The Egg Beneath Atlantis
The Egg Beneath Atlantis
The party has discovered Atlantis, a continent-spanning airship dormant for millennia in the Aegean depths. An orichalcum tablet reveals the city's power source was lost when the First Dragon's egg was hidden in an abyssal trench beyond the island. The adventurers must navigate treacherous underwater caverns, decipher ancient Atlantean mechanisms, and choose between restoring the city to its former glory or awakening a primordial dragon that could reshape the world.
Read Aloud
You descend into the heart of Atlantis, where bioluminescent crystals still hum with residual power after three thousand years. The chamber before you is a marvel: vaulted ceilings of black stone carved into constellations, walls inscribed with script that shifts between visible and invisible as your torchlight passes. At the chamber's center rests a hexagonal platform, and upon it, a tablet of gleaming orichalcum—a metal neither gold nor copper, but something far older. The air tastes of salt and ozone. As you approach, runes along the platform's edge suddenly flare to life, casting violet light across your faces. A voice—not quite sound, but knowledge transmitted directly into your minds—speaks: "Seekers of Atlantis. The core sleeps. It hungers for that which gave us flight."
Description
The Orichalcum Chamber is the central archive of Atlantis, designed to interface with the city's power systems. The tablet before them is a master record, inscribed with celestial charts, mathematical formulae, and narrative glyphs describing the Cataclysm. The tablet reveals that Atlantis was designed as a mobile vessel, powered by the resonance of the First Dragon's egg—a artifact of creation itself. When the egg was hidden to prevent a tyrant from using it as a weapon, Atlantis lost its power source and crashed into the ocean, where it has remained dormant. The script indicates the egg lies in the Abyssal Chasm of Typhon, a rift far to the south and west, beyond the Pillars of Heracles (modern-day Strait of Gibraltar). Atlantis cannot navigate itself to the chasm; the party must depart the island, acquire a seaworthy vessel or find another means of travel, and descend into the depths themselves. The chamber also contains auxiliary information: a map (waterlogged but readable) showing the approximate location of the chasm, a fragmentary description of the egg's appearance (described as "a sphere of white-blue radiance, the size of a man's torso, sealed within orichalcum bands"), and warnings about the Abyssal Trench's inhabitants—ancient creatures older than civilization itself. Allow the party to explore the chamber for clues. DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) reveals that the platform is a scrying device, still marginally functional. DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) note the tablet's tone is one of desperation, not pride—suggesting the dragon's egg was hidden as a necessity, perhaps to prevent its use as a weapon. DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) notices a small compartment in the platform's base, accessible only to someone of Small stature or someone who squeezes into the gap. It contains a second, smaller tablet written in a personal hand rather than official script.
DM Notes
The small tablet is a journal entry by Atlantis's last keeper, a mage named Theron. It reads: "If you read this, we have failed. The egg cannot remain here—Malachor's agents grow bolder. We commit it to the deep, beyond the Pillars of Heracles, in the Chasm where Typhon slumbers still. If Atlantis is to rise again, so too must the egg. But beware: the creature that hatches will not be the servant of mortals. It will be *older than gratitude, colder than mercy*. Whomever awakens it must be prepared to offer themselves as a vassal, or to face the wrath of primordial creation. I pray we chose rightly." This text is key—it foreshadows that awakening the dragon is a binding commitment, not a simple power transaction. Allow players to study the tablets for 10-15 minutes of roleplay before pressing them to depart. If the Druid casts *Commune with Nature* to sense the surrounding seawater, they feel an enormous wrongness in the abyssal depths—something vast, aware, and very ancient stirring in its sleep. This is the dragon, even though it hasn't hatched. If the Sorcerer detects magic in the chamber (a basic action), they sense wards designed to prevent scrying of the egg's location—now dormant but still faintly active, suggesting whoever hid it wanted to prevent remote divination.
Read Aloud
You stand on the Atlantean docks, where the island's edge meets the churning Aegean. The city rises behind you, a geometric marvel of spires and gardens now inhabited only by the wind and the cries of ancient birds. The harbor itself is a graveyard: sunken merchant vessels, rotting docks, and the skeletal remains of what were once grand warships lie in the shallows. Your supplies are limited. The party must now acquire a seaworthy vessel or determine another means of reaching the Abyssal Chasm of Typhon—a journey of at least two weeks' sailing from here, through waters marked on no modern map. The orichalcum tablet indicates the chasm lies south-southwest, beyond the Pillars of Heracles, in a rift where the continental shelf collapses into absolute darkness.
Description
The party has departed Atlantis and must now logistically prepare for their expedition. The Druid has several options for water-based travel: they could negotiate with sea creatures (using spells like *Speak with Animals* or *Dominate Beast*), charm a ship's crew from nearby lands, or call upon water elementals. The Fighter and Rogue might scout the sunken harbor for salvageable vessels; a DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check allows them to raise a partially intact merchant ship from the shallows, usable with 3-5 days of repairs. The Sorcerer can contribute *Prestidigitation*, *Transmutation* magic, or water-based spells to aid the journey. This scene is largely player-directed and allows for creative problem-solving. The intent is to give the party agency in how they tackle the logistical challenge, while setting a 3-5 day time skip during which they prepare and provisioning the vessel. Tension element: A scout notices that smoke rises from a neighboring island—the ruins of a Minoan settlement. It appears inhabited, recently. Footprints in the Atlantean dust suggest that someone (or something) has also been exploring the city, and they are not far ahead of the party. This hints at future competition for the egg.
DM Notes
This scene is flexible and can be played as long or short as the party wishes. If they move quickly, skip to the sailing montage (Scene 3). If they engage with preparations, allow roleplay and checks. Potential complications: (1) A Harpy colony nests near the Atlantean harbor—they may attack the party if provoked, or offer information (the harpies have sensed something stirring in the deep and are restless). (2) A group of Sahuagin scouts surfaces near the party's vessel, drawn by the magical disturbances of Atlantis's awakening. These are not an encounter per se, but a warning—the depths are watched. (3) The party encounters a shipwrecked merchant whose vessel sank while trying to approach Atlantis; he's half-mad but claims to have seen "a great eye open beneath the waves, watching, waiting." This reinforces the sense that the egg/dragon is aware of the party's coming. Sahuagin scouts: CR 1/2 (50 XP each). Use 3-4 of them as a skirmish encounter if the party is being careless. They shouldn't be a serious threat at level 16, but they can communicate that something in the deep is stirring. They might even carry warning marks on their arms—scars or brands from something much larger.
Read Aloud
Ten days at sea. The party's vessel cuts through the Mediterranean, past the Pillars of Heracles and into waters that feel older, colder, emptier. Stars you've never seen navigate above. On the eleventh night, the sky turns the color of a bruise. The wind rises from nowhere, a shriek that tears the sails. Waves the size of mountains bear down on you, not blue-grey but black, frothing with something that looks almost alive. Lightning cracks the clouds, and in its flash, you glimpse something vast beneath the surface—a silhouette the size of a cathedral sliding past your hull. The ship groans. A voice—ancient, musical, infinitely sad—rolls across the water like distant thunder: "Why do you come? Why do you seek what was hidden to protect you?"
Description
This is a non-combat encounter designed to showcase the dragon's awareness and power while forcing the party to make a meaningful choice about their intentions. The storm is caused by the dragon's consciousness stirring in the deep, reacting to the party's approach. It is not hostile yet, but it is *testing* them. The party must survive a series of skill challenges: - DC 16 Strength (Athletics) to secure rigging and prevent crew members from being swept overboard (crew members of the vessel are NPCs; if all are lost, the party can barely operate the ship for the final leg). - DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) to spot the dragon's massive silhouette and realize that something enormous is aware of them. - DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) to maintain footing on the pitching deck during the worst of the storm. - One spell-casting check: the Sorcerer can attempt to calm the waters with a DC 17 Charisma (Arcana) check to commune with the dragon's consciousness, reducing the storm's intensity. If they succeed, the dragon speaks the quoted text above and pulls back slightly—an acknowledgment of the party's arrival. The storm lasts for 4-6 hours of game time. It is theatrical rather than deadly, but the threat is genuine. Any party member who falls overboard can be rescued with a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check from another party member, but drowning is a real possibility if the party is careless. The dragon's question—"Why do you come? Why do you seek what was hidden to protect you?"—is key. It reveals that the egg/dragon knows its own history and understands that it was hidden as a protective measure. This plants seeds of moral complexity: the party may be coming to either save Atlantis (a noble act) or to awaken an ancient power (a dangerous act). The dragon is uncertain which, and so is the party.
DM Notes
The dragon does not fully manifest during this scene. It is only a silhouette, a presence, a voice. Allow the party's actions to determine the dragon's tone. If they answer the dragon's question honestly—explaining their intentions—the storm may ease. If they remain silent or evasive, the dragon will grow impatient and the storm will intensify. If a party member attempts to attack or harm the dragon, the dragon will respond with overwhelming force (instant death for any who attack directly), teaching the party that they are vastly outmatched until they reach the egg and can formally awaken the dragon. The Druid's *Commune with Nature* spell, cast during the storm, gives them a fuller sense of the dragon's emotions: ancient, lonely, aware that awakening means either transcendence or destruction. The dragon is not a monster—it is an entity of primordial consciousness, curious and cautious. This is crucial for later roleplay.
Read Aloud
The storm breaks as suddenly as it began. Before you lies the Abyssal Chasm of Typhon—a wound in the world. The ocean's surface becomes a swirling vortex around the chasm's rim, where warm and cold currents collide. The water is black, impenetrably dark, except at the edges where phosphorescent creatures drift like living stars. The depth is unfathomable. Your instruments cannot measure it. A towering rock formation rises from the chasm's edge—ancient, barnacled, carved with symbols that match the script on the Atlantean tablets. It is a waypoint, a beacon. At its base, you notice the remnants of an orichalcum mechanism, corroded but still faintly humming. Beside it, nearly hidden by sea growth, is the entrance to a cavern. And something else: fresh gouges in the rock, as if something massive has recently dragged itself across the stone. Something has been here. Recently.
Description
The party has reached the Abyssal Chasm and the cavern entrance. This is the transition point between the open-ocean portion of the adventure and the dungeon-delving portion. The cavern is the primary dungeon complex—a multi-level underwater cavern system connecting Atlantean artifactual installations with the dragon egg's resting chamber deep below. The stone marker is carved with Atlantean celestial charts and mathematical notations. DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) identifies it as a deep-sea waypoint, designed to guide vessels to the egg's location. The orichalcum mechanism at its base is a remnant of an ancient scrying system, now mostly inert, but the party might restore part of it with proper effort (a side goal, not essential to progress). The fresh gouges in the rock are from a Roper that has claimed this cavern as territory. This is foreshadowing for Encounter 2. The party now has several options: (1) Descend into the cavern directly, on foot, swimming, or using magical means. (2) Attempt to restore the orichalcum mechanism to gain additional information about the cavern layout. (3) Send scouts ahead using *Scrying*, *Scry*, or other divination magic. (4) Attempt to speak with the dragon before entering the cavern, to negotiate terms. For descending into the cavern, the party will need either waterbreathing magic, equipment, or the Druid's *Water Form*. The cavern is submerged for most of its length, though there are air pockets at certain levels that can serve as resting points.
DM Notes
The fresh gouges indicate that the party is not the first to seek the egg in recent times. If the party investigates, they may find scales—large, luminescent, pale blue scales that match no known creature. These belong to a Roper that has nested in the chasm. Alternatively, the party may encounter a single survivor from a previous expedition: a waterlogged corpse of an ancient Atlantean explorer, preserved by the cold and darkness. This corpse carries a journal fragment written in Atlantean, hinting that multiple previous attempts to recover the egg have failed. The journal's final entry reads: "The guardian will not let us pass. The egg sings to us, but the guardian feeds on those who approach." This is foreshadowing the Roper encounter. If the party attempts to restore the orichalcum mechanism using *Mending*, a dispel magic effect, or Atlantean expertise, DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) is required. Success grants them a detailed map of the cavern complex, reducing the chance of getting lost and revealing the location of air pockets. Failure results in no change; the mechanism is too corroded to fully activate. Time consideration: Restoring the mechanism takes 30-60 minutes. The party should feel pressure to move forward—they have limited time, air supplies, and magical resources. The dragon's presence in the area is palpable; the water feels warm near the chasm's mouth, a sign that the dragon is stirring in anticipation.
Read Aloud
You descend through spiraling cavern passages, the water growing warmer as you sink deeper. Bioluminescent panels line the cavern walls—the same technology as in Atlantis, still faintly glowing after thousands of years. They illuminate vast chambers carved into the rock, some shaped like temples, others like libraries. You pass through one hall where skeletal remains drift in the water—humanoid figures in ancient armor, arranged in concentric circles, as if they died in ceremony. Their weapons and artifacts corrode on the floor, but one strikes you as newer: a warhammer of gleaming steel, covered in fresh blood. Someone else has been here. The water grows hot—almost too hot to bear. A distant, rhythmic sound reaches your ears, felt more than heard: a heartbeat. A pulse. A song.
Description
The party navigates through the upper levels of the cavern complex, known as the Halls of Thalassa in ancient Atlantean records. This is the transition zone between the open cavern and the deeper, more dangerous areas. The skeletal remains are from a failed expeditionary force, perhaps 500 years old, sent to retrieve the egg but defeated by the dungeon's hazards or guardians. The warhammer is significant: it is fresh, which means another party of adventurers has entered the cavern recently—within the past few days. This is not the party's only rival. Someone else seeks the egg. The cavern layout at this stage includes: - A vast, pillared hall where schools of blind cave fish drift past (harmless, but eerie). - A section where the walls are inscribed with Atlantean murals depicting the First Dragon's creation and its sealing into the egg form. - An air pocket chamber where the party can rest briefly and assess their supplies. - A tidal zone where the cavern floods and empties with a regular (6-hour) cycle; the party must navigate it carefully or be swept downward. The rhythmic sound the party hears is the dragon's heartbeat, resonating through the water. It is extremely distant, but it indicates they are on the right path. Allow the party to explore and gather information. DC 14 Intelligence (History) recognizes some of the mural script, describing how the First Dragon was "bound into potential form" to prevent its use as a weapon. DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) reveals that the cave fish seem to be swimming in organized patterns, as if herded or directed by something larger. The warhammer is an item of interest. If examined, it is a Warhammer +2, recently used in combat against something very tough (the blade is chipped and the haft is scarred). It belonged to a fighter—one of the rival adventurers. If the party studies the bloodstains, a DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check indicates the blood is not human, but something far older—reptilian, perhaps?
DM Notes
The rival party is actually a group of treasure hunters hired by a Minoan noble who seeks the egg for political power. They sent a team of 6 adventurers into the cavern 4 days ago. Only 1 survived the Roper encounter (Encounter 2 below), and that survivor has fled to the upper caverns, wounded. If the party backtracks or explores thoroughly, they may encounter this survivor: a half-elf fighter named Kallista, who is dying from wounds inflicted by the Roper. Kallista can provide information about the Roper's location, lair, and abilities—at the cost of the party taking time to help her or deciding to let her die. Kallista's motivation: she was hired by the Minoan, but she realizes now that awakening the dragon is a terrible idea. She wants to warn the party away from the deeper caverns. If the party is sympathetic, she becomes an NPC ally; if they ignore her or let her die, she becomes a tragedy that haunts them—her corpse later serves as a warning about the dungeon's dangers. The air pocket chamber is a valuable rest point. It is warm, filled with air carried down by geothermal vents, and contains remnants of Atlantean camp sites—evidence that expeditions have used this location for rest before. The party can sleep here safely, recovering hit points and spell slots. However, the Druid or anyone using *Commune with Nature* notices that the geothermal vents are beginning to destabilize—signs that the dragon's stirring is disrupting the cavern ecosystem. Rest here is possible but not infinite; the party should understand that time is not their ally.
Read Aloud
The cavern opens into a chamber of impossible scale. Your torches seem insignificant against the darkness. The walls are smooth, not carved but *melted* into place by heat older than memory. And there, suspended in the center of the chamber on a pedestal of orichalcum and living crystal, is the egg: a sphere of luminous white-blue radiance, no smaller than a man's torso, wrapped in orichalcum bands carved with prayers in a thousand languages. The egg *sings*—a note so pure it makes your bones ache. It is alive. It has always been alive, waiting. Around the pedestal, the water shimmers with heat. You sense something with absolute certainty: awakening this egg will change everything. If you activate the orichalcum mechanism that powers Atlantis, you choose resurrection of a dead civilization. If you break the seals on the egg, you choose to awaken the First Dragon, an entity older than the gods themselves. There is no third path. You cannot have both.
Description
The party has reached the dragon egg—the linchpin of the entire adventure. This is a pivotal narrative moment, not a combat encounter. The chamber is the sanctum of the dragon, and the egg is both the power source for Atlantis and the physical form of the unhatched dragon. The orichalcum mechanism near the pedestal is a two-part system: 1. One set of controls, labeled in Atlantean, activates an alternative power source—a geothermal core buried beneath the chamber. Activating this will restore power to Atlantis without disturbing the egg. The city will rise, but it will be a *dead* city, lacking the dragon's consciousness that once made it fully sentient. 2. A second set of controls breaks the orichalcum seals on the egg. Doing so awakens the dragon, fully and irrevocably. The party must then choose to become the dragon's servants or face its judgment. There is also a hidden third option, which the party may discover through investigation: 3. The Druid, using *Commune with Nature* or a similar spell, can sense that the egg's seals are also powered by the orichalcum mechanism. If they carefully *separate* the power flow—routing part of the energy to Atlantis and part to the egg—they might achieve a kind of compromise: Atlantis gains limited power and awareness, while the dragon remains sealed but aware of the party. This requires a DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check and takes 1 hour of ritual work. Success means a partial solution that keeps both options partially open. Failure means the mechanism destabilizes, and the party must quickly choose: activate Atlantis's backup power (a full restoration, but permanent), awaken the dragon, or flee. The egg itself is indestructible and cannot be stolen or transported—attempting to do so alerts the dragon to hostile intent, and it lashes out psychically, dealing 55 psychic damage to any creature that touches it with intent to harm or remove it. The Sorcerer's *Detect Magic* reveals that the egg radiates magic of unimaginable power—the spell cannot quantify it, but it is clearly far beyond any mortal magic. The Rogue can sense that the orichalcum pedestal has a hidden compartment (DC 16 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) to open), which contains a key and a final journal entry from Theron, the last keeper: "If you have reached this chamber, you have proven worthy of the choice. Atlantis can be restored. The dragon can be awakened. But not both. I leave this key to those who choose the dragon—it will bind you to the creature, making you its guardian and champion, not its master. The dragon will honor a willing bond. It will *never* honor slavery."
DM Notes
This is the moral climax of the adventure. The party must roleplay their decision carefully. No single choice is "correct"—the adventure is designed to support any of the three outcomes. **If the party chooses to restore Atlantis:** Atlantis rises. The city can now be inhabited and explored in future sessions. However, it is a hollow resurrection—the city lacks the consciousness it once possessed. The dragon remains sealed but aware, angry at being passed over. In future sessions, the dragon may break free (beginning a new arc) or attempt to communicate with the party, demanding its awakening as a debt owed. **If the party awakens the dragon:** The dragon hatches. Upon emergence, it does not immediately attack—instead, it observes the party with ancient intelligence. It speaks (telepathically or in a voice that shakes the cavern) and asks: "Why have you freed me?" The party's answer matters. If they freed it to serve Atlantis, the dragon will consider them. If they freed it for personal power, the dragon will judge them. If they freed it out of curiosity or because they thought it was right, the dragon will be intrigued. The dragon's tone is not hostile, but it is *alien*—its morality and motivations are incomprehensible to mortals. The dragon will demand a binding ritual: the party must agree to become its *drakir* (dragon-sworn), obligated to serve its will above all else, in exchange for immense power and knowledge. Refusal means the dragon may attack, or it may simply leave the party behind as insignificant. **If the party achieves a compromise:** The egg partially awakens—its consciousness spreads through Atlantis, making the city a living entity with awareness and agency. The dragon remains sealed but not unconscious. It can communicate with the party and guide them. Atlantis becomes a character in its own right, able to move, think, and act. This is the "nuanced" ending, and it opens the most possibilities for future sessions. The Roper guardian does not appear in this scene—it has been defeated or driven away by the party's approach (the dragon's consciousness, now stirring, repels lesser creatures). However, evidence of the Roper remains: fresh claw marks on the pedestal, a corpse of one of the rival adventurers, sliced cleanly in half by the Roper's tentacles, floating in a far corner of the chamber. This graphic evidence of the dungeon's danger underscores that the party has succeeded where others failed. Timing: Allow the party at least 15-20 minutes of roleplay to discuss their choice. This is not a time-pressured decision in terms of mechanical time, but the party should understand that the longer they delay, the more unstable the cavern becomes (hint at this with tremors, widening cracks, and the dragon's song growing louder and more insistent). Do not force them—let them discuss, debate, and ultimately decide as a group.
Monsters
Tactics
The Roper occupies a large cavern chamber filled with rocky outcroppings and crevices. It does not immediately attack when the party enters; instead, it uses its intelligence (3, low for a creature, but capable of simple tactics) to observe them. The Roper's primary hunting strategy is to use its Strands to grapple distant prey, dragging them into its maw. In this encounter, the Roper has claimed the bodies of several previous adventurers (including members of Kallista's team) and has nested among their remains. It views the party as either a threat or potential food. When combat begins, the Roper attempts to grapple multiple party members with its Strands (it can attempt to grapple up to 6 creatures at once, using Strength checks opposed by Strength or Dexterity saves). Grappled creatures are pulled 25 feet closer to the Roper each turn on its turn. The Roper prioritizes finishing off already-wounded creatures or those it has previously grappled. It fights to the death, as its lair is its entire existence. The Roper itself remains relatively stationary, relying on its 50-foot reach with its Strands to control the battlefield. Terrain: The cavern has multiple rocky pillars (half-cover), crevices (requiring DC 13 Athletics to climb out of), and a pool of deep water (20 feet across, difficult terrain). The Roper's nest is in the center, surrounded by bones and the remains of treasures from previous victims.
Terrain
An open cavern roughly 80 feet across with a 40-foot ceiling. Rocky outcroppings provide half-cover. A 20-foot-deep pool of cold, dark water occupies one corner—creatures swimming in it move at half speed and have disadvantage on Perception checks. The Roper's lair is in the center, a nest of woven sinew, bones, and stolen goods. Bioluminescent fungi grow on the walls but provide only dim light, making visibility difficult (dim light imposes disadvantage on Perception checks beyond 30 feet). Tremors occasionally shake the cavern (1d4 damage as creatures lose footing) as a result of the dragon stirring far below. These tremors are increasing in frequency as the party draws nearer to the egg.
Monsters
Tactics
This is a skill challenge combined with a light combat encounter, designed for the party as they navigate the cavern system between the upper levels (Halls of Thalassa) and the dragon's chamber. The party encounters a swarm of deep-sea creatures disturbed by the dragon's awakening. The Giant Octopus is initially neutral, defending its territory but not actively hostile. However, 4 Sahuagin warriors (elite deep-sea warriors, CR 2 each) are hunting in the same territory and will attempt to capture or kill the party—they have been alerted to the party's presence by magical means (perhaps the Minoan noble's agents have hired sahuagin allies). The encounter is set in a narrow underwater canyon with limited visibility (darkvision beyond 60 feet is unreliable). The Octopus can be avoided or reasoned with (DC 16 Wisdom (Animal Handling) to calm it, or DC 14 Charisma (Deception) to convince it the party are not threats). The Sahuagin, however, are merciless hunters. They attack in a coordinated pattern: two warriors flank the party's strongest fighter, while the other two attempt to isolate the Sorcerer or Druid from the group. Terrain: A submarine canyon with walls of jagged volcanic rock. The bottom is sandy and filled with sea grass (difficult terrain). The Octopus has a lair in a cave mouth at the canyon's far end. Columns of bubbling volcanic vents dot the field, dealing 3 (1d6) fire damage to creatures that end their turn within 5 feet of a vent. Visibility is poor; distant enemies are at disadvantage unless the party uses light sources (which may attract more creatures). Duration: This encounter should last 3-4 rounds if the party fights the Sahuagin straight-on, or can be bypassed in 1-2 rounds if they reason with the Octopus and use stealth or misdirection to avoid the Sahuagin warriors.
Terrain
A masterwork Warhammer with a head of enchanted steel and a haft of orichalcum-treated wood. This was the weapon of a previous adventurer (Kallista's fallen companion). It grants +2 to attack and damage rolls and deals an additional 1d6 force damage on a hit. The haft is slightly warped from recent use but remains functional. Weight: 8 lbs.
Recovered from the Roper's nest and from the remnants of Kallista's expedition. These are uncut but high-quality diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds of Atlantean origin, each worth 500 gp if sold to a willing merchant. Total value: 2,500 gp. They radiate faint abjuration magic (likely enchantments for preservation or identification).
Found in a waterproof case among Theron's possessions in the hidden compartment of the dragon egg's pedestal. This spell allows a creature to bind a celestial, elemental, fey, or fiend. The scroll is ancient but still legible. Casting it requires an Intelligence (Arcana) check (DC 13) or a spell slot of level 5 or higher. If used to bind the dragon (should the party attempt it), the check becomes DC 20, and failure results in the dragon breaking free and attacking the party in fury. The dragon cannot truly be bound, but the ritual can be used to establish a respectful contract or service agreement.
A delicate circlet of orichalcum, inscribed with celestial runes and set with pearls from the Aegean's deepest waters. This crown is a symbol of Atlantis's leadership and is required to fully activate and control the city's central mechanisms. It grants the wearer advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks related to Atlantean technology and allows them to communicate telepathically with Atlantis itself (if the city has been restored). It is worth 3,000 gp as a valuable artifact, but its true value lies in its role as the key to Atlantean governance.
A waterproof tome containing the full writings of Theron, the last Keeper of Atlantis. It documents the civilization's final days, the decision to seal the dragon, the construction of the hidden chamber, and Theron's personal reflections on mortality, responsibility, and the nature of power. The journal contains practical information (rituals for Atlantean technology, maps of the city's deepest levels, the true names of several powerful entities) and philosophical wisdom (meditations on duty, sacrifice, and redemption). A character who spends a long rest reading this journal gains advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks for the next 24 hours and learns to speak, read, and write Atlantean. The journal is priceless to any scholar or mystic.
A mundane but invaluable item recovered from one of the fallen adventurers. It allows the party to carry additional supplies and loot without weight penalty. Contains currently: 150 lbs of preserved food, 200 feet of silk rope, a waterproof lantern with oil, and miscellaneous climbing gear.
A delicate navigation instrument of orichalcum and crystal, designed to point toward the nearest orichalcum source (including the crown and the egg chamber's pedestal). It grants advantage on navigation checks in underwater or underground environments. It is beautiful enough to be worth 1,200 gp, but its true value is as a tool for navigating Atlantean ruins.
Standard healing potions (2d4+2 hit points each) recovered from the rival adventurers' supplies. Useful for emergency healing during the final push toward the egg. Value: 50 gp each (500 gp total).
Story Hooks
The Warhammer and journal entries hint at a larger organization of rivals seeking the egg. If the party leaves the cavern without recovering these items, word may reach the Minoan noble that other adventurers are also pursuing the egg—leading to a potential follow-up adventure where the party must defend their claim or race against a second expedition. The Orichalcum Crown of Atlantis is essential if the party wishes to restore and control the city. Without it, Atlantis can awaken but will resist commands and may resist the party's occupation. This leads into a future session where the party must learn to govern a resurrected civilization. The Journal of Theron provides crucial lore for understanding Atlantean culture and technology. It hints at other artifacts hidden in the city, multiple dragon-kin scattered across the world, and a prophecy about "the dragon's judgment upon all who would wield its power." This prophecy should haunt the party—it suggests that the dragon will eventually test them, regardless of whether it was awakened. The Scroll of Planar Binding suggests that other parties or entities have attempted to bind the dragon in the past. Investigation into the scroll's origins (if the party pursues it) reveals it was created by a long-dead sorcerer from the Empyrean lands who sought to control the dragon for conquest. The party may wonder if they, too, risk becoming conquerors rather than liberators.
Conclusion
Wrap Up
The party emerges from the cavern with the weight of their choice upon them. If they restored Atlantis, the city rises from the depths, breaking the ocean's surface with the sound of impossible machinery. Seawater boils away from its flanks as it ascends. The city is intact, beautiful, and wholly silent—an empty monument to a dead age. If they awakened the dragon, the creature bursts from the pedestal in a shower of orichalcum fragments and radiant light, ascending through the cavern in spiral flight until it breaks through to the open air. Its wings spread across the sky, blotting out the stars, and its voice echoes across the Mediterranean: a song of emergence, of freedom, of alien gratitude or alien hunger—the party will never be certain which. If they achieved a compromise, Atlantis rises partially, its power systems humming with tentative awareness. The dragon's consciousness merges with the city itself, and both become one—a hybrid entity of technology and primal power. The party must now decide what to do with what they have created. Atlantis cannot remain hidden; the party's journey has alerted the world to its existence. Scholars, governments, and power-seekers will soon begin their own expeditions to the city. The party must decide: Do they claim Atlantis as their own seat of power? Do they hide it again? Do they open it to the world? Do they allow the dragon (if awakened) to depart or remain? These decisions will reshape the Mediterranean and ripple across the world.
Cliffhanger
On the night after their emergence from the cavern, the party notices something alarming: the sky itself seems to ripple. A voice—vast, ancient, and unmistakably present—speaks to them across the distance: "You have made your choice, and I respect it. But know this: there are others who have felt my awakening. Others who remember the age when dragons ruled, when Atlantis burned the sky with magic, when mortals were toys in the hands of powers they could never comprehend. They are coming. Some to reclaim what was lost. Some to destroy what they fear. And some... some who will seek to bind you, to use you, to make you instruments of their ambition, just as you feared to do with me." The voice fades, but its implications remain. The party has not solved the mystery of Atlantis or the dragon—they have only opened a far larger one.
Next Session Hooks
- The Minoan Noble's Revenge: The party discovers that their rivals—survivors of Kallista's team—have escaped with enough information to reveal Atlantis's location to a powerful Minoan noble. This noble begins gathering an army to conquer or exploit the city. The party must decide whether to defend Atlantis, hide it, or make peace with the incoming threat.
- The Dragon's Judgment: If the party awakened the dragon, it begins to move across the ancient world, seeking sites of great power or significance. The party finds themselves bonded to this creature through ritual or circumstance, and must accompany it on its journey of discovery and destruction. Along the way, they learn that the dragon is not the only primordial creature stirring in response to Atlantis's awakening.
- The Atlantean Depths: The party learns that Atlantis contains secrets and systems far deeper than the egg chamber—levels they never explored, containing technologies and magics beyond mortal comprehension. Ancient AI systems begin to boot up, including one that views the party as intruders to be removed. The party must delve deeper into their own discovery to prevent catastrophe.
- The Other Dragons: The voice from the conclusion hints that other dragon-kin exist scattered across the world. If the party awakened the First Dragon, it will seek out its kin—some of whom are imprisoned, bound, or enslaved. The party may find themselves caught between the dragon's quest for liberation and the forces that bound its siblings.
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