This week I have started working on the next chapter of my campaign. The heroes have defeated a small offshoot of the cult of Demogorgon and should feel some small sense of accomplishment. They have managed to survive the heroic tier and will soon be on their way to the challenges the paragon tier has to offer.
While I have been planned most of the adventure arc there are many details that I have yet to finalize. Some of these details revolve around the past of Athrodeka, and Thaelun itself. There is also the information relating to the dragons and histories of the past that the players will be confronted with upon traveling back though time. The mechanics and means by which they will travel through time are mostly sorted out as well. Depending on how they react to the news and the need to travel through time they may peruse several different means of time travel. I am hoping that they decide to use the teleportation runes within ‘the Mage Tower’ of Athrodeka as this would be the easiest and most straightforward path for them to follow.
Once in the past the players will embark on their quest to identify and destroy the three dragons that are part of a ritual to raise the Tarrasque from slumber. The players have been confronted with a riddle which denotes what is required for the ritual whether that is an item in the possession of one of the dragons or something less obvious. The three dragons are all very old even in the past and failure to kill them off or to stop the collection of the items needed for the ritual may lead to altering the future.
Let me introduce you to the dragons.
Ashkore ‘the evil one’ is a blue dragon who has lived so long that his scales have become pale and grey instead of the bright vibrant blue of younger dragons of his kind. He lives to the east in the dunes and rocky ridges of the dessert badlands. The riddle says that “when the sand broods of the blue” referring to something of note in relation to the blue dragon is gathered, a portion of the ritual will be completed. This ‘something’ is in fact an order of devout dragonborn who believe they are descendants of Ashkore and are blessed by her. They worship her as a goddess and serve her faithfully with great reverence. Their order consists of monks, avengers, paladins, and invokers all devoted to Ashkore.
If any of the followers of Ashkore survive it will change the shape of present day Thaelun by creating a new city and increased population of dragonborn. It will also affect the major religions of Thaelun leading towards a more monotheistic worship of Bahamut and Tiamat respectively.
Jarkore ‘the bringer of flames’ is a colossal red dragon who although very young has used his larger size to dominate and destroy all other dragons he sees as a threat. By allying himself with Atma and Ashkore the two major threats he has carved himself a home in the belly of Krotida and pursues the destruction of the Dwarven strongholds and people that live within the mountain. Jarkore has even gone so far as to ally himself with the Duergar that covet the land and wealth of their Dwarven cousins using them as fodder to weaken the Dwarven defenses and keep them occupied while he builds his power and wealth.
The ritual refers to the ‘heart of the read’ which could be taken literally as Jarkore’s heart. It could also however refer to the large 2 ton ruby that sits in the center of the Dwarven underground stronghold as a symbol of their ties to Morradin. The Dwarves call this stone the hearthstone as it resembles a blazing ember left in a fire. Legends also say that it emits heat and is always warm to the touch. Jarkore has always prized this treasure above every other and is his sole reason for laying siege on the Dwarves within Krotida since the first day he laid eyes upon the enormous stone.
Atma ‘the vagabond’ is a wily black dragon who resembles a serpent more than an ancient dragon. Spending most of her time in the swamps south of Athrodeka she has always plotted the destruction of her enemies even before they knew they would be her enemies. Using ancient magics she peers into the future and tempts her enemies close in order to use them to her advantage before she destroys them utterly with treachery and malice.
My goal is to eventually have my player’s face a gargantuan red that I have had sitting on a shelf since I picked it up a few years ago. I have really wanted to use this ridiculously large miniature (if it can be called that) so many times but haven’t had the option to do so. I hope my players stand and fight it as it will be an epic combat that will be remembered for years at our table. Even if they choose to run it will be interesting to see how they react to the impact their cowardice will have on the world around them they have all come to know as home.
Rumandmonkey.com – Dragon Name Generator was used to generate the names of the dragons found on this page using the names of my player’s as the base names.
