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shelves lined with books the size of dwarves, scrolls longer than a
halfling’s body, and stone tablets bigger than a human’s chest.
While most dragons covet gems and coins of precious
metal, a few build and maintain libraries. These dragons see
information as the ultimate treasure and keep vast stores of
obscure prophecies, ancient histories, and encyclopedias of
esoteric lore. Often called “lorekeepers” by other dragons,
these creatures are considered eccentrics among their kind.
A lorekeepers is just as good or evil as any other dragon; it
simply values material sources of information over gold and
art. Some remain solitary creatures, while others are recruited
as librarians for powerful dragon kings.
While lorekeepers are no more willing to part with their
stores of knowledge than red dragons are willing to part with
rubies, they often allow trusted allies to access their tomes.
They also might sell access to their libraries, though the price
is always a tome of secrets the lorekeeper doesn’t have yet.
Area 1: The Lorekeeper’s Table. Even if a lorekeeper lets
other creatures look at its treasure of knowledge, it strictly
controls all access and stores all writings behind a solid
stone table 15 feet wide and 10 feet tall. This setup allows the
lorekeeper to watch over any who enter its library and fight
off those who would steal its precious volumes.
Beyond the table, stone shelves are piled high with reading
material of every medium. Mounds of salt sit between the
stacks of scrolls, piles of books, and rows of tables, keeping
the air dry to preserve the paper, papyrus, and hide.
Area 2: Reading Chamber. Should a dragon be granted
access to a lorekeeper’s trove, it must read the libram in
question within the library. Several places are set aside for
this purpose. These chambers are generally furnished with
piles of small rocks and hides to allow the dragon to settle
comfortably as if on a hoard of great value. A shelf or two set
into the wall allows it to prop up any item and peruse it at its
leisure.
Area 3: Lobby Hall. Like the main entrance of a typical
dragon’s lair, a library has guardians in its first hall. These
creatures cannot read, which ensures that they do not commit
information to memory and that they lack innate abilities
(such as breath weapons or damaging spells) that might harm
a precious source of lore.
SACRIFICE SITE
The flat plain is desolate, with no living thing in sight. A vast
graveyard of crude markers surrounds a stone pyramid, the flat top
of which has a post designed to chain a humanoid. Small fires sit to
either side of the stairs running up the pyramid, obviously tended
daily to ensure they never go out. Off to the west a small redoubt
sits, no more than a crenellated wall with a small roof, lacking any
arrow slits or similar signs of its true purpose.
The legend of a community that appeases a local dragon by
offering a sacrifice every new moon is well known. While
such a practice is uncommon in most lands, it can become a
fact of life where evil dragons hold sway. Especially in lands
CHAPTER 5
DRACONIC
CAMPAIGNS
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