The Queen Goddess • Odyssey of the Dragonlords

Before the heroes leave the Great Palace, Queen Vallus sends her chief stewardess, Makhaira, to intercept them as they are leaving the throne room. Makhaira escorts the heroes to see the queen in her chambers.

The Queen’s Chambers#

When the heroes arrive, Queen Vallus is resting on a divan across from a series of gilded mirrors. She is accompanied by many scribes and servants in white. While Acastus is off playing king, Vallus works hard behind closed doors, performing the many necessary duties of a true head of state.

The Queen’s Warning#

Vallus explains that her husband has not been entirely honest with the party. The map to the Ultros is accurate, but the king is almost certainly sending the heroes to their doom. She knows that Acastus has been troubled in his sleep by dreams of some kind and she thinks that his unusual generosity is somehow connected to this. He would never give the heroes such a gift unless he believed that it would work to his advantage.

Vallus insists that when the heroes have acquired the Ultros, they should return to her immediately. She is certain that her ‘stupid husband’ will try to take the ship. She feels that nothing good can come of Acastus controlling both the ship and the dragons.

Conflicts in the City#

Vallus also explains that there are deep conflicts within the city between the followers of the Five and the followers of the Twins. You can decide if your players need to hear anything of the history of the Titans at this point, or whether this would only muddy the waters for them. She is desperately worried that, at the time when the Oath of Peace (appendix D) ends, the powers of the Five Gods will be fully spent. If Pythor or Kyrah are present, she will also be concerned for them, and will make a point of asking after the health of Volkan, her father.

Quest: The Cult of Lutheria#

This quest is optional, depending upon whether or not you want the party to explore Mytros before they set out on their quest to recover the Ultros.

Vallus asks the heroes for a favor. Sydon may have been pacified this time, but the Titans should pay a price for their cruelty and impudence. While attacking the Temple of Sydon would be too much of a provocation, the Cult of Lutheria is gaining a dangerous amount of influence in the city. Vallus asks the heroes to help the city by striking a blow against the cult.

The queen suggests that the heroes should investigate the Temple of Lutheria (area M20) found in Stygian Row in Mytros. This is not an invitation to cause chaos in the lower city—the heroes should approach this carefully and collect evidence against them if possible. The Cult is popular because it supplies the city with much of its wine.

The Queen’s Warriors

Oath of the Dragonlords Paladin If a Paladin that has the Oath of the Dragonlords the party, then Vallus will take them aside to speak with privately. She gives them a locked bronze casket. Inside is a single dragon egg, the last of the eggs that Sydon gave to Acastus. It can be either brass, bronze or copper. You can decide if this egg takes the place of the egg she gives Kyrah in Odyssey of the Dragonlords or if it is an additional egg. The queen’s chief stewardess is Makhaira (LG Warrior Amazon Warriors ), who commands twelve (both stat blocks can be found in appendix B of of the Dragonlords ). Makhaira was exiled from Themis by Queen Thesilea VI and came to Mytros ten years ago. She is fiercely loyal to Queen Vallus.

is in The Blessing and the Horn If the heroes sacrificed the great boar to Vallus, she expresses her gratitude and grants them her blessing before they depart. If they present her with the Horn of Balmytria (appendix C), Vallus accepts it and uses her power to reveal a third command word. She urges the heroes to keep the horn safe, for it will be a powerful weapon against the Titans. Amazon Odyssey

illustrated quote — You may be a goddess, my queen, but you fail to understand the hearts of your subjects. I alone know what is best for my people. Do not question me. -King Acastus

Encounter: The King’s Dragon#

The king’s dragon, Icarus (CN Adult Silver Dragon), is loudly snoring in the main courtyard of the Great Palace, lying atop a small fortune’s worth of silver coins. The king happily allows him to sleep here. The dragon is attended by seven servants, who have been ordered to pamper him with new trinkets and freshly-slaughtered sheep each day.

Treasure. The dragon’s treasure pile contains 20,000 SP. He will awaken immediately if even a single coin is touched, but his first instinct is not to be angry. He likes it when people admire his treasure, and he will allow each hero to take as much as 25 SP, because he likes to feel generous and lordly. However, if the heroes attempt to take more than the few coins he allows them, he will grow annoyed and call for guards to escort them away.