The events taking place in the Barony of Crestwold have triggered several consequences in and around the barony, and Dwindor Swamp itself. The continuing magic of the ancient Sea Kings (Apshai) and Bronzemen (Ashfall) temples had disturbed the slumber of things better left undisturbed – breaking several stands of The Pattern. One of these is Na’grindl the Green, a young green dragon slumbering for ages in the dreamless sleep. The creature’s lethargy is slowly fading and plans are taking shape. It has realized that most of its kind has been reduced to dreams, and that the age of it’s kind is done on Helca – leaving it as one of the few, true of its kind, left conscious and awake.
Wakening: Once several events have happened, the presence of the dragon will be revealed to the Witch of Dwindor, House Malor, and the Druids of Pranin Moorswood. The magics – earthquakes, flood, Elancil’s and the Witch of Dwindor spies, will trigger enough stress for the dragon to lose its magical cloak and make its presence known. Theoretically, any set of disturbances that the GM cares to set up can trigger the actual awakening of the creature.
The party has some experience by the time she sets her sights on them, and it is assessing them to use as catspaws, or to destroy as competition. There are few foes powerful enough to stop it, though she is still young and vulnerable. This vulnerability does not enter it’s mind as it schemes and plans it’s manipulations and assaults on the party, the town of Torrelsons Ford, and the powers that are clashing now in the tiny barony of Crestwold. It will teach the world to fear and respect its kind, as the lesser races should. The machinations of the dragon will use the character of Bella as a catspaw.
Who: Na’grindl the green wyrm (young green dragon)
What: Has awoken after almost 1500 years. The wyrm took refuge deep in the ancient cave of Blaylons Reply, to nurse its wounds and avoid her enemy. It was accidentally trapped, and chose dreamless sleep to avoid detection, magics have roused her from slumber. It has been cloaked in magic but this is failing, as its hunger and natural inclination to flex its power grow.
Goals: It intends to extricate as much as the treasure horde of its long dead enemy as it can, move to a safer place, and continue its predation on the humanoids of Helca, seeking to awaken more of it’s kind. It needs to understand the changes that have happened since her slumber, and seeks to establish itself in a place where events are happening and adventure seekers are congregating. In the meantime, the rejuvenated magic of the two temples has drawn it’s attention. The spirits are gaining in power over time, and it knows that before either temple sees a massive resurgence, it must make a move to extract as much of its power as it can. Before it leaves the area, it will attempt to steal some of the ancient power that has awakened, find a new lair, amass more or a horde, gain the service of protectors and minions, and become a primary force in the region to seek out more of its own kind in the dream-sleep.
This is not a necessary part of the Transformation of Crestwold campaign. The effect of the adventure is to introduce a possible powerful recurring NPC that will try and assist, thwart the party’s plans or even just annoy them constantly. The dragon, being who and what it is, is not wholly interested in just crushing the lives of the PCs or any creatures near the town, but rather testing them, trying them, and toying with them and causing them and those around them to suffer or force them to rise up… because it can. It is trying to learn, it has much catching up to do. Nothing that it does will be swift or final, unless the PCs somehow manage to confront it physically, directly.
The party is seen as a force which could derail or oppose the wyrms’ plan, and therefore must be dealt with. However, it is not in a dragon’s style to simply destroy a party outright. The Long Vision that dragons possess causes them to test the impact of harming or blunting a group or individual’s success. The dragon, having no time constraints, is able to probe carefully and make informed decisions. The longer it goes on, the more the ego of the dragon is likely to get involved and enjoy the suffering and challenge.
A dragon’s true sleep is only a few years (by terra norm reckoning), though it does increase as they age. Most dragons choose to, after true sleep, continue dream sleep. This dragon has chosen to reclaim a lost position on the world of Helca for its kind.
In order to test the party and see their true capability before she decides to engage them directly, she will call down the Eye of Discernment.