played through the first installment of this series—Hoard o f the Dragon Queen—you need only the basic rules and the Tyranny o f Dragons online appendix to play through this adventure. This campaign takes the game to ever-greater heights of power, both for the heroes and for the foes they face. The challenges of this adventure are greater than anything the characters have faced before—and of course the thrill of presenting those bigger challenges in an epic light is more satisfying for the Dungeon Master as well. Go big in these episodes! The adventurers might be blasted and destroyed by dragon fire, ensnared by sorcery, or cut down by vengeful cultists. But the options and allies available to the heroes as they fight against the Cult of the Dragon are equally great. Defeating Tiamat won’t be easy, but I am certain you and your players w ill make it both exciting and memorable. Good luck, and good gaming! Wolfgang Baur Founder, Kobold Press July 2014 ON THE COVER N o longer im prisoned in the Nine Hells, Tiam a t makes her trium phan t ascent and claim s the W ell o f Dragons as her lair. Her arrival, as illustrated by Michael Komarck, portends the dawn o f a grim new age. 620A9607000001 EN ISBN: 978-0-7869-6565-6 [ £ First Printing October 2014 98765432 D U N G E O N S & D R AG O N S , D&D , W izard s o f the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon am persand, Tyranny o f Dragons, H oard o f the D ragon Queen, The Rise o f Tiam at, Player’s H andbook, M on s te r M anual, Dungeon M a s te r’s Guide, all other W izard s o f the Coa st p rodu c t names, and their respective logos are trademarks o f W izard s o f the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property o f W izard s o f the Coast. This material is protected under the copyrigh t laws o f the United States o f Am erica. Any reproduction o r unau thorized use o f the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited w ithou t the express w ritten perm ission o f W izard s o f the Coast. The Kobold Press logo is a trademark o f O pen Design and is used by perm ission. Printed in the USA . ©2014 W izard s o f the Coa st LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, W A 98057-0707, USA . M anu fa ctured by H a sb ro SA, Rue Emile-Bo^chat 31, 2800 Del^mont, CH . Represented by Hasbro Europe. 4 The Square. S tockley Park. Uxbridge. Middlesex. UB11 1ET. UK.
T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s Introduction.........................................4 Background.........................................4 Overview............................................ 5 Outline of Episodes.............................. 5 Adventure Hooks.................................. 6 Additional Encounters...........................6 Running the Adventure.......................... 7 Groups............................................... 8 Villains............................................... 8 Allies................................................ 11 Episode 1: Council of Waterdeep.......... 18 Starting the Adventure.................... 18 Back in Waterdeep......................... 19 Gathering Allies............................. 19 Sessions of the Council .................. 19 Scoring the Sessions......................23 Episode 2: The Sea of Moving Ice......... 24 The Sea of Moving Ice..................... 25 Oyaviggaton.................................. 27 Ice Caves......................................29 Map: Arauthator’s Lair.................... 31 Arauthator’s Lair............................36 Developments............................... 37 Leaving Oyaviggaton...................... 37 Arauthator’s Treasure......................37 Conclusion....................................37 Episodes 3 and 4: Death to the Wyrmspeakers............................. 38 Varram the White...........................38 Tomb of Diderius...........................40 Map: Tomb of Diderius................... 40 Ss’tck’a l....................................... 45 Conclusion....................................47 Neronvain..................................... 48 The Misty Forest............................ 48 Neronvain’s Stronghold................... 50 Map: Neronvain’s Stronghold........... 51 Conclusion....................................53 Episode 5: The Cult Strikes Back......... 54 First Attack...................................54 Second Attack............................... 55 Third Attack.................................. 56 Sequence of Events........................57 Episode 6: Metallic Dragons, Arise....... 58 Unlikely Ambassadors.................... 58 Council of Dragons.........................59 Conclusion....................................61 Episode 7: Xonthal’s Tower................. 62 The Maze..................................... 63 Map: Xonthal’s Tower......................65 The Tower.................................... 69 Dungeon...................................... 71 Exiting Xonthal’s Tower...................74 Conclusion....................................74 Episode 8: Mission to Thay................. 75 The Enemy of My Enemy................. 7 5 Conclusion....................................77 Episode 9: Tiamat’s Return................. 78 The Well of Dragons....................... 79 Map: The Well of Dragons................ 80 Map: Tiamat’s Temple..................... 84 Tiamat’s Temple............................. 85 Enemies and Allies.........................86 Victory or Defeat............................88 Appendix A: Monsters..................... 89 Appendix B: Magic Items.................93 Appendix C: Council Scorecard.........94
T y r a n n y o f D r a g o n s T yranny o f Dragons: The Rise o f Tiamat is a Dungeons & D ragons adventure for characters beginning at 8th level, and the continuation of the first volume, Hoard o f the Dragon Queen. By the time the adventure runs its course, the characters should reach 15th level (or be close to it). Four characters is the ideal party size. If your group is smaller than that, consider removing a few opponents from combat encounters. If the group is bigger, consider adding opponents to the fights. Consider altering encounters for smaller groups to avoid overly tough battles. In t r o d u c t i o n Tyranny o f Dragons is set in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realm s—a thin strip of civilization stretching down Faerun’s western shore. The widely spaced cities of the Sword Coast are arranged on a single great road like beads on a string. The road goes by several names as it winds over two thousand miles from Luskan in the north to Calimport in the south, passing through Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, and other great ports along the way. The first volume of Tyranny o f Dragons took place largely on the stretch between Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter. This second volume takes the adventurers farther afield across the Sword Coast, preparing them for the final showdown against the servants of Tiamat. Adventure Supplements. You can play this adventure with just the Dungeons & D ragons basic rules and the Tyranny o f Dragons online supplement, which contains all the monsters and magic items not described in this book. Both of these supplements are available as free downloads on DungeonsandDragons.com. Character Advancement. This adventure uses the milestone experience rule. Under this rule, completing certain events in the campaign causes the characters to level up. See “Advancement,” below. B a c k g r o u n d The Cult of the Dragon has been active in Faerun for centuries. For most of that time, its focus has been on undead dragons, but that’s changed. Now the cult seeks to act more directly and more boldly—by summoning Tiamat out of the Nine Hells and bringing her bodily into the world. So far, cultists and their leaders have gathered great stores of treasure, forged an alliance with Thay to assist with learning and performing the required summoning ritual, gathered up the five dragon masks central to the ritual (see “Dragon Masks,” below), and persuaded or cajoled many of the oldest and strongest evil dragons of Faerun into supporting them. However, not everything has gone according to the cult’s plans. The discovery of an alliance between the Cult of the Dragon and the Red Wizards of Thay has shaken the various factions aligned against both organizations. The Harpers view any such alliance as an abomination, as does the Order of the Gauntlet. The Lords’ Alliance recognizes the obvious threat to the lands and rulers of the Sword Coast and the North, while the Emerald Enclave suspects that anything Thay promotes is likely against the natural order. Even the Zhentarim fear the union of two such powerful forces. News of the alliance has thus brought the various factions of the Sword Coast together. The leaders of those factions understand that they must gather and rally forces to fight the cult, even as the situation in Faerun grows more dire. Abductions and raids undertaken by the Cult of the Dragon increase daily, and refugees are fleeing from burned-out regions under cult attack to major cities and fortresses. Villagers have abandoned their crops and herds, fleeing the constant predation of dragons. In many cities, all-out panic has created a growing movement in favor of agreeing to the cult’s demands in the hope of winning concessions in return. It is difficult to muster troops when people are afraid they w ill be burned by dragonfire. This is a time for heroes to inspire the people of the Sword Coast with a great victory or two. Fortunately, the Forgotten Realm s has just such a group of heroes. D r a g o n M a s k s The new leader of the cult is a Calish*te named Severin Silrajin, who believes that real draconic knowledge and power belongs to living dragons, not undead ones. Severin’s ambition amused Tiamat, so she revealed the existence of five dragon masks to him—one for each chromatic dragon color. Individually, these ancient masks allow wearers to communicate with dragons. More importantly, a character who is erudite in draconic lore becomes a wyrmspeaker while wearing the mask, which allows the wearer to think like a dragon, gain favor among dragons, and subtly influence their behavior. When all five are brought together, they magically merge into a single Mask of the Dragon Queen. With the assembled mask, the cult can release Tiamat from her prison in the Nine Hells. After Severin (subtly guided by Tiamat) discovered that secret, he bent all the cult’s resources to finding the long-lost dragon masks in their secret hiding places. When he recovered the red mask, Severin became the first of the wyrmspeakers, but others soon followed. S e c r e t s In the first volume of Tyranny o f Dragons, the Cult of the Dragon gathered up a hoard for Tiamat—then lost a portion of that hoard when Skyreach Castle fell. A ll the while, the cult kept secret its goal of bringing back Tiamat and its alliance with an exiled group of Red W izards of Thay. The cult now needs only to gather enough sacrifices to power the ritual by which the dragon masks w ill open a portal to the Nine Hells, allowing Tiamat to travel to the Material Plane. These plans continue to move ahead as the Thayan exile Rath Modar and his Red Wizards bring expertise in summoning magic to the cult, preparing a tremendous blood sacrifice to empower the ritual.
N e w Fa c e s This adventure makes use o f certain NPCs from Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, and makes the assumption that those NPCs escaped any conflict with the adventurers. In the event that important nonplayer characters such as Wyrmspeaker Rezmir or the Red Wizard Rath Modar were killed or captured, simply replace them with new nonplayer characters here— or assume that they were resurrected between the previous adventure and this one. Characters returning from the dead show the level o f magical power the cult and its Red Wizard allies wield— and their dedication to seeing Severin’s plans brought to fruition. The alliance between wizards and cultists is fragile, however, since neither side entirely trusts the promises of the other. A l l i e d F o r c e s This second volume of Tyranny o f Dragons assumes that the factions of good-aligned adventurers and the people of the Sword Coast are aware of the threat posed by the cult. W hat’s unclear is how to deal with it. Depending on the nature of the characters and their relationships with the factions, different groups might recommend different courses of action to the heroes. It falls to the players to figure out how they want to proceed. O v e r v i e w At the start this adventure, representatives of groups and factions from across the Sword Coast meet to discuss their concern about the Cult of the Dragon, and to draw up plans for opposing the cult. The adventurers are summoned to Waterdeep for a summit that w ill come to be known as the Council of Waterdeep (see episode 1 for details). Four council sessions take place over the course of the adventure, naturally dividing events into four stages. Between the council gatherings, the characters undertake missions to thwart the cult’s plans. Some of these missions w ill be proposed by N P C s (nonplayer characters) during council sessions. Others can be proposed by the characters. The adventurers understand that thousands of lives depend on their actions. The characters are among the greatest heroes of the Sword Coast, and the Council of Waterdeep looks to them for wise guidance and swift action. Many of the power groups represented on the council don’t trust each other, and some even have conflicting goals. Over the course of the council’s four meetings, the players and characters need to forge this disparate, feuding group into a coordinated force. Only with all factions working together and contributing to the overall effort can enough power be brought to bear against the cult to prevent Tiamat’s return. The more successful the characters are in their actions against the cult, the more esteem and influence they gain with the council. Events are arranged in this book in a logical sequence for staging The Rise o f Tiamat, and the episodes are numbered for ease of reference. You can even add more episodes of your own devising, or which expand on ideas the players generate. O u t l i n e o f E p iso d e s The events of Hoard o f the Dragon Queen lead directly into The Rise o f Tiamat. The shape of this adventure is defined by the meetings of the Council of Waterdeep, which divide the adventure into four stages. St a g e 1 F ir s t C oun cil o f Waterdeep. The characters are invited by N PC s they know and trust to the first session of the Council of Waterdeep. (If you played Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, Leosin Erlanthar or Ontharr Frume are likely candidates.) Varram the White. The adventurers learn the location of one of the cult's highest-ranking leaders— Wyrmspeaker Varram. After discovering that Varram is held captive by yuan-ti in the Serpent Hills, the characters can fight the yuan-ti and negotiate to take custody of the cultist. The Sea o f M oving Ice. Maccath the Crimson, a tiefling sorcerer of the Arcane Brotherhood, is an acknowledged expert on the Draakhorn—an ancient relic being used by the cult to summon dragons to their cause. She disappeared three years ago in the Sea of Moving Ice, where she is presently a prisoner of the white dragon Arauthator. The characters must make their way to Arauthator’s iceberg lair and convince Maccath to join them. By driving away the dragon and carrying off valuable dragon lore, they deal a blow to the cult and might gain the Arcane Brotherhood as allies in the process. The Cult S trikes B a ck (Pa rt 1). The cult’s leaders aren’t oblivious to the damage being caused by the heroes. Assassins try to stop the characters’ interference, but the cultists misjudge the strength needed to complete the job. St a g e 2 Second C oun cil o f Waterdeep. The characters regroup with the leaders of the Sword Coast’s factions at the Council of Waterdeep, assessing their victories over the cult and planning the factions’ next moves. Neronvain. The Emerald Enclave requests that the adventurers help them investigate the aftermath of cult raids led by a green dragon in the Misty Forest—a dragon possibly controlled by one of the cult’s wyrmspeakers. That investigation leads to a showdown against the green dragon Chuth and Wyrmspeaker Neronvain, who has a surprising connection to the council. M e tallic Dragons, A rise . The metallic dragons of the Sword Coast send word to the Council of Waterdeep that they wish to participate in the coming struggle. The adventurers are chosen to attend a council of dragons in the Sunset Mountains, pleading the humanoid factions’ case to some of the oldest and most powerful creatures in Faerun. The Cult S trikes B a ck (P a rt 2). After a first attempt to assassinate the heroes failed, the Cult of the Dragon tries again. With a better idea of what they’re up against, they have a better chance to succeed.
St a g e 3 T h ird C ou n cil o f Waterdeep. At the third meeting of the Council of Waterdeep, the characters take lead roles in shaping the fight against the cult. X on th al’s Tower. The Cult of the Dragon is not without its own internal strife, as the adventurers discover when a cultist contacts them with the offer to turn over one of the dragon masks essential to Severin’s plans. The characters must infiltrate a cult stronghold and claim the mask, then save a nearby village from the blue dragon that means to take the relic back. M is sio n to Thay. The ritual that w ill bring Tiamat to Faerun is too complex for the cult’s spellcasters to perform without their Red Wizard allies—all Thayan exiles. The adventurers travel to Thay to forge an alliance with the Red Wizards, whose lich lord Szass Tam hungers for revenge against the exiles. The Red Wizards of Thay are evil to the core, though, and the delegates must tread carefully as they present their case. The C ult S trikes B a ck (P a rt 3). The Cult of the Dragon now knows the adventurers’ strengths and methods. If the characters don’t take precautions to safeguard themselves, the cult stands a good chance of killing them all with a third attack. St a g e 4 Fou rth C ou n cil o f Waterdeep. At the final meeting of the council, the characters must work to unite the factions of the Sword Coast for the final battle against the Cult of the Dragon. Severin is ready to fulfill his plans, and the combined forces of the Sword Coast must strike now if the cult is to be stopped. Tiam a t’s Return . At the Well of Dragons, a battle unfolds that w ill decide the fate of Faerun. The factions of the Sword Coast fight alongside new and unexpected allies, facing off against the assembled might of the dragon cultists, flights of chromatic dragons, other monsters, and mercenaries. The adventurers choose their own role during the battle, and might rescue sacrificial prisoners, shut down the Draakhorn, or take the lead in disrupting the magical ritual that w ill allow Tiamat to enter the world. A d v a n c e m e n t Tyranny o f Dragons: The Rise o f Tiamat was designed around the milestone system of advancement. At the start of the adventure, the characters should be 7th or 8th level. Instead of tracking specific experience awards, characters can level up at the completion of significant episodes of the adventure. The characters level up after every episode listed below: • Episode 3: Death to the Wyrmspeakers (Varram) • Episode 2: The Sea of Moving Ice • Episode 5: The Cult Strikes Back (First Attack) • Episode 4: Death to the Wyrmspeakers (Neronvain) • Episode 5: The Cult Strikes Back (Second Attack) • Episode 7: Xonthal’s Tower • Episode 8: Mission to Thay (level gain at D M ’s option) • Episode 5: The Cult Strikes Back (Third Attack) Leveling up after seven milestones should bring the characters to 14th or 15th level in time for the final battle at the W ell of Dragons. A d v e n t u r e H o o k s For characters who have not played Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, the adventure can also begin by playing out another episode before the first session of the Council of Waterdeep. The party could be summoned by a factional leader seeking aid against the Cult of the Dragon, with the characters asked to undertake the “Varram the White” portion of the “Death to the Wyrmspeakers” episode. Seeking to capture a high-ranking cult leader is a great step in the fight against the cult. Once they return to Waterdeep, the adventurers then become embroiled in the first session of the “Council of Waterdeep” episode. Tyranny o f Dragons can be adapted to different regions of the Forgotten Realms, or to a different campaign setting entirely with a bit of preparation on your part. Change the names, factions, and locations present in the adventure to suit your own campaign. A d d i t i o n a l E n c o u n t e r s The Rise o f Tiamat is an open-framework adventure designed for higher-level characters. As such, not all your game sessions need to stick to the main track of the adventure narrative. Additional events, rumors, and encounters can be used as needed or added as side treks or distractions. The following encounter seeds are meant to be used when you want to break up the narrative or if the players get off track. Each can be expanded as you like, and is meant to tie into one of the main episodes in the adventure (or to let you gently guide the players in that direction). Each additional encounter also provides a sense of the wider scope of the setting. M o n s t r o u s U p r i s i n g A charismatic half-red dragon veteran leads a band of 21 kobolds and 7 lizardfolk, taking advantage of the unrest along the Sword Coast. The group might besiege a village the characters are staying at, raid and enslave another settlement, or start charging tolls along one of the trade roads of the Sword Coast. This band isn’t organized enough to attack all at once and provide a significant challenge to the party. Instead, it shows the increasing anarchy of the region, and the way that Tiamat’s rise has emboldened evil creatures that aren’t directly serving the Dragon Queen. P o w e r o f t h e C u l t The Cult of the Dragon expands its operation in larger and bolder ways. Its leaders send diplomatic missions to Berdusk, Triel, and other settlements demanding tribute—and offering protection from dragon raids for those who comply. Cultists shake down caravans seeking protection money, and have been burning caravans that belong to the rivals of those who do pay. Less scrupulous merchants are finding it easier to do business with the cult than to fight against them. Any Zhentarim contacts of the adventurers are understandably worried about these developments.
M o n s t e r N a m e s Throughout the adventure, monster names are presented in bold. This is a visual cue pointing you to look up the monster’s stat block in the Monster Manual (or in the free supplement available at DungeonsandDragons.com). New monsters appear in appendix A o f this adventure. A note appears after a monster’s name if that is the case. Elite bands of cultists have been charged with establishing the cult’s control from the Gray Peaks to the Sunset Mountains. They seek out allies in the area, with an eye toward choosing friendly territory for a capital city and a seat of power for the cult’s Inner Circle. Such bands are led by a dragonsoul defended by 4 dragonclaws and a pack of 3 guard drakes. The dragonsoul rides a warhorse, but the other cultists are on foot. See appendix A for the cultists and drakes. D e v i l i s h D e m a n d s Though the Cult of the Dragon and the Red Wizards are making use of diabolic allies as they plan the ritual that w ill free Tiamat, not all devils are on their side. Some fiends not wanting to see Tiamat gain worldly power seek to break the alliance between the cult and Thay. This encounter can be used to reveal to the characters the divisions already present among the evil factions. The devils who are aligned against Tiamat send a delegation of 5 cultists and 2 cult fanatics (devil worshipers) and a bone devil named Lord Volmer to treat with the party. The cultists lead the characters to a large tent, inside which Lord Volmer awaits. Using telepathy, Lord Volmer tells the adventurers about the so-called “Thayan Resurrection” (the attempt by Thayan exiles to supplant Szass Tam), as well as the fact that Szass Tam intends to destroy Rath Modar and his “splinter sect” for their impudence. The bone devil assures the characters that they can earn the Red W izards’ favor by providing him with information leading to Rath Modar’s capture. Lord Volmer also tells the party that the lords of the Nine Hells are divided when it comes to the matter of Tiamat’s release. He tells the party that if Tiamat is prevented from escaping, the party w ill earn “powerful friends” in the Nine Hells. If the characters attack Lord Volmer, he and his allies retaliate. The devil is not worried about dying, since he reforms at full strength in the Nine Hells upon his demise. C a p t i v e C u l t i s t A group of dwarf miners has captured a high-ranking member of the Cult of the Dragon—a Wearer of Purple named Cheela Flegsteel who got a little too greedy while leading a group of cultists that was terrorizing the dwarves. Having killed Cheela’s drakes and subordinates, the dwarves bring their prisoner to the adventurers hoping for a reward. Cheela has useful information about the cult’s activities, which could be used to lead into any episode of your choice. However, she also knows that a rescue party is not far behind her. The adventurers need to help the dwarves fend off an attack by 4 ogres and a half-red dragon veteran named Yggran. The dwarves are hopelessly overmatched and flee rather than fight. If her fellow cultists can’t save Cheela, they might kill her rather than leave her in the adventurers’ hands. Fa l l e n H e r o The adventurers meet a seriously injured elf ranger—a well-known hero named Cylanestriel. She speaks of her capture by the Cult of the Dragon and her escape from the stronghold at the caldera of the W ell of Dragons. (If possible, make Cylanestriel an associate, mentor, or relative of someone in the party.) Use this encounter to make the players aware of the dangers presented by a direct assault against the Well of Dragons. The army of the cult is huge and powerful enough to have destroyed a major adventuring group. The Well of Dragons is on alert, and its defensive forces include flights of dragons that prowl the skies above the site. The characters should be made to understand that attacking with a large allied force is their only option for defeating the cult. D e a t h a t t h e C o u n c i l During the second or third session of the Council of Waterdeep, rumors spread of an aide from Neverwinter who killed an aide from Mithral Hall and then hanged himself. In truth, the Cult of the Dragon sent a succubus spy to Waterdeep. She charmed the Neverwinter aide into collecting information for her, but the other aide discovered their meetings. The succubus forced her victim to slay the other aide to cover her tracks, then to kill himself. If the characters investigate, they can obtain the body to question it using speak with dead, or they might use commune to discover the spy. The succubus has gained another victim by that point—a knight of the Order of the Gauntlet who regularly goes to meet her at her slum dwelling in the Field Ward of Waterdeep. This pattern of murder and suicide continues unless the spy’s true identity is discovered. R u n n i n g t h e A d v e n t u r e Tyranny o f Dragons is a big, sprawling adventure that covers many levels of play and a huge swath of the Forgotten Realms. This book outlines the overall structure of the adventure and presents many episodes and events with which to challenge the characters as they investigate the nefarious plots of the Cult of the Dragon. This is not, however, a script to be read aloud with stage directions that must be followed. Tyranny o f Dragons does not hold your hand and guide you step-by-step from the story’s beginning to its inevitable conclusion. Instead, it presents people, creatures, locations, and situations for the adventurers to explore and interact with in a constantly changing, lively way. You, the Dungeon Master, play a vital role. The creators of Tyranny o f Dragons have tried to foresee the most likely courses of action that the characters might take in the adventure. However, D & D players are curious and unpredictable, and Faerun is immense and filled with possibility. In a scenario as open-ended
as this one, it is all but guaranteed that at some point during the adventure—and possibly at many points—the players w ill develop their own ideas about how to handle a situation or how to deal with the cult. And just like that, they’ll be off and running in directions that aren’t covered by this book. Those kinds of situations put a D M ’s skill to the test—but they also produce some of the greatest gaming moments and memories. V i l l a i n s The plot to return Tiamat to the mortal realm has brought some of Faerun’s most sinister organizations and most powerful monsters into deadly alliance. T h e C u l t o f t h e D r a g o n The Cult of the Dragon has existed for centuries. During most of that time, its members have focused on the creation and worship of dracoliches, based on a prophecy translated by the cult’s founder, Sammaster. However, those goals changed with the rise of a young cultist named Severin. Inspired by Tiamat, Severin reexamined the texts translated by Sammaster and discovered a different interpretation, believing that “naught w ill be left save shattered thrones, with no rulers but the dead. Dragons shall rule the world entire . . .” Severin’s quest to reshape the cult led him to the dragon Hoondarrh, “the Red Rage of Mintarn.” The fact that Severin not only survived this encounter but befriended the dragon impressed Tiamat in her exile in the Nine Hells. A s a reward and further test, she allowed Severin a scrap of knowledge regarding the existence of the five dragon masks. Severin took that bit of information and did what few others could have accomplished, searching for and finding all five masks. The task took years to complete, and it led directly to the crisis that Faerun now faces. Severin kept the red mask for himself. A s other masks were found, he presented them to his closest allies in the Cult of the Dragon, granting each the power of a wyrmspeaker. Using the magic of the dragon masks, this Inner Circle of Wyrmspeakers helps Severin prepare the way for Tiam at’s return. D a i l y O p e r a t i o n s The plots of the Cult of the Dragon are secret, but its existence is not. Most folk of the Sword Coast have heard of the cult, but know only that its members revere evil dragons. The cult recruits new members in major cities, and word quickly gets around. Moreover, many cultists engage in legitimate business or are assigned to ordinary academic research. Only a relative few serve as thieves, assassins, and spies. Dragon-themed symbolism and iconography pervade the cult’s official regalia—black clothing that features a cape or cloak cut to resemble dragon wings, and festooned with jewelry and draconic imagery reflecting the wearer’s favorite type of dragon. Masks are common at cult gatherings. Cultists avoid this regalia in public, but a character who knows what to look for can often pick an incognito dragon cultist out of a crowd. Cultists sometimes greet one another with the sign of Tiamat: right hand extended, palm forward, with all five fingers spread in imitation of Tiamat’s five heads. Characters trying to pass as cultists might find this sign useful if they don’t overdo it. Cult members venerate dragons as powerful icons and masters, but their worship is reserved for Tiamat. They look forward to the Dragon Queen’s return, believing that she w ill destroy mortal civilization and usher in a glorious reign of dragons—and of those who helped bring about draconic rule. The complex plot dedicated to bring Tiamat to Faerun has so far seen the cult recover the five dragon masks and collect an immense treasure worthy of the Dragon Queen. A ll that now remains is to raise her temple in the W ell of Dragons, sacrifice hundreds of victims whose souls w ill power an ancient ritual, and then use that ritual to open a portal through which Tiamat w ill emerge from the Nine Hells. C u l t St r u c t u r e The cult has a simple hierarchical structure, consisting of initiates on the bottom, four ranks for cultists, and one highest rank for “Wearers of Purple”—the lords, leaders, and cult masters of particular locales. The cult is ruled by a secretive inner group led by Severin and four other wyrmspeakers—a term of respect given to those whose bond with dragons is supernaturally strong. Rank in the cult is based on merit and fanaticism. A s raw recruits, initiates (represented by cultists and cult fanatics) have no rank and follow the orders of their superiors. Only initiates that prove their worth are allowed to advance. A Wearer of Purple can promote an initiate along the track of dragonclaw (first rank), dragonwing (second rank), dragonfang (third rank), and dragonsoul (fourth rank). Statistics for those four ranking cultists are found in appendix A. Cult operation groups are assembled to match their assigned tasks. They vary in size, from a few lowranking cultists operating on their own to hundreds of cultists of various ranks under the control of multiple Wearers of Purple. W e a r e r s o f P u r p l e The Wearers of Purple stand at the top of the cult’s humanoid hierarchy, and their word is law for the cultists in the cities, strongholds, and lairs they command. They are the only members of the cult to wear purple, and most are proud enough to flaunt the color. The Wearers of Purple have an affinity for talking to and negotiating with dragons—the gift of wyrmspeaking. Dozens of Wearers of Purple are spread throughout the Cult of the Dragon, and all are able to marshal the cult’s resources. Only Severin’s inner circle can promote a dragonsoul to a Wearer of Purple, granting that character a base of operations and funds. Most new Wearers of Purple have already developed a working relationship with a dragon as part of their power and authority. Those who do not cultivate and expand this relationship are sometimes demoted. A number of priests of Tiamat have recently been made Wearers of Purple, and have
been charged with establishing temples for her open worship in Faerun. This aspect of the cult’s plans is still in the early stages, and the inner circle remains divided on how the Cult of the Dragon should interact with the faithful of Tiamat. T h e I n n e r C i r c l e These four Wearers of Purple are the keepers of the dragon masks and Severin’s most devoted servants in the effort to summon Tiamat. Each of these wyrmspeakers bears one of the dragon masks, which they never part with except under the direst circ*mstances—and then only at the request of Severin or a draconic ally. The members of the inner circle each have an affinity for a particular color of chromatic dragon. They treat with dragons of those colors to recruit more dragons to the cause, and plan cult missions that advance Severin’s plots. In addition to Severin, the Red Wyrmspeaker, the members of the inner circle are: Galvan (male human), the Blue Wyrmspeaker; Neronvain (male moon elf), the Green Wyrmspeaker and son of Melandrach, King of the Misty Forest; Rezmir (female half-black dragon), the Black Wyrmspeaker; and Varram (male dwarf), the White Wyrmspeaker. If any wyrmspeakers are killed or captured in your campaign—including Rezmir, who the characters might have defeated in Hoard o f the Dragon Queen—Severin appoints new followers to his inner council. D i s s e n t i n t h e R a n k s Under Severin’s leadership, most cultists are devoted to Tiamat--but not all. Some of the old guard dislike the cult’s new direction, and long for the established traditions and the rise of the dracoliches. A common thought among the dracolich loyalists is that Severin is being played by the fiendish Tiamat. Notable among these members of the old guard are Naergoth Bladelord, the former commander of the stronghold at the Well of Dragons, and Jorgen Pawl and Iskander, two highranking cultists in command of Xonthal’s Tower. U s i n g t h e C u l t o f t h e D r a g o n Cultists are suitable foes for the adventurers in most situations. They keep a low profile in public, so characters are unlikely to see cultists in full regalia on the streets of Waterdeep or Scornubel. As their plots near fruition, however, the cultists grow bolder and might engage the adventurers openly. By the start of The Rise o f Tiamat, the effects of the cult’s activities are visible across the Sword Coast. The scorched ruins of farming communities pillaged by cultists for Tiamat’s hoard are a common enough occurrence that travelers know something is amiss. R ed Wiz a r d s o f T h a y The Red Wizards hail from Thay, over two thousand miles east of the Sword Coast. A grim, dismal region spread across a towering plateau, Thay is defended by an army of undead warriors and ruled by the lich Szass Tam and the zulkirs he appoints to rule over the eight schools of magic. The Red Wizards of Thay are known across Faerun, and are easily recognized by their distinctive crim son robes and the arcane sigils tattooed onto their shaved heads. Because of their evil reputation, Red Wizards are arrested or killed on the spot in many lands. For that reason, they often travel in disguise, invisibly, or by magical means. For many years, Szass Tam’s grip on absolute power in Thay has been weakened by internal strife. Mortal Red Wizards have risen against their undead masters, destroying some of Szass Tam’s lich zulkirs and thinning the ranks of other undead. Little is known of the conflict beyond Thay’s borders, however. In this quiet civil war, both sides fear that too much attrition w ill make Thay a target for its long list of enemies. Szass Tam questions the allegiance of all living Red W izards outside Thay, and has made it clear that death and worse await any who oppose him. R a t h M o d a r ’s A m b i t i o n One such Red Wizard exile is Rath Modar, an illusionist of great skill who long ago made the Sword Coast his home. Having a natural interest in dragons, it wasn’t long before Rath Modar came into contact with the Cult of the Dragon and Severin. The young, ambitious cult
leader sought powerful magic to locate the scattered dragon masks and to perform the ritual that would summon Tiamat from the Nine Hells. Rath Modar dreamed of an army that could confront and defeat Szass Tam. Out of mutual need, their alliance was born. The secret cornerstone of this union is Rath M odar’s belief that once Tiamat returns, she w ill see that the Red Wizards are more useful allies than the devoted but magically weak cultists. Rath Modar hopes that Tiamat w ill show her gratitude for the pivotal role he and his fellow Red Wizards played in her return, granting them an army of dragons with which to assault Thay. After unseating Szass Tam, Rath Modar plans to take his place at the head of all Red Wizards. Whether Tiamat w ill grant such a reward—or have any further use for the Red Wizards at all—remains unknown. Not all members of the Cult of the Dragon are happy about the Red W izards’ involvement in the cult’s plans. Wyrmspeaker Varram foresees trouble in the cult joining forces with Rath Modar’s splinter sect. He has warned Severin about the potential danger, to no avail. U s i n g t h e R e d W i z a r d s Red Wizards can be encountered anywhere on the Sword Coast (use mage stats if necessary), whether operating alongside cultists or on their own. They most often work alone, but two or three Red Wizards might join forces for an important assignment. In a public area where their appearance could put them at risk, Red Wizards favor deep hoods and scarves to hide their faces. Their undead wight bodyguards are usually nearby—and often invisible. Each Red Wizard specializes in a single school of magic, but all learn spells outside their specialty schools. Red Wizards don’t share the cultists’ fanaticism for Tiamat. For them, bringing the Dragon Queen into the world is just one stage of what they call the Thayan Resurrection—the larger plan to destroy Szass Tam and reclaim Thay. They tolerate the dragon cultists but do not acknowledge them as equals. Not every Red W izard on the Sword Coast is working for Rath Modar or the Cult of the Dragon. Some pursue their own interests, while others are spies for Szass Tam. The adventurers might thus find themselves making uneasy alliances with characters they would normally never trust, since the easiest and surest way to eliminate a Red W izard in service to the cult is to betray that wizard’s location to an agent of Szass Tam. However, characters who get too close to Szass Tam’s servants and his paranoid vendetta against the Red Wizard exiles might find themselves at the mercy of the Thayans. This possibility is explored more fully in episode 8. H o sts o f t h e N in e H e l l s Tiamat has long threatened Faerun, often appearing in lands such as Chessenta and Unther to drive mortals to worship her awesome power. Although mortals don’t know it, the end of the Sundering and the Era of Upheaval also put an end to such direct meddling by the gods. Without powerful magic and mortal aid, Tiamat cannot travel from her home in Avernus into the world. Avernus is a boulder-strewn desolation where fiery comets streak across the sky and devil aristocrats rule from dismal iron fortresses. The River Styx saws a jagged course through Avernus’s basalt cliffs, winds its way across ashen plains, and eventually plunges through a yawning pit into the eight levels of the Hells below. A ll the rivers of Avernus feed into the Styx, each one flowing red with blood beneath a roiling cloud of flies. Asmodeus recently reinstated the fallen angel Zariel as the Archduch*ess of Avernus, reversing an earlier decision that allowed a pit fiend named Bel to take the throne. W hile in exile from her seat of power, Zariel was at the mercy of Tiamat—a fate that rankles her still. Despite her power as ruler of the first layer of the Nine Hells, Zariel cannot kill the dragon goddess, and she sees the summoning of Tiamat to the world as a way to be rid of her. Zariel has directed her mortal agents to assist those who seek to free Tiamat, and her power has made it easier for the Red Wizards to summon devils and for the Cult of the Dragon to find more adherents. However, just as Zariel wants Tiamat out, other devils would be happy to see the Dragon Queen stay in Avernus. Foremost among them is the deposed pit fiend Bel and the devils still loyal to him. Ordinarily, the Cult of the Dragon has nothing to do with devils. However, releasing Tiamat into the world is a massive undertaking, and Severin has called on every resource he can. Though many of his allies among the Red Wizards are well schooled in summoning and commanding devils, doing so is never a straightforward process. Devils cannot leave the Nine Hells of their own accord, and though Asmodeus can bend these laws, he seldom does. Most devils in the Material Plane were summoned there by mortal mages who expended tremendous amounts of magical power to breach the barriers that separate the Nine Hells from other planes. U s i n g D e v i l s Devils aren’t numerous in The Rise o f Tiamat until the final showdown at the W ell of Dragons, but their presence elsewhere in the adventure (including the additional encounter “Devilish Demands”) should make attentive players wonder at the connection between devils and dragons. Devils are supreme manipulators, and if the characters have the opportunity to speak with devils that aren’t working for the cult, don’t be afraid to offer them diabolical assistance. Such an offer should put all characters—not just those of good alignment—in a bind. Bargaining with devils is a fool’s game, but if the alternative is the end of the world, it might be the adventurers’ only option. Devils in the adventure should always be one step ahead of the adventurers. Characters who like to charge in and decide on strategy later w ill find that their diabolical foes have well-executed plans. If the characters plan two steps ahead, the devils are one step beyond that. Nothing mortals do should ever surprise them.
C h r o m a t i c D r a g o n s _____________ Severin and his supporters intend to use the ancient draconic artifact known as the Draakhorn to rally the chromatic dragons to Tiamat’s cause. However, chromatic dragons are notoriously arrogant, territorial, greedy, and suspicious of any creatures begging favors— especially if those creatures might be a threat. Getting dragons to cooperate is a monumental task, even when bringing the Queen of Dragons into the world is the ultimate goal. The Cult of the Dragon has a secret weapon for dealing with chromatic dragons, in the form of the five dragon masks. Even with a dragon mask, the process of influencing a dragon remains arduous and dangerous— though the payoff is enormous. These relics give their wearers the ability to communicate with dragons, but more importantly, they impart a subtle influence over dragons that cannot be detected. Dragons cannot be controlled by the masks, but they can be swayed by ideas and proposals that they would not normally find persuasive. U s i n g C h r o m a t i c D r a g o n s The power of the chromatic dragons is a motif running through every aspect of Tyranny o f Dragons: The Rise o f Tiamat. As the events of the adventure unfold, more and more dragons respond to the Draakhorn’s rumbling moan and journey to the Well of Dragons—a migration that inspires alarm and panic in people across Faerun. Characters and players should seldom be allowed to forget that the evil dragons are on the move. Whenever the adventurers are outside, they might see a dragon winging overhead in the distance. The shadow of a dragon could fall across the adventurers in the daytime, and dark draconic wings might momentarily blot out the moon at night. When the characters arrive in a settlement, they should hear stories about dragon sightings and attacks. When they travel, burned-out hamlets and demolished caravans line the road. Dragons are among the oldest, most intelligent, and most powerful monsters in Faerun and the D ungeon s & D ragons game. Chromatic dragons are evil and merciless, and every battle against these creatures should be a life-or-death struggle. No dragon should ever fall without the heroes suffering during the battle. Chromatic dragons use every possible advantage with no regard for fairness, and their chief advantage is flight. A dragon never fights on foot where enemies might hack at it when it can soar majestically out of reach and slaughter foes with its breath weapon. Only in its lair w ill a dragon typically engage in melee, and then only if its hoard is threatened. Characters who can tackle the challenges of this adventure are high enough level to have allies raised from the dead when those allies fall to a draconic foe. If the characters can’t do so themselves, their allies in the Order of the Gauntlet or the Harpers should be willing to help out. With lifetimes of a thousand years or more to lose, chromatic dragons have no interest in dying in battle against mere humanoids, and they don’t sacrifice themselves nobly for any cause—Tiamat included. A dragon caught in a losing battle takes any escape that presents itself, most often simply soaring away. This changes during the final showdown at the Well of Dragons, however, when Tiamat can be seen clawing her way through the portal from the Nine Hells. G i a n t s If the characters claimed Skyreach Castle in Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, they might well hear from a frost giant diplomat who shows up to reclaim it as property of the giants who built it. A frost giant named Harshnag lives on Mount Sar north of Waterdeep, and he is sometimes called upon when the Sword Coast faces dire threats. The player characters could fly the citadel to him or—in a more dramatic interlude—he might come to a council meeting and demand the citadel’s return on behalf of his kin so that he might rally them against their ancient foes. If the player characters did not claim the citadel (or crashed it), this option is not available to them. U s i n g G i a n t s Giants are unlikely to appear side by side with dragons anywhere before the final showdown at the Well of Dragons. However, characters who gain any insight into the giants’ alliance with the dragons should understand its apocalyptic significance. A l l i e s Several powerful organizations battle the Cult of the Dragon even as the party does. The characters are key players in the drama, but everyone in Faerun has a stake in the outcome of the battle against Tiamat and her allies. Each faction has a presence in the Council of Waterdeep, and all factions are ultimately on the adventurers’ side—even if some of them occasionally hinder the characters more than they help. This section describes each faction’s goals and driving concerns, its leading delegate or delegates to the council, and what resources it can contribute to the final battle against the Cult of the Dragon. T h e H a r p e r s The secret society known as the Harpers has been disbanded and rebuilt several times over its long history. The latest incarnation of the group retains its focus on gathering information, keeping a close watch on the balance of power in Faerun, and promoting fairness and equality in quiet, unobtrusive ways. Harpers try to keep out of the public eye, preferring secrecy to fame and using knowledge to win the day over brute force. However, as the Cult of the Dragon grows more brazen and destructive, the Harpers are forced to act more openly in their opposition.
If the characters played through Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, they’ve already met one of the most influential of the Harpers: Leosin Erlanthar, a male half-elf monk from Berdusk. U s i n g t h e H a r p e r s Harper agents operate most effectively alone or in small groups, much like adventurers. When on a mission, they are independent and self-reliant. The ideal Harper is a keen observer, persuasive, and able to go almost anywhere without arousing suspicion. N P C Harpers are the kinds of characters who consistently pop up when they’re least expected and most useful. If the characters need a safe house in a strange city, are unable to locate an elusive foe, or have been captured by the cult and need inside help to escape, a Harper can offer up a secure hideout, a whispered clue, or a smuggled knife. Bards, mages, and rogues are the most common character types in the Harpers, but characters of every class can be found in the organization. R e m a l l i a H a v e n t r e e Chaotic good female moon elf fighter Ideals: Freedom, respect (“Our failure would spell an end to all beautiful and honest things.”) Interaction Traits: Honest, friendly Pledged Resources: Harper mages and scouts The elf noble Remallia—“Remi” to her friends—is the Harper’s leading delegate to the Council of Waterdeep. She is quiet, speaking only after others have had their turn, and is content to let events unfold until she feels a need to offer intervention and guidance. This embodies her attitude about combating the cult as well. Remi is convinced that the rumors of Tiamat’s return are true, and she is frustrated by the unwillingness of the other Harpers to commit to fighting the Cult of the Dragon. She understands their hesitation, however. The Harpers’ have only recently been reformed, and the cause of their near-destruction was the decision to act more openly and aggressively. The Harpers measure success in the value and quantity of intelligence gained by a course of action, as well as how that knowledge can be used to leverage an enemy into submission. Remallia wants the party to succeed using such tactics, knowing that this w ill sway the conservatives in her faction. The Harpers are w illing to cooperate with unsavory types and leverage evil assets, but not if doing so endangers others unnecessarily. They can respect the deftness and skill needed to make such an arrangement, even if they do not like the arrangement itself. The Harpers are always dissatisfied if the characters kill important cultists rather than capturing them—or at least trying to extract information from them beforehand. T h e O r d e r o f t h e G a u n t l e t The Order of the Gauntlet shares the Harpers’ dedication to justice and equality, but their methods and attitude are quite different. Bearers of the gauntlet are holy warriors on a righteous quest to crush evil and promote justice, and they never hide in the shadows. Evil must be opposed openly and vanquished in the light of day, so that all can see and be emboldened by its destruction. Members of the order are driven by religious fervor and by devotion to the principle of justice for all. Whether a member places more emphasis on one or the other of those ideals is an individual choice. Camaraderie and esprit de corps run high within the order, and an individual member w ill risk anything to save a fellow member or to complete an important mission. The Order of the Gauntlet is a young organization, and it is eager and restless for action. It does not take orders from any government or temple, although the opinions of holy figures are greatly esteemed within the order. When evil threatens, the gauntlet strikes. U s i n g t h e O r d e r o f t h e G a u n t l e t The Order of the Gauntlet is an invaluable asset at the final showdown at the W ell of Dragons. No other faction can muster more paladins and priests to heal the wounded and combat Severin’s devil allies directly. Before the final battle, members of the order make interesting N P C s for roleplaying encounters because of their outgoing ways and strong opinions. Sharing a roadside inn with twenty paladins from the Order of the Gauntlet, or joining their march for a few days when headed in the same direction, should be a memorable experience. Clerics, paladins, and monks make up the majority of the Order of the Gauntlet, but any character of a righteous mind is welcome in the order’s ranks. O n t h a r r F r u m e Law ful good male human paladin Ideals: Responsibility, greater good (“The strong must defend the weak, whatever the cost.”) Personality Traits: Friendly, hot-tempered Pledged Resources: Paladins and healing clerics to support the fight against Tiamat’s forces Boisterous and gregarious to a fault, Ontharr is the leading delegate for the Order of the Gauntlet. He has all the justification he needs to support the party (especially if the characters played through Hoard o f the Dragon Queen). However, the rest of the order is not yet convinced. In particular, the order does not tolerate evil, and if the characters are known to have committed acts of a dubious moral nature, Ontharr Frume w ill be pressured to withhold his support. Members of the order w ill seek proof that the party is righteous or has
divine guidance, for it is only with the blessing of Torm and the other gods that Tiamat can be defeated. Just as good deeds must be performed in the light for all to see, evil must be shunned and fought at every turn. Members of the order can be won over by heroic and righteous deeds, but they w ill turn against characters who cooperate with or tolerate evil. The order can best be swayed by actions that demonstrate heroism and divine providence—uniting the metallic dragons to fight Tiamat’s brood, for example. Slaying a wyrmspeaker w ill also serve the party well, while capturing and delivering such a villain to justice w ill raise them even higher in the order’s sight. Ontharr Fram e’s dedication to heroic justice creates a strong connection between him and the paladin Sir Isteval. However, Ontharr has difficulty reconciling the heroic Isteval of legend with the diplomatic and retiring figure of the Council of Waterdeep. It’s incomprehensible to him why Sir Isteval does not take to the field him self in this great conflict. T h e E m e r a l d E n c l a v e The Emerald Enclave is dedicated to maintaining balance in the natural order and combating the forces that threaten that balance. Members of the enclave live in the wilderness or in small communities, and the order has almost no representatives in towns and cities. They are not opposed to civilization, however. Rather, they seek to prevent civilization and wilderness from harming one another. Those who serve the Emerald Enclave are masters of survival and living off the land, o f navigating through the wilderness, and of reading the signs that indicate approaching weather, the passage of creatures, and the general weal of the natural world. Severin’s plan to release Tiamat from the Nine Hells represents a grave threat to the natural order. The Dragon Queen’s reign and the ascendancy of chromatic dragons would trigger a continent-wide catastrophe that the Emerald Enclave cannot allow. U s i n g t h e E m e r a l d E n c l a v e Members of the Emerald Enclave operate alone or in small groups. Their primary focus is places where the natural world and civilization intersect, because that’s where the natural order is most easily upset. Humanoids and monsters alike can become a threat to nature when they are thrown out of balance with their environment or their role in the world. Whenever characters are traveling through the wilderness—and especially if they get into trouble in a remote area—they can encounter agents of the Emerald Enclave. If the adventurers need someone to guide them safely across a mountain range or lead them through trackless, monster-infested forest, there is no better choice than a member of the order. Druids, rangers, and barbarians make up most of the Emerald Enclave, but any character with a strong affinity for nature can find a place in the order. D e l a a n W i n t e r h o u n d Neutral good male half-elf ranger Ideals: Balance, life (“In all good hearts is a spot of darkness, and in all tragedy is a glimmer of light.”) Interaction Traits: Quiet Pledged Resources: Druids, treants, and good- and neutral-aligned lycanthropes Delaan has come to the Council of Waterdeep as the lone representative of the Emerald Enclave. Even his regular companion, a winter w olf named Loska, remains on patrol outside the city. Delaan spends much of his time wandering the northern wilderness, and although he visits friends in Nesme once a year, he otherwise shies away from large settlements. He is clearly uncomfortable in Waterdeep. There is no question that Tiamat must be stopped, but the Emerald Enclave wants to see the world restored to order. This sometimes means taking a middle ground in battles between good and evil. Delaan is acutely aware of the destruction accompanying the recent activities of the Cult of the Dragon. He knows the cult must be destroyed for upsetting the balance of nature, and he knows that many dragons supporting the cult w ill die before the end. He would rather not kill unnecessarily, however. Delaan is initially reserved in his support of the party. To earn his respect, the characters must recognize that their battle is not just to save civilization but to preserve the natural order. He thus objects to many actions that good or neutral characters might not think twice abou tincluding destroying chromatic dragon eggs and other acts that disrupt the natural cycle. Delaan’s oldest friend and mentor is a mighty treant named Turlang who resides in the High Forest. With Delaan’s support, many treants w ill join the fight against Tiamat. T h e L o r d s ’ A l l i a n c e “The Lords’ Alliance” is not a metaphor. This organization was created and is led by leaders and nobles from across Faerfln. Although many of its members have conflicting goals and long-standing rivalries outside the alliance, they band together in the face of events that are too big for any of them to handle on their own. The rulers of Waterdeep, Silverymoon, Baldur’s Gate, and other cities, families, and trading houses of the Sword Coast might never set aside their differences, but they can pull together when the survival of all depends on it.
The Lords’ Alliance represents the richest interests and the most powerful armies on the Sword Coast. The order controls wealth that can hire mercenaries, ensure the loyalty of wavering princes, and possibly even bribe a few chromatic dragons to switch sides or break from Tiamat’s cause. Without the help of the alliance against the Cult of the Dragon, the Dragon Queen’s victory might be assured. U s i n g t h e L o r d s ' A l l i a n c e Even while they are working together, members of the Lords' Alliance are always advancing their own interests. Everyone knows and expects it—it’s a fact of dealing with the alliance. That doesn’t mean member cities don’t cooperate and help each other in times of crisis. But if a crisis rearranges the power structure of the Sword Coast, all the players involved hope that the new order leaves them better off. For anyone to move up, someone else must move down. Whenever a military campaign is underway, the Lo rds’ Alliance is likely to be in command. Even if it isn’t, alliance representatives w ill be on hand to observe and advise. If the characters find themselves in legal trouble, a councilor might come to the party’s aid with a writ of pardon. Fighters and sorcerers are plentiful in the Lords’ Alliance, but the order takes on any character who feels at home in civilized lands. Barbarians, rangers, and druids are seldom involved with this faction, which sometimes leads to strained relations with the Emerald Enclave. O n t h e C o u n c i l Because the Lords’ Alliance is a confederation, the order sends seven delegates to the Council of Waterdeep, each effectively representing his or her own faction. Their diverse character, motivations, and obligations ensure that they are not in agreement about the current threat facing Faerun. Moreover, the standing of certain delegates changes from one council to the next. Although it is not necessary for all delegates to back the adventurers, without at least some support from the Lords’ Alliance, there is almost no way for the party to marshal enough forces to win the day. L a d y L a e r a l S i l v e r h a n d Chaotic good female human wizard Ideals: Creativity, respect (“We cannot stop what we do not understand.”) Interaction Traits: Quiet, curious Pledged Resources: Waterdeep’s army and conscript troops Lady Laeral is present starting with the second council, at which point she becomes the Open Lord of Waterdeep. She is one of the Seven Sisters—legendary, nigh-immortal figures known to have been blessed by Mystra. (Some even say they are the goddess’s daughters.) Her spellcasting ability is impressive but is beginning to wane, and she focuses more on political power than on the arcane these days. The Masked Lords of Waterdeep choose her as the successor to Dagult Neverember between the first and second sessions of the Council of Waterdeep, making her the leader of the Lords’ Alliance. Laeral Silverhand brings centuries of leadership experience and an impressive reputation to the negotiations. A consummate diplomat, she can wield words that wound or soothe with equal ease. A s the Open Lord of Waterdeep, she holds great sway with all the delegates except Dagult Neverember, who believes that she engineered his removal from the position of Open Lord. Laeral’s primary concern is keeping all parties at the negotiating table, and making sure that concrete actions result from each council’s discussions. However, she is leery of committing troops to battle. No stranger to the horrors of war, she is keenly aware that the lands represented by the Lords’ Alliance need their soldiers for the protection of their own people. Only when convinced that the Cult of the Dragon is likely to succeed in summoning Tiamat does she change her mind. However, she doesn’t trust the adventurers with leadership unless their deeds in the field and at the negotiating table have impressed her. If the adventurers sway Laeral to their side, she speaks highly of the party in the periods between council sessions. Having the support of the leader of the Lords’ Alliance increases the party’s stature in the eyes of all other factions, granting additional bonuses. See the “Council of Waterdeep” episode and the Council Scorecard (appendix C) for more information. L o r d D a g u l t N e v e r e m b e r Law ful neutral male human fighter Ideals: Moderation, responsibility (“The commoners need strong leaders to protect them—and to do what must be done even when it is distasteful.”) Interaction Traits: Honest Pledged Resources: Neverwinter conscript troops, and mercenaries from around the world Lord Neverember holds many titles and wears several crowns. During the first council, he is the Open Lord of Waterdeep, the Lord Protector of Neverwinter, and leader of the Lords’ Alliance. He looks the part of such an impressively titled figure: tall and broad-shouldered, with a thick beard, a wild mane of hair, and a forceful manner. Rarely seen without his hand around a glass of strong spirits, he is a master manipulator and looks and behaves as a king should. Strong and decisive, Dagult acts always for the good of his subjects and realm—and in doing so, has consistently built up his own power and wealth. Unfortunately for him, the Masked Lords of Waterdeep have recently chosen to replace him as Open Lord. Laeral Silverhand, his successor, claims her title in the second council meeting. Dagult demands order and rewards discipline, but he is pragmatic and driven by results above all else. He knows that nothing comes without effort, and sacrifices must be made when necessary. Tireless in his actions, he never stops until he has achieved his goals. He w ill use any means at his disposal, as long as those means
are legally justifiable—even when such justification must be “rediscovered” from long-forgotten or ignored laws. In the first council meeting, Lord Dagult’s resources have been spread thin between the massive investments he’s made in rebuilding Neverwinter and in maintaining dominance in Waterdeep. He strongly supports the members of the Lords’ Alliance pooling resources, because he worries that neither of his investments can survive the coming catastrophe without assistance. This changes by the second council. Though losing Waterdeep allows him to consolidate his strength, Dagult resents Laeral for taking his position. He avoids letting his feelings cloud his judgment, however, intent on showing that he is a more fitting leader by backing the adventurers and taking a firm leadership role in the council. A m b a s s a d o r C o n n e r a d B r a w n a n v i l Law ful good male shield dw arf fighter Ideals: Honor, respect (“A sturdy axe, a strong hand to hold it, and a straight fight are all we dwarves need to end this little problem.”) Personality Traits: Hot tempered, suspicious Pledged Resources: Dw arf soldiers and dwarf-forged armaments and siege weapons Son of Banak Brawnanvil and a former king of Mithral Hall, Connerad has made the long journey from Mithral H all to act as the Lords’ Alliance delegate for the dwarves of the North, including Citadel Adbar and Citadel Felbarr. Even though Connerad hates dragons, devils, and cultists alike, he is as stubborn as a mule about committing troops anywhere but his homeland. The dwarven kingdoms in the North have lost many people in recent years, and the dwarves that remain are struggling to retain ancient lands only recently reclaimed. He knows the adventurers only by reputation, and desires tangible proof that they have the mettle and wits to lead soldiers and dwarves before he’ll make a serious commitment. Like Ontharr Frume of the Order of the Gauntlet, Connerad responds well to bold demonstrations of heroism. However, he is personally and deeply insulted by any slight against dwarves or intrusions by the characters into dwarven affairs. His reactions to the adventurers’ exploits determine how he votes in the fourth council. M a r s h a l l U l d e r R a v e n g a r d Law ful neutral male human fighter Ideals: Responsibility, glory (“I am trusted with protecting thousands of lives, and I w ill not betray that trust no matter what my personal desires.”) Interaction Traits: Honest Pledged Resources: Flaming Fist warriors and expert advisers to train conscript troops Ulder Ravengard is the leader of the Flaming Fist—the military might of Baldur’s Gate. He has the greatest martial acumen of anyone at the council (and probably in the whole Lords’ Alliance). He can also muster more soldiers than any other delegate, and he is not bashful about saying so. His place is at the head of the war council and the front of the battle—but he w ill take that place only if the party proves worthy of his trust. Ravengard is a stern warrior dedicated to discipline and results. Having risen through the ranks of the Flam ing Fist by the might of his blade and the sharpness of his wits, he sometimes lacks sophistication and tact, but he possesses an unwavering commitment to the law. More comfortable working with soldiers than adventurers, Ravengard is used to giving orders and having them obeyed without question. Though Baldur’s Gate is still recovering from the havoc caused by the resurrection within the city of Bhaal, god of murder, the metropolis remains one of Faerun’s most populous, wealthy, and powerful cities. Ravengard recognizes his duty to protect the city above all else, and the Flam ing Fis t’s tired reserves are desperately needed for reconstruction and policing. However, he would love to see the Flam ing Fist take a leading role in the fight against the Cult of the Dragon, if only to give the defenders of Baldur’s Gate a stature befitting the greatest city in Faerun. This opportunity for glory makes Ravengard receptive to the adventurers’ overtures, as long as their plans and decisions promise stability and discipline. K i n g M e l a n d r a g h Neutral male wild elf fighter/druid Ideals: Balance, nation (“We elves were once the greatest civilization to grace Faerun, and my people are heir to that history. I w ill not squander our waning strength.”) Interaction Traits: Quiet, arrogant Pledged Resources: Elven eldritch knights The King of the Misty Forest is the delegate for the elves of both the Misty Forest and the High Forest. Whereas his sons Alagarthas and Neronvain always rushed headlong into their own pursuits, Melandrach is more circ*mspect. He has led the elves of the Misty Forest since before most of their kind abandoned their lands in the Retreat. Despite the years of discussion and meditation that preceded it, Melandrach considered the Retreat a rash decision, and he is understandably hesitant to commit to any sudden course of action. During meetings of the council, Melandrach consistently argues for caution and more information, and nothing the adventurers say seems to make any difference. That changes when it is revealed that his lost son Neronvain has become the cult’s Green Wyrmspeaker. T a e r n “ T h u n d e r s p e l l s ” H o r n b l a d e Law ful good male human wizard Ideals: Logic, greater good (“Calculated risks are necessary to win this war, and no one is likely to emerge unscathed.”) Interaction Traits: Ponderous, curious Pledged Resources: The army of Silverymoon (the Knights in Silver) and Silverymoon conscript troops Taern Hornblade has lived an unnaturally long life by consuming potions o f longevity. The wizard led Silverymoon for many years as high mage, but
eventually ceded control to Methrammar, leader of the city’s army and son of its most famous ruler, Alustriel. Though Methrammar remains leader of Silverymoon and a member of the Lords’ Alliance, he is too forthright and earnest to succeed as a diplomat. A s such, Taern was sent to the Council of Waterdeep in his stead. Silverymoon has a large army and many wizards who would greatly assist in the coming battle, but Taern has not lived this long by being rash. He is one of the most cautious delegates, knowing that Silverymoon’s great wards of protection have stood against dragons before. Fearing that committing soldiers to the effort against the Cult of the Dragon might leave the city weakened, Taern needs to know that the party w ill protect any troops he lends to the coalition. As such, he seeks to gather as much information as possible about the adventurers and other potential allies. S i r I s t e v a l Law ful good male human paladin Ideals: Tradition, honor (“Against Tiamat, we either stand together or fall alone. W ho w ill stand with Cormyr?”) Interaction Traits: Honorable, wise, dour Pledged Resources: The might of Cormyr, including Purple Dragon Knights and War Wizards Sir Isteval is a former adventurer and Purple Dragon Knight of Cormyr. Though not an actual member of the Lords’ Alliance, he is present at the Council of Waterdeep as the alliance’s nominal representative for Daggerford. That small settlement can contribute little to the effort to defeat the Cult of the Dragon, however, and in truth, Isteval has been drafted by Cormyr to gain insight into what looks to be a war brewing on its western border. Isteval has too much respect for the other delegates to hide this information from them, and he assures those present that his loyalties—to Daggerford, to Cormyr, to the Lords’ Alliance, and to all good folk—are not at cross-purposes. This forthright approach nevertheless causes an uproar among other delegates, and the adventurers must take a hand in insuring that Isteval is not expelled from the council meetings. A veteran dragon slayer, Isteval bears a wound in his leg that resists magical healing, and he walks with a cane made from a bone of the green dragon that dealt him the injury. The paladin can be a helpful source of dragon lore, but his advice is always guarded. He sees his infirmity as a reminder from his god Lathander of the dangers of hubris. As befits his deity’s ethos, Isteval has chosen to treat his injury as a reason to encourage the heroics of others even as his own legend fades. Still, at times like these when the world needs heroes, he doesn’t like being reminded that he must watch the fight from the sidelines. Isteval believes in heroes as the spark that can ignite the flames of righteousness in others and the light that chases away the darkness of evil. Seeing this spark in the adventurers makes the paladin one of the party’s strongest advocates at the Council of Waterdeep, as long as they pursue a principled path. Sir Isteval has much in common with Ontharr Frume of the Order of the Gauntlet. The two are potential allies in all things, which worries some of the other Lords’ Alliance members. T h e Z h e n t a r i m The Zhentarim—also known as the Black Network—is a loose affiliation of merchants, mercenaries, and malefactors. Common folk know the Zhentarim as the people to talk to when you need the best guards or mercenaries money can buy. And if the cargo is shady or the cause you’re fighting for is questionable or even unjust, the Zhentarim don’t mind. Affiliation with the Zhentarim can be profitable to sellswords, thieves, and rogues of every stripe. It’s plausible that adventurers in your campaign might become members of the organization—but like most residents of Faerun, they won’t know the full extent of the Zhentarim’s operations and goals. Unknown to all but a few, the heart of the Zhentarim is a cabal of evil and sometimes monstrous leaders who seek to extend the Black Network’s blood-soaked reach into every assassination, black market, and illegal deal that happens in Faerun. The order’s criminal connections burrow into every major city and thieves’ guild in the Western Heartlands and along the Sword Coast. Wherever a city’s coinage is disastrously undermined by counterfeiting, wherever an up-andcoming business runs roughshod over its established competitors, and wherever a political struggle turns to widespread intimidation, it’s a safe bet that the Zhentarim are involved. However, engaging in mainstream corruption and wanting to see Tiamat ascendant are two different things. The Zhentarim have no illusions about what the Dragon Queen’s return would mean for their plans. Wanting to secretly rule the world from the shadows for themselves, the leaders of the Black Network have no desire to become agents and errand-runners for some petty god and her dragon cohorts. This viewpoint makes the Zhentarim an interesting addition to the characters’ possible allies. Under normal circ*mstances, the Harpers, the Lo rds’ Alliance, the Order of the Gauntlet, and the Emerald Enclave would shun ties to the Black Network—and possibly arrest its emissaries. However, the crisis created by the Cult of the Dragon is unprecedented. Every resource that can be mustered w ill be needed in the final showdown against the cult, and the Zhentarim’s network of spies, assassins, and mercenary armies cannot be ignored. Even with the fate of the world and the Zhentarim’s own future hanging in the balance, the order demands payment for services—and where need and risk are greatest, the pay is expected to be equally great. This mercenary attitude does not sit well with the Lords’
Alliance, however, and they are the only group with the resources to pay the Black Network’s price. The heroes can attempt to sway the opinions of the other factions— and have a chance to buy the Zhentarim’s allegiance outright in the follow-up to episode 7. In the end, too much is at stake to sit this fight out, and the Zhentarim pitch in against the cult regardless of whether their price is paid. However, if the other factions want a voice in how the Zhentarim go to war against the cult, it w ill cost them. If the Zhentarim fight on their own, they strike when and how they choose. At least one Black Network mission is carried out regardless of payment. Without the knowledge of anyone outside the Zhentarim, one of their agents has infiltrated the cult and gets close enough to Wyrmspeaker Varram to steal the White Dragon Mask. This theft sets off a sequence of events that culminates in Varram’s portion of the “Death to the Wyrmspeakers" episode. U s i n g t h e Z h e n t a r i m Black Network agents are useful N PC s that you can introduce at appropriate times during the adventure. Characters who played Hoard o f the Dragon Queen have already met one member of the Black Network—the female gnome Jamna Gleamsilver. If the characters need information or gear they can’t obtain any other way, seeking out or being approached by a Zhentarim agent is an easy way for you to provide it. A typical Black Network agent is a highly capable adventurer with no scruples. Some Zhentarim have winged snake companions that carry messages on scrolls as they fly, allowing agents to keep in contact with one another. Although the Zhentarim as a whole oppose the cult’s plans, not everyone in the Black Network shares that view. A number of Zhentarim agents believe that the cult’s victory is inevitable, and that by standing against the cult, the Zhentarim risk losing everything. If events are going too smoothly for the heroes, you can introduce a few rogue Black Network agents to throw a wrench into the characters’ plans at the worst possible moment. R i a n N i g h t s h a d e Law ful evil female tie fling warlock Ideals: Logic, greed (“I’m certain we can come to an agreement that all parties w ill favor. But if not, we have other means of settling the issue.”) Interaction Traits: Polite, mercantile, ruthless Pledged Resources: Assassins and mercenaries Rian is a member of the Zhentarim and the Black Network’s envoy during the third Council of Waterdeep. She is seated at the table as a special adviser to Lord Neverember, and her affiliation with the Zhentarim w ill not be mentioned. However, neither she nor Lord Neverember try to deny or conceal that affiliation if the characters question why Rian is present. The Black Network backs any plans that increase the likelihood of defeating the cult. Any and all alliances are fine, as are any outcomes that add to the council’s strategic resources. Rian doesn’t have any particular interest in morality, and dark acts have no impact on her attitude toward the party. She disapproves of taking any wyrmspeakers alive, though, fearing the power of such dangerous figures and questioning the chance of success for attempts to turn or interrogate them. She favors discreet execution, interrogation of the corpse with appropriate rituals, and destruction of the body to prevent resurrection. The Black Network remains uncommitted until the final council when pledges are made. If the party has earned the Zhentarim’s respect, they provide their services at only a nominal cost. However, such action almost certainly alienates most of the other factions from the adventurers. Unlike the other factions, the Zhentarim’s loyalty can be purchased regardless of their respect for the characters, if the party can negotiate terms to be paid by the other factions. M e t a l l i c D r a g o n s The good dragons of Faerun hear the D raakhorn’s call and know what it portends. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the good dragons w ill take action to oppose the return of Tiamat. However, it remains to be seen whether they do so in concert with the humanoid factions of the Sword Coast, or whether they strike on their own with no thought or concern for the fate of the lesser races. U s i n g M e t a l l i c D r a g o n s The metallic dragons w ill strike against the cultists at the W ell of Dragons, but they are much more effective if their attacks are coordinated as part of the overall plan of battle. Moreover, if they can be brought into the alliance represented by the Council of Waterdeep, they can help defend humanoid territories from the cult’s devastating raids. This is covered in greater detail in episode 6. G ia n t s Though many giants have thrown their lot in with the Cult of the Dragon, most remember the ancient dragon-giant wars with bitterness and hatred. Tales of feuds, bloodletting, and death fuel the giants’ hatred of dragons, but the giant races are their own masters. As such, they don’t easily cooperate with the small races. Even when good giants see the need and wisdom in joining forces with lesser folk, they often resist the idea out of pride until someone or something can command their respect. U s i n g G i a n t s Engaging the giants in an alliance against the Cult of the Dragon can be handled by N PC s (most likely by members of the Harpers or the Emerald Enclave). If the characters completed Hoard o f the Dragon Queen in possession of Skyreach Castle, offering to return it to the giants (either behind the scenes or in a side trek episode of your own creation) is sure to guarantee their support of the factions against the Cult of the Dragon. The presence of giants at the final showdown w ill be an enormous advantage for the forces fighting against the cult.
Episode 1: Council of Waterdeep T he Rise o f Tiamat begins immediately after the conclusion of H oard o f the Dragon Queen, and assumes that the characters have returned to Waterdeep in the aftermath of that adventure. W hile in the city, the adventurers are summoned to the first meeting of the Council of Waterdeep. W hile at that gathering, they hear the sounding of the ancient Draakhorn that heralds the next stage of the Cult of the Dragon’s plots. (See appendix B for more information on the Draakhorn, but be sure to withhold that information until the characters have played through the episode “The Sea of Moving Ice.”) St a r t i n g t h e A d v e n t u r e The Rise o f Tiamat begins in Waterdeep. If you played H oard o f the Dragon Queen, the characters might have already made their way back to the City of Splendors after Skyreach Castle crashed at the end of that first adventure. If you didn’t play H oard o f the Dragon Queen, if Skyreach Castle wasn’t crashed, or if the characters went somewhere other than Waterdeep afterward, you need to get the party back to Waterdeep for the start of this adventure. It’s easy enough to simply tell the players that their characters are back in Waterdeep. However, if you suspect that your group won’t find that satisfying, you can avoid playing through a long overland journey by making use of the following scenario. Wherever the characters are when this session begins, a raven flies up to them. The bird is part of an animal messenger relay dispatched by Leosin Erlanthar’s allies in the Emerald Enclave. The raven lands a dozen paces from you, then boldly hops closer, a flat parcel wrapped in oilskin strapped to its belly. It eyes you enigmatically for a few moments, then speaks in a familiar voice. “ Leosin Erlanthar sends his heartiest congratulations! Please use the gift this bird brings to meet me in Waterdeep as soon as possible.” The bird waits patiently while the leather parcel is removed from its harness. The parcel contains a carefully folded teleport scroll and the sigil sequence of a permanent teleport circle in Waterdeep. The circle can be in a temple, a government building, or any other site of your choice. If the party includes more than six characters, the parcel contains two scrolls. If none of the characters can use a teleport scroll, they’ll need to seek out an N P C who can. Just don’t make it too difficult.
Ba c k in Wa t e r d e e p The most powerful factions of the Sword Coast all recognize the significance of Tiamat’s possible return, and they are willing to cooperate with each other to prevent it. Trust doesn’t come easily for these disparate groups. But even for orders and organizations that have been in conflict in the past, the “enemy of my enemy” is easily understood. To coordinate their efforts against the Cult of the Dragon, the factions have sent important delegates for secret meetings in Waterdeep. If the adventurers played through Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, they now know as much as anyone about the cult’s activities, and their heroics have been brought to the attention of powerful leaders and earned them a place at the council table. If you didn’t play Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, a separate group of heroes assaulted Skyreach Castle and bravely gave their lives to crash the fortress. The characters are then invited to the council simply because of their reputation as powerful adventurers, and because the council expects to need their services. F o u r C o u n c i l s When the characters arrive in Waterdeep, they are met by the Harper agent Leosin Erlanthar. The monk explains the purpose of the council and tells the adventurers they are expected to attend the first gathering—both so the council can thank them for their great deeds and to advise the council about the Cult of the Dragon. Four meetings of the council occur at critical points throughout the crisis, right up to the final episode of the adventure at the Well of Dragons. During the first session of the council, all the Sword Coast becomes aware of how the Cult of the Dragon’s plots are advancing when the Draakhorn sounds. In the aftermath, the characters are given leads to episode 2 or to Varram in the “Death to the Wyrmspeakers” episode. A second session of the council is summoned to address increasingly aggressive dragon activity. The characters are asked to investigate a devastating series of raids in the Misty Forest, leading to Neronvain in the “Death to the Wyrmspeakers” episode. The adventurers are also approached by a representative who wishes to bring the party to a secret meeting with the metallic dragons, leading to episode 6. A third session of the council is called to assess the gains made by the allied factions against the Cult of the Dragon. The party is called on to pursue two leads that might grant even more advantage over the cult—a renegade cultist offering to turn over one of the dragon masks, in episode 7, and an attempt to undercut the power of the exile Red Wizards in episode 8. At the fourth session of the Council of Waterdeep, the adventurers learn that the plots of the Cult of the Dragon and the Red Wizards are nearing fruition. The forces of the various factions must gather in preparation for the assault on the Well of Dragons. During each new council, the various factions measure the party’s actions and achievements, comparing those actions to their own goals. Characters who further the goals of a faction w ill find that faction willing to pledge more resources to the fight against the cult. However, gaining the allegiance of one faction might lead to distrust from others. The adventurers must strike a careful balance in their appeal to—and appeasem*nt of—the delegates to gather the strongest force possible to confront Tiamat. Though it isn’t ideal for all attendees, the Lo rds’ Palace in Waterdeep is the designated location of the council meetings. The Lords’ Alliance faction is sending the most delegates, and those delegates prefer a civilized gathering place. G a t h e r i n g A l l i e s Though every faction provides some troops and resources toward the final showdown with the forces of Tiamat, the extent of their support—and how much effect that support w ill have—is dependent on the respect the adventurers garner from each group for their actions. Before committing irrevocably to the fight, a faction must be convinced that the cult presents a danger surpassing all other concerns—and that the adventurers are the right heroes to lead this fight. Moreover, what is worthy of respect in one faction might lose respect from another. As the adventurers successfully complete episodes of the adventure, you track how they earn or lose respect from each faction on the Council Scorecard (appendix C). See “Scoring the Sessions,” below, for more information. L e a d i n g D e l e g a t e s Most factions have sent a delegation to the Council of Waterdeep consisting of several important persons and their aides. In general, only the leaders of each delegation are present at the council meetings attended by the adventurers. However, no matter how individual delegates might react to the characters’ deeds, they also heed the words of their fellow councilors not present at the council meetings. Brave and heroic feats that individual leaders might approve of could be frowned on by a faction as a whole if those deeds don't line up with the faction’s agenda. Se s s io n s o f t h e C o u n c i l The format of the four council meetings as described below follows the flow of the adventure as set out in the “Overview” section. If events unfold differently in your campaign, adjust the meetings and their events accordingly. For each council meeting, a brief justification for the different attitudes of the factions is provided. More information on the factions and their delegates is provided under “Allie s” in the introduction section. Each session of the council discusses the setup for episodes meant to be played as a result of that session, and the follow-up for previous episodes whose outcome is resolved in that session. In all cases, see those specific episodes for full details. Two preliminary events help to set up the first session of the council: news of the assassination of Arthagast Ulbrinter, one of the Masked Lords of Waterdeep, and the sounding of the Draakhorn.
D e a t h o f a M a s k e d L o r d Though the leadership of the Cult of the Dragon could not have realized it, one of the key events in the fight to thwart Severin’s plans was the cult’s assassination of Arthagast Ulbrinter, a Masked Lord of Waterdeep and husband of Remi Haventree of the Harpers. News of Arthagast’s recent murder has spread across the Sword Coast, and has galvanized opposition to the cult in Waterdeep. In her grief, Remi Haventree has sworn to destroy the cult and the threat it presents to the Sword Coast. She has been instrumental in bringing the factions together for this Council of Waterdeep, setting up the potential for alliances that the adventurers must now complete. T h e D r a a k h o r n So u n d s Shortly after the crash or capture of Skyreach Castle, operatives of the Cult of the Dragon sounded the Draakhorn at the distant W ell of Dragons. An ancient magic relic, the Draakhorn is being used by the cult to summon chromatic dragons to their dark cause. A s the characters are arriving in Waterdeep, read or paraphrase the following. A sudden shift in the wind brings with it a strange sense o f unease. The feeling is akin to the drop in air pressure before the approach o f a deadly storm, or faint tremors felt from a landslide or earthquake far away. You’re not the only ones who have noticed. The city around you goes unnaturally quiet suddenly. No dogs bark, no birds squawk. Even the street vendors have gone silent. The silence lasts only a moment before the normal sounds of Waterdeep return to mask the unexplained sensation. If the characters get to a quiet place, they notice the disturbance again, like a rumbling almost too faint to hear. A s well, subtle changes in the behavior of animals can be noted. Dogs are nervous and on edge, horses are skittish, cats are more feral than usual, and rats gather in large, bold packs. Sensitive N PC s are also affected, becoming nervous, fearful, and impatient. During the first session of the council (or earlier if the characters make efforts to investigate the strange phenomenon), the adventurers are approached by Dala Silmerhelve—a Waterdhavian noble. Read or paraphrase the following when the characters speak to Dala. “The disturbance that's been sensed across the Sword Coast is the Draakhorn— an ancient device whose sounding alerts dragons across Faerun that great events are unfolding. It's impossible to say what the sounding means, but the dragons hear it clearly and will eventually answer its call. ” Lady Silmerhelve learned this from her family’s secret benefactor, an ancient bronze dragon named Nymmurh. She knows a little more about the Draakhorn, but she waits to reveal it until she attends the first council meeting. She flatly refuses to tell anyone the source of her knowledge if asked. This makes Ulder Ravengard, King Conneerad, and Ontharr Frum e suspicious, but others take the secrecy in stride. If Lady Silmerhelve is treated poorly, it might affect how Nymmurh interacts with the characters in “Metallic Dragons, Arise.” F i r s t Se s s io n Having accepted the invitation to the council meeting, the adventurers are received at the Lo rds’ Palace. Make the introduction to the City of Splendors and the Lords’ Palace as detailed or as simple as fits your campaign style. Once inside the Lo rds’ Palace, the party is escorted to the secret council chambers by Leosin Erlanthar. The outer galleries are packed with nobles engaged in heated debate, and the guards are wearing livery from city-states across the North. Although Erlanthar is not invited to the council discussions, Remallia Haventree has informed him of the agenda and the reason the party has been summoned. He advises the characters that though the factions are all nominally committed to stopping the Cult of the Dragon, none of the delegates have made substantive pledges yet. Too much mistrust still burdens the factions, and not enough is known about the situation. Erlanthar thinks the leaders need someone to show them the right path— heroes who w ill lead the forces of the Sword Coast with certainty into the coming darkness. He believes that the adventurers have a chance to be those heroes. However, he explains that each faction w ill weigh every word the characters say and scrutinize every one of their decisions. What pleases one group might anger another, and it w ill be incredibly difficult to make all parties happy. F o l l o w - u p : H o a r d o f t h e D r a g o n Q u e e n Once introductions are made, Dagult Neverember summarizes the situation if the adventurers did not play through Hoard o f the Dragon Queen. This includes the plan to summon Tiamat, increased dragon raids led by the cult, the treasure collection system, the crash or capture of Skyreach Castle, and the importance of the wyrmspeakers and dragon masks to the cult. If the party played through the previous adventure, Dagult explains that the council has heard reports from Ontharr, Leosin, and other witnesses, but that the delegates wish to hear from the heroes at the center of recent events. (At this point, use Neverember to also fill in any information the characters did not gather during Hoard o f the Dragon Queen that you deem important.) Most of the factions recognize that Skyreach Castle needed to be stopped, and they are happy if the castle was crashed. However, some members of the Lo rds’ Alliance think it unconscionable that such a resource would be destroyed, intentionally or otherwise. These dissidents believe it would have been better for the characters to have waited for reinforcements, then attacked to secure the castle (regardless of how unrealistic that plan might have been).
The fate of the dragon hatchery divides opinion as well. Most delegates respect a decision to destroy the hatchery, accepting that having fewer dragons to deal with later on is an advantage. However, the Harpers would have preferred the eggs to be kept for ransoming back to their parents, potentially keeping those dragons from cooperating with the cult. Dagult would have sold the valuable eggs to “responsible buyers,” then used that gold to hire more mercenaries. The Emerald Enclave is firmly against any dragon eggs being destroyed, believing that the chromatic dragons are a part of the natural order and that killing their young upsets the balance of that order. Taern Hornblade and Lady Laeral Silverhand think there might have been a way to leverage the eggs as ransom, but both recognize that they would have been dangerous to hold onto—and even more dangerous to return. When the discussion around the events from H oard o f the Dragon Queen is concluded, the council moves on to current matters. It’s obvious to all that the adventurers have taken a firm hand in addressing this crisis, and that they have proven their worth. The council deputizes the characters with emergency investigative powers and a w rit demonstrating such. This grants the characters access to resources and sites they deem necessary for their investigation, but carries with it the burden of oversight from the council. If the adventurers misbehave or abuse their powers, their actions w ill be reviewed and the w rit w ill be revoked. Once the characters have been vested with their powers, the first stages of the adventure await. S e t u p : V a r r a m t h e W h i t e One of Remallia Haventree’s first acts in her fight against the Cult of the Dragon was to encourage the Harpers to focus all their resources on the cult’s activities and its most powerful members. Those efforts have been successful, and Leosin Erlanthar reports to the adventurers of the movements of Varram, the cult’s White Wyrmspeaker. This leads to “Varram the White,” part of the “Death to the Wyrmspeakers” episode. S e t u p : T h e S e a o f M o v i n g I c e The sounding of the Draakhorn weighs heavily on all the leaders of the Sword Coast. Seeking more information on the horn and its whereabouts leads the party on an expedition to the frozen North, and episode 2. Se c o n d Ses s io n At the Second Council of Waterdeep, the adventurers see two new faces. Lord Neverember has been replaced as Open Lord of Waterdeep by Lady Laeral Silverhand, who now sits at the head of the council table. Dagult sits to her right, alongside a human female introduced as Elia (see below). The delegates discuss the raids in their various domains after receiving the characters’ report, providing flavor for the ongoing activities of the cult and giving a clear impression that the situation is escalating. F o l l o w - u p : V a r r a m t h e W h i t e In response to the fate of Wyrmspeaker Varram, the Harpers and Taern are upset if the dwarf was slain without being interrogated, and Connerad is upset that he was not captured and made an example of in a court of dwarven law. Though most are pleased with capturing Varram, the Emerald Enclave is nonplussed, believing that capturing him only complicates matters. Varram has already demonstrated a willingness to corrupt the natural order, making a trial excessive—and potentially opening the door to a rescue attempt. F o l l o w - u p : T h e S e a o f M o v i n g I c e The Arcane Brotherhood are powerful allies, and all are pleased if the party wins their allegiance—with the exception of the Order of the Gauntlet. Ontharr Frume knows that the Arcane Brotherhood does not police its members in what kinds of knowledge they pursue, and that they tolerate many evil wizards in their company. Bringing the Arcane Brotherhood into the alliance doesn’t lose Frum e’s respect, but neither does it earn it. S e t u p : N e r o n v a i n Delaan Winterhound of the Emerald Enclave is involved with investigations into recent dragon attacks in the Misty Forest. King Melandrach waves away Delaan’s concerns, saying that dragon attacks in the area have stopped since his elves increased their patrols and fortified their positions. Discovering the truth w ill lead the adventurers to “Neronvain,” part of the “Death to the Wyrmspeakers” episode. S e t u p : M e t a l l i c D r a g o n s , A r i s e During the council, the adventurers are introduced to the silver dragon Otaaryliakkarnos, in her human guise as Elia. She bears an invitation from the metallic dragons to a council of their own, and the council delegates ask the adventurers to attend. This leads into episode 6. T h ir d Ses s io n The third council features another new face—the tiefling Rian Nightshade, introduced as a special adviser to Lord Neverember. Characters who pay attention notice that some at the meeting—including Sir Isteval, Ontharr Frume, and Ambassador Brawnanvil—are doing their best to ignore the secret Zhentarim delegate, who makes no statements unless addressed by the party. F o l l o w - u p : N e r o n v a i n News that the dragon attacks in the elven forest have ended is gratefully received by all on the council. However, King Melandrach responds with cold fury to news of his son Neronvain’s betrayal. He remains hesitant to put elves in the front lines of combat, but no longer acts as a roadblock to negotiations. His pragmatism means that he no longer has any qualms against the adventurers’ securing the allegiance of Red Wizards, giants, or even devils in the fight against the Cult of the Dragon—as long as such allies are conveniently arrayed in front of his elves in battle.
F o l l o w - u p : M e t a l l i c D r a g o n s , A r i s e A ll the delegates are impressed if the party has gained the support of the metallic dragons, even if their own faction was asked to make concessions. The good dragons are wise and just creatures, and their acceptance of the party greatly boosts the adventurers’ standing in everyone’s eyes. King Melandrach is furious if the characters agreed to an apology for the Dracorage mythal. He makes the apology because honor demands it, but he resents the party for forcing his hand. Connerad Brawnanvil is similarly unhappy if a concession was made in response to the ancient dragonmoots of the dwarves. The traditions of the dragonmoot saved many lives in their time, and the fact that one metallic dragon was injured indicates that it was probably misbehaving. Dwarves have no patience for tolerating misbehaving dragons, no matter what their color. Bartering away portions of the hoard that the cult stole is the only way some factions can make concessions. For every concession that was made for a share, circle a negative (-) icon in the following order: Dagult Neverember, Connerad, Melandrach, Lady Laeral, Ulder Ravengard, Taern Hornblade, the Harpers, Sir Isteval, and the Order of the Gauntlet. The Emerald Enclave is not affected by such concessions, since the order has not been overly affected by the dragon raids. As an effect of the way in which the adventurers have impressed the dragon council, it now falls to them to allocate the dragons that have pledged their service to the factions. Dragons allocated to a delegate of the Lo rds’ Alliance are assigned to protect the capital city of the delegate’s territory. A dragon assigned to the Harpers w ill be used for intelligence gathering. The Order of the Gauntlet sends any dragons to the city of Elturel, while the Emerald Enclave sends dragons to guard the ancient treant known as the Grandfather Tree. The party can also distribute dragons to specific regions. In such a scenario, a dragon protects a 100-mile-radius area around the point where it is assigned, stopping draconic raids in that area. S e t u p : X o n t h a l ’s T o w e r At the summit, information comes to the characters revealing that a senior member of the Cult of the Dragon seeks to defect from the group, and that the cultist is offering a dragon mask as part of his plea for aid. Though the offer could be a trap, the council delegates believe that the risk is worth it. The defector is holed up in a fortress known as Xonthal’s Tower, recently taken over by the cult. Because a small team has a better chance to successfully infiltrate the tower than a larger force, the adventurers are asked to investigate. This leads to episode 7. S e t u p : M i s s i o n t o T h a y The Red Wizards are integral to the cult’s plans for summoning Tiamat, but the Red Wizards allied with the Cult of the Dragon are exiles with no connection to Thay. The Thayan Red Wizards approach the Council of Waterdeep asking for an envoy to be sent to Thay, where they must convince the most reviled wizards in Faerun to join with the forces of the Sword Coast for the common good. This paves the way for episode 8. F o u r t h Ses s io n The fourth council is the final meeting between the faction leaders and the adventurers. Hundreds of chromatic dragons have been sighted near the W ell of Dragons, and the time has come to strike. At the end of this council, the delegates make their final decisions of support for the adventurers and their cause, if they haven’t done so already. F o l l o w - u p : X o n t h a l ’s T o w e r At an appropriate point in the council meetings, Rian Nightshade approaches the characters and asks for a private audience. She explains her position as an emissary of the Zhentarim, and of the Zhentarim’s interest in current affairs. She bemoans the dithering of the other factions, stating that the Black Network is willing to act immediately and unflinchingly—if the party can help arrange agreeable terms for the Zhentarim's support. Rian points out that the Zhentarim have a keen interest in Xonthal’s Tower. Ownership of the tower is under discussion by the council, but the tiefling wants to deal directly with the adventurers, who have claim to the tower by right of conquest. The Zhentarim are w illing to purchase the adventurers’ interest in the tower for 50,000 gold pieces, and Rian can throw in a potion o f greater healing, a potion o f frost giant strength, and a scroll o f earthquake to sweeten the deal. This price could go up considerably if the party negotiates agreeable terms from the other factions for the Zhentarim’s support—up to an additional 25,000 gp, at your discretion. F o l l o w - u p : M i s s i o n t o T h a y Any alliance with the Red Wizards is a mixed blessing. More pragmatic factions and delegates—including the Harpers, King Melandrach, Dagult Neverember, and Taern Hornblade—are impressed by the diplomacy such an arrangement demonstrates, and know that regardless of the Red Wizards’ character and previous plots against the Sword Coast, they are a significant asset. Sir Isteval, Ambassador Brawnanvil, and the Order of the Gauntlet object to the idea of even opening dialogue with the Red Wizards, and believe that the Thayans would agree to an alliance only if it furthered their own plots to rule the Sword Coast and all Faerftn. Lady Laeral and Ulder Ravengard both think the Red Wizards unpredictable but necessary, believing that the only important factor is how the Thayans influence the outcome of the final battle.
F o l l o w - u p : M e t a l l i c D r a g o n s , A r i s e The outcome of the support of the metallic dragons (as allocated in the third council) is accounted for in this fourth council. Factions that did not receive draconic aid suffer terribly in the cult’s raids, and some delegates resent the adventurers for withholding the service of their dragon allies. Only Isteval, Connerad, and the Harpers maintain their respect for the adventurers regardless of how the dragons were assigned. Cormyr remains largely untouched by the cult, whose operations remain focused on the Sword Coast. The Harpers have no strongholds, and so suffer less than other factions. Ambassador Brawnanvil appreciates the value of dragon guards, but his strongholds are deep underground and hard for the cult to reach—and all dwarves know how even good dragons covet dwarven gems and gold. Sc o r in g t h e Sessions Every faction w ill donate troops and resources to the struggle against the Cult of the Dragon. However, to win the battle requires the full, unconditional support of multiple factions. The outcome of the Council of Waterdeep is tracked on the Council Scorecard (appendix C), which determines what resources are available to oppose the Cult of the Dragon during the final confrontation at the W ell of Dragons. W hich way a faction leans is determined by the adventurers’ actions and accomplishments during the adventure. Successfully completing an episode of the adventure w ill usually gain support from multiple factions. However, each faction has its own priorities, and sometimes a heroic deed that pleases one faction can anger or disappoint another. In some cases, a faction might even prefer that the characters engage in antiheroic acts—by executing certain enemies rather than taking prisoners, for example. The adventurers might also be seen to be favoring certain factions, if metallic dragon allies are sent to defend the interests and settlements of one faction over another. Each faction has its own column on the scorecard. Important events that occur during The Rise o f Tiamat are noted along the side of the scorecard, beginning with events that could have occurred in the previous adventure, H oard o f the Dragon Queen. If you didn’t play Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, assume that events marked with an asterisk (*) occurred and that other events did not. A plus sign (+) for a particular faction and event indicates that the faction approves of the successful outcome of that event, and that the characters gain respect for that outcome. Each + counts as +1 in the final tally. A negative icon (-) indicates that a faction disapproves of an outcome and the characters lose respect for it. Each - counts as -1 in the final tally. A blank means that the faction either doesn’t consider the event significant or that there’s no consensus within the faction. Some events are especially important to certain factions, and are marked double plus (+/+) or double minus (-/-). They count as +2 or -2, respectively, in the tally. Whenever an event occurs as noted in the list, circle or highlight the appropriate icons. You can usually mark all the icons in a row at once. Icons that are marked off are counted to determine each faction’s attitude, while unmarked icons are ignored. Three rows on the table have icons that can’t be marked all at once. These are the decisions about which factions receive metallic dragon guardians, which factions had to make concessions to secure the metallic dragons’ aid, and who takes possession of Xonthal’s Tower. Only the factions that are affected have their icons marked. For example, if King Melandrach and Ulder Ravengard had to make concessions to win the support of the metallic dragons, only their entries on that line should be circled or highlighted. Some attendees are easier to sway toward pledging their full support, including Dagult Neverember. Others are more difficult, such as Connerad Brawnanvil. Additionally, securing S ir Isteval or Laeral Silverhand’s full support provides one additional respect for certain of the other factions, since both those senior delegates hold great influence on the council. The scorecard covers the events and outcomes that are likely to occur over the course of the adventure. However, The Rise o f Tiamat is an open-ended scenario, such that decisions by the players might trigger events that aren’t noted on the scorecard. Excellent diplomacy, good roleplaying, and creative handling of events that have the potential to impress or anger certain delegates can be rewarded with additional respect, at your discretion. Likewise, if the characters tackle episodes in a different order from this list, just mark off icons for events as they happen, then keep track of the subtotals as you see fit. At the end of each council, add up all the plusses and minuses from that stage of the adventure and write the subtotal in the provided space. At the end of the fourth council, add up the subtotals. You can use the subtotals as feedback to give the players an idea of how the factions are reacting to their exploits and whether the delegates treat them with respect, disdain, or something between. The scorecard is meant to be used only by the DM, but there’s nothing wrong with sharing it with your players if that suits the style of your game. If you don’t reveal the specifics of the scorecard, convey the players’ and adventurers’ goals through description and roleplaying, providing good indications of how effectively the adventurers are winning over the factions. If a faction’s final tally equals or exceeds the “Score Needed For Support,” the characters have won that faction’s full support in the final battle. If the tally is below the score required, that faction sends only minimal support that won’t help in the final confrontation. The benefits of each faction’s support are determined in the final episode, “Tiamat’s Return.”
Episode 2: The Sea of Moving Ice F ar to the north, beyond the Spine of the World and above even Icewind Dale, lies the Sea of Moving Ice. Gigantic icebergs wander listlessly through this glasslike sea, or are sent smashing and grinding against each other by bitterly cold winds, the sea spray transformed into fantastic frozen shapes around them. Only creatures adapted to severe cold can survive such frigid extremes, but many beasts—and even people— make their homes in the Sea of Moving Ice. One such creature is the white dragon Arauthator, known as “Old White Death” by those he stalks and terrorizes. In this section of the adventure, the heroes’ battle against the cult leads them to one of Arauthator’s iceberg lairs. T h e D r a a k h o r n ’s G a l l Each time the Draakhorn sounds out, its unearthly call echoes across the Sword Coast. Dragons hear it plainly, even as other creatures hear it only as an indistinct moaning when their surroundings are quiet and the wind blows just right. Creatures that cannot hear the Draakhorn can still sense it, like a faint vibration felt subconsciously and interpreted as a sense of dread. The adventurers were introduced to the Draakhorn by Dala Silmerhelve during the first session of the Council of Waterdeep. When they are ready to seek more information on the ancient relic, Dala provides it. "The Sea o f Moving Ice was the last known location o f the Draakhorn. No one can pinpoint its present location from the sound, or even verify with certainty that the relic is still in the northern sea, but the search must start there. “The one person who could tell us more is a tiefling sorcerer called Maccath the Crimson. No one alive knows more about the Draakhorn than her, but the Arcane Brotherhood, o f which she is also a member, hasn’t seen her for three years. She was investigating the Sea o f Moving Ice when she disappeared.” “O l d W h i t e D e a t h ” The white dragon Arauthator haunts the Sea of Moving Ice like an avenging wind. Personifying the brutality and savagery of his kind, Arauthator is a solid ally of the Cult of the Dragon, and can be counted on to be present at the W ell of Dragons when Tiamat makes her triumphant return from the Nine Hells. Arauthator’s chief lair is beneath a remote peak known as Lonefang Mountain, but he maintains a number of smaller lairs among the icebergs that drift with the seasonal tides in the Sea of Moving Ice. One of these is known as Oyaviggaton (“island of eternity”)
by the local tribes known as the Ice Hunters, because of the many enemies Arauthator has frozen into the icy walls of the berg’s hollowed interior. In addition to his size, cunning, and ferocity, Arauthator wields spellcasting power that makes him a particularly dangerous foe. More than a century ago, during one of the cyclical periods of draconic violence known as the Rage of Dragons, Arauthator joined with a dozen other dragons in attacking the Hosttower of the Arcane in Luskan. Their assault toppled the west arm of the tower, and Arauthator was seen scooping up numerous items of great magical importance and power, including at least three tomes of rare spells. The possibility of recovering those books is part of what drew Maccath the Crim son to the Sea of Moving Ice. Arauthator’s iceberg lair serves primarily as a meeting ground for him and his mate, the ancient white dragon Arveiaturace (“the White Wyrm”). She is aware of the cult’s activity but has been reluctant to join forces with it, and Arauthator seeks a way to gain her commitment. At one time, Arveiaturace served a wizard named Meltharond, whose corpse remains strapped to a saddle on the dragon’s back. She has never accepted his death, and still speaks to him as if he were alive. Arauthator hopes that if he provides Arveiaturace with a new wizard to serve, she w ill recover from her grief and join him in wholeheartedly supporting the Cult of the Dragon. When the proud, ambitious Maccath the Crim son arrived in Arauthator’s lair, the dragon enticed her with the prospect of becoming Arveiaturace’s master and rider. M a c c a t h t h e C r im s o n The Arcane Brotherhood is a league of mages based in the city of Luskan at the fabled Hosttower of the Arcane. The Hosttower is an academy for the best and brightest mages of Faerun. Only the most promising are accepted as members in the Arcane Brotherhood, and only members of the order can study at the Hosttower. Maccath the Crim son was one of those best and brightest when she journeyed to the Hosttower seeking admission. Her knowledge of dragon lore and draconic relics was already vast, but she wanted to know more about the dragons’ magic. Even though she gained access to the accumulated lore of the Arcane Brotherhood, Maccath concluded that some questions could be answered only by dragons—and that questions about the magic stolen from the Hosttower during the last Rage of Dragons could be answered only by Arauthator. Maccath set sail on an expedition to learn those answers three years ago and hasn’t been heard from since. Dala Silmerhelve provides the characters with all that is known of Maccath’s fate. “ Maccath reported her progress to the Hosttower by way o f sending spells. Her last report spoke o f seeing Ice Hunters paddling their sealskin boats toward a huge iceberg, flattened like a plateau across its surface, but ringed by icy peaks. She had intended to follow the Ice Hunters and investigate the iceberg. After that, no more reports came. “Attempts to find Maccath using scrying and other magical means located only her ship, adrift and heavily damaged. Some o f the ship’s crew were seen dead, but no sign o f the tiefling sorcerer was ever found. However, the lair o f a dragon as powerful as Arauthator is no doubt protected against scrying magic. If Maccath is alive, in addition to the lore she can share regarding the Draakhorn, the Arcane Brotherhood would be most grateful to get her back." Se t t i n g Sa i l In Waterdeep, the characters are outfitted with cold weather gear, including snowshoes suitable for traversing deep drifts, and have passage north arranged on a ship specially built for plying the waters of the Sea of Moving Ice. Frostskimm r is captained by a human male known as Lerustah Half-face. The right half of his face was left a scarred ruin from severe frostbite suffered years ago on the Sea of Moving Ice. He keeps a leather hood drawn across his face most of the time, both for warmth and so as not to frighten children. Lerustah is a brave explorer and a skilled sailor. Frostskimm r is a light longship with a shallow draft, driven by a single sail or by oars when necessary. The combination of wind and oar power is needed for picking a course through close-packed ice. Despite the ship’s length of nearly sixty feet, it is still light enough to be lifted by its forty crew members if it becomes hemmed in by ice. The ship is open to the air, but the crew rig sailcloth shelters across the deck to keep away the wind and sleet and hold in some warmth. T h e Se a o f M o v i n g Ic e The journey up the Sword Coast isn’t the focus of this episode, so you don’t need to dwell on it in detail. With favorable winds, Frostskimm r reaches the Sea of Moving Ice in a few days. From that point, the ship must slow down and proceed cautiously. Captain Lerustah has no strong feelings one way or the other about whether the crew should pull Frostskimm r onto an ice floe at night or spend the night on the water. An ice floe is more comfortable and offers safety from certain aquatic creatures. On the open water, the ship is safer from creatures that hunt only on the ice, but sleeping on the deck is colder and less comfortable than in an easily built snow shelter. The decision of where to spend the night is up to the characters.
Ic e H u n t e r s The Ice Hunters are nomads that have lived in the North far longer than any other humans. Short, dark-haired, broad-faced, and with light brown skin, they cling stolidly to their culture and their traditions of fishing and whaling on the Sea of Moving Ice, and of hunting for seal, walrus, and polar bears among the ice floes. They travel by dogsled on land and ice, and paddle seal-hide boats called khyeks or oumyeks across the frigid water. They worship totems of animals from the world around them, such as Clever Oomio the gray seal, Grandfather Walrus, Great White Bear, and Pindalpaupau the Reindeer Mother. The Ice Hunters came unaware to the dragon’s iceberg generations ago. Desiring servants to guard his lair during his long absences, the dragon killed just enough of the tribesfolk to force the rest to obey him out of terror. Using their unsurpassed ability as scouts, they act now as Arauthator’s eyes and ears on the Sea of Moving Ice. Living as thralls, they have no doubt that if they ever leave the iceberg, Arauthator w ill hunt them down and take horrific revenge. R a n d o m E n c o u n t e r s Searching the Sea of Moving Ice for the plateau-like iceberg described by Maccath is a time-consuming process. Roll a d6 each morning, afternoon, and night. On a roll of 1, an encounter occurs. Roll on the table to determine the specifics, adding +1 for each previous table roll made while the characters were searching from the ship on water by day. Searching by night or searching by day while Frostskimm r is on an ice floe doesn’t improve the odds of finding Oyaviggaton. S e a o f M o v i n g Ic e E n c o u n t e r s d6 Encounter or Event 1 Giant octopi 2 Merrow 3 Polar bear 4 Scrags* 5 Ice Hunters 6 Ice Hunters in fishing boats 7+ Oyaviggaton sighted *Use trolls with the Amphibious trait and a swim speed o f 30 feet. If combat becomes necessary, Captain Lerustah fights as a knight and his crew fight as 40 guards. If fighting aboard Frostskimmr, the characters must be cautious while using area spells that deal fire or force damage. One such spell does minim al damage that can be fixed by the crew at sea after the fight ends. If two such spells are used, Frostskimm r must be hauled onto an ice floe for repairs that take half a day. Roll normally for events during that time, but reroll any total of 7 or higher. Giant Octopi. This event can occur by day or night, but only on water. Two giant octopi attack simultaneously, trying to drag characters and crew off the ship into the freezing water. When one octopus is killed, the other withdraws underwater and escapes. Merrow . This event can occur by day or night, on ice or water. Five merrow move as close as possible to Frostskimm r before attacking. If the characters are on the ship, the merrow try to swamp it by making a DC 25 Strength check, with a +2 bonus to the check for each additional merrow involved in the attempt. Success means that Frostskimm r lurches dangerously and each creature on board must make a DC 15 Strength or Dexterity saving throw. On a failed saving throw, a creature is dumped overboard. (To make things easy, divide the crew into groups of five and make one saving throw for each group.) A creature that falls into the frigid water is swimming, and must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw at the start of each turn that it is in the water. On each failed saving throw, the creature suffers one level of exhaustion. Characters in the water are preferred targets for monsters in the water. P o la r Bear. This event can occur day or night, but only on the ice. A crew member aboard Frostskimm r spots a polar bear stalking a wounded Ice Hunter on an ice floe. If the characters intervene and save the hunter, he is grateful, and converses with them in his own tongue. (If the characters have no means to communicate with him, one of Frostskimm r’s crew can translate.) Though he is not from the tribe that lives on Oyaviggaton, the hunter knows the iceberg. In response to any questions about Oyaviggaton, he advises the characters as to its distance and direction from their current position, but warns them to keep away from it. Armed with this information, the characters gain a +1 bonus to their next two daytime event rolls. Scrags. This event occurs only at night, and only on the ice. W hile Frostskimm r sits on an ice floe to wait for morning, three aquatic trolls, known as scrags (swim speed 30 ft., can breathe underwater), attack the ship. If the characters and crew don’t intend to haul Frostskimm r onto an ice floe for the night, one of the scrags swims beneath the ship and wrenches a plank loose, causing a serious leak that requires the ship to be pulled onto the ice for repairs. Ice Hunters. This event can occur only by day. A hunting party from Oyaviggaton (12 tribal warriors) is spotted pursuing seals on an ice floe, whether Frostskimm r is on the water or on an adjacent ice floe. The hunters are surly and uncommunicative if approached, knowing that they must return to the iceberg before nightfall or their kin w ill be punished. Captain Lerustah is puzzled by their behavior, knowing that the Ice Hunter people are shy but never hostile. The hunters quickly paddle their khyeks away to the northeast. If the characters follow the hunters or use that bearing for the next stage of their journey, they gain a +1 bonus to their next daytime event roll. Ice H un ters in Fishin g Boats. This event occurs only during the day. A group of fishers from Oyaviggaton (12 tribal warriors) are spotted in their characteristic boats, whether Frostskimm r is in the water or on a nearby ice floe. They are unfriendly and uncommunicative if approached, paddling away to the northeast as soon as they are able. If the characters follow the hunters or use that bearing for the next
stage of their journey, they gain a +1 bonus to their next daytime event roll. Oyaviggaton Sighted. This event can occur by day or night. There’s no mistaking the silhouette of this massive iceberg as matching the description given by Maccath the Crimson. With a flattened expanse at one end rising to jagged peaks at the other, the characters’ objective is at hand. O y a v i g g a t o n Arauthator’s iceberg lair rises from the sea to form a floating island. The portion of the berg above the water appears roughly triangular, with rounded corners. The plateau portion of the iceberg rises more than a hundred feet above the water, and the jagged ice peaks add another two hundred feet above that. The Ice Hunter village is a collection of snow shelters and tents sitting at the center of the island. The village can’t be seen from the sea because of the berg’s height, but a large shelf of ice where the Ice Hunters beach their boats is clearly visible from the water. Approximately 60 feet across, the shelf rises a few feet above sea level and is littered with enormous, cracked bones—including ribs that arch taller than a human. A character proficient in Nature recognizes that the bones are mostly from whales and huge seals (or Captain Lerustah can supply that information). Any character who spends a few minutes examining the bones discovers tooth marks with a monstrous bite radius—evidence that a gigantic predator (Arauthator) ate at least some of these creatures. Examining the bones reveals smaller human bones in the pile as well, all of which show the same bite marks. An ice chasm splits the cliff face above the ice shelf, rising to the top of the plateau. The chasm is 20 feet wide near the bottom but narrows to 5 feet wide at the top. Steps are cut into the ice, making for an easy climb to the top of the plateau. Captain Lerustah would like to keep his crew members aboard Frostskimm r rather than marching them up to the plateau. He’s not at all comfortable with the idea of leaving his ship without the strongest possible complement of guards. If the characters are unable to communicate with the Ice Hunters (who speak only their own language, Uluik), one of the crew members speaks enough Uluik to get by. The translator w ill accompany the characters onto the iceberg if he’s paid a bonus of at least 50 gp, but he returns to the ship as soon as the characters descend into the ice caves. T h e V i l l a g e The top of Oyaviggaton is a plateau, but it’s not level. The ground is uneven, fractured by narrow ice chasms and divided by rills, snowdrifts, and ice ridges taller than a human, sculpted by sea spray and wind. The ridges block the view of the village until characters are 200 feet from the nearest shelter. The first sight that greets the adventurers when they emerge onto the plateau is a row of ten corpses frozen into a wall of ice: three Luskar warriors, a dwarf, and six Ice Hunters. The bodies have been preserved in the ice, making it impossible to tell how long they’ve been here. The southerners and the dwarf were some of Maccath the Crim son’s companions, killed by Arauthator. The Ice Hunters used the bodies to put up this grisly warning, in the hope that other intruders might fear the same fate and turn back. The dead Ice Hunters tried to flee from the iceberg but were hunted and killed by Arauthator, who forced their kin to add them to the horrid display. L a y o u t The village sits in a sheltered spot near the center of the iceberg. When the wind blows—which is most of the time—snow whips off the surrounding drifts and surrounds the settlement in a swirling shroud of white. Twenty structures make up the village, divided between snow-block shelters similar to igloos and double-walled yurts made from sealskin stretched over whalebone frames. Sixteen of these structures are small, one-room family dwellings. One ice-block shelter is a storeroom used for gear owned in common by the tribesfolk, including fishing nets and heavy ropes used for whaling. One yurt near the center of the village is slightly larger than the others, and is home to the Ice Hunter chieftain, Barking Seal. A yurt standing apart from the rest of the shelters is home to the shaman Bonecarver, as indicated by the many animal totems and whalebone carvings around the hut. The shaman’s hut features a lesser-used entrance to the ice caves. The largest structure in the village is the meeting hall, heavily decorated with whalebone and the skulls of fish and mammals. Consisting of one large room, the hall has a wooden floor made of planks salvaged from ships caught and crushed in the Sea of Moving Ice. Beneath the planks in a back corner is an entrance to the ice caves under the village, which lead to Arauthator’s grotto. A long coil of rope hangs on the wall near that corner, and a large iron pulley has been left suspended from a beam above the hole. No columns of smoke rise above the village to give away its location, since the Sea of Moving Ice features no wood or peat to burn. The only artificial heat comes from lamps and tiny stoves burning whale oil. The villagers live on fish, whale meat, and seal meat, eaten raw or dried on racks scattered around the village. With a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Survival) check, a character examining the racks realizes that the village must produce far more food than the number of villagers alone would require. V i l l a g e r s If the characters approach by the obvious path up the chasm from the ice ledge, they are noticed by the village’s 12 sled dogs (treat as wolves). As soon as the dogs begin barking and growling, the whole village turns out armed and alert—25 tribal warriors (males and females; including the chieftain, Barking Seal), 30 commoners (children), 1 druid (Bonecarver, tribal shaman, female), and 1 gladiator (Orcaheart, village champion, male). The chieftain and shaman do all the talking for the villagers, who speak only their own language, Uluik. The chieftain also knows a little of a rough Illuskan
dialect. The Ice Hunters have two main interests: finding out why strangers have come to Oyaviggaton, and getting them to leave. They lie freely and well, telling tales of sea monsters and ravaging scrags in the area. If the characters ask about Arauthator or other dragons, the shaman claims a dragon known as Old White Death was killed a year ago by frost giants. She describes the heap of whale and seal bones on the waterside ice shelf as all that’s left of the monster. Otherwise, the bones are described as evidence of monstrous predators in the area. W hile Barking Seal and Bonecarver speak with the adventurers, the other members of the tribe circle around the party, frowning and muttering as the dogs growl. Eight warriors lope off with their weapons toward the icy staircase and the ice shelf below, where they keep a cautious eye on Frostskimmr. Wizards, sorcerers, and warlocks among the party attract scornful looks. Do your best to communicate an atmosphere of tense hostility to the players. Any crew member accompanying the characters can point out that this behavior is highly unusual. Though the Ice Hunters avoid contact with outsiders, they are almost never hostile. During this interaction, allow the characters to attempt DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) checks. A character who succeeds notices several villagers slipping away one by one and disappearing into the meeting hall. From the hall, the villagers descend into the ice caves to warn Arauthator’s servants that strangers have come, then quickly slip back up to the surface. Encounters in the ice caves assume that the presence of intruders on the iceberg is already known. If the party has maintained stealth since they arrived, they have a chance to surprise creatures in the ice caves. A n H o n o r a b l e D u e l The Ice Hunters are determined not to allow the strangers inside the village hall, where they might discover the entrance to the ice caves. They know that letting powerful adventurers get past them into the dragon’s lair means torture or death for every adult and child of the tribe. As they stall for time, Barking Seal, Bonecarver, and Orcaheart are also sizing up the adventurers’ strength. If the characters refuse to leave the iceberg, Barking Seal proposes a contest: the village’s champion against any warrior among the strangers. If the champion wins, the characters must hand over some of their fine steel weapons and sail away immediately, never to return. If the adventurer wins, the strangers w ill have earned their place among the villagers. They can spend the night in the village, after which Bonecarver w ill answer their questions to the best of her ability. If the characters agree to the duel, one of them must fight Orcaheart one-on-one. No magic is allowed, but if the character possesses a magic weapon or magic armor with no obvious effects, the villagers are unlikely to notice. The fight continues until one contestant is unconscious and dying. (Allow Orcaheart to make death saving throws if he drops to 0 hit points.) At that point, the match ends and each combatant’s allies can step in to provide healing and assistance. During the fight, a combatant forfeits if he or she gains assistance of any kind from allies. Despite this, however, Bonecarver aids Orcaheart during the fight if she can. She positions herself so that when he is struck, he can fall backward and land in front of her. When she helps him back onto his feet, she surreptitiously casts cure wounds. If a player states specifically that a character is watching the crowd for signs of interference, that character can attempt a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. Success means that Bonecarver was spotted in the act, though she denies providing assistance if accused of cheating. I c e H u n t e r H o s p i t a l i t y If Orcaheart loses the match, the Ice Hunters go through the motions of honoring their pledge. They offer to let the characters sleep in the village storage hut, which barely qualifies as shelter. Bonecarver brings them a platter of slightly spoiled raw fish, explaining (truthfully) that her people prefer the tanginess of meat that’s gone past its prime. The fish won’t hurt characters who eat it—but the poison Bonecarver added to it will. The sharp tang of the fish covers the bitter poison so
well that a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check or DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check is needed to detect it. Any character who eats the poisoned fish must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. Faihjre means the character takes 13 (3d8) poison damage and becomes unconscious for 8 hours. On a successful save, the character takes 9 (2d8) poison damage. If all the characters are rendered unconscious by the poison, they are tied up and carried down to area 1 in the ice caves, where they awaken to see 5 ice toads (see appendix A) examining their belongings. C o n v i n c i n g t h e S h a m a n O f all the Ice Hunters, Bonecarver is the only one whose favor the characters have any chance of winning. She does not initially trust the adventurers, and is as keen to see them depart Oyaviggaton as the rest of her people. However, she knows that the Ice Hunters w ill eventually perish under Arauthator’s wrath, and she has long dreamed that the totem spirits w ill send heroes with the strength to best the dragon. With effective roleplaying and a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check, Bonecarver w ill meet privately with the adventurers and speak the truth of her people’s plight. A druid, ranger, or some other character who can truthfully express an understanding of the shaman’s animal totem-based faith has advantage on this check. Bonecarver is not willing to risk the lives of her tribesfolk in a battle against the dragon. However, she shows the characters the entrance to the ice caves from her hut and explains what she knows about the caves. This includes their general layout, occupants, and the presence of the “horned lady” (Maccath the Crimson). Ic e T o a d s Arauthator has attracted a number o f ice toads to Oyaviggaton, where they help to maintain the iceberg and the dragon’s many treasures and trophies. The ice toads are good at this job, thanks to their exceptionally intelligent leader, Marfulb. Feeding on seals, sea birds, and fish caught for them by the Ice Hunters, Oyaviggaton’s ice toads are not automatically hostile to strangers. Once characters get inside Arauthator’s lair, they might find that these creatures can be helpful to their quest. Ice toads normally speak only their own obscure language. Those in Oyaviggaton know a little Draconic and Uluik (the language o f the Ice Hunters), but their accents are thick and their pronunciation atrocious. Marfulb is fluent in Draconic thanks to many hours spent conversing with Arauthator. When the characters encounter ice toads, their intelligence won’t be apparent until they act or attempt to speak. Even then, characters might not recognize the ice toads’ croaking as language. Ice toads move on all fours, but their webbed front feet are surprisingly dexterous. Some carry tools and useful items in pouches slung around their necks. Ic e C a v e s Beneath the village lies a network of ice caves inhabited by Arauthator and his minions. Two entrances lead into the caves from the village: one hidden inside the meeting hall and the other inside the shaman’s hut. The dragon enters the caves by way of underwater tunnels that connect to his lair chamber, but these are too deep and well hidden to be used by the adventurers. G e n e r a l F e a t u r e s With its caverns carved out of the glacial depths of the iceberg, every surface in Oyaviggaton is made of ice. Ceilings and Walts. Most passages in the ice caves are at least 15 feet wide, and ceilings are 20 feet high unless noted otherwise. The walls are intricately carved with draconic imagery, pillars, cornices, filigrees, buttresses, leering dragon faces, and other decorative flourishes. This work has been done by kobolds in Arauthator’s service, and its quality varies widely. Floors . The floors inside the iceberg are worn glasssmooth from decades of traffic. Arauthator, the ice trolls, and the ice toads move across the slick ice with ease thanks to claws and bony spurs on their feet that give them traction. The dragon’s kobold servants wear spiky crampons made of animal teeth strapped to their feet. Characters without crampons or the ability to walk on ice treat all areas of the ice caves as difficult terrain. A successful DC 10 Intelligence check allows a character to rig a set of crampons from items in a climbing kit, or to convert a pair of kobold-sized crampons to fit a Medium creature. Snowshoes are of no help inside the iceberg. There are no stairs inside the iceberg; the floor slopes between areas of different elevation. Characters can slide down a one-level ramp with ease. Sliding down a two-level ramp (for example, from area 10 to area 9) is automatic if the character is sitting, but requires a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check if the character tries to slide down while standing. Characters equipped with crampons cannot stand, but can treat ramps as difficult terrain. Moving along a two-level ramp with crampons also requires a successful DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Characters without crampons can climb a onelevel ramp with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check, or can climb a two-level ramp with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. Acrobatics is of no use to these checks, but using a climber’s kit grants advantage on the checks. Any failed Dexterity check to move on a ramp results in the character sliding to the bottom of the ramp and falling prone. Light. The interior of Oyaviggaton is filled with dim light by whale-oil lamps that are kept filled and lit by the kobolds. The light is for the benefit of the ice toads, who are the only residents of the caves who need light to see. Temperature. The ice caverns are cold, with the temperature in most chambers hovering around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The white dragons, the ice trolls, and the ice toads don’t mind the cold. The kobolds and Maccath the Crimson bundle up in furs and warm their living quarters with small stoves that burn whale oil supplied by the villagers. As long as the characters wear
proper cold weather gear, they are at no risk from the cold while in the ice caves. Visibility. The ice caves are open to the sea, creating banks of vapor that roll constantly through Oyaviggaton’s corridors and chambers. This fog is more common in the low points of the caverns. In areas noted as +10 feet on the map, visibility is unrestricted unless a patch of random fog is encountered. In areas noted as 0 feet, visibility is limited to 75 feet. In areas noted as -10 feet or -20 feet, visibility is limited to 45 feet. R a n d o m E n c o u n t e r s In addition to the inhabitants noted in specific areas, the adventurers might run into Arauthator’s minions in any corridor or empty chamber. Whenever the characters move from a chamber into the circular corridor, or from the corridor into a chamber with no occupants, roll a d6. On a roll of 1, an encounter occurs. Then roll on the table to determine the specifics. Ic e C a v e s E n c o u n t e r s d10 Encounter or Event 1-2 Fog 3-5 Kobolds (3d6) 6-8 Ice toads (ld6) 9 Maccath the Crimson 10 Ice trolls (ld2) Fog. The air is suddenly filled with roiling vapor. Visibility is reduced to 5 feet for 2 minutes or until the characters move 90 feet away. Kobolds. Arauthator brought a pack of unwitting kobolds to Oyaviggaton generations ago, and the creatures have been serving him in the frigid cold ever since. In the event of an encounter, a squad of 3d6 kobolds is working in or passing through the area. If the characters are dressed as Ice Hunter villagers or are wearing some other appropriate disguise, the kobolds eye them warily but don’t immediately sound an alarm. Make a single Wisdom check for the kobolds with a DC equal to the lowest of the characters’ checks to disguise themselves. The kobolds’ Wisdom modifier is -2, but they have advantage on this check because of their numbers. If the check is successful (or if the characters aren’t disguised), the kobolds launch a single volley of sling stones at the intruders, then flee in as many directions as possible to report the intrusion to the ice toads or ice trolls. Ice Toads. A crew of ld6 ice toads (see appendix A) is working in this area or passing along the corridor. Disguises are ineffective against the ice toads, which know what creatures live in Oyaviggaton at any given time. If they see anything unexpected—even Ice Hunter villagers entering the caves without permission—they stop what they’re doing and observe the characters’ actions, asking questions if they can. The ice toads flee to the ice trolls if threatened, fighting only if they must. The ice toads speak their own language, plus enough Draconic and Uluik to communicate with Arauthator, the kobolds, and the Ice Hunters. They work for Arauthator but have no special devotion to the dragon. If a fight is coming, their loyalty goes to whomever they expect to win. That means the dragon, unless the characters somehow impress them. M accath the Crim son. Maccath often wanders the ice caves, deep in thought. On meeting strangers, her reaction is oddly subdued. See area 10 for more details on Maccath’s situation. Ice Trolls. Encountered singly or in small roving gangs, ice trolls are ordinary trolls with bluish skin and immunity to cold damage. Unless any ice toads are nearby to intervene, the ice trolls treats any creature not a kobold, an ice toad, Maccath, or an Ice Hunter as an intruder. For more information on the ice trolls working for Arauthator, see area 12. L E n t r a n c e f r o m H u t Inside the hut of the shaman Bonecarver, old furs heaped atop poles are laid across an opening leading down to the ice caves. Steps are cut into the wall of the chute, creating steep, icy stairs that drop down 100 feet in a tight spiral. Because this entrance is seldom used, the steps become increasingly obscured by frost as the characters descend. At the 40-foot mark, a character must attempt a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to maintain a grip on the dangerously uneven footholds. Failure means the character loses his or her footing, sliding and tumbling 60 feet to the bottom and taking 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage. Characters can mitigate this danger by roping themselves together or using a climber’s kit. Past the 40-foot mark, the steps improve again so that no further checks are necessary. The chute and its icy stairs end at the ceiling. A sturdy ladder then descends into the approximate center of a rectangular chamber. The exit to the corridor is an icy, 15-foot-wide passageway sloping downward. The chamber is empty except for a dozen baskets woven from leather strips and walrus ribs, stacked in the north corner. These contain frozen fish and a few skin-wrapped bundles of rotting shark meat that the Ice Hunters consider a delicacy. 2. E n t r a n c e f r o m t h e V i l l a g e H a l l Hidden beneath the planks in the back corner of the village hall, this entrance to the ice caves consists of a chute carved with icy stairs descending 100 feet in a tight spiral. This route is used regularly to bring supplies to Arauthator’s minions, so the steps are clear and easy to climb. Supplies are carried down strapped to villagers’ backs, or lowered in baskets with the pulley and rope in the village hall. This chamber is empty except for three bundles of rolled-up sealskins sitting where the ladder descends from the chute above to the approximate center of the room. Additionally, a bed of piled furs has been arranged in the southwest corner, from which the sound of loud coughing can be heard when the characters enter the chamber. Villagers who suffer disease or injury beyond Bonecarver’s limited healing ability are quarantined here in the relative warmth of the
caves. The coughing villager is named Mend-nets (tribal warrior). Mend-nets is naturally suspicious of strangers, but if any character can use lesser restoration to cure his disease, he becomes a trustworthy ally. He won’t do anything to hurt the village or the tribe, but he hates the kobolds who live in the caves. The ice toads likewise repulse him, though they also ignore him. The ice trolls terrify him, and he has awoken several times to find a troll hungrily peering at him from the tunnel leading to the trolls’ lair (area 12). He tells the characters that the creatures of the caves have been warned of their presence, but the only chambers he knows anything about besides this one are areas 1, 3, and 7. 3. L a r d e r The supplies that the villagers provide for Arauthator and his minions are stored here—mostly dried and frozen fish, whale, seal, walrus, and giant squid, plus furs that the kobolds fashion into protective clothing. Fish organs, shells, bones, soft stone, and other sundries are stored in smaller quantities, and are used by the ice toads to make ink, brushes, parchment, and other items for their work. A few seemingly inexplicable items are stored away from the other supplies, including a single steel gauntlet, a silver brooch containing a cameo, the brass hilt of a dueling knife, and a decorative belt buckle—bits and pieces that the villagers have pulled from the stomachs of sharks or giant octopi that have fed on explorers lost to the Sea of Moving Ice. Also stockpiled in this chamber are coils of rope, spikes, and a few pulleys. It’s clear at a glance that this gear has come from the south and was not made by the Ice Hunters. The kobolds use this equipment when something—or someone—needs to be lowered down into Arauthator’s lair through area 6. The pulley is attached to the iron hook in the ceiling of that chamber. 4. K o b o ld s ’ D e n Arauthator’s kobold servants live in this chamber. A dozen kobolds occupy this disheveled and filthy chamber. Half-eaten fish heads and gnawed seal flippers are tossed into corners or carelessly strewn around matted heaps o f furs, which would undoubtedly smell as bad as they look if not for the cold. The chamber holds 12 kobolds when the characters enter. A few are sleeping but most are tossing knucklebones, sharpening blades, sewing clothing, carving whalebone, or picking on each other. See “Random Encounters” (above) for guidelines on how the kobolds respond to intruders. If the characters spend a few minutes searching the area, a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check suggests that approximately two dozen kobolds live in this chamber. Their only possessions of value are a number of walrus tusks carved with draconic imagery, six of which are of sufficient artistry to fetch 200 gp each from a suitable collector. 5 J u n k R o o m The kobolds throw their litter, food scraps, waste, wornout boots, and other useless junk into this cavernous chamber. Its pit-like floor is filled to a depth of several feet, courtesy of minions that have been serving Arauthator in this iceberg for centuries. The trash floor of the chamber can be safely traversed, but there is nothing of value here. 6. T h e C h u t e This narrow cavern is the access point to the lair of Arauthator below. This chamber feels far colder than any area o f the ice caves you’ve explored so far. The cold issues from a yawning pit in the floor that twists down into darkness, and above which a heavy iron hook is anchored in the ice o f the ceiling. A five-foot-wide walkway extends around both sides o f the pit, connecting this entrance to an exit across the room. Carved into the ice o f the walls are images o f white dragons in flight. A visual inspection from either doorway indicates that the walkway looks safe enough—aside from being icy, narrow, and adjacent to an apparently bottomless pit. The walkway that crosses the east and north sides of the chamber is, in fact, safe, and characters can walk along it without difficulty. The walkway that crosses the west and south walls is weakened and dangerous. When a character reaches the bend in the walkway, have the player roll any die. If an odd number is rolled, a portion of the wall crumbles, and any creature on the walkway must attempt a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pushed off the walkway into the chute. The chute drops 60 feet to the top of the ice platform in area 16 in Arauthator’s lair. A creature tipped into the chute slides as much as falls, taking only 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage when hitting bottom. The creature must then attempt a Dexterity saving throw or fall off the ice platform; see area 16 for more information. A creature that jumps into the chute on purpose takes half damage from the descent and has advantage on the saving throw to stay on the ice platform. 7. H a l l o f G i a n t s The bodies of some of the frost giants Arauthator has fought and killed over the centuries are on display in this chamber, frozen into crystal-clear ice walls. Visibility at this level is only 45 feet, so characters won’t be able to see much from the doorway. A s they move into the chamber, the shape of the first frost giant becomes dimly visible at a distance of 60 feet. At 45 feet, the figure is easily mistakable for a living frost giant standing perfectly still. At 30 feet, the characters recognize that the giant is dead and frozen, seeing its torn armor and the awful claw wounds in its pale blue flesh. The hall displays the bodies of eight frost giants, one fire giant, and one cloud giant.
When the characters arrive in this area, 8 kobolds are working in the chamber, polishing and maintaining the ice. If they recognize the characters as intruders, they try to keep away from them in the fog, then slip out of the chamber when they can. 8. T r o p h y H a l l Trophies of Arauthator’s many battles are displayed in this chamber. Visibility is 45 feet, so the characters won’t be able to see much from the doorway. Among the creatures frozen here in death are two remorhazes, a trio of behirs, five abominable yetis, and a giant squid of jaw-dropping size. A complete longship with sail raised is also on display here. The ship clearly w ill not fit through any of the iceberg’s entrances; it was painstakingly disassembled outside and reassembled here by the kobolds. Characters who know ships can see mistakes in the rigging and hull planking, but it’s passably good work for a display. O f more immediate interest is the open chest of gold and jewels sitting on the ship’s deck. The chest contains 375 gp, 1,480 ep, and 495 sp, plus jewelry and precious objects worth another 225 gp. A character examining the chest without disturbing it or the contents can estimate its value at between 1,000 and 1,500 gp with a successful DC 10 Intelligence check. If the chest or any of the treasure it contains—even a single coin—is removed from the ship, Arauthator senses it immediately and dispatches 2 ice trolls (see area 12) to investigate. 9. U n u s e d C h a m b e r This chamber is empty, awaiting the day when Arauthator’s collection of trophies overflows areas 7 and 8. 10. M a c c a t h t h e C r im s o n If Maccath the Crimson hasn’t been encountered elsewhere in Oyaviggaton, the characters meet her here. At the top of the ramp from area 9, 1 ice troll (see area 12) stands guard over this cavern. It positions itself around the corner so it can’t be seen until intruders reach the top of the ramp. The empty ice floor o f this chamber holds a most unexpected sight. A large shelter is seemingly built o f scraps, and in the style o f the tents used by the desert nomads o f Calimshan, some two thousand miles to the south. Maccath’s shelter is made from huge tapestries and carpets draped across a frame of whale ribs, and stands 8 feet tall, 20 feet wide, and 30 feet long. The bottoms of the w alls drape down onto the ground, leaving no gaps underneath. The tent has no obvious entrance, but a character can slide between any two overlapping tapestries to emerge inside the shelter. When the characters step inside, read or paraphrase the following. The interior o f the shelter is surprisingly warm, thanks to a small stove and simple lamps burning aromatic whale oil. Carpets are heaped on the floor in thick layers, and tapestries from every culture in Faerun hang suspended from a sturdy frame o f whale ribs. Books and scrolls are stacked neatly on tables and reading stands made o f hide and whalebone. The only furnishings in the shelter not made from these natural materials are the carpets and tapestries, and a portable writing desk that appears to have been taken from a sailing ship. If this is the characters’ first meeting with Maccath the Crimson, add: Seated at the writing desk is a female tiefling wearing a blazing crimson cloak over tailored furs. The cloak is fastened with a silver-and-ivory brooch bearing a design reminiscent o f a stylized, branching tree— the symbol o f the Arcane Brotherhood. Two kobold attendants stand nearby, glancing nervously between you and the tiefling. After a few moments, the tiefling looks up with an expression o f pale disinterest and asks, “ Have you come to save me or kill me? Not that there will be much difference between the two.” When Maccath arrived at Oyaviggaton three years ago, Arauthator would normally have killed her without a second thought. However, the brooch of the Arcane Brotherhood she wore suggested to Arauthator that the tiefling might present a solution to two problems. First, the dragon possessed numerous items and writings stolen from the Arcane Brotherhood, some of which defied his understanding even after decades of study. Second, Arauthator had long sought a way to help his mate Arveiaturace overcome her grieving over the death of the wizard she once served. Replacing that dead wizard with a living one—and a member of the Arcane Brotherhood at that—seemed a perfect solution. Maccath was smart enough to convince the dragon that his offer had won her over, expecting that she would eventually be able to seek a means of escape from the iceberg. However, she has so far been thwarted by Arauthator’s potent magic—including spells and rituals stolen from the Arcane Brotherhood—which have kept her sealed and helpless in Oyaviggaton, invisible to scrying and unable to use sending to call for help. Before he turns Maccath over to Arveiaturace, Arauthator has had the tiefling deciphering his stolen writings, though the work has gone slowly thanks to the inherent complexity and danger of the material. Maccath is studying one of the stolen scrolls when the characters walk in. If the characters announced their presence by fighting the ice troll, the 2 kobolds w ill be visibly agitated, even though Maccath shows little concern. The kobolds have been directed to stay with the tiefling and follow her
orders, which mostly means undertaking errands to the scriptorium (area 11). She also relies on them for cooking, housekeeping, and other mundane chores. The moment the characters make it clear that they are here to rescue Maccath, the kobolds make a dash for area 12. They alert the ice trolls unless they are stopped. M a c c a t h ’s B a r g a i n Though she is a prisoner, Maccath has become obsessed with completing Arauthator’s challenging magical translations. Like most members of the Arcane Brotherhood, she is dedicated to the point of arrogance, believing that even if she is fated to die as a dragon’s plaything, she w ill have accomplished something magnificent first. As such, the tiefling sets out terms for her rescue, saying that she won’t leave Oyaviggaton without bringing along as much of the Arcane Brotherhood’s stolen property as she can. If the characters agree, Maccath shares the following information: • Arauthator is currently in area 20 of his lair, close to the entrance beneath the scriptorium (area 11). • Most of the material stolen from the Hosttower is in the scriptorium, but a few items might be in Arauthator’s lair (see “Arauthator’s Treasure” at the end of this episode.) • If the party seems intent on fighting Arauthator, Maccath offers them a ring o f cold resistance and two arrows o f dragon slaying that she has crafted during her captivity. Though these items and her draconic knowledge give the characters an edge, she warns the party that Arauthator has devoured almost every hero he has faced. • Maccath knows the general layout of the dragon’s cavern but not its specific dangers. Arauthator has never allowed her out of his sight in the lair. In particular, she knows nothing of the scrags in area 15 or the traps in area 18. • Two entrances lead to Arauthator’s lair—one in the adjoining scriptorium and the other in area 6. • Arauthator moves in and out of the lair using underwater passages. • The Draakhorn was here when Maccath came to Oyaviggaton, but a group of humans wearing distinctive robes came to the iceberg half a year ago. After negotiation with Arauthator, they took the device away. (The characters recognize Cult of the Dragon regalia in Maccath’s description of the humans.) In addition to this, Maccath can tell the characters all the information about the Draakhorn as it’s described in appendix B. • Trying to escape from the iceberg on a ship would be suicidal while Arauthator is able to attack from the air. The dragon is content to let his minions deal with intruders, but he w ill be alerted if the characters flee. • Even if the adventurers have not alerted any of the dragon’s servants, Maccath’s absence would be reported within a day. When that happens, the dragon w ill come looking for her and whoever helped her escape. Maccath knows that surprise is the characters’ best weapon for challenging the dragon, and that he w ill not risk dying over this single lair. Though he hates the idea of abandoning a home with its treasure and trophies, if bested by the adventurers, Arauthator w ill flee to one of his other lairs. 11. S c r i p t o r i u m Though this chamber is deeper than the adjacent caverns, no mist hangs in the air here. Three shelves stand in this otherwise empty cavern, cobbled together out o f salvaged wood, whale bone, pieces o f giants’ armor, and even the frozen limbs o f yetis. A number o f scrolls, books, parchments, and folios are carefully arranged on the shelves, all bearing the markings o f magical writing. If Maccath is with the characters, she can direct them to the items stolen from the Hosttower of the Arcane. She cautions the characters not to read or even peruse the material for their own safety. The writings are laced with diabolical lore that is anathema to the mortal mind. Characters unable to read magic can’t make any headway in the books. A character who can read magic who examines the writings must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. Success indicates that the character recognizes the danger and stops reading. Failure indicates the character absorbs the power of the fiendish lore and suffers a psychic shock. W hile suffering this shock, the character has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, and must attempt a DC 10 Constitution check to cast a spell. On a failed check, the spell cannot be cast, though the spell slot is not expended. The character can make another saving throw to end the effect each time he or she finishes a long rest. Arcane spellcasters can find much of value in this scriptorium, along with much that’s worthless. Arauthator has collected many spellbooks from slain wizards over the centuries. More importantly for the party’s immediate benefit, he also collected dozens of scrolls. Though many of those here have deteriorated from dampness or age, characters who spend a few minutes searching can find ten scrolls: gaseous form, haste, protection from energy, water breathing, Evard’s black tentacles, fire shield, wall o f fire, hold monster, chain lightning, and disintegrate. A c c e s s t o A r a u t h a t o r ’s L a i r Near the western end o f the scriptorium, a 15-foot-wide chute leads down to area 19 of Arauthator’s lair. The dragon can clamber up and down this passage without difficulty. Characters trained in Athletics can climb down the chute using crampons or some other device to grip the wall. Other characters can climb down only with ropes, pitons, and other climbing gear. The chute descends 60 feet to the roof of area 19, after which characters must drop 15 feet to the ice platform.
Before the characters head down into the cavern, Maccath tells them they have no easy way back up to these chambers. Old White Death doesn’t want anyone—intruders or guests—to be able to easily leave his lair. 12. Ic e T r o l l s The ice trolls that Arauthator has gathered to his service use this hall as their residence, and no other creatures are permitted here. An ice troll has bluish, translucent skin and immunity to cold damage; it otherwise has the statistics of an ordinary troll. A minimum of 2 ice trolls are here when characters first enter, but 3 or more can be placed in this area at your discretion (and depending on whether the adventurers meet conditions that might lead to fighting; see below). This cavernous chamber is filled with drifting mist that shrouds a field o f ice pillars rising from floor to ceiling. The muffled silence beyond is broken only by the sound o f running water. Ice pillars and pressure ridges form razor-sharp crags that loom out of the roiling fog. Streams of crackling water, magically flowing even at subzero temperatures, course thickly through the hollows beneath winddriven, icy snow. From the entrance, only swirling fog can be seen and only the wind can be heard. If Maccath or any ice toad is with the party, they advise the characters in the strongest possible terms to stay out of this chamber. Those who venture here aree silently surrounded and ambushed by the ice trolls. The trolls hungrily pursue the adventurers if they flee, but they heed the ice toads and refrain from attacking if the toads command them to. The trolls speak Giant and understand a little bit of the Draconic tongue. They are willing to trade or bargain with characters who prove too difficult to kill. Only the verifiable offer of food and treasure can convince the trolls to turn against Arauthator. 13. Ic e T o a d Wo r k p l a c e Giant ice toads serve Arauthator as overseers at Oyaviggaton. They manage the labor of the kobolds, direct the Ice Hunter villagers to provide the lair with food and other supplies, and have the patience required to deal with the ornery ice trolls. A bizarre sight greets you in this rough-walled chamber. About a dozen giant toads with thick, mottled white hides are at work here, scribing strange writing into the ice o f the walls, or onto weathered parchment and stone tablets. A few toads transfer parchments and tablets into and out o f floor-to-ceiling cubbyholes cut into the ice along the entire southern wall. A total of 11 ice toads (see appendix A) work in this chamber, scribing records and tallies into the ice using sharpened antlers or their own claws. They also maintain rough maps of the Sea of Moving Ice based on reports from the Ice Hunter villagers. At regular intervals, their temporary records are transferred to more permanent form. See “Random Encounters” (above) for guidelines on how the giant ice toads respond to intruders. The characters’ best chance to avoid a fight in this area— and to keep the toads from alerting the ice trolls—is to win the ice toads to their cause by treating with their leader, Marfulb. The average ice toad is smart, but their leader Marfulb is exceptional (Intelligence 13). Her knack for organization and governance had no outlet until her path crossed Arauthator’s on the Sea of Moving' Ice, and she has served as the seneschal of Oyaviggaton for the four decades since. Not even Arauthator understands the workings of Oyaviggaton as well as Marfulb, who knows the contents and value of every pack, chest, and heap of coins in the iceberg down to the last copper piece. M a r f u l b ’s L o r e In addition to data about Arauthator—his treasures, mating habits, and epic battles with frost giants and other monsters—the information amassed by the ice toads includes exhaustive details on the ever-changing Sea of Moving Ice, the weather north of the Spine of the World, and the culture of the elusive Ice Hunters. Marfulb feels great satisfaction in her life’s work, but she knows too little about society south of the Spine of the World to sense its full importance. Characters equipped with a bag o f holding could take all the parchments and stone slabs with them when they leave Oyaviggaton. The Arcane Brotherhood would regard the lore as one of the most amazing works of natural philosophy in existence (once it is painstakingly translated from the ice toads’ unique language), and they would clamor to meet and praise Marfulb. Without a bag o f holding, the collection is too large to move. 14. Ice To ad L a ir This freezing, miserable chamber makes a perfect home for the ice toads, but is presently empty. None of the toads’ belongings here has value as loot, but they make a strange and curious collection. Such objects include walrus-tooth wart scrapers, spears fashioned from narwhal horn, oddly shaped furniture sculpted into the icy floor instead of rising above it, writing implements carved from baleen and shaped for a webbed hand, and art objects that combine carved whalebone, driftwood, and mundane items such as silverware and glass stoppers salvaged from shipwrecks.
A r a u t h a t o r ’s L a i r The dragon’s lair is a single, cavernous chamber with many nooks, crannies, and icy outcroppings. G e n e r a l F e a t u r e s Like the caverns above it, Arauthator’s lair is composed entirely of ice. Ceiling. The rough ceiling of the open cavern rises 40 feet above the varying height of the uneven floor. Floo rs . The floor of the cavern is worn smooth and is highly slippery. Arauthator and the scrags move across the slick ice with ease thanks to their claws, but characters without crampons or the ability to walk on ice treat all areas of the lair cavern as difficult terrain. See the “General Features” of the ice caves (above) for information on crampons. Snowshoes are of no help in the lair. The terrain levels represented on the map of the cavern show increments of 8 feet. The elevation of the floor results from the ice splitting and splintering, so the ledges are abrupt and have a distinctly step-like appearance. Characters can drop down a level without difficulty. Scrambling up a level requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check; the climber has advantage on the check if equipped with crampons or climbing gear. Light. The lair cavern is normally dark. A ll description assumes that the characters have a light source or darkvision. Temperature. The lair cavern is colder than the tunnels and chambers above it. The cavern is a bonechilling 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Area 20 is even colder. Visibility. Banks of vapor roll through the cavern, limiting visibility to 60 feet for characters with light. 15._Sc r a g s ’ L a i r This corner of the cavern is home to 2 scrags that Arauthator allows to live in his lair, provided they guard it in his absence. These aquatic trolls can breathe underwater and have a swim speed of 30 feet. If the characters approach, the scrags duck into hiding places, then attempt to attack from ambush and claim an unexpected meal. 16. Ice P i l l a r s Pilla rs and platforms of ice jut up from the floor in this area of the cavern. Climbing an ice pillar more than 8 feet tall requires a climber’s kit and a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. A creature dropping down the chute from area 6 lands on the top level of the large ice platform in the southeast part of the cavern, 16 feet above the cavern floor. The creature must then succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to stay on the platform. (A creature that intentionally jumps down the chute takes half damage from the descent and has advantage on this saving throw.) If the saving throw fails, the creature slides off the top level of the icy platform and hits the second level, taking 3 (ld6) bludgeoning damage and falling prone. Any creature falling to the cavern floor attracts the attention of the scrags in area 15. 17. T h e Ic e w o l f ’s Sp in e This jagged ridge of ice divides the cavern into sections. Climbing up to at least the 8-foot level and moving along the ridge is the only safe way to get from area 15 or 16 into area 19 or 20 without encountering the traps in areas 18a and 18b. Unlike other ledges in the cavern, the horizontal surfaces of the Icewolf’s Spine aren’t level. The denizens of the lair can traverse the ledges without difficulty, but any other creature that moves more than 15 feet during a round must make a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Failure indicates that the creature loses its footing and falls to the next level below, taking 3 (ld6) bludgeoning damage and landing prone. Wearing crampons grants advantage on this check. 18a . T h e G u l l e t This narrow passage is rigged with a magic trap. When the first character passes through the narrowest point of the passage, the entire area of the passage fills with a stinking cloud for 1 minute. Arauthator immediately becomes aware of intruders if the stinking cloud is triggered. The dragon does not set off the trap if it moves through the area. 18b . T h e T h r o a t This narrow passage is rigged with a magic trap. When the first character moves through the narrowest point of the passage, a slow spell is triggered, targeting every creature in the area. Creatures affected by the spell suffer its effects for 1 minute. Arauthator immediately becomes aware of intruders if the slow spell is triggered. The dragon does not set off the trap if it moves through the area. 19. T h e P e r c h Arauthator sometimes sleeps on this vast ice shelf, but more often he spends his time lounging in area 20. Much of the treasure the dragon keeps at Oyaviggaton is stashed here and on the ledges above. See “Arauthator’s Treasure,” below. 20. A r a u t h a t o r ’s A b y s s The western end of the lair cavern is where Arauthator (an adult white dragon) spends most of his time at Oyaviggaton. Gold, jewels, and other treasure lies scattered on the floor and frozen into the walls of this vast chamber. It is noticeably colder here than anywhere else in the iceberg, reaching -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Any character in an area where the temperature is below 0 degrees Fahrenheit must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour. Characters without cold weather gear automatically fail this save. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion.
When the characters face off against Arauthator, the dragon roars so loudly that the whole iceberg reverberates with his rage. This calls the ice trolls from area 12, which arrive 5 rounds later. Pools of slush spread across the floor of the cavern, prevented from freezing by the seawater’s high salt content. One such pool, in the westernmost angle of the cavern, conceals a flooded passage connecting to the Sea of Moving Ice. This is Arauthator’s customary entrance and exit. When the dragon is reduced to 100 hit points or fewer and facing three or more foes, he dives for this exit and escapes into the frozen sea. If the dragon flees, the ice trolls retreat as well. D e v e l o p m e n t s If the characters defeat Arauthator, the reactions of Oyaviggaton’s other inhabitants are dependent on whether the dragon is killed or driven off. If Arauthator is killed, the ice toads grieve, but they won’t take any action against the characters. In contrast, the kobolds are furious with grief, throwing themselves at the characters in frenzied, suicidal attacks. The ice trolls’ reaction w ill likely be influenced by whatever interaction the characters had with them earlier. The trolls might flee without a word, or they might decide they like Oyaviggaton and make it their permanent home. The Ice Hunters are elated over the dragon’s death. When the characters emerge from the iceberg, the normally reserved villagers greet them with cheers and offers of the choicest fermented fish. The villagers then begin packing their few belongings into their hide boats and prepare to leave immediately. If Arauthator is wounded and driven off, Maccath or Marfulb know enough of the dragon to predict that he w ill spend months recovering at one of his other lairs before returning to Oyaviggaton. The Ice Hunters believe that this gives them enough time to lose themselves in the vast expanse of the Sea of Moving Ice and find a new home where Arauthator can’t track them. The dragon is vengeful, but with everything else going on, Maccath believes Arauthator won’t put any real effort into seeking out his former thralls. The Ice Hunters have no contact with civilization, so they can’t possibly spread word of his humiliating defeat. With the dragon’s disappearance, the kobolds hide if they can, while the ice toads demonstrate the same impassive stoicism they show if the dragon is killed. The ice trolls shy away from Arauthator’s treasure as long as he is alive, knowing better than to come between a dragon and its hoard. They don’t really care if someone else plunders items from the dragon’s hoard, and they’re too stupid to think they might be blamed for any such thefts. L e a v i n g O y a v i g g a t o n The characters have no chance to sail away from the iceberg aboard Frostskimm r while Arauthator is free to attack. The dragon can strike just as easily from the sky or from beneath the water, freezing or capsizing the ship, then picking off the crew at his leisure. If the adventurers try to sneak away with Maccath, the sorcerer’s absence is noticed by the kobolds and ice toads within a day. If Arauthator was beaten in combat and forced to retreat, he w ill not pursue Frostskimm r as the characters sail away. The adventurers and the crew might see the dragon shadowing them in the far distance, but Arauthator is too proud and fearful to face the party again. A r a u t h a t o r ’s T r e a s u r e If Old White Death is killed or driven away, he leaves his iceberg lair’s treasure hoard behind. (Because Oyaviggaton is just one of a number of minor lairs maintained by the dragon, the treasure here represents only the smallest part of his total wealth.) Areas 19 and 20 contain a total of 700 gp, 1,000 sp, and 20 precious stones (five each worth 200 gp, 400 gp, 600 gp, and 800 gp). In addition, add potions, scrolls, and magic items at your discretion. Alternatively, use the treasure tables in the Dungeon Master’s Guide to generate a hoard whose value is in line with your campaign. To claim this treasure, it must be hacked out of the ice in the lair cavern. Doing so takes half a day (and is thus impossible if Arauthator is still in the lair). Marfulb’s four decades of data on Arauthator is priceless to the Arcane Brotherhood (a fact Maccath w ill recognize if the characters don’t) or to other collectors of draconic lore. If the dragon is dead, Marfulb can be talked into letting this material be transported south, provided she gets to come along. If Arauthator still lives, the ice toad would prefer to stay and continue her work with her records intact. C o n c l u s i o n Arauthator is a strong ally of the Cult of the Dragon, and the adventurers deal a solid blow to the cult by defeating him. Additionally, by returning Maccath and the stolen lore of the Hosttower, the characters can earn the allegiance of the Arcane Brotherhood in the fight against the cult’s plans. The characters gain a level at the end of this episode.
- r - i r \ a Episodes 3 and 4: Death to the Wyrmspeakers 1 A rom their first discovery of the dragon masks in M H oard o f the Dragon Queen, the characters w ill - L have recognized the importance of the masks to the Cult of the Dragon. Over the course of the adventure, the heroes have two chances to come face to face with the wyrmspeakers of Severin’s inner circle, perhaps claiming their dragon masks and hindering Severin’s plans. This section comprises two distinct episodes. In the first episode, the characters track Varram, keeper of the White Dragon Mask, to an ancient crypt overrun by yuan-ti in the Serpent Hills. In the second episode, the adventurers go up against Neronvain, wyrmspeaker of the Green Dragon Mask, in a hidden stronghold and dragon lair in the Misty Forest. These episodes play out at different points during the first and second sessions of the Council of Waterdeep, but are presented together because they form two halves of a single m ission - taking the fight to the wyrmspeakers as a means of thwarting Severin’s plots. Three of the five wyrmspeakers of the cult—Galvan the Blue, Rezmir the Black, and Severin himself, who wears the Red Dragon Mask— are already at the Well of Dragons and beyond the party’s reach. However, the white wyrmspeaker Varram is forced to leave the security of his stronghold after losing possession of the White Dragon Mask, while the green wyrmspeaker Neronvain engages in raids against the elves of the Misty Forest with his draconic ally, Chuth. When word comes to the Council of Waterdeep that two of the five wyrmspeakers might be at large, the adventurers seize the opportunity to strike. E p is o d e 3: V a r r a m t h e W h i t e Varram the White is a close ally and confidant of Severin, but the Cult of the Dragon leader is unaware of how his old friend’s actions have threatened the cult’s plans. Varram’s White Dragon M ask has gone missing, stolen by a thief allied with the Zhentarim and now hidden from normal scrying magic. Varram is desperate to retrieve the mask before Severin discovers it is missing, and so he has created the pretense of taking a group of trusted followers to seek out a site of ancient magic in the Serpent Hills, which he claims w ill help the cult in its plans to summon Tiamat. In truth, Varram is seeking the Tomb of Diderius—site of an ancient
divination pool that he hopes w ill show him the location of the lost mask. Harper agents have heard rumors of the theft of the White Dragon M ask, and Leosin Erlanthar has recently learned that the dwarf Varram was seen in the trade settlement of Boareskyr Bridge, near the Serpent Hills. With the Harpers already spread far and wide on their intelligence-gathering missions, the adventurers are a perfect choice to pursue the wyrmspeaker. F o l l o w i n g t h e T r a i l Leosin Erlanthar contacts the party during a council session in Waterdeep. After filling them in on the rumors that Varram has lost the White Dragon M ask and gone abroad in search of it, he sends the characters to Boareskyr Bridge, instructing them to seek information on Varram’s recent movements and probable destination. This episode sees the characters journey from Boareskyr Bridge to a forgotten Anaurian ruin in the Serpent Hills. The divination pool that Varram seeks is there—but so too is a clan of yuan-ti that are a threat to the wyrmspeaker and the adventurers alike. B o a r e s k y r B r i d g e Boareskyr Bridge bears the name of a now-vanished realm north and east of the Trade Way. The bridge provides access across the Winding Water and is a major landmark. Constructed of black granite, it bears sculpted images of the deities Cyric and Bhaal, commemorating the legendary battle they fought on the bridge during the Time of Troubles. This way station settlement is little more than a collection of tents, wagons, and caravans providing food, fresh mounts, and other services to travelers. A contingent of paladins from the theocracy of Elturgard maintains watch over the bridge in a newly built keep. B o l o ’s T e n t s i d e I n n Bolo’s Tentside Inn is a rough-and-tumble establishment set up in a large pavilion near the center of Boareskyr’s tent city. When the characters make inquiries about Varram, they are directed to Bolo’s and its female halfling proprietor. “A dwarf in purple robes? Oh, I saw him. He was asking about escorts into the hills, when this hooded fellow starts asking him his business. The dwarf looked him straight in the eye, then pulled out his dagger and stabbed the tall fellow dead! He was one o f the scaled folk o f the Serpent Hills, come down to spy on us! That dwarf's a hero, make no mistake. But he and his entourage took off straight away for the hills then, quick as cats!” Varram’s only goal in killing the yuan-ti spy was stopping word of his movements from reaching the Serpent H ills before he got there, but it has made him something of a local hero. Bolo is happy to share what she knows as long as the characters don’t let on that they intend to harm the dwarf. Varram traveled with more than a dozen other companions, including a handful of cloaked and hooded warriors. She assumed them to be barbarian mercenaries, but Varram is actually traveling under the protection of a force of bearded devils. The dwarf headed into the Serpent H ills after killing the yuan-ti. T h e Se r p e n t H i l l s Good weather and the fact that Varram and his large party were moving with haste makes their trail into the hills easy to follow. From Boareskyr Bridge, the adventurers pursue the dwarf into the Serpent H ills—a swath of badlands, mesas, and rocky plateaus sprinkled with trees and tall grass. Varram’s trail leads some sixty-five miles north-northeast. Lizardfolk and nagas, trolls and giants, and the treacherous yuan-ti all lurk in the Serpent Hills, amid the tombs and ruined settlements of more than one fallen civilization. As the characters pursue Varram, roll a d20 every 6 hours of travel; an encounter occurs on a roll of 17-20. Determine the encounter by rolling on the table below. S e r p e n t H ills E n c o u n t e r s d8 Encounter 1 Humanoids (ld6) 2 Herd mammals (5d6) 3 Hill giants (ld2) 4 Unmarked grave 5 Shrine 6 Vultures (3d6) 7 Ruined settlement 8 Lizardfolk (2d8) Hum anoids. Humanoids ranging into the Serpent H ills might be treasure hunters, escaped slaves from the monstrous land of Najara, or scouts from Elturgard keeping watch on yuan-ti activity. H e rd Mamm als. Packs of goats, antelope, and other herd mammals range across the Serpent Hills. They avoid other creatures, but can become fierce if threatened or cornered. H ill Giants. The party comes across one or two hill giants gorging on a fallen herd animal. When the giants notice the adventurers, they see the opportunity for another meal. A hill giant retreats when reduced to half its hit points or fewer, preferring prey that does not fight back. Unm arked Grave. A low rise covered in hastily collected rocks marks the resting place of one of the many explorers to have fallen in the Serpent Hills. At your discretion, an unmarked grave at night could become an encounter with a ghost or other restless undead. Shrine. An isolated shrine to one of the many lost gods of Netheril or Anauria rises up out of the desert. Many such sites show signs of having been used as campsites by travelers in the hills.
Vultures. Flocks of vultures might be seen circling at a distance, or could harass the characters if they mistake them for lost travelers on their last legs. R uin e d Settlement. Crumbling stones and dry wells are all that remain of the many lost settlements of the Serpent Hills. Liza rd folk . Lizardfolk regularly hunt and gather food for their yuan-ti masters, grabbing humanoid settlers along the fringes of the hills when they can. T o m b o f D id e r iu s The Tomb of Diderius and its magic pool are hidden within a complex of chambers carved into a towering cliff. Originally part of the manse the wizard Diderius built around the mystical divination pool, the complex was converted to a crypt only after his death. The crypt looks down over the ruins of the town that grew up around the magic pool to cater to those who came seeking Diderius’s wisdom. The town once nestled into a canyon between two bluffs, but only a few ruined stone structures and the slab foundations of administrative and temple buildings now remain. Cave entrances dot the bluffs, marking former residences and simple tombs. None of the ruins hold anything of value or interest, but the caves offer safe places for the party to rest. Knowledge of the settlement that once stood here has been lost to all except Ilda, a ghostly librarian in area 9 of the crypt, who has answers to many forgotten questions. A s well, though few seek the pool these days, a small yuan-ti colony known as S s’tck’al has arisen behind the crypt. The yuan-ti use humanoid sacrifices to power the divination pool’s magic, learning dark secrets that fuel their insidious plots. G e n e r a l F e a t u r e s Unless otherwise specified, the floor and walls of the dungeon are sandstone blocks and flagstones. The walls are cool to the touch and the air is cold. Ceilings. 10 feet high unless otherwise noted. Light. None, unless outdoors or otherwise specified. Regional Effects. When Diderius died, those who honored him in life transformed him into a special mummy lord whose magic pervades his tomb. Since Diderius is neutral rather than evil, the area lacks dark magic common to other mummy-lord tombs. A few chambers of the tomb have the appearance of opulent and well-kept rooms suitable for a noble archmage. This effect is an illusion, however, failing to cover the rank scent of dust and decay. Diderius’s magic also guides those who show proper respect.
L E n t r a n c e P l a z a The entrance to Diderius’s tomb stands in what was once a large paved plaza. The remains o f a fountain are now little more than a stone circle set around a crumbling hole in the ground leading to a well deep below. Two stone statues stand in the courtyard, rising twenty feet high. Behind them, a forty-foot high edifice is carved into the cliff side, dominated by relief columns carved with strange, otherworldly scenes. The left-hand colossus is a bearded human male wearing exotic clothes, but its face is smashed beyond recognition. It holds a balance in its right hand and a cudgel at its side, its left hand raised as if in warning. The colossus to the right of the entrance is a young human male wearing similarly exotic clothing, the left half of its head cracked off and lying at its feet. The statue holds a shepherd’s crook in its left hand and a sword at its waist, its right hand raised in warning as well. The relief-carved scenes around the entrance depict things Diderius glimpsed in the divination pool, including other worlds and planes that never came to be. Use your imagination when describing these scenes. The entrance to the crypt is 30 feet up atop a stone stairwell that stops 10 feet short of a platform jutting out from the cliff face. Varram’s cultists (see below) have left a ladder leaning against the edifice that allows characters to climb up to the entrance. C u l t i s t C a m p s i t e a n d R u i n e d F o u n t a i n Varram’s cultists have made camp in the plaza near the ruined fountain. A campfire is burning down here, and three bedrolls show where the rearguard cultists are camped. Seven shallow graves have been dug east of the campsite—casualties from the cultists’ exploration. The guards are dead, having been dragged off and eaten by trolls living in the tunnels beneath the well. Those sewers remain largely intact, and the 3 trolls that dwell there have discovered that using them to move between the crypt and the plaza makes for good foraging in the area. If the party rests here or in area 5, the trolls attack in the night. A troll fights until reduced to one-third or fewer of its hit points before retreating to the safety of the well. The entrance to the tunnels is too narrow for even a Small character to squeeze through. The trolls dislocate their hips and shoulders to pass through, taking 10 bludgeoning damage that they quickly regenerate. A p p r o a c h i n g t h e St a t u e s When the party approaches the statues, read the following. As you approach the statues, you hear the sudden sound o f grinding stone. The colossal figures turn their massive heads, their shattered features staring down at you. Two voices issue forth in unison, booming out as though erupting from the deep earth. “ Halt. You come before Diderius, ether walker and conduit o f clairvoyance. Behold ye now his wondrous triumphs. Diderius extends wisdom , and Diderius offers knowledge. W hich do you seek?" If a response of “We seek wisdom,” or “We desire knowledge” is given, or the characters roleplay an obsequious or self-deprecating response that might please an egotistical wizard, the statues respond. They say, “Diderius shall grant you what you seek, but only if you heed him and continue to show proper respect!” They then revert to their original positions. The adventurers’ positive response earns them beneficial warnings, courtesy of the magic of Diderius. Warnings are detailed in the areas to which they apply. Any response other than “knowledge” or “wisdom” that is not in some way flattering to Diderius—including questions for clarification—results in the statues reverting to their initial positions. The characters are free to continue on into the complex, but they receive no benefit from this interaction. 2. A n t e c h a m b e r W hile an illusion still shows a tomb with gilded carvings and silver censers, these are mere shadows. Looters have defaced and ruined the relief-carved walls, and the censers are long gone. Set between the carvings are a dozen alcoves recognizable as funerary niches, though these contain only splinters of bone. At the far end of the chamber, a stone door hangs ajar. Marks on the door and frame indicate that it was recently forced. 3. Wa t c h f u l St a t u e s Six statues stand here, all of cowled wizards leaning on staffs, their faces obscured by deep hoods. The hollows the hoods form are particulalry dark. Niches between the statues once held skeletal guardians that fought the cultists. The bones of more than a dozen humanoids now litter the ground. Characters who chose well when speaking with the statues in area 1 are struck by a sudden thought when they enter this area: “Some secrets are not meant for mortal minds to know. Look away from the darkness in which such knowledge hides.” Statue Trap. When the first adventurer passes the halfway point of the room, the sound of grinding stone announces the statues turning their cowled heads to follow the characters’ movements. The characters must not look into the darkness in the statues’ hoods. Any character who does must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving
throw against a suggestion spell. Success indicates that the character shrugs off the statue’s magic, while failure indicates the character is held by the dark gaze within the stony cowl for 1 round. During this time, the statue whispers impossible secrets to the character, which carry both benefit and burden. The character must then make a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the character cannot grasp the secrets it was shown, and there is no effect. On a success, the character understands the world more accurately, gaining advantage on Intelligence checks for the next 24 hours. However, the character is also driven temporarily insane for 1 minute. An insane creature can’t take actions or reactions, can’t understand what other creatures say, can’t read, and speaks only in gibberish. You control the creature’s movement, which is erratic. 4. M o s a ic C h am b e r This chamber is a high vaulted dome with a deep inset ledge circling the room, 10 feet wide and 15 feet up. The floor here is set with a beautiful tile mosaic showing a knight in plate armor wielding a glowing sword against a chimera. The word “S A F E ” is written in chalk on the door leading to area 5, marking that chamber as a resting place used by the cultists. When the first character enters this room, the tile chimera begins to slowly shift. With a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check, a character notices this movement and is not surprised as the tiles shoot up and the chimera seemingly claws its way out of the mosaic. The tile chimera acts as a normal chimera magically animated and customized per the sidebar. It makes a clacking noise as it moves, and when injured, it sprays tiles instead of bleeding. It is thin in one dimension and can use that fact to its advantage in combat. The creature flies up to the ledge to use its fire breath at range, flying down to attack in melee until it can breathe again. C u s t o m i z a t i o n : A n i m a t e d T ile C r e a t u r e An animated tile creature acts like the creature it resembles, except it is a construct that has no need to breathe, drink, eat, or sleep. The creature also gains the following features. Damage Resistances piercing Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned A tile creature gains the following trait. Rejuvenation. If destroyed, the tile creature regains all its hit points and becomes active again in 24 hours unless at least half its tiles are collected and kept separate from the rest o f the creature’s tiles. A tile creature gains the following reaction. Narrow Dodge. When targeted by a melee attack, the tile creature can take a reaction to turn its narrowest aspect toward the attacker. The attacker has disadvantage on the attack roll. M o saic Sun. The sun is depicted in the mosaic near the hallway that is area 6—and is actually a sliding circular plate that reveals the bone boulder trap in that area. The plate is only apparent with a successful DC 24 Wisdom (Perception) check or a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check. D o o r H azard . The double doors leading to area 12 are plated in corroded copper engraved to depict a group of wizards peering over a pool of water. The oversized figure of a male wizard at the top of the image raises his hands as if summoning a creature from the pool. The doors bulge out noticeably from their frame, pushed out by the weight of stone where the ceiling of the corridor between area 4 and area 12 has collapsed. Pulling on either door unleashes enough force to break the hinges and send the doors and a wall of rubble crashing into the room. Any creature within 10 feet of the doors must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw to jump out of the way. On a failure, the creature takes 28 (8d6) bludgeoning damage, or half damage on a successful save. The fall of rubble leaves the hallway filled with stone and impassable. 5. W e l l C h a m b e r The divination pool used water to create a mirror-like surface for its powerful rituals, which was replenished from this well. The well holds water still, but the regional effects Diderius imposes on his lair causes it to evaporate within a few rounds of being hauled up into this area. A bronze bucket on a rope sits near the well, while an empty basin stands 8 feet up along the north wall, with stone steps leading up to it. A brass lever protrudes from the wall near the basin. When water is poured into the basin and the lever pulled, it feeds the sluice in area 12. The sides of the well and the floor next to it are covered in bright red mushrooms. They are slick with a watery sheen that resembles blood, and have the taste and texture of raw liver if picked and eaten before the lair effects spoil them. They are safe to consume, however. The cultists used this room as a forward campsite during their short expedition. Sleeping rolls and camping gear are scattered around. A s with the door leading into this area, “S A F E ” is scribed on the wall in chalk in case anyone became lost or disoriented. Trolls. The well here connects to the reservoir that feeds the fountain in the plaza outside. The trolls in that area sometimes come here when their hunting goes poorly and feed on the liver mushrooms. Though the cultists did not encounter them before being taken by the yuan-ti, the trolls attack in the middle of the night if the party uses this area for resting. A s on the plaza, the trolls flee down the well if badly injured. 6. H a l lw a y This hallway slants down sharply, dropping 15 feet over its full length. Any character who takes a moment to poke around and succeeds on a DC 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices a secret panel halfway down the hallway, large enough for a Small creature
to fit through, or a Medium creature that is squeezing. The panel reveals a narrow shaft that once housed a dumbwaiter, which drops down 30 feet to the stairwell leading to area 11. (The cultists discovered this shaft and used it to enter areas 10 and 11, though no sign can be found of their passage.) B one B ould e r Trap. At 15 feet beyond the shaft entrance, a mechanical plate installed in the floor triggers a rolling boulder trap. A successful DC 22 Wisdom (Perception) check by one of the characters in the first rank of the marching order is required to notice this trigger without activating the pressure plate. If the plate is activated, the circular mosaic pattern that appears as the sun on the floor in area 4 slides back and a 7-foot-diameter sphere made of hundreds of skeletal bodies rises magically from the floor. This bone boulder tilts toward area 6 and rolls down the sloping hallway before crashing against the wall in area 7. A s it rolls through, the bone boulder crushes and slashes at any creature in area 6, dealing 18 (4d8) bludgeoning damage and 18 (4d8) slashing damage, or half damage with a successful DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. Any creature that fails this first save is grabbed by skeletal hands and pulled into the sphere, which continues to roll over any other creatures in the hallway. A creature trapped in the bone boulder can attempt a DC 17 Strength or Dexterity check to break free before the boulder slams into the wall in area 7. Any creature that fails to escape is inside the boulder when it hits, and is caught in an explosion of bones and stone, taking 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage and 14 (4d6) slashing damage. 7. T h r o n e R o o m A n t e c h a m b e r The smell of incense fills this room, and rich tapestries cover the walls. On the south wall, a chute large enough only for a Small character to squeeze through lets in light from outside. If the characters spoke properly to the statues in area 1, an unfamiliar voice is heard to whisper as they enter this area: “Humility proffered in the manner of Mystril shelters those opening the way to seeking knowledge.” A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check reminds a character of a holy gesture among adherents of the fallen goddess Mystril, involving turning the head downward and raising the hands as if holding a lamp. Characters who make this gesture while opening the double doors to the north can pass without difficulty. Sarcophagi. Six sarcophagi are embedded in the walls behind the tapestries, holding the mummified remains of Diderius’s household guards. A character who opens the north double doors without making the proper gesture, or who tampers with a sarcophagus, awakens the 6 mummies, which lurch forth and attack. 8^Th r o n e R o o m A throne on a massive dais resembles a floating cloud concealing a golden sun. Seated on the throne is a twelve-foot-tall, regal and well-muscled humanoid male with a flowing white beard and purple toga—in reality, a clay golem that Diderius used to receive favored guests in this area. The unnatural appearance of the throne and the golem are the result of a permanent image spell. At the foot of the throne is a pile of treasure containing 250 sp, six fine silver necklaces worth 50 gp each, and a potion o f fire breath. Even with a quick glance, characters can see that the pile also contains hundreds of copper pieces and worthless bits of jewelry and pottery. In addition to the illusion covering it, the golem has been imbued with castings of magic mouth. When any character first approaches it, the creature speaks in a soothing, magnificent voice, saying, “Ye who seek Diderius’s insight must first furnish tribute, that Diderius might work his mighty magic. Lay such tribute at my feet or depart.” Diderius was not a greedy wizard, and he accepted even meek offerings from the poor in the town. As long as each party member places something more valuable than a clay cup in the treasure pile, the characters are allowed to pass. If the adventurers attempt to steal any of the treasure or to use the door to area 10 without leaving treasure, the golem attacks. 9. St u d y a n d L i b r a r y The room east of the throne room antechamber was Diderius’s study and library, in which he would meet with sages and travelers. Its dusty shelves and tables are now empty, the scrolls and tomes once held here having been looted long ago. However, the area’s unwitting guardian remains. Ilda is a neutral good ghost who was once one of Diderius’s apprentices. She worshiped her master, but was mistakenly banished as a thief when one of his prize tomes was misplaced. Ilda died not long after Diderius, and her spirit returned here to act as caretaker to his great stores of knowledge. Ilda is not violent except to those who would steal from Diderius. She manifests when the characters enter this area, demanding to know why they have come and threatening them if they plan to loot the library. If the characters point out that there’s nothing left in the library to steal, Ilda is overcome by a fit of misery as she agonizes over her failures. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Religion) check reveals that Ilda can be released from her sojourn here if any volumes from the lost library are returned (see area 11). Ilda knows that yuan-ti dwell in the innermost parts of the complex. She knows nothing about the cultists, who have not entered this area. If the characters gain her confidence, she can also offer up the following information: • Diderius’s passion was powerful divination magic, which is how he discovered the mysterious pool in this cavern complex. He excavated these chambers around the pool, and kings and wizards came bearing tribute. When he died after many centuries of life, this underground manse became his crypt. • The divination pool allows those using it to peer past many magical protections that block lesser divination magic.
G h o s t l y R o l e p l a y i n g Even a confrontation with a good ghost should be harrowing. This is a creature whose spirit is tied to the world out o f anguish, and any interaction with Ilda should be a precarious process o f talking to a character who might fly o ff the handle at any moment. She might vanish into thin air for no reason, then return in a fury if the characters try to call her back. • The pool’s revelations could drive a user insane unless the questions asked were specific and dealt only with the physical world, avoiding metaphysical concerns. Gazing into the pool without first offering a sacrifice was exceedingly dangerous. • Using the divination pool required a personal sacrifice, but over time, the pool’s demands grew steeper. If others have been using the pool since Diderius died, as Ilda suspects the yuan-ti do, its current price must be dark indeed. 10. D i n i n g H a l l Two long tables of plain stone stand at the south end of this dining hall, while a long marble table stands to the north. The door up the stairs leading to area 8 has “? D A N G ER ” written in chalk on it. The door down the southern stairs is spiked shut, and has “D A N G ER ” scrawled on it in chalk. Five bearded devils are seated at the marble table— the last survivors of Varram’s expedition. When his cultist followers were routed investigating area 11, Varram left the devils here with instructions to guard against any creatures coming out of that area. The devils take their orders seriously, which means they all but ignore the adventurers unless the characters attack. If the devils are questioned politely, they tell the characters only that they were ordered to remain here. They admit that their master is Varram, and speak of great treasure down the stairs to the south. The dwarf has been gone for some time, but they have no idea what happened to him. If the devils are offered 100 gp or more in gems, they also tell the characters that they have fought and killed undead in the complex; that the dwarf lost something important to his cult and needs the divination pool to get it back; and that they are working for the cult on the orders of their lord Zariel, Archduch*ess of Avernus, who wants Tiamat out of the Nine Hells. The characters are free to pass through this room, including entering area 11—but they w ill be attacked with glee by the devils when they leave that area. 11. T r e a s u r e V a u l t W hile Diderius lived, this area was his bedchamber, and it still contains an elegant bed, sets of bookshelves, a large wooden chest, and a side table set with ewer and goblets. The cultists sealed this room after a disastrous run-in with its undead guardians. On the Stairs. The dumbwaiter shaft from area 6 to the stairwell in front of the vault was once used to bypass the long w alk from the bedchamber to the upper parts of the complex for Diderius’s servants. The dumbwaiter’s ropes and rotted wooden platform are strewn across the stairs. This area is guarded by 2 wraiths and 4 specters. The wraiths are the spirits of warriors who pledged their souls to Diderius in exchange for the wizard’s exotic knowledge. They can be defeated in combat, but their spirits are bound to the room by ancient magic, causing them to manifest again 24 hours after being destroyed. The specters are the reanimated souls of three cultists who died here and of three yuan-ti that died exploring the ruins. They do not manifest again if destroyed. A successful DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a loose brick in the w all opposite the door. Pulling the brick out reveals magic runes carved into the wall that bind the wraiths that guard this area. M arring the runes prevents the wraiths from manifesting again if they are destroyed. T r e a s u r e The bookshelves contain magical treatises and notes on divination that have withstood the ravages of time. They detail the spellcasting practices of ancient Netheril, and w ill fetch 750 gp if sold. If the characters search the room, they find a crumbling book titled Transubstantiality across Potentialities stuck between the bed and the wall. If it is returned to the library (area 9), the ghost is free to move on from this world. The silver ewer and four goblets next to the bed are magical. If a character pours from the empty ewer into an empty goblet, a fuming gas flows between both vessels. A character who “drinks” from a gas-filled goblet receives advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage for 3 hours. Each of the goblets can be used to produce this effect once per seven days. The airtight chest holds seven silk robes kept free from rot, and worth 50 gp each if sold. The chest also holds an amethyst-set ring o f poison resistance and two scrolls of protection from energy. 12. D i v i n a t i o n P o o l This long gallery holds the magic pool that was the source of Diderius’s power. The double doors to the south have no markings on them, but they feature the same hazard as the doors in area 4. Broken arrows, bloodstains, and a dead cultist are strewn across the floor of the chamber. A DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the arrows were shot from the north doorway leading into area 13. The arrows are carved of stone and their heads are in the shape of fangs, set with the symbol of a cobra with a crown above it. A DC 18 Intelligence (Religion) check recognizes the symbol of the yuan-ti god Merrshaulk. If a character inspects the body, it is revealed that the cultist died not from arrows but from a dagger wound. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that a dragontooth dagger was the killing weapon. This was the unlucky cultist the duplicitous Varram sacrificed when he used the pool. The Pool. The pool is currently empty. Varram had only just completed the pool's divination ritual when
the yuan-ti attacked and hauled him off. A stone sluice runs from the southern wall to empty into the pool. If the characters can fill the basin in area 5 and release the sluice quickly enough, the water pours into the pool before it has a chance to evaporate. Alternatively, the pool can be activated with a flask of holy water, which is not subject to the mummy lord’s lair effects. When any water hits the pool, it spreads out and flares with a black light. Any character who received Ilda’s warning (or who remembers the statues in area 3) w ill hopefully declare that he or she looks away from the pool. Otherwise, a character must make a DC 20 saving throw against a suggestion spell. On a failed save, the character gazes into the divination pool unless another character immediately pulls the curious victim away from the pool (and avoids gazing into it as he or she does so). If not pulled away, a gazing character is driven temporarily insane for 1 minute (see area 3). A character pulled away from the pool does not suffer insanity but is stunned for 1 minute. U s i n g t h e P o o l The divination pool has always required that a user make a personal sacrifice to gain its secrets. However, the pool’s magic has grown considerably hungrier over the long years of its isolation. In response to the cruelty of the yuan-ti, using the pool requires the sacrifice of all or a significant part of a sentient creature. 13. C r y p t o f D id e r i u s Diderius’s final resting place is a 20-foot-high chamber lit by braziers imbued with continual flame. A massive stone sarcophagus sits atop a stepped stone dais at center. The walls are decorated with life-sized frescoes showing the lost gods of Netheril and Anauria. If the party benefits from the boon granted in area 1, all the characters sense it would be disrespectful to disturb anything here—everything should remain as it is. Frescoes. Characters who examine the frescoes can attempt a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discover thin plaster on four of them. If any such fresco is broken open, a mummy hidden behind it attacks. The other three hidden mummies, all once Diderius’s advisers, smash free to attack thereafter. Sarcophagus. Diderius, the mummy lord, rests within the sarcophagus. When the characters approach within a few paces of it, a deep, clear voice issues from the coffin, saying, “You approach Diderius in repose. I know what you seek.” If the adventurers spoke well to the staues in area 1, the voice says, “Yuan-ti have taken the one called Varram beyond their portal in the northern wall. Be prepared, for I shall open the way to peril." Unless the characters ask Diderius to wait, a moment later, with a chiming sound, the secret door opens to area 14. The party gains a surprise round to act against the guards there. Those who didn’t speak well in area 1 must ask Diderius about Varram to gain information about his whereabouts. Failure to do so respectfully causes Diderius to say, “Leave me to my rest or face your doom.” Diderius opens the way only for those who are particularly decorous in this exchnage. If the adventurers try to open the sarcophagus, Diderius warns them. If they persist, he attacks. The mummies behind the frescoes also smash free and attack. None of the monsters pursue those who flee this room, which soon returns to its original state. Diderius can use mummy lord legendary actions, but he is unusual because he casts wizard spells. He uses his 18 Intelligence as his spellcasting ability (his Wisdom remains 18) and has the following wizard spells prepared: Cantrips (at will): minor illusion, ray o f frost 1st level (4 slots): charm person, detect magic, shield, thunderwave 2nd level (3 slots): cloud o f daggers, hold person, see invisibility 3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, dispel magic 4th level (3 slots)'.fire shield, greater invisibility 5th level (2 slots): cloudkill, wall o f stone A canopic jar in the sarcophagus contains Diderius’s withered heart. Secret Door. In the northern wall is a secret door (Intelligence [Investigation] DC 20 to find). Knocking on the stone wall reveals a hollow echo beyond, but the mechanism for opening the door is on the other side. A knock or stone shape spell can open it, or the door can be forced with a successful DC 20 Strength check.
Ss’t c k ’a l Long after Diderius’s death, the yuan-ti discovered the crypt and claimed it as their own. A small group of yuan-ti now lives here, backed up by lizardfolk slaves. They are the caretakers of the divination pool, which high-ranking yuan-ti use to seek magical insight for their far-reaching plots. The yuan-ti have avoided moving into the original chambers of the complex, fearing the undead there. Instead, they have expanded the complex by excavating deeper into the cliff side. The yuan-ti capture and sacrifice those who visit the tomb of Diderius. They are not above cutting a deal to save themselves, however. G e n e r a l F e a t u r e s It is noticeably warmer here than in the crypt, and the air is uncomfortably humid throughout. Walls. The walls of the yuan-ti enclave are worked slabs of dark green stone, slick with slime and moisture. Ceiling. 10 feet high unless otherwise indicated. L ig h t None unless otherwise indicated. 14. E n t r y w a y This rough natural cavern holds the winch system for raising the stone slab secret door between area 13 and area 14. The doorway is guarded by 6 lizardfolk, which attack at the first sign of the door rising between this area and area 13. One lizardfolk runs to warn the yuan-ti while the others move into position near the door. If it takes the characters more than 10 rounds to open the door, 4 more lizardfolk and 3 yuan-ti malisons (type 1) show up. The door is then opened from this area and the enemy forces attack. The malisons retreat if one of them is killed. The lizardfolk retreat when half of them are dead. The eastern stairs descend 30 feet before coming to the bridge in area 15. 15. B r i d g e The steep stairs from area 14 lead to an uneven stone bridge extending over a dark pit. The bridge slopes downward 40 feet to another stairwell leading down. Moisture drips down from the high ceiling, covering the bridge in slick moss that hangs over the edge in green cascades. Any creature moving along of the bridge must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall. On a failed saving throw, a creature can attempt a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to cling to the bridge rather than fall off into the darkness. The pit over which the bridge extends is 120 feet deep at the top of the bridge (to the west) and 80 feet deep at the foot of the bridge (to the east). The area below the bridge is a feeding chamber for the snakelike yuan-ti young (see area 19), which crawl between the two areas through holes in the wall. Any characters or lizardfolk that fall off the bridge take appropriate falling damage, then are attacked by the yuan-ti young. Climbing back up to where the bridge meets either set of stairs requires three successful DC 15 Athletics checks. Any lizardfolk that retreated from area 14 attempt to hold the party off here. In addition, 6 more lizardfolk crouch on the bridge to reinforce the area, hoping that characters trying to fight their way past fall off into the darkness below. They are supported by 2 yuan-ti malisons (type 1) armed with bows, which attack from the eastern stairs. The malisons also use suggestion spells to tell characters that a fellow party member has been replaced by a yuan-ti spy and should be attacked. 16. M e d i t a t i o n C h a m b e r In this large chamber, the yuan-ti meditate in the name of their dark gods and discuss their own plans and schemes. The northeast and southwest walls of this chamber feature statue shrines to the yuan-ti deities Merrshaulk and Sseth. The other two walls have statues of yuan-ti high priests carved into them, with suits of plate armor arranged as offerings at their feet. When the characters arrive here, hundreds of snakes begin to slither out of holes in the statues and the corners of the room. Though they are not a threat by themselves, the snakes fill the suits of armor, which rise up to attack as 2 helmed horrors and a poisoned longsword attack. The target of a snake horror’s successful longsword attack must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The horrors won’t leave this room. T r e a s u r e Four rubies worth 1,000 gold pieces each are set in the eyes of the statues and can be pried out. 17. Y u a n -t i Q u a r t e r s A dozen cylindrical shafts 3 feet wide and 7 feet deep are cut into the stone floor here, and are used as sleeping holes by the lesser yuan-ti. Two totems stand here, both in the form of asps rising up with their mouths open. These totems radiate magic that negates some of the regional effects of a mummy lord’s lair in this area, allowing the yuan-ti to store food and water here that does not evaporate or spoil. This room is presently guarded by 3 lizardfolk and 1 yuan-ti pureblood, unless those creatures have already been encountered in area 18. D a rt Trap. The secret door in the hallway leading to area 21 is marked by an archway scribed into the wall. However, a pressure plate is set 10 feet before the archway, revealed by a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check. When any creature steps on the pressure plate, darts shoot out from the walls along the length of the hallway, targeting all creatures in the area: +8 to hit, 3 (ld6) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage and be paralyzed for 1 minute. T r e a s u r e Characters who search the sleeping holes can find 600 copper pieces, 200 silver pieces, and 150 gold pieces, as well as a potion o f poison.
18. L o n g H a l lw a y The walls of this long hallway seem to undulate, moving back and forth as though the corridor is slithering in the manner of a giant snake. This is only a permanent illusion effect, but it is unsettling all the same. When the characters reach the turn in the hallway, 4 lizardfolk charge from the direction of area 22, followed by 2 yuan-ti malisons (type 1). If the characters moved past the door to area 17 without checking that room, the 3 lizardfolk and 1 yuan-ti pureblood in that area come charging out. 19. H a t c h e r y The floor of this room is 20 feet below the floor of the adjoining hallways, which are reached by tall ladders. The walls of this yuan-ti hatchery drip with slime, and the floor literally writhes with the room’s occupants. Yuan-ti produce copious young, which are consumed by their siblings so that only the strongest survive. A swarm of these young (use the a swarm of poisonous snakes) crawl through piles of eggs and crushed egg shells littering the floor, and are watched over by 1 yuan-ti abomination and 3 yuan-ti purebloods. At the first sign of the party, the yuan-ti use suggestion as they apologize for any previous strife, stating that their kin meant no harm to the characters. As a show of good faith, the abomination invites the characters to descend the ladders and join the yuan-ti for a feast. If the characters are completely swayed, the yuan-ti wait until they descend, then they and the swarms attack. If the characters flee, the yuan-ti pursue. If they are attacked from above, the yuan-ti ascend the ladders to fight. The abomination flees any fight if reduced to half its hit points or fewer. 20. L i z a r d f o l k D e n This foul-smelling chamber is piled high with trash and filth. The yuan-ti’s lizardfolk slaves are kept here. The area is presently empty, with all its residents accounted for in other areas. T r e a s u r e Hidden throughout the lizardfolk’s filthy nests are 22 gold pieces and 125 silver pieces in loose coin. 21. P r is o n The yuan-ti use humanoid sacrifice to power the magic of the divination pool. Their unfortunate victims are held here until needed, but the prison is presently empty. 22. T e m p l e The heart of the yuan-ti settlement, this huge chamber features giant stone serpents along the east and west walls, their open mouths guttering green flames. The leaders of the yuan-ti are here—3 yuan-ti purebloods, 2 yuan-ti malisons (type 2), and 1 yuan-ti abomination priestess—along with any yuan-ti and lizardfolk that retreated from previous encounters. The yuan-ti and lizardfolk stand in the shadows of the flickering green flames, ready to attack but understanding that the adventurers are a serious threat if they’ve made it this far unscathed. At the back of the room, near an altar carved with the form of a giant openmouthed cobra, the comatose Varram has been beaten and bound. D e a l i n g f o r t h e D w a r f If the characters have made any mention of their search for Varram during their previous battles with the yuan-ti or lizardfolk, the yuan-ti abomination priestess holds Varram’s dragontooth dagger to the dwarf’s neck. The priestess has heard of the characters’ mission, though she does not know or care why they seek the dwarf. If the yuan-ti have no idea why the characters have attacked, the priestess knows only that Varram has been begging for his life by promising the yuan-ti great wealth if he is freed. The priestess plans to bargain with the characters by offering them the hypothetical wealth the dwarf has promised her. Either way, if the characters want Varram alive, the priestess demands that the party leave the complex without killing any more yuan-ti. She is willing to turn over the dwarf, but explains that his soul has been temporarily drawn from his body by powerful yuan-ti magic. When the characters have left the enclave, it w ill be returned. (The priestess is lying—Varram is in his present semiconscious state because of the brutal treatment he’s received at the hands of the yuan-ti.) If the characters refuse her offer, the priestess attempts to use suggestion to sway whomever she perceives as the party’s leader. If that fails and combat breaks out, she slays Varram (he has only 3 hit points remaining), then attacks with her followers. D e v e l o p m e n t s A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a secret space and a passage beneath one of the serpent statues in the temple. Within the space is the enclave’s treasure hoard, comprising 800 gold pieces, 100 platinum pieces, 2 cloudy emeralds worth 500 gp each, a necklace of 22 crysoprase beads worth 20 gp each, and 2 scrolls, one of levitation and the other of call lightning. The passage leads to the exit the yuan-ti use to leave the complex without passing through the crypt. The exit is carefully hidden behind a screen of rocks and scrub trees a hundred yards away from the plaza entrance to the ruins. C o n c l u s i o n Varram remains incoherent until he receives healing magic or finishes a long rest. Once his health is restored, the fallen wyrmspeaker is quick to accept his status as the party’s prisoner—if only because he knows that Severin w ill kill him if he makes any attempt to return to the cult. Varram can offer detailed insight into the cult’s hierarchy and plans, and can reveal secret sympathizers and traitors within the factions of the Council of Waterdeep, at your discretion. Taking the dwarf alive earns the party significant respect among the factions, though bringing back word of his death is nearly as impressive.
If he is asked about the White Dragon M a sk, Varram grudgingly admits that he saw it in the pool—and that it has already been found and reclaimed by the cult, and is presently at the W ell of Dragons. The characters gain a level at the end of this episode. E p i s o d e 4: N e r o n v a i n With the loss of Skyreach Castle at the end of Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, the Cult of the Dragon’s efforts to gather Tiam at’s tribute were badly compromised. To compensate, the cultists launched several raids against the elves of the Misty Forest, led by Wyrmspeaker Neronvain and his companion, the green dragon Chuth. Having fulfilled their quota for the cult, wyrmspeaker and dragon retreated deeper into the Misty Forest, leaving the elven enclaves ruined behind them. However, the survivors of those cult raids would have been astonished to learn that the green wyrmspeaker is Neronvain—King Melandrach’s exiled son, believed to have died many years before. On one of his raids, Neronvain won the fealty of an elf named Galin—a warden of the forest who pledged his service to the wyrmspeaker in exchange for ending the attack on his home village. Neronvain accepted, using Galin’s knowledge of the Misty Forest to help plan raids against other settlements. Galin has so far kept secret his oath to Neronvain, though he feels tremendous guilt over his actions. Under King Melandrach’s command, the elves of the Misty Forest have stepped up their defenses, and the cult attacks have ceased. Melandrach believes the threat has ended, though his son Alagarthas disagrees. Prince Alagarthas used the Emerald Enclave to search for clues to the source of the raids, and they have learned that an elf seen with the green dragon appeared to command the beast. Both Prince Alagarthas and Delaan Winterhound of the Emerald Enclave believe that more attacks are imminent, and that the green dragon’s master might be one of the cult’s wyrmspeakers. But what neither realize is that the Green Wyrmspeaker is actually Alagarthas’s own half-brother Neronvain—the disgraced second son of King Melandrach, exiled by his people and long thought dead. They now seek the adventurers’ help to find this dragon master. G a l l f o r A id Delaan Winterhound comes to the adventurers during the Council of Waterdeep or while they are returning to the city after completing another episode. He speaks of the draconic incursions in the Misty Forest mentioned at the council, and says that the Emerald Enclave's agents have been working with the support of Prince Alagarthas to prevent a new round of attacks. With his agents already scattered throughout the Misty Forest, he wants the adventurers to travel to one of the few dragon-raided settlements left standing in the aftermath—a village called Altand. If Delaan’s belief that the mysterious master of the green dragon was one of the cult’s wyrmspeakers is true, the survivors of Altand might know something that w ill help find him. T h e M i s t y F o r e s t This episode takes place within the Misty Forest—a vast woodland concealed by thick mist and rain. Enormous spruce trees dominate the northern end of the forest where Altand is found—and where Neronvain and Chuth have established their stronghold. G e n e r a l F e a t u r e s Mist. The mist in the forest is omnipresent. Though it can be ignored inside buildings, all outdoor areas of the forest are lightly obscured. In v e s t i g a t i o n a t A l t a n d Altand is primarily a wood elf settlement, blending almost seamlessly into the forest around it. The village exists on two levels, with a few structures built on the ground around an ancient monument to an elven ranger. Residences and the village temple are built into the upper boughs of the forest. The elves string rope bridges between these sites and construct circular walkways around the trees. Like many other settlements raided by the dragon, pulley-operated platforms connect the two levels of the village, and provide an excellent defense against the ores that occasionally enter the forest as an alternative to raiding human settlements along the Trade Way. However, those defenses proved a deathtrap against the flying green dragon, leaving many elves unable to reach the ground quickly enough to escape. Su r v i v o r s ’ T a l e s O f the three hundred residents of the village, more than half survived the raid—a different outcome than at other raided settlements, where the dragon hunted and killed the elves to the last adult and child. Many of the residents of Altand were on the ground when the attack came. O f the elves in the upper level of the village, many died of the dragon’s poisonous breath while waiting to descend, or fell to their deaths as bridges and walkways collapsed under the weight of panic. Most survivors fled and saw little of what ensued. However, by asking careful questions of a number of villagers, the characters can learn the following: • The dragon swooped down and attacked on the ground first. Nearly half of the village’s victims died during that first assault. • Humans in the regalia of the Cult of the Dragon followed the dragon, killing all those they found. The village’s priest stepped out to lead others in fighting the dragon, but the beast swallowed him whole. • Some survivors claim to have seen a cultist riding atop the dragon. Most of those refer to the dragon rider as human, like the other cultists. However, a few people report that the figure moved with the grace of an elf. • With the priest dead, the village’s warden, Galin, has become the leader of Altand. Though he was in the thick of the fight, he survived unscathed, and has been a potent force for rallying the survivors.
• The attack lasted only a short while, then the dragon unexpectedly retreated. The cultists followed, but as they fled, they took nothing of value from the village. This is a stark contrast to the dragon’s other raids, which were focused on capturing treasure. T h e Wa r d e n ’s St o r y Galin the warden is a nervous-looking elf with a dark secret. The folk of the village describe him as suffering from the weight of his new leadership role and the deaths of more than a hundred villagers—including his own wife. In response to any question about Galin, the characters are directed to his residence in the upper boughs of the village. Stepping into a modest dwelling suspended among ironstrong boughs, you enter a cozy sitting room. A slim elf sits at a desk, standing to greet you with a forced smile as a raven perched in a nearby cage caws hideously. "Welcome to our village,” the elf says. “ How can I be o f service?” Galin answers any questions the characters put to him, but his responses echo only what the other survivors know. He claims to have not seen the dragon rider and disbelieves those who say they did, dismissing such reports as the result of fear and chaos during the raid. A successful DC 18 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that the elf warden is withholding information. If he is pressed on this, he admits that he saw the dragon kill his wife and is wracked by guilt that he could not save her. A follow-up successful DC 16 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that even this isn’t the whole truth, but Galin takes umbrage if the character ply him with any more questions. Si l e n t W i t n e s s e s Where the humanoid witnesses to the attack are limited in their knowledge, the characters have other potential resources to draw on. By using speak with plants, the characters can draw on the impressions and memories of the trees themselves. Though the spell allows only for impressions of the previous 24 hours to be recalled by its subjects, the trees of Altand can report that late the previous night, they witnessed Galin sneaking out of the village and disappearing into the woods, accompanied by his pet raven. Galin has been making this sojourn most nights since the attack, giving Neronvain information on other elven settlements, which the wyrmspeaker is using to plan his next round of assaults. If the characters use speak with animals to question the raven, they learn that Galin walked a mile or more into the woods and came face to face with the green dragon Chuth and his rider the previous night. Remember that an animal intelligence is not as articulate as a humanoid, and it might take subtle coaxing to get the raven to describe a scene that likely frightened it. The characters might also choose to watch and follow Galin on one of his late night excursions. Neronvain does not show up that night, but the warden’s prearranged meeting place is a spot of flattened brush where a dragon has clearly landed more than once. C o n f r o n t i n g G a l i n If confronted with evidence against him gained by spellcraft or subterfuge, Galin accuses the adventurers (publicly if necessary) of being in league with the cult and attempting to break the resolve of Altand’s survivors. If the characters have access to zone o f truth or similar magic, he flatly refuses to take part in any further questioning. Galin w ill not respond to intimidation. However, effective roleplaying can be used to tap into his guilt. If he is offered commiseration for his wife’s death— as opposed to accusations—the warden eventually breaks down. He confesses that after seeing his wife killed, he found him self face to face with Neronvain in the thick of battle and begged for his life, offering anything in return. Neronvain took the warden up on his offer, agreeing to spare Galin and leave Altand intact in exchange for information on other settlements that would become the targets of the cult’s next round of raids.
