Acastus • Odyssey of the Dragonlords

The King’s Dragon#

Towering over the city harbor is a gargantuan silver dragon. His roar thunders across the ocean, shaking your very bones and sending a chill down your spine. The dragon crushes several buildings beneath his massive claws and snaps his jaws at a crowd of fleeing citizens. Many are crushed by his fearsome jaws. Kyrah grits her teeth. “It is the king’s dragon, Icarus. He has gone mad with power.”

As the heroes arrive in Mytros, the harbor is already under attack by an Ancient Silver Dragon. Kyrah will recognize him as Icarus, the king’s own dragon. Acastus has apparently fed him all the remaining doses of his potion of aging, presumably in the hope of protecting the city from the wrath of the Titans. Rather than protecting the city, the dragon has been driven mad by the cumulative effects of the potion—and his newfound power.

Icarus will destroy the city unless he can be stopped. The heroes will stand a much better chance of surviving this encounter if they battle the gargantuan dragon while mounted on the backs of the four metallic dragons that they have recently bonded.

Powerful But Clumsy#

Icarus is not used to his size or his power, so he will stumble and misjudge his abilities during the fight. Every other round, he suffers from Disadvantage, because his mind has not fully adjusted to his new size. If he wishes to use one of his abilities or powers, roll 1d20: on 11 or higher, he may do so to full effect, otherwise it has half its normal effect either in terms of damage inflicted, duration, and/ or range.

Collateral Damage#

You might choose to measure the heroes’ success against Icarus in terms of the amount of collateral damage that they prevent. Icarus has the mind of a very young dragon, and he gives no thought to the citizens crushed beneath his claws or frozen by his breath attacks during the battle. He will not deliberately target bystanders, but he gives no thought to them when making attacks.

During any combat round that the heroes do not attack Icarus, he will kill d10x10 (roll a d10 and multiply by 10) citizens with his trashing about and clumsy attempts to wreck the city. During any round that he is engaged in combat, he will only kill 1d10 citizens. The heroes cannot save everyone, but you can ramp up the pressure on the party to save as many as possible.

The Mad King#

King Acastus (appendix A), stricken by guilt and unable to bear watching his beloved city being destroyed, has retreated to the colosseum. There, he has been joined by three of his Dragonlord Soldier Captains (appendix B), including Tarchon. The captains are circling overhead, mounted on Young Copper Dragons. The king is pacing nervously at the center of the colosseum, next to his
Adult Copper Dragon mount. The heroes can easily see the dragons circling above

the colosseum from anywhere in the city. Volkan will mention that the Rod Of Rulership in the king’s possession could be a powerful weapon against the Titans. He doesn’t understand why the rod hasn’t been used: Acastus knows how the rod works, but for some reason, the king hasn’t used it to defend the city. When the heroes arrive at the colosseum, Acastus stops pacing and greets them coldly.

“So, you have returned from your long journey. And what do you have to show for it? Dragons? More dragons. We have dragons enough in Mytros. Stupid, stupid beasts!” He kicks his mount viciously. “My ancestors were fools to fight against the power of the Titans. We should … we must … we have no choice but to bow to them! Perhaps then they will spare … some of us.” The king watches you with a mad gleam in his eyes. “They will demand sacrifices. That is only fair. Fair recompense for the damage that you’ve done to them. But many such sacrifices must be made in the pursuit of greatness. Yes, I think they will spare me—and my city—if we offer them your heads.”

Acastus and his “Dragonlords” will attack the heroes and fight to the death. Count the number of rounds in this battle. The Titans have this number of rounds to wreak havoc in the city while the heroes are preoccupied.

Sanity Restored#

When Acastus (appendix A)is reduced to 0 Hit Points, his selfishness is overcome by his love for his city. With his last strength, he will hand his Rod of Rulership to the closest hero and reveal that it is the key to controlling the Colossus of Pythor.

Treasure#

King Acastus carries the Rod of Rulership. This rod allows its wielder to take command of the Colossus of Pythor, which stands guard over the city harbor. Acastus wields a Nine Lives Stealer.

The Colossus Awakened#

Once the heroes have the Rod of Rulership, they should fly to the head of the Colossus of Pythor. Here, they can take control of the gargantuan construct and use it in the upcoming battles against the Titans. Only one of the heroes can take control of the colossus, and that hero is too distracted to control a dragon mount at the same time. This may sound obvious, but one of your players will absolutely try to do it! Give the elected player the statistic block for the Bronze Colossus (appendix B). They control the construct in the final battles.

You inspect the control sphere at the center of the colossus’s head. There is a slot that seems made for the Rod of Rulership . As you insert the rod into the sphere, you feel the platform beneath you thrum with power. The gargantuan construct creaks and groans as it shudders and comes to life. Somewhere deep inside, you can feel the pulse of mighty pumps and the clatter of gigantic gears clashing together. The colossus takes one hesitant step from its platform, straightens itself, and then flexes its magical muscles. The citizens of besieged Mytros erupt into joyous cheers. “The colossus has awakened! The god of battle has come to save the city!”