Tyranny of Dragons was the first full D&D 5e campaign I ran, starting back in 2015. Here’s the write up from the 16th session in which the party went through the portal beneath Castle Naerytar to the hunting lodge, and Crake and Rosie were reunited with some old friends.
Begin here with Session 1 – Greenest in Flames.
2nd Eleint, 1490 DR
The characters head through the tunnels beneath Castle Naerytar to the portal. Hearing noise up ahead, Crake scouts ahead, spotting a huge frog-like creature with three eyes and four tentacles – a froghemoth! The great monstrosity grabs Crake and Turin in its tentacles, then swallows Gwastdyn (who is in bear form) and Rosie. Gwastdyn slashes at the creature from inside with his claws, doing enough damage for Crake to finish it off with a sneak attack. After a short rest, the party hold hands and step through the portal together.
They emerge between two standing stones somewhere in the forested Graypeak Mountains, far to the east. Crake recognises the hunting lodge nearby as belonging to Talis’ family. Moving into the cover of the trees, the PCs find themselves face to face with a pair of trolls and three ambush drakes. Gwastdyn conjures a pack of wolves, Ug terrifies one of the trolls with Abjure Enemy, and Turin casts fear to frighten off one of the drakes. The party take down the first troll and two of the drakes quickly, before turning on the second troll, thereby breaking Ug’s hold over it. Crake again delivers the killing blow.
The party check out the empty stables – large lizard or dragon-like creatures have been kept here until recently. Rosie, Turin, and the three surviving wolves check out the barn but decide not to open the doors when they hear drakes growling inside.
Crake uses his robe of useful items to conjure a ladder and he and Rosie climb up onto the roof, followed by Turin. They are spotted by two perytons who swoop down to attack. The others scramble up to join them, and drop through the hole in the roof into the armoury below. Entering the corridor, they open the door opposite into the Queen of Dragons Chamber with its fine tapestries. After searching for secret doors unsuccessfully, Turin casts invisibility on Crake so the rogue can scout around. Crake opens the door to a bathroom, followed by a bedchamber where a grey-haired warrior is asleep in his armour. He continues round the corridor, hearing voices behind a door in the southwest corner of the building.
As he returns to the party, Crake steps on a loose floorboard. Meanwhile, Turin has moved up to the southwest door and is caught just outside when it is flung open by a dragonwing cultist. Talis the White calls out to the adventurers, offering them the chance to “do business” but Rosie – who is peering round the door to the armoury – spots Maelgot, one of the mutinous crewmen from the Merman’s Cock, standing behind the dragonwing.
Battle is joined – Turin attacks the cultist in the doorway, Talis conjures an insect plague in the corridor, Rosie and Gwastdyn cast hunger of Hadar and flaming sphere into the room. Turin falls unconscious as the swarms of insects bite and scratch at him.
When Talis suggests they all stop fighting to parley, the characters agree, although it takes a while for Rosie, Maelgot and Sorvic to stop squaring up to each other. Ug casts cure wounds on Turin, bringing the bard round.
Talis explains she has a score to settle with both Rezmir and with Varram the White, who was made Wyrmspeaker by Severin the Red when that position was rightfully hers. She offers the characters a way to get inside Skyreach Castle so they can stop the transport of the cult’s treasure. Cultists under Rezmir’s command are using a cloud giant’s flying castle to ship the hoard south where it will be used as a gift to Tiamat when she is summoned to the Realms. Talis tells the party that Rezmir has something called the Black Dragon Mask, breathes acid, and wields a dark sword that can “drain souls”. When pressed for information about the castle, she reveals that Glazhael the Cloudchaser, a white dragon lives there, along with the cloud giants and several other giants. Rezmir is working alongside two Red Wizards.
After some deliberation, the characters agree to the deal. The grey-haired warrior, Wessic the Wizened, fetches a five-coloured banner. The party must show this on approach to the castle and give the pass phrase “Tiamat, our Mother and Strength”.
They are escorted out of the hunting lodge by the cultists. As they leave, they notice two demonic-looking stone statues in the hallway downstairs – one of them moves its head as they pass – and hear Wessic whisper something as they pass between the two ancient suits of elven armour flanking the doorway…
Before heading to Parnast where Skyreach Castle is waiting, the party camp in the forest, taking a long rest.
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Tiamat image by Michael Komarck
Richard Green | Game Designer 