802 Wildsor – Encounter

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“I know we are fools… But I would rather be killed by the dragon than abandon my ancestors’ land. I was born here and in this god-forsaken land shall I perish.”

Gallen, Valiant Farmer

Being the closest settlement to Northcrest Mountain, Wildsor has been hit the hardest by the Ruby Dragon. Thirty-six people live in this small thorp by the bridge, surrounded by well-tilled farmlands. Alas, most of them have fled south to Willowhill in fear of the constant dragon attacks. The burnt scars of the dragon’s breath weapon scourge the surrounding land and the fields. Half the thorp’s wood­en buildings were destroyed a few days ago when the dragon finally landed. In its pass, the mammoth creature laid waste in Wildsor. But surprisingly, a small group of farmers and herders refuse to leave. Their roots to these lands are so strong that they are unfazed by the dragon’s presence and already prepare for its next attack. They brought two siege scorpions from Queendell’s walls and rush to set them up. They lack the ability to properly op­erate them and yet, they soldier on to defend their town.

Level 3 Encounter

  • Danger. Check for a Random Event every hour during the battle prep time (2-in-6 chance). The Ruby Dragon appears 2d4+1 hours after the characters’ arrival.
  • Ambiance. The remaining locals work tirelessly to craft improvised weapons and prepare for battle. Their faces display the resolve of a man ready to die in peace.
  • Smells and Sounds. The smell of charred fields and homes permeates the area. There is a 2-in-6 chance of hearing the faraway roars of the ruby dragon every hour.

The Defense Effort

When the characters arrive at Wildsor, the locals are up to an impossible task: defend the thorp from the ruby dragon and slay it if possible. A few of them are op­timistic about their odds but most have made peace with the possibility of this being their last day in this world.

The characters’ arrival bolsters their resolve, however. They are rejoiced to have the help of strong-looking mer­cenaries within their ranks. The townsfolk are brave but the characters’ actions are crucial to defending Wildsor.

 RANDOM EVENT d6 Details
1 The ruby dragon flies by at a high altitude, unreachable by the scorpions. Three ashen wyrmlings spawn along its path and drop toward Wildsor. If the scorpions are ready (see area 3), a single bolt is enough to destroy one ashen wyrmling instantly.
2 Four guards from Queendell arrive in town. They beg the locals, on behalf of Shalendra, to abandon their efforts and flee south.
3 Three mandrakes, planted in the farmed fields, uproot themselves and crawl toward the water well. They are aggressive.
4 A scholar arrives from Northcrest Mountain; her name is Ashlyn. She claims to have witnessed signs that the magma chamber under Northcrest Mountain is becoming active. She thinks the ruby dragon brings forth this geological change.
5 A level-2 wizard from Willowhill arrives in town. He offers his services to the characters as he wants to be an adventurer.
6 The land trembles for half a minute. Then, a plume of gray smoke emerges from Northcrest Mountain.

1. Road to Willowhill

It takes a 1-hour ride to move from Wildsor to Willowhill. Most of the traffic in normal times is grain transports and cattle herders. Today, the road is empty except for a few Wildsor locals returning from Willowhill with bun­dles of scorpion bolts and farm implements.

  • Ruffians. Four thugs impede passage 1 mile south of Wildsor. They demand a payment of 15 gp per person. They fight if opposed but flee if reduced to half HP.

2. Destroyed Buildings

Half the town is in shambles, burnt and destroyed. Townsfolk carry bundles and crates from place to place, getting ready to defend what little is left.

Four edifices were destroyed during the dragon’s last at­tack. Three of them belonged to farmers. One of them, Victor, remained in town to defend it. The others fled. The fourth and largest building belonged to Earl Jirden. Unfortunately, the earl perished during the attack. His family, high-borns but with little wealth and/or influence, promptly fled south to Queendell. The rugged locals re­gard them as lowly cowards and weak turncoats.

  • strategy. The ruined buildings provide good hiding spots for ranged attackers and low barriers that give ad­vantage against the merciless dragon’s fire.
  • Treasure. Inspecting the large, ruined building for 2 hours yields 30 gp, 48 sp, a set of chain mail armor, two longswords, and an engraved silver dagger (15 gp).

3. Siege Scorpions

Two pairs of farmers attempt to set up the scorpions. Un­aided, it takes them 6 hours to have them ready for com­bat. This is too long as the ruby dragon might attack ear­lier than that. Two characters can aid the farmers put the siege weapons together to accelerate the process. With the characters’ help, the scorpions are ready in 3 hours (DC 14 Intelligence). On a critical failure, one scorpion is ruined until spare parts are brought from Queendell.

  • Scorpion. A character and two peasants can operate one scorpion. DC 18 Dexterity to operate, per shot. On a success, the bolt impacts its target and deals 4d8 dam­age. It takes 1d3 rounds to reload the scorpion.

4. Toll Booth

On normal days, a crown’s representative charges 5 sp per traveler for crossing the bridge. The officer fled after the dragon’s first attack. The toll booth is now used as a storage room for farm implements and weapons.

5. Gallen’s Home

Gallen is the first to welcome the characters to Wildsor upon their arrival. His two teenage sons stand by him trying to display the same bravery as Gallen’s but it is ap­parent that the two lads are scared and insecure.

After the earl’s death, the locals have relied on Gallen for confidence and support. Gallen (commoner), a pota­to farmer, has turned out to be a brave warrior willing to die for Wildsor. He wields a hay fork valiantly and plans to operate one of the scorpions unless a character volun­teers. He believes they can defeat the dragon together.

6. Grain Silo and Storage

Some non-combatant townsfolk work to set up ham­mocks and sleeping pads inside the silo for all that choose to remain in town. The characters are offered a spot to eat and sleep if they help defend the town.

  • Preparation. This building is vulnerable to dragon­fire due to the dry grain and flour sacks inside. Unless the characters intervene, it shall surely trigger a peril­ous explosion (see Scourge of the Ruby dragon). The characters can spend 3 hours wetting the structure and removing some of the sacks to protect it from fire. The odds of the building catching fire are reduced to 2-in-6.

7. The Bridge

The stone structure of the bridge proved impervious to the dragon’s breath weapon. There are a few scorched marks near the easternmost pillars but the stone has not melted. When the dragon attacks (see Scourge of the Ruby Dragon), this bridge is its landing spot. Creatures standing on the bridge fall prone (DC 15 Strength save).

Scourge of the Ruby Dragon

The characters shall test their steel and resolve against the ruby dragon for the first time here. The drag­on does not fight to the death here. After being reduced to half its HP it takes flight and flees to Northcrest Moun­tain. The characters can finally defeat it there.

The ruby dragon arrives at Wildsor 2d4+1 hours af­ter the characters’ arrival. Its mighty roar causes the world to tremble as it descends from the sky and uses its Breath Weapon ability as it flies by. Two ashen wyrm­lings are left in its wake as the ruby dragon doubles back slowly to town. It takes 2d3 rounds for the dragon to re­turn. There is a 3-in-6 chance that the dragon attempts a second pass with its Breath Weapon when it doubles back toward Wildsor but its wyrmlings are not spawned on the second fly-by. After this, the ruby dragon lands on the bridge, angered if it took any damage (area 7).

Apart from the characters, there are ten common­ers in town willing to fight the dragon. They operate the scorpions or use forks and spades to fight the dragon.

  • The Silo. If dragonfire reaches area 6, it explodes in after 1d3 rounds (5-in-6 chance). Creatures within 20 feet of the silo take 5d6 damage (DC 15 Dexterity save).
  • The Mystery. The ruby dragon fights with a ferocity unseen in creatures of its kind. The glow in its eyes sig­nals to spellcasters that magic is at play. A detect mag­ic spell reveals an aura of transformation magic concen­trated on a ring the dragon wears: the Draconic Band.
  • Treasure. As the dragon flees, it drops a large red scale that can be worn as an amulet of health.

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