Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 The Preludes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.2 The Problem with the Preludes . . . . .
1.3 Amplifying the “Broken Silence” . . . .
1.4 Elements of Adventure Layout . . . . .
2 Broken Silence
2.1 Preconditions for the Prelude . . . . . . . . . .
2.2 Overview over the Prelude in its Original Form
2.3 Some Critique and Suggestions . . . . . . . . .
2.3.1 Foreshadowing the Vision . . . . . . .
2.3.2 The battlefield vision . . . . . . . . . .
2.3.3 Finding the Temple . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3.4 Forest in the Night . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3.5 The Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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3 Acknowledgements & Credits
. . . . 3
. . . . 3 This is part of Bent Goblin Press’ very first publication, a series
. . . . 3 of three companions to the preludes of “Dragonlance: Shadow
. . . . 3 of the Dragonqueen”.a It would never have happened without
Jamey Stegmaier’s appeal on his blog to “create something
5 meaningful to you in 2022” and Mike “Sly Flourish” Shea’s
5 musings on “Making it in the RPG industry” around the same
time of Jamey’s blog post. Mike named “Write something three
5
other people enjoy” as a (low-level) example of what “Making
5 It” in the RPG industry could mean for somebody. So that was
6 my aim for 2022: I would try to write and publish something
6 that three other people enjoy! (Actually, I am a full magnitude
6 more ambitious, and want to get at least 30 people to like
8 something I wrote! )
8 Mike’s work also was instrumental in the development of
the rather unique layout of this (and hopefully future) Bent
Goblin Press publications: the starting point for the layout’s
development was my question of how to best present the
secrets and clues – that are so central to Mike’s approach to
dungeon mastering – in a published adventure.
Hugely influential were also Scott “Angry” Rehm’s thoughts
on adventure presentation and the excellent example of how
Scott has laid out his introductory adventure The Fall of
Silverpine Watch available from his web site. Last but not least
I want to thank Shawn Merwin and Teos Abadía, whose
thoughtful weekly discussion about all things rollplaying on
their Mastering Dungeons podcast is gospel. Shawn’s
repeatedly expressed opinion that adventures should first
and foremost serve as a user manual for the DM had quickly
become the guiding star in the work that lead to this
publication.
From Teos’ excellent series Success in RPGs, I know that
for me, writing and publishing adventures will never be more
than a hobby – but hopefully one, whose first output I can
get at least 30 people to like!
Map Credits
The maps of the temple ruin are based on commercial maps
by Dyson. Many thanks to Dyson for the incredible generosity
of regularly publishing maps under a Creative Commons BY
license as part of his Release the Kraken project.
Picture & Font Credits
• Cover artwork based on a photo by Andreas Brun (via
Unsplash)
• Temple ruin on page 7 based on an artwork by Miner
Kilbourne Kellogg (via the Smithsonian)
• Masks on pages 3 and 9 based on a photo by Berry Bibbs
(via Unsplash)
• Scales of War title font by Shaashimov
• “DragonLance” font on cover by Dieter Steffmann
• “Bent Goblin” font by bosil unique fonts
This publication has been typeset in LATEX with a substantially
modified version of the wonderful D&D 5e LATEX-Template.
a. The first publication of the series is Bent Goblin’s Companion to
“Dragonlance: Scales of War”.
2
 I

Introduction

Why content yourself with a prelude, when you could have a whole overture?

In a nutshell
• Shadow of the Dragon Queen describes three preludes
to the main part of the adventure.
• Because of the lack of supporting material for the
preludes in the adventure, the dungeon master might
be tempted to keep the preludes rather short.
• The fact that a single prelude is enough for a character
to advance from 1st to 2nd level suggests, though, that
the players should be granted more agency and given
the opportunity to interact and explore.
• This publication contains material for fleshing out the
Broken Silence prelude.
• Overleaf, you can find a summary of the special
Elements of Adventure Layout used in this publication.
The Preludes
1.1
Shadow of the Dragon Queen describes three preludes to the main
part of the adventure:
the preludes rather short and tightly follow the text in Shadow
of the Dragon Queen, where considerable parts of the preludes
are very much scripted, thus restricting the players’ agency.
This is a pity, because the idea behind the preludes to gently
introduce the characters to the setting and to allow them to
experience something that otherwise might only be part of their
backstory, is a sound one. Also the fact that a single prelude is
enough for a character to advance from 1st to 2nd level suggests
that the players should be granted more agency and given the
opportunity to interact and explore already during the preludes.
Amplifying the “Broken Silence” 1.3
This publication supports the DM with fleshing out the Broken
Silence prelude of Shadow of the Dragon Queen.
The material presented in the following chapter supports
the DM with material that helps him to (1) make the scenes of
the prelude really come to life for the players and (2) allow the
players more agency in experiencing the prelude.
Thus, what was conceived as a small prelude may become an
overture to the main adventure.

Broken Silence The characters have a dreamlike encounter Elements of Adventure Layout
with a god and the group’s cleric is gifted a holy amulet. Are 1.4
the gods, who seemed to have abandoned Krynn, coming
back? And if so, why now? The publications of Bent Goblin Press use a very distinctive
adventure layout that strives to provide the DM with all the
Eye in the Sky In the night, when the three moons of Krynn salient information for preparing and running the adventure at
align, those characters who strive to join the Mages of High a single glance. You can find more information about the
Sorcery are called to a half-ruined tower and subjected to a elements of adventure layout overleaf.
first test of magic.
Scales of War The characters meet a farmer boy named
Rhys who asks them for assistance against hooded
assailants that have attacked him and the soldiers he was
accompanying.

The Problem with the Preludes 1.2

Because of the lack of supporting material for the preludes in
the adventure, the dungeon master might be tempted to keep

3
I
Introduction

Bent Goblin’s Elements of Adventure Layout

4
 II

Broken Silence

The prelude Broken Silence on pages 44 and 45 of Shadow of the Dragon Queen allows characters to establish or deepen their
connection to one of the gods of Krynn; this is paired with a vision showing the horrors of war.
The way in which Shadow of the Dragon Queen sets out this prelude does not provide the character with much agency: things
happen to them, rather than the characters making things happen. But there are ways to allow for a more active role of the
characters, some of which are suggested in this section. Also, a lot more atmospheric elements can and should be added to the
prelude.

Preconditions for the Prelude
2.1
The prelude “Broken Silence” requires that the characters make
camp somewhere in a forested area, probably on their way to
Vogler. It further requires that all characters go to sleep
(voluntarily or involuntarily) in order to wake up later to a
ransacked camp.
laying a trail with it into the forest? Isn’t there a more ceremonial
way to grant somebody a holy amulet than just dropping it on
the ground among the characters’ belongings (only to have it
vanish again before handing it over a second time?)
Also, the prelude could offer the characters a bit more
agency: after all, playing through a single prelude may suffice
for a character to reach second level.

Suggested Changes
Overview over the Prelude in its Bent Goblin humbly suggests the following changes:
Original Form 2.2 Foreshadow the vision Already before the characters
The prelude, as described in the Shadow of the Dragon Queen go to sleep, make it clear that something is afoot, e.g.,
progresses as follows: via an intense, unusual natural phenomenon.

Visions of Divinity The characters have a vision showing a
forest clearing strewn with the dead of a recent battle. An
object around the neck of fallen soldier seems to beckon them,
but before they can reach for it, the vison terminates with a
blinding light.
Lost and Found The characters awake and find that their camp
has been ransacked. They are able to follow a trail leading
into the forest, where they find their belongings.
Mysterious Symbol and Temple Amongst their belongings,
they find an amulet with a divine symbol – touching it
transforms the surrounding into what looks like the clearing
of their previous vision; on the clearing are the ruins of a
temple.
Add agency to the battlefield vision Rather than
running the initial vision completely scripted, telling
the characters what they see and what happens, give
them some freedom to act and discover by themselves.
Allow them to explore the battlefield by themselves
and consider putting them into mortal danger: here
you can use the fact that it is all a dream to your
advantage: everything will be alright again once the
vision has ended.
Have the god beckon the characters as befits a god
Rather than have the god mess around with the
characters’ belongings, find a way fit for that particular
god to draw the characters to the temple.

Divine Manifestation Upon entering the temple, a god Add some atmosphere to the forest scene If a scene
appears to the characters. in a nightly forest cannot be imbued with atmosphere
galore, which scene can?

Some Critique and Suggestions Add a map for the temple Not that a map would be
2.3 strictly necessary, but most players like to look at
Of course the ways of gods will always be mysterious, but would maps; a map will enhance the players’ experience of
a god really beckon the characters by grabbing their gear and

5
II
Broken Silence
the location. Also, you may want to revisit the temple
(this time in real) later in the campaign: a map will
increase the players’ feeling of recognition.
Foreshadowing the Vision 2.3.1
Use a phenomenon that might or might not be wholly natural
to foreshadow that something extraordinary is about to happen.
(Un)natural Phenomena
d4 Phenomenon
1 Dense mist rises from the earth, covering the
ground up to knee height.
2 Birds start to congregate in the trees surrounding
the camp, the noise of their cawing and chirping
almost deafening. Sometime before night falls
(maybe in reaction to sound from the camp), they
all rise up as one big swarm circle the camp once
and fly away.
3 The surrounding become completely still: not a
single leave moves, no birds cry, no insect chirps.
4 Dark clouds completely cover the sky, bringing
dusk when it still should be broad daylight. Only
shortly before night falls, the last reddish daylight
is briefly illuminating the camp through a gap in
the clouds.
The battlefield vision 2.3.2
Allow the characters to enter the clearing and inspect the battle
field.
Discoveries on the Battlefield
d10 Random Discoveries
1 An abandoned shield is lying on the ground. Its
front is completely corroded as if it had been
exposed to a potent acid.
2 A group of bodies seems to have been impaled with
what looks like sharp bones. They lie grouped
around the remnants of a reptilian skeleton missing
the very bones that are sticking out of the corpses.
3 Two fallen soldiers are holding each other’s hand.
4 Around a piece of armor covered in a heap of dust
lie three soldiers who seem to have been killed
without having offered any resistance.
5 Several soldiers have been killed by crossbow
volleys.
6 A female sorcerer clad into the distinctive red robe
of her order lies dead on the ground, her hand
stretched out as if to cast a final spell.
6
7 A first pair of ravens circles a pair of bodies, then
settles down and starts to pick at their faces.
8 The horned helmet of a Knight of Solamnia lies on
the ground, several yards removed from a group
of fallen combatants. When the characters come
closer, they realize that the helmet contains a
severed head.
9 A group of bodies lying close together is horribly
disfigured – as if a potent acid had been poured
over them.
10 Two kender – civilians, judging by their clothing –
lie dead under an upturned cart.
Of course, sooner or later, the characters should also find the
amulet described in the prelude. Once that happens, rather then
ending the scene right away, you have another option: Especially,
if you are not also running the Scales of War prelude, you might
want to give the characters a taste of what they will be up against
combat-wise in the campaign also in this prelude.
Because it is all a dream, you can even do so without any
negative consequences for the rest of the campaign: one or more
characters could even die from an encounter with a powerful
foe, before the vision ends.
Random Encounter on the Battlefield
Note that the encounters described below are deadly
for a group of first-level characters: Find a moment
of maximum drama (e.g., the death of a character)
to end the scene by having the found amulet start to
glow, flash with an intense light and finally end the vision.
d4 Random Encounter
1 A Sivak Draconian (Shadow, p. 199) enters the
clearing, spots the characters and immediately
attacks.
2 The characters hear a strange wooshing noise that is
coming closer. Suddenly, a Dragon Army Dragonnel
(Shadow, p. 201) comes into view over the tree tops,
swoops down on the characters and attacks.
3 One Aurak Draconian (Shadow, p. 196) dressed
in an officer’s armor, enters the clearing. Upon
spotting the characters, he almost lazily starts battle
with three Energy Rays aimed at the three largest
characters.
4 Two Kapak Draconians (Shadow, p. 198) break
through the trees and immediately attack the
characters.
Finding the Temple
2.3.3
When the characters wake up from the vision, have the God
show them the way to the temple ruin. Obviously, each of the
deities would do this in a their own, unique way. Please refer
to the table on page 7 for a suggestion for each of the gods of
Krynn.
 II
Some Critique and Suggestions

Call to the Faithful

Here are suggestions for how one of the Gods of Good might draw the characters to the temple ruin:
God Phenomenon
Paladine The characters hear faint voices; at first they cannot discern anything, but as they get closer, it seems like a
recitation of sorts, maybe of a creed. It must be an ancient language, none of the characters can understand
anything, but the words and the rhythm of their recitation fill the characters with calm and assurance that law
and justice will prevail not matter what.
Branchala Somewhere in the forest, a single voice seems to be singing a slow and wistful tune. As the characters draw
closer, the tune’s character changes, it becomes merry, and more voices join in. Just before the temple ruins
come into sight, it sounds more and more like a festival, with animated conversations, laughter and music.
Habbakuk A kingfisher that seems to be emanating a blue aura alights on a branch, chirps a few times, then flies on a bit,
and chirps again. It is obvious, that it wants the characters to follow.
Kiri-Jolith Faint battle noise draws the characters towards the temple. Just before the ruins come into sight, the clashing
of swords and heavy thuds as of morning stars hitting wooden shields can be heard.
Majere Meditative chanting can be heard. As the temple ruins come into view, a gong sounds and everything turns
quiet.
Solinari The white moon of Krynn breaks through the clouds. Its light seems to be concentrated into a glistening beam
illuminating the temple ruins which before had lain hidden in the dark.
Gilean The characters hear faint voices; at first they cannot discern anything, but as they get closer, it sound like two
persons debating something. Although the characters are unable to understand a single word, the tone of the
voices convinces them that they are witnessing an academic debate on a piece of learning.
Chislev Suddenly, the ground around the characters is alive with little frogs, all of which are hoping into the same
direction. If the characters do not follow the frogs to see where they are going to, they will witness hordes of
mice followed by serpents, rabbits and deer, all striving into the same direction as the frogs before them.
Lunitari The red moon of Krynn breaks through the clouds. Its light seems to be concentrated into a ruby-colored beam
illuminating the temple ruins which before had lain hidden in the dark.
Reorx The characters discover that the branch of a nearby tree has been carved into a hand pointing a finger into a
certain direction. If they follow, they find further carvings, sometimes just a hand, sometimes the figure of a
complete gnome or dwarf carved out of a woodstump.
Shinare A trail of coins leads to the temple.
Sirrion The characters spot the glow of fire. The closer they come, the higher the flames reach, though no sound can
be heard. When the temple ruin comes in sight, the fire expands as in an explosion and rushes towards the
characters, only to suddenly disappear shortly before engulfing them.
Zivilyn Through the trees, the characters suddenly behold a whiteish glow in the form of a huge tree.

Especially for new players, you may want to require appropriate ability checks for following the trail to the temple ruin.
E.g., in the case of Paladine (see table above), a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check would allow a character to
ascertain the direction from which the voices are coming; in the case of Shinare, the same check would allow a character to
spot the next coin, etc.

7
II
Broken Silence
The Temple Ruin
Forest in the Night 2.3.4
Use the following table to provide some flavor to the nightly
forest.
Nightly Forest Dressing
d10 Random observations
1 A large owl perched on the branch of an enormous
oak tree seems to observing the characters, turning
the head ever so slightly to keep its gleaming,
watchful eyes on them.
2 What seems like a skeletal arm reaching out of the
ground turns out to be only the gnarled root of a
nearby tree.
3 Huge moths are drawn to the characters’ torches,
their wings touching the characters’ faces and hairs.
One moth comes too close, catches fire and spirals
to the ground.
4 Some animal, maybe a deer, bolts away from the
characters, thus breaking the earie silence with the
sudden sound of rustling leaves and breaking twigs.
5 The mournful call of a lonely owl sounds through
the night.
8
6 For a moment, the clouds reveal the moon, which
baths the forest into a silvery light.
7 As one of the characters steps onto a rotten branch
on the ground, its snapping sound rings through the
forest. Moments later, the alarmed cry of a jaybird
can be heard.
8 A gust of wind violently shakes the trees, enveloping
the characters for a few moments with a deafening,
rushing sound, which then subsides as suddenly as
it had started.
9 One of the trees seems to reflect the light of the
characters’ torches; many of its leaves and branches
are completely covered with silvery silken threads;
the leaves that are not covered in silk, are crawling
with small, blackish caterpillars.
10 What appears to be a severed human hand on the
ground turns out to be the broken-off part of a
statue.
The Temple 2.3.5
Before the god starts to reveal himself to the characters through
his statue, the characters are likely to investigate the temple ruin.
Here are some random observations that can be made.
 II
Some Critique and Suggestions

The Insides of the Temple Ruin You will not be using them as part of the vison in this prelude, but in case you revisit the temple
later in your campaign “in real”, these maps might come in handy.

d8 Random observations NPCs of a settlement somewhere along either the river

1 Patches of moonlight break through the tree canopy, Inkwater, the Esker Brook, or one of its tributaries;
casting eerie shadows on the ground. • a battle map for the key battle of this prelude;
2 The towering stone pillars and arches are covered in • a backstory of its central character Rhys, which also
moss and vines. serves as segue into an additional encounter with
3 A birds’ nest, containing a lonely green-speckled egg several villagers;
and the shards of several more eggs, lies cradled in
• a table of facts, rumors, and gossip about Vogler, which
the cupped hands of one of the statues.
4 The floor is covered in a thick layer of leaves and
the characters can learn from the villagers;
debris. • five ingenious inventions of two gnomes that can be
6 Some of the stone blocks making up the walls have found at one of the farms.
shifted and crumbled, creating gaps and holes in the
structure.
7 A small stream flows through the temple, and the
sound of its flow is noticeable.
8 The air is cool and still, with no breeze circulating
through the temple.

Bent Goblin’s
Companion to “Scales of War”
If you consider running also the “Scales of War” prelude,
please have a look at Bent Goblin’s Companion to
“Dragonlance: Scales of War”, which brings you
• a map and descriptions of four locations and ten