Silver Dragon Lair, in a Volcano. DM HELP!!

[SMac8988]

So my party has recently been requested to fetch a silver dragon egg. A group of dwarves have lived with a dragon ruling their people for a long time and he recently passed away due to age and injuries and now the party is off to get a replacement.

The information that have been given so far is that the dragon mother, whom just had a clutch of eggs, does not like the cold much, and has made her lair atop an active volcano she froze up. Keeping her just the right temp and allowing steam vents to heat her eggs.

Now they are on their way, I'm planning on having some type of small city at the base and possible some encounters along the way in.

BUT I am looking for some help on how to design a silver dragon lair and in cooperate the volcano.

I was thinking some steam vents and occasional flash flooding of water melting.

But any other ideas. I wanted to make this an interested situatuon. Since the end of this story arc can posible be resolved with a fight. Also if anyone has suggestions of followers of hers I can throw at the party as random encounters. Or creatures that maybe attracted to this kind of enviroment.

[Mjolnirbear]

This Form of government is new to me. Steal-babies-with-scales-to-rule-us-ism?

I mean, it *kinda* works in Gracklestugh, but those are evil dwarves with an evil dragon and also the dragon doesn't rule.

Why would good dwarves steal a good dragon's egg? Why would they risk momma's wrath? Why do they assume all silver dragons are alike?

[Nidgit]

Literal lava lamps encased in enchanted ice. Possibly also some kind of magic heat pump to make the entry chamber absurdly cold as a way of deterring Intruders.

[SMac8988]

This Form of government is new to me. Steal-babies-with-scales-to-rule-us-ism?

I mean, it *kinda* works in Gracklestugh, but those are evil dwarves with an evil dragon and also the dragon doesn't rule.

Why would good dwarves steal a good dragon's egg? Why would they risk momma's wrath? Why do they assume all silver dragons are alike?

It's a home brew clan I made a while back.

Basically the clan lost their true home a long ass time ago. And they found refuge in the dragon's lair. Being a silver dragon and feeling putty for their plight he allowed then to make their home around him. Over generation of dwarves he went from being a friend, to an advisor, to a leadership figure.

The clan is lead by the high priest of their faith, whom is call the dragon speaker because he talks to the dragon who's home they live.

They are sent to retrieve an egg/baby. The group assumes that means steal. I told then that the female dragon is an old mate of the one who recently passed.

They could easily talk to the mother and see if they could sway her as well.

[lunaticfringe]

I'm guessing Steam & Fog are a thing. Steam mephit alarm system as the party moves deeper into the complex.

If you have Tome of Beasts a Vapor Lynx prowling around the area seems appropriate. May or may not be buddies with Silver.

Silver Dragonborn or Half Dragon underlings always works in a pinch. Big Momma could be their progenitor or a distant relation there of.

Pissed of Fire Creatures or Druids that might be willing to offer aid the party. How dare this scaly bitch stop a volcano! It's unnatural!

[SMac8988]

Pissed of Fire Creatures or Druids that might be willing to offer aid the party. How dare this scaly bitch stop a volcano! It's unnatural!

OMG I am stealing that right there!!!

I'll make a small town at the foot of the volcano what was once a tropical paradise but is now snow covered and getting ravaged by the weather change. And have a small conclave of druids there to figure out what has caused the change in nature.

Have a pack vapor lynx using the fog and mist created by the combination of cold and heat to hunt in. Make the entire pathway filled with this fog that the party can't see througj.

Then have steam vents, and thin ice above lava tubes. For some dex saves, few passages that lave still run through for some con saves just being close. And maybe a lock or puzzle or sorts to a sealed door, maybe just a wall of magic ice or something.

This would not only make it a possible role play for the egg but to get the dragon to leave since it's destroying a village. Or may cause the party to see her as a problem and just try and fight her.

I like this a lot.

How does that sound?

[lunaticfringe]

Sounds good. I like the choices, especially because Silvers a usually good.

They could try and parlay with the dragon.
They could try and Rob her & bug out.
They could fight and slay her.

No clear Good choice. Stealing pisses off a Dragon would can Shapeshift. Convincing her to give up an egg angers the locals/druids. Convincing her to live with the dwarves (a possibility???) or slaying her eventually causes an eruption. Several options and possible outcomes. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Nifft]

Convincing her to give up an egg angers the locals/druids.

That doesn't follow at all.

[Basement Cat]

Is the party made up entirely of dwarfs from the clan? If not then why?

OT: Given that Momma Silver is the late Silver's long time mate she'd almost certainly be fully aware of everything the Dragon Speaker was up to etc and could set up a series of Trials to determine whether the clan remains worthy.

Thus you would be redundantly entitled to develop a dungeon crawl of traps and tests, etc for the "Seekers of the Egg" to overcome (which they must do in a noble manner--she is a Silver and would doubtlessly be entitled to test the party members' morals and ethics in several ways) in order to prove themselves. :smallwink:

[lunaticfringe]

That doesn't follow at all.

Because they complete their mission and leave and presumably the dragon stays continuing to screw up the local ecosystem. They aren't killing the dragon or convincing it to leave.

[Nifft]

Because they complete their mission and leave and presumably the dragon stays continuing to screw up the local ecosystem. They aren't killing the dragon or convincing it to leave.

"Not killing the dragon" is no reason for the Druids to risk death.

If the Druids want the dragon to go away, they need to be alive to make it go away.

Attacking some neutral party who is neither helping nor hurting is frankly insane.

[lunaticfringe]

"Not killing the dragon" is no reason for the Druids to risk death.

If the Druids want the dragon to go away, they need to be alive to make it go away.

Attacking some neutral party who is neither helping nor hurting is frankly insane.

I didn't say attack I said angered, there is a difference. Druids can potentially live for thousands of years. Not a group you want to be on bad terms with.

[SMac8988]

Is the party made up entirely of dwarfs from the clan? If not then why?

No, but the city is a major ally to the party. So they want to help because of that. I didn't push this adventure really. It was brought up and they jumped at it.


OT: Given that Momma Silver is the late Silver's long time mate she'd almost certainly be fully aware of everything the Dragon Speaker was up to etc and could set up a series of Trials to determine whether the clan remains worthy.

What kind of trails would you think would be good to prove the groups merrit? I mean I love the idea. I would assume she would think it's members of the Dwarven clan. So she would be all kinds of confused when this rag tag group stumbles through her trails.


Thus you would be redundantly entitled to develop a dungeon crawl of traps and tests, etc for the "Seekers of the Egg" to overcome (which they must do in a noble manner--she is a Silver and would doubtlessly be entitled to test the party members' morals and ethics in several ways) in order to prove themselves. :smallwink:

This could be really fun.


I also think a big moral issue for the party will be her lair itself. Being where it is, it is destroying several small tropical towns and island chains. As well as making this volcanic range very unstable.

I'm think as the party heads through the tunnels they will hear the cracks and moaning of stone rapidly heating, cooling and cracking.