dragon-magic-oef

CHAPTER 5
DRACONIC
CAMPAIGNS
152
Through reason and threat of force, the elder dragons
banned any discussion of its location or existence, and they
wove powerful spells to conceal it. Four ancient dragons
agreed to guard the shrine until it passed from memory,
and after they died of advanced age, they continued to
watch over the shrine as twilight guardians (see page 121).
Though it took several generations of dragons and eons of
time, eventually the dragonfont was lost even to their own
histories.
But it was not lost to their legends. Most believed it to be
nothing but myth, but one good and one evil dragon both
came to see the dragonfont as a real place that could, with
effort, be found and utilized. The two ancient foes have
been seeking the dragonfont for centuries, employing agents
to track down every rumor of its existence and trying to foil
the other’s search at the same time. Amaravine, a wise and
caring gold dragon, fears the disasters the dragonfont could
cause were it to fall into the wrong claws. But her enemy,
the red dragon Heldrivor, hopes to use the dragonfont to
build an empire and, in time, become a dark god. They’ve
sparred through allies and intermediaries for centuries,
facing each other only once in an inconclusive personal
battle.
Amaravine has relied primarily on well-informed allies,
such as groups of clerics and paladins, who would oppose a
red dragon gaining the power of the dragonfont as a matter
of course. She often contacts these groups, either through
intermediaries or while in human form. She knows that
many crusaders are biased against dragonkind, and that
Heldrivor constantly seeks some sign of her movements.
So, to avoid difficult questions and to protect her allies
from Heldrivor’s vengeance, Amaravine has hidden her
true nature and ultimate goal from her allies. As a result, in
recent decades Amaravine has built a considerable network
of contacts and minions who trust her but are unaware of
her draconic nature. This network, built on mutual respect
and common interests, gives Amaravine some idea what’s
going on anywhere in the world, but it doesn’t help her
bring great force to a single specific location quickly. She
can accomplish quite a bit by mustering her allies, but only
if the threat is immediate and obvious, and only if she can
wait for them to arrive.
Heldrivor has built a cadre of servants who report directly
to him. Each is bound to the red dragon through a combination
of threats (Heldrivor does not hesitate to kill a servant
who betrays him), greed (he pays his servants in gold and the
secrets of draconic magic), and mutual dependence (many of
Heldrivor’s servants are tied to him through dragonpact abilities,
which he can rescind by breaking the pact, if necessary).
Because he must control his agents through direct threat of
force, he has a smaller network, but his minions are loyal
and will go anywhere their master wishes. At the mere hint
of a rumor regarding the dragonfont, Heldrivor can muster a
few lackeys to investigate. In time, the allies of Amaravine
will find and overpower them, but not before Heldrivor’s
agents have had days or weeks to root out a valuable tidbit
of information.
Roughly a week before the adventure begins, agents of the
red dragon found a map claiming to reveal the location of the
complex that hides the dragonfont. Heldrivor immediately
ordered his most effective minions to find the complex’s
entrance and secure it against anyone else. Amaravine’s
network of spies informed her of these developments, but
they couldn’t find a copy of the map or learn the location
of the complex. Amaravine knows that Heldrivor will wait
for his minions to clear away any threats before he arrives at
the complex, but even so, the red dragon is likely to arrive
before Amaravine can gather forces sufficient to stop him.
Amaravine needs allies to stop Heldrivor or at least slow him
down, and she needs them in a hurry.
1. Getting the PCs Involved
The Battle of Dragon Fall begins as Amaravine recruits the
PCs to act as her agents and stop or delay Heldrivor. The
easiest way for this to occur is to decide that the Shrine of
Dragon Fall is close to the characters’ current location, and
that Amaravine seeks them out due to their reputation.
Alternatively, she could ask for assistance from a group the
characters are associated with—an adventurer’s guild, a goodaligned
church, or even the First Scroll (see page 141)—and
that group then assigns the PCs to help her. If you have time
to introduce Amaravine before running this adventure, set
her up as a sage who gives advice to the PCs, making her
eventual request for aid seem less out of the blue.
Whether she approaches the PCs in person, sends for them
through an organization, or meets them through a mutual
friend, Amaravine sets the adventure in motion. She takes
human form during any meeting, but if directly asked if she
is a dragon, she does not lie. Amaravine explains the legend of
the dragonfont to the PCs and how the evil dragon Heldrivor
also seeks it. She knows Heldrivor is investigating a nearby
valley, which is guarded by at least a few of his minions.
Amaravine can summon allies to deal with Heldrivor, but
that will take at least two weeks. Instead, she needs someone
to stop the red dragon by defeating him, driving him off, or,
if nothing else, delaying his plans for two weeks until her
allies arrive. She offers 10,000 gp upon completion of the
mission, as well as her services as a sage if the PCs have need
of them in the future.
2. Shadow and Night (EL 12)
Two human forms fly toward you, laughing and crackling with
arcane energy. Each is lithe and thin, with bright red hair and rune
tattoos covering their bodies. They have bloodshot eyes, sharp teeth,
and fingernails that draw into short talons.
The valley containing the Shrine of Dragon Fall is 5 miles
long but only a few hundred feet wide. It is heavily forested,
making it impossible to search for the shrine from a high
altitude. Further, the dragons that built the shrine cut off the
valley from the Astral Plane and the Ethereal Plane. No spell