Leilon Besieged

“Leilon Besieged” is balanced for characters of 11th level. The quest is triggered when the characters complete two of the three starting quests.

Quest Overview

Ularan Mortus, high priest of the death god Myrkul, has mustered an undead army to invade Leilon and seize the mystical ruinstone from the House of Thalivar. As he makes his move, cultists of the storm god Talos, led by Fheralai Stormsworn, assault the town to steal the stone before it falls into their enemy’s hands. Caught in the middle, the characters must marshal Leilon’s forces and hold the line against both armies.

Quest Goals

To succeed in this quest, the characters must survive the battle. If they achieve any result other than “Crushing Defeat,” they’ll earn a reward from the town council (see “area Determining Victory” for instructions on calculating victory results).

Running the Battle

This quest is an epic battle involving hundreds of rival combatants. Use the following rules to resolve the conflict.

Narrative Combat

Instead of resolving the battle with miniatures, you’ll guide your players through a series of tough dilemmas, each leading to a different battlefield encounter. Their actions on the field determine the overall success or failure of the battle.

Use the Battle Flowchart provided nearby to guide your players through the conflict. Each box on the chart introduces a different mission, event, or dilemma (see “area Battlefield Events"). When the players get to the end of the flowchart, count their victories to determine the success or failure of the overall conflict (see “area Determining Victory"). If your players use clever tactics during the battle, grant them one or more of the following benefits, as appropriate:

• Their enemies are frightened for one or more rounds.
• The players surprise their enemies in the next combat.
• The players gain advantage on any ability checks related to their current task.
• Each character gains inspiration.
• If the players fail this objective, their allies still triumph.

It’s possible that your players will veer off from the events on the flowchart. In this case, you’ll need to improvise encounters based on the enemies' plan of attack (see “area Order of Events"). Feel free to add your own victories if the players achieve their chosen goals. Players who split the party are likely to be overwhelmed, but that’s the risk they take for splitting up!

Random Encounters

Each time the group undertakes a new challenge on the Battle Flowchart, roll a d12 on the Random Encounters table. Try to incorporate the resulting event into the scene when it feels most appropriate.

Random Encounters

Resting

The battle is intense, with no real opportunities for rest. If the players insist on taking a short rest, advance to the next box on the Battle Flowchart, taking whichever battlefield result is least positive. If the characters are resting when they would otherwise make a choice, their allies choose for them.

How Many Combatants?

The number of NPCs fighting each other in each scene is left intentionally vague. By keeping this mysterious, you can introduce reinforcements or trigger routs whenever it feels most dramatic to do so. Even so, it helps to have a rough idea of how each side compares.

Defenders

Leilon is defended by just over 200 Commoner, Guard, and guard Veteran. If the players negotiated reinforcements in the “Icingdeath and Twinkle” quest, an additional 300 Guard, Knight, and Scout are also present.

Cult of Talos

The war priest Fheralai Stormsworn besieges Leilon with an army of 400 Cultist, cult Priest, and Anchorite of Talos. Her elite warriors are Blackguard or Half-Blue Dragon Gladiator (see appendix A).

Cult of Myrkul

The god Myrkul has performed a miracle to awaken the undead from the Mere of Dead Men and gifted them to his war priest Ularan Mortus. In total, just over 800 Ghoul, Ghast, and Zombie bow to his command, with a handful of Boneclaw and Greater Zombie at the head (see appendix A). His greatest weapon is the ancient green dragon Claugiyliamatar, who is possessed by the unholy spirit of the dracolich Ebondeath.

Use of Magic

Magic plays a powerful role on a fantasy battlefield. A wizard armed with fireball or lightning bolt serves as a deadly artillery unit, while clerics can roam the battlefield, using cure wounds to heal the injured. In the chaos of battle, spells such as message, sending, or thaumaturgy can make the difference between triumph and disaster.

In a narrative battle, the simplest way to adjudicate such spells outside of combat is to grant an ad-hoc benefit to the party (see “area Narrative Combat"). If a spell creates a powerful effect that sways the course of the battle, consider granting the caster’s side an additional victory.

Determining Victory

At the end of the battle, count the group’s victories to determine the result of the battle.

Victory Results

Crushing Defeat

Ularan Mortus claims the ruinstone. Leilon is sacked and its inhabitants put to the sword. Both enemy generals survive, along with the dragon.

Defeat

The ruinstone is claimed by the enemy. Leilon fends off the attack, but the defenders are decimated. At least one enemy general survives.

Pyrrhic Victory

The ruinstone remains hidden. Leilon holds, but the defenders are decimated. At least one enemy general survives.

Victory

The ruinstone remains hidden. Leilon holds, and more than half the defenders survive. At least one enemy general is slain.

Great Victory

The ruinstone remains hidden. Leilon holds, and most of the defenders survive. Both enemy generals and the dragon are slain.

Order of Events

The attack begins just before dawn, when Ularan Mortus assaults the south gate with a huge force of ghouls. Soon after, an even larger force of zombies emerges from the mere to invade the quayside. The defenders rally to protect the town but are outnumbered.

While the defenders struggle to hold the perimeter, Fheralai Stormsworn’s forces breach the north gate and pour forward to seize the town square. Ularan Mortus responds by deploying his dragon, Ebondeath, which swoops in from the east and decimates Stormsworn’s forces gathered in the square. The cultists of Talos are forced to fall back and regroup.

As Ularan Mortus’s army forces its way into Leilon, Ebondeath reaches the House of Thalivar and searches for the ruinstone. Unless stopped, it claims the stone and flies back to its hiding place in the mere. Ularan Mortus withdraws in victory to his headquarters. Stormsworn’s troops intercept his entourage outside town, but her reduced forces are beaten back. The remaining members of both sides retreat to their respective headquarters.

The Battle Begins

When the battle begins, read the following boxed text aloud:

The night is dark, and torrential rain beats down on the rooftops. An hour before dawn, the bell on the newly erected south gate begins to toll urgently. A cry goes up from the wall as troops dash to man their positions:

“The dead! The dead are coming!”

The Battle of Leilon has begun.

Battlefield Events

The following events correspond to boxes marked on the Battle Flowchart.

Event 1. Dawn of the Dead

The battle begins when Ularan Mortus orders his ghoulish army to attack the south gate. When the party arrives on the scene, the battle is already underway. Read the following boxed text aloud:

The din of battle echoes from the palisade as you approach. Through the rain, you see allied troops using spears and bows to fend off a horde of ghouls swarming from the darkness. All along the ramparts, burning torches struggle to provide illumination for your forces. As you watch, these pools of light are extinguished one by one as the dead swarm over the walls!

To triumph in this encounter, the characters must hold the line against an ever-growing horde of undead. The palisade is soon breached, so it doesn’t matter whether the party faces their foes on the ramparts or inside the town: more undead are always coming!

In the first round, the players face three Ghast per character, including sidekicks. At start of each new round thereafter, two more ghasts per character enter the fray. To prevail, the party must hold out for 8 rounds without retreating (or 5 rounds if they successfully completed the “Icingdeath and Twinkle” quest). After this time, allied reinforcements rally to secure the palisade in this section and drive back the undead.

• The party holds the line. Mark one victory and advance to Event 2: “The Storm Breaks.”
• The party retreats. The undead spill into the town. Proceed to Event 5: “area Streets of Rage.”

Event 2. The Storm Breaks

If the defenders hold the line, alarm bells ring out across town! Read the following boxed text aloud:

A man stumbles through the mud, his eyes wide with terror. You recognize him as Jack Torver, the owner of Leilon’s general store.

“Barbarians at the north gate!” he gasps. “The storm lord’s berserkers! I was on my way to warn you when I saw the dead wading out of the marsh. They’re attacking the quayside right now!”

The players must choose what to do next: repel the cultists of Talos at the north gate, or stop the zombies from assaulting the quayside. Once the players have made their choice, Jack gives each character a potion of healing to aid them in the battle, and then collapses exhausted in the mud.

• The party moves to the north gate. Go to Event 3: “Against the Lightning.”
• The party moves to the quayside. Go to Event 4: “area Back to the Mud.”

Event 3. Against the Lightning

The characters arrive at the north gate to find it besieged by the anchorites of Talos. Read the following boxed text aloud:

The north gate is on fire! Defenders huddle behind the palisade, not daring to peek over the parapet. Every few seconds, the gate heaves on its hinges as something heavy slams into it from the other side. From beyond, you hear the roaring of barbarians.

The Anchorite of Talos are using a battering ram to demolish the burning gate. Each time they spot a defender on the wall, the barbarians hurl Lightning Bolt at them. The players have one minute to act before the gate is destroyed and the barbarians pour through. A large force of anchorites is pressing at the gates, numbering at least a hundred. Use your judgement to resolve any plans that the players devise and award them appropriately (see “area Narrative Combat").

If the gate is demolished, the players must hold the line alongside the defenders. In the first round, the players face two Anchorite of Talos for every character in the party, including sidekicks. At the start of every round thereafter, one additional anchorite joins the conflict for every character in the party. To prevail, the party must hold out for 8 rounds without retreating (or 5 rounds if they successfully completed the “Icingdeath and Twinkle” quest). After this time, allied reinforcements rally to secure the palisade in this section and drive back the cultists. Regardless of how the characters fare, they hear screams from the quayside: the undead have overrun the docks!

• The party holds the line. Mark one victory and advance to Event 6: “area Rolling Thunder.”
• The party retreats. The cultists of Talos surge into the town. Go to Event 5: “area Streets of Rage.”

Event 4. Back to the Mud

Ularan Mortus has ordered a large force of zombies to march underwater through the marsh and invade the quayside.When the characters arrive here, read the following boxed text aloud:

Screams echo across the quayside as zombies emerge from the mire! Defenders dash to repel the undead, but they seem unprepared for the surprise attack. As you get closer, you see a large undead figure with long fingers squatting over an upturned rowboat. A woman squirms in the mud underneath, trapped by the weight of the boat. You recognize her as Valdi Estapaar, the fisherwoman who sits on the town council!

A boneclaw has cornered Councilor Estapaar and is preparing to slay her. Estapaar is a veteran, but she is currently restrained underneath the rowboat. To free the councilor, characters with a combined Strength score of 15 or higher must spend an action to heft the boat aside (if they attempt this while the boneclaw is perched on the boat, they need to muster a combined Strength score of 25 instead). At some point during the battle, the characters hear bells ringing to the north of town: the barbarians have broken through the gates!

• The party defeats the undead and rescues Valdi. The surviving defenders rally around them to hold the docks. Mark one victory and advance to Event 6: “area Rolling Thunder.”
• The party retreats or Valdi dies. The defenders crumble and the zombies advance into the town. Go to Event 5: “Streets of Rage.”

Event 5. Streets of Rage

Overrun by enemies, the party retreats into Leilon’s streets. Read the following boxed text aloud:

Terror grips Leilon. Townsfolk run screaming from their homes, only to be mercilessly cut down by the enemies rampaging through the streets. As you push through the panicking crowds, you see Sergeant Hazz Yorrum, commander of the town guard, shouting at a group of soldiers stationed behind a barricade.

“Retreat! Save yourselves! Leilon is lost!”

Sergeant Yorrum is a cowardly human male guard. The party can defy him and attempt to rally his troops, or retreat with him to the town square. If they stay, the players must describe what they say or do to rally the troops, and then make an appropriate ability check opposed by Yorrum’s Charisma (Persuasion) check. If the players accrue five successes before three failures, Sergeant Yorrum flees and his troops rally against the approaching enemies.

• The party rallies the troops. Mark one victory and advance to Event 6: “Rolling Thunder.”
• The party retreats or fails to rally the troops. The characters are pulled along with the crowd into the town square. Go to Event 7: “area Enter the Dragon.”

Event 6. Rolling Thunder

As the characters catch their breaths, the cultists of Talos unleash a magical storm on the town. Read the following boxed text aloud:

Word reaches you that the enemy has breached the town square and the defenders are in dire need of aid. As you prepare to respond, you hear war drums beating from just outside town. Suddenly a bolt of lightning blasts a nearby group of soldiers! The drums reach another crescendo, and a second bolt crackles from the clouds to strike the town’s defenders!

The party must choose whether to leave town and silence the drummers or move to reinforce the town square.

• The party attacks the drummers. Go to Event 8: “area Thunder Drums.”
• The party reinforces the town square. Go to Event 7: “Enter the Dragon.”

Event 7. Enter the Dragon

The dragon attacks the forces gathered in the town square. Read the following boxed text aloud:

Chaos reigns in the town square. On one side, Leilon’s defenders make a valiant stand against the invaders, while on the other, fleeing townsfolk clog the thoroughfare leading out of town. Screams of panic suddenly echo through the crowd. Looking up, you see a huge green dragon swoop out of the storm!

Ularan Mortus has sent his dragon to crush his enemies. Claugiyliamatar is an ancient green dragon, except her breath weapon deals necrotic damage instead of poison damage as a result of Ebondeath’s possession. If the party has not yet silenced the drummers (see Event 8: “Thunder Drums”), the magic storm cloud above town unleashes targeted bolts of lightning during combat. At the end of each round, ask each player to roll a d20, and then roll a d20 for the dragon. Whoever gets the lowest result is targeted by the effect of a call lightning spell.

The dragon attacks any enemy forces gathered here, including cultists of Talos, but switches to attack the party if they present a threat. If the dragon loses over 100 hit points or is forced to use its Legendary Resistance feature more than once, it retreats into the clouds. If the dragon retreats, the defenders are inspired to turn the tide of battle against their enemies.

• The party drives off the dragon. Mark one victory and go to Event 13: “area Ghost Tower.”
• The party flees from the dragon. Go to Event 11: “area Exodus.”

Event 8. Thunder Drums

The party heads outside town to attack the priests playing the war drums. Read the following boxed text aloud:

The first light of dawn paints the landscape in shades of gray, yet the wind and rain are worsening. On a crag overlooking the town, a line of six savage barbarians beat out a relentless rhythm on their war drums. With each crescendo, a bolt of lightning slams into the town below!

Six wereboar drummers perform a magical ritual to bring down lightning. Once per round, while at least one wereboar is drumming, any one of the drummers can duplicate the effect of a call lightning spell, except it has no limit to its range. The drummers fight until death and refuse to parley.

• The party silences the drummers. Mark one victory and go to Event 9: “Eye of the Storm.”
• The party retreats. Go to Event 11: “area Exodus.”

Event 9: Eye of the Storm

As the drums fall silent, read the following boxed text aloud:

The storm above Leilon breaks as rapidly as it began. Gazing out over the town, you see a huge green dragon land on the rooftop of the House of Thalivar. On a nearby hilltop, you spot another figure glaring at the dragon: a half-orc female dressed in boars' skins who clutches a giant hammer in her hands.

Characters who played Sleeping Dragon’s Wake recognize the figure as Fheralai Stormsworn, the Stormlord of Talos. They have an opportunity to strike against her but doing so means leaving the dragon to ravage the House of Thalivar.

• The party attacks Fheralai Stormsworn. Go to Event 10: “Champion of Storms.”
• The party hunts down the dragon. Go to Event 13: “area Ghost Tower.”

Event 10: Champion of Storms

The party challenges Fheralai Stormsworn, leader of the cult of Talos.

A towering female half-orc stands on the hilltop. Under her boar-skin hood, you see eyes crackling with lightning.

“You people defy me,” she snarls. “Get out of my way, or I’ll smash your town to twigs.”

As she speaks, scaly, draconic warriors emerge from the woods to stand at her side.

Fheralai is in no mood to exchange words. The storm lord is a war priest, and she is accompanied by one half-blue dragon gladiator for every two characters in the party, including sidekicks.

• The party defeats Fheralai Stormsworn. Mark one victory and go to Event 11: “Exodus.”
• The party retreats. Go to Event 11: “Exodus.”

Event 11. Exodus

Heading deeper into town, the characters encounter an exodus of refugees. Read the following boxed text aloud:

The thoroughfare out of town is choked with townfolk fleeing Leilon. High above, the green dragon perches atop the House of Thalivar. The crowd here is panicking and people are being trampled underfoot. Peering through the press of bodies, you see the enemy advancing through the streets!

The party must choose whether to cover the townsfolk’s retreat or advance on the House of Thalivar to confront the dragon.

• The characters choose to cover the retreat. Go to Event 12: “Last Stand.”
• The characters abandon the townsfolk. Go to Event 13: “area Ghost Tower.”

Event 12. Last Stand

The party makes a desperate stand to allow the defenders to escape. Read the following boxed text aloud:

As your enemies close in, you position yourselves between them and the fleeing townsfolk. Their vanguard spots you through the driving rain, and they charge forward to attack!

To defend the escaping townsfolk, the characters must hold the line against a large force of enemies.

• The undead have advanced into the city. The characters face one greater zombie for every character in the party, including sidekicks.
• The cultists of Talos have advanced into the city. The characters face one half-blue dragon gladiator for every character in the party, including sidekicks.
• Both factions have invaded. Choose the faction that the party has fought the least.

To allow the townsfolk time to escape, the characters must hold out for at least 5 rounds. If they survive this long, the townsfolk get to safety, and the characters can retreat if needed.

When the encounter is resolved, count any victories scored so far:

• The characters scored fewer than three victories. They see the dragon tear down the House of Thalivar and fly away! To resolve the quest, go to Event 15: “Divine Contention.”
• The players scored three or more victories. The town’s archers drive the dragon away from the tower and it crash-lands inside the palisade! Go to Event 14: “Old Gnawbone.”

Event 13. Ghost Tower.

The characters arrive at the House of Thalivar to witness the dragon fighting the Swords of Leilon. Read the following boxed text aloud:

The green dragon squats on the distant roof of the House of Thalivar. As you draw closer, you see a trio of ghostly warriors locked in combat with the beast!

If the players completed the “House of Thalivar Rebuilt” quest or saw the painting at Aubrey’s Peculiarities Shoppe, they recognize the warriors as the long-dead Swords of Leilon! Mysteriously, Aubrey the shopkeeper is fighting alongside them. Before reading further, count any victories scored so far:

The party achieved three or more victories

Read the following boxed text aloud:

One of the warriors, a dark-skinned woman dressed in chainmail, swings her sword at the dragon. The beast howls in pain and for a moment, you see the spectral form of another dragon seethe under its skin. The woman glances down at you as she readies her next attack.

“To arms!” she shouts. “Leilon needs you!”

Claugiyliamatar is an ancient green dragon, except her breath weapon deals necrotic damage instead of poison damage as a result of Ebondeath’s possession, and she has only 192 hit points. During combat, the Swords of Leilon intervene to aid the party, granting advantage to up to three characters' attacks each round. If the dragon drops to 50 or fewer hit points, it flies off and crashes in the nearby streets. Go to Event 14: “Old Gnawbone.”

The party achieved fewer than three victories

Read the following aloud:

Before you can act, the dragon extends a ghostly claw from its body and snatches a glowing red stone from the air above its head. With a triumphant roar, it kicks back from the tower, causing the building to collapse in a shower of dust and rubble! As the smoke clears, you see the dragon gliding away over the distant hills.

Ebondeath has escaped with the ruinstone and the Swords of Leilon are lost. To resolve the quest, go to Event 15: “Divine Contention.”

Event 14. Old Gnawbone

The characters corner the dragon where it crashed in the ruined streets of Leilon. Read the following boxed text aloud:

The dragon has crash-landed on Aubrey’s Peculiarities Shoppe, reducing the building to a pile of broken masonry. Bleeding badly and covered with arrows, the dragon struggles to rise to its feet. As you approach it, the specter of another dragon emerges from its body and flies away to the south, fading from sight! As the spirit leaves its body, the dragon slumps exhausted to the ground.

Ebondeath’s spirit has fled its host body, leaving Claugiyliamatar weakened and vulnerable. The characters can slay the dragon here, or at your discretion, negotiate terms for her surrender. Claugiyliamatar is an ancient green dragon, but she has only 50 hit points and all her attacks are made at disadvantage due to her exhausted state. If the party survives, mark one victory and proceed to “area Conclusion.”

Event 15. Divine Contention

As Ebondeath’s spirit departs with the ruinstone, the characters gain an opportunity to strike at Ularan Mortus. Read the following aloud:

A baleful horn sounds over the town and the undead begin to shamble back into the marsh. As they withdraw, you spot a black-robed figure on a skeletal horse watching the town from a nearby hilltop.

The players can attack Ularan Mortus if they dare. If they hold back, the figure rides away and the battle ends here: proceed to “Conclusion.” Read the following boxed text aloud if the characters ascend the hill:

It seems you aren’t the only ones to take your chances with the necromancer. As you ascend to the top of the hill, you see a magical duel raging around the rider! Barbaric half-orcs hurl bolts of lightning and dead men snarl as they fight each other.

Ularan Mortus and his undead entourage face an elite squad of cultists. If Fheralai Stormsworn still lives, she is fighting here too.

• Ularan Mortus and Fheralai Stormsworn are both War Priest.
• Ularan Mortus has one ghast on his side per character in the party, including sidekicks.
• Fheralai Stormsworn has one anchorite of Talos for every two characters in the party, including sidekicks.

The villains fight to the death. If the party survives, the battle ends here. Mark one victory and proceed to “Conclusion.”

Conclusion

If the characters survive and save Leilon, they become heroes of the town. The councilors raise statues in the characters' honor, though they remain fearful of the rising cult activity in the area. In time, Lord Neverember asks the characters to stamp out these threats once and for all by striking at the cults' headquarters. This unlocks the final two quests: “Ebondeath’s Mausoleum” and “Storm Lord’s Hideout.”

If Claugiyliamatar surrendered, she ends up indebted to the characters. The old wyrm is evil and untrustworthy, but a dragon’s oath is still worth something. At your discretion, the characters could call upon Old Gnawbone’s aid in their coming adventures.

Finally, an odd thing happens as the characters return to town. During the clean-up, the characters discover that nobody in town has ever heard of Aubrey’s Peculiarities Shoppe—perhaps it was crushed by the dragon and nobody seems to care, or the characters mention seeing Aubrey fighting atop the tower and nobody remembers who he is. Visiting the site of his store, they see that the building was never actually restored from its ancient state. All that remains in the rubble is the dusty triptych of the Swords of Leilon—only now, the third member of the group, Aubrey himself, is visible in the portrait.