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Epilogue
This scene can take place after either Act Two, Scene Six or Act Three, Scene Three. Overview Here, the players witness the return of Gilthanas, a Qualinesti prince who has been missing since shortly after the War of the Lance. Getting Started Before the heroes arrive at this scene, the Narrator should review Gilthanas's description on the page opposite. First Impressions The door to the elves' cell (or the hatch on board the pirate ship) can be easily opened. The text below describes them. In the dim light ahead, six elves languish in a steel cage. They look bruised from repeated heatings, and most of them have an air of despair about them. Only one appears to have an unbroken spirit, a golden-haired elf who carries himself like a born leader. The Story Continues As the heroes approach, the blond elf glares at them defiantly. If he sees an elf with them, he says, "We have nothing to say to traitors of our race or their allies." Elves know him as a Qualinesti by his accent and coloration. He refuses to give his name, but elf heroes might recognize him as Gilthanas (see "Actions"). Once Gilthanas knows the heroes aren't enemies, he introduces himself and explains that he and his comrades were betrayed by elves serving the Blue Overlord. He offers his support, as do the others, if the heroes will free them. The elves' long swords and leather armor lie in a pile nearby. Atmosphere The atmosphere of this scene matches that of its location, but the mood lightens considerably when the heroes realize they have just rescued a living legend. Actions Reaching the elves requires an easy Dexterity action to pick the lock or an easy Strength action to break it. Qualinesti elves more than seventy-five years old or Silvanesti with a social status of Aristocracy or higher may make challenging Reason actions to recognize the elf who carries himself like royalty. Those who succeed realize he is Gilthanas, long-lost uncle and namesake of Qualinesti Speaker Gilthas. (A mishap leads the hero to think he is Gilthas.) Gilthanas does not immediately trust the heroes. Any elf hero who wants to convince him of the party's sincere intentions may make an easy Presence (Reason) action to gain his trust (average for non-elves). Heroes can pick the lock on the cage with a challenging Dexterity action, assuming someone has the proper tools. Without them, the action is daunting. Characters In addition to Gilthanas, the heroes meet: Five elf prisoners: Qualinesti and Silvanesti of varied age and demeanor, Novices. Co 7, Ph 6, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def 0 (common clothing). Outcome From here, the story moves to either Scene One or Scene Four of Act Three. If the group has played both of these, the adventure concludes in the next scene. Gilthanas Hazel-eyed Gilthanas is the second child of Solostaran, former Qualinesti Speaker of the Sun. His older brother Porthios was to inherit the throne, and Gilthanas looked forward to serving as his aide and loyal supporter. But his life, like that of so many others, was irrevocably changed by the War of the Lance. While in exile with his people in Southern Ergoth during the dragonarmy occupation of Qualinesti, Gilthanas fell in love with Silvara. This silver-haired beauty was a Kagonesti shaman - or so he believed. When Silvara revealed herself to be a silver dragon named D'Argent, the young Gilthanas felt as though he had been tricked into loving someone that did not really exist. Even though the dragon returned his feelings, his hurt and resentment ultimately drove her away. It took Gilthanas two years to realize that the emptiness and depression he felt was his longing for Silvara, his only true love. But by the time he had outgrown his prejudice, she was long gone. So the elven youth set out to find her. For years he remained a prisoner in Silvanesti (the younger Qualinesti heir was captured shortly before the Chaos War, as was his older brother, Porthios). When he finally escaped, Gilthanas searched for Silvara all across Ansalon. He has seen more turmoil and had more misadventures than most elves do in a lifetime. These adventures have left their scars - both physical and mental - upon the handsome blond elf. And Silvara remains ever elusive. Gilthanas has always believed that Silvara survived the Summer of Chaos, but recently he has uncovered evidence that she might have returned to Southern Ergoth. He was on his way there when elves in the service of the Dark Knights betrayed and imprisoned him. These days, the elf favors practical clothing - his long years away from his family and his native land have taught him to dress like a human adventurer. Although he has but commoner status now, he would regain his position as a member of the royal family if he ever chose to return to Qualinesti. Gilthanas can employ three schools of sorcery: divination, enchantment, and aeromancy. He also owns an item of magic known as the Amulet of Healing Hands, a gift from Silvara. It can:
- Create bright light once each day.
(The Last Tower dramatic supplement contains additional details on this and other magical items.)
Gilthanas: Qualinesti adult male, capable demeanor, Legend, 4 This scene can open with the heroes: battling the Knights from the end of Act Three, having just escaped the Bastion of Darkness with the prisoners, or sneaking away from the Knight's Spur. If this adventure is not being played as part of a Dragons of a New Age campaign, the Narrator can replace Khellendros here with another dragon (perhaps Cauxillor from Act Three). Overview As part of a multilayered plot, Skie intentionally fails in an attack on the heroes. Not only does he want them to have the treasures they may have stolen from his lair in Act One, he wants to give them the confidence to stand up to a Great Dragon - for only then can he use them as his pawns. Getting Started Narrators can read more on dragon combat and the effects of dragonawe in Chapter Six of the Book of the Fifth Age and about dragonlances in Chapter Five. First Impressions The Narrator should adjust the passage below if the heroes face a dragon other than Khellendros. (For example, replace the thunder and lightning with another type of dragon breath attack.) Suddenly, the sound of thunder rolls toward you. Then, what can be only Khellendros, the Storm Over Kryynn, swoops down before you in all his terrifying glory, lightning arcing around his body. His voice booms, more powerful than the thunderclaps. "You insignificant nothings!" he bellows. "You dare stand in the way of my goals! Now you shall pay tor crossing a dragon!" Lightning's acrid scent touches your nostrils, as though heralding your death. The Story Continues After this threat, the dragon lets loose a blast of his lightning breath. For show, the Narrator can turn a card from the top of the Fate Deck, but the result is moot: the heroes all manage to leap out of the way or otherwise miraculously avoid injury. However, all surviving foes in the area are incinerated as massive lightning bolts slam into their bodies (or they get washed away in steaming streams of acid, in an assault from the black dragon). Then the dragon prepares to dive.
Arcing toward the heavens, the dragon
bellows, "Run, puny creatures! Or pray
to the gods that have turned their backs
on you! Nothing can save you!"
"The dragonlance," Marda cries.
"Use the dragonlance! He may kill you,
but at least you'll take him with you!"
It will take nerves of steel to do as Marda suggests, but unless the heroes attempt to attack the dragon with their lance or other magic, it pursues them. As long as the group fails to face him, the beast lays waste to the countryside, then kills their allied characters, and finally exterminates the heroes themselves.
The Battle The dragon barrels toward the party, seemingly oblivious to the lethal dragonlance pointed at it. It narrowly misses the heroes with its dragon breath attack as it dives. The Narrator should call for Agility actions to resist the assault but, regardless of the results, it causes a mere 10 damage points to each hero. The lightning injures the characters as well, though not to the point of unconsciousness. Skie was just putting on a show. If the heroes continue to face the dragon bravely with their magical lance, he actually lets them drive the ancient weapon deep into his chest. Letting out a roar that causes the heroes' very bones to shudder, the beast breaks off the haft of the lance. Then he swings up into the sky again, his blood raining down upon the landscape. Atmosphere Narrators must present this scene at an incredibly rapid pace: The attacking dragon rushes at the group like a freight train. The beast's fierce demeanor, fearsome attacks, and booming threats should also tell players they face certain death: Only heroes of legend can stand against a dragon and live. Actions As the scene opens, the heroes all must attempt normal dragonawe actions. To strike with the dragonlance, a hero must make a challenging Spirit action (Khellendros does not oppose the attempt). Should the hero fail, the lance slips from his grasp and another hero can rush forward to pick it up. Once he has stabbed the dragon, the hero holding the lance may attempt to hang onto it with an impossible Strength action - a highly unlikely success. Of course, a clever group may use magic against the dragon instead of the lance. Inflicting some degree of harm on the Blue with a big flashy spell causes him to flee as described above. Characters This scene lists no game characteristics for Khellendros, as this Great Dragon surrounds himself in mystery. Marda: Human adult female, reserved demeanor, Adventurer. Ag 8A, Dx 9B, St 5C, En 5B, Re 8X, Pe 7C, Sp 9X, Pr 7A, Dmg +2 (dagger or sling), Def 0 (common clothing), also uncontrolled mystic power. Wilie: Human young male, resourceful demeanor, Rabble. Ag 5C, Dx 9B, St 3D, En 8B, Re 7D, Pe 8B, Sp 3C, Pr 6C, Dmg +2 (sling), Def 0 (common clothing). Raalumar Sageth: Human elder male, eccentric demeanor, Unknown. Co 4, Ph 4, In 8, Es 7, Dmg 0 (unarmed), Def 0 (common clothing). Outcome The next section offers a wrap-up for the adventure and suggestions for the heroes to continue the quest. Assuming the heroes both rescued the prisoners in Relgoth and recovered Marda's brother, they have completed one quest. Of course, if they picked up any of the Blue Dragon's treasure in Act One, he can now track their future actions! After the climactic final scene of Storm Over Krynn, the Narrator should not tell the players that Khellendros purposely allowed the heroes to injure him and spared their lives (in Skie's absence, another dragon may have pursued a similar tactic in the overlord's service). Once the smoke has cleared, an old man clutching a clay tablet shakily approaches the heroes. The heroes just rescued this frail-looking fellow in gray robes - either from imprisonment in the Bastion of Darkness (if they played Act Two last) or from his slavery at the Knight's Spur encampment (if they played Act Three last). After congratulating them for their performance against the dragon and thanking them profusely for releasing him, he asks to speak to them in private. The Scholar's Story The old man, dressed in the gray robes of a Palanthian scholar, seems shaken but in fair health. He introduces himself as Raalumar Sageth and seems a bit daft - he carries a clay tablet that he refers to often. However, he desperately wants to talk to the heroes. Raalumar Sageth: Human elder male, eccentric demeanor, Unknown. Co 4, Ph 4, In 8, Es 7, Dmg 0 (unarmed), Def 0 (common clothing). Although the colored text at right presents the scholar's story as running text. Narrators should try not to make the tale sound like a speech. Instead, they should let the character reveal his story in conversation with the heroes. This story can provide the foundation for a short expository scene that can serve as a bridge to the heroes' next quest in the Dragons of a New Age series.
"Years hack, I studied at the Great
Library in Palanthas. I was there when
someone magically seized most (if the
books in the Library, you see, and I was
there when the Tower of High Sorcery
was laid low.
"Then Khellendros came, and the
Dark Knights soon after. Some of the
other scholars fled, cowards that they
were. Me, I stayed behind. Seemed clear
to me that the dragon wanted something from the Tower and the Great
Library - something he'd have to look
for elsewhere now.
"Of course, the Knights don't have
much patience for men of learning,
particularly when we go poking our
noses into their affairs. But that's what
a historian has to do if he wishes to get
the facts of a situation right.
"After one too many such offenses, I
had to flee the city. But the stars must
have been against me, for the first stop
on my flight turned out to be a village
the Knights had targeted to serve as a
source of raw material to create those
hideous blue-skinned spawn. May the
gods give their poor souls rest.
"Before you rescued me, I learned
something else - something less tragic
than the dragonspawn, but potentially
just as dangerous for the free people of
Krynn. The great Skie is collecting
magical artifacts from yesteryear. He
lias ordered a special talon of the Dark
Knights to gather every single one they
can track down. I don't know why he
needs the artifacts, but, in my humble
opinion, no Great Dragon ought to
possess that much concentrated magic.
"Perhaps adventurers such as yourselves could, well... liberate a few of
the items and, with luck, foil whatever
that dragon is up to." Consulting his tablet, the scholar can describe the artifacts he learned the Dark Knights had been dispatched to recover:
- The necklace of an old but young
woman who lives at the base of an
ancient stairway.
Of course, these cryptic descriptions refer to: Goldmoon's medallion of faith, located on Schallsea; Dalamar the Dark's golden ring of healing, now at the Tower of High Sorcery at Wayreth; the scepter known as the Fist of E'li, which once belonged to Silvanos himself, now hidden deep in the Qualinesti Forest; the Crown of Tides, sacred to the elves of Dimernesti; and the famed lance with which Huma Dragonbane impaled the Dark Queen and ended the Third Dragon War, secreted away at Huma's Tomb in Foghaven Vale. Should anyone wonder how the scholar learned the details of his story, he smiles and replies that, as a man of learning, he's trained to report what he sees and hears - even while a prisoner. If asked, he urges the heroes to make visiting the Tomb of Huma their top priority - that's where he believes the Dark Knights are headed first. The Real Story Of course, when dealing with a dragon, nothing is exactly as it appears. The events of the previous adventure in this series, The Rising Storm, made the Blue Dragon aware of the heroes' work to uncover his plans. Khellendros actually allowed their trip to Relgoth and permitted them to glimpse the true nature of dragonspawn as the initial stages of a complex plan involving the other dragon overlords and his search for the spirit of his former partner: the Blue Lady, Kitiara uth Matar. In addition, Skie decided to send one of his agents to infiltrate the heroes. The scholar, Raalumar Sageth is the mouthpiece of this agent: a huldrefolk named Fissure. This ally of Khellendros, one of Krynn's Lost Folk, has used his inborn geomantic magic to take the form of the scholar's clay tablet, which allows him to secretly tell the scholar what to say. Fissure means to use the heroes as pawns as part of Skie's complex, long-term scheme to get them, ultimately, to challenge Malys. The details of this plan will become clear over the course of the next installments of Dragons of a New Age. For now, suffice to say the heroes have been drawn into a plot that will affect the future of Ansalon, although they might not realize it right away. The Story Unfolds The next adventure in this series, A Killing Frost (part of the Heroes of Sorcery dramatic supplement), advances Khellendros's sinister plot as well as the story of Gilthanas and Silvara. However, before beginning that adventure, Narrators might choose to develop some of the story elements introduced in Storm Over Krynn. For instance:
- The heroes can join Myrelana,
Leana, and the other Vingaard river
pirates to discover who (or what) in
Nightlund is creating the undead
Vingaard river pirates.
The last of the above plot elements dovetails straight into A Killing Frost, which features the heroes' search for the dragonlance of Huma. (The search for the previously mentioned Crown of Tides is the subject of a subsequent adventure, part of the Heroes of Hope dramatic supplement.)
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