The enormous corpse of the spider blocked their path forward and it took both dwarves to push it aside to free access to the gateway. Thegman gagged, and then quickly held his breath, as his arm pushed too hard in the wrong place and wound up shoulder-deep inside the thorax of the great beast. Pulling his arm out and watching the disgusting goo drip from his already-sewage-drenched armour made him question some decisions. How had the fifth son of Thognor found himself in this mess?

The corridor ahead was dark and very tight. The light of the torch revealed more solid stone walls, with a shorter ceiling than the large chamber they were currently in. Scouting ahead, Tanthalas weaved through the twisting tunnel with the others following along slowly, single file in the dark. The walls seemed to press in as they wound their way deeper into the maintenance corridor. After a few turns, the ranger held up a hand to signal everyone to come to a stop. Something was not right with the path ahead, but his elven eyes couldn’t quite pick out what it was in the dark.

Bringing the light forward, Flynver held it high revealing a slippery and acidic substance on the stones ahead. Just to the left, a trough filled with the same sludge dared them to enter. It was impossible to tell how deep that pit would be, but it was obvious that none of them should attempt to get into the liquid. They were going to have to cross this very carefully.

Pulling out a rope, the elven ranger passed it along to everyone behind him. Thegman anchored the group at the rear as Tanthalas took the lead at the front. Tied together, the group felt safer about crossing the slick surface, but the risk would now be that if any of them fell they may all be sent tumbling into the sludge to their left. Stepping carefully, the elf made his way across the precarious stones, reaching the far side and grabbing onto a wall, just in case. The others slowly advanced, holding onto the rope and moving slowly, until Thegman’s foot slipped.

The normally sure-footed dwarf teetered, off-balance, grabbing onto the rope as the others braced against the other side. The weight of his armor pulling him one way, and the rope pulling the other, Thegman spared a glance at the sludge as it bubbled a little and spat a bit of acid on his beard. Finding the focus with the the help of the others, the dwarf found a way to get both feet stable again and make it the rest of the way.

The corner ahead ended abruptly in a dead end, but they had found what they had been searching for. On the wall ahead of them was a single valve, much less corroded then the other they had encountered, just waiting to be turned. Hoping not to rip this one off the wall, Audak stepped forward and grasped the valve with both hands, trying to turn it more carefully this time.

The metal ring twisted easily, triggering a mechanical sound inside the wall. A loud noise echoed from somewhere else in the complex, followed by the sound of rushing water flowing down massive drains. Flynver, his halfling frame holding the light and still somewhat in the sludge-covered hall, heard a sound near his feet. He watched as the pit of acidic liquid began to lower, revealing a trough not much deeper than himself. A manhole-sized drain seemed to be in the center. Certainly big enough to squeeze through, but it likely had a questionable destination.

For now, it seemed that they had solved the problem that was causing the smell in Denn!

Enter the dragon

Regrouping in the larger room where Louis and the spider still lay, Tanthalas called the group to a halt. As they had approached the next corridor, the torch light had briefly illuminated something. The sharp-eyed ranger had spotted a lizard-like shape skulking about in the darkness of the next room. Recalling the movement he had sensed in the water previously, the elf raised a finger to his lips to call for silence as he crept forward slowly. As he slid out of the light of the torch, he noticed a creature huddled at the far side of the pool. It seemed vaguely humanoid, perhaps with some draconic features, disguised in a large and dark cloak.

“Identify yourself!” shouted the elf, threatening the shape with his drawn bow. Instead of responding, the figure silently shook its head and frantically gestured with a clawed hand down towards the now-empty stone pit. It was too late, though.

A dark shape crawled out of an alcove in one of the walls, its serpentine neck twisting as its golden eyes glinted in the torch light. The creature’s wings spread as it left the small alcove where it had been sleeping, a snarl escaping its maw as it set its eyes on the intruders. The powerful legs of the beast sent it leaping up to the stone bridge spanning the pool and its head reared back. A stream of acid leapt from its jaws as the beast blasted through the corridor, aiming for the torch-bearing fools that had entered its lair.

The drake before them could not have been very old. It’s torso was not much larger than the elf himself. Tanthalas was the only one who had seen another of its kind before, though, and the rest of the group was appropriately concerned of the fearsome creature.

The halfling wizard, though, was always ready to leap into danger! Throwing his own safety to the wind, he rushed forward at the giant lizard, unleashing the same blast of sound that had crumpled the giant spider a short time ago. Perhaps it had expected such an attack, no doubt having heard the last time the wizard had used such a tactic, but in any case the drake seemed to shrug off the thunderous wave and turned its gaze to focus on the wizard.

The others rushed into action, trying their best to fend off the wyrmling, but it either managed to squirm out of the way or their blows slid meaninglessly off its tough scales. The raging barbarian nearly threw himself off the bridge trying to break through the beast’s defenses, but even still had no luck.

A loud screeching noise suddenly came from the juvenile beast. The sound was not unlike fingernails scratching on a chalkboard while rocks were being sorted in a mine cart. The outburst pained those who heard it, but there was one figure in the room whose ears perked up as the draconic words echoed through the room.

“GET OUT! THIS IS MY HOME!”

The silent figure in the dark cloak quickly translated the words into the Common tongue before switching to match with the drake’s spoken language. From the lizard-like face in the cloak came the same growls and screeches, though also mixed with a musical sound to them. It seemed almost calming as the figure backed away from the drake.

Taking the cue, the others began fleeing for the exit as the drake stalked purposefully after them. It moved slowly, snarling and baring its teeth, but it did not attempt to harm any of them, even the halfling who had blasted it. The elf, who had held his spot to cover his fleeing companions, suddenly found himself face-to-face with the eyes of the beast. The scaled head snaked back and forth, eyeing him up, before releasing a great growl and gnashing its teeth at him. Suddenly, the drake’s head cocked to the side, almost as if it had sensed something from the elf.

Tanthalas took the moment to back off and close the door behind him, allowing the drake its home. The party looked at each other, wide-eyed, and suddenly realized they had been holding their breath. A collective release of tension happened as they realized they had survived.

The stranger with the reptile features stood quietly to the side, eyeing the group that had just found him. Friendly as always, Flynver hopped forward to thank the new arrival for their help, before Tanthalas cut off the small talk.

“Why are you here?” the elf demanded.

The cloaked figure bared its teeth, perhaps a smile, before explaining that he was a monster hunter and had tracked something here, below the streets of Denn. The elf accepted the explanation, but was still trying to puzzle out how everything was fitting together. He knew enough that wyrmlings like the one they just saw were intelligent enough to be able to manipulate objects, and might have even been able to reason out how to block the drainage. But why? And how did the bubbling vats in the room fit into the equation?

Now that they knew the drake could be reasoned with, though, perhaps it had the answers. However, right now was likely not the best time to be opening that door, lest they found themselves on the wrong side of those teeth. Maybe tomorrow might be a better time to discuss the situation with the creature.

Start spreading the news

The first stop on their route was a return to Boblin and the people of the city beneath the streets. There was much rejoicing and dancing at the news that the great spider-thing had been eliminated, and effusive thanks provided to the group of heroes. Boblin’s people seemed eager to retake their home, until they heard about the new danger in the tunnels. The goblins in the little town did not seem eager to face down a drake, no matter how young it might be. The kobold denizens, however, seemed more intrigued. When Flynver mentioned they would try to speak to the dragon in the morning, the kobolds practically jumped at the chance to help. The more draconic language experts, the better, Flynver figured.

Boblin generously offered the heroes a stay in their city to rest, but they graciously declined the offer in favour of finding a place with some better air and a chance to bathe. Brylla and Thegman, in particular, wanted to get the sewage off of them after the blast they got in Vale Garden. The group confidently strode down the sewer tunnels, a bit of a spring in their step now, though Brylla was slowed down slightly by the weight of carrying Marko’s body. Ahead of them, sunlight streamed down from the street above, lighting the service ladder they had used earlier, and offering hope of escape from the sewers. The thought of being in the sunlight again raised Tanthalas’ spirits, allowing him to temporarily forget about the plight of the drake below the streets.

Standing at the base of the ladder, Audak heaved Marko’s lifeless form upwards as the dwarves braced themselves at the top of the ladder to pull the body up. They hoped Marko’s family would find some comfort in seeing him returned. As they all stood in the sunshine, there was already a noticeable shift in the quality of the air. Or perhaps it could be that they were no longer completely shrouded in the awful stench of the sewers. Flynver took a deep breath, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of the sun’s light upon his skin again. It had only been a few hours, but not all of them had spent their lives beneath a mountain.

They had only a moment to enjoy the warm Haust weather before councilor Krynth was upon them.

“Is it done? Did you do it?” the merchant questioned eagerly. Perhaps a little too eagerly. Back in the shop, Krynth had seemed a little too generous with helping them prepare for this mission, and here he was seemingly anxious to have the issue resolved.

After filling the councilor in on the success of their mission in unblocking the drainage, Krynth seemed to be interested in finding out more about anything else that might be in the sewers and Brylla filled him in on the winged creature they discovered. The merchant raised an eyebrow at this news, absent-mindedly twirling the edge of his moustache, but didn’t comment any more than that.

Noticing Marko’s form on the ground, Krynth kneeled down, recognizing the man.

“Poor Marko. His family will want him properly buried. We can bring Marko to my shop where he can be picked up by the officials, he deserves better than to be left lying here in the streets. Thank you so much for bringing him back to his home, he was a brave soul.”

Krynth was clearly sad to learn of Marko’s passing and inquired about his brother, Louis, who had travelled with him. Brylla was the one to break the bad news, but promised to reunite the brave brothers soon. First, though, they were all extremely tired from their ordeal and required a much-needed rest. And a bath.

“Certainly, certainly. I know just the place!” offered Krynth, leading them all down towards the waterfront. “The inn we’re headed to is one of the oldest in Lani, rumoured to be part of the original Denn settlement. It’s changed hands many times, and been renovated, torn down, and rebuilt, more than any could count over the thousands of years. It has always held the same name, though, for as long as anybody can find record.”

Stopping shortly at Krynth’s shop to find a safe room in which to leave Marko, the group wound its way through the neighbourhoods towards the docks. As they passed through the streets, they noticed so many shops closed up, and a lot of faces peering out from behind windows. This was not the Denn that the citizens remembered. Huddled in their houses, isolated from everyone. The sight of the heroes bravely wandering in the streets tempted a few to try the air outside. The air was still distasteful, but was an improvement. Glancing behind him, Audak even noticed a few children coming out to play. With luck, Denn would return to its usual self soon.

Valor’s Rest

As they arrived down by the waterfront, Krynth pointed ahead to a large wood, brick and stone building. It stood easily four times as wide as any of the buildings in the neighbourhood but only had two stories. A wooden sign hung above the main doors with the image of a knight’s steel helmet centered between the words “Valor’s Rest Inn”. Inside, there were a few nods to tradition in some of the decor, but for the most part was modern and cleanly kept. The main room was nothing fancy, just a few long wooden communal tables with benches, and near the back could be seen a bar stand and doors to what was undoubtedly a kitchen area. A familiar face approached them from the bar, smiling broadly and spreading his arms in greeting.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Krynth? Does this mean good news?” asked Mack, one of the councilors they had met earlier that day.

“Indeed! Our friends here were in need of some rest and a place to wash up and I knew you would be able to provide for them most graciously”, replied their mustached companion.

“Of course, of course!” offered the smooth-talking merchant. “A room for each of you and I’ll make sure someone draws a bath up in your rooms while you get ready. Please, have a seat while you wait.” With that, the owner of the establishment retreated to the back to begin the work.

Having kept quiet at the back of the group, not wanting to draw attention to himself, the silent cloaked figure finally held back his hood to reveal a face that more closely matched the creature they had seen in the sewers than any of the others in the room. Standing up to his full height, he towered over most of the humanoids in the room, save only the overly gargantuan Audak. The scales on his head glittered bronze in the light of the tavern oil lamps and his eyes were foreign to the rest of the party. Just the cold, calculating, stare of his dragon kin. It wasn’t common to come across one of the dragonborn and it was clear that Al, as he introduced himself, was used to standing out in the crowd.

Krynth raised an eyebrow but seemed non-plussed by the appearance of yet another adventurer. He had honestly not even noticed the number of heroes had changed. With a shrug, the merchant wished them a good evening and started to head back to his shop to alert Marko’s family of the news.

As the others began to retreat for the evening to rest and freshen up, the elven ranger followed the merchant out and cornered him. Tanthalas had come to Denn with a specific mission in mind and he was beginning to suspect that Krynth may know more than he was telling.

“Tell me, what do you know about an egg coming to Denn?” questioned the elf.

Seeming a little guarded, Krynth demanded how Tanthalas could know about an egg, but the elf was not so quick to give away his own secrets. It didn’t take much convincing to get the merchant to talk.

“Alright, I’ll admit I might know something about an egg, but it’s not for sale” Krynth stated, quite firmly. Tanthalas could tell the merchant wasn’t bluffing on this point, but the elf wanted to know who had the egg and Krynth was, badly, trying to avoid the discussion. He was either a bad liar, or easily frightened, because it took only a little prodding to get him to slip up.

“Okay, I had it, but I gave it away to my nephew. When it hatched, it was so beautiful, black as night, and Jordan adored it. One night, it disappeared and we never saw the lizard again.”

Nodding along, the elf was seeing the pieces falling into place. He thanked Krynth for the honesty and retired for the evening along with the others.

And good morning to you, too

The group came downstairs for breakfast in a fine mood, ready for a great breakfast after a long rest. Flynver had been leafing through some magical tomes he had in his pack for much of the night and seemed excited to try out some new things. The adventure had given them all a unique experience that they had not had in their previous lives in Lani. They felt changed, as if they were on a path now for something greater. They all laughed together as they made their way to the common area.

The owner was there, but he did not match their gaiety. Mack was in a foul mood this morning, matched only by the foul air coming through the front windows.

“I thought you said you fixed the problem!” he growled, clearly irritated. “Get back down there and figure it out!”

The councilor was prepping for the morning rush, but there were no other customers coming in. With the smell returned, his hope for a busy day and some return to normal business was thwarted. His only customers weren’t even paying. Still, the rudeness was pretty uncalled for.

Flynver remarked on the councilor’s attitude, but this yielded no apologies, so the group slipped out the door to return to Vale Gardens. The smell was definitely back and it seemed like their work might have been undone. Approaching the sewer entrance, they heaved a collective sigh as they prepared for the descent back into the sewage below.

Moving through the darkness yet again, they checked for any signs of disturbances or of others having passed by. The only prints they found in the muck below seemed to be their own from the day before and there appeared to be no changes to the surroundings. However, on their way to talk to Boblin, they passed by the door to the maintenance room where the vats had been located. Sure enough, the lids were off the vats, the fumes filling the room yet again.

Audak stepped forward, remembering to hold his breath, and placed the covers back on the vats. Someone or something had been here. Flynver and Tanthalas noted some scratch marks on the lid, likely from claws, and some matching ones on the floor leading back to the adjoining room with the pool of sewage water. The door to the next room was also ajar, making a fairly convincing case that the black drake had been the culprit here.

Confronting the beast

They had already known they would have to face down the drake again today, but it seemed more important now to get it done quickly. Meeting up with Boblin and some of the kobolds from the shanty town, the group prepared for their intervention. There had to be a way to get the drake out of the sewers!

Steeling themselves to face those snarling teeth again, Brylla and Al stepped forward with the kobolds, but found no sign of the drake. The sludge water had returned to the pool, obscuring vision, but the group was fairly certain of what they would find below that acidic surface. Tanthalas quickly travelled down the maintenance corridor to release the backup valve again, draining the sludge once again and revealing the stone pit where they knew the black reptile lay in wait.

A rhythm began from the side of the pool where the kobolds stood. The gravelly sounds of their choir seemed to shift into musical chiming noises and then back around again in a simple, and repetitive, refrain. Slapping their feet and sticks against the stone surface, they chanted and danced. Only the dragonborn monster hunter understood their words, a simple phrase to call forth a friend to play, spoken usually by children. Tanthalas, pulling out his drums, listened to the rhythm of the kobolds and found the simple beat. Playing along, he joined in the summoning ritual that the kobolds hoped would bring out the drake.

It was not long before an irritated black form leapt forth from the alcove below and landed once more on the bridge, spreading its wings to its full length in a display of intimidation. Demanding an answer to the intrusion, the wyrmling focused its words on the kobolds before it, not noticing at first the others in the room who were set for an ambush.

“Leave my home!” shouted the drake in its strange language, clearly attempting to frighten off the small kobolds before him.

Standing at his full height and revealing his draconic heritage, Al faced down the drake.

“Why do you need this water?” he demanded.

Perhaps thrown by Al’s appearance, the wyrmling hesitated. It tried to explain, in its simple sentences, that it needed the nourishment that was here. It did not want to have the sludge taken from it. This was its shelter and its sustenance. As the group attempted to question it about the valve, the drake seemed to spook and move to protect it. It became obvious to the group that this drake was the true source of the city’s issues and that they needed to get the drake out of the sewers.

The kobolds attempted to convince their new friend to come with them without much success. Tanthalas, however, had an idea. There were several bodies of water nearby, including a marsh just to the northwest of Denn which could prove to be a perfect home for the drake. Working with the dragonborn as a translator, they made it an offer it could not refuse.

Obviously, the current sewers would be too small for it soon, they explained. The allure of the wide openness of the forest and marsh appealed to the young wyrmling. The drake and the kobolds seemed excited about the idea of a place of their own, but they would need help to get there. Al and Tanthalas teamed up again, working to create a rough map that the kobolds could use to find the marsh and their new home. The drake folded its wings back against its body, signaling an end to hostilities, and the small group of draconids moved towards the entrance, following the lead of Brylla and Audak who carried out Louis’ remains.

Hanging back from the group, Flynver quickly scooted down to the alcove in the pit. Trying not to raise any attention, the halfling pilfered through the drake’s few belongings. The juvenile reptile’s hoard was small, but yielded a few shiny items for the wizard to pocket. What was most interesting was the presence of a frayed blue ribbon, resembling something that might be used as a collar one might give to a pet. Embroidered onto the ribbon was the word “Skaeli” in the Common alphabet. Accompanying the ribbon was a piece of magical parchment with a simple note scrawled upon it.

To Jordan: I hope this guy makes a great friend! All my love,

Uncle Krynth

Saying goodbye

Helping the drake out of the sewers was awkward, but Audak and Al were able to ensure the beast made it to the streets. As they climbed into the sun, the kobolds shielded their eyes. They had not seen such brightness in a very long time. Based on the chatter that Al heard between them, it may have been several generations since one of their ancestors had tried to venture into the streets during the light of day. The drake’s head snaked back and forth, eyeing its surroundings. Luckily, most people were still keeping inside from the stench, but the arrival of the dragonkin in the streets was definitely attracting attention.

In the sewers below, Tanthalas and Brylla were saying their farewells to Boblin. The brave goblin had enjoyed the short adventure, but his place was with his people. He had little to offer for the help but words of thanks, until he remembered the blade at his side. Holding the blade across both palms, he offered it up to the heroes.

“I has very little, but I can gives you this. You made our homezes safe, no needs this now.” said the small leader in a serious tone.

Brylla paused, not wanting to take Boblin’s only means of defending his people, but her divine senses detected something in the blade. It was more than it seemed and this would be a great help indeed. Tanthalas graciously accepted the offer, sheathing the gifted sword at his belt before climbing the rungs to the street above.

As the elf and dwarf got to a stand in the street above, surrounded by their companions, Krynth approached again, somewhat surprised at the sight of the drake and kobolds who had joined the group. He seemed to pause, staring into the golden eyes which were locked on him. Flynver took no hesitation as he launched his accusation directly at the merchant.

“Did you feed this drake toxic acidic waste?” accused the halfling.

Krynth looked aghast, even outraged, that he would be suspected of such a thing. When shown the rune from the vats, the councilor again could not recognize it at all, or if it was even a language. From the emotion in his protestations, it seemed like he truly had not been involved.

As the merchant discussed the situation more with the party, a young woman exited one of the houses up the hill, accompanied by a little boy with dark hair who pushed past her and began running down the cobblestones. The boy was fair of skin, no more than seven or eight years old, with a hair colour matching quite closely to Krynth. As the child closed the distance, he shouted out, causing everyone to look, including the drake. The black-scaled beast suddenly leapt over the crowd, bounding towards the small boy and toppling Krynth’s nephew over as the drake tackled its friend and enveloped him in its wings. His mother seemed concerned watching the two together, worried her son might get hurt, but what had seemed like such a fearsome creature just a few minutes ago in the sewers seemed to now be acting more like a lap dog. Rolling and playfully nipping, the drake hopped from one side to the other, its long neck danced as it avoided the grasp of the little boy. Jordan laughed and pressed his head against the forehead of his now-huge former pet. The two shared the moment, before the drake pulled away and lowered its gaze to the ground. Tears ran down the boy’s smiling face as he realized what the young dragon was saying. The reptile uttered a few words in its gravelly yet musical tone, but those words were for Jordan alone, though he could not understand them. The young boy’s pet stepped back and drew himself tall, a regal member of his kind once, and moved towards the center of the square. Jordan’s hand, half-raised, wiggled his fingers in a sad gesture of goodbye.

By now, several folks had gathered in the streets, curious about what was happening, but seemingly unafraid. The wyrmling looked back at Jordan one last time as it prepared to leap. Al was certain he saw the drake wink before it pushed off into the air, its powerful wings lifting its body above the houses. The kobolds yipped and begin skipping along at full tilt, trying to chase after their new idol as it left Denn for the marshes to the north.

In the streets, most of the folks watched the strange procession with interest before returning to their normal chores. With the air feeling fresher already, many of them were eager to return to normal. However, in that square by the manhole, a group of heroes stood and watched as a little boy waved dramatically to the sky, the dark winged object of his attention growing smaller by the minute. In the distance a loud and mournful howl echoed across the sky over Denn.

Jordan’s mother knelt down beside him, pulling her son close to her as his chest was wracked with sobbing. His uncle’s hand came to a rest on the boy’s shoulder, trying to comfort him. As the young wyrmling faded from view, the boy allowed a smile to come back to his face. In that moment, the boy had made a decision.

Credits

• Writing credit: Inspiration taken from session notes by Matthew Moran.
• Adventure story: Inspired by “Something is rotten in the City-state of Dennmarsh”, a free 5e adventure by Adventures Await Studios
• Cover image: “A boy and his drake”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
• Dragon snarling image: “The Beast Surfaces”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
• Inn image: “Valor’s Rest”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
• Kobolds image: “Kobolds”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
• Boy in town image: “Goodbye”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe