Overview
This cave is part of an abandoned camp once inhabited by cultists of The Cult of the Dragon. After the cultists abandoned the camp, only the cave was left inhabited, with cultists and
kobolds defending a clutch of
dragon eggs. These eggs are important to the cult, but they were deemed too near to hatching to be moved safely when the cult abandoned the camp.
Rezmir left them with what he believed was an adequate guard force under Frulam Mondath and Langdedrosa Cyanwrath.
General Features
Ceilings
Cavern ceilings are 15 feet high. Ceilings in the
humans’ chambers (areas 11, 12, and 13) are 10 feet high.
Light
During daytime, areas 1 and 2 are brightly lit, and areas 3 and 4 are dimly lit by outside light. All other areas are in darkness unless the area notes otherwise.
Sound
The caverns are filled with faint sounds: dripping water, scratching rodents, scrabbling
lizards, wind moaning across the entrance. These normal underground sounds camouflage the clanks, thuds, coughs, and speech of the
kobolds and cultists. Sound echoes well along the main chamber (areas 1-5), so a fight in any of these can be heard in the others. Elsewhere, normal sounds echo confusingly and are lost in the background noise. The sound of a scream carries a long distance, however, and the sound of a fight travels through 30 feet of tunnel and attracts attention if the fight lasts more than 3 rounds.
Wandering Monsters
Kobolds move freely through the caverns, going about their business. Adventurers have a chance to randomly encounter these wandering kobolds. Roll a d6 every time adventurers enter or re-enter areas 3-10. On a roll of 1, monsters are present. Roll on the table below to determine what they meet. These randomly encountered monsters are added to any creatures mentioned in the area description.
Map Locations
1. Cave Entrance
The entrance to the cave is broad and tall, but the ceiling quickly lowers to a height of 15 feet. Standing guard inside the entrance are two
dragonclaws. They position themselves about 30 feet inside the cave and stay near the walls and the column, so that while they aren’t hidden, they aren’t conspicuous, either. Anyone who observes the cave from a distance spots one of the dragonclaws.
If adventurers approach openly through the abandoned camp, the dragonclaws spot them automatically and retreat toward area 2 in the cave, to set up an ambush. If adventurers approach the cave quietly from the sides, they won’t be spotted.
2. Concealed Passage
If the guards at the entrance spot adventurers approaching, they wait here until the adventurers come into view, then try to spring an ambush.
The passage at the end of this alcove is deeply shadowed and hidden by a cleverly cut fold in the rock. It’s obvious to anyone who walks to the end of the alcove, but from elsewhere in the cavern, it can be spotted only with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check.
The stairs down to area 3 are trapped.
3. Fungus Garden
The entrance to the cave ends here at a 10-foot drop-off. To your south, broad steps are roughly hewn into a natural stone ramp. The cavern below is carpeted with a profusion of fungi ranging from a few inches high to nearly as tall as a
human adult. Two paths lead through the fungi: one on the right and one on the left.
The
kobolds cultivate fungus in this cavern to supplement the meat brought in by the hunters. Mixed in among the mundane fungi are
violet fungi. The drop-off from area 2 is 10 feet high. The stairs are trapped.
Nothing distinguishes the paths to casual inspection. The path on the right is flanked by four
violet fungi, while the path on the left is free of these dangerous growths. The violet fungi can be spotted among all the other mushrooms with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check, but only from the base of the steps, not from atop the ledge. Likewise, a careful inspection of the path reveals that only the left trail sees heavy use.
The stairs are constructed so that the lowest steps collapse into a ramp that dumps a creature right at the base of the violet fungi. Roll any die as each creature descends the steps; on an odd roll, the creature triggers the trap. Anyone who is actively looking for a trap on the stairs can find the trapped step with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. The kobolds and guards know where to avoid stepping, of course.
4. Stirge Lair
Some fungus from area 3 dots this area, but chiefly it is the lair of a colony of
bats. Hidden among the bats are ten
stirges. The bats are present only from sunrise to sundown, but the stirges are always here. Normally the stirges prey on the plentiful bats and leave the cave’s other residents alone, but not always.
Adventurers notice dead bats on the floor (victims of the stirges). If that causes someone to look up, they see that the ceiling is carpeted with bats with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. To avoid startling the bats, creatures must proceed very quietly. This requires a successful DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check. If three or more creatures fail the check, the bats are alarmed by the noise, drop from the ceiling, and fly through the cavern in a blinding cloud of flapping and squeaking rodents. The bats present no danger, but their racket drowns out other noise and makes it impossible to see more than 5 feet. It also alerts the stirges, and the opportunistic bloodsuckers attack in the confusion. The stirges gain a +2 bonus to AC in the bat storm.
The bats calm down and return to their roosts on the ceiling after five minutes of quiet in area 4.
A
spear lies on the floor near the top of the steps leading to area 6.
Kobolds use this to bypass the trap at the bottom of the steps (see area 6).
5. Troglodyte Incursion
The floor drops down 10 feet at each ledge.
Kobolds use this portion of the cave as a trash dump. Along with normal sorts of refuse, such as broken pottery, rotted
baskets, and
rat-chewed rope, they’ve also thrown out items that appear useful from a distance: discarded clothes, worn boots, tattered books, cracked
lanterns, and so forth. Some of these items came from prisoners who died, and others were taken in treasure raids and later deemed to be unworthy of
Tiamat. Anyone viewing this area from the ledge see tantalizing glints of metal (belt buckles without belts) and parchment (books rendered illegible by water damage).
A strong, foul smell hangs in the air.
Troglodytes that live deeper beneath the ground have made incursions into the cave through narrow crevices. If adventurers give this area a cursory look and then leave, nothing happens here. If they spend time searching, then four
troglodytes attack.
A thorough search of the trash heap, taking 10 minutes, does find one worthwhile item: an overlooked
pouch of six
tiger eyes and eight
carnelians. The troglodytes have nothing that anyone would want near them.
6. Meat Locker
At the base of these steeply descending steps, a curtain hangs across the passage. It is made from hundreds of heavy leather strips, each about the width of a
human hand. The strips are fixed to the ceiling and are long enough to drag on the floor. The curtain extends from wall to wall. The leather comes from a variety of local animals and is badly cured. The curtain is several layers thick with no gaps, and is trapped.
The floor is covered with dried puddles of old blood. Four floor-to-ceiling columns are spaced across the chamber, and
chains have been strung between them like clothesline. Animal carcasses hang on hooks from the chains, including gutted and skinned
deer,
goats, and even a few
black bears.
This cavern is naturally cold. It hovers a few degrees above freezing year round, regardless of the season. Much of the meat brought in by the hunters feeds the cultists and the
kobolds, but the extra is stored here for eventual use when the
dragon eggs hatch and the ravenous hatchlings emerge. The carcasses range from very fresh to several months old. The meat is only cold, not frozen, so the older items are slowly going bad.
This cave contains nothing of value.
Hidden in the patches of fur still clinging to the leather strips of the curtain are hundreds of metal barbs about the size of large fishhooks. The barbs are coated with poison. Anyone who brushes through the curtain must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or take 1d10 poison damage, and the target’s hit point maximum is reduced by 5. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest.
A careful inspection of the leather strips coupled with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check finds barbs; they can’t be noticed otherwise. When kobolds use this stairway, they bring the
spear that’s kept in area 4. With it, they sweep the leather strips to the left side of the corridor and wedge the end of the spear shaft into an angled socket in the floor just inside area 6. This holds the leather strips safely out of the way while they move in and out of the chamber.
7. Drake Nursery
The short, wide passage between areas 4 and 7 is trapped. Simple
oil lanterns provide dim, flickering light. This chamber contains four
kobolds and one
kobold inventor. These creatures are in the upper part of the chamber.
The lower area is where cultists conducted the rituals to create their
guard drakes and then housed the creatures. The ledge is a sharp 10-foot drop-off. Wooden stairs descend at the right end of the ledge. A stout cage made of iron bars surrounds these steps to a height of 10 feet to prevent untrained
drakes from escaping up the steps. A key hangs on a peg at the top of the steps; it opens the locked gate at the bottom.
A rack along the southwest wall holds implements used in training the drakes: long poles with lassos at the end, used for snaring and controlling young drakes; leashes and collars; sharp prods; mock weapons made of wood;
human-sized dummies stitched out of cloth and stuffed with straw, with ridiculous expressions painted on their faces.
The lower area is heavily shadowed. Currently it holds two
guard drakes that are near the end of their training. Spotting these drakes from the ledge requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check; sweeping the pit with a
bullseye lantern grants advantage on this check. If anyone brings some raw meat to the ledge, the drakes think they’re about to be fed and advance into the light. If adventurers enter the pit, either by descending the steps or climbing down the ledge, the drakes attack.
If the drakes are spotted and attacked by adventurers on the ledge, they set up a howl that draws six
kobolds and three
kobold inventors from area 8. At least one of these try to get past the adventurers and unlock the gate at the bottom of the steps, letting the guard drakes join the battle as they’ve been trained to do.
A portion of the floor between areas 4 and 7 has been replaced with a sheet of
parchment cleverly painted to resemble the surrounding stone. It can be spotted incidentally with a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, or automatically by someone who is systematically tapping the floor ahead with a pole or other tool. Beneath the parchment sheet is a shallow pit (about 2 feet deep) lined with poisoned spikes. Each time an adventurer moves between areas 4 and 7, roll a d10. On a roll of 1 or 2, that adventurer's foot has gone through the trap. The adventurer takes 1d4 piercing damage from the spikes and must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw against poison. On a failed save, the adventurer is affected as by a
confusion spell for one minute (10 rounds). On a successful save, the adventurer is affected as by a
confusion spell for 1 round. The effect is not magical.
8. Kobold Barracks
Thin mattresses of straw covered with badly cured furs form small beds that are haphazardly positioned around the chamber.
Rats and small
lizards scurry through the food scraps and moldy wine skins littering the floor.
The steps down from area 7 are trapped. Area 8 is the
kobolds’ living quarters. It was a natural cavern, but it has been enlarged and smoothed in a crude manner. Unless they already responded to noise in area 7, this area contains six
kobolds and five
kobold inventors. They are off duty, so they aren’t being especially alert. Use their passive Wisdom (Perception) scores to determine whether they react to noises. Flickering
oil lantern provide dim illumination.
A search of the room takes 10 minutes and turns up 38 gp, 152 sp, and 704 cp sorted into eighty-eight stacks of exactly eight copper coins each. Dozens of
dragon-themed talismans and amulets are carved from bone, soapstone, wood, and ivory. The workmanship on most of them is terrible, but four have a unique, if savage, artistic flair. They are each worth 10 gp each.
The top step is rigged to drop a portion of the ceiling in area 7. As each adventurer enters the staircase, roll any die. On an odd roll, the adventurer steps in the wrong spot and triggers the trap. The ceiling collapses above the next adventurer in line. That adventurer takes 4d4
bludgeoning damage from falling rocks; the damage is halved if the adventurer makes a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. Every adventurer within 5 feet takes 2d4 bludgeoning damage, or half that with a successful saving throw.
An adventurer who is actively looking for a trap on the stairs can find the trapped step with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. The collapsible ceiling is spotted incidentally with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.
The kobolds in areas 8 and 9 hear the commotion if the trap is set off.
9. Dragon Shrine
This chamber has been enlarged and reshaped from its original form. The floor and three of the walls are smooth, and stalactites and stalagmites have been polished into gleaming columns. Every surface glistens with moisture, and the air is warm and humid. The flat walls of the chamber are decorated with shallow abstract carvings of
dragons. Dragons’ tails coil into intricate patterns and knots that flow across the walls. The creature portrayed in the northwest corner stands out: a five-headed dragon, rising from an erupting volcano. Other dragons, which seem dwarfed by the five-headed monstrosity, flock to its side. A wooden
chest with silver inlays sits on the floor in the corner, in front of the monstrous dragon carving.
This cave is a shrine to
Tiamat, but with an emphasis on her black dragon head and on
black dragons in general. It also contains many Cult of the Dragon icons, and a devious trap for the unwary. Flickering
oil lanterns provide dim light.
Langdedrosa Cyanwrath (LE male
blue dragonborn veteran) occupies the shrine, and he is joined by two
human berserkers. He will address intruders before attacking them. The creatures in area 10 are not drawn to this fight. They hide and wait to see who wins. When the fight is over, adventurers have time to investigate the room.
The five-headed dragon is Tiamat, and the volcano is the Well of Dragons, where the Cult of the Dragon intends to bring Tiamat into the world. The
Well of Dragons is located at the northern extreme of the
Sunset Mountains. Most adventurers should recognize Tiamat from folktales and know she was banished to the Nine Hells long ago and remains imprisoned there. There is no way to tell from the carvings where the volcano is located, or to know if it’s meant to be a prediction of events to come or just a birth metaphor for the queen of evil dragons.
The chest is locked and trapped. Adventurers can open it with the key from area 11, or the
lock can be picked with a successful DC 10 Dexterity (
Thieves' Tools) check. Unless the check result is 15 or higher, however, it sets off the trap when the chest opens.
If adventurers spend 10 minutes or more studying the carvings, they can learn two things. First, black dragons are overrepresented. Almost half the dragons shown appear to be black dragons. Wyrmspeaker
Rezmir favors them over all other types. Second, a detailed search coupled with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check spots that many of the black dragon carvings have holes in their mouths.
A passage in the southwest corner of the shrine chamber leads to a chute that rises 30 feet up to area 11. A rope ladder is fixed at the top; a rug covers the opening.
The holes in the dragons’ mouths are nozzles for a trap that sprays acidic mist. The trap has two triggers. The first is under the chest in the northwest corner. If the chest is moved, the trap goes off. The second is in the chest. If it is forced open, or if the lock is inexpertly picked (a Dexterity result of 14 or less), the trap goes off.
When the trap is triggered, everyone in the chamber must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 acid damage from the acid sprayed onto them (half as much damage on a successful saving throw). The real danger from the acid is not to the adventurers’ skin, however, but to their lungs. Everyone must also succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 2d8 extra acid damage.
The chest contains a few of the choicest items seized during the cult’s recent treasure raids. Mondath persuaded Rezmir to let her keep them, and she promised to bring them with her when she travels north for the ceremony at the Well of Dragons. In truth, she wanted something to fall back on if everything went sour (she never mentioned that last part to Rezmir). Inside are a string of pearls (300 gp), a gold-and-sapphire ring (900 gp), and a
pouch containing six
jets. The ring and the pearls were taken from Greenest and would be
recognized by anyone from there, but the stones came from elsewhere and would be difficult to identify. If the items from Greenest are returned, their owners will pay a reward worth 25 percent of their value (300 gp).
10. Dragon Hatchery
The chamber that opens at the bottom of the stairs is immense. A wide ledge runs along the left wall and drops away to a pit on the right. Many stalactites descend from the ceiling, and the sound of dripping water echoes continuously.
This chamber holds three eggs that
Rezmir hoped to hatch into a new brood of
dragons. They have not hatched yet but they will very soon, which is why Rezmir was unwilling to move them when the camp packed up and left. Instead, she left them under the care of Mondath and the
kobolds. The chamber is dark; the kobolds extinguished their lights when they heard fighting in area 9.
The lower portion of the room (10a) is 15 feet below the ledge. Wooden steps have been built down to the lower floor. As in room 7, the steps are enclosed in a stout iron cage with a gate at the bottom. The key to the gate hangs on a wall peg opposite the top of the stairs. As soon as adventurers advance into the room as far as the top of the stairs, they come under attack from the kobolds hiding in 10b.
From the ledge, adventurers can just make out the shapes of large eggs (each egg is nearly three feet tall) in the darkness below. The cavern extends into darkness beyond the range of their light. They need to go down the stairs and explore the area directly to discover its full extent. Anyone standing along the ledge can discern many large, dark stains on the rough floor at the base of the ledge, but what caused them is not apparent.
10a. Black Dragon Eggs
This area is warm and humid. After adventurers look closely at the floor, they can determine that the stains are blood, and some of them are fresh. They come from the meat the
kobolds toss down here.
Huddled in the shadows at the far edges of the room or behind the natural columns are two
guard drakes trained to protect the
dragon eggs. They don’t attack as soon as adventurers come through the gate but wait until the adventurers have moved into the chamber. The drakes’ first priority is to protect the eggs. Their second priority is to get between the intruders and the steps to prevent them from escaping. Unless adventurers climb down into 10a without using the stairs, they trigger the
kobolds’ attack before exploring this area.
Mixed in among the stalactites near the southeast corner of the room is a
roper. It doesn’t attack the kobolds or guard drakes because the kobolds feed it spoiled meat that the guard drakes won’t eat. If attacked, it fights back. It can reach anywhere in area 10 with its tentacles, and it can also move at speed 10. It is currently full and curious about strangers, however, so it’s more likely to approach them with curiosity then attack. Its only real concern is food. If given any food, it lets the adventurers go about their business while it creeps away to eat.
A total of three dragon eggs are spread throughout the area. Each is about three feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. Two of them are easy to spot just by walking through the room with a light source. The third is tucked into a pile of similar-colored stones behind one of the columns, making it easy to miss. When adventurers search the room, have everyone make a Wisdom (Perception) check. Only an adventurer who
rolls 15 or higher notices the egg in its camouflaged nest. Looking at a dragon egg, an adventurer can determine the color of dragon with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) check.
If the eggs are left here, they hatch in less than a week. If they are taken away, whether they hatch depends on how they are stored and treated. Away from a warm, humid environment such as this chamber, their progress halts until they are again in a suitable incubator. The dragons can be killed easily if the eggs are smashed, crushed, or stabbed. If an egg is simply cracked open, the infant dragon struggles for breath, cries and squirms like a
human baby for a few minutes, and then dies.
10b. Kobolds in Hiding
The floor of this area is about 10 feet below the ledge. The four
kobolds who tend the eggs hid in this depression when they heard the fight break out in area 9. When adventurers approach within 25 feet of the ledge overlooking 10b (when they come in line with the top of the stairs to 10a), two kobolds toss glue bombs and the other two toss fire bombs. They do the same thing on the next round, and then scramble up their makeshift ladder and attack.
For the glue bomb, each creature within 10 feet of the bomb’s target point must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw or be restrained. The target or another creature within reach of it can use an action to make a DC 11 Strength (Athletics) check; if the check succeeds, the effect
on the target ends.
For the fire bomb, each creature within 10 feet of the bomb’s target point must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw or take 1d8 fire damage (half as much damage on a successful saving throw).
11. Frulam Mondath's Chamber
Spread open on one of the tables is a simple map of the
Green Fields area. An arrow is sketched in from the Green Fields toward the west and the town of
Beregost on the Trade Way, where the arrow turns north. A separate sheet of
paper that is covered with numerals in columns contains the note, “Everything must be freighted north to
Castle Naerytar.
Rezmir allowed us to keep some pearls, a ring, and a handful of small stones.” Other papers are of less interest; most of them have bad poetry about
dragons.
Frulam Mondath (LE female
Tethyrian human priest) moved into this simple but comfortable chamber when the camp was abandoned. If no fight has occurred with the guards in area 12 and adventurers enter this chamber from area 9, then Mondath is here when they arrive. Guards in area 12 hear whatever happens in this chamber and respond dutifully.
The chamber contains a writing desk and stool, several tables with books and papers, and a mirror on a floor stand. A key unlocking the
chest in area 9 sits on the desk. Light comes from two
oil lanterns. Thick rugs completely cover the floor, including an open chute that drops down to area 9. A rope ladder is fixed in the chute for climbing up and down, but nothing marks the position of the open, 3-foot-wide hole when it is covered by rugs. The slight depression it causes in the rug can be noticed with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. If someone steps on the chute without knowing it’s there, the adventurer must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. Success means the character hops off the rug before it collapses through the hole, or grabs the top of ladder as he or she falls; failure means the character plunges 30 feet down the chute into area 9, taking 3d6 bludgeoning damage from the fall.
The smaller chamber off the main one contains a bed, a
chest containing Mondath's clothes, and a second chest containing Mondath’s Cult of the Dragon regalia. With this regalia, one person (preferably a
human woman, but the clothing can be adjusted to fit a man) can be outfitted as a Wearer of Purple.
If a fight breaks out in area 12 and four of the guards from that chamber retreat here to defend Mondath, her response is based on the state of the attackers. If the fight in the barracks takes a heavy toll on adventurers, she decides to confront them here. If the attackers plow through her forward guards, Mondath retreats down the chute to area 9 and join forces with Cyanwrath or flees from the cave. She has dedicated her life to the Cult of the Dragon, but she isn’t eager to die for the cult. Mondath knows that the Cult is amassing treasure in the north and that Rezmir spoke often of
Tiamat, but that is the extent of her knowledge of the larger plan.
12. Guard Barracks
The guards who remained behind with Mondath use this chamber as their barracks. At any given time, there are three
guards and six
cultists in here, asleep or relaxing. If fighting against the guards from area 1 pushes near the passage to area 12, roll a d20; the guards here investigate the sound on a roll of 12 or higher. Otherwise they stay here, mostly oblivious to what’s going on elsewhere.
If adventurers enter this chamber from area 2, the guards react quickly. Two of the guards and five of the cultists fight the adventurers here while one guard and three of the cultists retreat to area 11 to protect Frulam Mondath.
The cultists’ scabbards are decorated with
dragon symbols. They are worth about 5 gp each. Aside from their gear, the guards have a total of 120 gp.
13. Treasure Storage
This chamber is now mostly empty, except for a few overturned
crates, broken items, scattered coins, and one
cultist who is sleeping soundly on the floor after consuming several bottles of wine. He won’t wake up from anything less than vigorous shaking, and it will be several hours before he is coherent. There are a total of 16 gp that have been left in this room.
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