The Dragon's name is Verraximaul. A large female with dark green scales. Her breath weapon is a combination of flame and a sticky, flammable burning jelly. When she uses her breath weapon, the air is filled with flame and this jelly is splattered on skin and armor. It sticks and burns fiercely. Damage continues for minutes while the jelly burns. This makes her breath weapon particularly devastating.
The dragon is worshiped by a tribe of draconians - similar to winged saurians. They will harass anyone attempting to approach the dragon's lair. They will fight to protect their "god". Although physically weak, they have an intelligent leader. They use strategy and tactics. They use the terrain to their advantage.
The lair is built in the side of a cliff, in a system of caves in the cliff face from which issues an underground river, erupting from the side of the cliff and cascading down into a small lake below. Atop the cliff there is a ruined castle. Little remains but a few stone walls and cobble walkways. The ground within the caverns is rough, uneven and strewn with broken rock and rubble. Movement is difficult and treacherous. It's easy to stumble or sprain an ankle unless one walks carefully. The dragon is unaffected by the rough terrain due to its size.
A – Main Cave
Entrance
This is the main entrance to the lair. The earth around this massive cavern
entrance is charred and blackened. Various blackened skeletons are strung up on
poles (this is done by the draconians). A warning to would be dragon slayers.
The main draconian encampment is scattered about the main entrance here. The
draconians have small shelters and lean-tos scattered about the rocks. This
allows them to be close to Verraximaul and witness her coming and going, but
gives them places to hide should the dragon be hungry and go after them. The
encampment will typically have anywhere from 8 to 24 draconians. The chieftain
and the shaman are usually found here as well. The shaman keeps his treasure in
a large locked wooden chest. Inside this chest are various coins, a large purple
gem, a decorative bone wand, a thick red potion and a bag of herbs
(hallucinogenic pipe weed).
B – Food Storage
The dragon keeps half eaten meals. The stench of
rotting meat is heavy in the air in this chamber. Huge flies fill the air. A
number of half-eaten bodies will usually be found here. Horses, cows, elk and
more are typical.
C – Empty
A muddy room. Some puddles and water on the walls. Two huge dragon footprints in
the mud going in. A smashed skull. Scorch marks on the wall. A bone sticking up
out of the mud. A severed reptilian hand and splattered blood on the wall.
D – Main Stairway
The stone here is hewn and cut. This area was crafted. Broken statues, rotted
bits of tapestry, broken bits of wood, a human skeleton and a skull. Massive
stone stairs over 40 feet wide go up. Some sunlight coming from somewhere up
above. The stone stairs led up to the ruins.
E – Stairs
Another set of broad stone steps that lead up to another section of the ruined
castle above. A small draconian camp sits at the top of the stairs. Their
gutteral laughter and the crackling fire will be heard. There is a trap on the
stairs. A thin copper wire is stretched across the fifth step and is tied to a
copper bell up top near the draconian trap. Anyone climbing the stairs and not
carefully searching will trip the wire and set the bell ringing. The wire is
hard to see in the shadowy light conditions.
F – Draconian Camp
Verraximaul can’t enter this cavern because the entrance is too narrow. A number
of gouges in the stone – claw marks – around the entrance. A permanent
encampment inside the caves has been established by the draconians here.
Typically there will be 8 to 12 draconians camped outside.
G – Empty
The roar of the river can distantly be heard. Dragon roar in distance. Cries of
the young. Sounds echo oddly here. Broken draconian spear with feathers.
H – Sleeping Chamber
You hear an odd squawk. A few coins, lots of bones. Non-shiny treasure items.
Also, a huge nest made of rubble and bones and whole trees. In the center are 3
young dragons and one egg. Bits of old leather armor, rope, chain, etc. A body
is in the nest. A draconian. Half eaten. Wearing leather armor. Leather satchel
around torso. Leather satchel contains a thick book. Gilded pages. Bound in
metal. It is locked. Beth could disarm it. If opened, it’s written in
Chaddamarian. It’s a spell book. Also, a note book. Contains massive amounts of
information on Chaddamarian priestly magic. Possibly give bonuses on
understanding magic.
I – Underground River
This is a HUGE cavernous chamber. A few spikes of stone from broken stalagmites.
Lots of rubble and uneven footing. Movement is cut in half. Puddles fill the
room. The roar of the waterfall fills the cavern. It is quite loud. The small
cavern exit to the east leads out to a ledge on the cliff outside and a trail
that goes up to the ruins.
At the north end of area I, a number of chains hang from a pulley system suspended from a large iron plate in the ceiling. This was once part of a mechanism used to lift cargos off of rafts and swing them across the river. Now, however, nothing remains but rusted chains and pulleys. Throughout the entire cavern, long ropey vines and mosses hang from the ceiling. Moss and lichens cover the ground, especially around the waterfall at the sound end where there is much humidity in the air.
J – Dragon’s Hoard
The draconian leader has ordered the draconian soldiers to pile every last
gleaming copper coin into this area. It is now a glittering mound of treasure.
Coins, jewels, armor, magic items and more are piled on the small sandy beach in
this area. The dragon occasionally comeshere to sniff new treasure items brought
in by the draconians.
The treasure horde contains (but is not limited to) the following:
Lord Kaimar’s body with the Armor of Holrumna
Magnificent shield.
A dead mage clutching a broken wand. A methkari crystal around neck.
A silver dagger.
A few arrows.
A few coins.
A large, gold and ruby necklace.
A huge, iron chest.
A skeleton wearing the gold armband.
A sealed cask of burgundy with metal trim.
A bag of coins, spilled.
K – Trail and
Ledge
There is a trail that leads down the side of the cliff side on a narrow ledge
that goes to the waterfall where it erupts out the side of the cliff face. The
waterfall exits out of a large cavern, large enough for the dragon to use it as
an exit/entrance.
This page last updated Wednesday, December 24, 2008. Copyright 1990-2009 David M. Roomes.