Half-Dragon Champion

Before all the raiders depart, their champion challenges the town’s best warrior.
'From the darkness, a creature strides into the dim light of the dying fires around the keep. Although it is shaped roughly like a human, it is at least seven feet tall, its skin is covered in blue scales, its fingers bear wicked claws, and its face has the muzzle and reptilian eyes of a dragon. The creature stops about eighty yards from the main gate of the keep and scans the walls. A line of kobold dragonshields fans out behind it. With their spears, they prod four human prisoners into the dim light. You can make out a woman, a teenage boy in a blood-soaked tunic, and two children. Then the half-dragon creature hails the keep.'
“Defenders of Greenest! This has been a successful night, and I am feeling generous. Do you see these four pitiful, useless prisoners? We have no need for them, so I will trade them back to you. Send out your best warrior to fight me, and you can have these four in exchange.”
The speaker is Langdedrosa Cyanwrath, a half-blue dragon who serves the Cult of the Dragon. Cyanwrath has a personal troop of 14 kobold dragonshields. A character who makes a successful DC 17 Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Nature) check recognizes the creature as a half-dragon.
One of the defenders in the keep, Sergeant Markguth, recognizes the prisoners as his sister and her children, and he is ready to rush out into battle with the half-dragon. Ironbrow and a few other defenders restrain him while Nighthill approaches the characters.
“My friends, you’ve demonstrated your prowess all through this frightful night. I realize this is an awful burden to ask you to bear, but any of you has a better chance to defeat that horror than my militia have.”
If no one steps forward, Nighthill is disappointed but says he understands, and their refusal in no way diminishes what they’ve done so far. In that case, the woman’s brother goes out to face the half-dragon. He is a human guard. Select one of the players to control Sergeant Markguth for this fight or just narrate its result.
Cyanwrath is pleased to see a champion step forward. He agrees to these terms for the combat: The three children will be set loose immediately, but his dragonshields will continue to stand guard over the woman, and they will kill her if anyone interferes in the fight—for example, if archers in the keep let fly at him. Regardless of who wins, the woman will be released when the fight is over; and the victor will be the last one standing.
Governor Nighthill holds his troops in the keep during the combat. Adventurers can go out if they want, but the half-dragon insists that they keep their distance and stay between him and the fortress. If characters try to surround him or to edge into position for an ambush, he warns them that his kobolds won’t hesitate to kill the hostages if they see signs of treachery. The half-dragon is evil, but he has a deep sense of honor about one-on-one combat. He doesn’t intend any shenanigans, and he won’t allow any from his kobolds.
Cyanwrath is the likely winner of this match, whether he’s fighting Sergeant Markguth or a character. When his foe drops, he strikes one more time; the last blow kills Markguth or inflicts one death roll failure on a character. If Cyanwrath loses the fight, the kobolds immediately jump in to protect his body and carry it away. (Cyanwrath will recover from his wounds and be encountered again later.) If by some mischance Cyanwrath is killed or captured, his place in the dragon hatchery (chapter 3) is taken by another half-dragon.
With the fight over, the last of the raiders retreat en masse from the town into the darkness, marching away toward the southeast.
Rewards If a character steps up to the challenge and fights Cyanwrath, each party member earns 100 XP. If not, characters receive nothing for this encounter. A team of healers with healer’s kits and +4 bonuses to Wisdom (Medicine) checks attend to the wounded or dying character, and Governor Nighthill gratefully offers one potion of healing and one potion of greater healing to the wounded character. If characters do something that costs the life of a hostage, Governor Nighthill is furious with them and offers no more help.