Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Castle Kalaman

A symbol of the city, the age-old fortress of Castle Kalaman rises atop rugged cliffs, visible from anywhere within the city walls and for miles beyond. The city's governor dwells within the castle, and the ruling council holds its meetings here. Castle Kalaman also serves as the headquarters of Kalaman's military, and its barracks can house hundreds of troops. Extensive catacombs run beneath Castle Kalaman, but the entrances to these tunnels were closed long ago and remain magically sealed.

City Market

Merchants from across Ansalon do business in Kalaman's thriving bazaar. Characters can purchase any equipment from the Player's Handbook here. Vendors from far-off lands—like Ergoth or Mount Nevermind—often bring rare curios here to trade.

Hammerstrike Forges

Twin forges stand across the street from one another, run by the dwarven cousins Kadmos and Tiria Hammerstrike (both lawful neutral, hill dwarf veterans). While both are competent smiths, Kadmos specializes in armor and Tiria excels with weaponry.

Harbor Beacons

The walls of Kalaman extend several hundred feet into the city's harbor. The tower at each end holds a prominent beacon surrounded by an array of lenses. These beacons were created before the Cataclysm by the city's Istarian founders, and the light from their flames cuts through the densest fog.

Kalaman Harbor

At any time, dozens of ships are anchored along the busy docks of Kalaman's harbor. Small local fishing ships vie for harbor space alongside mighty seafaring vessels, some from far-off lands. Every day there's a 10 percent chance a merchant ship from a distant land puts into port here, its crew eager to sell unique wares and tell tales of danger on the sea.

Meulara's Oddities

Meulara's Oddities is a small shop piled with trinkets. Its shopkeeper, Meulara (chaotic good, kender commoner), is a silver-haired woman with a bright smile. Meulara claims to know every kender in the city, and most kender new to town are directed to her so they can swap stories and news from their travels.

The Steady Beacon

The Steady Beacon is a tavern that boasts a large taproom, a fish-focused menu, and modest lodging. Its decor features the broken weapons of defeated bandits. The tavern is a favorite of Kalaman's soldiers, and most evenings, dozens of off-duty troops relax here. The inn's owner, Jesen Thold (neutral good, human veteran), is a friend of Marshal Nestra Vendri, head of Kalaman's military.

Trade Camps

Outside the city to the east and west sprawl trade camps. These expanses of ramshackle buildings began as campgrounds for caravans. Over time, the tents were replaced by simple buildings aligned along muddy streets. They now house hundreds who can't find lodgings within the city's walls.

Wyhan's Apothecary

Wyhan (lawful evil, human mage) is a black-robed Mage of High Sorcery. Though supposedly retired, she keeps a shop that deals in wares few in Kalaman need. Wyhan's Apothecary sells the occasional good-luck charm, but those who know what to ask for might gain access to the apothecary's back room, which houses esoteric spell components. The "x" section later in this chapter provides more details on Wyhan and her shop.

Survivor Camp Hardships

Lord Bakaris Uth Estide

Lord Bakaris Uth Estide (neutral evil, human noble) is an arrogant man with a lesser title among the Solamnic nobility. In ages past, his family was known for its wealth and generations of membership in the Knights of Solamnia. While Lord Bakaris retains a considerable amount of wealth, he has lived his entire life on stories of honor and great deeds, none of which are his own. Now Lord Bakaris sees the situation in Kalaman as his chance to win glory for himself. At heart, he's comically cowardly, full of bluster and inflated words. He has neither the spine to stand up to opposition nor the experience to lead.

Retaking Vogler

During the conversation with Kalaman's leaders, the characters might ask about retaking Vogler. Lord Bakaris is eager to do this, while Darrett prioritizes ensuring the villagers' safety. For the time being, the city council is more interested in gaining information about the enemy than running headlong into battle. If necessary, use Darrett to temper characters' desire for immediate revenge.

Clarifying the Situation

It's up to the characters to correct Bakaris's misinformation. Kalaman's council listens to what the characters say, asking probing questions until the truth of what happened in Vogler comes out. As the characters speak, Lord Bakaris contradicts them, trying to bolster his own fictitious position as the village leader who deserves accolades for bravely facing the Red Dragon Army. Through roleplaying or by succeeding on a DC 14 Charisma (Intimidation) check, a character can silence Lord Bakaris.

After the characters explain the current situation of those who escaped Vogler, read the following:

Kalaman's Concerns

Marshal Vendri goes on to explain that Vogler isn't the only community in the region to face peril. She shares the following details:

• Small villages and farms to the south and east of Kalaman have been burned in recent weeks.
• Vogler is the largest community to be attacked and the only one with many survivors.
• Experienced patrols of armored Kalaman soldiers have been found cut down, in some cases with mysterious claw-like gashes in their armor.
• Lord Bakaris and the characters have provided the clearest information on the enemy that Kalaman has received to date.

Marshal Vendri knows nothing of draconians, the Dragon Queen, or the Dragon Army. Her experience is considerable, but it involves battling raiders from Estwilde and ogres from the Taman Busuk. Everyone here has heard rumors of war in the eastern nation of Khur, but until now, they hadn't considered that far-off nation's struggles relevant.

Marshal Vendri is eager to hear anything the characters know about the enemy. She's even more impressed if the characters have physical evidence of draconians or Dragon Army soldiers.

Once the characters have heard the marshal's report, the governor asks the characters and Darrett to step outside while the council discusses what they've learned. Lord Bakaris isn't asked to leave.

Awaiting a Decision

Darrett and the characters are ushered into the hall outside the council chamber. Use this opportunity to have Darrett reemphasize how important it is for Vogler's people to have Kalaman's support and protection. A character who listens at the council chamber door and succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check hears a frustrated Marshal Vendri repeatedly interrupt Lord Bakaris.

Kalaman's Decision

After half an hour, the council meeting adjourns. Read the following text:

When the characters reenter the council chamber, the governor bids them sit. After they're settled, read the following text:

Governor Miat explains the following points:

• Kalaman's leaders are concerned about the threat posed by the enemy that attacked Vogler.
• The city has woefully little information about this foe, and the scouts sent to learn more have all disappeared.
• The characters, however, both faced this foe and saved an entire village from its attack.
• In return for Kalaman protecting the people of Vogler, Kalaman's leaders want the characters and Darrett to report to Marshal Vendri as special operatives in the Kalaman military.

Let the characters discuss this offer. Marshal Vendri provides the following clarifications as needed:

• Only one of the characters needs to swear themself to serve Kalaman's military—though all are welcome—and only until the threat to the region is over.
• Sworn characters will become esquires of Kalaman and be paid 5 gp per week.
• Sworn characters and their companions will receive free lodging at Castle Kalaman.
• Sworn characters will be given a palm-sized emblem with the blue-and-gold symbol of Kalaman etched into its face. This is a symbol of their special rank, which is akin to a lieutenancy (higher than soldiers but lower than commanders).

If the characters refuse, Darrett asks to speak with them for a moment. He plans to accept the governor's terms and attempts to convince the characters to join him. He wants their aid not only to protect his people, but to counter the terrifying threat of the Dragon Army. If the characters still resist, Darrett suggests the characters could work for him as aides rather than working directly for the military—a proposal Kalaman's leaders are willing to accept.

If the characters and Darrett accept, Governor Miat is pleased and orders that Vogler's people be provided with food and supplies. Marshal Vendri dispatches guards to help the refugees relocate to lodgings outside the Trade Gate.

With that, the meeting with Kalaman's leaders concludes. Marshal Vendri asks Darrett and the characters to come to her office on the second floor of Castle Kalaman when they're ready to learn more about their position and their first duties. Until then, they should ensure their people are safe and familiarize themselves with the city.

Reinforcements

A couple hours later, several wagons and a contingent of soldiers from Kalaman reach the survivors' camp with food and supplies. They aid the people most in need first, eventually assisting everyone in relocating to an unoccupied group of simple wooden buildings north of Kalaman's Trade Gate. The survivors find dry, safe housing and pitch in to make everyone's lodgings more comfortable. They also establish a communal cookhouse and infirmary.

Encourage the characters to use skills like Wisdom (Medicine) or any artisan's tools they might have to support Vogler's people and make their accommodations more welcoming. If they wish, the characters can also find bunks here for the evening, but staying at Castle Kalaman would be more comfortable—and free up more space and resources for the other evacuees. Once the characters see to the safety of Vogler's survivors, they're free to explore Kalaman as they please.

Scroll Predictions

Wyhan's Recommendation

Wyhan is skeptical of any character who expresses an interest in joining the Mages of High Sorcery. She asks them the following questions:

[image: Wyhan]

• Why do you think you're worthy of using magic?
• Do you serve your magic, or does your magic serve you?
• How will you change the world with your magic?
• If you were to lose your magic, what would you do?

Regardless of the character's answers, Wyhan responds with pragmatic criticism. Have her engage spellcasting characters in a philosophical conversation about the role of magic for as long as you want. Afterward, Wyhan does the following:

• She recommends which order of the Mages of High Sorcery she thinks the character is suited to (revealing her prediction from the previous section).
• She agrees to contact her fellow Mages of High Sorcery and petition for the character's inclusion in the organization.
• She promises to contact the characters when she hears back from the Mages' leaders at the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth.
• She agrees to aid the character in obtaining transport to Wayreth so they can undertake the Test of High Sorcery (detailed in the "x" section of chapter 1).

Wyhan is willing to answer a couple more questions about the Mages of High Sorcery, but after that, she insists the characters buy something or get out.

Any character interested in joining the Mages of High Sorcery hears back from Wyhan regarding their Test of High Sorcery at the x

Solamnic Statuary

Throughout Castle Kalaman, including within the characters' chambers, stonework and statues depict the warrior-god Kiri-Jolith, patron of the Solamnic Knights of the Sword. Clerics of Kiri-Jolith recognize these depictions, as do characters who succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence (Religion) check.

Hinterlands Encounters

Clockwork Chaos

Taken Alive

If the characters capture and interrogate one of the goblinoids, a character who succeeds on a DC 14 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check learns the following:

• The goblinoids are members of the Red Dragon Army.
• Their commander sent them here to get a weapon.
• They don't know much about their leaders—only that most are humans and they pay well. One is a woman whose eye glows like an ember.
• The army is to the north, near a burned village. The goblins are supposed to take the weapon there.

The village the goblinoids are referring to is Vogler, but they don't know its name.

Tatina Rookledust

Tatina Rookledust (neutral good rock gnome) moved to Nightlund decades ago from the distant gnome homeland of Mount Nevermind. She uses the acolyte stat block, but the effects of her Spellcasting manifest from various tools and tiny devices she always carries with her. Rookledust talks rapidly and is always formulating new ideas for her next overdesigned contraption. Though many of her creations are dangerous, she doesn't build them with violence in mind. She's particularly interested in devices for long-distance communication and inventions that mechanize the work of farm animals.

Talking with Rookledust

Rookledust is eager to speak with the characters once she knows they're not affiliated with the Dragon Army. Use the following topics to guide the conversation with Rookledust:

• Rookledust is an inventor. She lives in seclusion so as not to disturb her neighbors with her experiments.
• Several weeks ago, a stranger in red-and-black armor asked to purchase her weed-clearing device, but with some modifications to make it resemble a mythical dragon. She agreed. (Unbeknownst to her, the stranger was a Dragon Army agent and the device was the boilerdrak used in Vogler.)
• The stranger also hired her to design another device, which he was supposed to pick up today. Instead, the goblinoids showed up and demanded she turn over "the weapons."
• Realizing the stranger was using her devices for malign reasons, she refused to hand over her inventions. The goblinoids then attacked.
• She's happy to come with the characters to Kalaman and insists on giving them her newest invention (see "The Fargab").

Rookledust regrets her weed-clearing device was misused, but she doesn't dwell on the past. She's ready to leave with the characters whenever they want to go; she just needs to grab her invention.

The Fargab

Rookledust calls her newest invention the "fargab" (see appendix A). She was supposed to design a new weapon for the Red Dragon Army, but she got distracted and instead created this long-distance communication device. She currently has one paired set of fargabs, which she gives to the characters—and, by extension, Kalaman's defenders.

Ambushing the Enemy

The characters are tasked with investigating a farmstead eighteen miles east of the city, after fleeing residents report the farm was overrun by soldiers. When the characters arrive, they find the farm ransacked and a Dragon Army soldier (see appendix B) training six hobgoblin mercenaries. The Dragon Army soldier orders the hobgoblins to attack, telling them, "Here's your final test. Dispatch these fools and earn your place in the Dragon Army!" The hobgoblins fight until their commanding Dragon Army soldier is killed or half their number are wiped out.

Draconian Blockade

Word reaches Kalaman of soldiers attacking travelers on the roads leading toward farmlands near the Estwilde border. The characters are ordered to follow the road east and see what they find.

Twenty miles east of Kalaman, where the road crosses the Raiding Rill, the characters find two empty, toppled wagons. A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) finds clawed footprints leading to woods to the south. If the characters follow the path, they come on a camp of five baaz draconians led by a bozak draconian (see appendix B for both stat blocks). The draconians fight to the death.

Missing Scouts

The characters are sent to track down a pair of scouts keeping tabs on Dragon Army movements north of the Vingaard River, twenty miles northwest of Kalaman and six miles east of Vogler. The characters are told to find the scouts' lookout post in a stand of gray birch, trees uncommon in the area.

Once the characters arrive in the area, they find the lookout post in fifteen minutes if a character succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check; otherwise, finding the post takes three hours. Regardless of when the characters arrive, they find one scout tied to a tree in the center of the camp, being harassed by two baaz draconians (see appendix B); the other scout lies dead nearby. A kapak draconian (see appendix B) hides in the trees above the camp and tries to ambush the characters after combat begins.

Troops Return

While the characters are completing another mission, they catch sight of a small group of armed soldiers marching toward Kalaman. These soldiers are at least a mile away and don't bear the colors of either Kalaman or the Dragon Army. If the characters draw closer, it's clear the soldiers are exhausted and have recently seen battle. If the soldiers spot the characters, their leader calls a halt and approaches the characters. Characters quickly recognize Cudgel Ironsmile (introduced in x).

Reconnaissance

Wheelwatch Outpost lies south of where the streams known as the Gravel Run and the Raiding Rill meet. Read the following description when the characters come within sight of the fort:

If a character spends eight hours observing the fort, they determine that patrols in the corner towers switch watch duty every six hours, and they can make a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check to estimate how many Dragon Army soldiers are in the fort. On a successful check, the character accurately estimates about twenty Dragon Army soldiers are in the fort. On a failed check, they estimate double this number. If the check fails by 10 or more, the character is spotted, and after 10 minutes, a squad of six Dragon Army soldiers (see appendix B) leaves the fort to investigate the character's position. If the soldiers find the character or don't return, the fort goes on alert (see the "Wheelwatch Alert" section).

Alarm Horns

Each of the outpost's corner guard posts (x, x, and x) is equipped with an alarm horn. If a sentry in one of these areas notices enemies or unusual activity, they attempt to sound an alarm horn 1 round later on their turn. Once an alarm horn is sounded, the fort goes on alert.

Alert

If a threat is detected, the eight Dragon Army soldiers (see appendix B) in x rush to meet it (or gather in x if the source is unclear). While on alert, Dragon Army troops have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks. Troops remain on alert for twelve hours after spotting an enemy or finding other clear signs of enemy activity. In the case of other threats, troops remain on alert until the danger passes or is identified as a false alarm.

Impostors

Characters who wear Dragon Army armor have advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks made to pass as Dragon Army soldiers.

Dragonnel Rider

The Dragon Army has a secret weapon in x: a Dragon Army dragonnel and its Dragon Army officer rider (see appendix B for both stat blocks). If the characters don't discover the pair first, the dragonnel and its rider take to the air and attack at a dramatic moment—likely after the characters have overcome most of the fort's forces or as they work to open the gates in x.

W1: Courtyard

At any given time, three Dragon Army soldiers (see appendix B) are in the courtyard patrolling, training, or running errands.

W2: South Guard Towers

The south guard towers are identical. In each, two Dragon Army soldiers (see appendix B) watch the surrounding land.

W3: Northwest Guard Tower

The northwest tower is the largest of Wheelwatch's guard towers. Its second floor is identical to the first, accessed by the ladder here.

On the first floor, a sivak draconian (see appendix B) stands guard in human guise. It's using its Shape Theft reaction to take the form of a Kalaman soldier it killed. If slain, it shifts back to its true form.

Two Dragon Army soldiers (see appendix B) guard the second floor. Their alarm horn hangs on the south wall by the ladder.

W4: Northeast Fortification

Two baaz draconians (see appendix B) keep watch in the hall here. Their alarm horn hangs from the north weapon rack. If battle breaks out here, the Dragon Army soldiers in area W5 come to investigate after 2 rounds.

W5: Barracks

At any given time, eight Dragon Army soldiers (see appendix B) rest here. They swap places with on-duty guards throughout the day. If they hear battle in area W4 or an alarm horn sounds, they rush to support their allies after 2 rounds.

• Treasure. Under each of the sets of bunks is a simple wooden footlocker. Each holds two sets of common clothes and 10 gp. One footlocker also contains a silvered longsword, while another contains a holy symbol of Takhisis and a key for the gate controls in x.

W6: Prison

If the alarm hasn't been raised, a Dragon Army officer (see appendix B) named Ardlic Vanse is seated at a desk, writing a report. He commands the forces here. He is terrified of his commander, Kansaldi Fire-Eyes, and will sacrifice his life and the lives of his troops to keep control of the fort.

W7: Storage

The storage room's barrels contain enough food, water, and other supplies to sustain the outpost for a month. A character who spends 5 minutes searching the supplies and succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check finds a dusty case containing six flasks of alchemist's fire.

W8: Stable

A character who listens at the door to the stable and succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check hears something large moving inside.

A Dragon Army dragonnel and its rider, a Dragon Army officer, are in this stable (see appendix B for both stat blocks). If the characters enter, the dragonnel recognizes them as intruders and attacks. This is likely the first time the characters have seen a creature this similar to a dragon. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana or Nature) check knows the creature is a dragonnel, a wild lesser cousin of the storied dragons that disappeared from Krynn.

If the dragonnel and its rider already took flight (see "x"), this area is empty.

W9: Kitchen

A Dragon Army soldier (see appendix B) prepares a meal here: a watery soup, heavy on pepper.

Steel Springs Battlefield Features

The battlefield includes the following features:

• Rocks and Scrub. Rocks and vegetation on the map are difficult terrain.
• Stream. The chilly stream is 4 feet deep and is difficult terrain. The crossings aren't 3.
• Fray. The 15-foot-wide area marked by the design at the edge of the map represents directions from which creatures from the nearby battle might arrive, as detailed in the following section.

Steel Springs Battlefield Events

During this encounter, as long as there are still Dragon Army soldiers on the battlefield, roll on the Steel Springs Battlefield Events table each round on initiative count 0. Also consider rolling on the table if a character enters the Fray or a Kalaman soldier is killed. After you roll on this table, the wounded Kalaman soldiers move 15 feet south along the road unless an event says otherwise.

Safe for Now

Darrett leads the characters six miles east of Steel Springs, where Kalaman's soldiers have retreated to. Once there, Darrett explains the following details:

• Lord Bakaris ordered an assault on the Dragon Army forces, unaware of Dragon Army reinforcements nearby. The battle swiftly swung against Kalaman's forces.
• Darrett and other commanders ordered a swift withdrawal, saving many lives.
• In the retreat, forces commanded by Bakaris the Younger were overwhelmed. Bakaris the Younger is unaccounted for and believed dead.
• Lord Bakaris is in a state of shock.
• The Dragon Army doesn't seem to be pursuing the retreating troops.
• Darrett has word that Marshal Vendri's forces are traveling from the west to protect the city.

Darrett, the de facto leader of the retreating forces, lets the troops rest overnight. He suggests the characters rest along with them. The next morning, he encourages the characters to ride ahead to Kalaman to inform Governor Miat of what happened while the surviving troops rendezvous with Marshal Vendri on the way to Kalaman.

Castle Kalaman's Visitors

The gates of Castle Kalaman are closed when the characters arrive, but the guards recognize the characters and admit them. The guards confirm a contingent of knights is meeting with the governor and the city councilors in the main council chamber, but a couple of the knights remained in the castle's courtyard if the characters wish to meet them.

Once the characters enter Castle Kalaman's courtyard, read the following:

The two knights here are Undead soldiers. They use the wight stat block with the following changes:

• They wear plate armor and have AC 18.
• They don't have the Sunlight Sensitivity trait.

The wights refuse to speak, and their armor and other clothing disguise their nature. Any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 16 or higher notices the knights' armor is covered in spots of ash and rust, as if exceptionally old.

These Undead knights block the entrance to the castle. They attack anyone who tries to slip past or to remove part of a wight's disguise. After a wight takes 10 points of damage, its disguise is undermined, revealing the skeletal form below.

Caradoc

Caradoc (see appendix B) died during the Cataclysm alongside Lord Soth over three hundred years ago. In life, Caradoc gained his station among the Knights of Solamnia due to his noble pedigree and his family's money. Cowardly but charming, Caradoc befriended and came to serve his fellow knight, Lord Soth, often advising the bold knight about the subtleties of courtly intrigues. Soth made Caradoc his seneschal, and the knight serves him still.

When Soth rose as an Undead, Caradoc was similarly cursed, returning to life as an incorporeal spirit. Caradoc can't leave the grounds of Dargaard Keep except within a body he has possessed. Now, he delights in jumping from body to body, using and disposing of the living as he pleases.

Caught in the Act

When Caradoc sees the characters, read the following text:

Caradoc delights in mocking the characters and disrespecting the dead. As he's buying time for Lord Soth, Caradoc converses with the characters for as long as he can, sharing the following information:

• He's Caradoc, a Knight of Solamnia.
• No, of course the Knights of Solamnia aren't actually coming, but saying so did allow him to get his lord's retinue through the city gates.
• No, he won't say who his lord is.
• No, he doesn't serve the Red Dragon Army—not quite. He serves his lord, and his lord serves a higher power.
• His lord was here, but he had to go attend to business with a musty old friend.

A character who succeeds on a DC 18 Intelligence (History) check recalls Caradoc was the name of an obscure knight of the Order of the Rose who died during the Cataclysm.

Leedara's Warning

Moments after Caradoc is defeated, Leedara (detailed in x) appears. Read the following text:

Leedara won't elaborate on her words or why she's present, insisting it might already be too late and the characters must hurry. At some point while the characters are all distracted or otherwise don't have her in their line of sight, Leedara vanishes. If the characters later search for her in Kalaman, they don't find her.

Path Below

Beyond the broken door in the council chamber lies a narrow corridor used by servants. Several plain doors lead to other parts of the castle, but at the far end of the passage shines a faint violet light. Characters who seek out the light see the following:

This passage descends into the catacombs beneath Castle Kalaman.

Lord Soth's Legend

In the years before the Cataclysm, Loren Soth was a Solamnic Knight of the Order of the Rose. He ruled the province of Knightlund from Dargaard Keep. However, his fall from grace began when he rescued a company of Silvanesti elves from raiders, including the priest Isolde and her attendants. Though Lord Soth was married, he fell in love with Isolde—and shortly after, Soth's wife died. He and Isolde married days later. For disrespecting his dead wife's memory, the Knights of Solamnia cast Soth from their orders.

Soon after, the gods called Soth to redeem himself by preventing the Cataclysm, but Soth failed in his quest, and the gods rained destruction on the world. The Knights of Solamnia fell into disgrace in the aftermath of the Cataclysm, and Dargaard Keep became a cursed, haunted ruin.

The Rest of the Story

When Lord Soth began his gods-given quest to avert the Cataclysm, he encountered Isolde's attendants, who blamed him for leading Isolde from her holy path. The attendants played on his jealousy, falsely accusing Isolde of being unfaithful. Enraged, Soth ignored the gods' direction and returned to Dargaard Keep to murder her. As he did, the gods unleashed the Cataclysm on the world. With Isolde's dying breath, she cursed Soth to suffer one lifetime for every life lost in the Cataclysm.

For his defiance of the gods, Soth became a death knight, while his followers were similarly reanimated as other Undead. Meanwhile, several of Isolde's attendants became spirits devoted to ensuring Soth never finds peace.

Visions in Fire

As Soth moves through the catacombs, the Cataclysmic fire limning the tombs re-creates tragic scenes from his life. These scenes represent Soth's memories of events—which don't always match the actual events. Every time the characters enter a new area, the illusory flames create figures of violet flame, play out a scene, then harmlessly fade. After reading the description of each room, paraphrase the next scene from the following list:

• Meeting. A Knight of Solamnia saves a group of elf travelers from ogre raiders. An elf woman falls into the knight's arms. Behind him, the silhouette of a human woman turns and fades away.
• Disgraced. The knight from the previous vision is cast out from a group of other knights. The scene fades into a wedding between the knight and the elf woman from the previous vision.
• Quest. The knight receives a vision from a beam of divine light. As his wife pleads with him, he dons his armor and mounts his steed, then heads off.
• Distraction. The knight's encounters the attendants of the elf woman from the first vision. They taunt him and point back the way he came. The knight slays them and turns back home in a rage.
• Confrontation. The knight slays his wife as the world around him crumbles and burns. The knight burns as well, but he doesn't fall. His armor fuses with his body; his eyes blaze with flames; and he becomes a terrifying, deathless figure.

If the characters enter a room after all these scenes have played out, skeletal visages leer at them from the flames, then vanish. Characters who recalled Lord Soth's legend in the "x" section recognize that these scenes relate to his tale. If no characters succeeded on that check, they can make the DC 14 Intelligence (History) check again with advantage after seeing the first two scenes. On a success, they recall everything in that section.

Though the full truth of Lord Soth's tale remains vague, the characters might learn more when they encounter Leedara again in x.

[image: Cataclysmic flames reveal glimpses of Lord Soth's memories]

R1: Hall of Knights

The statues depict four historic leaders of the Knights of Solamnia and the bison-headed god Kiri-Jolith. A cleric of Kiri-Jolith or a character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Religion) check recognizes the statue of Kiri-Jolith, god of honor and war.

The flames are Cataclysmic fire (see the "x" section). Once the characters enter, the first scene from the "x" section plays.

R2: Crypts

As the characters enter this area, the next scene from the "Visions in Fire" section plays out.

R3: Tomb of Vaunted Steel

As the characters enter this area, the next scene from the "x" section plays out.

R4: Hall of Steeds

As the characters enter this area, the next scene from the "x" section plays out. After the scene completes, two warhorse skeletons manifest at the west end of the hall. These are the remains of the heroic warhorses Xheriev and Steelwind, which attack. However, if a character is wearing the armor of a Solamnic knight or succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check, the skeletons stop, bow, and vanish. That character then gains the following charm (a type of supernatural gift detailed in the Dungeon Master's Guide).

• Favor of the Heroic Steed

R5: Monument of the Lost

As the characters enter this area, the next scene from the "x" section unfolds.

R6: Shrine of the Honored

As the characters enter this area, the next scene from the "x" section plays out.

R7: Tomb of Heroes

When the characters enter this room, any remaining scenes from the "x" section unfold. Read the following text after all the scenes have played out and the characters are in this area:

Lord Soth was here minutes before the characters and claimed a portion of the Cataclysmic fire that cursed this tomb. He then shattered the south wall, creating a passage high in the cliffs beneath Castle Kalaman. After this scene plays out, another violent blow shakes the tomb surrounded by the sculpted dragon.

Soth's Escape

Lord Soth has vanished, taking a scepter blazing with haunted flames along with him. If the characters try to pursue him, he and his Undead knights have already departed the city, their objectives complete. No one is certain where they headed after leaving, though this is revealed at the start of the next chapter.

Sanctuary Shattered

By the time the characters emerge from the catacombs, the council room's carnage has been mostly cleared.

Several hours later, Darrett arrives in Kalaman with Marshal Vendri, Lord Bakaris, and the bulk of the city's martial forces. They're shocked to learn what happened. Marshal Vendri moves swiftly to keep order in the city and ensure no more attacks are forthcoming. At the same time, Darrett seeks out the characters to learn more. He pays particular interest to what they have to say about Lord Soth and the City of Lost Names—two names that guide the characters in the following chapter.