D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

St a g e 3
T h ird C ouncil o f Waterdeep. At the third meeting of
the Council of Waterdeep, the characters take lead
roles in shaping the fight against the cult.
X onth al’s Tower. The Cult of the Dragon is not without
its own internal strife, as the adventurers discover
when a cultist contacts them with the offer to turn
over one of the dragon masks essential to Severin’s
plans. The characters must infiltrate a cult stronghold
and claim the mask, then save a nearby village from
the blue dragon that means to take the relic back.
M issio n to Thay. The ritual that w ill bring Tiamat
to Faerun is too complex for the cult’s spellcasters
to perform without their Red W izard allies—all
Thayan exiles. The adventurers travel to Thay to
forge an alliance with the Red Wizards, whose lich
lord Szass Tam hungers for revenge against the
exiles. The Red W izards of Thay are evil to the core,
though, and the delegates must tread carefully as they
present their case.
The C ult Strikes B a ck (Part 3). The Cult of the Dragon
now knows the adventurers’ strengths and methods.
If the characters don’t take precautions to safeguard
themselves, the cult stands a good chance of killing
them all with a third attack.
St a g e 4
Fourth C ouncil o f Waterdeep. At the final meeting of
the council, the characters must work to unite the
factions of the Sword Coast for the final battle against
the Cult of the Dragon. Severin is ready to fulfill his
plans, and the combined forces of the Sword Coast
must strike now if the cult is to be stopped.
Tiam at’s Return. At the Well of Dragons, a battle
unfolds that w ill decide the fate of Faerun. The
factions of the Sword Coast fight alongside new and
unexpected allies, facing off against the assembled
might of the dragon cultists, flights of chromatic
dragons, other monsters, and mercenaries. The
adventurers choose their own role during the battle,
and might rescue sacrificial prisoners, shut down the
Draakhorn, or take the lead in disrupting the magical
ritual that w ill allow Tiamat to enter the world.
A d v a n c e m e n t
Tyranny o f Dragons: The Rise o f Tiamat was designed
around the milestone system of advancement. At the
start of the adventure, the characters should be 7th
or 8th level. Instead of tracking specific experience
awards, characters can level up at the completion of
significant episodes of the adventure. The characters
level up after every episode listed below:
• Episode 3: Death to the Wyrmspeakers (Varram)
• Episode 2: The Sea of Moving Ice
• Episode 5: The Cult Strikes Back (First Attack)
• Episode 4: Death to the Wyrmspeakers (Neronvain)
• Episode 5: The Cult Strikes Back (Second Attack)
• Episode 7: Xonthal’s Tower
• Episode 8: Mission to Thay (level gain at D M ’s option)
• Episode 5: The Cult Strikes Back (Third Attack)
Leveling up after seven milestones should bring the
characters to 14th or 15th level in time for the final
battle at the Well of Dragons.
A d v e n t u r e H o o k s
For characters who have not played Hoard o f the Dragon
Queen, the adventure can also begin by playing out
another episode before the first session of the Council of
Waterdeep. The party could be summoned by a factional
leader seeking aid against the Cult of the Dragon, with
the characters asked to undertake the “Varram the
White” portion of the “Death to the Wyrmspeakers”
episode. Seeking to capture a high-ranking cult leader is
a great step in the fight against the cult. Once they return
to Waterdeep, the adventurers then become embroiled in
the first session of the “Council of Waterdeep” episode.
Tyranny o f Dragons can be adapted to different
regions of the Forgotten Realms, or to a different
campaign setting entirely with a bit of preparation on
your part. Change the names, factions, and locations
present in the adventure to suit your own campaign.
A d d i t i o n a l E n c o u n t e r s
The Rise o f Tiamat is an open-framework adventure
designed for higher-level characters. As such, not all
your game sessions need to stick to the main track of
the adventure narrative. Additional events, rumors, and
encounters can be used as needed or added as side treks
or distractions. The following encounter seeds are meant
to be used when you want to break up the narrative or if
the players get off track. Each can be expanded as you
like, and is meant to tie into one of the main episodes in
the adventure (or to let you gently guide the players in
that direction). Each additional encounter also provides
a sense of the wider scope of the setting.
M o n s t r o u s U p r i s i n g
A charismatic half-red dragon veteran leads a band
of 21 kobolds and 7 lizardfolk, taking advantage of
the unrest along the Sword Coast. The group might
besiege a village the characters are staying at, raid and
enslave another settlement, or start charging tolls along
one of the trade roads of the Sword Coast. This band
isn’t organized enough to attack all at once and provide
a significant challenge to the party. Instead, it shows
the increasing anarchy of the region, and the way that
Tiamat’s rise has emboldened evil creatures that aren’t
directly serving the Dragon Queen.
P o w e r o f t h e C u l t
The Cult of the Dragon expands its operation in larger
and bolder ways. Its leaders send diplomatic missions
to Berdusk, Triel, and other settlements demanding
tribute—and offering protection from dragon raids
for those who comply. Cultists shake down caravans
seeking protection money, and have been burning
caravans that belong to the rivals of those who do
pay. Less scrupulous merchants are finding it easier
to do business with the cult than to fight against
them. Any Zhentarim contacts of the adventurers are
understandably worried about these developments.