The large dragon skull (perhaps an old mate, rival, grandfather, or eaten young) contains a mass of archaic coins, surrounding a shredded pile of musty and moth-eaten green cloth, reeking of old rot and spice. It was probably the wrapping of the layer below it, a set of six coral brooches made to look like eyes and a filigreed hand mirror inlaid with fire opals. Next to the skull is a statue of an owlbear made of fine mahogany and 1 and a 1/2 times the size of the real thing, with peridots for eyes. The right hand is broken off at a sharp angle. The full floor length mirror, with the slightly alarming dragon "inside", stands beside it and kitty-corner from a table with a medium size chest and a large horn made from bone, horn, or ivory and gilt along its edges. Inside the chest are more coins, a set of scroll paintings with gold and silver leaf, an ivory mask from a Mwangi witchdoctor, a huge pearl, a set of 12 gilded griffon quills, a vial of mermaid tears, and a flower made of silver with petals of some sort of large iridescent scale.
The Mother Of All Treasure Tables is a great resource for this sort of non-magical items with personalized character. A lot of the things I use are adapted from there.
Dotted for future reading. Keep up the good work.
A book detailing the valuable pieces of dragon anatomy. Complete with the time frame for usefulness. Rituals that activate arcane potentials of the various pieces of dragon.
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Beautifully carved black Magnetite columns are on either side of the entrance where you enter. A wooden sign stating "No Weapons allowed" in numerous languages adorns the wall. Characters wearing metal may feel these items shift and pull towards the columns if not secured. Approaching closer than two feet require a strength check DC15 to resist. Items actually touching column require DC20.
Items or characters striking the column do make noise as well as their struggles to remove themselves with effort. Lightfingered guests also may have trouble departing.
A live imp in a silver-lined glass case, which acted as a fortune teller and jester for the dragon. He may be willing to offer a Knucklebone of Fickle Fortune for his freedom.
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A 20 ft. diameter hole filled with dirt, and, in that dirt, a single bedraggled looking white oak tree, ever on the brink of death from lack of natural light and the shock of having been transplanted to this unnatural location.
Unless of course one of those who slew the dragon was a Ranger named Aragon (son of Arathorn), then the White Tree would almost spring to life by his very presence.
;-)
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A collection of IOU's in draconic, a dozen enormous slate tallyboards with references to many notable events of the the last century and the names of the dozen or so dragons who have been betting on which human kingdom will win this war or that and a big pile of vigorish.
This particular dragon was the 'bookie' for every gambling dragon in 500 miles, and since many of them were 'in' to him, they aren't exactly crying in their beer that he had an accident. Except for that one dragon, who happened to win the last big bet, and comes to collect just after the party takes his winnings away... He'll be pissed!
set that last one is evil. they would be pumped that they took out one dragon only to be attacked by a second. love it
Two shot glasses that when clinked together they fill with whatever liquor the glass holders are thinking of. They must be drank within 12 seconds or liquor vaporizes into a poisonous gas, that fils a 20x20 area
A box of stale donuts. Seriously.
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A complete set of books detailing all the tax laws of a local kingdom. Interestingly, a DC 25 Profession (lawyer) check will reveal that many of these laws are not at all well-known and very few people have heard of them.
A DC 35 Profession (lawyer) or Knowledge (history) check will reveal that a number of these laws have been repealed over the last generation -- but not all of them. Some of the tax breaks are still legitimate.
I'm loving this. Dot Dot Dot
Dot.
A tiny stone figurine that when touched by a female humanoid of good or neutral alignment forces a fortitude save. A successful save means a healthy body and the figurine vanishes and an azlanti fetus has been implanted. She now bears the last living true azlanti. 36 weeks later and baby azlanti.
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Hidden and protected by magic and mundane traps: a single featureless copper piece that radiates no magic, but appears to be immune to all divinations, skill checks etc.
Let them poke and prod, speculate etc. Give them nothing.
As they exit the lair, just casually ask them again who is carrying the coin.
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Tiled maps of various kingdoms (extinct and current) in random niches, on walls, tunnels or just covered by treasure detritus. Most are reasonably accurate enough for anyone with passing knowledge recognizes these locations, other require study and familiarity with landmarks that may have changed with passage of time. [history and/or geography checks] Oddly, certain locations have, instead of colored tile, a cobblestone, bit of slate, river pebbles and even wood, cinder and bone. Souvenirs of the dragon's visitations and useful for teleportation focus by same.
Awesome! Didn't know anyone was still contributing to this!
In the back of the dragons lair is a small protected alcove, within this alcove is:
a cute halfling girl, that is several months pregnant with the dragons kid.
Many dragon eggs.
The local princess/ queen.
A barely alive succubus that knew the dragons tender mercies.
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Dozens of magical scrolls with ornate writing in draconic.
Translated, they turn out to be soul-searing dragon porn, and a series of embedded command words (written in slightly different colored ink) cause programmed silent image 'illustrations' to appear.
"Dear Playdrake, you won't believe what happened to me..."
A few things I have thown on a hoard over the years.
A single golden apple of the gods - if eaten the character will never age.
A liche's phylactary.
The relic of a saint.
A oracle magically bound in a glass globe via the binding spell.
and a particularly evil option, the dragons hoard is the kingdoms gold reserve that backs the currency...
I am a young green dragon, my parents were killed by adventurers while I was away skulking because I they said I couldn't go and torment an elf.
I have my stick collection of interesting twigs I've found over the years, all 3574 of them are arranged carefully by size and color.
500 pounds of bark from trees that were struck by lightning.
A carving of my mother done by me (not very well, but done with tender loving care).
The bones of one of the adventurers who didn't get away from Dad which I've filled with flowers that I found when I was exploring. I'm thinking someday I'll try and make it into some sort of construct.
50 bear pelts (that are kind of acid burned from my breath); I use these to sleep on.
All the teeth from the bears I've eaten. I guess that there's a good 60 pounds of them.
All my scales I've shed over the years. Someday if I get minions, I'll give these to my favorite peons so that I'll be able to scry on them with ease.
The start of a neat stalactite/stalagmite I'm growing. I'm going to add some fungus to it so that there will be interesting colors when I get older.
An acorn I got from a dryad's tree for not destroying it. I may plant it, but I'm not sure right now.
A collection of books I found from a wagon I looted; it's got the secrets of how to defeat dragon hunters when they come to me.
Some magical stones I found in the river. They have holes in them, and I was told that stones with holes in them are magical.
Some coins, but I'm not too worried about those right now, as the coins don't currently help me, but I can use them to find out who killed my parents and hunt them down.
A giant eagle's tail feather which I use for a quill to practice my writing.
Maps of my domain done in miniature so that I can plan tactics.
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A connoisseur collection of barrels filled with tobacco, paid in tribute rather than stringy maidens or gold. Once touched with a bit of flame, the smouldering barrel fills my cavern with sweet aroma. Fire, brimstone, sulfur and ozone are really overrated.
What to do about the hundreds of partially burnt barrels and casks littering my cave, haven't a clue.
A towel
A digital watch
A book with the words 'don't panic' on the cover
A scroll of vogon poetry
A sonic screwdriver
An unusual looking carriage labeled '1985 Delorean DMC12' with a tailsection labeled curiously as 'Mr Fusion'
"sports almanac" from the "years 1950-2000?!?!"
A Hoverboard
Liutenant Commander Data's head
A music cd from the group "Wyld Stallyns"
A neuralyzer
A polaroid camera with a scroll sticking out of it picturing the remarkable likenesses of 6 dwarves. On the back of the scroll is written Fidgit, Randall, Strutter, Og, Wally, and Vermin and a map of "Kevin's Bedroom"
And what appears to be a small brown box labeled
"An das glückliche Paar, Eva und meine Fuhrer!
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A furnace specially made to take advantage of the dragons elemental nature and breath weapon, to craft weapons and armor for adventurers so the dragon can scry on them.
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A furnace specially made to take advantage of the dragons elemental nature and breath weapon, to craft weapons and armor for adventurers so the dragon can scry on them.
Ooh, that's actually pretty awesome!
I had, ages ago, a vampire wizard who designed a spell that drained blood from an enemy and gave some of it back to the caster as healing (a ranged variation on vampiric touch), that also gave a percentage of the stolen blood to the vampire himself, that he spread far and wide, because every time someone cast his spell, he got a little rush of blood out of the deal, but this idea of a dragon using his breath weapon to create magical weapons (fire breath to make flaming weapons, etc.) that he can also spy on (keeping track of local champions, and perhaps, through the 'intelligent sword' suggesting courses of action to them that further the dragons interests?) is great!
A flattened section of ceiling under the effects of a constant reverse gravity where the dragon actually sleeps.
A furnace specially made to take advantage of the dragons elemental nature and breath weapon, to craft weapons and armor for adventurers so the dragon can scry on them.Ooh, that's actually pretty awesome!
I had, ages ago, a vampire wizard who designed a spell that drained blood from an enemy and gave some of it back to the caster as healing (a ranged variation on vampiric touch), that also gave a percentage of the stolen blood to the vampire himself, that he spread far and wide, because every time someone cast his spell, he got a little rush of blood out of the deal, but this idea of a dragon using his breath weapon to create magical weapons (fire breath to make flaming weapons, etc.) that he can also spy on (keeping track of local champions, and perhaps, through the 'intelligent sword' suggesting courses of action to them that further the dragons interests?) is great!
Set you explained my good idea in a much more eloquent way than I could. You sir get a gold star and a favorite.
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I love the idea of the 'personal' touch in horde.... what does this horde tell us about the dragon you just killed?
A complete wardrobe containing a number of well made and designed dresses, from high quality material (ranging from silks to velvet). Embroidered letters "SL" in one of the inner hems on each. At a glance they appear to be quite valuable, but a knowledge local or gather information check when back in town reveals this as the mark of Selene Lichenstein, a highly reputable designer, who's wares (even last seasons as these are) fetch an exorbitant price from the right circles. However, because of her use of rare (and intelligent) animals to ceate some of her 'masterpieces' even possessing a set will get marked for death in the wrong circles.
A large chest full of assorted exotic foodstuffs that are still fresh. While the goods themselves can be traded as per normal as trade items, when closed, the chest itself prevents any item placed in it from decaying in any way. Both food going moldy, off or otherwise, and (in the case of a body or alike) generates an effect similar to gentle repose. An unintended side effect of this is that wine, whiskey and other items that mature with age placed within do not 'age and mature'. It could be kept for the parties use or sold to a trading company for a sizeable amount.
A near complete set of poetry from an obscure, but highly talented, elven author. Sold individually to a collector they may reach a good sum. Should the characters manage to complete the set however, their price to any would greatly increase.
Several polite, eloquent and exceedingly well written letters and pieces of correspondence from an unknown author (signed only JR) between to the dragon over the course of some 10 years. The overwhelming theme of them seems to one of support and rebellion against fate and destiny. The final letter is affixed with great care to a plumed helmet (your choice it's abilities). Knowledge nobility will identify the personal crest of Janos Rulmarg, a well known paladin that died some 150 years ago in conflict with a dragon. He was best known for his unconventional, but well respected attempts to redeem evil prior to destroying it.
9 well crafted and exquisitely made casks of Whiskey bearing the sigil of a local dwarven hold, as well as crude orcish runes carved into the side of them. Obviously these were stolen from the dwarves by the orcs, and then given in tribute to the dragon. Three are empty, to drinking and the dragon discovering that the chest (above) suspends the aging process.
A exquisite, but defaced, crystalline sculpture of a phoenix, in the moment of it's self resurrection. Carved into the flames at it's base in draconic are various obscenities and threats about what the dragon intends to do to said phoenix. Further the crystals that make up the phoenix's eyes have been removed or shattered. Deep gouges further exist in the stonework that make up it's chest. If the damage could be repaired, it would undoubtedly be worth a small fortune, but it resists any attempts to make whole or mend it, but oddly responds to healing magic. Careful investigation reveals this to be an actual phoenix under the effects of a variant 'Flesh to Stone' effect. Reversing this effect will allow the Phoenix to complete it's resurrection, however due to the damage sustained to it's form while transformed unless 100 HP of damage is restored to it prior to the effect being reversed, it will revive on -1 and bleeding out. Should the party save the phoenix, it is permanently blinded until a heal, limited wish, regeneration or similar powerful magic can be administered to it (remove blindness doesn't cut it). The phoenix is responsible for destroying the dragon's father centuries ago which started the Dragon on a vendetta against it.
An finished, but unpolished, script for a play about a boy injures and befriends a dragon and they come to form a bond and go on to save their village together from.... the remainder is never truly revealed as the dragon betrays the boy and burns the village to ash. With polish some and a re-write of the ending, it could become a hit. Underneath the script is a list (that with a successful knowledge local) of play houses in the surrounds from the last 100 years. Many of the names that have been crossed out on the list, each one having suffered mysterious accidents and burned down in the middle of the night for no apparent reason while the owner was inside....
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Several polite, eloquent and exceedingly well written letters and pieces of correspondence from an unknown author (signed only JR) between to the dragon over the course of some 10 years. The overwhelming theme of them seems to one of support and rebellion against fate and destiny. The final letter is affixed with great care to a plumed helmet (your choice it's abilities). Knowledge nobility will identify the personal crest of Janos Rulmarg, a well known paladin that died some 150 years ago in conflict with a dragon. He was best known for his unconventional, but well respected attempts to redeem evil prior to destroying it.
This one is hot. I love the idea of the dragon having scholarly 'pen pals,' and having one of said pen pals being someone attempting to persuade it to adopt a less evil and more good philosophy (obviously, unsuccessfully...) is awesome.
A bleaker sort of discovery would be a chest of similar letters, some dating back centuries, as the dragon makes a hobby of starting up controversial discourses and learned letters on the 'morality of selfishness' or the inherent superiority of race X vs. race Y or whatever, just to provoke such responses, going on to attempt to drive various philosophers of ethics and morality to distraction, or, in the most sublime cases, despair.
sweet it came back to life!
a wine decanter enchented w create water and enhance water. It is always filled with wine.
a ball of yarn. When thrown all within 30 ft must make a DC 15 will save or chase it. Catfolk must make a DC 25
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Several polite, eloquent and exceedingly well written letters and pieces of correspondence from an unknown author (signed only JR) between to the dragon over the course of some 10 years. The overwhelming theme of them seems to one of support and rebellion against fate and destiny. The final letter is affixed with great care to a plumed helmet (your choice it's abilities). Knowledge nobility will identify the personal crest of Janos Rulmarg, a well known paladin that died some 150 years ago in conflict with a dragon. He was best known for his unconventional, but well respected attempts to redeem evil prior to destroying it.This one is hot. I love the idea of the dragon having scholarly 'pen pals,' and having one of said pen pals being someone attempting to persuade it to adopt a less evil and more good philosophy (obviously, unsuccessfully...) is awesome.
A bleaker sort of discovery would be a chest of similar letters, some dating back centuries, as the dragon makes a hobby of starting up controversial discourses and learned letters on the 'morality of selfishness' or the inherent superiority of race X vs. race Y or whatever, just to provoke such responses, going on to attempt to drive various philosophers of ethics and morality to distraction, or, in the most sublime cases, despair.
Did.... did you just suggest that a dragon is responsible for half the alignment threads and 'should a pally fall' discussions on this board? Cause I'm pretty sure that's Trolls, not Dragons... Thanks. I'm here all week.
My original thought and what inspired that was when the dragon was going through his 'young adult' stage he was doing the typical teenager rebelling thing against what his parents expected of him. He started corresponding with the pally and it wasn't until after they'd faced off, and the pally lost that the dragon realised who he'd just killed (hence the care and attention show to the last letter as a mark of respect to a fallen friend, rather than a defeated foe). Even though if he's now evil to the core, and views the pally as naive and stupid, there is still respect for what he stood for and the guidance that the pally gave when the Dragon was looking for his place in the world. From all of that, the memory still holds a place of importance. The good news is that because the dragon is an NPC, you can screw them over like that without feeling guilty or even remotely like out you have performed a 'Richard move' I believe is the common parlance now?
A list full of plans she has to expand her dwelling, with many dots interrupting her trains of thought.
A spell book full of household, or lairhold spells. A currency polishing cantrip, a tunneling spell for lair expansion, a leveling spell ( I hate it when my coin bed is lumpy), a wall cleaning spell ( that doesn't do windows), a window cleaning cantrip, along with many other mundane spells and cantrips.
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Along that line, a rod composed of fused coins of different denominations, that can be used to evoke a cantrip level effect that separates piles of coins into neat stacks, 10 coins high, by value, so that copper coins are sorted out from silver, etc. It effects 100 coins per use (stacking them in the nearest open space within 5 ft.), and can be used once per round.
A pet ooze that crawls all over metal, keeping it oiled and clean of mold and verdigris, but whose weak acid has no effect on metal or stone. Valuables not of metal or stone (such as banners or books) are kept out of it's reach...
The formula for the philosophers stone. This dragon was making his gold the smart way.
I hate myself for this but it does need to be said.
A diamond sword.
I am very sorry....
A "teddy-human" plush-doll named "pooky" with black opal eyes and a cute button nose. INT 12, empathy, speaks common, 120' senses, darkvision, can cast 3 0-level spells at will (prestigitation, mending - mainly for itself, and one other). Alignment same as the dragon, who has had this since he was a CHILD. People, always trying to take it from him. Why won't they leave him ALLLOOOOONNNNEEE!!!
A large number of animated objects. They bawk and squabble with themselves, but to be honest they're just like a family when it comes down to it. They keep the place tidy and clean, and even cook and set the scene for the dragons entertainments. Just like a bunch of butlers, maids, and what so on you would see in a royal house.
A cauldron enchanted to hold the dragons chosen element in its natural state safely. An acid one would be able to hold any kind of acid without dissolving and be immune to rust. While a magma one could hold that magma indefinitely without it cooling down or solidifying.
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All these Ideas have inspired me to create a mini-adventure featured around a Dragon. There are some really awesome ideas in this thread, and I Think it would be neat to roll them up into this side quest which could be added to almost any adventure.
Imperial Dragon, Underworld
This dragon is Lawful evil. It has been practicing polymorphing itself into a human so much, it can do it at will. It wants to be worshiped as some sort of great leader/god, and is using powers of influence to gain followers. He takes the followers to his temple at the base of the mountain and provides them with a place to live. He tells them that one day, the world will end and just before it happens, the Angels will come to take them all to the celestial planes. In the meantime, they are given hope by seeing followers occasionally "ascending."
The dragon will have a higher than average charisma, and much more focus on bluff/diplomacy. He will also have a high linguistics in order to keep up correspondence with "Pen Pals." Every so often, one of the followers is chosen to "ascend." They are killed and eaten by the dragon away from the rest of the worshipers.
The Dragon has been playing a human for so long, sometimes he forgets that he is a dragon. When he engages in combat, he prefers to use spells before being backed into a corner and being forced to show his true wrath.
The adventurers are approached by the new town leader and are told that many of the population of the towns surrounding the mountain have joined a cult. If the players ask around, most of the respected people in the city will tell them that they have not noticed anything. Regular folk would probably say stuff though. The cult is led by a disguised dragon who promises the followers they will ascend to the planes of Celestia. Really he just eats them and uses them as appetizers for his extremely popular "war parties" in which a bunch of dragons gather to place wages on who will win during whatever war is occurring at the time. The dragon keeps attention away from his temple by finding dirt on most of the respected members of the surrounding towns. Feel free to play this up as much as you want.
This will give the adventurers the idea that there might be something going on. There has been no dragon sighting, and the players could simply think it is people being brainwashed by some wizard or something with the promise of Celestia.
The temple is inhabited by locals from a few of the surrounding towns. A few of the stronger ones stand guard outside to ensure that only those enlightened are allowed in. The entrance itself is just a 2 large Wooden Doors which are locked from the outside. Encounter 1 would just be the players either coaxing their way in, or fighting the main door guards.
Inside the temple is a large open room with many doors affixed. In the center is a large fountain with the statue of a Solar inlaid with gold accents. The water is completely drinkable, and this is the main source of water for the temple. There are benches around the room and in the walls there appear to be fish tanks with eels(electric). If the players successfully remove the fountain, the water comes up from the hole in the ground feeding it, the water will slowly rise in the room. When it reaches the fish tanks, the electric eels will get out attacking those still in the room.
This is the general outline for the temple. The rooms would be attached to this first general area. Here are the descriptions for each room:
The room closest to the entrance will be a smaller room with several picture frames on the wall. What is odd about these picture frames is that they seem to be depictions of the entrance way, and the other rooms in the temple (This is a security room with the panes having a constant scrying effect on the different rooms). This will allow the players to see various rooms in the temple, and see where the people are. This should have a couple more guards in it. Treat these appropriately depending on the time of day.
The worshipers sleep in bunk beds 2 high. At the foot of the beds are the chests with their belongings. If it is night time, this will be filled with sleepers. Otherwise it should be relatively empty. Other than this there are paintings on the wall which depict real areas in the world. The paintings are labeled "do not touch," touching does nothing for these paintings but it sets up the precedent for things to come.
This room holds hundreds of followers. Setup some sort of schedule which will have worshipers in there for hours a day, usually being preached to by senior members. If the followers are not in the other areas, they are probably in here.
There is a Gate like statue in the center of the room which can be activated by the master using a switch somewhere in the temple. Stepping through the gate transports the person to a prison cell. This is where the dragon can prepare his next meal.
This room has seating for many of the followers. There will be a feeding schedule for different groups and this is where they go. They are fed via a contraption in the wall. When they turn the faucet, it plops out today's "soup of the day." There is a door near the faucet labeled "do not enter." This door is extremely locked, and if opened reveals a room with an odd contraption.
This contraption contains a modified force cage with a gelatinous cube contained within. At the bottom is a small blade constantly cutting pieces of the cube off and they appear to be going into a stove like contraption. This takes the pieces of the cube and gives it flavor. Then the transmuted slop goes through the wall to the followers.
Other than that, this is just a cafeteria like area.
this is a small room with a small container on the bottom. There is a stick on the wall, it sheds a small amount of divination when looked at. When it touched the container(or any magic item) it lets off a small chime. This causes the loop to activate, making it's contents disappear.
There would be a couple of these rooms throughout the temple. The containers are activated by the sound the stick makes. The contents are sent into the astral plane.
This room Contains many pieces of art, and the door is locked extremely tight. There are paintings on the wall which depict the nearby towns to the temple. When touched the person is instantly teleported to the location the original artist painted the picture from. There is a desk which has a set of calligraphy implements that the dragon uses for it's various correspondence. There is also a secret compartment in one of the drawers that contains a "little black book." The book contains the dirty secrets of many of the leaders from the surrounding towns. They are encoded so the players would have to decipher the writings in order to gain the knowledge.
The dragon basically keeps this book so he can continue to operate in relative peace. So far he has not gained leverage on the person who sent the players here. That person's predecessor probably found out something they shouldn't and was "removed" from office.
There is an illusory wall in the back which shields from the proper dragons lair. There is a bed in the middle of the room with the curtains drawn all around it. If the players pull back the curtains, it is revealed that there appears to be the statue of two humans turned to stone in the middle of passion. This is one of the dragons proudest possessions.
More than likely the players will find the master here, and he will try to talk to them before resorting to combat.
A raised Plateau sits high above a mote of water. There does not appear to be a conventional method of reaching the top of the platform. On the platform rests what appears to be a Life Size chess board. The dragon has used the skeletons of the humans he has killed as the pieces, and has dressed them up in elegant but appropriate Outfits. If the players have not killed the dragon, perhaps he would play a game with them.
Finally behind the plateau is a smaller platform with what appears to be a large gold frame similar to the ones the players saw before in the security room. This large frame would be off unless there was a large war going on between two armies. The size is about 120inches measured from bottom left to top right. The players could activate the the device if they find the activation device with a high perception check. The activation device would be a tiny object with a couple toggles and a map for the user to control location. Most likely it would be nested in between the cushions on the couches the dragon uses to seat his guests for "war parties".
There is also a large board on the wall with writing. It seems that this dragon is a bookie for many other dragons. They place wages on which kingdom is going to lose in which battle. Depending on how the players fared against the dragon, another might be coming to collect their winnings.
If you like it feel free to use it.
This is from the animated movie Beowulf, but how about an elegant golden drinking horn that once removed from the dragons possession causes a local king or kingdom to crumble and fade?
Once the PCs have it they can make a "deal with the devil" and become kings in thier own right as long as said entity never loses possession of the horn.