D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

Episode 1: Council of Waterdeep
The Rise o f Tiamat begins immediately after the
conclusion of H oard o f the Dragon Queen, and
assumes that the characters have returned to
Waterdeep in the aftermath of that adventure. W hile
in the city, the adventurers are summoned to the
first meeting of the Council of Waterdeep. W hile at
that gathering, they hear the sounding of the ancient
Draakhorn that heralds the next stage of the Cult of the
Dragon’s plots. (See appendix B for more information on
the Draakhorn, but be sure to withhold that information
until the characters have played through the episode
“The Sea of Moving Ice.”)
St a r t i n g t h e A d v e n t u r e
The Rise o f Tiamat begins in Waterdeep. If you played
Hoard o f the Dragon Queen, the characters might have
already made their way back to the City of Splendors
after Skyreach Castle crashed at the end of that first
adventure. If you didn’t play Hoard o f the Dragon Queen,
if Skyreach Castle wasn’t crashed, or if the characters
went somewhere other than Waterdeep afterward, you
need to get the party back to Waterdeep for the start of
this adventure.
It’s easy enough to simply tell the players that their
characters are back in Waterdeep. However, if you
suspect that your group won’t find that satisfying, you
can avoid playing through a long overland journey by
making use of the following scenario.
Wherever the characters are when this session
begins, a raven flies up to them. The bird is part of
an animal messenger relay dispatched by Leosin
Erlanthar’s allies in the Emerald Enclave.
The raven lands a dozen paces from you, then boldly hops
closer, a flat parcel wrapped in oilskin strapped to its belly.
It eyes you enigmatically for a few moments, then speaks
in a familiar voice. “ Leosin Erlanthar sends his heartiest
congratulations! Please use the gift this bird brings to
meet me in Waterdeep as soon as possible.”
The bird waits patiently while the leather parcel is
removed from its harness. The parcel contains a
carefully folded teleport scroll and the sigil sequence
of a permanent teleport circle in Waterdeep. The circle
can be in a temple, a government building, or any other
site of your choice. If the party includes more than six
characters, the parcel contains two scrolls. If none of
the characters can use a teleport scroll, they’ll need to
seek out an N P C who can. Just don’t make it too difficult.