D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

Episode 7: Xonthal’sTower
Though Severin’s hold on the Cult of the Dragon
is strong, there remain traditionalist elements
within the cult that long for the old ways of
reverence for the dracoliches. Many such elements
center around scholars and academics, for whom the
cult’s new focus has made their knowledge and research
irrelevant. Others think that Severin is being taken in by
devils and that Tiamat w ill play him for a fool—a notion
fairly close to the truth.
Two of the leading dracolich traditionalists—a
dragonsoul named Jorgen Pawl and his trusted
lieutenant Iskander—have been most vocal in their
objections. As the time of the summoning ritual
approaches, Severin understands that he can’t risk
losing loyal troops to infighting and insurrection.
He has thus agreed to give Jorgen Pawl and his followers
a dragon mask to examine, allowing them to determine
whether Severin’s understanding of the masks’ power is
correct. If Severin is wrong, he w ill know before risking
everything on a do-or-die gamble. If he is right, the
traditionalists w ill give their support to Severin’s plans.
What Jorgen does not know is that Severin asked
his Red W izard allies to create a false mask, supplying
the scholar with a duplicate of the Blue Dragon Mask
that appears both powerful and inscrutable, though it
holds little in the way of real magic. Severin knows the
scholars w ill discover the deception eventually, but he
hopes that the false mask w ill keep the traditionalists
occupied while he completes his plans.
The Cult of the Dragon recently took control of
Xonthal’s Tower—an ancient and mysterious wizard’s
tower on the southern slope of Mount Hlim. Although
not all the cult members at Xonthal’s Tower are
dracolich traditionalists, Jorgen Pawl and Iskander
are in command there, and they have drawn many
likeminded individuals under their sway.
I s k a n d e r
Neutral evil male human wizard
The young second-in-command at Xonthal’s Tower
stands an impressive 6-feet-5-inches tall. Iskander is not
overly brave, but he is observant. One fact that hasn’t
escaped his notice is the number of rising stars in the
Cult of the Dragon who meet mysterious ends before
reaching their full potential. The suspicion that some
cultists practice “advancement through assassination”
or eliminate ambitious underlings to safeguard their
own positions preys heavily on Iskander’s mind.
Four tendays past, Iskander came down with a
stomach affliction that left him critically weak. During