A Copper for a Song
- An adventure for Level 12 characters.
- This adventure is designed to fill one or two sessions of play.
- It can take place in any coastal town with nearby farmland and hills.
This adventure takes place in Godsbreath, a D&D setting introduced in Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel. You don't need that book to run this adventure, however; you can place it in any similar setting.
Key Plot Points
The following information is key to the adventure's story:
- Deciphering Clues. The adventurers undertake a quest to find the lost verses of a magical song that can rejuvenate the soil of a dying land. The characters must decipher clues hidden in another song's lyrics with the help of chatty locals.
- Braving the Rattle. Having learned where the lost verses are, the characters travel to a copper dragon's lair in the hills of a region called the Rattle.
- Navigating Nakari's Lair. The characters must convince Nakari, the copper dragon, to hand over the verses. Failing that, they can try to take the verses by force or learn them from a source hidden within the dragon's lair.
Preparation
Before running the adventure, prepare as follows:
- Step 1. If you're running the adventure for a single adventurer, read the "Running for One Character" section.
- Step 2. Read "x" for more context and familiarize yourself with the Key NPCs table, which describes important individuals the characters will interact with throughout the adventure.
- Step 3. Make a copy of the Copper for a Song handout for each player. (You will share it with them shortly after the adventure starts.)
- Step 4. Bookmark the following stat blocks in the Monster Manual or on D&D Beyond:
- Axe Beak, Giant
- Commoner
- Copper Dragon, Adult
- Djinni
- Druid
- Galeb Duhr
- Green Dragon Wyrmling
- Hill Giant
- Kobold, Winged
- Performer
- Performer Maestro
- Priest Acolyte
- Purple Worm
- Warrior Veteran
Key NPCs
| Name | Role | Stat Block | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| x | Human boat pilot | Commoner (Medium, Chaotic Good) | "x" |
| Gleem Happenbolt | Dead gnome miner | — | x |
| x | Human street magician | Performer (Small) | "x" |
| x | Dwarf blacksmith | Commoner (Medium, Chaotic Neutral) | "x" |
| Lashlo | Impatient guest of Nakari | Djinni | x |
| Nakari | Keeper of the lost verses | Adult Copper Dragon | x |
| Retta and Rynn | Wyrmlings adopted by Nakari | Green Dragon Wyrmling (Neutral) | x |
| x | Elf soldier | Warrior Veteran (Medium, Neutral Good) | "x" |
| Tungsten Ward | Human quest giver | Priest Acolyte (Medium, Lawful Good) | "x" |
| Yemi Moonsybil | Potential human ally under the effects of a Sequester spell | Performer Maestro (Medium, Chaotic Good) | x |
| x | Human herbalist | Druid (Medium, Chaotic Good) | "x" |
Running for One Character
You can run this adventure for a single character of level 12. A Bard is a good choice, given the role that music and storytelling play in the adventure. Ideally, the character should have proficiency in at least two of the following skills:
The solo character gains the Blessing of the Lone Champion (see the introduction) to compensate for the lack of companions.
Adventure Background
The region of Godsbreath is known for its crimson earth, but the soil has grown depleted in recent years. Even as locals develop new ways to farm, the harvest produces less food each year, and the region grows closer to crisis.
Many believe that the key to restoring the soil lies in the verses of the Awakening Song, a collection that forms a record of the region's history. Some of the verses have been lost for generations. Recently, an acolyte named Proclaimer Tungsten Ward learned from an old man about another acolyte who wrote down the verses of the Awakening Song to preserve them. But the old man couldn't remember the acolyte's name and doesn't know what became of the written verses.
The Verses
Unknown to the people of Godsbreath, the lost verses now belong to an adult copper dragon named Nakari. She has lived in the rugged hills of the Rattle, an unsettled region north of Godsbreath, since before the first human settlers arrived to till the crimson soil.
Nakari liked to visit the settlers in human guise and learn their stories, songs, and ways. When she learned that an acolyte had dutifully written down the verses of the Awakening Song, Nakari convinced the acolyte to sell her the record for a single copper coin and the promise that she would never let them fall into the wrong hands.
Beginning the Adventure
When you're ready to begin the adventure, read or paraphrase the following:
When the characters head to the temple, proceed to "x."
Listening Post
When the characters arrive at the x, describe it as follows:
Proclaimer Tungsten Ward (Medium, Lawful Good Priest Acolyte) gives each character a nonmagical scroll with lyrics written on it in Common.
Give each player a copy of the Copper for a Song handout at this time and invite one or more of them to read the song lyrics aloud.
[image: No. 1, 175 - COPPER FOR A SONG: Nakari came to me one day, As lovely as a smile, "A copper for a song," she said, Without a hint of guile. We walked beyond the mortal land, And walked for several miles. She led me to a hill of gold, Into her winding lair, And there cast off her human form, With great draconic flair. "A copper for a song," she said. Refuse? I wouldn't dare!, And so I sang the verses all, And hoped that would suffice. She said she'd never heard a song, That sounded quite so nice. "A copper for a song," she said—, That was the dragon's price. And when the song had reached its end, Upon the final note, She paid a copper for my song. "It's safe with me!" I quote. And all I had to leave behind, Was every verse I wrote.]
Proclaimer Ward's Quest
When the characters are ready to learn more from Proclaimer Ward, read or paraphrase the following:
Reward
If the characters demand a reward, Proclaimer Ward offers to give them a Figurine of Wondrous Power (onyx dog) once they recover the lost verses of the Awakening Song. The figurine occasionally serves as a temple guardian, but Proclaimer Ward is willing to part with it.
Listening Post Conversations
Proclaimer Ward steers the characters to a small group of other people in the x to workshop the clues buried in the "Copper for a Song" lyrics. Proclaimer Ward introduces them to the five other group members and provides basic details about each person, described below.
Each of these five individuals is initially Indifferent toward the characters. A character who takes an Influence action and strikes up a conversation with one of them can make a DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion) check to try to shift the person's attitude from Indifferent to Friendly. Alternatively, a character can try to improve a person's attitude with a different ability check. For example, a character can attempt a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to impress x with a coin trick or an Intelligence (Nature) check to impress x with knowledge about rare herbs or monsters.
A person who is Friendly toward a character helps decipher clues in the song lyrics and imparts the information below when shown the scroll.
Aunt Dellie
Aunt Dellie (Medium, Chaotic Good Commoner) is a human skimmer boat pilot with a skeptical mind, a soft heart, a loud laugh, and a talent for learning a bit about everyone's business. She wears a simple yellow dress and keeps her hair short.
When Friendly, Aunt Dellie shares the following: "Past the farms of the Ribbon is a wild, unsettled land called the Rattle. We sometimes call its bald hills 'hills of gold' because of their color. The phrase 'beyond the settled land' must refer to the Rattle—a land of monsters."
Hurch Henley
Hurch Henley (Small Performer) is a human street magician whose attempts at card tricks and legerdemain are less interesting than his stories from when he worked on his father's farm. He wears a floppy straw hat and a loose vest.
When Friendly, Hurch shares the following: "Father sold a few pigs to a copper-haired witch named Nakari. She said she lived four miles inside the Rattle, but Father thought she was joking. 'The Rattle is too evil a place for people to live,' he used to tell me."
Kelra Ironweaver
Kelra Ironweaver (Medium, Chaotic Neutral Commoner) is a local dwarf blacksmith who has outlived five husbands and knows a lot about history because she was there when it happened. Her hair cascades in thick ringlets over her broad shoulders.
When Friendly, Kelra shares the following: "My first husband, Irvin, was a copper miner in the Rattle. He claimed a dragon lived under a hill not far from the mine. Poor Irvin—flattened by a hill giant!"
Taelyn
Taelyn (Medium, Neutral Good Warrior Veteran) is an elf soldier with a Tiny blue finch perched on the right shoulder of her green cloak. She barters for supplies at the x's trading hub.
When Friendly, Taelyn shares the following: "Last spring, a bulette terrorized farms at the north end of the Ribbon. One day, out of the blue, a copper dragon swooped down and dissolved the bulette with its acid breath, saving a farmer's life."
Zakia
Zakia (Medium, Chaotic Good Druid) is a local human herbalist who uses one of the storytelling booths to spook young children with tales about dragons and child-eating monsters. Her blue dress is stained with dirt from her gardens, and a bag she wears slung over her shoulder is overflowing with aromatic plants.
When Friendly, Zakia shares the following: "If a copper dragon is what you seek, that's mostly good news. Copper dragons are even-tempered but also miserly. They're as fond of music, jokes, and riddles as they are of treasure. Their burrows are often sinuous, winding, and riddled with secret doors."
Putting It Together
After conversing with the townsfolk in the x, the characters should have enough information to find the dragon's lair, which is located in the Rattle, 4 miles past the Ribbon, under a hill near an old copper mine.
The Rattle
Godsbreath map shows the location of Nakari's lair, roughly 12 miles northeast of Promise in the Rattle as the dragon flies, or 20 miles along the winding northern road. The area is shaped by the presence of a copper dragon's lair, as described in the Monster Manual.
Danger in the Hills
To get to the Rattle, the characters must cross the stretch of farmland called the Ribbon.
Read or paraphrase the following to describe the journey into the Rattle:
The copper mine contains nothing of interest. A character can take the Study action and make a DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) check to identify the dead monster, recognizing it as a bulette on a success.
As a Search action, a character can inspect the dead bulette and make a DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, the character determines that the creature died from intense acid and then was partially eaten by an enormous predator.
After finding the bulette, the characters might follow the sounds of belching and laughter (see "x") or might reconnoiter the area (see "x"). Use the "Surface" half of Nakari's Lair map for either approach.
Hill Giant Camp
If the characters follow the sounds coming from the hills, read or paraphrase the following:
Use the "Surface" half of Nakari's Lair map for this encounter. The characters approach from the east.
The glittering crystalline formations in the rock drew Nakari to this area. These crystals are pretty but not valuable.
Hill Giants
The six Hill Giants are Hostile and unaware that they're camping above the subterranean lair of a copper dragon. Their two Giant Axe Beaks serve as beasts of burden and hunting companions, and they fight at the giants' command.
As an Influence action, a character can attempt one of the following:
- Bribery. A character can try to befriend a giant by giving it at least 10 pounds of food, 5 gallons of water or ale, or 50 GP worth of treasure. The character makes a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check. On a success, the attitude of the giant shifts to Indifferent. The other giants demand similar payment; if the character refuses, the Hostile giants begin combat. On a failure, the Hostile giants begin combat.
- Fear. A character who knows Giant can try to frighten the giants by telling them about the dragon who lives nearby. The character makes a DC 16 Charisma (Intimidation) check. On a success, one pair of giants leaves and never returns. On a failure, Hostile giants begin combat.
- Performance. A character can try to amuse the giants with music, dancing, juggling, capering, loud belching, or some other performance. The character makes a DC 13 Charisma (Performance) check. If the check succeeds, the giants' attitudes toward that character shift to Friendly, and their attitudes toward the other characters shift to Indifferent. On a failure, Hostile giants begin combat.
Treasure
The six giants share three enormous bags to store their loot:
- Sack 1
- 35 GP, 270 SP, and 1,800 CP
- Five wheels of stinky cheese
- Dire wolf's skull
- Sack 2
- Rusty Dagger (which the giants use as a toothpick)
- 180 SP and 2,200 CP
- Unopened cask of honey mead (worth 50 GP)
- Beehive with live bees
- Sack 3
- 150 SP and 2,500 CP
- Haunch of smoked meat
- Smelly, giant-size sandal
- +2 Shield
Tunnels to the Dragon's Lair
Characters who reconnoiter the area notice four tunnel entrances (marked on the "Surface" half of Map: Nakari's Lair), all of which lead down to the dragon's lair. The tunnels are too small for the giants to enter comfortably, so they don't even try.
The entrances to tunnels x and x lie within the giants' line of sight; reaching either tunnel without being noticed requires a successful DC 13 Dexterity (Stealth) check. Rocky outcroppings hide the entrances to tunnels x and x from the giants' view.
Nakari's Lair
Nakari is in her lair when the characters arrive, raising a pair of green dragon wyrmlings she recently adopted; see her den (area x) for details. Nakari is initially Indifferent toward intruders.
Lair Features
Nakari's lair is a network of tunnels and caves hewn from solid rock. Other features of the lair are summarized below.
Ambient Music
While Nakari is in her lair, soft music permeates the area. The music, which blends woodwinds and bells, is faint and has no discernible source.
Breakaway Roofs
Where denoted in area descriptions, certain parts of the lair have 5-foot-thick breakaway roofs that any creature with a Burrow Speed can break through to create an opening to the surface. As a Search action, a character who examines a breakaway roof can make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check. On a success, the character can tell that the roof has been structurally weakened but is in no danger of collapsing on its own. A character with Tremorsense has Advantage on this check.
Ceilings
Ceilings are 10 feet high throughout the lair.
Laughing Gas
Areas tinted purple on Nakari's Lair map are filled with magical laughing gas that is visually imperceptible but smells like candy. Any creature other than Nakari that enters the gas-filled area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or have the Incapacitated condition until the start of its next turn, as it laughs uncontrollably.
A strong wind (such as that created by Gust of Wind) disperses the gas for 1 minute, while Dispel Magic disperses the gas for 24 hours. The gas dissipates if Nakari dies.
Lighting
The lair is in Darkness. Nakari and other denizens rely on Darkvision to see. Descriptions assume the characters have a way of seeing in the dark.
Secret Doors
All secret doors in Nakari's lair are magical and marked on the map. Each secret door blends seamlessly with the surrounding wall (DC 20 to notice). Nakari can open any secret door as a Bonus Action from anywhere in her lair, causing the stone to reshape into an opening wide enough for her to pass through. Other creatures must break through the stone secret door. Whenever a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher comes within 10 feet of a secret door, Nakari becomes aware of the creature's presence and location but takes no immediate action.
Lair Locations
The following locations are keyed to the "Underground" half of Map: Nakari's Lair.
N1: East Entrance
This tunnel slopes down to area x. A branching tunnel leads to area x.
N2: South Entrance
This area is identical to the east entrance (area x), except the tunnel slopes down to area x.
N3: North Entrance
This area is identical to the east entrance (area x), except the tunnel slopes down to area x.
N4: West Entrance
This area is identical to the east entrance (area x), except the tunnel slopes down to area x.
N5: Eastern Boulder Cave
Three gregarious Galeb Duhr dwell in this cave. They are pleased to have company, and ask in Primordial if the characters want to join them in a game of rock tossing. If the characters don't understand their words, the galeb duhr try to get the idea across through pantomime. The goal of the game is to hurl enormous, 200-pound rocks to land as close as possible to a target on the ground. If the characters refuse to play, the galeb duhr are disappointed and return to their rest.
Development
The Hill Giants outside the dragon's lair notice the sounds of rock tossing or combat in this cave. If the giants aren't aware of the characters' presence, one giant investigates, situating itself outside the tunnel to area x for 10 minutes to find out if anything emerges.
N6: Kobold Cave
As the characters approach this cave, high-pitched chatter issues from within. Characters who know Draconic discern the following phrases in that language:
- "Nakari will be pleased."
- "Too much clay! The wings will break!"
- "The tail is too long."
The cave inhabitants stop talking if the characters have a light source with them or otherwise don't mask their approach.
When the characters enter the cave, read or paraphrase the following:
The seven Winged Kobolds want to impress Nakari with their artistic skills and thus win her favor. The kobolds' names are Drix, Grox, Kex, Mox, Nix, Prax, and Zox.
Roleplaying the Kobolds
The kobolds are initially Indifferent toward the characters. One or more characters can shift the kobolds' attitudes to Friendly by helping them finish the statue (see "x") or by giving them treasure or worthless trinkets that easily could be mistaken for treasure.
If the kobolds' attitude shifts to Friendly, the kobolds impart the following information in conversation with the characters:
- Nakari. The copper dragon, Nakari, loves art. The kobolds hope she will appreciate the clay statue they've crafted for her. The kobolds don't know where the dragon keeps her hoard; they've had no luck finding it.
- Secret Doors. Nakari's lair contains secret doors that the kobolds have witnessed the dragon open magically. (The kobolds can lead characters to the secret doors concealing areas x, x, and x, but the kobolds can't open them. The kobolds are unaware of the secret door concealing area x, having never visited that part of the lair.)
- Wyrmlings. Nakari rescued a pair of wyrmlings from the nearby forest and is raising them as her own. Both wyrmlings have tried to murder the kobolds more than once. (The kobolds don't know the wyrmlings' names.)
Sculpting the Statue
The statue is meant to depict an adult copper dragon but needs a lot of work. A character who spends at least 10 minutes resculpting part of the statue makes a DC 15 Charisma (Performance) check. Each successful check improves one of four sections of the statue: the head, the wings, the body, or the tail. Once all four sections are improved, the kobolds are satisfied, praise the characters' artistic abilities, and become Friendly.
Treasure
Each kobold has a Pouch that contains 1d12 CP.
N7: Molting Cave
This cave lies hidden behind a secret door (see "x").
Nakari keeps her shed scales here.
Breakaway Roof
Nakari has carefully weakened the cave's roof so she can burrow through it quickly to reach the surface (see "Lair Features").
Treasure
Nakari has gathered an assortment of baubles into three neat piles labeled in Draconic: "keep," "trade," and "dump." Many of these items were gifts from travelers or admirers; the remaining items the dragon acquired during her efforts to better understand and appreciate her neighbors.
The first time anyone other than Nakari removes an item from the "keep" or "trade" pile, the copper scales on the floor suddenly swirl through the air, slashing creatures with their sharp edges. Each creature in the cave makes a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) Slashing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. This magical effect can be triggered only once.
Each pile's contents are listed below:
- Bagpipes (worth 30 GP)
- Ten Books of poetry (worth 25 GP each)
- Twenty Holy Symbols (amulets worth 5 GP each) representing various faiths
- Framed painting (worth 7,500 GP) of a silver-haired, golden-eyed aasimar whose facial expression, attire, and hairstyle magically change daily at dawn
- Eight music boxes (worth 250 GP each)
- Twenty gold rings (worth 25 GP each)
- Ten Books (historical texts worth 25 GP each)
- Five flutes (worth 2 GP each)
- Bejeweled, fur-lined cloak fit for royalty (worth 2,500 GP)
- Ten gold rings (worth 25 GP each)
- Fifty sheets of music (worth 1 GP each)
- Five Books of poetry (worth 25 GP each)
- Drum that's battered and worn (worth 1 GP)
- Lute with two broken strings (worth 15 GP as is or 35 GP if repaired with a Mending spell)
- Three-dragon ante Gaming Set (worth 1 GP)
- Ten gold bracelets (worth 25 GP each)
- Ten silver rings (worth 5 GP each)
- Rolled-up, torn portrait of a famous tiefling musician (worth 750 GP if repaired with a Mending spell)
N8: Southern Boulder Cave
This cave appears to hold nine boulders, but three are Galeb Duhr that are singing while rolled up. Their song is quiet but deep and resonant, causing vibrations in the floor. If the galeb duhr notice the characters, they lift their heads and begin singing more loudly, shaking the ground and making bits of gravel fall from the ceiling as they try to entertain their unexpected audience. When the characters leave, the galeb duhr return to their quieter song.
Development
The Hill Giants outside the dragon's lair notice the galeb duhr's loud singing. If the giants aren't aware of the characters' presence, one giant investigates, situating itself outside the tunnel to area N2 for 10 minutes to find out if anything emerges.
N9: Laughing Cave
Breakaway Roof
Nakari has carefully weakened the roof of this cave so she can burrow through it quickly to reach the surface (see "x").
Laughing Gas
This area is filled with magical laughing gas (see "Lair Features").
N10: Reception Cave
A peevish Djinni named Lashlo rests in the alcove. A guest that Nakari has left waiting far too long, Lashlo hoped to trade stories and songs with Nakari, but her patience is nearly at an end. She is Hostile to the characters, whom she considers rivals for Nakari's attention, and she fights them if they aren't effusively polite. If any character succumbs to the laughing gas for 2 consecutive rounds, Lashlo assumes they're laughing at her and fights them. The genie is unaffected by the laughing gas.
Laughing Gas
This cave is filled with laughing gas (see "Lair Features").
Treasure
The chalice belongs to Nakari, but the dragon won't notice its absence, and it's worth 750 GP. If the genie dies, her body dissolves into mist, leaving behind her silk clothing (worth 250 GP), two black pearl gemstones (worth 500 GP each), and a Wand of Lightning Bolts.
N11: Northern Boulder Cave
Three Galeb Duhr dwell in this cave. They are desperate to avoid the unwelcome attention of Lashlo, the djinni in area x, and try to remain as silent as possible.
Development
The galeb duhr's caution is unwarranted. Noise in this cave doesn't attract the attention of the djinni or of the giants outside the dragon's lair.
N12: Maestro's Cave
This cave lies hidden behind a secret door (see "x").
The western half of the cave is indeed empty (but see "x" below). An Invisible creature lies on the stone slab in the smaller cave to the east (see "x").
Breakaway Roof
Nakari has carefully weakened the roof in the western half of this cave so she can burrow through it quickly to reach the surface (see "x").
Sequestered Maestro
Lying atop the stone slab is the human Yemi Moonsybil (Medium, Chaotic Good Performer Maestro). Yemi has the Invisible condition and is in a state of suspended animation, both courtesy of a Sequester spell. Nakari keeps dust and other detritus from accumulating on the slab and Yemi's resting form.
Yemi wears a glass key keepsake on a copper chain around her neck, and she gently clasps an Instrument of the Bards (Ollamh harp), which she acquired in her youth. Taking the harp, plucking one of its strings, or removing the glass key from around Yemi's neck ends the Sequester spell early.
Yemi, who has been in stasis for almost a century, looks to be in her fifties. She knows all the lost verses of the Awakening Song.
Once she is no longer under the Sequester spell's effect, Yemi is hungry for news. If the characters explain their quest, she sympathizes with the dire situation in Godsbreath and agrees to share the lost verses of the Awakening Song and return to Promise. However, Yemi won't leave Nakari's lair without first saying goodbye to the dragon. Yemi is familiar with the lair and can find her way around it; if Nakari is still alive, the dragon opens any secret door in Yemi's way.
Yemi's Story
In her twenties and thirties, Yemi belonged to a subversive group of musicians called the Key. They used their music to inspire rebellions in lands plagued by tyrants and religious zealots—and made many powerful enemies in doing so. Decades later, after an assassin killed Yemi's spouse Mertyl Swooney in pursuit of the maestro, Yemi sought out Nakari. Sympathetic to Yemi's plight, Nakari revealed her true draconic nature and, with the maestro's consent, used a Spell Scroll of Sequester to make it impossible for enemies to find Yemi. After a century in hiding, Yemi figures her old enemies are long gone, and she's ready to return to the world.
N13: Worm Cave
A Purple Worm has been drawn to Nakari's lair by the dragon's frequent excavation work. The worm bursts up through the floor of the cave when the characters arrive and attacks them. It retreats when it becomes Bloodied.
Breakaway Roof
Nakari has carefully weakened the roof of the cave so she can burrow through it quickly to reach the surface (see "x").
N14: Western Boulder Cave
This cave appears to hold nine boulders, but three are belligerent Galeb Duhr relaxing while rolled up. If they notice the characters, they arise and begin combat.
Dead Gnome
As a Search action, a character can examine the dead gnome and make a DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success, the character confirms that the gnome was battered to death roughly ten days ago. Characters who cast Speak with Dead on the corpse can learn the following information:
- Gnome's Name. The gnome's name was Gleem Happenbolt.
- Home. The gnome came from a mining settlement five miles north of the Rattle.
- War Pick. The gnome's weapon is a family heirloom Gleem inherited from his uncle (see "Treasure" below).
- What Happened. The gnome was searching the hills for gem deposits when he saw a copper dragon flying overhead. Believing the dragon to be friendly and thinking it might lead him to treasure, he followed it. The dragon led Gleem to this cave complex, but some of the boulders here "woke up" and tried to scare him away. When he wouldn't leave, they battered him to death.
Treasure
A search of the dead gnome yields an Explorer's Pack (with a full Waterskin) and a +1 War Pick. Characters also notice that the gnome's right boot has a pocket sewn into its side. The boot-pocket contains two topaz gemstones worth 500 GP each.
N15: Tunnel to the Dragon's Den
This tunnel is filled with laughing gas (see "x").
N16: Hidden Hoard
This cave is hidden behind a secret door (see "x"). If the characters attempt to break through or bypass this door, Nakari loudly invites them to join her in her den (area x)—and begins combat with them if they refuse.
Lost Verses
Buried deep within the pile of coins is a ratty old notebook with a string tied around it. A character who spends 10 minutes searching through the coins finds the notebook.
Titled Verses of the Awakening Song, the notebook was written by a young man who identifies himself as Proclaimer Cirroc Coldwater, Acolyte of the Covenant. The book is valuable only to the residents of Godsbreath, for it contains lost verses of the Awakening Song. If the characters take it without Nakari's consent, the dragon does everything in her power to reclaim it.
Treasure
In addition to the notebook containing the Awakening Song, Nakari's hoard contains the following treasure:
- 500 PP, 10,000 GP, 55,000 SP, and 450,000 CP
- Four framed masterpiece paintings of brass, bronze, copper, and gold dragons (worth 2,500 GP each) by the renowned dragonborn painter Zaemon Vedrak
- Pearl-studded, clamshell-shaped music box (worth 750 GP)
- Sending Stones
- Talking Doll that resembles a baby copper dragon
N17: Nakari's Den
The Adult Copper Dragon is Nakari. The two Green Dragon Wyrmlings are Retta and Rynn. A little over a month ago, Nakari found the wyrmlings in the Rattle and thought it best to adopt them before they harmed themselves or someone else. The orphans are Neutral; they have bonded with their adoptive mother and don't know what happened to their biological parents.
Roleplaying Nakari
Nakari is trying to teach the dragon wyrmlings to be kind toward others, so she adopts an Indifferent attitude toward the characters, even though she considers their intrusion unwelcome. Her attitude shifts to Hostile if one or more characters threaten the wyrmlings or disrespect her in her presence. Once her attitude shifts to Hostile, nothing the characters do from that point on can improve it.
Nakari doesn't like dealing with folk she doesn't know, and she distrusts anyone who professes to have noble intentions. She politely asks the characters to leave in peace and wishes them a safe journey home.
Nakari won't sell Verses of the Awakening Song for any price, despite paying only a single Copper Piece for it.
Fighting Nakari
If combat seems likely, Nakari sends the wyrmlings to their room (area x), where they remain until she calls for them. If Yemi accompanies the characters (see area x), Nakari won't do anything that might endanger her.
Breakaway Roof
Nakari has carefully weakened the roof of the cave so she can burrow through it quickly to reach the surface (see "x"). If battle erupts and the outcome seems likely to go against her, she breaks through the roof and orders the wyrmlings to flee by that route while she covers their escape.
Impressing Nakari
As an Influence action, a character can recite the lyrics to "Copper for a Song," tell a story, or play an instrument, and then make a DC 15 Charisma (Performance) check. On a success, Nakari becomes Friendly and loans the characters her copy of Verses of the Awakening Song (see area x). The loan extends for up to 1 month, during which time the characters can have copies of the book made. If Yemi is with the party (see area x), Nakari entrusts the book to her; the maestro promises to return it within the agreed-on time frame.
N18: Wyrmlings' Nursery
If present, the two Green Dragon Wyrmlings Retta and Rynn are quick to lash out at intruders in this cave. The wyrmlings surrender or flee if either of them becomes Bloodied.
Conclusion
Characters who obtain the lost verses of the Awakening Song can deliver the book safely to Proclaimer Tungsten Ward in Promise. Alternatively, they can accomplish their goal by escorting Yemi Moonsybil back to town. If either event comes to pass, word spreads quickly that the lost verses of the Awakening Song have been recovered.
The townsfolk share the lost verses widely, ensuring that they're never forgotten again. The verses' lyrics tell a story about a previous struggle with harvests. From the details of how the locals solved that problem, Godsbreath's people coax the land back to peak fertility.
Characters who parted with Nakari on good terms can revisit the copper dragon from time to time. She might loan them some useful magic items (such as the Sending Stones in her hoard) or hire them to complete a quest, such as finding out what happened to Rynn and Retta's parents.
History of Copper Dragons
RACH DARASTRIX
[image: Dragons of Deceit (1985)]
[image: Monstrous Manual (1993)]
[image: Monster Manual (1977)]
[image: Draconomicon (2003)]
[image: Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate (2022)]
[image: Draconomicon (2003)]
[image: Monster Manual 2 (2009)]
[image: Monster Manual (2014)]
[image: Concept Art (2023)]
[image: Monster Manual (2025)]