TEXT: Written by MATT RIGGSBY
  Edited by NIKOLA VRTIS
  Illustrated by ALEX FERNANDEZ 
  and JOHN ZELEZNIK
  Cartography by MATT RIGGSBY 
  Reviewers: Peter V. Dell’Orto, Christopher R. Rice, and Emily Smirle
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  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  Stock #37-0345 
  Version 1.0 – August 2018
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  IntroductIon  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .3
  Recommended Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Key Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Protagonists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Custom Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Weird Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Spin-Offs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  1 . town  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .6
  Broken Fang Point .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
  Hooks for Town. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Holes for Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  events in town  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Recruitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  Shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Rumors and Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  2 . the dragon KIng’s court  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .9
  Hooks for the Dragon King’s Court. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Holes for the Dragon King’s Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Constants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  overvIew of the dragons’ Palace  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 10
  the vestiBule .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 10
  Side Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  MaP of the vestIbule  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 11
  Alarm Traps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  the greater aPartments  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 12
  Loggia of the Vizier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  MaP of the greater aPartMents  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 13
  The Ambassador’s Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  Lesser Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  MaP of the basIlIca  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15
  High Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  the Basilica  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16
  hall oF the Dragon king .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16
  MaP of the hall of the dragon KIng  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
  The Cowl of Ahten-Ahten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  events in the Dragon king’s court .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 18
  Wandering Patrols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  Treasure Hunting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  3 . the dragon Queen’s court .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .20
  Queen’s sQuare  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 20
  Hooks for the Dragon Queen’s Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Holes for the Dragon Queen’s Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  The Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  MaP of the Queen’s sQuare  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
  The Museum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  Events at the Queen’s Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  the Pool  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 23
  Events at the Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  MaP of the Pool  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 24
  the laByrinth  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25
  Events in the Labyrinth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  MaP of the labyrInth .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 26
  hall oF the Dragon Queen  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27
  MaP of the hall of the dragon Queen .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 27
  4 . conflIcts  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .28
  lizarD cult  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 28
  Cause and Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  The Protagonists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Holes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
  Custom Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
  Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
  Dragon Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  Kunukut and Yansolsi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Dragon royalty  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 32
  Cause and Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  The Protagonists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Holes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  Custom Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  lurking monsters  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 34
  Cause and Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  The Protagonists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  Holes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  Custom Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
  Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
  Index .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .36
   
  Contents 
  2
  Contents
  My armor is like tenfold 
  shields, my teeth are swords, 
  my claws spears, the shock  
  of my tail a thunderbolt,  
  my wings a hurricane,  
  and my breath death! 
  – J.R.R. Tolkien,  
  The Hobbit
  
  Long ago, two dragon siblings 
  ruled a forest kingdom. No one who 
  came against them could defeat them, 
  but they ended up killing one another. 
  Centuries later, a group of adventur-
  ers are sent to the ruins of their pal-
  ace (the “tomb”) in order to retrieve 
  a notable artifact. When they arrive, 
  they discover that the palace isn’t as 
  deserted as they’d have liked. A cult of lizard men, worshipers 
  of one of the deceased dragon monarchs, has reopened parts 
  of the ruined palace and found the artifact the delvers are 
  after, and is working on reviving and releasing the dragon 
  king. The heroes can choose to focus on the cultists and the 
  dragon king, or take a chance on releasing the dragon queen.
  ReCommended Books
  This adventure requires GURPS Dungeon 
  Fantasy 2: Dungeons, GURPS Dungeon 
  Fantasy Monsters 1, GURPS Dungeon 
  Fantasy Monsters 2: Icky Goo, and GURPS 
  Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 3: Born of Myth 
  & Magic. It is assumed that characters are 
  designed with GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 
  templates, so any books relating to the desired 
  templates may be helpful. GURPS Dungeon 
  Fantasy 3: The Next Level and GURPS 
  Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables are 
  recommended, though the GM may be able 
  to improvise around parts of the adventure 
  that rely on them if necessary. Also, there are 
  references to GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 16: 
  Wilderness Adventures and GURPS Dungeon 
  Fantasy 17: Guilds, but these are far from 
  necessary. This adventure is not a sequel to 
  GURPS Fantasy Adventure 1: Mirror of the 
  Fire Demon, and that book is not required to 
  run this scenario.
  key elements
  In this adventure, the heroes are recruited 
  to travel to the ruins of a palace where they 
  will enter the dragon king’s court (p. 9) and 
  make their way to the hall of the dragon king 
  (p. 16) to retrieve a lost artifact, the Cowl of 
  Ahten-Ahten (p. 18). Once they arrive, they dis-
  cover that this section of the ruins is occupied 
  by a lizard cult (p. 28), which has revived the 
  dragon king (p. 33) and taken possession of the 
  object of their quest. They can attempt to take 
  on the dragon king and the cultists directly, 
  or employ a stealthy strategy to steal the 
  item without direct confrontation. As a third 
  option, by picking up on clues from the 
  cultists, the delvers could try to even the 
  odds by making their way through a vari-
  ety of lurking monsters (p. 34) inhabiting 
  the dragon queen’s court (p. 20) to release 
  the dragon queen (p. 34) herself and, in the 
  chaos of the resulting titanic battle, steal 
  the item and make their escape.
  PRotagonists
  This adventure is intended for a group of four to six char-
  acters built using standard 250-point templates. No spe-
  cific templates are expected, nor are published templates 
  strictly required. However, adventurers not built on Dungeon 
  Fantasy templates should have a similar mix of abilities, 
  involving fighting, sneaking, magic use, and more fighting. 
   
  intRoduCtion 
  3
  intRoduCtion
  aBout GURPS
  Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of GURPS play-
  ers. We can be reached by email: info@sjgames.com. Our address is 
  SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Resources include:
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  brief campaign teasers with #GURPShook on Twitter. Or explore 
  that hashtag for ideas to add to your own game! The web page for 
  GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 2: Tomb of the Dragon King  
  is gurps.sjgames.com/dungeonfantasyadventure2.
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  Bibliographies. Bibliographies are a great resource for finding more 
  of what you love! We’ve added them to many GURPS book web pages 
  with links to help you find the next perfect element for your game.
  Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our 
  best to fix our errors. Errata pages for GURPS releases are available at 
  sjgames.com/errata/gurps.
  Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the GURPS 
  Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin with B refer to 
  that book, not this one.
  When you strike at a 
  king, you must kill him.
  – Ralph Waldo 
  Emerson
  
   
  intRoduCtion 
  4
  There are, though, guidelines for some scaling to parties of 
  different numbers and levels of capability (see N, below).
  Hooks
  The most common reasons for undertaking this adventure 
  are the usual ones for a dungeon crawl: treasures obtained by 
  killing things and taking their stuff. Some adventurers may 
  pursue the quest not for the loot they may gather, but for pay 
  by other parties who want someone to explore the dragon 
  king’s palace. If that isn’t enough, there are numerous causes 
  for which they might willingly undertake such a mission; 
  recruitment (pp. 7-8) details a variety of groups who would 
  want to send delvers to recover the missing artifact.
  Psycho Killer
  On one hand, killing everything is fairly common practice 
  for traditional dungeon delvers. In fact, everyone and every-
  thing they meet is likely to be hostile and all too happy to kill 
  them. Retaliating in advance only makes sense.
  On the other hand, there are things to learn about the 
  situation in this dungeon. Doing a little advance research is 
  an excellent idea, and sneaking around a bit, eavesdropping, 
  and even interrogating prisoners can be very useful. It’s pos-
  sible but difficult to survive this adventure by trying to kill 
  everything on sight, and failure is at least likely to lead to 
  a spectacular death. In particular, rushing into the lair of 
  the dragon king or the dragon queen and hacking away is an 
  excellent way of getting offed quickly. Even making a lot of 
  noise and being slow to subdue the opposition can attract an 
  excess of unwelcome attention, very possibly leading to delv-
  ers being overwhelmed by numbers (see the end of Wandering 
  Patrols, pp. 18-19).
  Custom Fit
  It should be possible to make this adventure fit in any low-
  tech fantasy campaign where dungeon crawling is a possibil-
  ity, even if it isn’t the main focus.
  Overhauling Scenery
  Within the bounds of dungeon-crawling adventure, this 
  quest places modest demands on geography. It requires 
  enough wilderness to contain the ruins of a palace that  
  haven’t already been ransacked by previous generations of 
  adventurers. Though written as a forest, the precise nature 
  of the wilderness is of secondary importance. Boreal forest, 
  desert badlands, steaming jungle, a remote island, icy wastes 
  (none of the lizard cult are actually cold blooded; they won’t 
  like living on a glacier, but they can do it), and even gently roll-
  ing grasslands can work so long as they’re lightly populated 
  and a hill can be found somewhere.
  Using Conflicts With Your Own NPCs
  This adventure assumes that the delvers and the enemies 
  they face have no reason to fight each other beyond the obvi-
  ous: the monsters are hostile and the delvers want their stuff. 
  It’s also likely that they’ll never have run into one another 
  before and will never run into one another again.
  But a campaign with a more complicated social or politi-
  cal milieu may have links that extend into the long-lost tomb 
  of a dragon. The lizard cult is trying not just to bring back 
  their king, but also to bring back his kingdom, and what’s a 
  kingdom without a few allies? If the heroes have recurring 
  enemies or just run into a particular set of bad guys again 
  and again (demon lords, necromancer kings, goblin hordes), 
  a handful of their envoys may be present in the ruins of the 
  castle, consulting with the dragon king. Other returning rivals 
  might also be in pursuit of the same artifact as the delvers, 
  greatly complicating the task; see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 
  Adventure 1: Mirror of the Fire Demon for suggestions on 
  the size and composition of rival adventuring groups. And the 
  lizard cult can be the source of a new recurring enemy group.
  Major Changes
   
  This is a basic retrieval mission: get in, get the 
  thing, and get out. Enterprising adventurers or 
  their employers may find alternatives. Instead 
  of being sent to retrieve an artifact, the delv-
  ers might be sent to scout the tomb and report 
  back on the state of the dragon king and his cult 
  in order to plan a strategy for dealing with a 
  resurgent dragon kingdom. Or rather than infil-
  trating the dragon king’s tomb, they’re sent to 
  check on or even release the dragon queen while 
  avoiding increasingly far-ranging patrols by the  
  lizard cultists.
  They may be sent to make contact with the 
  dragon king, which won’t be easy. The lizard cult-
  ists don’t trust any outsiders and certainly won’t 
  let them in. The heroes must sneak or fight their 
  way past the cultists and present themselves to the 
  dragon king directly, very much hoping that their 
  letter of introduction gets read before they get eaten.
  Stuff You Can Use
  The monsters included in this adventure can be widely 
  reused. Most notably, the adventure contains stats for a vari-
  ety of dragons, ranging from small (roughly human-sized) to 
  fairly large ones, as well as lizard-themed fodder monsters. 
  Also, delvers who concentrate on the dragon king’s part of the 
  ruined palace can always come back to the dragon queen’s 
  part later.
  n
  To scale opposition to the adventuring party, this supplement 
  uses the notation “N” to indicate the number of monsters the heroes 
  encounter. N is the number of PCs and combat-useful companions 
  they have with them (a man-eating gryphon, armed hireling, or 
  fighting clockwork automaton counts; a bunny rabbit familiar or a 
  servant without combat skills or magic – who looks after the horses 
  and cooks the meals and would run in fear from a house cat – would 
  not). Round all fractions up. For example, if N is 7 and an encounter 
  involves N/2 monsters, the number of monsters is 4. Experienced 
  groups are tougher. Find the combatants’ average point total and 
  add 1 to N per full 20 points by which this exceeds 250 points.
  
   
  intRoduCtion 
  5
  WeiRd aBilities
  All of the abilities allowed in Dungeon Fantasy are fair 
  game. However, not all GMs work purely by the book, so some 
  types of abilities deserve special attention.
  Exceptional Firepower: This adventure is calibrated 
  for characters built on Dungeon Fantasy templates with 
  Dungeon Fantasy weapons and armor, and all the limita-
  tions that implies. Higher-power weapons (like, say, what 
  you’d find in the hands of 20th-century black ops agents or 
  outer-space heroes) will make short work of the opposition 
  as written. There are a few options for dealing with this. For 
  parties with high-tech weaponry or the supernatural equiv-
  alent, it’s tempting to double or triple the number of oppo-
  nents and overwhelm the delvers with numbers. While that 
  may not have an immediate impact, it can make delvers run 
  through a lot more of their precious ammunition than they’d 
  like. Upgrading the opposition is also a worthwhile idea. 
  GURPS Monster Hunters 3: The Enemy offers some useful 
  monsters geared for the age of machine guns, plus advice 
  on matching numbers to adventurers. And if gun-wielding 
  delvers get as far as the dragon king, perhaps he’s learned 
  Reverse Missiles.
  Exceptional Transportation: The ability to travel long dis-
  tances quickly – via seven-yard boots, jump jets, warp drive-
  equipped oxcarts, and so on – won’t make a lot of difference 
  here. The trip through the wilderness is fairly short 
  already, so cutting the journey of a couple of days 
  down to a couple of minutes mostly means that the 
  delvers won’t have to bring quite as much in the 
  way of provisions with them and may have quicker 
  recourse to healers in town than they might other-
  wise. Once inside the dungeon, some extra mobil-
  ity in the form of flight or levitation would only 
  serve to level the playing field a bit, since the delv-
  ers will face some flying enemies. Short-range tele-
  portation can provide a nice escape route if things 
  get too hairy, but the distances and irregular struc-
  ture of the subterranean ruins make it risky to try 
  to skip over dangerous areas.
  Exceptional Information: Exceptional abilities 
  that gather information, like mind-reading and 
  accurate divination spells, can actually speed mat-
  ters along a bit or even create new options. The 
  front-line lizard cultists know how to get around 
  traps in their part of the palace, which have been 
  set up recently to slow down infiltrators, but 
  beyond that, they don’t have enough information 
  which will cause great damage to the flow of the 
  adventure. They might, though, clue the delvers in 
  to the dragon queen’s part of the palace (but not give 
  them many details) and get them thinking of heading in 
  that direction.
  sPin-oFFs
  The quest to the dragon king’s palace can be the beginning 
  of no end of trouble.
  • The palace was simply the center of an ancient kingdom. 
  What other ruins might be found in the vicinity, and what 
  treasures do they hold?
  • The lizard cult is made up of followers of the dragon king. 
  What about the dragon queen? If the dragon king becomes 
  active again, the queen’s followers may appear in hopes of 
  reviving their own long-lost patroness or counteracting her 
  murderer.
  • If the delvers manage to recover the artifact without any 
  grand confrontation with the dragon king, that leaves one 
  very large, powerful dragon still in play. If a huge dragon 
  starts terrorizing the area, the delvers may find themselves in 
  a unique position concerning their knowledge of his where-
  abouts and motivations. Even if they don’t care to face him, 
  he may want to track down the people who stole a valuable 
  item from his hoard.
  • A great many organizations may potentially send adven-
  turers after the artifact that sits at the center of this scenario 
  (see Recruitment, pp. 7-8). The ones that didn’t recruit the 
  heroes who actually retrieve it may send other adventurers 
  after the ones who have it. Getting the artifact may be just the 
  start of a string of adventures, most of which involve avoiding 
  or fighting through other interested parties in order to turn it 
  over to somebody else.
  • All of those lurking monsters in the dragon queen’s court 
  must come from somewhere, which means that part of the 
  palace contains potential leads to other areas, notably holes 
  that giant ants crawl through and a deep pool connecting to 
  an underground lake. Where else might they lead? The palace 
  might be the doorway to a much larger dungeon complex.
  aBout tHe autHoR
  Matt Riggsby has been playing roleplaying games since the 
  only game in town came in three poorly typeset tan booklets 
  in a white box, using cheap dice that slowly converted them-
  selves from icosahedrons to spheres. Having been educated in 
  the lore of lost civilizations, he still kills things and takes their 
  stuff while working a day job for artificers of engines of great 
  healing. The marching order for the rest of his party includes 
  a sorceress, a 10th-level rogue, and a pack of dogs.
  
   
  toWn 
  6
  Adventurers can be recruited for this adventure from just 
  about anywhere as long as they can travel to the spot, but the 
  last point of contact with civilization is at a small trading town 
  at the bend of a remote stretch of a large river.
  BRoken Fang Point
  Countless small streams flowing out of the Echo Wall 
  mountain range feed the upper reaches of the Gray Sand 
  River. The slopes and forests of the Echo Wall are known to 
  contain mineral wealth, valuable woods, and other resources. 
  The entire region has at times been under the sway of now- 
  vanished kingdoms whose treasures can still be found by 
  those bold enough to look for them, but those areas can only 
  be reached on foot or by small boats portaged around rapids.
  Near the southern end of the mountain chain, the river 
  widens and slows as it bends to the east in the shadow of 
  one of the range’s last great peaks. The relatively calm water 
  makes this the uppermost point on the river that can eas-
  ily be reached by shipping. And so, a small 
  town has grown up at the base of Broken  
  Fang Mountain.
  Broken Fang Point is a sprawling, ram-
  shackle settlement occupying a shallow- 
  sloped section of the foot of the mountain. 
  A natural stone jetty projects a bit into the 
  broad curve of the river perpendicular to the 
  current. Several short wooden piers project 
  from it. Warehouses and residences of the 
  wealthier traveling merchants predominate 
  the lowest tiers of the town. Above them are 
  a variety of inns and shops, homes for more 
  permanent residents, and a cluster of tem-
  ples to a variety of popular deities (including 
  Pidnos in his aspects as a healer and mes-
  senger, the mercantile goddess Mezzan, and 
  the protean deity of fortune Ardo Yang). The 
  streets, such as they are, are meandering and 
  unpaved, though the ground of the point is 
  more rock than dirt, so they rarely become 
  muddy in poor weather.
  While the mountains beyond are known to 
  be full of dangerous creatures of every descrip-
  tion, Broken Fang Point doesn’t have much in 
  the way of defenses. The fallen remains of a 
  low wall (its origins obscure) stretch around 
  the settlement about 300 yards up the slope, 
  with a ditch just beyond that, but these end 
  where the Point’s shallow slope becomes cliff-
  like. The Point is quite well isolated from the 
  region beyond the mountain, with no good 
  landward approaches. The immediate neigh-
  borhood is clear enough that threats, such as 
  monsters angry or hungry enough to leave the 
  woods, can often be seen coming in time for 
  the more-adventurous-than-average popula-
  tion of the town to deal with them.
  CHaPteR one
  toWn
  Hooks FoR toWn
  Broken Fang Point or some place sufficiently like it as to make no 
  difference is an excellent place to end up after another adventure. It’s 
  at a point between an easily traveled river to civilization downstream 
  and areas rife with monsters, exotic natural locations, and old ruins in 
  all other directions. However, the events set in town don’t have to take 
  place in Broken Fang Point proper. If the heroes have another base of 
  operations, the adventure can start there, with news of the dragon pal-
  ace or their guild connections reaching them closer to home. Broken 
  Fang Point is simply the last civilized stop along the way, and probably 
  the best place to hunt down rumors and stock up on gear.
  Holes FoR toWn
  The biggest potential issue with goings-on in town is that the adven-
  turers decide not to have an adventure. If they are unsure of potential 
  rewards for undertaking the quest, they can turn up additional experts 
  on the vanished dragon kingdom while searching for rumors (p. 8) to 
  bolster the case for lost riches. Identifying a key delver to motivate by 
  direct appeal from a group he’s attached to may be useful as well. For 
  example, a reluctant barbarian may be convinced to take on the adven-
  ture if his tribe pushes him onto the path.
  The second biggest issue is adventurers diving into the adventure 
  unprepared. While charging into the wilderness at the slightest hint of 
  loot shows admirable zeal, rumors in town provide adventurers with 
  hints about the true nature of what’s going on under the palace. Delv-
  ers who are prone to running off half-cocked might be provided with 
  a guide who knows something about the area. A random encounter 
  with a traveler along the river who won’t shut up about the history of 
  the dragon kingdom can fill the same purpose. Or if the adventurers 
  seem too impatient even for that, the hints in the list of rumors (p. 8) 
  might just be dropped into the history the adventurers are provided 
  with when they’re recruited for the adventure.
  
   
  toWn 
  7
  events in toWn
  The most important thing that happens to the adventur-
  ers in town is that they’re recruited to head out to the dragon 
  king’s palace. But while there, they can check up on what else 
  is going on and try to find out more about the mission.
  ReCRuitment
  The heroes may be drawn into this adventure well before 
  they reach Broken Fang Point, although the town is an excel-
  lent place to begin. Someone approaches them and tells them 
  a story about a long-lost treasure. As with any other adven-
  ture, this quest may come to the delvers in the form of an old 
  man in a tavern with a treasure map, perhaps with explan-
  atory text on it. However, adventurers with connections to 
  organizations (see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds) 
  may be sent on a mission, with the underlying reason depend-
  ing on the organization (see below for ideas). Whoever tells it, 
  the story is this:
  Long ago, after Malthas split the Lightbringers into a hun-
  dred factions with heresy and before the mandarins of Shansin 
  built their five-sided towers, two dragons came out of the jungles 
  of Padan and passed the mountains of the Echo Wall. Ataban 
  the Sharp was her name; Vestitius Longtail was her sibling. 
  They burned all defenders and, brother and sister, ruled the 
  land. Lizard men rose up from the swamps to be their closest 
  servants and officials. For three generations of humans, no one 
  could stand against them. They had great caverns dug 
  for themselves in the dragonish fashion on opposite 
  sides of a hill, and they had a palace raised above 
  it from which they ruled. The dragon king had his 
  seat in the east part of the palace, and the queen 
  in the west.
  But they could not keep peace between them-
  selves forever. Each of them, brother and sister, 
  plotted against the other over years, keeping secrets 
  even from the lizard retainers who worshiped them. 
  Each drew together mystical reserves to unleash 
  when the other least expected an attack. One struck 
  first, and in dying, the other struck back. The battle 
  was brief but fierce. They toppled the walls of the 
  castle, and many in residence there died beneath 
  its stones. The dragon monarchs were entombed in 
  the collapsed tunnels underneath.
  That, of course, is centuries past. The ruins of 
  the palace were considered cursed for many years. 
  With the death of the dragons, their kingdom fell 
  almost instantly, and their remaining follow-
  ers were scattered to the four winds. In time, the 
  region was abandoned to monsters.
  The dragon king had in his throne room an item 
  of great power. The gods granted the Cowl of Ahten-
  Ahten to a noted priest who used it for remarkable 
  healing rituals. It passed through many hands 
  until it came into the dragon king’s hoard, where 
  it was not used but only, as with many other trea-
  sures, jealously kept. But there the trail ends. None 
  of the dragon king’s treasures have been seen since.
  The heroes can get this much from a chance encounter 
  or a passage in a book. Who or whatever provides this infor-
  mation also gives a description of the Cowl of Ahten-Ahten 
  (p. 18) and directions to the ruins of the palace (up the river 
  and to the west a bit; see Travel, p. 8). There’s a long-lost trea-
  sure hoard that includes the particularly powerful artifact, 
  all believed to be undisturbed. That can be enough to get 
  many delvers enthused. But adventurers who are being sent 
  or recruited by a guild may have specific reasons for going.
  Congregation: The Mother Church needs the cowl to bring 
  care and comfort to the faithful.
  Craft Guild: The masters of the guild believe that the cowl 
  isn’t magical, exactly, but rather a device of remarkable work-
  manship. They want to try to reproduce it.
  Delving Company: The cowl is worth a lot.
  Extended Family: while the cowl is publicly associated with 
  a priest, the family originally gave it to him. We want it back.
  Hermetic Cabal: Bring us the cowl. In a blue sack.
  Military Company: A powerful healing device would save 
  the lives of a lot of troops and get them back into battle quickly.
  Noble Court: His lordship wishes to own the cowl for the 
  greater glory of his lineage.
  Spiritual Society: We foresee the cowl as a necessary tool to 
  fend off a great evil that lurks on the edges of the wilderness.
  University: The cowl is a fascinating and important object. 
  The university desires it for further study.
  
   
  toWn 
  8
  Other organizations have reasons that overlap with those 
  above. Mafia and merchant houses are interested in the sheer 
  monetary value. Students of the master and tribes may have 
  an ancient claim on the object similar to extended families. 
  Sworn societies and rangers have an interest in using the 
  item’s power to aid their membership. Rangers and tribes 
  native to the region may just be annoyed at the sudden influx 
  of lizard cultists and want to stop them.
  Whatever the motivation, delvers may be offered the same 
  deal. The guild wants the cowl. They provide their assistance 
  along with directions to the ruined palace. The heroes may 
  keep anything they happen to recover along the way so long as 
  the guild gets that artifact.
  sHoPPing
  Broken Fang Point sees a lot of adventuring types come 
  through town, so for a settlement its size, with perhaps 2,000 
  people in residence at any given moment, it’s surprisingly 
  well equipped with arms, armor, provisions, wilderness 
  gear, and the like. Special orders (Adventurers, p. 25) can be 
  obtained. The town is, after all, full of traveling merchants 
  who can pick up all kind of things. However, it requires a 
  successful Merchant roll and a delay of at least a week (roll 
  against Merchant again; the delay is seven days plus the 
  margin of failure, if any) for the goods to show up.
  RumoRs and ReseaRCH
  Broken Fang Point has little resembling libraries or archives 
  (the temples have modest repositories of religious texts, none 
  of which are relevant to this quest), nor institutions of learn-
  ing. However, it is full of people who know the region well, 
  with particular attention to the kind of information important 
  to dungeon delvers. Asking around can be worth the trouble.
  Adventurers can track down rumors by talking to people 
  around town, making one skill roll per day to find anyone with 
  useful advice on a journey to the ruins of the dragon palace. 
  A successful Carousing or Streetwise roll turns up a rumor 
  from the list below, or two rumors on a critical success; all are 
  at least partly true, but many are of limited utility. On a failed 
  roll, no information is forthcoming. On a critical failure, the 
  adventurer hears a false rumor; pick something from the list 
  below and change it (the dragon monarchs had giant ape fol-
  lowers, dragons have been leaving the mountains, etc.).
  • There’s a shortcut to the ruins of the dragon palace. (This 
  is true, but it’s a tricky route – a narrow pass leads to a set of 
  hidden trails. This land route shaves a half day off of the easier 
  but more roundabout route – see Travel, above – but requires 
  a successful Navigation roll. On a failure, add an entire day 
  of travel.)
  • The yellow blossom of the six-petal swamp flower is a 
  powerful cure for poisons. (This is sort of true. There is, in 
  fact, a six-petal yellow flower growing in marshy ground in 
  the region; roll Naturalist at +2 to find some. It isn’t a cure, 
  but it does provide some benefits. A concoction made from 
  the flower heals 1 point of injury from poison. (To make one 
  ounce of elixir, brew a dozen flowers for a half hour and roll 
  against Herb Lore at +4.) For toxins that cause afflictions, it 
  provides +2 to HT rolls. However, the flower must be fresh; 
  blossoms lose their potency after three days.)
  • Dragons have been sighted in northern mountains recently. 
  (True, but it’s a rare year when dragons aren’t sighted in the 
  mountains. However, dragon activity has been increasing 
  lately, and further discussion, perhaps as the resolution of 
  another rumor roll, will provide those details.)
  • The hordes around the mountains are changing their 
  positions. (There are a number of semi-organized groups of 
  monsters in the region: lizard men, orcs, wildmen, and so 
  on. There’s clearly increased conflict between them, with a 
  number of groups pushing against established positions.)
  • Orcs are migrating west and are trying to move across 
  the river. (The North Steppe Horde, a group of orcs well to 
  the north, are indeed moving west and threatening the land 
  on the other side of the mountains, but they’re at least three 
  or four weeks’ travel away, not remotely a threat to anyone 
  going to the dragon palace.)
  • The dragon monarchs were treated as gods by their reptil-
  ian followers. (The followers rounded up humans and other 
  mammal-like subjects to attend sacrifices to the dragon 
  monarchs. Sometimes they were the sacrifice itself, but 
  mostly it was a propaganda action, subjecting them to the 
  terrible presence of the monarchs or their senior dragon 
  lieutenants. No mammal-like humanoids were involved in 
  the cult itself.)
  • The dragon king managed to trap his sister in her lair 
  and, immobilizing her, killed her, but she had a counterstrike 
  prepared which killed him in turn. (Very true. In fact, she’s 
  still trapped.)
  • The dragon king was a beast of desert, while his sister was 
  a beast of the sea. (A bit metaphorical, but true so far as it goes. 
  Ataban had greater affinity with water than Vestitius.)
  • The palace was largely for humanoid followers and vis-
  itors. The dragon rulers held court in caverns underneath the 
  palace. Each one had a vast cavern it used as a throne room, but 
  the entrances collapsed in the cataclysm of their battle. (True.)
  • The dragon king ruled by manipulating those under him. 
  The dragon queen was a master of craft and artifice. (True.)
  • The dragons aren’t dead, but only sleeping, and travelers 
  in the area can hear their rumbling breathing from deep under-
  ground. (Not quite true, but close enough. Ataban has gone 
  through periods of making significant noise.)
  Travel
  The site of the palace is surprisingly close. Adventur-
  ers can travel up the river about 20 miles (a hard day 
  and a half of travel up-river, or twice as long on foot) to 
  a gap between hills on the west bank of the river. This 
  leads to a plateau with a large hill about 10 miles farther 
  west. The terrain is unremarkable woodlands (travel 
  speed ¥ 0.5; see Wilderness Adventures, p. 22). Though 
  visibility through the trees and underbrush is predict-
  ably poor, it’s usually easy to see the nearby mountains, 
  so it’s essentially impossible to get truly lost along the 
  way. The region is known to be inhabited by a variety 
  of monsters, but nothing attacks the delvers along the 
  way, nor are their watches at night disturbed by lurking 
  shadows and sinister eyes shining from the dark.
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  9
  The palace of the dragon rulers had an extensive abo-
  veground part: defensive wall, kitchens, stables, quarters for 
  the servants, and so on. But it was almost completely leveled 
  in the short, sharp battle between the siblings, and the forest 
  reclaimed nearly all of what remained in the following years. 
  The only part still visible is a fragment of a thick-walled keep. 
  It’s now covered in vines, but it can be seen poking above the 
  surrounding trees.
  Within the crumbled stump of the keep, the floor is made 
  of flagstones, cracked from impacts and age, but on a success-
  ful Vision roll at +2, the heroes notice that obvious rubble has 
  been cleared away to the edges, and a significant amount of 
  vegetation has recently been hacked away, leaving obviously 
  cut branches on surviving shrubs and trees.
  A set of bronze gates, about 12’ high and 16’ across, stands 
  at one end of the keep interior. The doors are clearly battered 
  and corroded with age, but delvers can notice that the hinges 
  have been cleaned and oiled if they make a Vision roll or spe-
  cifically inspect the hinges. The gates are locked, but may be 
  unlocked easily (roll against Lockpicking at +3). They swing 
  open to reveal a broad staircase spiraling down.
  For an overview map of the palace, see p. 10.
  CHaPteR tWo
  tHe dRagon 
  king’s CouRt
  Hooks FoR tHe dRagon king’s CouRt
  Once the adventurers have arrived at the hill, it should 
  be clear that this is the only place they can go. There are 
  no other entrances to any kind of underground complex 
  or holes that could accommodate anything bigger than a 
  well-fed rabbit. Very cautious adventurers may stake out 
  the ruins of the palace to make sure there’s nothing lurk-
  ing in wait for them. This is unlikely to yield much in the 
  way of results. The hill and the surrounding region are 
  heavily forested, so it’s exceptionally unlikely that they’ll 
  see anything if they don’t specifically stake out the region 
  of the gates.
  If they aren’t keeping an eye the gates, roll against 
  Observation every day. On a critical success, they see 
  a small dragon (p. 31) flying, eventually landing under 
  the trees at the top of the hill. If they are watching the 
  gates, on a success with Observation, they see a group 
  of dragon cultists leaving the gates or coming back. 
  It consists of N dinomen (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 
  Monsters 1, p. 11), N/2 lizard-man warriors (p. 30), N 
  lizard-man brutes (p. 30), N/3 dragon-blooded priests 
  (p. 29), and N/3 dragon-blooded magicians (p. 29). These 
  forces are likely too big for delvers to attack, but should 
  firmly indicate that this is, in fact, the place.
  Holes FoR tHe dRagon king’s CouRt
  Once the adventurers have reached the entrance to 
  the underground part of the ruins, there is, again, no 
  other place to go. They can spend as much time as they 
  like monitoring the entrance and little will change. If this 
  goes on too long, the adventurers can be nudged. A lizard 
  cultist patrol can come across whatever location they’re 
  using for a camp or observation post, which should be 
  good for a little action and may prompt them to move. If 
  they absolutely refuse to budge, let events overtake them. 
  The dragon king is freed from his buried lair and emerges 
  to lay waste to the surface. He pops up from time to time 
  to set forest fires here and there, and more lizard cultists 
  stream into the area to follow him. Delvers face the same 
  challenges, only more so now.
  Constants
  Unless otherwise noted, all doors are average (DR 2, 
  HP 29) and can be picked at no penalty to Lockpicking. 
  Regular doors open inward from corridors and large open 
  spaces, though the large double doors separating sections 
  of the palace swing on pivots and can open either way. 
  Also, also unless otherwise noted, ceilings are 40’ high. The 
  underground chambers are all completely dark, except for 
  those occupied by lizard cultists, which are lit by torches.
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  10
  tHe vestiBule
  The staircase is very long. Anyone with the means and 
  interest to measure finds that it’s nearly 100’ from top to bot-
  tom, taking nearly two minutes to descend at a walking pace. 
  The stairs lead down to the entrance for the southern end of 
  the vestibule.
  The vestibule wasn’t the first place outsiders saw when 
  they came to the palace. But it was likely the first place 
  where they saw the palace’s most important inhabitants. The 
  chamber served as a reception room and public court used 
  by the dragon monarchs. (Each had a separate lair that acted 
  as a sort of inner sanctum and private throne room.)
  The vestibule, like the rest of the underground portions of 
  the palace, has very high ceilings. This part of the palace was, 
  after all, constructed for the comfort of large flying creatures. 
  The vaulted ceiling is 60’ high.
  The chamber is divided into three sections by colonnades. 
  From south to north, they are the Red Hall, decorated with 
  glazed tiles in shades of red and orange; the Great Sea, tiled 
  with green and blue stone in wave-like patterns; and the Place 
  of Presence, which was once decorated with immense tapes-
  tries but now is plain, bare stone (a few shreds of rotten fabric 
  here and there aside).
  Sets of gates line the walls, three on each side of the room. 
  Rubble still partially blocks some of the doorways on the east 
  side of the room, leading to the queen’s side of the palace, but 
  the way to the gates on the west is clear.
  For a map of the area, see p. 11.
  side Rooms
  The vestibule has a number of small chambers and struc-
  tures around the sides.
  1. King’s Gate
  The dragon king used this portal to enter the vestibule. The 
  35’-tall double gates are sheathed in bronze that was embossed 
  with a series of spiky geometric motifs resembling flames. It 
  took a crew of several people to open them. The impressive 
  gates are now dented and bent in several places and jammed 
  shut. If adventurers want to bash their way through anyway, 
  treat as two extra-heavy ironbound gates (DR 30, HP 49).
  2. Chamber of the Vizier
  The head of the dragon king’s chancery used this small 
  chamber as an office and waiting room from which he could 
  keep an eye on the vestibule while the dragon king was hold-
  ing court, and enter quickly if need be. It has doors to both 
  the vestibule and the greater apartment, and an arrow slit fac-
  ing the space between the twin doorways of the King’s Gate. 
  The room is empty except for an alarm trap (p. 12) at each 
  unlocked door.
  3. West River Portal
  This 20’ tall gate got its name from the carving around the 
  stone doorway, depicting boats and serpentine monsters trav-
  eling along a river. The plain wooden double doors are locked 
  (no penalty to Lockpicking skill to open) or can be bashed 
  open as extra-heavy wooden doors (DR 6, HP 42). They’re also 
  very heavy and move on stiff hinges, requiring a combined BL 
  of 100 to push open.
  4. First Guard
  This is another room where guards stayed 
  out of sight or courtiers might have a quiet 
  word with one another while not leaving the 
  vestibule. Its doors are locked, and it has a win-
  dow facing the space between the West River 
  Portal doors. The room is empty, save for a sack 
  containing three meals’ worth of dried rations.
  5. Portal of Hands
  The smallest of the three doorways on this side (at 18’ 
  tall), these gates are decorated with thin brass sheets which, 
  when the doors are closed, depict a set of clasped hands. The 
  doors are unlocked. However, they open slowly and, since the 
  hinges are in terrible condition, make a loud squealing noise. 
  oveRvieW oF tHe dRagons’ PalaCe
  Basilica
  Greater 
  Apartments
  Vestibule
  Queen’s Square
  Labyrinth
  Pool
  This was likely the first place where outsiders 
  saw the palace’s most important inhabitants.
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  11
  maP oF tHe vestiBule
  Scale: 1 hex = 1 yard.
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  7
  9
  11
  6
  8
  10
  12
  Doors to stairway from surface
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  12
  They require a combined BL of 120 lbs. to open, and the GM 
  should make a wandering patrol check (pp. 18-19) every time 
  they are opened or closed. Should it become necessary to 
  break them down, treat them as extra-heavy wooden doors 
  (DR 6, HP 42); the brass is purely decorative and provides no 
  protective value.
  6. Second Guard
  This room resembles the First Guard room (p. 10), with 
  an arrow slit facing the space between the Portal of Hands 
  doors. The room contains N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy 
  Monsters 1, p. 11) and a lizard-man warrior (p. 30). They’re 
  supposed to be on guard, but have fallen asleep. If delvers 
  make enough racket to wake the cultists up, they’ll lie in wait 
  and attack if the noisy adventurers come close.
  7. Queen’s Gate
  The dragon queen used this portal to enter the vestibule. 
  These are of identical construction to the King’s Gate: 35’ tall, 
  bronze-clad, DR 30, HP 49. However, a pile of rubble is in the 
  way (it’s only 2’ to 3’ high and the doors open inward anyway, 
  so it’s an inconvenience rather than a real obstacle, but it’s 
  clear that these doors haven’t been used in a long time). They 
  are likewise jammed closed.
  8. Chamber of the Commander
  The dragon queen maintained a ceremonial bodyguard. 
  This room served as a command post for its commanding offi-
  cer. The door is heavily damaged. While delvers must climb 
  over another low pile of rubble to get to it, it’s easy to bash 
  in (DR 1, HP 5; a solid kick can take care of it).
  9. East River Portal
  These gates are identical to those of the West 
  River Portal (p. 10).
  10. Chamber of the Master
  This room, sometimes used for the entrance 
  of artificers and scholarly masters, has a locked 
  door on the vestibule side and unlocked door 
  on the other. It is occupied by 2N giant rats 
  (Dungeons, p. 24).
  11. Queen’s Head Gate
  This gateway, decorated with a carved relief 
  of a dragon’s head, has identical stats to the 
  Portal of Hands (p. 10). However, it is not so 
  damaged that it can’t be opened.
  12. Prisoner’s Respite
  This room was once used to hold prison-
  ers before they were presented to the dragon 
  monarchs. It is now inhabited by N/2 howling 
  ghosts (p. 35).
  alaRm tRaPs
  Several doors in this part of the palace are protected by crude 
  alarms – a batch of metal debris falls to the ground, making a loud 
  noise intended to attract cultist guards. However, between false posi-
  tives and difficulties locating the source of sounds echoing around the 
  high stone ceilings, they don’t always work as intended. The poorly 
  constructed traps collapse on their own occasionally, and destabilized 
  piles of rubble around the tunnels sometimes fall.
  Detect: Per-based Traps.
  Disarm: DX-based Traps. Failure triggers.
  Circumvent: The Silence spell is entirely effective, and piling soft 
  items like bedrolls and cloaks on the floor under the trap allows a 
  second DX-based Traps roll to prevent the trap from making its 
  alarming clatter.
  Evade: No.
  Effects: Make a wandering patrol check (see pp. 18-19). Incoming 
  monsters appear in 3d+20 seconds.
  Shots: One.
  Rearm: DX-based Traps. Resetting a trap takes a minute.
  Steal: No.
  tHe gReateR aPaRtments
  The section of the palace to the west of the vestibule nomi-
  nally fell under the jurisdiction of the dragon king. It was used 
  as a residence for mid-ranked officials and honored guests, 
  divided into a series of rooms and apartments.
  For a map of the area, see p. 12.
  loggia oF tHe vizieR
  Not an actual loggia, the walls of these rooms have a series 
  of decorative half-pillars, with a landscape vista of craggy 
  mountaintops painted between them. The colors have faded 
  with age but the art is in remarkably good condition save 
  for a few gouges. These rooms have been taken over by the 
  lizard cultists as storage rooms and occasional living space 
  for lower-level members.
  A commotion in any of the other rooms in the loggia or 
  immediately outside the loggia (that is, in the area between the 
  loggia and the Ambassador’s Rooms, 14A-G, p. 14) prompts 
  cultists in the loggia come quickly. In the event of sustained 
  loud noise like combat, roll against a Hearing of 10 for each 
  room. If the roll succeeds, the cultists in that room arrive at 
  the site of the noise in 2d+10 seconds.
  13A-B
  Both of these rooms have alarm traps (above). These rooms 
  are empty save for several joints of smoked meat, 2d+10 lbs. 
  of it in each room. The meat can be used as rations (1 lb. 
  per day), but it’s borderline-edible for non-reptiles. At each 
  meal, roll against HT to avoid being nauseated (p. B428) for 
  an hour.
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  13
  maP oF tHe gReateR aPaRtments
  Scale: 1 hex = 1 yard.
  13a
  13B
  13C
  13d
  13e
  13F
  14a
  14B
  14e
  14F
  14d
  14g
  14C
  15a
  15B
  15C
  15d
  15e
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  16a
  16B
  16C
  Doors to  
  the Basilica
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  14
  13C
  The room is occupied by N/2 lizard-man brutes (p. 30) and 
  N/4 dragon-blooded magicians (p. 29). They are resting or 
  quietly involved in ritual devotions but will react quickly to 
  disturbances.
  13D-E
  These rooms contain nothing but a few broken cots.
  13F
  As with 13C, this room is occupied by a number of resting 
  cultists: N/3 lizard-man brutes (p. 30), N/4 dragon-blooded 
  priests (p. 29), and one lizard-man warrior (p. 30).
  tHe amBassadoR’s Rooms
  These rooms weren’t meant for any specific ambassador. 
  Rather, they were used for whoever the most important for-
  eign visitor at the time happened to be. The walls are painted 
  with a red-and-orange pattern of spiky scales, a not-so-subtle 
  reminder of who wielded power around here. All of the exte-
  rior doors are not just locked, but barred from the outside, 
  and they have writing on them, recently scrawled in black 
  paint. Anyone who can read reptilian languages can interpret 
  the markings as saying “Keep Out.” These rooms have per-
  sistent problems, and the cultists have decided to leave them 
  as they are.
  In addition to any other items specifically noted in these 
  rooms, they haven’t been stripped of smaller valuables. 
  Should they find the time to do so, adventurers may poke 
  through the debris for loot. Roll against Observation skill. 
  On a success, roll on the Lesser Treasure Table (p. 19). On 
  a critical success, roll on the Greater Treasure Table (p. 19). 
  Each search attempt takes five minutes, and no more than 
  three attempts in total may be made in any one room.
  The east doors, which lead to the Basilica, are plainly fash-
  ioned extra-heavy wooden doors (DR 6, HP 42). They have not 
  been locked.
  14A
  Every surface in this room is blackened and burned, and 
  the corroded remains of a few weapons and pieces of armor 
  are scattered about. A caustic blossom (GURPS Dungeon 
  Fantasy Monsters 3: Born of Myth & Magic, p. 16) hides in 
  a pile of rubble next to the door. How it survives here without 
  sunlight is an interesting theoretical problem, but probably 
  not delvers’ first priority.
  14B
  This room is burned out as well, and contains N/2 toxifi-
  ers (Dungeons, p. 26), whirling around it. They attack anyone 
  who enters, but will not pursue them outside the room.
  14C
  On a successful Hearing roll, adventurers listening at a 
  door will hear a faint chorus of moaning sounds. This room, 
  once finely decorated, is a complete shambles. It is filled with 
  a dark, swirling cloud; Vision rolls one yard away are at -5, 
  and anything more than two yards away is completely con-
  cealed (-10 to combat rolls). The room is occupied by N+2 
  howling ghosts (p. 35). If any are destroyed, more will appear, 
  one every 10 seconds or so, with a loud crackling noise until 
  they reach N+2 again.
  14D
  The floor, walls, and ceiling of this room are entirely cov-
  ered with mold and fungus. Some of it is very dangerous. In 
  particular, the floor is carpeted with a 60-square-yard (SM +4) 
  sticky green mold (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 2: 
  Icky Goo, p. 9). The room also hosts two howling ghosts 
  (p. 35) and two toxifiers (Dungeons, p. 26). Something gleam-
  ing is visible atop the crumbled remnants of a cabinet in the 
  northwest corner of the room. If recovered and cleaned, it 
  turns out to be a large axe blade made from an unusual metal. 
  It’s useless by itself and weighs 4 lbs. However, an armorer 
  or blacksmith in town can fit it to a suitable haft to make a 
  fine-quality great axe that is immune to corrosion damage 
  (for about $40). A delver with appropriate tools and materials 
  could do it in an hour with an Armoury (Melee Weapons) 
  roll, but there’s no suitable wood for it down in the dungeon.
  14E-F
  The door between these two rooms is shattered, and the 
  rooms are filled with piles of reptilian corpses. If anyone 
  spends more than a few seconds in either room, N+3 zom-
  bie dinomen rise up in that room and attack (dinomen from 
  Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 11, using the undead lens 
  from Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 38).
  14G
  The floor and several piles of debris in this room, as in 14D 
  (above), are covered with mold, including another 60-square-
  yard sticky green mold (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 2, p. 9). 
  The mold has overgrown a set of life-size terracotta statues of 
  big cats resembling lions or tigers. However, the clay contains 
  N/3 obsidian jaguars (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 24), 
  which have been trapped there for a very long time. If the dis-
  play of statues takes more than 4 points of damage, it shatters, 
  releasing the jaguars, which immediately attack.
  lesseR Rooms
  These rooms were once less prestigious ones, used for less 
  important visitors. They had been decorated with jagged, 
  snowcapped mountains painted on plastered walls, but now 
  the paint is worn and the plaster has fallen off the brick walls 
  in many places.
  “A man with the head of  
  a snake!” Kull murmured.  
  “This, then, is a priest of  
  the serpent god?” 
  – Robert E. Howard,  
  The Shadow Kingdom
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  15
  15A
  The door here has an alarm trap (p. 12). This chamber 
  is being used as a storeroom. It contains crates and bun-
  dles, including three sets of group basics, 20 torches, and 50 
  meals’ worth of dried rations. These are entirely edible for 
  anyone, if somewhat bland, unlike the dried sides of meat 
  in 13A.
  15B
  This room contains N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy 
  Monsters 1, p. 11), a dragon-blooded magician (p. 29), and a 
  lizard-man warrior (p. 30). They’re sleeping. In the event of a 
  loud disturbance elsewhere in or immediately adjacent to the 
  Lesser Rooms, roll 3d. On 7 or less, they wake up and go to 
  investigate, getting there in a minute or so.
  maP oF tHe BasiliCa
  Scale: 1 hex = 1 yard.
  17
  20
  18
  19
  Doors to  
  the Greater 
  Apartments
  Doors to  
  the Hall
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  16
  15C
  Another storeroom and a small armory. Contents include 
  a dozen spears, a bundle of 40 arrows, and 50 meals of dried 
  rations.
  15D
  The room is empty except for several cots and an alarm 
  trap (p. 12).
  15E
  Another room used as barracks; N-1 lizard-man brutes 
  (p. 30) and two dragon-blooded magicians (p. 29) are sleeping 
  here. They’re awoken by loud noises in nearby rooms on 7 or 
  less on 3d and get there in a minute.
  HigH Rooms
  The High Rooms were decorated with scale-shaped pat-
  terns in copper leaf. The scales have sadly corroded to shades 
  of green or simply fallen off the walls.
  16A
  A small dragon (p. 31) and N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy 
  Monsters 1, p. 11) occupy this room. All of them are sleep-
  ing. A pile of bundles in one corner contains $2,000 in coins 
  and jewelry.
  16B
  The room is empty, but a hollow under a loose stone (roll 
  against Observation at -3 to find it) holds $400 in silver and 
  copper jewelry.
  16C
  N/2 hatchling dragons (pp. 30-31) are sleeping here. The 
  room is otherwise scattered with bones and the half-eaten car-
  casses of a variety of animals. Those who care to spend several 
  minutes looking can turn up $100 in coins per dragon.
  tHe BasiliCa
  This section of the palace got its name from the long par-
  allel halls, all decorated in a red-and-copper scale motif. 
  These rooms were used for ceremonial occasions, and lesser 
  authorities would hold court here, referring matters to the 
  dragon king in his lair only if they became important enough 
  to merit his attention. They have, to some extent, resumed 
  their former function. 
  The doors for the wide corridor north of the Basilica are 
  plainly fashioned extra-heavy wooden doors 
  (DR 6, HP 42). They have not been locked.
  For a map of the area, see p. 15.
  17
  This room contains N/2 dragon-blooded 
  priests (p. 29), N/2 dragon-blooded magi-
  cians (p. 29), and Kunukut the dragon (see 
  p. 32). Unless events disturb them (major 
  earthquakes, etc.), Kunukut is likely to 
  stay here, letting Yansolsi take care of 
  lesser distractions. Should delvers enter the 
  room, she’ll toy with them, engaging them in conversation, 
  and then abruptly try to kill them.
  Kunukut is a wealthy dragon, but she doesn’t keep her 
  hoard here. The room contains perhaps $500 in coins and 
  another $1,000 in jewelry (mostly rings and chains).
  18-19
  These connecting corridors used to be for storage and for 
  getting between the halls of the basilica, but they’re disused 
  now. The ceilings are a mere 15’ high. However, cracks in the 
  ceilings and floors allow things to pass through now and 
  again. Every time adventurers move through, roll 3d.  
  On 11 or less, a jelly (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 2, p. 7) 
  lurks in the room, with SM +(N/2), maximum SM +4.
  20
  Yansolsi (p. 32) is here with one dragon-blooded 
  priest (p. 29), one dragon-blooded magician (p. 29), and 
  N/2 lizard-man brutes (p. 30). He tends to be the more 
  active and impulsive of the two dragons in this part of 
  the palace, but unless something has happened to rouse 
  him, he’s asleep. However, if adventurers awaken him, he’ll 
  leap into action instantly. He has $4,000 in coins and $2,000 
  in jewelry lying around the room.
  Hall oF tHe dRagon king
  At the end of the broad corridors in the western wing of 
  the palace lies a vast chamber. It appears to be a natural cav-
  ern – or at least one dug out roughly and not finished with 
  masonry and smooth walls, though the floor is fairly level.  
  It is lit here and there by torches and small fires, and there are 
  numerous glints in the walls and floor. (The doors leading into 
  it from the Basilica are plainly fashioned extra-heavy wooden 
  doors – DR 6, HP 42. They have not been locked.) 
  For a map of the area, see p. 17.
  I am the Lizard King
  I can do anything
  – Jim Morrison,  
  “Celebration of the Lizard”
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  17
  The room is occupied. 2N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy 
  Monsters 1, p. 11) and N lizard-man brutes (p. 30) labor at 
  the piles of rubble at the western end of the chamber. They’re 
  digging away the collapsed rock and earth and dragging it 
  by the bucket-load to the side, trying to reopen the collapsed 
  entrance. They’ve got, at the very least, weeks of work ahead 
  of them, but they’ve recently excavated an opening just big 
  enough for something SM 0 or smaller to crawl through.
  The work crew isn’t armored, nor are they armed with 
  more than the improvised weapons of picks and shovels. 
  However, there’s another N/2 each of lizard-man warriors 
  (p. 30), lizard-man brutes (p. 30), dragon-blooded magicians 
  (p. 29), and dragon-blooded priests (p. 29) scattered around 
  the chamber. One of the priests is wearing the Cowl of Ahten-
  Ahten (p. 18).
  In the center of it, all is Vestitius (pp. 33-34), alive and 
  well. The delvers and whoever sent them weren’t the only 
  ones aware of the Cowl of Ahten-Ahten. A group of lizard 
  cultists discovered the secrets of the cowl, returned to the 
  palace ruins, and used it to resurrect their master. The  
  dragon-blooded priest wearing the cowl is a senior cultic 
  official and an important servant to the dragon king, and he 
  does not leave Vestitius’ presence at any time.
  Everyone involved is either working at the rubble at the 
  west end of the room or milling about the open space in the 
  center. No particular attention is being paid to the spoil piles 
  at the edges of the room, mounds of rock and dirt moved aside 
  to clear the collapsed tunnel to the outside.
  The motes of light that adventurers can see scattered 
  around the room are bits and pieces of the dragon king’s old 
  hoard, mixed in with the dirt and rock. If they’ve got time, they 
  can pick bits and pieces out of the rubble. For each minute 
  spent digging, roll on the Lesser Treasure Table (p. 19). Loose 
  coins are sufficiently plentiful here that this requires no skill 
  roll. More concerted digging around can turn up larger, more 
  valuable items mixed in with the dirt and rock. The selection 
  is limited, but some things remain intact. For every minute 
  spent looking, roll against Observation, Scrounging, or 
  Prospecting. On a success, roll on the Greater Treasure Table 
  (p. 19). Up to 20 rolls on that table may be made.
  In the event of a commotion or other distraction, about 
  half of the cultists not engaged in digging (but not the one 
  wearing the cowl) move to check it out. In the case of adven-
  turers directly making their presence known, at least that 
  many cultists attack them, with Vestitius and the remain-
  der of the cultists joining in if the fight goes on too long. 
  Moreover, reinforcements appear quickly. After 10 seconds, 
  roll on the Wandering Patrol Table (p. 18) to see what new 
  cultists show up, then again every 15 seconds for a full min-
  ute. In the event that delvers manage to release the dragon 
  queen, see Dragon Royalty (pp. 32-34) to handle the compli-
  cated battle that follows.
  maP oF tHe Hall oF tHe dRagon king
  Scale: 1 hex = 1 yard.
  Doors to  
  the Basilica
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  18
  events in  
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt
  Much of the action in the dragon king’s court is driven 
  by the delvers’ own activities, but some things can happen 
  to them.
  WandeRing PatRols
  Most of the chambers in the dragon king’s court contain 
  supplies, lizard cultists at rest, or detritus left over from the 
  initial disaster and centuries of neglect. However, the under-
  ground palace sees a great deal of activity, including regular 
  patrols to fight off monsters infiltrating into the king’s side 
  from the queen’s. Under normal conditions, roll 3d every  
  15 minutes. On 9 or less, a patrol approaches the delvers’ cur-
  rent location; roll 1d, 1d on the Wandering Patrol Table (below). 
  Patrols do not, under normal circumstances, attempt to move 
  stealthily, so adventurers can make Hearing rolls far enough 
  in advance to detect and avoid them. Patrol members, except 
  for dragons, carry torches.
  However, the heroes often do things that make patrols 
  appear more frequently.
  • If they engage in combat which last for more than five 
  turns without taking steps to ensure they remain silent, make 
  a check for a wandering patrol to be attracted by the noise. It 
  will appear within a minute of the previous fight ending.
  Wandering Patrol Table
  Roll 1d, 1d to determine which group they encounter. If a dragon is in the group, consult the Dragon’s Breath Table (p. 19) 
  to determine what the creature can do.
   
  Roll 
  Result
   1-3, 1 
  N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 11)
   1-3, 2 
  N/2 lizard-man brutes (p. 30), 2 dragon-blooded magicians (p. 29)
   1-3, 3 
  N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 11), 1 lizard-man warrior (p. 30)
   1-3, 4 
  N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 11), 1 dragon-blooded priest (p. 29)
   1-3, 5 
  N lizard-man brutes (p. 30), 1 dragon-blooded magician (p. 29)
   1-3, 6 
  N/2 lizard-man brutes (p. 30), N/2 lizard-man warriors (p. 30)
   4-6, 1 
  2N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 11), 2 lizard-man brutes (p. 30)
   4-6, 2 
  N lizard-man brutes (p. 30), 1 dragon hatchling (pp. 30-31)
   4-6, 3 
  N/2 dragon hatchlings (pp. 30-31)
   4-6, 4 
  N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 11), 2 dragon hatchlings (pp. 30-31), 1 dragon-blooded priest (p. 29)
   4-6, 5 
  N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 11), N/2 lizard-man brutes (p. 30), 1 dragon-blooded magician 
   
   
   (p. 29), 1 dragon hatchling (pp. 30-31)
   4-6, 6 
  N dinomen (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 11), 1 small dragon (p. 31)
  tHe CoWl oF aHten-aHten
  The cowl is a heavy leather hood that reaches the 
  wearer’s shoulders and partly covers the face (1.5 lbs., 
  DR 1 in the unlikely event someone is unwise enough 
  to use it as armor). The face mask, coated with silver 
  leaf scales, is hardened into a long beak and exagger-
  ated scales around the eyes. The remainder has shapes 
  of feathers stamped into it and painted in red, green, and 
  gold. It provides immense benefits for healing spells:
  • Anyone can use it to cast spells in the Healing college, 
  and Power Investiture requirements are ignored. Spells 
  must still be learned, but they can be cast without Power 
  Investiture so long as the caster is wearing the cowl.
  • The cowl provides two points of energy for all Heal-
  ing spells, per the Power enchantment.
  • Remaining energy costs for Healing spells are halved 
  (round up).
  • Penalties for repeatedly casting Healing spells like 
  Minor Healing are also halved (again, round up).
  • Though it’s of little use to adventurers, the amount of 
  energy which may be contributed by spectators assisting 
  the wearer when using ceremonial magic is doubled.
  • The drawback to using the cowl is that users tend to 
  be taken up into a higher plane. After any critical failure 
  while using the cowl and after every full month of hav-
  ing it in one’s possession, roll against HT. On a failure, 
  the possessor of the cowl vanishes forever, leaving the  
  cowl behind.
  The cowl is essentially priceless.
  
   
  tHe dRagon king’s CouRt 
  19
  • If they end a fight with escaped survivors on the other side 
  or completely defeat three consecutive patrols, the defenders 
  become alert. The size of patrols increases, and they may take 
  measures to avoid detection. Add 2 to N, and patrols appear 
  on a roll of 12 or less; if a roll for wandering patrols is 7 or 
  less, the patrol is using Stealth, making the roll to detect them 
  a Contest against Hearing. The cultists remain on alert for 
  a day; if there are no further encounters with delvers, they 
  return to their normal vigilance.
  • For delvers who insist in making a spectacle of them-
  selves – causing lots of noise and holing up in a defensive 
  position to fight all comers – feel free to dispense with the 
  wandering patrol rolls. Just add another result from the table 
  every minute until the delvers are outnumbered by 10 to one.
  Dragon’s Breath Table
   
  When a dragon is encountered, roll 1d and consult the 
  table to see what kind of dangerous breath it has. Game fea-
  tures for each type are included in the dragon stats (pp. 30-32).
  Roll
  Breath
  Roll
  Breath
  1
  Acid
  4
  Fire
  2
  Cold
  5
  Lightning
  3
  Fire
  6
  Poison Spray
  tReasuRe Hunting
  The dragon king’s part of the palace has largely been tidied 
  up and stripped of loose valuables, but many locations still 
  contain bits and pieces worth picking out of the rubble. Those 
  valuables are essentially all metallic, with a few precious 
  stones. Organic material has burned up or rotted away, and 
  fragile materials like glass and porcelain have shattered. But 
  precious metals and well-made weapons and armor remain.
  Lesser Treasure Table
  This table represents little bits of personal wealth, the 
  former contents of purses, the draconic equivalent of loose 
  change, and the like. Roll 2d to determine what searchers find.
   
  Roll 
  Result
   
  2-4 
  2d ¥ 5 copper pieces ($1 each)
   
  5-6 
  3d ¥ 5 copper pieces ($1 each)
   
  7-8 
  2d+1 silver pieces ($4 each)
   
  9-10 
  3d silver pieces ($4 each)
   
  11 
  1d-1 gold pieces (minimum 1; $80 each)
   
  12 
  Fragment of jewelry worth 3d ¥ $100
  Greater Treasure Table
  This table represents larger, more valuable items, some 
  of which are even enchanted. Roll 1d, 1d to determine which 
  item the delvers discover.
  Roll
  Result
  Notes
  1-2, 1
  Draconic book ($395, 18 lbs.)
  [1]
  1-2, 2
  Large knife ($40, 1 lb.)
  1-2, 3
  Pot helm ($100, 5 lbs.)
  [2]
  1-2, 4
  Small dwarven shield ($200, 16 lbs.)
  1-2, 5
  Greathelm ($340, 10 lbs.)
  [2]
  1-2, 6
  Shortsword ($400, 2 lbs.)
  Roll
  Result
  Notes
  3-4, 1
  Silver earrings with malachite ($400/pair)
  3-4, 2
  Broadsword ($500, 3 lbs.)
  3-4, 3
  Mail suit ($645, 58 lbs.)
  [2]
  3-4, 4
  Silver ring set with tiger’s eye ($650)
  3-4, 5
  Mail suit with Fortify +1 ($695, 58 lbs.)
  [2]
  3-4, 6
  Scale armor suit ($1,160, 80 lbs.)
  [2]
  5, 1
  Silver-coated shortsword ($1,200,  
  2 lbs.)
  5, 2
  Orichalcum large knife ($1,200, 1 lb.)
  5, 3
  Electrum ring ($1,705)
  5, 4
  Small dwarven shield with Deflect +1 
  ($2,200, 16 lbs.)
  5, 5
  Fine broadsword ($2,000, 3 lbs.)
  5, 6
  Scale armor suit with Fortify +2 ($5,160, 
  80 lbs.)
  [2]
  6, 1
  Shortsword with Penetrating Weapon 
  ($5,400, 2 lbs.)
  6, 2
  Broadsword with Accuracy +1 ($5,500, 
  3 lbs.)
  6, 3
  Gold necklace set with emeralds 
  ($10,000)
  6, 4
  Greathelm with Reflect Gaze ($12,340, 
  10 lbs.)
  [2]
  6, 5
  Broadsword with Flaming Weapon 
  ($15,900, 3 lbs.)
  6, 6
  Silver tiara with Resist Fire ($16,600)
  Notes
  [1] Dragons tend to go in for oral traditions rather than 
  writing things down, but remnants of draconic libraries are 
  lying around. As a rule, these are inscribed on metal plates, 
  since flame-sensitive materials don’t survive around dragons 
  long. Roll on the Book Subject Table (below) for the skill cov-
  ered by each book found.
  [2] For each suit or piece of armor, roll 1d. On 1-2, it’s for 
  lizard men. On 3-4, it’s for dragon-blooded (dragon-blooded 
  armor, except the helmet, fits most SM 0 humanoids). On 5-6, 
  it’s for humans and most other SM 0 humanoids. Suits are 
  full suits of armor providing head to toe coverage (see GURPS 
  Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables, p. 34, for full descrip-
  tions of components).
  Book Subject Table
  Roll 2d on the table below to determine the topic of the 
  book that they discovered. If a single book is discovered, it is a 
  primer. If delvers find multiple books, each book for Religious 
  Ritual and Engineer covers a different specialty of the skill. 
  Multiple books on the other topics on this list contain overlap-
  ping information, with each one adding a bit more to what’s 
  in the others. Three books on the same subject can be used as 
  though they made up a single textbook. Six on a single topic 
  can be used as a thesis. See GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: 
  Sages, p. 13, for more on books.
  Roll
  Subject
  Roll
  Subject
  2-5
  Religious Ritual
  10
  Body Language
  6-7
  Engineer
  11
  Alchemy
  8
  Surgery
  12
  Hidden Lore (Dragons)
  9
  Veterinary
  
  Queen’s sQuaRe
  Beyond the vestibule, the dragon queen maintained an area 
  of rooms that were used for teaching, craftwork, libraries, and 
  other intellectual activities. Less civilized and intelligent mon-
  sters still inhabit this area. However, it hasn’t been cleared 
  out, so there’s still some loot here as well.
  Nearly everything here has been destroyed, leaving the old 
  rooms mostly burned-out shells. Through the soot and centu-
  ries of dust and mold which have built up, interested adventur-
  ers can make out a wavy blue and green pattern decorating the 
  walls of the square and its component structures. It contains 
  two hexagonal chambers in the center of the room. A string 
  of chambers is across on the eastern side. To the northwest, a 
  broad set of steps leads down to the nearby pool (pp. 23-25).
  For a map of the area, see p. 21.
  tHe liBRaRies
  Two great hexagonal structures dominating the square 
  were once repositories of knowledge. Their interiors are lined 
  with stone shelves reaching as high as the ceiling (and they 
  provide easy handholds, giving +3 to Climbing skill for any-
  one who wants to attempt the ascent).
  21
  The interior of the north library smells horri-
  ble and is festooned with cobwebs. It has, sadly, 
  become the abode of a flock of foul bats, N+2 of 
  them. They’re asleep when delvers come visiting, 
  hanging upside down in the darkness at the ceiling 
  40’ overhead. However, they wake up if intruders 
  start making significant amounts of noise (such as 
  rummaging through the debris for loot), and the 
  creatures will swoop down to attack.
  Adventurers searching for loot can roll against 
  Observation skill. Each attempt takes five min-
  utes. On a success, roll on the Lesser Treasure Table 
  (p. 19). On success by 5 or greater, they find a sur-
  viving text (in metal, of course; $395, 18 lbs.). Also, 
  roll on the Book Subject Table (p. 19). On a critical 
  success, the group instead finds a text containing a 
  spell (GM should choose a suitable spell; the book 
  itself is $790, 18 lbs.). On a critical failure, they 
  disturb a curtain spider (p. 35) lurking in the rub-
  ble. They make at total of up to five rolls to find 
  loot before exhausting all the possibilities, but may 
  make one additional roll per 10’ they’re willing to 
  climb up the shelves.
   
  tHe dRagon Queen’s CouRt 
  20
  The section to the east of the vestibule nominally belonged 
  to the dragon queen. This area of the palace has been left 
  alone by the dragon cultists. It is still full of rubble, partially 
  rotted and burned timbers, centuries’ worth of accumulated 
  cobwebs, and the remains of a variety of monsters, as well as 
  some still living there. At the end of it all, there’s what’s left of 
  the dragon queen herself.
  CHaPteR tHRee
  tHe dRagon 
  Queen’s CouRt
  Hooks for the Dragon Queen’s Court
  Initially, there’s little to tempt anyone to explore the dragon 
  queen’s side of the palace. The delvers know that their target 
  lies to the west, not the east. However, a few things might nudge 
  them in that direction. One is the reasonable suspicion that 
  something is going on there. If the adventurers pay attention to 
  rumors and interrogate a lizard cultist or two, it should become 
  quite clear that something is up. Another is the realization that 
  treasure is likely in that direction. It’s clearly undisturbed, 
  which means nobody’s cleared out the loot. Finally, there’s the 
  prospect of a safe haven. Safe-ish anyway. The cultist patrols 
  don’t go there, so it might be a reasonable place to lay low and 
  patch up the wounded.
  Holes for the Dragon Queen’s Court
  Ultimately, it’s not necessary for adventurers bent on recover-
  ing the cowl to visit the dragon queen’s court. Going there gives 
  them more loot, a different set of challenges, and a chance of 
  vastly complicating things for the dragon king. However, they 
  are free to ignore it entirely if they so choose.
  
   
  tHe dRagon Queen’s CouRt 
  21
  maP oF tHe Queen’s sQuaRe
  Scale: 1 hex = 1 yard.
  7
  9
  11
  8
  10
  12
  21
  22
  23
  24
  25
  26
  27
  
   
  tHe dRagon Queen’s CouRt 
  22
  22
  The south library has been taken over by giant ants (Dun-
  geon Fantasy Monsters 3, p. 10); 2N fire ants, including two 
  soldiers, mill around the room. Narrow openings to tunnels 
  are both overhead and in the floor. The room is part of a larger 
  complex of ant tunnels, so every 10 to 20 minutes, another 
  N fire ants appear (roll 1d; on 1-3, they come down from the 
  ceiling, and on 4-6 they come up from the floor).
  A significant amount of shiny detritus is hidden in the rub-
  bish. If adventurers get the chance to rummage through the 
  room for loot, roll against Observation skill. On a success, roll 
  on the Lesser Treasure Table (p, 19). On a critical success, they 
  find an engraved metal book; roll on the Book Subject Table 
  (p. 19). They may make a total of up to 10 rolls. Each search 
  takes five minutes.
  tHe museum
  This section once housed collections of curiosities. The 
  more durable ones include some significant dangers.
  23
  This was the house of mechanisms, with displays of clock-
  work wonders. It now contains a great deal of corroded 
  and broken rubbish of little value and N-2 bronze spiders 
  (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 5). They cling to the walls 
  10’ to 20’ up, waiting to attack anything that comes in.
  24
  Partly a laboratory, partly a storeroom, this chamber 
  held a variety of alchemical items. Most of it has gone very, 
  very bad by now, and even the monsters avoid it. It still con-
  tains a number of potions in sturdy crystal containers: two 
  alchemical antidotes, a balm of regeneration, two minor 
  healing potions, one jar of liquid ice, and a sleep potion (all 
  Adventurers, p. 29). However, it takes five minutes and a 
  successful Observation roll to find one. On a critical failure, 
  searchers find what appears to be an intact bottle containing 
  a potion, but it’s turned toxic over the years, doing 2d injury 
  to whoever drinks it.
  All containers are labeled, but that doesn’t guarantee the 
  safety of the contents. Wise delvers will analyze them before 
  using them.
  The room is also contaminated with the remnants of its 
  contents. Each search kicks up a lot of toxic dust. Searchers 
  must roll against HT or suffer 1d of injury. However, a suc-
  cessful roll against Hazardous Materials (Magical) suggests 
  countermeasures, reducing the injury to 1 point.
  25
  To dragons, the underworld is just another place to study, 
  so it’s not surprising that a chamber was set aside for the prac-
  tice. It is further unsurprising that demons were left behind 
  in the chamber and have been stewing there 
  for centuries, constrained by a Pentagram-
  like enchantment around its perimeter. 
  There are N/2 Demons of Old (Dungeon 
  Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 10) in the room. 
  They can’t leave, but they can still grap-
  ple targets with their chains through an 
  open doorway. Should the adventurers 
  defeat the demons and ransack the room, 
  it also contains $1,000 in assorted jewelry 
  and precious metal ornaments. On a crit-
  ical success on an Observation roll, they 
  find an engraved metal book: a primer on 
  Hidden Lore (Demons) ($395, 18 lbs.).
  26
  This room was an armory of sorts. The 
  area contains three of each non-enchanted 
  weapon on the Greater Treasure Table 
  (p. 19) and two of each non-enchanted 
  piece of armor in each of the lizard-man, 
  dragon-blooded, and human versions. There 
  are also N shadow warriors (Dungeon Fantasy 
  Monsters 3, p. 21) and one broadsword enchanted with flam-
  ing weapon in the hands of a sword spirit (Dungeon Fantasy 
  Monsters 1, p. 29). The sword spirit is in a kind of magical 
  stasis, which is broken when someone picks up the sword.
  27
  This was once a torture chamber. Wooden items like racks 
  and frames are long gone, but an assortment of pointy items 
  remain. A large iron brazier stands in one corner of the room, 
  blazing away. The room is occupied by N-1 howling ghosts 
  and N/4 flaming skills.
  The brazier is quite heavy (12 lbs.), but magical. With a 
  successful Religious Ritual roll, the item can raise the sanc-
  tity of an area within a radius of five yards of it by one level 
  as long as incense is burned in it. An ounce of incense lasts 
  about a half hour, and the increase to sanctity benefits all cler-
  ics. However, the brazier is burning for quite another reason. 
  A trapped flame lord (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 15) 
  occupies it. The spell holding him is broken if the brazier 
  is moved. He’s been trapped there for centuries, so his bad 
  temper is likely to be particularly active. The brazier is worth 
  $3,500 in town.
  
   
  tHe dRagon Queen’s CouRt 
  23
  events at  
  tHe Queen’s sQuaRe
  Not a lot happens in the queen’s square that the delvers 
  don’t make happen themselves. There’s little going on save for 
  monsters passing through from time to time. If adventurers 
  spend time just waiting (resting up, treating wounds, etc.), roll 
  3d every hour. On 10 or less, a group of monsters arrive. Roll 
  on the Wandering Monster Table.
  Wandering Monster Table
   
  Roll 2d to determine which creatures they encounter.
  Roll
  Result
  2
  N/3 toxifiers (Dungeons, p. 26) and N/3 flaming 
  skulls (Dungeons, p. 22)
  3
  N/2 crushrooms (Dungeons, p. 22)
  4
  N howling ghosts (p. 35)
  5
  N/2 acid spiders (Dungeons, p. 21)
  6
  1.5N giant ants (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 3, 
  p. 10)
  7
  2N giant rats (Dungeons, p. 24)
  8
  N rot worms (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 3, p. 20)
  9
  N curtain spiders (p. 35)
  10
  N rock mites (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 25)
  11
  N/3 eyes of death (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, 
  p. 14)
  12
  1 electric jelly (Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 13)
  Don’t you draw the queen of 
  diamonds, boy,
  She’ll beat you if she’s able.
  – Glenn Frey and Don Henley, 
  “Desperado”
  tHe Pool
  The broad steps from the dragon queen’s square lead down 
  to the pool. The pool is a surprisingly large body of water. 
  It was how the dragon queen reached the rest of the under-
  ground portion of the palace. A tunnel was bored into the side 
  of the well 20’ below the surface, connecting it to the dragon 
  queen’s personal lair. Being entirely comfortable with water, 
  she would dive into a pool in her lair, swim through the con-
  necting tunnel, up through the pool, and then make her way 
  to the vestibule. The tunnel to the hall of the dragon queen is 
  four to five yards in diameter and 50 yards long, but a swim-
  mer might not be able to get out at the other end (see p. 27).
  The water starts about 3’ below floor level, and is cold, dark, 
  and very deep. Indeed, if they look, adventurers will be unable 
  to find a bottom. Above is a high, domed ceiling. Around the 
  edges of the room, the ceiling is 30’ high, but the center of the 
  dome is 60’. However, it’s nearly impossible to see through a 
  huge network of cobwebs that has built up over the centuries. 
  Adventurers can spy the outlines of bones of all kinds and the 
  occasional telltale glint of metal.
  The pool has a broad walkway around it, which adven-
  turers might regard as suspiciously clear of bones, cobwebs, 
  and other debris. The sides of the room are lined with shal-
  low niches with relief carvings in green stone of dragons in a 
  variety of twisted poses. The only door is a human-sized set 
  of double doors at the southernmost extreme of the room. If 
  the delvers get there, they find it secured with a particularly 
  difficult lock (roll Lockpicking at -4).
  events at tHe Pool
  The pool may seem like a quiet place when the delvers first 
  see it, but a lot can go wrong here.
  Under the Webs
  If adventurers watch the webs overhead, a successful 
  Observation roll reveals occasional tremors here and there. 
  Clearly, something’s up there making them move.
  If the delvers decide to make their way around the pool 
  walkway, roll 1d. After that many seconds, N/2 curtain spi-
  ders (p. 35) emerge from the webs overhead, with roughly 
  a third somewhere in the 10 yards ahead of them, a third 
  behind, and a third directly on top of them. New spiders 
  emerge every turn, until they reach a total of 3N. If the delv-
  ers manage to fight them off, no more spiders will descend 
  until the next time they enter the room. If party flees, no 
  more than half of the spiders pursue them.
  Delvers may think to take the fight to the spiders. Destroy-
  ing enough cobwebs causes the spiders to retreat and avoid 
  attacking en masse again. A hex of cobwebs can take five 
  points of damage done with cutting or crushing attacks 
  before it is torn into uselessness. Destroying 20 hexes of webs 
  convinces the spiders to back off. However, until they do, spi-
  ders will continue to swarm around them.
  The good news is that if delvers try to climb up into the 
  cobwebs, they’ll find an extensive network of webs strong 
  enough to get anywhere with relative ease, but so coated with 
  dust and debris that they’re not sticky any more. Delvers can 
  travel around at half their usual Move. If, for some reason, 
  an adventurer falls (for example, if a martial artist fails to 
  kick properly), the person must roll against Climbing or 
  Acrobatics to avoid falling all the way to the floor.
  The bad news is that they’ll likely have to climb up to do 
  serious damage to the webs. The cobwebs can be burned 
  away in small spots by torches or magical fire spells, but 
  fires do not spread; the material just isn’t particularly 
  flammable.
  Hacking up cobwebs may also release valuable items, 
  which fall to the ground below. Roll 3d for each hex 
  destroyed. On 3-6, roll on the Lesser Treasure Table (p. 19). 
  On 7-12, nothing happens. On a 13 or greater, bones and 
  barely identifiable debris fall to the ground. If someone is 
  in the hex immediately below, they must Dodge or take 1d-2 
  crushing damage to the head. If anything falls into the pool, 
  see Stay Out of the Water (p. 25).
  
   
  tHe dRagon Queen’s CouRt 
  24
  maP oF tHe Pool
  Scale: 1 hex = 1 yard.
  
   
  tHe dRagon Queen’s CouRt 
  25
  Stay Out of the Water
  Delvers closely watching the pool may, with a successful 
  Observation roll, notice ripples with no apparent source 
  crossing the surface.
  If, against all good sense, adventurers should get in the 
  water voluntarily, roll 3d. On 9 or less, the well beast (p. 35) 
  appears in 2d+10 seconds. If someone or something falls in 
  the water, make a separate roll. On 13 or less, the well beast 
  appears in that time frame. The curtain spiders are terrified 
  of the well beast, and any present immediately retreat back 
  to the webs, leaving the delvers to face it. It remains around, 
  flailing at anything it thinks might be edible. If delvers man-
  age to convincingly play dead (for example, if they’re pro-
  tected by a Silence spell) or just stay out of range of its sonar, 
  the well beast spends about a minute “looking” around, loses 
  interest, and vanishes back under the water.
  tHe laByRintH
  Originally, the labyrinth was built as a way of demon-
  strating the devotion of the queen’s servants. To reach her 
  lair from the rest of the palace, they had to walk the twist-
  ing path to a stairway down. (The queen regarded the pool 
  entrance to her lair as her own personal portal; anyone com-
  ing in that way was eaten as a matter of course.) While only 
  one path goes through the labyrinth, it is a long, long walk 
  through a dark tunnel.
  This is one of the few parts of the palace built to a human 
  scale. Starting with the long corridor from the pool, ceilings 
  here are a mere 10’ high.
  The labyrinth is also subject to a variety of disquieting con-
  ditions, different ones applying to each quarter. In quarter A 
  (see the map on p. 26), the floor is slimy and slippery. Everyone 
  walking through it must roll against DX ‑ (distance moved/3) 
  each turn to avoid falling down. Penalties for bad footing in 
  combat apply. Sound is prohibited in quarter B, with the same 
  effect as the Silence spell (GURPS Magic, p. 171). A strong 
  if unpredictable wind blows down the tunnels of quarter C. 
  Adventurers on foot must roll against ST each turn or have 
  their Move reduced by 1. Flying or levitating delvers have their 
  air Move reduced by 2 and must roll against ST or be blown 
  backward a number of yards equal to their margin of failure. 
  Quarter D is blacked out, as with the Darkness spell (GURPS 
  Magic, pp. 111-112).
  events in tHe laByRintH
  Getting through the labyrinth is a long, confusing slog 
  made all the more difficult by monsters frequenting the place. 
  As adventurers enter each quarter, roll on the Wandering 
  Monster Table (p. 23) to see what shows up. Reroll acid spider 
  and electric jelly results; they don’t fit the tunnels!
  
   
  tHe dRagon Queen’s CouRt 
  26
  maP oF tHe laByRintH
  Scale: 1 hex = 1 yard.
  We must picture to ourselves a building filled with numerous doors,  
  and galleries which continually mislead the visitor, bringing him back,  
  after all his wanderings, to the spot from which he first set out.
  – Pliny the Elder, Natural History 36.19
  a
  d
  B
  C
  
   
  tHe dRagon Queen’s CouRt 
  27
  Hall oF tHe dRagon Queen
  The abode of the dragon queen was initially much the same 
  as the abode of the dragon king. The unstable mouth of the 
  tunnel leading to the outside collapsed, trapping her inside. 
  However, her hall hasn’t seen the recent work that Vestitius’ 
  has. No minions are here, digging out the tunnel. Moreover, 
  when Vestitius struck, the magic he used created a barrier that 
  prevented Ataban from escaping long enough for his addi-
  tional spells to finish her off.
  A large pool (A) toward the western end of the cavern 
  shows definite signs of mystical activity. A faint, deep green 
  glow comes from the surface of the water, and a network of 
  brighter red lines crisscrosses it like a spider web. The magi-
  cal force lines have small gaps between them; someone SM -1 
  or smaller could squeeze through.
  Ataban is here as well. Vestitius managed to trap his 
  sister in her room, but he hadn’t prepared adequately for 
  the response she had prepared and triggered. Both died  
  in the battle. His cultists brought Vestitius back. Ataban 
  came back under her own power, but only part of the way. 
  She’s not quite a lich, and not quite a ghost – rather, a spirit 
  of great power, lasting malevolence, a semi-corporeal form, 
  and not much intelligence. She has spent the past centuries 
  doing the draconic equivalent of pacing back and forth, 
  sometimes roaring and snarling loud enough to shake the 
  rocks and be heard outside. She kills anything unwise 
  enough to come through the door from the labyrinth (B) and 
  not leave again immediately.
  The red web over the pool is Vestitius’ trap. The lines of the 
  web are impenetrable magical force. Ataban can’t fit between 
  them and isn’t a shapeshifter, so she couldn’t become some-
  thing small enough to slip through the gaps. The lines orig-
  inate from a set of a dozen stylized arrows, each about 2” 
  long, atop spikes driven into the ground around the edge of 
  the pool. The arrows rotate freely, like the needle on a com-
  pass. Turning one exactly the opposite direction of the water 
  deactivates several of the lines (requires a successful DX roll); 
  turning them all deactivates the web entirely. Ataban isn’t 
  smart or patient enough to figure this out.
  As in the hall of the dragon king, the gleaming points of 
  light through the cave are the scattered remains of the dragon 
  queen’s hoard. For each minute spent digging, roll on the 
  Lesser Treasure Table (p. 19) for a maximum of 50 rolls on 
  the table. Alternatively, for every minute spent looking more 
  carefully for larger items, roll against Observation, to a max-
  imum of 20 rolls. On a success, roll on the Greater Treasure 
  Table (p. 19).
  maP oF tHe Hall oF tHe dRagon Queen
  Scale: 1 hex = 1 yard.
  a
  B
  
   
  ConFliCts 
  28
  The ruins of the dragon palace are filled with creatures who 
  will challenge any delver. They fall into three groups: the liz-
  ard cultists, who are attempting to restore the dragon king to 
  what they regard as his proper station; the dragon monarchs 
  themselves, who have their own notable motivations; and the 
  semi-intelligent and unintelligent monsters who still roam the 
  unoccupied corners of the ruined palace.
  lizaRd Cult
  The bulk of the opposition the delvers will face on the 
  dragon king’s side of the palace is the lizard cultists. These are 
  a collection of intelligent reptiles descended from the original 
  followers of the dragon king. They range from brutish dino-
  man mooks to minor-but-true dragons.
  Cause and 
  motivation
  The cultists are descen-
  dants of the dragon king’s 
  onetime 
  followers 
  (any 
  successors of the dragon 
  queen’s followers are not 
  in evidence). They regard 
  the dragon monarchs with something between the veneration 
  of ancestor worship (among the dragons) and the worship of 
  true gods (among the lesser reptiles). While they see both as 
  essentially divine, they are specifically devoted to the dragon 
  king. Regardless of theological subtleties, they are more-or-
  less fanatically devoted to what they see as a founding figure.
  ResouRCes
  An indefinitely large number of cultists lurk in the dragon 
  king’s part of the palace. Their greatest asset, in a way, is 
  Vestitius. Long dead or nearly so, they’ve managed to revive 
  him. This takes them from being a meandering group of dan-
  gerous fanatics to a focused group of dangerous fanatics with 
  an even more dangerous leader. The cult’s long-term plan has 
  been successfully put into action. Now they’re just waiting for 
  further orders.
  tHe PRotagonists
  The cultists’ willingness to negotiate is minimal. Mammals 
  are enemies, or at least should be properly subjugated under 
  the iron-taloned rule of the dragon king. Other reptiles, 
  should they appear among groups of delvers, aren’t friends, 
  but may be afforded the opportunity to leave before they get 
  killed. Very persuasive delvers, though, might play on the 
  inherent greed and egotism of the young dragons to get them 
  monologizing. While most of the cultists are simply followers 
  looking to get their legendary divine leader back, the drag-
  ons are angling to be the dragon king’s closest advisers and 
  lieutenants, the ones commanding cultists in the field. Clever 
  adventurers can use that.
  events
  Most of the cultists are greater 
  or lesser mooks who know little 
  or nothing about what’s going on 
  and show up randomly on patrols.
  Dinomen can say little except 
  to express their devotion to their 
  master, recount digging holes to 
  free him, and complain about fighting monsters.
  Lizard men can express the same sentiment a bit more 
  intelligibly – they’ve cleared out the dragon king’s court and 
  have revived their master with magic. That alone should be 
  significant news to delvers. They can also say that they’ve been 
  patrolling to keep monsters from the other side of the palace 
  from coming over, but have been forbidden from crossing the 
  vestibule to clear out that half as well. They don’t know why, 
  nor are they particularly interested in finding out.
  Dragon-blooded cultists and the actual dragons understand 
  the whole picture. Under the guidance of their draconic lead-
  ers, they’ve used the cowl to resurrect the dragon king and are 
  having the strong backs among the cult (that is, the dinomen 
  and lizard men) excavate the collapsed entrance to the cav-
  ern below to free him from his lair. Once he can get out, he 
  can lay waste to the countryside and reestablish his kingdom. 
  Their other big news is that they’re not reclaiming the queen’s 
  half of the palace because she’s not actually dead. They’re not 
  sure of her exact state; some believe she’s a ghost, while others 
  believe she’s some more corporeal form of undead. Either way, 
  she’s still in her lair, which, like the dragon king’s, has been at 
  least partially collapsed. Between that and enchantments laid 
  by the dragon king before their final battle, the dragon queen 
  is just as trapped as the dragon king. But if those old spells 
  should be disrupted, she might escape to resume her battle 
  with her brother.
  CHaPteR FouR
  ConFliCts
  “Lizards?” he said. “If you think 
  we’re in trouble now, wait till you see 
  what’s happening in the elevators.”
  – Hunter S. Thompson,  
  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
  
   
  ConFliCts 
  29
  Holes
  The lizard cultists are garden-variety ugly, green, and 
  more-or-less humanoid monsters, not too different from orcs 
  and goblins apart from the scales and a bit of magical support 
  in their dragon-blooded officers. This should be fairly typical 
  opposition for a group of dungeon-crawling adventurers.
  Still, they might be either too much or too little for oddly 
  composed groups of dungeon-delving heroes. With no undead 
  or banishable targets, some clerics and wizards can’t use cer-
  tain abilities. Conversely, exceptionally stealthy groups may 
  slip past even heavy cultist patrols (which don’t have partic-
  ularly remarkable sensory abilities). Likewise, the fairly stu-
  pid fodder monsters are easy prey for bards and magic users 
  with mind-control abilities. Thus, the GM may opt to tailor 
  the challenges as written to the group. For example, undead 
  dinomen provide opposition that clerics can turn away but 
  bards can’t talk their way around, and a heavier contingent 
  of high-Per dragon-blooded patrol leaders or sharp-eyed 
  dragons can make things suitably difficult for stealthy par-
  ties. See Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, pp. 36-38, for crea-
  ture-modification inspiration.
  Custom Fit
  If cooperating dragons don’t fit the campaign world, or if 
  a large number of intelligent bipedal species are inappropri-
  ate, other monsters can be substituted at will. For example, 
  the low-ranking cultists might be orcs and trolls, while the 
  higher ranks may be smarter monsters like gorgons, vam-
  pires, and demons.
  stats
  Lizard cultists come in two varieties: the bipeds (lizard 
  men, dragon-blooded, and dinomen) and the dragons. The 
  bipeds are, relatively speaking, mooks, though in the case of 
  some of them, relatively powerful mooks. Some of them are 
  roughly comparable to starting delvers, but most 
  lack the adventurers’ flexibility.
  Dragons are all kinds of dangerous. While they 
  don’t have notable immunities like many demons, 
  undead, and other more magical monsters, they 
  don’t have matching vulnerabilities. They have 
  multiple close-in attacks: sharp teeth, spiky horns, a 
  whip-like tail, and buffeting wings. They also have a 
  formidable ranged attack in the form of a ferocious 
  breath. Many dragons exhale fire, but there are a 
  number of variants, some of which are listed here. 
  And, of course, they can fly. The smallest dragons are a match 
  for individual delvers who aren’t combat-oriented, while the 
  biggest one can take out large groups of adventurers. Dragons 
  are often at a disadvantage in the narrow tunnels typical of 
  dungeon-delving scenarios, but since the palace of the dragon 
  siblings was built for dragons – giving them enough room to 
  go airborne – ground-dwelling delvers are at great risk.
  Dragon-Blooded Magician
  The magicians, along with the priests (below), are the 
  nominal leaders in the field when dragons aren’t around 
  to do the job, or at least political officers making sure that 
  the stronger but dumber lizard men and dinomen do what 
  they’re supposed to. Since dragons are rarely available for 
  such tasks, magicians form what is essentially middle man-
  agement in the cult.
  ST: 11 
  HP: 11 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 15 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 15 
  Per: 12
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 12 
  DR: 3
  Bite (12): 1d-2 cutting. Reach C.
  Flame Breath (15): 1d burning. Range 5/10.
  Kick (10): 1d-1 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Punch (12): 1d-2 cutting. Reach C.
  Staff (14): 1d+3 crushing or 1d+1 crushing. Reach 1, 2.
  Traits: Bad Temper (12); Disturbing Voice; Fanaticism (The 
  dragon king); Frightens Animals; Magery 3; Nictitating 
  Membrane 2; Peripheral Vision.
  Skills: Body Sense-10; Brawling-12; Climbing-11; First Aid-15; 
  Gesture-15; Hidden Lore (Dragons)-15; Hiking-11; Innate 
  Attack (Breath)-15; Scrounging-12; Staff-14; Stealth-11; 
  Tactics-13.
  Spells: Apportation-16; Blur-16; Continual Light-16; Dark-
  ness-16; Daze-16; Foolishness-16; Haste-16; Hinder-16; 
  Light-16; Mass Daze-16.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Dragon-blooded magicians, like most magicians, 
  belong in the back, screened by bigger, stronger compan-
  ions, and they’re smart enough to realize it. Their leather 
  armor provides a bit of protection, but not enough to let 
  them stand on the front lines. They mostly perform sup-
  port functions, slowing and confusing their enemies from a 
  safe distance, or sometimes hosing them down with gouts 
  of fiery breath. That said, they’re also fanatics willing to 
  die for their cause, so if they must, they’ll go down swing-
  ing their staffs (typically enhanced with the Staff enchant-
  ment). Notable equipment includes:
  • Leather Armor Suit (covering all loca-
  tions except the face), $340, 19.5 lbs.
  • Staff, $10, 4 lbs.
  • Power Item, an item of jewelry or 
  decoration on the staff increasing 
  its value to be used as a power item 
  worth 4 FP. $340 (or $330 worth of 
  gems and other decoration on the 
  staff), neg.
  Dragon-Blooded Priests
  The cult has religious professionals, though they qualify 
  as evil clerics rather than regular clerics. Use the same stats 
  as for dragon-blooded magicians (p. 29), but they have Power 
  Investiture rather than Magery, they replace Hidden Lore-15 
  with Religious Ritual-13 and Theology-13, and they use a dif-
  ferent set of spells:
  Spells: Armor-16; Aura-16; Clumsiness-16; Command-16; 
  Darkness-16; Death Vision-16; Destroy Water-16; Detect 
  Magic-16; Foolishness-16; Icy Weapon-16; Itch-16; Pain-
  16; Paralyze Limb-16; Recover Energy-16; Resist Cold-16; 
  Resist Fire-16; Seeker-16; Shield-16; Stench-16.
  Most lizard 
  cultists lack 
  the flexibility 
  of adventurers.
  
   
  ConFliCts 
  30
  Lizard-Man Brute
  Save for the near-feral dinomen, these form the bottom 
  rung of the lizard cult. Big, strong, and not very bright, they 
  usually serve as front-line troops in battle.
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 6.25
  DX: 13 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 7
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 9
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry/Block: 11 
  DR: 6/4
  Axe (15): 3d+1 cutting. Reach 1.
  Bite (14): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C.
  Kick (12): 1d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Punch (14): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C.
  Tail (12): 1d+3 crushing. Reach C.
  Traits: Bad Temper (12); Bloodlust (12); 
  Disturbing Voice; Fit; High Pain 
  Threshold; Nictitating Membrane 2; 
  Peripheral Vision; Temperature Toler-
  ance 3; Terrain Adaptation (Swamp).
  Skills: Axe/Mace-15; Brawling-14; Gesture-9; Observation-8; 
  Shield-14; Stealth-13.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Brutes are competent enough to follow their leaders 
  into battle. Without smarter officers in charge, they tend 
  to lose patience and make frontal assaults. Notable gear 
  includes:
  • Axe, $50, 4 lbs.
  • Mail Armor Suit (covering all locations except the face), $645, 
  58 lbs.
  • Small Shield, $40, 8 lbs.
  Lizard-Man Warrior
  The warriors are the most dangerous of the cult’s fighters. 
  They’re not particularly bright, but they are very strong and 
  very tough.
  ST: 17 
  HP: 17 
  Speed: 7.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 9 
  Move: 8
  IQ: 9 
  Per: 9
  HT: 14 
  FP: 14 
  SM: 0
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry/Block: 12 
  DR: 6/4
  Bite (15): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C.
  Bow (15): 1d+3 impaling. Range 255/340.
  Kick (13): 1d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Punch (15): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C.
  Sword (16): 3d cutting or 1d+3 crushing. Reach 1.
  Tail (13): 1d+3 crushing. Reach C.
  Traits: Bad Temper (12); Bloodlust (12); Combat Reflexes; 
  Disturbing Voice; Fit; High Pain Threshold; Nictitating 
  Membrane 2; Peripheral Vision; Temperature Tolerance 3; 
  Terrain Adaptation (Swamp).
  Skills: Bow-15; Brawling-15; Broadsword-16; Gesture-9; Lead-
  ership-10; Observation-8; Shield-16; Stealth-13; Tactics-10.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: With their poor intelligence, lizard-man warriors aren’t 
  the greatest tacticians, but they are capable of the leading 
  troops into battle and the occasional clever maneuver, so it’s 
  dangerous to underestimate them. However, young drag-
  ons often lead the warriors instead. Notable gear includes:
  • Arrows ¥20, $60, 3 lbs.
  • Broadsword, $500, 3 lbs.
  • Mail Armor Suit (covering all locations except the face), $645, 
  58 lbs.
  • Regular Bow, $100, 2 lbs.
  • Small Shield, $40, 8 lbs.
  Hatchling Dragon
  Other monsters may have “dragon” in 
  their names, but this is the smallest true 
  dragon. These stats represent the draconic 
  equivalent of a teenager, old enough to do 
  something other than just run away screech-
  ing when attacked, but not yet a truly fear-
  some monster. Its body isn’t much bigger 
  than a large dog’s, but its long neck, tail, and 
  broad wings increase its size considerably.
  ST: 18 
  HP: 18 
  Speed: 6.50
  DX: 12 
  Will: 11 
  Move: 6 (Ground)/13 (Air)
  IQ: 11 
  Per: 13
  HT: 14 
  FP: 14 
  SM: +1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 9 
  DR: 2
  Bite (13): 1d+1 cutting reach C, 1.
  Breath (13): Costs 2 FP per use. Most dragons have one kind 
  of breath weapon from the list below, each of which comes 
  with an additional defense. Unless otherwise indicated, 
  these are all jet attacks (1/2D 5, Max 10; see p. B106).
  Acid: A spray of acid does 1d-1 corrosive damage in a 1-yard 
  radius in front of the dragon’s head and the target must 
  make a HT roll to avoid being blinded. Double dragon’s DR 
  against corrosive damage.
  Cold: 1d+2 burning, but does not start fires. Double dragon’s 
  DR against cold damage and switch the Temperature Tol-
  erance range to -21°F to 118°F.
  Fire: 1d+2 burning. Double dragon’s DR against fire attacks.
  Lightning: 1d+2 burning; metal armor provides only DR 1. 
  Double dragon’s DR against lightning.
  Poison Spray: A spray of contact poison in a 1-yard radius 
  in front of the dragon’s head. Roll vs. HT – on a success, 
  1d injury; otherwise, 2d injury. Dragon has Immunity to 
  Poison.
  Claws, Front (13): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Claws, Back (11): 1d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Horn (13): 1d+3 cutting. Reach C, 1. May also parry!
  Tail (11): 1d+2 crushing or double that for knockback-only 
  damage. Reach C, 1, rear hexes only.
  Wings (13): 1d+1 crushing or double that for knockback-only 
  damage. Reach C, 1.
  Traits: Bad Grip 2; Extra Attack 1; Greed (12); High Pain 
  Threshold; Horizontal; Nictitating Membrane 2; Night 
  Vision 9; Peripheral Vision; Temperature Tolerance 6 (7°F 
  to 146°F); Unfazeable.
  Skills: Brawling-13; Innate Attack (Breath)-13; Tactics-11.
  Class: Mundane.
  At this age, 
  a dragon is 
  dangerous, but 
  inexperienced. 
  
   
  ConFliCts 
  31
  Notes: At this age, a dragon is dangerous, but inexperienced. 
  The subtlety and cunning for which dragons are famous are 
  largely aspirational for them. While some exceptional indi-
  viduals may have Magery 0 and know a handful of spells 
  (see Dragon Magic, below), they’re very much learning at 
  this point. Mostly, they’re limited to fighting, but even then, 
  they’re tough opponents.
  Small Dragon
  This is an adult but still quite young dragon, or a fairly 
  mature individual of a naturally small variety. At this size and 
  larger, breath weapons are cones, letting them target multiple 
  individuals at once.
  ST: 25 
  HP: 25 
  Speed: 6.75
  DX: 12 
  Will: 12 
  Move: 6 (Ground)/13 (Air)
  IQ: 12 
  Per: 14
  HT: 15 
  FP: 15 
  SM: +3
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: 10 
  DR: 3
  Bite (14): 2d+3 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Breath (14): Costs 2 FP per use. Unless otherwise noted, these 
  are cone attacks (see p. B413), 1 yard wide by 10 yards 
  long. Most dragons have one of these.
  Acid: A spray of acid does 1d-1 corrosive damage in a 2-yard 
  radius in front of the dragon’s head and the target must 
  make a HT roll to avoid being blinded. Double dragon’s DR 
  against corrosive damage.
  Acid: 1d-1 corrosive damage and targets must make a HT roll 
  to avoid being blinded. Double dragon’s DR against corro-
  sive damage.
  Cold: 2d+2 burning, but does not start fires. Double  
  dragon’s DR against cold damage and switch the Tem-
  perature Tolerance range to -25°F to 120°F.
  Fire: 2d+2 burning. Double dragon’s DR against fire 
  attacks.
  Lightning: 2d+2 burning; metal armor provides only DR 
  1. Double dragon’s DR against lightning.
  Poison Spray: A spray of contact poison in a 2-yard 
  radius in front of the dragon’s head. Roll vs. HT – on 
  a success, 1d injury; otherwise, 2d injury. Dragon has 
  Immunity to Poison.
  Claws, Front (14): 2d+3 cutting. Reach C-2.
  Claws, Back (12): 2d+4 cutting. Reach C-2.
  Horn (14): 2d+3 cutting. Reach C, 1. May also parry!
  Tail (12): 2d+4 crushing or double that for knock-
  back-only damage. Reach C-3, rear hexes only.
  Wings (14): 2d+3 crushing or double that for knock-
  back-only damage. Reach C-3.
  Traits: Bad Grip 2; Extra Attack 1; Greed (12); High Pain 
  Threshold; Horizontal; Nictitating Membrane 3; Night 
  Vision 9; Peripheral Vision; Temperature Tolerance 6 
  (5°F to 150°F); Unfazeable.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Diplomacy-12; Fast-Talk-12; Innate 
  Attack (Breath)-14; Tactics-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Dragons of this size are more likely to have up 
  to Magery 2, know a number of wizardly spells (see 
  Dragon Magic, below), and even have Energy Reserve 
  up to 25. They’re also smarter and more eloquent,  
  so they’re well-suited to negotiating with and, if they feel 
  like it, deceiving potential opponents.
  Medium Dragon
  At this size, a dragon goes from being a notable individual 
  combatant to being a threat to parties of delvers.
  ST: 35 
  HP: 35 
  Speed: 7.25
  DX: 14 
  Will: 14 
  Move: 7 (Ground)/14 (Air)
  IQ: 14 
  Per: 16
  HT: 15 
  FP: 15 
  SM: +4
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 6
  Bite (16): 4d+2 impaling. Reach C, 1.
  Breath (16): Costs 2 FP per use. Unless otherwise noted, these 
  are cone attacks (see p. B413), 2 yards wide by 10 yards 
  long. Most dragons have one of these.
  Acid: A spray of acid does 1d-1 corrosive damage in a 3-yard 
  radius in front of the dragon’s head and the target must 
  make a HT roll to avoid being blinded. Double dragon’s DR 
  against corrosive damage.
  Cold: 4d-1 burning, but does not start fires. Double dragon’s 
  DR against cold damage and switch the Temperature Tol-
  erance range to -25°F to 120°F.
  Fire: 4d-1 burning. Double dragon’s DR against fire attacks.
  Lightning: 4d-1 burning; metal armor provides only DR 1. 
  Double dragon’s DR against lightning.
  Poison Spray: A spray of contact poison in a 3-yard radius 
  in front of the dragon’s head. Roll vs. HT – on a success, 
  1d injury; otherwise, 2d injury. Dragon has Immunity  
  to Poison.
  dRagon magiC
  Draconic spell casters are as diverse as other magic users 
  and may have whatever spells the GM feels are suitable for 
  the occasion. With their formidable natural weaponry, they 
  rarely learn missile spells and related combat magic, though 
  there are always exceptions. For convenience, here are some 
  sample sets of spells a dragon might have:
  • Create Air, Purify Air, Shape Air, and Windstorm.
  • Command, Fear, Foolishness, and Forgetfulness.
  • Clumsiness, Fumble, Itch, and Spasm.
  • Dark Vision, Infravision, Keen Vision, Night Vision, and 
  See Invisible.
  • Detect Magic, History, Seek Earth, Seek Magic, Seeker, 
  and Trace.
  • Complex Illusion, Illusion Disguise, Illusion Shell, Simple 
  Illusion, and Sound.
  • Hide Emotion, Hide Thoughts, Sense Emotion, and Sense 
  Foes.
  • Apportation, Armor, Missile Shield, and Shield.
  Small dragons might have two or three of these at level 
  12. Medium dragons are likely to have at least four or five of 
  them at level 16. An exceptional hatchling might have one 
  of these at level 12.
  
   
  ConFliCts 
  32
  Claws, Front (16): 4d+2 cutting or impaling. Reach 
  C-3.
  Claws, Back (14): 4d+3 cutting or impaling. Reach 
  C-3.
  Horn (16): 4d+2 cutting. Reach C, 1. May also parry!
  Tail (14): 4d+3 crushing or double that for knock-
  back-only damage. Reach C-4, rear hexes only.
  Wings (16): 4d+2 crushing or double that for knock-
  back-only damage. Reach C-4.
  Traits: Bad Grip 2; Extra Attack 2; Greed (12); High 
  Pain Threshold; Horizontal; Nictitating Mem-
  brane 6; Night Vision 9; Peripheral Vision; Tem-
  perature Tolerance 6 (5°F to 150°F); Unfazeable.
  Skills: Brawling-16; Diplomacy-14; Fast-Talk-14; 
  Innate Attack (Breath)-16; Tactics-14.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Dragons of this size may have up to Magery 
  4 and Energy Reserve up to 35. For suggested 
  spells, see Dragon Magic, p. 31. They’re smart and 
  tough, they have multiple attacks per turn (any 
  one of which can potentially take down even a 
  well-armored delver), and they’re fliers. Their 
  major weakness is their need for a lot of room.
  dRagon Royalty
  The crux of this adventure is the two dragon monarchs: the 
  recently revived dragon king Vestitius Longtail and his mostly 
  dead sister Ataban the Sharp.
  Cause and motivation
  Vestitius has recovered from his long slumber, and he’s 
  going to pick up where he left off. In proper megalomaniacal 
  fashion, he intends to take over the world. There seems little 
  chance that he’ll be able to do it, of course, but he’s neverthe-
  less powerful enough that a lot of people are going to get hurt 
  before he’s stopped.
  Ataban is dead, which severely limits her interests. She 
  has remnants of her living motivations somewhere deep in 
  her ghostly mind. She has a residual interest in her hoard but 
  quickly forgets it if she’s not around it. Her natural draconic 
  aggressiveness makes spending time in her vicinity dangerous, 
  but she doesn’t seek out things to kill or destroy. Her one per-
  sistent motivation is revenge against her brother. She’s more 
  like a force of nature with a personal grudge 
  than a personality at this point.
  ResouRCes
  The destruction wrought by his bat-
  tle with Ataban has severely reduced the 
  magical items Vestitius previously had 
  on hand, even if he were willing to let 
  them be used instead of keeping them in 
  a pile of shiny things he can sleep on. What he does have is 
  a sizable number of lizard cultists willing to do his bidding, 
  even unto death. Given his ruthlessness and utter disregard 
  for anyone who isn’t him, that’s quite a likely destination for 
  them. Still, in order to get anything done, he needs the side 
  of the mountain dug out so that he can leave.
  Ataban has nothing but those powers naturally (and super-
  naturally) accruing to her.
  tHe PRotagonists
  Vestitius is unlikely to be interested in anyone coming after 
  him. To him, dungeon delvers are the sorts of vermin he uses 
  cultists to keep from bothering him. If they make it as far as 
  his lair, he wants them killed quickly so that he can get back 
  to the important things he was doing before. If they look like 
  they’ll be a challenge, he’ll subvert them. He’ll propose an alli-
  ance, offer generous terms, and then kill them when they’re 
  not expecting it.
  Ataban is interested in nothing but revenge. If the delvers 
  are clearly visible, she’ll take out some of her unending anger 
  on them, but she won’t pursue them very far if they manage 
  to escape her.
  events
  Vestitius is impatiently awaiting release from his 
  lair. Unless the delvers cause a truly legendary ruckus in 
  the more public part of the dragon king’s court, they’ll 
  have to come to him rather than the other way around.
  If delvers enter the dragon queen’s lair, she’ll make 
  a desultory attempt to kill them. Should they manage 
  to remove the stakes keeping her trapped, events will 
  progress rapidly. Ataban is, in her own way, aware that her 
  brother is alive. If the water portal opens to her, she will 
  immediately head for it, into the water, through the pool, 
  and straight across the palace to the dragon king’s lair.  
  kunukut and yansolsi
  Another pair of dragons, Kunukut and Yansolsi, leads the cult. 
  Both are medium dragons (pp. 31-32); Kunukut spits acid, while 
  Yansolsi breathes fire. Both are survivors of the dragon king’s 
  era. Both were little more than hatchlings at the time, outside of 
  the palace when their rulers killed one another. They along with 
  a few other younger dragons formed the core of the dragon cult.
  Dragons are natural loners (they require a large catchment 
  area to stay fed, and they are almost all tremendous egoists). 
  Thus, keeping other dragons involved has been quite a feat, 
  though the cult is rife with potential internal schisms papered 
  over with their diplomatic skills and the promise of riches when 
  Vestitius returns to power. Very skilled diplomats could, given 
  time, drive a wedge between them and turn factions of the cult 
  against one another. Unsurprisingly, both Kunukut and Yansolsi 
  have contingency plans for eliminating the other and taking 
  sole control of the cult. But no dragons are likely to take largely 
  mammalian delvers seriously, and the return of Vestitius has 
  just rendered the cult’s internal divisions mostly moot.
  
   
  ConFliCts 
  33
  It’s likely to be a remarkable fight. Vestitius is smarter than 
  Ataban at this point, he’s got a batch of spells he can use, and 
  he’s got an army of lizard cultists backing him up. On the 
  other hand, Ataban can sweep through a lot of cultists without 
  even noticing, and she’s very, very hard to hurt, let alone kill.
  Should this come to pass, rather than play out a battle 
  between a semi-corporeal dragon-ghost, her entirely mate-
  rial brother, and a small army of reptile people, the fight can 
  be handled abstractly. If the adventurers release Ataban and 
  hurry after her to take advantage of the chaos, Vestitius and 
  Ataban concentrate on fighting each other. The cultists pres-
  ent in the dragon king’s lair join in, but half of them break off 
  to fight the delvers if they appear.
  In addition, both cultists and adventurers may be the 
  targets of collateral damage. Each turn, randomly pick one 
  each from among the adventurers and any lizard cultists with 
  whom they are engaged in fighting. That target is subject to 
  one randomly chosen attack from one of the dragons: a wing 
  strike, a tail strike, or a breath attack. It may be dodged or 
  otherwise avoided normally.
  If the delvers choose to fight one or the other of the dragon 
  monarchs directly, they are subject to at least one attack from 
  the dragon in question. If they’ve attacked the dragon king,  
  all the cultists go after the adventurers as well.
  The explorers might release Ataban in hopes that she’ll fin-
  ish off or at least weaken Vestitius so they can stroll in and 
  mop up easily. Unfortunately, they’ve miscalculated. The bat-
  tle reaches such a pitch that the dragon king’s lair, already not 
  terribly stable, caves in entirely. Vestitius is likely dead again 
  along with any cultists in the chamber, and Ataban is at the 
  very least immobilized. However, the cowl is lost under many 
  tons of rock and dirt.
  Holes
  Adventurers, on finding Vestitius alive and surrounded by 
  a small army of followers, may be too taken aback to confront 
  the dragon king (which, to be fair, is wise) or to waylay the 
  dragon-blooded priest wearing the cowl. If they’ve also failed 
  to investigate the situation further, either through exploring 
  the dragon queen’s court or questioning captive lizard cultists, 
  they won’t think of using the dragon queen to their advantage. 
  As a result, they may be paralyzed with indecision.
  If this happens, events can take their natural course. In a 
  week or so, the lizard cultists will dig a hole big enough for the 
  dragon king to fit through. He and his followers will leave the 
  underground chambers and head out into the world, bent on 
  conquest and destruction while an army of other intelligent 
  reptiles flock to the dragon king’s banner. The cowl-wearing 
  priest will then be on the move, in the middle of a growing 
  horde of monsters, but quite likely apart from Vestitius, who 
  will spend considerable time terrorizing nearby settlements 
  from the air. That doesn’t solve the delvers’ problem, but it 
  does, at least, turn it into a different problem.
  Custom Fit
  Just as the lizard cultists can be customized if they’re inap-
  propriate to the campaign, so can the dragon monarchs. They 
  might be replaced with powerful demons (who, perhaps, have 
  taken draconic form) or other very large, very powerful, intel-
  ligent entities.
  stats
  The dragon monarchs are both formidable, but in different 
  ways.
  Vestitius Longtail
  Vestitius is very close to an archetypal dragon. He is an 
  enormous, winged, fire-breathing reptile (or close enough; 
  any herpetologist looking for potential distinctions between 
  dragons and reptiles will be eaten). He’s also greedy, vain, and 
  exceptionally dangerous. 
  He’s about the size of a school bus, 14 yards long and three 
  wide at the torso with wings folded, though his neck and tail 
  are much narrower. His scales are predominantly red and 
  orange, dull on his underside, faintly metallic on most of his 
  upper body, and downright iridescent around his face. Given 
  his ego, it’s no accident that that color scheme is repeated 
  through his part of the palace. Despite the name, his tail isn’t 
  exceptionally long. The name comes from an incident in the 
  very distant past which involved defeating a powerful wizard, 
  who was closer to the dragon than the wizard thought, only to 
  be struck down by the dragon’s tail.
  ST: 50 
  HP: 50 
  Speed: 7.25
  DX: 14 
  Will: 16 
  Move: 7 (Ground)/14 (Air)
  IQ: 16 
  Per: 18
  HT: 15 
  FP: 15 
  SM: +5
  Dodge: 11 
  Parry: 12 
  DR: 9 (18 against fire)
  Bite (16): 5d+6 impaling. Reach C, 1.
  Breath (16): Costs 2 FP per use. 3-yard-wide by 10-yard-long 
  cone. 5d+2 burning.
  Claws, Front (16): 5d+6 cutting or impaling. Reach C-5.
  Claws, Back (14): 5d+7 cutting or impaling. Reach C-5.
  Horn (16): 5d+6 cutting. Reach C, 1. May also parry!
  Tail (14): 5d+6 crushing or double that for knockback-only 
  damage. Reach C-6, rear hexes only.
  Wings (16): 5d+6 crushing or double that for knockback-only 
  damage. Reach C-6.
  Traits: Bad Grip 2; Callous; Combat Reflexes; Danger Sense; 
  Discriminatory Smell; Energy Reserve 40 (Magical); Extra 
  Attack 3; Greed (12); High Pain Threshold; Horizontal; 
  Magery 3; Nictitating Membrane 9; Night Vision 9; Periph-
  eral Vision; Temperature Tolerance 6 (5°F to 150°F); 
  Unfazeable.10
  Skills: Brawling-16; Diplomacy-16; Fast-Talk-16; Innate 
  Attack (Breath)-16; Tactics-16.
  Spells: Analyze Magic-18; Apportation-18; Blur-18; Clum-
  siness-18; Command-18; Continual Light-18; Counter-
  spell-18; Darkness-18; Daze-18; Deflect Missile-21; Detect 
  Magic-18; Dispel Magic-18; Foolishness-18; Forgetful-
  ness-18; Haste-18; Hide Thoughts-18; Hinder-18; Identify 
  Spell-18; Itch-18; Lend Energy-18; Light-18; Mass Daze-18; 
  Mass Sleep-18; Pain-18; Recover Energy-18; Sense Emo-
  tion-18; Sense Foes-18; Sleep-18; Spasm-18; Truthsayer-18.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: There are smarter, wiser, and more magically talented 
  dragons than Vestitius, but they rarely come much bigger. 
  If he’s got the leisure to do it, he’ll lull opponents into a 
  state of inattention, either through his own powers of per-
  suasion or by magic, and then launch a physical attack. 
  
   
  ConFliCts 
  34
  Notes (continued): He has no particular regard for his cult-
  ists save as sometimes-useful tools. He will not hesitate to 
  send swarms of them against enemies, knowing they’ll be 
  cut down in the process, if it buys him a few moments to 
  get in a few attacks of his own.
  Ataban the Sharp
  Ataban was once quite similar to Vestitius, differing some-
  what in temperament and coloring. She’s become something 
  quite different. She’s a vengeful spirit now, not entirely imma-
  terial but nevertheless not entirely connected to the material 
  world. Her visible form is still the shape of a dragon, but she’s 
  a glowing skeleton sheathed in lightning.
  ST: 50 
  HP: 50 
  Speed: 7.25
  DX: 14 
  Will: 16 
  Move: 7 (Ground)/14 (Air)
  IQ: 6 
  Per: 8
  HT: 15 
  FP: 15 
  SM: +5
  Dodge: 10 
  Parry: 11 
  DR: 1
  Bite (16): 5d+6 cutting. Reach C, 1.
  Lightning Breath (16): Costs 2 FP per use. 3-yard-wide by 
  10-yard-long cone. 5d+2 burning; metal armor protects 
  with only DR 1.
  Claws, Front (16): 5d+6 cutting. Reach C-3.
  Claws, Back (14): 5d+7 cutting. Reach C-3.
  Electrical Aura: 1d burning (metal armor protects with 
  DR 1). Target rolls HT at -1 per 2 points of penetrating 
  damage or be physically stunned (roll vs. HT at the same 
  penalty every turn to recover). This harms anyone Ataban 
  touches as well as anyone who touches her either directly 
  or with a metal weapon. This includes attacking her or 
  parrying attacks!
  Horn (16): 5d+12 cutting. Reach C, 1. May also parry!
  Tail (14): 5d+6 crushing or double that for knockback-only 
  damage, reach C-4, rear hexes only.
  Wings (16): 5d+6 crushing or double that for knockback-only 
  damage, reach C-4.
  Traits: Bad Grip 2; Bad Temper; Berserk (12); Discriminatory 
  Smell; Extra Attack 2; High Pain Threshold; Horizontal; 
  Immunity to Mind Control; Injury Tolerance (Diffuse); 
  Night Vision 9; Peripheral Vision; Short Attention Span; 
  Temperature Tolerance 6 (5°F to 150°F); Unfazeable.
  Skills: Brawling-16; Innate Attack (Breath)-16.
  Class: Faerie.
  Notes: Vestitius is more than a match for most delvers, but 
  even he would hesitate to face his sister now. Not only is 
  she still every bit his physical match in power, she’s almost 
  impossible to harm physically and just touching her is dan-
  gerous. Worse yet, while she’s undead-ish, she’s not undead 
  enough to be turned by True Faith and similar abilities. 
  Her weakness is that she’s essentially a rage-driven beast 
  now, reacting to what’s around her but not making long-
  term plans and clever strategies. If nothing else, running 
  away and hiding can be an effective defense against her. 
  For targets that aren’t Vestitius, she’ll eventually lose inter-
  est and wander off.
  luRking monsteRs
  Here and there, mostly in the dragon queen’s court but 
  from time to time making their way into the other half of the 
  palace, a variety of other monsters infest the place.
  Cause and motivation
  The various non-cultist monsters are largely non-intelligent 
  beasts with the occasional restless spirit thrown in. They’re 
  dangerous, but most of them don’t have much of an agenda 
  beyond survival and eating the faces off of any surface-dwell-
  ers who come through.
  ResouRCes
  A few spots in the dungeon have specific mon-
  sters lurking in them, but most of these creatures 
  infiltrate from elsewhere or simply hide in the shad-
  ows, coming out when it suits them. They have, for 
  all practical purposes, unlimited numbers even if 
  few of them are around at any given moment.
  tHe PRotagonists
  Most of the monsters are brutes without the wit for moti-
  vations beyond eating and defending their territory. To them, 
  adventurers are food or invaders to be destroyed. The few 
  exceptions are largely hostile to pretty much anything, so they 
  have little use for adventurers as well, save to kill the intruders 
  for their own amusement.
  events
  The lurking monsters either stick to their lairs or they wan-
  der about according to their own logic and desires. Unlike the 
  lizard cultists, they are as likely to run away from a loud noise 
  (interpreting it as a threat) as they are to attack (interpreting 
  it as a meal). There is, therefore, no general state of alert for 
  monsters in the dragon queen’s court.
  Holes
  Like the lizard cultists (pp. 28-32), the lurking monsters 
  have limited scope. They’re somewhat more diverse, but they 
  still lack demonic and undead threats, which can be either 
  dull or overwhelming for parties whose abilities are particu-
  larly focused in those areas. They likewise lack intelligence; 
  the lurking monsters are almost entirely brutes.
  When you’re a villain, you’re just lurking in  
  the shadows waiting for the hero to pass by.  
  Then you pop them in the head and go home.
  – James Marsters
  
   
  ConFliCts 
  35
  For a party with large numbers of clerics, bards, and oth-
  ers, the GM may change up the opposition. Undead easily fit 
  here; howling ghosts can be made undead rather than faerie, 
  for a start. Zombies and ghouls can pop up anywhere. Visit-
  ing demons and other intelligent monsters can make a nice 
  change of pace as well. Perhaps the well beast (below) has a 
  much higher IQ and will let delvers through if they can cor-
  rectly answer riddles.
  Custom Fit
  If the monsters here aren’t suitable for the campaign, others 
  can easily be put in their place. The criteria for sensible mon-
  sters here is that they should be creatures that can reasonably 
  survive in an underground dungeon setting (plant-based mon-
  sters who need sunlight are probably out, as are most aquatic 
  monsters, though amphibious ones can work). However, they 
  should not be so ambitious as to leave behind such places in 
  search of treasure, conquest, the souls of the innocent, and 
  the like. Giant frogs, minor demons, different kinds of ghosts, 
  insect swarms, and more can reasonably show up here.
  stats
  While many of the monsters lurking the ruins of the dragon 
  palace can be found in the Dungeon Fantasy Monsters series 
  and Dungeons, a few are unique to the place.
  Curtain Spider
  Curtain spiders get their name from the large, thick sheets 
  of webs they build up over time. They’re a bit on the small size 
  for monster spiders, about the size of a small goat or large 
  dog. They don’t always kill their prey; often, they just use their 
  enveloping webs and stunning venom to incapacitate their tar-
  gets, plant eggs in them, and let them go.
  ST: 8 
  HP: 8 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 2 
  Per: 10
  HT: 11 
  FP: 11 
  SM: -3
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 2
  Toxic Bite (14): 1d-2 cutting + follow-up 2 points fatigue. 
  Reach C.
  Traits: Binding 6 (Melee Attack; Sticky); Clinging (Move 5); 
  Dark Vision; Extra Legs (Eight legs); Horizontal; No Fine 
  Manipulators; Peripheral Vision; Striking ST 2; Wild 
  Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-12.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: Curtain spiders aren’t terribly strong, but they tend 
  to attack in significant numbers. Their ability to move on 
  walls and ceilings almost as well as on the ground lets 
  them strike from unexpected angles. They typically try 
  to entangle their prey first, and then bite to knock them 
  out temporarily. Anyone incapacitated by curtain spiders 
  and left alone with them is likely to be implanted with a 
  clutch of eggs – roll a hit location randomly. If not treated 
  with Esoteric Medicine within three days, the clutch will 
  hatch into a swarm of tiny spiders who eat their way out, 
  doing 1d injury to that location.
  Howling Ghost
  Howling ghosts are not, technically, ghosts. They’re disem-
  bodied spirits which tend to appear in places which have seen 
  turmoil and destruction, but they do not originate from any 
  specific individual’s death. They look like translucent bundles 
  of pale rags in a strong wind.
  ST: 0 
  HP: 4 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 14 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 12 (Air)
  IQ: 6 
  Per: 10
  HT: 10 
  FP: N/A 
  SM: -1
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 0
  Poison Cloud (Resisted by HT‑4): Contact agent emanated 
  in a 2-yard radius; always on. Failure to resist does 1d toxic 
  damage.
  Stunning Shriek (14): Roll vs. HT-4 or be stunned. Cone 
  attack (range 5, 2 yards wide); hearing-based.
  Traits: Dark Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; 
  Doesn’t Sleep; Flight; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; 
  Injury Tolerance (Diffuse); No Legs (Aerial); No Manipu-
  lators; Vulnerability (Vacuum and wind-based attacks ¥2).
  Skills: Innate Attack (Breath)-14.
  Class: Faerie.
  Notes: Howling ghosts neither spend nor have FP. They are 
  constantly in flight until destroyed. Their usual tactic is to 
  whirl around their targets, stunning them with a focused, 
  banshee-like scream (often using a Move and Attack 
  maneuver, for -4 to hit with a maximum adjusted skill of 
  9), then whipping around in a tight orbit to expose victims 
  to the toxic aura.
  Well Beast
  Deep beneath the ruins of the dragon palace is an under-
  ground lake. Isolated from the outside world for unknown 
  eons, the black depths are occupied by countless blind sea 
  serpents. One of them (at least, perhaps more) found the well 
  from beneath and now comes to the surface from time to time 
  to find edible tidbits. It’s usually monsters passing by the pool, 
  but it could just as well be a party of adventurers. The well 
  beast is black and scaly, with a broad, flat head vaguely resem-
  bling a cobra’s. It has no eyes, but rather navigates by sound.
  ST: 60 
  HP: 60 
  Speed: 6.00
  DX: 12 
  Will: 10 
  Move: 6
  IQ: 4 
  Per: 10
  HT: 12 
  FP: 12 
  SM: +8
  Dodge: 9 
  Parry: N/A 
  DR: 6
  Bite (14): 7d-2 cutting. Reach C-15.
  Smash (14): 7d-1 crushing. Reach C-15.
  Traits: Blindness; Doesn’t Breathe (Gills); Injury Tolerance 
  (No Eyes); No Legs (Aquatic); No Manipulators; Scanning 
  Sense (Sonar); Wild Animal.
  Skills: Brawling-14.
  Class: Mundane.
  Notes: The well beast essentially attacks by flopping down on 
  its prey, crushing it. Its SM only accounts for the visible 
  portion of the beast that rises above the water, about three 
  yards across and reaching up to 20 yards.
  
   
  index 
  36
  Adventure, exceptional firepower and, 
  5; exceptional information and, 5; 
  exceptional transportation and, 5; hooks, 
  4; major changes, 4; modifying the 
  location, 4; overview, 3; PC aggression, 
  4; power level, 4; spin-offs, 5; with 
  established NPCs, 4.
  Alarm traps, 12.
  Ambassador’s rooms, 14; map, 13.
  Ataban the Sharp, 27, 32-33; stats, 34.
  Basilica, 16; map, 15.
  Books, draconic, 19; subject table, 19.
  Broken Fang Point, see Town.
  Ceilings, typical, 9.
  Court of the dragon king, 9-19; entrance, 9; 
  holes, 9; hooks, 9; maps, 10, 11, 13, 15, 
  17; patrols, 18-19; treasure, 19; vestibule, 
  10-12.
  Court of the dragon queen, 20-27; entrance, 
  12, 20; holes, 20; hooks, 20; maps, 10, 21, 
  24, 26, 27; vestibule, 10-12.
  Cowl of Ahten-Ahten, 18; guilds and, 7-8; 
  legend, 7; location, 17; losing, 35.
  Curtain spiders, 23, 25, 35.
  Dinomen, 28.
  Doors, typical, 9.
  Dragon-blooded, 28; magicians, 29; priests, 
  29.
  Dragons, 28; Ataban the Sharp, 
  27, 32-34; breath table, 19; 
  magic, 31; royalty, 32-34; stats, 
  30-32; Vestitius Longtail, 17, 
  32-34.
  Ghosts, howling, 35.
  Greater apartments, 12-16; map, 
  13.
  Guilds, recruitment ideas, 7-8.
  GURPS, 3; Dungeon Fantasy, 
  3, 5, 35; Dungeon Fantasy 
  2: Dungeons, 3, 12, 14, 23; 
  Dungeon Fantasy 3: The 
  Next Level, 3; Dungeon 
  Fantasy 4: Sages, 19; 
  Dungeon Fantasy 8: 
  Treasure Tables, 3, 19; 
  Dungeon Fantasy 16: 
  Wilderness Adventures, 
  3, 8; Dungeon Fantasy 
  17: Guilds, 3, 7; Dungeon 
  Fantasy Adventure 1: Mirror 
  of the Fire Demon, 3, 4; 
  Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 
  1, 3, 9, 12, 14-18, 22, 23; 
  Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 
  2: Icky Goo, 3, 14, 16; 
  Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 
  3: Born of Myth & Magic, 
  3, 14, 22, 23; Magic, 25; 
  Monster Hunters 3:  
  The Enemy, 5.
  Hall of the dragon king, 16-17; map, 17.
  Hall of the dragon queen, 27; map, 27.
  High rooms, 16; map, 15.
  Howling ghosts, 35; customizing, 35.
  Kunukut, 16, 32.
  Labyrinth, 25; map, 26.
  Legend of dragons, 7.
  Lesser rooms, 14-16; map, 13.
  Libraries, 20-22; map, 21.
  Lighting, typical, 9.
  Lizard cult, 28-32; see also Dinomen, Dragon 
  King’s Court, Dragon-Blooded, Dragons, 
  Lizard Men.
  Lizard men, 28; brutes, 30; warriors, 30.
  Loggia of the Vizier, 12-14; map, 13.
  Maps, basilica, 15; greater apartments, 13; 
  hall of the dragon king, 17; hall of the 
  dragon queen, 27; labyrinth, 26; palace 
  overview, 10; pool, 24; Queen’s Square, 
  21; vestibule, 11.
  Monsters, dragon-blooded, 28, 29; lizard 
  men, 28, 30; new, 34-35; patrols, 18-19; 
  wandering, 23; see also Dragons.
  Museum, 22; map, 21.
  N, explanation, 4.
  Organizations, recruitment ideas, 7-8.
  Palace, ceilings, 9; doors, 9; entrance, 9; 
  legend, 7; lighting, 9; overview map, 10; 
  vestibule, 10-12; see also Dragon King’s 
  Court, Dragon Queen’s Court.
  Patrols, wandering, 18-19.
  Pool, 23-25; map, 24.
  Queen’s Square, 20-23; map, 21.
  Recruitment, 7-8.
  Research, 8.
  Rumors, 8.
  Shopping, 8.
  Spiders, curtain, 23, 25, 35.
  Tables, book subject, 19; dragon’s breath, 
  19; greater treasure, 19; lesser treasure, 
  19; wandering monster, 23; wandering 
  patrol, 18.
  Tomb of the dragon king, 3, 7; see also 
  Court of the Dragon King.
  Town, events, 7-8; geography, 6; holes, 6; 
  hooks, 6; overview, 6.
  Traps, alarm, 12.
  Travel, 8.
  Treasure, 19; tables, 19.
  Vestibule, 10-12; map, 11.
  Vestitius Longtail, 17, 32-33;  
  stats, 33-34.
  Wandering, monsters, 23;  
  patrols, 18-19.
  Well beasts, 25, 35.
  Yansolsi, 16, 32.
  index
  
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