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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
CHAPTER 5 DRACONIC CAMPAIGNS Illus. by L. Parrillo or magic requiring access to either plane functions within the valley or the shrine, including ethereal jaunt and teleport. Two of Heldrivor’s primary agents, the draconic brothers Shadow and Night, were the first of his minions to reach the area detailed in his map. (Both are sorcerers with the draconic creature template; for more details on the template, see page 74 of Races of the Dragon.) They have indeed cleared all threats from the Shrine of Dragon Fall, but they couldn’t get past the door into the dragonfont, so they sent for Heldrivor. Upon arriving, the red dragon ordered them to guard against any possible rivals while he worked on gaining entrance. Shadow and Night have been watching the paths into the valley and keeping an eye skyward for flying interlopers. Eventually, they detect the PCs (though a quiet and cunning group might become aware of the brothers’ presence before being attacked). Overconfident and wishing to prove their worth to Heldrivor, Shadow and Night set upon the characters in a clearing well back from the shrine. They hope to drive off the PCs, or at least hurt them so badly that they dare not face Heldrivor. If the PCs retreat, the sorcerers make no effort to give chase, knowing that they cannot maintain a lengthy assault. Although they work together, Shadow and Night constantly try to outdo each other. They keep up a running banter, comparing the success of each action to something done earlier by the other. They also taunt the PCs, claiming that “all-powerful Heldrivor” has foretold their coming and will destroy them easily. Shadow and Night are braggarts, lying to make themselves and their lord seem more impressive. They also let slip the name of the Shrine of Dragon Fall, and the fact that it is guarded by ancient draconic magic (the twilight guardians). Shadow and Night CR 10 Male draconic human sorcerer 9 CE Medium humanoid (dragonblood) Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Listen +4, Spot +6 Languages Common, Draconic AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +1 ring, +4 mage armor, +1 natural) hp 51 (9 HD); DR 10/adamantine (stoneskin) Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +6; +8 against sleep and paralysis, +4 against fire Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (good) ( fly) Base Atk +4; Grp +4 Special Actions Draconic Vigor†, Red Dragon Lineage† Combat Gear rod of the dragon heart† (Shadow) or metamagic rod of lesser empower (Night) Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 9th): 4th (5/day)—stoneskin C (DC 18), wingblast† C 3rd (7/day)—dispel magic, fireball (DC 17), fly C 153
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Contents Introduction. . . . . . .
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Illus. by R. Horsley xcept in a few
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CHAPTER 1 DRAGONBOUND HEROES —Dee
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Stonehunter gnomes have very dark s
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DRACONIC CLASS FEATURES Often, drag
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Class: Hexblade (see Complete Warri
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enefit of a divine feat you have. Y
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Special: If you are of the dragonbl
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Table 1-1: New Feats (cont.) Dracon
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INITIATE OF HLAL [INITIATE] Fueled
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Illus. by R. Horsley ragons are kno
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Table 2-1: The Dragonfire Adept Hit
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Greater Invocations Aura of Flame:
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which dragonfire adepts are common
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Table 2-3: The Diamond Dragon Hit D
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ence between the manifesting classe
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ecome immune to fear and gain a +1
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DRAGON DESCENDANTS IN THE WORLD “
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Entry Requirements Base Attack Bonu
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Combat If you can win a battle with
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HAND OF THE WINGED MASTERS “By th
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Resources If you absolutely must ha
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Table 2-7: The Pact-Bound Adept Hit
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CHAPTER 2 DRAGON ASPIRANTS people
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Table 2-8: The Swift Wing Hit Die:
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to seek out her own allies. She kno
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WYRM WIZARD “Every dragon is like
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Wyrm wizards choose living creature
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Illus. by R. Horsley ore than any o
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of writing in some manner (even a p
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Primal Instinct: Gain a +5 bonus on
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You create a burst of icy energy th
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Vague, translucent shadows of your
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to your attackers. While this spell
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PATH OF FROST Transmutation [Cold]
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Casting Time: 1 standard action Ran
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• A 20-foot-radius cloud of fog c
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DRAGONFIRE ADEPT BREATH EFFECTS The
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Humanoid Shape: Take the form of an
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INSTILL VULNERABILITY Dark; 7th You
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format and rules for soulmelds, wit
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A serpentine dragon of blue fire co
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Energy: This aura grants you a bonu
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dead party returns to life within t
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8th 9th ray of enfeeblement 3/day,
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AMULET OF FEARSOME MIGHT This amule
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ROD OF THE DRAGON HEART Dragon lord
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attacks the tome’s owner or the o
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Aura/Caster Level: Moderate abjurat
Page 101 and 102: EMERALD EYE PATCH Prized by charact
Page 103 and 104: Activation: An opalescent amulet fu
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Page 107 and 108: Illus. by R. Horsley n a world wher
Page 109 and 110: STRATEGIES AND TACTICS An aspect of
Page 111 and 112: Typical Physical Characteristics: L
Page 113 and 114: DRAKKENSTEED “Fitting that those
Page 115 and 116: STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Huitzils are
Page 117 and 118: Phynxkin SAMPLE ENCOUNTER Phynxkin
Page 119 and 120: pqqqqqqqqqrs REDSPAWN BERSERKER LOR
Page 121 and 122: pqqqqqqqqqrs SPELLEATER LORE Charac
Page 123 and 124: TWILIGHT GUARDIANS IN FAERÛN Twili
Page 125 and 126: VELROCS IN FAERÛN Velrocs are less
Page 127 and 128: Black Dragon Sinister black dragons
Page 129 and 130: Immunity to Poison (Ex): All copper
Page 131 and 132: Illus. by R. Horsley ragons are an
Page 133 and 134: ed to understand the strange develo
Page 135 and 136: or other legendary dragons from the
Page 137 and 138: usually at the cost of protecting t
Page 139 and 140: ing with the creature is straightfo
Page 141 and 142: to limiting the political, magical,
Page 143 and 144: Affiliation Score Title: Benefits a
Page 145 and 146: flowed. This attitude grew as the o
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Page 149 and 150: shelves lined with books the size o
Page 151: where tyrannical dragons demand wor
Page 155 and 156: 5. Confrontation with Heldrivor (EL
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