Quest Line · Original Adventure · D&D 5e
Level 3 · 3-4 hours
When tremors shake the mining village of Ashfall Hollow, the party discovers a newly-hatched dragon wyrmling trapped beneath the town's foundations. The terrified creature seeks protection from the Crimson Covenant, a cult that believes consuming dragon eggs grants immortality. The party must choose whether to defend the wyrmling, negotiate with the cultists, or find another solution before the cult's ritual begins at sunset.
Players should expect moral ambiguity—the wyrmling is sympathetic but still a dangerous predator, and the cultists include desperate townspeople seeking a cure for a plague. The adventure includes combat with cultists, potential betrayal by NPCs, and choices with lasting consequences. Content warnings include themes of desperation-driven violence and body horror related to failed magical transformations.
Players should create characters with some investment in Ashfall Hollow, whether they're passing through, investigating the recent tremors, or have personal connections to the village.
Hook 1 — The Tremors: The party is in Ashfall Hollow when violent earthquakes begin. Village elder Marna Stonetooth offers 200 gold pieces to anyone who can investigate the old mine tunnels beneath town and stop whatever's causing the instability.
Hook 2 — Personal Connection: One party member receives a desperate letter from a friend or family member in Ashfall Hollow begging for help. Strange dreams of fire and scales plague the villagers, and some have started disappearing into the mines at night.
Hook 3 — Cult Activity: The party is tracking the Crimson Covenant after witnessing their activities elsewhere. A captured cultist's journal reveals their destination: Ashfall Hollow, where "the vessel will emerge from stone and flame."
The party descends into the abandoned copper mines beneath Ashfall Hollow, following the source of the tremors. The tunnels are hot—uncomfortably so—and the air shimmers with heat as they venture deeper. Scorched handprints mark the walls, and the smell of sulfur grows overwhelming.
In a collapsed chamber, they find three cultists in crimson robes surrounding a ritual circle. The cultists are attempting to excavate through rubble toward something that pulses with orange light beneath. They're chanting: "Blood for the eternal flame, flesh for the ageless throne."
Combat Encounter: Three Crimson Acolytes guard the excavation site:
The cultists fight desperately but aren't trained warriors. If one is subdued and questioned (DC 13 Intimidation or Persuasion), they reveal they're dying from the Gray Plague and believe dragon's blood will cure them. Their leader, the Scorched Prophet, promised salvation.
As combat concludes, a deafening crack echoes through the chamber. The floor collapses, dropping the party twenty feet into a natural cavern below (DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to catch the edge and climb down safely, or take 2d6 bludgeoning damage). Before them lies a massive broken eggshell made of stone and crystal, still warm to the touch, and a wyrmling dragon the size of a large dog.
The wyrmling—scales like molten copper, eyes wide with fear—doesn't attack. Instead, it speaks in a voice like crackling flames, clearly terrified:
"Please! I don't want to die. They want to drink my blood, eat my heart. I just hatched. I don't even have a name yet. Will you protect me?"
The wyrmling explains it has been sleeping in stone for centuries and woke when cultists began their ritual above. It can sense the Scorched Prophet approaching with more followers—at least a dozen—who plan to complete the ritual at sunset (approximately one hour away).
Key Choice Point: The party must decide their course of action:
Investigation Opportunity: DC 14 Arcana or Nature check reveals that wyrmlings this young are dangerous but not inherently evil—their nature develops based on treatment and environment. DC 16 Medicine check confirms the cultists' gray-veined skin indicates real illness, not deception.
The wyrmling offers its true name—Emberthorn—as a gesture of trust. In dragon culture, this is profound vulnerability. It promises a vow: "Protect me now, and when I grow strong, I will remember. Dragons do not forget debts."
Tunnels branch in multiple directions. DC 15 Survival check locates a narrow escape passage, though the wyrmling barely fits. DC 13 Investigation reveals defensive positions among the cavern's stone pillars. The chamber has a 15-foot ceiling and several pools of mineral water that could be used tactically.
The Scorched Prophet arrives with cultist reinforcements as the sun approaches the horizon. How this scene resolves depends on the party's earlier choices.
If the Party Chose Defense:
The Scorched Prophet (AC 14, HP 58, +5 to hit for 2d6+3 fire damage, can cast burning hands and hellish rebuke 2/day each) leads eight cultist warriors into the chamber. The battle is desperate—cultists attempt to swarm Emberthorn while the Prophet channels power from their ritual scars.
Emberthorn fights alongside the party with surprising ferocity (AC 15, HP 32, breath weapon 2d6 fire damage in 15-foot cone, recharge 5-6). The young dragon focuses on protecting wounded party members, proving its good intentions.
Midway through combat, village elder Marna Stonetooth arrives with town guards, having followed the party. If the party can articulate their reasoning (DC 12 Persuasion), she orders the guards to assist against the cultists. Otherwise, the guards hesitate, creating a chaotic three-way standoff.
If the Party Chose Negotiation:
The Prophet, revealed to be a desperately ill woman named Seris, agrees to parley. She shows the party her dozen followers—ordinary people with families, all marked by the Gray Plague's advance. "We don't want to murder. We want to live."
The party can broker compromise:
This path requires genuine roleplay and creative problem-solving but avoids bloodshed.
If the Party Chose Escape:
The narrow tunnel leads to surface caves outside town. However, cultist scouts spot the party emerging. A chase ensues through Ashfall Hollow's streets as sunset paints everything red. The party must choose whether to make a final stand, continue fleeing (potentially abandoning Emberthorn to its fate), or seek sanctuary with Marna Stonetooth.
Emberthorn's growing exhaustion makes it slower—it's only hours old and can barely fly. The party's bond with the wyrmling determines whether it survives.
Possible Endings:
1. The Vow Fulfilled: Emberthorn survives and pledges itself to the party or village. It will return in future campaigns as a powerful ally.
2. Bitter Victory: The wyrmling survives but many cultists die. The Gray Plague continues, and survivors blame the party for choosing a dragon over human lives.
3. The Healing Compact: Emberthorn and the afflicted form an alliance. The wyrmling becomes Ashfall Hollow's guardian, a unique settlement protected by a dragon who remembers kindness.
Marna Stonetooth: Grizzled dwarven village elder with copper-streaked beard; pragmatic leader who prioritizes her people's survival above all else. Motivation: Protect Ashfall Hollow from threats both draconic and cultist.
Seris the Scorched Prophet: Gaunt human woman, mid-40s, covered in ritual burn scars and gray plague veins; former healer turned desperate cult leader. Motivation: Save her followers from the plague by any means necessary, even monstrous ones.
Emberthorn: Newly-hatched copper-scaled wyrmling; curious, frightened, and touchingly earnest; speaks with crackling-fire voice. Motivation: Survive its first day alive and find protectors who won't exploit it.
Kael Ashwright: Young cultist, barely twenty, whose sister is dying from the plague; doubts the Prophet's methods but sees no alternative. Motivation: Save his sister Mira, even if it damns his soul.
Brother Tommen: Village priest who tends plague victims; opposes both the cult and endangering a sentient creature. Motivation: Find ethical solution that honors all lives.
Combat Resolution: 450 XP per character for defeating cultists and protecting Emberthorn.
Negotiated Peace: 500 XP per character for brokering the healing compact without bloodshed.
Treasure: Cultists carry 180 gold pieces total in offerings. The eggshell fragments are worth 300 gold to collectors. Seris possesses a +1 dagger with fire resistance (requires attunement).
Story Reward: Emberthorn's Vow—the wyrmling grants each protector one scale. Once, when the holder would be reduced to 0 hit points, they instead drop to 1 HP and gain resistance to fire damage for 1 minute. The scale crumbles to ash when used. Additionally, Emberthorn promises to return as an ally when the party faces their greatest challenge (GM's discretion for future adventures).
Reputation: Ashfall Hollow remembers the party's choice. Defending the wyrmling makes them heroes to some, villains to plague-afflicted families. Negotiating peace makes them legendary mediators.
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