The Rise of Tiamat

Introduction

Dragon fire threatens to consume Faerûn! Do you dare oppose the Cult of the Dragon and resist the might of Tiamat, Queen of Dragons?

Welcome to Tyranny of Dragons. This book collects two thrilling tales, Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat, combining them into a single campaign-spanning Dungeons & Dragons adventure. This adventure is designed for a party of four to six 1st-level characters, who should advance to approximately 15th level by the time they reach the final showdown with the goddess Tiamat herself.

In the course of this adventure, you’ll face an evil alliance intent on unleashing a draconic apocalypse upon Faerûn. The Cult of the Dragon, the Red Wizards of Thay, and a conspiracy of other villains plot to reshape the world, making it ready for the coming of Tiamat. As events unfold, dragons rampage across the Sword Coast, serving at the vanguard of a legion of cultists, fiends, and worse. To oppose these forces, new heroes must rise and resist them—yet they need not do so alone. Groups like the Harpers, the Lord’s Alliance, and even the wicked Zhentarim might be rallied to oppose the Cult of the Dragon, but only if clever souls convince them to put aside their age-old rivalries. Will the people of the Realms stand and oppose the forces of dragonkind, or will they fall amid waves of dragon breath?

Tyranny of Dragons tells the complete tale previously presented in the adventures Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat. The result of a collaboration with Kobold Press, those adventures comprised the first fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign, launching the edition with a threat of legendary magnitude. Just as with the original works, this collection would not exist without the experience and creativity of Kobold Press’s veteran designers. Now, years after Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat’s releases, these adventures remain fan-favorite tales in the wider Dungeons & Dragons library—stories well worth revisiting.

Within these pages you’ll find Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat woven together into a complete campaign. While the original adventures remain as their own distinct sections, Tyranny of Dragons accounts for the feedback of thousands of Dungeons & Dragons players. You’ll find a revised, campaign-spanning overview, as well as compiled appendices that collect the characters, magic items, and monsters from both adventures into comprehensive references. Additionally, an entirely new concept art gallery reveals a glimpse behind the scenes at the work that went into bringing several of D&D’s most ferocious foes to life.

As Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat numbered among the first fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons products, an online supplement for these adventures can be found at DungeonsandDragons.com. This supplement’s campaign-specific contents now feature within this collection’s appendices. However, these digital resources also present material from the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual for ease of reference, as well as a print-ready version of the council scorecard that appears in appendix B. DMs might still find these references valuable, and as a result they are still referenced in the following pages. Together with a host of other updates, this compilation presents the definitive version of this thrilling campaign.

Whether this is your first time testing your mettle against the Cult of the Dragon or you’re prepared to take on Tiamat once more, Tyranny of Dragons promises a challenge like no other. Do you have what it takes to call yourself a true dragon slayer? The fate of the Realms hangs on your answer.

Campaign Overview

Tyranny of Dragons tells an epic story spanning two adventures, Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat—the two tales contained within this collection. Both adventures are introduced here, outlining their backgrounds, plots, and fundamental ties, followed by details on allies and villains relevant to both adventures. Regardless of which adventure you’re running, this overview provides useful information, applicable to the wider campaign and helpful for foreshadowing the threats unleashed by the Cult of the Dragon.

Tyranny of Dragons is set in the Forgotten Realms on Faerûn’s western shore—the Sword Coast. A thin strip of civilization stretches down this coast, where widely spaced cities are arranged like beads on a string. Roads loosely connect the cities that stretch from Luskan in the north to Calimport in the south, passing through Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, and other ports along the way. The bulk of this adventure takes place on the stretch between Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter.

Adventure Supplements. You can play this adventure with just the Dungeons & Dragons basic rules and the Tyranny of Dragons appendix online, 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.

The Rise of Tiamat

The Rise of Tiamat continues the tale of Tyranny of Dragons. Characters begin this adventure at 8th level, likely having attained that level through the events of the first volume, Hoard of the Dragon Queen. By this adventure’s conclusion, the characters should reach approximately 15th level. 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, add opponents to the fights. Consider altering encounters for smaller groups to avoid overly tough battles.

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” later in this introduction.

Outline

The events of Hoard of the Dragon Queen lead directly into The Rise of Tiamat. The shape of this adventure is defined by the meetings of the Council of Waterdeep, which divide the adventure into four stages.

Adventure Hooks

For characters who have not played Hoard of the Dragon Queen, the adventure can also begin by playing out another chapter before 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 “Chapter 11 and 12: Death to the Wyrmspeakers.” 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 “Chapter 9: Council of Waterdeep.”

Additional Encounters

The Rise of 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 chapters 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.

Fallen Hero

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 Well 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.

Death at the Council

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, 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.

Running the Adventure

Tyranny of Dragons 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 chapters 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 of 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 of 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 Faerûn 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 will 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 DM’s skill to the test—but they also produce some of the greatest gaming moments and memories.

Campaign Villains

The plot to return Tiamat to the mortal realm has brought some of Faerûn’s most sinister organizations and most powerful monsters into deadly alliance.

Cult Structure

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. As 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 D.

Cult operation groups are assembled to match their assigned tasks. They vary in size, from a few low-ranking cultists operating on their own to hundreds of cultists of various ranks under the control of multiple Wearers of Purple.

Wearers of Purple

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 Faerûn. 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.

The Inner Circle

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 circumstances—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 of the Dragon Queen—Severin appoints new followers to his inner council.

Dissent in the Ranks

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 high-ranking cultists in command of Xonthal’s Tower.

Using the Cult of the Dragon

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 of 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.

Red Wizards of Thay

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 Faerûn, and are easily recognized by their distinctive crimson 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 will make Thay a target for its long list of enemies. Szass Tam questions the allegiance of all living Red Wizards outside Thay, and has made it clear that death and worse await any who oppose him.

Rath Modar’s Ambition

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 Modar’s belief that once Tiamat returns, she will see that the Red Wizards are more useful allies than the devoted but magically weak cultists. Rath Modar hopes that Tiamat will 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 will 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 Wizards’ 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.

Using the Red Wizards

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 Wizard 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                         Wizard 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 chapter 16.

                       SEVERIN

Hosts of the Nine Hells

Tiamat has long threatened Faerûn, 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. All the rivers of Avernus feed into the Styx, each one flowing red with blood beneath a roiling cloud of flies.

Despite her power as ruler of the first layer of the Nine Hells, the archdevil Zariel cannot kill the dragon goddess, and she sees the summoning of Tiamat 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.

Chromatic Dragons

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.

Giants

If the characters claimed Skyreach Castle in Hoard of 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.

Campaign Allies

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 Faerûn 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.

Using the Harpers

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.

NPC 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, rogues, and wizards are the most common character types in the Harpers, but characters of every class can be found in the organization.

Remallia Haventree

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 will sway the conservatives in her faction.

The Harpers are willing 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.

The Order of the Gauntlet

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 will risk
anything to save a fellow mem-
ber 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.

The Emerald Enclave

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, of 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.

On the Council

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 Faerûn. 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.

Lady Laeral Silverhand

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. As 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 “Chapter 9: Council of Waterdeep” and the Council Scorecard (appendix B) for more information.

Lord Dagult Neverember

Lawful 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 will 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.

Ambassador Connerad Brawnanvil

Lawful good male shield dwarf 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: Dwarf 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 Hall to act as the Lords’ Alliance delegate for the dwarves of the North, including Citadel Adbar and Citadel Felbarr.

Marshal Ulder Ravengard

Lawful neutral male human fighter
Ideals: Responsibility, glory (“I am trusted with protecting thousands of lives, and I will 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 will 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 Flaming 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 Faerûn’s most populous, wealthy, and powerful cities. Ravengard recognizes his duty to protect the city above all else, and the Flaming Fist’s tired reserves are desperately needed for reconstruction and policing. However, he would love to see the Flaming 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 Faerûn. This opportunity for glory makes Ravengard receptive to the adventurers’ overtures, as long as their plans and decisions promise stability and discipline.

King Melandrach

Neutral male wild elf fighter/druid
Ideals: Balance, nation (“We elves were once the greatest civilization to grace Faerûn, and my people are heir to that history. I will 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 circumspect. 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.

Taern “Thunderspells” Hornblade

Lawful 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 of 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. As 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 will 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.

Sir Isteval

Lawful good male human paladin
Ideals: Tradition, honor (“Against Tiamat, we either stand together or fall alone. Who will 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

The Zhentarim

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                           Faerûn, 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 Faerûn. 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-and-coming 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 circumstances, the Harpers, the Lords’ 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 will 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 chapter 15.

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 will 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” chapter.

Rian Nightshade

Lawful evil female tiefling warlock
Ideals: Logic, greed (“I’m certain we can come to an agreement that all parties will 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 will 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 evil 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.

Metallic Dragons

The good dragons of Faerûn hear the Draakhorn’s call and know what it portends. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the good dragons will 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.

Giants

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.

The sequence of events that follow is up to you and the characters. You can present them with as many of the encounters as you want, in any order. The only exception is “Seek the Keep,” which should be the first encounter after characters enter Greenest.

Castellan Escobert the Red

Escobert is a shield dwarf with knotted, tangled, bright red hair. As master of the keep, Escobert is in charge of its defense and is the best source of information on the tunnel and the sally port (see “The Old Tunnel” and “The Sally Port” below). He carries an enormous ring of iron and brass keys to the many locks in the keep.

Wandering Encounters

The streets of Greenest are overrun by forces consisting of cultists and acolytes accompanied by monstrous allies: kobolds with ambush drakes (see appendix D) and giant lizards. These raiders move through town without fear, pillaging as they go. As characters travel through the embattled village, they can run into raiders and townsfolk. Use these guidelines to determine if characters have an encounter.

If characters use cover and stealth to avoid encounters, have each character attempt a DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check. For every two individual checks that fail, the characters have one encounter on the way to their destination. Roll a d8 on the Chapter 1 Encounters table to determine each encounter. If characters use the stream bed for cover for most of the trip, these characters have advantage on their Dexterity checks.

If characters don’t use cover and stealth to avoid encounters, roll a d8 for every 100 feet they move in town. If the roll is 4 or lower, they didn’t attract attention with that move. If the roll is 5 or higher, they run into something; roll a d8 again and check the Chapter 1 Encounters table to see what the characters meet.

Rewards

Besides earning experience points (XP) for raiders fought on the way to the keep, characters earn a bonus of 50 XP per nonplayer character (NPC) brought alive into the keep. Divide this bonus equally among the party members. Alternatively, if you are using the milestone experience rule, the characters reach 2nd level once they arrive at the keep.

Missions

Events in Greenest are divided into missions. Missions don’t need to involve combat, but most do.

The characters reach the town at sundown, or about 9 p.m. The sun comes up again at 6 a.m. the next morning, but the last of the raiders are gone by 4 a.m.

For time-keeping purposes, assume that each mission takes an hour. Time during the hour that isn’t spent fighting or slipping through town is spent tending gear, bandaging minor wounds, patrolling the keep’s walls, briefing Nighthill on the situation, and other mundane tasks. If characters take a short rest, they can’t undertake any other mission that hour.

If players need guidance, Governor Nighthill can give the characters a quick briefing on the tactical situation. The raiders have isolated the keep from the town with encircling groups of guards, but they haven’t organized an attack. Nighthill thinks the raiders don’t intend to attack the keep; they seem interested only in loot. The real danger is to the town and to those people who didn’t make it into the keep before it was cut off. Nighthill wants the characters to slip back into the town and help people who are cut off or harass the raiders. A stealthy group can make it out of the keep and back in again without drawing the raiders’ attention.

Rewards

Award standard XP for defeated foes.

Dragon Attack

The adult blue dragon Lennithon accompanied this raid but is not an enthusiastic participant. His chief contribution has been his Frightful Presence, but that becomes less effective as the night wears on and defenders overcome their fear. Shortly before midnight, the dragon launches a final assault against the citadel. Frulam Mondath orders the attack, knowing that the adventurers are in the keep at the time. Lennithon doesn’t consider this to be his fight, and he isn’t keen on tangling with adventurers for another’s benefit.

During this attack, Lennithon flies over the keep and uses his breath weapon without moving closer than 25 feet from the parapet. The defenders on the walls have mastered their fear of the dragon’s Frightful Presence from earlier attacks. There are twenty NPC defenders on the walls at the beginning of the mission, and more can arrive between attacks to take the place of those who fall. The dragon doesn’t target the adventures at first, and every breath attack not directed at them kills 1d4 NPC defenders and injures 1d6 more. Adventurers who happen to get caught in the area make normal saving throws and take standard damage. The NPCs’ attacks are ineffective against Lennithon. Bear in mind that the dragon’s breath weapon will kill a 1st-level character outright, so be sure to demonstrate its destructive power to the players before turning the dragon against the party.

After each attack, Lennithon swoops away until his breath weapon recharges, then swings in for another attack. He repeats this pattern until he has taken 24 damage or more, or a single critical hit. After that happens, Lennithon leaves for good.

Prisoners

Governor Nighthill would like to interrogate some of the raiders.

Save the Mill

From the parapet of the keep, someone spots a group of raiders trying to set fire to the town mill (area 4). Governor Nighthill quickly approaches the adventurers.

Rewards

Rescuing people from the temple earns each character 100 XP in addition to the points for killing monsters. If more than ten villagers died during the rescue, reduce that award to 50 XP.

Half-Dragon Champion

Before all the raiders depart, their champion challenges the town’s best warrior.

Rewards

If a character steps up to the challenge and fights Cyanwrath, each party member earns 50 XP. If not, characters receive nothing for this encounter. A team of healers with healer’s kits and +4 bonuses to Wisdom (Medicine) checks attend to the wounded or dying character, and Governor Nighthill gratefully offers two potions of healing to the wounded character. If characters do something that costs the life of a

hostage, Governor Nighthill is furious with them and offers no more help.

Developments

It’s assumed that when characters first see the fighting in Greenest, they will rush to its defense. If they don’t, and they’re traveling with others, then the NPCs they’re traveling with suggest that an immediate attack might turn the tide or at least save many lives. If characters still sit out this fight, they see about half of the attackers leave around midnight, with the rest retiring in small groups over the next few hours. When the sun comes up, even a quick inspection shows that over half of the buildings are heavily damaged and much of the town’s wealth was carried away. Hundreds of injured people are crowded into the keep or are found hiding in cellars, but most of them will survive.

Tracking the Raiders

The raiders’ path is easy to follow across the rolling grassland of the Greenfields. A wide swath of grass is trampled down, but it’s impossible to determine the raiders’ numbers precisely. The path only confirms what characters already know: there were a lot of them, and they were a mix of humans, kobolds, and trained reptiles. One bit of information can be gleaned with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check: many of the beasts’ footprints are deeper on the retreat than they were on the approach march. They were weighed down with loot on the homeward-bound trip, but let players reach that conclusion on their own. It’s not possible to tell from the confusing jumble of prints whether any specific footprints are those of prisoners.

The trail leads south about twelve miles, to a more rugged region where steep-sided, rocky plateaus replace the gently rolling hills. The land between the plateaus is largely flat, broken only by outcroppings and wandering streams in steep-sided gullies. The plateaus jut fifty to one hundred feet above their surroundings and are difficult to climb except where rock falls and subsidence created natural ramps. The crumbling sides of the plateaus are dotted with caves and tumbled boulder fields.

Characters can have two encounters during this trip. The first is with a group of raiders who have straggled behind the main body. They are disorganized and quarrelsome, and they should be easy prey for alert adventurers. The second group is an organized rearguard watching specifically for pursuers from the town. They present a much graver threat.

Rearguard

If the characters learn of the camp location and probable site of the rearguard from the stragglers, they can use that information to bypass this encounter entirely. In fact, that would be the smart thing to do, both because it negates a damaging fight and because if the rearguard is wiped out, leaders in the cult will wonder why it never reported back. The best result for the characters is if the outpost checks in at the correct time with an “all clear.”

The rearguard consists of one veteran, six cultists, and two acolytes. The guard and cultists have spears for both ranged and melee combat. They are positioned in an area where the trail winds through a gap between two outcrops. The ambushers are hidden in the rocks, 12 to 15 feet above ground level. Characters might detect the ambush, with the odds depending on what they know and how they approach the area.

• If stragglers described the likely ambush spot to characters, it can be recognized from 200 yards away with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check.
• If stragglers mentioned the rearguard but didn’t describe the spot, it is recognized as a good spot for an ambush from 100 yards away with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.
• If characters haven’t been warned about the rearguard, someone spots a face peering down from above with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check, but not until the characters are within 20 yards.
• If players state that they’re watching for potential ambush spots, give them advantage when making these checks.

The rearguard has a twofold mission. It must stop any small party of intruders coming up the trail, or harass and delay a larger group while sending word to the camp that trouble approaches. The veteran decides that he has enough of an advantage against a party of five or six adventurers to deal with the problem on the spot, provided he doesn’t weaken his force by sending a runner to Frulam Mondath. If the adventuring group contains seven or more characters, you can either have the veteran harass the enemy and dispatch a runner to the camp, or you can add cultists until they outnumber the characters by two or three, then let the cultists make a stand.

If characters walk into the trap, the cultists tumble boulders onto them. Each character must succeed on a
DC 11 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d12 bludgeoning damage from falling rocks (half as much damage on a successful save). The boulder attack constitutes the
cultists’ surprise round. After that, they use ranged
attacks until they are out of ammunition or the heroes
force them into melee. Because they are positioned
in the rocks above the characters, the cultists have
three-quarters cover against attacks from below. To
reach the foes, characters must scramble up the rocks. The distance is only 10 to 15 feet and no ability check is required, but the rocks are difficult terrain.

Tents. The raiders live in circular huts made from closely spaced wooden or bone poles covered in hide, mud, and sod. Huts vary in diameter from 10 feet to 25 feet, and in height from 5 feet to 10 feet. (Symbols on the map represent clusters of tents.) Those in the mouth of the hollow (level 1 on the map) are crudely built and decorated with animal skulls. These are occupied by kobolds. Cultists occupy the huts on level 2, which are sturdier, cleaner, and decorated with painted designs representing dragons. A few tents on level 2 are set aside for prisoners.

The large tent at area 2 is set apart from the others by an open space. It is reserved for Rezmir, Frulam Mondath, Langdedrosa Cyanwrath, and Azbara Jos. An honor guard of four veterans and four guard drakes (appendix D) keeps watch around this tent day and night. They don’t sleep at their posts, they don’t fall for tricks, and they don’t listen to stories or pleas. Their job is to keep everyone away from the tent, and they are fanatical about it. Only acolytes and adepts the veterans know by sight and by voice are allowed to approach.

a tower, practicing weapon drill, or even cleaning up after animals (a job usually reserved for prisoners, but currently the number of prisoners in the camp is low).

Rewards

Award standard XP for defeated foes. This chapter does not involve many fights, but it does present many challenges, and characters should be rewarded for overcoming them. The awards listed below are just recommendations; adjust them and add to them as you see fit. Characters can reach 3rd level if they act prudently and capitalize on all the opportunities the camp offers, but it’s not essential that they do.

• If you are using the milestone experience rule, the characters reach 3rd level when they complete this chapter.
• For getting into and out of the cultists’ camp without causing an alarm or being caught: 100 XP per character.
• For getting into and out of the cultists’ camp without stirring any suspicion: an additional 100 XP per character.
• For rescuing Leosin: 250 XP per character.
• For leaving a dummy or decoy in Leosin’s place: an additional 50 XP per character.
• For rescuing other prisoners: 25 XP for each prisoner brought out of the camp alive.
• For each piece of information listed under “Exploring the Camp” that characters learn on their own (not from Leosin): 25 XP per character.

When the characters arrive safely back at Greenest—presumably with Leosin in tow—he can fill them in on any details they missed during their investigation of the cult’s camp. The monks who accompanied him are delighted to see him alive, and the families of any other released prisoners are equally grateful for the return of their loved ones. Governor Nighthill pays the characters their promised 250 gp each and publicly praises their courage and daring.

Dragon Hatchery

The only thing of interest remaining in the camp is the cave itself (area 4 on the map of the camp). There, characters find the cultists who stayed behind, a clutch of dragon eggs, the special cadre of kobolds who tend the eggs—and the many traps the kobolds set to defend their home. These eggs are important to the cult, but they were deemed too near to hatching to be moved safely. Rezmir left them with what he believed was an adequate guard force under Frulam Mondath and Langdedrosa Cyanwrath.

Sound. The caverns are filled with faint sounds: dripping water, scratching rodents, scrabbling lizards, wind moaning across the entrance. These normal underground sounds camouflage the clanks, thuds, coughs, and speech of the kobolds and cultists. Sound echoes well along the main chamber (areas 1–area5), so a fight in any of these can be heard in the others. Elsewhere, normal sounds echo confusingly and are lost in the background noise. The sound of a scream carries a long distance, however, and the sound of a fight travels through 30 feet of tunnel and attracts attention if the fight lasts more than 3 rounds.

5. Troglodyte Incursion

The floor drops down 10 feet at each ledge.

Kobolds use this portion of the cave as a trash dump. Along with normal sorts of refuse, such as broken pottery, rotted baskets, and mouse-chewed rope, they’ve also thrown out items that appear useful from a distance: discarded clothes, worn boots, tattered books, cracked lamps, and so forth. Some of these items came from prisoners who died, and others were taken in treasure raids and later deemed to be unworthy of Tiamat. Characters viewing this area from the ledge see tantalizing glints of metal (belt buckles without belts) and parchment (books rendered illegible by water damage).

A strong, foul smell hangs in the air. Troglodytes that live deeper beneath the ground have made incursions into the cave through narrow crevices (not displayed on the map). If characters give this area a cursory look and then leave, nothing happens here. If they spend time searching, then four troglodytes attack. The crevices are a potential area for characters to explore if you’d like to expand this dungeon for further adventures. If not, then declare that they’re too tight for characters to squeeze through, or eliminate them and the troglodytes entirely.

6. Meat Locker

The curtain across the entrance to this cavern is trapped. See “Trapped Curtain” below for details.

Spike Trap

A portion of the floor between areas 4 and 7 has been replaced with a sheet of parchment cleverly painted to resemble the surrounding stone. It can be spotted with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, or automatically by someone who is systematically tapping the floor ahead with a pole or other tool. Beneath the parchment sheet is a shallow pit (about 2 feet deep) lined with poisoned spikes. Each time a character moves between areas 4 and 7, roll a d10. On a roll of 1 or 2, that character’s foot has gone through the trap. The character takes 1d4 piercing damage from the spikes and must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw against poison. On a failed save, the character is affected as by a confusion spell for one minute (10 rounds). On a successful save, the character is affected as by a confusion spell for 1 round. The effect is not magical.

8. Kobold Barracks

The steps down from area 7 are trapped; see “Collapsing Trap” below for details. Area 8 is the kobolds’ living quarters. It was a natural cavern, but it has been enlarged and smoothed. Unless they already responded to noise in area 7, this area contains six kobolds and six winged kobolds. They are off duty, so they aren’t being especially alert. Use their passive Wisdom (Perception) scores to determine whether they react to noises. Flickering oil lamps provide dim illumination.

The five-headed dragon is Tiamat, and the volcano is the Well of Dragons, where the Cult of the Dragon intends to bring Tiamat into the world. The Well of Dragons is located at the northern extreme of the Sunset Mountains. Most characters should recognize Tiamat from folktales and know she was banished to the Nine Hells long ago and remains imprisoned there. There is no way to tell from the carvings where the volcano is located, or to know if it’s meant to be a prediction of events to come or just a birth metaphor for the queen of evil dragons.

The chest is locked and trapped; see “Acid Trap” below for details. Characters can open it with the key from area 11, or the lock can be picked with thieves’ tools and a successful DC 10 Dexterity check. Unless the Dexterity roll is 15 or higher, however, it sets off the trap when the chest opens.

If characters spend 10 minutes or more studying the carvings, they can learn two things. First, black dragons are overrepresented. Almost half the dragons shown appear to be black dragons. Wyrmspeaker Rezmir favors them over all other types. Second, a detailed search coupled with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check spots that many of the black dragon carvings have holes in their mouths.

A passage in the southwest corner of the shrine chamber leads to a chute that rises 30 feet up to area 11. A rope ladder is fixed at the top; a rug covers the opening.

10A. Black Dragon Eggs

This area is warm and humid. After characters look closely at the floor, they can determine that the stains are blood, and some of them are fresh. They come from the meat the kobolds toss down here.

Huddled in the shadows at the far edges of the room or behind the natural columns are two guard drakes (see appendix D) trained to protect the dragon eggs. They don’t attack as soon as characters come through the gate but wait until the characters have moved into the chamber. The drakes’ first priority is to protect the eggs. Their second priority is to get between the intruders and the steps to prevent them from escaping. Unless characters climb down into 10A without using the stairs, they trigger the kobolds’ attack before exploring this area.

Mixed in among the stalactites near the southeast corner of the room is an unusual roper that can speak Common. It doesn’t attack the kobolds or guard drakes because the kobolds feed it spoiled meat that the guard drakes won’t eat. If attacked, it fights back (and it’s very dangerous to 3rd-level characters!). It can reach anywhere in area 10 with its tentacles, and it can also move at speed 10. It is currently full and curious about strangers, however, so it’s not averse to talking. Its only real concern is food. If told about the supply of meat in area 6 and brought some as proof, it leaves the characters alone while it creeps away to investigate the larder.

A total of three dragon eggs are spread throughout the area. Each is about three feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. Two of them are easy to spot just by walking through the room with a light source. The third is tucked into a pile of similar-colored stones behind one of the columns, making it easy to miss. When characters search the room, have everyone make a Wisdom (Perception) check. Only a character who gets a 15 or higher notices the egg in its camouflaged nest. Looking at a dragon egg, a character can determine the color of dragon with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) check.

11. Frulam Mondath’s Chamber

Frulam Mondath (see appendix D) moved into this comfortable chamber when the camp was abandoned. If no fight has occurred with the guards in area 12 and characters enter this chamber from area 9, then Mondath is here when they arrive. Guards in area 12 hear whatever happens in this chamber and respond dutifully.

The chamber contains a writing desk and stool, several tables with books and papers, and a mirror on a floor stand. Light comes from two oil lamps. Thick rugs completely cover the floor, including an open chute that drops down to area 9. A rope ladder is fixed in the chute for climbing up and down, but nothing marks the position of the open, 3-foot-wide hole when it is covered by rugs. The slight depression it causes in the rug can be noticed with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. If someone steps on the chute without knowing it’s there, the character must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. Success means the character hops off the rug before it collapses through the hole, or grabs the top of ladder as he or she falls; failure means the character plunges 30 feet down the chute into area 9, taking 3d6 bludgeoning damage from the fall.

The Order of the Gauntlet

Late in the evening, after a day when Frume has been suitably impressed by the characters, he sends one of his squires to summon them to a private room in the tavern.

Baldur’s Gate

Baldur’s Gate is a bustling center of trade, with goods coming from north and south by wagon along the Trade Way and by ship on the Sea of Swords, and from the east along the River Chionthar and from Cormyr and Sembia. Baldur’s Gate is situated on a prominent bluff next to the river, overlooking an excellent natural harbor. It is divided into three distinct segments: the Upper City where the richest and most influential citizens live and where the city’s marketplace (the Wide) is located; the Lower City, which surrounds the harbor and where most of the city’s merchants live and conduct their business; and the Outer City, which lies outside the walls and where most of the city’s laborers reside in conditions that vary from crowded but clean to squalid.

Depending on timing, characters might have just a few days to wait in Baldur’s Gate, or up to a tenday. Most of that time should be spent contacting a merchant recommended by Frume and arranging affairs so they can spot the cult wagons when they arrive.

Frume’s contact is a human trader named Ackyn Selebon. He operates an equipage business in the Outer City north of the city wall, in a district called Blackgate. There he sells all the material needed for long-distance freight hauling: wagons, rope, netting, grease, chains, wheels, and so on. His shop also repairs wagons. He is not directly involved in the hiring of guards for caravans, but he knows people who are. With him to vouch for the characters, they should have no trouble getting hired on as guards for a northbound caravan, but he can’t give them work with a specific merchant.

Hiring Out

All hires are for the journey to Waterdeep. Sergeants are expected to manage two to five other guards. Bodyguards are expected to stick close to their employer and protect him or her against harm.

Fellow Travelers

During the course of this journey, the characters have opportunities to meet a range of people from across Faerûn. Merchants, mercenaries, pilgrims, scholars, thieves, and explorers all mingle on the great Trade Way.

Edhelri Lewel (Female Moon Elf Merchant). Lewel’s wagon is loaded with exotic wood from the Jungle of Chult for the master carpenters and cabinetmakers of Waterdeep to turn into exquisite furniture. She is the exact opposite of Beyd Sechepol in temperament: impatient with people but exacting about her wagon and doting on her animals.

Tyjit Skesh (Female Shield Dwarf Guard). It won’t take long before everyone in the caravan knows to steer clear of Tyjit Skesh. She is quick to anger and quicker to resort to her blades when something sets her off. She is honest to a fault and never fails to let people know why she was angry, so they can correct their behavior in the future. She will not tolerate bullying.

Trade Way Events

Adventuring Life

Another group of adventurers joins the caravan or is staying at the same roadside inn. Judging by their boasting, they have bested some of the most ferocious monsters and foes Faerûn has to offer. They look prosperous, they’re filled with exciting tales, and they strike up a bond with a merchant who employs one or more of the characters. The next morning, that merchant informs the characters that their services are no longer needed because he has hired more experienced guards.

The newcomers are a troop of actors trying to pay their way to the next town. They are gambling that no danger will arise that needs them to step up and fight. When it does (as it surely will), it becomes painfully obvious that not one warrior or wizard is among them; they are five human commoners with charisma to burn and shiny stage props for weapons and armor. After they’ve been rescued from danger, the characters’ former employer, now suitably chastened, is willing to hire the characters back at slightly increased wages.

Animal Abuse

One of the travelers—a noble—is regularly seen mistreating his horses. He allows their collars and girths to chafe sores in their hide, skimps on their feed, and whips them when the aching, hungry animals don’t pull hard enough or fast enough to suit him. If the characters still have their horses, he admires them and offers to buy one or more to replace the “useless nags” he is stuck with. Eventually, one of his horses will collapse in its harness, and he will either beat it to death in the road or cut it loose and leave it to die, unless one or more characters intervenes. He has a knight and a mage traveling with him as bodyguards.

Bane of the Mountains

High above, two perytons are watching the road for fresh hearts they can consume before laying their eggs. They circle at an altitude where they are easily mistaken for eagles. Each character can make a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check upon seeing the creatures. Success means they recognize the perytons for what they are before the first dive attack. Failure means the character is surprised.

Contraband

One of the cult wagons overturns on a difficult corner or when a wheel breaks on a rock. Of the crates that tumble free, one smashes open, revealing dozens of beautiful items of jewelry wrapped in wool for protection. This is an excellent opportunity for the characters to see some of the contraband and even to get friendly with the cultists by helping them repair their wagon.

The cult members are angry that people saw the contents of their spilled cargo. Their instructions, direct from Wyrmspeaker Rezmir, were to keep the material secure and secret. Witnesses who show much interest in the jewelry or who ask questions might need to be silenced. NPC witnesses could disappear overnight or die unexpectedly from sudden illness (which a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check reveals to be poison). The same attacks can be directed against characters who show too much curiosity.

Everything Has a Price

Someone in the caravan develops a fancy for a treasured possession that belongs to one of the characters. The NPC tries to buy it, but the offered price is low. The NPC persists through the day, becoming more obnoxious without getting any more generous. Unless the character takes special precautions, the object disappears overnight. If the character accuses the NPC publicly the following morning, they make an enduring enemy; that NPC doesn’t have the item and is incensed at the accusation. Someone else who witnessed the conversations the day before decided the other NPC provided perfect cover for a little nighttime thievery and took the missing item. To find the item, characters need to surreptitiously search people’s bags and wagons, since few people will agree to have their belongings rifled through as if they were common thieves—especially not a common thief.

Fungus Humongous

After two days and nights of rain, lightning, and strange whistling sounds on the wind, characters awaken to see that the surrounding countryside is blanketed with fungus. It grows everywhere, including on the road. When anyone steps on a mushroom (it’s nearly impossible not to), it emits a puff of black spores and a moan of pain. These tiny shriekers sprout from an immense mycelium that has spread beneath the area from shallow caves. They can be identified with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check, but if the roll is 10–14, the character misidentifies them and believes they are deadly poisonous (they aren’t).

The merchants are terrified of the things and refuse to drive through them, fearing that they may be poisonous or worse. Besides that, the sounds spook the animals and make them impossible to control.

The Golden Stag

On a beautiful, sunny afternoon, a herd of deer is spotted grazing on a nearby hill. The travelers take such opportunities to hunt fresh meat for the larder. This herd, however, includes a magnificent stag (use elk statistics) that shimmers in the light as if its coat is spun from gold and its antlers plated with platinum. Nearly everyone in the caravan who can handle a bow wants to bring down that beast. Its pelt would be worth a fortune, even if it’s not real gold. A few of the more cautious types warn that the creature is clearly a blessed being and that killing it would bring bad luck on the caravan, but no more than two or three people are persuaded. In minutes, the hunt is on, and the deer herd scatters into the nearby forest and through farmers’ fields.

The characters can join the chase, try to talk people down, protect the stag, or ignore the situation, as they see fit. It can be tracked through the forest with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check. A new check must be made every 500 yards.

The stag leads hunters on a 1,500-yard chase to a moss-grown, ivy-draped ruin in the forest. There, one of three things can happen. Choose the one that best suits your game.

• The stag can be cornered, fought, and killed. It is a normal stag but with a breathtakingly beautiful coat of golden fur. If the local farmers learn that it’s been killed, they grab their pitchforks and longbows and threaten to overrun the caravan unless they are paid 500 gp for their loss; the stag brought them luck.

• The stag greets the characters in Sylvan. If none of the characters speak that language, it switches to Elvish, and if no one responds again, it tries heavily accented, pidgin Common. It assures them that they are on the right track, and they must continue following the river of gold until they reach the castle in the sky. Sadly, their path will be filled with hardship and blood. To aid them, it offers the character a +1 longbow. The bow appears on the ground before them, and then the stag fades from view saying, “Not all will survive ...”

• When the characters search the tumbled ruins, they find no sign of the stag but see a thin person who resembles a wood elf with bright golden skin. The young male either is wearing an antlered headpiece or has delicate antlers growing from his head. He drops to his knees and beseeches the characters in a dialect of Elvish that is archaic but understandable. He is an elf prince, and the stones around them were once the beautiful castle where he ruled. But he was cursed by the father of the woman he loved to transform into a golden stag whenever he steps outside these walls. He has lived with the curse for so long that his kingdom is forgotten, his castle is fallen to ruin, and he no longer remembers his own name. He believes that a wizard somewhere can release him from the curse, but wherever he goes, people try to kill him for his golden coat. If the characters allow him to accompany them and protect him, he will do his best to reward them at the end of the journey. The story is true; several wizards in Waterdeep could remove the curse. The elf cannot pay a reward at the end, but the characters earn 500 XP apiece for believing him and protecting him. That job won’t be easy, because people in the caravan find their story ridiculous and look for opportunities to kill the stag.

Payback

As the caravan rounds a bend in the road, a human head can be seen sitting in the middle of the road a hundred yards ahead. From a distance, characters with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or higher recognize that the head is actually a person buried up to the neck, and he is unconscious but still alive. That fact is obvious to anyone who approaches within 10 yards, as is the word “Oathbreaker” painted on his forehead.

The buried human is in bad shape from exposure and dehydration. Any healing magic or some water and a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check revives him.

Many of the merchants in the caravan are of the opinion that whoever this is, if someone or something went to the trouble of marking him as a traitor and burying him up to the neck in the Trade Way, he probably deserves it and should be left there. If characters are working as guards for NPC merchants, at least one of their employers is among this group. It’s obvious from wheel tracks on the turned-over earth that other wagons have indeed passed him by during the last few days.

Digging the man out of the ground takes two diggers at least two hours, and refilling the hole takes another hour (you can’t just leave a hole in the road).

The buried man is Carlon Amoffel. He is a human spy and a member of the Harpers; characters discover a Harper tattoo on his arm if they dig him up. He has nothing but the loincloth he was buried in.

Publicly, Amoffel’s story is that the oath he broke was a promise to marry a woman. He broke the engagement because he discovered that her father and brothers were all bandits and that he was expected to join them.

If any of the characters are Harpers and they reveal their association to Amoffel, he tells them the real story. He was on exactly the same mission they are: tracking a shipment of stolen loot north. But the smugglers—he’s sure they’re members of the Cult of the Dragon—became suspicious of him.

No Room at the Inn

After a miserably wet, cold day that promises to become an even wetter, freezing night, the caravan arrives at a large inn. Upon entering the warm, comfortable common room to make arrangements for the night, the embarrassed innkeeper tells the characters that the entire inn is sold out; all the private rooms are taken and the common room is reserved for a private party. The caravan will need to spend the night outside. Looking around the room, the characters see just one group: an aristocratic judge and his entourage of three human dilettantes. They smirk at the characters while making comments such as “sleep tight” and “have a pleasant evening” followed by insults muttered under their breath about the characters’ mud-spattered clothing and low breeding. If characters ask about sleeping in the stable, one of the nobles speaks up, saying, “Our horses are rather picky about who they share space with. We had to reserve all of it, too, for their sake. You understand, I’m sure.” His snooty friends have a good chuckle over that.

Spending this night in the wagons will be hard on the characters but will be misery for the unprotected horses and mules, and the only reason for it is the cruelty and arrogance of these snickering twits in the inn.

The NPCs in the inn won’t be influenced by any sort of reason or debate or by offers of money. They find the situation enormously amusing and seem pleased by the prospect of the merchants and their animals suffering in the freezing rain all night. They needle and goad the characters and their fellow travelers at every opportunity, including from the doorway and windows of the inn when no one else is inside. If the characters don’t start a fight, someone else from the caravan might.

In fact, these NPCs are four disguised veterans traveling to Baldur’s Gate in search of employment and out to have a good laugh over someone’s misfortune. They drop all pretense after violence breaks out.

Roadside Hospitality

When the caravan reaches its stopping point for the night, two buxom twin sisters are there ahead of them, setting up camp and tending to their horses. Arietta and Zelina Innevar take a liking to some of the travelers—possibly, but not necessarily, a few of the characters—and spend the evening asking about their past, where they’re headed, whether they have family, and so on. The sisters are actually two doppelgangers. They can either attack someone that night or join the caravan for a few days while they study the travelers and choose their victims. When the time comes to strike, they wait until after dark, then try to lure their target away from other people by calling for assistance in a familiar voice. Fortunately for the characters and their fellow travelers, if

one is defeated, the other one flees in a flurry of curses and vengeful threats.

Spider Woods

The Trade Way skirts around and between the huge Trollbark and Misty Forests, but it passes through many other, smaller forests that don’t appear on maps. When the caravan is passing through one such wooded region, three ettercaps and two giant spiders attack it. They are chiefly interested in taking horses, not merchandise, but they won’t balk at taking people if they can’t get horses. Two ettercaps go after horses while the third ettercap and the giant spiders keep the caravan guards busy. An ettercap can cut a horse free from its harness in 3 rounds. After that, they retreat into the trees, leading the horse away with reins of webbing. Without horses, the wagons are stranded. The characters’ employer insists they go after the ettercaps and retrieve the stolen horses.

If the characters move quickly, they have a good chance to retrieve the horses alive. The animals leave a trail through the underbrush that’s easy to follow; a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check is sufficient to keep on it. The horses are led away about half a mile to the ettercaps’ lair. If characters charge straight in, they are attacked by three ettercaps and two giant spiders. If they pause to observe for a few minutes, they see the ettercaps shoo the giant spiders away while they prepare for their feast of horse meat. The characters can then fight just the ettercaps for 6 rounds, before the spiders return to the sound of battle. The characters can’t delay for long, however, because the ettercaps won’t waste much time before killing and tucking into the horses.

Stranded

This is an ideal event for the Fields of the Dead region, if one occurs there, but it can be used anywhere.

The caravan sees a fight happening ahead. A freight wagon is stranded on the road, its draft animals dead. A merchant (noble) and three guards are sheltered under the wagon, with crates dragged between the wheels for cover. They are plentifully supplied with crossbows and bolts, but the six hobgoblins and one hobgoblin captain assailing them seem content to keep them under siege until sundown, when they plan to rush the wagon with darkness as cover. These are Urshani hobgoblins, recognizable because they adorn themselves with wolf furs, paint worg heads onto their shields, and incorporate other wolf parts and icons in their armor and clothing.

First the hobgoblins must be driven off, then the injured attended to, and then something must be done about the stranded wagon. The trader has money to buy more horses if anyone is willing to sell. Otherwise, he’ll take a lift to the next hostelry, where he can buy animals, while his three guards stay behind.

Planned Road Events

After Jamna Gleamsilver and Azbara Jos join the caravan, three planned events must take place. Their timing is up to you.

Recognized!

If the characters spent much time wandering through the raiders’ camp on the Greenfields and talking to cultists, they might have struck up a conversation there with a cultist who is now one of the wagon drivers. Have each character make a Charisma check on the first day of the journey, but don’t tell players what it’s for. At some point during the journey, the character who scored the lowest result on the Charisma check is recognized by a cultist. The cultists assume that, at best, the character must be a deserter from the cult. At worst, he or she is a spy and a saboteur. At a dramatic point on the journey, when the caravan is away from Baldur’s Gate, this means trouble.

Optionally, you can dispense with this die roll and have someone recognize one of the characters automatically, for the sake of using this event.

If a character is recognized, allow that character to make a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check. Success means the character catches a cultist watching him or her suspiciously, noting who the character talks to, when the character eats, and where the character sleeps. Over the course of a few days, it should become obvious that this cultist has recognized the character. If characters delay taking action, the cultists strike first by trying to assassinate the characters in their bedrolls or perhaps by arranging an accident—a loose wheel, broken axle, or spooked lead horse might be an effective way to solve a problem. The only permanent solution to this problem for the characters is murder; the cultist with suspicions must be eliminated before he or she shares those suspicions with the others. Good characters may be reluctant to take this step; that’s roleplaying. If they can find another way, that’s excellent, but once the opposition recognizes someone, the situation is likely to end in death.

Unwanted Attention

The day after the caravan leaves Daggerford, have each character make a Wisdom (Insight) check. (Alternatively, you can allow a Charisma (Deception) check here, permitting characters to use their knowledge of deception to recognize when someone else is putting the same talent to use. Only characters with training in Deception can choose this option.) Interpret the results as follows.

• 9 or less: The character notices nothing.

• 10–12: The character notices that the gnome who recently joined the caravan shows an interest in the human who joined at the same time and who was welcomed aboard one of the cult wagons as a passenger. They aren’t together, but during stops, the gnome often sidles up near enough to overhear anything the human might say, and she has also been spotted hovering near the cult wagons when the cultists are busy with tasks other than guarding the wagons closely.

• 13–15: The character notices that the gnome shows an interest in the characters. She has spoken to several of them, asking innocuous questions and commenting on the weather. She leaves the impression of being someone who flawlessly takes in every detail about people and her surroundings.

• 16+: The character notices both and has the impression that Gleamsilver is aware of the characters watching her, too.

If someone reveals a Harper badge to Gleamsilver, she responds with a curt “put that away, fool,” and leaves.

Who’s Your Friend?

On the morning of the day when the caravan is four days’ travel from Waterdeep (two days after “Unwanted Attention”), Gleamsilver approaches the characters just as they are sitting down to the morning meal. After glancing around to make sure none of the cultists are watching, she puts her fingers to her lips, then takes the bowl of oatmeal that one of them is about to eat.

Murder Most Foul

Two days after “Who’s Your Friend?” happens, the camp awakens to a killing. One of the cultists acting as a wagon guard was murdered overnight. He was stabbed in the back with a sword (the wound is too big to be from a dagger) and left where he fell beneath a cult wagon.

The dead man’s companions immediately accuse one of the characters and demand to inspect the characters’ weapons. If the character carries a shortsword, it will be a match, although that proves nothing. Any sword that size would be close enough. Many footprints are around the wagon, but a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check determines that they are all from people crowding around the body in the morning. The ground was swept during the night to remove prints.

Northbound, Again

The characters have no trouble getting hired as wagon escorts at the supply warehouse. Unlike in the caravan, guards are not hired by individual wagon masters but by the High Road Charter Company, a consortium of guilds and noble houses partnered with Lord Neverember. A human veteran named Ardred Briferhew commands the entire convoy. It consists of six supply wagons, twelve escorts (including the characters and Jamna), and two dozen laborers marching out to relieve a group that is coming back to Waterdeep for some time off. Those cultists who weren’t hired as teamsters for their three wagons are coming along as laborers.

The cultists are not happy to see the characters again, so the characters are the target of dirty looks.

The work camp the convoy is headed toward lies 200 miles up the coast. For most of that distance, the road winds through rough coastal hills nestled between the Sword Mountains and the sea. On the seventh night, the convoy camps on a hilltop from which characters have their first sight of the Mere of Dead Men. It is a chill tangle of trees, brush, boggy ground, standing water, reeds, and cat-tails stretching farther than the eye can see. The rest of the trip is within sight of the mere. The destination is reached sometime on the tenth day.

1. Courtyard

Most of the time, this open courtyard is crowded with crates, barrels, and stacks of supplies. The damp climate means that the ground is muddy, except when the temperature is below freezing. Then the mud hardens into uneven, frost-covered ruts. A path is kept clear from the gate to the stables so animals can be moved, but during busy times, that path often runs under the balcony in front of the doors to the rooms.

2. Stables

In some ways, the stables are the most comfortable area of the compound. When the stables are crowded, the horses’ and mules’ body heat keeps the building warm. Four stable boys take care of the animals and sleep here. Only the youngest, a quick-witted boy called Wump, has any suspicion that something mysterious is going on. He knows nothing about the Cult of the Dragon, but he’s sharp enough to wonder why anything used by the road builders needs to be locked up.

3. Warehouse

The warehouse door is latched but unlocked. Supplies that shouldn’t be left exposed to the weather are stored here: food for the people and fodder for animals.

4. Strong Room

Unusually valuable cargoes and personal items are kept in the strong room under lock and key. None of the workers know or care what sorts of road-building supplies are considered so valuable they must be locked up for protection. They just follow Bog Luck’s instructions and stack things where they’re told to stack them.

Since the sleeping rooms can’t be locked, workers and teamsters often have Bog Luck lock their cash and other valuables into the strong room for safekeeping. He keeps a record in a ledger book of all the personal items stored there and has a reputation for being meticulous about making sure everyone gets their belongings back—all of their belongings and only their belongings.

The key for this room is always on Bog Luck’s belt, but the lock can be opened with a successful DC 10 Dexterity check and a set of thieves’ tools.

The trapdoor is located in the southeast corner of the room. An empty crate nailed onto the door covers it; when the door is opened, the whole crate tips toward the north. Being nailed to the floor, the crate feels solid and full to a casual bump or shove. Only when it’s tipped does the trick become obvious. It can be discovered with a thorough 20-minute search of the room or with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check.

If characters search the strong room during the night, lizardfolk show up to cart away contraband. There are three lizardfolk for every two characters.

5. Rooms

The wagon drivers, escorts, and laborers who stay at the compound share the rooms. None are private rooms; all have bunks for at least four people, and the larger rooms sleep six. They contain bunks, trunks for belongings, and wooden floors covered with rushes.

None of the rooms have locks on their doors except Bog Luck’s. If asked about locks, Bog Luck explains that they kept freezing in cold weather so people couldn’t get into or out of their rooms. This excuse is credible; the upper room doors, in particular, often are coated with ice in the morning. In fact, Bog Luck removed the locks to strengthen his excuse for locking the strong room.

6. Bog Luck’s Room

Bog Luck has this room to himself, so it’s more spacious and comfortable than the others. He’s seldom here except when sleeping, and he keeps the door locked. A successful DC 10 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools can open it. Despite his crude manner, Bog Luck is a somewhat educated man, as evidenced by the books of philosophy and natural history on his reading shelf.

7. Ardred Briferhew’s Room

The commander of the hired guards has this small room to himself. There is nothing remarkable about it.

8. Kitchen

This upper room is used for preparing food on a large stove. In the evenings, this doubles as a common room where people gather to smoke, drink, swap stories, and keep warm. Eventually the cook, a grumpy human called Gristle Pete, kicks everyone out so he can unroll his mattress and blankets and get some sleep.

If characters listen carefully to Gristle Pete’s mutterings as he works around his kitchen, they’ll hear him talking in circles to himself about how he “… don’t get no sleep from all the critters in the floors banging and knocking and hissing and whispering at all hours” and so on. The noises he hears and mistakes for rats are the lizardfolk retrieving contraband from the strong room below. If questioned, he hears the noises every now and then, not every night. If pressed, he realizes that the sounds happen a few nights after a new load gets dropped off. Now ain’t that some oddball rat behavior?

Tracking the Load

Characters have a few ways to collect clues about what’s happening at the work camp. Jamna can help out with these tasks if none of the characters are up to it.

• If they watch the wagons being unloaded, they’ll notice Bog Luck directing laborers to carry the crates brought from the Greenfields into the warehouse. If they have a chance to see what’s going on in the warehouse, they see that all the crates go into the strong room. If they don’t look inside the warehouse while the wagons are unloaded but inspect the warehouse later, they won’t find any of the crates; the only other place they could have gone is into the strong room.

Grudge Match

A friend of the cultist murdered by Jamna has nurtured a grudge against a character since that incident. Now that their load is safely delivered and the mission is complete, this cultist can seek vengeance for her slain friend.

At an opportune time, the cultist tries to goad the character into a fight. She’ll use any incident she can from their time together, including the murder, to question the character’s courage and fighting ability in front of everyone. If the character refuses to bite, the cultist doesn’t back down. The NPC wants blood and won’t settle for anything less. She draws her sword and attacks. The cultist uses the stats of a veteran.

As far as the other cultists, teamsters, and hired guards are concerned, this is a personal issue between these two. If the character backs down, everyone assumes the character is a coward and treats this character with disrespect for the rest of his or her time at the camp. If other characters jump into the fight at their companion’s side, more cultists do the same (treat them as twelve guards). Bog Luck and Ardred Briferhew prevent anyone else from joining in, but they don’t mind watching some limited bloodshed to break the boredom.

The cultist means to kill the character, and she will if she wins the duel (continuing to stab the body after the character is at 0 hit points) and no one stops her.

Evening 1

After seven miles of progress, characters reach a campsite at the approximate halfway point on the trip between the work camp and Castle Naerytar.

Each canoe has three paddles and is large enough to hold five humans without much gear, or two or three with packs and other gear. Inside the lean-tos are a few baskets containing smoked fish (edible) along with some lizards and birds that have been smashed flat and dried in the sun (very unappetizing to humans but edible).

If characters arrive before dusk, the camp is empty and they can explore it safely. No random encounters bother characters while they’re in the campsite. As the sun begins to set, nine lizardfolk paddle up in three canoes. They are traveling from Castle Naerytar to the roadhouse to pick up a load of contraband. The lizardfolk expect no trouble near their camp, so if characters posted a watch, then those characters who are actively on watch notice the approaching lizardfolk automatically and the lizardfolk are surprised. If characters lit a fire, however, then the lizardfolk smell the smoke from quite a distance away and know someone is in the camp. They assume it’s more of their own kind returning from the work camp with treasure bound for Castle Naerytar, but the mere is filled with potential enemies and one never knows for sure, so their approach is more cautious if they smell smoke. In that case, characters with passive Wisdom (Perception) scores of 10 or higher notice the approaching lizardfolk canoes before the lizardfolk spot the strangers in their camp.

These lizardfolk won’t negotiate or converse with characters. They’ve been told by the elf who commands operations at Castle Naerytar that strangers in the mere are to be killed or captured but never engaged in conversation. If they are captured and tied up, a successful DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) or DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check loosens their tongues. If the lizardfolk aren’t tied up, characters have disadvantage on these rolls because the lizardfolk think them soft-hearted.

Lizardfolk know that they’re transporting treasure to the castle. The “dragon kneelers” take it into the castle, and the lizardfolk never see it again. They are paid in steel blades (they have no ability to manufacture with metal) and magic talismans. All the lizardfolk wear necklaces and bracelets made of bone, teeth, feathers, carved soft stone, and leather. On close inspection, characters see mixed in among these things traces of civilization: glass beads, coins, costume jewelry, tiny mirrors, and stamped copper and tin amulets

Crocodiles. An encounter with crocodiles always occurs in water at least 2 feet deep. The first time characters run into crocodiles in the mere, the creatures have advantage on their Stealth check.

Factions

Three power groups operate around Castle Naerytar: the Cult of the Dragon, a band of bullywugs, and a lizardfolk tribe. The black dragon Voaraghamanthar, along with its kobold and lizardfolk minions, could constitute a fourth group if it took an active hand in events, but for now it is biding its time to see how events develop.

Rezmir’s three-way alliance is unstable. The cultists despise living in the swamp and have little respect for the bullywugs or lizardfolk; the leader of the bullywugs would like to seize Castle Naerytar for his own purposes; the bullywugs in general take every opportunity to push around the lizardfolk; and the lizardfolk chafe under the abuse of the bullywugs and wonder why Voaraghamanthar doesn’t step in to protect them.

Lizardfolk

The Scaly Death lizardfolk tribe has no leader. Pharblex killed its shaman, Suncaller, and the death left the tribe with an inferiority complex that was ripe for exploitation. When Rezmir promised that Voaraghamanthar would reward the tribe’s labors for the cult, the lizardfolk were ready to listen.

Where the bullywugs fill the role of a static defense force, the lizardfolk perform five functions. First, they are the cult’s laborers and porters. Lizardfolk did most of the heavy work while clearing debris from the castle, and they carry most of the treasure from the work camp to the castle on their backs and in their canoes. Second, they tend the giant lizards that are used to drag or carry especially heavy loads through the mere. Third, they do most of the hunting, fishing, and gathering to feed everyone at the castle. Fourth, they act as the castle’s far-ranging scouts and outlying guards, since they are far superior to any bullywug at actively patrolling, ambushing, and laying traps. Fifth, a cadre of lizardfolk has been enlisted as elite guards for the castle itself. Borngray doesn’t expect that any force would ever mount a real attack against the castle; it’s too inaccessible, lying deep in the swamp. But if that unlikely event ever happened, he knows that the swaggering bullywugs would desert rather than fight an organized enemy. The lizardfolk, on the other hand, can be courageous and disciplined when they have a leader worth following. Borngray hopes to be that leader, at least to the small contingent of lizardfolk warriors he houses in the castle and rewards with special treatment. In exchange for their work, Borngray pays the tribe in metal weapons that are brought to the castle along with the loot.

Meanwhile, the bullywugs boss and bully the lizardfolk, emboldened by their superior numbers, the lizardfolk’s instinctive awe of Pharblex’s magic, and the absence of any restraining sign from Borngray or from the lair of the black dragon. Voaraghamanthar’s silence, more than anything else, makes the lizardfolk wonder whether fate is punishing them for some unknown transgression. They grumble, and occasionally a few desert, but most of them bear up with reptilian stoicism.

Snapjaw is one of the few who has suggested rebelling against the hated bullywugs and the cultists. He hasn’t done so openly, because that would invite retribution from the bullywugs, but he has spoken to a few fellow tribesfolk he trusts. Their response was interested but noncommittal; they intend to take revenge on the bullywugs, but not until the omens are right. Meanwhile, they endure—and stockpile weapons. Borngray has only a rough idea of how many lizardfolk are in the tribe all together, and he hasn’t kept close count over how many swords, spears, daggers, shields, and metal-tipped arrows have been turned over to them. The lizardfolk are much better armed at this point than they let on to either the bullywugs or the cultists. When the time comes to move against the bullywugs, the lizardfolk intend for every

Squaring Off Against the Cult of the Dragon

Characters have several options at Castle Naerytar, and events there can go in many directions. Here are the key points to keep in mind when running this chapter.

• Rezmir and Azbara Jos do almost anything to avoid a battle with interfering adventurers. They have bigger concerns than the safety of Castle Naerytar and its occupants. If a battle develops, both of these characters head directly for the gate beneath the castle and teleport to Talis the White’s hunting lodge (see chapter 7). For purposes of this adventure, do everything you can to ensure that Rezmir and Jos survive this chapter. It’s not

a catastrophe if they don’t, but it’s much better if they do.

• Dralmorrer Borngray and Pharblex Spattergoo have everything to lose if enemies of the cult overrun Castle Naerytar; a defeat would cost Borngray his hard-earned rank in the cult, and Spattergoo would lose the base from which he hopes to rule the mere after the cult is finished with the castle. They fight to the death to protect the castle (simultaneously buying time for Rezmir and Jos to escape).

• Despite their loathing for one another, they understand that they are much stronger together than apart. As soon as fighting breaks out, they join forces and cooperate.

• The best place for Borngray and Pharblex to make their stand depends on how the attack develops; you’ll need to play that part by ear. Their best ploy against a determined assault may be a fighting retreat through the castle and down into the caverns, where the narrow passages and giant frogs work in their favor.

• The bullywugs are numerous but cowardly. They fight to protect Pharblex, but if he isn’t immediately in sight—if Pharblex has retreated into the caverns while other bullywugs are fighting in the inner ward, for example—bullywugs who feel as if he has abandoned them are likely to leap away into the mere and never come back. If Pharblex is killed, most bullywugs desert immediately.

• The lizardfolk are brave, but they despise the bullywugs. If characters haven’t recruited the lizardfolk to their side, then the lizardfolk fight well whenever they’re alone. If bullywugs are nearby, lizardfolk pull back and let the bullywugs bear the brunt of combat and casualties. If the lizardfolk have been won over to fighting alongside the characters, then they hunt bullywugs through the castle and grounds and murder them mercilessly. If bullywugs flee into the swamp, lizardfolk chase them. They are half-hearted when facing cultists—not because they fear the cultists but because they don’t hate them, and they have a harder time mentally turning against that alliance.

• The cultists are dedicated but not fanatics, and they are laborers, not soldiers. They fight bravely with Dralmorrer Borngray leading them. Without him, the cultists’ attacks are uncoordinated and hesitant. Their situation becomes even worse if they are fighting against rebellious lizardfolk. In that case, without Borngray to egg them on, they are most likely to barricade themselves in the upper levels of the southwest tower or the library and try to ride out the slaughter.

Approaching Castle Naerytar

How characters approach Naerytar can set the tone for everything that happens at the castle.

Snapjaw knows where the lizardfolk pickets are posted about half a mile out from the castle. If he is with the characters, he can prevent them from blundering into a trap or an ambush. He talks to the six lizardfolk guards if characters let him. What he tells them depends on the opinion he’s formed about the characters.

Outside Castle Naerytar

Castle Naerytar was built on dry land, then a deep, dry moat was dug around it. When the mere expanded and surrounded the castle site, the moat flooded and overflowed. Now the whole site is swampy, and large pools of standing water dot the clearing. The castle was built on exposed bedrock, so its foundation is sound and mostly dry even a century after the flooding. Tangled brush and trees grow to within twenty feet of the walls on three sides of the castle. Only the front (southern) face is clear.

Bullywugs live in crowded, hastily made reed huts. The lizardfolk have sturdier, roomier reed longhouses.

2. Animal Stockade

The lizardfolk keep their giant lizards penned here. The five-foot-high wall of the stockade is made from sturdy logs driven into the earth, spaced about six inches apart, and bound together with twisted fiber. The lizards can carry or drag loads that are too massive for the lizardfolk, such as large timbers or impressive crocodiles. They are also used to raise stone onto the castle battlements through ropes and pulleys—technology that never ceases to amaze the lizardfolk. There are 2d4 giant lizards in the pen at any given time. They are ill-tempered and attack anyone who comes within reach if their handlers aren’t present to keep them under control. If set loose, they most likely romp away into the swamp. If the goal is to have the lizards rampage through the camp, someone needs to rile them up first. Poking them through the stockade wall with spears will do the trick.

3. Longhouses

The lizardfolk warriors live in these longhouses.

1B. Causeway

This 180-foot causeway crosses the moat and leads to the castle’s outer ward. It has no roof so defenders on the upper floor of the barbican (area 2A) can launch arrows into attackers crowded onto the causeway. A small defensive bulge along the east wall of the causeway is never manned.

1C. Outer Ward

The ground here was once hard-packed earth, but the area in front of the barracks (area 1G) has been churned into mud by flapping bullywug feet. At any particular time, there are 1d6 – 1 bullywugs and 1d6 – 1 lizardfolk present in the outer ward. Lizardfolk are likely to be working (training their giant lizards), while bullywugs might be loafing or giving orders to the lizardfolk.

1D. Inner Ward

Originally, the passage between the outer and inner wards could be closed off with heavy wooden gates, but they have long since fallen apart and haven’t been replaced. The inner ward is patrolled by three guard drakes (see appendix D for statistics) at all hours of the day. They attack anyone they don’t recognize or who isn’t accompanied by someone they recognize.

1E. Northwest Tower

The door to this tower has been torn off its hinges and lies on the ground. Originally, a wooden floor was at ground level with a pit beneath it for confining prisoners. The wooden floor is completely rotted away, and the pit has been filled nearly to ground level with garbage and mud.

1H. Forge and Armory

Naerytar’s builders set up this structure for the blacksmiths who would build and maintain the armor and weapons needed by the castle’s defenders.

1N. Rectory

This was originally the castle priest’s living quarters, and it included many sturdy storage cabinets for vestments and religious paraphernalia. All the cabinets were hacked open and looted long ago. Four dragonclaws (see appendix D for statistics) moved into this chamber and turned it into their living quarters. They tend the library in area 2N.

1O. Chapel Gallery

This long hall has served as a modest gallery for religious artwork, a library, and a storage room depending on which deity the chapel served. Currently, the cultists don’t use it for anything and it is empty.

1P. Kitchen

Meals for the cultists are prepared in this kitchen by a dwarf chef and his two human helpers (commoners). The chef is named Tharm Tharmzid. If given the chance, he complains bitterly about the lack of ingredients here for good meals. Everything he receives comes from the lizardfolk hunters and gatherers, whose notions about what is and isn’t edible don’t mesh well with Tharmzid’s.

1Q. Great Hall

The cultists eat their meals and conduct most of their business in this high, wide hall. The eastern end of the hall is used for dining and socializing. The western half is where contraband hauled in from the Carnath Roadhouse is inspected, sorted, and repacked before being carried to the portal beneath the southwest tower. The tables in that half of the hall are covered with valuables.

Looting won’t be possible, however, as long as any cultists are alive. During the day, there will always be twelve cultists (of initiate rank) working in the Great Hall and four dragonclaws (see appendix D for statistics) keeping an eye on them. Most of the cultists are human, but all the character races are represented. The precise mix doesn’t matter.

If there is any disturbance in the Great Hall, everyone within hearing responds to the hue and cry. Cultists in the southwest tower and guard drakes from the inner ward show up at the start of the third round, and any bullywugs or lizardfolk in the outer ward respond at the beginning of the fourth round.

At night, two guard drakes (see appendix D for statistics) sleep in the Great Hall while a third guard drake patrols the hall and the inner ward. Even asleep, the guard drakes are at normal alertness.

1R. Southwest Tower Antechamber

Swamp water seeps into this chamber through a crack in the foundation to pool inches deep on the sagging stone floor and fill the air with a cloying, moldy stink. The cultists laid a walkway of planks across the floor so they can walk between the two doorways without soaking their feet. This chamber isn’t used for anything other than a passage between areas 1Q and 1S.

1S. Subterranean Entrance

The puddles in area 1R don’t extend into this chamber, but the smell does. Because of that, the cultists use this chamber only to access other areas.

The most important feature of this chamber is the staircase that leads down to the caverns beneath the castle. It sits directly below the stairs that lead up to level two of the tower. There is no doorway across either set of steps.

1T. Unused Chamber

This chamber is wet and moldy, though not flooded. The cultists don’t use it because of the dampness, so giant centipedes have moved in and made a nest. Anyone who enters the chamber becomes the target of ten giant centipedes.

If the characters pose as reinforcements sent by the cult, they are assigned this chamber as their quarters. Their first task is clearing out the centipedes, chinking leaks, and generally making the room livable.

1U. Keep Entrance

The entrance to the main keep is raised three steps above the level of the inner ward. A stout wooden door in good repair bars it, but the door is never locked or barred under normal circumstances.

This front chamber is a small version of the Great Hall, with a few tables and benches that are seldom used. Spiral stairs lead up to the second floor.

1V. West Guest Rooms

Normally, these rooms aren’t used, but Azbara Jos occupies them currently. They are reasonably warm and comfortable. Jos will be here when he isn’t consulting with Rezmir in area 1U, 2N, or 3L. Jos keeps all of his real valuables with him. The only things he leaves in these chambers are his clothes and his traveling spellbook—which contains all the spells he has prepared (see appendix D). The spellbook is locked inside a box of silver-inlaid redwood. The lock can be opened with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check, but if the roll is less than 20, the tampering sets off a magical ward with the same effect as a Melf’s acid arrow spell; the acid arrow launches at the character who opened the box and causes 4d6 acid damage immediately plus another 4d6 acid damage at the end of the character’s next turn. The damage is halved if the character makes a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. Opening the box with the key disarms the trap automatically; Jos carries the key on a string around his neck.

Second Floor

2I, J, K. Vacant Rooms

Dralmorrer Borngray assigned the entire northeast tower to the lizardfolk for their use, but they sleep and live mainly on the ground floor. The second-floor rooms contain nothing of interest or value.

If characters poke around in this area, however, those with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or higher notice that the doors between areas 2H, 2I, and 2K open and close smoothly and soundlessly, unlike most other doors in the castle, which squeak and squeal loudly on corroded hinges. The lizardfolk keep these doors well-oiled so they can slip up to area 2H in the dead of night without awakening any bullywugs in the barracks (areas 1G and area2G).

A trapdoor closes off the top of the stairs up to area 3H. The trapdoor isn’t locked, but a pair of iron spikes has been hammered between the door and the frame. Opening the door requires either a DC 10 Strength check or ten minutes spent carefully prying out the spikes. If the door is forced and no one is standing by ready to catch the spikes, they clatter noisily down the steps.

2L. Outer Library

Dralmorrer Borngray has converted the second floor of the chapel into a library. This chamber at the top of the stairs contains a few crates and chests of books culled from the arriving treasure that haven’t been sorted and cataloged yet.

2M. Reading Room

A small table and two chairs are the only furnishings in this chamber.

2N. Library

Books and manuscripts line wooden shelves constructed from salvaged lumber. One dragonwing (see appendix D for statistics) and four cultists (initiates) spend most of their time here, organizing the books.

Since treasure first started funneling through Naerytar, Dralmorrer Borngray has pulled out any books, parchments, tablets, and other written material that interested him. He knows better than to claim them as his own; he will forward these treasures to Tiamat’s hoard when the work at Castle Naerytar draws to a close. Until then, he keeps the written material at the castle to study and to divert him from the miserable surroundings. Rezmir knows about the library and approves of using the books this way, as long as they are delivered to the Well of Dragons before Tiamat’s arrival.

Borngray has assembled an impressive library. It contains over one hundred books, quartos, and manuscripts covering the history of the Sword Coast, natural philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, magic, and many theoretical works on alternate reality, time, and dimensional travel. This collection would be a priceless addition to any library or collector in Waterdeep if it could be removed from the castle before the cultists spirit it away or the bullywugs spoil it.

2P. Kitchen Storage

Items that are needed in the kitchen (area 1P) occasionally but not every day are stored here, along with nonperishable food such as cooking oil, grain, cheese, wine, and salted meat.

2R. Cultists’ Sleeping Chamber

The lowest-ranking cultists sleep here. At night, five cultists are present. Otherwise, the chamber is empty of all but their reed mattresses and simple belongings in wooden trunks. A small stone hearth in area 2T provides meager warmth.

2T. Cultists’ Sleeping Chamber

At night, seven dragonwings (see appendix D for statistics) sleep here. Otherwise, the chamber is empty of all but their reed mattresses and simple belongings in wooden trunks. A small stone hearth keeps the chamber warm.

2U. Dralmorrer Borngray’s Common Room

This chamber is a combination sitting room and office, and a small hearth along the western wall provides heat. A writing desk, a large padded chair, and a bench are drawn up near the hearth.

2V, W. Borngray’s Sleeping and Dressing Rooms

Area 2V is Borngray’s sleeping chamber, furnished with a bed, a carpet-draped table with a wash basin and grooming supplies (comb, brush, soap, scented waters), and a stool. Rugs cover most of the floor. A raven in a large cage squawks loudly enough to be heard in the outer ward if a stranger enters the chamber, and the squawking awakens and draws the cultists and dragonwings from areas 2R and area2T to the tower.

Borngray is seldom here except when sleeping, immediately before retiring, and immediately after rising.

Third Floor

Many of the topmost levels of the castle are unused by cultists. Some of them are still home to dangerous creatures that were sealed off instead of being cleared out.

Treasure

Most of the paper star charts crumble into dust when touched, but three are still sturdy enough to be carried away. One of these was drawn on parchment, one scribed on a clay disc, and one etched on thinly rolled copper. The surviving charts would fetch 700 gp each from an astrologer in Waterdeep or other major city.

3G. Unused Chamber

Originally, this level of the barracks was used for storage and for training during severe weather. Several fencing dummies and targets still stand around the room, but they fall apart if put to hard use.

3H, I, J. Spiders’ Lair

The top level of the northeast tower is the lair of five giant spiders. They hunt in the swamp at night and return to the tower to rest during the days, entering through a hole in the roof. The spiders are wary, so they’ve never been seen coming and going. The lizardfolk know of them but haven’t mentioned them to others.

The chamber is not hung with webs, but the cracked bones of many animals (including bullywugs) litter the floor. The spiders nestle among the deep shadows between ceiling beams, and they have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks while hidden in their recesses.

A trapdoor is closed across the steps from area 2K and jammed shut with two iron spikes driven between the door and the frame. See the description of area 2K for notes about opening the door. The door is sufficient to keep the spiders out of the lower levels of the tower, since the spiders and the lizardfolk have an unspoken understanding to leave each other alone. That doesn’t extend to strangers such as the characters.

3L. Rezmir’s Office

The third floor of the old chapel is converted to living quarters for Wyrmspeaker Rezmir. No one else uses these chambers even when Rezmir is away from the castle for tendays or months at a stretch.

The furnishings in all four chambers are lavish—surprisingly so, compared to everything else at the castle. All other furnishings were built on site, but Rezmir’s come from the workshops of the finest carpenters and upholsterers in Faerûn. They were brought to the castle through the portal from Talis the White’s lodge.

This front chamber serves Rezmir as an office. It contains a writing desk, several smaller tables stacked with inventories and reports, and four beautiful but uncomfortable wooden chairs.

Among the papers on the desk are Rezmir’s notes describing the portal beneath the castle and how to operate it, including its command word (“Draezir”).

3M. Rezmir’s Sitting Room

This chamber is a sitting room, comfortably furnished with upholstered chairs, padded benches, and two small carpet-draped tables. Rezmir does not entertain guests, so the chamber is never used by anyone but her.

3N. Rezmir’s Sleeping Chamber

A large bed, two wardrobes, a standing mirror, and an armor stand with a spare suit of scale mail armor dominate the room. One of the wardrobes is filled with clothing. The other, whose doors are painted with a depiction of a five-headed dragon, contains Rezmir’s Cult of the Dragon regalia—purple robes, cloaks, mantles, and many items of rank, but not the Black Dragon Mask. Because Rezmir is a half-dragon, it’s unlikely that her clothing or armor will fit anyone else.

The wardrobe containing the cult regalia is trapped. The trap can be detected with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. Once spotted, the trap can be disarmed automatically by using Rezmir’s insignia of claws or with a set of thieves’ tools and a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. If the wardrobe is opened without disarming the trap or if the Dexterity check fails, the trap goes off, causing vials of acid to explode. All creatures in the room must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one; the character who set off the trap has disadvantage on this saving throw. All Cult of the Dragon items in the wardrobe are ruined by acid, as are most of the furnishings and other objects in the room, including the dragon statuette described below.

3O. Rezmir’s Sanctuary

This chamber is where Rezmir retires to venerate Tiamat privately. The room is bare. Its only decoration is a stylized depiction of a five-headed dragon rising from a volcano, painted on the back of the door (where it won’t be seen unless someone closes the door while they’re in this room). The artist had only a few colors to work with and was not especially talented, but the five heads are recognizable as the five chromatic dragons.

3P. Kitchen Storage

This room contains more kitchen storage, similar to area 2P. Only dry goods are kept here—flour, sugar, dried fruits and vegetables—to avoid the hassles of hauling tubs or barrels of liquid up the stairs.

3R. Cultists’ Sleeping Chamber

Middle-ranking cultists have the entire top floor of the tower for their use. At night, six dragonwings (see appendix D for statistics) are present. Otherwise, the chamber is empty of all but their reed mattresses and belongings in wooden trunks. A small stone hearth provides meager warmth. The door to area 3S is always kept closed but not locked.

3S. Unused Room

A portion of the roof and northwest wall has collapsed in this chamber, so it isn’t used for anything. The door to area 3R is always kept closed but not locked.

3T. Cultists’ Study

The six cultists who share area 3R use this chamber for studying their spellbooks and for practicing their magical craft. The chamber contains three stools, three writing desks, and a basin of water.

3U. Observatory

The Stargazers converted the top level of the keep into an astrological observatory. The most interesting device they installed was a farseer of Illusk—a telescope-like contraption that is useful for observing and studying heavenly bodies but which can also be used in a manner similar to an arcane eye spell. In that mode, the farseer can view a location within fifty miles of it. Tuning and focusing the device this way calls for a considerable amount of skill and practice, and the device’s dilapidated condition makes the process more difficult.

Both Rezmir and Borngray visit this area frequently to study the farseer. The elf has had limited success with it, but Rezmir has mastered its use. Over the past year, she used the farseer to study Voaraghamanthar in the dragon’s lair. During those spying sessions, Rezmir discovered the dragon’s secret twin.

To protect this area, Rezmir enlisted the service of four gargoyles. They perch day and night on the four corners of the keep’s roof, where they can be seen from the ground and where they can see through windows into the observatory. Only Rezmir and Borngray know the gargoyles are alive. If anyone enters the observatory without being accompanied by one of the two cult officers, the gargoyles tear open the observatory’s four ceiling hatches and attack. This is the only intrusion they respond to. The gargoyles don’t interfere elsewhere without direct orders from Rezmir, and she won’t give such an order unless it is the direst of emergencies.

A character who inspects the contents of the observatory recognizes the farseer of Illusk with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check. After its true nature is ascertained, using it to view a distant location requires a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check and a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. If the Intelligence check fails, the desired location can’t be found.

5. Empty Chamber

The steps to the west descend 5 feet to area 6.

6. Frog Lake

Pharblex and the bullywugs raise giant frogs in this water-filled cavern. The ceiling arches 30 feet overhead. The floor of the pool drops off suddenly from the shore, with the water varying from 10 to 15 feet deep.

When characters enter, a giant frog sits still on the island and watches them. Most characters can’t see that far from the entrance with torches or lanterns. If the characters stick to the shore between the east and north entrances, the frog doesn’t react. If someone enters the water or walks out onto the promontory, the frog croaks loudly and splashes into the water. Characters hear more croaking and at least a dozen splashes from area 7. If they are still in area 6 or area 7 after 2 rounds, they are attacked by twelve giant frogs. The frogs focus their attacks on small characters they can swallow.

Frogs move into and out of this area by swimming through a passage that opens below the water level in the southeast corner of the pool. Characters can deduce this fact if they watch the pool for 10 to 15 minutes and make a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) check. The passage connects to water south of the bullywugs’ huts outside the castle. Its total length is 300 feet. At 80 feet from the entrance in this pool, the tunnel branches; the left branch leads to the surface and the right branch extends 50 feet to a dead-end. In the pitch blackness, a swimmer has few cues about which tunnel to follow. A DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals which tunnel to follow.

Many bats also roost in this cavern. They can reach the outside through natural chimneys in the roof. The bats don’t bother anyone normally, but if a fight breaks out, they become agitated and fill the air.

7. Frog Landing

When they aren’t swimming in the underground lake, most of the giant frogs in the cavern sit on this rocky shelf, occasionally snatching bats out of the air with their long tongues. There can be as many as twelve giant frogs here at a particular time, plus up to five bullywugs. The bullywugs don’t join the fight if the giant frogs attack characters as described in the area 6 description. Instead, they dive into the water and watch the fight from the edge of the characters’ light. If the giant frogs look likely to win, the bullywugs join in. If the giant frogs lose, the bullywugs swim for the underwater exit in the southeast corner of the pool (see area 6).

Bones of larger animals brought here by the bullywugs and fed to the frogs also litter the ground. Most disturbing of all are three sets of iron shackles anchored to the stone, with human, elf, dwarf, and halfling bones.

8. Tadpole Hatchery

Giant frog tadpoles are raised in this small pool until they are large enough to avoid being eaten by the adult frogs in areas 6 and area7. The tadpoles currently in this area are harmless to characters.

The passage from area 6 is guarded by two bullywugs to keep adult frogs out. They hide from enemies in area 6 if they can. They’ll fight if cornered or if a fight develops in area 6 and they see a chance for victory.

9. Crane

The ledge dividing area 9 from area 10 is a 15-foot drop. A wooden, crank-powered crane has been set up for lowering heavy crates of treasure down to area 10. The crane effectively triples a character’s Strength score in terms of how much weight can be lifted. A wooden ladder is lashed to the ledge for climbing up and down.

10. Misty Room

Mist flowing out of area 2 and through area 9 accumulates here to a depth of 3 feet before spilling into area 6 and dissipating. Otherwise, the chamber is empty.

11. Frog Shrine

Pharblex turned this area into a shrine to his distorted notions of religion. Niches in the walls are filled with carvings of frogs ranging from the size of a fist to the size of a pumpkin. Larger carvings sit on the floor. Crude renderings of frogs are scratched into the walls around the niches and colored with chalk.

Anyone with the Intelligence (Religion) skill recognizes elements in these designs taken from the worship of both Ghaunadaur (god of slimes) and Shar (goddess of shadows), but none of these elements are used in a canonical manner. Pharblex used pieces that he saw in religious icons that arrived in treasure shipments, but he has no understanding of their real meaning. With a successful DC 18 Intelligence (Religion) check, a character also sees indications that Ramenos is venerated here. Ramenos is an ancient entity now believed to be in a deep slumber. As far as the character is aware, Ramenos was a god of one of the ancient creator races—if it was ever anything more than a legend. Judging from this chamber, whoever created this place has only the shallowest knowledge about these entities.

Unless a disturbance develops elsewhere in the caverns, the most likely place to find Pharblex is here, followed by areas 12 and area7 (in that order). Wherever he goes, Pharblex Spattergoo (see appendix D for statistics) has ten bullywugs protecting him.

12. Pharblex’s Sanctum

Pharblex comes to this chamber to contemplate the great mysteries of the universe—or so he tells his followers. This is the only place Pharblex goes alone. His bodyguards wait in area 10 or 11 while Pharblex “communes with the great powers.” The chamber contains a mud-covered chair and reading table, a box of candles, and a wooden chest.

The chest is not locked, but it is trapped. If the chest is moved or if the hasp is not opened properly, six clay pots drop from concealed niches in the ceiling. Roll a d6 to determine how many pots shatter on the floor. The pots contain fine powder coated with hallucinogenic frog poison. Every creature in the chamber that is neither a frog nor a bullywug must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 11 + the number of pots that broke.

Treasure

Pharblex retires to this chamber to study two spellbooks, which he stole from area 2N. Dralmorrer Borngray and Rezmir would be furious if they learned the books were missing. One belonged to a 7th-level wizard and contains spells up to level 4, and the other was written by a 9th-level wizard and contains spells up to level 5 (you pick the spells). Being wizard spells, the magic is beyond Pharblex’s ability to learn or cast; his lust for power is great enough to keep him puzzling over the text and hoping for a breakthrough.

13. To the Graypeak Mountains

Mist from area 10 seeps into this room and keeps it filled to a depth of two to three feet. Aside from the mist, the chamber appears empty.

It is not empty, however. A permanent teleportation circle is carved into the floor, where it is obscured by the mist. Characters with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 10 or higher spot the circle, while dispersing the mist (using a gust of wind spell, for example) reveals the circle to all.

To travel through the gate, a command word must be spoken aloud (a whisper will do). The command word (“Draezir”) can be found on a paper on Rezmir’s desk in area 3L or from Dralmorrer Borngray if he faces defeat with no escape. When the command word is spoken, everyone and everything inside the gate’s circumference is teleported to the corresponding gate near the hunting lodge of Talis the White (see chapter 7). Castle Naerytar and the Graypeak Mountain lodge were constructed by the same reclusive wizard, and this was his means of transit between the two.

Rewards

Award standard XP for defeated foes. If you are using the milestone experience rule, the characters reach 6th level after activating the gate.

Talis

Talis believes she is the rightful bearer of the White Dragon Mask, and that she was deeply wronged when custody of the mask went to her hated rival, the dwarf Varram, a foolish creature whom Talis considers insultingly incompetent and worthless. She’s been watching the cult’s hoard grow, and she hopes to still make her move to become a major figure within the cult hierarchy—certainly she has a lot of support among cultists.

Rezmir

Because they are enemies, Rezmir does not warn Talis that attackers might be coming through the portal on her heels, but instead slips off to Skyreach Castle (see chapter 8) with the intent of letting the adventurers destroy Talis. If the characters slew Rezmir, the lodge’s relative lack of watchfulness is not surprising.

If Rezmir survived the earlier chapter, the half-dragon meets with Captain Othelstan in Parnast to receive a full report on the status of the cult raids and to inform the captain of the possible arrival of adventurers. Tracking her successfully requires a DC 23 Wisdom (Survival) check. If the adventurers ignore the lodge in favor of following Rezmir to Parnast, skip to chapter 8.

Trepsin the Troll

This four-armed troll is a demon-worshiper and a fanatical hunter of big game: nothing pleases him so much as bringing blood and bones back to feed his ambush drakes, or the delightful terror of his more intelligent victims. Trepsin cares mostly about combat and mayhem, but he has found that serving the cult makes combat and mayhem more likely. He’s very devoted to Talis, and he serves the Cult of the Dragon enthusiastically. His four arms just make it easier to claw, rip, and shred anything too slow to escape his reach. He terrifies the kobolds and the human servants of the lodge.

Through the Gate

The gate from Castle Naerytar closes as soon as the party steps through. The gate cannot be reopened without the proper password.

The portal stands between stone markers (see area 1).

Outside the Lodge

Treasure

Trepsin keeps some items for himself. These include six ermine pelts (100 gp each), three fox pelts (25 gp each), and the prize of his collection: a full winter wolf cloak (250 gp) with a mithral clasp in the shape of a paw used to secure the cloak (750 gp).

3. Stables and Well

The stables sometimes hold a wyvern or three, but they are empty at the moment. The well has a hoist, a bucket, and cold water, and it seems to have been carved magically through stone. It is otherwise unremarkable.

Lodge Ground Floor

The lower floor has heavy, mud-stained carpets and dark wooden walls. These are the common spaces for visitors and for servants. Characters can enter the lodge through the front door, the kitchen door, or a shuttered window. Opening a shutter without alerting the lodge’s occupants requires a successful DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth) check.

The lodge is currently empty of most senior cultists other than Talis, who is on the upper floor (see area 16). She expects only fellow cultists as visitors. Most servants will expect that friendly visitors are here to see her.

Treasure

The freestanding suits of elven armor are warded with freezing runes that can be detected with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. Any creature that touches one of the suits or passes between them must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed saving throw, the creature takes 1d12 cold damage and is restrained (frozen in place) for 1 minute. The creature may use an action on its turn to make a DC 15 Strength check, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Each suit of plate armor is mounted on a crude wooden stand vaguely shaped like a headless elf. A freezing rune can be remove with dispel magic (DC 15), whereupon the armor becomes nonmagical.

6. Three Hounds Parlor

10. Guest Chamber

Talis Surrenders

Talis is not a to-the-death sort of villain; she is a survivor and willing to surrender and ask for mercy. Indeed, she uses her rivalry and her recent setbacks within the cult hierarchy to paint herself as a “disgruntled cultist” who is perhaps not eager but willing to provide information.

If the characters accept her surrender, she shares the following information as long as the character questioning her continues to make a sequence of successful DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) rolls. Once a roll is failed, she clams up—at least until she is bribed, threatened, or offered other information in exchange.

• Talis identifies the five leaders of the cult as “wyrmspeakers,” each of whom has an affinity for a particular kind of chromatic dragon. The leaders’ names are Severin the Red, Galvan the Blue, Neronvain the Green, Rezmir the Black, and Varram the White.
• She explains the significance of the banner in area 15 and reveals the various cult signs and signals (see the sidebar at the start of the chapter).
• If that is not sufficient, she tells them that the cult has an enormous hoard of valuables in a flying castle hidden nearby—but not for long. If pressed for details, Talis reveals that castle belongs to a cloud giant allied with the cult. The castle, she says, is hidden near the village of Parnast, which is under the cult’s control.
• If all that is not enough, she tells the party, in glowing
  and worshipful tones, that a great white dragon
  inhabits the castle. She refers to the dragon as “snow-white Glazhael, the Cloudchaser, a handsome dragon of the pure northern breed.” She sounds like a fanatic when discussing dragonkind.
• She doesn’t know much about the Red Wizards but reveals that a Red Wizard liaison has been sent to help arrange the hoard’s transport to the cult’s headquarters.
• She might be willing to tell the party the cult and its allies are building an army in the Sunset Mountains far to the south, in anticipation of Tiamat’s arrival.

17. Armory

Tapestries

Four of the five tapestries each show dragons hunting, killing, and feasting on lesser creatures, with blue dragons attacking a desert caravan, elves succumbing to a green dragon’s gaseous breath weapon, a red dragon burning down what might be the Castle Ward of Waterdeep, and a black and white dragon circling over a cold swamp dotted with ruins. Each is worth at least 500 gp to the right buyer, but each also weighs about 75 pounds and is extremely cumbersome.

The fifth tapestry shows Tiamat, the queen of evil dragons, in all her glory, crowned in gold and silver, and worked with gemstones and gold and silver thread. Fully 35 feet wide and 20 feet tall, it shows Tiamat crushing cities and surrounded by adoring followers. The tapestry weighs about 200 pounds and is worth 2,500 gp. Simply removing the semiprecious stones provides garnets, agates, moonstones, and others worth about 800 gp.

Close examination of the tapestries and a successful DC 20 Intelligence (History) check reveals their locations in the Sword Coast region. The blue dragons are attacking a caravan crossing the desert of Anauroch, the white and black dragons are circling above the Mere of Dead Men, the red dragon is near Waterdeep, and the green dragon is clearly rampaging among the High Forest elves, based on the mountains in the background. Tiamat herself is shown with what are clearly Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and Baldur’s Gate in her claws.

Secret Door

The outline of a hidden door can be found with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. The door opens into the trophy room (area 21).

21. Trophy Room

Rumors and Information

Laborers, porters, craftsfolk, and cultists live and work in the village, and although they are reluctant to talk, they can be bribed, charmed, or talked around with a successful DC 18 Charisma (Persuasion) check. The following bits of information are available, one for each success, and should be doled out in the order presented below.

• The highest-ranking member of the cult to frequent Parnast is the half-dragon, Wyrmspeaker Rezmir. (If she is still alive and free, Rezmir has gone into hiding. No one in the village knows where she is, although they claim that Skyreach Castle is the most likely place to find her.)
• Rezmir’s deputy is a cult veteran and dragonsoul name Captain Othelstan. He commands the cult forces in Parnast, and he monitors all visitors and merchandise passing through the village.
• The cult has controlled Parnast for more than a year, and it basically brought in a company of thugs to take over.
• Some villagers were already cult infiltrators, and others signed up when it became clear that the cultists are rich and have a private army.
• The cultists keep trained wyverns in the village stables. The cultists use them to reach the castle while it is airborne. (No one in the village,         including Captain Othelstan, knows where the              castle goes after it leaves Parnast.)

Treasure

The Golden Tankard takes its name from a magic item that Raggnar found years ago: a splendidly decorated golden stein. This is a tankard of plenty (see appendix C).

3. The Stable

The two big doors leading into the stable are sealed, and the place looks shuttered.

If the characters ask around, the villagers claim that the stable was put out of business some time ago. Anyone listening carefully hears a bellowing noise, though (no check required). The cult keeps two wyverns in the stable; sometimes, they unleash a wyvern-sized roar.

Cracked sheep bones and a few ox skulls cover the stable floor. Other than riding harnesses for the wyverns, there is no treasure here.

5. Village Well and Square

6. Main Gate

Add the following if one or more characters succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom (Perception) check:

11. Rezmir’s Chamber

The door is always locked and Rezmir holds the key. A knock spell is the easiest way to get in, but a character can also unlock the door with a DC 25 Dexterity check made using thieves’ tools. Alternatively, knocking and spinning a good yarn might work; cultists and servants come and go at all hours.

12. Red Wizards’ Room

The door to this chamber is unlocked.

13. Storeroom

The door is secured and locked. Any character with thieves’ tools can attempt a DC 17 Dexterity check to unlock it. Rezmir and Blagothkus carry keys.

Balcony

The best way into the tower is via the balcony. However, it has been weakened and breaks away if more than 150 pounds of weight is placed on it. The door leading from the balcony is unlocked and opens into the upper level that serves as Sandesyl’s crypt. There are no windows on this level.

Sandesyl’s Crypt

Sandesyl’s coffin rests in the middle of the tower’s upper level, guarded day and night by her two consorts. The coffin contains grave dirt, but no treasure. A ice staircase hugs one wall, descending a few feet before ending suddenly, 50 feet above the icy detritus filling the lowest level of the tower.

19. Steering Tower

Blagothkus has secured the door to this tower with an arcane lock. It can be opened normally by a giant or by a knock spell. For everyone else, breaking it down is largely impossible, because a DC 70 Strength check is required.

Esclarotta

Although anyone can trigger command runes, the spirit of the cloud giant Esclarotta actually controls the castle and can “lock out” individuals who misuse the command runes, effectively rendering them unable to trigger the runes.

Any character succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check senses an intelligence at work, and one can attempt to communicate with Esclarotta’s spirit simply by calling out to it while inside the tower. She is a kind soul, disturbed by the cultists, dragon, wyverns, and kobolds infesting her beautiful castle, and she longs for information about what her husband is up to. Requests made to her succeed with a DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion). The person has advantage on the check if he or she speaks Giant. If anyone tries to wreck the steering chamber, Esclarotta triggers the alarm rune. Blagothkus (see appendix D for statistics) arrives 3 rounds later with two ogres (his stewards) in tow.

If Blagothkus dies aboard the castle, his spirit replaces Esclarotta’s, and he crashes the castle to keep it from falling into enemy hands (see “Developments”).

Treasure

If the characters insist on tearing out the valuable control elements, they can pry loose fistfuls of emeralds, turquoise, moonstones, a huge chunk of jade, bits of amber, and large pieces of mithral, worth 10,000 gp total. This destroys the castle’s ability to move under power, generate weather effects, and so on. The castle will drift on powerful winds that carry it northward, where it ultimately crashes on the Miklos Glacier in the Spine of the World Mountains. Repairing the control mechanism requires a long period of extremely difficult and expensive work, though a wish spell could accomplish it.

Developments

The castle might crash, depending on the actions of the characters and various NPCs.

Crashed by Blagothkus. If the cloud giant is slain, his wife’s spirit in the steering chamber is replaced by his spirit. Enraged, he avenges his death by moving the castle northward and then commanding it to crash in the Spine of the World, near the Miklos Glacier. More details of this crash and its consequences are provided in The Rise of Tiamat.

If the dragon is slain and the cultists are routed, Rath Modar gathers any remaining forces allied with the cult and slays Blagothkus, knowing full well that the cloud giant’s death will cause the castle to crash (see above). Rath Modar then uses his fly spell to escape.

Characters Seize the Castle. If the adventurers befriend Blagothkus and drive off the cultists and the dragon, they may fly it anywhere, though they will certainly attract hostile attention from any dragon. If they are still aboard the castle, Rath Modar and the vampire do their utmost to thwart them.

If he remains in control of the castle, Blagothkus decides to visit the giants. He sends Skyreach Castle north to near the Spine of the World.

20. Ogre Barracks

Read the following text if the characters surprise this chamber’s occupants:

21. Esclarotta’s Tomb

This icy cyst has no obvious means of entry or egress. However, a creature can teleport to this buried chamber via area 17.

Treasure

The chests are unlocked and loaded with silver and gold coins (12,000 gp total). One of the chests also contains a bag of holding, four bars of solid gold (worth 1,000 gp each), and forty bars of solid silver (worth 100 gp each). Each bar weighs approximately 5 pounds.

Developments

If the characters surrender to Blagothkus, he asks about their names, allegiances, and plans. If the characters represent themselves as enemies of the cult, the giant says, “I can take care of them. But just in case, you should know that they are entirely serious about making dragons a power along the coast again. Can you imagine? The nerve.” If they sway the giant to their side, he locks himself in area 19 and guides the castle northward while the characters deal with the cultists and the white dragon. Blagothkus’s ultimate destination is described in The Rise of Tiamat.

If anyone attempts to wrest the castle from him, Blagothkus goes to the steering tower and tries to crash the castle in the Spine of the World; see area 19 for details. If Blagothkus is killed, his spirit takes over the castle, with the same end result.

23. Giant Guest Chambers

These rooms are set aside for giant-sized guests and have furnishings of the appropriate size.

In each room, a large section of the outer wall vanishes for 1 minute when touched, revealing a icy landing platform. Long ago, giants would use these platforms to land their roc mounts.

24. Servant Barracks

Twenty kobolds are trying to sleep here on dozens of small piles of bedding, fur, and clothes. They are exhausted and ignore the characters unless they are in great danger. They have no treasure.

Characters questioning the kobold servants may make a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If the characters are dressed as cultists and are fairly convincing, no check is required. Each success brings one of the following bits of information to light; the first failure by any character means that the kobolds unite in their terror of the cultists and go completely silent. If questioned further, they start screaming for help and babbling for mercy: completely useless.

• An elf vampire lives in the crumbling tower (area 18).

• Blagothkus still speaks to his dead wife, and her spirit is the castle’s pilot and protector. If the giant dies, all the magic of the castle will be undone.

• The human dragon-cult people don’t really understand dragons the way that kobolds do. Dragons are fine creatures, but grumpy. They say the treasure here is for the queen of all dragons, to keep her from being grumpy.

• A red-robed wizard is working with the cultists, and his room (area 12) is off limits to all kobolds.

• The white dragon Cloudchaser loves frozen meat. Toss it into the cavern (area 25) and run!

25. Main Vault

The icy “core” of the castle is hollowed out with tunnels that break the surface at multiple points. The white dragon, Glazhael the Cloudchaser, enters and leaves via a wide funnel-shaped passageway that narrows as it draws closer to the main vault, where the Cult of the Dragon stores its treasure.

If the characters explore the tunnels, read or paraphrase the following:

Treasure

When the characters investigate the hoard, read:

The floor of the cavern is carpeted in gold, silver, copper, and jewels, all sealed under a sheet of ice. Dozens of old human skulls and bones are also frozen in the ice.

The treasure hoard is frozen in ice, and it requires either several fire spells or a long wait with bonfires to melt the ice. The hoard includes 500,000 cp, 100,000 sp, and 5,000 gp, a frozen chest containing 800 pp and 21 small blue sapphires worth 300 gp each, a frozen potion of gaseous form, a +1 longsword, a +1 longbow, +1 leather armor, and bracers of defense.

Developments

If the dragon is slain, the cultists are enraged and seek immediate vengeance. The major cult players on Skyreach Castle will call out the ogres, wake the vampire, and ask the Red Wizards to find the intruders. If the characters are still around after the dragon is slain, the entire castle is on high alert until they are found and killed.

Concluding the Adventure

The crash or capture of Skyreach Castle marks the end of Hoard of the Dragon Queen. If you are using the milestone experience rule, the characters reach 8th level for completing the adventure. By uncovering the cult’s plans and hijacking a huge hoard of treasure, the characters have slowed and damaged the cult’s chances of success. They might also have slain or captured important leaders of the Cult of the Dragon. But there is much more to come. The cult moves forward with its plan to free their five-headed queen out of the Nine Hells, and the mere loss of wealth will not stop the true fanatics.

The Rise of Tiamat expands on the final drive to destroy the Cult of the Dragon, and it requires great new powers and new courage. Things grow much more dangerous for the adventurers as they seek help in strange places, from the Sea of Moving Ice to the depths of the Serpent Hills. They might find a great weapon among the giants or uncover an unexpected ally within the cult itself.

Unless the characters press on, the Queen of Dragons might yet establish her personal rule over the lands of lesser creatures. The stakes are high when the gates to the Nine Hells open, and scaly doom comes out of its lair, full of fire and fangs.

The conflict reaches its apex at the Well of Dragons, where the characters and their hard-won allies face Tiamat and her greatest minions in a fight to the death!

Back in Waterdeep

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 of 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 of 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.

Gathering Allies

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 will 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 complete chapters of the adventure, you track how they earn or lose respect from each faction on the council scorecard (see appendix B). See “Scoring the Sessions,” below, for more information.

Sessions of the Council

The format of the four council meetings as described below follows the flow of the adventure as set out in the “Campaign 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 “Campaign Allies” in the book’s introduction.

Each session of the council discusses the setup for chapters meant to be played as a result of that session, and the follow-up for previous chapters whose outcome is resolved in that session. In all cases, see those specific chapters 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.

Death of a Masked Lord

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.

The Draakhorn Sounds

Shortly after the crash or capture of Skyreach Castle, operatives of the Cult of the Dragon sounded the Draakhorn at the distant Well of Dragons. An ancient magic relic, the Draakhorn is being used by the cult to summon chromatic dragons to their cause.

As the characters are arriving in Waterdeep, read or paraphrase the following.

Setup: Varram the White

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 “Chapters 11 and 12: Death to the Wyrmspeakers.”

Setup: The Sea of Moving Ice

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 chapter 10.

Second Session

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.

Third Session

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.

Setup: Xonthal’s Tower

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 chapter 15.

Setup: Mission to Thay

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 Faerûn to join with the forces of the Sword Coast for the common good. This paves the way for chapter 16.

Fourth Session

The fourth council is the final meeting between the faction leaders and the adventurers. Hundreds of chromatic dragons have been sighted near the Well 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.

Scoring the Sessions

Every faction will 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 in appendix B, which determines what resources are available to oppose the Cult of the Dragon during the final confrontation at the Well of Dragons.

The Sea of Moving Ice

The journey up the Sword Coast isn’t the focus of this chapter, so you don’t need to dwell on it in detail. With favorable winds, Frostskimmr 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 Frostskimmr 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.

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 Frostskimmris 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 will 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.

Villagers

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.

While 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.

An Honorable Duel

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 will have earned their place among the villagers. They can spend the night in the village, after which Bonecarver will 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.

Ice Hunter Hospitality

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. Failure 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 D for statistics) examining their belongings.

Convincing the Shaman

Of 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 will eventually perish under Arauthator’s wrath, and she has long dreamed that the totem spirits will send heroes with the strength to best the dragon.

Ice Caves

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.

Ice Caves Encounters

4. Kobolds’ Den

Arauthator’s kobold servants live in this chamber.

9. Unused Chamber

This chamber is empty, awaiting the day when Arauthator’s collection of trophies overflows areas 7 and area8.

10. Maccath the Crimson

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, an 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.

Treasure

If the party seems intent on fighting Arauthator, Maccath offers them a ring of resistance (cold) and two arrows of slaying (dragons) 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.

11. Scriptorium

Though this chamber is deeper than the adjacent caverns, no mist hangs in the air here

13. Ice Toad Workplace

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.

17. The Icewolf’s Spine

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 area16 into area 19 or area20 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 (1d6) bludgeoning damage and landing prone. Wearing crampons grants advantage on this check.

18a. The Gullet

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. The Throat

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. The Perch

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. Arauthator’s Abyss

The western end of the lair cavern is where Arauthator (an adult white dragon) spends most of his time. 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.

Developments

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 will 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 will 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.

Leaving Oyaviggaton

The characters have no chance to sail away from the iceberg aboard Frostskimmr 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.

Arauthator’s Treasure

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 area20 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 will 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.

Conclusion

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 chapter.

Following the Trail

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 Mask 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 chapter 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.

Boareskyr Bridge

Boareskyr Bridge bears the name of a now-vanished realm north and east of the Trade Way. The bridge spans 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.

Tomb of Diderius

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. As well, though few seek the pool these days, a small yuan-ti colony known as Ss’tck’al has arisen behind the crypt. The yuan-ti use humanoid sacrifices to power the divination pool’s magic, learning sinister secrets that fuel their insidious plots.

General Features

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. The tomb’s ceilings are 10 feet high unless otherwise noted.

Light. Unless specified otherwise, there is no light inside the tomb.

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 the evil 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.

1. Entrance Plaza

4. Mosaic Chamber

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 “SAFE” 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.

7. Throne Room Antechamber

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.

8. Throne Room

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 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

10. Dining Hall

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 “? DANGER” written in chalk on it. The door down the southern stairs is spiked shut, and has “DANGER” 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, Archduchess 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 will be attacked with glee by the devils when they leave that area.

11. Treasure Vault

While 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.

12. Divination Pool

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 (see appendix C) was the killing weapon. This was the unlucky cultist the duplicitous Varram sacrificed when he used the pool.

13. Crypt of Diderius

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.

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 statues 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 exchange.

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, rather than those a mummy lord usually possesses, he has the following wizard spells:

Cantrips (at will): minor illusion, ray of frost

1st level (4 slots): charm person, detect magic, shield, thunderwave

2nd level (3 slots): cloud of 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 of stone

A canopic jar in the sarcophagus contains Diderius’s withered heart.

Secret Door

In the northern wall is a secret door that requires a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check 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.

Varram

Ss’tck’al

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 servants. 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.

General Features

It is noticeably warmer here than in the crypt, and the air is uncomfortably humid throughout.

19. Hatchery

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 **swarm of poisonous snakes **statistics) 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. Lizardfolk Den

This foul-smelling chamber is piled high with trash and filth. The yuan-ti’s lizardfolk servants use it as their den. The area is presently unoccupied, with all its residents accounted for in other areas.

21. Prison

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. Temple

The heart of the yuan-ti settlement, this huge chamber features giant stone statues of 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. At the back of the room, near an altar carved with the form of a giant, open-mouthed cobra, the comatose Varram has been beaten and bound.

Conclusion

If the characters rescue him, 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 will 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 Mask, 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 Well of Dragons.

The characters gain a level at the end of this chapter.

The Warden’s Story

Galin the warden is a nervous-looking elf with a 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.

As long as the characters wear these garlands, they are invisible to Chuth’s animal spies (part of the magic imbued into the area around the dragon’s lair) as they approach Neronvain’s stronghold. In addition, the first time a character wearing a garland is confronted by Chuth, he or she feels a stirring warmth from the garland and automatically succeeds on the saving throw against the dragon’s Frightful Presence.

If the characters ignore the druid, she calls out pitifully for help as they move away, offering a last lament against their cowardice as they disappear. If the adventurers attack the druid, the awakened trees attack. They fight to the death as the druid turns into an owl and flies away.

Chuth uses his blindsight to detect when the characters are approaching the entrance to the cave. He then dives through the waterfall, soaring above the characters as he uses his Poison Breath, attacking with surprise if no one in the party noticed him. Characters not wearing the garlands are also exposed to the dragon’s Frightful Presence. Characters who fail their saving throws against Frightful Presence likely flee back into the woods, where spiders might be waiting. On the dragon’s next turn, it retreats back to area 2 to await the heroes’ next move.

3. Ettin Lair

This filthy chamber has three huge trash mounds piled against the west walls. This place is home to 3 ettins, all of which hate each other. If the adventurers make it this far undetected, the ettins assume them to be more stupid human cultists doing stupid human things. They ignore the characters as they go back to pushing each other around.

With a bit of clever roleplaying, the characters might be able to incite the ettins to fight one another. This costs each ettin 21 hit points and keeps them busy for 10 minutes as they wrestle and shout.

The leader of the ettins is a female named Grunda-Gurga. She has a belt of hill giant strength but wears it improperly as a sash, receiving none of its benefits and having no awareness of its magical potential.

4. Elf Quarters

The tunnel leading to this area rises 20 feet to end in a rickety wooden door, constructed by the elves to keep some of the ettin smell out. This area sits atop an open bluff, with its northeast edges looking out over area 2.

Neronvain and Chuth brought a dozen elves back from their raids in the Misty Forest as prisoners—8 commoners, 3 nobles with whom Neronvain converses on occasion, and a knight and mage who are Chuth’s playthings.

If the characters have entered the caverns undetected, any elves not on guard duty (see area 2) are here. As long as no alarm has been raised, the elves are hesitant to attack possible guests of Neronvain or Chuth, but they remain suspicious.

The elves are terrified of Chuth, and the cunning dragon has convinced them that he will free them in time if they are loyal. It takes convincing roleplaying and a DC 17 Charisma (Persuasion) check to convince the elves to flee rather than wait around for the dragon to eventually tire of and eat them. If the characters received the garlands from the druid and place them on the elves, this automatically convinces them to safely flee.

Treasure

If the characters can collect all the furniture, carpets, tapestries, and art objects from this area, the lot is worth a total of 1,500 gp. However, it should occur to the characters that these goods are the rightful property of the elves they were stolen from.

The trunk is protected by a poisoned needle trap, which can be detected with a successful DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check. If the trap is triggered, it makes an attack against the character who triggered it: +10 to hit, 1 piercing damage, and the character is subject to an unusual poison and must attempt a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a success, the affected area (usually the hand struck by the needle) becomes numb in 30 minutes, then becomes transparent 1 hour later. After another 2 hours, the affected area painfully returns to normal as the victim takes 27 (6d8) poison damage. On a failed save, the effect progresses as above but the victim takes 54 (12d8) poison damage instead.

9. Secret Passage

This secret room is for Neronvain’s personal use only. A small shrine to Fenmarel Mestarine—the elven god of outcasts, scapegoats, and solitude—resembles a pair of white eyes peering out from the dark wall above a basin.

Also present here is a journal that reveals Neronvain’s relationship to King Melandrach, whom Neronvain refers to frequently as “my poor father.” The journal also reveals that the Green Dragon Mask is already at the Well of Dragons, under Severin’s protection and ready to be assembled into the Mask of the Dragon Queen.

10. Chuth’s Lair

No one but the dragon and Neronvain are allowed in this area. Along the east wall is Chuth’s portion of the hoard collected from the elves of the Misty Forest, though this pales in comparison to what the cult claimed for Tiamat and what the dragon possesses in his other lairs. The vaulted ceiling is 60 feet high here.

If Chuth is in the stronghold, he is initially found here only if the characters have come this far without engaging in any combat or sounding any alarm, or if he and Neronvain have retreated to the lair. If Chuth is encountered here, he uses his breath weapon, legendary actions, and lair actions indiscriminately. He tries to push powerful melee combatants back to the walls, then creates a wall of thorns to fence them in.

Because this is only a small portion of his total hoard, Chuth has no interest in dying to protect it. He flees when he is reduced to half his hit points or fewer. Neronvain fights until similarly reduced, then makes his way to Chuth and convinces the dragon to flee the caverns.

Conclusion

This chapter can end either with one or both of Chuth and Neronvain dead or escaped from the stronghold. If either survives, they retreat to the Well of Dragons and report the adventurers’ actions to Severin. (If appropriate, you might let either Chuth or Neronvain seek revenge as part of the force that attacks the adventurers in chapter 13.)

In any event, the threat against the Misty Forest is ended. King Melandrach hears of the party’s actions and is grateful                        for the heroes’ bravery. However,                                the discovery that his lost                                      son Neronvain is a                                         wyrmspeaker                                            fills him with                                              shame and                                                 rage.

Cult Forces

The assailants the cult throws against the characters should be adjusted for the strength of the party. Using foes from the First Attack Cult Forces table, construct this first attack as a hard encounter using the guidelines in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Plan of Attack

The cultists try to attack with surprise, using one of two different plans outlined below. Feel free to adapt one of these plans or devise a plan of your own. Assume that the cultists have either observed the characters for a few days or have been briefed about their targets by other spies.

Conclusion

Because the cult has underestimated the heroes’ strength, this first assault is doomed to fail. However, try to ensure that at least one cultist escapes to report what happened. If no one gets away alive, leave signs that other cultists were hanging back as reinforcements, but fled when the original force was overwhelmed.

Make sure the characters understand what this attack was about. If it makes sense for the circumstances of the attack, the cultists will be dressed in full regalia, complete with masks and dragon-wing capes. With their last breaths, dying

cultists should curse the characters and exclaim, “The dragons rise! You cannot stop us!”

The characters gain a level at the end of this event.

Second Attack

The first attack established that the heroes are an even more dangerous threat than the cult believed. In this second encounter, a stronger cult force attacks to kill.

Option 2: Outdoor Attack

An attack in a marketplace, garden, or some other outdoor location opens with the black dragon and one or more flying nycaloths appearing overhead to create a panic. The cultists are hanging on to the dragon, but they drop down to engage the party in melee while the dragon circles above, attacking with its breath weapon and using its Frightful Presence on rounds when its breath is still recharging. While the crowd inhibits the characters’ movement, mezzoloths can easily and rapidly teleport through it.

Developments

Don’t be afraid to engage in some triumphal monologuing by the dragonsoul cultist leading the attack. Whether the attackers are winning or losing, the cultist fights with cries of “The dragons rise!” and “We are unstoppable!” At some point, the leader lets important information slip: “The Masks are joined, the call has sounded! Soon the Gates of the Nine Hells shall swing wide and She shall return!”

As with the first assault on the adventurers, try to ensure that if the attackers are defeated, at least one escapes to report the outcome of the battle. Most easily, the dragon can fly away if the battle turns against it.

The yugoloths were summoned by Red Wizards and paid by the cult to kill the adventurers, but they have no loyalty to their benefactors. If a yugoloth takes damage from a single attack that deals more than half its remaining hit points, it withdraws from combat on its next turn. If it hasn’t already tried to summon another yugoloth, it does so immediately. If it’s already used that power, it simply flees, intending to regroup with other survivors later.

Because the yugoloths are mercenaries, the characters can attempt to buy them off with a better offer—one that not only exceeds what the cult is paying but covers the damage to reputation that comes from changing sides in the middle of battle. A good starting offer is 10,000 gp, or 2,000 gp per yugoloth if more than five of them are in the fight.

In addition to damaging bystanders, this encounter can easily destroy buildings and great landmarks. This formidable assault should provide a sense of the destruction that will wash over the Sword Coast if the Cult of the Dragon is successful in its plans.

Conclusion

The attackers might win this fight and kill all the characters. However, that doesn’t need to end the adventure. Healers in the Order of the Gauntlet, the Harpers, and the Emerald Enclave can restore the characters to life so they can continue waging war for the forces of good. Surprisingly, dying in this battle might give the characters an advantage. When the attackers report to Severin that the meddling adventurers are dead, they’ll be written off as a threat. If the raised characters make an effort to keep out of sight of the cult’s spies, their next blow against the cult could come as a complete surprise.

The characters gain a level at the end of this event.

Third Attack

The second attack was meant to finish off the heroes. If a third attack proves necessary, the cult escalates to the highest level.

If nothing else, the second attack should impress on the characters that the first attack wasn’t a fluke or a one-time event. They have a price on their heads. Additionally, the potency of the second attack should make the characters understand that if a third strike is even more powerful than the second, they won’t survive. If it doesn’t occur to the players that the characters should take steps to protect themselves, a concerned NPC can make the suggestion.

Plan of Attack

This encounter should challenge the adventurers in every way. The characters should be no easy match for the attacking force, such that retreat and escape might be their best option if they hope to survive. However, if the characters haven’t made escape plans ahead of time, the attackers will have taken steps to make retreat impossible. The specifics are up to you, but should be based around any obvious features of the encounter area. Standard escape paths such as back doors and known sewer entrances will be watched, and tactics the characters have used before will be known. Only a special escape route—a secret passage known only to a palace’s most trusted servants, for example—should come as a surprise to the cultists and Red Wizards.

Developments

This battle will likely be a challenge to run. It is designed
to create an emotional low spot in the adventure,
during which overall defeat for the forces of
good looks like a real possibility. Character
death—even if temporary—can crush
some players’ spirits.

For those players, don’t make
this battle just a relentless                         slog toward death. Give the                       adventurers opportunities to save                     innocent towns- folk from being                      slaughtered and
turn dragons away              from fleeing crowds. The characters can             clear burning buildings, use magic to douse           flames or save the dying, and
stand up for            those who cannot defend themselves.         Let their sacrifice during this fight mean             something.

Conclusion

Great heroes rebound from losses to fight even harder
for the cause they believe in. Thanks to raise dead, a
lost battle is a setback, not a defeat. It’s a wake-up call
to any players who assumed that the characters’
victory was assured. The Cult of the Dragon is
committed to its goal and will stop at
nothing to achieve it. The characters
must be even more committed to theirs.

The characters gain a level at the end of this event.

Sequence of Events

Depending on how the adventure unfolds, feel free to alter the forces and tactics in the second and third attacks as you see fit. For example, you might want to hold off with the yugoloths until the third attack, or you might want Red Wizards showing up in the second attack rather than the third.

Council of Dragons

Five ancient dragons make up the council charged with deciding their metallic kin’s response to the cult. Though they are not necessarily the wisest or most powerful specimens of dragonkind, all are well respected. Any decision made by these dragon councilors will be accepted by the metallic dragons as a whole.

The dragons have no need to judge the different factions of the Sword Coast, for they know of their reputations and actions already. The dragons’ attitudes are effectively fixed in that regard. However, they know also that among all the humanoid races, leaders often determine the character of societies. Though they understand that the adventurers are not the nominal leaders of any faction, the dragons already know that the heroes’ actions have set the course of the factions’ battle against Tiamat. As such, if the dragons side with the humanoids, it will be as a statement of personal faith in the party—and in the party’s ability to bring all the factions into the fight.

Ileuthra

Male Brass Dragon

Ileuthra is an ancient brass dragon who travels the planes in search of knowledge and ever more challenging games. Legend has it that he resides with Oghma, god of knowledge, but the dragon is cagey on that point.

Seeing good and bad in equal measure among the lesser races, Ileuthra recognizes that helping the humanoids is less a case of deciding whether they are worthy of aid, and more about deciding whether these adventurer ambassadors can be trusted to properly lead the factions.
Desire. Ileuthra has no preconceived sense of what might be the best course, and he is willing to hear all sides of the discussion.
Attitude. Neutral. Ileuthra has watched the lesser races for long centuries from the planes, and he understands that every individual humanoid possesses the potential for good or evil in equal measure. He is truly undecided, and will weigh all options for action against the cult.
Concession. Ileuthra believes that the dragon masks are too dangerous to remain in the world if the humanoid races are aware of where they are. If the characters agree that all dragon masks will be handed over to the metallic dragons as soon as they are found—including any masks captured after the final battle—his attitude can be improved.

Otaaryliakkarnos

Female Silver Dragon

The representative of the silver dragons believes that among the lesser races, neither good nor bad is ever absolute. The humanoids are in need of protection and guidance, and should be shown Bahamut’s righteous way of living rather than ignored and treated as children. If the dragons refuse to engage the humanoids and focus only on their own advancement, the humanoids will persist in making the same mistakes again and again.

Otaaryliakkarnos’s faith in the potential of humanoids has something of a blind spot when it comes to dwarves, however. She resents the dwarves for their Dragonmoots of old—great hunts during which clans would come together to end the perceived threat of a particular dragon. Centuries before, Otaaryliakkarnos’s niece was killed in a Dragonmoot, and with the long ancestral memory of the metallic dragons, she holds all dwarves responsible.
Attitude. Neutral. If the party includes one or more dwarves, Otaaryliakkarnos is instead unfriendly.
Desire. Otaaryliakkarnos would like the metallic dragons to strike now as Protanther suggests, but she does not know if they can succeed alone. An alliance would reduce casualties for all parties, but the dragons must be certain of the intentions of the factions and their leaders.
Concession. Otaaryliakkarnos knows that the skin of her slain kin was used to make armor for the dwarf lord who slew her. She demands the remains be returned and that Ambassador Brawnanvil make an apology on behalf of all dwarves for the wrongful deaths the Dragonmoots have caused.

Nymmurh

Male Bronze Dragon

Of all the dragons on the council, Nymmurh disagrees most strongly with Protanther. He knows that the metallic dragons are made in the image of Bahamut, and have no choice in the matter of being good or evil. Thus, how much greater and more precious is good when it is freely chosen by the humanoids, who must consciously turn away from villainy?

Nymmurh’s belief in the potential of humanoids is partly driven by his affection for and protection of the noble Silmerhelve human family in Waterdeep (including Dala Silmerhelve; see “Chapter 9: Council of Waterdeep”).
Desire. Nymmurh would like to help the factions, looking to the Harpers and the Order of the Gauntlet as epitomizing the best traits of humanoid aspiration.
Attitude. Unless the party has engaged in problematic behavior in his presence (or where he would hear of it), Nymmurh is friendly. He knows that the characters come to the council on the recommendation of those he respects and loves.
Concession. Nymmurh needs no concession unless the characters have somehow offended him. In such a scenario, the adventurers must prove their worth and goodness in a way you deem suitable.

Tazmikella

Female Copper Dragon

Tazmikella is fond of humans and has spent a great deal of time living among them, but she has reservations about supporting the factions. Her lair and hoard have been the target of cunning thieves and fast-talking swindlers more than once, and she perceives betrayal as a humanoid trait. She fears what might happen if one or more factions turn against the metallic dragons to demonstrate loyalty to Tiamat.

The copper dragon also believes that unrestricted interaction between humanoids and dragons has been disastrous for both races. The Dracorage mythal serves as a sore reminder of the animosity that has often arisen between the two peoples.
Desire. Tazmikella agrees with Protanther that the metallic dragons could strike against the chromatic dragons themselves. However, she is not convinced they would succeed, and having humanoid allies would reduce casualties for both sides.
Attitude. Neutral. If any character is a dragonborn, Tazmikella is instead cautious. If the party contains any character with a personal reputation for shady dealings (particularly a rogue or bard), she is unfriendly.
Concession. Pick one magic item owned by a member of the party, and which was found during a previous adventure. That item turns out to have once belonged to Tazmikella, and was part of a hoard she took from an ancient black dragon she defeated. (Legend lore or similar magic used on the item confirms this story.) The item holds sentimental value to her—or it did until a thief stole it from her hoard. Returning the item to her with an apology improves Tazmikella’s attitude.

A RELIC FOR JUST SUCH AN OCCASION

Metallic dragons are known to bestow magic and treasure from their hoards to help heroes from time to time. If the characters do an excellent job impressing the dragons—for example, bringing all five dragons up to an attitude of friendly—or if they roleplayed the encounter well, the council dragons might grant one or more characters with a token of their esteem. This is likely a set of 3 arrows of slaying (dragons) or armor of resistance (lightning). Either proves useful against the cult, especially if the characters have yet to play through chapter 15. Tazmikella can even return the item the characters gave to her as a concession. (She does not covet it when it might do others good, but simply resents having had it stolen.)

General Concessions

The party can make general concessions to the dragons to appease them as a group, rather than make personal concessions to individual dragons. A general concession improves the attitude of a single dragon of your choice by one step.

Conclusion

When the characters have reached a satisfactory agreement with the dragons, Otaaryliakkarnos offers to return to Waterdeep to let the council know an agreement has been reached. The details and terms—including any concessions promised by the characters—can be discussed during the next council session. If the characters do not reach an agreement because they cannot or will not meet the dragons’ demands, Otaaryliakkarnos flies them back but departs Waterdeep at once.

An Unexpected Message

Iskander’s message to the party can arrive in any manner you see fit, including through contacts in the Zhentarim. Whether it comes directly to the characters or to an NPC on the Council of Waterdeep, the message could be a hastily scribbled note, an eloquent appeal delivered by bonded messenger, or a whispered plea in a dark corridor.

General Features

Because the maze doesn’t exist in normal space, it cannot be traditionally mapped. Instead, it is shown here as a set of seven nodes where encounters occur. Moving between two nodes takes 2d6 rounds regardless of whether characters walk or run. Characters experience such movement as if walking down a well-groomed path in a hedge garden. The path curves so that characters can’t see more than 15 feet ahead, exactly as if they were in a circular garden with concentric paths. Cutting through hedges has no effect on how long it takes characters to get from one node to the next. Characters who return to look for a spot previously cut through will never find it.

The hedge walls are 8 feet tall, allowing the adventurers to see the tower above them from many locations. This view provides no clue to direction, however. Characters who see the tower to the left one moment might spot it to the right, or behind, or closer or farther away a moment later. When trying to focus on the tower’s new location, characters suddenly find that they can’t remember its old location clearly, or begin to wonder if it was in its current spot all along.

If a character who entered the extradimensional maze along the path tries to fly above it once inside, the tower immediately fades from view, and the view becomes endless hedge-lined paths stretching to the horizon in every direction. Alternatively, characters who fly above the maze are shunted back into the real world, emerging above the hedge tangle with their companions nowhere in sight. The only way for them to rejoin the party is to enter the maze again and retrace their steps, dealing with all encounters along the way. (Use this option carefully if you’re not a fan of splitting the party.)

If the characters enter the maze at night, starlight from a clear sky is bright enough for them to find their way through—and even bright enough for the sundial in area 1 to cast a shadow. However, anyone with a passing familiarity of the sky notices that the constellations are completely unfamiliar.

Area 1 is the heart of the maze, and characters will return there many times as they seek the entrance to the tower. If they do things correctly, they won’t need to face any of the maze’s dangers. That’s unlikely, though.

Although the maze is devilishly hard to get through, it’s easy to leave. All the characters need to do is express a desire to leave the maze while they’re in area 1, and whatever route they take next leads them back to the entrance and the path at the edge of the village. They can turn around and come back in again, and they’ll wind up in area 1, at the start of the maze.

Rescue Mission

Unless the characters took extreme measures to hide their approach to the maze, they are spotted by the cultists in the tower. (The cultists watch the village closely, and immediately recognize any stir caused by the adventurers’ arrival.) The cultists don’t know the adventurers’ plans, but with the Blue Dragon Mask on hand, they don’t intend to take chances. Their preparations alarm Iskander, who sees his chance for escape dwindling. In a panic, he grabs the Blue Dragon Mask and dashes to the tower balcony.

As the characters prepare to enter the maze for the first time, or if they are spending too long in the village, read or paraphrase the following.

Sundial Shadows

The first three sundials are straightforward, even if the solutions are not always obvious.

The fourth sundial casts four shadows in an “X” shape. As the characters examine them, the shadows start slowly rotating around the face of the sundial, spinning faster and becoming shorter until they shrink into the gnomon and the sundial shows no shadow at all. The correct path in this case is the sundial itself. A character who jumps or climbs onto the sundial is drawn into its stone surface, then is suddenly dropped out of the sky to land harmlessly around sundial 5.

The fifth sundial casts eight shadows that point at every possible pathway. No path is the right one. To correctly bisect the shadows, characters must move between the paths, straight into the end of any hedge. As soon as a character steps, runs, or dives headlong into a hedge, he or she emerges safely at the foot of the tower.

Each time the characters choose a wrong path, they emerge at one of the other maze areas described below, which you can use in any order you like. If the characters make the wrong choice more than six times, you can reuse areas, create new ones of your own, or let the characters wander down a path much longer than usual before encountering the sundial again.

Characters always return to the same sundial puzzle they most recently departed (sundial 1 through 5), so that they do not need to retrace their steps from the very beginning after each wrong turn. However, they have no way to tell whether they have returned to the same specific sundial, as noted above.

Completing the Maze

When the characters complete the maze by successfully entering the hedge at the fifth sundial, they emerge within sight of a teleportation circle at the foot of the tower. The body of a dead cultist lies sprawled on the ground (the one Iskander threw off the balcony earlier). Behind them, the characters see a straight path that leads directly to the sundial intersection. Another path extends thirty yards beyond the sundial, ending at the exit to the village.

A few seconds after the first character steps onto the circle, all creatures in the circle are teleported to area 8. Alternatively, the characters can walk out of the garden from the foot of the tower without any detours or difficulties. However, any gems they collected in the maze (see below) will mysteriously vanish from their possession.

2. Chuul Pool

Treasure

The bottom of the pool holds the treasure that’s been dropped in by various visitors: six potions of healing, one potion of growth, one potion of fire breath, a wand of fear, three +1 daggers, a driftglobe, and an elemental gem (clear sapphire/air elemental).

3. Cyclopes’ Pasture

6. Statue Gallery

The Tower

After making their way through the dangers of the hedge maze, the adventurers can enter Xonthal’s Tower. Once inside, they learn that Iskander’s fellow cultists have discovered his treason and are trying to kill him. The characters must figure out the tower’s magical teleportation system, then defeat both the cultists and some of Xonthal’s original defenses to rescue Iskander and claim the dragon mask he promised them. Before the characters can leave, however, they must deal with the blue dragon summoned to protect the mask.

Though the tower appears square from the outside, its chambers and walls are circular when seen from inside. This strange incongruity is another manifestation of Xonthal’s ability to manipulate space.

10. Shrine

When Xonthal lived in the tower, this shrine was dedicated to Oghma. The cult traditionalists turned this chamber into a laboratory for their studies.

14. Dungeon Teleporter

The bodies of three dead cultists lie on the floor here. A successful DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check determines that two of them were killed by bolts of magical force (Iskander’s handiwork). No check is needed to see that the third was stabbed to death. A trail of blood runs into this room from area 15.

Iskander was waiting in this chamber for pursuers to appear. He killed two immediately but the third chased him into area 15, where the elementals attacked both of them.

The teleporter here can reach any teleport circle in the tower above, but its controls do not allow characters to return to the sundial.

15. Elemental Checkpoint

17. Cosmic Hallway

21. Storage Closet

This area is lined with shelves holding hundreds of mundane and exotic reagents and components used by Xonthal in his experiments. Most of the supplies have evaporated, congealed, or decayed over long years, but any spellcasting characters can find enough usable materials here to replenish their material components if necessary.

22. Taraz the Fair

Where the hallway bends to the northeast, it once again takes on the appearance of a stone corridor.

Exiting Xonthal’s Tower

The teleport circle in area 14 can take the characters back to any level of the tower (areas 8 to area13). The teleport circles in those areas can take them back to the sundial, from which they can exit the maze. The characters are not yet in the clear, though.

However much Jorgen Pawl opposed Severin, he remained loyal to the Cult of the Dragon. As soon as he understood that the traitorous Iskander was somehow in league with the adventurers, he used sending to call an adult blue dragon from its nearby lair, telling it of Iskander’s theft of the dragon mask.

When the characters teleport to the sundial, they are greeted by the terrible sound of villagers screaming, a dragon roaring, and lightning bolts tearing houses to splinters. When they reach the edge of the garden, they see the dragon swooping over the village and terrified villagers fleeing in every direction. A character with a passive Perception score of 14 or higher recognizes this dragon as Lennithon, the adult blue dragon the party faced in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen.

Like any smart foe, Lennithon tries to fight on its terms, not the enemy’s. It stays in the air and uses its breath weapon to maximum effect. If the characters refuse to face it, Lennithon is happy to wreck the village and murder innocents in an effort to bring the heroes into the open.

When the characters face the dragon, read or paraphrase the following.

A Forbidding Land

Thay is an isolated and arid windswept plateau some twenty-five hundred miles east of Waterdeep, its dark skies constantly clouded by volcanic ash. This land is defined by the prevalence of undead within its borders. The supreme leader of Thay is the lich Szass Tam, whose council of advisers—the zulkirs—are powerful liches themselves. Everyone of consequence in Thay is a spellcaster, and necromancers are common there. Undead servants are everywhere, and many of the commanders in Thay’s armies are the free-thinking undead soldiers (use the wight statistics).

Travelers to this land must be wary of its twisted politics—rampant paranoia, a police-state mentality, and necromancers commanding the top of the social order—as much as the threats of the undead and Red Wizards that dwell here. Thay is a place filled with extraordinary danger.

Preparations and Departure

The Harpers keep a close watch on developments in Thay, and they are the characters’ best resource for current information on that land. If the characters don’t seek advice from the Harpers, Leosin Erlanthar approaches them.

In addition to providing the characters with the information about Thay above, Erlanthar arranges for them to receive sealed warrants indicating that they are acting on behalf of the Lords of Waterdeep and the Lords’ Alliance. The party is under the protection of both groups, though such warrants are no guarantee of safety in Thay. Erlanthar advises the characters to address anyone of importance deferentially and by title, never by name only. As well, characters who know any necromantic magic should feel free to show it off.

When the adventurers are ready to depart, Nyh Ilmichh teleports with them to Nethwatch Keep in the Tharch of Lapendrar, just inside the Thayan frontier.

Reception and Audience

Nethwatch Keep is under the command of Tharchion Eseldra Yeth. She has been tharchion of Lapendrar for nearly a century—long enough to have firsthand memories of the past rebellion.

At the fortress, the characters are assigned to luxurious individual rooms, though the doors have no locks. Nyh Ilmichh tells anyone who asks that they are utterly safe in the tharchion’s keep. The adventurers see no other living creatures until their audience with Eseldra Yeth. All the servants and staff are undead, but the food and comforts of the fortress are of excellent quality and entirely safe.

Tharchion Eseldra Yeth is a female human vampire spellcaster. In the audience chamber where the meeting takes place, she is accompanied by 10 Red Wizards (use mage statistics if necessary) and 5 wights. Eseldra Yeth reviews the characters’ warrants briefly, then delivers a prepared message.

Dreams and Nightmares

That night, each of the adventurers are targeted by a customized version of the dream spell, cast and crafted by Red Wizard illusionists. Each character is confronted in a vision by a pale Red Wizard who says, “We have further questions for you.” Elves and other creatures that do not sleep are not subject to this effect.

Those subjected to the dream effect must make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw with disadvantage. On a successful save, a character remembers vague, disturbing dreams in the morning, but suffers no other effects.

Each character who fails the saving throw experiences a similar nightmare. He or she is paralyzed and magically bound within a mystic cauldron among animated chains and tentacles. A dozen Red Wizards observe placidly while three more Red Wizards subject the helpless character to agonizing tortures. The character is questioned about why the party came to Thay, about Severin’s plots, about Rath Modar, about his or her own past and the lives of the other adventurers, about the party’s attitude toward Szass Tam, and anything else you care to ask.

Each answer the character gives must be accompanied by a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check if the character answers truthfully, or a DC 15 Charisma (Deception) check if the response is even partially false. A character who succeeded on the Charisma (Persuasion) check made during the audience has advantage on each of these checks. On each failed check, a character suffers excruciating pain as a Red Wizard shouts out a tally of the character’s failed answers. Refusing to answer is treated the same as failing the check.

A character who struggles against the bonds or who tries to cast a spell or use some other ability not hindered by physical restraint is struck by pain so severe that he or she is briefly incapacitated. That character’s next Charisma check made within the dream takes a –2 penalty.

The nightmare ends when a character answers five questions successfully or eight questions in total. If the last question was answered successfully, the character sleeps fitfully the rest of the night. If the last question was answered unsuccessfully, the character wakes up screaming and drenched in sweat. Blood stains the bed sheets, though the character has no visible wounds. The character also takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage and does not gain the benefit of a long rest from the night’s sleep.

In the morning, any character who underwent this questioning has a deathly pallor and dark, hollow-looking eyes. The character’s appearance returns to normal when he or she finishes a long rest.

Outcome

In the morning, after another delicious meal, the characters are ushered back to the audience chamber. Eseldra Yeth is not there. Instead, they’re greeted by Nyh Ilmichh and one of the Red Wizards present at the audience the previous day. Only Nyh Ilmichh speaks.

What she says is determined by the number of characters who answered five questions successfully during the dream. If that number accounts for more than half the non-elven party (that is, elves don’t count toward the party total, because they cannot be affected by the Red Wizards’ dream spell), Nyh Ilmichh informs the characters that the Red Wizards have agreed to aid the factions of the Sword Coast, and that she will accompany them as Thay’s ambassador to the council. When the characters have gathered their belongings, the Red Wizard teleports with them back to Waterdeep.

If the tally is half the number of non-elven characters in the party or fewer, Nyh Ilmichh states that Tharchion Yeth thanks them for their information, but that Thay’s attention is commanded by matters within its own borders and the Red Wizards cannot help. Before the characters can react, the other Red Wizard waves his hand and a previously invisible magic circle on the floor around the characters flares to life. A moment later, the adventurers are standing in an abandoned and ruined farmhouse a mile north of Waterdeep. The barely visible outline of a Thayan teleportation circle fades around them and their neatly packed belongings.

Conclusion

If the mission to Thay was a success, it benefits the factions during chapter 17. Additionally, hidden in a backpack or pocket, each character finds a human finger bone tied to a loop of dried gut. Each bone acts as a scroll of protection (undead) that is activated and spent by snapping it in half.

If you choose, the characters gain a level at the end of this chapter.

Severin’s Triumph

Severin’s plan to bring Tiamat back to the world has been set up in five distinct stages:

• Assemble a treasure hoard worthy of Tiamat.

• Gather an army of dragons and other evil creatures to defend the Well of Dragons against interference.

• Capture hundreds of prisoners whose souls will power the magic that draws Tiamat to Faerûn.

• Perform the ritual that raises Tiamat’s Temple in the caldera of the Well of Dragons.

• Sacrifice the prisoners while performing the ritual that guides Tiamat from the Nine Hells to the world.

The first three stages of Severin’s plan are complete. Stage 4 will be completed by the time the characters arrive at the Well of Dragons. Stage 5 begins soon after the heroes and their factional allies arrive, and becomes the focal point of this final battle against the cult.

Stopping Severin

The heroes’ goal is to thwart Severin’s plans and prevent Tiamat from passing from the Nine Hells into Faerûn. The characters’ accomplishments up to this point have frustrated Severin and slowed his plans. But the only thing that can truly stop him now is ending the ritual performed by the cult’s Red Wizard allies inside the Temple of Tiamat.

Approaching the Well

As the characters and the forces commanded by the factions of the Council of Waterdeep approach the Well of Dragons, they should have no doubt that they are moving deep into enemy territory. The landscape for a hundred miles in all directions is a grim harbinger of what Tiamat’s rule would mean for the world.

Lava Tubes and Warrens

Lava tubes form natural pathways beneath the caldera of the extinct volcano. Over the decades since the Cult of the Dragon claimed the Well of Dragons, cultists enlarged the natural caverns connected by the lava tubes and excavated new ones.

Most of the lava tube entrances are marked by visible paths along the slopes of the volcano. Entrance 2A sees little use, so the characters are likely to overlook it without a careful search. Entrance 3 is never used; the cult believes that this tunnel is still blocked after a collapse sixty years before.

General Features

Corridors. The lava tubes range from 15 to 25 feet in diameter. They are large enough for dracoliches and dragons to move through easily.

6. Main Treasure Chamber

The well-traveled entrance to this chamber is guarded by 1 dragonfang (see appendix D for statistics) who commands 2 flesh golems.

The treasure that the cult has stolen from across the Sword Coast to create a hoard for the Dragon Queen is stockpiled in this chamber, creating a sight beyond even the greediest character’s dreams.

9. Planning Room

In this currently empty chamber, Severin meets with his inner circle and other cult leaders to make plans and issue orders. A long table is flanked by several benches and chairs, with a few small writing tables along the walls for scribes who keep notes.

10. Leaders’ Quarters

This well-appointed dormitory houses the most important Wearers of Purple staying at the Well of Dragons. Rows of beds line the north and east walls, with locker-style wardrobes holding mundane gear along the west wall. As the activity at the Well of Dragons reaches its peak, this chamber is empty.

11. Severin’s Quarters

This chamber is the personal quarters of Severin, and contains a bed, a trunk holding mundane personal belongings, a wardrobe for robes and regalia, a large writing desk, and a wood-and-iron display stand for the dragon masks. The stand’s construction allows for the masks to be displayed separately or combined into the single Mask of the Dragon Queen. The combined mask is presently with Severin.

12, 13. High-Ranking Cultists’ Chambers

Cultists of dragonsoul and dragonfang rank stationed inside the warrens use these quarters. The chambers are arranged like barracks, with cots for sleeping and trunks for storing personal belongings. With so many strangers presently in and around the Well of Dragons, the cultists who use these chambers have arranged for 4 **guard drakes **(see appendix D for statistics) to watch the area.

14. Prisoners’ Effects

Personal items taken from prisoners are tossed into this chamber. Nothing of value can be found among the odds and ends, but daggers, darts, and shortswords here can be used to equip prisoners still capable of fighting.

15. Low-Ranking Cultists’ Chamber

The cultists who stand guard over the prisoners in areas 16 to 18 sleep here. The chamber contains only straw mattresses spread on the floor, a few tables made of planks laid over barrels, and roughly made benches. When the characters enter, the room contains 3 dragonwings and 9 dragonclaws eating a quick meal before the battle. See appendix D for these cultists’ statistics.

16, 17, 18. Prisoner Pens

Prisoners captured by the cult have been held in these dark, filthy chambers pending the day of the ritual and their eventual sacrifice. Two groups of guards patrol these areas while the prisoners are here, each consisting of 1 dragonwing, 2 dragonclaws, and 1 guard drake. See appendix D for these creatures’ statistics.

If the characters pass this way while the sacrifices are taking place, area 16 is empty except for a dozen corpses of prisoners who died of starvation. However, a half-starved fifteen-year-old human male named Stirleng is hiding amid the corpses. Stirleng can tell the characters that cultists ushered prisoners toward the caldera a few hours ago, but he knows little else.

With area 16 empty, a prisoner escort consisting of 5 dragonclaws has begun to move prisoners from area 17 up to the temple. Additionally, a dragonfang, 5 dragonclaws, and 2 guard drakes working nearby arrive within 2 rounds if a disturbance breaks out. (See appendix D for these creatures’ statistics.) The prisoners aren’t shackled together, but most of them are weak from starvation. Ten human commoners can fight alongside the characters if they acquire weapons. The characters are free to make use of these allies any way they see fit. If sent into combat, they quickly perish.

19. Drake Pens

The drakes that patrol the lava tunnels are kenneled in this chamber. When the characters investigate this chamber, 4 guard drakes (see appendix D for statistics) are present, fighting over hunks of meat that are best left unidentified. Gnawed humanoid bones are scattered throughout the room, along with belt buckles, tattered boots, and scraps of blood-soaked clothing.

20, 21. Red Wizards’ Quarters

The Red Wizards whose magic raises the Temple of Tiamat in the caldera and who will summon the Dragon Queen into the world are housed in these two caverns. Both areas are luxuriously furnished, but the Red Wizards keep their belongings packed in trunks and ready to teleport away at a moment’s notice. The larger area 20 is the residence of Rath Modar. All the Red Wizards are presently in the Temple of Tiamat.

22. Sinkhole

This portion of the caldera collapsed into an underground cavity ages ago to form a large sinkhole. The only current member of the Cult of the Dragon who is aware that a branch of a lava tunnel exits into this sinkhole is the wight Naergoth Bladelord (area 4), and he believes the tunnel is still blocked.

23. Northern Exits

The dragon bones that blanket the caldera have been pushed away from these exits to create a bleak open plaza connecting both tunnel exits to the entrance to the temple. This space extends 250 feet from east to west and 100 feet north from the temple gate, and is the scene of horrendous slaughter during the sacrifice ritual. Prisoners are ushered from the temple into the plaza, where five waiting dragons (one of each color of any age category) tear into them with teeth and claws.

Though these exits are not normally guarded, during the prisoner sacrifice, the each tunnel is blocked by 2 barbed devils and 4 guard drakes (see appendix D for statistics). The devils’ attention is focused toward the plaza, however, not down the tunnels or on what the guard drakes do. The guard drakes might notice approaching characters before the devils do, but they attack only if the fiends give the order. Therefore, the party might get the drop on these guards.

For characters who move beyond the cleared plaza, or who approach this area from the sinkhole, the piles of bones are difficult terrain.

24. Temple Exit

The main lava tunnel of the southern warrens exits inside the black chapel (area 5) of Tiamat’s temple. Prisoners intended for sacrifice are brought up to the black chapel and marched to the temple entrance, and forced out into the plaza for the waiting dragons to feast on. This exit is unguarded.

Tiamat’s Temple

The temple in the caldera of the Well of Dragons is the same temple that marks the center of Tiamat’s realm on Avernus. The Red Wizards’ ritual has brought it here to act as a beachhead and beacon for the Dragon Queen, melding it into the caldera floor in the process. The main gate into area 1 (the blue chapel) is the only apparent entrance, but a lava tube corridor from the cult’s subterranean warrens leads into area 5 (the black chapel).

When the ritual begins, the temple is the focus of the cult’s activity, with Severin’s Red Wizard allies (use mage statistics) at the center of the action. The souls of sacrifices provide the magical power to open a pathway between the Nine Hells and the Material Plane. The Red Wizards will then guide Tiamat as she claws her way into the mortal realm.

Performing the Ritual

To successfully bring Tiamat from the Nine Hells into the world, the Red Wizards must successfully focus the summoning ritual for 10 rounds after the adventurers enter the Temple of Tiamat. Each round, at least five Red Wizards must use an action to perform the ritual in order for it to be successfully focused for that round, helping guide Tiamat across the planes.

At the end of the Red Wizards’ turn, if fewer than five Red Wizards used an action to perform the ritual, the portal floating in the great apse (area 7) wavers and no progress in the ritual is made. If fewer than five Red Wizards perform the ritual for 2 rounds in succession, the portal collapses and the count of successfully focused rounds is reset to 0.

The Mask of the Dragon Queen is essential to the ritual, and Severin cannot leave the sanctuary. His levitate spell will last the duration of the ritual, and it keeps him floating in the sanctuary even if he is incapacitated or killed. Severin can attack and defend himself while he wears the Mask of the Dragon Queen. He need not even be alive for the ritual to continue, as long as his body wears the mask and remains in the sanctuary.

Enemies and Allies

By consulting the scorecard filled out during the four sessions of the Council of Waterdeep (see appendix B), you can assess the strength of the forces brought to bear against the Cult of the Dragon. The alliances forged by the characters during the adventure are essential to stopping the cult.

The Final Battle Assets table lists the creatures and forces fighting on both sides. “Factional Assets” covers the main possibilities for alliances created during the adventure, but you can modify the list as needed depending on events in your campaign.

Devils. Devils fighting for the cult have been summoned by the Red Wizards, and serve fiendish masters dedicated to seeing Tiamat leave Avernus.

Aftermath of Victory

Tiamat’s threat ends if she is sent back to the Nine Hells, but the aftermath of victory can create challenges the adventurers must deal with. This includes helping the hundreds of prisoners remaining in the Well of Dragons. Severin’s fall also leaves hundreds of unrepentant cultists still loose in the world, hungering for power and revenge in light of their recent failure.

Moreover, much of the wealth of the Sword Coast is sitting in the Well of Dragons. Along with dealing with vengeful cultists, the characters might take a lead role in getting the treasure back to its original owners or their next of kin, while dealing with con artists, thieves, and treasure hunters looking to exploit what has suddenly become the richest dungeon in Faerûn.

Among the cult’s former allies, the vindictive chromatic dragons scatter back to their lairs, but only after many of them try to claim choice pieces of treasure or barrels bulging with gold and gems from the cult’s hoard. Furious at having their queen vanquished, the chromatic dragons might engage in sprees of destruction not seen in Faerûn for centuries.

Even victorious, the armies of good will have paid a steep cost in the fight against Tiamat. In addition to soldiers, leaders representing the ruling nobility of countless regions and houses will have fallen in the fight. The situation is not all bleak, however. Stirring instances of generosity and cooperation will stand out amid the darkness—and none of those will be greater than the legend of the adventurers. For generations, folk will look to the exploits and sacrifices of the heroes for inspiration as they rebuild and set their sights on better days.

Appendix A: Backgrounds

This appendix provides players with an easy way to create characters with compelling ties to the events of Tyranny of Dragons.

Appendix C: Magic Items

The magic items introduced in this book are detailed here in alphabetical order, along with a section on dragon masks, which have a suite of shared properties.