The Ember-Cradle Siege
The Ember-Cradle Siege
“Guard the birth. Hold the walls. Do not let the mountain choose a new king.”
— Hook · Siege, escort, protection, and political intrigue
“The Dragonborn Queen is in labor, and her fortress is being overrun by kobolds and drakes who believe her unborn child will inherit a power capable of reshaping the kingdom. You have been summoned to hold the walls, repair the failing wards, and reach the birthing chamber before the invaders do. Every cry from within the mountain makes the walls shake harder.”
— Hook · Siege, escort, protection, and political intrigue
The heroes arrive beneath a sky stained orange by the mountain's eruption. Kobold horns echo from the ravines as winged raiders sweep over the walls, and the great bronze doors of the Ember-Cradle buckle inward. A royal messenger points toward the fortress and shouts that the queen's labor has begun early.
Queen Varessa Embercrown
The heroes are met at the fortress road by a wounded royal courier who carries Varessa's signet. If they are already allied with Varkesh, the queen's personal guard brings them directly to the gate. If not, the courier promises royal pardon, payment, and an audience with the queen if they help defend the fortress.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The queen's child has already spoken inside the womb, and the mountain answered.
- 02Kobolds have been stealing royal tools for weeks, but no one knows where they hid them.
- 03The Ember-Cradle is older than Varkesh and may not belong to the dragonborn at all.
- 04A drake called Cindermaw once guarded a different royal heir who vanished without a trace.
- 05Someone inside the fortress has been moving the ward markers after midnight.
If the queen or child is captured, Varkesh may collapse into civil war. If the Ember-Cradle is corrupted, its volcanic power could awaken an ancient dragon beneath the mountain. If the heroes succeed, the birth becomes a symbol of unity and gives the kingdom a chance to survive the coming succession crisis.
Background Lore
For generations, the dragonborn kingdom of Varkesh has guarded the Ember-Cradle, a volcanic fortress built around an ancient draconic spring. Queen Varessa, a copper-scaled dragonborn ruler, has gone into labor within the Cradle while a coalition of kobolds, wyrmlings, and lesser drakes assaults the fortress. The invaders believe the unborn heir will inherit the Ember-Cradle's power and intend to seize the child before the birth is complete.
Queen Varessa of Varkesh is giving birth inside the Ember-Cradle, an ancient volcanic fortress protected by draconic wards. A force of kobolds, drakes, and other lesser dragons has launched a sudden assault, hoping to seize the unborn heir and claim the fortress's power. The heroes must defend the queen, repair the failing wards, and stop the attackers before the birth is complete.
