This adventure is designed for the Storm King’s The Zhentarim hails the party in a friendly manner,

Thunder campaign, and is meant to enhance your and Elathian, who speaks for the group, asks if the
party’s connection to important events and NPCs. party has seen a dragon flying around. He explains
While it is intended for a party of around 6th level, the that a dragon has been attacking trade caravans in the
nature of the quest is such that it fits easily with a area, and that he and his companions have decided to
higher level as well. It will put your players in contact try and catch the beast. This, of course, isn't the whole
with Felgolos, the bronze dragon that is encountered in truth: Elathian and his thugs are actually Zhentarim
Chapter 9 of Storm King’s Thunder, as well as the operatives, and answer to Nalaskur Thaelond,
ancient dragon Iymrith, who plays a prominent role in innkeeper at the Zhentarim-run Bargewright Inn in
the main plot. the Dessarin Valley. They bear no insignia alluding to
Of course, you can also change names and locations this fact.
to make this adventure fit into any other campaign If the party show any interest, Elathian will tell them
world – as long as it has dragons and deserts. Enjoy! that their prey is a bronze dragon mockingly called ‘the
Flying Misfortune’ for its clumsiness. He’ll also offer
the party members 100 gold pieces each if they help
Synopsis him catch it. If the party accepts, he hopes to have
This adventure starts when the party encounters a them take the majority of the punishment if/when the
group of Zhentarim agents out to capture a dragon that dragon is encountered.
has been attacking the Black Network’s caravans.
While speaking with the party, the dragoncatchers are Enter the Dragon
surprised by their prey: the bronze dragon Felgolos.
After (hopefully) defeating the Zhentarim, Felgolos Whether the party decides to move on, join up with the
asks the party to accompany him to the ancient dragoncatchers or hostilities commence, Felgolos
dwarven ruins of Ascore, the lair of two blue dragons judges the interaction a suitable distraction for
who have stolen one of Felgolos' prized possessions. mounting his attack against the Zhentarim. With
In Ascore, the party and Felgolos will have to sneak usual clumsiness, the adult bronze dragon come
through the ruins or face the dragons in open combat, crashing through the canopy, immediately using his
in order to pilfer their hoards and leave with Felgolos’ lightning breath against as many Zhentarim targets as
treasure (and perhaps a bit more!). possible, while roaring: 'You Zhentarim scum think
you'll catch Felgolos, the bronze avenger? I'll fry you,
and your stolen wares!'
Dragoncatchers
The adventure can start at any point you want it to,
but ideally it starts while the party is travelling down
a well-used trade road, such as the High Road,
Evermoor Way or the Delimbiyr Road, in no great
hurry to reach anywhere. Read or paraphrase the
following, when you are ready to start:

As the road takes you through a dense patch of

forest, you see a horse-drawn carriage coming
towards you. In the front sits a gaudily dressed,
slick-looking high elf male and a sturdy, red-haired
dwarven woman wearing heavy armor. Alongside
the carriage walks four leather clad men, each with
a morningstar at his belt and a heavy crossbow
slung from a large backpack.

The four leather clad men (NE male human thugs of

various ethnicities) are each carrying a netlauncher
(see the Items section on page 9). The pair in the front
of the wagon are Elathian Ellindil (NE male elf mage)
and Berka Goldhop (N female dwarf veteran carrying
a battleaxe and a handaxe instead of swords).

1
 Felgolos
Known to his friends as ‘The Flying Misfortune,’
Development
Felgolos has an uncanny and seemingly effortless If the party aids Felgolos in defeating the Zhentarim,
ability to imperil himself and others around him the bronze dragon thanks them, and explains that he’s
with his recklessness. He's also quite clumsy and a been attacking (and confiscating) Zhentarim caravans
bit awkward socially. He means well, however. for a while now. However, the Zhentarim are getting
When he uses his Change Shape ability, he prefers anxious to catch him – as evidenced by the
to assume the form of a ruddy-skinned halfling with dragoncatchers – and he’s considering laying low for a
curly, bronze-colored hair or a young human lad while. This coincides nicely with meeting the party,
with blond hair and sunbronzed skin. and if they’re willing, he’d like their help to cause some
Felgolos is no friend of the Black Network. Any even greater mischief.
party member affiliated with the Zhentarim can, A few years ago, Felgolos’ lair was raided by a pair of
with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (History) check, blue dragons, hailing from the desert of Anauroch.
recall tales of a dragon that matches Felgolos' Among other things, they stole Felgolos’ most prized
description attacking Zhentarim caravans and possession: a silver pouch of exquisite pipe weed called
snatching their wagons, beasts of burden and all. In Yondalla's Delight. Felgolos doesn’t care about the rest
fact, Felgolos has a large collection of Zhentarim of the dragons’ treasures, and offers the party all the
wagons and isn't afraid to admit it. He won't part loot they can carry, if they’ll help him get his pipe weed
with any of them, however, because he considers the back, which is supposedly sacred to the halfling
wagons and their cargo as his treasure. He targets goddess Yondalla, whom he claims was a dear friend of
Zhentarim caravans specifically because he knows his father. He would do it himself, but the two dragons
the Black Network's sinister reputation and delights are stronger than him, and he fears that his bad luck
in frustrating the Zhents' plans. and clumsiness would get him captured if he tried the
feat alone.
Storm King’s Thunder p. 192 If some or all of the party attacked him, he’ll be angry
with them, and might attempt to intimidate them into
helping him with his quest instead of courteously
Throughout the fight, Felgolos focuses his attention extending the offer. He’ll call it penance for their ill-
on the Zhentarim, and tries to remain airborne and chosen loyalties, but still present them with the same
away from dangerous melee attacks. If the party takes generous offer.
up arms against Felgolos, or don’t intervene at all,
Felgolos urges them to ‘attack the black-hearted scum’,
quickly explaining that they are Zhentarim, carrying
Travelling to Ascore
smuggled wares. If the party agrees, Felgolos waits for them at the
The thugs use their netlaunchers to attempt to snare western edge of the Anauroch desert, where the road
Felgolos and bring him to the ground, while Elathian between Arn Forest and Vordrorn Forest end at a pair
casts greater invisibility on himself, before hurling of large gates set in a mountain ridge. Be prepared, this
magic missiles and other spells at the evasive dragon. could be a long and hard journey across the continent,
Berka quaffs a potion of flying and attempts to go into but there’s no time constraint on Felgolos’ quest, so
melee range with Felgolos. that’s perfectly okay.
If the Zhentarim are obviously losing, they'll flee Alternatively, if you deem the journey too long and
before dying for a lost cause. Any remaining thugs will boring, have Felgolos pick up the carriage with the
flee if both Elathian and Berka are defeated, and either party in it, and fly them directly to the gates of Ascore.
of the two officers will flee if all their men have been Felgolos’ can fly up to 72 miles each day while carrying
killed. If Felgolos is reduced to under half hit points by the wagon this way. To spice up the journey, you can
the assault, and the party aren't helping him, he will use the Random Aerial Encounters Table on page 134
attempt a swift, airborne escape. of Storm King’s Thunder.
Treasure. Each thug carries a heavy crossbow, a
netlauncher, leather armor, a morningstar, and a
pouch with 1d10 gold pieces. Elathian carries a ring of
resistance (lightning), that he’s acquired for the
occasion, as well as 3 garnets and 5 tourmalines worth
100gp each. Berka has a battleaxe, a handaxe, a heavy
crossbow and a suit of splint armor if it hasn’t been
ruined, plus 50 gold pieces and 8 silver pieces. She also
has a potion of flying (if she hasn't consumed it) and a
potion of greater healing. The carriage is empty except
for 40 crossbow bolts, 12 days of rations, a bottle of fine
Cormyrean Plumwine and a whole casket of ale.

2
3
 succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence (History) check will
Ascore recognize the stonework of the plinths as several
Ascore was once an aboveground dwarven settlement, millennia old dwarven handiwork (dwarves have
that overlooked the edge of an ocean and fielded advantage on this check). Oddly, the dragon statue
massive stone ships fueled by dwarven magic. perching on one of these plinths is clearly not of
However, several millennia ago, when the desert of dwarven make, and seems out of the place. The statue
Anauroch swallowed up all the vitality and moisture of is actually a gargoyle created by Iymrith, the Doom of
the land, and dark perils swarmed the area, the the Desert, which might come into play later, but at the
dwarves abandoned the ancient city. The remaining present moment does nothing (see the Running Ascore
ruins are now home to two adult blue dragons, section on page 8).
Anaxaster and Chezzaran, who are the children of the Underground Passage. The large stone doors can
Doom of the Desert, the ancient blue dragon Iymrith. be opened with a strong push, revealing a passageway
that goes underground for nearly a mile before opening
up into the ancient ruins of Ascore.
General Features Tunnel Collapse. As the party travel through the
The ruins of Ascore has the following general features: underground passageway, a minor quake shakes the
Temperature. During the midday temperatures in tunnel. Each member of the party must succeed on a
the Anauroch desert can reach more than 100 degrees DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, or take 3d10
Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celsius. This is extreme heat bludgeoning damage from rocks and boulders falling
(DMG p. 110), but you only need to concern yourself from the stone ceiling. The tunnel remains passable,
with this if the party remains in the city for more than albeit littered with stones.
an hour.
Buildings. All the ruined buildings in Ascore has
walls and roofs, unless otherwise noted in their
1. Guardhouse
description.
This windswept building used to be a guardhouse. Now
Light. There are no light sources in the city, as none
it's little more than four walls and a ceiling protruding
of the creatures dwelling within need them. During the
from the sand. The door has been swept away as well,
day, this is not an issue, but the desert nights are pitch
leaving an open doorway into the squat, stone building.
black.
The floor of the guardhouse is covered in inches of
sand. The room is otherwise empty, and the walls are
Entrance bare except for some odd-looking runes carved into the
back wall of the building.
When the party arrives at the end of the road leading Riddle in the Runes. A character who inspects the
to Ascore, read or paraphrase the following: scribblings can tell that they were hastily carved, and
a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that
As you proceed east along the trade road, the they were probably carved with a sharp blade, and not
temperature seems to rise, the air around you proper mason's tools. Any character that reads
becomes dryer, and finally a mountain ridge appears dwarven can decipher the ancient dialect written on
on the horizon. Drawing closer, you spot the tall the back wall. They read: 'Brother of Delzoun, woe has
stone gates that block the road's passage into the befallen us. Dumathoin guard our heart now.'
vast desert of Anauroch. On each side of the massive A dwarven character knows Dumathoin as the
doors are long lines of marble plinths. Only one of dwarven god of secrets and protector of the dead, as
these, the one nearest to the door on the left side, does anyone who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence
has a statue perched upon it: an eight-foot-tall (Religion) check.
dragon cut from black stone.
2. Armory
If Felgolos didn’t accompany the party on the journey,
he is waiting for them in his halfling form, sitting on This building was once an armory, protected by a
one of the empty plinths smoking an obsidian pipe strong stone door. Now the door lies buried beneath the
(which is, sadly, not stuffed with Yondalla’s Delight). sand, and the roofless building is open to anyone. Knee-
Even though Felgolos could easily fly above the tall high piles of sand covers most of the floor, with plenty
mountain ridges, he accompanies the party on foot, of bits and pieces of broken or melted metal scattered
fearing that flying too close to the dragons' lairs will throughout.
alert them to his presence. He remains in halfling form Treasure. There's little left of the many armaments
until it is absolutely necessary for him to reveal his that used to be kept here, but if the party takes at least
true form. five minutes to perform an investigation of the place,
Marble Plinths. All the plinths used to have they'll find two battleaxes buried deep in the sand, as
dwarven statues set upon them, but these have been well as an ornate breastplate, inlaid with mithral and
lost to the wear and tear of time. Any character dwarven runes. That these items have survived the

4
wear and tear of the times is a testament to their 5a. Anointment Chamber
excellent make.
The small chamber leading into the shrine was
originally a wash chamber, and has a small wash basin
3. Scorpions' Lair along the wall. The wash basin contains a thin sludge
– a mixture between sand and holy water. The walls
There's nearly nothing left of this old building, except are carved with the depictions of dwarven deities
for the western wall. In the corner of the wall is a large (discernible by a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check).
pile of dried wood, hay, pieces and bits of sacks and Above the basin, faint dwarven runes carved into the
clothing, and dead shrubbery. If any character goes to walls read: ‘Clear eyes have a true sight.’ A character
disturb the pile, two giant scorpions appear from can can still get 'clear eyes' by washing their face and
beneath the sand and attack. They will fight to the eyes with the mud in the wash basin, or by using some
dead to protect their young who are nested in the pile of their own holy water, if they have it.
of debris, but won't chase the party if they flee.
5b. Dumathoin's Altar
4. Destroyed Building This square chamber contains one all-encompassing
feature – a large obsidian pyramid that rises three feet
Like the other buildings of ancient Ascore, the walls of
from the stone floor in the middle of the chamber. Its
this large building are extensively damaged. However,
tip is flat, offering itself as a pedestal to a small object.
much of this damage seems to be newer damage, more
The pyramid doesn't stand on the floor, but continues
likely the result of physical violence than just the
beneath it for several feet, and weighs more than a
passage of time. The roof is also collapsed in places, as
thousand pounds. Abjuration magic emanates from the
if something fell upon it.
pyramid, if anyone uses detect magic or a similar spell
Dead Adventurers. Inside, the building is littered
to discern such things.
with broken stones and ancient debris. Buried
Any dwarf, or a character who succeeds on a DC 15
underneath stones lie three rotting corpses: a brown-
Intelligence (Religion) check, will recognize that the
haired halfling male (Edgar Appleseed), a human
obsidian pyramid is meant to look like a mountain, and
woman clad in leather (Talisa Neerma) and an older
if a gemstone were placed on the top of it, it would
woman wearing brown robes (Dolores). These three
accurately depict the holy symbol of Dumathoin, the
were part of a four-man-adventuring party that got
dwarven god of buried secrets. Additionally, any
caught by the dragons. Their fourth member, the
character that washed their eyes with holy water
wizard Harald, ensconced himself in another building
recently, perhaps prompted by the runes in the
(area 8) before blowing himself and a pursuing
anointment chamber, can see through the sides of the
gargoyle up with a fireball.
pyramid as if they were clear glass. Inside is a slender
Any character who inspects the three bodies here and
obsidian pedestal, upon which rests a medallion set
succeed on a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or
with a beautiful green stone.
Wisdom (Medicine) check, can discern that the bodies
If a character places a gemstone or similar valuable
have been there for several weeks at least, but not more
object worth at least 100 gold pieces on the pyramid's
than two months. Additionally, the leather clad woman
rounded top, the object magically disappears (as an
has been bit in her left thigh by a big creature (the blue
offering to Dumathoin), and the pyramid opens up like
dragon Chezzaran caught her with his teeth) and the
a blossoming flower. The pyramid otherwise can't be
halfling appears to have been burned or scorched by
damaged, destroyed or opened. It closes again after a
something (Anaxaster hit him with her lightning
minute.
breath).
Treasure. If the party manages to open the pyramid,
Treasure. The greedy dragons have pilfered
they can take the medallion of thoughts that lies on the
anything magical the trio once had, but the older
pedestal within.
woman is wearing a golden heart symbol of Sune, the
goddess of love and beauty (worth 250gp), around her
neck, and the halfling has a hidden pouch in his left 6. Residence
boot – which only will be revealed by a thorough search
– containing 78gp, 20sp and a small wooden figure This building used to be a residence, although it bears
depicting a beautiful halfling woman. no signs of the creatures who once dwelled within.

5. Dumathoin's Shrine 6a. Living Room

The first chamber of this two-room building is empty,
The vaulted roof of this ruined building is held up by but a quick investigation will reveal signs of battle
crumbling walls that have gaping holes. The decerpid within the last few months: scrapes on one wall, scorch
walls offer many potential entrances, and allows the marks on another, the tip of a broken blade and
party to circumvent the intended northern entrance. scattered stones.

5
6b. Bedroom Roll on the Treasure Hoard: Challenge 11-16 table in
chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to determine
The heavy stone door into the next room is intact, and
the content of each hoard. If you feel like your party
is closed, but not locked. Within the room is a gruesome
might actually defeat both dragons and get an
scene: a scorched human corpse, several months old,
undisturbed go at the hoards, you can also roll only
lying underneath bits of pieces of a dragon statue. The
once on the table, and split the items and gold between
wizard Harald chose to cast a fireball upon himself and
the two hoards.
the gargoyle that was chasing him. The roof has a big
The party might find themselves in a hurry, when
hole in it, which is where the gargoyle entered.
they get access to the hoards, with dragons fast on their
Treasure. Most of the wizard's belongings were
tail. The party can pilfer through a treasure hoard,
either incinerated in the fireball or destroyed by the
using one action to take a single significant object,
gargoyle, but his spellbook survived the ordeal. The
scoop 1000gp worth of random valuables into a bag, or
spellbook contains all the spells a mage has prepared,
attempt to find the small pouch of pipe weed with a DC
and is secured with a glyph of warding that can only be
10 Wisdom (Perception) check (which is stashed in
discerned with a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation)
Chezzaran’s hoard).
check or a spell such as detect magic or identify. The
If the party gains access to a dragon's lair while it is
glyph is inscribed upon the front of the book, and deals
still sleeping, they can attempt to pilfer valuables from
5d8 fire damage in a 20-foot radius to anyone who
the hoard without waking the dragon. Each time a
opens the book without saying the word 'knowledge' in
creature takes one item from the hoard, have them roll
draconic (DC 15 Dex save halves this damage). The
a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check against the
players have no way of knowing this password, besides
dragon’s passive Perception (with advantage because it
using divination spells such as speak with dead, but
is sleeping).
can use a knife to destroy the glyph with a DC 15
Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check (a failure triggers the
glyph) or dispelling it with dispel magic. 9a. Anaxaster's Lair
This immense stone ship lies broken in half atop the
7. Dock's Office golden sands. It is ancient beyond counting, and it is
almost impossible to fathom that it once sailed,
There's barely anything left of this ancient building, so
considering its massive, heavy stone frame. Anaxaster,
badly have the walls been eroded by the sand and the
preferring the open air, has made the broken hull her
passage of time. If a character takes the time to
lair, and stores her portion of the hoard here, on the
investigate the walls, they'll find scribblings in
lower deck. The upper deck rises five feet above the
dwarven detailing something that looks like docking
lower deck, and is accessible by two small, stone stairs.
and cargo fees – revealing the fact that this was once a
Boarding the ship. There's three obvious ways to
dock.
enter the ship.
8. Dock The ship's railing sits only five feet above the ruined
docks, allowing any creature with a Strength score of
Two immense stone docks protrude from the sand here, 10 or higher and 10 feet of running start to jump from
extending out over a 30-foot cliff. The docking bridges the dock to the ship's railing (where it'll have to pull
are severely damaged, but otherwise safe to traverse. itself up with a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check).
The cliff itself is sandy and strewn with rocks. A Creatures with a Strength score lower than 10 must
creature can easily traverse the cliff if taking its time succeed on a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to make
(moving only 5 feet per round), but if a creature the jump, dropping 30 feet to the sand below on a failed
attempts to climb the cliff quickly (half movement check.
speed), it must succeed on a DC 15 Athletics check, or A creature can also attempt to climb the hull from
tumble to the bottom of the cliff, taking 2d6 below, a feat that is only possible using climbing
bludgeoning damage and landing prone. equipment and a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check or
spells such as spider climb.
9. Dragon Lairs Alternatively, a creature can pass around the
shipwreck, and climb the sand dune up unto the ship's
Anaxaster and Chezzaran have made their separate deck. This doesn't require a check, but the sand dune
lairs in two huge, stone ships that lie ruined and is difficult terrain.
forgotten on a bed of sand, that was an ocean several Gargoyles. Upon the railing sits four gargoyles,
millennia ago. created by the ancient blue dragon Iymrith (Anaxaster
Dragon Hoards. The dragons have separate hoards and Chezzaran's mother) and made to look like blue
in their lairs. Anaxaster’s treasure hoard is hidden in dragons. The gargoyles keep a keen watch on anyone
plain view on the deck of the broken ship (area 9A), approaching the two ships-made-lairs. The open
while Chezzaran’s hoard is in the southern end of the terrain of the desert allows them to notice any creature
overturned ship he uses as his lair (area 9B). that comes close to the cliff, unless that creature goes

6
to great lengths to be stealthy, such as being invisible
or crawling along the sand (in which case that
Adjusting the Challenge
character must make a stealth check against the This side quest is meant for characters around 5th
gargoyles' passive perception of 10). to 7th level, under the assumption that they won't
If the gargoyles spot the party, they attack when try to face both dragons head on. If you think they
their foes are on the docking bridge, or while they are will do just that, you might want to reduce the
attempting to climb up the hull. The malicious challenge a bit:
creatures prefer to handle any intruders on their own, Young Dragons. In the campaign book for Storm
but if three or more of them fall, one of the remaining King’s Thunder, the bronze dragon Felgolos and the
gargoyles fly upwards in an attempt to warn Anaxaster two blue dragons Anaxaster and Chezzaran are all
and Chezzaran that thieves have entered their domain. adult dragons. You can easily make this side quest
less deathly by having all three dragons involved in
this adventure be young dragons instead.
9b. Chezzaran's Lair Exertion. When the players face the two blue
dragons, the dragons are either coming back from a
This ship lies bottom-up, presenting a towering, curved
friendly fight in the sky, or waking up from a deep
hull, that rises more than 30 feet above the hot sand.
slumber. This could mean that the dragons' breath
Chezzaran's lair is quite cool compared to the desert
attacks are expended and they can't take legendary
outside and the hole in the hull above allows only a dim
actions. This levels the playing field significantly.
light to spread within. Chezzaran likes to sleep in the
cool, dark cave of the empty hull, and it is also here he check. The dragons are not being very vigilant, but can
stores his treasures. still faintly see what is going on below. For each 10
Boarding the ship. There's two obvious ways to minutes the party spends in the open – or just
enter the ship. whenever you think it's appropriate – have the dragons
On the top of the curved hull is a large hole, which is make a DC 25 Wisdom (Perception) check to see if they
also Chezzaran's main entrance into his lair. A notice the adventurers below. If the party take steps to
creature can easily climb down into the lair using a hide themselves from eyes in the sky, such as
rope, if it has anything to tie it to, or someone to hold camouflaging themselves with grey or brown cloaks,
it. Otherwise, a creature can choose to drop 30 feet to the dragons have disadvantage on this check.
the sand below. Nighttime Approach. During the night, the two
The railing of the ship is buried about two feet into dragons rest in their respective lairs. This enables the
the sand, which makes for an extensive digging party to navigate the ruins of Ascore relatively safely,
operation for anyone seeking to enter from the foot of although any battle or loud noises will alert the
the hull. However, at one point on the western side of dragons, such as disturbing the giant scorpions in area
the ship, a section of the railing has broken, allowing a 3, setting off the explosive runes on the wizard's
Medium or smaller creature to squeeze under the spellbook in area 6b, or fighting the gargoyles keeping
railing and into the Chezzaran's lair. This way in is watch above Anaxaster's lair in area 9. Even if the
easily found by anyone who looks around the ship for dragons hear suspicious noises, it is up to you if they
an entrance. go to investigate or wait for the thieves to come to
Purple Worm Carcass. Through the chamber rises them, before attacking.
the yellowed bones of a purple worm, nearly 20 feet in
diameter. The purple worm entered Chezzaran's lair
on accident, and the blue dragon slew it in a fierce Running Ascore
fight. He likes the unorthodox decoration, and hasn't
Before you unleash your party into Ascore, be advised
done anything to remove it. As a result, Chezzaran's
that this quest is meant to be more of a heist, than a
lair is permeated with the sweet and sickly smell of
typical see-kill-loot scenario. If your party seems to
decay.
think otherwise, you can have Felgolos' advise them
Upon the nearly-cleaned carcass of the purple worm,
just how dangerous the two dragons are, especially if
and on the hull itself, crawls four carrion crawlers.
encountered together. Felgolos also advises the party
The creatures are hungry, and move to attack anyone
to approach during the day, while the dragons are out
who disturb them, or lingers in the lair.
hunting or playing. He doesn't know where the dragons
keep their hoards, or his stolen pipe weed.
The Dragons Ideally, Anaxaster and Chezzaran don't become
aware of the party before your players are close to the
Where the dragons are, depends on the time of day: hoards (area 9 and 10), or are already pilfering through
Daytime Approach. If the party approaches Ascore them. When the dragons notice the party, Felgolos can
during the day, the two adult blue dragons are flying volunteer to distract the dragons, while the players
several hundred feet above the ancient ruins, playfully search for Yondalla's Delight and pick out other choice
fighting with each other. A creature looking up at the bits of treasure. The dragons' descend from above takes
skies can see them with a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) three rounds.

7
 Felgolos manages to keep one of the two blue dragons Share the spoils. When the ordeal is over, and the
busy in an airborne struggle, and unless one of your party is hopefully safe somewhere with Felgolos, the
players are riding Felgolos while they fight, you can bronze dragon thanks them for their aid. He seems
keep this fight 'off-screen', so to speak, and make a wholly unshaken by events, even if he or any
simple 1d6 roll for each dragon, each round. Multiply characters were injured or killed during the adventure.
the roll by 10, and that's the amount of damage it does As an additional token of his respect, Felgolos offers to
to the other dragon in that round. This continues until share Yondalla’s Delight with the party, if they would
one dragon is reduced to 30 hit points or less (upon like some. He’ll give them half of the bag, with
which it flees on its next turn), is killed outright by the admonishings to partake only before a great challenge.
other, or Felgolos sees that the party has escaped and
goes to catch up.
While Felgolos is fighting above, the other dragon
confronts the party below. If your party is overmatched
and know it, this should create an interesting
encounter where the party must weigh their greed
against their need to escape, and create a running
battle, where the dragon tries to block the party's
frantic run back to the tunnel.

Development
If the party makes it back to the tunnel under the
mountain ridge, the dragons give up the chase. They
don't know where the tunnel leads to, and won't be
searching for the party on the other side. This doesn't
mean they have forgiven or forgotten the audacious
theft, and they might appear later in your campaign
again to take vengeance.
Doom of the Desert. While the two dragons aren’t
waiting for the party on the other side, someone is.
When they reach the end of the underground tunnel,
the gargoyle statue that sits on one of the ancient
dwarven plinths comes to life and sets its vengeful
glare on the party. With a powerful and disdainful
voice, Iymrith, the Doom of the Desert, an ancient
blue dragon, speaks through the mouth of the
obsidian statue.
If the party was at least partially successful in their
exploits, Iymrith laments that she ‘spawned such
feeble offspring, that are so easily defeated by smallfolk
and a fumbling metallic’ and exclaims that the party is
‘lucky that I have not the time for such pedestrian
matters at the present moment. But your time will
come, and you will know my vengeance. The Doom of
the Desert abides no insolence.’
If the party were defeated or fled empty-handed, the
statue scorns them and their efforts (and anyone they
lost), and promises to ‘finish the job, as soon as I have
any time to spare for such insignificant creatures. I
assume that you’ve learned not to disturb the children
of the Doom of the Desert, but I better destroy you to
ensure that you don’t go giving anyone else good ideas.’
When Iymrith has delivered her vengeful or scornful
words, the gargoyle explodes violently, showering any
creature nearby with heavy stones. Any creature
within 30 feet of the gargoyle takes 5d6 bludgeoning
damage, or half as much on a succesful DC 13 Dexterity
saving throw.

8
Troubleshooting Items
Below are some issues that might arise when running Medallion of Thoughts
this adventure, and suggestions on how to handle
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
them.
The medallion has 3 charges. While wearing it, you can
Felgolos dies. If Felgolos dies, either in the initial
use an action and expend 1 charge to cast the detect
encounter with the Zhentarim (which should only
thoughts spell (save DC 13) from it. The medallion
happen if the party don’t side with him) or while
regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.
fighting Anaxaster and Chezzaran, he obviously can’t
be captured by the cloud giants in Chapter 9 of Storm
King’s Thunder. You can prevent his death by having Netlauncher
him simply disappear instead of dying – attribute it to Mundane Item (20 gp, 10 lbs)
freak luck, dragon magic or Yondalla’s blessing – or While it sounds pretty advanced, a netlauncher is
replace him with another dragon in the cloud giant basically just a bag filled with a large net, which is
castle (possibly the silver dragon Clarion from Chapter attached to a bolt by a strong rope. This bolt can be
1). fired from a heavy crossbow (halving the crossbow’s
Lonely Statue. The only thing that really involves range), to launch the net at a target. In addition to
Iymrith in the adventure, is the encounter with her taking damage from the attack, a Large or Huge
statue as the party leaves Ascore. If the party chooses creature hit by the bolt must make a DC 15 Dexterity
to leave by another route – such as darting into the saving throw. The creature is restrained on failed save,
desert, or whatever – they will miss this encounter. or has its move speed halved on a successful one. The
That is, however, not a big problem. Simply have a net’s holes are so large that it has no effect on Medium
dragon-made-of-sand rise out of the ground, deliver the or smaller creatures.
message, and disappear into sand again. It isn’t really A creature can use its action to make a DC 15
important how Iymrith announces herself to the party Strength check, freeing itself or another creature
– it’s just the fact that she does. within its reach on a success. Dealing 10 slashing
Party Annihalation. This adventure is really damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature
dangerous – there’s two dragons, for crying out loud! – without harming it, ending the effect and destroying
especially if your party doesn’t quite grasp the gravity the net.
of their situation. If Anaxaster and Chezzaran are
slaughtering your players, you can have Felgolos pick Yondalla’s Delight
them up with his claws and cast Teleportation to get Wondrous item, rare
them to the tunnel entrance. Also, remember that it’s This silver pouch contains a handful of fragrant herbs
perfectly fine to play the dragons less than optimally: called Yondalla’s Delight. Blessed by the halfling
maybe one dragon is more concerned with returning to goddess – perhaps even grown in her magical gardens
secure its own hoard, and the other dragon is too – the pipe weed is said to transfer a halfling’s good luck
blinded by rage to use all its legendary actions or cares to anyone who smokes it. It contains 3d6 portions of
more about grabbing stolen loot than killing pipe weed, and up to three creatures can partake of the
adventurers. same portion.
A creature that smokes a portion of Yondalla’s
Delight are blessed by Yondalla for 1 hour. Whenever
it makes an attack roll or a saving throw, it can roll a
d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or
saving throw.