Printer Friendly Quest For The Dragon Crown PDF

THE QUEST
FOR THE DRAGON CROWN

BY MARTIN LLOYD, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY IRIS MAERTENS
Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Contents
The Quest for the Dragon Crown
Introduction 3
Part One : The Haunted Library 6
Part Two: The Merqueen’s Kingdom 13
Part Three: The Wood of Seasons 20
Part Four: Cracklewing 27
Part Five: The Crown and the King 36
Handouts
Merrydown Map 44
Puzzle tiles and bracelet 45
Dragon Crown 47
The Quest for the Dragon Crown was put together by
Author: Martin Lloyd

Illustrations: Iris Maertens
Layout: Duncan McKean & Martin Lloyd
Copy editing: Christopher Walz
Play testing by:
Micah Adams with Aaron and Caleb

Joshua Bixler, with Russo Bixler
Christina Bullock with Tristan Bullock
Dusey Van Dusen with Gwen and Chloe
Nimrod and Linda Jones with Freyja and Thea
Forrest and Tristan Leder, with Makaela and Jeran
Martin Lloyd with Ruben and Lisa
John Russell with Benny Russell
Ryan and Jessie Travis, with Jameson Travis
The Quest for the Dragon Crown is © Copyright Amazing Tales, 2019
2 ~ The Quest for the Dragon Crown

Introduction
Welcome to The Quest for the Dragon the next part of the story will make
Crown, an adventure for the Amazing sense. For example, act one ends when
Tales role-playing game. To play the the heroes have found a clue in the
Quest for the Dragon Crown you’ll need library that leads to the Dragon Crown.
a copy of Amazing Tales. If you haven’t As long as they’ve found the clue, the
got that, you can get one through www. story is on the right track, whatever
amazing-tales.net else has happened.
So, what is this exactly? Using the book
It’s a quest in five parts Before running The Quest for the
Dragon Crown, read the whole thing
Normally, when you play Amazing so you have a sense of what’s coming.
Tales you make up the adventure as In addition each act starts with a brief
you go. The Quest for the Dragon Crown summary so you know the key things
is an adventure that has already been that have to happen in that act.
made up. But there is still plenty of
room for you and your players to put Sometimes you’ll find boxed text in
your own spin on it as you play. the adventure. This is intended to be
read out to the players. Of course you
The Quest for the Dragon Crown is a may sometimes need to change things
multi-part adventure. To complete the depending on exactly what the heroes
quest you and your players will play are doing — for instance, if they flew
multiple games of Amazing Tales, with somewhere or arrived by magic, then
each session featuring the same heroes. a description of the walk to get there
won’t make sense.
The quest is divided into five acts. Each
act is a story, which was written to be Some of the adventures include extra
played in a single game of Amazing activities that children can do outside
Tales, although in playtesting some of the game. For example, there is
groups preferred to take more time. a map of the kingdom that can be
coloured in, and a template to print
Each act starts and ends in a given out for making your very own Dragon
situation. As long as you start and Crown. You don’t have to do the
finish the act in the right place, then activities to enjoy the game, but they
The Quest for the Dragon Crown ~ 3

should provide some extra enjoyment. The Setting
The Quest for the Dragon Crown takes

Challenges and monsters
place in the Kingdom of Merrydown,
When the heroes encounter a an idyllic fantasy kingdom from long
challenging situation the story will ago. Merrydown is certainly home to
provide a list of things that might humans, fairies and talking animals.
happen. This is intended as inspiration If you want to add elves, ogres, orcs,
for the game’s master. The things don’t dwarfs and the like — go ahead. Magic
all have to happen, and they don’t have is a real thing in Merrydown, but
to happen in that order, use whatever wizards and witches are rare.
makes sense for your story.
Merrydown is ruled by the amiable
Where challenges should be monarch King Thrushbeard, who lives
particularly exciting it’s often a good in his palace by the River Whindle.
idea to present them as a series of
tasks. For instance, the challenges As usual with talking animals in
to overcome the giant spiders in the Amazing Tales not all animals talk.
king’s library are: Talking animals can be recognised
because they are a bit larger than a
ÕÕ The spiders are very stealthy, how
normal member of their species, and
do you know they’re hunting you?
may wear clothes or stand on their hind
ÕÕ The spider webs are very sticky, legs. Talking animals never eat other
how do you avoid getting caught in talking animals. So while a talking fox
them? might catch normal rabbits for food, it
ÕÕ The spiders have a poisonous bite, would never dream of eating a talking
how do you not get bitten? rabbit.
ÕÕ The spiders wrap up their victims in

Making up Heroes
silk thread and carry them off, how
do you escape? The players can make up any kind
of hero they like to undertake the
If the heroes spot the spiders early quest for the Dragon Crown. But the
and think of something clever to avoid adventure is written to fit characters
them, only the first challenge might be like those in the Magical Kingdoms or
necessary. Alternatively, if they were Deep Dark Woods settings, and will
somehow to get themselves caught work best with heroes who fit those
straight away, they might need to work settings.
through all the challenges.
When making up the heroes it is a good

idea to show the players the map of
Merrydown and ask where the heroes
live. Have the players mark their homes
on the map. Except for the very middle
of Deepdale Woods, anywhere on the
map is OK.
If there is more than one hero in the

game, be sure to ask “How did you
become friends?” and don’t start until
you’ve got an answer all the players are
happy with.
And finally...
Have fun! This is an adventure for

you and your players and when
you’ve finished it whatever you’ve
experienced will have been unique.
By providing a bit of structure, The
Quest for the Dragon Crown tries to
create some extra special moments in
the game for you, but be sure to keep
your imagination, and your player’s
imaginations switched on from start to
finish.
Good luck! Danger and glory await...

Part One: The Haunted Library
Summary
The heroes rescue a group of refugees from Fawndale, who have got into trouble
crossing a river. The refugees are fleeing from dragons and are led by a young man
named Pew. They ask the heroes to take them to King Thrushbeard, who they
believe has a magic crown that keeps dragons away. The king knows nothing of the
crown, but thinks there might be a map in his library that explains where it is.
The library is dangerously messy and the heroes will need the help of the ghostly
librarian to find the map.
Note that this session concludes with the heroes recovering the first part of a
puzzle. You might want to prepare the puzzle ahead of time so you can hand it to
the players when they find it.
Rescue at the river

“You are taking a stroll through the beautiful Torrent Hills. The summer sun is
shining and the hillsides are covered in colourful wildflowers. The fast-flowing
River Torrent is to your left, and in the distance you can see mist and hear the
rumble of Torrent Falls.
As you reach the top of a hill you see hundreds of people crossing the river. They
have ponies, and wagons piled high with belongings. As you watch, one of the
ponies loses its footing and a wagon is swept into the river and toward the falls. A
woman screams “My children! My babies are in that wagon!”
What do you do?”
The location
It is summer in the green, rolling Torrent Hills, and the warm sun is shining. Even
so, the clear river water is icy cold. In the distance are snow capped mountains.
The river runs through fields and meadows, the air smells of wildflowers and fresh
grass. In the distance can be heard the rumbling sound of a waterfall.

Things that can happen here: made him their leader in these difficult
ÕÕ The wagons, the children on board times. Pew is disabled, and cannot use
the wagons and the ponies could all his legs, and so has to be carried, or
be washed away if not rescued. ride on a wagon.
ÕÕ The wagon with the children
could float downstream toward a Throughout the adventure Pew will
waterfall. be available to mentor the heroes and
provide clues and hints. He knows
ÕÕ The wagon could catch on a branch a lot and can always be relied on for
and stick just above the falls. good advice. However Pew himself will
ÕÕ The crowd could be organised to always stay with his people, meaning
help. any heroics will be up to the heroes.
ÕÕ Heroes who roll badly might rescue
the people, but need rescuing What happens next:
themselves. The people will be grateful to the
heroes for rescuing them. They will
Who is here also want to know if they are now in
There are around 100 people here, they the Kingdom of Merrydown. When told
all look tired and hungry, as if they that they are, they will be very happy
have travelled a long way. Their wagons because “Now the dragons can’t get
are piled up with clothes and tools, as us.”
if they have brought everything they
have with them. Pew explains that:
ÕÕ They come from a nearby land

The woman whose children need called Fawndale, which has been
rescuing is called Thea. The children attacked by evil dragons under the
are called Greta and Robin. The person leadership of a huge dragon called
doing the organising is a young man Firecrax.
called Pew.
ÕÕ They know that the king of
Profile: Pew Merrydown has a magical crown
that keeps dragons away.
Pew is young, perhaps 19 years of age, ÕÕ They have come here to ask for his
but very clever. He has read every protection. Now they have just one
book ever written in the kingdom of question: Can the heroes take them to
Fawndale. But more importantly he is a the king?
kind and generous young man, which is
why the people of Fawndale have

The heroes will know the way to King likely to have no end of well-meant
Thrushbeard’s palace. Getting there but terrible ideas, some smart heroes
can be as easy or hard as you like. should be able to nudge him in the right
Things the heroes might encounter on direction.
the way include:
As the heroes know, King Thrushbeard
ÕÕ A washed out bridge.
lives at Thrushbeard Palace. This
ÕÕ Bandits or monsters lurking in large and sprawling estate includes a
woods along the route. castle, several ornamental gardens, a
ÕÕ A rainstorm turns the roads to mud. menagerie, a maze and a village called
Hogsend. The chief activity in Hogsend
This could also be an excellent moment is producing food to feed the king’s
to ask your players what kind of voracious appetite.
problems they might encounter, and
to use the answers to flesh out the On hearing that Pew’s people would
kingdom a little more — and challenge like to live in Merrydown, Thrushbeard
the heroes! is accomodating and welcomes them
to the kingdom. On hearing that they
The Messy King are being chased by dragons and are
hoping that the Dragon Crown will save
Profile: King Thrushbeard the Messy
them, Thrushbeard is confused
King Thrushbeard is friendly, greedy,

“Dragon Crown? Do I have one of those?
messy and forgetful. He collects all
I have a Sunday Crown, and a Dancing
kinds of things: clothes, swords, hats,
Crown. I’ve got a sleeping crown with
cats, interestingly coloured stones...
built-in pillows and a teatime crown
and stores them all haphazardly about
especially for drinking tea in. What
his castle. His vast and tangled beard is
other crowns do you suppose I have?”
itself home to collections of feathers,
important documents and food he’s
King Thrushbeard looks confused, but
keeping for later. Thrushbeard likes
Pew has a suggestion
food, and will throw a banquet at a
moment’s notice. Indeed he may well
“If I may say so your majesty. Your
announce a banquet because the heroes
great, great, great Grandfather
have arrived, and another to welcome
certainly had a Dragon Crown. I read
the arrivals from Fawndale.
all about it. Before he died he hid many
treasures for safekeeping. Perhaps the
Thrushbeard is easily persuaded and
crown was one of them?”
easily distracted, and, while he is

At this King Thrushbeard appears meters high. Elsewhere books have
slightly hesitant. “Great Grandfather simply been piled into huge stacks.
Tidyhair? Well he did leave a treasure
map, but I’ve never looked at it.” He Every now and then there is an old
turns to you. “Could you pop along to painting, or a statue, a giant globe or a
the library and get the treasure map? suit of armour to decorate the place, but
Shouldn’t be any trouble for the likes of like the books, everything is covered
you.” in a layer of thick dust. Trails of spider
silk stretch across the rows between
What do you do? the shelves, and the tree branches are
thick with spider webs.
The very messy library
There are millions of books in the
If the heroes simply agree to go to the
library. Finding the map is going to
library they are given directions to a
require either a brilliant idea, or some
doorway at the back of the castle. If
help.
they ask any questions about why this
is a job that needs heroes, they might
Things that can happen here
learn that:
Hazards that need to be overcome
ÕÕ The library is so messy no-one goes
simply to move around in the library
in anymore in case they get buried
include:
in books.
ÕÕ There are rumours of giant spiders ÕÕ Teetering stacks of books that
in there. threaten to collapse.
ÕÕ The library is said to be haunted ÕÕ Piles of paper so vast you can sink
beneath them like quicksand.
The location ÕÕ Maze-like shelves you can get lost
The library door is big and heavy and in.
made of wood. Carved into the stone
There are also dangerous giant spiders
above it are the words “Royal Library,
in the library. Challenges that might be
Please be Quiet”. The door isn’t locked,
required to avoid or defeat the spiders
but squeaks horribly when pushed open
include:
to reveal a huge room that stretches
into the distance. Light comes from ÕÕ The spiders are very stealthy, how
skylights high up in the ceiling and do you know they’re hunting you?
shines down in dusty beams onto the
ÕÕ The spider webs are very sticky,
apparently endless rows of shelves.
how do you avoid getting caught in
These tower up, in places they are 10
them?

ÕÕ The spiders have a poisonous bite, Geronimo’s problem is a bookworm.
how do you not get bitten? The bookworm has been eating books
ÕÕ The spiders wrap up their victims in and is doing terrible damage to the
silk thread and carry them off, how library. If the heroes can get rid of it for
do you escape? Geronimo, he can tell them where to
find the map they’re looking for.
The librarian and the bookworm
The bookworm is the size and shape
After the heroes have explored the of a python, some 3 meters long and
library for a little while they encounter as thick as a person’s arm. Although
Geronimo Pincewell, the ghostly chief it only eats books it can be quite
librarian. If the heroes have been ferocious once caught. If the heroes try
making noise, he comes along to tell to bargain with the bookworm, it won’t
them off. If they’ve been fighting want to leave, because where else can it
spiders he might turn up mid battle to find such delicious books?
offer advice (“Stick it with the pointy
end!”) and to tell them to keep the Challenges the heroes might need
noise down. Once he’s explained the to overcome to catch and defeat the
rules of the library Geronimo instantly bookworm include:
becomes friendly and asks “Now, how
can I help you?” ÕÕ The bookworm is very quiet, how
will you hear it chewing paper?
Geronimo is a ghost. He can’t touch ÕÕ The bookworm has very good
anything, and like all good ghosts he hearing, how will you sneak up on
can walk through walls. He could walk it?
through books if he wanted to, but he
ÕÕ The bookworm is very fast, how will
refuses on principle.
you catch up with it?
If the heroes have somehow managed ÕÕ The bookworm throws books at you
to reach Geronimo without making any and knocks over shelves, how will
noise, or making any kind of mess in you dodge them?
the library, and ask politely where they ÕÕ The bookworm wraps itself around
can find the map, he tells them straight you and squeezes, how will you
away, and even offers them a library survive?
card.
What happens next?
If they haven’t been so quiet, he
Once the bookworm is dealt with
asks them to do him a favour before
Geronimo leads the heroes to the map.
providing the location of the map.
He’ll be slightly apologetic. “It’s not

really a map. But I’m told that this will
lead you to the Dragon Crown”. He
shows the heroes a small box.
Written on the top is the message “Find

my key on the Queen’s wrist, midway
between silver and gold”. The box isn’t
locked, and inside the heroes find a
collection of tiles each with a word in
a different size and colour. Geronimo
can’t offer any more help than this.
When he sees what the heroes have

found, King Thrushbeard will be
excited. “Ah it’s a mysterious quest!”
he enthuses “I’m sure you heroes will
solve the riddle and be back with the
crown in no time!”

Part Two: The Merqueen’s Kingdom
Summary
The heroes follow the clues to a point in the middle of the ocean. There they meet
a mermaid called Agaricia who invites them to the mermaid kingdom. When the
heroes get there they are told that Queen Tempestua won’t help them and they
can’t leave — unless they defeat the monster that is threatening her people. After
defeating the Dragon Fish the heroes are rewarded with the key to the puzzle.
Note that this session concludes with the heroes receiving the Merqueen’s bracelet,
which you may want to make ahead of time.
Setting Sail
Setting sail
“Midway between silver and gold” could mean lots of things. Pew suggests the
heroes look at the map of Merrydown and see if anywhere makes sense. Halfway
between the silver tower and the golden lighthouse suggests a point in the middle
of the ocean. If the heroes can’t work out the clue, have Pew lead them to the
answer.
Depending on what kind of heroes they are this could pose a challenge.
ÕÕ If they have a ship, they can simply set sail!

ÕÕ If they have magic or can fly, they might be able to travel that way.
ÕÕ If not, they’re going to need a boat.
When the heroes leave the castle they notice, far far away in the mountains, winged
shapes flapping around. King Thrushbeard is blasé about the development; “Look
at ‘em, barely the size of a songbird. And Dragons belong in mountains, I’m sure
they’ll just stay there. Maybe I’ll get one for my menagerie.” Pew is more concerned
and urges the heroes to hurry.
Finding a boat
The easiest way to find a boat is to ask the king. He has quite a collection: row

boats, canoes and sailing ships, all when they reach the point midway
moored just outside the castle. If they between silver and gold, there is
opt for the sailing ship, it is captained nothing there. Just wind, and waves,
by Captain Anna Sailwell. She is a and a fishing boat bobbing around.
retired explorer, and is delighted to be
setting sail for adventure once more. Singing for Mermaids
Although when she looks at the map
What to do now? There is indeed
she sighs, :There’s nothing there. That
nothing at all to see. If the heroes
whole area is just open sea. Still, I’m
think to ask the fisherman for help,
happy to show you.”
he introduces himself as Fisherman
Jack Haddock. He hasn’t seen anything
Travelling to where “X” marks the
at all, but “Your map probably isn’t
spot
wrong though. They say there’s a
Assuming our heroes set off along whole kingdom of merfolk living
the river toward the sea, they might under this very sea. I see them every
encounter some of the following now and then, but they never stay
hazards: long. Whatever you’re looking for, it’s
probably down there.”
ÕÕ The River Whindle Whirlpool —
the Whindlepool — that has to be
If the heroes don’t think to ask Jack,
negotiated.
have him introduce himself.
ÕÕ Two barges have collided and are
blocking the river; can the heroes At this point the heroes need to work
get them unstuck? out how to get beneath the sea. Heroes
ÕÕ A brand new low bridge, can the who know things may well know how
heroes devise a way to get the ship to call a mermaid. Otherwise Jack
past? knows. He tells them, “You’ve got to
sing for them. If you stand on your ship
Once they set out to sea they might and you sing a song for a mermaid, one
encounter: will come. Be careful though, mermaids
can be awful tricksy. So if you’re going
ÕÕ Drifting fog banks in which a ship
to do that, I’m going to be somewhere
could run aground.
else.”, and then he sails away.
ÕÕ A mother whale and her calf being
pursued by sharks. At this point, do not let your players get
ÕÕ A band of scurrilous pirates aboard away with saying “I sing a song”, make
their ship, The Black Puffin. them sing. And pay attention to how
they do it, because the secret of singing
The real challenge, though, is that for mermaids is that the song you

sing and how you sing it determines trouble and feel at home with their new
the mood the mermaid is in when she mer-form. Any characters with skills
arrives. like fly fast, or run and jump find they
can do something equivalent under
ÕÕ An enthusiastic rendition of “Happy
water. Agaricia smiles at them. “I’m so
Birthday” results in a happy, excited
glad you were sure you wanted to come.
mermaid.
Because now you can never go back. We
ÕÕ A dispirited rendition of “Ring can be friends forever! Follow me!”
a Ring a Roses” results in a
concerned, hypochondriac And with that she dives beneath the
mermaid. waves.
ÕÕ A grumpy, uncooperative “Row,
Row,Row Your Boat” results in a Of course the heroes may not bother
grumpy uncooperative mermaid. singing. If they have magic, a
submarine or some other means of
It may be necessary to sing a few times getting under water, they may just set
before a mermaid arrives but when she off straight to the bottom of the sea.
does her name is Agaricia. Whatever This makes the Merqueen very angry
her mood is, Agaricia wants to know indeed when they arrive.
about the heroes and what they’re up
to. She agrees that the clue might be The Court of the Merqueen
about something on the bottom of the
Agaricia’s comment that the heroes can
sea, but explains that the best way to
never go back may well upset them; she
check would be to ask her Queen.
just says that “The Queen will explain
everything.” Should the heroes try and
Agaricia can take heroes to the bottom
remove their necklaces, they find they
of the sea, but before she agrees to do
can’t. Still, Agaricia leads them to the
so she asks them “Are you sure? Are
Merqueen’s court.
you really, really sure? Are you really,
really, really sure?”. Once assured, she
“You swim down and down and down,
gives them each one of the many shell
until the sunlight fades and the water
necklaces she wears. No sooner has a
becomes inky black. You swim further,
hero put one of these on than they find
and in the depths you glimpse points
it hard to breathe, and hard to walk.
of dim yellow light. As you get closer,
After a few moments, they realise their
you realise you are far above a coral
legs are turning into a tail.
city, and the lights you can see are
shining from windows. Below you can
As soon as the heroes are in the water,
see merpeople; mermen and mermaids,
they are able to breathe without any
even merchildren.

Shoals of fish shimmer as they swim “You must do a great service for my
past the coral spires. Whales pass kingdom, and as it happens there is a
majestically above you. Everyone in service that needs doing.
the city seems worried. The merpeople
are watchful, staying inside their coral A month ago a great beast crept out of
buildings and peering suspiciously at the depths of the ocean and hid itself
you. near our kelp fields. Now we cannot
harvest our food, and every day the
In the centre of the city is a great coral beast creeps closer to our city. My
palace with many spires and towers. greatest warriors have been unable to
Each gateway is guarded by ferocious drive it away. Rid us of the beast, and
looking mer-knights, who carry long the key to the puzzle and a return to
spears and hold sharks on leashes. This the surface will be yours. ”
is where Agaricia wants you to go.”
Profile: Queen Tempestua
Meeting Tempestua
Tempestua is proud, regal and
Once within the palace the heroes
passionate. Her long black hair is
are taken to see Queen Tempestua. If
hung with tiny phosphorescent lights,
the characters arrived by themselves,
framing a wise and ageless face. Sea
without Agaricia’s help, she is furious.
creatures and shells decorate her body
A proper apology calms her down.
like living jewelry, and her silver scales
are mixed with purple, green and blue
Tempestua wants to know what the
variations. As one of the rulers of the
heroes are doing in her kingdom.
sea, she carries a trident as her badge of
Assuming they tell the truth, she
office.
explains that yes, she does have the key
to the puzzle. It was given to her long
Like all mermaids, her moods are as
ago by a king from the “dry world”.
changeable as the sea in which she
She’d be happy to give it to the heroes,
lives. When Tempestua is angry, she
but there’s a catch: outsiders who see
is very angry. When she is kind, she is
the kingdom of the mermaids are not
very kind, when something makes her
permitted to leave. “I understand it is a
laugh, she laughs a lot.
high price, but I am sure Agaricia will
have asked you if you were sure you
Tempestua is the absolute ruler of her
wanted to come?”
people, and expects to be treated with
respect by everyone she meets.
There is only one way the heroes could
leave. Tempestua explains it:

The Dragon Fish calling for help (Keep Helio around
to add extra drama to the fight with
Through talking to Tempestua or other the dragon fish.)
merpeople the heroes can learn about
ÕÕ Not get distracted by the bright light
the beast they must fight. If they just
hanging above the kelp, for it is the
run off to fight it, they don’t learn any
lure of the Dragonfish
of this.
The Dragon Fish lies hidden in a cave,
The Dragon Fish... with just its lure hanging out and a
ÕÕ Has terrible teeth, the length of layer of sand covering it. If they don’t
swords. realise what the glowing light is, the
first the heroes may know of it is when
ÕÕ Can make glowing lights that it erupts from beneath the sand and
hypnotise its prey. attempts to devour them. It should
ÕÕ Dwells in caves near the kelp fields. take three or four rolls to defeat the
ÕÕ Is so big that when it opens its Dragon Fish, depending on how things
mouth wide you could stand up go. Things the Dragon Fish might do
inside it. include:
ÕÕ The Dragon Fish tries to devour you

The location in one bite, how do you escape?
Deep beneath the ocean. Faint rays of ÕÕ The Dragon Fish smashes into you
light shine down through a thick forest with its scaly tail, how do you avoid
of kelp. The ocean bed is sandy, but full it?
of crabs and shellfish. Tiny fish flitter
ÕÕ The Dragon Fish whips up a cloud of
all around. Cold currents of water move
sand, how will you see?
up from the ocean depths.
ÕÕ You find yourself being hypnotised
Things that can happen by its lure, what do you do?
ÕÕ The Dragon Fish hides in the kelp,
Approaching the Dragon Fish is a
how do you stop it sneaking up on
difficult undertaking in itself. The
you?
heroes may have to
ÕÕ The Dragon Fish swims high above
ÕÕ Make their way into the thick kelp
you and dives down to crush you,
forest - without getting lost
how will you dodge?
ÕÕ Avoid the predatory eels that
accompany the dragon fish
ÕÕ Find Helio, a frightened merchild
who is lost in the kelp forest and

What happens next?
Once the heroes have defeated the
Dragon Fish they can return to
Tempestua and claim their reward. She
will be absolutely delighted that they
have succeeded, and shower them with
praise and treasure. She will also hand
them her shellfish bracelet, which she
says is the key to the puzzle and was
given to her long ago by a king from the
land.
Solving the puzzle might take some

time, and Tempestua won’t be able to
help. Indeed solving the puzzle might
be an excellent thing for the players to
work on before the next game.
The merfolk will be happy to escort

the heroes back to their ship, or the
shore, and will wave them goodbye,
promising that they can visit (and
leave) as often as they like. A privilege
extended to no-one else.

Part Three: The Wood of Seasons
Summary
The heroes travel to Deepdale Wood, and encounter a fairy named Lief
Acornshield, who points them toward the magical Wood of Seasons in the heart of
the forest. The heroes must solve the riddle to navigate the Wood of Seasons and
find the hiding place of the Dragon Crown.
This session concludes with the heroes receiving the Dragon Crown. You might
want to have the templates on hand so your players can make their own version.
Solving the puzzle

The heroes ended Part Two having secured the Merqueen’s bracelet, which will let
them solve the tile puzzle. If they match the tiles’ colours and sizes to the shells on
the bracelet, and arrange them in the same order, they read:
“If you would find the Dragon Crown
Seek out the deepest woods
And there walk backwards through the seasons
Starting now”
If the heroes are struggling with this, Pew is able to give some useful hints.
If the players look at the map, they can work out that “The deepest woods”
probably means Deepdale Wood. Everyone knows the wood is wild and dangerous,
and people avoid it, even though fairies live on the edges. Heroes who know
things, or have some connection to the wood, know that there are stories of
people entering the woods, becoming lost, and emerging years later, confused, but
seemingly no older than when they entered.

Entering the Wood determined to go there they can follow
the path of a stream that runs through
Throughout this session stress that it is the wood.
summertime. It will be important later.
For whatever reason many of the
“As you reach the edge of the woods, monsters that live in the wood are
the ground becomes mossy underfoot unusually active of late. There are
and you can no longer hear your wolves, and worse things on the prowl.
footsteps. A gentle summer breeze
rustles the leaves that whisper among As long as the heroes keep following
themselves above your head. Oak the stream Leif pointed them to they
trees creak gently. Brightly colored will reach their destination. On the way
butterflies flit among the tree trunks, they might encounter the following.
and you see the shadows of squirrels
and birds playing in the branches. A lost and confused man. He says his
name is Robert, and he has been lost in
You haven’t gone far when a sprinkling the woods for days, maybe as long as
of shiny dust glitters in the shadow of a week. Every now and then he shouts
an oak tree, and the tiny form of a fairy, out that he doesn’t want to dance. If
no bigger than a songbird, bounces asked about this he says he’s been
toward you on dragonfly wings. “Oh dancing for days and he doesn’t want to
hello!” he says, in a clear voice, “are dance anymore. He wants to get back to
you sure you want to be here? Things the king, as he is a royal guard. But he
are rather unsettled in the woods thinks the king is called King Tidyhair,
today.” and he was king a long time ago.
What do you do?” A pack of wolves, led by Browntail, a

talking wolf, and a notorious bandit.
The fairy is called Lief Acornshield,
ÕÕ The wolves howl in the distance —
and he is concerned about the welfare
are the heroes afraid?
of the strangers in the wood. There are
wolves abroad, and perhaps worse, and ÕÕ Browntail might talk to the heroes
he doesn’t want any visitors getting to distract them while his pack
themselves in trouble. In conversation sneak up on them — do the heroes
he can reveal the following: spot them?
ÕÕ The wolves rush the heroes from all
The deepest part of Deepdale Wood is sides — can they fight them off?
called the Wood of Seasons and even
the fairies avoid it. But if they are If possible, have Browntail escape, he’ll

be back in Part Four. Each time the heroes enter part of
the wood a full season of time passes
Evil trees reach out with with twisted in the outside world, so journeying
branches and walk on their roots. through the wood will take at least
a year of ‘real time’. However if the
ÕÕ They try to trip the heroes, do they
heroes haven’t worked out the riddle
fall over?
it may take longer, potentially much
ÕÕ They try to grab the heroes, can much longer. Throughout this part of
they get free? the adventure keep a tally of how many
ÕÕ They try to trap the heroes inside seasons the heroes spend in the wood.
their trunks, can they escape?
The paths all lead through an
The Wood of Seasons identical piece of wood, where similar
encounters occur. Each time the heroes
“You have reached the end of the attempt to leave the wood in the wrong
stream. It emerges from a bubbling direction, for instance if they want to
spring in the middle of a clearing. travel from spring to autumn, they find
Here the woods are silent. On the far themselves back at the starting point.
side of the clearing are four pairs of
trees, and between each pair of trees
Note that travelling the Wood of
is a path. One pair of trees are budding
Seasons can be confusing and
with spring leaves. One pair are in full
frustrating for young players. That’s
summer glory. One pair are covered
part of the adventure, but if your
in berries and autumn leaves, and one
players are struggling you might want
pair are bare, as if it was the middle of
to lend extra help to ensure things
winter.
remain fun.
What do you do?”

The next two pages detail each season
in the wood, who the heroes will
The four paths lead to different areas encounter there, the routes to the other
within the Wood of Seasons. If the seasons and what happens when the
heroes wish to reach the Dragon heroes try to take them.
Crown, they have to work out the
riddle. They must traverse the seasons
in reverse order, starting ‘now’, which
is to say with summer. So the quickest
way through the wood is to go from
summer, to spring, to winter, to
autumn.

Spring
“As you step between the trees you hear the sound of birdsong. The grass is carpeted in sweet-smelling flowers and
the bright sun feels warm on your skin. The wood stretches out around you, but looking back you can see no sign of the
clearing you just left. Not far away you can hear the sound of singing.
A group of a dozen young women are dancing about a sundial. They wear bright green dresses and have flowers in their hair. They dance in
quick whirling patterns, smiling and singing. As you approach they reach out to you, “Come and join us,” they say “for it is spring, and a
time to dance, for the woods are waking.” What do you do?”
If the heroes join the dance they lose all track of time, and are only able to break free if they succeed at some appropriate test. Each time
they fail, increase the number of seasons they have spent in the wood by one.
It is possible to talk to the ladies. They are cheerful and full of energy, but can only give vague clues as to the way through the wood.
ÕÕ They have heard of the Dragon Crown, and they know it is in the wood.
ÕÕ If the heroes ask about the riddle, they say that it explains all the heroes need to know.
ÕÕ If pushed for clues, they simply say “Well just go through the wood backwards’, but they giggle and laugh if the heroes start walking
backwards.
The Exits: Near the ladies the heroes find three pairs of trees: one for summer, one for autumn and one for winter. Should they follow
the paths toward summer or autumn they find themselves back in the clearing where they entered the wood. Should they follow the path
toward winter, read the next section.
The way to winter: “As you approach the two bare trees the sky becomes grey and cloudy. Suddenly driving snow begins to fall and it
becomes hard to see. The snow piles up impossibly quickly, and you find yourselves risking being buried as you push forward. You feel cold,
and tired, and you want to bury yourself away and go to sleep. What do you do?”
If the heroes make it through the snow drifts and avoid the urge to hibernate, they find themselves in the Woods of Winter.
Summer
“The sun shines down brightly, it is a hot summer day with not a cloud in the sky. You can hear the lazy drone of flies
buzzing in the long grass. In the distance you can hear a sound of singing, looking around you can see no trace of the
path you were following.
A group of a dozen women are dancing about a sundial. They wear green and yellow dresses and corn is woven into their hair. They dance
barefoot in relaxed and leisurely patterns. When they see you they call out, “Come and dance with us,” they call “for it is summer, and the
best time of the year for dancing and relaxing.” What do you do?
It is possible to talk to the ladies. They are cheerful and full of energy, but can only give vague clues as to the way through the wood.
ÕÕ If pushed for clues, they simply say “If you want to start now you’re in the right place.”
The Exits: Near the ladies the heroes find three pairs of trees: one for autumn, one for winter and one for spring. Should they follow the
paths toward winter or autumn they find themselves back in the clearing where they entered the wood. Should they follow the path toward
spring, read the next section.
The way to spring: “As you approach the two blossoming trees you feel warm and hear birds chittering. A bird flies down and picks a
thread from your clothes then flies off to its nest. Then another. Then another. Before you know it hundreds of birds are pulling and
pecking at you. What do you do?”
If the heroes make it past the birds, they emerge and find themselves in the Woods of Spring.

Autumn
“The trees are crowned with orange and gold leaves, many of which have already fallen and rustle under your feet. It is
cool here, and an autumn wind tugs at your clothes. Squirrels run to-and-fro collecting nuts; birds peck at the abundant
berries. You can see no sign of the path you followed to arrive here, but close by you can hear the sound of singing.
A group of a dozen women are dancing around a pile of nuts and berries. As they dance they gather up nuts and berries from the ground and
add them to their harvest. They are dressed in orange, brown, red and gold, and wear crowns of autumn leaves on their heads. They call out
to you. “Come and dance with us. For summer is gone and soon it will be winter. This is truly the best time to dance.” What do you do?”
It is possible to talk to the ladies. They are relaxed and a little tired, and can only give vague clues as to the way through the wood.
ÕÕ If the heroes ask about the riddle, they will say that it explains all the heroes need to know.
ÕÕ If pushed for clues, they simply say, “Only when you have seen all the seasons can you go further.”
The Exits: Near the ladies the heroes find three pairs of trees: one for summer, one for winter and one for spring. Should they follow the
paths toward winter or spring they find themselves back in the clearing where they entered the wood. If the players have now solved the
riddle (travelled from summer, to spring, to winter, to autumn, then go to “The heart of the wood” on the next page.
If they haven’t completed the riddle, read “the way to summer”, below
The way to summer: “As you approach the trees the sunlight becomes brighter and brighter, blindingly bright. All around you plants and
bushes spring up, growing incredibly fast. Vines as thick as rope and bushes covered in thorns wrap around you, pulling you back. What do
you do?”
If the heroes make it through the blinding light and the plants, they emerge in the Woods of Summer.
Winter
“The ground beneath your feet is frozen hard and covered in a layer of snow. Your breath turns to mist in front of your
eyes. The air is cold. The trees here are bare and there is no sign of any animals. The only colour comes from holly
bushes, blobs of spiky green, decorated with bright red berries. Through the cold air you can hear a clear sound of
singing. In the same direction you can see a wisp of rising smoke.”
A group of twelve old ladies dressed in white are dancing about a bonfire from which comes a smell of roasting chestnuts. They are
wrapped in furs and warm clothes. They wear holly berries in their hair and call out to you as you approach. “Come and dance with us, for it
is the end of the year and we must remember everything that has gone before.” What do you do?”
It is possible to talk to the ladies. They are very sleepy, and can only give vague clues as to the way through the wood.
ÕÕ If pushed for clues, they simply say “To walk through the wood is to walk through time.”
The Exits: Near the ladies the heroes will find three pairs of trees: one for autumn, one for summer and one for spring. Should they follow
the paths toward summer or spring they will find themselves back in the clearing where they entered the wood. Should they follow the
path to autumn, read the following section.
The way to autumn: “The frozen ground beneath your feet starts to become soft and muddy. The wind blows, picking up dead leaves from
the forest floor. The leaves start to burn with orange and gold flames. They swirl closer and closer to you till all you can see is orange and
gold fire. What do you do?”
If the heroes make it through the leaves, they emerge and find themselves in the Woods of Autumn.

The Heart of the Wood If the heroes are good at magic then
they must overcome the eagle in a
“Around you the leaves turn to gold magical duel
and orange and brown. But a little way
further on you can see bright shoots If the heroes are good at finding things
of spring buds; to the left bare trees then the eagle hides the crown and they
stand frosted with snow and hanging must find it
with icicles, while to the right sun
shines down on trees heavy with broad Once the eagle is overcome it accepts
summer leaves. In the midst of this that the heroes have a right to the
strange wood stands a vast oak tree, crown and hands it over.
the branches of which spread out and
hang over the rest of the forest like a “The Dragon Crown is made of gold
canopy. and silver and features a dragon mask.
When you pick it up you realise that it
The oak seems to be caught in all is warm, and heavy to the touch. The
seasons at once. Spring buds next longer you hold it, the more certain you
to orange autumn leaves, green become that the crown is alive.”
summer leaves and bare winter twigs.
Perched in the tree is a mighty eagle,
and grasped in the eagle’s claw is a
What happens next?
strangely shaped crown. The heroes have the crown. This is an
excellent time to use the templates at
What do you do?” the back of the book to make your own
Dragon Crown!
The eagle is the guardian of the crown,
and will only relinquish it to a suitable The next adventure will start as soon as
hero. Exactly how this goes is up to the heroes leave the Wood of Seasons.
you, but it should be a challenge shaped In the meantime, if the heroes try and
around the particular abilities of the use the Dragon Crown, it won’t do
heroes in your game. For instance: anything.
If the heroes are good at fighting then

they must beat the eagle in a fight
If the heroes are good at knowing

things then they must answer riddles
posed by the eagle

Part Four: Cracklewing
Summary
The heroes have recovered the Dragon Crown, and now it’s time to take it back to
King Thrushbeard. But all is not well. At least a year has passed since the heroes
entered the wood, and, depending on how long it took them to retrieve the crown,
maybe a lot longer. Within the wood they encounter Lief Acornshield, who
explains that the king is missing. Outside the wood they find the kingdom in ruins,
and must survive an attack from a terrifying dragon called Cracklewing. After
defeating the dragon they are directed to the Burrow Hills, where some people are
trying to fight back. Once there they find Pew, who is leading a resistance from a
cave, and has learned how to use the Dragon Crown.
A falling Lief
As the heroes leave the wood they hear a sound of snarling and barking. If they
investigate, read the following:
“Peering through the wood you can see a pack of wolves gathered around an oak
tree. They are barking at something up in the branches. As you approach, a wolf
with a brown tail leaps up and snatches something out of the tree with his jaws.
It is Lief Acornshield. Browntail tosses the unconscious fairy to another wolf and
addresses you.
“You again? It’s a long time since I’ve seen you. As you can see we’re just tidying up
some rubbish in our wood. Now run along, or you’ll be next.”
What do you do?”
The location
A dark part of the forest. The path is overgrown and covered with thorns and
stinging nettles. The nearby trees are dark and shadowy, and you shiver in the cold
air. There is a smell of rotten wood and decay.

Things that can happen here: kingdom are waiting for them to
return. It’s the only thing that can save
ÕÕ Browntail threatens the heroes
them. He does have a question though:
saying, “Nobody dares mess with us
“What does it do?”
now that the king is gone.”
ÕÕ The wolves play “keep away” with The heroes don’t know. And, as Lief’s
Lief, tossing him between them. question implies, nobody knows where
ÕÕ The wolves spread out and surround the king is.
the heroes.
ÕÕ The wolves snarl and growl to
The ruins of Merrydown
frighten the heroes. On leaving Deepdale Wood the heroes
ÕÕ The wolves spring to attack. see a terrible sight:
Lief’s story “From the edge of the wood you can

see far across the kingdom. To the west
Once rescued Lief comes to enough to a thick cloud of smoke hangs in the
speak. air, right where King Thrushbeard’s
castle is. To the south you can see the
“Oh it’s you! I never thought I’d see waters of the lake, which look black and
you again. After the first few months I poisoned, and you can see a collection
was sure you were lost in the wood. Or of burned-out buildings where
worse. It’s good you came back when Meretown used to be.
you did though, those wolves were
going to eat me for sure. All around are abandoned fields and
burned crops. In the sky above you, far
It’s like this all over the forest, ever away, you can see the silhouette of a
since the dragons arrived there are dragon, circling lazily on the breeze.
bad things happening everywhere. We
fairies are mostly hiding, in fact I was What do you do?”
just on my way to a nice safe rabbit hole
when the wolves saw me.
The heroes need a plan. Depending
on your players’ moods, you might
Did you find the Dragon Crown? Have go straight to the encounter with
you taken it to the king? Do you know Cracklewing below. Or the heroes might
where he is?” wish to explore Merrydown.
If the heroes say they did find the

crown, Lief is tremendously excited.
He explains that people all over the

Things they might encounter in
Merrydown:
Cracklewing
Whatever they do, sooner or later
ÕÕ Hungry peasants looking for food.
the heroes encounter Cracklewing.
ÕÕ Villagers trying to rebuild their Cracklewing is one of the many
dragon-wrecked homes. dragons who have taken up residence in
ÕÕ A well that has been blocked with Merrydown, and he delights in soaring
stones by the dragons. over the kingdom, looking for people
to terrorise and devour. When he sees
ÕÕ A forest fire that threatens to the heroes, he hunts them like an eagle
surround the heroes. hunting a rabbit.
ÕÕ An old man who has been chained
to a rock for claiming that “The Stretch out the encounter with
heroes will return with the Dragon Cracklewing. The heroes are about
Crown and drive out Firecrax and to fight a dragon, it should be epic
his kind!” and demand all the imagination and
ÕÕ The word “Firecrax” burned into a resources they have. There is one thing
hillside so it can be seen for miles that definitely won’t work — whatever
around. they try, the Dragon Crown is no help at
all.
ÕÕ More wolfpacks, acting as the
dragons’ enforcers and informants.
The battle
If they go in search of familiar The hunt begins when the heroes

locations from earlier sessions, make realise that the dragon that has been
clear that the kingdom has been circling in the sky is circling around
thoroughly conquered. Everyone them. Cracklewing stays off the
is terrified of the dragons, and no- ground, so he can toy with his prey.
one has seen Thrushbeard since the Like all dragons Cracklewing can
dragons arrived and set fire to his speak, and once he realises his target
castle. An exception, should the heroes is tougher than usual, he introduces
go there, is the mermaid kingdom himself and keeps up a running
of Queen Tempestua, which remains commentary for his own amusement.
intact, but even there more monsters
have been seen in the nearby ocean. During the battle, Cracklewing:
ÕÕ Circles above you so he knows

where you are.
ÕÕ Swoops down and burns your hiding
place.

ÕÕ Lets out a terrifying roar that To give the heroes a partial success
paralyses you with fear. let them see that what they attempted
worked, it just didn’t finish the fight.
When he’s ready to attack Cracklewing: For instance…
ÕÕ Stoops out of the sky and crushes ÕÕ His thick scales turn aside the blow,
you with his talons. but he is driven back.
ÕÕ Grabs hold of you and carries you ÕÕ You slash his wing, and he can no
into the air. longer fly.
ÕÕ Tosses you up and burns you with ÕÕ His eyes glow red and your spell
his fiery breath. fades, but he seems dizzy now.
ÕÕ He beats aside your attack, but you
Eventually Cracklewing lands on the
can tell he is tiring.
ground to do battle. Once there he can:
ÕÕ Knock you to the ground with his Cracklewing’s defeat

huge body.
When the heroes kill Cracklewing make
ÕÕ Swat you with his tail. it epic. Have him roar in anger, leap into
ÕÕ Chomp you between his massive the sky and then crash back down into
jaws. the earth. Have him thrash and shake
till the ground trembles. Have him
ÕÕ Breathe fire to roast you.
breath out huge clouds of steam and
ÕÕ Blow you down with wind from his smoke till nothing can be seen.
wings.
ÕÕ Rend you with his talons. Alternative endings
This all assumes that the heroes choose

To keep the action going you need
to fight Cracklewing. You should
some reasons for Cracklewing not to
certainly make it hard for them to run
be defeated when the heroes announce
if that’s what they want to do, but not
that they’re going to “Chop off his
impossible. And if the hero in question
head”, and end things in a single roll.
is a peace-loving mouse rather than a
One way to do that is to keep narrative
hardy knight, this is going to need to
control by constantly describing new
end differently.
attacks and having the heroes think
up ways to defend themselves. But you
Cracklewing could perhaps be tricked
do have to let them hit back sooner or
or trapped. Heroes with magic might
later, at which point you might want to
find a way to deal with him that doesn’t
give them some partial successes prior
result in his destruction.
to their eventual victory.

If a hero succeeds in doing something
like making friends with him, have
The Burrow Hills
Cracklewing suggest they do dragon- The Burrow Hills are a seemingly
type things together, like dragon unremarkable collection of hills south
friends do, for instance, “Let’s go and of the Mere, and they look no different
burn a village!”. If the heroes refuse, to the rest of the kingdom. Fields have
Cracklewing decides to eat them after been burned and people are afraid
all. and hungry. But, unbeknown to the
dragons, there are caves beneath the
Now what? Burrow Hills, and in them a band of
brave Merrydowners. Pew leads them
With Cracklewing defeated the heroes in doing their best to resist the dragons.
will realise that their battle has been
observed. A few frightened farmers will
To make contact with Pew and his
emerge from nearby bushes where they
band, the heroes need to win the trust
have been hiding. They will be amazed
of people living nearby. Make this a test
that the heroes are alive, impressed at
of the heroes’ social skills. The local
their victory, and very very frightened
residents have a number of problems,
about the likely repercussions of killing
and if the heroes help solve them, the
one of the dragons.
villagers eventually lead them to Pew
and his band.
When they realise that the heroes who
defeated the dragon are the heroes
If the heroes ask around, no-one
whom King Thrushbeard sent in search
admits to having heard of anything
of the Dragon Crown, they will be
unusual nearby. But ChiffChiff, a
delighted, but have a question for the
talking robin, is sent to keep an eye on
heroes:
them, and see what they do next.
“What does it do?”

If the heroes announce they have the
Dragon Crown, people are very excited,
The farmers will also tell the heroes but want to know what it does.
that there are still some brave people
left trying to stand up to the dragons,
If the heroes announce they killed
and if anyone can tell them where the
Cracklewing, people will run away in
king is, it will be them. If they want
fear. The heroes are obviously mad,
to find them, they should try asking
and if they’re not mad, then there are
around the Burrow Hills.
probably some very angry dragons
coming after them.

Challenges in the Burrows Stalactites hang from the ceiling,
illuminated by the dozens of lamps that
Resolving any of these challenges
have been carefully hung throughout
convinces the locals that the heroes can
the cave. Small groups of people,
be trusted, and ChiffChiff alerts Pew.
animals and fairies are scattered
Possible challenges include:
around the cave. Some of them are
tending to sick people. Others are
A family is caring for a sick child called
packing food into barrels and bags.
Anna; she needs belsum berries to cure
Everything is damp, and the sound of
her fever, but they grow in a nearby
dripping water is ever present.
wood and wolves have been seen there.
Her parents are too afraid to risk going
Pew looks around “This is what we do,”
alone.
he tells you “We protect food from the
dragons and share it with people who
A group are trying to repair the local
need it. We also take care of people
mill, but the heavy stones used to grind
when they get sick. It’s not much, but
the corn are too heavy for them to lift.
it’s all we can do. The dragons are too
Can the heroes get them back in place?
strong to fight.”
A herd of cattle have run loose after a

When Pew learns that the heroes have
dragon ate three and broke down the
indeed got the Dragon Crown, he is
fence around their field. Can the heroes
delighted. “Come with me,” he says
retrieve them all?
“There is something we must do.”
Beneath the Burrow Hills

The Dragon Crown Awakes
However they get there the heroes are
Pew asks the heroes to carry him out of
eventually led to the caves beneath the
the caves to a hollow between the hills.
Burrow Hills. Pew meets them at the
He has brought a big leather-bound
entrance to the caves. He is delighted
book with him. He has a look around to
to see them, but doesn’t speak till
be sure they are alone and then he says:
everyone is safely inside.
“When I realised the dragons were
You are led to a small tunnel set in the
here, I went to the library and got
side of one of the hills, and hidden
everything I could find about the
by bushes. After a short distance the
Dragon Crown. In this book I found a
tunnel bends first left, and then right.
description of the crown. There’s a spell
Then it opens out into a huge limestone
that has to be spoken over the crown by
cave.
those who found it. I don’t know what it
will do though.

It does say you have to do it outside. So You look at your hand holding the
let’s be quick. Once we’ve done this, you crown and watch as it turns huge and
need to find the king. The last I heard scaly, and your fingernails become
he was somewhere near Gorvin Village, black, thick, curved claws.
waiting for you to return.”
What color are your scales?
Pew indicates the part of the book
where the spell is written, then asks the You lean forward and put your front
heroes to put their hands on the crown claws on the ground. You feel your neck
and read the following after him: getting longer, and as you flex your
shoulders you hear a whooshing noise
Dragon Crown, make me strong, to as you beat your wings for the very first
help me win the fight time.
Dragon Crown, make me tough, keep What do your wings look like?
me safe from teeth that bite
Pew looks very small now, and the
I will defend the kingdom, I will do so hot feeling inside you is getting too
now much to bear. You stretch your head up
toward the sky, open your mouth and
This is my solemn oath, my Dragon- let it out.
Crown-bound vow
What do you breathe out?
As you finish reciting the spell a cold
feeling spreads across your body. The Pew looks at you then says
feeling starts in your toes and fingers
and spreads across your skin. You take “You’re a dragon!”
a deep breath, and as you do so your
stomach feels first warm, and then
hot. This carries on, your skin feeling
colder, and your insides hotter, and
every time you breathe in the heat
increases.
Pew is staring at you, with fear in

his eyes. He pushes himself away,
nervously.

What happens next?
That’s the end of the session. But
depending on how the players react to
the transformation you might want to
reassure them that they can change
back to themselves whenever they want
to.
From here the heroes should head to

Gorvin to find Thrushbeard. However,
there is a chance that the players will
be so excited at being dragons that
they might want to dash straight to
a showdown. Have Pew remind them
that yes, they are dragons, but there
are dozens of other dragons in the
kingdom, and Thrushbeard has been
trying to learn how to defeat them.
Adapting the character sheet
You might not need to adapt the heroes’

character sheets much to reflect their
new draconic status. Whatever skills
they had they still have, they’re just
being used by huge dragons now. Look
for skills you can use to reflect their
ability to fly, fight and breathe fire like
a dragon. If there really are no suitable
skills, let your players pick one or two
new skills to represent their dragon
form and assign them a D12 and a D10.

Part Five: The Crown and the King
Summary
The heroes travel to Castle Gorvin to find King Thrushbeard. On the way they
encounter a patrol of dragons, giving them an early chance for them to find
out what their new dragon forms are capable of. At Castle Gorvin they find the
king, who has uncovered the secret to defeating the dragons. They then head to
Thrushbeard’s palace for a showdown with Firecrax, the Dragon King, but will
Thrushbeard’s plan really work?
Truefang’s Patrol
It’s up to the heroes how they travel to Castle Gorvin, and whether or not they take
Pew. However they travel, they encounter a patrol of three dragons. The patrol
leader is a ferocious red dragon called Truefang, while his companions are a black
dragon called Emberclaw and a white dragon called Fireheart.
If the heroes are flying in dragon form, they and the patrol see each other at
a distance of many miles, and the patrol immediately investigates. They are
investigating the death of Cracklewing and are on the lookout for anything
unusual, including dragons they haven’t met before.
Location
The skies above Merrydown. There are black clouds on the horizon, threatening
rain, thunder and lightning. A strong wind is blowing. Below the heroes can see
burned villages and devastated fields.
What could happen
This encounter could go several ways:
The heroes attack!
Fueled by dragon power, the heroes launch into an attack. Dragon versus dragon
aerial combat can be all kinds of exciting. Here are some suggestions:

ÕÕ He’s behind you! One of the patrol If the heroes are exposed, things
gets behind the heroes and pursues develop into a fight as described above.
them, shooting blasts of fire.
ÕÕ The drop. The fight climbs higher The heroes hide
and higher into the sky. Then the If the heroes are travelling in their
combatants grab hold of each other, regular forms, they have to hide from
clawing and biting. Unable to fly the patrol to avoid being attacked.
they plummet toward the ground. This unfolds in a similar way to being
Who lets go first? hunted by Cracklewing (Part Four),
ÕÕ Fight fire with fire. Two dragons although with a few good rolls they
unleash their breath weapons on may be able to avoid confrontation.
each other. Whose mighty breath
will prevail? (This encounter is mostly included
so that any heroes who are itching to
ÕÕ The sideswipe. Two members of
try out their new dragon forms in a
the patrol bracket a hero and buffet
dragon-on-dragon combat can do so.
them with sideswipes.
If your heroes aren’t interested in that,
ÕÕ The stoop. Claws extended, a dragon you could just skip this.)
plummets from above intent on
bringing his target crashing to the Now what?
ground.
The heroes proceed to Castle Gorvin.
The patrol aren’t crazy. Once they If the battle was visible, they may
realise they are outmatched, they flee, see signs of rebellion spreading in
which could lead to an exciting chase. its wake as people get the idea that
either the dragons can be defeated, or
The heroes bluff their way through that the dragons are fighting among
themselves.
Disguised as dragons, the heroes
try to fool their way past the patrol.
The patrol is surprised that they
Castle Gorvin
haven’t seen these dragons before — Like the rest of the kingdom, Castle
given Cracklewing’s death they are Gorvin has been wrecked. But it is far
suspicious. The heroes might need good from the centre of things, and it seems
role-playing and a good roll or two to that after breaking down the walls
bluff their way past. the dragons have largely left the place
alone. There are more people around
— people who will flee in terror if the
heroes arrive in dragon form.

King Thrushbeard has been hiding are to say that they haven’t seen
out here since the dragons arrived. He him and “He’s definitely not in the
has taken up residence in the cellars castle.”
beneath Castle Gorvin. The local
villagers are protecting him, and won’t Thrushbeard in exile is utterly pathetic.
tell anyone where he is. On the other Messy and miserable, he is moping
hand, there are plenty of clues as to the around the cellar of Castle Gorvin
king’s whereabouts. hoping for the heroes to return with the
Dragon Crown. The heroes hear him
Finding Thrushbeard moaning about how much he misses
his palace, all his lovely things and
Here are some clues that might give his banquets. The moment they arrive
away Thrushbeard’s location: his mood is transformed into one of
ÕÕ Food, glorious food – he might boundless joy. He also immediately
be hiding in a cellar, but he is still starts taking credit for everything.
a king and he still needs three
square banquets a day. The heroes “I knew it was a good idea to send you
spot some farmers carrying for that crown. I have lots of good ideas
baskets of food heading toward the like that. And believe me, I’ve found
supposedly-deserted castle. it jolly hard hiding out here from the
dragons. I’ve had to be very brave. I’m
ÕÕ The mess – you would think it
probably the bravest king there has
would be hard to make a ruined
ever been.”
castle messier, but Thrushbeard has
managed it. Discarded bits of food,
He hasn’t lost his generosity though.
blankets and firewood are strewn
around the courtyard. A pair of
“Here have some bread. I should
royal underpants are discarded on a
probably give you chests of gold,
rock.
but I’m afraid all I’ve got left these
ÕÕ The moaning – a strange moaning days is bread. Unless you’d like some
noise can be heard coming from the royal underpants? Have some royal
cellars of Castle Gorvin. While this underpants. They’ve got a crown on
might be scary at first — a ghost? — them.”
it will turn out to be the despairing
wails of a very miserable king. And he has a plan.
ÕÕ Definitely not in the castle – the
local villagers have been given strict “Now you’re here; you’ve got
orders by Thrushbeard about what everything you need to get my kingdom
to say if anyone asks for him. They back. I mean for us to get me

my kingdom back. Oh, nevermind. The
important thing is that you’re heroes,
Facing Firecrax
I’m king and I have a plan. Now the heroes must make their
way back to Thrushbeard Palace,
Well, one of my ancestors had a plan accompanied by King Thrushbeard.
actually. King Gorvin the Clever, he’s Thrushbeard is not at all brave and
buried under this castle. Anyway, he supports whatever plan puts him in
knew all about the Dragon Crown. And least danger.
he left a handy inscription on his tomb.
It says that all we need to do is put the Reaching the palace
dragon crown on the head of the ruler
of Merrydown while he’s on the throne There are a dozen or so dragons circling
and the dragons will be defeated. or roosting in the vicinity of the palace.
Depending on how your heroes want to
So that’s easy. Me, the crown, the play things they might decide to…
throne — victory! You heroes should be
able to get me to the throne room with Fight their way in! They are up against
no problems at all I’d have thought. And overwhelming odds, but all they have
you’ll be there to witness my triumph. to do is make it into the throne room.
Won’t that be good for you?”
Pretend Thrushbeard is their prisoner.
And that’s it. It is time for the heroes to This is a great plan; have it work.
journey to Thrushbeard Palace and take
on Firecrax, the Dragon King. Sneak in. The palace had plenty of
tunnels and basements. Sneaking in
should be possible. Although with no-
one to stop them the spiders from Part
One have spread out from the library
and can be encountered anywhere in
the palace.
When the heroes reach the throne

room, they find the roof missing,
but, unless they are being chased by
dragons, things will be pretty quiet. If
they are being pursued, that stops once
they reach the throne room. It should
be a simple matter to have Thrushbeard
run to the throne, put on the Dragon

Crown and sit down. need to get the crown onto Firecrax,
and Firecrax onto the throne. If the
At which point… heroes haven’t worked it out, have
Thrushbeard give them hints as he
“Nothing happens. Thrushbeard looks yells out things like
around in some confusion
“But I’m the king! And if I’m not the
“Shouldn’t something happen now? I ruler of Merrydown who is?”
was thinking maybe glowing lights? All
the dragons turning to dust? Cheering Firecrax is a giant dragon, with scales
crowds?” that have been charred black by
centuries of heat. His face is scarred,
A low rumbling noise begins outside the result of dozens of battles. He
the throne room. A shadow blocks the breathes out a crackling blue-green
light above you and a vast, scarred fire, far hotter than any other dragon’s
dragon head comes into view. The breath. When the fight starts, he is
rumbling continues. The dragon is perched on the top of the palace,
laughing. looking down through the ruined
roof. Firecrax tries to keep the heroes
“Ah, there you are Thrushbeard,” the trapped in the throne room, where he
dragon’s voice is loud enough that the can roast them with his breath or snap
few unbroken windows in the throne at them with his teeth.
room shake as it talks. “Tell me,
have you worked out who the ruler of Fighting Firecrax
Merrydown is yet?
Firecrax is a huge, ancient and very evil
dragon. The only way to defeat him is
I’d give you some time to work it out. to put the Dragon Crown on him, and
But I might die of hunger waiting for get him onto the throne, even though
someone as stupid as you to solve the he’s far too big for it. The moment
problem.” that’s achieved he is transformed into
a scarred and evil-looking man. Even
Firecrax lurches forward and his head then he’s still a great warrior, but once
lunges toward Thrushbeard, mouth he’s human sized, he can be beaten.
open, and a hungry look in his eyes.
Firecrax has heard the prophecy about
What do you do?” the crown, but he doesn’t really believe
it. His plan is to eat Thrushbeard, eat
Hopefully the heroes have now the crown and be done with the whole
worked out what they need to do. They thing.

Firecrax can…
Victory!
ÕÕ Breathe fire – Firecrax’s breath
When Firecrax is finally defeated,
is so hot that anything it touches
whether he’s killed or allowed to
remains dangerously hot
surrender, read the following.
afterwards.
ÕÕ Hurl masonry – there is lots of The sky goes dark, as the sun is hidden
broken palace lying around, and behind vast storm clouds. Moments
Firecrax hurls it at the heroes. later rain pours down and hurricane
ÕÕ Cast spells – Firecrax is a powerful strength winds begin to batter the
wizard, he can teleport his kingdom.
opponents around, create magical
shields to protect himself and create From where they are the heroes see
lightning blasts. dragon after dragon being caught up
in the winds and sped away, out of the
ÕÕ Snapping teeth – Firecrax’s jaws are
kingdom, pursued by bolts of lightning.
vast, and his teeth diamond sharp.
ÕÕ Tearing talons – Firecrax’s talons Then, as suddenly as it began the rain
gouge marks in the stone if he stops, the sun shines and the birds
misses attacking the heroes. begin to sing. All over the kingdom
ÕÕ Mock the heroes – Firecrax stops people come out of their hiding places
every now and then to make fun of and realise that the dragons have gone
the heroes. for good.
Fighting Firecrax will feel hopeless, King Thrushbeard reappears from

unless you are trying to put the crown behind the rocks he has hidden behind
on him or manoeuvre him to the and surveys the scene.
throne. His tough scales turn aside any
blow, and magic simply bounces off “Well,” he says, “This really is a mess.
him. The heroes may have to resort to Could you tidy it up a bit?”
desperate measures, like collapsing
buildings on top of him, just to slow What happens next?
him down. Remember, the more
desperate the fight, the greater the As the game wraps up, be sure to ask
triumph will feel. your heroes what they think happens
next. Do they have more adventures,
does Thrushbeard ever tidy up? What
happens to the Dragon Crown?
This adventure ends here. I hope you

42 ~ The Quest for the Dragon Crown and your heroes enjoyed it.

Handouts
Should you want an editable version of the handouts, for instance to prepare
translations for kids who don’t speak English you can find a separate, editable PDF
containing the handouts at
https://amazing-tales.net/2019/07/17/download-the-quest-for-the-dragon-crown-handouts/
You will need PDF editing software to make changes.

The Roost
High Peaks
Torrent Hills Mountains
Torrent Falls
Lake Mere
Mudgulch Swamp
Deepdale Woods
River Whindle
Burrow Hills
Thrushbeard Palace
Castle Gorvin
Silver Tower
Gorvin Village

Golden Lighthouse
THE The Crown’s Hiding Place
CROWN’S HIDING PLACE
Print the page below. Cut out the individual words and place them in a small
container for the players along with the riddle about the Queen's wrist..
When the players succeed in defeating the Dragon Fish Queen Tempestua
will give them her shell bracelet. They can use the bracelet to solve the puzzle
by ordering the words in a matching sequence of sizes and colours.
THE WORDS
you now the
find would seasons
dragon and out
backwards the woods
if through starting
there walk the
seek deepest crown
THE KEY
THE SOLUTION
If you would find the Dragon Crown, seek out the deepest woods.
And there walk backwards through the seasons, starting now.

The Riddle
SHELL BRACELET and the Bracelet
Find my key on the Queen's wrist,

midway between silver and gold.

Make your own Dragon Crown
1. You will need 6. Fold the tail piece over the crown
print outs of and tape in place
the templates,
colouring pens
or pencils,
scissors and
sticky tape.
You may also want glue, and thin

cardboard.
2. Colour in the
templates
7. Check for size and attach the mask
3. Optional - glue the templates to thin

cardboard
4. Cut out the

templates
5. Tape the
two strips of
the crown
together, leave
a gap for the
tail fold.


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THE QUEST

FOR THE DRAGON CROWN

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

The Quest for the Dragon Crown was put together by

Author: Martin Lloyd

Play testing by:

Micah Adams with Aaron and Caleb

2 ~ The Quest for the Dragon Crown

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

So, what is this exactly? Using the book

The Quest for the Dragon Crown ~ 3

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

The Quest for the Dragon Crown takes

ÕÕ The spiders wrap up their victims in

4 ~ The Quest for the Dragon Crown

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

If there is more than one hero in the

Have fun! This is an adventure for

Good luck! Danger and glory await...

The Quest for the Dragon Crown ~ 5

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Rescue at the river

What do you do?”

The Quest for the Dragon Crown ~ 7

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

ÕÕ They come from a nearby land

8 ~ The Quest for the Dragon Crown

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

King Thrushbeard is friendly, greedy,

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Written on the top is the message “Find

When he sees what the heroes have

12 ~ The Quest for the Dragon Crown

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

ÕÕ If they have a ship, they can simply set sail!

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

The Quest for the Dragon Crown ~ 17

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

ÕÕ The Dragon Fish tries to devour you

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Solving the puzzle might take some

The merfolk will be happy to escort

The Quest for the Dragon Crown ~ 19

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

Solving the puzzle

“If you would find the Dragon Crown

Seek out the deepest woods

And there walk backwards through the seasons

The Quest for the Dragon Crown ~ 21

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

What do you do?” A pack of wolves, led by Browntail, a

22 ~ The Quest for the Dragon Crown

Josiah Zimmermann (Order #23614095)

What do you do?”

The Quest for the Dragon Crown ~ 23