a dozen

destructive dragons
by philip reed

This PDF was created for those gamemasters who wish campaign; an overuse of dragons can remove the sense
to include dragons in the campaign. Personally, I have al- of awe that the party should face each time that they en-
ways thought that dragons should rarely appear in any counter a dragon.

A Dozen Destructive Dragons © 2020 Philip Reed, all rights reserved.

Some artwork copyright JIN LH, used under license. Some artwork by Infinity PBR, from The Game Crafter, used under license.
Some art by Dream Expander, Liu zishan, Polina Lopina, T Studio, and Warpaint, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

a dozen destructive dragons • page 1

 anatomy 2 1
of a
dragon
1. Every dragon includes an illustration to
help spark your imagination as you think
through how to best use the creature in
your campaign.

2. The dragon’s name.

3
3. Each dragon includes background informa-
tion to setup the dragon’s possible place in
your campaign. At times, when appropri-

4
ate, a description of the dragon’s personal-
ity has also been included.

4. Involving the party. This section describes

the way(s) in which you may introduce
the dragon to the adventurers. At times,
it is less of a direct introduction between
the two and more of how they could be-
come involved with the dragon and/or the
events in motion around the beast.

using the dragons

Most campaigns never see a single dragon, let alone
twelve, so the dragons that have been detailed on the
following pages should last for your entire career as a
gamemaster, right? Or not. I know that some of you are
far more liberal when tossing dragons into the action;
if you’re running a game world that is swarming with
dragons, it is possible that you will burn through all
twelve of these dragons in a single session. I certainly
hope not; your player characters won’t know what hit
them if you do that.
Background. You may never even introduce the PCs to
the dragons, instead keeping the stories of the various
dragons as background matter for your game world.
When used in this way, these dragon descriptions are
used to help add flavor and depth to your world.
Adventure. You’re an insane one, aren’t you? You truly
plan to bring one of these dragons into the campaign
and pit the party against the wyrm and its situation.
When used in this way, you’ll want to take time to pre-
pare the dragon’s game stats, using your preferred
game system and the description that follows as a guide
in your efforts.
Inspiration. Maybe none of these dragons are an exact
fit for your campaign and you instead find the dozen
wyrms a source of inspiration when writing up your
own dragon. Awesome. I am always honored and ex-
cited to learn when someone uses my work as a guide
to devising something of their own. If you do create a
dragon after reading the twelve I’ve detailed, please let
me know on Twitter: @philipjreed.

a dozen destructive dragons • page 2

chugait the fiery one
This great wyrm lives in the cliffs along the southern
coast, making his home within one of the many caverns
that open several hundred feet above the sea. Chugait
is a violent, angry monster who wishes only to destroy
anything – and anyone – he cannot own.
In his youth, Chugait was a kinder, gentler creature who
befriended the people of a small fishing village several
days ride from the dragon’s current lair. Chugait would
aid the villagers in their fishing trips, flying ahead of the
villagers’ boats in search of schools of fish and directing
the people to the most-populated areas of the sea near
their homes. The dragon enjoyed life with the villagers,
spending almost all of his time with the people. This con-
tinue until a decade ago, when disaster fell on the village.
Invaders from the sea, a tribe of fishfolk intent on end-
ing the villagers’ fishing expeditions, attacked the village
late one night when Chugait was sleeping in his lair. The
fishfolk were swift and brutal in their mission, killing the
villagers well before sunrise.
The death of the villagers was soul-crushing for the drag-
on and changed Chugait forever. Blaming himself for the
death of the villagers – if only he had moved his lair near-
er their homes, he could have saved them – the dragon
became angry and destructive, lashing out first at other
villages for not aiding his friends and then attacking a
nearby halfling settlement.
Chugait now sits in his lair most days, only setting out
into the wider world when his anger overwhelms him
and he cannot resist the urge to destroy . . . something.
Involving the party. Psychologically, the dragon is
too far gone to be saved. The villages and towns along
the coast that must face the dragon’s anger every few
months pool their resources and issue a bounty on the
dragon. 1,000 gold to anyone who kills Chugait and
puts an end to the dragon’s destructive behavior.
“When a dragon is sighted,
the news spreads with
almost supernatural speed.”
– Nigel Findley,
Draconomicon (1990)
a dozen destructive dragons • page 3
mavroissos
A serpentine wyrm, stretching dozens of feet in length,
Mavroissos lives far beneath the surface in what was
once a drow city. Centuries ago, the drow contacted a
crystalline beast from the outer stars and summoned the
monster, using their arcane powers to enslave the alien
visitor and forcing it to serve as an energy source for their
city. The monster was too powerful for the drow mages,
though, and eventually broke free of the spells that con-
tained it against the monster’s will.
In the ensuing battle between the drow and their
once-captive opponent, the arcane forces brought to
bear by both sides in the conflict were so great that it
shook the city, completely destroying the homes of the
drow and killing the monster in the devastating collapse
that opened a rift in the cavern and let the natural light of
the sun flood the once-enclosed pocket within the earth.
The crystalline monster’s death was marked by a strange
growth of giant, unusual crystals that soon dominat-
ed much of the ruins of the drow city. Stranger still, is
that something serpent-like grew out of the monster’s
corpse. Mavroissos – a wingless dragon that draws its
power from the crystals that fill the subterranean ruins of
the city – rose from the remains of the beast.
Involving the party. Rumors of a powerful monster
attacking towns and villages near Drowfall Mountain
spread through the land, with the descriptions uneven
and bizarre, and leading many to speculate that a gi-
ant subterranean worm has found its way to the sur-
face world. Some who claim to have seen the monster,
though, say that it is more dragon-like in form than it is
a worm, but they do not deny that the beast is wingless
and that they’ve not seen or heard of its like before.
At first, the PCs may only hear the occasional rumor of
the monster, snippets of information that suggest that
something is attacking the people who live near Drow-
fall Mountain. Over time, if the PCs do not investigate the
rumors, the stories of destruction grow more and more
frequent . . . and sound increasingly violent.
Soon, each of the towns and villages near the mountain
post notices asking for heroes to slay the dragon. With
each offering a different reward for proof of the monster’s
destruction, adventurers from across the realms start to
close in on the region, with each certain that they will
be the heroes to kill the monster and claim the reward.
Will the player characters take part in the race to slay the
monster and, if they do, will they come out on top?
a dozen destructive dragons • page 4
neodrusskar
A young green dragon, Neodrusskar lives in the tall
grasses near Lake Halfling’s Luck, a small body of water
that sits several miles from Hightown. Using its claws and
powerful strength, the dragon has hollowed out a deep
depression in the earth, digging until he struck an under-
ground tunnel that was – before the dragon moved in
– the home to a small family of giant worms. The worms
are now dead, and Neodrusskar spends most days of the
week sleeping in the narrow, unstable tunnels that were
originally dug by the worms.
One or two days each week, when Neodrusskar is awake
and feeling playful, the green dragon explores the shores
of the lake and the plains near his lair in search of sport.
The dragon is a murderous, violent creature who enjoys
playing with his prey before slaughtering and devouring
the unfortunate animal or monster that fell in his path.
As a young dragon, Neodrusskar has not yet learned the
arts of subtlety and stealth and instead thrashes about
the region, causing as much destruction as he can while
drawing more attention than he really should.
Since he is so young, Neodrusskar has not yet built him-
self much of a treasure hoard. The dragon has what little
items he managed to take from the few humans and hal-
flings who died at the dragon’s hands, but he has noth-
ing of true value in his cramped, ugly lair.
Involving the party. The dragon’s attacks on the region
have not yet had a serious impact on Hightown or those
using the roads that lead into the city, but the frequen-
cy dragon sightings have the people in the area talking
and asking if they should deal with the dragon before it
grows older (and more powerful).
Neodrusskar is such a minor threat that word of his ac-
tions hasn’t spread far, so it is only if the PCs come into
contact with someone who was recently at Hightown
that they hear of the monster. Of course, a braggart who
has heard of the young green dragon may – to earn a free
drink or two in the tavern – make up tales of the drag-
on which could cause the PCs to take an interest in the
situation. How frustrated will they be if they defeat the
dragon and learn that it has no treasures of value?
a dozen destructive dragons • page 5
mundemzark
“Dragons are creatures of myth, often described as the
first sentient race to appear on a world, with life spans
that stretch over hundreds of years.”
– Andy Collins, Skip Williams, James Wyatt,
Draconomicon (2003)

the other races of the land

who are foolish enough to not
run when the dragon attacks their
villages and towns. Mundemzark possess-
es an incredible hoard of valuables, and any ad-
venturer who hears rumors of the dragon’s treasures
will find it difficult to resist the urge to investigate the
spire and see whether or not the rumors are true.

Mundemzark is still quite active, setting out almost

The great dragon Mundemzark makes his home on a
sliver of stone that protrudes from the eastern ocean of
the realms. Several miles from the nearest land, the stone
outcropping is barely as thick as the dragon itself and ex-
tends hundreds of feet into the sky. Those who would
seek to climb the towering island of stone are in for a
terrible challenge; the waves crash against the stone
constantly, threatening to knock off any who cling to the
sides of the formation, while higher up the strong winds
whip and whirl constantly. Any who reach the peak of the
spire will find an opening, a tunnel that extends straight
down and opens into caverns well below the surface of
the sea.
Mundemzark’s lair beneath the ocean is filled with many
riches, from coins and gems to magic items that the drag-
on has claimed after killing humans, elves, dwarves, and
monthly to seek new riches to add to his hoard. The drag-
on is smart enough to spread his attacks out across the
lands, flying as far as 500 miles to seek out new towns and
villages to attack. He is most interested in magic items
and gemstones, and will deviate from his planned path
if he spots a band of adventurers on the ground below.
Involving the party. The heroes are crossing the wil-
derness, whether by road or making their way across
open lands, when Mundemzark flies high overhead and
notices them. The dragon swoops around, taking a sud-
den interest in the party of adventurers.
The dragon will fly past once, looking to see if the group
is worth his time. If any of the heroes are openly carrying
magic items – even something as basic as a +1 sword or
a simple magic ring – Mundemzark returns and attacks.
The dragon must own those magic items!

a dozen destructive dragons • page 6

jyrosaks
One of the more powerful dragons on his planet, Jyro-
saks rules an entire continent that is home to hundreds
of dragons. Fortunately for the player characters and
their world, the gateway that once connected the two
worlds was destroyed over 1,000 years ago. Some who
study the history of the PCs’ world think that it is possible
that all dragons originated on Jyrosaks’ home.
Before the destruction of the gate – which was a
ringed-construct made entirely of stone that hovered
several hundred feet over the eastern ocean – drag-
ons flew back and forth between the two planets daily,
transporting riches back and forth as they traded with
one another. It was Jyrosaks’ grandfather, the great wyrm
Grayosaks, who accidentally destroyed the gateway that
connected the two worlds. The ancient dragon tried to
take a minor artifact – the Crown of Stars – from one world
into the other which triggered an arcane cataclysm that
destroyed the gate and closed the connection between
the worlds forever.
Jyrosaks recently found a way using his draconic magic
to re-open a gate between the two worlds and the drag-
on plans to amass an army of followers to join him on a
raid of the player characters’ home land.
Involving the party. A planar traveler, Holger Dehnert,
crashes into a tavern one night, flinging the door wide
and collapsing at the feet of the adventurers. Once they
manage to revive the man, Dehnert tells the PCs that
he brings a warning of terrible destruction and that the
world needs heroes who can stop the impending disas-
ter before it can change life on the world forever.
If the party listens to the man, he shows them his ring of
Planar Jumping and explains that he has just come from
a distant world of dragons. Dehnert was enslaved by the
dragon Jyrosaks for several months, during which time
the traveler overheard enough of the dragon’s plans to
know that this world is doomed if the dragon army is
not stopped before Jyrosaks can open a new gate be-
tween the two worlds.
Dehnert tells the PCs to take his ring and journey to the
dragon world. He can provide them with a crude map of
Jyrosaks’ lair – a floating castle guarded by several oth-
er dragons as well as enslaved goblins and orcs – and
tells them that they must find the dragon’s crystal ball
and shatter it before Jyrosaks uses it to open the portal.
Dehnert then falls dead, his will to live gone once he has
delivered the message of warning to the PCs.
a dozen destructive dragons • page 7
frostbreath
Born in the freezing wastelands of the north, the ice dragon Frostbreath has al-
ways thought of himself as superior to those around him. Even in his first days,
when the dragon relied on the protection of his mother, Frostbreath knew – deep
in his soul – that nothing in the world equaled his importance. As if intent on
proving himself and his place in
the world, Frostbreath
murdered his mother just a
few months after his birth, at-
tacking her as she slept and act-
ing swiftly to end her life before
she could awaken and deal with
her thankless offspring.

Ever since the death of his mother

almost 300 hundred years ago, Frost-
breath has had a single goal: to discover
his mother’s hidden lair and claim her hoard
as his own. Whether it was caution or premo-
nition, the dragon’s mother chose to keep her
hoard a secret from Frostbreath, and to this day
the dragon has been unable to find what – in his
mind – is a trove of riches that are meant only for him.

Frostbreath has made his home near the peak of one of

the taller mountains near the lands of the humans and
halflings, living within a cave that is eternally cold thanks
to a Wand of Frost that the dragon found several decades ago.

Involving the party. Growing desperate to locate his mother’s trea-

sures, Frostbreath uses his magic to change himself in a human male, ap-
pearing to be some sixty winters of age. Taking the name Justas Preidys, the
dragon – in his human form – visits taverns and inns in search of adventurers to
aid him in his search. Pretending to be a human explorer, Frostbreath tells po-
tential companions that he has narrowed down the location of a slain dragon’s
abandoned hoard to a specific mountain in the frozen north. He now seeks only
heroes willing to join him in the hunt and, of course, to share in the treasures.

In his human form, Frostbreath pretends to be an aging warrior with no knowl-

edge of the arcane arts. In actuality, Frostbreath retains the spellcasting powers
of his draconic form and could easily use those powers in an emergency. The
dragon shares what little he knows of the location of the hoard and admits to the
PCs that he is out of ideas of where to search.

The dragon’s goal is for the PCs to track down and locate the lost hoard, at which
point he will shrug off his human guise and attack his former companions. If all
goes according to plan, Frostbreath will finally possess his mother’s treasures.

a dozen destructive dragons • page 8

atuntointh
The ancient red dragon Atuntointh – once a terror re-
sponsible for many nightmares and instilling fear in the
people of the middle-lands – is dying. Age is catching
up with the powerful wyrm, and Atuntointh is not one
to give in to defeat without a fight. Despite knowing
that death cannot be stopped, the dragon is now seek-
ing power to make him an immortal being: Atuntointh is
looking for the key to undeath and wishes to transform
himself into a dracolich.
Fortunately for the world, the dragon has yet to discov-
er the secrets needed to change his existence from one
of the living to an undead monster, and now it is a race
against the clock as death advances steadily and the
dragon has less and less time to find someone – anyone!
– with the power to halt his end.
Atuntointh is now spreading his search from the less-
populated regions to the civilized lands, attacking
churches, wizards’ towers, libraries, and anyplace that he
suspects he will find the secrets to becoming a dracol-
ich. Though the people of the cities know not why the
dragon is attacking, they recognize that his attacks are
becoming more and more frequent . . . and more violent.
Atuntointh now has fewer than two months to live, and
somehow the monster realizes this and has become
more desperate. Where he would once pause between
assaults, buying himself time to heal and to recover from
the previous engagement, the dragon is now attacking
places every day, flying from site to site and ripping into
whatever defenses the place may be able to muster to
face the angry dragon.
Involving the party. The heroes happen to be in one
of cities that the dragon has not yet attacked when the
word is given: dragon sighting! Atuntointh is charging
the city, intent on concentrating his fury on the tower of
Christos Panopoulos, a powerful wizard who lives within
the walls of the city and – perhaps – will have a tome of
knowledge that contains the secrets of undeath.
The PCs should find themselves embroiled in the action
when the red dragon attacks, maybe joining the city
guard in taking the fight to the dragon. If the heroes do
assist the city, it will do wonders for their reputation with
the locals (even if they fail to stop the dragon). If Atun-
tointh is defeated, how long will it take the party to stop
and ask the question: “Where is the dragon’s hoard?”
a dozen destructive dragons • page 9
medronthax
Thousands of miles above the surface of the world, with-
in the aethersphere that envelopes the known lands,
floats a stony shell that holds Medronthax, the terrible
wyrm who once destroyed Castle Warlok. A millenia ago
– when Medronthax faced off against the castle’s ruler,
the wizard Klemens Moritz – the dragon won the battle,
completely obliterating the castle and killing Moritz and
his army. The wizard’s dying breath, though, was spent
delivering the last words of a spell that cocooned the
dragon in stones and flung the construction so high into
the sky that the dragon has been trapped in the aether-
sphere ever since.
Unfortunately for the world, Moritz’s spell is fading and
the dragon is slowly awakening.
It starts small. Stones falling from the heavens, rocks no
more than the head of a dwarf, crashing into the coun-
tryside near the city. For six nights straight, stones drop
from the sky, some trailing fire as they slam into the earth.
Buildings are damaged. A lamb is killed. Many minor ac-
cidents, but nothing that hints at the terrible danger that
hangs in the sky overhead.
On the seventh night, the core of the cocooned drag-
on drops, the fireball encircling the meteor so large and
bright that it is seen from hundreds of miles away.
Once the flaming rock hits the lower clouds, the meteor
explodes in a flash of light and sound that exceeds the
power of any thunderstorm. Houses shake. People up to
1,000 miles away jolt from their sleep. Everyone knows
that something terrible has happened.
Involving the party. Wherever they may be, from a
comfortable bed in an inn or sleeping beneath the stars,
the arrival of Medronthax awakens the PCs. Looking up
to the stars, they see hundreds of stones raining, each
a streak of fire that sets small blazes as they strike the
earth. Worst of all, they see the winged form of Medron-
thax swooping down from above. The dragon is once
again awake and wishes only to destroy everything.
The dragon is disoriented, having been trapped for
1,000 years, and doesn’t know anything about the land
as it now exists. That’s unlikely to slow the monster’s
charge, though, and cities and towns across the region
must prepare to defend themselves from the monster’s
terrible assault.
Will the player characters join in the fight against the
dragon, or will they take this opportunity to commit
some mischief or other as so many people are distract-
ed by the unexpected invader from the stars?
a dozen destructive dragons • page 10
sendra, scaledaughter
Still in her youth, Sendra the Gray is the daughter of the
vilified and once-feared Sendrakath, a wicked dragon
who was responsible for the destruction of Dwarf’s Hold
several decades ago. Known as “Scaledaughter,” Sendra
has taken her father’s place in the region as a force for
evil and a terror that parents use to frighten their chil-
dren into behaving.
Sendra has made her home in the dungeons beneath the
ruins of Dwarf’s Hold, knowing that by making the dev-
astated town her lair, she reminds all who live in the re-
gion of her relationship to Sendrakath. Though she may
be young, the Scaledaughter is cunning and will use any
trick she can to maintain her position as the most-feared
creature in the land.
Over the last few years since her father was defeated by
the Knight’s Rose mercenary company, Sendra has taken
an interest in the mercs and is seeking a way to crush the
mercenaries as payment for the murder of her father. The
dragon has not yet exacted her revenge, but she is form-
ing a plan to hire a group of adventurers and assign them
to infiltrate and attack the mercs from within.
Involving the party. The dragon pays thieves and as-
sassins to carry her message to the world. Her thinking
is that all she has to do is find – and pay – the right group
and the Knight’s Rose will be handled once and for all.
The PCs may hear of the dragon’s request for adven-
turers, but they won’t know that Sendra is behind the
assignment that states only “brave explorers and war-
riors needed.” The dragon is trusting the task to the local
guild of thieves who will issue the orders and make the
payment if the mission is completed successfully.
If the PCs follow the notice, they are introduced to
Civan Ilhami, an accountant in service to the guild who
tells them that the pay is 500 gold if they will join the
Knight’s Rose company and then kill at least half of the
seven soldiers who command the merc forces.
The dragon keeps to the shadows during the meeting
with Ilhami, taking human form so that others do not
recognize her. She will also be there when the PCs are
paid, if they succeed. If they fail, she will hunt them
down and try to kill the adventurers.
a dozen destructive dragons • page 11
siazied the destroyer
Three weeks ago, warriors under the command of Lord
Jeppe Knudsen entered the Valley of Phantoms to chase
down and destroy Siazied, the dragon who was respon-
sible for burning down Knudsen’s manor house and kill-
ing the man’s wife and children. With thirty experienced,
deadly warriors following his every order, Knudsen
thought for sure that he would find and kill the dragon.
Knudsen and his warriors did locate the dragon in its lair,
but they were unable to kill the great wyrm. Siazied es-
caped the attack, but Knudsen was prepared to wound
the dragon where it would feel the pain the most: the
nobleman had brought along two wizards just in case
the dragon managed to slip free and ordered the wizards
to unleash their flaming magics on the dragon’s hoard.
Within hours of the dragon’s escape, the beast’s lair was a
burning, devastated wreck. Incalculable riches were de-
stroyed in the inferno, and Knudsen knew that the loss
of the treasures had to harm the dragon more than if the
beast had lost its life.
Sisazied is now homeless and plotting its revenge on the
nobleman. The monster has been unable to return to its
lair – Knudsen left a force of twenty swordsfolk – and has
been forced to watch the destruction of its home from
a distance. To guarantee that nothing would survive,
Knudsen has kept three experienced wizards near the
lair. Every day, the wizards cast flaming spells into the lair
in order to keep the fires constantly burning.
Involving the party. Siazied was wounded in the en-
counter and is not yet at full strength, but the dragon
is so angry that it refuses to wait to heal before setting
its revenge in motion. While the monster hides from the
nobleman and recovers, it is sending messages far and
wide promising 10,000 gold to anyone who brings the
beast the head of Jeppe Knudsen.
The PCs may hear of the reward for the man’s head, and
it is certainly a lot of gold that is sure to capture their
attention. The question is, though, whether the PCs
will act on the dragon’s promised reward or if they will
side with Knudsen and help track down and finish off
the wicked wyrm? And if the party does act to fulfill the
dragon’s wish, how will they react if they succeed and
only then find out that the dragon is destitute and can-
not pay the promised reward?
a dozen destructive dragons • page 12
deimbegax, firemaster
An excessively cruel nature and incredible control of his
flaming breath weapon are the two traits that most de-
fine the dragon known to the world as Deimbegax. Even
amongst the dragons, Deimbegax’s ability to control his
fire blasts is a topic of conversation. Using the powers of
arcane magic, the dragon has learned to manipulate the
flame of his breath weapon to unleash an inferno that
burns hotter and lashes out at greater distances than any
dragon before him.
In addition to projecting flaming attacks that are far
more destructive and long-reaching than other drag-
ons, Deimbegax uses an Amulet of Firegates to tap into
the elemental plane of fire and infuse his breath weapon
with fire elementals. Once each day, the dragon may un-
leash a burst of flaming breath that is accompanied by
2d4+2 small fire elementals. These planar monsters ride
the dragon’s fire attack, clinging to the stream and dou-
bling the damage of the attack. The fire elementals then
linger, attacking targets as telepathically chosen by the
dragon and amplifying the monster’s already destructive
capabilities.
Deimbegax makes his home in Tower Kosal, which was
once the home of the wizard Soun Kosal. The Amulet of
Firegates that the dragon uses to summon and control
the fire elementals was stolen from Kosal and the wizard
thrown into the cells beneath the tower. Kosal lives still
to this day, though the man has gone insane and is no
longer recognizable by any who once knew him.
Involving the party. The PCs may hear of Tower Kosal
and that the wizard who lives there has not been heard
from in over a decade. Maybe one of the man’s few liv-
ing relatives wishes to send a message to the wizard
and hires the adventurers to journey to the tower. They
are in for an unwanted surprise when they knock on the
door of this particular tower.
Or, perhaps, Deimbegax has grown restless and is tak-
ing to the skies more often than he once did, roaming
the landscape and attacking caravans, farms, and villag-
es with an increased frequency. Such activity is sure to
attract the notice of the local government, and that is
certain to lead to a reward for the dragon’s death.
a dozen destructive dragons • page 13

fraylrun, lavatongue
One of the largest and most powerful red dragons in the
known realms, Fraylrun makes her home far beneath the
ruins of Castle Graymaw, living thousands of feet below
the lair of the dragon Mokaelmiakra (see A Dozen An-
cient Dragons, p. 3). Though Fraylrun is fully aware of her
enemy far above, Mokaelmiakra is to this day completely
ignorant of Fraylrun’s lair deep beneath Castle Graymaw.
Fraylrun settled her lair before Mokaelmiakra attacked
King Graymaw, living quietly away from the surface
world and enjoying her accumulated wealth and the qui-
et of her chosen home. The dragon almost got involved
when Mokaelmiakra made his move against Graymaw,
but decided to keep out of the conflict. She has kept qui-
et for years, using a carefully-hidden shaft to leave her
lair only on the darkest of nights to seek food and water.
The dragon owns more treasure than she will ever need
and has reached a stage where even the act of collecting
new valuables no longer interests her.
Despite being almost unimaginably powerful, Fraylrun
has lost her taste for battle and has no desire to fight
anyone, regardless of who they may be or what they may
want. More than anything, she wants to be left alone.
“The most covetous of all true
dragons, red dragons tirelessly
seek to increase their treasure
hoards. They are exceptionally
vain, even for dragons, which is
reflected in their proud bearing
and disdainful expression.”
– Andy Collins, Skip Williams,
James Wyatt,
Draconomicon (2003)
Over the years, Fraylrun has sealed off many of the pas-
sages and tunnels that connected the surface world to
her lair, leaving only a few hidden tunnels unobstructed
so that she may come and go as she pleases. Those tun-
nels that remain are also under careful watch; the dragon
has placed arcane eyes all about the place that contact
her telepathically if they notice any unusual activity.
Involving the party. Though Fraylrun wishes to be left
alone, the rest of the world isn’t quite willing to forget
the existence of the dragon. In her younger days, she was
quite active and made a name for herself as a force of de-
structive power that was best avoided. Now, as the drag-
on tries to enjoy retirement and old age, her past deeds
come to haunt her and cause troubles.
A wealthy lady who lost her sons to Fraylrun’s rage has
been promising a reward of 5,000 gold to any who will
bring her the dragon’s head. It looks as if that reward may
soon be claimed, as Maya Jelade, a thief, approaches the
PCs with a proposition: she claims to know the where-
abouts of Fraylrun and will split the reward with the party
. . . if they will help her capture the dragon. Do the PCs
think that it is worth 5,000 gold to face a dragon?
a dozen destructive dragons • page 14