The kingdom of the kobolds (dragon darklord idea)

[edised]

I need help fleshing This domain.

The idea is the domain is the dominant race is kobolds (and a minority of Dragonborn) that have made a civilization in this land. When the mists came thay found all the towns empty of people except the dragonborn.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

For starters, I recommend making this an Island of Terror.

What else can you tell us?

[alhoon]

Meanwhile, my non Ravenloft game is in an area where:
150 or so years ago, the Consort of Tiamat (her boyfriend, a boosted White) showed up. The numbers of Metallic dragons have been raising for years prior, blessed by Tiamat. The Consort of Tiamat signaled the call and dragon activity exploded. Dragons that were previously complacent with raiding a caravan every few years or something, came out in droves. For 30-40 years, the continent burned. The dragons worked together in a not-too-defined hierarchy, and there is little a city of 6,000 people can do against 3 young dragons led by an adult dragon or a duchy can do against an army of dragonborn and human collaborators (including those that joined the ranks to survive) led by 20 dragons that strike together. One by one most of the countries fell except some cities on the sides.
Eventually the Consort of Tiamat "Disappeared" - he was not defeated. The dragons have already emptied the treasuries and got the major share of the continent so they started fighting among themselves, carving dragon-centered areas and generally stopped being a unified army. They stopped bothering with expanding further.

Civilization in most of the continent has completely regressed. In the 90 years since towns controlled by Dragonborn, Draconians and dragons may have ovethrown their leaders. Nomads hiding in caves or in ruins make new villages.
The population density in my campaign area is still atrociously low. Most "states" are communities of a few villages. 20% or so of the population is still nomadic as monsters (and non-unified dragons) abound.

And there are entire areas where genocidal dragons settled. All humans have been eaten, killed or driven away and kobolds, dragonborn, draconians + lizardmen and lizardmen stay in the ruins. Some of these states have captured human slaves. Other have human "Resistance" up in the mountains fighting against the dragon (or draconian or dragonborn) overlords. etc.

______________________________________________

AAAAAAAAAAAAll that synopsis leads me to:

An area where the dragon did something naughty, and the mists intervened. He found himself out of his luxurious ruins-palace and his beloved horde-item a big big gem that actually had an entrancing power on dragons (not the gem that controls dragons, let's say a 'prototype' that made them like it a lot).
He has money but not his precious. He has lost the marvelous marble palace and the luxurious mansions that his dragonborn/kobold/draconian lieutenants stayed in and found himself in a backwards civilization where his minions are loyal to him but incompetent - when it comes to making objects and jewels of beauty. If the dragon is green, then they are not good enough like the slaves he had back home. Etc.
A mockery of what he wanted - and without his precious.

But then, every once a while humans, or elves show up! His (incompetent) lieutenants are pretty sure they can gain the favor of their dragon-boss by bringing him news from the other continent. The issue is that they don't know who knows what, so they try to trick or kidnap or trap every human, elf, dwarf that shows his or her face. And sabotage the efforts of OTHER minions that try to do the same.
The humans drink in a kobold tavern the (2nd class) wine? Dragonborn show in with axes to save them from the sleeping draught that was thrown in thier wine so that Lieutenant_7 would not be the one to capture them! Then, their saviors try to trick them to reveal info about their human lands... before another lieutenant's flying kobolds show up and have to be shot down before they give info about where the humans are.

Etc.

[edised]

For starters, I recommend making this an Island of Terror.

What else can you tell us?

The land is like ether like Scotland or England, green hills, wetlands broken up by rock formations only one real forest and a prominent mountain that was lair of the darklord. There is a port that is the largest settlement, most of the Dragonborn live there, three other good size towns are scattered across the domain with all else much smaller. Underground connecting most settlements are the kobold tunnels and there true city, a confusing maze death trap.

The darklord a dragon so self important that he can’t have even gods over him. So he planned to become a god himself, not caring how it may effect creation or how much dragon blood he spills.
Well the gods cared, there followers cared, the family of those he killed cared, the mother’s of the eggs the stole really cared.
The mist’s came for him before he was killed by his many foes. He blacked out, and awoke in his first lair, a place he had out grown, that was beneath him, and worse he now had the form of a Dragonborn (a powerful Dragonborn in might and magic in truth, but he feels less) and he had missed decades.

The dark powers had given him his desire in a twisted way, most of him ascended the raw draconic might and power all that formed a new “god” just not the parts that made him well him. It is tied to him it bears his name, thay worship in his name but something else answers prayer’s.
The “god” is not really a god, more a sperit of the land in concept. It can grant power to its followers, but only effect it’s followers.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Perhaps instead of a god, the 'spirit of the land' could be an Ymir-like figure in the mythology of the local draconic peoples: an ancient deity who was slain and carved up (perhaps by his mortal creations) in order to create the material world, the sky and waters.
Shamans do not pray to the dead dragon, but channel power from the 'dragon veins'; currents of magical and spiritual power that run through the world, like the veins of the slain dragon.

It would offend and irk the Darklord to no end if he was considered to have been slain by such puny creatures, and the domain's main spellcasters believe they are channeling his essence as conquerors, rather than supplicants.

[Solan]

There's an entire adventure module, "Dragon Mountain", centered around fourteen quite distinct and individualized clans of Kobolds serving a Red Dragon in a magical mountain which shifts through different worlds and Prime Material Planes. I'd highly recommend checking it out!

[edised]

I really need to a good dragon name for the darklord. Town names too, the port will be named “Shine Port” of the Sunset Cost, the irony is even when the sun does shine it’s not the same. Shine Port has the only run tavern without dragon in the name ( the kobolds rename the other taverns) it’s named The Rainbow Mermaid but because of it’s worn sigh (the owner has not had the time to replace or repaint it) everyone calls it the faded mermaid.

[alhoon]

There's an entire adventure module, "Dragon Mountain", centered around fourteen quite distinct and individualized clans of Kobolds serving a Red Dragon in a magical mountain which shifts through different worlds and Prime Material Planes. I'd highly recommend checking it out!

Wow! That's awesome. Where can we find it?

[Solan]

There's an entire adventure module, "Dragon Mountain", centered around fourteen quite distinct and individualized clans of Kobolds serving a Red Dragon in a magical mountain which shifts through different worlds and Prime Material Planes. I'd highly recommend checking it out!

Wow! That's awesome. Where can we find it?

Ebay has plenty of copies, one priced at only $29.70. Now "Dragon Mountain" is Second Edition, but that shouldn't present any real problem, and it is by far the best Kobold information resource which I can think of.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226038544688it ... BMvsbI6vpj

[alhoon]

There's an entire adventure module, "Dragon Mountain", centered around fourteen quite distinct and individualized clans of Kobolds serving a Red Dragon in a magical mountain which shifts through different worlds and Prime Material Planes. I'd highly recommend checking it out!

Wow! That's awesome. Where can we find it?

Ebay has plenty of copies, one priced at only $29.70. Now "Dragon Mountain" is Second Edition, but that shouldn't present any real problem, and it is by far the best Kobold information resource which I can think of.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226038544688it ... BMvsbI6vpj

30$+transport on ebay is too expensive, unfortunately. 5e is retro-compatible with just a little effort so you can convert an adventure from 2e to 5e if you know both editions at the same time as you read the adventure.

Isn't there a repository or something for old dragon magazines in D&D beyond or the DMGuild?

[Solan]

Wow! That's awesome. Where can we find it?

Ebay has plenty of copies, one priced at only $29.70. Now "Dragon Mountain" is Second Edition, but that shouldn't present any real problem, and it is by far the best Kobold information resource which I can think of.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226038544688it ... BMvsbI6vpj

30$+transport on ebay is too expensive, unfortunately. 5e is retro-compatible with just a little effort so you can convert an adventure from 2e to 5e if you know both editions at the same time as you read the adventure.

Isn't there a repository or something for old dragon magazines in D&D beyond or the DMGuild?

Ah, well, I don't ever plan to use my copy of "Dragon Mountain", so I'd be willing to sell it and ship it to you. How's twenty dollars sound?

There is indeed a repository of Dragon Magazine online, one which I use a fair amount. https://archive.org/details/DragonMagaz ... gazine091/

[edised]

When did this became e-bay? No more shilling!

I need name ideas for the dragon, town names.

[Solan]

When did this became e-bay? No more shilling!

I need name ideas for the dragon, town names.

Hey, I simply pointed out the best resource for Kobolds in AD&D. I was then asked where one could find and replied, and replied again to the complaint about price. A good Dragon's name is Incendar and town names could be Meadowbrook, Hamelin, and Shady Glen.

[Solan]

Whoops, double post.

[edised]

Sorry

Good names

Adventure hooks:
The guard captain has received scout reports lead him to believe a ….gnome has come to the domain. So to prevent a riot and stop escape the ask’s the pcs to kill him.

The leader of the paladins of bahamut is concerned some of his initiates are missing.