D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

• The attack lasted only a short while, then the dragon
unexpectedly retreated. The cultists followed, but as
they fled, they took nothing of value from the village.
This is a stark contrast to the dragon’s other raids,
which were focused on capturing treasure.
T h e W a r d e n ’s St o r y
Galin the warden is a nervous-looking elf with a dark
secret. The folk of the village describe him as suffering
from the weight of his new leadership role and the
deaths of more than a hundred villagers—including
his own wife.
In response to any question about Galin, the
characters are directed to his residence in the upper
boughs of the village.
Stepping into a modest dwelling suspended among iron-
strong boughs, you enter a cozy sitting room. A slim elf
sits at a desk, standing to greet you with a forced smile as
a raven perched in a nearby cage caws hideously.
"Welcome to our village,” the elf says. “ How can I be
o f service?”
Galin answers any questions the characters put to him,
but his responses echo only what the other survivors
know. He claims to have not seen the dragon rider and
disbelieves those who say they did, dismissing such
reports as the result of fear and chaos during the raid.
A successful DC 18 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals
that the elf warden is withholding information. If he is
pressed on this, he admits that he saw the dragon kill
his wife and is wracked by guilt that he could not save
her. A follow-up successful DC 16 Wisdom (Insight)
check reveals that even this isn’t the whole truth, but
Galin takes umbrage if the character ply him with any
more questions.
The characters might also choose to watch and
follow Galin on one of his late night excursions.
Neronvain does not show up that night, but the warden’s
prearranged meeting place is a spot of flattened brush
where a dragon has clearly landed more than once.
C o n f r o n t i n g G a l i n
If confronted with evidence against him gained by
spellcraft or subterfuge, Galin accuses the adventurers
(publicly if necessary) of being in league with the
cult and attempting to break the resolve of Altand’s
survivors. If the characters have access to zone o f truth
or sim ilar magic, he flatly refuses to take part in any
further questioning.
Galin w ill not respond to intimidation. However,
effective roleplaying can be used to tap into his guilt.
If he is offered commiseration for his wife’s death—
as opposed to accusations—the warden eventually
breaks down. He confesses that after seeing his wife
killed, he found himself face to face with Neronvain
in the thick of battle and begged for his life, offering
anything in return. Neronvain took the warden up on
his offer, agreeing to spare Galin and leave Altand
intact in exchange for information on other settlements
that would become the targets of the cult’s next
round of raids.
Si l e n t W i t n e s s e s
Where the humanoid witnesses to the attack are limited
in their knowledge, the characters have other potential
resources to draw on. By using speak with plants, the
characters can draw on the impressions and memories
of the trees themselves. Though the spell allows only for
impressions of the previous 24 hours to be recalled by
its subjects, the trees of Altand can report that late the
previous night, they witnessed Galin sneaking out of the
village and disappearing into the woods, accompanied
by his pet raven. Galin has been making this sojourn
most nights since the attack, giving Neronvain
information on other elven settlements, which the
wyrmspeaker is using to plan his next round of assaults.
If the characters use speak with animals to question
the raven, they learn that Galin walked a mile or
more into the woods and came face to face with
the green dragon Chuth and his rider the previous
night. Remember that an animal intelligence is not
as articulate as a humanoid, and it might take subtle
coaxing to get the raven to describe a scene that likely
frightened it.