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as “Broken Fang Tears Violently.” Her vizier is aguardian naga named Alhashna, and her other threeclosest advisors are a trio of yuan-ti malison incanterswho believe Gulgol to be favored by the serpent-godZehir.DC 30: Gulgol is known as lazy and gluttonous,not only to those who have studied her but to otherdragons as well. She is amazingly obese for a dragonand refuses to expend any unnecessary effort; herworshipers’ duties include delivering all her mealsand comforts. She is less agile than other black dragonsbut is nevertheless powerful, and she can exertherself if need be.DC 35: Through centuries of practice and thestudy of draconic magic, the Lizard Queen hasaltered her innate abilities. She has acquired thepower to force a measure of obedience from allaround her.TacticsGulgol is a straightforward combatant,eschewing stealth for bruteforce. She normally begins withfrightful presence—she loves watchingothers cower. She spends anaction point to use either her breathweapon or fog of obedience, dependingon how many melee combatantsare near her. Although she can usefog of obedience more than once percombat, she rarely bothers to do so,preferring tactics that deal moredamage. She favors tearing into foeswith her teeth and claws over usingvitriolic spray, though she resorts tothe latter at need.EncounterGroupsEncounters with Gulgol take placein her court: a cave in the side of anovergrown and mossy hill that overlooks a bowl-shapeddepression in the swamp. Even if adventurers manageto find the spot, they must either fight or talk their waythrough an army of blackscale lizardfolk and a hydraguardian, plus at least one of the yuan-ti. Even if Gulgoldeigns to grant an audience, she does not allow outsidersinto her cave, but heaves her great bulk out to theopening, looking down upon petitioners in the hollow.Level 22 Encounter (XP 23,000)✦ Gulgol (level 20 solo brute)✦ Alhashna, guardian naga (level 12 elite artillery,MM 194)✦ 2 blackscale bruisers (level 6 elite brute, MM 179)✦ 1 fen hydra (level 12 solo brute, MM 164)✦ 3 yuan-ti malison incanters (level 15 artillery,MM 269)GULGOLRICK SARDINHAAlthough most of Gulgol’s “court,” and many of her followers,consider her to be royalty, a large portion of the moreprimitive tribes that serve her treat her as a true goddess.She is not just a secular leader to them but a truly divineentity, to whom they direct the entirety of their worshipand their sacrifices—both treasure and living beings.The bulk of these worshipers are lizardfolk from thevarious tribes of the Fenreach, but they also include a fairnumber of kobolds, trolls, hags, and yuan-ti.Gulgol’s high priest is a truly vile entity by the name ofAnachthul. A yuan-ti malison incanter (Monster Manual 269)with the demagogue template (Dungeon Master’s Guide178), Anachthul and his yuan-ti and hag underpriests ruleTHE PRIESTS OF GULGOLutterly over Gulgol’s worshipers. Those who pay homageto the Lizard Queen are willing to die—and, far more frequently,to kill—at Anachthul’s slightest word.What none other than Gulgol and Anachthul know isthat the yuan-ti cult leader is fully aware that his mistressis not a god at all. Yet he pretends to such belief, andleads others in it, as a means of keeping control over themore primitive members of Gulgol’s followers. So completelyhas he swayed their beliefs that some among thelizardfolk and hags have even been ordained as clerics ofthe Lizard Queen, and their faith is strong enough thatthey have the same sort of divine ability as the clerics of“real” gods.CHAPTER 4 | New Monsters239