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Many years ago, a dragon came to Firerock Mountain, overshadowing the village of Tunleath River. For many years, the dragon terrified the people and became their defacto overlord. Fire came from Firerock Mountain, and the Dragon demanded a tribute of gold for a number of years. After the gold dried up, he demanded silver. After the silver dried up, he demanded iron and copper.
After the iron and copper dried up, the dragon demanded virgins. Every twenty years, the most beautiful, and the most nubile virgin in the village was sacrificed to the dragon. And the dragon took them and made them his wives. Sooner or later, half-dragons came from the dragon's unions of humankind, and in two hundred years, the half-dragons became Dragonborn -- humanoid dragons that bred true.
Three hundred years later, Tunleath River had grown into a small city. And the inhabitants of the city had begun desiring that the dragon would be slain. They advertised for Adventurers to come and slay the dragon. After all, they were resentful that they had to pay tribute in virgins. So the call went out for brave warriors who are strong and capable of killing a dragon.
ADVENTURE SETUP
This adventure is for 4-6 Player Characters of the PATHFINDER* RPG persuasion. The adventure is built assuming that the player characters have a fighter, a cleric, a rogue, and a wizard or magus. Other encounters assume a Face (a bard or similar character), and another Arcanist for back up support. Encounters are keyed to 9nth and 12th level, with 10th level being the median. These guys are veterans, and this adventure is serious business; so make up some good backgrounds to make death scenes memorial.
(Part 2 -- the Dragon!)
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(Part 2)
Premise: the Heroes are presumably answering a call to kill the Firelord.
The Twist: Barranoth has been forced from his perch, and a new dragon, Denneth the Betrayer, has taken his place and use his image to force tyranny on the humans below.
The Climax: The adventurers face the dragon Denneth the Betrayer in a battle royale. However, to get there, Denneth has made trap after trap; and layers upon layers of defenses in preparation for Barranoth or the Elves to return and to oust him.
ADVENTURE BACKSTORY
Long ago, there was Firerock Mountain. Although it wasn't called Firerock Mountain at the time. It was called by a different name in Fair Elvish. It was not a volcanic peak at the time, it was formed much like the Rocky Mountains, from Uplift and Fold Block processes. The mountains of which Firerock was apart are very young, jagged peaked mountains called the Shadowfells.
The First Civilization to come to the valley was a number of Elves. Fair Elves, to be exact, since they were very fair of skin and of appearance. The elves settled in the valley and built their city among the canyons and crags of the mountain. Like the dwarves, these elves have dug deep in search of ore to make their fine crafts. They found veins of gold, silver, and Bedellium, iron, copper, and tin. And from the wealth of the Mountain, great wealth came to them. The elves created a great city, both above and in the mountain.
In time, humans came to the valley and started a settlement. The humans, being still a Neolithic people, traded with the elves for their trinkets. Although the elves considered them to be a barbarian people. Still, humans are as clever as ever, and have learned to mine the mountains on the other part of the valley. They extract stone as well as metal, and they began to craft and make items of their own. The humans also managed to ferment grape juice into wine, while the elves concentrated on pears and apples.
For many years, the elves cut deep into the earth and amassed great Wealth. But Great Wealth attracts danger and then Barranoth the Dragon, whom the humans called Firelord or the Lord of Fire, came and laid waste to the elven city belching fire and heat and using lava and flame. In a few short days, most of the elvish defenders were utterly defeated and scattered from before the power of Barranoth. Abandoning their great city and mines, the elves retreated into the forests of the mountains; where they became known as the Wood Elves to this day.
Barranoth quickly assumed overlordship of the village of Tunleath River. He demanded Gold, Silver, Iron, Copper; all for his coffers; as tribute. And the villagers relented. Finally, when the metal wealth of human mining had dried up, he demanded virgins. Which he made his wives.
In the intervening years, however, the people of Tunleath River found a vein of silver worth 500 talents outside of the dragon's influence. Secretly, they mined this silver and used it to quietly grow into a small city. And now, three hundred years later, the Humans are ready to throw off the yoke of the Dragon.
But Barranoth has not been idle with his large harem of wives. He has fathered many a half-dragon, and those half-dragons have settled in a village below Firerock Mountain. These half-dragons, known as the Dragonborn, have begun to breed true. The genetics that made them half dragon, had mixed up so much that the result was the start of a new race. Despite this, the people of Tunleath River has had enough of giving their most beautiful girls to the dragon. It is time to be free of Barranoth the Firelord, once and for all.
DENNETH, AKA BARRANOTH THE LORD OF FIRE
(Use the Adult Red Dragon stats from your Bestiary, page 98 through 99; except as noted below)
Personality: Denneth is an opportunist for a Red Dragon. He will do anything to attain what he covets, and in one case, it was Barranoth's Lair -- which he got by stratagem and cunning. Now he covets security so he can continue to sire Half-Dragons with his harem of human, elven, lizardfolk, kobold, and orcish wives. After all, he must keep up appearances, and Barranoth was such a promiscuous dragon -- although by now -- Denneth has exceeded this.
Strategy: Denneth has built security measures meant to trap either Barranoth himself or to trap a whole army. He has allowed a number of lizard folk, orcs, and kobolds to inhabit the ancient city of the Elves. With only one caveat, they offer him their most beautiful females for breeding.
The first defense are the orcs, then the lizardfolk, then the kobolds, whom inhabit the first parts of the under mountainous city. Next are his half-dragon progeny. And deepest, in his lair of gold and silver, is the dragon himself. Despite this, while his children and his allies fight, Denneth is lurking behind the shadows. He will defend his home.
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(part 3)
The Cities of Tunleath River, Sanlath Amore, and the Dragonborn city of Estragoth are detailed below:
SANLATH AMORE
A city of Kobolds, Lizardfolk, and Orcs living among buildings of fine elvish craftsmanship.
LE, Small City
Corruption: +0, Crime +2, Economy -2, Law +5, Lore -1, Society -3
Qualities: Notorious, Strategic Location, Cursed
Danger: +3
DEMOGRAPHICS
Government: Absolute Dictatorship
Population: 100,600 (50,000 orcs, 50,000 kobolds, 600 lizardfolk)
Notable NPCs:
Saragoth, the Murmuring Backbiter (CE male Orcish Half-dragon warrior 3/Fighter 6)
Quisp the Honest (LN male kobold sorcerer 9)
Shaddross (NG female lizardfolk druid 8)
MARKETPLACE
Base Value 12,800 gp; Purchase Limit 75,000 gp; Spellcasting 9th
Minor Items 4d4; Medium Items 3d4; Major Items 2d4
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ESTRAGOTH
This small village is populated by the descendants of Barranoth the Fire Lord and his human wives. In fact, the mixing of human genes with dragon genes have been so complete and the dragon form so favored that they have become "half" dragon humanoids that breed true in the time from their founders of their race was hatched until now. The people of Estragoth worship the Dragon God of Storms more than the Dragon Goddess of Conquest. The Sheer variety of Dragonborn, with red favoring, is telling tat Barranoth's family tree might have a variety of Dragon types but favoring Red. Of course, some are Denneth's descendants but they don't favor their parent.
CG, Small Town
Corruption: -3, Crime: +0, Law: -4, Economy: +2, Lore: +3, Society: +2
Qualities: Academic, Holy Site, Insular
Danger: -1
DEMOGRAPHICS
Government: Councilorship
Population: 1,300 (1,005 dragon humanoids, 295 others)
Notable NPCs:
Davrry the Blackclaw (CG male dragonborn Evoker 10)
Quionna Lairhorn of the Dusk (NG female dragonborn Cleric 6)
Yenros (LG male dragonborn Paladin 7)
MARKETPLACE
Base Value 1,200 gp; Purchase Limit 6,000 gp; Spellcasting 7th
Minor Items 3d4; Medium Items 1d6; Major Items —