Druids and Dragons (5e Quest)

Intended for four level 3-4 adventurers.

Since the setting of the adventure, Dragonstead, is a small town that only needs a nearby forest, it is easy to integrate into an existing campaign.

• Prep Time 15 min
• Play Time 1-2 hours

Adventure Background

This quest takes place in Dragonstead, a newly planted hamlet governed by a middle-aged half-elf. Julica. The de facto leader of the settlement however, is Deddrot, a 60 year old copper dragon that owns the local tavern, The Green Dragon. Small groups of druids have been attacking the settlement, injuring guards and stealing supplies. The most likely reason for attack is the wild animals the commoners frequently hunt for their pelts and the harvesting of lumber. Unknown to anyone but the druids, Deddrot has been attacking them unprovoked long before the settlement of Dragonstead, trying to steal anything of interest from them. Frona Sweeney convinced the druids that attacking was the best course of action.

Overview

The party enter Dragonstead and approach the copper dragon behind his tavern. Introductory conversatio will take place before the dragon asks the party if they can do some "simple guard work due to the occasional druid" while he is absent. Later, a large amount of animals and druids assault the hamlet, being opposed only by the party and a few guards.

Alternatively the player may attack the druids grove.

Hook

The players would hear the conversation between Deddrot and Julica if they approach The Green Dragon

The party would most likely hear of current events from towns people and within the dragons tavern. Eventually inquiring to either the governor or dragon

Town

If the players choice to stay in the town after the quest,this section is for additional information to help develop the town.

Population: 90 Wealth: 500 gp. Max value for sale: 40 gp. Max pawn value: 171 gp Demographics: Human (60%), Halfling (28%), Elf (5%), Dwarf (2%), Half-Elf (2%), Half-Orc (2%), Gnome (1%)

Farmers 31 Trappers 17 Children 7 Clergy 3

Tailors 1 Barbers 1 Smith 1 Taverners 3

Leatherworker 1 Doctors 1 Harness-Makers 1

The rest are labourers

Initial meeting

As the party turn the corner and see the dragon read them the following.

As you turn the corner you see two figures. A 8 foot copper coloured dragon with brow plates jutting over it's eyes, extending back to long horns that grow as a series of overlapping segments. It does not lunge, nor roar but inquires as it turns it's head to the other figure. "Who are you? Freelancers? What's your business here?" The dragon grins and leans towards the half-elf beside it.

If the players do not reply:"Lost your tounge? Start off with a story of one of those errands you go on for a living?"

Who are you?

"I'm Deddrot, the owner of The Green dragon." The dragon gestures towards the tavern "They're awful cousins if you haven't met one. I peacekeep this hamlet as a hobby, it wouldn't be the same without me. Not with the local pests.

Pests?

The half-elf, a middle-aged woman in robes speaks. "They can certainly be described as more than that. Last time there was..." The woman is interrupted by the dragon. "Jul-ic-a?" He looks to the side. Then back. "Ah, presumably you're looking for work?"

The Work

The half-elf speaks again."Some of the guards are injured after the last attack. It is just patrolling the hamlet for a few days. You'll get 125GP each once we're sure the dangers gone." There is a long pause. "Alternatively, you could run a little errand for me. Take care of a few, maybe a large amount of, druids. We stay here. Sounds good?"

Agreement

If the player agree to do the work Deddrot and Julica leave by the next day without telling anyone. They are attacking the Druids Grove in the nearby forest and will return by the night.

If the players decline only Deddrot will leave the next day. Julica will stay.

If the players agree to run the "errand" they must travel to the edge of the glade which Dragonstead is in and through the forest.

Additional encounters

These may be used if you need to give your players tasks to do untill the end of the day

Market: A child runs away from the market, clutching a loaf of bread run into the party. They are being chased by a tradesman whos bread the child, an urchin, stole. The DC for Persuasion is 10 convince to man to stop his pursuit of the child if the price of the bread, 4 copper pieces, is paid to him.

Night fall

A simple labeled map

By sundown a commoner will run from the fields into the hamlet, heading towards the centre of the hamlet where the tavern is. They are shouting hysterically about a hoard of animals and men heading towards the hamlet.

Once this happens, the players will have in-game 30 minutes to prepare before the enemy force comes, these events will still occur if the players are not present but are attended by those present. Most likely Deddrot and Julica.

7:00 PM: If the party are in the village, Deddrot leaves Dragonstead, Julica will accompany him if the players agreed to patrol the village, otherwise staying back. The players will most likely not learn of this happening. The reason is Deddrot wanting to find and kill the druids in the forest west of Dragonstead.

8:00 PM: The hamlet learns of the druids. 35 of of the hamlets 90 people will retreat to the tavern, the rest locking themselves in their houses.

8:10 PM: The hamlets guards also take defense in tavern.

8:20 PM: The taverns windows and doors are barricaded, preventing the players from easily entering. All previous entrance ways now have an AC of 15 and HP of 15 to break through.

8:25 PM: The blood hawks arrive before the rest of the druids and begin attacking those who are not inside.

8:30 PM: The druids arrive at the edge of the hamlet and wait for five minutes. Frona wants to negotiate for 100GP worth of goods, primarily food and adventuring gear, to not attack. If not confronted, they split evenly, attacking the cottages labeled 2 and 3 on the supplement map. Two cast Produce Flame to cause spot fires on the structures. If the inhabitants of them fight back they are three people for each cottage, each with the commoner stat block.

8:50 PM: Unless already confronted, the two halves join back and move to the tavern(labeled 1) and begin to enter through the blocked entrance ways forcefully. The town's force is in the tavern. If needed some more commoners will fight, otherwise locking themselves in the taverns upstairs lodge.

11:00 PM: If the players are defending Dragonstead,Deddrot(and Julica if offer was accepted) arrive back at Dragonstead. The druids would have been defeated or have fled by this time. Both of the characters have multiple injures and would be at one-fith of their original HP.

Excursion

The following this for the players if they run the "errand"

The edge of the glade

It takes four hours to get to the edge of the forest.

As you near the edge of the glade that Dragonstead resides in, you see the thick vegetation that borders the forest. Trees shiver as birds take off from their branches. There's no defined path, only thorny plants that scratch your clothes.

Forest

The players may make a survival or perception check. It is to detect an unknown creature.

Survival DC 10: Large plants and saplings, normally standing tall from your experience, have been squashed towards the ground.

Survival DC 15: DC 10 and Deep scratches are in a nearby tree trunk. The wound in the bark is moist and dark green.

Perception(hearing) DC 15: There's a deep growl far in the forest, accompanied by rustling

The encounter

If the players do not take measures to avoid the creature, or fail to. Read the following:

A horrific growl comes from the trees. A creature emerges and stands up, revealing it's nine foot frame. It resembles a bear but brown leathery hide sparsely covered with hairs is over it's back and limbs. It's head, oddly scaled, contains a lizard like mouth filled with oversized teeth. The thick claws on its hind legs dig into the ground, offering support for the creature

The players will have to fight the creature or outrun it. Attempts to stop it fighting peacefully have disadvantage.

The players have an opportunity for a short rest after this encounter.

Druids Grove

The players have to make a survival check with a DC of 15. If the players fail the check, their arrival is delayed by 15-survival roll in hours.

When the players arrive but aren't detected yet:

Between the trees you see several structures, they are low down to the ground and made from sticks bound together with rough cordage. A blanket of moss covered cloth covers the top of each hut. A campfire is lit and burning near one of the huts.

If the player approach slowly. Read them the following:

A robed woman, an elf, emerges from the hut in front of you."EH? Who are you?" She shouts, stepping back and drawing a copper shard form her robe. It is beaten into the likeness of a knife, with canvas wrapped around the bottom of it acting as a handle.

Read the players the following when their answer allows a smooth transition to it:

"You're mercenaries for that wicked dragon? Aren't you? Aren't you? All it's done is pillage and steal from us ever since it crawled out it's little cave. Now leave! I swear on this forest I'll end you if you don't!"

If the players ask to roll insight:

Insight DC 10: Frona seems truly enraged, she's passionate when it comes to telling you this

Insight DC 15: Its seems unlikely for her to barter her home. She's overexaggerating, even through her anger

By now two more druids and their hawk have heard this and approached. Frona is not willing to negotiate if the result doesn't benefit her materially.

The huts in the grove have floors made from recycled planks and packed dirt, common adventure gear like candles, rations etc are within them.

Druid

These are the druids attacking Dragonstead at night fall, a separate group is at the druids grove

Five Druids

Two Hawks

Two Black Bears

Town

Unless given a reason not to, these characters will blockade themselves in the tavern.

Four Guards

One Apprentice Mage

Seven Commoners

Julica Syllen (If the players accepted the offer for work she will not be present, if declined she is present)

Characters

Julica Syllen

Alignment: Neutral Good

Julica Syllen is a 130 year old Half-Elf, usually dressed in blue and yellow robes she has seemed to be in possession of for a long time. She led a group of settlers to the field where Dragonstead now is 24 years ago, unknowingly close to Deddrots cave which is east of the hamlet.

Frona

Alignment: Neutral evil

Frona is the lead druid of the attack. She is a young elf dressed in poor robes made from canvas. She convinced the druids of the grove to attack Dragonstead multiple times over the course of a few weeks.

Lexie Bailey

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Lexie Bailey is a young linguist with blonde to her shoulders, a bag of papers is belted to her flowing brown and green clothes, lightly furred. She studies in Dragonstead while occasionally using her knowledge of spells to assist the working folk. She frequently can be seen in The Green Dragon using one of the tables as a study desk.

Deddrot

Alignment: Chaotic neutral

Deddrot is an 60 year old young copper dragon. He funded the construction of a tavern with rare trinkets from his cave east of the hamlet despite the low traffic Dragonstead has. The towns people didn't want to disagree with the dragon, which only later did reveal his good intentions. The hamlet was soon named Dragonstead after the tavern was built, originally being called Cullfield.

For combat purposes this characters stat block is Young Copper Dragon

Conclusion

If the party successfully defend dragonstead they will receive payment. If more than 10 people die under the partys care Deddrot will be angry, banishing the party for an effective 30 days until he's reflected on the past events.

Reward

If he players defend the village successfully, the party receive the payment of 100GP unless they point out to the dragon that they're being paid less than what Julica claimed earlier. In that case they receive the other 25GP.

The players will receive a set of scale mail armour additionally if they attacked the druid's grove.

If the party negotiated with the druids for the goods, they will receive 50GP instead of 100GP as an payment.

Each druid processes a club and or a sling, 1d20 silver pieces,a ration,common clothes and a pouch. If the players are in Dragonstead the processions of the druids can be looted untill the afternoon of the next day, being taken by the hamlets commoners instead by that time.

The players receive the experience for the animals and druids defeated, whatever or not through violent means.

Enmity

Unless otherwise stopped the cottages labeled 2 and 3 will have to be rebuilt for structural damage inflicted by the fire. A funeral is held for those who died two days later.

Appendices

Deddrot's Cave

To the east, 2-3 hours travel east from Dragonstead is Deddrot's cave. The area it's situated in has high, rocky hills within a low down entrance. Only Deddrot and Julica know of it's location as well as Lexie Bailey, from her eavesdropping of the two. Frona knows the approximate location but won't risk going with the druids for long enough from the grove to look for it.

The travel to the hilled is uneventful, mostly grassland with clumps of young tree:

Ahead of you is the dark green outlines of several hills. Taller vegetation than the surrounding grass tops each hill. Rocks are littered around the landscape, irregularly shaped and partially buried by dirt.

Once the party are on the hills, or around them they may make an investigation check, if a party member is a black or copper Dragonborn they automatically succeed the DC 15 check if they passed the DC 10:

Investigation DC 10: There isn't anything that sticks to you from your observation of the rocky vista. A few trees. A particularly large rock is not far away.

Investigation DC 15:In the distance there is a damaged tree on a small hill. It is probably three fathoms tall. Once one player approachs the tree The trees leaves are shriveled and brown and the bark is blackened, but not traditionally burnt. A large copper colored scale is embedded in the wood.

The particularly large rock

The rock is about twice the height of a man. Moss is growing on one side of it but mostly in the joints of the limestone. It narrows slightly in the middle but broadens to the same width as the bottom at the top. The grass bordering the edges is on rasied soil, presumably blown onto the rock, burying it by about a foot. As you round the rock, looking at the ants crawling around it's rough surface, scavenging a spiders corpse for food, color of mentioned spider blending into the rock it died on, you see three kobolds cherishing a armful of lizards they caught. They turn to you and squeal, throwing a rock at a party member for 1d4 damage before running away from you with their catch in the direction of a burnt tree.

If the players disturb the kobolds they flee to Deddrot's cave. Not far from the damaged tree, but out of view from the particularly large rock is the entrance to a cave. Branches and vegetation piled in front of the tall and wide opening in the hill.

Interior

You climb over the plants in front of the entrance. Tufts of grass are growing among the rocky terrain.Once inside the cave you see a enormous pile of riches if the players tries to guess the combined value tell them to roll insight Dc 13: successful roll say around 300 Platinum Pieces. on a failed save just say you don't know the exact value but it is clear it is a lot of money. If the characters attempt to steal some then the Kobald's will defend the gold and 2 copper dragon wyrmlings will look confused at them then attack unless the characters choose to reason with them the persuasion Dc is 15 If it comes down to a fight the Kobald's will flee after taking 10 damage but the wyrmlings will screech for help and the owner of the cave will come he will arrive in 5 minutes. then the wyrmlings will flee after taking 15 damage. once the owner arrives he'll say well you came all this way and defeated the druids and my kobolds as well as my useless children. he then awards them a additional 100 gp then subtly threatens them to leave and never return.

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Quests