D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

T a z m i k e l l a
Female Copper Dragon
Tazmikella is fond of humans and has spent a great deal
of time living among them, but she has reservations
about supporting the factions. Her lair arid hoard have
been the target of cunning thieves and fast-talking
swindlers more than once, and she perceives betrayal
as a humanoid trait. She fears what might happen if one
or more factions turn against the metallic dragons to
demonstrate loyalty to Tiamat.
The copper dragon also believes that unrestricted
interaction between humanoids and dragons has been
disastrous for both races. The Dracorage mythal serves
as a sore reminder of the animosity that has often arisen
between the two peoples.
Desire. Tazmikella agrees with Protanther that the
metallic dragons could strike against the chromatic
dragons themselves. However, she is not convinced
they would succeed, and having humanoid allies would
reduce casualties for both sides.
Attitude. Neutral. If any character is a dragonborn,
Tazmikella is instead cautious. If the party contains any
character with a personal reputation for shady dealings
(particularly a rogue or bard), she is unfriendly.
Concession. Pick one magic item owned by a member
of the party, and which was found during a previous
adventure. That item turns out to have once belonged
to Tazmikella, and was part of a hoard she took from
an ancient black dragon she defeated. (Legend lore or
sim ilar magic used on the item confirms this story.) The
item holds sentimental value to her—or it did until a
thief stole it from her hoard. Returning the item to her
with an apology improves Tazmikella’s attitude.
H ave W e M et B e f o r e ?
The dragons on the council have lived for centuries. Given
how quickly humanoids build up progeny, it is possible that
one o f the dragons encountered a particular character’s
ancestors and recognizes the character by smell. Perhaps
the dwarf who killed Otaaryliakkarnos’s relative was the
long-lost grand-uncle o f the party’s dwarf cleric. Or perhaps
Tazmikella’s stolen magic item is not something currently
possessed by one o f the adventurers, but she recognizes an
ancestor o f a party member as the sweet-talking bard who
stole it generations before. The character can recognize
the item as a family heirloom, and will need to make
arrangements to have it returned.
G e n e r a l C o n c e s s i o n s
improves the attitude of a single dragon by one step.
For every additional share the dragons are promised
(two shares among twelve factions, three shares among
thirteen factions, and so on), the party improves the
attitude of another dragon by one step.
The attitude of the dragons is improved by wealth
in the following order: Tazmikella, Otaaryliakkarnos,
Ileuthra, Protanther, and Nymmurh. Promising onethird
(five shares among fifteen factions) or more of the
treasure improves the attitude of all five dragons.
O ther Prom ises. The dragons do not prompt the
party with options, but the characters can potentially
sway them with other offers. Reward player ingenuity
for options such as the following:
• A promise to turn over Severin as a prisoner if he
is captured, or to deliver his body to the dragons if
he is slain.
• Consecrating a major monastery or temple
to Bahamut.
• Dedicating a historical plot of land as belonging to
the dragons.
A Relic for Ju s t S u c h an O cc a s io n
Metallic dragons are known to bestow magic and treasure
from their hoards to help heroes from time to time. If the
characters do an excellent job impressing the dragons—
for example, bringing all five dragons up to an attitude of
friendly— or if they roleplayed the encounter well, the council
dragons might grant one or more characters with a token of
their esteem. This is likely a set o f 3 arrows o f dragon slaying,
or plate armor o f lightning resistance. Either will prove useful
against the cult, especially if the characters have yet to play
the Xonthal's Tower episode. Tazmikella can even return the
item the characters gave to her as a concession. (She does
not covet it when it might do others good, but simply resents
having had it stolen.)
C o n c l u s i o n
When the characters have reached a satisfactory
agreement with the dragons, Otaaryliakkarnos
offers to return to Waterdeep to let the council know
an agreement has been reached. The details and
terms—including any concessions promised by the
characters—can be discussed during the next council
session. If the characters do not reach an agreement
because they cannot or w ill not meet the dragons’
demands, Otaaryliakkarnos flies them back but departs
Waterdeep at once.
The party can make general concessions to the dragons
to appease them as a group, rather than make personal
concessions to individual dragons. A general concession
improves the attitude of a single dragon of your choice
by one step.
Wealth. Even good dragons love treasure, and
bestowing a share of the hoard the cult has collected for
Tiamat goes a long way toward improving the attitudes
of the council dragons. The party can effectively treat
the dragons as another faction receiving an equal
portion of the hoard, granting one share of the total
treasure divided among eleven factions. Doing so