FC

3
 Credits
Lead Design: Shawn Merwin
Rules Development: Cody Faulk, Phil Beckwith,
Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Shawn Merwin
Writing: Alan Patrick, Andrew Bishkinskyi, Benjamin Huff-
man, Chris Sims, Cody Faulk, Elliott Randall, Greg Marks,
Ownership &
Jeff Stevens, Jordan Conrad, JVC Parry, Micah Watt, Phil
Beckwith, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Sharang Biswas, Shawn
Copyright
Merwin, Tom Donovan, Toni Winslow-Brill This product is compliant with the Open Game Licence
Realm Concepts: Adam Lee, Ari Levitch and is suitable for use with the 5th Edition rules system.
Editing: Chris Walz
Product Identity: The following items are hereby
Proofreaders: Chris Walz, Phil Beckwith
identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open
Art Direction: Suzanne Helmigh, Marius Bota
Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not
Graphic Design: Martin Hughes, Simon Sherry
Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks,
Cover Illustrators: Lucas Torquato, Ralph Horsley
proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots,
Interior Illustrators: Alberto Dal Lago, Andreia Ugrai,
storylines, locations, characters, illustrations, and trade
Anna Verhoog, Anastassia Grigorieva, Brent Hollowell,
dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as
Bruno Machado, Carlos C. Diaz, Cristiana Leone,
Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not
Diana Franco Campos, Emily Ormerod, Guilherme
included in this declaration.)
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Isabel Gibney, János Brumár, Josiah Cameron, Julia Open Content: Except for material designated as Product
Fernandez, Kerstin Evans, Kurt Jakobi, Leanna Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this game prod-
Crossan, Lucas Torquato, Michele Giorgi, Olivia uct are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game
Rae, Ona Kirstensen, Quitin Gleim, Martin Mottet, License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work
Rod Mendez, Sam White, Suzanne Helmigh, Tijana other than the material designated as Open Game Content
Janković, Titus Lunter, Xabi Gaztelua, Živko Kondić, may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
Zuzanna Wuzyk Arora: Age of Desolation © 2022, Ghostfire Gaming Pty
Concept Art: Alina Kovalenko, Anastassia Grigorieva, Ltd. All rights reserved. Reference to copyright material in
Brent Hollowell, Suzanne Helmigh no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright
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Sherry, Suzanne Helmigh, Vita Naumavičienė Ghostfire Gaming logo, and the Arora logo are trademarks
Product Design: Simon Sherry, Josh Orchard of Ghostfire Gaming Pty Ltd.
Project Manager: Phil Beckwith Made in China

4
 Table of Contents
Introduction............................................... 6
Campaigns in Arora............................................6
The World of Arora.............................................7
Chapter 1: Gallaht.....................................21
Ruling Dragon ..................................................22
Environment.....................................................23
Geography........................................................26
Chapter 2: KHOOR...................................... 39
Ruling Dragon..................................................40
Environment.....................................................42
Geography........................................................43
Chapter 3: Mogsturma............................. 57
Ruling Dragon..................................................58
Denizens of Mogsturma.....................................60
Environment ....................................................62
Geography .......................................................64
Chapter 4: Prazzolar................................71
Ruling Dragon..................................................72
Environment.....................................................74
Geography........................................................76
Chapter 5: Tievmer..................................... 87
Ruling Dragon..................................................89
Environment.....................................................90
Geography........................................................92
Chapter 6: Character Creation........ 105
Characters in the Five Realms......................... 105
Legacy of Arora............................................... 109
Character Traits.............................................. 112
Chapter 7: Subclasses............................. 125
Barbarian: Path of the Scavenger..................... 126
Cleric: Hearth Domain.................................... 127
Cleric: Scale of Jha-dhol.................................. 129
Druid: Circle of Conducting..............................130
Druid: Circle of Nightmares............................ 131
Druid: Circle of Sand...........................................133
Druid: Circle of Volcanoes............................... 134
New Circle Spells............................................ 135
Fighter: Legionnaire........................................ 136
Fighter: Stone Warden..................................... 137
Monk: Way of theSilent Scribe..................... 138
Paladin: Oath of Incarceration........................ 139
Rogue: Equilibrist........................................... 141
Sorcerer: Forge Sorcerer.................................. 142
Sorcerer: Four Serpents................................... 143
Warlock: Lost Beast......................................... 144
Warlock: The Psychopomp.............................. 146
Wizard: Hedge Mage....................................... 147
Wizard: Rimefrost Sage................................... 148
Chapter 8: Backgrounds....................... 151
Behemoth’s Confidante.................................... 152
Botanist........................................................... 153
Caver.............................................................. 154
Dreamwalker................................................... 155
Exorcist........................................................... 156
Grobb Smuggler.............................................. 157
Icekissed......................................................... 158
Realm Guide .................................................. 159
Sahali Expert................................................... 160
Sandborn........................................................ 161
Scavenger........................................................ 162
Spelunker........................................................ 163
Stone Shaper................................................... 164
Storyteller....................................................... 165
Swamper......................................................... 166
Vermin Sweeper.............................................. 167
Village Healer................................................. 168
Warden of Tievmer.......................................... 169
Chapter 9: Running the Game.............. 171
Between Worlds............................................... 171
Improved Exploration and Discovery............... 173
Discovery System Example.............................. 181
Survival in Arora............................................. 184
Environmental Hazards................................... 190
Feats............................................................... 195
Evolved Advantage.......................................... 196
Equipment...................................................... 199
Magic Items.................................................... 206
The Shardscale Incursion................................ 208
Random Encounter Tables.............................. 210
Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora.......... 213
Dracokin......................................................... 213
Monsters of Gallaht......................................... 217
Monsters of Khoor.......................................... 232
Monsters of Mogsturma.................................. 241
Monsters of Prazzolar...................................... 247
Monsters of Teivmer........................................ 251
Appendix A ...................................................256
Region Sheet................................................... 256
Open Game License.................................. 260
5
Introduction

A dventures take many forms. The heroes caught up

in those adventures take their stories in unique and
unexpected directions.
The world of Arora provides a setting—and more
importantly, a campaign style—in which completely unique
heroes are pitted against the very world in which they live,
and the monsters that plague it, in simple hope of survival.
The setting and the structure of Arora itself supports a gritty
survival- and exploration-based style of game in which you can
tell many kinds of stories.
Arora is currently in the Age of Desolation, which takes place
over the 500 years since a major apocalyptic event called the
Dragonrage. In this post-apocalyptic fantasy setting the charac-
ters must deal with the consequences of the dragon apocalypse
long after it has occurred. In Arora, the players are invited to
explore the stories—and the game mechanics—that take place in
a world fallen to ruin due to the Dragonrage, which took hold of
the now-ravaged landscapes of the Five Realms.
The apocalypse that changed Arora also changed its
people. The true powers and potential of your characters were
unlocked centuries ago by the powerful magics that fueled the
dragon apocalypse. Survival in the Five Realms demands it.
Can your party survive Arora in the Age of Desolation?

Campaigns in Arora
This book is written with the expectation that you’ll want to set
your adventures in Arora 500 years after the Dragonrage.
The descriptions of the realms in this chapter provide you the
information you need to start your adventures in any of the Five
Realms of Arora. The geographies, locations, inhabitants, and
cultures of each realm are presented, allowing you to set your
game during the Age of Desolation.
However, some adventure ideas may also spur ideas for a
game set before or during the Dragonrage. One of the challenges,
and the great joys, of running a game set during the Dragonrage
is determining what happens on a large scale as the characters
watch peaceful societies crumble as the dragon-apocalypse rages
on. Which powers and governments step up to defend their realms,
and which fade into the shadows? Will those powers attempt to
maintain the social structures of the realm, or do they let them
crumble to oblivion?
Whether you’re playing a campaign set in the harsh post-
apocalyptic Age of Desolation, or one set 500 years ago at the fall
of civilization, from survival and exploration to planes hopping
and dragon hunting, Arora has all the bases covered!

6
 The World of Arora
A rora is a world that’s seen great upheaval, as reality-
shaking forces have repeatedly changed the face of the
planet. Each catastrophic change has not only changed
the landscape but also the very nature of the creatures
inhabiting the world. Yet through it all, the sentient beings
of Arora continue to hope, to explore, and to survive.
The current state of Arora depends on where you, the
gamemaster, decide to start the story you’ll tell with the play-
ers. But to understand the story of Arora, you must under-
stand the history of the dragons. And that story starts on a
different world entirely.
The Fall of Terradraca
In the Before Times, Arora had no dragons. The dragons
inhabited their own world, far from Arora, a world known
as Terradraca. The dragons lived, and toiled, and schemed,
and died on Terradraca—all under the watchful eye of
their goddess Jha-dhol.
An unknown danger lurked in the ether, however.
The Shardscale, hive-minded beings of sentient crystal
who ravaged and conquered world after world throughout
the multiverse, imposed a cold and unyielding crystalline
infestation in every being they touched.
The magic-infused world of the dragons caught
the Shardscale’s attention, and the crystalline beings
moved quickly to make Terradraca their next target.
When the Shardscale arrived, Jha-dhol, the dragons,
and their children fought back. But like every other
world before, the dragons fell. Inch by inch, creature by
creature, the Shardscale transformed all Terradraca into
another crystalline wasteland within their vast and rigid
multiplanar empire.
As she watched her world and her children fall, Jha-
dhol made plans in the face of the inevitable. The dragon
goddess sought to bring her surviving children to another
world, safe from the cold grasp of the Shardscale. Using
magic that only the dragons knew, a few of the great flying
beasts and their kin were able to escape. These refugees
found themselves on Arora.
A Haven on Arora
The world the escaping dragons found was marvelous,
diverse, and teeming with life. Humans, elves, dwarves, and
countless other sentient species lived there. These imperfect
creatures sometimes warred, but often they were at peace.
The geography was diverse and magnificent, and life of
all varieties flourished. Most importantly to the dragons,
the Shardscale were nowhere to be found. This new world,
called Arora by its natives, was a haven.
At first, the arrival of the powerful dragons and their kin
frightened the inhabitants of this world. Some thought the
dragons as gods, falling to their knees in worship. Others
treated them as fiendish invaders, vowing to slay every last
one. With so few dragons escaping to this new world, most
fled to remote areas of Arora to study their new home and
plan their next steps.
Introduction
Time is unrelenting, of course, and before long the world
of Arora settled into a routine. Centuries passed, and the
dragons found a way to coexist with, and sometimes even
peacefully interact with, the peoples of Arora. Sometimes
the natives hunted the dragons, rightly or wrongly. Some-
times the dragons fought each other. But the dragons, long-
lived and keen of intellect, always remembered Terradraca
and its terrible fate.
The Shardscale continued to ravage various realities
and worlds in their path. The delicious dragon-magic was
especially tasty to them. The Shardscale had found the
dragons once, and Arora was not as safe a haven as the
dragons had thought.
The Great Abjuration
When the Shardscale eventually came to Arora, the dragons
saw the signs immediately. Even the most recalcitrant of the
dragons sought the nearest humanoid settlements, attempt-
ing to warn them of what was happening. The dragons
hoped that maybe their combined forces could lead to a
different outcome this time.
Humanoid populations were decimated. Dragons fell,
just as they had before. It looked like the end of Arora was
at hand.
The goddess Jha-dhol had concocted one last gambit.
She hoped to harness the power of dragons, humanoids,
beasts, and other lifeforms to enact a great abjuration
ritual. As great swaths of Arora fell before the Shard-
scale, the remaining dragons and humanoids sacrificed
themselves before they could be absorbed into the terrible
crystalline nothingness.
This abjuration obliterated the invading Shardscale’s
tendrils. It also destroyed the portions of the natural world
that had already been converted into Shardscale-corrupted
crystal. The world itself split into pieces, pulled apart and
cocooned into their own demiplanes.
The Five Realms of Arora
In the wake of the physical death that swept across the world
that day, a new divinity was born. The spirits of dragons
and humanoids coalesced into Jha-dhol’s divine form, and
she became something new. She took on aspects of all the
creatures that gave their energy to the Great Abjuration.
Jha-dhol, now bursting with the energy of countless
diverse beings and life forms, went to work transforming
the chaotic energy within her into something new—
something that would not only drive away the Shardscale,
but also protect the new world from future incursions.
Jha-dhol encased the five remaining fragments of
the world in protective dimensional “shells.” The Great
Abjuration also ensured that these realms would be
shielded from the Shardscale, holding them at bay if they
tried to invade again.
Jha-dhol then created the first great ruler dragons, who
held within them the magical makings of all species, past
and present. Jha-dhol tasked them each to rule one of
the five realms as they saw fit, repopulating the place and
rebuilding it into something new and sustainable.
7
 The Faithful Separation
The power that Jha-dhol unleashed to establish the Great
Abjuration was unprecedented. More importantly it was
infused with chaos. Even the dragon goddess herself could
not perfectly form this new world. The realms were safe
and protected, but important elements of maintaining the
Great Abjuration, and vital resources for the survival of the
creatures of the Five Realms of Arora, were spread wide.
The goddess formed a limited number of inter-planar rifts
to enable travel between the realms, but Jha-dhol’s power
was not infinite. Life would not be easy in her five realms.
Each ruling ancient dragon governed their realm accord-
ing to their own strengths, views, responsibilities, and the
unique constraints of the realm itself. Some ruled with a
heavy hand, requiring long days of joyless hard work from
their subjects. Other realms saw benevolent dragons treating
citizens of their realm with kindness, encouraging self-rule.
Through it all and across all five realms, the five ruling drag-
ons kept the covenant set upon them by Jha-dhol.
Repopulating the Realms
Jha-dhol only had the power sufficient to create the five
ruling dragons and a limited number of dragon attend-
ants. To repopulate the realms, the dragons would have
to lay eggs. The magic of the Great Abjuration effective-
ly curtailed the intrusion of the Shardscale, but it also
dampened magic and suppressed the powers of all living
creatures in the world—even the true dragons.
Most of the eggs the dragons laid hatched unique crea-
tures, bearing diverse traits from among the thousands
of folk that had sacrificed themselves to give Jha-dhol the
power to drive off the Shardscale.
Creatures born from the true dragons could exhibit
features of any of the original folk of Arora, although al-
most all were humanoid. The sentient species, as they had
8 Arora: Age of Desolation
existed before the Great Abjuration, ceased to be. While
all the first generation of creatures of the Five Realms were
born of dragons, no two creatures were exactly alike. All
humanoid generations after the first reproduced naturally
among themselves.
Other eggs hatched into draconic creatures but not
true dragons—dracokin serving the dragons loyally in
the most important roles of managing and protecting the
realms. The few true dragons hatched from these eggs
were celebrated and integrated into the ruling structure
of each realm.
Protection and Survival
As Jha-dhol decreed after the Great Abjuration, each realm
was responsible for contributing to the prosperity and safety
of all the realms. No realm was completely safe, as each dealt
with its own internal threats. Although it was a struggle,
thousands of years passed, and the Great Abjuration held.
All the while, the greatest threat, the Shardscale, knocked
ceaselessly on the barrier that protected the realms. The ab-
juration magic was fueled by the very souls of the creatures
of the realms, which had a sad but necessary side effect: the
magical powers and supernatural abilities of Arora’s people
were muted. They could perform necessary tasks, but their
vitality, uniqueness, and power were used to maintain the
barrier that held back the Shardscale.
A Great Curse, and the Awakening
Then came the Dragonrage. The beginning of the end of
the world. The dragon apocalypse. True dragons, in one
beat of a great reptilian heart, became somehow infected
by the Shardscale. A small part of the alien crystalline
invasion had leaked into the Five Realms and squeezed
through the Great Abjuration. Most dragons that were in-
fected went feral, falling upon one another and their own
subjects. The five great ruling dragons managed to evade
infection for some time, however all but Rachigyostiv, the
great white dragon of the icy realm of Prazzolar, inevi-
tably succumbed to it. Some of the true dragons serving
the great ruling dragons were subtly infected—they began
acting strangely, unable to perform their duties necessary
to maintain the Great Abjuration. The system that pro-
vided peace, safety, and compliance for centuries was torn
asunder in one excruciating moment.
With the Dragonrage, however, also came a miraculous
awakening. The shell that protected the realms and muted
the abilities of the common folk started cracking. The citi-
zens of all realms began feeling the inherent power within
them surge forth for the first time, no longer sapped to
power the Great Abjuration. Some gained magical abilities.
Some changed form. All became new but familiar versions
of those species that existed before the Great Abjuration.
These individuals, in their new forms and with their new
abilities, faced a world none could have imagined before the
Dragonrage. The raging dragons were an ever-present dan-
ger. The internal threats to each realm, with the protection
of the powerful dragons suddenly gone or diminished, grew
in scope and power. Societal and physical constructs that
established order for centuries before simply crumbled.
Newly empowered humanoids fought each other for
control and dominion. The Shardscale infection’s effect on
the dragons made them unable to control the Five Realm’s
great environmental magic, sending the landscape into
utter chaos. The realms were torn asunder with volcanic
eruptions, tundras blasted with magical ice, lightning-fused
desertscapes, acid-torn swampy wastelands, and horror-
filled twisted and dank overgrown forests.
The Age of Desolation
With the eruption of the Dragonrage, a new age was
ushered into Arora, the Age of Desolation. A time that has
Introduction
lasted for over 500 years. The Age of Desolation is a harsh
one, where the peoples of the Five Realms struggle daily
in an effort to survive the effects of Shardscale-maddened
dragons; their unchecked and amplified regional effects
and regular dragon attacks. Not only do the folk of Arora
contend with the devastation of the dragons, but they also
struggle against others attempting to endure the Age of
Desolation with the limited resources available.
And as magic coursed through the bodies and souls of
everyone in the realms, over time the Shardscale slowly
seeped, shard by shard, through the unattended Great
Abjuration subtly invading Arora over the course of the
past 500 years.
Now they’re here, concentrating their crystalline
infection on the remaining true dragons and their
dracokin. And they want nothing more than to conquer
Arora, once and for all.
Geography of The Five Realms
Each realm, resting within its own quasi-dimensional
demiplane, has important aspects to consider as the char-
acters fight for survival: an overarching geographical or
metaphysical theme; necessary resources or tasks needed
to survive in certain realms; a magical foam that allows
for safer inter-planar travel between the Five Realms;
internal threats, working to achieve their own agenda and
survival; important locations; and a world that is slowly
being infested by a crystalline alien invasion.
With the onset of the Dragonrage, and the beginning of
the Age of Desolation, the circumstances and developments
of each region can vary wildly depending on the wishes of
the gamemaster and the players. The following pages detail
each of the realms, providing a summary of these distinct
worlds-within-a-world 500 years into the Age of Desolation.
9
20 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 1:
Gallaht

G allaht is an arid realm of rolling sand dunes, electri-

cal dust storms, and desperate struggle for survival
against a harsh environment. It’s a chaotic and violent
place where blue dragon warlords fight for power and
greater control of scarce resources — water chief among
them. Most denizens of the realm swear fealty to one of
these draconic chiefs. Each blue dragon warlord is a true
dragon and has a unique take on why they should rule
Gallaht, spreading their greed to those who serve them.
The realm was once home to a sprawling city that
prospered under the eye of the realm’s so-called ruling
dragon, Dawilquar. But even the great ancient blue dragon
was not impervious to the Shardscale infection, which drove
much of her kin mad during the Dragonrage. Dawilquar
has been secretly battling the effects of the Shardscale for
over 500 years. Although she has been able to hold off the
infection, fighting it has resulted in her losing control over
her draconic magic, and the realm falling to ruin as a result.
Even as the centuries of storms and sands rose to swallow
the sprawling cities, Dawilquar soared in the storm-wracked
skies, neglecting her rulership out of fear of becoming more
infected. She continues to pass high above the land that she
was charged with presiding over an age ago, now less a ruler,
and more a traveling lightning storm that blesses and damns
those beneath in the same eternal motion.
Life prevails, however, and even in the harshest con-
ditions, descendants of Gallaht’s humanoid and draconic
denizens continue to fight for survival in the desert. They
find ways to harvest water from quicksand, to carve houses
into the sandstone mesas of the badlands, and to race
magical sand skiffs across the dunes in the name of survival
and of war.

21

Ruling Dragon
The storms that follow Dawilquar continue to have a
transformative effect on the landscape and are seen
as both a threat and a necessity — much like the great
dragon herself. The arcane energy of these storms can be
harvested to power magical devices, such as the sand skiffs
that make life on Gallaht somewhat bearable. The same
energy rains destruction in the form of intense sandstorms
that can level cities and transform the desert sands,
creating fulgurite structures and magic-filled crystals.
In the centuries since the ancient blue dragon has taken
to the skies, the location of her lair — and her hoard —
have been lost. Not even Dawilquar’s sworn protectors,
called the Knights of the First Wing, know where it is.
Whether the dragon killed all those who knew where it
once was, or it was simply buried with the sprawling city
ruins beneath Ancestors Reach remains a mystery.
22 Arora: Age of Desolation
Knights of the First Wing
With the transformative power of her storms, many of
Gallaht’s denizens worship, or at least attempt to interpret,
aspects of Dawilquar’s power as if it were divine. The great
blue dragon’s closest adherents and most vigilant protec-
tors are the Knights of the First Wing. This elite order of
knights is made up of winged kobolds who have sworn
fealty directly to the ancient blue dragon. The knights
travel with their queen in shifts, so that there are typically
five knights escorting her at any given moment. They make
sure nobody comes in contact with Dawilquar.
Denizens of Gallaht
The peoples of Gallaht live under the rulership, influence,
and deadly threats of its dragon warlords.
The First Warlords
After Dawilquar took to the sky in her eternal flight, she
created a power vacuum in the day-to-day ruling of Gallaht.
Five dragon warlords rose to fill this vacuum, each with their
own design and followers. These became known as the First
Warlords. As other dragon warlords have come and gone,
the First Warlords have remained the most powerful. Many
of the humanoids and dracokin in Gallaht align themselves
under the different warlord factions.
Warlord Katighez. The oldest and most powerful of the
First Warlords, Katighez is the master of all things arcane,
and unafraid to tap into the darkest magics. He immediately
saw the potential in the realm’s central Krystalys region and
has ruled it with an iron claw ever since. Katighez’s followers
are fiercely loyal and consider themselves the greatest power
in the realm—they may not be wrong.
 Katighez not only wages war against the other dragons
but also against his own Shardscale infection. He is still
quite lucid despite the infection, and seemingly has the
affliction at bay.
Warlord Xarikethrex. A blue dragon with very pale
scales and known as “the White Knight,” Xarikethrex is
a master of healing and resurrection magic. She is fiercely
protective of those who serve her but expects them to do so
for eternity. When she needs them, those who fall in battle
under her leadership are healed and sent right back to the
front lines to do her bidding. Her followers have a strict
and orderly worldview, and demand that everyone meets
their leader’s great expectations.
Xarikethrex has the earliest stage of Shardscale, though
seems to have been able to fight it off. Her mastery of restora-
tive magic has no doubt helped keep the infection contained.
Warlord Velahntropir. Velahntropir is known for his
cunning and long-gestating plans, the fruition of which
may not be realized within a humanoid’s brief lifespan.
Velahntropir most praises followers who show initiative
and independence in their thinking. Even those who’ve
plotted against the dragon—if they survived—have often
been turned to serve him.
Velahntropir has been hiding an advanced Shardscale
infection for some time now. He has become reclusive,
choosing to hold audience with only a select few, and only
then hidden in shadows. Even his closest allies have not
seen the jagged indigo crystals that have ruined his right
eye and are threatening to seal his jaw shut.
Warlord Sokkerranantha. Known as “Dustwing,”
Sokkerranantha is chaos incarnate. She believes in survival
of the fittest and the right for each to take whatever they
wish. Her followers are similarly chaotic and often resort
to strange displays of prowess to win her favor—which
she bestows by letting the most unhinged lead the charge.
While the least organized of the First Warlords, her
followers are also numerous—she accepts all and cares little
for discipline.
Sokkerranantha, while already naturally prone to rage,
is generally suspected of Shardscale when she, in fact, has
been able to avoid contact with it.
Warlord Keevenna. Keevenna the Radiant went to
fight Warlord Katighez three centuries ago and never
returned. She is believed to be responsible for the massive
unhealing scar that runs the length of Katighez’s body
and continues to wrack him with pain. Most believe
Keevenna to be dead, but there are those who still remain
loyal to her in spirit, believing she will return at the hour
of their greatest need. The truth is far grimmer, in that
Katighez keeps Keevenna’s dead body to be raised as his
undead minion. The other First Warlords do not speak of
Keevenna, and tales of her abilities and philosophies live in
the oft-conflicting tales of her followers.
If Keevenna is successfully transformed into a dracolich,
many believe that she will be able to escape the Shard-
scale’s grip.
Chapter 1: Gallaht
Environment
A merciless sun beats down on the deserts and badlands
of Gallaht, carrying a dry heat that devours moisture and
bronzes scale, skin, and stone alike. Polar proximity of
Gallaht’s inhabited regions makes night an alien concept,
for even on the shortest days, the evening is a twilight that
replaces the sun for only a few short hours.
A notable time of day unique to Gallaht is
“aftertwilight” which—unlike mornings—doesn’t denote
the start of the day, but the start of the desert’s reheating.
During the season of the long days, which lasts most of the
year, the sun is out for all but an hour or two, and these
silver hours are valued highly for gatherings and faster foot
travel, as the heat subsides to more bearable levels.
Only in the polarmost regions of Krystalys and its
neighboring Blood Plains is the climate slightly cooler,
this due to a past age’s layer of permafrost that lies deep
below the surface. With oppressive heat the enemy, shadow
is every adventurer’s ally, and the caves and mesas that
provide it are highly prized.
The lack of moisture does not prevent frequent and
heavy storms—although all lack rain. Dust and sandstorms
are common, sending those caught in the open scampering
for cover. Dramatic bard tales tell of sand skiff riders
outrunning the tip of a great storm. Yet the tales of
experienced captains are oft grimmer, telling of skiffs and
entire settlements taken by a massive storm, never to be
seen again.
Common dust storms are the most frequent, but it is
the electrically charged storms that lash out deadly arcane
energy which are the most dangerous. Yet, the hardier
and more daring folk of Gallaht have adapted even to
these, some going as far as to chase the electrical storms to
harness their arcane energy and what little moisture may
be locked within.
23
 Dangers and Survival
Along with the hard and dry climates of Gallaht’s deserts,
the following environmental dangers are ever present for
those traveling the dunes.
Water Scarcity. Death by thirst is the omnipresent fear
and practical consideration of every humanoid in Gallaht.
Although the geography varies from rolling sand dunes to
desolate plains, water is never abundant, and the search
for it—and trade in it—are the most common motivators of
dangerous pursuits.
Electrical Dust Storms. It has long been clear that
the devastating electrical dust storms are connected to
the arcane lightning discharge that follows in Dawilquar’s
wake. The details of this are subject to much debate
among the druids, mystics, and sages of Gallaht. There
are three prevailing theories on the matter, and different
beliefs have each led to their own followings, and
occasionally fanatical cults.
The first theory is that the electrical storms are actively
empowered by Dawilquar’s presence, and would subside
with her death. The second theory is that the storms
originate far out across the Golden Ocean, and it is only
Dawilquar’s own ability to absorb them that tempers their
wrath. Finally, there is the third — so-called “moderate” —
hypothesis that, while the storms were initially empowered
by Dawilquar’s wake, they have become a natural part of
Gallaht’s climate, and now exist on their own, as a natural
arcane phenomenon.
To the average resident of Gallaht, the mystery of the
storms is far less important than sheltering themselves from
their devastating bolts and whipping sands that can tear
flesh from bone.
24 Arora: Age of Desolation
Quicksand. The quicksands of Gallaht come in many
forms. The common quicksand created with subterranean
water is highly sought after for its moisture. This has led to
the proliferation of the Sandhunter—a dangerous vocation
that harvests water from quicksand.
The other common type of quicksand is known as
“false quicksand.” It is most often found in Ancestors
Reach, where subterranean ruins form air pockets or moist
quicksand pockets made of ancient non-water liquids such
as acid or ooze. Some of these are natural, and some are
traps set by the Children of the Volt.
Finally, the Waking Sands region is home to many
aberrant types of quicksand. The sand elementals and
tempests that live here leave strange residual pockets of
sand that behave in unnatural ways. Every traveler through
the region has a different story about strange shapes and
seemingly humanoid figures found within.
Mirages. Mirages are frequent in Gallaht’s open regions,
especially across Ancestors Reach and the Waking sands;
seasoned travelers know to be extremely wary of them.
Illusion magic is common in Gallaht as well, from nefarious
spellcasters to cunning arcane predators. The wakeshark—a
burrowing carnivore common to the Waking Sands and the
Golden Ocean—can project a large illusion of shaded shelter
or water to draw in unsuspecting prey.
Gallaht’s best known mirage is the Fey Morgana, a huge
city of trees and spires that appears on the horizon of the
Golden Ocean. Legends abound of it being a fey city ruled
by a benevolent archfey that welcomes all, and is home to
lush forests and healing waterfalls. Many adventurers have
mounted expeditions to reach the Fey Morgana, yet none
have found it, and most have perished.
 Survival Tactics
Over the 500 inhospitable years of Gallaht’s hot desert
climate, its denizens have survived through ingenuity and
adaptation. Humanoids have been able to continue to
build and thrive by making use of natural resources such as
shade and moisture, by hunting or taming desert creatures
such as chimeric peacocks and sand drakes, as well as by
finding ways to absorb and use the arcane energy emitted
from Dawilquar’s lightning storms.
Sand Skiffs. Arguably, Gallaht’s greatest advancement
as a society is the invention and refinement of the dune-
traveling vessel known as the sand skiff. These small agile
vehicles have allowed the people of Gallaht to travel farther
out across the desert to hunt sustainably and find precious
water sources, all while carrying necessary supplies, and
even its own shade.
Sand skiffs are powered by magical crystals harvested
in the Krystalys region and charged with magical lightning
to allow the skiff to glide just above the sand. The crystal
is only part of the skiff’s power; the heat of the sand is also
a required component for propulsion. Skiffs traditionally
have a wind sail used for steering, but can be also be used
for propulsion in breezy conditions. Because of the arduous
need for smooth sand, heat, and a charged crystal, sand
skiffs are less reliable or unusable in locations without
dunes, such as the Fulgurite Fields or Krystalys.
A typical water raider skiff fits three to six humanoids
plus cargo.
Metal. Most warriors use non-metal weapons made
primarily from bone and stone to avoid attracting
lightning. Certain creatures are hunted especially for their
bones. Weapons made of thick fulgurite glass are also used,
although they are more difficult to obtain. Fulgurite-tipped
ammunition is especially deadly.
While metal is avoided for fear of attracting Dawilquar’s
lightning, there are times when attracting lightning is
exactly what’s needed—such as when a skiff crystal needs
recharging. Metal implements brought for this purpose are
carried wrapped in animal hides.
Flora. The desert landscape is not entirely devoid of
plants, and some of the hardier specimens are bred or
summoned by druids to store water or bear fruit with
healing properties. Dangerous desert plants such as the
chamocactus and the blood cactus can also be used in a
variety of ways.
Fauna. Gallaht’s wildlife includes many subterranean
creatures such as bulettes and lingering wakesharks, as
well as a smaller number of overland beasts like sand
drakes and chimeric peacocks, with the latter being the
most common form of fowl hunted for its meat. Sand of watery quicksand. Upon discovery, they leap into the
drakes, on the other hand, are often trained to act as quicksand, purposely letting themselves sink. While stuck
mounts or water-sniffers. this way, their quicksponges draw the water out of the
Inventions. Among the more ingenious inventions quicksand area, leaving them free to dig themselves out and
used in Gallaht is a face wrap called a “dew gauze,” which transfer the sponged water to containers.
traps a humanoid’s moisture from escaping, and the Depending on the size of the quicksand pit, the
“quicksponge,” used for collecting water from moist sand, quicksponges can take from one to several hours to do
ground, or mud. There is also a rare “blushsand paste” their work, leaving the sandhunter in a highly vulnerable
that is used as sunscreen. position for the duration. Sandhunters rarely travel
Sandhunting. Sandhunters wear specially constructed alone, and the bonds of trust and brotherhood between
quicksponges on their bodies and scour Gallaht for instances sandhunters are ironclad.

Chapter 1: Gallaht 25
 Geography
Gallaht’s inhabited and most-travelled regions reach
out from a polar center. Surrounding these regions is an
endless and impassible desert of massive sand dunes known
as the Golden Ocean.
Due to the realm’s polar nature, Gallaht has its own
unique orientation system that does not use the pole’s
location as a direction. Instead, the cardinal directions are
Neb to Sarm, and Woln to Efir, with maps being drawn with
Neb-up. Additionally, travelers often describe their direction
relative to and from the pole. Traveling away from the
pole and toward the Golden Ocean is referred to as “going
Sunward” and traveling toward the region of Krystalys and
the pole is referred to as “going Shadeward”.
Bordering the Golden Ocean, on the Woln side of
Gallaht, is Ancestors Reach, once the heart of civilization
in this part of the realm. The Reach is an area of low sand
dunes that on a clear day can be seen across for miles.
This region is rich in ancient relics, and is popular for both
exploration and water harvesting, as there are many areas
of quicksand, and underground water reservoirs.
Expeditions to Ancestors Reach are most often mount-
ed from the Tremoring Badlands region, where Gallaht’s
largest city, Khulud, is located. This region is defined by
flat hard ground replete with large mesas that serve as both
shelter and city, at least until they are rocked by one of the
region’s namesake earthquakes and replaced by others.
Sunward of the Tremoring Badlands and bordering the
Golden Ocean is the region that by all accounts should
be part of the Badlands, but has so long been colloquially
called the Worselands, that this name now graces maps.
The Worselands suffer from the same devastating
earthquakes as the Badlands, but have far fewer resources.
Bordering the Golden Ocean on Gallaht’s Neb-Efir side
are the Waking Sands—a wild region of large dunes, just
barely more hospitable than the ocean itself. The sand type
here is of the bright yellow type identical to the Golden
Ocean, thus, deep ocean creatures such as sand elementals
and lingering wakesharks can be found here. The region’s
main saving grace is that the living sandstorms do not
make their way this far Shadeward.
Connecting Ancestors Reach and the Waking Sands
on their Shadeward sides are the Fulgurite Fields. This
region is a wild maze of natural glass structures formed
by lightning striking its volcanic sand. The Fields—along
with the ominously titled Blood Plains—encircle Gallaht’s
polarmost region of Krystalys.
Whatever Krystalys was before, today it is a jagged
landscape that looks like the insides of an enormous geode
that has somehow been turned inside out. Giant arcane
crystals form and grow here, transformed and infused with
each passing of a lightning storm and Dawilquar’s flight.
"Gallaht’s terrible. Sand gets into everything! EVERYTHING!"
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
26 Arora: Age of Desolation
Important Locations
The following sections detail some of the most important
and notable locations in Gallaht.
Ancestors Reach
Ancestors Reach takes its name from the ancient
civilizations that lie buried—some dangerously shallow,
and some deep enough to nearly reach Gallaht’s
heart—beneath its sands. Although sparsely populated
aboveground, the region draws many travelers and raiders
who harvest water, hunt, and explore the ruins.
History
Layers upon layers of buried cities built one atop the other
lie buried beneath Ancestors Reach. The topmost layer
of these breaches the sandy surface with the cleanly cut
sandstone of its chiseled pillars and cracked tops of its
round buildings. This layer holds the remnants of a great
desert city that was claimed by the rising sands after the
Dragonrage. The city—once called Liforra—was built upon
even older ruins, predating the Great Abjuration. It is clear
from those ancient ruins that the region hadn’t always been
a desert.
The denizens of Liforra had delved into the older ruins to
seek out lost knowledge, potentially explaining the quick ad-
vancement of their own civilization. There are records in the
ruins of Liforra and among the Children of the Volt—who
now call the area home—of ancient Liforans communing
with the spirits of their pre-conjuration ancestors. Whether
these represent historical fact or religious doctrine has been
lost to the centuries of cataclysms.
The secrets of ancient empires hidden in the decrepit
cities beneath its sands are but one draw of Ancestors Reach.
For most who travel here, it is the sands’ far less glamor-
ous surface that is of greatest interest. Though it borders
the Golden Ocean, the Reach’s dunes tend to be low and
smooth, conducive to the use of sand skiffs, which makes
travel quicker. The region is rich in underground water that
manifests itself either in quicksand or in underground pools
that can be sniffed out by specially trained drakes.
Culture
Despite its relative riches, the Reach has few overland
settlements. What makes Ancestor’s Reach dangerous and
foreboding is the presence of the Children of Volt, a fiercely
protective people who live in the underground ruins and
consider anyone else’s presence in the Reach an invasion, met
with violent and merciless resistance. The Children believe
themselves to be the descendants and true heirs of the original
peoples of the area, predating even the Great Abjuration.
They believe the citizens of Liforra had found a way to
commune with the spirits of those who were sacrificed in the
Abjuration and to bring those spirits back to the world. Their
strict doctrine says that the region belongs to them and that
they are its guardians; their innate resistance to the poisonous
vapors present in many of the subterranean ruins of the
Reach is a blessing to enable this work.
As they protect the surface above, the Children of the Volt
explore the depths below, always seeking out arcane knowl-
edge left in the ancient cities. They live in small enclaves,
typically located in a major ruin. Their holiest site is a great
vault that houses an immense eldritch relic that thirsts for
power, gathering energy for an inscrutable purpose.
Many of the Children carry small crystals or other
magical storage devices and throw themselves into
lightning storms to charge them with energy, only to then
donate that energy to the vault. While on their person, Volt
warriors can also repurpose this energy into devastating
lightning-charged defenses, while Volt shamans channel it
into their spellcasting.
The Children of the Volt prevent new permanent
settlements in Ancestors Reach; they ambush travelers,
set traps, and suddenly emerge from the sand to repel
trespassers. Yet with the region’s relative abundance of
water-harvesting areas, and greater ease of access to them
than the hard ground of the Tremoring Badlands, an
industry of water-gatherers has sprung up.
Water-raiding parties descend upon the Reach every
day from the Badlands; most raiders race sand skiffs across
the dunes to seek out hidden wells. It is dangerous and
competitive work. On any given day, a water-raiding skiff
could be ambushed by the Children of the Volt, be forced
to seek out shelter from a dust storm, fight off a bulette, or
fall through a collapsing ancient building into poisonous
ruins. If the raiders survive these trials and gather enough
precious water to sell, they may still be attacked by rival
water raiders or water pirates on the way home.
Chapter 1: Gallaht
Current Events
The Children’s storm chasing and lightning collection
is becoming noticeable, with them emerging more often
during storms and in greater numbers. Some have been
seen forgoing an ambush to retreat with charged crystals.
An intrepid explorer who fell into a ruin and somehow
made it out alive despite the poison, reported seeing the
Children depositing arcane energy into some sort of
enormous gem that glowed with arcane runes and hummed
with an otherworldly energy.
On the far edge of the Reach, explorers have found
a ruin that contains a massive underground tower. It is
impossibly inverted, but is hollow inside and seems to
lead down for hundreds of feet, with many of its levels
containing individual rooms. It has been dubbed “The
Impossible Tower” and lies waiting to be explored.
Cobbled together from a mass of sand skiffs, and
fortified with fences made of giant wakeshark bone, the
intrepid trader Fantula Mazzaki has created a veritable
floating outpost. Flying fearlessly into Ancestors Reach
and beyond, Fantula’s Flying Fort provides refuge from
the Children of the Volt, and a place for water raiders to
sell their haul without having to make the treacherous trek
back to the Badlands.
27
 Notable NPCs Monsters
The following NPCs can be found around Ancestors Reach. Monsters found in the deserts of Ancestors Reach include
Fantula Mazzaki. Once one of the most feared water many common desert monsters, such as dust mephits, giant
pirates, Fantula Mazzaki turned her ill-gotten gains and spiders, snakes and scorpions, and dust devils.
cadre of combat-ready minions into a profitable mobile Chamocactus. This carnivorous cactus is endemic to
trade post that travels between the mesa cities—called “me- the reach. The chamocactus lures its prey by camouflaging
tehs” by the locals—of the Badlands. Her newest venture is its body to look like a large shade-providing stone.
the creation of a massive desert skiff capable of providing Undead. In the subterranean ruins below Ancestors
mobile shelter. Reach, all sorts of undead lurk in forgotten corridors,
Fantula is a shrewd trader, but also an adventurer and animated by long-lost magics. Wights, mummies, wraiths,
explorer at heart. Her thrill-seeking nature leads her and shadows are the most common.
into dangerous places, pay extra for mysterious items or Bulettes. These borrowing monstrosities are prolific in
information on where to find them, and occasionally even the region, though they prefer the deeper sands.
do favors for the bold and the brave, hoping they’ll lead her Sand Elementals. While rare in the realm, sand elemen-
to riches later. Fantula maintains a tenuous neutrality when tals sometimes form at the confluence of arcane energies.
it comes to Gallaht’s draconic warlords, making her both Lingering Wakesharks. Wakesharks are rare in the
somewhat welcome and not quite trusted by the different Reach, but can be encountered near the borders with the
groups of folk in Gallaht. Golden Ocean and the Waking Sands.
One of Fantula’s dreams is to establish trade with the
Children of the Volt. She has been working to learn their Adventure Ideas
language, and pays well for any relics relating to their
The following adventures are linked to Ancestors Reach.
runic language.
A Temple for a Price. Noted explorer Ersenta
Ersenta Sandwalker. Methodical planning and the
Sandwalker has returned to Khulud from one of her
love of speed go hand-in-muscular-hand for Gallaht’s
famous expeditions to Ancestors Reach having dis-
foremost explorer, Ersenta Sandwalker. The daughter of a
covered an entrance to a sealed temple the location
pair of ne’er do well water harvesters, Ersenta learned to
of, which she plans to sell for a hefty sum. Many such
pilot a sand skiff at age five and built her own, much faster,
locations have previously yielded great treasure and
skiff by age eight. By the time she was a teenager, she was
there is interest from at least two competing parties,
racing dragaurs for sport, and tweaking skiffs for the best
one led by a cutthroat dune pirate.
water-raider crews. But her dream was to go faster and
Fort Favors. A sudden storm has left Fantula’s
farther. Every few months she would tweak a small skiff
Flying Fort stranded overnight only a few miles
for maximum speed and set off to see how far and fast she
from Khulud, in Ancestor’s Reach. Fantula calls for
could explore the Reach.
reinforcements to ensure that the fort is not ambushed
Now in her late twenties, Ersenta has explored more
while the skiffs recharge and allow her to make it
of the furthest edges of Ancestors Reach than anyone
across the border.
alive. Ersenta finds so many water wells that she doesn’t
Water Race. It is the day of Khulud’s annual Water
harvest them herself—instead she sells their locations for
Festival. Part of the festivities is a race among water
a cut of the profits. It was Ersenta’s crew that discovered
raiders. The race is simple—each skiff crew must reach
the Impossible Tower, and she has been making plans to
a set location in Ancestor Reach, with all locations set
explore deeper into it.
at equal distances and drawn randomly on the day.
If you need a guide or scout in the Reach, none are
Once the crew reaches their location, they must find
better or more expensive than Ersenta. And none more
and harvest water, anywhere in the Reach. The first
worth it.
crew to return with a full barrel wins. The crews leave
Spikevolt. Though they likely have a true name
with barely enough water in their canteens to survive
amongst the Children of the Volt, the massive figure in a
the journey.
spiked helmet and shoulder armor is known to outsiders
only as Spikevolt. Those who survive to tell of an encounter
with Spikevolt likely saw them at a distance, or briefly,
like a flashing silhouette in a lightning storm. Those who
survived are cowards, fleeing upon seeing the deadly
visage. It is said that over the past 20 years, Spikevolt and
their group of 20 brutal followers have killed more water
raiders than all the desert beasts combined. "Many tell tales of the Lost Vault of Arponad, a magical
In Khulud, the bounty on Spikevolt’s helmeted head has place filled with treasures both wondrous and terrible,
grown every year for a decade, yet none who’ve tried to but the sands have sung to me only warnings of
collect it have returned successful, most have not returned madness and death."
at all. Spikevolt is said to be able to disappear in plain sight - Jhakith Madra Adailar
and to shoot lightning bolts from their eyes.
More recently, Spikevolt’s victims have been found with
their heads on spikes, and their eyes hollowed out and
replaced with crystals to catch lightning.

28 Arora: Age of Desolation


Tremoring Badlands
The Tremoring Badlands are home to Khulud, Gallaht’s
largest city, which rests just inside the Tremoring Badlands
southwestern border with Ancestors Reach, and serves
a base for many expeditions. The transition between the
sandy dunes of the Reach and cracked, rocky ground of the
Badlands is smooth yet unmistakable. And while this land is
harsh, the sight of it is often a relief for returning residents,
as it signals a respite from having to watch for signs of
ambush or monstrous movement in every mound of sand.
The Tremoring Badlands are named for their frequent
seismic activity—from barely-perceptible shudders, to great
earthquakes that alter the very landscape. What makes this
dangerously unstable land good for habitation is the presence
of countless natural sandstone mesas that provide not only
shade from the beating sun, but also easily fortified locations.
Many settlements are carved right into a mesa’s
sandstone, making for cavernous passages within, out
of the sun’s harsh light. While these mesa-cities—called
“metehs”—provide great protection, they are also
impermanent. Most metehs don’t last for more than a few
years before they are wiped out by one of the badlands’
massive earthquakes. This has long been the case, and
denizens of the Badlands embrace the semi-nomadic
lifestyle. The building and blessing of a new meteh is a
cause for celebration, after the “expected catastrophe” of
the old one’s destruction. Every great quake that takes a
meteh is big enough to be considered an opportunity, as it
unearths new mesa formations, some of which can contain
rich materials or even natural wells.
Of the First Warlords of Gallaht, three remain in
the Badlands.
History
Centuries of still-ongoing seismic events have filled the
desolate plains of the Tremoring Badlands with mesas,
forming the most widely populated, and relatively safest,
region of Gallaht. Dragons were immediately drawn to
these mesas, as these made great lairs for themselves and
cities for their minions.
The greatest and largest extant city of Gallaht lies just
inside the Badlands’ border with Ancestors Reach. Built
upon a massive formation of five mesas that look like the
slim fingers of a colossal hand reaching out of the ground,
the city of Khulud is the most populous, progressive, and
spectacular. Khulud is divided into five districts—one atop
each of the mesas that form the Claw of Khulud.
Warlords Xarikethrex and Velahntropir rule over
Khulud, each controlling two of its five “fingers.” Over
the centuries, the two have engaged in open war, cold war,
peace, and even courtship multiple times. The warlords
scheme to depose one another, but also share a respect and
some degree of affection. They also combine their powers
to hold off Sokkerranantha and her Chaos Raiders from
taking over Khulud. Truth be told, neither is sure whether
Dustwing wishes to rule over the realm or destroy it.
The neutral Thumb district, located on the lowest and
smallest mesa that forms a natural ramp down to the desert
floor, is a combination of a huge open market and an
unaligned skiff harbor.
Chapter 1: Gallaht
The Thumb is also the location of the Tower of Lightning,
home to the Knights of the First Wing, the sworn protectors
of Dawilquar herself. In addition to protecting the ancient
dragon, the knights also keep the peace in this district,
making it a neutral area that not even the dragons violate.
The Thumb is a place where all can mingle and trade, and
the easiest place to launch and return a skiff. Those who
swear no loyalties—and even servants of other dragons—are
welcome here, so long as they honor the peace.
Culture
If there is an overarching theme that unifies all the peoples
of the Tremoring Badlands, it is constant motion. Tecton-
ic shifts move the very geography of the place; what is a
meteh settlement one year can be buried beneath the sands
the next. Sand skiffs run across the desert, both across the
badlands as well as in and out of them, their riders general-
ly plying the water trade, looking for a fight, or fleeing one.
Then there are the winds, the storms, and the constant
motion of clouds and dust. Like a mirage, the Badlands
are ever-changing, and ever-fleeting. “You stop, you die!”
is a common saying among those fleeing storms or running
low on water, but it could well be the philosophy of every
humanoid here. Those who are not moving are likely to
achieve nothing.
Those who live in Khulud tend to be in-tune with the
wills of their dragon rulers, and the political machinations
of the day. Meanwhile, those who live out in the metehs are
more likely to ignore such macro-politics and remain more
focused on their individual settlement’s fortune, even if
they do swear a token fealty to a warlord—which most do,
if only for the promise of safety.
Current Events
The most dramatic recent event in the Badlands is the fall
of meteh Dobarass, once the largest free-standing meteh
in the region. A massive earthquake shifted the landscape
in the heart of the Badlands. In the devastation, the spire-
like mesa of Dobarass fell, displacing its over-a-thousand-
strong population.
In the transformed landscape, no newly-formed mesa
was large enough to accommodate the entirety of the
meteh’s populaion, so the people split in two, each working
on building a new meteh at different locations. Some used
the devastating event to seize political power, causing
tension to spread throughout Dobarass’s diaspora. Other,
more honest folk, have used the event as an opportunity to
create a new, better society.
There has also recently been an increase across the
Badlands in attacks from Sokkerranantha’s Chaos Raiders.
Although never entirely predictable, the raiders have
recently become bolder, striking farther and farther away
from their own lands. More and more raiders have been
rampaging out of the neighboring Blood Plains and the
Worselands, leading to speculation that Sokkerranantha
has built bases in those inhospitable regions.
Sand sprite sightings are on the rise across the Badlands.
The sprites are generally more common to the sandier
regions, where it’s easy for them to dig their tiny underground
burrows, the last several years have seen movement of sand
sprites into the Badlands. Although rarely openly hostile,
29
sprite burrows are subterranean and difficult to spot.
Typically built around underground pools or moist areas,
the burrows can form vast underground networks.
When water raiders take water from a pool connected
to a sprite burrow, the sprites consider this to be stealing,
and in return steal from those who took the water. This
is made more complicated by the sprites’ concept of “fey
debt” and their long memories. When something is taken
from a sprite, they remember this forever, and their taking
of “reparations” may go on for years, or even generations.
The sprites train larger sand beasts and monstrosities like
lizards and giant spiders to do their bidding.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in the Tremoring Badlands.
Athilla, Keeper of the Watch. Stationed at the Tower
of Lightning in Khulud, Athilla is a whitescale kobold
who oversees the logistics of the Knights of the First Wing
and their holy mission to protect Dawilquar. Athilla is
responsible for both the scheduling of the escort flights,
and for the maintenance of the numbers of the order’s
membership. While not the order’s leader, Athilla is highly
regarded by all, and her word carries great weight with the
Commanders Council who form the Knights’ ruling body.
While Athilla’s many duties tend to keep her in Khulud,
she continues to go on at least one escort flight every month.
Despite her high and spiritual post, Athilla is a kobold of
the people, and maintains relationship with everyone from
Khulud’s merchants to the skiff crews. Many aftertwilights
she can be seen around the market, shopping for desert fruit
and chatting with the water raiders.
In the event of a Shardscale discovery, Athilla’s position
makes her a likely confidante or investigation ally.
High Justice Ovello. A large bald humanoid typically
sporting a shining suit of white sharkplate and carrying
his massive bone-maul, High Justice Ovello is the leader
of the White Knight’s clergy, who reports directly to
Xarikethrex herself. The High Justice delivers the
dragon’s decrees to her followers, holds court, and is the
military leader of her forces.
Majordomo Lyria. Over seven feet tall and strikingly
thin, the purple-skinned humanoid Lyria is most often
seen seated on a high stool at the Water Trap tavern in
Khulud, with her long, thin, serpentine tail wrapped in
coils around one of her ankles. She is much more than just
the proprietor of the tavern.
Lyria is one of the most senior members of Warlord
Velahntropir’s advisory council, and her influence is great.
Lyria leads no troops, dispatches no water raiders, and
seemingly trades only in information and liquor.
Charismatic and approachable, Lyria is open to
speaking with any who comes to her establishment, and is
just as likely to deal in seemingly small-time rumors like
the location of a water well as she is in grand plans like the
political machinations of the dragon warlords.
Skiffmaster Vertille. Vertille is a humanoid in her late
thirties and is the Thumb’s Skiffmaster. Vertille’s interests
have always been more in building and tweaking skiffs
than the logistics of organizing shelter and unloading for
the water raider crews. Aside from knowing many of the
30 Arora: Age of Desolation
raiders, the skiffs, and the desert, Vertille has an uncanny
way of feeling the desert’s “mood” and predicting storms.
Warrenmaster Matteo Sturm. A short and stocky
humanoid, Matteo runs the Thumb’s waterdrake warrens.
Overseeing the capture of wild drakes and their training
as mounts or watersniffers, Matteo takes great pride in his
work. Matteo’s kindly manner with the drakes is a stark
contrast to his manner with people, and most who’ve met
him would say that he prefers the company of his draconic
pets to anyone else. He’ll get you what you need, and will
even nurse an injured drake back to health, but don’t ask
him to be nice about it.
Monsters
The harder ground and mesas of the Tremoring Badlands
are home to diverse fauna. The sands here are too thin for
sand elementals, although bulettes do occasionally tunnel
through the region.
Reptiles. The Badlands are home to many types of
giant lizards and wild drakes including some heavier plated
ones that can burrow into the area’s harsh ground or climb
into the cracks of high mesas.
Flying Creatures. The mesa-filled landscape is a great
habitat for flying creatures. Swarms of insects, stirges, and
bats can be found, as well as cockatrices and some more
common birds.
Chimeric Peacock. Prized for both its armor and
meat, the flightless multi-headed chimeric peacock is the
region’s endemic bird.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the
Tremoring Badlands.
Raiders Clash. Majordomo Lyria has learned
that Chaos Raiders intend to strike Tonespra, a small
meteh 30 miles from Khulud. A water raider skiff from
Tonespra is leaving Khulud immediately, racing home
to warn them. The meteh is unlikely to be able to fend
off the attack on their own, and the crew is asking
adventurers to help. The crew is broke, but promise
future shelter and a reward from the meteh’s leadership.
Old Debts. A small and distant meteh has
been subject to a seemingly endless string of thefts.
Everything from water to their tools have been stolen,
and it’s getting worse. The meteh’s mayor believes sand
sprites are to blame, but they’ve been unable to catch
any. The thefts started when a young family from the
recently-fallen meteh Dobarass moved in.
Chance to Peacock. A devastating dust storm has
swept through Khulud and deposited a massive swarm
of insects that—before dying off—destroyed much of
the great city’s food stores. No food stores mean the
raiders can’t go to get water, and no water means
death. Now, the city has come together to organize the
greatest peacock hunt in history! To encourage every
capable person to contribute, great prizes—including a
brand-new skiff—are being offered for those who bring
in the most peacock necks.

The Fulgurite Fields
The first explorers to set their eyes upon the Fulgurite Fields
must have been certain they were seeing a mirage. Here, the
massive spires, arches, and tubes of sand-crusted, multi-
colored glass shimmer in the blistering sun. The fulgurite
formations form a surreal sculpture-like landscape that looks
like it was built by some chaotic god-architect rather than
born of the region’s strange natural history.
It was the combination of a now-inactive volcano and
years of crackling lightning storms that turned the magma-
warmed sand instantly into the dusty beams of char-black,
red, and golden glass. Some of these glass structures
are hollow, forming passages along every angle. Some
spires hum with magical energy, drawing ghosts of dead
explorers from years past. Some locations in the fulgurite
fields are so dense with thin spires and fused “canopies”
that they form a sort of glimmering forest where one might
find shade and shelter.
The Fields are the second driest of Gallaht’s regions,
with only the Waking Sands having less moisture. The hard,
often glass-sharp ground, and extensive fulgurite
formations can make it impossible to find water for many
miles. It is perhaps for this reason that the secretive and
reclusive dust hags gravitated to this area and have made it
their home.
Chapter 1: Gallaht
History
The Fulgurite Fields were once desert plains that surrounded
an active volcano. It was the combination of subterranean
heat produced by magma flows mixing with black, volcanic
sands that made the sands of the fields particularly
susceptible to extreme fulgurization that formed the surreal
landscape of today. Although the volcano went dormant
more than two centuries ago, the sand mixture remains, and
although some of the largest fulgurite formations date back
to those times, new formations continue to be formed by the
lightning storms.
The Glass Volcano, as its now called. is a perfectly con-
ic mountain that rises hundreds of feet above the land-
scape and can be seen from most places in the Fields and
beyond. True to its name, the entirety of the mountain’s
slopes is now covered in twisting weaves of thick fulgur-
ite. When lightning strikes, those below must beware of
glass avalanches.
There have been several humanoid attempts to establish
settlements in the Fulgurite Fields, but most failed due to
conflicts with the powerful dust hag hermits who call the
area home, or simply the lack of resources. Those that have
survived are located on the region’s borders. The biggest of
these is Fort Glassriver, which survives by trading with the
hags, and acting as a forward base for expeditions to the
Waking Sands—in particular to the Sands of Red and Blue.
31
 Culture
The dust hags are the longest-residing denizens of the Ful-
gurite Fields. These highly independent hermits share a fey
heritage, but are not bound to another plane, and possess
the free will to act as they wish. They have an innate talent
for spellcasting and—in their independence—often possess
great skills in medicine and using the land’s resources.
As befits hermits, the dust hags do not have communal
settlements. Each of them has a unique, and often
elaborate, glass structure that is often refined to look
further surreal with flourishes such as cupola or enchanted
colored lights. Though they lack any outwardly discernable
governing body, it is widely known that this region belongs
to the hags.
The dust hags are known to gather at the Flutes of
Valyne. This great open fulgurized field is home to a
particularly striking pattern of hollow glass stalks. When
the wind blows, the entire structure forms a remarkable
and haunting melody—like an inanimate glass orchestra.
It is said that when the hags gather here in ceremony, their
oracles can interpret the strange melody as the words of a
great prophecy.
Like the hags, other denizens of the Fulgurite Fields
rarely build structures, preferring to repurpose the
ever-present giant glass structures. As an example, Fort
Glassriver is built upon a gigantic blue-tinted glass tube
that has many entrances and exits.
Current Events
Although they had long been the bane of humanoid explor-
ers, the dust hags have recently come to the bustling outpost
of Fort Glassriver to trade. The hags have a great interest in
arcane crystals from Krystalys, and have even been known
to hire adventurers to procure these for them.
By most accounts, the Glass Volcano is sealed from
all sides and impenetrable. The few explorers that have
attempted to scale it have fallen off, lucky to escape being
cut to pieces by the falling slivers of razor-sharp glass.
Those who’ve tried to fly up have encountered powerful
winds that carry glass shards that ripped into them like
tiny blades.
Most recently, reports in Fort Glassriver have become
more and more frequent of flying shadowy figures
disappearing into the volcano’s face, especially during
lightning storms. Rumors whisper that these are powerful
dust hags, entering the mountain through secret passages
known only to them.
With the hags more actively engaging with the
humanoids of the area, more insight into their ways of
living and plans is being gained every day. There have been
instances of hag-on-hag conflict in recent days, and in some
cases, humanoids have taken sides. Rumors spread that
some of the hags have grand plans that involve the dragons
themselves, while others do not wish to anger the dragons.
32 Arora: Age of Desolation
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in the Fulgurite Fields.
Darmilla Sah. The leader and founder of Fort
Glassriver, Darmilla’s fifty years spent in the Fulgurite
Fields may be the longest that any humanoid can claim.
“So, however did you make peace with the hags?” is a
question that many a politically-savvy visitor asks, yet
the only answer she ever gives is a sly smile and a wink,
even when accusations that she’s actually a dust hag in
disguise come flying—at least before her thick fist quickly
puts an end to this line of questioning. Although she
rarely leaves the comfort of the fort, Darmilla is a tough
and experienced adventurer, and keeps order in her
settlement. Please her and you get a knowing nod, anger
her and she’ll quickly wish you good luck finding water
beyond her fences.
Fulgurite Fil. Fil is the closest thing the Fulgurite
Fields have to a humanoid guide. The skin of Fil’s short
and stocky body is lined with an endless array of scars, like
a particularly rough fulgurite sculpture. His disheveled
hair and beard are cut at odd angles and missing pieces.
The only part of his visible skin that does not seem to be
damaged are his brilliant blue eyes, which—with their
vertical black pupils—seem bulbous beneath the thick
polished lenses of his signature fulgurite goggles.
Fil’s passion is exploring large fulgurite formations—
often head first. Although it is a surprise to many that he is
still alive, he has seen more of the Fields than most.
Kaphantra. The dust hag Kaphantra is such a common
visitor to Fort Glassriver that she has been allocated her
own lodging in one of the stand-alone fulgurite towers that
litter the settlement. Her fulgurite-adorned heavy cloak, and
offputtingly slow manner of walking around, make her hard
to miss. Kaphantra speaks slowly and measuredly, her words
clear despite a noticeable accent. Inevitably, nearly every
conversation with her ends up in her choice of discussion of
the weather, Dawilquar’s passing movements, or of trade.
Kaphantra sells potions, poultices made of fulgurite
fungus, and also can be convinced to read fortunes, although
the results of these readings are delivered several days after
they are requested, after she has travelled away from the fort
and returned. The fortune telling is always accompanied by
playing a small glass flute, though she never explains if the
music is intended to be part of the reading.
"I yearn to join with the swirling fulgurite for I’ve head
the song of Gallaht played at the Pipes of Valyne and it
is a dirge that weighs upon my mind."
- The dust hag, Cazadra
 Monsters
Due to the glass-sharp ground, subterranean desert
creatures are not common in the Fulgurite Fields.
Dusk Hags and Whirls. Although not monsters, some
of the dust hags of the Fields choose to embrace their
harsh environment and take on monstrous features. Some
transform themselves into fulgurite whirls, a type of self-
created construct that no longer feels or wants.
Ettercaps and Insects. Insects such as giant scorpions
and giant spiders are common, with ettercaps sometimes
found herding them.
Fulgurite Beasts. Several types of monstrous beasts
have evolved to take on fulgurite features, the glass shards
adorning their scales or shells as thick armor that cuts
their enemies. Dust hag tales tell of fulgurite ropers,
fulgurite gricks, and even a fulgurite roc with glass shards
in its wings.
When first encountered, the fulgurization of these
beasts was thought to be an infection akin to Shardscale,
but further investigation showed that it is a natural
evolutionary trait.
The most dangerous of the fulgurite beasts are swarms
of fulgurite crabs that feed on any flesh they come across.
Creating Sand Sprites
To create a sand sprite, make the following adjustments to
the sprite stat block:
Under Speed, replace current speeds with:
• 40 ft, Climb 40 ft., Burrow 20 ft.
Under Traits, add:
• Spider Climb. The sand sprite can climb difficult surfaces,
including upside down on ceilings, without needing to
make an ability check.
• Tunneler. Using its magic, a sand sprite can burrow
through solid rock at a speed of 5 feet, leaving a 6-inch-
diameter tunnel in its wake.
• Ancestral Sight. The sprite touches a creature and
magically knows the creature’s degree of blood relation to
other creatures it has touched.

Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Fulgurite Fields.
Running Through the Fields. Renowned Khu-
lud-based explorer Ersenta Sandwalker is gathering
supplies for another expedition into the deep sands.
One of the key items she needs is a blushsand paste
that can be used to ward off the sun’s heat for a
prolonged period of time. Blushsand is only found in
the Waking Sands, though most expeditions to gather
it depart from Fort Glassriver in the Fulgurite Fields.
The adventurers are to cross the Fields to get to the
Fort, and either procure blushsand there or stage
their own expedition. Time is of the essence!
Fort Chaos. A coven of powerful dust hags —
Berildra, Semitta, and Xaersha — have arrived at
Fort Glassriver’s gates with a threatening ultimatum.
The hags claim that they have been robbed by a
group of Chaos Raiders now taking shelter at the fort.
If the Chaos Raiders—and the hags’ stolen property—
are not delivered to them by twilight, the hags
threaten to rain destruction upon the entire fort. The
raiders won’t retreat without a fight, and the hags’
property is an explosively powerful arcane crystal.
Dark Wings. An enormous fulgurite roc has been
terrorizing travelers to Fort Glassriver, and Darmilla
Sah is paying top coin for a crew to take it down. The Creating Fulgurite Monsters
reclusive dust hag Oriphalda, whose hut lies on the To create a fulgurite version of a roper, grick, or roc, make
slopes of the Glass Volcano, can help guide the party to these changes:
the roc’s lair—for a price.
• AC increases by 1 (including the roper’s tendrils)
• Whenever the creature deals damage with an attack, it
deals an additional 1d8 slashing damage.
• A creature that touches the creature or hits it with a melee
attack while within 5 ft. of it takes 4 (1d6) slashing damage.
• The creature’s CR increases by 1.

Chapter 1: Gallaht 33
 Krystalys
Krystalys is at the geographic center of Gallaht, a place
of immense arcane power and even greater danger. After
every storm, tiny multi-colored crystals appear embedded
into the ground. As they become infused with arcane power
from additional energy strikes, the crystals grow and change
colors in unpredictable ways. Crystals can be carefully
extracted from the ground and harvested, although doing
so without having them explosively discharge their arcane
energy requires great skill and specialized tools. Charged
arcane crystals are powerful and valuable.
The magical discharges from the crystals can
disintegrate the unwary where they stand. Those who
venture to Krystalys often do so to collect crystals—either
for their own needs, for sale, or at the behest of dusk hags,
who trade the highest favors for charged crystals. Those
who dare collect crystals must not only be proficient in
extracting them, but in avoiding—or violently dealing
with—Warlord Katighez’s minions, who vehemently
protect even the smallest crystal in his name.
The largest of the region’s crystals are found at the
center of Krystalys, forming the circular formation known
as the Eight Swords. Each of these crystals stands at over
a hundred feet tall, and bristles with powerful magic. It is
in the shadow of these megaliths that the dragon Warlord
Katighez has chosen to make his lair.
34 Arora: Age of Desolation
History
Krystalys began transforming the day Dawilquar first
took to the sky, and continues to do so as its many-colored
crystals grow and change with each of her storm-filled
flights. Though it is the smallest of Gallaht’s regions, it
is also the most valuable—a fact that its conniving ruler,
Warlord Katighez, recognized early on.
Although Krystalys’s greatest value is in the arcane
energies of its unpredictable crystals, it is far from the
only benefit of controlling this land. Krystalys is Gallaht’s
coolest region, both due to its polar location and the
crystalline formations—active or dormant—that provide
many areas of shade from the hot sun. It is also the easiest
region for finding water, although extracting it from
beneath crystals often proves dangerous.
The sands of Krystalys are fine and often flat, making
travel by foot easier. The presence of the crystals not
only physically blocks sand skiff maneuvering, but also
interferes with their own power crystals, making their use
risky to impossible. Many of the crystal formations also
make for easily defensible positions in the event of attack.
With all of its benefits, there is little wonder why Warlord
Katighez took possession of the region and has not released
it from his grip ever since. The only threat to Katighez came
three centuries ago, when another of the First Warlords,
Keevenna the Radiant, attacked him in his lair.
 After that attack, Katighez began construction on his new
lair—a massive crystal and stone keep that stands amidst the
megalithic crystal formation known as the Eight Swords,
which form its massive outer wall. Constructed barricades
of bones fill the gaps between the enormous crystals. None
dare challenge Katighez’s dominion in Krystalys.
After the attack on Katighez, travel and trade within the
region became more and more locked down by his brood.
Eventually, a trade outpost connected to Soass was built on
the border, intended to isolate inner Krystalys from visitors.
Culture
First and foremost, Krystalys is home to Katighez’s brood.
Those who serve him are nothing short of fanatical in their
devotion, and though, like their leader, they seem to be
satisfied to remain in their own region, they are quick to
point out that this is a choice, and that they can conquer
the rest of Gallaht in a day if they wished it.
Trespassing into Krystalys is forbidden, and the greatest
amount of time among Katighez’s adherents is spent in
patrolling for, and often brutally executing, trespassers.
Despite being relatively water-rich compared to other
regions, Krystalys is still a desert, and water-harvesting
is just as much a necessity here. Krystalys’s water is most
often hidden far beneath crystal formations.
The most efficient way to extract water is by hunting
crystal snails, creatures that live on the crystals and have
a magical ability to absorb water through the crystals
themselves. The snails — which start out tiny but grow
to large size, store excess water in their crystalline shells.
The snails are very hardy and have unpredictable magical
discharges that depend on the crystal they have lived on.
Crystal snail meat is not only a moist delicacy, but has a
variety of healing and protective properties.
Despite the great risk inherent, travel into Krystalys
is not uncommon. The prime objective of most who risk
their lives to come here is to harvest the arcane crystals.
Not only are these highly prized among the humanoids of
Gallaht—for powering sand skiffs and other magical uses—
they are also highly prized by the dust hags of the Fulgurite
Fields, who use them in their rituals. The dust hags value
unusual crystals, with prismatic ones being particularly
sought after.
Krystalys and Shardscale
The connection between the crystals of Krystalys and
Shardscale is not known. Aside from their ability to harness
Gallaht’s scything lightning strikes, the crystals have not
had any other effects, including on dracokin who handle
them. These crystals are unique to Gallaht and not found in
any of the other realms.
Since the crystals form and transform with Dawilquar’s
passage, the most likely theory is that they are dead husks
of Shadscale crystals that have been transformed and dis-
carded by Dawilquar as she continues to fight the infection.
For the people of Gallaht, the crystals are a useful
resource in daily life, and the immediate danger in
obtaining and charging them outweighs any unproven
rumor of a Shardscale connection.
Chapter 1: Gallaht
Gallaht Shardscale Campaign
In a campaign focusing on the Shardscale, in particular how
it has corrupted Warlord Katighez, each of the listed NPCs
can play a key role.
Baeter is likely to be the one to notice the signs of corruption
among his draconic brethren and seek external intervention.
Ozarba’s fierce rage and battlelust would have her surrender
fully to the Shardscale and become more deadly than ever.
Maevidanna’s prophetic gifts could have her divine the
truth of the Shardscale’s goals. Would she continue to
serve them willingly or can she be turned into an ally at the
last moment?
Current Events
Historically, Katighez’s brood has been content to trade
with the other regions. Such trade most often included
lesser crystals, some water, and snail meat. Located on the
border of Krystalys, the Fulgurite Fields, and the Blood
Plains, the trade outpost of Soass was once a busy place
with daily markets, over a hundred merchants, and only
rarely did violence ever penetrate the outpost's walls.
This has all changed in recent months. The outpost
is now mostly filled with heavily armed and increasingly
paranoid border guards under Warlord Katighez’s employ.
They question any foreigner with a crystal. Fewer and
fewer merchants show up each week, and there is strict
oversight on selling fulgurite crystals—even for those loyal
to Katighez. This has all created a scarcity of crystals and
increased instances of smuggling and crystal raids.
It has always been rumored that Katighez has a greater
plan for Krystalys, and recent sightings have only exacerbated
this. For several years now, when Dawilquar passes above,
Katighez has been seen atop one of the rocky ledges of his
keep, surrounded by streaks of lightning that bolt between
him, the giant crystals of the Eight Swords, and the sky.
Once she passes, he retires to his spire, where he
communes with an enormous crystal throne that hums
with a strangely musical energy. Some say that Katighez
is preparing a great ritual to consume Dawilquar’s power,
others that he is preparing a powerful arcane weapon to let
him conquer Gallaht with a single incantation of power.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Krystalys.
Baeter Littleclaw. The self-proclaimed Prince of Soass,
this purple-scaled blue dragonborn has made his wealth from
trade. With Soass’s fortunes taking a downturn, he stands to
lose everything. Ever-scheming, Littleclaw is willing to sell
anything and everything to turn things around. This includes
selling information about Katighez and his plans, smug-
gled crystals, and maps to inner Krystalys. Littleclaw is an
equal-opportunity merchant—he is as likely to sell smugglers
out to the border patrol as he is to have border guards he
dislikes assassinated by "smugglers".
Ozarba Tentalon. Immediately noticeable for her mix of
metallic blue and white scales, this winged blue dragonborn
is the brutal commander of Katighez’ border patrol. Fiercely
loyal to her warlord and uncompromising in every way,
Ozarba’s reputation as a deadly warrior is only matched
35
by her lack of mercy. Not even her own troops escape her
wrath, and those who fail her are lucky to escape with their
lives. Enemies and traitors captured by Ozarba and her
retinue are rarely kept alive for long, and nothing less than
giving up a greater target can help them escape.
Maevidanna. This secretive ancient dust hag serves
Warlord Katighez. She rarely leaves the warlord’s keep
but when she does it is to travel to the Flutes of Valyne,
in search of a particular arcane ingredient or to examine
some strange phenomenon. The old hag says little, though
her orange eyes are always lively and rumors abound that
her sight can pierce one’s innermost thoughts.
Monsters
The diverse arcane nature of the crystals found here has
made Krystalys a home of unusual creatures from chimeras
born of Gallaht’s wildlife, to fire and earth elementals that
spring up from raw arcane energy.
Behirs. Krystalys was once home to several behirs,
though over the centuries, Katighez and his brood have
kept their population in check, taking juvenile behirs for
mounts, and killing them when they get too big.
Crystal Snails. The most common endemic monster
to Krystalys is the crystal snail which feeds on—and
sometimes explodes with—arcane energy. The snail is
known for its ability to absorb water, making it common
prey for Krystalys’s hunters.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Krystalys.
Dumped Cargo. Houtas Goutas is the last
surviving member of a three-person smuggling
operation. Before he barely made it back to the safety
of Soass, Houtas and his now-dead partners had to
dump a pack full of harvested blue crystals when they
were attacked by a pack of chimeras. Houtas is willing
to share the crystals fifty-fifty with anyone willing to
help him recover them from where they were dropped
— several miles into Krystalys.
A Growing Concern. Kaphantra, Fort Glassriver’s
resident dust hag, has learned that a rare prismatic
crystal has been growing in a secluded cave not far from
Krystalys’s border with the Fulgurite Fields. Katighez’s
brood have periodically been checking on it, but have
not collected it, and do not keep a constant watch.
Kaphantra is willing to pay or trade great favors to any
adventurers willing to deliver her the crystal.
Gathering Storm. Reports have come from
Krystalys that Warlord Katighez’s forces are massing,
as if for invasion. Figuring out what they are planning
could be the key to stopping them.
"Weird. Just sold a big batch
to a RED dragaur near Glassriver."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
36 Arora: Age of Desolation
Additional Locations
The following regions are less-populous or less-traveled
than the main regions of Gallaht. They each play a role in
the realms’ everyday affairs, either by holding important
resources or allowing travel.
The Golden Ocean
While all of Gallaht can be considered a desert
environment, the unbroken sandy expanses of the Golden
Ocean are the most hostile and desolate of these. Devoid
entirely of water, plant life, and even stone, the wavy
expanse is home to storms and nightmares, and there is no
record of it ever having been crossed safely.
In addition to the harsh conditions that include hotter
temperatures, an utter lack of shade, and hurricane winds
and storms, the Golden Ocean is home to living sand-
storms—barely-sentient titans capable of grinding entire
cities to dust. There is no good reason for anyone to venture
onto the Golden Ocean, and those that do are either foolish
or desperate. For all intents and purposes, Gallaht ends
where the Golden Ocean begins. It is said that even Dawil-
quar is afraid to venture far into the ocean.
The Sorcery Forge
In ages long past, before the coming of the dragons, before
the Great Abjuration, and before the sands swallowed the
great cityscapes of Gallaht during the Age of Desolation, the
people of Gallaht built the Sorcery Forge, a sentient, magical
factory that would aid them in their quest to build a perfect
world. When the Great Abjuration tore Arora asunder
and Jha-dhol assigned Dawilquar as Gallaht’s protector,
the great dragon was not comfortable with destroying the
Sorcery Forge. She decided to keep it dormant and hidden
deep beneath the sands. Inspired by the soul magic of the
Great Abjuration, Dawilquar, with the help of her goddess,
created Gallaht’s great moon Alakshrimal, which generated
a magical barrier to keep the Sorcery Forge in a permanent
state of dreaming. She would maintain the magic of
Alakshrimal until she had time to better study the enormous
artifact. The demands of the cityscape and the realm kept
her from ever finding that time, however.
The Sorcery Forge lay waiting for centuries, stewing
in dreams it was never meant to experience for so long
without contact with people. The echoes of these dreams
bubbled up and infused Gallaht’s people. It’s the influence
of the Sorcery Forge that counteracted the dampening
effect of the Great Abjuration on Gallaht, and allowed feats
of magic and artifice within the city that were unheard of
in the other realms.
But as parts of the Forge began to wear and as the city
grew, the Sorcery Forge’s dreams began to corrupt. Now
that Alakshrimal’s power has weakened due to Dawilquar’s
slow descent into madness at the hands of the Shardscale.
The slowly awakening Sorcery Forge is an entity that is
entirely alien, incomprehensible to any who live in Gallaht.
It is likely that even the Forge’s creators would be unable to
understand what the Forge is capable of or what it can do.
The Sorcery Forge is a vast complex of magic and
artifice. It spans a large portion of the deep underground
parts of the Gallaht. Its tunnels extend throughout the
buried cityscape and the few ruins that still surface above
the desert sands can lead directly to the Forge. Inspired
by the new, more potent dreams the Forge is sending out,
many are driven to seek out the Sorcery Forge, to dig, and
to attempt to unearth the power buried within it.

Worselands
The Worselands are subject to the same seismic activity as
the Tremoring Badlands, but with smaller and less stable
mesas. This region has many fewer resources, and there-
by fewer settlements than the neighboring Badlands. Its
openness and proximity to the Golden Ocean also results
in more powerful dust and sandstorms. A strange phenom-
enon unique to this area are the pockets of electrified air
that are left behind whenever an electrical dust storm pass-
es through or when Dawilquar passes above. These pockets
of electrified air are invisible to the unenchanted eye, send-
ing deadly arcs of lightning between hapless travelers.
Criminals, hermits, and outcasts from Badlands
settlements often find their way here. The most desperate
among them risk their lives harvesting energy from the
electrified air pockets.

Waking Sands
This region is the driest of Gallaht’s travelled areas, and
has no permanent settlements. The main draw of the
Waking Sands are its wakesharks—prized for their teeth,
bones, and hides—as well as bulettes, and more dangerous
sand monsters. Sand elementals, colloquially called
“dusties,” are the most common danger but provide no
useful materials. “Trade ya two dusties for it” is a common
expression among Gallaht’s hunters and merchants,
meaning “it’s worthless.”
Another notable area of the Waking Sands—located
on its Shadeward border, where the sands begin to mix
with occasional rocky canyons—is a sheltered valley,
home to a unique type of valuable sand. This “blushsand”
is brownish-red in the heat of the sun and turns bright sand can be carefully used—with great care—to create
glowing blue in twilight, darkness, or shade. When particularly potent sandcloths, valued by crafters for
blushsand is crushed into a fine dust and moistened cleaning bone or polishing metal.
correctly, it can be applied to skin as a form of sunscreen.
This area is commonly called the Sands of Red and Blue. Interplanar Rifts
The Blood Plains The only known rift in Gallaht is the Khulud Portal located
in the city of Khulud within the Tremoring Badlands.
The ominous name of this region refers to the huge
rust-red blotches that litter the region’s barren, mesaless
landscape. The color comes from the parasitic blood Khulud Portal
cactus plant endemic to the area. These deep red plants
This portal leads directly to the Mogsturmian portals
grow from the size of a pebble to a wide set of thick and
in the Vast Plains of that hellscape realm. The portal on
thorny stalks that spread out to the size of a sand skiff.
the Gallaht side resembles a twisting maelstrom of lava,
As the blood cacti grow, they absorb what little moisture
fire, and steam bubbling away in a deep pit in the earth.
there is in the ground below and turn it into a thick juice
Traveling through any rift comes with its dangers, however
as corrosive as acid. When the plant reaches old age, it
Khulud Portal is more dangerous yet, though with the
explodes in a splattering fountain of crimson goo that
correct precautions, like the use of the rare grobb foam
spreads its seed—and the corrosive acid—in a thirty-to
sourced from the realm of Khoor, an interplanar traveler
fifty-foot radius.
can pass through the portal unscathed.
While the juice is fresh, it can burn straight through
skin, clothing, and even the soles of a good boot. After See the Between Worlds section in Chapter 9
it has dried and been absorbed into the sand, the red – Running the Game for more information.

Chapter 1: Gallaht 37
38 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 2:
KHOOR

B efore the Dragonrage, the land of Khoor was delicate,

the ground often too soft to build large cities. Only two
large metropolitan areas existed: Aranon on the northwest
coast, and Delvion near the eastern coast. These cities
survived mainly due to their merchants selling resources
unique to the wetland realm.
Travel by foot and hoofed beast was difficult in the
lowlands of Khoor, the earth often too soft, causing feet to
stick in the mud and large beasts to sink. Paddlewheel boats
traveled the many rivers and streams of the land. Emperor
snails, with their wide footprint, were often used to clear
trails through the ever-growing moss, sawgrass, and vegeta-
tion, creating access to new, unexplored areas of Khoor.
Nycthias, the ruling dragon, was a peaceful dragon in
those days, residing in a large castle built to the south of
Delvion, near the mouth of the great swamp. Nycthias
often flew across the realm to visit with her constituents,
landing outside villages or towns to speak with the citizens
and listen to their requests. Nycthias was just but did not
rule with a heavy hand. The inhabitants of Khoor during
these peaceful times before the Age of Desolation relished
their dragon leader.
That was Khoor before the Dragonrage—what Khoor
was, and may never be again. Now only vague memories of
stories once told long ago in Khoor’s villages, to travelers
and to the children born in this new, harsh realm; stories
and poetry recited by the Gloom Speakers.
Khoor is now covered in a perpetual gloom. Despite that,
it has some of the most established towns and villages across
the Five Realms. A patchwork of chill swamps, spongy bogs,
flooded fens, tangled marshes, and sawgrass plains, along
with islands and lakes of various sizes. The great cities of
Aranon and Delvion are lost now to time and desolation,
swallowed by the soft earth. Only the tops of the highest
towers are still visible, peeking out from encroaching moss
and reaching vines.
Khoor’s current state has led to brutal extinctions, and
gentle rebirths. The giant emperor snails, their bodies
unable to adapt to the harsh acidic nature of this new
land, are thought extinct as their empty giant jade shells
litter the realm. Gone are many of the feathered birds and
beasts of burden. However, new creatures have taken their
place, like the featherless slickback birds, able to fly short
distances, their skin immune to the acid rains.

39

Attire. The majority of Khoor’s citizens wear tattered
or patchwork clothing—scraps of garments stitched
together with whatever thread they can find. Seldom does
someone have a nice, clean set of clothing.
Crime. Theft, robbery, burglary, and pickpocketing
are all common occurrences. More people care to protect
themselves than they care to protect others, turning a blind
eye when they witness a criminal act.
Grobb. Grobb, a naturally occurring, magical foam
that allows for safe travel through many of the planar rifts,
is both farmed and hunted. Foam hunters use grobb rats,
giant rats trained to sniff out patches of the foam growing
naturally in the acidic realm. Queen Volga of Arinok
controls the majority of grobb production in Khoor, in the
caverns below Arinok and the Silt Flats.
Magic Items. Magic items are difficult to acquire
in Khoor. Many who possess them have little desire for
coin or gemstones. Many items were lost when the realm
changed, and are still hidden within the sunken cities
across the realm.
Travelers Be Warned. Several pirate crews travel the
interior of Khoor in small, maneuverable wind boats. The
most famous being Sally’s Pride, captained by Sally Jinx, a
human whose body has taken on traits of a black dragon.
Patches of shiny, black scales grow on her body. One third
of the left side of her face is covered in scales, her left eye
that of a dragonborn. Her arms end in long taloned claws
while her right foot is a four-toed, clawed dragon’s foot.
40 Arora: Age of Desolation
Ruling Dragon
Khoor is ruled by the black dragon Nycthias, The
Deathly Shadow.
The onset of Shardscale in Nycthias has purged her mind
of right and wrong. The ancient black dragon sits in her
sunken castle, weeping tears of acid for her lost treasury. She
is unnaturally afraid, which causes her wondrous magical
auras to travel across the realm, invisible tendrils causing
mutation, transformation, and destruction.
The once-benevolent ruling dragon of Khoor now has
tantrums of grief, flying over the realm while screaming
about her lost treasure, sobbing large tears of acid,
destroying whatever the touch.
While Nycthias believes she has yet to surrender to
the Shardscale, she is delusional. The entire realm has
been impacted by her draconic magic, creating Khoor’s
current state. The dragon is indeed crazed and has bouts
of Dragonrage where she attacks villages, settlements,
and even her own servants, all unprovoked. She rarely
remembers these grief-ridden outbursts.
The ancient black dragon was stricken with Shardscale
and, to escape the plague’s progressing madness (and even-
tual control), she is seeking to become a dracolich. Nycthias
is desperate to rid herself of the affliction and entertains any
possibility to be free of it—but many are the bones of those
who have failed to please The Deathly Shadow.
Several books on the topic of the undead and lichdom
exist in Khoor, though most are lost in sunken ruins or
forgotten towers (see Krakow Mansion and Barstow Tower).
 Nycthias’s Servants
Gone are many of Nycthias’s humanoid followers, those
who once came to praise her. Lost to the great black
dragon are the loyal subjects of the Khoorfolk, who now
fear The Deathly Shadow’s unprovoked attacks.
The Golden Garrison. This group of kobolds is
Nycthias’s garrison tasked with unearthing the dragon’s
lost horde and the sunken treasures of Khoor. They scour
the realm as treasure hunters, delving deep into ruins
and buried towns and cities from the time before the
Dragonrage. The Golden Garrison is generally a force
for good, using whatever they find to help Khoor overall
should it not be deemed Nycthias’s treasure.
Shadow Legion. Nycthias’s Shadow Legion scours the
realm for lost treasure and a cure to her disease. These
dragaur, kobolds, and dragonborn explore the land using
old maps and stories to locate lost citadels and cities, while
scouting drakes fly above the realm in search of clues to
lost civilizations. Once found, they build small fortresses
to protect the treasure until it can be safely transported
into the depths of Nycthias’s Citadel lair. The Shadow
Legion are feared across Khoor. They torture people for
information, launch inquisitions against dracokin they
believe are infected, and do whatever they can to further
their search for a cure, particularly concerning information
around the secrets to lichdom.
Denizens of Khoor
There are many folk in Khoor etching out a life in the damp
swamp, dreaming but never believing of a better life as told by
the ancient stories of Khoor before the Age of Desolation.
Bandits. Humanoid and dracokin bandits alike plague
the higher altitudes of the Skycutter Peaks.
Bladefolk. Bladefolk are friendly but mischievous
creatures found in the Sawgrass Sea region of Khoor. They
relish causing trouble; fishers may find small holes in their
boats, hunters may discover snares and traps disabled, and
explorers may lose their maps or fire-starting kits. Though
they seldom reveal themselves to others, evidence of their
existence might include a random piece of sawgrass or
flecks of pollen at the scene of their mischievousness.
Couatl Guardians. These are ancient guardians from
the time before the Dragonrage had brought Arora into
the Age of Desolation. They were once allies of Nycthias,
before the ruling dragon turned on the realm. They are
linked to the Couatl Swamp Spires.
The Dead Seven. The Dead Seven are seven undead
humanoids forced to stay within two miles of their
ruined temple in the region of the Slog. Three ghouls and
three ghasts are led by Gilda Mont, a spiteful wraith.
These seven were once a band of clerics who studied
necromancy and worshiped a demon. Their attempt to
raise an undead monstrosity called Flagnagot—a many-
eyed creature whose flailing tendrils drain the life from
anything they touched, converting it to necrotic energy
to fuel spells rituals—failed so powerfully that they were
transformed into undead beings. Now, the seven search
for sentient creatures to use in a new ritual, one that will
revert them to their humanoid selves.
Chapter 2: Khoor
Dracokin. The dracokin of Khoor are more integrated
with day-to-day life in the swampy realm than many other
of the Five Realms. Most have evaded Shardscale, as they
tend to live away from Khoor’s true dragons and among
humanoid folk. The only exceptions to this are those
working as Nycthias’s servants, or for other true dragons.
Fauna. Animals like alligators, electric eels, constrictor
snakes, rabbits, skunks, vultures, foxes, poisonous snakes,
manatee, deer, rats, softshell turtles, snapping turtles, and
others can all be found in this subtropical environment.
Giant snapping turtles so large they cannot move, venomous
swamp strider spiders, and more are unique to Khoor.
Gloom Speakers. The Gloom Speakers are a group of
humanoids who follow the old ways practiced before the
dragons arrived and before their world was broken into
pieces during the Great Abjuration. The Gloom Speakers
adhere to a variety of ancient texts that were discovered
floating through Khoor after the Age of Desolation flooded
the realm further. The Speakers evoke the old days, recite
poetry, and tell stories about the days before Jha-dhol, the
ruling dragons, and the Shardscale infection they lured to
this world. Their voices may even carry magical messages
that instill fear, doubt, or worse.
Gloom Speakers walk the realm in heavy, gray, hooded
cloaks, under which they wear pristine garments and
jewelry. They typically travel in groups of five or more—not
everyone agrees with their words and tales, and travel for
them by group is safer. Occasionally, a Gloom Speaker
travels alone in hopes of infiltrating another faction,
village, or city. They listen to rumors and spread their own,
often speaking against the ruling dragons and reminiscing
about the old days.
The Gloom Speakers occupy an old temple once
dedicated to Jha-dhol, using its rooms and inner sanctum
as their base of operations. From here Lady Liza Baxe, an
accomplished mage and the leader of the Gloom Speakers,
orchestrates her Speakers and plots their next moves.
Though not inherently violent, Gloom Speakers use
their words to instill fear and doubt in others. However,
Lady Liza plans to overthrow the draconic rule of Khoor
may eventually lead to violence.
Swampers. A majority of the humanoids who eek out
disheveled lives in Khoor are commonly referred to as
‘swampers.’ They live their lives on the waterways, marshes,
and wetlands of the realm, surviving as best they can.
Monsters. Creatures like the bloodsucking leechwing
and the tiny elemental bladefolk can often cause residents
of Khoor troubles.
Flora. Dangerous vegetation like witches’ beard, ghost
moss, carnivorous earth can also be found in the swamplands.
Undead. Due to Khoor’s history with necromancy, there
are many undead that wade through the soggy gloom of this
realm, seeking the living to destroy in their hatred.
"I hate Khoor! Its stench still clings to my cloak."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
41
 Environment
Khoor has a subtropical, choking climate. Rains are
prevalent in the north, along the Skycutter Peaks, where
acid rains have eroded the granite mountains, causing
sections to crack, split, and fall away, creating knife-like
serrated cliffs. These rains travel down the mountainside
as streams, joining together to confluence into larger
waterways which flow further down the mountain until
finally joining together to create the wide Velo River.
Most inhabitants have learned to cope with the regular
acid rains by creating clothing and dwellings from acid
resistant materials. Many of Khoor’s flora and fauna have
adapted to the environment, their surfaces, fruits, or bodies
mutating to secrete acid resistant hides, feathers, or furs, or
excreting acid-repelling oils.
Dangers and Survival
Along with the dank, soggy, and wet climates of the
swamps of Khoor, the following environmental dangers are
ever present for those wading through the marshes.
Acid Rain. Thunderstorms and harsh acid rain are
frequent in this realm. The ruling dragon Nycthias’s
environmental effects are enhanced, reaching high into the
clouds, changing them to a mixture of green and yellow.
Often, creatures of the realm take heed of the change, but
often the storms come quickly, melting hide from bone.
Sinkholes and Gas. The realm is littered with
sinkholes that open suddenly and without notice;
quicksand strong enough to crush bone; pockets of
flammable, foul-smelling, and toxic swamp gas; and
regions of carnivorous earth that can quickly swallow a
giant alligator whole. Many intelligent creatures try to
utilize these natural dangers, setting traps near them or
luring creatures to them. However, a few kobolds have lost
their lives by igniting swamp gas while trying to quickly
roast their catch.
Ever-changing Landscape. Due to the ever-
changing water level, the land is in a constant state of
transformation. An island today may be underwater
tomorrow. A small patch of dry soil may become a large
island in a few days. Many explorers have become lost,
only to succumb to its acid rains or hungry grounds, while
trying to traverse this wetland realm. Cartographers try to
add natural, large markers to maps—features that may still
exist as time passes.
Insects and Disease. Mosquitoes, giant mosquitoes,
ticks, and other creatures may carry infectious diseases or
sap a creature’s strength, inducing exhaustion.
Tainted Water. The water of the realm is unsafe to
drink, harboring microscopic parasites that cause disease
and illness. The water is nearly toxic after a fresh acid rain,
though it loses its acidic properties after 1 day as the realm’s
vegetation works its magic to clean the destructive rain.
The Soggy Ground. Sleeping on the ground is also
dangerous. The damp earth draws body heat, and a warm
body on the ground may lure insects or snakes. For this
reason, many explorers sleep in hammocks.
42 Arora: Age of Desolation
Survival Tactics
While it has not been an easy transition from a lush paradise
to a dank and corroded hellish swampland over the past 500
years of desolation, the swampers and other folk of Khoor
have learned to survive during the Age of Desolation.
Acid Neutralizer Paste. A thick paste made from specif-
ic plant oils and alchemic practices used to protect exposed
skin from acid rain and other acidic elements of Khoor.
Blightwater Clams. Aquatic muscles that naturally
filter the acid from the water. This renders the clams
inedible but provides a source of clean water for drinking
and cooking.
Protect Your Items. Unless an item is naturally acid
resistant, it stands a good chance of being ruined or
damaged if exposed to Khoor’s acid rains.
Mundane, non-magical metal weapons, shields, and
armor exposed to acid rain become pocked with small
holes, making the item weaker and less effective. The folk
of Khoor have learned to keep their weapons and armor
clean, covered, and protected during their wilderness
travels to avoid an untimely demise for their gear.
• Pocked Metal Weapon. A mundane metal weapon
corroded by the acid rains deals 1 less damage on a hit
and breaks on an attack roll of a natural 1
• Pocked Metal Armor. Mundane metal armor corroded by
the acid rains provides 1 less AC. The armor shatters if with
the wearer suffers a critical hit. If the wearer is also wielding
a pocked metal shield, the shield shatters first.
Khoor-Specific Gear. The harshness of this region
requires specialized clothing and gear if they want to
survive. Some of these items include:
• Hammock – to keep a person above the wet ground
• Peat Logs – Dried bundles of peat moss that burn like coal
• Insect Repellent – Used to repel nasty mosquitoes and ticks
• Tall boots – Made from acid resistant material and giving
the wearer added protection against striking snakes.
• Serpent Sticks – 40-inch-long metal poles with a hook
at the end. Used to move and wrangle snakes.
• Alligator Tackle – A three-prong grappling hook
attached to a 40-foot-long rope with a 1-foot-long chain
leader attaching the rope to the hook.
Know Your Food. Many of the animals, fish, and
monstrous creatures of Khoor are harvested for food, but it
is important to know the signs of disease before biting into
a well-deserved meal.
Meals typically consist of boiled taro root mashed with
berries or apples; stews consisting of alligator, snake,
fish, or rabbit with carrots and asparagus; spinach and
cattail salads; fried fish; grilled constrictor snake; turtle
soup; or similar dishes. Deep fried taro root is popular in
taverns and eateries. Sweet treats like honey glazed carrots,
dehydrated mango or guava, and dragon fruit are popular
children of all ages.
Peat Moss. Fire building is difficult as most of the
vegetation is constantly damp. Inhabitants across the realm
have learned to create peat logs.
 Geography
The changes to Khoor during the Age of Desolation have
sunk the land, with many areas and cities now below sea
level, fading from memory. Rains from the north feed
streams and rivers that travel south where the remainder
of the land becomes one giant, slow-flowing river. The
swamps and waterways have a natural, slow current, quiet-
ly moving through the oppressive gloom.
There are few roads or pathways in Khoor. Several
roads have been created by those who live here; however,
the ever-changing landscape washes out or swallows what
many have built, requiring constant maintenance. Travel is
dangerous, and many tend to stay close to home.
The Old Road. Salvaged remnants of the old world
and its main thoroughfare allow access to several parts
of Khoor. While wooden bridges, ferries, and barges are
common in Khoor, swamp travelers just as often use fallen
towers carved with forgotten symbols and unfinished roads
built from reclaimed stone.
Gildagak Way. Many travelers use this manufactured
waterway. Since the majority of Khoor is a patchwork of
sucking swamps and lowlands, there are few streams or
rivers to navigate. The water simply flows through the
land, ending at the Slog. Villages lining Gildagak Way help
maintain it, constantly pruning new vegetation that chokes
the passageways. They also provide swamp taxis in the
form of small row boats, pole boats, and other small ships.
The most expensive but quickest mode of transportation
being wind boats—flat bottom boats with a rudder, or long
ships with sails, powered by a small air elemental.
Many areas of Khoor remain unexplored, while others
are entirely lost to time and memory.
Chapter 2: Khoor
Important Locations
The following sections detail some of the most important
and notable locations across Khoor.
Khoor’s Regions
Khoorfolk tend to refer to different areas of the realm
as grouped in regions. They identify several regions in
Khoor: The Bitters, The Dells, Everglen, The Grand Bog,
Sawgrass Sea, The Silt Flats, Skycutter Peaks, The Slog,
and the Sour Sea.
The Bitters
The Bitters was once a paradise for travelers and hunters,
and a site of amazement for explorers and scientists. The
mixture of beautiful landscape, large lakes, and amazing
wildlife and vegetation appealed to all.
Now, the Bitters is filled with empty stagnant lakes,
long abandoned ruins, and broken-down skeletons of
fishing boats long dead. The black dragon Klaltaku makes
his lair here.
The Dells
The Dells are the land of The Weeping One, Mournful
Queen, The Deathly Shadow, the ancient black dragon
known as Nycthias.
Destroyed now are the beautiful lands, mansions, cities,
and cottages that once dotted the beautiful countryside
of the Dells. Fallen now is Nycthias’s citadel, lost to the
settling earth beneath its foundation, partially swallowed
by the unforgiving land.
43
 Everglen
Everglen is the most hospitable region of Khoor. A variety
of fruits, vegetables, and vegetation have evolved here,
offering some hope in the swamp realm. Thick skins help
protect the fruits and vegetables from acid rain, while the
leaves of the trees and plants produce a protective oil,
spread upon the plant when the acid rains fall.
The Grand Bog
The Grand Bog is a massive open swamp dotted with peat
moss bogs, sinkholes, and dangerous vegetation. The water
level in this area changes often, causing those inhabiting
it to live a nomadic lifestyle as they move from one small
island to the next. Those living in the Grand Bog include
people who wish to keep to themselves, and those who are
hiding from someone or something.
Sawgrass Sea
The Sawgrass Sea is a large bog overgrown with harsh
sawgrass sedges that reach heights up to 9 feet tall. The
inhospitable area is mostly uninhabitable, with few
resources for building. However, a smattering of small
villages have taken root along the edges of the Sawgrass
Sea and on small tree-filled islands deeper in the bog.
Alligators and constrictors snakes are abundant in this
area, as well as bladefolk—elementals created from blades of
sawgrass resembling tiny humanoids. These creatures don’t use
verbal language. Instead, they communicate by rustling their
woven bodies, or vibrating them to create humming sounds.
The half-jaguar, half-dragon monstrosity known as
Kalnira rules the Sawgrass Sea.
44 Arora: Age of Desolation
The Silt Flats
Before the Dragonrage and the desolation of Nycthias, the
Silt Flats was a large marshland teaming with aquatic and
avian wildlife. Many towns and fishing villages relied on
the marsh for sustenance and economic wellbeing. Alas, the
natural springs that feed the marsh from below now flow
with acid, destroying or mutating many of the species that
thrived here. Acid rains destroyed the vegetation, causing it
to die, wilt, and decay, creating a muddy bog.
Skycutter Peaks
Once a plateau rich with limestone and marble, Nycthias’s
draconic magic, coupled with the ever-present acid rain,
has cut the stone to pieces, creating needlelike spires. The
peaks are home to wyverns, bandits, and the young black
dragon Salaraze, whose battle with Shardscale is lost. She
resides in a lower area of the spires, in a cave along the
Fermented Lake.
The Slog
The southern coast of Khoor was once lined with several
fishing and trading ports. However, this area is now a
vast wooded swamp called The Slog, where the poisoned
waters of Khoor converge before emptying into the Sour
Sea. Sunken ships and submerged remnants of the once
thriving port cities and villages can be found throughout
the swamp.
The majority of The Slog is thick with giant trees.
Willow, elm, ash, and maple have adapted to this area,
their thick, deep roots evolving to obtain nourishment from
the acidic waters and soils, the maple going so far as to
create a drinkable, syrupy water which humanoids tap to
survive. Giant bald cypress trees create havens for animals,
plant life, and even humanoids who have built entire
villages and hamlets in the branches, some spanning miles
as these urban areas grow, connected by rope and wooden
bridges high in the trees.
Travel within The Slog is limited to canoes or small
rowboats, foot, or by mount, though beasts of burden are
often too heavy to safely navigate this land, falling prey to
creatures, quicksand, or carnivorous vegetation.
Mangrove trees with thick, twisting roots and limbs
intertwine to create a near impenetrable wall of vegetation
along the outer edge of The Slog, where the freshwater of
Khoor meets the salty Sour Sea. The mangrove’s poisonous
sap causes inflammation and itching when it touches
exposed flesh.
The Sour Sea
The Sour Sea was once part of a grand saltwater ocean
used by merchants, travelers, and fisherfolk across the
realm. Now, the acidic environment of Khoor has killed
many species of fish, mutated others, and ruined ships.
Still, small fishing vessels from Toadmouth Bay navigate
the waters of the north, where several species of saltwater
fish still thrive, though they taste a bit acidic. The sea
to the south of Toadmouth Bay is acidic and filled with
dangerous creatures and pirates.
 Nycthias’s Citadel
Prior to the apocalyptic events of this realm, the Dells were
home to Nycthias and her loyal supporters and followers,
and their homes. During that time, the dragon was
peaceful and a fair ruler.
History
The Dells around Nycthias’s citadel were once wooded
valleys running with streams created from natural
springs. The dragon’s citadel soared high above the
surrounding villages and farms, a true sight to behold.
Then the Dragonrage took hold, and Nycthias, in her
infinite sadness, was changed. The Age of Desolation that
followed changed the Dells with the dragon’s heightened
environmental effects reaching far across the realm
and into the skies. Harsh acid rain destroyed the lands’
vegetation, fouled the soil, and eroded the sandstone base
of the citadel. With the rising of the swamp waters, the
citadel fell and plunged deep into the soggy earth.
Current Events
The Deathly Shadow now lairs in a pool of her own tears
within her sunken citadel beneath the Dells, weeping over
her lost treasure hoard. Her acidic tears flow through
the waterways of Khoor, poisoning the entire realm. She
bides her time in an out of rageful fits, hoping her minions
can find a way to transform her into a dracolich, a state
which the great dragon believes will release her from the
Shardscale blight.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Nycthias’s Citadel.
Nycthias. The Deathly Shadow herself weeps here,
though barely lucid, she attacks any creature that comes
within range of her acid breath, the only exemption being
Took Narm, the kobold mage.
Sol Kono. A majestic bronze dragonborn archmage,
leads the Shadow Legion, using spells and magic items to
command them from afar and coordinate attacks.
Brahm Kolg. A dual longsword wielding, muscled
dragaur gladiator commands the Shadow Legion in battle.
Took Narm. The kobold mage stays close to Nycthias,
who relies on the kobold to relay information and remind
her of current and past events. Took has a secret desire to
kill Nycthias and rule the realm, though they dare not share
this desire with anyone else. Nycthias’s minions are loyal to
the dragon but Took hopes to slowly degrade that loyalty by
giving the dragon false or embellished information.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Nycthias’ Citadel.
Slay the Dragon. Many in Khoor fear the Deathly
Shadow, believing that the current state of Khoor is
thanks to the dragon’s magical effects. There have been
calls for brave warriors to seek out the citadel and slay
Nycthias, and hopefully bring an end to Khoor’s suffer-
ing. This has been an ongoing discussion throughout the
realm over the past few centuries, but none have yet to
brave the sunken halls of the Deathly Shadow.
Chapter 2: Khoor
Fermented Lake
Nestled deep within the Skycutter Peaks, along a line of
the sharp spires, lays the Fermented Lake. Water shedding
down the spires collected here, and the female black dragon
Salaraze has taken refuge, her mind wrought with pain. She
hides here, quietly diminishing, afraid to exit her lair.
Current Events
Salaraze’s band of kobolds are currently doing what they
can to keep her alive, but there isn’t much they can do to
help a dragon that has lost its will to live.
"Why must we suffer Nycthias’s poisonous tears?"
- Gloomspeaker Lady Liza Baxe
Frondellow’s Rise
At the foothills of the Skycutter Peaks the land rises
forming a drier but still wet and thick upland forest. This
region, called Frondellow’s Rise. The woodlands on the
Rise grow denser and denser toward the center, becoming
nearly impassable at the heart. At that point, folk refer
to the circular forest as Frondellow’s Grove. Creatures
there are hostile to those who serve the draconic order of
any true dragon, seemingly knowing the true ruler of any
creature that steps foot within the grove.
Frondellow’s Grove centers on an enormous freshwater
lake named Lake Frondellow. This water fills a circular basin
that might be the caldera of a dead volcano, this is one of the
only freshwater supplies in the whole of Khoor. In the middle
of the lake, from a rocky island covered in other plants, grows
a titanic tree that calls itself Frondellow. This tree is so mas-
sive that it is a biome all its own, with a community of unique
flora and fauna to protect it. The tree is a conscious being
with an unknown origin, other than obviously being ancient.
Frondellow. The people of Khoor believe Frondellow is
the tree that grows in the center of Frondellow’s Grove. It’s
a tree so massive it boggles the mind. Like a lofty moun-
tain, it has its own weather, which changes at different alti-
tudes. Frondellow’s enormous limbs support other environ-
ments, too, from broad, mossy meadows and snowy high
branches with thin air to ponds, streams, and waterfalls.
A spirit that could be called Frondellow inhabits the tree
from its icy crown to roots that twine down into the Boiling
Lands. The spirit can speak, influence the dreams of those
sleeping under its boughs and exert its will over the area.
Some sages believe Frondellow inhabits the entire forest
on Frondellow’s Rise. Others say the tree has influence across
Khoor. If true, either claim means countering or destroying
this entity would be a titanic task. One thing is for certain:
no dragon, including Nycthias, has ever entered the grove. It
remains the only area in Khoor, and perhaps one of the few in
all of the Five Realms, untouched by the Age of Desolation.
45
 Cultures
Frondellow is more than the tree and its spirit, though.
The tree and spirit’s seeds exist in countless other organ-
isms. Countless plants and beings have connections to
Frondellow in a way that leads to questions about whether
they’re separate creatures or part of a hivelike conscious-
ness. Insects, arachnids, and beasts, some with plantlike
qualities, listen to Frondellow.
Monsters
More monstrous beasts find themselves obeying
Frondellow when on the Rise. The tree has mold-animated
corpses at its command that roam the grove atop the rise.
Purple Worms. These gargantuan worms prune Fron-
dellow’s dead roots, making way for new ones to reach out.
Everglen Forest
Large oak, elm, and ash trees, along with conifers, grow
in the Everglen Forest of the Everglen region. These
trees have adapted to the harsh environment, making
them perfect building material for homes, ships, and the
timbered tiers of Pomus Point. The southern edge of the
forest is now several acres of decaying stumps, the remains
of timber logged by Pomus Point. Deeper within the forest
and to the west, located near the shores of the Sour Sea,
is the Arooka Mine, where a faction from Queen Volga
harvests grobb from the decommissioned silver mine.
Cultures
Most people in Everglen are cautious but polite. Villages
typically welcome newcomers, especially if they have
useful items to trade. Crime is prevalent in the larger
settlement—everyone is striving to survive in this realm,
some choose to do it illegally.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Everglen.
Joycellen Mares. Joycellen Mares, a Small-sized
dragonborn anthropologist and druid, lives a happy,
solitary life in a small house in the northern Everglen
Forest, where she has built the Emperor Snail Museum.
Her life’s goal is to resurrect the snails from extinction.
Joycellen has several snail eggs, kept safe in stasis jars—
magical jars that keep the contents from aging if the lid is
closed. Her attempts at incubating the eggs have failed,
except for one. Joycellen named the snail Jewel; it has
grown to Medium size and follows her wherever she goes.
Joycellen believes the secret to the snail’s success was
the peat moss she hatched it on, peat moss she acquired
during an expedition to locate old emperor snail
breeding grounds.
Joycellen seldom tells the story of when she located the
lost Barstow Tower. She doesn’t want others to learn she
found the tower; fearing being asked too many questions
and her work being interrupted. Though, if asked, she may
be inclined to reminisce about that time.
46 Arora: Age of Desolation
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Everglen.
Harvest Peat Moss. Joycellen asks the characters
to harvest several pounds of peat moss from a bog
near Bridgeton. It seems to be the only viable way to
incubate the remaining emperor snail eggs.
Kobold Aggressors. Joycellen complains that
several kobolds from the local grobb mine have often
pestered her. During their last visit, they hinted at
trying to kidnap Jewel.
Arooka Mine
Located in the north of the Everglen region, this silver
mine also produces the scarce and valuable grobb. Several
silver veins still exist, and the mine has become a satellite
for Queen Volga, the dragonborn from the Silt Flats.
The mine is protected by rotating shifts of workers, many
of whom are not trained in combat. As a result, worker loss
is high when bandits or creatures from the forest attack.
Current Events
Currently the mine is used for grobb farming as a
garrison of Queen Volga’s workers farm precious grobb,
shipping it to the Silt Flats by sailing vessel or carts pulled
by beasts of burden.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Arooka Mine.
Portak Pooth. This blue kobold leads the garrison and
is foreman of the mine. Portak is currently in poor standing
with Queen Volga as many of his recent shipments have
been stolen by pirates.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Arooka Mine.
Grobb Heist. A particularly lowly figure
approaches the characters while in the vicinity of
Arooka Mine. He’s heard of their specialized skill sets
and he wants to hire them to infiltrate Arooka Mine
and steal a batch of grobb that he intends to use to
leave Khoor once and for all.

Bariach
Bariach is built along the edge of Everglen. This successful,
well-populated village harvests trees and sap for their
natural acid protecting abilities which is then used to
create acid neutralizer paste. The village has a small port
for repairing sailing vessels where it can replace damaged
wood with acid resistant timbers and apply tar made from
tree sap too.
Current Events
Several large barges sit waiting to be transported to
Toadmouth Bay. The barges should hold timber and sap
but are not moving yet due to incomplete loads. Production
has wavered recently due to a troll terrorizing the roads
out of Bariach. It has been spotted in the location several
times and members of the loggers have been found dead in
recent days.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Bariach.
Troll Hunt. A swamp troll has been tormenting
loggers working on the western area of Everglen. Several
loggers have been found dismembered. Until the creature
is dealt with, Bariach’s loggers refuse to return to work.
Pomus Point
Pomus Point is one of the largest townships in Arora, and
one of the highest areas of Khoor, standing 30 feet or
more above sea level on the western edge of Everglen. The
town is built on manufactured platforms of various levels.
Harvested trees from Everglen Forest create a line along
the outskirts of each city section, fashioning large retaining
walls that also provide a 10-foot-tall fence.
The city has several lines of defenses against the acid
rains and intruders. First, a warning system built from old
metal horns salvaged from Piccolo Point are used to warn
citizens about acid rains, bandits, or worse. To combat the
acid rain, the city has developed a series of canvas awnings,
each coated with acid-resistant saps and tars. When an acid
rainstorm is imminent, the many awnings are unfurled,
creating makeshift roofs above the sections of the city. A
local militia called the Crimson Cloaks patrols the city and
uses ballista and bows to ward off intruders.
Crimson Cloaks. Members of the Cloaks wear capes of
various shades of red, as close to crimson as possible. They
carry no weapons, as murder is illegal in the town, even
murder caused by an altercation with the guards. Instead,
they are trained in the art of hand-to-hand combat,
including grappling.
The Crimson Cloaks also maintain the various ballista
towers built in the town. Mainly used to fend off flying
threats and bandits, these towers also allow the guards to
watch activities in and around the town.
History
Pomus Point started with a single platform over three
hundred years ago. Pomus Central, the center of the tiered
Chapter 2: Khoor
city, is the original platform, the first of the manufactured
raised tiers. From here, other portions of the city have been
added, creating walled sub-cities. In the time since, the
village has expanded exponentially and is one of the most
developed towns in all of the Five Realms.
Cultures
The folk of Pomus Point are peaceful by nature, though
they suffer no fools. They make the most of their bleak lives
in the northern areas of Khoor, and while it is not a life of
prosperity, it’s all they have, and they acutely protect it.
Judgment is quick and swift when altercations happen
within the town walls, though crimes committed outside
the city’s outskirts do not concern them. Accused criminals
are brought to Eveitha, the town’s current mayor. who
listens to the stories of those involved. Her judgment is
final, and the only penalty is being released to the swamp,
naked and carrying only a wooden club, waterskin, and
two days’ worth of rations. A visitor to Pomus Point may
very well find a naked individual banging on the city’s
walls or pleading to the guards to let them back inside.
Current Events
Currently, workers are moving mud, soil, rock, and
whatever other debris they can find to painstakingly fill
a void. Once completed, Pomus Point will have a raised
platform to build anew, above the unpleasant marsh.
The city is in a constant state of growth, with new raised
sections being constantly added to the village, expanding
its area for life and vegetation.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Pomus Point.
Eveitha Gall. The current elected mayor of Pomus
Point, Eveitha is a humanoid of about forty years. She
resides in a well-adorned, comfortable room within the
city’s governing building located near the center of Pomus
Central. Eveitha is a kind woman and cares very much
for the citizens of Pomus Point. To thwart crime, Eveitha
created the Crimson Cloaks a small militia that patrols the
various sections of the city.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Pomus Point
Monster Hunt. A creature from the swamp has
been tearing away sections of the village’s retaining
walls. If this continues, the village could have a
catastrophe during the next large rainfall.
Exiled Redemption. The party is approached
by someone recently banished from the town. They
explain that they were incorrectly judged. Several
of the guards told fabricated stories after accepting
coins and trinkets from the accuser. Eveitha based
her judgment on the misinformation.
Acid Attack. While traveling, just before an acid rain
storm begins to fall, the characters hear the warning
horns from Pomus Point. It seems a black dragon is
about to strike—the town needs all able hands to help.
47

Harro
The village of Harro is built along the shores of Pomus
Point Lake in Everglen. Villagers have found a unique use
for the constructed lake, using it to farm blightwater clams.
Explorers visit the village to purchase blightwater clams to
use as water purifiers during their travels, while others buy
them just to have clean drinking water.
History
Pomus Point Lake, on which Harro has been built, was
created from years of the town of Pomus Point harvesting
soil to create their raised village. Pomus Point Lake is a
shallow lake, no more than 5-feet deep in most places.
Around one hundred years ago, the small village of Harro
was erected when a swamper by the name of Harrowon
Sickleblend discovered a small colony of blightwater clams
in the shallow waters.
Piccolo Point
What was once a beautiful Everglen city filled with
entertainers and musicians before the Age of Desolation
is now a ruined waypoint for travels, adventurers, and
cutthroats. The small village, if one can call it that,
provides entertainment, food, and lodging—and is one of
the few places a person can buy and sell grobb on the black
market, though one needs something valuable to trade, and
to be careful with whom they speak.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Piccolo Point.
Hidelson Tug. An obnoxiously loud bard who leads this
village. Hidelson also runs the grobb black market.
Tarlooni Meffog. This black dragonborn runs the
local inn aptly named The Black Tallon. He often recruits
adventurers passing through Piccolo Point for grobb
hunting missions.
Toadmouth Bay
Toadmouth Bay is the only remaining active seaport that
services and builds sailing vessels. The larger ships are used
to transport goods along the western coast of Khoor. Fishing
vessels leave for week-long excursions to the cleaner waters
at the southern tip of Khoor, near the coastal edge of The
Slog, staying clear of Shiphold and its unruly citizens.
Krakow Mansion Ruins
Nestled on a small island along a large area of peat moss
in the Grand Bog, Krakow Mansion was built by Boris
Krakow centuries ago. Boris and his family started a
business farming peat moss, drying it, bundling it, and
then selling it to other parts of the greater realm, providing
them with coal-like fuel.
Krakow Mansion still stands, though the acid rains
have corroded holes in the metal roof, creating weak
48 Arora: Age of Desolation
sections in the interior and floors. The ruined structure
is often used by explorers or travelers as a safe harbor
during their adventures, though they receive little rest as
several members of the Krakow family now lurk in the
dark recesses of the building. Eugenia’s private study, a
hidden room on the third floor of the mansion, is still intact
and contains a book titled Lichdom, which would certainly
interest Nycthias.
History
Over the years, the mansion and lucrative business was
passed down through the generations until the last heir
died several decades ago.
Eugenia Krakow, once a resident of the mansion,
took no interest in mining peat moss, she left that to her
brothers. Instead, Eugenia enjoyed studying necromancy
and secretly performed resurrections and undead
animations on workers who had gone ‘missing.’
Current Events
The mansion was originally built on a large island, but
recent events have caused the island and the Krakow
family cemetery, where nearly a hundred Krakow’s were
buried, to sink. With the cemetery soil now softened, many
caskets have risen from the ground, some floating near the
mansion, others trapped in the muck, while even others
have opened, releasing the undead inside.
Monsters
One of the unique dangers of the Grand Bog are the giant
archer fish.
Giant Archer Fish. These giant fish have the ability
to shoot jets of water from their mouth with pinpoint
accuracy. The fish use this ability to knock unsuspecting
prey into the water. The fish is large enough to swallow
anything up to a Medium-sized creature. Once it has
caught its prey, it quickly swims away.
Undead. Now that the caskets have floated to the
surface, there are many undead including zombies,
skeletons, wraiths, ghouls and ghasts that haunt the area.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures can be linked to Krakow
Mansion Ruins.
Undead Rising. The characters encounter a group
of wandering ghouls, skeletons, and ghasts while ex-
ploring near Krakow Mansion. With further investiga-
tion, the characters can discover an interplanar trave-
ler has recently taken residence in the mansion and is
practicing necromancy to build a legion of undead. She
plans to begin invading nearby settlements very soon.
Eugenia’s Study. The characters encounter a group
of the Nycthias’s Shadow Legion exploring the mansion,
searching for Eugenia’s hidden study and the book
on lichdom.

Quelt
A medium-size island between the large Grand Bog and the
river harbors the small village of Quelt. This small village
was built around a ruined mansion which fell to ruins during
the Age of Desolation. The villagers are friendly to outsiders,
offering them food and shelter if needed.
History
The small village of Quelt once built grand paddlewheel
boats. These large ships, powered by humanoids who
worked hand cranks to spin the paddlewheels, were
floating hotels with decorated rooms, pristine kitchens, and
luxurious dining areas. Bart Quelt, the fabulous inventor
who invented the paddlewheel boats, used his newfound
fortune to build a grand mansion along the river, on the
outskirts of the town and near his paddlewheel factory.
The three-story mansion is now partially submerged, the
first and second floor entirely underwater. Bart died in the
mansion while it sank. Some say they can hear old Bart
yelling from inside the mansion, others say they can see a
figure walking about the second and third floors.
Current Events
The factory still stands but is overgrown with creeping
vines and infested with dangerous reptiles and vermin.
A completed, now landlocked paddlewheel boat rests in
one of the factory’s workshops. The remnants of other
boats can be found near Quelt, crushed by vegetation and
growing trees, or sunk in the swamp.
A local inventor, Bammi, has used her ingenuity,
curiosity, and no small amount of help from her twin
sister to invent a machine that rolls on wetland and floats
on the swamp.
The contraption, which they call Swamp Weasel, is a
long, canoe shaped vehicle constructed of bamboo and
balsa wood, making it extremely buoyant and light weight,
albeit vulnerable to acid. Attached to the canoe are four
oversized wooden wheels with slats and fins, similar to
large paddlewheels.
Each wheel is powered by a set of foot pedals, which
the occupants in the canoe shift with their feet. Springs
and gears then transfer the kinetic energy to the wheels,
propelling the canoe over land or water.
The canoe can hold six passengers and a driver, who sits
on a perch behind the occupants, using levers to steer the
contraption’s wheels.
Chapter 2: Khoor
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Quelt.
Bammi and Arla Wildwhite. The anxious and
excited Bammi and Arla Wildwhite, twin humanoid sister
inventors, each with a head of snow-white hair filled with
cowlicks growing at different angles, live on the edge
of Quelt. Their small hut home is attached to a large
workshop, which they built by scavenging and salvaging
parts from Bart Quelt’s ruined paddlewheel shop.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Quelt.
Test the Swamp Weasel. The Wildwhites haven’t
been able to truly test their Swamp Weasel. They
simply can’t find anyone from the village to volunteer
to give it a proper test. They offer the characters a free
charter to any place within a hundred miles to give the
vessel a real test.
Sawgrass Sea Villages
There are three villages that dot the Sawgrass Sea.
Soterpose. The small village of Soterpose is located
on the southern edge of the Sawgrass Sea. The village
acquires food and necessities by trading with other villages.
Their main resources are the abundant alligators and
constrictor snakes of the Sawgrass Sea, which they trade
with others for more exotic foods and items.
Miderpose. This growing village is built on a small
island in the middle of the Sawgrass Sea. Its resident’s
worship Kalnira, who frequently visits the village to lobby
against Nycthias. It is also where new recruits for Kalnira’s
growing army are sent to learn the words of Kalnira.
Esterpose. This is a ruined village built on an island
on the Northern edge of the Sawgrass Sea. Kalnira expe-
rienced resistance with the villages some time ago. She
used the village as a training ground for new recruits and
burned it to the ground. Many of the ruins are haunt-
ed, and the spirits within are eager to tell the story of
Kalnira’s destruction.
History
Over fifty years ago the folk of the Sawgrass Sea were one
people, living a nomadic life off the land. The village of
Soterpose was the first created little more than fifty years
ago with an off-shoot band of nomads finding a place
to settle that had an abundance of food sources. At first,
Soterpose was a tent city with every intention to move on
when the game hunting faltered. However, over time the
game has stayed a viable resource and the folk of the village
have created more permanent structures and settled.
Not long after, the folk of Esterpose attempted to follow
suit and settle on their island, though their time here was
short-lived.
The coming of Kalnira established Miderpose, the final
village in the Sawgrass Sea. They saw Esterpose as an
easy target with little value to offer, unlike the bountiful
Soterpose to the south. Miderpose laid waste to Esterpose
and left the village in ruins.
49
 Current Events
The folk of Soterpose live in fear that should the game in
the area become less bountiful, they would become the
next target for Miderpose. Soterpose fears the fate of their
easterly cousins. As such they have secretly been gathering
and creating weapons and defenses of late.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Sawgrass
Sea Villages.
Defend Soterpose. The characters happen upon
a group of hunters from Soterpose engaged in a battle
with a large alligator or constrictor snake. If the charac-
ters help, the hunters invite them to Soterpose for food
and rest. They may also tell stories of Kalnira. Here they
advise the characters of an expected raid by the folk of
Miderpose and request they help defend the village.
Escape Miderpose. While traveling near the
Sawgrass Sea, the characters come upon a group
of mercenaries—new recruits for Kalnira’s army in
Miderpose. They immediately attempt to subdue the
characters and hold them as prisoners in their village.
Here the characters may learn of Kalnira’s ambitions
while attempting to escape.
Bladefolk Hovel. The characters find a giant
emperor snail’s jade shell. However, the shell is the
entrance to a hovel home for several bladefolk. The
shell leads to an underground tunnel should the
characters wish to explore.
The Dead Wood
Located just north of The Slog, the Dead Wood is a place
of evil and necrotic magic. Children and travelers are
warned to steer away from the Dead Wood. Desperate
hunters often stray too far into the Dead Wood, or are
lured in by will-o’-wisps and are never seen again.
Tower Erragath. Near the center of the Dead Wood
stands the lonely tower of Lady Lillian Erragath, a black
dragonborn inflicted with vampirism. The lady was once
a noble in the realm, but after her vampirism set it, she
constructed a tower in the center of the forest. She fed on
deer and other game that would frequent the wood to sate
her blood lust. Since the Dragonrage, the lady’s hunger has
become difficult to control. The newly adapted creatures
of the realm taste bad. Unable to satisfy her hunger,
Lady Erragath controls a number of leechwings to find
her decent prey. When they find a host, these creatures
latch onto a body, ingest its blood, and then return to
Lady Erragath’s tower where she feeds on the leechwings,
devouring them whole.
50 Arora: Age of Desolation
History
The Dead Wood is ancient and predates living memory. It
has not only survived through the Great Abjuration, but
also the Age of Desolation. The wood once teamed with
live game and edible fruits, but has since embraced the
coming of the Nycthias’s desolation like thirsty tree roots.
The rising swamp waters have made the Dead Wood more
deadly over time, earning the wood it’s dreadful name.
Monsters
There are many dangers that come from entering the
marsh-like Dead Wood.
Wil-o’-Wisps. These luminescent beings dance along
the perimeter of the forest, luring curious passerby deeper
into the Dead Wood.
Bog Witches. The hag-like bog witches and their
harpies dwell deep within the Dead Wood.
Leechwings. These bat-like creatures with tentacled
maws scour the realm at night in search of prey for their
Lady in the Tower Erragath.
Necrotrees. The Dead Wood is riddled with necrotrees.
The roots of the necrotrees act like tentacles, grasping
creatures and pulling them to the tree’s base. The roots
them pull the creature into the soft and soggy earth,
creating a cage it cannot escape. The tree then slowly
digests the creature.
Ghost Moss. Ghost moss is a white hanging moss that
faintly moans and groans. Anyone touching the moss expe-
riences a memory of someone who died near its location.
Ghost moss often hangs from the branches of necrotrees.
Witches’ Beard. Witches’ Beard is a black, hair-like
moss with dangling strands up to 5-feet long that grows
on tree limbs. A creature touching witches’ beard may be
subject to necrotic magic, suffering the effects of spells
like chill touch, fear, vampiric touch, or ray of sickness. Brave
souls search for witches’ beard along the Dead Wood’s
perimeter, harvesting it to wrap around or infuse with
weapons and ammunition.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Dead Wood.
Save the Boy. The party witnesses a small
humanoid boy walking in the forest, following a will-o’-
wisp. If the characters attempt to rescue the boy, they
are caught in the Dead Wood and must battle through
its dangers to escape, possibly becoming lost within.
Bog Witches. The party witnesses several
humanoids harvesting witches’ beard from a tree along
the forest edge. One of the humanoids falls prone after
touching the necrotic moss. If the characters rush to
help, the necrotrees come to life, attempting to drag
the characters and others into the woods for the bog
witches to capture.
Investigate Erragath. A traveling merchant
approaches the characters, saying that he was attacked
by bloodsucking bats that fled into the Dead Wood.
He suspects they fled to the tower at the wood’s center.
These bats have been causing him problems over
the past few months and employs the characters to
investigate the tower and eradicate them from the area.
 Thole
Several small villages line the banks of the Silt Flats.
Most provide workers for the underground grobb farms
of Arinok, but the village of Thole has found a different
way to survive in this acidic mud flat. The village is built
on stilts, with wooden plank walkways connecting several
homes and a few merchants.
Hazards. Crossing the Silt Flats is no easy task. Below
a two-inch layer of acidic water lies a layer of mud ranging
from one to three feet thick, creating difficult terrain for
anyone walking across the flats while not wearing stilts as
the local folk do. In addition, some areas of the mud are up
to 15-feet deep and act like acidic quicksand.
Cultures
Known as the Stilt People, the humanoid villagers travel
deep into the Silt Flats, wearing stilts to protect themselves
from the mud and the creatures below its surface. They
carry long spears, pitchforks, and bang sticks to hunt ar-
mored catfish and silt snakes. They then use some of their
catch for food, smoking the meat and preserving silt snake
eggs. They also create acid resistant cloaks from crocotoad
leather. These toad cloaks, as they are called, allow for
easier travel through the Silt Flats, especially when acid
rain storms occur. The remaining crocotoad meat is either
smoked or sold fresh to travelers or other villages.
Monsters
Many of the creatures that once thrived in the marshland
have adapted to their new environment.
Giant Silt Snakes. These giant snakes lay camouflaged
just below the mud, their nostrils barely visible and their
forked tongue mutated to resemble a colorful bird.
Carnivorous Slickback Vultures. Resembling small
flying dinosaurs, are the silt snakes’ primary prey.
Armored Catfish. With their gills and lungs adapted
to breathe through the thick mud, these adaptable fish are
safe from the silt snakes, who have learned that the fish’s
spines and thick armor do not digest well.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Thole.
Crocotoad Hunt. If the heroes obtain a crocotoad
and return it to Thole, the villagers offer to make them
an acid resistant item, depending on how well the dead
creature has been skinned.
Dracokin Ambush. The village of Thole is in dire
need of help. Guards from Arinok drafted several of
their skilled fisherfolk to work in the mines for several
days. They need assistance catching crocotoads,
armored catfish, and silt snakes to feed the village and
make acid resistant items. As payment, the village
can provide the characters with several days’ worth
of rations of pickled silt snake eggs and smoke catfish.
During this hunt, the characters are ambushed by
a pack of Shardscale-infected kobolds and their
dragaur leader.
Chapter 2: Khoor
"I lose half my coin bribing guards in Arinok."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
Arinok
In the center of the Silt Flats stands a large patch of solid,
unfertile land surrounded by a tall wooden wall. This is
the home of Queen Volga, an obese black dragonborn
who holds power over the realm as the main supplier and
regulator of grobb. An excavated entrance allows access
to the world below Khoor, where Queen Volga’s follow-
ers farm grobb within dark, acidic caves. Arinok is built
much like a mining town. Workers access the caves using
the rail and cart system that runs down the excavated tun-
nel. These carts are also used to transport the harvested
barrels of grobb to the surface, where it is packaged in
stoppered glass vials.
Queen Volga lives comfortably in this otherwise un-
comfortable realm, her large house filled with antiquities
from the era before the Age of Desolation, acquired from
treasure hunters who discovered something unique enough
to interest the queen. Chairs, fine silverware and dishes,
standing mirrors, chandeliers, and even a feather bed fill
the queen’s abode.
Grobb Farms of Arinok. Below the Silt Flats and the
island city of Arinok are the grobb mines. These acidic
caves are the wealth of Queen Volga, the obese dragonborn
leader of Arinok. The wooden city walls are constantly
guarded, as is the excavated entrance to the mine. The
caves themselves have standing guards and patrols, most of
whom have been absconded from the villages and families,
untrained in proper combat techniques. These guards are
given a term of service by Queen Volga. Once their term is
complete, they are free to return home with a small reward
for doing their duty. The guards do what they are told to
avoid confrontation.
Arinok and the mines are filled with all matter of
humanoid, some who wish to be there, and others who
don’t, drafted into the service of the queen. Many believe
in the queen’s power and prowess, while others see her as a
dictator, taking what she wants without consequence.
While many bandits have attempted to steal from these
farms, few have succeeded. One pirate has been supremely
successful in their thievery, the kobold Magnus Book.
Interplanar Rift. Arinok is also the location of the only
known interplanar rift in Khoor (see Interplanar Rifts).
Cultures
Some of the grobb miners live in small villages on the
banks of the Silt Flats, though most live in large dormi-
tories built on the island of Arinok. Each dormitory with
a person appointed by Queen Volga to lead those in the
dorm. Most of these leaders turn a blind eye to violence,
while others are deeply corrupted, demanding safety pay-
ments from those who they govern within their dorm.
51

Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in and around Arinok.
Magnus Book. Once a scout for the Nycthias’ Golden
Garrison, Magnus has always been a bit of an individual,
preferring to work alone rather than in the large groups
like the other members of the Golden Garrison. When he
learned he could make his own fortune stealing grobb and
leading travelers through the dismal lands and underworld
of Khoor, he set off on his own. Many members of the
Golden Garrison have different feelings about Magnus.
Depending on who characters speak to in the garrison, one
might hear stories of the kobold’s bravery, certain death,
incompetence, and individualism.
Magnus has a small lair deep in the underground
caves, far from the grobb farms under Arinok. To date, no
one has been able to find the kobold’s lair. While surface
dwellers don’t mind dealing with Magnus. He can often be
found in the lands surrounding Arinok, keeping close eye
on goings-on in the grobb farming town.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Arinok.
Magnus’ Bounty. While surface dwellers don’t mind
Magnus, Queen Volga despises the thieving kobold. She’s
lost a good fortune to Magnus and wants him found and
returned to her alive to face public punishment.
Bitter Expedition. Queen Volga recently sent a
team to explore the center island of the Bitter Isles for
useful treasure. They haven’t returned and she would
like the characters to investigate. She explains the his-
tory of Bitter Lake and the Bitter Isles, but she doesn’t
reveal information about the area’s threats. The fate of
the original expedition isn’t important, but she would
like more treasure for her growing hoard. She also isn’t
concerned about the adventuring party. She knows the
black dragon Klaltaku resides in a cave on the isle. If
the party destroys the dragon, she gains access to the
rich grobb fields on the islands. If they perish, it’s no
loss to her.
52 Arora: Age of Desolation
"Nyben’s a charlatan. Get your grobb from me!"
- Magnus Book
Bitter Lake
Traversing the large lake in The Bitters region is hazardous
due to the many predators hiding under the water and
along the shores of the Bitter Isles. The largest threat being
the black dragon Klaltaku.
Once a popular vacation destination, now the lake and
isles are unused. Ruined hunting and fishing lodges stand
dormant, small leisure manors stand withered, while
sunken sailing vessels lay along the shores and below the
water, each now a fabricated skeleton with a story to tell.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Bitter Lake.
Klaltaku. An adult black dragon inflicted with a
dormant Shardscale affliction, which has entered his mind
but not yet showing on his body. Klaltaku constantly tears
at his wings, making them useless, appearing as ragged
flags. The dragon is mostly aquatic now, swimming about
the large lake for food, though his favorite morsel is grobb,
which is found on several of the interior Bitter Isles.
Bitter Ghosts. A group of humanoids living along
the outer shoreline of Bitter Lake. The Bitter Ghosts have
perfected camouflage, wearing oversized burlap capes and
cloaks with peat moss growing on them. When not worn,
these items are laid on patches of soil and are watered,
allowing the vegetation to grow through the burlap. Not only
does this vegetation provide camouflage but it also provides
the wearer with a layer of protection against acid rain and
helps to mask their natural, humanoid scent.
Calling themselves the Swamp Ghosts, the bandits wait
in hiding until their prey is within reach. Stealthy scouts
locate travelers or animals near Bitter Lake, then relay this
information to the rest of their clan who create an ambush
area ahead of the travelers or prey.
They seldom cross the lake due to the danger, but when
they do, they cover themselves in crocotoad oil to dissuade
preying carnivores.
Bitter Isles
Three large islands make up the Bitter Isles. These islands
are 30 feet above the water table, which allows vegetation to
thrive. Several cave openings on the isles lead to underground
sources of grobb. Many grobb hunters have crossed the lake
to harvest from the isles, but very few ever return home.
Magnus Book (see Arinok Notable NPCs) being the exception,
who has pilfered the grobb caves several times. Perhaps Mag-
nus has made a deal with Klaltaku, providing the dragon with
fresh grobb in exchange for safe passage across the lake.
Klaltaku, an adult black dragon, lairs in a small cave
located on the centermost Bitter Isle. Here, he has access to
an underwater exit and a large patch of grobb, though the
latter is often in a constant state of regrowth since Klaltaku
often licks the underground field clean.
 Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in the Bitter Isles.
Klaltaku. When the Shardscale-afflicted adult black
dragon is not swimming through Bitter Lake hunting for
fresh prey to devour, he can often be found in his lair on
the centermost isle.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Bitter Isles.
Treasure Hunters. Though several of the mansion
and lodges on the isles are in ruin, an explorer might
find rare objects or materials that haven’t yet been de-
stroyed by the acid rains. These could include an intact
water vessel, home furnishings, clothing, cookware, or
similar items.
Grobb Hunters. Several cave entrances on each
island lead to natural growing grobb which can be
harvested and used as currency elsewhere in not only
Khoor, but across the Five Realms.
Bridgeton
The town of Bridgeton is built around two large, stone
bridges, remnants of a past time located on the western
edge of the Bitters.
This is the end of the Gildagak Way, before it begins
to dissipate into The Slog. Docks and piers are built to
the north and south of the city, allowing a safe place for
merchants, traders, and explorers to moor their vessels.
Fenik, the town’s current governor, employs escaped
convicts and cutthroats to maintain peace and circumvent
crime in the inner part of town. Members of this security
detail are called Batons, as that is the only weapon they
are allowed to carry. Fenik may employ these scoundrels,
but he doesn’t trust them to carry daggers or swords in the
inner city. These patrols rarely visit the shantytown edges
of Bridgeton, where crime is prevalent.
History
The bridges once stood above the Ode River, providing
travelers and merchants a safe way to cross the wide
waterway, and ships to pass underneath. Though it is still
passable, due to the sinking of Khoor, the bridges are now
only a few feet above what remains of the Ode River, its
pillars and stone structure buried deeper into the soft earth.
With little dry land to build upon, over time many small
villages concentrated their efforts to build a larger township
around and upon the stone bridges, using them as platforms
to add wooden extensions supported by massive pillars
driven into the riverbed. This eventually created a sprawling
town that spanned across the waterway.
Cultures
Folk living between the bridges, an area of better security
and more costly living, live a comfortable life in their well-
built homes decorated with luxurious items that others risk
their lives to scavenge from the wetlands.
As with most of Khoor, gold and gemstones do not
reflect a person’s wealth, possessions do. Those living be-
tween the bridges pay little for the things they have, trad-
Chapter 2: Khoor
ing food and simple necessities for items like rugs, chairs,
quilts, perfumes, and similar items that are hard to find in
the Age of Desolation.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Bridgeton.
Fenik Love. Bridgeton is governed by Fenik Love, a
pompous and arrogant humanoid man who cares little for
those along the poorer outskirts of the town.
Avalee Glack. A kobold specializing in dentistry,
Avalee owns and operates her small dentistry called
Teeth, Teeth. She performs most dental procedures for
a fair price, but often provides her services for free to
those in need. She is also the trusted dentist for the Gold
Crowns pirates, filing down their teeth and applying gold
or jade crowns, which she also creates. So far during
her thirty years of life, Avalee has been able to avoid the
touch of Shardscale.
Faith and Bryan Reid. The Reids own Sully’s
Salvaged, a medium-sized shop on the southern edge of
the Bridgeton. The Reid’s purchased the shop from a man
named Sully several years ago. It’s rumored that Sully
acquired enough grobb to travel to another realm, though
no one really knows if this is true.
Many salvaged and useful items can be found in this
shop. Of particular interest is a serrated dagger with
chiseled lines and an ‘X’ along the blade. This is Joycellen’s
dagger (see Barstow Tower), which she lost when she was
robbed in Bridgeton, after finding the lost Barstow Tower.
Harriett Love. Harriett Love is Fenik Love’s sister.
She is an avid explorer and adventurer who lives in a
comfortable apartment in the inner bridge part of town
near her brother. Unbeknownst to Fenik, Harriett is
the leader of the Rats, a small group of revolutionaries.
Harriett abhors what her brother has become, and the way
he treats the less fortunate and flaunts his wealth.
She silently leads the revolutionaries in the city disguised
as the Rat Master. Under this guise, she wears a magical
mask that makes her face appear as a mass of moving rats,
which also has the power to summon and control swamp
rats. She also wears a prized cloak of displacement, both of
which she found during her explorations of the ruins that
lay deep underneath Khoor.
Gloom Speakers. A small group of Gloom Speakers
frequent Bridgeton, reciting their poetry and speaking
against Nycthias.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures can be linked to Bridgeton.
The Rats. A small group of revolutionaries live in
the shantytown section. These individuals keep their
identity unknown, and infiltrating the group is nearly
impossible. Fenik Love has been trying to stop this
group from causing mayhem in the inner city, where
they use wax and paint made from crushed berries
to vandalize buildings. So far, there has been little
violence involved, though that may change if Fenik
ever locates members of the Rats. Fenik approaches
the characters and asks them to assist him with
bringing down the Rats.
53
 Barstow Tower
For centuries, explorers have been searching for Barstow
Tower. This ruined tower barely emerges from the water
wastelands in the Bitters. It holds many treasures and dan-
gers inside for those either brave or foolish enough to enter.
History
Lord Byron Barstow, a nobleman during the time before the
Dragonrage, adored art and unique handcrafted creations.
He found wonder and amazement within the images, furni-
ture, and pottery that others did not. He filled his tower with
unique masterpieces, each coveted by investors, explorers,
and collectors. Lord Byron also held a collection of rare
books, some discussing the topic of undeath.
Many years ago, a humanoid explorer named Joycellen
Mares unexpectedly located Barstow Tower while
searching for emperor snail mating regions. During a fierce
acid rain storm, she found shelter in the top of a nearly
unnoticeable, vegetation covered tower peeking out from
the wetland.
The tower led down, before reaching the waterline that
prohibited further investigation. Along the exposed walls
she found three jade carvings depicting giant emperor
snails, each as large as a piece of parchment.
Realizing what she had found, Joycellen quickly drew
a map, but left off the final location of the tower entrance,
which she would have marked with a bold ‘X.’ Instead, she
took out her serrated dagger and painstakingly chiseled the
final piece of the map onto its blade.
Sadly, Joycellen lost the map, serrated dagger, and jade
carving during her return trip, being mugged in Bridgeton.
She never tried to return to the tower. Instead, she devoted
her time to her research of emperor snails.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Barstow Tower.
The Map. Joycellen’s map leading to the tower is
now in three parts, and the dagger is presumed lost,
though it is currently held by Faith and Bryan Reid in
Bridgeton at their shop Sully’s Salvage. The characters
hear rumor of this map and its three pieces and can
find clues that eventually lead them to Barstow Tower.
• Magnus Book holds the first piece of the map and
has concentrated on searching the areas below the
emperor snail museum.
• The second piece of the map, which is an interesting
drawing of Bridgeton, hangs on the wall of a tavern
in Bridgeton. No one realizes what it is, only that the
art is interesting. It’s a great conversation piece.
• A garrison of the Shadow Legion has the third piece
of the map and has established a tent-filled camp of
workers who search and excavate the ground near a
small, subtle whirlpool.
• Joycellen’s dagger is located in Bridgeton at
Sully’s Salvage.
54 Arora: Age of Desolation
Bindershot
Bindershot is a small village built high in the limbs of giant
cypress trees, its dwellings and small shops built upon
platforms secured to their thick limbs.
Cultures
The village is governed by a three-member council. When
issues arise, the three members vote, with a simple majority
vote deciding all issues.
Explorers entering Bindershot are greeted warmly. It
isn’t often that the village sees new faces. The villagers
request stories and news about the greater realm and are
always interested in trading for new things.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Bindershot.
Swallowed Council. The family of Jonah Minx,
a council member swallowed by the giant crocotoad,
ask the characters to hunt down the beast. If the party
finds the massive crocotoad, they notice movement
along the walls of its stomach. Jonah is still alive,
surviving from potions of healing and acid resistance he
carried in his shoulder satchel.
Shiphold
Shiphold is a ragtag town frequented by traveling bandits,
escaped prisoners, and villains seeking a haven. Located in
the southwest of The Slog, Shiphold is a town constructed
from marooned sailing vessels of all shape and size, some
nestled together to form a burrow, while others connected
by swinging bridges, covered walkways, enclosed
hallways, or raised wooden walkways. The larger ships are
equivalent to city blocks, containing merchants, eateries,
and even sleeping quarters for travelers or long-term
homes for bandits. Each of these is governed by a person
appointed by Hogus Bath, the red dragonborn captain of
the most influential bandit company in town, The Spears.
Cultures
Anyone visiting Shiphold had better keep a hand on their
valuables, as thievery and pickpocketing are allowed
and commonplace. Hogus even turns a blind eye toward
murder. This is a town of cutthroats, thieves, and villains.
Status within Shiphold is displayed by the number of gold
crowned teeth a person has, displaying their experience and
worth. Jade crowns, fashioned from the shells of emperor
snails, are extremely rare, given to a person only by another
”greentooth”—someone sporting a jade crown themselves.
Greentooths are the most prestigious scum in Shiphold, their
deeds known throughout Khoor and beyond.
The Bitter Ghosts are just a rumor.
- Salar Grimm, missing adventurer
 Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Shiphold.
The Gold Crowns. A band of swamp pirates consisting
of several sailing vessels of various sizes.
Captain Omer Krag. A barrel chested white
dragonborn with a long, imperial style black beard and a
full set of crowned teeth—including a jade crown. He is the
leader of the Gold Crowns and leads them from the helm
of his ship Golden Molly. The captain has recently discovered
that his bouts of rage are due to Shardscale, though he
keeps this quiet.
Couatl Swamp Spires
Tlape. The Lord of the Northern Spire remains asleep
in his spire, ignorantly hoping that the forces holding
Mormi or potential allies seek and arouse him there.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventure islinked to the Couatl
Swamp Spires.
Couatl Agents. Inoshi of the Southern Spire might
organize capable individuals to help her with various
tasks. Those might include other adventure hooks here.
Her major aims are to rescue her sister Mormi or to help
stabilize the realm from Shardscale afflicted dragons
and dracokin.

In the far reaches of each direction, as far as the Great

Abjuration comfortably allows, stands a blackish green
crystalline spire shot through with veins of lampstone.
These are the only places across the Five Realms
where lampstone has been discovered away from the icy
realm of Prazzolar.
These towers contain chambers that exist both in Khoor
and otherworldly pocket dimensions simultaneously. Each
spire is the residence of a celestial serpent, a couatl—the
ancient guardians of Khoor and former allies of the ruling
black dragon, Nycthias.
• Western Spire. In the Dead Wood
• Northern Spire. In Everglen
• Eastern Spire. In The Bitters
• Southern Spire. In The Slog
History
Tlape long hibernates in his Northern Spire and Uked,
Lord of the Western Spire, perished defending the realm
during the Dragonrage. When the Dragonrage struck, an
evil warlock and his demonic allies imprisoned Mormi,
the Lady of the Eastern Spire, refusing to take her life
suspecting her death might awaken other couatl. The
warlock didn’t know Inoshi, Lord of the Southern Spire,
was already awake. With the chaos of the Dragonrage,
the warlock hoped to destroy the other two couatls before
they could awaken and stop him from gaining a power
he believed was his birthright. He perished shortly after,
taking knowledge of Mormi’s whereabouts to the grave.
Interplanar Rifts
Only one rift has been discovered in Khoor, located in Arinok.
Arinok Portal
The mining town of Arinok was built around this rift and
the grobb deposits beneath the ground. Arinok portal
leads to any realm the traveler wishes to go to, however it’s
chaotic energies can often pull a traveler no strong enough
to hold course into an alternate or random realm, often
marooning them in an undesired location.
Arinok portal is the most fortified rift across the Five
Realms, with grobb being so tightly controlled by Queen
Volga. Here she exports grobb across Arora in exchange
for exotic items, clothing, and other possessions and
resources that help her live the lavish lifestyle she has
become accustomed to. She sends only her strongest
couriers infused with potions of giant strength to land in the
desired realm (see Between Worlds section on page 171).
The rift is heavily guarded by a garrison of dragaurs
and dragonborn border control. Getting in and out of
Khoor can be a costly exercise, and those that wish to
smuggle unauthorized items off-realm or into Khoor are
often caught and executed on the spot.

Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at their respective
swamp spire.
Inoshi. Couatl of the southern spire, Inoshi, awakened
from suspended animation when Uked, another of her kind,
died in fighting Nycthias, the realm’s ruling dragon. Inoshi
then cautiously left her spire in humanoid form to learn
what was happening in the realm. She sensed the turmoil.
Her wariness derived from her preternatural knowledge of
Uked’s death and sense that her sister, Mormi, was in dan-
ger. Over the past five hundred years, she has not been able
to find Mormi with scrying, and she keeps her slumbering
mate, Tlape, informed with dream magic through a dream-
space connection. Inoshi travels the swamps and mires in
humanoid form, pursuing information and organizing help
for those suffering in the Age of Desolation.

Chapter 2: Khoor 55
56 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 3:
Mogsturma

T he realm of Mogsturma, a once-thriving nation, is now

no more than a scorched wasteland. Its cities, towns,
and villages rise like blackened teeth from the charred
earth where fields of wheat and groves of fruit trees once
grew. This is the result of the destructive nature and grow-
ing instability of the ancient great red dragon Toroshivar,
whose Shardscale infection grows worse by the day.
Toroshivar is prone to fits of blind Shardscale-fueled
rage and attacks the world that she once so jealously
guarded. The dragon has torn Mogsturma’s once-great
castles and stone fortresses apart, and almost all the great
forests have been engulfed in flames and burned to ash.
Survivors have fled to caves and narrow canyons, or they
have built hovels near rivers and lakes where they can flee
into the water at the first sign of a dragon attack. Only a
single great fortress, called Garamount, deep within the
mountains seems impervious to the dragon’s ire.
The land of Mogsturma itself seems to be enraged as
its volcanoes rampage endlessly. Rivers of lava are now a
common sight and smoke and ash from their peaks choke
the air. Eruptions are common in the mountainous re-
gions; the volcanoes belch forth fiery boulders that streak
across the sky and smash into the earth leaving smoking
craters. The dracokin of the region believe this to be the
work of their overlord, which has elevated Toroshivar to
divine status in their esteem. For the rest of the realm’s in-
habitants, the cause is less important than the devastating
effects, though the wyrmkin’s fanaticism causes almost as
great a hardship as the environment.
Little survives easily in this harsh wasteland. Defoliated
and deprived of its natural forests and growing things, the
land is hot and dry. The volcanoes belch toxic gasses and
pollute the waterways with sulfuric elements, the water
ranging from bitter but potable in some places to poisonous
and corrosive in others. The temperature is suffocating,
and the days are scorching—even the dark of night is little
respite. Mogsturma’s people cannot escape the heat even
by digging deep beneath the earth. The blackened forests
once teemed with wildlife, but these creatures are long gone,
brought to extinction by the hostile environment and the
rapacious hunger of the dracokin.

57

Some life remains, however. The volcanic soil is rich,
and several varieties of hardy plants have thrived in the
environment. Most have toxins, spines, or other defense
mechanisms against predators, but many are edible if
handled correctly, and some have unique alchemical
properties. Similarly, reptiles thrive in the conditions, and
several dozen lizard varieties have been catalogued, along
with some snakes, scorpions, and a few species of beetles
and other crawling insects. Most notable are the ostrich-
like Sahali, a species of omnivorous raptor-like dinosaur
that grow to over eight feet in height and hunt in packs.
"Don’t go there! Mogsturma’s an awful, gods-forsaken realm."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
58 Arora: Age of Desolation
Ruling Dragon
Toroshivar, the Crimson Doom, is an ancient red dragon
who is being driven mad by the Shardscale. The infection
led the dragon and her kin to lay waste to Mogsturma’s
cities and towns during the Dragonrage over 500 years
ago. The great dragon lives in the king’s hall in the Fortress
of Huroda, the last great bastion of its defeated enemies,
surrounded by an army of dracokin and religious zealots.
Toroshivar is powerful, brash, and arrogant, acting first
and then thinking later. This, combined with her malady,
has made her dangerous indeed. All of the dracokin
that aligned with her are trying to not only survive the
Shardscale plague, but also the madness of their queen.
Toroshivar’s infection has advanced to the point where the
crystal growths cover nearly a quarter of the dragon’s body in
strange reaching patterns. The right side of the dragon’s head
is littered in clusters of spiked protrusions, coving her eye
in a glasslike half mask. The dragon acts normally, if a little
erratically, most of the time but occasionally seems to twitch
or stare for a period, her speech and movements changing to
an unusual rhythm. Soon, the Shardscale will take complete
control over Toroshivar’s mind and body and begin to spread
and build its zombie-like army masses to attempt complete
domination over Mogsturma. After Mogsturma, Toroshivar
will undoubtedly turn toward Arora as a whole.
 Toroshivar’s Servants Dragonborn. Occupying a middle tier within Toro-
shivar’s forces, the Crimson Doom recognizes dragonborn
The Crimson Doom has many servants that do her bidding as more powerful and capable than the kobolds, and with
around the realms, collecting tithe, and generally keeping stronger bloodlines. However, they are still far from ideal
the dragon’s sometimes harsh rule adhered to across the and ‘tainted’ by their bipedal nature. They exist in the
fiery realm. Toroshivar’s most trusted and direct servants same clan structure as the dragaur, who acknowledge
are only those of the dracokin that align with her. their bloodlines, but are viewed as second-class members.
Dragaur. In Mogsturma the dragaur are highly Dragonborn and dragaur are the same species—or close to
militarized and naturally organized, but this apparent it—and reproductively compatible. Rare unions between
order is rife with ambition, corruption, and favoritism. Of exceptional dragonborn and an aberrant or ambitious
course, while some undeserving reach heights while more dragaur has equal chance of producing either (or both)
competent rivals are kept low, the incompetent or unwary dragonborn or dragaur offspring, though the social stigma
are brought low by blade or scheme, leaving only the most of such a union in Mogsturma follows the children through
astute, ruthless, or powerful at the top. Toroshivar enjoys life within the Blasted Realm.
this state of tension and encourages ascension by attrition Kobolds. With Toroshivar’s current uncontested
to keep her forces sharp and aggressive. rule of Mogsturma, and the displacement of organized
Dragaur familial groups are called clans, and most civilization, some of the local kobold tribes that aligned
Mogsturmian dragaur are acutely aware of their bloodline themselves with the great red dragon have become bold
as the clans all have true dragon progenitors in their and arrogant. While largely ignored by the true dragons,
history. Clans tend to have similar coloration, patterning, and bullied by the other dracokin, Toroshivar’s kobolds
or distinctive features that display their relation. Generally, see themselves as the fourth most powerful faction in the
dragaur view their own clans with some connection, and territory. They have in turn have become quite aggressive
other clans as potential threats, rivals, and occasionally as toward the ‘lessers’ of the region, which includes nearly
a source of mates with desirable traits to add to their own every creature that doesn’t have draconic traits, or
clan bloodlines. However, while clans still play an important dracokin that do not align with the Crimson Doom.
role in Mogsturma—particularly in the outer regions of the
realm—they are regarded as secondary to legion.
A legion is the military group assignment each dracokin
serving under Toroshivar is given when they come of age.
The selection process is made by military ‘selectors’ based
on aptitude, need, and not a small amount of corruption.
Bribery, cronyism, and nepotism play strong roles in
legion assignments, and military selectors are some of
the wealthiest, most elite, and highly envied of the roles
within the realm. The various legions fulfil duties as
assigned by the generals (a council of leaders of each of
the legions), with opportunity for glory and promotion for
favored soldiers or those who excel. As advancement in
Toroshivar’s forces is achievable only through the legions,
clan pride and status tend to be determined by how high
their members rise in the military.
Clans are identified by their bloodline progenitor’s
name or title — Clan Asxixilazimastar or Clan of the
Raging Pyrewyrm, for example. Legions are identified by
its designation and insignia — Assault Seven has a spear on
a setting sun insignia, while Siege Three uses a dragon claw
upon a crumbling tower insignia.
Like the red dragons they descended from,
Mogsturmian dragaur are generally arrogant, tyrannical,
greedy, and individualistic. They have clan and legion
ties, but ultimately view these structures are a means to
wealth and power. Dragaur value material goods, but often
weapons or esoteric power—such as rare books, secret
knowledge, or enchanted items—hold more value than
coin or art objects that have no practical purpose. Above
all they seek their peers’ approval and acknowledgement,
and the fear and supplication of lesser folk— any creature
that isn’t a dragon or dragaur. Like true red dragons, no
dragaur has ever been satiated in their desires. Their life’s
work becomes attainment of ever more power and wealth.

Chapter 3: Mogsturma 59
 Denizens of
Mogsturma
While the lands of Mogsturma are hard and fire-ravaged
places, humanoids, dracokin, and other species have
managed to adapt to the hellscape that it became following
Toroshivar’s Dragonrage torment.
Dracokin
Outside of the kobold tribes, and the rare individual
dragaur or dragonborn, a majority of the dracokin in
Mogsturma serve Toroshivar.
Kobolds
The kobold tribes of Mogsturma are disorganized
and constantly fight amongst themselves in a complex
hierarchical game to establish dominance over the other
tribes. While this rarely leads to more than harsh words
and the occasional skirmish, it has resulted in a dangerous
arms race, pitting kobold against kobold. Each tribe seeks
to develop the next new weapon or innovation to gain the
attention of the more prestigious dracokin, or the dragons
themselves. Other Mogsturmians often bear the brunt of
this experimentation.
There are as many as a dozen or more kobold tribes
in the realm. Some maintain independent enclaves, while
others attach themselves to dracokin clans. A few of the
smaller tribes band together for security while maintaining
tense alliances. However, all come at the dragon’s call, and
all work in Toroshivar’s service, filling roles as messengers,
scouts, and skirmishers.
The Vomitfang Tribe. Predominantly grey-brown in
color, the Vomitfang kobolds specialize in incorporating poi-
sons, acids, and other dangerous substances in their weapon
designs; the Vomitfang were the tribe that developed Bang
Stuff (see Weapons and Items). They are predominately
found in the North Plains region of Mogsturma.
Their tribe’s name comes from their tendency to poison
their fangs for battle, which invariably leads to at least some
self-poisonings. They produce some of the most insidious
traps and weapons in all of Mogsturma. Many employ
Vomitfang poison spitters, acid sprayers, and boomballs in
defense of their settlements and strongholds, if they’re brave
enough to risk the flesh-melting consequences.
The Bloodclaw Tribe. Generally reddish-orange in
color, the Bloodclaws pride themselves on being the most
draconic in appearance and temperament of the tribes.
They are avid followers of Toroshivar. Bloodclaws are the
most martial, volatile, and violent of the tribes, offsetting
their natural timidness with an alchemical concoction called
firebreather that incites rage when imbibed. The long-term
effects of firebreather include mental degradation and
psychosis, but while under the effects the kobolds become
fearless and gain improved physical capabilities.
The Bloodclaws craft claw augmentations out of
obsidian; Bloodclaw warriors favor the use of these over
most other weapons. They also augment their bodies by
60 Arora: Age of Desolation
embedding shards of obsidian in their flesh, which serves
as gruesome status symbols amongst the clan—the greater
number of shards the more prestige. The most powerful
and hardy of their warriors clatter as they move, their
implants rippling in stride.
More than half of the tribe is infected with Shardscale,
making them emotionally volatile and prone to dragonrage
outbursts. The tribe is predominately found at the Fortress
of Huroda.
The Darkstalker Tribe. Dull brown in color, the
Darkstalkers are the antithesis of the Bloodclaws and
are considered cowardly by the other tribes. Careful and
cunning, the Darkstalkers rarely engage in direct conflict,
instead specializing in traps, ambushes, and archery.
Like the other kobold tribes, they innovate with poisons,
mechanical traps, and deadfalls, but operate in small
groups to lure foes into treacherous situations. They are
adept at using natural hazards, such as pyroclastic flows
or poison gas vents, to their best advantage. Darkstalkers
hunt the mountainous regions around Garamount at night
or through their tunnels, seeking to present high-value
prisoners or kills to the dragons as tribute. The tribe does
not currently align with any other tribe, and often take the
side of whichever force best suits their current needs.
Humanoids
Mogsturmian humanoids have etched out harsh lives in the
fire-blasted realm since the Dragonrage plunged it deep
into the Age of Desolation. A majority of humanoids who
have not settled in the stronghold of Garamount tend to be
nomads, wandering and surviving the scorched environment
— not to mention Toroshivar and her followers.
Nomads of Mogsturma
While most of the folk of Mogsturma call one of the
locations below home, some are not tied to a location at all.
These nomads have their own unique cultures.
The Sara’Thuali. The Sara’Thuali are true nomads
of Mogsturma. This tribe has tamed sahali, large raptor
dinosaurs that they ride swiftly through the realm; always
on the move, always one step ahead of the Toroshivar’s
raiding dracokin. The tribe shelter in specially created
tents designed for rapid erection and striking, covered with
ash- and dirt-encrusted hides—the perfect camouflage
when correctly arranged. Even skilled trackers could wan-
der close and never suspect that a small cluster of hillocks
was actually a Sara’Thuali camp.
The Sara’Thuali wear tan robes and swathes of cloth
wrapped tightly around their exposed skin. They protect
their eyes with glassy lenses, and the lower portions of their
faces—and those of their mounts—with crafted masks.
Often decorated as fearsome beasts (though never dragons),
the masks serve to filter out toxic gasses, ash, and sand as
the tribe ranges widely across the realm. As nomads, the
Sara’Thuali are primarily hunters, and are highly proficient
with bow and spear. The tribe has untold knowledge of the
terrain and denizens of Mogsturma.
Historically, the Sara’Thuali tamed wild sahali and
have a strong oral history replete with tales of cunning
and daring. More recently they have begun rearing
their mounts from eggs and taming them from a young
age, giving them a greater bond with saurian mounts.
Occasionally a young hunter will ceremonially tame a wild
sahali, both for the glory and to add to the tribe’s breeding
stock. Taming a wild sahali often earns the hunter a place
in the tribe’s oral histories.
Children of the Primal Earth. A circle of druids
who embrace the destructive power of the natural (or not
so natural) volcanic activity of Mogsturma wander the
burning wastes, cataloguing new steam vents, pyroclastic
flows, or eruptions. They observe the changes these
environmental phenomena bring to the land, its peoples,
plants, and animals. Though the druids wander the realm,
they are known to have several enclaves, and even rumored
to have a shrine between The Twins volcanoes to the north.
The Dragonaires
The Dragonaires, a small group of zealous humanoids,
choose to follow the Crimson Doom. They attempt to keep
the Shardscale-maddened dragon appeased with offerings
of loot gathered from across the realm.
The Dragonaires travel the breadth of Mogsturma
collecting tribute from the various villages, tribes, and peo-
ples scattered throughout the realm. Claiming neutrality,
they preach that all must donate their share to appease the
great red wyrm, ensuring peace and prosperity. Failure to
appease the volatile dragon invites her wrath and indis-
criminate destruction.
Despite the civilized veneer and polite approach, many
of the ‘faithful’ are little more than thugs and bullies that
elicit ‘offerings’ with intimidation and violence. For many,
Chapter 3: Mogsturma
the Dragonaires are viewed as bandits, while for others they
represent protection from Toroshivar’s wrath.
The members of the Dragonaires refer to each other
as Var, meaning “sibling” in Draconic. They often carry
banners showing the groups symbol, an emblazoned drag-
on’s eye wreathed in flame. Many also sport this symbol in
elaborate facial tattoos. They all carry weapons as a means
of “self-defense in this harsh land” but often simply use them
to intimidate Mogsturmians into handing over a tribute.
Travelers who encounter the Dragonaires for the first
time are often treated to a polite but firm lecture on the
group’s purpose before being subjected to demands for
tribute. Refusal results in ‘assertive coercion.’
Hrulgindar
The Hrulgindar are one of the only creatures not to have been
born from dragon eggs during the first generation of the Five
Realms; their origin remains a mystery, even to themselves.
They are one of the few native cultures to not only survive
Toroshivar when she turned mad during the Dragonrage, but
also thrive under the new conditions. Already acclimated to
hot and barren conditions, the great dragon’s rage that laid
waste to the realm and increased volcanic activity made the
realm more habitable for the Hrulgindar.
Once an isolationist people, they now traverse
Mogsturma at will while calling the Spined Tower home,
though they still must contend with the Shardscale-
infected dracokin and dragons. The Hrulgindar predate
humanoids in Mogsturma, though their occupation of the
once-verdant lands was extremely limited. The Hrulgindar
met the arrival of new civilizations with interest and
optimism—until the Dragonrage struck Arora.
61
 Environment Smoke and Ash. Smoke and ash are ejected into the air
by eruptions, as well as from burning flammable materials.
Mogsturma always has a general ash and smoke haze,
The blasted lands of Mogsturma are a hellscape of
which is irritating but not harmful to creatures. However,
environmental dangers stemming from the extreme heat
on occasions where thick smoke or ash fills the air in
and increasing volcanic activity. The foolish or unprepared
clouds, due to a nearby massive eruption or significant fire
leave bleached bones as the only sign of their folly.
for example, the substance can begin to choke creatures
Extreme Heat. The barren land is scorched with heat
(see standard 5th Edition Suffocating rules) unless they can
every day, sapping moisture and strength from the creatures
escape the area of effect. If they are unable to escape the
of Mogsturma and the land itself. The hard-baked earth
area before they suffocate, they die.
radiates the trapped heat, offering no respite even in the
Toxic or Corrosive Water. Despite its heat,
shade of rocky outcroppings or makeshift cover. During the
Mogsturma does experience rains, and has rivers, lakes
day, the temperatures can rise to over 120°F (50°C), burning
and other waterways across its breadth. However, due
the unprotected flesh of creatures and subjecting them to
to the heat and volcanic activity these water sources are
heat fatigue and exhaustion until they eventually collapse.
often hazardous. In all cases, the water is warm and tastes
The night temperatures drop to more comfortable levels,
sulfurous. There is little to no pure water in the realm. At
but the innate heat of the land keeps it from ever becoming
worst the minerals ejected into them cause them to become
cold. Average night temperatures are around 77°F (25°C).
corrosive or toxic.
Hostile Plants. Most of the surviving plant life in
Dangers & Survival Mogsturma have adapted to the heat and dangerously
As well as the above weather conditions, Mogsturma has a acidic water. Most have some form of defense against
myriad of other environmental dangers that characters, and unwary wanderers or herbivores. Knowledgeable or astute
other denizens of the realm, must deal with as a day-to-day creatures can identify hazardous plants and avoid them or
occurrence if they hope to survive the harsh hellscape. bypass their defenses. See the Mogsturma Hostile Plants
Eruptions. Volcanic eruptions are common in sidebar for some examples.
Mogsturma. While most of the active volcanic areas
are known and highly visible, it is not unheard of for an
otherwise stable areas to crack and spew forth magma. Survival Tactics
When this occurs, it is usually preceded by several minutes
Mogsturma’s blasted lands are so hostile to life that
of tremors (see Earthquakes and Avalanches) and venting
any creature not adapted to the environment struggles
volcanic gasses (see Gas Vents). Eventually the earth spews
to survive. Each moment challenges the inhabitants of
forth a magma shower.
the realm, forcing them to innovate or fall victim to the
Incendiary Projectiles. Eruptions can also eject rocky
predations of the local conditions and wildlife.
projectiles along with liquid magma. These can fly for
Shelter and Water. The volcanic wastes of Mogsturma
hundreds of feet if not miles in some cases, streaking across
have killed countless poorly prepared travelers. The heat
the sky to crash to the earth in a burning impact, setting
alone can be the death of any creature not adapted to it,
alight any flammable materials in the area.
but combined with the ash, smoke, and toxic air, as well
Pyroclastic Flows. Active volcanic areas eject
as dubious water sources, made the realm one of the most
slow-moving lava flows that follow the contours of the
inhospitable in Arora. Securing shelter and shade, and a
surrounding lands, pooling in the lowest areas and
source of relatively clean, potable water must be anyone’s
hardening once more. The flows are fastest near the source
first priority. Failure to meet these basic needs will kill even
(moving up to 20 feet per round) and slow as they cool,
the hardiest adventurer before Toroshivar and her servants
until they eventually harden into smooth rock once more.
become a threat.
Pyroclastic flows are easily avoidable by alert creatures,
Isolate and Use the Terrain. Large groups are not
but those caught unaware (such as sleeping) or those
only more likely to be spotted and attract attention, but can
that are trapped in an area with no egress can come into
make a tempting target for a flying red dragon’s dragonfire.
contact with the molten rock.
Travelers are wise to spread out and use the uneven
Gas Vents. Along with magma, sulfurous gasses are
volcanic terrain for cover, relying on riverbeds, rock gullies,
ejected from below the earth from the volcanic activity. A
or lava channels to move while out in the open. The old,
gas vent can spontaneously occur at any time, the smallest
subterranean dragon worm tunnels make ideal routes to
crack in the earth venting scalding toxic gasses into the
avoid many of the environmental dangers. Even these are
area. Gas vents can also lead to gas pockets where the gas
regularly patrolled by dracokin and are home to dragon
slowly builds in an area for some time before cooling yet
worms—nothing is truly safe in Mogsturma.
remaining poisonous.
Be Aware. Most of the local populations are aware of
Earthquakes and Avalanches. Tremors and
particularly dangerous regions; which rivers are corrosive
earthquakes are common in Mogsturma, often preceding
or toxic, where to find static gas pockets, and the most
an eruption.
unstable, active volcanic regions. Some folk sell maps
On sloped terrain, earthquakes — or even tremors if
identifying these areas, or act as guides for the right price.
the ground is highly unstable — can cause rockslides or
Foreknowledge is the greatest protection in Mogsturma.
avalanches of gravel and dirt.

62 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Nature’s Opportunities. While people struggle in the
harsh realm, many of the plants and animals are suited to
the environment. Mogsturmians exploit the local wildlife
for survival; the wisest practice conservation to assure local
beasts are not hunted to extinction.
While the flora and fauna can be dangerous, they can
also have beneficial properties. A DC 15 Intelligence
(Nature) or Wisdom (Survival) check imparts the
following useful information;
• Rockdarter lizard glands harden the skin and protect
against heat (see Weapons and Items)
• Ashtuber sap smeared on the skin protects against heat
for a short time (see Weapons and Items)
• Most saurian creatures have heat resistance, so their
hides make excellent tents, cloaks, and covers
• Shade and water can be found in deep ravines and trenches.
Beware the Trembling Ground. Tremors are
so common that a non-native might dismiss or grow
complacent of them. However, they often herald great
dangers, such as impending earthquakes or avalanches,
quickly-forming gas vents, or the approach of a dreaded
dragon worm. Astute travelers heed the throes of the earth,
hastening to take precautions for hostile eventualities.
Experienced adventurers may begin to be able to
differentiate the cause of the tremors with the subtle
variations in. Shuddergrass extract or rings of tremorsense (see
Weapons and Items) are highly prized and can help locate
a tremor’s source but are rare and costly.
Cultivate Alliances. The cultures that survive on
Mogsturma do so because they are hardy and adaptable.
Having developed their own methods of combating both
the flora and fauna of the blasted lands, the various
cultures understand the value of cooperation and trust.
Gaining the assistance of one or more of the local cultures
is perhaps the best method of survival. However, the
people of Mogsturma are naturally suspicious and often
hard to ingratiate with. Gifts are worth less than deeds in
this tormented place, and should trust ever be betrayed,
the transgressor can expect a short and swift end.
Chapter 3: Mogsturma
Mogsturma Hostile Plants
Some examples of hostile plants include:
Firethorn. This low shrub has small purple leaves that
conceal wickedly pointed thorns. If a character with less
than 15 AC comes into contact with firethorn, they imme-
diately feel a debilitating burning sensation radiating from
the contact point. They must make a DC 15 Constitution
saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. Several kobold tribes
harvest firethorn to create deadly blow darts.
Tarleaf. This enticingly green plant has large leaves. While
it is edible and nutritious to most creatures, its leaves are
covered in a clear sticky substance that strongly adheres to
any creature touching it. Once the plant sticks to something it
begins to give off a strong earthy scent. The adhesive holds for
30 minutes unless removed in some way. The scent strongly
attracts both fire-spitter lizards and dragon worms, though
the specific mechanism or range is still unknown. Attempts to
weaponize this tar have resulted in many deaths, and astute
creatures leave it well enough alone.
Scorpion Thistle. Named more for its appearance than its
properties, the scorpion thistle has a long thin stalk support-
ing a thick flowering blue bulb. Given its top-heavy nature,
it’s always bent, giving it a signature scorpion tail appearance.
The thistle stalk and bulb are covered in tiny spines, so fine
as to be almost invisible, but any creatures pricked by them
experience muscle spasms for an hour afterward, reducing
their movement to half. The creature also has disadvantage
of attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. A successful
DC 16 Constitution saving throw on first contact reduces the
duration to 10 minutes.
Shuddergrass. This carnivorous plant appears as a stand
of a dozen sickly brown blades of grass that wave and shud-
der as if moved by a breeze. Shuddergrass preys on insects
and small animals, subsisting off the decaying organic mat-
ter. Its long, thin, blades sense vibrations and lance forth to
pierce its prey with wickedly pointed needles. Any creature
coming within 1 foot of a stand of shuddergrass must make a
DC 12 Dexterity check or suffer 1 point of piercing damage.
63
 Geography
Mogsturma was always a mountainous region, inter-
spersed with fertile plains, rivers and valleys. Little of
that remains now. The volcanic activity has ravaged the
land, killed off entire species of plants, and baked the soil
into brick. The forests are burned out husks; scrub flora
dot the cracked and broken plains. Some rivers still flow,
fed by rare rains and bleak, ashy sleet that falls occasion-
ally in the great peaks. Many of these arteries are dry,
while others still are toxic. Even the potable waters are
not free from the taint of Mogsturma, tasting of acrid
minerals dredged up from deep within the earth.
Volcanism and pyroclastic flows are common, creating
rivers of molten rock that methodically scar the land. Over
time, Mogsturma’s geography has changed to fit the hellish
sensibilities of its maddened ruler—Toroshivar.
Important Locations
The following sections detail some of the most important
and notable locations in Mogsturma.
The Fortress of Huroda
This was once a stronghold renowned for its wealth and
opulence—something that Toroshivar coveted greatly. When
Toroshivar was infected by the Shardscale and the Drag-
onrage began, she amassed a force of dracokin and took
the fortress by storm. Once the hardy folk of the fortress
were routed, Toroshivar dug a winding tunnel through the
mountainside and into the treasure chamber. The dragon’s
minions now deliver tribute to add to the wealth already
accumulated by the fortress’s original owners.
64 Arora: Age of Desolation
History
The fortress was originally a beautiful structure, with
sweeping arches and tall towers of pale stone augmenting
its design. The walls were strong and high, but it relied on
advantageous terrain as much as any constructed defensive
work. The fortress folk reasoned that no landbound forces
could mount an adequate attack across the mountainous
surrounds—this false hope was their downfall. The dragons
and dracokin not only defied the terrain but used it to
isolate the defenders from hope of reinforcement as their
assault shattered the construction.
In the long years of occupation, the dracokin forces have
rebuilt the fortress to their liking, using kobolds and other
‘lesser’ folk as workers. The arches are shattered, and the
towers blackened and broken, now jutting like ragged teeth
into the sky. Volcanic stone and iron have been added to
make the approach difficult and the walls a spiked mass of
blades and spears for attackers to impale themselves upon.
Everburning braziers of brimstone crown the battlements,
emitting a choking haze of smoke that smothers the area.
Cultures
Toroshivar and her dracokin now reside in the fortress.
Crimson Doom’s forces are organized by echelon in a
hierarchy of authority that culminates in a council of seven
generals, who answer to Toroshivar alone. Each general
commands a legion of dracokin elite, and duties rotate so
that no one general gains too much glory or becomes too
entrenched in their power. Respect and paranoia keep
an uneasy balance amongst the powerbrokers, though
lately the growing realization that the great wyrm is losing
her battle with Shardscale has woven a thread of fear
and ambition in the organization. Uneasy political ties
and whispered deals have invaded the dragon’s servants,
risking an apparent state of balance.
Below the dragaur and dragonborn dracokin are the
kobold clans, prominently the Bloodclaw tribe, and the
displaced riff raff of lesser races that toil as sycophants,
collaborators, religious zealots, or slaves. These subgroups
serve the dracokin and perform menial tasks, all the while
jostling for recognition and scraps of influence. It’s not
unusual for unexplained deaths or disappearances among
the lower castes, and life is cheap in the shadows and alleys
of the broken fortress.
Of special note are the Dragonaires—a clan of mountain-
folk that worship the great dragon. These zealots are dan-
gerous. Afforded special privilege and spared a fiery death
for their fanatical devotion to Toroshivar as a true deity, the
Dragonaires bring gold and treasure to the red dragon, flat-
tering her immense ego. In return for their tribute, Toroshiv-
ar deigns to breathe her flames on the Dragonaires’ crafts,
imbuing them with special properties (see dragon-forged
weapons and armor in Weapons and Items).
The Dragonaires ritually tattoo themselves with red-ink
patterns on their faces, backs, and arms, the complexity
related to their rank within their esoteric religion. They
universally wear hides dyed red and patterned to look
like scales; to wear actual dragon hide is a mortal sin
punishable by gruesome death. Any Garamount folk
caught while wearing their cinder armor is tortured to
death and their armor destroyed.
Current Events
Since Toroshivar’s rampage during the Dragonrage, her
armies have settled into an occupation of the realm, clashing
occasionally with the remnant peoples of the blasted lands.
However, the resurgence of the Garamount mountainfolk
and the increasing attacks by the eagle riders of the eastern
mountains is beginning to upset this delicate balance. The
dracokin prepare for war once more, crafting weapons and
alchemical devices ready to end their foes. The fortress now
teems with activity, long neglected defenses being rebuilt
with the dragon’s growing paranoia, and strike teams being
assembled to actively hunt the elusive humanoids that
continue to needle the dracokin occupiers.
This military buildup has not gone unnoticed by the
region’s humanoids. Spies within Toroshivar’s ranks have
informed Garamount of the impending offensive. The moun-
tainfolk are preparing their own response, fortifying their
outposts and formulating escape plans. If Garamount is
lost, the folk are resolved to make the invaders pay a terrible
price for it.
Amidst all this activity, the Dragonaires have become
restless. Their fanatical devotion to the dragon has led them
to believe the dracokin are keeping them from their rightful
place at Toroshivar’s feet, and whispered rumors that the
dracokin are not as devoted, or as worthy as first thought
have begun to circulate amongst the Dragonaire members.
Chapter 3: Mogsturma
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at The Fortress of Huroda.
Toroshivar. The ancient great wyrm red dragon, ruler
of Mogsturma, and victim of an ever-worsening Shardscale
infestation. Toroshivar desperately seeks a cure for her
affliction while maintaining an affectation of self-control.
High General Drakkisar. A muscular dragaur with
crimson scales and a collection of wicked axes, the high
general sits as current head of Toroshivar’s generals and as
the perfect specimen of dracokin. Unmatched in physical
prowess, his cunning and ruthless wits have kept him
ahead of his rivals and engineered many victories against
the lesser people of the realm. Thus far, he has been lucky
enough to escape the slow spread of Shardscale throughout
the fortress’ dracokin.
General Nuluvira. Lithe and powerful, the scarlet
scaled dragaur is a rising star amongst the ranks, both for
her strategic acumen and frightening command of corrup-
tive blood magic. She hides a small dormant Shardscale
infection that is just beginning to niggle at her mind.
High Lord Formarr. Leader of the Dragonaires, this
zealot has tattooed almost every inch of his skin with red
patterns and runes. Wearing little more than a loincloth for
modesty, his skin is perpetually burned from the heat, and
his wild eyes dart about incessantly. Barely clinging to sanity,
his charismatic orations fuel the faith of the Dragonaires.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Fortress
of Huroda
Prison Break. Kobolds have recently taken a
Garamount military strategist during a raid. The
Garamount commander is languishing in the cells
below Huroda—the kobolds have no idea of his value.
Key to the Garamount military planning, a small
group must infiltrate the prison and break him out.
Every Available Option. Toroshivar has been seen
flying to the north. While the great wyrm is away, the
opportunity to scout her lair, steal key treasure, and
potentially seek any weaknesses is too great to pass up.
By Any Means. A new general, Cresender
Greenscale, has risen through the ranks, displacing a
rival. Rumors surround his loyalty to the great wyrm.
The young general has a persisting reputation for
being ‘soft’ on humans. Can he be turned to the cause
of humanity?
"All those who’ve wronged my clan will tremble once I’ve
regained all that was stolen from us. Toroshivar and her
generals will have no choice but to elevate us once my
plans come to fruition."
- Lord Zholamar of Clan Atreuzzar
65

Garamount
Garamount is mostly underground, making effective
assault difficult, and its specific whereabouts is obscured
by a series of outer fortifications designed to appear as the
main complex, but laden with traps and rigged to collapse.
Protected by the outlying garrisons, Garamount is
a large complex carved within a nexus of abandoned
dragon worm tunnels. The central hub is an open cavern
with numerous elevated areas connected by rope bridges
and wooden ramps that connect small inner-villages—
discrete communities managed by various clans. A dozen
tunnels lead off in all directions, each guarded by a
massive wall and gatehouse. The fortress is defensible
but offers easy escape in multiple avenues. While the
mountainfolk of Garamount view it as the last bastion
of humanity in Mogsturma, its inhabitants know that a
concerted effort by the dragon armies would overrun it
with a sustained assault.
Despite the overall coordination of the fortress folk,
each clan maintains their own unique mannerisms,
customs, and norms. Visitors might find the separation
jarring, but clan identity within the larger community
helps maintain stability and a sense of purpose. Some clans
are more welcoming of outsiders and other clansfolk, while
others are more insular, requiring tolls to pass or even
refusing entry entirely. Like all civilizations, politics and
rivalries influence the population and its representatives—
the council of clan leaders—who administer the fortress.
History
Before the turning of Toroshivar with her onset during the
Dragonrage, Garamount was a small mining operation and
nothing more. Set mostly underground, the Garamount’s
workers mined iron and copper.
The outpost had a service town on the surface, but most
of the complex was underground. When the dragon swept
north, the upper works were destroyed completely, but
dragonfire never found the mines below. As the dracokin
razed the other cities of Mogsturma, Garamount became
a natural refuge. The extensive tunnels were widened and
repurposed to become a permanent, fortified dwelling.
Cultures
Of the remaining humanoid cultures, the mountainfolk are
the most numerous, and the most scattered. The remnants
of the stout defenders of the highland fortresses, the moun-
tainfolk have retreated to Garamount, the last remaining
fortress, and its outposts. The mountainfolk travel between
Ga’amount’s outposts through tunnels where possible or make
use of the deep ravines near the surface. Despite—or perhaps
because of—their hardships, they tend to have empathy for
travelers, and though accessing many of their enclaves takes
time and trust, they are quick with supplies, advice and occa-
sionally act as guides through some of the more treacherous
regions of Mogsturma. Individually, the various communities
police themselves and manage their affairs independently, but
each enclave’s speaker—an elected leader—shares an equal
place on the council at Garamount, where quarterly moots
are held to debate and rule on matters that affect all the en-
66 Arora: Age of Desolation
claves. Earning the trust of one enclave does not automatically
grant equal acceptance with the others, but it carries weight.
Within the safety of their enclaves, the mountainfolk
relax and take their ease, enjoying life as much as they
are able. They tell stories, sing songs, and keep the
memories and rituals of Mogsturma—as it was before the
Dragonrage—alive and bright. Headstrong mountainfolk
hope to return Mogsturma to its cultural roots after the
dragons have been overthrown.
Lighting is mostly via lanterns filled with a locally
sourced oil coerced from a hearty olive that thrives in
Mogsturma’s volcanic soil. Wherever possible and safe to
do, the mountainfolk carve cunning channels into the rock
to allow natural light to penetrate the enclave. Despite
their dire predicament, the mountainfolk are hopeful and
determined to rid themselves of the draconic menace.
Current Events
Most of Garamount’s efforts have been turned to resisting
and striking back against Toroshivar’s dracokin forces;
military raids and surface scouting missions are common.
Those mountainfolk unable or unwilling to fight still
carry out valuable work, however. Mining continues, as
does exploration of the vast, mysterious underground
cavern systems of Mogsturma. Scouts and expeditions
are regularly sent deep into the earth to track dragon
worm activity, search for signs of dracokin scouts, and
to survey for new resources, such as plants, minerals, or
uncontaminated sources of water.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at Garamount.
Speaker Renee Tirea. Head of the council of Gara-
mount, Renee is a middle-aged woman with iron grey hair
and looks more of a soldier more than a politician. She
oversees the council adeptly but would rather be in the
thick of the fighting than in vaporous council chambers.
Elder Vranson Lee. A white-haired man in his late
years, he is still muscular and spry, with a ready smile and
mischievous eyes. Vranson serves as historian, lorekeeper
and—along with a handful of others—holds the secrets of
making cinder armor, a special hide armor constructed of
carefully extracted and prepared dragon hide.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Garamount.
Scout and Scavenge. A young dragon has been
seen scouting for a lair to the northeast, close to the
Bremmer Vale. This will likely result in the eagle
riders hunting and slaying it, leaving behind its corpse
as a message. The Garamount smiths can make
cinder armor from its hide if it is retrieved before the
dracokin get to it. A small group could spy on the beast
until it is downed, then quickly scavenge its remains.
Clay Run. An expedition is being set up to retrieve
clay for crafting ceramic shields. This requires a quick
journey to a nearby river tributary on the surface—and
exposure to the dangers above. The expedition needs
protection while they fill and cart the clay.
 The Burning Tree
By far one of the most unusual creatures in Mogsturma is
the Burning Tree. Sitting at the center of the Ashwood is a
sion, whatever its objective value, is considered the highest
huge flaming tree reaching over 200 feet in height, towering
form of admiration or respect. When forestfolk become sick,
over the blackened forest below. The fusion of an ancient
old or infirm, they often consent to be exiled. They “burn
oak and dragonfire, it has become a sentient, everburning
out,” living their last days wandering Mogsturma until the
fire elemental. Aware on only a semi-conscious level, and
natural hazards or predators take them. If they are unable
unable to communicate directly, the Burning Tree has
to move themselves, a hunting party takes them to “kiss the
taken an interest in the forestfolk that worship it. It conceals
dryads,” leaving them near a dryad grove, where the mad-
them under a thick cloud of smoke. In return they feed
dened creatures quickly find them.
its roots with animal blood—and occasionally humanoid
The forestfolk travel within the woods, but rarely outside
blood—which has an invigorating, intoxicating effect on
them. They hunt lizards and other game and forage for use-
the tree. Under its protection, the forestfolk have crafted a
ful flora and fauna among the regrowth. If they must leave
community within the roots of nearby trees.
the forest, they employ a disguise of painted animal hides
Cultures
and wooden scaffolding. This serpentine costume appears
as a dragon worm from a distance or above. Mastering the
Precious little remains of in the forests of Mogsturma. “worm dance” that mimics the motion of the great beasts is
Those that haven’t vanished completely are charred spikes a vocation among the folk.
jutting from blackened earth, coating everything nearby
in black soot whenever there is a hot breeze. However, life Notable NPCs
remains in one particularly dense forest.
The following NPCs can be found at the Burning Tree.
In addition to some regrowth hidden deep within the
Alsheeva. Young, beautiful, and strong, Alsheeva is
valleys, there is a tribe of forestfolk who have come to
the most skilled warrior amongst a people that loves and
embrace existence as a fleeting moment and no more.
fights with equal passion. She carries a strange pink staff
Every second spent breathing is beautiful, because it
of calcified wood and adorns herself in pink pigments to
could be your last. This strange mix of fatalism and joy
match. She has yet to find her equal in battle and is eager
creates an almost hedonistic culture where there is value in
to test her skills against any new opponents.
everything. They take no unnecessary risks but make the
Caden. A nervous young man, Caden is polite and
most of the time they have. They are a sybaritic, jubilant
deferential to others. He assists in the rites of his people,
people, with no time for grudges or regrets. Passion and
humbly making the offerings to the Burning Tree. Secretly,
leisure rule, and forgiveness is in abundance.
Caden is fascinated with the tree’s positive response to
Their primary residence is a village in the shadow of the
blood, and longs to experiment with volumes and species
Burning Tree. The Burning Tree is the central feature of
variations in detail.
their culture and religion, a symbol of living a life burning
brightly, if not long. They make their homes in small caves
created in the root systems of the dead forest. The smoke Adventure Ideas
from the Burning Tree shades the sky, but never settles, The following adventures are linked to the Burning Tree.
leaving clean air below the obscuring veil. Rites of Life. The Rites of Life are celebrated
Forestfolk wear drab clothes like most of the realm’s every second month. This ceremony includes feeding
inhabitants, but when concealed deep in the forests, they the Burning Tree its sanguine bounty and celebrating
adorn themselves with ash pigmented from various plants with wild abandon as the satiated tree burns brightly
as temporary body art. A few go so far as to create ink for in a spectrum of changing colors throughout the night.
permanent tattoos, but most prefer the option for remov- This night, however, Caden has fed the tree some
ing them for both concealments, and as an opportunity to dracokin blood to appease his curiosity and it has had
experiment with constantly changing body art. As a folk an adverse effect.
they are passionate—quick to laugh, love, or fight—but these Rites of Death. A sick forestfolk man is discovered
passions cool just as quick. Marriages are few, and children slowly traversing the edge of the Ashwood. He requests
many, as the liaisons of the heart are constant. Possessions, assistance to a nearby grove but warns against getting too
other than what a person may carry, are communal, as are close. The grove is infested with dryads. The man seeks
chores and child rearing. Giving a gift of a personal posses- out the dryads to end his life, as is the way of his people.

Chapter 3: Mogsturma 67

Bremmer Vale
Hidden deep within the mountains amongst the highest
peaks is a valley known as Bremmer Vale to the locals.
The land passes are almost impossible to traverse, and are
littered with switchbacks, deadfalls, and unstable rock
scree, making flight the only reliable means to reach the
secluded place. The vale itself is hot but humid, as a nat-
ural spring emerges within, and the ambient heat causes
a heavy mist to form. Unlike the rest of Mogsturma, the
sheltered vale teems with life and greenery not seen since
before the Dragonrage.
Within this hidden oasis is a small tribe of humanoids
who share a symbiotic relationship with the giant eagles
that roost in secluded shelves and niches in the cliff walls.
The Fawesuma village is designed with cohabitation in
mind; wooden buildings several stories high with perches
and wide entrances on all levels are common designs.
Bright colors and pennants decorate the community, who
are free to do so without much risk of discovery.
History
The Fawesuma are the oldest human culture in
Mogsturma, and the first to encounter the Hrulgindar
on their migration. They discovered Bremmer Vale—
named after the Hrulgindar word for a bird—as part of
the journey. The Fawesuma chose to settle there for its
isolation, protection, and fascinating avian population.
The early Fawesuma were fascinated by the giant eagles.
Their hunters and shamans developed techniques to
capture, tame, and raise the giant raptors. The Fawesuma
have a magical ritual of bonding with their charges that
links a rider and bird, a closely held tradition that fosters
an empathic link between bird and rider. The sacred ritual
accompanies a day of celebration and feasting as a young
would-be rider returns from a dangerous cliffside journey
with an eagle egg.
Cultures
From their hidden village within the remote Bremmer
Vale, the Fawesuma (“eagle riders”) raise their raptors
to fulfil their life’s purpose—to hunt dragons. A hardy
and gruff folk, the eagle riders have perhaps the safest
existence in all of Mogsturma. Bremmer Vale is so remote
and inaccessible, the only creatures that pose any real risk
are dragons. In the entirety of Toroshivar’s occupation, no
invader has ever found their way to the vale. Unlike other
Mogsturmians, the Fawesuma dress brightly in dyed fabrics
and hides, adorn themselves with beads and feathers, and
personalize their weapons—all in an effort to stand out to
the dragons and dragonkin. The eagle riders put value on
bravery, glory, and daring—they stoically risking life and
safety for honor and pride. They also prize this in others,
and outsiders that display these traits will find a warm
welcome amongst the eagle riders.
Eagle riders occupy a place of fame and respect within
the clan from the moment they claim their eagle egg. The
young rider must scale the cliffs of the vale and return
with a pilfered eagle egg to hatch and raise. The clan does
not breed eagles, believing the ritualistic bond between
68 Arora: Age of Desolation
eagle and rider is made stronger by the trials a would-be
rider must face. The duo’s successes bring glory, and their
failures risk death. The eagle riders live and die by their
skills alone.
Hunts are conducted in flights of multiple riders, and
are the culmination of careful tracking and reconnaissance,
usually of lone, young dragons. A successful hunt leaves the
dragon’s corpse intact and highly visible to be found by the
dracokin. Deep spear wounds and brightly fletched arrows
clearly mark the Fawesuma’s work. Any rider who dies is
left, and any rider that is downed fights to the death, taking
their own life if necessary to avoid capture. No eagle rider
will give up the location of the vale, or their fellow hunters.
Current Events
The eagle riders are proud hunters and have never
accepted the draconic presence in Mogsturma, battling
them at every opportunity. The tribe has always been
limited in number, being confined to the Bremmer Vale,
and the constant combat is taking its toll. Every few weeks
they lose a hunter or two, and many of the huts now sit
empty and idle. The chief is considering ending their
isolationist ways and forming an alliance with the other
tribes, but overcoming generations of tradition is as great a
foe as any dragon.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at Bremmer Vale.
Sheliah Amera. This fierce teenage girl is counted
among the most skilled flyers in the village, and is a skilled
hunter and warrior. With her companion eagle Herita, she
regularly surpasses all the other riders in contests of aerial
speed and agility. She lacks dragon hunting experience,
however, as the vale’s elders have deemed her too young to
risk her life. Her impatience to join the fight is palpable.
Chief Belderac. A short, powerfully-built warrior
garbed in leathers and bristling with weapons—spears,
javelins, axes, and a thick bow of petrified wood—presides
over both the village and the eagle riders. Perceptive and
quietly spoken, he is an exemplar of honor and bravery for
his people.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Bremmer Vale.
Ritual Bonding. A flight of scouts have found a
would-be eagle rider called Raltan that has fallen
while climbing to retrieve his egg. While he must
accomplish the task alone, it is not forbidden for the
climber to accept aid. If he is successful, Raltan invites
his rescuers to bear witness to the magical bonding
ritual—a high honor for outsiders.
Race Against Discovery. A lone kobold from
the Fortress of Huroda has managed to traverse the
passes and stumbled on the hidden vale. It uses deep
narrow ravines and tunnels to avoid the eagle riders
as it escapes, hoping to achieve a place of honor for
delivering this discovery. The wily creature must be
pursued across the dangerous terrain and intercepted
before it reveals the vale’s location.

The Oracle Span
In many of Mogsturma’s cultures, there’s a history of
oracles, prophets, and visionaries breathing in the volcan-
ic fumes and having visions—some to give hope to those
in these troubled times, and others to foretell the end of
days. There are a dozen locations known—and as many
secret—that are suitable for such diviners. None is more
famous than the Oracle Span, a rocky spire extending over
a churning magma pool. The strong fumes quickly induce
euphoria and strange visions, but threaten to overwhelm
even the hardiest oracle. Any who succumb risk falling to
their fiery deaths below.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at the Oracle Span.
The Oracle. A wizened old dragaur with grey tinged
scales and fading sight lives at the foot of the spire.
Staunchly neutral, it will instruct others on how to obtain
insights from the divine fumes, or, for the price of a vial of
blood, undertake divinations on behalf of a supplicant.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Oracle Span.
Answers Sought. A person of note from any other
location seeks answers to questions plaguing their people, or
perhaps all of Mogsturma.
Tainted Visions. All the supplicants at the Oracle Span
begin dying from the fumes in horrific convulsions. The
Oracle believes someone is deliberately tainting the fumes
with an alchemical additive further up the lava flow, and
the culprit must be uncovered.
The Spined Tower
The Spined Tower is a monument to one Hrulgindar clan’s
sheer stubbornness. It is a rock fortress tower that stands
over 100 feet in height, festooned with thousands of long
obsidian spears from base to tip to prevent dragons reaching
the clay walls. Impervious to dragonfire like the tower walls,
the obsidian spears force any attacking dragon to physically
assault the tower, allowing the defenders time to attempt to
drive off the dragon with acid sprayers—large bladders filled
with natural acids that can be compressed to fire a stream
out of stone nozzles.
History
With their traditional mud mound homes destroyed by
raging dragons, only the Spined Tower remains, which is
more a defiant experiment than any true dwelling.
Now most of the Hrulgindar have migrated to cavern
dwellings below the tower, where they remain mostly
comfortable and safe from the dragons’ reach.
Cultures
The Hrulgindar are humanoids, though their irregularly
contoured, rock-hard skin gives them each a unique,
somewhat alien appearance. They require only about a
quarter of food and water than most humanoids and are
impervious to the whims of temperature.
Chapter 3: Mogsturma
The Hrulgindar are highly social, welcoming any who
treat their people well, and often readily aid those in need.
They regularly shepherd travelers across the wastes, pro-
viding food, water, a measure of protection, and guidance.
The Hrulgindar travel in small groups that have mastered
blending in with their environment.
Current Events
The Hrulgindar trade with the folk of Garamount,
supplying iron and other resources in exchange for crystals
that they find both aesthetically pleasing and delicious.
Recently, they have become more involved with scouting
and shepherding other humanoids across some of the more
dangerous parts of the wastes.
Notable NPC
The following NPCs can be found at The Spined Tower.
Bloodstone. Leader of the Spined Tower, Bloodstone
is a jagged specimen whose natural skin shows several
mottled green veins that reflect his namesake. Bloodstone’s
manner and voice are gravelly, and he has little patience
or tolerance for much other than his obsession with
maintaining and expanding the tower.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Spined Tower.
Earn Your Keep. After being offered succor, shelter,
or assistance by the Hrulgindar, the characters are
brought to the Spined Tower, and meet with Bloodstone
in an underground laboratory filled with dangerous
implements and compounds. Creatively stifled,
he requests the ‘outsiders’ dream up new ideas for
defending the tower. He won’t take no for an answer.
Fight or Flight. A lone Hrulgindar called Shatterstone
is discovered in the wastes, fleeing a band of kobolds, with
several stolen samples of traps and reagents. The Hrulgin-
dar requests aid from the adventurers, promising repay-
ment in kind when they reach the Spined Tower.
Interplanar Rifts
There are numerous spontaneous rifts within Mogsturma
leading to many of the Five Realms. These are all found
within the Vast Plains in the southeast of the realm.
The Vast Plains
The events that triggered the Dragonrage also turned the
now non-existent waterways of the Vast Plains into a magical
vortex able to conjure rifts to other realms. The rifts are
not permanent, however, opening and closing in various
locations across the plains at incalculable intervals. Other
than rifts directly to Gallaht, this is the one place in Arora to
access all the remaining three realms: Khoor, Prazzolar, and
Tievmer, from the same place. Studying the opening and
closing of the portals might allow characters to predict when
and where the portals will open in both connected realms.
See the Between Worlds section in Chapter 9 – Running
the Game for more information.
69
70
 Chapter 4:
Prazzolar

P razzolar is the realm of the white dragon Rachigyostiv,

or Bitingcold. In the face of the spreading Shardscale
infection, Prazzolar’s ruling white dragon opted to wait out
the danger in stasis rather than face it head-on. She and
her servants raised a colossal pyramid of ice and sealed
Bitingcold away in its innermost chamber; a glorious
sanctum of mirrored ice that hummed with chronomancy.
Many of Bitingcold’s vassal dragons chose to be entombed
with their ruler in auxiliary chambers, while others created
lesser pyramids of their own. Others still refused to be
sealed away, seeing an opportunity to seize control in
Rachigyostiv’s absence.
The pyramids—nexuses of great elemental magic—
radiated supernatural cold that impacted the realm around
them. On the surface of the already freezing Prazzolar
temperatures plummeted. Glaciers formed, reaching out
across an already-frigid realm to grind down everything in
their unstoppable paths. Layer after layer of ice has frozen
atop the landscape, turning it into a near-featureless plain
of gleaming white.
For the denizens of Prazzolar, life is a constant battle
against the cold in search of scant food. What settlements
exist are typically temporary, and relations between them
are often adversarial.

71

Ruling Dragon
Rachigyostiv is a cautious, ancient white dragon who
believes in the power of playing the long game. This is why
Bitingcold opted to simply wait out the Shardscale infection
within the safety of her ice pyramid. While she slumbers in
stasis within her frozen sarcophagus, her cold magic runs
rampant over Prazzolar.
The ancient white dragon’s current lair is the massive
pyramid of ice known as the Pinnacle. It is perched at the
peak of a flat-topped mountain that reaches high above the
clouds. The exterior of the pyramid, built from cyclopean
blocks of ice, is sculpted with arcane symbols that amplify
Bitingcold’s freezing magic and turn it into chronomancy,
shaping time itself. Within, nothing ages, and nothing dies.
Those dragons and servants who entombed themselves in
the Pinnacle are frozen in time, and will remain so until
Rachigyostiv chooses to release them, or some catastrophic
event causes the dragon’s magic to fail.
From the outside, there doesn’t appear to be any obvious
entrance into the Pinnacle. The colossal blocks that make
up Bitingcold’s resting place are sheer faces of ice. The true
entrance to the pyramid is within the plateau upon which
it stands. Only by traversing the caverns and tunnels of the
mountain’s crystal-filled interior can you reach the guarded
72 Arora: Age of Desolation
entrance to the Pinnacle. Even once you find the entrance,
it could take days to reach its heart, where Bitingcold and
her loyal servants are entombed. Rachigyostiv herself
rests in stasis, in a sarcophagus of ice within a spherical
chamber at the heart of the pyramid’s interior. Smaller
chambers throughout the pyramid hold other entombed
vassal dragons, each within their own sarcophagi. The
temperature inside the pyramid is unbelievably cold, and
grows colder closer to Rachigyostiv’s sarcophagus. Upon
the threshold of the inner sanctum, it is cold enough to
freeze a humanoid’s flowing blood.
Despite the incredible danger the inner sanctum
presents, the way leading to the chamber is also protected.
Traps, both magical and mundane, protect the true route,
and a labyrinth of ice walls separates Bitingcold’s sanctum
from the rest of the pyramid. The traps vary from falling,
razor-sharp icicles to entire chambers that are flooded and
then frozen solid. That’s not to mention the guardians who
seek to safeguard the dragon.
Rachigyostiv’s Servants
Bitingcold has a wide variety of servants, from living
creatures that choose to serve her, to her own frozen
creations that obey the telepathic orders of their frozen
master. The primary protectors of the Pinnacle are ice
golems, huge chunks of ice sculpted into crystalline, bestial
forms that patrol the ice labyrinth and further afield.
These golems can slow creatures in an aura around them
thanks to the crippling chill they emanate.
Chill-o’-wisps drift throughout the caverns that lead
to the Pinnacle’s entrance—pancake-sized snowflakes
that hang in the air and emit bursts of intense cold when Nomadic Peoples. Mixed communities of humanoids
warm-blooded life gets too close. These undead menaces move across Prazzolar in search of food and safety.
are the spirits of Rachigyostiv’s servants who died when Many of them travel in yurts fixed to the backs of tamed
the pyramid was sealed. They drain the life from other gulcas. When they stop for the night, they form ringed
creatures to continue their own mournful existence. encampments with trained white guard drakes serving as
Beyond the pyramids, the white dragon’s authority is sentries. Each of these communities is led by a keeper, who’s
maintained by a force of white-scaled kobold and dragaur responsible for keeping the group’s sacred fire burning at all
servants. They are tasked with keeping the curious away times. It is a point of shame for a community to lose its flame
from the pyramids as well as transporting dragon hoards to a rival group, or for it to be extinguished.
to the Pinnacle. These hoards are essential for keeping Weretigers. Hidden throughout Prazzolar’s many caves
the freezing magic lasting, as the immense wealth is are hot springs claimed by communities of weretigers.
converted into magical power by Bitingcold’s magic. These humanoids have white or grey coats when in hybrid
Many of the kobolds and dragaur dwell in the caverns or tiger form. Many are spotted or striped with darker
of the mountains beneath the pyramids, or in temporary colors to help them camouflage with the natural tundra
settlements at their base. Vast processions containing the environment around them. The secretive enclaves in
dragons’ treasures make their way up to the pyramids which the weretigers live are places of myth to the other
from time to time. Great sleigh-chariots escort the peoples of Prazzolar, many of whom will live and die
processions, pulled by dragaurs and steered by bow- without seeing a single weretiger. The weretigers enjoy
wielding kobolds. lives of luxury and bounty, where they keep verdant
subterranean farms growing lichen, moss, and fungi. The
Denizens of Prazzolar weretigers refuse to share their sanctuaries with the other
communities because of a misguided faith they all keep.
Despite the awful conditions of Prazzolar, life has found a They believe that the weretigers are the chosen people of
way. As well as Bitingcold’s servants, several other living Prazzolar, fated to inherit the riches of Bitingcold when she
creatures have managed to scratch away at an existence finally awakens from her stasis.
eating lichens that grow upon the ice and fishing in the
frozen seas.
Antlered Gulca. Antlered gulcas are a type of
megafauna that gather in migratory herds on the open
tundra. These enormous quadrupeds are similar to
enormous llamas with thick, matted coats that hang
around them like protective clothing. These colossal beasts
are herbivores that use their claw-like toenails to break up
the frozen ground to graze on lichens that grow beneath
the ice, sheltered from the freezing temperatures. They
have incredible metabolisms that allow them to subsist
on the smallest quantity of lichen, despite their enormous
size. The inhabitants of Prazzolar have long hunted the
antlered gulca, whose numbers are carefully monitored to
ensure stocks never run too low. Use triceratops statistics to
represent an antlered gulca.
Dormant Water Weirds. Frozen water elementals
lurk in Prazzolar’s frigid seas. They are entirely invisible
while submerged or frozen, making them deadly surprise
predators. Luckily, they’re only thawed by heat sources
such as torches and campfires, which are rarely seen in the
wastes of Prazzolar.
Piercers and Ropers. Beneath the surface of Prazzolar
is an extensive network of caves, housing plentiful lichen,
moss, and fungi. These chambers are home to many
threats, not least of which are the piercers and ropers, who
have taken on the frozen form that their realm encourages.
Piercers look like hanging icicles, while ropers appear to be
ice-covered boulders or mounds of snow.
Plesiosaurus. Beneath Prazzolar’s frozen seas, these
dinosaurs are the apex predators. They feed on the fish
that swim in the frigid waters, but also occasionally hunt
antlered gulcas and other larger creatures that drink from
the waters. The sound of footsteps on the ice attracts them
to the surface, where they can smash through the surface
ice to ambush their prey.

Chapter 4: Prazzolar 73
 Environment their communities are mostly unexplored, it’s clear that
they delight in the slaughter of humanoids. They often
cause avalanches to batter humanoid communities, coming
Prazzolar’s weather is freezing and violent. At all times
down from their ice caves once the danger has passed to
a biting wind blows over the icy surface of the realm,
gather the bodies. These can be found frozen into walls of
complemented at times by hailstorms, blizzards, and
ice around yeti communities, as can symbols painted with
chilling fog. This weather changes subtly depending on the
the blood of yeti victims.
season; Prazzolar has a short light season and a dragging
Blinding Sunlight. During the light season, on a clear
dark season.
day, sunlight reflecting off the snow can blind travelers.
During the painfully short light season, the temperature
The snowblindness caused by the reflected radiance can
is slightly milder as the realm is warmed by a distant sun.
cause long-term damage to humanoid eyesight, and is
Sleet storms lash the ice cliffs and the frozen sea becomes
typically mitigated through the use of sungoggles.
a slushy slurry of crushed ice, peppered with immense
Hidden Chasms. Hidden chasms are one of the
bergs. It is during this season that most of Prazzolar’s
most severe hazards presented by the natural landscape.
wildlife comes out of hibernation; antlered gulca graze
Sometimes, ice and snow crust over chasms, hiding them
on uncovered pastures of lichen and the mountain goats
from view. With enough weight, this crust falls away,
emerge from their cavernous lairs to munch on exposed
causing those above to plummet into the depths below.
moss. Polar bears make their way to the coast to hunt for
Lucky individuals caught in this situation simply die when
fish and seals, occasionally battling it out with territorial
they impact the bottom of the chasm. The unlucky few that
walruses. Although the wind is still cold enough to bite
survive must await cold death in the miles-deep chasms,
into exposed skin, those in cold-weather gear and naturally
or wail in fear as natural predators loom ever closer in the
acclimated creatures can get by just fine. Unfortunately,
semi-translucent ice tunnels. Those who survive a fall into
during both seasons there can be snap freezes where
a chasm and escape with their lives number in the single
temperatures plunge to their lowest limits; unprepared
digits, but are revered by the nomadic communities.
creatures freeze to death in moments.
Thin Ice. Frozen seas, lakes, and rivers are among the
During the dark season, you can only see the sun
more consistent sources of food in Prazzolar. Especially
for brief glimpses during the awfully short days. The
during the dark season when moss and lichen are covered
darkness is accompanied by storms that deposit drifts of
with layers of ice, cutting holes in ice sheets to fish the
snow as tall as a house, or hammer the ice with hailstones
frigid waters beneath is the only way for creatures that
bigger than a human head. The most fearsome blizzards
don’t hibernate to survive. Unfortunately, ice fishing comes
are even capable of spawning gangs of ice mephits,
with the ever-present risk of fracturing the ice sheet that
whose mischievous elemental nature is a bane to nearby
covers the water. Falling into frigid water is a leading cause
humanoid communities. The temperature during the dark
of death in Prazzolar’s nomadic humanoid cultures. Being
season is not survivable. Extra measures have to be taken
mauled by polar bears who view the fishers as intruders is
in order to stave off a slow and desperate death. Most
a close second.
of the nomadic peoples of Prazzolar choose to remain
stationary during the dark season, holding up in valleys
where the wind can’t reach them, and digging up fresh Survival Tactics
lampstone to warm themselves. To survive the cold environment, the denizens of Prazzolar
use a variety of different techniques. Some of these are
Dangers & Survival more dangerous and effective than others, but the people of
Prazzolar do what they must to survive. They have earned a
As well as the inherent dangers the weather and climate
reputation for being somewhat cutthroat and brusque.
presents, inhabitants of Bitingcold’s realm have to deal
Dragon Eggs. All dragon eggs emit significant warmth
with other hazards posed by the environment. The
as they approach hatching. Foolhardy humanoids sneak
methods that humanoids take to avoid these dangers are
into the ice cavern lairs of white dragons who haven’t gone
varied in both method and success rate.
into stasis to loot their hatcheries. Just one dragon egg can
Advancing Glaciers. Glaciers rapidly expand from
provide enough warmth for an entire community to last
the ice pyramids, and without warning. Colossal walls of
the whole dark season, making them an alluring prize. Of
ice encroach onto the snowy tundra, crushing anything in
course, gathering the eggs comes with the immense risk
their path and leaving frozen devastation in their wake.
of sneaking into a dragon’s lair, not to mention the risk
The glaciers’ most dangerous feature is their ability to
of the egg hatching while it’s being used as a heat source.
silently block off escape routes from valleys, and cover
Communities that rely on dragon eggs often have druids
entrances and exits to the ice tunnels rich in lampstone. A
who commune with the eggs each morning and night to
nomadic community deprived of lampstone for even just a
ensure they’re not caught off guard. Some communities
few days is likely doomed.
have even been bold enough to try to tame the hatchlings,
Avalanches. Avalanches are a common occurrence in
with disastrous results.
Prazzolar’s mountainous regions. They are caused by the
Fishing and Foraging. The most common means
realm’s awful weather, but also by capricious yeti with a
of gathering food in Prazzolar is ice fishing and lichen
sinister intelligence. In Prazzolar, the yeti have evolved to
foraging. All of Prazzolar’s humanoid cultures—save for
a point where they show signs of advanced culture. While
the subterranean weretigers—practice ice fishing, and

74 Arora: Age of Desolation

each culture has its own folklore and technique around the
process. Some prefer to fish only during the light season,
lampstone curing or freezing the fish so that it lasts through
the dark season. Other groups fish year-round, braving the
midnight blackness to gather fresh fish. Those who don’t
wish to brave the ice can instead harvest lichen and moss
from beneath the ice, either by digging or by thawing.
Thus far, the lichens and mosses of Prazzolar have resisted
attempts at domestication.
Gulca Rings. When nomadic communities make
camp, they make a ring with their gulca pack beasts to
create a circle of warmth. The beasts’ thick fur prevents
the freezing winds from breaking through to the camps
where the humanoids live their lives. The problem with
gulcas is that they need lichen year-round, which isn’t
always easy to acquire. They also stubbornly refuse to eat
frozen or dried lichen.
Lampstone Mining. Lampstone is a special kind of
quartz that stores heat for a long time. Locals mine fist-sized
pieces of the stone from ice tunnels and charge them in their
campfires. The heat stored within a lampstone lasts several
hours, depending on the size and quality of the stone. Un-
fortunately, lampstone’s ability to store heat rapidly dimin-
ishes with repeated use, meaning that miners soon have to
brave the ice caverns once again. Intelligent predators such
as the bloodthirsty yeti have learned the location of several
lampstone deposits, claiming those areas as their hunting
grounds. It’s rare that a detachment of miners leaves their
community without armed, veteran guards.
Raiding. When times are rough, some of the nomadic
communities turn to raiding and marauding for survival.
Chapter 4: Prazzolar
They might take cured foodstuffs, capture gulca pack
beasts, or even try to cart off lampstone using sleds pulled
by pack dogs. However, some cultures have taken to
raiding as their only method of survival. The worst of these
capture other humanoids to eat when the going gets rough.
The cannibal cultures are abhorred by other humanoids.
Ice-iron Weaponry. Rather than relying solely on
iron for their weaponry, some nomadic cultures mine both
permafrost and iron ore, then smelt it together in an arcane
process that produces ice-iron weapons. These weapons are
incredibly resilient, and far less likely to snap in the cold
of Prazzolar, than their iron counterparts. As long as the
temperature doesn’t rise too high, they’re the best weaponry
available. Some ice-iron weapons are enchanted by nomadic
spellcasters to channel Prazzolar’s hiemal winds, leaving
their victims with frostbitten wounds.
Vehicles and Clothing. Everyone in Prazzolar wears
some kind of cold-weather gear. Most often this is made
from sealskin or goat hide, but some more lavish outfits are
made from polar bear fur and gulca hide. Without cold-
weather gear, humanoids are unlikely to survive long in
the frozen wastes of the realm. In addition to the clothing,
other gear to traverse the tundra is common. Snowshoes
made from large ribs help people cross great drifts, and
crampons made from teeth or iron spikes allow travelers
to travel across the ice sheets with greater ease. As well as
riding antlered gulcas, some nomads have created sleds
and sleighs which are pulled by pack dogs. This method
of locomotion is much faster, but it’s challenging to keep
a pack of dogs fed throughout the dark season when the
goats are hibernating.
75
 Geography
The geography of Prazzolar is mostly unvaried. Much of
the realm is covered in thick layers of ice that flattens the
topography to form a vast frozen plain. This is especially
true in the dark season, when the unbearable cold temper-
atures keep the ice from melting. Thankfully, during the
light season some of the ice thaws, revealing a tundra land-
scape beneath. Much of the ice remains as permafrost, but
that which thaws leaves behind hills and valleys that bear
edible lichen and moss. The landscape is also frequently
changed by the movement of glaciers that roll and grind
across the plain, flattening everything in their wake. These
immense bodies of ice are formed by the magic of the white
dragons, and are released from their pyramid lairs. The
pyramids themselves, and the mountains on which they
stand, are some of the permanent geographies of the realm.
Prazzolar’s mountains are notoriously difficult to ascend,
and are frequently assaulted by magically enhanced hail-
storms and blizzards.
Important Locations
The following sections detail some of the most important
and notable locations in Prazzolar.
Shardcrown Spire
Rising high above the frozen plains of Prazzolar is a
sheer pillar of crystal known as Shardcrown Spire. This
geological formation is capped by a corona of jagged
quartz crystals that gives the feature its name. The
prominent location, rivaled only by the Pinnacle itself, was
chosen by the dragons who did not follow Bitingcold into
stasis as their new seat of governance. These false rulers
have formed an uneasy and treacherous council while
Bitingcold slumbers. The council exerts tyrannical rule
over the realm, though at all times the members fear that
they will be betrayed, or that Rachigyostiv will awaken and
slaughter them all. As a show of good faith, each dragon
that attends the council brings a portion of its hoard,
which is frozen into the sheer sides of the spire, giving it the
appearance of a crowned, glittering scepter. Deep within
the spire sits an ancient icy temple dedicated to the dragon
goddess Jha-dol, making Shardcrown a place of spirituality
for all dragons and dracokin in Prazzolar.
76 Arora: Age of Desolation
History
Before Rachigyostiv went into slumber, Shardcrown
Spire was little more than a landing post for the immense
dragon, where she would roost on occasion to look out
over the frigid plains of her domain. When Bitingcold took
the decision to go into slumber, along with the majority
of Prazzolar’s dragons loyal to her, Shardcrown was
left unattended. Not long after Rachigyostiv went into
stasis, the waking dragons began fighting for dominance
of Prazzolar. After numerous bloody battles and awful
slaughters, it became clear that no single dragon could
control Prazzolar save Rachigyostiv. Seeing their folly, the
pretenders to Bitingcold’s throne decided instead to form
a tyrannical council that would rule over the underlings
of the realm. This unelected council is made up of the
dragons strong enough to exert their will over others,
and is as politically treacherous as any humanoid court
in the wide realms. The new council of pretenders chose
Shardcrown Spire as their headquarters for its prominence,
both physically and spiritually, in Prazzolar.
Since then, Shardcrown Spire has grown considerably.
This is because the pretender council, in order to keep
some level of peace and respect between its members, has
agreed that each dragon involved should add a share of
their hoard to the collective funds when they join. This
donated treasure is frozen into the top of the spire, causing
it to glitter with brilliance. Many of the quartz crystals
at the top of the spire have now been carved into thrones
where the pretender council can rest.
Current Events
Those dragons who foolishly decided not to enter stasis
have paid the price; several of the council members have
recently been infected with Shardscale, which is taking
over their minds and bodies, driving them mad. The infec-
tion has begun to fracture the already dangerously unsta-
ble pretender council, and has even caused the infected
members to fight with their peers and attack humanoid
settlements at random when the accompanying symptoms
of dragonrage manifest.
 Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at the Shardcrown Spire.
Bakrajsafar. As one of the founding members of the
pretender council, Bakrajsafar has already fought off half
a dozen rogue dragons who sought to take her place or dis-
solve the council entirely. While Bakrajsafar is far from a
benevolent being, she wishes to see some order established
in Prazzolar in the wake of Rachigyostiv’s slumber. She
secretly hopes that when Bitingcold finally awakens, she’ll
recognize the work Bakrajsafar has put into ruling the
realm and appoint her as the ruler’s successor. Bakrajsafar
is cold and calculating, and a master manipulator.
Ingryxa. Much like Bakrajsafar, Ingryxa has been
a member of the pretender council since its inception.
However, unlike their peer, they wish to see Rachigyostiv
abandoned and forgotten. They believe that retreating
into slumber is cowardice, and that Bitingcold and all
other dragons who retreated from the realm should be
slaughtered in their sleep.
Grithanin. Grithanin was infected with Shardscale
not long after they joined the council. The maddening
affliction has driven them to become bestial and savage,
causing them to fly into a rage at a moment’s notice. The
other dragons wish to remove them from the council, but
fear Grithanin’s wrath.
Saeroirth. Unlike Grithanin, Saeroirth has only recently
been infected with Shardscale. Saeroirth has a suspicion
that they may have contracted the malady, but are in denial
about it, scared of the reality of the situation. Saeroirth
is now trying to persuade the council to search for a cure,
ostensibly so that Grithanin and Airynenth can be cured.
Airynenth. Airynenth too has contracted Shardscale
and is starting to show obvious symptoms. Airynenth was,
until recently, a stoic and peaceful presence on the council,
who managed to keep the other dragons level-headed.
Their affliction could cause the whole council to fall apart,
leading to anarchy in Prazzolar.
Neikiassys. Having only recently joined the pretender
council, Neikiassys is still testing the waters. They want to
exert some control over their hunting territory and have
some say in the future of the realm, but realize that if they
stand out too much they might be expelled by the other
dragons. Neikiassys is secretly working to steal treasure
from the pyramids.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the
Shardcrown Spire.
Fractured Council. More than half of the
pretender council is currently infected with Shardscale,
and it is sure to spread to the remaining members
before long. The uninfected members of the council
would secretly like the infected dragons to be
eliminated before they can spread the contagion.
However, they are incapable of doing it themselves lest
they risk affliction.
Search for a Cure. Saeroirth is keen to find a cure
for Shardscale. Thus far, their research into the topic
has led nowhere. They’re keen to meet realm travelers
who might have more information.
Chapter 4: Prazzolar
Pyramid of Torment
This fractured draconic pyramid is built into the
mountainside of a perpetually fog-shrouded peak in a
range of deadly mountains, whose sheer cliffs are coated
in slick ice throughout both light and dark seasons. These
mountains, called the South-Rim Mountains, are said to
drive even the most strong-willed individuals into fits of
paranoia and desperation. The Pyramid of Torment was
broken into by inter-realm raiders some decades ago, but
the treasure within was oddly left untouched.
The dragon Cryotelgryx, who slumbers at the pyramid’s
heart, remains in stasis. However, an aberrant entity from
the South-Rim Mountains has attached itself to the dragon’s
mind, and feeds upon its debased nightmares. The dragon’s
psychic torment manifests in and around the pyramid
thanks to the innate magic of the mountains.
History
Several decades ago, a group of adventurers who traveled
throughout the realms sought out this pyramid, hoping to
plunder the treasure from the sleeping dragon within. They
had heard that Cryotelgryx was one of the wealthiest drag-
ons in Prazzolar, and found the frozen dragon’s treasure too
alluring to pass up. When they arrived, they used destructive
magic to blast open one of the pyramid’s faces, opening up a
ragged entrance. Several of the adventurers perished thanks
to magical traps before they reached the treasure-filled inner
sanctum. No one save the adventurers knows why they re-
fused to take the treasure and fled the pyramid, but legends
say that Cryotelgryx awoke for a brief moment and put a
chilling fear into their hearts.
After the failed robbers fled the scene, Cryotelgryx
continued to slumber. However, something else arrived soon
after. The South-Rim Mountains are known to play host to
aberrant beings from the void between the realms. Exactly
how these creatures got to Prazzolar is unknown, but their
eerie moans and piping can be heard throughout the moun-
tain range. These alien aberrations communicate over long
distances using an unknowable psychic network that plants
the seeds of paranoia and desperation in humanoids.
One of these semi-spectral alien beings has attached
itself to the mind of Cryotelgryx, and has begun psychically
tormenting the dragon. It feeds off the dragon’s nightmares,
turning Cryotelgryx’s tortured visions into a twisted reality,
manifesting in and around the Pyramid of Torment. These
visions vary from impossibly abhorrent creatures gruesome
enough to make an ancient dragon shudder, to awful
landscapes whose unnatural features perplex and disturb
even dragons. Humanoids witnessing these creatures stand
almost no chance at retaining their sanity.
"Prazzolar? No thanks. I’m still frozen from my last trip."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
77
 Current Events
During the last dark season, the Pyramid of Torment’s hor-
rors seemed to amplify. The entire mountain range seemed
to manifest Cryotelgryx’s dark dreams. The aberrations
began moving beyond the reaches of the South-Rim
Mountains. Several nearby nomadic communities who had
settled for the season went missing, seemingly wiped off the
face of the realm. The only remnants were the occasional
dismembered limb, stripped of skin. This has earned the
aberrations the nickname of Flesh-Takers. Prazzolar’s
humanoids have become more and more troubled by the
Flesh-Takers and the dreams of the tortured dragon. Many
fear that the next dark season will see the Flesh-Takers
claim a vast swathe of the realm as their own.
This intrusion has drawn the ire of the false ruling
dragon council. This rare unity between the dragons has
given some respite for humanoids as they are distracted
from their usual acts of tyranny. A draconic force has been
called to investigate the Flesh-Takers and what they could
want from the realm. The dragons are keen to rescue
Cryotelgryx from their torment, but don’t want to awaken
the powerful dragon, as they would surely depose the
current tyrants.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in the Pyramid of Torment.
Cryotelgryx. Restlessly slumbering in the heart of the
pyramid is the ancient white dragon Cryotelgryx. They
have been sleeping here since Bitingcold went into stasis,
hoping to outlast the spreading Shardscale infection.
Cryotelgryx has been possessed by the otherworldly
aberration known as The Twisted One. This Flesh-Taker
torments the dragon psychically, causing it to have awful
nightmares that manifest as realities. Cryotelgryx longs
to awaken and take their vengeance upon The Twisted
One, but is unable to do so while the aberration lingers. If
someone were to free the dragon from its tortured slumber,
they would be generously rewarded.
Andreen Grast. Not all of the inter-realm adventuring
party managed to flee the Pyramid of Torment.
Andreen Grast, a warlock dedicated to an
aberrant patron, was caught in a
78 Arora: Age of Desolation
chronomancy trap and has only emerged in recent years.
Grast’s perceptions of reality have since been altered by
the Flesh-Takers, who are trying to construct a dragon-
like body from humanoid corpses for Andreen to inhabit.
The Flesh-Takers wish to instate Andreen as the puppet
ruler of Prazzolar, and believe he must resemble a dragon
in order to successfully rise to power.
Monsters
The following monsters can be found in the Pyramid
of Torment.
The Twisted One. This semi-spectral aberration is an
otherworldly being with an alien intelligence that cannot
be deciphered. It keeps Cryotelgryx in a nightmarish
state of stasis, and won’t willingly release its grasp on the
dragon. Like all Flesh-Takers, it has the awful ability to
warp living flesh into new, twisted forms.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Pyramid
of Torment.
Nightmares Manifest. When the next dark season
comes to pass, the nightmarish manifestations of Cryo-
telgryx worsen. They begin to appear far from the pyra-
mid, and the Flesh-Takers continue to target humanoid
cultures caught in the radius. The council of dragons
decides to send some of their most loyal servants to in-
vestigate the disturbances and free Cryotelgryx from his
tortured sleep, putting the dragons directly in conflict
with the aberrations for the first time.
Dragon of Flesh and Bone. If left unchecked, the
Flesh-Takers capture and mutate enough humanoids to
create a grotesque mockery of a dragon formed from
melded humanoid flesh and bone. Andreen Grast is
melded into the terrible monstrosity, assuming control
of the entire awful construction. The Flesh-Takers
emerge from the South-Rim Mountains and strike
out with the flesh-warped dragon toward Shardcrown
Spire, eager to claim Prazzolar for themselves.
 Titanic Glyphs
At the base of the Frostspurs, a craggy stretch of gla-
cial mountains, is a flat expanse of tundra that has been
sheltered from the worst of Prazzolar’s destructive weath-
er. Here, scribed into this icy plain, are a dozen glyphs
etched into a tessellating pattern on the ground. Each of
these cryptic symbols is over a thousand feet in diame-
ter, and each depicts a different kind of creature native
to Prazzolar; albatross, bear, char, cod, dog, goat, gulca,
orca, penguin, seal, vulture, and walrus. It’s impossible to
discern a particular glyph’s shape while standing adjacent
to it—they are best observed from the nearby mountains
on a clear day rather than down among the cramped works
of art. The exact origin of these glyphs is unknown to the
majority of the realm’s denizens—certainly all of the wak-
ing ones. Despite plentiful snowfall throughout the year,
the glyphs are never filled in or covered up. Some strange
magic preserves them.

History
Long before Prazzolar’s first mortal communities began
their hard ways of life, and further back than any waking
dragon can remember, there was another species of crea-
tures inhabiting Prazzolar. Other than slumbering dragons
with good memories, the only records of these people are
the cave paintings of the weretigers, whose artistic de-
pictions paints them as tall, slender creatures somewhat
similar to the yeti that walk the realm today. These ‘long
folk’—as the weretigers call them—resided in the moun-
tains of Prazzolar, living their lives in relative solitude in
the ice caves and tunnels. Many long folk belonged to an
animist culture that venerated natural spirits that are said
to have taken animal forms to communicate with them.
These titanic glyphs were an expression of zealous devotion
to the spirits, who can still manifest within them should
they choose.
Cultures
The titanic glyphs are the only remnants of a long-
lost culture of so-called long folk who once lived in the
mountain caves of Prazzolar. Eventually, with the creation
of other people and the persistent yeti raids, the long
folk died off, leaving only the glyphs behind. Not much is
known of the long folk cultures, but certainly one of them
followed an animistic religion.
Current Events
Although the spirits have laid dormant for centuries, if not
longer, there is some indication that they are starting to
return. Some claim the glyphs can be seen moving when
moonlight hits them during the dark season, and others
feel they have a connection to the place that they never
previously experienced.
The truth is that the ancient spirits of Prazzolar the
glyphs symbolize have indeed awoken once more. Their
awakening comes in response to the spreading Shardscale
that now threatens the realm by infecting the pretender
council. These ancient spirits have little power in the world
now, but still retain the ancient knowledge of the realm
before the name Prazzolar was ever uttered, when the
realm was part of Old Arora before the Great Abjuration.
With their help, invested characters might be able to
unlock clues that could lead to discovery of the Shardscale’s
true nature and curing the dragons and dracokin of the
Shardscale infection.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Titanic Glyphs.
Strange Visitor. Those who frequent the glyphs speak
of a strange visitor who has been coming to the massive
works of art of late. They don’t know who the visitor is,
as the stranger is always careful to cover themselves with
thick furs and a hooded cloak. Some of the more super-
stitious glyph watchers are nervous that this individual
seeks to interfere with the ancient symbols in some way,
and want them investigated. The stranger is, in fact, a
weretiger of the Bubbling Grotto spring named Steam.
They’re one of the few weretigers who explore the surface
world in search of artistic inspiration. They’ve been visit-
ing the glyphs to sketch them, but also feel they’re making
a deeper connection to the spirits they represent.
A Shot at a Cure. The ancient wisdom of the spirits
is immeasurable. There’s a slim chance that they
might be able to bestow insights on invested characters
relating to the true nature or a potential cure for the
Shardscale infection.

Chapter 4: Prazzolar 79
 Frozen Behemoth
In western Prazzolar, a creature dwarfing even the largest
of Prazzolar’s dragons is entombed in a block of ice. Even
the dragons do not know its origin, and there are rumors
that some of the realm’s people have a telepathic psychic
link to it. It is a mystery, but one that cannot be missed if
traveling near it.
Those who feel they have a connection to the behemoth
are drawn to the frozen corpse like moths to a flame, and have
built a permanent settlement around the frozen block of ice
in which it is entombed. These individuals call themselves
the Speakers of the Beast, and claim that the behemoth is not
dead. Rather, they claim it is a living creature that wishes to
be set free, so that it might help the humanoids throw off the
yoke of the dragons and find their freedom. The behemoth
looks something like a cross between a wooly rhino and a
monkey, with thick horns and tusks, obsidian-black claws,
greasy hair, and a prehensile tail.
History
Long before living memory, in a time before Jha-Dhol
remade parts of Arora into the Five Realms during the
Great Abjuration, and long before the original dragons
arrived in Old-Arora from Terradraca, a part of that
old world was a prison. This frozen region of Old-Arora
was used as a place for the gods to incarcerate beings so
powerful that they could not be killed, destroyed, or willed
out of existence—only imprisoned. At one time, there were
many such behemoths scattered across Prazzolar, frozen
into the ice like artifacts in a museum. When the realms
were shattered and twisted, many of these were scattered
across the space between the realms or destroyed entirely.
This behemoth, known to the humanoids of Prazzolar as
The Beast, is the only one left in the realm that has been
discovered. Its true name is Buvujax the Bloodthresher, a
demon lord of unfathomable power.
When Buvujax was first entombed, its psyche folded
into itself as a form of self-preservation. For untold eons it
rested, frozen into the realm itself. Only when it realized
that humanoids had found the realm did it finally see a
chance for freedom.
Cultures
The nomadic tribes that have formed a telepathic con-
nection with Buvujax the Bloodthresher now worship the
demon as a god. They know Buvujax simply as The Beast;
often said with a tone of sorrow or lament. They believe that
it is an innocent creature, an avatar of the natural world
caught in the ice. They see The Beast’s imprisonment as a
metaphor for the whole realm of Prazzolar—it is entombed
in the same way that the mosses are entombed by fresh
sheets of ice each dark season. The Beast longs to be free
in the same way the lichen strives to grow up through thick
drifts of snow in the light season. If only nature could break
free of the realm’s icy grip, the humanoids would be free.
These ‘enlightened’ individuals call themselves the Speakers
of the Beast, as they spread word of the creature far and
wide, always returning to Buvujax’s icy prison before the
80 Arora: Age of Desolation
dark season comes. These people are fanatically devoted to
the behemoth, and do everything they can to free it. Their
Sisyphean struggle to free The Beast from the ice has not
stopped them from recruiting others to their cause, and now
individuals who have no telepathic connection to The Beast
have joined the community and are helping with the task.
They dig at and melt the ice around the behemoth in the
hopes of freeing it.
Current Events
As the Speakers of the Beast have swollen their numbers,
they appear to have been able to make some, slow progress
in releasing Buvujax the Bloodthresher from its eternal
prison. Hundreds of people work tirelessly at the block of
ice, and while the ice always freezes back, it seems as if,
inch by inch, they’re getting closer to The Beast’s flesh.
Buvujax knows that once it can make physical contact with
one of its devoted, the process will be expedited, as it will
be able to pass some of its demonic powers to its chosen.
This might enable the summoning of abyssal fire, or bestow
the strength of a thousand demonic hordes. At that point,
Buvujax’s release is all but guaranteed.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at the Frozen Behemoth.
Dodra, Open Speaker. The leader of the Speakers of
the Beast is a zealous woman named Dodra. She is truly
dedicated to unlocking The Beast from its icy cage, which
she sees as a perfect example of the oppressiveness of this
realm, and of the dragons that rule it. She is telepathically
connected to Buvujax, and eats up his lies with greed. She
relishes in the respect of her role of Open Speaker, and has
previously ruthlessly put down those who questioned her
authority. The Bloodthresher, of course, encourages her
pitiless behavior.
Amber Hestia. Amber is Dodra’s right-hand woman.
Amber is a skilled mage with a terrifying mastery of
pyromancy. She’s capable of both summoning and
controlling fire, a particularly dangerous and valuable skill
in a realm of ice. There are very few within the community
who would stand up to her, and her belief in the Open
Speaker only makes Dodra’s hold over the community
stronger. While Amber has no direct connection to
Buvujax, the demon sometimes gives Dodra messages to
pass on to her.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventure is linked to the Frozen Behemoth.
End the Cult. There are many throughout Prazzolar
that would like to ensure Buvujax the Bloodthresher
remains encased in its eternal ice prison. Not least of
these is the pretender council, who see the Speakers of
the Beast as a serious threat to the stability of the realm.
It’s clear to them that the Speakers no longer care for
draconic rule of Prazzolar.

Bubbling Grotto
Hidden deep in the ice tunnels and caves of Prazzolar are
numerous weretiger enclaves, built around geothermal
springs that provide warmth to the isolated communities.
Many weretigers’ springs are places of luxury. Fungi and
moss grow easily down in the warm, damp caverns, where
it’s far easier for the weretigers to survive than surface-
dwelling humanoids. Furthermore, the precious minerals
and metals beneath the ice are easier to access and mine,
allowing for thriving capitalist societies to exist. Of course,
there are many weretigers who shun this particular
economic system, preferring to live simpler lives outside the
busier springs.
The Bubbling Grotto is one of the largest weretiger
springs. It places a high value on art and music—cave
painters and instrumentalists are the wealthiest members
of society here.
History
Exactly when the Bubbling Grotto was founded is not clear;
the weretigers of Prazzolar don’t have the same penchant
for chronicling as other humanoid cultures. The spring’s
founding has been deeply mythologized. The legend says
that when the first generation of humanoids hatched from
Bitingcold’s eggs, a handful were born with lycanthropy.
However, as they explored the surrounding frozen realm,
they began to die in the awful conditions of the surface
world. Fearing that they would be wiped out, the most tal-
ented weretiger performers wrote a lamenting song to per-
form for Rachigyostiv. When the dragon heard their song,
she was so moved that her frozen heart melted for a mo-
ment, causing warm tears to flow from her eyes. These tears
melted through the tundra and ice and gathered beneath
the surface in warm pools of bubbling water. The weretigers
were spared because of their profoundness, and allowed to
live beneath the ground by the warm pools. Further layers
of myth have been added to this origin story over the years,
meaning that many of the weretiger cultures now believe
that they are the chosen of Rachigyostiv, and will inherit the
dragon’s riches when she awakens from stasis.
Chapter 4: Prazzolar
Cultures
The Bubbling Grotto’s weretiger culture is dedicated to
cultural expression and emotional intelligence, and puts a
lot of faith in the myths and legends of its people. Many of
the weretigers here believe that they are the chosen people
of Rachigyostiv, and that the other humanoid cultures
who are forced to dwell on the surface of Prazzolar have
been forsaken by the dragon. Unfortunately, this leads to
xenophobic attitudes in the most devoted members of the
grotto’s society, even if the average weretiger only feels a
slight sense of superiority to other cultures. The emphasis
on artwork and performance in this spring means that the
wealthiest members of society tend to be talented in those
fields. Evidence for their love of music and art can be clear-
ly seen throughout the subterranean settlement.
Current Events
Recently, the subterranean hot springs throughout
Prazzolar have been struggling with kobold raiders. The
dragons are some of the few that know of the springs, and
they’re not keen to let anyone get away with dodging their
tithe commitments. While dragaur have the imposing
presence to harass surface communities, they’re far too
large to effectively navigate the subterranean world.
Instead, the pretender council (and other dragons) have
been sending ‘elite’ gangs of kobolds to infiltrate the
weretiger springs and steal whatever treasures they can
gather from the places. As Bubbling Grotto is the largest
of the springs, it has been heavily targeted. Unfortunately,
there’s little the weretigers can do to stop it. They know
that they need to pay the tithe lest they invoke the dragons’
ire, and they don’t want to do anything that might
jeopardize their future relationship with Bitingcold.
That said, the leaders of Bubbling Grotto haven’t
simply been allowing the kobolds to make off with
whatever they like. The weretigers have created donation
troves where members of the community are encouraged
to donate their unwanted treasures. These obvious targets
are too good for the kobolds to ignore, and thus they often
end up making off with less valuable treasure than they
might otherwise have stolen.
81
 Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at the Bubbling
Grotto spring.
Ripples Wateredge. Ripples is the cultural leader of
the Bubbling Grotto spring. They’re part of an artistic
group called the Strokes of Destiny that aim to portray
the incredible future of the weretigers through art. Their
masterpieces have earned them both fortune and fame.
Without entirely meaning to they became the leader of
Bubbling Grotto, but have found the role comes naturally
to them. Like many others from the weretiger springs,
they’re slow to trust outsiders, fearing they might reveal the
lycanthropes’ secrets to the surface dwellers.
Echoes Icelorn. Echoes is the most notable artist in
Bubbling Grotto. Although they don’t have the political
clout of Ripples, Echoes is noteworthy because they receive
inspired visions from Bitingcold—or so they claim. Over
the years Echoes has sculpted many incredible ice dioramas
depicting the future of the weretigers. Many of these show
the weretigers receiving the bounty of Prazzolar, gifted to
them by Rachigyostiv upon her awakening. There’s some
debate as to whether these inspired images do indeed come
from Rachigyostiv, or whether Echoes simply claims that to
be the case to increase their fame.
Monsters
The following monsters can be found in and around the
Bubbling Grotto.
Rimeworms. The hideous rimeworms melt their way
through the subterranean solid ice. These worm-like
monstrosities have many-flanged mouthparts that exude
a nauseating heat and can slough flesh from the bone of
any unfortunate creature that gets caught in their maws.
They’re the bane of the springs’ farms.
Kobold Thieves. Stealthier and deadlier than their
conventional cousins, these white-scaled sneaks blend
in perfectly with the ice and are entirely soundless when
walking over frozen ground. They sneak into the springs,
especially Bubbling Grotto, to steal a tithe for their
dragon masters.
82 Arora: Age of Desolation
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the
Bubbling Grotto.
Disturbed Artist. Recently, Echoes’s sculptures
have taken on a different bent. Rather than depicting
the utopian future of the spring cultures, they’ve been
contorted and disturbed. What none of the weretigers
realize is that this is because Echoes’s visions come from
Cryotelgryx, not Rachigyostiv, who is currently being
warped and manipulated by The Twisted One. Whether
the previous dreams of weretiger ascension were true is
still unclear, but it’s obvious to anyone who’s seen the
nightmare horrors manifesting around the Pyramid of
Torment that Echoes is sculpting them from ice.
The Long Folk. Some of the original inhabitants
hatched from Rachigyostiv’s eggs in Prazzolar were
a species of tall, slender humanoids known as the
‘long folk’. These creatures disappeared long before
any others established themselves in Prazzolar, but
elements of their history can still be found scattered
throughout the realm. The weretigers have done the
most research into the long folk, and many famous
artists have tried to decipher their history through
artistic portrayal. Any more information about the
long folk is highly desirable.
Diminishing Tithe. The weretigers of Bubbling
Grotto are starting to come to their wits’ ends about the
kobold raids. They’ve thrown away enough of their un-
wanted goods now that the kobolds are starting to take
genuinely valuable items, not just worthless trinkets, and
they look to their leaders for guidance. Anyone who can
protect the spring from the kobolds, find some other
treasure to keep them distracted, or otherwise peaceful-
ly deter the dragon servants will be rewarded.

Rimeworn Vale
The most populous and permanent surface settlement for
Prazzolar’s humanoids sits in a sheltered valley created by
glacial activity. This mountain-fenced town sports a river
rich with fish, shelter from the harshest storms thanks to
the surrounding peaks, and a bartering economy where
artisans and crafters can swap their goods for much-
needed supplies. It’s a bustling place, but pays for this level
of activity dearly at times.
Rimeworn Vale has been attacked more and more
frequently of late by the dangerous yeti, maddened
Shardscale-infected dragons, and depraved cannibals, and
also draws the attention of the dragaur; servants of the
dragons who aim to maintain draconic rule by imposing
heavy taxation on any treasures that Rimeworn Vale might
have amassed. Although the people that live here are still
desperately clinging to life, there’s a much greater chance
they’ll make it through the next dark season than the
nomads who travel across the frozen plains. However, the
nomads have the advantage of being able to leave an area
when the going gets tough, while residents of Rimeworn
Vale are forced to stick it out.
History
Rimeworn Vale’s valley was exposed by a moving glacier
only around a century ago. When the ice rolled away, it
opened up a river that flows into the ocean, creating an
extremely fertile region. Lichen grew out in wide swathes
around the river, and the waters teem with fish. When one
of the nomadic cultures happened upon the spot, they were
delighted to discover that, when the light season ended, the
river did not entirely freeze over. This meant that the place
was habitable year-round, without needing to stockpile
immense quantities of resources. The antlered gulcas could
graze on the lichen, humanoids could fish the river, and
the valley is offers protection from the worst weather. Soon
ice-block houses were being built, and then stone buildings,
thanks to the work of the Stoneshapers. The founding
families of Rimeworn Vale can still be found there today,
even though none of the original founders are still alive.
As the decades passed, news of Rimeworn Vale spread
throughout Prazzolar, until its existence became common
knowledge. Many nomadic people chose to leave that
traditional way of life and settle in the community, though
others found the place too claustrophobic, or struggled
with the thought of being dependent upon a single patch of
land, and left soon after arriving. Eventually though, the
community grew to a respectable size.
Now Rimeworn Vale can truly be called a town, as it
supports several thousand individuals year-round. Unfortu-
nately, 50 years ago, Bitingcold’s regional effects raged out of
control and spread across Prazzolar. At this point, the river
froze over year-round once more, making life in Rimeworn
Vale far less comfortable than it used to be. Some folk have
remained and continue to cut holes to ice fish, but they run
the risk of falling in if the ice cracks or a hungry Plesiosaurus
attacks. More and more of the town’s inhabitants are choos-
ing to take up nomadic lifestyles once again.
Chapter 4: Prazzolar
Cultures
The people that live in Rimeworn Vale come from a variety
of different cultures across Prazzolar, making it a diverse
and inclusive place. Although many have different outlooks
on life, there are some rules that Valefolk adhere to. First,
no murder outside of duels. Second, no theft from or abuse
of other members of the community. Third, no betrayals
of the community to dragons or their servants. There is an
elected council that tries to uphold these laws with a small
militia, but the fledgling community is often a place of strife
and lawlessness. Despite that, the vale is safer place to live
than Prazzolar’s frozen wilds; still, the ice encroaches on the
town. Life might be cheap out in the frozen waste, but in
Rimeworn Vale it’s sacred.
Stoneshapers. The Stoneshapers, an order of master
masons and stone-magic practitioners, work in the caves
surrounding Rimeworn Vale. They read the patterns of
erosion in the ancient cave walls to help direct erosion in
controlled, safe directions. With an innate understanding
of stresses and precisely placed blows of hammer, chisel,
and spellcraft, a Stoneshaper can carve off great slabs of
stone along the interior walls of the caves, leaving large and
spacious chambers and connecting tunnels behind when
the rubble is cracked and cleared. Their work is often used
to build and repair the stone housing in Rimeworn Vale.
Current Events
Unfortunately for Rimeworn Vale, yeti attacks are on the
rise. These creatures lair in the nearby ice tunnels and
caves where the miners extract lampstone. The yeti have
devised a new tactic where they cause avalanches to trap
the miners in the tunnels, digging them up afterward
when the yetis feel hungry. At least, that’s what most of the
community thought was occurring until recently. Over the
past season, the community has spotted symbols of frozen
blood pasted onto the walls of the ice caves, indicating a
sinister intelligence in the yetis that was previously unheard
of. Exactly what the symbols mean, and why the yetis are
creating them, is still unknown.
As well as increased yeti attacks, and the disturbing
discovery of the blood symbols, Rimeworn Vale has
increasingly become the target of dragaur and kobold
‘inspections.’ These events are effectively raids, where
the servants of the realm’s dragons come to extort a tithe
from the Valefolk. The dragaur are keen to remind the
humanoids who is in charge of Prazzolar, and won’t allow
the settlement to grow too large without paying a tribute to
their overlords. Recently, dracokin involved in these raids
have been showing signs of Shardscale themselves—small
multicolored crystals growing from within their bodies and
protruding through their scales.
"Symbols of blood? Portents of horror they are."
- Jhakith Pythalia Jufert
83

Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Rimeworn Vale.
Ses Buknotsk. Mayoress Buknotsk holds herself
personally responsible for the fate of Rimeworn Vale. Her
ancestors were some of the first to settle in the valley, and
she’s done all she can to make their dream a reality. She’s
a hard woman, even bordering on uncaring when it comes
to matters that don’t directly concern her community,
but she’s fiercely protective over Rimeworn Vale and does
everything in her power to keep it safe.
Bif Moldabau. Although there’s no single, unifying
religion in Rimeworn Vale, Seer Bif is considered the
spiritual leader by most. Bif has an uncanny oracular
ability that allows them to glimpse the future, though the
interpretation of their visions requires much effort which
keeps them busy. While not all of Bif’s interpretations of
their visions have been correct, many assume they have an
important insight into the future.
Adgo Revrim. Chieftain Revrim is the head of the
town’s militia, who are responsible for doing what they
can to uphold law and order within the settlement, and
to defend Rimeworn Vale from monstrous intruders and
raiders. He is also a standing member of the Stoneshapers.
Despite their dangerous responsibility, Adgo is an
extremely caring and kind-hearted individual. That said,
you certainly wouldn’t want to get on his wrong side.
Calalaqii. Calalaqii is a hardened leader among the
Stoneshapers. Her only focus is ensuring the safety of Praz-
zolar’s humanoid population. To that end, she has long pro-
moted the idea of seeking out the greatest stone formations
in the icy tundra beyond Rimeworn Vale to use as other per-
manent settlements. By carving tunnels and passages down
where the rocky roots of the realm extend deep beneath the
snow and ice, she hopes that the days of nomadic ice-block
house enclaves and scattered stoneholds will someday be
done, but she has so far had little support for her dream.
84 Arora: Age of Desolation
Monsters
The following monsters can be found in or around
Rimeworn Vale.
Yetis. The yetis that haunt the ice tunnels and caves
around Rimeworn Vale are more intelligent than they
had previously shown. Some believe that the yetis have
mastered a twisted form of blood magic, or are at least
working to that end. This is not far from the truth. Buvujax
the Bloodthresher has made a psychic connection with
the abominable leaders of the yeti packs, enabling them
to use abyssal magic with humanoid blood as a material
component.
Dragaur. These white-scaled, reptilian, centaur-like
creatures are the most dangerous servants of Prazzolar’s
dragon rulers. Their immense size and thick scales make
them formidable foes, and the aura of freezing air that they
emit makes them almost impossible for regular humanoids
to mount a defense against. They come to extract tithes from
Rimeworn Vale on a regular basis, and are often able to
force the settlement’s leaders into obedience.
Plesiosaurus. Enormous aquatic dinosaurs lurk
beneath the frozen surface of the river and the nearby lake.
The natural predators are often content hunting schools of
fish and other aquatic life. However, if they get the chance
to feast upon humanoids instead, they happily take on the
hunt. Plesiosaurus are unmatched for speed and agility in
the water, and can easily snap up an unlucky fisher.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Rimeworn Vale.
Yeti Defense. Yeti attacks are the most pressing
issue for Rimeworn Vale. Although no one understands
the true danger the yetis pose, they are still a major
threat to the settlement because they’re preventing the
miners of Rimeworn Vale from extracting lampstone.
Mayoress Buknotsk is paying highly for each yeti head
brought to the town.
Rampant Raids. Over the past few seasons, the
cannibal raiders of the frozen wastes have been trying
their luck against the vale’s defenses. While they’re
typically seen off by the militia, Chieftain Revrim
would like to take the fight to the raiders. Adgo has
sent scouts out to track the cannibals in the hope that
they can be lured into a trap and killed.
Bad Harvests. Last light season, Rimeworn Vale’s
harvests were especially poor due to the worsening
conditions caused by Rachigyostiv’s regional effects.
The Valefolk struggled to gather and preserve enough
to keep them going for the coming dark season, and
are already starting to feel the squeeze. Thankfully,
Seer Bif has had a vision of bounty. They’re not
entirely sure where the supplies will come from, but
have a feeling it’s connected to the titanic glyphs on
the other side of Prazzolar. They’re eager to employ
explorers to investigate their vision. If followed up,
there’s a chance that the spirits of the glyphs manifest
and send a bounty of fish to Rimeworn Vale.

The Umbral Sea
The eastern portion of Prazzolar abuts the Umbral Sea.
Although the water here is frozen over in most places, those
brave enough to chance the dangerous frozen waters can find
fish and other aquatic life for food, oil, and other resources.
History
The magic unleashed during the Dragonrage mutated a
pack of sea lions into humanoids called otarites.
With the unleashing of the Dragonrage, islands of pure
lampstone rose to the surface of the Umbral Sea. The islands
are within view of the mainland shore, but a white mist often
obscures them from closer inspection, making reaching
them all the more deadly.
Current Events
Recently, a group of brave—or foolish—miners called the
Mist-steppers have undertaken an expedition out to the
lampstone islands to investigate just how much of the precious
material they could mine. However, so far this has not gone
to plan as a local tribe of otarites constantly raid and hamper
the group’s mainland encampment, halting any progress for
reaching the mist-concealed islands. The miners are yet to set
foot on any of the islands.
Notable NPC
The following NPC can be found in or around the Umbral Sea.
Snaggergorth. The leader of the Mist-steppers
expedition is a stout fellow. He is a charismatic dreamer,
with visions of grandeur that often lead him, and those
who follow him, astray. He has a deep hatred for the
otarites and is at his wits end with the trouble they have
caused. He’ll likely cancel the expedition if the otarites do
not cease their constant raiding over the next few weeks.
Monsters
The following monsters can be found in or around the
Umbral Sea.
Otarites. These seal-folk remembered being hunted
by the inhabitants of Prazzolar when they were in their
original form. This ancestral memory has nutured a deep
hatred of humanoids and dragons alike.
Chapter 4: Prazzolar
Adventure Ideas
The following adventure is linked to the Umbral Sea
An Otarite Problem. Snaggergorth, the leader
of the Mist-steppers based at the eastern shoreline of
Prazzolar, has a problem with the local otarite tribes
raiding the Mist-stepper camp. This has seen his
expedition to the mist-covered lampstone islands in the
Umbral Sea be delayed multiple times. Snaggergorth
needs a solution: a fair peace treaty or complete
eradication of the otarite tribes are both acceptable.
Interplanar Rifts
There is only one discovered rift that provides passage to
and from the icy realm of Prazzolar.
The Icy Crossing
North of the Frostspurs is the interplanar rift tear
connecting Prazzolar to the desert-torn blue dragon
realm of Gallaht. The underground portal is accessed via
a subterranean passage created by no known creature
or natural force. This secret passage is known by the few
locals in the area as the Icy Crossing. It consists of a large,
circular tunnel that descends gradually into the earth. The
interplanar rift hums with power at the end of the mile-
long tunnel, ice and sand mixing in equal parts.
The tunnel is considered difficult terrain due to the
frosty layer of ice coating the tunnel’s floor. Its 40-foot
diameter also means that even the largest dragon can make
the passage with relative ease.
While the travel is difficult, other dangers also make
trips through the Icy Crossing hazardous. Humanoid
corpses from ages predating the dragons are trapped
within the ice surrounding the tunnel. The spirits of these
unfortunates, as well as their remains, sometimes attack
those passing through the tunnel. Creatures of elemental
cold also use the passage as an ambush point.
See the Between Worlds section in Chapter 9
– Running the Game for more information.
85
86 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 5:
Tievmer

T ievmer was Arora’s beating green heart. Lush, strong

forests of all types covered its hills, valleys, mountains,
and coasts. Rare plants, prized for their medicinal prop-
erties, were carefully harvested and sent to all corners of
Arora, improving the lives of the dracokin and humanoids
alike. That was a time before the Shardscale, before the
Age of Desolation.
Now the forests grow thick, twisted, and exceptionally
tall, and while they still thrive, casual observation reveals a
sickness, pervasive in the realm. Tievmer is roughly divided
into regions based on the type of forest that blankets the
land. The northern boreal forests and mountains have come
to collectively be called the Frost Fangs. Tievmer’s midland,
thick with deciduous trees, is the Sorrow Woods. Further
south, in the sweltering lowlands lies the jungles of the Ver-
dant Furnace and the gnarled, protruding mangrove roots of
the coastal Fell Barricades. Everywhere, a heavy, sorrowful
feeling seeps, causing melancholy and profound grief in the
dracokin. The spirit of the land mourns the loss of Tievmer’s
vibrant past. The despair clinging to the choked flora has
almost strangled all hope of Tievmer’s restoration.
Any truths concerning Saihan, the realm’s ruling drag-
on, and Tievmer’s past have been lost to the centuries. In
their frantic search for a Shardscale cure when the Drag-
onrage first struck, Saihan’s dracokin seized most scholarly
writings. Over time, nearly all books and scrolls were taken
to be examined by Saihan. The peoples of Tievmer were
forced to rely on oral tradition, small paintings, word carv-
ings and motifs worked into their clothing and dwellings,
for their history. Thus, the true nature of Shardscale is
poorly understood by most of Tievmer.

87
 Folktales mention the time before the dragon
apocalypse, when Tievmer was a land of plenty. Taking
such abundant food and natural resources for granted, the
tales warn that the inhabitants became greedy, forgetting
the old ways of an honorable harvest. Some areas were
clearcut, farms were established, and large cities grew.
This progress is what some tales say caused the Shardscale
and the blight upon the land. Saihan, enraged over the
Shardscale affliction, focused their ire on the subjects
they had allowed to live in Tievmer. Local leaders were
devoured and the healers were taken hostage, forced to
search for a cure. Unable to end the malady, the healers
were eaten for their failures.
As the Shardscale spread, Saihan and their followers
sacked the land. Almost all settlements were razed and the
captured valuables were examined for any trace property
that would slow or cure Saihan’s Shardscale. The land
began to show signs of sickness as well, mirroring the slow
spread of Shardscale across the great green dragon.
At the onset, the changes to the land were slow and
almost imperceptible. In the early years following the
dragon apocalypse, careful observers may have noted
discolored spots on foliage, or small pockets of stunted
seedlings. Any who may have taken notice were far
88 Arora: Age of Desolation
too concerned with sheltering from Saihan’s wrath or
appeasing the dragon’s demands.
Over many generations, evidence mounted that some
force was warping the land. Acres of cleared pasture
were rapidly reclaimed by the forests. The grass was
overtaken by choke weed, which spread at an alarming
rate. Those tending the fields were unable to keep up
with the weeding, and attempts to clear the fields with
controlled burns were rewarded with the explosive
growth of tangled, knotted brambles, which bore no
edible fruit. Amidst the tangled weeds and razor-sharp
brambles, deformed trees began to grow, their canopies
thickening and casting considerable shade on the
ground below. However, this lack of light did not hinder
the spread of weeds, vines, or brambles and the process
repeated itself across Tievmer’s former farmlands.
Tievmer’s agriculture collapsed entirely in the first two
hundred years after the dragon apocalypse. Settlements
grew smaller and communities were forced to become
hunter-gatherers, for survival. Many tribes became nomad-
ic, roaming the vast and diverse forests in search of a better
life, but none would be found. Presently, Tievmer has been
completely corrupted, the land blighted as the Shardscale
affliction has taken hold of Saihan.
 Ruling Dragon
Saihan, often called Venom Tongue, the ancient green
dragon, has lived in the forests of Tievmer for millennia.
The first true dragon hatchling of Tievmer’s original ruler,
Senogar the Wilting Wind, Saihan survived their younger
years with ferocious ambushes and cunning manipulations.
Saihan’s control over parts of the forest grew in proportion
to the dragon’s size.
After some centuries, Saihan had gained a firm grip
on the temperate forests of Tievmer. Pale, green fog
materialized and drifted through the woods and Saihan
began attracting followers willing to do their bidding,
hoping to garner favor from the ambitious dragon. No
longer content to bow to their mother, Saihan enacted
an insidious plot to slay and overthrow Senogar. Perched
upon the ruined corpse of Tievmer’s former ruler, Saihan’s
attention quickly turned to their newly acquired chattel.
The cunning Saihan began subjugating the people of
Tievmer. There was more to be gained through harsh
discipline and obedience than indiscriminate slaughter.
One of the dragon’s favorite, devious methods of ensuring
subordination was to kidnap the children of village leaders.
In exchange for not devouring the captives, villages were
expected to pay regular tributes, rapidly growing Saihan’s
treasure hoard. All the while the dragon delighted in
breaking the will and corrupting the hearts of their cap-
tives. As village leaders advanced in age and gradually lost
power, Saihan would return the enslaved, proclaiming the
once hostages as the new village leaders. The new leaders
preached stories of Saihan’s benevolence, indoctrinat-
ing their communities with Saihan’s poisoned teachings.
Within a generation Saihan wrested control of all Tievmer
and all but ensured there would never be an insurrection
against the mighty dragon.
With Saihan’s plans complete, the dragon settled into
their lair, content to be worshiped and accept their subjects’
lavish tributes. In accordance with Jha-dhol’s decree,
Saihan, as one of the five ruling true dragons, contributed
assets and energy to maintain the Great Abjuration.
Centuries passed, wealth continued to flow into the lair,
and Saihan did not have to shake a scale to maintain the
carefully planned order of Tievmer. During this relatively
peaceful time, communities grew, agriculture spread and
the entire realm prospered. The Dragonrage heralded the
beginning of Tievmer’s dark days.
In one instant, everything changed. At the onset of the
Dragonrage, Saihan sensed other dragons going feral and
felt a subtle change begin in themself. Saihan was losing
control and sensed a failing in the Great Abjuration.
Upon noticing the first, tiny blemish of Shardscale, the
vain dragon attempted to hide and ignore the deformity.
The years crept by and so crept the branching lines of
taint and imperfection. In a fury, Saihan demanded their
followers produce a cure and spat venomous retribution on
those failing to yield results. Ferocious rage can be expect-
ed from a prideful, ancient dragon whose appearance has
been marred, but what are they capable of when their
mind begins to crack, weakened by the insidious Shard-
scale incursion?
Chapter 5: Tievmer
Denizens of Tievmer
Many denizens of Tievmer scavenge and hunt for survival.
They keep to the dark gloom, battling the melancholy of
the realm as much as the land and monsters within it.
Corrupted Animals. Saihan’s influence over small
beasts has grown with the Shardscale affliction. These
animals have grown sharp thorns, twisted vines, and
patches of bark protruding from their fur or between
feathers. Claws and beaks are sometimes replaced with
living wood. Succumbing to the madness emanating from
Saihan, Tievmer’s beasts tend to be aggressive. It is well
known that corrupted animals can be Saihan’s eyes and
ears and intelligent races attempt to hide from, or rapidly
dispatch these beasts in the hopes of avoiding unwanted
attention from the tyrannical dragon.
Dracokin. The dracokin of Tievmer, though subjects
of Saihan, are all descendants of the original ruling drag-
on, Senogar, though very few alive today know this fact.
Most serve the dragon in all of its vein attempts and am-
bitions, though there are a few across the realm that tread
their own path through the forest, serving no master.
Worshiping the mighty Saihan, groups of kobolds
have taken up residence in many of the ruins of former
settlements, destroyed by the dragon. To the kobolds, these
sites are sacred, representing the divinity of the dragon.
They tunnel beneath the ruins, creating minor hoards with
trinkets and baubles they find. Numerous kobolds serve
Saihan directly, running errands, cleaning, organizing
treasure, and fulfilling any number of other minor tasks
without hesitation.
Dryads. The twisted corruption of the forests of
Tievmer have driven away many dryads and ensnared
others. The last bastion of true dryads is the Sequoia
Grove in the Frost Fangs. The dryad population focus their
energy on repelling the Shardscale’s influence from the
borders of the grove. In other areas, unfortunate dryads
have been trapped and twisted, bent and corrupted like
the trees they are tied to. These fey creatures have turned
malevolent and lash out at all living creatures passing near
to their trees.
Fey. The twisting of the land occasionally opens portals
to the fey realm, attracting evil faerie creatures to the
corrupted forests of Tievmer. Reveling in the dark, twisted
forests, these fey chant prayers to the Shardscale stricken
Saihan. The indigenous peoples of Tievmer have learned
to look for the presence of the evil fey to avoid becoming a
victim to their malice.
Flora. In the gloom beneath the blanketing canopy,
some sickly varieties of plants cling to life, leeching barely
enough nutrients from nearby roots to grow. Many species
of plants have become carnivorous and in an instance of
cruel irony, most edible varieties of plants were affected
first, diminishing the available food supply and increasing
the danger of collecting it. This situation presents an
awful dilemma. Does one risk being killed by attempting
to harvest an edible plant, or does one kill the plant first,
ensuring a safer harvest but preventing future collection
from a known site of food? Inhabitants battle starvation
while avoiding being eaten, existing in a world in which life
is a constant struggle.
89
 Giants. Several groups of giants are known to reside
in the forests of Tievmer. In the snow-capped Frost Fangs
of the highlands, frost giants maintain their stronghold.
Hill giants have carved out territories within the Sor-
row Woods. The hill giants have formed smaller, less
well-organized groups, hunting areas in proximity of their
encampments. The giants, tolerated by Saihan, pay the
dragon tribute which, thus far, has prevented their annihi-
lation. Groups of giants are likely to have pieces of metallic,
humanoid gear kept as ornamentation.
Giant Spiders. Giant spiders have been incredibly
successful in the forest gloom of Tievmer. The close-knit,
twisted weave of plant growth provides ample shelter and
anchor points for webbing. The spiders prey on vermin and
sentient creatures alike, their clever ambushes rivaled only
by Tievmer’s carnivorous plants.
Humanoids. Many small groups of humanoid tribes
make their life under the musty canopy of Tievmer. Huddled
in the dank, gloomy forests, many are resigned to their fate,
believing there is no cure for Saihan’s affliction. Others
continue to hope and rely on routine and discipline as they
hack back the encroaching overgrowth, and scavenge for
food, believing each additional day of survival is another day
of opportunity to discover a better life.
Lost Beasts. Created before Arora was torn into
Five Realms, many of the lost beasts survived the Great
Abjuration. For those that still reside within the Realm of
Tievmer after the Five Realms were remade, they began
to mutate, over time during the Age of Desolation these
beasts have a developed a twisted hatred for dragons and
their kin, often attacking them and their allies on sight.
Skeletons. Most creatures that end their lives in
Tievmer are reclaimed for their resources. Carnivorous
plants and insects neatly strip the flesh and sinews from
the bones which can spontaneously animate, haunting
the places where they died. Skeletons are not found near
poisonous water or fog, as this repels all but the heartiest
carnivorous hazards of Tievmer.
Zombies. Creatures that meet their demise from the
poisonous hazards of Tievmer often return as zombies.
Though the cause of their reanimation is unclear,
these monsters are frequently found near areas filled
with poisonous fog and bodies of tainted water as most
scavengers leave the toxin-filled victims alone.
90 Arora: Age of Desolation
Environment
Tievmer’s overgrown forests are perpetually damp. The once
vibrant, forested land was a well-regulated, self-contained eco-
system. Now the tangled, twisted canopies block much of the
light from the sky and restrict air flow. The boreal forests of
Tievmer’s upper elevations receive heavy snowfall in the cold
months. Prevailing winds bring frequent warm updrafts from
the temperate lowlands, creating miserable, freezing rain.
During the short periods of thaw, the Frost Fangs become a
muddy, impassable morass.
The Sorrow Woods region experiences rainfall nearly
half of every week. With limited sunlight and little airflow,
the moist, foggy underlayer is musty and carpeted with
all manner of fungi. Slightly more light reaches the forest
floor here during the colder months. Heavy frost and
moderate snowfall is common though the snow is often
poisonous as the cold air forces moisture out of Saihan’s
noxious fog clouds.
The jungles of the Verdant Furnace are plagued with
oppressive humidity which makes it difficult for the unac-
customed to breathe. This region is perpetually warm and
experiences daily rain. The sweltering heat and suffocating
humidity push creatures to the brink of exhaustion with
expiration from dehydration a frequent occurrence.
The Fell Barricades, though not spared of Tievmer’s
southern heat, have a comfortable humidity thanks to
the ever-present ocean breeze. This airflow keeps mold
and mildew growth to a minimum. Weather patterns are
more unpredictable here as violent thunderstorms can
blow in from the ocean, without warning, causing severe
downpours and massive storm surge waves.
Dangers and Survival
Tievmer’s resources are scarce. Once a land of plenty,
Saihan’s wrath and Shardscale affliction have stripped
away the promise of abundance, casting those who dwell
there into a perpetual fight for survival. Much of the
free-flowing water has become tainted and poisonous,
with dehydration, exhaustion and expiration an ever-
present danger. The reliable ability to grow food has all
but disappeared from much of Tievmer, making hunting,
foraging, and scavenging essential tasks.
Poisonous Fog. Green poisonous fog floats through the
air beneath Tievmer’s dense canopy. At times, billows of
toxic fog gently roll across the forest floors, forcing creatures
to flee or become enveloped. Other times, the fog hangs in
the stagnant air, blocking passage until it dissipates, which
happens at random intervals. Scavenging parties can find
themselves cut off from their homes by walls of poisonous
fog. Some banks of this poisonous fog do not kill creatures
outright but, instead, poison their minds, spreading deep
feelings of despair, negativity and futility. Those enchanted
by the fog lose all sense of themselves and simply give up on
living. Skeletal remains can be found where creatures have
simply laid down and waited for death.
Forest Fires. Pockets of twisted, choked trees, dead
from lack of light and exposure to poisonous water are
prone to forest fires which are intense but short lived,
killing everything trapped within. These blazes are typically
sparked by lightning from violent storms. The high humidity
and frequent rainfall prevent widespread fires amongst other
lush, vegetative areas.
Wildlife. Ambushes by opportunistic predators such as
spiders, giant vermin, ankhegs, and carnivorous plants, all
of which thrive in present day Tievmer, are a near constant
threat. Hunters and gatherers frequently fail to return
home after falling victim to the ever-present hunger of the
forests of Tievmer.
Coastal mangroves, which typically provide shelter for
small or newly hatched fish, have become warped and
carnivorous, preying on any creature that swims too close.
Coastal Conditions. Attempting to navigate the coast
is a harrowing experience. Few beaches provide a suitable
location for a vessel to make berth and violent waves
threaten to dash watercraft against the Fell Barricades,
impaling sailors on the jagged, impassible roots.
Dragon’s Informants. Saihan keeps close tabs on their
subjects, when the mood strikes. The dragon can see and
hear through the eyes and ears of any corrupted animal in
Tievmer. By some accounts, Saihan can even speak messages
through these animals. Fearful of the dragon’s potential
presence, residents of Tievmer choose their words and
actions carefully, hoping to avoid Saihan’s notice.
Survival Tactics
Now a twisted and sick forestland with pockets of
nightmare fueled pocket dimensions, Tievmer is a rough
place to survive in. Folk in Tievmer who are unaccustomed
to the following survival tactics of the realm often find
themselves lost, sick, disoriented, or dead.
Chapter 5: Tievmer
Treetop Movement. Moving through the canopy
of Tievmer is a safer way to travel this land, as many of
the dangers of the ground layer of the forest realm are
very deadly. This doesn’t completely negate danger, but
certainly increases the survival chances of humanoids and
dracokin alike.
Vine Swinging. Experienced folk of the treetops tend
to swing on vines to travel through the tangled and twisted
landscape providing better freedom of movement.
Trackers. Identifying tracks and signs of dangerous
creatures and areas is a necessity for survival in Tievmer.
Many traveling parties have fallen to the dangerous
and dark spaces of the forest realm simply because they
had unwittingly stumbled into a green dragon’s lair, a
dreamspace pocket, or a tangle of lost beasts.
Jungle Mist Masks. Utilising the jungle mist masks
when poisonous fog slowly rolls through the lands in which
a traveler is slowly making the way through the tangles of
wood, is an effective way not to fall victim to the fog.
Know your Flora. Knowing what dangerous plants to
avoid, especially the carnivorous ones, increases a party’s
chances for survival in the deep forests and around the
coastal mangroves.
Fungi. There are many mushrooms found across
Tievmer, and these eating them can have random effects,
some of which can assist a desperate traveler in surviving
just one more day. These mushrooms are called chaos
shrooms by the local Tievmer folk, but it is suggested to
keep use of these mushrooms to a minimum, only taking a
chance on them where no other option seems available, as
their adverse effects are just as likely to manifest as their
helpful effects.
91
 Geography
Tievmer is one of the most geographically and biologically
diverse of the Five Realms. Sprawling, dense forests of all
types dominate the land. Saihan’s influence has pushed the
boreal forests further north and to higher altitudes than
trees would normally grow. Rocky, snowcapped mountains
peek out of the greenery. Deep clefts, carved out by the
southward flowing rivers, difficult to spot, through the
dense taiga, carry Tievmer’s largest supply of untainted
water southward, on its journey to the sea.
The mountains slowly give way to the gently rolling hills
of the Sorrow Woods, Tievmer’s deciduous forest. Here, in
the darkest thicket, beneath a towering, twisted strangler
fig, lies Saihan’s cenote lair. The overgrown, leafy canopy
prevents most of the sunlight from reaching the forest
floor, which is cave-like, wet, and blanked by decaying
vegetation. Walls of sickly-green fog unexpectedly float
through the forest, obscuring vision, cutting off creatures
from their shelters and causing them to lose their way.
Much of the water passing through the Sorrow Woods
becomes tainted, fouled by Saihan’s poisonous influence.
Further south, the temperate forests give way to the
impossibly lush jungles of the Verdant Furnace, which
occupy Tievmer’s lowlands. The ample sunlight striking
the canopy allows for rapid growth and expansion of
the trees and vines here. Sweltering heat and smother-
ing humidity accompany the daily rainfall. The coastal
92 Arora: Age of Desolation
regions bordering the southern jungles are home to dense
mangrove forests which leave very little beach and make
accessing Tievmer by boat exceedingly difficult. Saihan’s
power over Tievmer has allowed these mangrove forests
to extend far into the briney sea waters, which buffet the
trees and roots with sizable waves. On the patchy beach-
es, sharp roots poke out of the sand, forming the Fell Bar-
ricades and deterring exploration. If not for the crushing
waves, the sharp roots would continue to spread outward
from the savage heart of Tievmer.
Tievmer has several known settlements, typically
situated near reliable, clean sources of food and water.
Tievmer no longer contains major cities—the twisted land
and poisoned environment cannot support them.
Ruins of former settlements, destroyed in the Dragonrage,
have shown a slight resistance to Saihan’s corruption. These
sites, notably Deminar, Oakstill, Quair Mountain Quarry,
and Stranglevine Valley, are likely to contain edible plants
and potable water. No one is sure why these locations resist
the spreading corruption. Perhaps the land remembers
being carefully tended, echoing with lives remembered from
so many centuries ago. Other such pockets of resistance
are scattered within the forests of Tievmer, though their
names have been lost to the ages. Thanks to their life-giving
resources and shelter, these sites are hotly contested and are
frequently resettled because no tribe or group of monsters is
able to hold the locations for very long.
 Important Locations
The following sections detail some of the most important
and notable locations in Tievmer.
Caeresh
The southern beaches of Tievmer are choked with
mangroves and sharp, twisted roots, making it difficult to
launch or land watercraft. Caeresh is the lone open beach
in all of Tievmer, thanks to daily heavy labor clearing vines
and cutting back invasive roots.
History
Prior to the Age of Desolation, Caeresh was a bustling
port, with ships transporting goods from all over the realm.
Today, beyond the borders of Caeresh, the plant growth is
only stopped by the shifting waves.
Culture
This is a relatively stable settlement with abundant food
harvested from the ocean and potable water collected from
the daily rainfall. The port has succumbed to the decay of
five hundred years of disuse and the residents are largely
ignored by Saihan. No shipping means no new items or
medicine have been discovered near Caeresh.
Current Events
Occasionally a lost vessel or shipwrecked sailor will wash
up at Caeresh, hoping for rescue or resupply, only to find
the community has nothing much to offer. Those living in
Caeresh are assigned daily duties by its current leader, Steeg.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at Caeresh.
Kolvinn. A humanoid sailor who tends to be hopeful and
generally homesick. Three years ago, Kolvinn’s ship, The
Kestrel, sank in a storm several miles off the coast of Tievmer.
Clinging to a rope wrapped around a barrel, Kolvinn
washed ashore at Caeresh. No other survivors were found
and little usable material washed up in the following days.
Kolvinn is eager to convince the people of Tievmer that
better lives exist in the other four realms of Arora, through
the interplanar rifts. Sadly, their ideas have not gained much
traction as most who have spent their lives in Tievmer have
given into despair, unable to fathom a different way of life.
Lacking the skills to survive travel through Tievmer’s forests,
Kolvinn stays near Caeresh, eagerly awaiting the arrival of
newcomers who might listen to his appeals.
Steeg. The leader of Caeresh has helped the community
carve out a life on the beach through careful planning and
routine execution. Everyone in Caeresh has an assigned
duty. Under the watchful supervision of Steeg, food and
shelter are secured, the encroaching jungle is kept at bay and
threats are repelled. Caeresh’s latest resident, Kolvinn notes
Steeg’s management of the village is not unlike a captain’s
mastery over their ship. Steeg is uninterested in exploring
far from the village of Caeresh, believing nothing good could
thrive under the twisted, poisonous canopy of the Verdant
Furnace. Steeg also sees no point in exploring the coast by
Chapter 5: Tievmer
water vessel as the Fell Barricades make it highly unlikely
that exploration will yield a suitable landing site. Life
has persisted in Caeresh since the time before the dragon
apocalypse and through careful adherence to Steeg’s rules,
they believe the community will survive indefinitely.
Adventure Ideas
The following advent ures are linked to Caeresh.
Pay Tribute. Characters have been chosen to protect
and deliver their community’s seasonal tribute to Sai-
han. The village leader believes they may have discov-
ered a key ingredient in the cure for Saihan’s Shardscale
and is certain the village will be rewarded for their ef-
forts in delivering it to Grundarm, the dragon’s enforc-
er. News has been leaked of the potentially important
ingredient, and characters must travel to the appointed
rendezvous point while avoiding being robbed of their
tribute and potential reward.
Flotsam and Jetsam. A rare sight is glimpsed on
the horizon by a resident of Caeresh. Kolvinn recog-
nizes the shape as a ship, in distress and listing badly.
Several sailors can be seen lowering a small raft and
climbing aboard as their ship sinks beneath the waves.
The strong winds and current won’t allow these unfor-
tunate sailors to reach the safe beach of Caeresh and
it is unlikely that people unfamiliar with the lands of
Tievmer will survive its hardships for long. The char-
acters are implored to cross the Fell Barricades and
rush to the aid of these shipwrecked souls.
Deminar
The ruins of Deminar lie just south of Saihan’s cenote lair.
This was a once proud city but fell to ruin during the Age
of Desolation. It is now often frequented by scavengers,
treasure hunters, and monsters from the forests, though
not many who enter ever return and none have ever delved
very deep.
History
The once proud city of Deminar was populated by
Saihan’s most devout followers. Residence was granted as
a reward for loyal service, by the clever dragon, who used
the city and its residents as a layer of insulation against
insurrection. In an act of twisted irony, Saihan laid waste
to Deminar first, shortly after the onset of the Shardscale’s
effects. The dragon’s fanatical followers who once lived
here were unable to produce a cure and were severely
punished for their failure.
Current Events
Presently, the upper ruins of Deminar are occupied by a
tribe of kobolds who worship Saihan as a god. As a sign of
deference, these kobolds chant prayers to the dragon and
paint their scales green.
93

Dreamspace Pockets
Dreamspace pockets are psychic mini-realms of dreams,
thoughts, and memories. They are most commonly found
in the Sorrow Woods and are areas where the fabric of
the physical realm is thin and one can simply step, or
accidentally wander, into the dreamspace pocket. The
entrance into dreamspace pockets typically look like a dark
patch of shimmering, shadowy air (though variations have
been known to exist). Some people talk of keys and spells
that can allow someone to shift into or out of dreamspace
pockets from anywhere, theoretically allowing another
method of interplanar travel to Tievmer. If they do exist,
though, they’re closely held secrets.
Generally, dreamspace pockets are chaos driven night-
mare-realms of fear-driven illusions, monstrosities, and cor-
rupted memories. Within a pocket, logic falls apart entirely.
A tower might have bricks formed from bolts of lightning
held together with mortar made of hurricane wind. A giant,
unblinking eye grows out of a field of bleeding thorns. The sky
in the dreamspace is a mass of churning, dark green, black,
and red swirling clouds, obscuring the heavens. Much like the
thoughts and dreams of mortals, the dreamspace pockets are
constantly in flux.
Koppies. When a large number of mortals share similar
desires, anxieties within the dreamspace pocket, or other
strong emotions, this psychic energy can be captured in a
dreamspace pocket and condensed into a relatively stable
area within it known as a “koppie.”
History
Long before the Age of Desolation, before the Great
Abjuration, before the world was divided into the Five
Realms, the dreamspace overlapped the material realm
everywhere: the two coexisted harmoniously across the
span of the world.
The Shardscale, unfortunately, have deep ties to the
world of dreams. To enhance the protective power of the
94 Arora: Age of Desolation
Great Abjuration, when the Realms were divided, the
dreamspace was decoupled from the physical realm, and
its majority was, in a sense, shut away from the material
world. Some pockets, however, remain in secluded parts of
the Sorrow Woods, particularly in the areas surrounding
Sporefog Hollow. The folk of Tievmer have come to call
these places Dreamspace Pockets.
Current Events
With the Great Abjuration now not entirely whole, these
dreamspace pockets became unstable nightmare-realms
found in the dark places of the Sorrow Woods.
Notable NPC
The following NPC can be found in Dreamspace Pockets.
The Curator. The Curator is a tall, hooded, and
cloaked individual who can be found at a koppie called
the Museum of Teeth. He says little but points grimly at
various specimens in his collection with spindly, scarred
fingers. No one knows what really caused this koppie to
form, but the Museum of Teeth has been a stable part of
the dreamspace pockets for decades. The museum is a small
moss-covered hut seemingly larger inside than it appears
from the outside. Inside, there are teeth everywhere, of all
shapes and sizes, in jars, bottles, and bowls. Framed on walls
and displayed in glass cases. Dangling from silk chains and
embedded into sculptures. One room has tiling made of
teeth glued together with a paste made from ground teeth.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventure is linked to the
Dreamspace Pockets.
Teeth for the Curator. If the Curator is approached
in the Museum of Teeth, he tells the characters that since
the Dragonrage, he’s lost the regular supply of teeth and
is looking to expand his collection. He offers a magical
artifact as reward for a sack of teeth.
 Forest of Bones
On the border between the Sorrow Wood and the Verdant
Furnace is a dangerous grove of awakened carnivorous
plants. Skulls and bones of devoured creatures have
grown into the trunks, branches and vines of this region.
This grisly sight deters most who stumble upon the Forest of
Bones, though brave, foolish or desperate souls still venture
in, hoping to find valuable gear left behind by the deceased.
Current Events
Tribes of dracokin and intelligent monsters alike have
learned to fear Tievmer’s carnivorous plants. Some have
devised methods to weave walls of twisted, dead branches,
roots and vines to form barricades against intrusive,
carnivorous plants or incursions from the warped, starving
lost beasts, native to the forests.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to the Forest of Bones.
There Is a Light. A small community has been
fortunate. Two seasons ago, wildfire burned down a
section of forest, adjacent to their settlement. Diligence
and hard work have yielded small food crops now that
dappled sunlight has been allowed to penetrate to the
forest floor. The plant life is rapidly reclaiming the
burned site and soon the light will be blocked. Timing
could not be worse as the current crop is not ready for
harvest. The characters are asked to scale the dangerous
growth and cut back the canopy, allowing sunlight to
reach the forest floor for long enough to see the crop to
harvest. They are advised to avoid being eaten by plants
or other creatures as their presence in the treetops will
be hard to hide. Due to the rapid growth of Tievmer’s
forests, the characters will need to figure out how to
survive in the canopy for several weeks.
The Lure of Death. Dracokin have been witnessed
to cease what they are doing and walk straight into
the Forest of Bones, never to return. It has long been
known that this region presents particular dangers to
animals and humanoids, but the recent disappearanc-
es are a harbinger of a new evolution of threat to the
area. The characters are asked to venture to the Forest
of Bones and learn the truth behind what is luring den-
izens of Tievmer to their deaths. The characters en-
counter a newly mutated awakened carnivorous plant
that produces a pollen capable of charming its victims.
They must navigate a living, changing labyrinth of
deadly plants and vicious brambles to discover the
truth of the disappearances and recover lost artifacts
from the time before the Dragonrage.
"Tievmer?!? Really? Even the blasted plants will kill you."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
Chapter 5: Tievmer
Frosthold
Long ago, the frost giants used their tremendous strength
to carve out a stronghold in the side of the Frost Fang
Mountains. Partially obscured from below, the well-placed
entrance to this stronghold is sheltered from the elements
and offers a commanding view of the south.
History
Lookouts guarding Frosthold can glimpse the trees of the
Sorrow Woods, on a clear day. Aside from frost giants, no
creature has entered Frosthold and been allowed to leave,
as the giants guard their secretive operations carefully.
A small camp, at the base of the mountain, serves as a
decoy dwelling. Here the giants conduct business with
other races of Tievmer and present their offerings to
Saihan. In this fashion, Frosthold has avoided detection
by Saihan and the giants prefer to keep it that way, until
conditions are right.
Current Events
Draeg Iceburn has grown bolder, sensing Saihan’s weak-
ening grip on Tievmer. The giants are quietly consolidating
power over the Frost Fangs. Upon learning that Saihan’s
dragaur enforcer, Grundarm, is not nearly as discerning
as they are brutal, Draeg has instructed the frost giants to
offer only token tributes to Saihan over the past ten years.
In this way, Draeg has amassed a sizable war chest which
they plan to use against the dragon when conditions are
right. The giants have been plundering the north and
have recently taken woodworkers from Tolgen hostage,
forcing them to aid in the construction of fortifications
and war machines.
Notable NPC
The following NPC can be found at Frosthold.
Draeg Iceburn. The frost giant jarl controls much of
Tievmer’s northern Frost Fang Mountains. The giants
have respected Saihan’s rulership but as more is learned
about the Shardscale, Draeg sees an opportunity to elevate
themself from jarl to king. Over the past century,
Draeg has secretly been hoarding
wealth and items, while
sending token offerings
to Saihan. Draeg
has no intention
of challenging
Saihan directly and
patiently waits for
the dragon’s demise
95

Greenwater River
Stretching from the mountainous upper elevations of the
Frost Fangs to the low lying Fell Barricades, this large river
transports the bulk of Tievmer’s water to its endpoint in
the ocean. Tainted by Saihan’s poisonous influence, the
river and its tributaries consist of waters of various hues
of green. The green color and concentration of poison
deepen as the waters collect downstream with the noxious
liquid at its highest potency where it enters the ocean. A
large plume of dead and uninhabited ocean spreads for
several miles from the mouth of the Greenwater. Though
the water varies in its levels of toxicity, it still supports life.
Lost beasts and aquatic monsters have adapted to survive
in the Greenwater, posing threats to those near its banks or
traveling on its surface.
Cultures
The dracokin communities of Tievmer fight every day for
survival. In most areas, the main concern is finding enough
food and potable water amongst the twisted growth and
poisonous fog. Many inhabitants are malnourished. Grow-
ing food is difficult for several reasons. The thick canopy
in the Sorrow Woods and Verdant Jungle blocks almost
all light from reaching the forest floor, casting the ground
in deep shadow or near darkness and stunting the growth
of newly sprouted food crops. North, in the Frost Fangs,
deep snows or sloppy mud prevent traditional agriculture.
In suitable climates, growing plots are largely determined
by the chance break in the treetops caused by wind or
lightning. Very occasionally a brave soul will scale the
massive trees for the purpose of pruning back the twisted
overgrowth, allowing more direct light to penetrate to the
forest floor, in the hopes of harvesting some nutritious food
though they are often unsuccessful.
96 Arora: Age of Desolation
Current Events
Nuts and berries found near the Greenwater may be
poisonous and if edible, are typically small, misshapen,
and astringent. The dracokin of Tievmer have developed
a process of crushing these nuts and berries, along
with bits of smashed vermin from insect swarms, into a
paste and drying them. This effort serves to reduce the
unpleasant taste and yields an edible fruit and nut leather.
This staple food is rot resistant and can be found amongst
most cultures in Tievmer.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventure is linked to Greenwater River.
Sail Away. In the village of Caeresh, Kolvinn has
finally convinced village leader Steeg that sailing
across the water and entering the interplanar rifts
located miles offshore is the only way to escape the
spreading corruption of poisonous Tievmer. Kolvinn,
along with several other shipwrecked sailors could
construct a vessel and navigate the dangerous waves
and currents of the ocean. The problem is that there
is no suitable wood to construct such a vessel, except
for the redwoods of the Sequoia Grove in the Frost
Fangs. Characters must travel across Tievmer to
procure wood, either by harvesting it themselves or
trading for it with the frost giants or the villagers of
Tolgen. Once secured, the wood must be transported
back to the coast, perhaps via the Greenwater River.
 Lorpel
Humanoid denizens of this jungle village have taken to
the trees to avoid the dangers of corrupted animals and
carnivorous plants which thrive in the hot, humid jungle.
Living in the canopy, several hundred feet above the
jungle floor, provides some relative safety, though daily
hardships occur.

History
Lorpel was constructed in the early years following the
Dragonrage. For hundreds of years the community has
subsisted on hunting birds, tree dwelling animals and
large insects as their main source of food. Rainwater is
collected in vessels woven from abundant vines, to sustain
the community. From the edges of Lorpel, villagers see
expansive forests in all directions, save for the north
where viewers can glimpse the snow-tipped Frost Fang
Mountains. This isolated community rarely interacts with
other groups within Tievmer, preferring to stay aloft over
venturing around the jungle floor.

Cultures
Extreme scarcity has caused humanoid communities,
such as Lorpel, to take drastic measures. Some have set
population limits. Travelers without their own food and
water are not even permitted to shelter for the night. New
births are matched with sacrifice of the old or sick, or
in rare cases where everyone is in good health, exile for
a former member of the community. The exiles rarely
survive, traveling the unforgiving forests in search of
shelter and sustenance. In some particularly grim pockets
of dark forest, cannibalism exists. Food is so scarce that not
a scrap ever goes to waste.
Current Events
Residents of Lorpel have been collecting sturdy vines to
make rope ladders to get into and out of their village. The
spreading corruption of the land has resulted in alarming
food scarcity. Much of the game harvested from recent
hunts has shown strange mutations, notably twigs, thorns
and leaves growing from parts of their bodies. Jemett
has forbidden anyone to eat these corrupted animals,
for fear that the sickness will be transmitted through the
community. A tough decision has been reached to send
scouting parties to the forest floor to look for more food
and assess the conditions of the Verdant Furnace.
"You cannot understand. We are helpless victims of an
unending hunger. It gnaws at our bones and poisons our
minds. What was once unthinkable is the only thing that
offers hope in this accursed land."
- Anonymous Villager
Notable NPC
The following NPC can be found at Lorpel.
Jemett. Jemett resides in the treetop village of
Lorpel. Years of relative isolation has left them wary
of outsiders. Having led the community of Lorpel for
nearly thirty years, Jemett has preached the importance
of self-reliance. The passing of each year at their station
showed the surrounding jungle to yield fewer and fewer
resources. In compensation, Jemett instituted well defined
laws to govern the community. Jemett instructed residents
of Lorpel to remain secretive and to never disclose the
location of their village, in the hopes of avoiding raids
from dracokin, monsters, or Saihan’s savage minions.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Lorpel.
The Descent. Jemett, the leader of Lorpel has
noticed the community’s treetop hunts are diminishing
in success. The characters are given a mission to
descend to the forest floor, several hundred feet below
the canopy and return with food and a report of the
area immediately below the village. No resident of
Lorpel has left the relative safety of the treetops in
years and no one can say for certain what condition
the understory of the Verdant Furnace is in.
Scavenge the Surroundings. Volunteers are
needed for a scavenging expedition. The characters
are the healthiest members of their community and
are ordered to venture out in search of food and usable
resources. The last group sent out ventured west and
never returned. The characters may choose to follow
in the footsteps of the missing group, though none are
expected to be found alive, or they may reasonably
decide to explore elsewhere.

Chapter 5: Tievmer 97

Oakstill
This community is built upon the skeleton of the village of
Still Oaks which, in a rampaging fit, Saihan leveled shortly
after the Dragonrage. Oakstill is one of the largest villages
in all of Tievmer, notable for lying on the bank of a yet
undefiled lake, making Oakstill one of the few settlements
with a reliable source of potable water.
History
Monsters and giant vermin appear frequently, in search
of this essential natural resource. Due to these incursions,
the humanoids who have settled in Oakstill are used to
deadly skirmishes. Visitors seeking water who skirt the
edge of the village are typically allowed to do so in peace.
Those with designs on claiming the land for their own
uses are not tolerated.
Cultures
Textile crops cannot be reliably grown in the gloom of
Tievmer. The readymade solution lies with Tievmer’s
copious spider population. The residents of Oakstill
have managed to capture a species of giant spider for the
purpose of collecting its silk. The durable, flexible cloth
spun from the silk is highly sought after and fetches high
returns when available for trade. In regions where spider
silk cloth is unavailable, denizens clothe themselves in
animal hides, insect shells and pliable leaves or strips of
woven vines and bark.
Current Events
In the village of Oakstill, a resident named Bremm has been
pondering methods of cultivating food sovereignty, realizing
sources of nourishing food dwindle with each passing year.
Oakstill’s spiritual leader, Pentva, believes a final judgment
is nearing. The weak will be wiped from forests of Tievmer,
leaving only the deserving faithful to usher in a new golden
age and a rebirth of mighty Saihan. Some, having witnessed
no evidence of Saihan answering their prayers, are beginning
to harbor contempt for the dragon, blaming Saihan’s
inactivity for the deteriorating condition of Tievmer.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found in Oakstill.
Bremm. This introspective dragonborn lives in
Oakstill. During their lifetime, they have witnessed the
rapid decline in the habitability of Tievmer. Despite
enduring the hardships of the daily struggle for surviv-
al, Bremm has not given into despair. They are clever
and have a knack for using every resource to its greatest
advantage. Bremm devised the apparatus to capture and
hold the giant spiders, for the purpose of extracting their
silk. Bremm does not believe that the affliction plaguing
Saihan can be cured. Bremm thinks, for better or worse,
the dragon’s sickness should be allowed to run its course,
though unlike Pentva, Bremm does not believe Saihan will
be reborn. Though, perhaps ridding Tievmer of Saihan,
by any means, will restore balance to the forests. Bremm’s
main goal is helping as many communities as possible
survive until Saihan’s demise.
98 Arora: Age of Desolation
Pentva. This fanatical druid dwells in Oakstill and has
known a life of fearful worship of Saihan. The misguided
druid holds daily services, giving thanks to Arora and
Saihan for the hardships they provide. Pentva believes the
spreading malady on the land is a test and the struggles
of daily survival are to weed out the weak. Pentva teaches
others that the crucible of Shardscale will result in Saihan’s
rebirth, elevating the dragon to godhood. In their heart,
they know the true believers will be rewarded once the
trial is complete. This deep belief in Saihan causes Pentva
to fiercely oppose any actions that might upset the balance
of Tievmer, as it is. Pentva, having witnessed no actions to
the contrary, believes fellow Oakstill resident Bremm to be
entirely likeminded.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Oakstill.
The Round Up. Some of the giant spiders used
to produce spider silk cloth, in the village of Oakstill,
have died. Bremm enlists the aid of the characters
in locating and capturing several of the creatures to
resume production of this important commodity. The
trick is finding the appropriate bait and capturing the
spiders before the bait is eaten.
Mysterious Disappearances. The village leader
makes a startling announcement, residents have been
disappearing. Death regularly visits the gloomy for-
ests of Tievmer, but something is different this time.
If the characters investigate notable areas around
their village, they find carnivorous plants amongst
the twisted bramble and berry bushes, but no victim’s
remains. Lost beasts are discovered to be sharing the
village’s source of drinking water but there is no sign
of battle and giant spider webs remain empty. In the
course of their investigation, characters discover the
true culprit is an ankheg.
A Floating Garden. The characters are ap-
proached by Bremm, a would-be-farmer dragonborn
who has a fantastic idea. They explain that the com-
munity of Oakstill’s well-being would be drastically
improved if it were possible to reliably grow crops,
but the nature of Tievmer has made that impossible.
But what if food could be grown on the water? The
characters are tasked with traveling to the Verdant
Furnace to retrieve a suitable amount of rot resistant
wood. The plan is to use the wood to create a floating
platform to house a container garden, which would
receive ample light. What kind of unwanted attention
this apparatus would attract is anyone’s guess.
"As glorious as an Oakstill Coat."
- A Tievmerian expression for something of value
 Quair Mountain Quarry
Two miles northeast of Frosthold lies an abandoned mineral
mine. Quair Mountain Quarry has been cold since before the
Dragonrage. Now only brave adventurers, or foolish treasure
hunters, dare enter its dark nightmare filled tunnels.
History
In the time before the dragon apocalypse, Quair Mountain
Quarry was a bustling mine. Fine marble was excavated
near the surface while below ground veins of iron and silver
were mined to produce exquisite tools and works of art by
the greatest artisans in Tievmer. It was overseen by some of
Saihan’s most trusted dragaur servants. When the Dragon-
rage struck, Saihan had no use for more works of art. The
miners were scattered to search for a cure for the Saihan’s
Shardscale affliction.
Current Events
Now the mines and quarry lay abandoned by humanoids
and dracokin alike. The tunnels below the quarry have
become home to various creatures, including Moshivon, an
adult true green dragon. There are many new wonders than
can be unearthed here, however brave adventurers must also
contend with Moshivon and his cruel conniving ways.
Cultures
In Tievmer, weapons, tools, and protective gear are pri-
marily made from wood, bone, or stone as very little usable
metal remains. Tievmer’s mines have not been operational
for centuries and few people are alive with the knowledge
of smelting ore. Occasionally, quality metal items are dis-
covered in the wild, amongst the remains of the deceased.
Moshivon keeps the quarry under an illusionary spell,
creating a nightmare fueled labyrinth by which he plays
with unsuspecting trespassers in search of precious metals
and treasure, before violently devouring them.
Notable NPC
The following NPC can be found in Quair Mountain Quarry.
Moshivon. The adult green dragon is one of Saihan’s
early offspring, hatching before the Dragonrage. Although
he was always evil in nature, he has escaped the Shardscale
due to his reclusive nature. He is a cruel and sadistic
dragon who enjoys playing with his prey physiologically
and physically before devouring them viciously.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventure is linked to Quair
Mountain Quarry.
A Glint of Hope. Metal tools, weapons, and armor
would drastically improve the survival rates in Tiev-
mer. Bremm of Oakstill has an instructional tome on
metalworking. Characters have been requested to lead
an expedition to Quair Mountain Quarry. They must
escort a Bremm and a troupe to Quair mountain and
clear the location of monsters, lost beasts, poisonous
vapors, and the dragon Moshivon, allowing Bremm
and several villagers to resumed metal production.
Chapter 5: Tievmer
Saihan’s Lair
Cascades of water flow down cliff ledges surrounding
a small lake in the deepest mirk of the Sorrow Woods.
The churning disturbance of this flowing water produces
thick billows of poisonous fog which covers Tievmer like
a shroud. Near the center of the lake lies a small island,
topped with an enormous strangler fig tree. The grasping,
choking vines of the strangler fig cover the entrance to
Saihan’s lair.
The lair is a cenote, a naturally occurring freshwater well,
with a bottom 120 feet below the opening, which is an oculus
located in the center of the ceiling. Spreading vines of the
strangler fig hang down into the cavern and partially cover
areas of the cavern wall. Thin, poisonous waterfalls cascade
into the lair, collecting into a massive, central pool. Scattered
here and there are dim shafts of greenish light, which pass
through tiny holes in the cavern’s ceiling. Saihan and their
dragaur guards are always found here, surrounded by the
dragon’s immense treasure hoard. The land surrounding the
cenote is nearly impassable to all creatures unwelcome by
Saihan. Thick walls of brambles with thorns the size of small
daggers block passage and form a dense labyrinth, choked
with poisonous vapors.
History
This cenote is a foundational element of Tievmer and was
the lair of the region’s original ruler, Senogar. With Seno-
gar dead, Saihan took up immediate residence in the lair.
Some legends claim Saihan buried the remains of their de-
ceased mother, Senogar, in the hoarded treasure, the bones
lying still beneath piles of gold and precious jewels.
Current Events
Saihan is beginning to lose grip on reality due to the effects
of Shardscale. Their closest advisers and thralls are becom-
ing increasingly fearful for their own lives. The Dragon’s
hoard has become immense, with Saihan having spent the
past five hundred years jealously taking almost all valuables
from the citizens of Tievmer. The effects of Shardscale have
begun to deteriorate Saihan’s mind. The great dragon,
who formerly could see and hear through numerous
animals all over Tievmer, struggles to concentrate long
enough to perceive through one at a time. Saihan vacil-
lates between preoccupation and madness, focusing on
meniscal clues or absent mindedly overlooking evidence
in their search for a cure.
Shardscale’s effect on Saihan has intensified the warping
of the land, with stronger effects present the closer an area
is to Saihan’s cenote lair. The dragon’s depressed demeanor
oozes around its lair. Growth is so thick, natural light no
longer penetrates the canopy. Sickly green bioluminescent
lichen dots the tree trunks and meanders through the thick,
deadly brambles. Some animals are being corrupted by
the land, changed by the corrupted plants and animals
around the cenote. Tiny roots can be seen sprouting between
birds’ feathers or growing amongst the hair of small game.
Very little large game is found as that is hunted and fed to
Saihan, though the dragon eats less frequently now that the
Shardscale is taking a firm hold. Predatory animals who
99
consume the flesh of smaller, corrupted animals have begun
to change, as well. Teeth have been replaced by jagged
roots and claws resemble oversized thorns. Patches of fur
fall out in large clumps, only to regrow as a weave of briars
and leaves. Over time, this corruption becomes complete,
transforming the animals into a variant of the Lost Beasts.
Notable NPCs
The following NPCs can be found at Saihan’s Lair.
Grundarm. The cunning and fiercely loyal dragaur
spellcaster was captured and bent to Saihan’s will near-
ly a century ago. Grundarm is often tasked with special
missions. Relying on his natural strength along with his
spellcasting ability to turn invisible, the dragaur ambushes
targets with brutal efficiency. Denizens of Tievmer have
learned that no secrets are safe from Saihan and attempt-
ing to hide an article that may be integral to slowing or
curing Shardscale invites a visit from Grundarm. Some
communities have erected small altars to Grundarm where
valuables and offerings are left, in the hopes of avoiding his
wrath. Grundarm is completely corrupted by Saihan and
is jealous of other members of Saihan’s inner circle. On
constant vigil for insurrection, Grundarm allows Saihan to
maintain the dragon’s grip on Tievmer, even as Saihan is
ravaged by Shardscale.
Layeth. The medusa is a master of potions and elixirs.
They know many secrets and are actively working to
discover a cure for the Shardscale infection before it can
take over Saihan, completely transforming the dragon
into a Shardscale monster and joining it to the Shardscale
hivemind. They brew potions that soothe the great
dragon’s pain, though Saihan often has bouts of raging
madness due to the affliction. The medusa is constantly
needing rare plants in their search for a cure. However,
they may need large quantities of blood, too. The medusa
may honestly care for Saihan, or it may be biding its time
until Saihan is too weak at which point the medusa can
make its move and claim Saihan’s treasure.
Negdras. The dragaur offspring of Saihan reside in
the dragon’s cenote lair, where they serve as the personal
guard of the ancient green dragon. Negdras, the captain
of the guard, climbed the ranks by demonstrating physical
aptitude and a penchant for cunning and wicked betrayal,
qualities appreciated by Saihan. Negdras fears Saihan,
but notices the dragon is losing its grip on reality as well
as Tievmer. Having found no cure for the Shardscale
affliction, Negdras is preparing to assume control of
Tievmer. The dragaur believes if Shardscale consumes
the body and mind of Saihan, the dragon’s grace will pass
on to Negdras, allowing the dragaur to be reborn as a
true dragon, free of Shardscale. Negdras claims to have
heard this knowledge from Saihan themself, though other
devotees of Saihan have their doubts.
"I shall be reborn and rule this Realm with guile and might."
- Negdras, Saihan’s Captain of the Guard
100 Arora: Age of Desolation
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Saihan’s Lair.
Unlikely Allies. Saihan’s closest advisor, the medu-
sa Layeth, has begun to fear for their own life. Saihan
has become prone to increasingly violent bouts of rage.
It is only a matter of time before the dragon can no
longer recognize friend from foe, devouring all crea-
tures dwelling in the cenote lair. The medusa smuggles
useful items out of the dragon’s treasure hoard and
agrees to turn them over to the characters in exchange
for the character’s cooperation in appeasing Saihan.
Newly outfitted, the characters are required to travel
into the ruins below Deminar, dangerously close to the
dragon’s lair. Deminar, leveled in the early days of the
Dragonrage, and lying close to Saihan’s lair has been
unexplored for centuries. Layeth claims to have detect-
ed the presence of an unstudied artifact in the depths
below the ruined city. The characters must retrieve this
artifact and present it to the dragon, in person. Refusal
to cooperate will result in the characters being report-
ed for theft of the dragon’s treasures, marking them for
certain death.
Assault on Saihan’s Lair. To some, it is evident
that the corruption of Tievmer will continue until the
land becomes completely uninhabitable by sentient
creatures. Saihan and their followers have searched
in vain for a cure over the past five hundred years. A
consensus has been reached. In a race for survival,
the characters have been tasked with confronting
Saihan in the dragon’s lair. A druid circle has managed
to uncover the location of a scale of Saihan, yet
unaffected by Shardscale. Once recovered, characters
can use this scale to traverse the impassable terrain
of blighted brambles and poisonous fog surrounding
Saihan’s cenote.
Sequoia Grove
Located in the northwestern Frost Fang Mountains, this
stand of trees has shown some resistance to Saihan’s
corrupting influence. Though not spared, as the area is
choked with thorny undergrowth and green fog, the giant
redwoods remain straight and proud. It is unknown why
Sequoia Grove has fared comparatively well.
Cultures
Most of Saihan’s subjects worship the dragon either out
of fear or in sincere hope that the dragon can be cured,
thus restoring Tievmer to its former glory. In honor of
Saihan, many communities are steeped in teachings which
outlaw the felling of trees. Some because they wrongfully
believe that cutting sacred trees is what began the blight
on the land, others because they fear that harming the
trees will cause retribution from Saihan and their minions
and some protect the trees in the hopes of recultivating
vibrant, straight, healthy growth, once more. This sacrifice
has further limited the usable resources available to the
humanoids and dracokin of Tievmer.
 Current Events
Due to the grove’s remote, mountainous location, it has
avoided thorough exploration, only recently attracting
attention from Saihan, who has instructed their followers
to research grove and decreed to all that the redwoods are
not to be felled or harmed, under penalty of death.
Sporefog Hollow
This particularly dark region of the Sorrow Woods is home
to Tievmer’s widest array of fungi, as well as one of its
more reclusive denizens, Zelandra Rotleaf. Few dare to
venture to Sporefog Hollow and fewer still have returned to
tell of their strange experiences there.
Spores of hallucinogenic mushrooms float through the
air, disorienting and confusing wayward travelers. Sentient
creatures can become trapped as elaborate fantasies play
out in their minds, or stumble into nearby dreamspace
pockets. Great secrets may be uncovered somewhere in this
hollow but at what cost?
Current Events
A group of hill giants have unwittingly fallen into the
clutches of Zelandra Rotleaf. These giants have been infect-
ed with hallucinogenic spores, allowing the hag to control
their minds. Zelandra uses these giants to guard her inner
sanctum in Sporefog Hollow. Delighted at how effective
this form of control has been, Zelandra ponders ways to se-
cretly spread the spores amongst other so-called intelligent
folk of Tievmer. With enough patience, Zelandra believes
they may amass a following large enough to challenge the
weakened Saihan for control of all Tievmer.
Chapter 5: Tievmer
Notable NPC
The following NPC can be found at Sporefog Hollow.
Zelandra Rotleaf. Several hundred years ago, the
Shardscale’s corrupting influence attracted the attention of
an evil arch fey from the dreamspace who gave their bless-
ing to a mother-to-be. The resulting birth was a child who
grew into a cunning green hag. Zelandra delights at the
sickly, twisted growth of Tievmer, though the hag would
prefer much of the growth to be overtaken by rot and
decay. They see the Shardscale as a means to an end and
believe once Saihan has completely lost control, the land
will wither. Their goal is to expand the borders of Spore-
fog Hollow, eventually taking control over the Entirety
of the Sorrow Woods, and carpet the entire decomposing
forest with hallucinogenic mushrooms. Their knowledge
of hallucinogens occasionally causes others to seek out the
hag, hoping to gain information from the beyond. Zelandra
has been tithing medicine, both mundane and magical. to
Saihan, secretly devising a method to speed the Shardscale
infection and weaken the dragon’s mind. They have been
unsuccessful thus far.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventure is linked to Sporefog Hollow.
Mind Rot. Dracokin followers of Saihan pay a
visit to a small community the characters are in.
This settlement has been selected to track down new
medicinal herbs to counteract the Shardscale. This
requires volunteers to travel into dangerous parts of
the forest, but refusal or failure will result in the deaths
of the entire settlement. The characters venture to
Sporefog Hollow and battle their way to an encounter
Zelandra Rotleaf who offers to help them, for a price.
Should the characters survive, Zelandra provides
medicinal mushrooms to give to Saihan’s emissaries.
The hag’s true intention is to use these hallucinogenic
mushrooms to weaken the dragon’s mental defenses
and possibly hasten the Shardscale takeover.
101
 Stranglevine Valley
This locale in the jungles of the Verdant Furnace marks the
ruins of another settlement destroyed by Saihan, nearly five
hundred years ago. Strangling vines and carnivorous plants
have reclaimed these ruins, but stone temples, peeking
from the creeping vines and foliage, can still be uncovered.
The dark passages below, long forgotten, may hold secrets
and treasures, though few dare to venture in and explore.
History
No written records or oral tradition remains to tell the whole
story of these ancient, stone temples. The size and scope of
these obscured monuments suggest a site of importance, now
long forgotten in the wake of the Dragonrage.
Current Events
Enormous kobold clans that have not yet aligned with
Saihan have taken up residence in the depths, circulate
with the mention of Stranglevine Valley. They guard the
place vigilantly and have armed the entire area with traps
and ambush points making it a dangerous place to travel
through. Still, the area must soon be thoroughly explored.
Saihan is running out of time and patience. Disappointing
the dragon has but one outcome.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Stranglevine Valley.
A Poisonous Draught. An encampment near
a source of potable water has noticed residents are
falling ill. The characters are tasked with investigating
the cause and discover the problem to lie within the
drinking water. They are then charged with tracing
back the source of the community’s water. Near the
source they discover a strangler fig tree, corrupted by
Saihan’s draconic magic, has stretched a root into the
spring. They must decide how to deal with this situation
and what steps to take to prevent it from recurring.
Down in the Valley. A scout has returned after
having located the lost ruins of Stranglevine Valley.
There is hope that the region can be reclaimed from
the awakened carnivorous plants and the kobold tribes
that now populate it. The halls of the ancient stone
structures will provide a more secure, permanent loca-
tion for a village. The characters are asked to lead an
expedition to further scout and clear the area, so that
a safe zone can be established. The ruins are expan-
sive and hidden resources, as well as dangers might be
found in the tunnels below the overgrown jungle vines.
"Wonders lie forgotten beneath the vines
waiting for us to discover anew."
- Tymal The Younger, village scout
102 Arora: Age of Desolation
Tolgen
Hearty dracokin maintain the small village of Tolgen, in
the Frost Fangs, near the Sequoia Grove. This hunting
community is made up of several buildings, constructed
from milled wood, including a two-story great hall, which
serves as a community meeting place and the home of the
current leader, Telquith.
History
Prior to the dragon apocalypse, Tievmer’s boreal forests
were regularly logged. Semi-permanent camps were
established and relocated to new areas, allowing the forests
to regrow. Tolgen is the final resting site of one of these
logging camps, frozen in place after the collapse of society.
Cultures
Most communities are made up of small buildings
assembled from twisted, rotting wood, animal hides and
bones or carapaces of deceased creatures. An exception
to these types of dwellings lies in the Frost Fang region.
Occasionally, natural forces will topple small numbers
of the towering sequoias. This supply of strong, straight
wood has allowed for the construction of sturdy buildings.
Still, harvesting this wood is extremely difficult as it must
be done shortly after the trees fall. In the warm months,
this means extracting the wood from thick, omnipresent
mud, before the wood becomes waterlogged and succumbs
to rot. During the cold months, fallen trees are quickly
buried in deep snows and are seldom found in suitable
condition come thaw. Through heroic effort, quality wood
has been produced in this region for several hundred years.
Unfortunately, this supply of redwood is largely unavailable
to other regions as traversing Tievmer’s twisted forests
with bulky boards is seldom worth the extreme effort and
considerable risk.
The village survives by hunting and trapping game for
meat and furs. Animal hides and reclaimed fallen redwood
afford Tolgen warm dwellings, secure from the elements.
Unfortunately, these comforts offer little protection against
frost giants competing for the same resources.
Current Events
The community of Tolgen has been under increased assault
by the frost giants. Stockpiles of redwood along with
capable carpenters have been taken in recent raids. To
what purpose is anyone’s guess. Telquith has instructed his
followers to seek shelter in the Sequoia Grove during these
raids, as there has been no evidence of the frost giants
breaking Saihan’s laws and logging the grove.
Tolgen has thus far been able to avoid a major Shardscale
infection, but the residents remain watchful for signs of it
among the dracokin residents. It is for this reason that the
village is heavily guarded and only allows humanoids in
and out freely. Dracokin outsiders are placed under heavy
assessment before being allowed to enter.

Notable NPC
The following NPC can be found at Tolgen.
Telquith. Telquith was born and raised in Telgen. A green
scaled dragonborn having survived brutal cold winters,
near starvation when no game could be found, and vicious
giant attacks, Telquith has remained unbroken by Tievmer’s
frozen north. An accomplished hunter and tracker, Telquith
has led their followers on successful hunts and steered them
clear of frost giant ambushes. Ever respectful of Saihan’s
rules, Telquith ensures his dracokin village pays tithes to the
dragon. Telquith does not dare to invoke the wrath of Saihan
and commands that all healthy redwoods must remain un-
harmed in the nearby Sequoia Grove.
Adventure Ideas
The following adventures are linked to Tolgen.
Secrets of the Grove. The village of Tolgen
has reported missing residents. The village leader,
Telquith, tells the characters that the community
has been instructed to seek refuge in the Sequoia
Grove, during frost giant raids. After the last attack,
five kobold villagers, who were seen fleeing into the
redwoods, never returned home. During their search,
the characters discover the redwood grove is inhabited
and protected by a group of dryads who may know the
whereabouts of the missing kobold villagers.
An Icy Prison. Telquith of the village of Tolgen
pleads for aid. The frost giant leader Draeg Iceburn
has instructed their followers to capture the village’s
carpenters. Unwilling to abandon these captives to
their fate, Telquith begs the characters for aid. Telquith
has tracked the frost giant raiding parties to their keep,
Frosthold. The characters must devise a plan of action
to rescue the captives before their usefulness to the
giants is exhausted.
Chapter 5: Tievmer
Interplanar Rifts
There is only one stable interplanar rift in Tievmer and that
leads to the desert-stricken realm of Gallaht. Aside from the
portal to Gallaht.
The Wildwood Threshold
Hidden in the southern portion of Tievmer, a sizeable
clearing surrounded and concealed by the twisted and
sickly wood trees of this realm sits, a twisting maelstrom in
the middle of a large pit of yellow sand. The pit is infused
with swirling white energy in its center that serves at the
gateway to Gallaht. Small motes of pale blue whirling light
flit through the glade, flashes of majestic magic that serve
only as an homage to a beauty long lost to Tievmer.
Hidden in the trees just outside the clearing spy
numerous secretive guards comprised of both humanoid
and dracokin archers. They stand ready for any
unexpected incursions into the glade from both Gallaht
and from within Tievmer itself. What was once a
temporary station in times before the Dragonrage has
over time morphed into a more permanent standing for
this reclusive order of realm protectors during the Age of
Desolation as the Lost Beasts became more aggressive and
violent and the Shardscale began to take hold of many of
the realm’s dracokin.
The Dragons’ Ingress
As the Dragonrage spread and grew more powerful
at the turning of the Age of Desolation, small tears or
portals into the other realms began to manifest due to the
instability of the powers protecting and separating the
realms. One of the unintentional portals that have been
discovered is known as The Dragons’ Ingress and resides
just outside the Saihan’s Lair. Set into a large, slime
covered and mossy hillside this portal radiates with a sickly
green glow shaped like a dragon in flight.
Surrounded and covered by a thicket of wicked looking
brambles, the thorns the size of short swords and a sharp-
ness that gleams with promise. This unique portal is quite
unpredictable, disappearing and reappearing at random
intervals. When someone can make it past the nasty thorns
of the thicket and the portal appears stable, there is no
guarantee where this gateway leads. The destination point
is as malleable as the energy that comprises the Dragons’
Ingress, the realm it connects to constantly changing and
in many cases, those that walk through are lost never seen
again or disintegrated on the spot.
In an effort to protect their lair from off-realm threats,
Saihan has posted a large contingent of dracokin guards
around this portal and any attempted infiltration often
draws the ire of Saihan themself.
See the Between Worlds section in Chapter 9
– Running the Game for more information.
103
104 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 6:
Character
Creation

Playing a character in Arora means playing a completely

unique person. You are not limited by your species. Each
sentient being is born with a special kind of dragon ancestry
that draws from a pool of traits exhibited by all the crea-
tures that gave their lives to save Arora during the Great
Abjuration. Furthermore, the return of powerful magic to
the Realms after the onset of the Dragonrage means your
character gains new and different traits as time passes.
To create a character, you start by choosing combat,
exploration, and roleplaying traits. Next, choose a back-
ground and a class. Now you have a character ready to face
the challenges of surviving the harsh realms that face them
in the world of Arora.

Characters in
the Five Realms
The world of the Arora is a world born of dragons—in
more ways than one. Since the Great Abjuration drove
away the Shardscale, the first generation of humanoids to
be reborn into the world followed their own distinct course
of reproduction. Every humanoid in the world belongs to
a single folk with countless physical expressions. The first
generation of any folk, who lived over 500 years ago, were
spawned by dragons.
When the Five Realms were initially formed, the first
tasks of the five ruler dragons were to populate the realms
with the folk of lost Arora. The power of the goddess Jha-
dhol and the ritual that unmade the world had infused the
Five Realms with the essence of every humanoid line of
old Arora, and it was this essence that the ruler dragons
channeled when they laid their first eggs in unprecedented
numbers. New dragons they spawned, to serve and support
them, and many other eggs hatched kobolds, dragaurs, and
dragonborn—the dracokin that the dragons had brought to
Arora with them from doomed Terradraca. However, most
of the eggs those dragons laid hatched unique creatures,
bearing diverse traits from among the dozens of humanoid
ancestries that had been scoured from the world.

105
 So it was, with the ruler dragons of each realm laying
eggs that hatched the first peoples of the Five Realms. Some
hatched to new true dragons, celebrated and integrated into
the ruling structure of each realm; into dragon-kin, serving
the dragons loyally in the most important roles of managing
and protecting the Five Realms during these early times;
and into the first generation of humanoid folk whose forms
sometimes mirrored the lost peoples of Arora, but who
were always possessed of unique features inspired by other
legacies of Arora.
While the first entities born back into Arora in its
newfound state were hatched from great dragon eggs, the
generations that followed were born in the traditional
sense. These following generations, however, inherited
their first-born ancestors’ myriad of unique multi-ancestry
features and traits, regardless of their parentage. A world
of individuals, each unique in their very own ways.
An Ancestry All Your Own
As a player in an Age of Desolation campaign, you can
create a character whose ancestry reflects any of the folk of
lost Arora. Those peoples include the standard fantasy folk
of many games and settings—elves and dwarves, orcs and
halflings, gnomes and goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears.
They also include the dracokin—the kobolds, dragonborn,
and dragaur—who were intended to be the great dragons’
most trusted servants and followers prior to the Dragonrage.
But the folk of the Five Realms are equally representative of
any other ancestries that you and the GM want to make a
part of your Age of Desolation campaign.
106 Arora: Age of Desolation
When you choose an ancestry, you build that ancestry
from the ground up. A player creating a new character
selects the character traits that define their ancestry in a
freeform fashion, allowing them to customize their character
in their own way. The sections below break down ninety
character traits that can be used for Age of Desolation
characters, with those traits divided into three categories
to focus on combat, exploration and the environment, and
roleplaying. (Many traits have crossover between categories,
as you’ll see in their descriptions.) From this wide range of
possibilities, you choose eight traits to create your starting
character, with those traits granting unique benefits that
shape your character’s baseline capabilities and their place
in the world. For a most games, those eight traits should
include 3 combat traits, 2 exploration traits, and 2 role-
playing traits, with 1 trait leftover to place where you’d like.
This creates a well-rounded character able to meet many of
Arora’s challenges.
If you want to play a character who looks and feels like
a member of any of the game’s classic ancestries, you can
do so by consulting the recommended traits in the “Legacy
of Arora” section. If you want to play a dracokin character,
look to the recommended traits in the “Dracokin” section.
Physical Features
Alongside selecting your ancestry traits, you get to decide
the look and form of your character’s body. Within a few
limits set out below, your physical features are entirely
up to you, and you can engage in any amount of cosmetic
tinkering with your character you’d like. Even if your
starting point is one of the Arora ancestries or a dracokin,
you can shape and alter the standard physical form of any
of those ancestries. However, your body’s physical features
can’t reproduce the effect of any trait without taking that
trait, and can’t create benefits if there’s no trait to cover
those benefits.
For example, you might describe your character as having
thick hide, armored skin, or copious mats of body hair. But
those cosmetic effects have no bearing on your AC unless
you take the Well Protected trait . Your character can have
extra arms or a tail that you use the same way you use
your arms and hands. But extra appendages don’t make it
any easier to climb or carry more gear unless you take the
Climber or Powerful Build traits and describe their effects as
coming from your extra arms or tail . Likewise, no number
of extra appendages will let you make additional attacks,
because there’s no trait providing that benefit. However,
you’re free to describe multiple attacks as making use of
your extra arms or tail in any way you like.
Taking Character Traits
Taking a character trait once establishes a baseline benefit
for your character. For example, you would take the Dark-
vision trait if you want to see in shadow or darkness, the
Eager Deceiver trait if you want to have innate proficiency
in the Deception skill, and so forth. But you can also take
each trait a second time to grant an additional benefit,
and many traits can be taken three or more times if they
are built around specific choices or options that change
each time you take the trait. Taking a trait more than once
grants an additional benefit over and above the trait’s base-
line benefit, improving the baseline benefit in some way.
For example, taking the Darkvision trait a second time
allows you to see more clearly in darkness.
All rules and limitations that come with a trait the first
time you take it apply to the benefit granted by taking
the trait again, unless the trait specifies otherwise. For
example, the Impromptu Artisan trait allows you to craft
simple equipment as long as you have an appropriate
proficiency, raw materials, and additional equipment.
If you take that trait twice, you can craft more complex
equipment, but the requirements for materials and
equipment don’t go away.
Traits as Reward
The character traits you select for your character help define
who that character is and what they can do. They are an
intrinsic part of the character. However, the magic of the Five
Realms that initially channeled your characters’ traits through
their draconic ancestry can make itself known throughout the
campaign at the GM’s discretion.
The GM bestow temporary traits on characters as rewards
during the game, taking the form of a temporary surge of
magical power. When you gain a new trait this way, it follows
the same rules as when you take traits at character creation.
Specifically, if you’ve taken a trait once and gain it again as a
reward, you gain its benefit for taking it twice. Likewise, if a
trait can only be taken twice and you’ve already done so, you
can’t take it again.
Chapter 6: Character Creation
Evolving Characters
The magic of the Five Realms that was channeled to grant
your character their starting traits continues to suffuse all
the creatures of the world. As such, each time you gain a
level in a class, you can swap one of your chosen ancestry
traits for a different ancestry trait, reflecting the way your
form, will, and talents continue to reshape themselves.
This can be useful if you gain a class feature that duplicates
the benefit granted by an ancestry trait, but you can swap
out any traits for any reason. (Remember, though, that if a
class feature grants you proficiency with a skill or tool for
which you already have proficiency through a particular
trait, the rules of the game allow you to select a different
skill proficiency or tool proficiency, with no need to swap
the trait out.)
If you’ve taken an ancestry trait twice, you swap out
only the second instance of the trait and its benefits.
Because you can swap out only one trait at a time,
swapping out the trait entirely means waiting until you
gain another level.
If you swap out a trait that gives you a choice of features,
you decide which choice to keep and which choice to drop.
For example, if you’ve taken the Natural Movement
trait twice, once for desert environments and once for
underground environments, swapping out that trait means
you drop one environment of your choice and you lose the
Shared Movement feature you gained by taking the trait a
second time.
Natural or Magical
The text for most character traits doesn’t specify whether
any given trait is natural or magical in nature, giving you
the freedom to decide how the trait has shaped your char-
acter. One character with the Flying trait might be pos-
sessed of mighty wings that fuel their flight, while another
simply soars aloft using innate magical ability. A character
with thick, leathery skin has a perfect physical explanation
for their Well Protected trait. But a character with a seem-
ingly normal physique might select the same trait to repre-
sent some kind of supernatural resilience. Even a trait that
specifically focuses on defending against magical effects
(such as Awakened Mind or Magical Fortification) might
be mundane in origin, representing a natural resilience or
aptitude powerful enough to interact with magic.
That said, even if you decide that some or all of your
character’s traits are magical, those traits remain an
intrinsic and natural part of you, fueled by your physical,
mental, and spiritual strength. As such, traits to which you
give a magical origin can’t be dispelled with dispel magic
and similar effects, and are unaffected by magical dead
zones or wild magic zones, the antimagic field spell, and
so on. The one exception is the cantrips and spells granted
when you select the Marked for Magic trait, which are
subject to the same rules as all spells and magical effects.
107
 Building Your Character
Use the following guidelines to create a character for an Age of
Desolation campaign, consulting with the GM as appropriate.
Ability Scores
You can generate your character’s ability scores in any way
available in the game’s rules and approved by the GM. You
gain an ability score increase as one of your universal traits
(see below).
Select Your Traits
Your character has a number of universal traits noted
below. You also select eight character traits from the
“Combat Traits,” “Exploration and Environment Traits,”
and “Roleplaying Traits” sections below. The traits you
select give your character innate benefits related to combat,
exploration, survival.
You can freely choose your character traits from any
category, and there’s no requirement to select a specific
number of traits focused on any particular part of the game.
You can also use the recommendations in the “Legacy
of Arora” and “Dracokin” sections to consider or select
a standard starting point for character traits if you want
your character to strongly reflect one of the humanoid lines
of old Arora, or one of the dracokin. But even if you use
one of those ancestries as a starting point, you’re free to
customize your trait selection any way you wish.
Universal Traits
In addition to the traits that personalize your character’s
talents, knowledge, and outlook, all characters in an Age of
Desolation campaign share the following universal traits.
Humanoid Type
Your character is a humanoid. Your character's appearance
could resemble a typical humanoid or one of Arora's
dracokin, a fey creature, or some monstrosity.
Ability Score Increase
You can adjust your starting ability scores by increasing
one ability by 2 and another ability by 1. Alternatively, you
can increase three ability scores by 1. Look to the rules for
your character’s intended class for suggestions about which
ability scores are important for that class.
Adventurers’ Edge
Characters in an Age of Desolation campaign stand at
the center of a maelstrom of duty and strife, chaos and
survival. As the characters respond to the challenges that
face them, the magic of Jha-dhol that suffuses the Five
Realms responds to their acts of heroism to grant them
an adventurer’s edge. At the start of each game session,
each character gains a d6. At any point during the game,
you can roll that d6 and add it to a d20 roll your character
makes, either before or after determining the outcome of
the roll.
108 Arora: Age of Desolation
Your adventurers’ edge can be used at any time. At the
GM’s determination, characters who engage in thrilling he-
roics or survive a brutal series of encounters without using
their adventurers’ edge can increase their edge, with any
unused d6s bumped up d8s. A tough or dramatic session
might see the d8 increased again to a d10, or an already
improved d10 increased to a maximum d12.
Age And Longevity
From the time they’re born, all characters in the Five
Realms age at the same rate, coming of adventuring age
in their late teens and enjoying a robust 20 to 30 years
of active living before showing the first signs of middle
age around the age of 45. Absent natural and unnatural
threats, a character might continue living to the age of 100.
Few people in the Five Realms survive the desolation long
enough to see such longevity.
Size
Your character can be Medium or Small, and can be lithe,
stocky, or any build in between. Small characters average
between 2-1/2 and 4 feet in height, and might weigh
anywhere from 30 to 100 pounds. Medium characters
average between 4 and 7 feet in height, and can weigh
anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds.
Speed
Your character’s walking speed is 30 feet. If you reduce your
speed to 25 feet, you can take one extra character trait.
Languages
Every character is born knowing the Draconic tongue—the
language of dragons. Your character also knows one other
language of your choice, chosen from any of the following:
Dwarvish, Elvish, Gnomish, Goblin, Halfling, or Orc.
The ancestral languages of the peoples of old Arora were
learned due to the gestation dreams of the first reborn
and hatched folk. They taught them down through the
younger generations. They can be useful for translating
old lore and inscriptions found through the Five Realms.
Common. The citizens of Arora from the time before the
dragons arrived spoke an interspecies trade language
that was called Common. It was a less eloquent
language, but it allowed for the different species to
interact effectively.
Shardscale, Abyssal, Infernal, and others. The languages
of evil and supernatural creatures in your campaign might
come down to part of the lore of lost Arora.
If you want your character to know additional languages,
take the Linguist trait.
"Blessing or curse, Jha-dhol has challenged me to
show all my children that who you seem to be is
never who you really are."
- Jhakith Madra Adailar
 Legacy of Arora
Before the coming of the dragons, Arora was shaped by
countless cultures and numerous humanoid ancestries.
The history, strengths, and heroism of those ancestries
were drawn into the fabric of the Five Realms when Arora
was unmade, and many first-generation folk who were
born from the eggs of the ruler dragons retained the ap-
pearance and traits of those ancestries.
If you want to play a character whose form and nature
reflect the lost past, you can use the suggested traits in this
section as a starting point. Playing a character of a distinct
ancestry doesn’t lock you to these traits, though, and in
addition to choosing two additional traits beyond the six
traits suggested for each ancestry, you’re free to swap out
suggested traits for different traits, drop a suggested trait to
take another suggested trait twice, and so forth. You might
even create a character whose ancestry is a custom blend
of standard ancestries, mixing physical features and traits
from two or more ancestries in a unique way.
Bugbear
Cousins to the goblins and hobgoblins, and the oldest of
those three related lines, bugbears originated as a folk
among the monster-infested hill lands in old Arora. Living
by stealth and valor in those ancient days reflects the
natural instinct for bravery and keeping a low profile that
is common among many who channel this ancestry.
In addition to physical appearance, your character’s
bugbear heritage can be demonstrated by taking any of the
following among your eight starting traits:
• Darkvision • Powerful Build
• Fade Away • Reach Attack
• Focused Mind • Supple Squeeze
Dwarf
The dwarves originated in the cold mountains of old Arora,
expanding out into the world from great underground
halls. Even dwarves living in the wider world often felt
strong ties to stone and the subterranean realms of their
distant ancestors, as do many of the folk of the Five Realms
who channel dwarf ancestry.
In addition to physical appearance, your character can
mark a connection to the dwarves of old by taking any of
the following among your eight starting traits:
• Armor Aptitude • Natural Awareness
• Damage Resistance • Poison Resilience
• Darkvision • Toughness
Chapter 6: Character Creation
Elf
The coastal rainforests of old Arora were the first homes
of the elves, and those lands long remained the center of
elven culture as it spread across the world. Many elves
maintained a lifelong dedication to the natural world and
the magical histories of their people, both of which carry
through into the new folk of the Five Realms.
In addition to physical appearance, your character can
show a connection to elven blood by taking any of the
following among your eight starting traits:
• Awakened Mind • Meditative Rest
• Darkvision • Shroud of the Wild
• Focused Mind • Weapon Aptitude
Halfling
The halflings of old Arora were a nomadic folk dedicated
to seeking out and spreading folklore, learning, and a love
of good living. From their oldest settlements in remote
hill country at the edges of other folks’ empires, they were
spread far and wide through every realm by the time of
the Great Abjuration, and their love of wandering and lore
often manifests in today’s folk of the Five Realms.
In addition to physical appearance, your character’s
connection to the halfling ancestry can be demonstrated by
taking any of the following among your eight starting traits:
• Brave • Lucky
• Creature Cover • Pass Through
• Damage Resistance • Poison Resilience
Gnome
Cousins to the dwarves in old Arora, the gnomes were a forest
folk thought by many to have subsumed a touch of fey power
in their deep past. Possessed of an inquisitive nature that in-
spired them to strike out from their homelands, many gnomes
maintained a strong spiritual connection to nature, which
manifests in some folk across the Five Realms.
In addition to physical appearance, your character can
channel some of the essence of gnome ancestry by taking
any of the following among your eight starting traits:
• Darkvision • Marked for Magic
• Impromptu Artisan • Masterful Aptitude
• Magical Fortification • Nature’s Voice
Goblin
The goblins trace their oldest histories to mountainous
desert climes, where they carved out great underground
halls whose beauty was legendary across Arora. Masters
of art and crafting in their day, the goblins have passed on
their aesthetic and talents to many in the Five Realms.
In addition to physical appearance, your character can
show their connection to a distant goblin ancestry by taking
any of the following among your eight starting traits:
• Darkvision • Nimble
• Focused Mind • Quick Slip
• Larger Target • Tool Expertise
109
 Hobgoblin
Hobgoblins are cousins to the goblins and bugbears,
first arising along the frontier hill lands that separated
their kin. Later the hobgoblins were defined by nomadic
wanderings that carried them far from their homeland.
Making contact with the orcs first brought the hobgoblins
the understanding that goblinoids weren’t the only peoples
of old Arora and ushered in a new age.
In addition to physical appearance, your character’s con-
nection to the hobgoblins of Arora can be shown by taking
any of the following among your eight starting traits:
• Allies’ Influence • Focused Mind
Darkvision
• • Helping Hand
• Fleet of Foot • Natural Movement
Lizardfolk
The lizardfolk of old Arora were the masters of marsh,
river, and lake, known for their deep insights into nature
and their dedication to protecting it. Taking on a role as
wardens and guardians, many lizardfolk aligned people
maintain that role in the Five Realms, though their
dedication to protecting others can take on many forms.
In addition to physical appearance, your character’s ties
to the lizardfolk ancestry can be shown by taking any of the
following among your eight starting traits:
• Hold Breath • Stalwart Reserves
• Natural Attack • Swimmer
• Natural Camouflage • Well Protected
Orc
Originally a people of old Arora’s great plains, the orcs were
the first to explore and tame the monster-haunted waste-
lands that originally separated the great humanoid cultures
. Their first contact with the hobgoblins, then with the elves
and gnomes, helped to shape those folks’ understanding of
the wider world, and ushered in a long age of interaction
and camaraderie between humanoid peoples.
In addition to physical appearance, your character’s
orc ancestry can be demonstrated by taking any of the
following among your eight starting traits:
• Darkvision • Powerful Build
• Masterful Aptitude • Relentless Endurance
• Natural Movement • Surge of Speed
"People all across the Five Realms think those blasted
Jhakith are so wise, peaceful, and kind. I don’t trust a one
of them. Anyone who can wake one day as a completely
different person makes my skin crawl. And they don’t
need grobb to ride the portals!"
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
110 Arora: Age of Desolation
Dracokin
When the dragons fled the destruction of Terradraca and
arrived on old Arora, they brought with them the last
survivors of that world’s humanoid ancestries, all related
to the great dragons who ruled over them. Though they
were a small minority on Arora in the years before the
Shardscale assaulted that world, the so-called dracokin
are now equally common in numbers with the core Aroran
ancestries. The dracokin have long served as the dragons’
direct lieutenants and most trusted humanoid servants.
Playing a dracokin character related to the great
dragons offers no mechanical benefits over playing a
character of another core ancestry, or whose form and
traits are wholly unique. But it offers up potentially
interesting roleplaying possibilities as you think about your
character’s relationship to the current-day mad dragons
and their desolation of the Five Realms, and how that
relationship might shape how other characters perceive
and react to you.
Draconic Minions and Societal Allies
Prior to the Dragonrage, the relationship between the
dracokin and the other folk of the Five Realms had always
been defined as part of the draconic hierarchy, with the
ruling dragons at its apex, the dracokin beneath them,
and all other humanoids below that. When the maddening
of the dragons occurred, most dracokin remained loyal to
their ruling dragon, albeit through a life of treachery and
tyranny. Some, however, broke away from that ancestral
mold and joined with the other humanoids, living as equals
in an age of survival within the dragons’ desolation.
Exceptions to the Rule
Historically, the dragonborn and kobolds of the Five
Realms have been a mostly unified folk, first spawned
by the dragons like all other humanoids during the first
generation. They were given clear intent to bolster the
numbers of these special servants of the dragons. For the
GM’s purposes, the Five Realms feature large numbers of
stock dracokin NPCs with fairly consistent traits. But for
your purposes, feel free to embrace the wide-open nature
of character traits in Arora to build out a dragonborn,
dragaur, or kobold character who’s one of a kind.
Even while building a character around the classic
archetypes of kobolds, dragaur, and dragonborn, you
can customize your character by exchanging any of the
standard traits for your ancestry in favor of unique choices.
A dragonborn scholar might have taken up that vocation
because they have no breath weapon, for example. You
might also choose to play a character who is wholly unique
in their selection of traits and only looks like a dracokin.

Dragonborn
The dragonborn are the youngest of the dracokin, lacking
the deep history of their kobold kin, but more fully
resembling the dragons who gave rise to their people.
Though long known as warriors in the service of the
dragons, many dragonborn apply their dedication to magic
and invention with equal skill.
In addition to physical appearance, your character’s
dragonborn nature can be shown by taking any of the
following among your eight starting traits:
• Breath Weapon • Powerful Build
• Damage Resistance • Primal Warding
• Natural Movement • Weapon Aptitude
Dragaur
The dragaur are the largest of the dracokin, combining the
top half of a humanoid with the bottom half of a dragon.
These fearsome creatures are Large sized, and they often
have the increased strength to match. The dragaur consider
themselves to be greatly superior to the other dracokin, and
they have features more in line with their sires.
In addition to physical appearance, your character’s
dragaur nature can be shown by taking any of the
following among your eight starting traits:
• Charging Attack Tail)
• Firm Influence • Steady
• Natural Attack (Claw or • Supple Squeeze
Kobolds
The kobolds embrace their draconic nature with pride and
purpose. Curious and imaginative, kobolds long served the
dragons as inventors, engineers, and mages, with many
continuing to fulfil those roles in the Five Realms.
In addition to physical appearance, your character can
demonstrate their connection to the kobolds by taking any
of the following among your eight starting traits:
• Brave • Impromptu Artisan
• Burrower • Marked for Magic
• Darkvision • Master of Distraction
Chapter 6: Character Creation
Folk of Legend
When the Great Abjuration happened, it claimed not just
the lives of those still fighting for Arora, but the spirit
energy of countless other creatures who had fallen to the
Shardscale advance. Just as with the humanoid ancestries
native to Arora and the dracokin who arrived with the
dragons, the history, legacy, and essence of countless fey,
magical creatures, lesser-known humanoids, and more fed
Jha-dhol’s ritual. Thereafter they were suffused into the life
essence of the ruler dragons and the reproductive process
that has populated the Five Realms.
Your character can take on the form and traits of any
type of intelligent creature, including rare or unusual
humanoids, monstrosities, fey, and anything else within the
limits of your imagination and the GM’s approval. When
you play a truly custom character against a social backdrop
primarily made up of the common humanoid folk of Arora
and the dracokin, your form and innate talents mark you
as an unusual person—perhaps even a unique individual.
For example, you might play a minotaur or centaur
using this approach. But even though such a unique
character might attract attention from those you meet,
the folk of the Five Realms remain a single unified society,
focused on their shared goals and purpose. With their
thoughts informed by no natural prejudices, characters
in the Five Realms are used to living and working among
people possessed of myriad forms and features. Where
people do draw divisions between themselves and other
folk, they do so most often on the basis of belief and
ambition—never on appearance.
Character Type
Humanoids in the Arora setting channel the power of the
Great Abjuration that sundered Arora, and can draw on
traits from any of the humanoids whose sacrifice allowed
that ritual to remake the world. This means that, unless
the GM determines otherwise, characters shouldn’t be
considered part of a specific humanoid line. Magic, monster
attacks, and other effects that interact with specific types of
humanoids in certain ways normally effect with all charac-
ters the same way.
At the GM’s determination, a character with a significant
number of traits from a specific humanoid ancestry might
be allowed to take advantage of benefits normally tied to
that ancestry—or be subject to effects that normally only
target humanoids of that ancestry. For example, a character
who has most or all of the suggested elf traits from the
“Legacy of Arora” section might have the elf’s immunity to
the paralyzing effect of a ghoul’s claws, just as an ancient
magical trap meant to hinder dwarf tomb robbers could
trigger in response to a character who possesses most of
the dwarf’s iconic traits.
111
 Character Traits
The following traits help define your starting character,
establishing the broad strokes of their strengths, assets, and
aptitudes. Traits are divided into combat traits, explora-
tion and environmental interaction traits, and roleplaying
traits. But in the complicated struggle for survival in the
Five Realms, every aspect of the game dovetails into other
aspects. These broad definitions aren’t meant to be abso-
lute, or to suggest that focusing on traits in a specific cate-
gory is the best way to succeed in that aspect of the game.
Your character’s combat abilities are largely defined
by your choice of class even if you avoid taking combat
traits. Likewise, your sense of how best to roleplay your
character should be entirely a product of your interest and
imagination, and even if some of the mechanics or benefits
of roleplaying-focused traits can serve as inspiration for
that, your roleplaying shouldn’t be dictated by them.
Combat Traits
For the folk of the Five Realms, the struggle for survival has
always been paramount—and since the onset of the Drag-
onrage, that struggle has only intensified. Whether your
character is a dedicated warrior protecting folk, settlements,
or important sites from the countless threats of the Five
Realms, or simply someone who’s learned that a lack of
combat prowess can too quickly prove lethal, the following
combat-focused character traits can prove useful.
Armor Aptitude
A natural expertise lets you easily wear your preferred
form of protection. You have proficiency with one of the
following of your choice: light armor, medium armor,
heavy armor, or shields.
Armor Specialist. If you take this trait multiple times,
you gain proficiency with one new type of armor, or with
shields. Additionally, while you are wearing armor you are
proficient with, you have a +1 bonus to AC.
Awesome Critical
Your most potent attacks strike with incredible lethality.
When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack,
you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional
time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Maximum Critical. If you take this trait twice, when
you use Awesome Critical, you can add the maximum of
one of the weapon’s damage dice to the extra damage of
the critical hit, rather than rolling. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
"Whether spawned, whelped, or hatched, all Jha-dhol’s
children get the blessings they need most."
- Jhakith Madra Adailar
112 Arora: Age of Desolation
Breath Weapon
A hint of draconic power in you lets you exhale destructive
energy. When you select this trait, choose a damage type:
acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic,
radiant, or thunder. Then choose an area of effect: a line
that is 5 feet wide and 30 feet long, or a 15-foot cone.
When you use an action to expel your breath weapon,
each creature in the area of effect must make a Dexterity
saving throw (DC equals 8 + your Constitution modifier
+ your proficiency bonus). A target creature takes 2d6
damage of the chosen type on a failed save, and half as
much damage on a successful one. The damage increases
to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you
finish a long rest.
Potent Breath.If you take this trait multiple times, you
gain an additional choice in type of breath weapon with
its own number of uses, damage type, and area of effect.
Additionally, when you use your breath weapon, one target
of your choice has disadvantage on the saving throw. You
can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Burst Of Speed
As circumstances demand, you can move like the wind.
When you move on your turn, you can double your speed
until the end of your turn. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Furious Speed. If you take this trait twice, you don’t
provoke opportunity attacks when using Burst of Speed.
By the Book
If a particular playable ancestry in another game book ap-
peals to you, you can talk to the GM about playing a charac-
ter of that ancestry without changes in an Age of Desolation
campaign. After all, the most unique character in a game
meant to allow unique characters might be one whose traits
aren’t actually found in this chapter!
If you decide to play a character of a standard ancestry,
just make the following changes:
• Your character’s type is Humanoid if it isn’t already.
• Ignore the ancestry’s ability score bonuses and penalties if
it has them, in favor of applying the Ability Score Increase
universal trait.
• Take the Adventurers’ Edge universal trait.
• Apply the effects of the Age and Longevity universal trait
and the Languages universal trait.
Just as you’re free to choose any trait when building a
character, you can also customize a character with a stock
ancestry. With the GM’s approval, you might drop one of the
ancestry’s standard traits in order to select a replacement
trait. And in the event that you want to use a stock ancestry
that feels a bit underpowered in its traits (as happens with
many ancestries that originally featured high ability score
adjustments in lieu of traits), you can talk to the GM about
choosing an additional trait from this chapter.

Charging Attack
Channeling your momentum on the battlefield empowers
your blows. If you move at least 20 feet straight toward a
target and then hit it with a melee weapon attack on the
same turn, you can make another attack against the same
target as a bonus action with the same weapon.
Furious Charge. If you take this trait twice, when you
use Charging Attack, you gain advantage on the first attack
roll. You can use this feature a number of times equal to
your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when
you finish a long rest.
First Strike
You’re able to take the initiative to deadly effect. When you
hit a creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet,
your attack deals an extra 2d6 damage. You can use this
feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Strong Strike. If you take this trait twice, you can
maximize extra damage dice from First Strike, rather than
rolling. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a
long rest.
Focused Reserves
You find the will to keep fighting when you most need
it. As a reaction when you would take damage, you roll
a d6 for each point of your proficiency bonus. You gain
temporary hit points equal to the total. You can use this
Chapter 6: Character Creation
feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Focused Edge. If you take this trait twice, you can
take the maximum number of temporary hit points rather
than rolling.
Larger Target
Bigger creatures quickly learn to fear you despite your
stature. When you hit a creature that is one size larger
than you, you may choose to deal extra damage equal to
your proficiency bonus. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Even Larger. If you take this trait twice, Larger Target
applies to creatures that are up to two sizes larger than you.
Master of Distraction
Your ability to get foes to focus on you in combat gives your
allies an edge. As an action, you put on a tactical display
(bravado, cowardice, confusion, or what have you) that gets
your enemies’ attention. Until the end of your next turn,
any attack on an enemy within 10 feet of you that can see
you, has advantage. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Hindering Distraction. If you take this trait twice,
when you use Master of Distraction, one affected enemy
of your choice also has disadvantage on attacks it makes
against your allies until the end of your next turn.
113

Menacing Roar
The sheer strength of your voice can leave your foes
reeling. As a bonus action, you emit a roar, shout, or other
loud vocal outburst. Each creature of your choice within
10 feet of you that can hear you must succeed on a Wisdom
saving throw (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your
Constitution modifier) or become frightened of you until
the end of your next turn. You can’t use this feature again
until you finish a long rest.
Incomparable Roar. If you take this trait twice, when
you use Menacing Roar, one target of your choice has
disadvantage on the saving throw.
Mighty Shove
Foes who feel your wrath are driven back by the force of
your blow. When you hit a creature no more than one size
larger than you with a melee attack, you can use a bonus
action to attempt to shove that creature. The target must
succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC equals 8 + your
Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus) or be pushed
up to 10 feet away from you.
Overwhelming Shove. When you use Mighty Shove,
the target creature has disadvantage on the saving throw.
Natural Attack
Your intimidating physique makes you even more danger-
ous in combat. You have one natural attack based upon
a noteworthy physical feature—strong teeth, sharp claws,
jutting horns or spines, hardened hooves, and so forth.
This attack is a natural weapon that you can use to make
unarmed strikes, dealing damage equal to 1d6 + your
Strength or Dexterity modifier. Your natural attack deals
one type of damage consistent with the form of the attack
(slashing damage for claws, piercing for teeth and spines,
bludgeoning for hooves, and so forth).
Natural Fury. If you take this trait multiple times, you
gain a new natural attack each time. Additionally, if you
hit the same target with two or more natural attacks on the
same turn, you deal an extra 1d6 damage of the same type
as one of the attacks (your choice).
114 Arora: Age of Desolation
Nimble
Locking you down in combat is more difficult than your
enemies realize. You can take the Disengage action as a
bonus action on each of your turns.
Nimble Opportunity. If you take this trait twice, you
have advantage on the first attack roll you make on the
same turn after using Nimble. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Pack Tactics
By fighting in concert with your allies, nothing can stop
you. If you start your turn with at least one ally who isn’t
incapacitated within 5 feet of another creature you can see,
you can use your reaction to gain advantage on attack rolls
against that creature until the end of your turn.
Pack Instinct. If you take this trait twice, you no
longer need to use your reaction to gain advantage from
Pack Tactics.
Pass Through
When needing to move through larger creatures, you know
how to avoid them. You can move through the space of any
creature that is of a size larger than yours.
Nimble Passage. If you take this trait twice, another
creature’s space is not difficult terrain for you.
Primal Defense
Your innate defenses keep you safe against a specific type of
harm. You have resistance to one of the following damage
types of your choice: acid, cold, fire, force, lightning,
necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder.
Auspicious Defense. When you take this trait twice,
you gain resistance to another damage type of your choice.
Additionally, when you make a saving throw against a
damage type chosen for this trait, you can choose to have
advantage on the save. You can’t use this feature again
until you finish a long rest.
Primal Warding
Protective power lives in you, letting you shrug off even the
most destructive effects. Choose a damage type: acid, cold,
fire, force, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or
thunder. As a reaction when you would take damage of the
chosen type, you gain immunity to that damage type until
the end of your next turn. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Vengeful Warding. If you take this trait twice, you gain
Primal Warding’s immunity for a different damage type
each time. Additionally, when you use Primal Warding to
negate damage dealt to you by a creature, that creature
takes half the damage dealt, applying its own resistances,
immunities, and vulnerabilities as normal. You can’t use
this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Quick Initiative
When a fight starts, you love being the first into the fray.
You add your proficiency bonus to your initiative rolls.
Focused Initiative. If you take this trait twice, when you
roll initiative, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
Quick Slip
Even in the thick of combat, you are always ready to get out
of danger. You can take the Hide action as a bonus action
on each of your turns. You must have appropriate cover
and succeed on a Dexterity (Stealth) check to successfully
hide, as normal.
Astute Slip. If you take this trait twice, you have
advantage on the Dexterity (Stealth) check when you use
Quick Slip.
Reach Attack
Foes trying to stay away from you must be always on their
guard. Your reach increases by 5 feet. This extra reach
doesn’t apply to opportunity attacks.
Opportune Reach. If you take this trait twice, your extra
reach from Reach Attack applies to opportunity attacks.
Relentless Endurance
Your determination to stay in the fight drives you on. When
you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you
can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature
again until you finish a long rest.
Unparalleled Endurance. If you take this trait twice,
when you use Relentless Endurance, you drop to 1d6 hit
points + your proficiency bonus.
Ruthless Response
Being hit in combat only makes you more dangerous.
When you take damage from a creature within your reach,
you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack
against that creature. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Focused Ruthlessness. If you take this trait twice, you
have advantage on attacks made using Ruthless Response.
Chapter 6: Character Creation
Slippery
Things that grab onto you don’t grab for long. You have
advantage on Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics)
checks to escape a grapple.
Supreme Slip. If you take this trait twice, when you
fail a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check
to escape a grapple, you can use your reaction to succeed
instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a
long rest.
Stalwart Reserves
The harder you hit your enemies, the stronger you get.
When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can use
your reaction to roll a d4 for each point of your proficiency
bonus and gain temporary hit points equal to the total.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you
finish a long rest.
Stalwart Edge. If you take this trait twice, you can
take the maximum number of temporary hit points rather
than rolling.
Toughness
You enjoy an especially robust level of physical resilience.
Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by
1 every time you gain a level.
Extra Tough. If you take this trait twice, instead your
hit point maximum increases by 2, and it increases by 2
every time you gain a level. Additionally, when you make a
saving throw against an effect that would decrease your hit
point maximum, you can make the save with advantage.
You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Weapon Aptitude
A warrior’s instinct grants you an affinity for certain
weapons. You have proficiency with three weapons of
your choice.
Weapon Specialist. If you take this trait multiple
times, you gain proficiency with three new weapons each
time. Additionally, choose one weapon with which you
have proficiency. You gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls with
that weapon.
Well Protected
Your tough skin, sturdy frame, or supernatural toughness
helps keep you safe. When you wear no armor, you have a
+2 bonus to AC.
Hardy Protection. If you take this trait twice, instead
you have a +4 bonus to AC when you wear no armor.
Additionally, when a creature misses you with an attack,
you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on that
creature’s next attack against you before the end of the
creature’s next turn.
115
 Exploration And
Environment Traits
The harsh landscapes and unforgiving hinterlands of the
Five Realms are a constant challenge for explorers, traders,
and those entrusted with maintaining the flow of essential
resources in the Five Realms. The brave few who challenge
the realms themselves, and especially those dedicated to
dealing with the aftermath of the Dragonrage, can make
good use of the traits in this section.
Many of these exploration and environmental traits offer
defensive capabilities useful in combat. But those who ex-
plore the Five Realms know how dangerous the fragmented
remnants of Arora can be even in the absence of foes.
Amphibious
Surviving underwater is second nature to you. You can
breathe air and water.
Water Born. If you take this trait twice, you can gain
advantage on an ability check or saving throw made while
you are submerged in water. You can use this feature a
number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
"The early bird gets killed sooner. Be the second bird."
- An Old Tievmerian Adage
116 Arora: Age of Desolation
Awakened Mind
An innate mental focus lets you shrug off eldritch effects that
would cloud your mind. You automatically succeed on saving
throws against magic that would leave you unconscious.
Reawakened. If you take this trait twice, you have
advantage on saving throws against nonmagical effects that
would leave you unconscious or stunned. This does not
include effects that leave you unconscious because you are
reduced to 0 hit points.
Brave
You can stand your ground against even the most terrify-
ing threats. You have advantage on saving throws against
being frightened.
Fierce Bravery. If you take this trait twice, when you
fail a saving throw against being frightened, you can use
your reaction to succeed on the save instead. You can’t use
this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Burrower
Your connection to earth and soil lets you move through
the ground at will. You have a burrowing speed equal to
your walking speed that lets you burrow through earth
and sand, but not ground that is mostly or entirely rock.
The tunnel you make collapses behind you, making it
impossible for other creatures to follow you, and you must
hold your breath while you burrow.
Quickened Burrow. If you take this trait twice, you can
use the Dash action as a bonus action while burrowing.
 Climber
Your instinctive sense of balance and ability to hang on to
even the thinnest ledge let you scale any obstacle. You have
a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
Quickened Climb. If you take this trait twice, you can
use the Dash action as a bonus action while climbing.
Creature Cover
Even when an enemy or an ally is the only cover you’ve got,
it’s enough. You can attempt to hide even when you are
obscured only by a creature, as long as that creature is at
least one size larger than you.
Subtle Cover. If you take this trait twice, you can attempt
to hide while obscured by a creature the same size as you, or
by two or more creatures one size smaller than you.
Darkvision
Even in dark and dim conditions, your sight remains sharp.
You can see in dim light out to a range of 60 feet as if it were
bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t
discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
True Darkvision. If you take this trait twice, you can
see in darkness out to a range of 60 feet as if it were bright
light, though still only in shades of gray.
Fade Away
You momentarily obscure yourself to hide from sight. As a
bonus action, you successfully hide from any creatures who
can see you, becoming invisible until the start of your next
turn. You become visible again early if you attack or cast a
spell. You can use this feature a number of times equal to
your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when
you finish a long rest.
Long Fade. If you take this trait twice, you become
invisible for 2d4 rounds when you use Fade Away.
Fleet of Foot
Whatever your destination, you know how to move with
speed and grace. Your walking speed increases by 5 feet.
Shared Fleetness. If you take this trait twice, your
walking speed increases by another 5 feet, for a total
increase of 10 feet. Additionally, you can grant creatures of
your choice the ability to move at your walking speed for 1
minute, as long as those creatures remain within 30 feet of
you and can see you. You can’t use this feature again until
you finish a long rest.
Flyer
For you the sky is as open a road as any . You have a flying
speed equal to your walking speed.
Quickened Flight. If you take this trait twice, you can
use the Dash action as a bonus action while flying.
Chapter 6: Character Creation
Focused Mind
It takes exceptional effort to hinder your ability to tell
friend from foe. You have advantage on saving throws
against being charmed.
Immutable Mind. If you take this trait twice, when
you fail a saving throw against being charmed, you can use
your reaction to succeed on the save instead. You can’t use
this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Leaper
When you get moving, no obstacles can slow you down.
As a bonus action, you can jump a number of feet equal to
half your walking speed. This movement doesn’t provoke
opportunity attacks, and you can move through or over
the spaces of other creatures without spending extra
movement. You can use this feature a number of times
equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended
uses when you finish a long rest.
Great Leap. If you take this trait twice, the distance you
can jump with Great Leap is equal to your walking speed.
Hold Breath
You effortlessly hold oxygen in reserve for when you need
it. You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour.
Endless Breath. If you take this trait twice, you can
hold your breath for up to 8 hours.
Irrepressible Sight
You can shake off most any effect that seeks to hinder
your vision. You have advantage on saving throws against
being blinded.
Resolute Sight. If you take this trait twice, when you
fail a saving throw against being blinded, you can use your
reaction to succeed on the save instead. You can’t use this
feature again until you finish a long rest.
Intrinsic Orientation
Your instinctive sense of where you are helps you avoid
going astray. You always know which way is north, and you
have advantage on ability checks made to avoid becoming
lost, to navigate, or to track.
Expert Orientation. When you fail an ability check
made to avoid becoming lost, to navigate, or to track, you
can choose to succeed instead. You can’t use this feature
again until you finish a long rest.
Resilient Ears
Your auditory connection to the world around you stays
ever strong. You have advantage on saving throws against
being deafened.
Determined Hearing. If you take this trait twice, when
you fail a saving throw against being deafened, you can use
your reaction to succeed on the save instead. You can’t use
this feature again until you finish a long rest.
117
 Magical Fortification
Your body and mind can easily shrug off the effects of
magic. Choose an ability score: Strength, Dexterity,
Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You have
advantage on saving throws using that ability score against
spells and other magical effects.
Extended Fortification. If you take this trait multiple
times, you have advantage on saving throws using a new
ability score each time. Additionally, if you fail a saving
throw against a spell or other magical effect and you do not
have proficiency with that saving throw, you can use your
reaction to reroll the save. You can’t use this feature again
until you finish a long rest.
Meditative Rest
Your mind and body restore themselves without the need
for true sleep. When you rest, you meditate deeply for 4
hours, dreaming but remaining conscious. After resting in
this way, you gain the same benefit that other humanoids
do from 8 hours of sleep.
Restorative Rest. If you take this trait twice, you need
to spend only 2 hours in your meditative state to gain the
benefit of 8 hours of sleep, and you gain a d6 at the end of
each long rest. Before the end of your next long rest, you can
roll the d6 and add it to any d20 roll you make. You can wait
until after you roll the d20 before deciding to do so.
Natural Camouflage
Your connection to your environment lets you easily fade into
the background. Choose an environment: desert, forest, grass-
land, hills and mountains, snow and ice, swamps and marsh,
underground, underwater, or volcanic. You have advantage on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide while in that environment.
Shared Camouflage. If you take this trait multiple
times, you gain its benefit for a new environment each
time. Additionally, while in any environment chosen for
Natural Camouflage, you can grant advantage on Dexterity
(Stealth) checks to hide to creatures of your choice that
are within 15 feet of you and can see you. You can use this
feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Natural Movement
You have an innate sense of how to move in a specific
environment. Choose an environment: desert, forest,
grassland, hills and mountains, snow and ice, swamp and
marsh, underground, underwater, or volcanic. While in
that environment, moving through nonmagical difficult
terrain costs you no extra movement, and ability checks
made to track you have disadvantage.
Shared Movement. If you take this trait multiple times,
you gain its benefit for a new environment each time.
Additionally, while in any environment chosen for Natural
Movement, you can grant creatures of your choice the
benefit of Natural Movement for 1 hour, as long as those
creatures remain within 30 feet of you and can see you. You
can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
118 Arora: Age of Desolation
Nature’s Voice
You have an innate connection to animals and plants that
transcends traditional language. Through sounds and
gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with Beasts
and Plant creatures, understanding if a creature is hungry
for example. This gives you no specific ability to control
such creatures, and you can’t understand or learn detailed
information from them.
Primal Voice. When you use Nature’s Voice, you have
advantage on Charisma checks you make to interact with
or influence Beasts and Plant creatures.
Powerful Build
Your body type or innate strength let you easily bear more
weight than other creatures. When you determine your
carrying capacity and the weight you can drag, lift, or
push, you are treated as one size larger than you are.
Maximum Power. If you take this trait twice, you can
increase your carrying capacity with Built for Burden as
though you were two sizes larger than you are, with that
increase lasting for 10 minutes. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Personal Bastion
By deploying protective armor plates, momentarily
hardening your skin, or strengthening your physical form
with magic, you focus on defense to the exclusion of all
else. As an action, you become motionless and gain the
following benefits and drawbacks:
• You gain a +4 bonus to AC.
• You have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
• You have advantage on Strength and Constitution
saving throws.
• Your speed is 0 and you can’t benefit from any bonus to
your speed.
• You lose concentration.
• You can’t take actions, but you can take reactions and
you can use a bonus action to end the effect of this trait.
Mobile Bastion. If you take this trait twice, when you use
Personal Bastion, your speed is reduced only to half, you do
not have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws, and you
can make use bonus actions that don’t involve movement.
"I wish the people of these cursed realms weren’t so
different from each other. I try to poison a guard, and they
don’t fall over dead. A sailor I steal from suddenly sprouts
wings and follows me. It’s just not fair!"
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
 Poison Resilience
Your exceptional fortitude lets you shrug off the effects
of various toxins. You have advantage on saving throws
against being poisoned.
Poison Indemnity. If you take this trait twice, when
you fail a saving throw against being poisoned, you can use
your reaction to succeed on the save instead. You can’t use
this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Resilient Instinct
With a moment’s focus, you are able to stand fast against
any hazard. As a reaction when you would take damage,
you gain resistance to the damage type until the end of
your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times
equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended
uses when you finish a long rest.
Invulnerable Instinct. When you use Resilient
Instinct, you have immunity to the damage type until the
end of your next turn.
Shroud of the Wild
You have a natural instinct for blending in. You can
attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured
by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other
natural phenomena.
Faultless Shroud. If you take this trait twice, you have
advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide while using
Shroud of the Wild.
Steady
No matter the odds, you have a knack for staying on your
feet. You have advantage on saving throws against being
knocked prone.
Stand Fast. If you take this trait twice, when you fail
a saving throw against being knocked prone, you can use
your reaction to succeed on the save instead. You can’t use
this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Supple Squeeze
You have a knack for getting into tight spaces. You can
squeeze through a space that is large enough for a creature
two sizes smaller than you, rather than one size smaller.
Full-Speed Squeeze. If you take this trait twice,
squeezing does not cost you additional movement, and you
do not have disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity
saving throws while squeezed.
Chapter 6: Character Creation
Surge of Speed
When you most need it, you can call on a burst of speed.
You can take the Dash action as a bonus action. You
can use this feature a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you
finish a long rest.
Surge of Vitality. If you take this trait twice, when
you use Surge of Speed, roll a d4 for each point of your
proficiency bonus and gain temporary hit points equal to
the total.
Swimmer
Moving freely in the water comes naturally to you. You
have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Quickened Swim. If you take this trait twice, you can
use the Dash action as a bonus action while swimming.
Timely Boon
You have a knack for avoiding trouble at the last moment.
When you fail a saving throw, you can use your reaction to
roll a d4 and add it to the save, potentially turning it into a
success. You can use this feature a number of times equal to
your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when
you finish a long rest.
Better Boon. If you take this trait twice, you roll a d8
instead of a d4 when you use Timely Boon.
Tireless
Effects that wear others down are less of a burden for you.
You have advantage on saving throws against exhaustion.
Vigorous. If you take this trait twice, when you fail a
saving throw against exhaustion, you can use your reaction
to succeed on the save instead. You can’t use this feature
again until you finish a long rest.
Unchecked
When something threatens to restrict your movement, you
know how to push back. You have advantage on saving
throws against being restrained.
Slip Free. If you take this trait twice, when you fail a
saving throw against being restrained, you can use your
reaction to succeed on the save instead. You can’t use this
feature again until you finish a long rest.
119
 Roleplaying Traits
Against all the inherent challenges of life in the Five Realms—
and the specific perils unleashed by the Dragonrage—the
heroes of Arora stand ready. As you bring to life the unique
qualities of your character that define their place in the world
and the way others see them, you can look to the roleplay-
ing-focused traits in this section for inspiration and edge.
Allies’ Influence
You are at your best when surrounded by those you are
dedicated to. When you fail an attack roll, ability check, or
saving throw, you can use your reaction to gain a bonus to
the roll equal to the number of allies you can see or hear
within 30 feet of you (maximum +5), potentially turning
failure into success. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Allies’ Edge. If you take this trait twice, you can reroll
Allies’ Influence’s attack roll, ability check, or saving throw
in addition to gaining the bonus.
120 Arora: Age of Desolation
Animal Friend
You have always shared a special kinship with beasts. You
have proficiency in the Animal Handling skill.
Animal Ally. If you take this trait twice, you can choose
to have advantage on an ability check you make using the
Animal Handling skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Athlete’s Spirit
You are known for your natural physical prowess. You have
proficiency in the Athletics skill.
Athlete’s Resolve. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Athletics skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
 Born Healer
Knowledge of the healing arts has always been a part of
your life. You have proficiency in the Medicine skill.
Dedicated Healer. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Medicine skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Commanding Insight
Seeing the truth that hides inside others comes easy to you.
You have proficiency in the Insight skill.
Imposing Insight. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Insight skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Connection to Nature
Your connection to the natural world is a powerful thing.
You have proficiency in the Nature skill.
Bond with Nature. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Nature skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Eager Deceiver
You have an easy time convincing others of what you need
them to believe. You have proficiency in the Deception skill.
Ardent Deceiver. If you take this trait twice, you
can choose to have advantage on an ability check you
make using the Deception skill. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Gifted Performer
The world is your stage, and you are keen to let others
know what you can do. You have proficiency in the
Performance skill.
Matchless Performer. If you take this trait twice,
you can choose to have advantage on an ability check you
make using the Performance skill. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
"We survive here by refusing to let our
kin and kith die alone."
- Anonymous Villager
Chapter 6: Character Creation
Helping Hand
Lending assistance to others is second nature to you. You
can use the Help action as a bonus action. You can use this
feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Restorative Hand. If you take this trait twice, when
you use Helping Hand, roll a d4 for each point of your
proficiency bonus. Either you or the creature you aid with
the Help action (your choice) gains temporary hit points
equal to the total.
Impromptu Artisan
When the need is great, you can quickly cobble together the
gear you need. If you possess artisan’s tools with which you
have proficiency, and if you have access to appropriate raw
materials and any additional necessary equipment (as the
GM determines), you can use part of a short rest to craft any
one nonmagical item worth 10 gp or less, including:
• Adventuring gear
• A weapon or shield
• A unique item that performs a simple function approved
by the GM
The gear you create is workable but not high quality,
and can’t be sold except as the GM determines.
Master Artisan. If you take this trait twice, you can use
Impromptu Artisan as part of a long rest, during which you
craft one nonmagical item worth 50 gp or less.
Improviser
When expertise fails you, you trust in your ability to make
it up as you go along. As a bonus action, choose one skill
or tool that you don’t have proficiency with. You gain
proficiency in that skill or with that tool for 1 hour. You
can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Expert Improviser. If you take this trait twice, you
have advantage on ability checks you make using the skill
or tool you select with Improviser.
Inborn Perception
Nothing gets past your instinctive attention. You have
proficiency in the Perception skill.
Focused Perception. If you take this trait twice, you
can choose to have advantage on an ability check you
make using the Perception skill. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Instinctive Stealth
You know how to slip out of others’ awareness when it suits
you. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Superior Stealth. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Stealth skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
121
 Intuitive Acrobat
Your quick instincts are backed up by even quicker
movement. You have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.
Remarkable Acrobat. If you take this trait twice,
you can choose to have advantage on an ability check you
make using the Acrobatics skill. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Inured to the Elements
An innate fortitude allows you to overcome the effects
of challenging environments. You have advantage on
Constitution saving throws made to resist the effects of
extreme cold or extreme heat.
Immune to the Elements. You automatically succeed
on Constitution saving throws to resist the effects of
extreme cold or extreme heat.
Keen Survivor
You have always understood the challenges and hazards of
the natural world. You have proficiency in the Survival skill.
Hardened Survivor. If you take this trait twice, you
can choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Survival skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Linguist
You are a well-practiced communicator. You can speak,
read, and write one extra language of your choice.
Master Linguist. If you take this trait two or more times,
you choose another language each time. Additionally, you can
attempt a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (In-
sight) check to understand speech or writing in a language you
don’t know. With a successful check, you learn basic informa-
tion or recognize a few words, as the GM determines.
Lucky
When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability
check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use
the new roll.
Surge of Luck. If you take this trait twice, when you
roll a 10 or less on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check,
or saving throw, you can reroll the die and use the new roll.
You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Magical Insight
Your natural aptitude for the eldritch arts has always
shaped you. You have proficiency in the Arcana skill.
Magical Mastery. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Arcana skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
122 Arora: Age of Desolation
Marked for Magic
Eldritch energy flows through you, granting you access to
spell power with only a thought. At any level, you can use
this feature to choose a cantrip from any spell list. You know
that cantrip and can cast it at will at its minimum level.
If you are 3rd level or higher, you can instead use this
trait to choose a 1st- or 2nd-level spell from any spell list.
You can cast that spell once at either 1st or 2nd level (if the
spell offers additional benefits when cast at 2nd level), and
regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Each time you take this trait, you choose Intelligence,
Wisdom, or Charisma as your spellcasting ability for the
chosen cantrip or spell. You can’t cast cantrips or spells
taken with this trait at a higher level, even if you have
spellcasting levels from a class. These cantrips and spells
can be cast without components, except for expensive
material components.
Magic Mastery. If you take this trait multiple times,
you gain a new cantrip or spell each time. Additionally,
choose one cantrip or spell you’ve taken with Marked for
Magic that has an attack roll or requires a saving throw,
and choose one of the following options that applies when
you cast that spell using Marked for Magic:
• You have advantage on the attack roll for the spell.
• One target of your choice has disadvantage on the saving
throw against the spell.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you
finish a long rest.
Masterful Aptitude
You are second to none in a specific line of work. Choose
one of your skill or tool proficiencies. Your proficiency
bonus is doubled for any ability checks you make that use
the chosen proficiency.
Focused Mastery. If you take this trait multiple times,
you gain its benefit for a new skill proficiency or tool
proficiency each time. Additionally, when you make a
check using a skill or tool for which you’ve taken Masterful
Aptitude, you can choose to have advantage on the check.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you
finish a long rest.
Mindful Investigator
You see challenges everywhere and are always seeking
answers. You have proficiency in the Investigation skill.
Master Investigator. If you take this trait twice, you
can choose to have advantage on an ability check you
make using the Investigation skill. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Moved by Faith
An understanding of faith and devotion has always been
central to your life. You have proficiency in the Religion skill.
Force of Faith. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Religion skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Natural Awareness
Your connection to the environment allows you to read its
past. Choose an environment: desert, forest, grassland,
hills and mountains, snow and ice, swamp and marsh,
underground, underwater, or volcanic. While in that
environment, whenever you make an ability check to
assess structures, monuments, or natural features; to find
food or drinkable water; or to track creatures, you have
proficiency in the appropriate skill and you add double
your proficiency bonus to the check.
Improved Insight. If you take this trait multiple
times, you gain its benefit for a new environment each
time. Additionally, when you make an ability check using
Natural Insight, you can choose to have advantage on the
check. You can use this feature a number of times equal to
your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when
you finish a long rest.
Nimble Moves
You are known for your quick fingers and steady nerves.
You have proficiency in the Sleight of Hand skill.
Perfect Moves. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the Sleight of Hand skill. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Persuasive Knack
You have a certain panache for helping others see the truth
of your vision. You have proficiency in the Persuasion skill.
Persuasive Edge. If you take this trait twice, you
can choose to have advantage on an ability check you
make using the Persuasion skill. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Shapechanger
Your body reforms itself at will to take on the guise of
someone else. As an action, you can transform into another
creature that you have seen. The creature must be of
the same general size and body type as you. You choose
all your other features as you wish (including number of
limbs, presence or absence of a tail, and so forth), but your
statistics are the same in your new form. If you have traits
that tie to physical features the new form doesn’t have
(for example, wings you use for the Flying trait), the GM
Chapter 6: Character Creation
determines if and how those traits can be used with the
new form. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying isn’t
transformed. You can revert to your true form as an action,
and you revert automatically if you die.
Adroit Shapechanger. If you take this trait twice, you
can use Shapechanger to transform into a specific creature
that you have only seen a likeness of or that you have a
detailed description of. Additionally, you can transform
into a creature one size smaller or larger than you.
Firm Influence
When others need to be convinced of something quickly,
you know how to get it done. You have proficiency in the
Intimidation skill.
Forceful Influence. If you take this trait twice, you
can choose to have advantage on an ability check you
make using the Intimidation skill. You can use this feature
a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Tool Expertise
You are adept at working with your chosen tools. Choose one
set of artisan’s tools, or thieves’ tools. You have proficiency
with those tools.
Tool Mastery. If you take this trait multiple times,
you gain proficiency with a new tool each time. Addition-
ally, choose one set of tools for which you have taken Tool
Expertise. You can choose to have advantage on an ability
check made with those tools. You can use this feature a
number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Touch of the Past
The lore of lost years has long helped define your
worldview. You have proficiency in the History skill.
Embrace the Past. If you take this trait twice, you can
choose to have advantage on an ability check you make
using the History skill. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
123
124 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 7:
Subclasses

When the Great Abjuration split the world of Arora

asunder, each of the Five Realms become its own unique
microcosm, taking on the aspects of the dragons dedi-
cated to ruling and protecting these new fiefdoms. With
such extreme conditions and geographies embodied in
these realms, new skills and powers became important for
survival in each area. The arid sands and electricity-filled
skies of Gallaht birthed new types of druids to deal with
those elements of the land. Khoor's acidic swamplands
and deathly pall gave rise to warlocks who work to help
the passing of creatures from the lands of the living into
the worlds beyond. The volcanic wastelands of Mogstur-
ma required heroes able to cope with the terrible heat and
lava of that land. Adventurers inured to the biting cold
of arctic Prazzolar were necessary to make sure survival
in that place was possible. Tievmer's twisted jungles and
forests are teeming with beasts running amok, making
the importance of dealing with copious flora and fauna
paramount for survival there.
The subclasses presented here reflect the specific chal-
lenges lurking and rampaging through the Five Reams.
When combined with the character-creation rules from
chapter 7 and the new backgrounds from chapter 9,
players can tailor their characters to have a completely
unique character, both in terms of their powers and abil-
ities, as well as in their backstories and how they fit into
the realm of their birth. Game masters are encouraged
to introduce these subclasses as options for their players
at character creation, then reinforce the importance
of their abilities and flavor through play. As characters
struggle to survive their harsh environs and harsher
foes, provide examples of how these subclasses fit into
the world that made them necessary pieces in the mosaic
that is the Five Realms of Arora.

125
 BARBARIAN:
Path of the Scavenger
B arbarians on the Path of the Scavenger embrace the
circular relationship between the entropic aspect of
nature and scavenger beasts. These barbarians feel it is
their purpose to bring a swift death to those nearing the
end of life or whose life needs to be ended. By emulating
the scavenger beasts your path takes its name after, you
can consume fallen foes to gain a portion of their power.

Path of the Scavenger Features

BARBARIAN LEVEL FEATURE
3rd Scavenger’s Appetite
6th Carrion Feat
10th Hungry Eyes
17th Apex Scavenger

Scavenger’s Appetite
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, your rage
fills you with an insatiable hunger for life. Once per turn
when you hit a creature with a weapon attack while you are
raging, you can consume a portion of its vitality. When you
do, the creature cannot regain hit points until the start of
your next turn and you gain temporary hit points equal to
half the damage dealt. You lose any remaining temporary
hit points gained from this feature when the rage ends.

Carrion Feast
Starting at 6th level, you have gained the ability to take
on the strengths of the carrion you feast upon. When you
spend 1 minute or more eating a creature that died in the
last hour, the creature cannot be raised as undead with
any magic short of a wish spell and you can choose to gain
one of the following benefits:
• You have proficiency in one skill the creature had
proficiency in.
• You gain resistance to one damage type the creature had
resistance or immunity to.
• You have advantage on saving throws against a condition
the creature was immune to. Apex Scavenger
You keep this benefit until the next time you use this feature.
Starting at 17th level, you take advantage of every
weakness in your living foes and the strength of your
Hungry Eyes defeated enemies. You gain the following benefits:
Starting at 10th level, you can use a bonus action to mark • When you gain temporary hit points from your
a creature you can see within 30 feet as your next meal. Scavenger’s Appetite feature, you gain temporary hit
While you can see the marked creature, you know if its cur- points equal to the damage dealt instead of half the
rent hit points are equal to or less than half of its maximum damage dealt.
hit points. If you deal damage to a marked creature with a • You can keep up to three benefits gained by eating
weapon attack and its current hit points are equal to or less carrion with your Carrion Feast feature. When you
than half of its maximum hit points, you deal an additional would gain a fourth benefit, choose one of your benefits
1d6 necrotic damage. to lose then gain the new benefit.
The mark ends after 10 minutes or when you mark a • The additional necrotic damage from your Hungry Eye
different creature. feature increases from 1d6 to 1d10.

126 Arora: Age of Desolation

 CLERIC:
Hearth Domain
T he frozen tundra of Prazzolar, despite its harsh climates,
carries some life still. Those who live there have learned
to draw comfort and sustenance from the land where visitors
would fail. In so doing, they have developed a method to
draw energy from all living things and weave that same en-
ergy into magical auras of warmth and healing. A hearth is
more than a physical location inside a home or inn—it’s the
foundation of companionship at all levels.

Hearth Domain Features

CLERIC LEVEL FEATURE
1st Domain Spells, Flame of Life, Hearth Tales
2nd Hearthmate
6th Burst of Flame
8th Stone Resolve
17th Hearthspace

Hearth Domain Spells

CLERIC LEVEL SPELLS
1st comprehend languages, identify
3rd detect thoughts, enthrall
5th nondetection, tiny hut
7th locate creature, private sanctum
9th dream, scrying

Flame of Life
When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain the
ability to create a warming flame out of whatever is at hand.
If you spend one minute gathering flammable objects and
focusing your will, you can create a nonmagical fire that is
suitable for cooking and warming you and your allies. A fire
that you create in this manner burns for up to 8 hours and is
the size of a standard campfire.
Hearth Tales
Also starting at 1st level, you benefit from the lessons of
your friends, families, and allies. Choose one tool, one
gaming set, and one of the following skills: Arcana, His-
tory, Insight, or Religion. Whenever you make an ability
check that includes one of these tools or skills, you may
treat a d20 roll of 4 or lower as a 5.
Channel Divinity: Hearthmate
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to
summon a hearthmate. This creature desires only to ensure
that your hearthfire is tended and that meals prepared
during this time are perfectly made.
Any creature that consumes a meal
prepared by your hearthmate removes 1 level of
exhaustion, to a maximum of once per day.
Hearthmates exist for one hour and cannot attack. If
reduced to 0 hit points or forced to use aggressive actions,
they simply wink out of existence. They are capable of basic
speech and possess a small amount of knowledge, nearly all
of which is centered upon recipes that use the local flora and
fauna. (See stat block at the end of this subclass).
Channel Divinity: Burst of Flame
At 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity to make
yourself radiate the warmth of a comforting hearth. Doing
so makes you resistant to cold and fire damage until the
end of your next turn. At 12th level, this effect instead
targets yourself and up to three allies of your choosing,
and the effect lasts for one minute. At 18th level, this
effect instead targets yourself and up to ten allies of your
choosing and the effect lasts for ten minutes.

Chapter 7: Subclasses 127

 Stone Resolve Hearthmate
Starting at 8th level, you have advantage on Constitution Medium construct, unaligned
saving throws, and you have advantage on saving throws
made against effects that would have you gain levels of AC 10
exhaustion. If a spell or effect instructs you to gain a level Hit Points 4 (1d8)
of exhaustion without making a saving throw, you may roll Speed 30 ft.
a d20. On a roll of 15 or higher, you instead gain no levels
of exhaustion.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
8 (-1) 8 (-1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)
Hearthspace
Starting at 17th level, you can perform a ritual to create
Skills Perception +2
a hearthspace. This ritual cleanses an area of its negative
energies so that you and your allies can claim it as home. Senses passive Perception 12
This ritual takes one hour to perform, during which time Languages any that the caster understands
you can perform no other strenuous actions nor can you Challenge 0 (10 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
be interrupted. Upon its conclusion, the area gains the
following effects: Hearthtender. A hearthmate exists to ensure that hearths are
Keep It Calm. Similar to the calm emotions spell, every used to their fullest potential. If a hearthmate tends a fire over
creature other than yourself that enters your hearthspace a long rest, any creature within 20 feet of the fire that expends
finds that their strong emotions are suppressed. When a hit dice to regain hit points regains an additional hit point per hit
creature enters the area, they must make a Charisma sav- die expended. Furthermore, any meal created on a hearthmate’s
ing throw; a creature can choose to fail this saving throw if fire is exceptionally delicious and filling. These meals require half
it wishes. If a creature fails its saving throw, choose one of of the normal ingredients, and a single meal can fill a Medium
the following two effects. creature for an entire day.
You can dispel an effect causing a target to be charmed
or frightened. If the charm or frightened effect came from Limited Time Only. A hearthmate exists for one hour; not even
an extremely powerful source, such as a 9th-level spell, spells and effects such as time stop can prevent a hearthmate
an artifact, or a creature with a CR of 24 or higher, the from departing to where ever hearthmates come from when
effect is suppressed instead of dispelled while the creature their time has elapsed.
remains inside of your hearthspace.
You can make a creature feel indifferent about a subject ACTIONS
of your choice. This indifference ends if the creature is A hearthmate cannot take combat actions.
attacked or harmed by a spell or if it witnesses any of its
friends being harmed, or if they leave your hearthspace.
Potent Magics. You double the duration of any
abjuration, divination, or enchantment spell you cast in
your hearthspace. If the hearthspace is terminated for any
reason, any spell benefiting from this effect is immediately
dispelled. Additionally, allies within your hearthspace are
under the effect of a nondetection spell.
Sturdy. A hearthspace that you create lasts for one week
or until it is dismissed, whichever is sooner. Magical effects
that would attempt to dispel your hearthspace are made
with disadvantage.
A Place of Refuge. A hearthspace uses the description and
effects of the magnificent mansion spell, save for where certain
elements (such as duration) are replaced by the above text.
The hearthspace has one hearthmate present inside.
No Fighting— That’s The One Rule. Any
aggressive action taken within the hearthspace
immediately dispels its effects.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it
again until you finish a long rest.

128 Arora: Age of Desolation

 CLERIC:
Scale of Jha-dhol
T he Scales of Jha-dhol perform a critical role. Without
their constant rituals offering up sacrifices to the dragon
goddess, Jha-dhol would not have the power to protect Aro-
ra. Only through their devotion can she shield the remnants
of the world from the larger masses of the Shardscale. Some
failings of The Scale of Jha-dhol in the distant past contrib-
uted to some of the Shardscale entering Arora and triggering
the Dragonrage over 500 years ago.
The domain Jha-dhol grants her clerics is unlike any
other. The power needed to protect the world prevents
Jha-dhol from giving her clerics domain spells, but rather
she imparts a small part of the energy from the sacrifices
they make to her so they might augment the other abilities
she grants.
Scale of Jha-dhol Features
CLERIC LEVEL FEATURE
1st Domain Spell Slots,
Scales of Jha-dhol
2nd Breath of Jha-dhol
6th Sacrifice of Jha-dhol
8th Potent Spellcasting
17th Avatar of the Dragon
Goddess
Domain Spell Slots
Unlike other domains, Scales of Jha-dhol receive no
domain spells. Instead, when you would normally gain a
domain spell (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th-level), you instead
gain an additional spell slot for your highest spell level
(1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th respectively). You may use these
domain spell slots to cast spells as normal or expend them
to augment your other domain abilities.
To regain expended domain spell slots, when you
prepare spells, you must sacrifice items or treasure worth 1
gp per domain spell slot you wish to regain.
Scales of Jha-dhol
At 1st level, you gain the ability to extend Jha-dhol’s protec-
tion to others. As an action, a creature that you can see with-
in 30 feet of you is covered in radiant scales and gains a +1
bonus to AC for 1 minute. You can use this feature a number
of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Domain Spell Slot Augmentation. When activating
this ability, you can expend a domain spell slot to increase
the bonus to AC by the level of the slot expended.
Chapter 7: Subclasses
Channel Divinity:
Breath of Jha-dhol
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to
exhale magical energy in a 15-foot cone originating from
you. You may choose which breath you exhale each time
you channel divinity.
Breath of Wrath. You exhale a cone that deals either
acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage. Each creature
in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 +
your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus). On
a failed save, the creature takes 1d6 damage of the type
chosen. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage.
This damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level
(2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).
Breath of Succor. You exhale a cone of sparkling gas
that heals the wounded. Creatures within the cone that you
choose regain 1d6 hit points. This healing increases by 1d6
when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th
level (4d6).
Domain Spell Slot Augmentation. When activating this
ability, you can expend a domain spell slot to increase the
number of dice rolled by the level of the slot expended.
Sacrifice of Jha-dhol
At 6th level you may sacrifice a part of your own lifeforce to
Jha-dhol to empower protection for another. As an action you
give your own lifeforce to the Dragon Goddess, suffering 3d6
force damage that cannot be reduced in anyway. A creature
that you can see is healed for half of the amount rolled, and
both gains 1 temporary hit point and teleports up to 5 feet, per
die rolled. The target must arrive in an unoccupied space that
you can see. The number of dice rolled increases by 1d6 when
you reach 11th level (4d6) and 17th level (5d6).
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your
proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when
you finish a long rest.
Domain Spell Slot Augmentation. When activating this
ability, you can expend a domain spell slot to increase the
number of dice rolled by the level of the slot expended.
Potent Spellcasting
Starting at 8th level, you add your Wisdom modifier to the
damage you deal with any cleric cantrip.
Avatar of the Dragon Goddess
At 17th level, you may entreat Jha-dhol to fill you with her
power for 1 minute. Wings of radiant green energy sprout
from your back giving you the ability to hover as well as a
fly speed equal to your walking speed. You are sheathed in
her radiant scales, giving you resistance to acid, cold, fire,
lightning, and poison damage. While in this form, your
Breath of Jha-dhol has a range of 60 feet. You must finish a
long rest before using this ability again.
Domain Spell Slot Augmentation. When activating
this ability, you can expend a domain spell slot to increase
the duration by 1 minute per level of the slot expended.
129
 Living Conductor
Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to absorb and con-
duct elemental energy. You have a pool of d6s that you spend
as part of this feature. The number of dice in your Living
Conductor pool equals 1 + your proficiency bonus. You regain
all expended dice when you finish a short or long rest.
At 2nd level, as a reaction when you or an ally you can
see within 30 feet take acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder
damage, roll all of the dice currently in your Living Con-
ductor pool. These dice are not expended from your pool.
You summon a momentary magical conductor that absorbs
energy. and negates an amount of damage equal to the roll.
Additionally, if your conductor absorbs at least 15 points
of damage in this manner, you can choose to immediately
transform into your Conduit Shape without expending a
use of Wild Shape.

Conduit Shape
As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your Wild
Shape feature to take on the form an energy conduit,
rather than transforming into a beast. The form lasts for 10
minutes. It ends early if you dismiss it (no action required),
are incapacitated, die, or use this feature again.
While in your conduit form, you retain your game
statistics, and your body glows with elemental energy.
You gain the following benefits while in this form:
• You have resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, and
thunder damage.
• Any creature that hits you with a melee attack takes
lightning damage equal to your Wisdom modifier
(minimum 1).
• When you make a Constitution saving throw to maintain
concentration on a spell as a result of taking acid, cold,
DRUID: fire, lightning, or thunder damage, you can treat a roll of
Circle of Conducting 9 or lower on the d20 as a 10.

D ruids of the Circle of Conducting have embraced the

raw elemental power of nature and magic. These
druids have learned not only to summon this power
themselves, but to absorb, conduct, and re-channel it in
ways that suit their needs.
Nowhere is the need for such power greater than in the
realm of Gallaht, where raging lightning storms threaten
the very existence of life within the realm. Elementalists
of all kinds are summoned to tame these storms, but none
do it more reliably than the conductor druids who attempt
to harness the power of these storms to preserve the small
colonies of folk who survive in this sand blasted wasteland.
Circle of Conducting Features
DRUID LEVEL FEATURE
2nd Living Conductor, Conduit Shape
6th Elemental Strikes
10th Greater Conduit
14th Harness Energy
Elemental Strikes
Starting at 6th level, you gain two additional ways to use
your Living Conductor pool:
• As a bonus action, you can expend 1 die from your
Living Conductor pool to make your weapon attacks deal
your choice of acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder dam-
age for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can touch one melee
weapon and bestow the same benefit on all attacks made
with it for 1 hour.
• As a reaction when you or an ally that you can see within
30 feet deal acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage
to a creature, you can expend any number of dice from
your Living Conductor pool and add them to that
damage. These dice do not double on a critical hit.
Greater Conduit
Starting at 10th level, when you take 10 or more points of
acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage from a single
source while in your Conduit Shape, you regain 1 spent die
from your Living Conductor pool.

130 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Harness Energy
Starting at 14th level, you can absorb a massive amount of
energy and channel it into a devastating attack. You must
have at least 5 dice remaining in your Living Conductor
pool to use this feature.
As a reaction when you are targeted by an effect that
would deal at least 40 points of acid, cold, fire, lightning, or
thunder damage to you before saving throws or resistanc-
es, you expend all dice in your Living Conductor pool and
absorb the entirety of the effect’s elemental damage within
a 100-foot radius of yourself.
After absorbing the effect, you can either let it harmlessly
dissipate, or you can attempt to immediately harness it (no
action required). If the damage dealt to you (before saving
throws or resistance) was over 100, you must choose to
harness the effect.
When you attempt to harness the energy, roll a d100 and
consult the following table and apply the effect:
D100 EFFECT
01–19 Wave of Destruction. All creatures within 100 feet
of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw
against your spell save DC or take 10d6 thunder dam-
age and be knocked prone. A creature that succeeds
takes half as much damage and isn’t knocked prone.
20–29 Wave of Chaos. Gravity reverses (as per the reverse
gravity spell) in a 100-foot radius of you. The effect
does not require concentration and lasts until the end
of your next turn.
30–39 Wave of Elemental Enhancement. For the next min-
ute, acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage
dealt within a 100-foot-radius sphere centered on
you ignores all resistances.
40–49 Wave of Elemental Infusion. For the next minute,
the air in a 100-foot-radius sphere becomes infused
with elemental energy of your choice—acid, cold, fire,
lightning, or thunder. All attacks made in this area deal
an additional 2d6 damage of the chosen type.
50–59 Wave of Energy. You recover expended spell slots
that have a combined level less than or equal to the
number of Living Conductor dice you expended when
activating Harness Energy.
60–69 Wave of Rejuvenation. You regain all expended Living
Conductor pool dice.
70–79 Wave of Power. You become infused with power. The
DRUID:
next spell you cast using a spell slot is cast at 9th level
regardless of the spell slot used. Circle of Nightmares
M
80–89 Wave of Vengeance. You cast the storm of vengeance spell ost druids draw their magic from the environment
in a location of your choice, and under your control.
The spell requires concentration to maintain. they inhabit, gaining the fiery heat of the desert
or freezing callousness of the frozen tundra. Tievmer,
90–99 Wave of Vitality. All creatures of your choice that you however, is a realm of nightmarish twisted forests, an
can see within 100 feet of you recover 6d8 hit points.
overgrown woodland populated by dark, twisted, thorn-
100 Power Surge. Roll twice; both effects occur in the order ridden, and dangerous copses of vegetation. Deep within
rolled. If the second effect is the same as the first, re- the pressing gloom beneath the canopies of Tievmer are
roll until you get a different result.
pockets of complex chaos and nightmares; vortexes of
half-formed dreams and bizarre koppies where anything
imaginable is possible. Druids who try to draw their magic
from these unnatural Dreamspace Pockets find themselves
"Conducting druids are known for
overcome with nightmarish hauntings that corrupt their
their stormy personalities." usual druidic powers. They are eventually permanently
- Jhakith Madra Adailar changed by their connection to the nightmare.

Chapter 7: Subclasses 131

 Few mortals can withstand living in the Dreamspace
Pockets. Those that try go mad or eventually succumb to
the needs of the physical realm and desert their koppies.
Druids of the Circle of Nightmares are some of the few
who can survive the warping chaos. The circle congregates
in these mind-bending pockets of the forest’s gloom to
conduct sacred rituals.
Circle of Nightmares Features
DRUID LEVEL FEATURE
2nd Circle Spells, Nightmarish Form
6th Psychic Strikes
10th Shifting Terror
14th Dreamspace Mutation
Circle Spells
Your link to the Dreamspace and your ability to control
the ephemeral matter that makes it up grants you
access to certain spells. At 2nd level, you learn the
minor illusion cantrip.
At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to the
spells listed for that level in the Circle of Nightmares Spells
table. Once you gain access to one of these spells, you
always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the
number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain
access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list,
the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you.
Circle of Nightmares Spells
DRUID LEVEL SPELLS
2nd color spray
3rd darkness, see invisibility
5th fear, major image
7th black tentacles, phantasmal killer
9th dream, mislead
Nightmarish Form
At 2nd level, as a bonus action, you can expend a use of
your Wild Shape feature to take on a nightmarish form,
rather than transforming into a beast.
While in your nightmarish form, you retain all of your
statistics, but your body becomes shrouded in smoky
miasma, your face takes on a dreadful aspect, and you
appear ephemeral. This form emanates an aura of shadow
in a 10-foot radius, which is lightly obscured. The form
lasts for 10 minutes. It ends early if you dismiss it (no action
required), are incapacitated, die, or use this feature again.
Whenever you assume your nightmarish form, choose
which of the following dreadful aspects appears upon you:
Baleful Hound. Your face becomes contorted into a
twisted canine visage. When you activate this form, and as
a bonus action on your subsequent turns for the duration,
132 Arora: Age of Desolation
you can emit an awful howl. Each creature within 30 feet
of you that can hear the howl must succeed on a Wisdom
saving throw against your spell save DC or become
frightened of you until the end of their next turn.
Fleeting Phantom. Your body seems to melt into the
miasma that surrounds it. Whenever you cast a druid
spell using a spell slot, you can teleport up to 30 feet to an
unoccupied space that you can see.
Probing Augur. Your eyes gleam with inquisitive light.
You can cast detect thoughts without using a spell slot and
without providing the material components, and you have
advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks while the form lasts.
Psychic Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your weapon attacks while in
Nightmarish Form deal psychic damage instead of the
usual damage type, and count as magical for the purpose of
overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks
and damage.
Shifting Terror
At 10th level, your Nightmarish Form improves. While
in your Nightmarish form you cannot be frightened or
charmed, and you gain a flying speed of 20 feet and can
hover. Additionally, at the start of each of your turns while
in your Nightmarish Form, you can change which dreadful
aspect you manifest.
Dreamspace Mutation
When you reach 14th level, your connection with the
Dreamworld corrupts your physical form and changes
it forever. Choose one of the following mutations. Your
choice gives you certain benefits:
Extra Limbs. You gain extra arms, flailing tendrils,
enormous claws, or some other appendages to your form.
You can attack twice with melee and ranged weapon
attacks, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack
action on your turn.
Halo of Horrors. A crown of horns, whirling maelstrom
of hair, or tumorous growth surrounds your head like a
halo. You have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation)
checks, and creatures that can see you have disadvantage
on saving throws made to avoid becoming frightened, or to
end the frightened condition.
Hideous Syllables. Your voice or mouth is corrupted in
some way, perhaps another demonic voice speaks alongside
your own, or your tongue triples in length and turns black.
Whenever you cast a druid spell using a spell slot that
targets only one creature and deals damage, you can use
a bonus action to deal additional psychic damage to that
creature equal to your druid level.
"Nightmare druids are the nicest part of Tievmer. That should tell
you everything you need to know about that realm."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler

DRUID:
Circle of Sand
T he Circle of Sand is made up of nomadic desert hermits
of Gallaht who safeguard the knowledge and mystic
rites of that realm. The druids tap the magic of the sands to
survive, travel vast distances, and wield the scouring power
of sandstorms.
These druids meet within sacred circles of rocks or
stones to whisper primal secrets in Druidic. The circle’s
wisest members preside as the chief priests of communities
that dwell in the stone holds of Gallaht, and serve as
advisors to the rulers of those folk.
As a member of this circle, your magic is influenced by
the primal power steeped deep into the desert winds and
sands where you were initiated into the circle’s mysterious
rites, calling forth electrically charged sandstorms.
Circle of Sand Features
DRUID LEVEL FEATURE
2nd Sand-Scoured Fortitude, Desert
Forager, Circle of Sand Spells
6th Primal Shock
10th Sand Walker
14th Desert Storm
Sand- Scoured Fortitude
At 2nd level, a blue image of an electrically charged
sandstorm appears on you. When you make an Intelligence
or a Wisdom check or a Constitution saving throw to
maintain concentration on a spell, you can treat a roll of 9
or lower on the d20 as a 10.
Desert Forager
At 2nd level, you know how to find water and food in the
inhospitable desert sands. You know where the oases are
and where to take shelter from the bitterly cold dark. After
spending an hour in the desert wilds, you can make a DC
10 Wisdom (Survival) check. On a success, you can find
a day’s worth of water and food for yourself and up to 5
others once each day.
Circle Spells
Your mystical connection to the magic permeating the desert
infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th,
7th, and 9th level you gain access to Circle of Sand spells
that draw power from the wind and scorching sand.
Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it
prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells
you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that
doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, it counts as a druid
spell for you.
Chapter 7: Subclasses
Circle of Desert Spells
DRUID LEVEL SPELLS
2nd shocking grasp
3rd
5th
gust of wind, pass without trace
call lightning, wind wall
7th stone shape, stone skin
9th mirage arcane, whirlwind
Primal Shock
At 6th level, attacks you make while in Wild Shape are
wreathed in blowing sand and crackling lightning. Attacks
you make in beast form count as magical for the purpose of
overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks
and damage.
All successful attacks while in Wild Shape deal an extra
1d6 lightning damage.
Sand Walker
Starting at 10th level, you can cast dimension door once per
long rest to make your way safely through the dangers of
the desert terrains. Additionally, you can’t be charmed
or frightened by elementals or dragons, and you have
resistance to lightning damage.
Desert Storm
At 14th level, the magic of Gallaht grants you the ability
to call upon a great sandstorm. You strike the ground,
creating a wave of energy that ripples outward from you,
picking up wind and sand and whipping it into a roiling
desert storm cloud of electrically charged sand. You can
make the storm up to 300 feet in radius and 300 feet high.
The sandstorm lasts for 6 rounds before fading. You are not
affected by the sandstorm’s effects.
Each creature starting their turn within the storm must
make a Strength saving throw at the start of their turn.
On a failed save, a creature takes 5d6 thunder damage,
as well as 5d6 lightning or bludgeoning damage (your
choice) and becomes blinded. A creature that succeeds
on its saving throw takes half as much damage and isn’t
blinded but can only see out to 30 feet.
Flying creatures must make a Strength check with
disadvantage every turn they are in the storm or risk losing
control. On a failure, they immediately fall to the ground,
landing prone. In order to fly again, they must pass a
Strength check equal to your spellcasting DC.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you
finish a long rest.
133
 DRUID:
Circle of Volcanoes
T he volcanic mountains of Mogsturma are home to a
destructive circle of druids: the Circle of Volcanoes.
These druids accept the volcano’s fiery power and chaotic
ferocity into their bodies. In turn, this bond enhances
their spells, adapts their wild shapes, and empowers their
soul. Druids of this circle also welcome the potential
consequences this bond brings. Their credo is “Destruction
Brings Life.”
Experienced Circle of Volcanoes druids who have
become hardened to the volcano’s heat hold a summit high
in the central mountain range of Mogsturma, the Sturma
Peaks. Here, the druids have a large dais centered between
several active volcanoes. The location of their sanctuary
provides them protection, allowing them to converse,
deliberate, and meditate while the volcanoes spew magma
and cinders. Less experienced druids are welcome to
attend the gathering, though rarely due any complete the
journey due to the deadliness of the environment.
Circle of Volcanoes Features
DRUID LEVEL FEATURE
2nd Blood of the Volcano, Bonus
Cantrip, Fiery Beacon
6th Volcanic Shield
10th Form of the Volcano
14th Destruction Brings Life
Blood of the Volcano
At 2nd level, the power of the volcano flows through your
veins. Creatures within 5 feet of you notice a faint warmth
radiating from your body.
You have resistance to fire damage.
Bonus Cantrip
When you choose the circle at 2nd level, you learn the
magma blast cantrip. This cantrip doesn’t count against the
number of druid cantrips you know.
Fiery Beacon
At 2nd level, as a bonus action, you may conjure the deep
flame of the volcano. Your body transforms, retaining its
shape but appearing as roiling lava. While transformed
in this way, you have advantage on Charisma checks. In
addition, you emit bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim
light for an additional 15 feet. The feature lasts for one
hour, or until you use a bonus action to end it.
You must complete a short or long rest before using this
feature again.
134 Arora: Age of Desolation
Circle Spells
Your connection to the volcanoes of the realms empowers
your body with destructive and life-giving spells.
Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always
have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number
of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a
spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is
considered a druid spell for you.
Circle of Volcanoes Spells
DRUID LEVEL SPELLS
3rd aid, lava whip
5th revivify, volcanic eruption
7th stone to magma, stoneskin
9th cloudkill, mass cure wounds
Volcanic Shield
At 6th level, you conjure a cylinder of swirling cinders,
lava rock, and magma that lasts for 1 minute. This cylinder
provides you with half cover and 20 temporary hit points.
In addition, a creature within 5 feet of you that hits you
with a melee attack takes 1d6 × your proficiency bonus fire
damage. The cylinder ends when you use a bonus action to
end it or when the temporary hit points are exhausted. The
temporary hit points end after a short or long rest.
You must complete a short or long rest before using this
feature again.
Form of the Volcano
At 10th level, the volcano has entered your soul, making you
immune to fire damage. In addition, your strengthened bond
with this elemental force allows you to assume the form of a
fiery, destructive creature. Choose either the magma mephit
or magmin to add to your list of Wild Shapes.
At 14th level, you gain the Wild Shape form that you did
not choose at 10th level.
Destruction Brings Life
At 14th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you may
immediately use your reaction to explode with destructive
ferocity, creating a 60-foot sphere of fire and magma centered
on you. Each creature within this radius must succeed on a
Dexterity saving throw equal to your spellcasting save DC.
On a failed save, a creature takes 5d8 fire damage, or half as
much damage on a successful one. You regain hit points equal
to the number of creatures damaged by this feature.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you
finish a long rest.
"Lava burns the flesh, but it burns the soul of
those who wield it."
- Mogsturman Proverb
 New Circle Spells
LAVA WHIP
Level 2nd
Casting Time 1 Action
Range/Area 15 ft
Components V, S, M (a 6-inch-long piece of leather)
Duration Concentration 1 minute
School Transmutation
Attack/Save Melee
Damage Fire
You create a flexible stream of lava that extends from your
hand. For the duration, you can make a melee spell attack
against a creature within 15 feet of you. On a hit, the target
takes fire damage equal to 2d6 + your spellcasting ability
modifier. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is
grappled (escape DC equal to your spell save DC). Until
the grapple ends, and on each of your subsequent turns
for the duration, you can use your action to deal 2d6 fire
damage to the target automatically. In addition, while
grappled, the target’s movement is limited to the range of
the spell. The spell ends if a grappled target breaks free, or
if you use your action to do anything else.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell
slot of 3rd level or higher, the initial damage increases by
1d6 for each slot above 2nd level.
MAGMA BLAST
Level Cantrip
Casting Time 1 Action
Range/Area 60 ft. (5 ft. radius)
Components V, S
Duration Instantaneous
School Conjuration
Attack/Save Dex Save
Damage Fire
You hurl an exploding ball of magma at a creature or object
within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target.
On a hit, the target takes 1d6 fire damage and each creature
within 5 feet of the target must succeed on a Dexterity saving
throw or take half damage (minimum 1). In addition, the
initial target is pushed 5 feet away from you.
A flammable object hit by this spell ignites if isn’t
being worn.
At Higher Levels. This spell’s damage increases by 1d6
when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th
level (4d6).
The power of the volcano erupts from your body, creating
a 20-foot-radius sphere consisting of magma and lava rock.
Each creature, including you, within this radius must make
a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 4d6 fire damage
and 4d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as
much damage on a successful one.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell
slot of 4th level or higher, the fire damage increases by 1d6
for each slot above 3rd level.
STONE TO MAGMA
Level 4th
Casting Time 1 Action
Range/Area 30 feet (15-foot cube, varies)
Components V, S M (a small chunk of ruby quartz)
Duration Concentration 1 minute
School Transmutation
Attack/Save Dex Save
Damage Fire
You liquify stone, creating a 4-inch-deep square of magma
centered on a point within range that you can see. You de-
termine the size of the square when you cast the spell, which
can range from 6 inches to 15 feet. Each creature in this area
when you cast the spell must succeed on a Constitution saving
throw or take 8d6 fire damage. A creature must also make the
saving throw when it moves into the spell’s space for the first
time on a turn or ends its turn there.
The magma reverts to stone when the spell ends.
Anything in the spell’s radius at that time is restrained.
A creature can use its action to make a DC 18 Strength
check, freeing itself or another restrained target within
reach on a success.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell
slot of 5th level or higher, the fire damage increase by 1d6
for each slot above 5th level.

VOLCANIC ERUPTION
Level 3rd
Casting Time 1 Action
Range/Area Self (20 ft sphere)
Components V, S
Duration Instantaneous
School Evocation
Attack/Save Dex Save
Damage Fire

Chapter 7: Subclasses 135


FIGHTER:
Legionnaire
L egionnaires have spent time training as members of elite
military and survivalist forces. This training has honed
their combat skills, allowing them to excel at fighting as a
unit. Well-seasoned legionnaires win the admiration of their
companions and become fearsome battlefield commanders.
136 Arora: Age of Desolation
Legionnaire Features
FIGHTER LEVEL FEATURE
3rd Strength in Numbers
7th Steel Nerves
10th Commander’s Grace
15th As One
18th Vengeful Rally
Strength in Numbers
Upon selecting this archetype at 3rd level, you gain
heightened fighting prowess when you’re near your allies.
You gain a bonus to AC and weapon damage based on how
many allies are adjacent to you. Each ally adjacent to you
who is utilizing a shield grants you a +1 bonus to AC (to a
maximum of your proficiency bonus). Each adjacent ally
wielding a melee weapon grants you a +1 bonus to melee
weapon damage.
In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to Charisma
(Intimidation) checks for each adjacent ally.
Steel Nerves
Aspects of your training have been truly terrifying, pushing
you to your limits. That was the past. At 7th level, you are
immune to the frightened condition. As a reaction, you can
grant allies within 30 feet advantage on saving throws to
avoid being frightened.
Commander’s Grace
Upon reaching 10th level, you have become a renowned
leader, issuing swift battle commands with brutal efficien-
cy. As a bonus action, you may command your adjacent
allies to use their reaction to make a melee weapon attack
with advantage. You can use this ability a number of times
equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expend-
ed uses of this ability after finishing a long rest.
As One
In a battle-hardened phalanx, all members move in
lockstep. At 15th level, allies adjacent to you at the start
of combat may substitute your initiative roll for their own.
Each ally uses their own initiative modifiers.
Vengeful Rally
At 18th level, your battle exploits have become legendary.
You are as loved by your troops and companions as you are
feared by your enemies. When you drop to 0 hit points, all
allies within 60 feet of you may use a reaction to take an
Attack action. You cannot use this feature again until you
finish a long rest.

FIGHTER:
Stone Warden
T he Stone Warden is blessed (or cursed) with a deep
connection with the Elemental Plane of Earth. These
warriors use magical abilities to make themselves hard as
stone, unleash fury from the earth itself, or even summon
creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth. They focus
their abilities to draw on this power and weave it into
their combat style. These fighters are blessed with a hardy
resilient manner and often hold the line when others would
fall under a punishing assault from their foes.
Stone Warden Features
FIGHTER LEVEL FEATURE
3rd Earthen Bond, Tremor Shock
7th Hard as Stone
10th Earthen Phalanx
15th Storm of Earth Spell
18th Volcanic Blast
Earthen Bond
When you reach 3rd level, you can speak Primordial. You
can augment your martial prowess with the ability to call
on the power from the elemental plane of earth to fuel
magical abilities.
Constitution is your spellcasting ability for your spells,
since you learn your spells through physical integration
and communion with the earth. You use your Constitution
whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addi-
tion, you use your Constitution modifier when setting the
saving throw DC for a spell you cast and when making an
attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus
+ your Constitution modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus
+ your Constitution modifier
Additionally, you have resistance to piercing and
slashing damage.
Tremor Shock
At 3rd level, you can cast a spell called tremor shock as a
bonus action, creating a wave of force sweeping out from
you rippling through the earth.
Each creature in a 15-foot cube centered on you must
make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature
takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage, is pushed 10 feet away
from you and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the
creature takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed or
knocked prone.
In addition, objects which are completely within the area
of effect and unsecured are automatically pushed 10 feet
Chapter 7: Subclasses
away from you by the spell’s effect, and the spell creates
deep rumbling audible out to 300 feet. Creatures in flight
are unaffected by this ability.
At Higher Levels. This spell’s damage increases when
you reach certain levels. At 5th level, the attack deals an
extra 1d8 bludgeoning damage to the target on a hit (2d8),
Damage increases by 1d8 at 11th level (3d8) and again at
17th level (4d8). You can cast this spell once per short rest.
Hard as Stone
Beginning at 7th level, you can cast the spell stoneskin once per
short rest. You are also immune to the petrified condition.
Earthen Phalanx
At 10th level, you learn how to summon earth elementals.
You can cast conjure elemental but you can only summon earth
elementals. You can use this feature once per long rest.
You now have resistance to damage from any creature
from the Elemental Plane of Earth.
Storm of Earth
At 15th level you can call upon the earthen plane to
create a storm of falling stones and earth. As an action
you can cast a spell to call forth a punishing storm made
up of falling and flying heavy stones. The storm of earth
appears in a location you choose within 90 feet. The area
of the storm consists of up to ten 10-foot-wide cylinders,
which you can arrange as you wish. Each cylinder must
be adjacent to another cylinder. Each creature in the
area must make a Dexterity saving throw. It takes 7d10
bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much
damage on a successful one.
The stone damages objects in the area and creates
difficult terrain in those areas. If you choose, plant life in
the area is unaffected by this spell. Flying creatures within
this area that fail their Dexterity save immediately fall to
the ground.
You can cast this spell once per long rest.
Volcanic Blast
Starting at 18th level, you can call upon the
deepest hottest parts of the earth to bring its
fury forth into battle. You can cast meteor
swarm to summon explosive boulders
of magma onto your enemies,
wrecking battlelines and
equipment where they land.
You can cast this spell
once per long rest.
137

MONK:
Way of the
Silent Scribe
M onks of the Order of Silent Scribes have dedicated
their lives to deciphering the movement of the stars
in the firmament above. They believe these hold a hidden
message essential to the dragons in their hour of need.
To fully comprehend the passage of the stars, monks of
this order ritually blind themselves so that they cannot be
distracted by the stars themselves, instead focusing on the
movements they see in their mind’s eye.
Sometimes, members of the order must leave the
monastery to conduct missions that benefit the order.
Some of these monks go on to become adventurers.
Way of the Silent Scribe adventurers are often stoic and
introspective, spending time meditating on the passage of
the stars above, ensuring that their actions benefit their
monastery in some way.
138 Arora: Age of Desolation
Way of the Silent Scribe Features
MONK LEVEL FEATURE
3rd Ritual Blinding
6th Star Strike
11th Blinding Aspect
17th Passage of the Stars
Ritual Blinding
Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you
undergo a secret ceremony in the Silent Scribes’ monastery
that blinds you, turning your eyes into starry voids in
which constellations swim through a sea of midnight black.
Although your eyes have been taken, you gain blindsight
out to a range of 120 feet.
Star Strike
At 6th level, you gain the ability to infuse your unarmed
strikes with searing starlight. When you hit a creature with
an unarmed strike, you can use ki points to deal radiant
damage to the target, in addition to the damage from your
unarmed strike.
The extra damage is equal to 2d6 radiant damage for
1 ki point, and an additional 1d6 radiant damage for
each additional ki point spent. The maximum number of
ki points that you can spend on a single unarmed strike
equals half your monk level.
Blinding Aspect
By 11th level, you have unlocked the ability to channel
starlight into your bodily form, causing you to radiate stel-
lar light around yourself at an almost unbearable intensi-
ty. You can use an action and a ki point to emit a blinding
aura of white light in a 30-foot radius around yourself.
Each creature of your choice that can see you within the
area must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against
your ki save DC or become blinded until the end of their
next turn.
Passage of the Stars
At 17th level, you have unlocked hidden knowledge of
the stars and their passage across the night sky, giving
you an insight into the future of the realms. You can use
this insight to cast the augury spell once per day as a ritual
without material components.
Additionally, you can use the prophetic visions you see
in the stars’ passage to alter the fates and change reality.
For the next 24 hours you can spend 1 ki point to reroll any
attack roll, saving throw, or ability check you make. You
can only affect a roll once in this way. You must use the
new result, even if it is worse.
Alternatively, for the next 24 hours you can expend 3
ki points to cause a creature you can perceive to reroll an
ability check, attack roll, or saving throw. The target must
use the new result.
 Tenets of Incarceration
The tenets of the Oath of Incarceration are based on the
principle of subjugation over aggression. Physical damage
should be a last resort. Preventing harm to others is vital.
Subjugation Over Death. Subduing enemies is your goal.
Killing is a last resort.
Law. You are the embodiment of the law. You are not
judge and jury.
Warden of Souls. You are warden of all sentient
humanoids.
Beacon of Hope. Your actions inspire hope in others.
Show them aggression and pain are not the only options
during a conflict.

Oath of Incarceration Features

PALADIN LEVEL FEATURE
3rd Improved Divine Smite, Channel Divinity
7th Aura of Subjugation
15th Sentinel of the Lessor
18th Aura of Subjugation Radius Increase
20th Balance the Scales

Oath Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed in the Oath
of Incarceration Spells table.

Oath of Incarceration Spells

PALADIN LEVEL SPELLS

PALADIN: 3rd bane

Oath of 5th
9th
hold person, mirror image
bestow curse, slow
Incarceration 13th banishment, death ward

T
he Oath of Incarceration represents safety and
justice. A paladin who takes this oath sees all sentient
humanoids as requiring protection. Not only do you
maintain safety in the world, but you also protect those
sentenced to incarceration. Though they may be a danger
to others, criminals and those otherwise incarcerated have
the same right to safety as anyone else.
When a paladin of this order deals with a sentient
humanoid, aggression is their last choice. Many Oath
of Incarceration paladins are pacifists, relying on their
abilities to peacefully subdue an enemy when in combat.
Paladins of this oath accept the decisions of their
companions, as each has their own freewill, but they
preach the word of their oath, attempting to persuade
others to speak and subdue before acting with aggression.
17th dominate person, planar binding
Custodial Divine Smite
When you take this oath at 3rd level, your Divine Smite
gains the following additional benefit:
Whenever you expend a spell slot to deal Divine
Smite damage, you instead force that creature to make
a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the magic
of your Divine Smite cocoons the creature, causing it to
become restrained for 1 minute or until you use an action
to release the creature. While restrained in this way, if an
attack hits the creature, the cocoon immediately releases a
bolt of energy, dealing the attacker 1d4 × your proficiency
bonus radiant damage.

Chapter 7: Subclasses 139

 Channel Divinity
When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the
following two Channel Divinity options.
Defensive Reflexes. As a bonus action on your turn,
you can use your Channel Divinity to enhance your
reflexes with divine speed for 1 minute. For the duration,
you may use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus
to your Armor Class against an attack that hits you,
possibly causing the attack to miss.
Calm the Unruly. As an action, you present your
holy symbol and speak a prayer to calm the intentions
of hostile creatures, using your Channel Divinity. Each
hostile creature that can see or hear you within 15 feet of
you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature
fails its saving throw, it is stunned until the end of its next
turn or until it takes damage. At 15th level, the range
increases to 30 feet.

Aura of Subjugation
Starting at 7th level, you emanate an aura that imbues you
and your companions with the ability to choose whether
an enemy lives or dies. Whenever an enemy within this
aura’s range is reduced to 0 hit points, you and any ally
within 10 feet of you may use your reaction to utter a divine
phrase of your choosing, causing that enemy creature to fall
unconscious instead. While unconscious, the creature has 1
hit point. The creature remains unconscious for 1 hour, or
until it receives magical healing.
When you reach 18th level in this class, the range of the
aura increases to 20 feet.

Sentinel of the Lessor

Starting at 15th level, whenever you or a creature within
5 feet of you takes damage, you may use your reaction to
reduce that damage by 1d8 + your paladin level.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to
your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all
expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Tip the Scales

At 20th level, you gain the ability to tip the scales of
engagement to and your allies’ favor.
As an action, you utter divine words that aid and
protect your allies. All allies within 30 feet of you who can
hear gain the following for 1 minute:
• 25 temporary hit points
• A bonus to their AC equal to half your Charisma
modifier rounded down (minimum 1)
• Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you
finish a long rest.

140 Arora: Age of Desolation

 ROGUE:
Equilibrist
T he ability to maintain perfect balance while performing
acrobatic high-speed maneuvers is part natural talent
and part finely-honed skill. Rogues who come to possess
this skill at an elite level usually come from a background
of using in their daily life. Career acrobats, extreme
athletes, and sailors often make the dramatic leap to using
their balancing skills for more dangerous pursuits.

Equilibrist Features
ROGUE LEVEL FEATURE
3rd Balancing Act,
Dramatic Repositioning
9th Parkour
13th Sway Away
17th Behind You!

Balancing Act
At 3rd level, your walking speed increases
by 5 feet. If you have a climbing or
swimming speed, this increase applies to
that speed as well.
Additionally, you have advantage on all
ability checks and saving throws related to
keeping your balance and sure footing. This
includes checks to avoid falling, being knocked
prone, or balancing on a narrow surface.

Dramatic Repositioning
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your quick and sure-
footed movement to confuse enemies, granting you an
additional way to use your Sneak Attack. Once per turn,
if you move at least 15 feet before making an attack and
finish this movement in a different spot than when you
started your turn, the attack deals your Sneak Attack dice
as extra damage.

Parkour Sway Away

At 9th level, your speed increases by an additional 5 feet,
and you can now move up to 30 feet a turn up a solid
vertical surface without falling.
Additionally, you can leap over enemies to gain tactical
superiority. You can move through the area of any
corporeal creature, provided the space directly above the
creature is unoccupied. If a creature you’re attempting
to move above of is Large or larger, you can move up
vertically across it, using your movement to do so.
You can’t end your movement in a space alongside or
above the creature that you can’t normally occupy; if you
do, you fall down to an unoccupied space of the creature’s
choice adjacent to the creature.
Starting at 13th level, you can use the momentum of an
enemy attack to sway away from further attacks. When you
are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to force all
attacks against you, until the start of your next turn, to be
made with disadvantage.
Behind You!
Starting at 17th level, when you use your Parkour
feature to move through a creature’s space and end your
movement in space on the opposite side of that creature
from where you began, you have advantage on the first
attack you make against that creature on the same turn.

Chapter 7: Subclasses 141

 SORCERER:
Forge Sorcerer
D eep beneath the crumbling ruins of the realm of
Gallaht lies the Sorcery Forge, an ancient arcane
construct whose power passively amplifies the magic of
those surviving in ignorance above it. The forge is more
than a mere construct, however, having been enchanted
as a living, thinking factory in a bygone era. Forced into a
magical stasis, the magical disruptions experienced during
the Dragonrage over 500 years ago weakened the spell
containing the Sorcery Forge’s power. Over time, the ancient
construct began to shake free of its magical restraints
and reach out through alien dreams to the tiny sparks of
consciousness it could sense up above, and every so often a
connection was formed.
Those linked to the forge in such a way find themselves in
control of powers far beyond their peers’ and many remain
ignorant of the true source of their newfound strength. But
in dreams, when their minds lay open to outside influence,
the Sorcery Forge can do more than offer power. It can
learn, it can teach, and it can whisper to their sleeping souls.
Those few who wield this power find they possess
instinctive control over inanimate objects, reshaping and
animating them as they please, but they also report odd
dreams and a strange calling that seems to come from deep
within the earth.
Since the Dragonrage, the number of these forge
sorcerers has increased slowly over time. With similar
impulses tugging them to explore beneath the ruined
cities of Gallaht, these sorcerers often congregate around
ruins and entrances to deep running tunnels. When not
exploring these places, they often flex their newfound
magical might in contests against their peers, making
Gallaht’s hidden cities extremely dangerous.
Forge Sorcerer Features
SORCERER LEVEL FEATURE
1st Forge Magic, Sorcerous Smith
6th Touch of Awakening
14th Forge Fires
18th Forgeborn
Forge Magic
You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in
this class, as shown on the Forge Spells table. Each of these
spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn’t count
against the number of spells you know.
"Something dangerous lurks beneath the sand. I can
feel it, even though I don’t know what it is."
- Jhakith Madra Adailar
142 Arora: Age of Desolation
Forge Spells
SORCERER LEVEL
1st
SPELLS
grease, identify
3rd
5th
locate object, magic weapon
haste, slow
7th fabricate, stone shape
9th animate objects, passwall
Sorcerous Smith
Starting at 1st level, the Sorcery Forge grants you visions
and power through your dreams. You gain proficiency in
smithing tools and can use magic to shape raw materials
when smithing, ignoring any penalty for crafting without
the proper tools. Additionally, you may use this ability to
make crude alterations to small, nonmagical metal items
such as coins, keys, or jewelry by spending 1 minute in
uninterrupted concentration per item.
Touch of Awakening
At 6th level, the forge begins to imbue you with a portion
of its power over inanimate objects. As an action, you may
spend 2 sorcery points and touch a Tiny object, animating
it for 1 minute. Treat this object as if it were animated using
the animate objects spell, except that you can only have one
such object active at a time. The size of the object you can
animate increases to Small at level 14 and Medium at level
18. You may use this ability a number of times equal to
your Charisma modifier and regain all uses upon finishing
a long rest.
Forge Fires
Starting at 14th level, your spells become infused with the
power of the Sorcery Forge, making them more effective
against constructs and inanimate objects. Your spells
ignore the damage resistances of constructs and deal
double damage to objects. In addition, if the spell requires
a save, objects (whether magical or nonmagical) and
constructs have disadvantage on their saving throw.
Forgeborn
Starting at 18th level, you gain the ability to draw on the
power of the Sorcery Forge, temporarily altering your own
body to resemble an animated construct. As an action, you
can transform into a construct. For the next 10 minutes
your Armor Class becomes 16 + your Dexterity modifier
when you aren’t wearing armor, and you have advantage
on Constitution saving throws. During this time your
speed is reduced to 20 feet per round or your normal speed
(whichever is slower), your weight doubles, you do not need
to breathe, and you are immune to effects that would put
you to sleep. Once you use this ability you cannot use it
again until you finish a long rest.

SORCERER:
Four Serpents
Y our innate powers come from four mighty couatl
who each guard areas of Khoor: Tlape (north), Uked
(west), Mormi (east), and Inoshi (south). A cosmic link
between you and the Four Serpents has manifested in
your very soul.
Khoorians are divided regarding your lineage: some see
you and the couatl power you wield as an extension of the
Dragonrage—maybe you too will turn on the realm! Others
see your powers as a sign of hope: the couatl may yet help
bring the realm back from desolation, and they see you as a
sign of that power at work in the world.
In general, the couatl seek to preserve harmony and
promote peace. Though the couatl seldom intervene directly,
Four Serpents sorcerers receive what they refer to as ‘feath-
er-touches.’ These nudges push the sorcerers toward actions
the couatls value. For some, it may just be a sense or feeling
that a given action, place, or person is important. In extreme
cases, these feather-touches manifest as outright visions.
Feather-touches always oppose demonic and undead aggres-
sion and strive to push sorcerers toward restoring order to
the realm.
Four Serpents Features
SORCERER LEVEL FEATURE
1st Couatl Magic, Serpentine Mask
6th Prismatic Wings
14th Prophetic Awareness
18th Couatl Conversion
Couatl Magic
Your connection to the Four Serpents allows you learn
spells normally associated with the druid class. When your
spellcasting feature lets you learn a sorcerer cantrip or a
sorcerer spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose the new
spell from the druid spell list or the sorcerer spell list. The
new cantrip or spell must be of a level you can cast, and the
spell counts as a sorcerer spell for you.
Serpentine Mask
Starting at 1st level, you gain a version of the Four Serpents’
ability to travel the realms unnoticed. You learn the disguise
self spell, but it does not count against your spells known.
Additionally, you can cast it once per long rest without
expending a spell slot.
Prismatic Wings
Starting at 6th level, as a bonus action, you can sprout
multicolored, prismatic wings. These wings grant you a
flying speed of 30 feet that lasts for 10 minutes. You can
hover while flying in this way. You can use this feature a
Chapter 7: Subclasses
number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
In addition, while this feature is active, you have
advantage on Charisma checks made to interact with
dragons and dracokin across the Five Realms.
Prophetic Awareness
Beginning at 14th level, the call of the Four Serpents allows
you to act as an agent of fate in the realm, upholding the
multiplanar truth and order the Four Serpents participate
in. You can no longer be surprised in combat.
When a creature starts its turn in combat, if it is higher
in the initiative order than you, you may use your reaction
to switch places with it in the initiative order. When you
use this ability, you take your turn at the new position and
the creature you switched with takes your former spot.
Until your next turn, you have resistance to all damage
that the target causes. You must finish a long rest before
you can use this feature again.
Couatl Conversion
Starting at 18th level, you take on even more features of the
Four Serpents. Your eyes become solid orbs of deep color
and you gain the effect of a couatl’s shielded mind: you
become immune to scrying and to any effect that would sense
your emotions, read your thoughts, or detect your location.
You may temporarily unshield your mind at will to engage
in telepathic communication or to allow yourself to be found
but dropping the shield does not grant you telepathic powers
or automatically reveal your location to others.
Your Prophetic Awareness feature gains a new function:
instead of swapping with a creature higher in the initiative
order, when it is your turn and you’ve taken no other
actions this turn, you may use your reaction to swap places
in the order with a creature lower in the order than you.
This prophetic moment invigorates the chosen creature,
healing them for 1d8 + your sorcerer level. This creature
takes its turn immediately, and you take your turn at the
new place in the initiative order.
When you switch places with a character lower on the
initiative order, that character gains double the benefit
from any magical healing other than from your Prophetic
Awareness feature until its next turn.
143
 WARLOCK: Adaptable Form
At 6th level, you can mutate your body to grow new
Lost Beast appendages, adapting to difficult environments. For 1 hour,
you gain one of the following benefits:

M ost warlocks enter into pacts willingly, but not all.

The power of the unique Lost Beasts of Tievmer is
tied to their mutated bodies. A warlock can forge a pact
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of
you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were
dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades
with one of these great creatures by consuming a piece of gray.
of one the Lost Beasts: whether hunting one, eating from Chameleon. You gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth)
a rotting corpse, or ingesting a piece freely given by an checks made while no creature is within 30 feet of you.
intelligent Lost Beast. Once the piece is digested, the Fast Runner. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
would-be warlock is imparted a fragment of the creature’s Gills and Webbed Feet. You can breathe air and water
strength; a strength that grows as the warlock becomes and gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed.
more experienced. Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when
determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can
Lost Beast Patron Features push, drag, or lift.
Spider Limbs. You gain the ability to move up, down,
WARLOCK LEVEL FEATURE and across vertical surfaces and upside down along
ceilings, while leaving your hands free. You also gain a
3rd Expanded Spell List,
Weapon of the Beast climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
You must finish a long rest to use this ability again.
6th Adaptable Form
10th Dragon Hunter
Dragon Hunter
14th Twisted Rage
At 10th level you embody the predatory Lost Beast. As
18th Vengeful Rally the Dragonrage twisted the Lost Beast to hunt draconic
creatures, so have you begun to succumb, becoming a
better predator of all things draconic. When targeting a
Expanded Spell List dragon-type enemy, your unarmed attacks and spells you
The Lost Beast lets you choose from an expanded list of cast ignore all resistances to damage.
spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells
are added to the warlock spell list for you. Twisted Rage
When you reach 14th level, you can call upon your
Lost Beast Expanded Spells connection to your patron to infuse your physical form with
the Lost Beast’s unearthly rage for 1 minute. You transform
SPELL LEVEL SPELLS into a Large amalgam of your own body and that of your
1st jump, speak with animals patron; gaining the benefits of both Weapon of the Beast
and Adaptable Form, without expending uses of either.
2nd barkskin, enhance ability
Your statistics remain the same except for the
3rd elemental weapon, haste following benefits:
4th polymorph, stoneskin • Your Armor Class becomes 15 + your Dexterity modifier.
5th commune with nature, tree stride • You gain 50 temporary hit points.
• When you take the Attack action, you may attack three
times with your natural weapon.
Weapon of the Beast • Attacks made with your natural weapon do an additional
1d8 damage and ignores all bludgeoning, piercing, and
Starting at 1st level, as an action you can invoke your slashing damage resistance, and immunity.
patron to twist your body to create a natural weapon
reminiscent of your patron that lasts for 1 minute. You You may end this ability prematurely and return to your
might gain sharp claws, a wicked bite, smashing tail, or normal form by using an action. You must finish a long rest
any natural weapon that your patron had. While you are before using this ability again.
transformed, you can use a bonus action to make one
unarmed strike with your natural weapon, doing 1d8 +
your Strength modifier. The attack deals bludgeoning,
piercing, or slashing as appropriate to the form you take.
You can use this action a number of times equal to your "If you think you’re hunting a Lost Beast,
proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you’re already dead."
you finish a long rest. - Anonymous Villager

144 Arora: Age of Desolation

Chapter 7: Subclasses 145
 WARLOCK:
The Psychopomp Bonus Cantrip
At 1st level, you learn the spare the dying cantrip. Its
Y our patron is a being who mediates the boundary
between life and death, responsible for ushering every
living creature into death at its appointed time. Such beings
range increases to 30 feet and it counts as a warlock
cantrip for you.
are obliged to appear before every dying creature to assist in
its transition into the afterlife. Psychopomps forge pacts with Wayward Souls
mortals to ease their burden, allowing the warlocks they At 1st level, when a creature within 30 feet of you is
create to provide this assistance in their stead. reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to claim
Although your primary responsibility to your patron is to its fleeing spirit. When you do, the creature dies and you
ensure that each creature’s soul is properly shepherded from gain a wayward soul.
the land of the living to the realm of the dead, it may also While you have at least one wayward soul, you can see
have compelled you to root out the undead, which it takes as in dim light and darkness as if it were bright light out to a
a personal affront to the natural order of existence. distance of 5 feet × the number of wayward souls you have.
You can also see invisible creatures and objects and into
Psychopomp Features the Ethereal Plane within this range.
In addition, when you cast a warlock spell that deals
WARLOCK LEVEL FEATURE damage to a creature or causes a creature to regain hit
1st Expanded Spell List, Bonus points, you can expend up to half your proficiency bonus
Cantrip, Wayward Souls (rounded up) wayward souls to increase the damage dealt
6th Nyssa’s Gift
or hit points restored to the creature by 1d6 for each
wayward soul expended.
10th Shadow Shepherd
You can have a maximum number of wayward souls at
14th On Death’s Wings one time up to your proficiency bonus.

Expanded Spell List Death’s Gift

The Psychopomp lets you choose from an expanded list of Starting at 6th level, the time you’ve spent in the liminal
spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells space between life and death has changed you. You have
are added to the warlock spell list for you. resistance to necrotic damage.
In addition, you can cast the speak with dead spell without
expending a spell slot or providing material components.
Psychopomp Expanded Spells When you cast this spell, you can communicate with the
SPELL LEVEL SPELLS
corpse even if the two of you do not share a language
and the corpse must answer your questions truthfully if it
1st healing word, sleep responds at all, though it can lie by omission.
2nd calm emotions, gentle repose
3rd mass healing word, slow Shadow Shepherd
4th death ward, phantasmal killer
Starting at 10th level, when you gain a wayward soul, you
5th cloudkill, reincarnate gain temporary hit points equal to your warlock level.
In addition, the maximum number of wayward
souls you can have at one time increases to twice your
proficiency bonus.

On Death’s Wings
At 14th level, you gain a flying speed of 30 feet. While
flying using this feature, spectral skeletal wings manifest
from your back.
While you have a number of wayward souls equal to or
greater than your proficiency bonus, this flying speed in-
creases to 60 feet and you can move through creatures and
objects provided you do not end your movement in them.

146 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Nature Savant
Beginning when you select this tradition at 2nd level, the
gold and time you must spend to copy a spell that appears
on both the wizard spell list and either the druid or ranger
spell lists into your spellbook is halved.

Blessings of the Golden Breath

Starting at 2nd level when you select this tradition, whenever
you successfully cast a spell that enchants or transmutes
a single creature, you grant the target 1d4 temporary hit
points per level of the spell slot used to cast the spell. These
temporary hit points last for eight hours (even if the spell itself
is instantaneous or requires concentration, and even if you
lose concentration on the original spell).
At 2nd level, two different targets can benefit from this
feature at the same time.
The number of creatures you can affect with this feature
increases as you gain levels in this tradition, affecting three
creatures at 6th level, four at 10th level, and an unlimited
number of creatures at 14th level. Additionally, starting at
10th level, the effect may be applied by spells that enchant
or transmute more than one creature.

Gardener’s Tools
Starting at 6th level, the following spells are added to the
wizard spell list for you. Starting at 6th level, when you add
new spells to your spellbook you may choose to add spells
from this list if they are from a spell level you can cast as a
WIZARD: wizard. They are wizard spells for you and count as Nature
Savant spells.
Hedge Mage
WIZARD LEVEL SPELLS

T hough Hedge Mages have been a part of the natural

order in Tievmer for centuries, when the magic
unleashed during the Dragonrage, their capabilities have
1st animal friendship, create or destroy water,
purify food and drink
became stronger than ever before. 2nd animal messenger, barkskin
While you are dedicated to the natural world, you are 3rd plant growth, speak with plants
not a druid nor a ranger; to you, the world is an enormous
4th dominate beast, giant insect
garden in need of tending—and you are the gardener. You
might start your career helping to ensure a good harvest or 5th awaken
helping to rear livestock, but you know your potential goes 6th wind walk
far beyond simple chores and into the realms once reserved
7th regenerate
only for the mightiest dragons.

Hedge Mage Features In addition, you gain the cantrip shillelagh. It counts as a
wizard spell, uses your wizard spellcasting ability, and
does not count against your number of cantrips known as
WIZARD LEVEL FEATURE
a wizard.
2nd Nature Savant, Blessings of
the Golden Breath
6th Gardener’s Tools
Tending the Garden
10th Tending the Garden At 10th level, when you cast an enchantment or transmuta-
tion spell that affects a single willing creature, you may have
14th Master Gardener the spell affect a second willing creature as well.

Chapter 7: Subclasses 147

 Master Gardener
Starting at 14th level, your studies and nurturing of
the world have caused you to become attuned to the
natural order. You learn a ritual that allows you to create
a Gardener’s Crosier. Creating a Gardener’s Crosier
requires a wizard’s spellbook, a nonmagical staff of wood,
bamboo, or other suitable organic material, and 24 hours
of uninterrupted time to complete the ritual. You can only
have one Gardener’s Crosier at a time. You can perform
the ritual again to create a new one, at which time the
prior Gardener’s Crosier loses all magic and becomes a
mundane staff that disintegrates over the next 24 hours.
A Gardener’s Crosier is a unique magic item that is
automatically attuned to the hedge mage who created it.
This attunement does not count against the hedge mage’s
attunement limit. As long as the Gardener’s Crosier exists
on the same plane and in the same realm as the hedge
mage, the hedge mage can use a bonus action to summon
the Gardener’s Crosier to her grasp. The Gardener’s
Crosier acts as an arcane focus and is a magical weapon.
Additionally, all the spells present in the hedge mage’s
spellbook during the creation ritual are carved into the staff,
allowing the hedge mage to use the Gardener’s Crosier as a
spellbook. New spells cannot be scribed into the Gardener’s
Crosier, and should the Gardener’s Crosier be destroyed,
creating a new one requires a wizard’s spellbook.
Finally, upon creation of the Gardener’s Crosier, a hedge
mage chooses one of the following magical staff templates
to imprint upon the Gardener’s Crosier.
• Staff of Fire
• Staff of Frost
• Staff of Healing
• Staff of Swarming Insects
• Staff of the Woodlands (without wall of thorns)
A hedge mage can use Gardener’s Crosier as the imprinted
staff even if a wizard would normally be unable to.
Choosing a template causes the Gardener’s Crosier to
function as the magical staff chosen with the following
changes: a Gardener’s Crosier does not gain any of the
magic quarterstaff attack or damage bonuses of the
imprinted staff, only has 5 charges, is unusable by anyone
except the hedge mage who created it, and regains 1d3+2
WIZARD:
charges each day at dawn (though it recharges no more
than once every 24 hours).
Rimefrost Sage
W
In lands or planes where dawn never arrives, a hedge ithin the heart of cold, there is fire. Within the seed
mage may expend a spell slot once every 24 hours to charge of fire, there is a frozen bead. One cannot exist
the staff, gaining a number of charges equal to the level of without the other. Magic is a study of extremes and the
the spell slot expended, up to the maximum of 5 charges. A secrets of the rimefrost are no exception. To experience a
staff that loses all charges must be charged by expending a cold so fierce that it burns the flesh, and a fire so extreme
spell slot before it can be charged by the dawn. that only the cold, dead ends of once-living nerves fuse
together at once is the driving goal for the destructive
rimefrost sages.
A rimefrost sage is often seen as reckless at best, and
a force of purely chaotic will at worst. These arcanists
"The magic of the hedge mage is the magic command powerful magic and use the land itself to fuel their
of Jha-dhol’s heart and soul." research, knowing full well the effects that their efforts will
- Jhakith Madra Adailar have. While many wizards seek to promote and further the
art of magic in general, a rimefrost sage is singularly focused
on improving their magical power alone.

148 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Rimefrost Sage Features
WIZARD LEVEL FEATURE
2nd Winterfriend, Winterfiend,
Command the Cold Fire
6th Waiting Flame
10th One with the Cold Flame
14th Winter Manifest
Winterfriend, Winterfiend
As a bonus action, you can create a number of Tiny
frozen flames equal to your Constitution bonus (minimum
1). You can never have more frozen flames than your
Constitution bonus (minimum 1). A frozen flame has the
following properties:
• It floats near your chest, shoulders, and head. If
separated from you, it magically teleports to you at the
start of your next turn.
• It is comprised of pure magical energy and is neither a
creature nor an object, though it can be dispelled (DC
equal to your spell save)
• It twinkles with faint light but does not provide illumination.
You can use your action to absorb one or more frozen
flames. When you do, choose one of the following benefits:
• You gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution
bonus (minimum 1).
• You regain one spell slot. This spell slot must be of a
level equal to or less than your proficiency bonus. Doing
this causes you to gain one level of exhaustion per
consumed frozen flame.
• You draw knowledge from the eternally-present fire and
water. You succeed on all of your Intelligence (Arcana or
History) checks made within the next 30 minutes.
Additionally, you can use a bonus action to destroy one or
more frozen flames. Each one you destroy causes cold or
fire damage (your choice) equal to your proficiency bonus
to all targets within 10 feet of you.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you
finish a long rest.
"I once contracted a rimefrost sage to escort me to
a grobb buyer in Prazzolar. She was the strangest
person I’d ever met, and that’s saying something.
Her eyes were icy blue but burned with a rage that
was almost palpable."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
Chapter 7: Subclasses
Command the Cold Fire
Your frozen flames are an extension of your senses.
While at least one is active and near you, you have
advantage on ability checks you make to survive in hot or
cold environments. You also gain the following benefits:
• As an action, you can command a frozen flame to
sacrifice itself and become a campfire for you and your
allies. This campfire warms you and your allies, does not
damage structures, and lasts for 8 hours.
• When you cast a wizard spell using a spell slot of 1st level
or higher, you may sacrifice one frozen flame to change
the damage that spell deals to either cold or fire damage.
• You can use a frozen flame as an arcane focus for your
wizard spells, and you can use your frozen flames as your
spellbook. While you have at least one frozen flame, you
do not need your spellbook to memorize spells you know.
Waiting Flame
Starting at 6th level, when you take cold or fire damage,
you can harness some of that pain to refuel a portion of
your magical energy. Once you suffer the damage, you may
use your reaction to consume one of your frozen flames.
Once you do, you may immediately cast one wizard spell
you know and that has a casting time of 1 action. This spell
must include the source of the damage in its area of effect.
Also, so long as you have at least one currently
summoned frozen flame, you can’t be surprised while in
the tundra or similarly frozen environment.
One With the Cold Flame
At 10th level, your command of the forces of cold and fire
has grown significantly. You have resistance to cold and
fire damage. Additionally, wizard spells you cast that deal
cold or fire damage are more potent than normal. The DC
for these spells is increased by +2, and they deal extra cold
or fire damage equal to the number of frozen flames you
currently have.
Winter Manifest
At 14th level, you have secured your connection to the pri-
mal forces of winter. So long as you have at least one frozen
flame currently summoned, you gain the following benefits:
• You are immune to either cold damage or fire damage.
You make this choice after finishing a long rest.
• Targets have disadvantage on saving throws made
against your wizard spells that deal cold or fire damage.
• You do not suffer ill effects from exposure to extreme
heat or cold.
• You have advantage on Intelligence (Arcana and
History) checks.
149
150 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 8:
Backgrounds

T he world of Arora, with its deemphasis of specific

and discrete species, removes the concept of race as
a limiting and proscribing force in terms of culture and
society. The players can decide their characters’ traits
acquired at birth. This puts extra weight on backgrounds,
both in terms of deciding who a character is and what
their place is in Arora.
The backgrounds that follow provide examples of how
characters might fit into their world, or their specific
realm of Arora, before they are called on to move beyond
their role as mere survivors, stepping out into the wil-
derness of the danger-filled realms as adventurers. When
a player chooses a background for their character in an
Arora campaign, they’re doing much more than getting
some proficiencies and a feature; they are deciding what
position their character holds in a world where that po-
sition has let them—and countless others—survive when
they might have otherwise perished.
Even more importantly, because of dramatically shifting
circumstances and the beckon call of adventure, these
backgrounds are what the character must leave behind
as they gain the incredible power afforded by classes and
subclasses. Whether a caver or a village healer, a grobb
smuggler or a vermin sweeper, the characters are about to
leave those old occupations behind. Yet those characters are
also informed by their backgrounds. Even as the character
gains druidic or sorcerous powers, there will always be the
frightened, skittish vermin sweeper in there somewhere.
Finally, the backgrounds often place the character firmly
within one of the five realms that comprise Arora. Because
each region is so different, and because travel between
regions is difficult and rare, a character with a background
connected to Tievmer likely feels a sense of wonder, and
perhaps sheer terror, when traveling to any of the other
realms. This disorientation when going to a new realm does
not have a mechanical consequence within the game rules,
but it should have a roleplaying and narrative effect on how
the character behaves and copes with the new environment.
In essence, all good stories are about characters moving
from what they know and trust into a dangerous and
disorienting unknown. Remind the players frequently of
where they started, which allows an even greater appreci-
ation of the journey into the unknown.

151
 Behemoth’s
Confidante
Deep within the icy mount in the realm of Prazzolar, a
massive beast lies entombed. Creatures come from near
and far to attempt to break it free, chipping and digging
until they are driven off or otherwise convinced of their
folly. You, however, have no such desire because the
more they dig, the more you feel something pressing into
your mind. It’s alien but not entirely uncomfortable; it’s
present but unknowable. You believe that this presence
is an extension of the behemoth, you can’t communicate
with it—but it can whisper to you. It brings you gibberish,
mostly, though there are occasional revelations given unto
you, and from time to time you find that you’ve created
things that you have no knowledge of.
What secrets does the behemoth possess? What moti-
vates it to speak to you? Why are you connected to the be-
hemoth, and how would the people react if they knew that
you possessed such a linkage to this mysterious creature?
Are there others like you?
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, and one other skill of your choice
Tool Proficiencies: One set of artisan’s tools
Languages: One language of your choice
Equipment: A scholar’s pack, one gaming set (worth up to
10 gp), a scrapbook of drawings, formulae, recipes, and
sketches that you created but have no recollection of, and
a glossy black and purple gemstone of unknown origin.
Feature: Something Whispers
to Me and Guides My Hand
You are connected in some fashion to the behemoth within
the frozen realm of Prazzolar. Where others feel unease
when in proximity to the creature’s icy presence, you
feel comfort and hear whispers at the periphery of your
consciousness. Something presses on your mind even when
you’re far from the great beast, and while most of the noise
is gibberish or too quiet to appropriately determine, every so
often you’ll receive a burst of wisdom. This moment typically
manifests when you are attempting to determine another
creature’s motives, but nobody knows the true machinations
of the behemoth. Except, perhaps in time, you.
When you attempt a Wisdom (Insight) check to
determine another creature’s motives while in the realm of
Prazzolar, you do so with advantage.
Suggested Characteristics
Deep down in your soul you know that there is more to life
and to this world than most people are willing to admit.
There are worlds and places far beyond your reach, and
only a scant few beings can traverse the space between here
and there. Something has done this and while the journey
was taxing, it now whispers to you. What you do with the
wisdom that it imparts will shape your legacy as a hero, a
villain, or something in between.
152 Arora: Age of Desolation
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 Wait, wait, you can’t hear that? But it’s always whispering!
2 I desire to know what lies beyond this world.
3 If the final mysteries are unraveled, only the behemoth will remain.
4 When someone mutters and whispers, I assume that they
are like me.
5 Secrets have power but solutions are the key.
Once discovered, what good is a secret?
6 I hunger for all that is deemed by others to be impossible
or unknowable.
7 Something is always present in the dark.
8 I am never alone, and my path has already been mapped.
D6 IDEAL
1 Art. My implements channel the wisdom of the behemoth,
and I must share it. (Chaotic)
2 Secrets. A secret is just armor for hidden knowledge.
But who does it protect? (Neutral)
3 Conspiracy. Everything is connected if we could just all
learn to listen for once. (Chaotic)
4 Silence. Within silence lies truth. (Lawful)
5 Trust. I believe there is a greater power at work, and it now
speaks to me. (Good)
6 Destiny. The behemoth will be free, and the whispers are
merely precursors of that day. (Lawful)
D6 BOND
1 The behemoth speaks to me in its own way, and so I do
the same.
2 I know that I learned a powerful secret, but I can’t recall
what it was now.
3 Nobody believes that I can hear the behemoth. I’ll show
them! I’ll show them all!
4 My art is my most effective method of communication.
5 The more secrets I uncover, the deeper the lessons go.
I will learn everything.
6 There are more like me—always listening to the behemoth—
and I must find them.
D6 FLAW
1 I get distracted when things get quiet.
2 Everything is a part of some larger conspiracy.
3 Who needs to play it safe? The behemoth has plans for me.
4 I have to focus and listen for the clues.
5 My artistic implements are divine tools—usually.
6 Only by truly emptying myself am I worthy of receiving
inspiration at a critical moment.
 Botanist D6 IDEAL
1 Nurture. Helping even the weakest flourish, benefits

Y our fascination lies within the verdant world of plant

life. Perhaps you grew up on a farm, or your parents
encouraged you to keep a small garden of your own. You
2
all. (Good)
Order. Gentle direction and careful selection is
an improvement over wild growth, left to its own
have a green thumb and a green mind to match. From devices. (Lawful)
seed to shoot to fruit, you meticulously document the 3 Diversify. Plentiful recombination is the true source of new
subtle transformations in plants as they sprout and grow, discovery. (Chaotic)
catalog newly discovered species, and may even cross-
4 Survival. The weak should be culled for the benefit of the
breed your own hybrid varieties all to ease burdens in strong. (Evil)
realms that struggle to grow vegetation. You delight in
plant identification and use this knowledge to differenti- 5 Balance. There can be no growth without death. One feeds
the other. (Neutral)
ate the helpful from the harmful, as well as the delicious
from the disgusting. 6 Knowledge. Keen observation will often provide the
answers to all questions. (Any)
Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Investigation
Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit
D6 BOND
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A bottle of ink, a quill, a book of plants 1 I distrust magical cures for diseases and prefer to create my
with blank pages for future notes and discoveries, an own remedies.
herbalism kit, a set of common clothes and a belt pouch 2 Rare plants must be preserved at all costs.
containing 5 gp. 3 My knowledge holds the key to feeding a civilization and it
must be passed on.

Feature: Green Thumb 4 My new medicine will save countless lives.

5 I feel true kinship with foragers and gardeners, and I will
Your skills and knowledge translate well to many areas of defend them from harm.
employment. From assisting in herb collection for potion
6 I will never harvest more than half of any available plants in
makers to making salves for village healers to treat patients,
a given area.
you can make yourself useful in nearly every settlement you
come across. Your experience with plant life allows you
to forage enough edible vegetation for yourself and up to D6 FLAW
five other people, each day, provided the land is capable of 1 I often obsess over the weather, delighting in, or fretting
growing edible fruits, vegetables, or roots. over the growing conditions.
2 I overly idealize the order of nature, choosing to ignore the
Suggested Characteristics role random chance plays in life.
3 I am secretly addicted to recreational herbs.
These are the suggested characteristics for a Botanist.
4 I will plant seeds anywhere I can, even without permission,
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT in an effort to improve the land.
1 I am really excited to talk about plants, sometimes to the 5 My pompous attitude about plants does more harm to my
point of being annoying. cause than good.
2 I am a natural teacher and relish the opportunity to pass 6 Sometimes the plants tell me to do things that only I can hear.
along my knowledge of botany.
3 I am inclined to focus on the long view, envisioning how
things could be with years of planning and tending.
4 I am always on the lookout for the final ingredients for a
new medicine.
5 Perhaps I am too attached to plants; I get emotional if
seedlings fail or trees are cut down.
6 I prefer a hard day’s work, in a field, over an easier task.
7 Diverse flora get me excited.
8 I get overwhelmed by large barren landscapes with little to
no flora.

Chapter 8: Backgrounds 153


Caver
W hile a lot of folk surviving in the Age of Desolation
do so under the open skies, the darkness of the caves
and subterranean spaces beneath the ravaged earth of the
realms draws you in. Whether you mine the deep earth for
resources necessary for survival, or you’ve sought out the
caverns of the earth to escape the terrors of the open world
and the feral dragons of the realms above, you have found
your identity underground.
Is your interest in the subsurface professional, unavoid-
able, or personal? Did you choose to explore the depths of
the earth, or were you forced into it by accident or by need
of survival? Whatever the initial reason, you’ve racked up a
small lifetime of experience in the dark world below.
Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Athletics
Tool Proficiencies: Herbalism kit and one set of artisan’s
tools of your choice
Equipment: A set of common clothes, a knife, a miner’s
helmet (which can safely house a candle), an unusually
shaped and colored stone from a previous expedition,
and a pouch containing 5 gp.
Feature: Unerring Darksense
Your time underground has given you a near-supernatural
sense of direction in dark places. While underground, you
are able to spot weak mineshafts, natural caverns, and
other cave-in risks.
Suggested Characteristics
Some cavers are simple survivalists who retreated
underground to escape the harsh realms above. Others
spent time underground as a prisoner or professional
miner. Others still are explorers and soldiers, looking for
new ways to traverse the realms or to fend off enemies.
Roll a d6, choose from the options in the table below, or
work with your GM to determine your reason for spending
so much time below ground:
D6 ORIGIN
1 Salt Miner
2 Ore Miner
3 Spelunker
4 Explorer
5 Outcast
6 Survivalist
154 Arora: Age of Desolation
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I am most comfortable in the dark and least comfortable
in sunlight.
2 Other people talk too much and don’t appreciate silence.
3 Finding gemstones, rare metals, and good old salt makes
me giddy.
4 I prefer the daylit world and only travel underground when
I must.
5 Years of close calls under the earth have left me with a
dozen small superstitions and rituals that I am compelled to
6
observe to stay safe.
Though I am perfectly literate, I get tongue-tied easily and
7
prefer actions to words.
I am very comfortable around creatures that others think are
creepy like spiders, snakes, and worms.
8 If given the choice, I will never stop eating mushrooms.
D6 IDEAL
1 Safety. Caves are just a microcosm for the Five Realms, and
only by following the rules can we all stay safe. (Lawful)
2 Truth. Deception has no place underground or in life. (Good)
3 Change. Just as the paths and waterways shift constantly under
the surface, so do my aspirations and goals. (Chaotic)
4 Power. Life is as unforgiving as the dark, and only by being
stronger than the rock can I prevail. (Evil)
5 Tolerance. Once, I was cast out into the darkness for my
different ideas, and no one should have to go through that
pain. (Good)
6 Merit. The caverns challenge me to be the be the very
best. (Any)
D6 BOND
1 While some love the plains, I believe it is the caverns and
dark places of the Five Realms that must be protected and
preserved as they keep us safe from the hard world above.
2 I saw something in the deep places of the realm that I cannot
explain, and which haunts me.
3 The miners and spelunkers I’ve worked alongside are my family.
4 The beauty of the underworld needs to be seen and
appreciated by those who dwell on the surface.
5 I am forever indebted to the person who saved me from a
cavern collapse.
6 Though many hate and fear them, I deeply respect the yetis in
Prazzolar and hope one day to communicate with them.
D6 FLAW
1 I like dirt more than I like most people.
2 I am desperate for real companionship, often oversharing
and becoming too intimate too fast.
3 On expeditions underground, everything was shared, and I now
have a difficult time not simply taking what I need from others.
4 I love shiny objects like gold and gemstones and will often
make bad decisions if I think it might lead me to possess
more of them.
5 I became a caver to change my identity and flee the horrible
deed I performed in my past.
6 I am deathly afraid of heights and will do almost anything to
avoid being near large drops or cliffs.
 Dreamwalker
Y ou, like many others, have wandered the twisted
realm of Tievmer for many years. Unlike the rest, you
dared to enter the pockets of chaos and nightmare known
as the Dreamspace Pockets. You have nights of waking
and dreaming a dozen times or more. You find comfort in
the Dreamspaces and their koppies, and understand the
tenuous link between these ephemeral visions and reality.
You understand that while not always the case, the
Dreamspace Pockets are corrupted by the Dragonrage,
an affect that has slowly grown stronger over the past 500
years. You understand that they were once peaceful dream-
like realms but now, there are awful shadows moving
through the koppies, and dark beings lurk on the edge of
your nightmares.
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument or
one set of artisan’s tools
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: One set of traveler’s clothes, any one musical
instrument or set of artisan’s tools you’re proficient with,
a trinket from your favored koppie, a small treasure
from the Dreamspace Pockets worth 10gp, and a pouch
containing 5 gp.
Favored Koppie
You’ve traveled to parts of Tievmer and visited Dreamspace
Pockets that most don’t even know exist and could certainly
never find without a guide. You have a favorite that was a
second home for you before the effects of the Draongrage
eventually caught up to it and ruined everything.
D10 FAVORED KOPPIE
1 Market of Broken Dreams
2 Menagerie of Lurking Beasts
3 Carnival of Forgotten Toys
4 Lost-Youth Crater
5 Museum of Teeth
6 Observatory into the Mind’s Abyss
7 Farhazan’s Inescapable Maze
8 Sunken Phantower
9 Timur’s Palace of Stitched Horrors
10 University of What-Once-Was
Feature: Prophetic Dreams
When you sleep, you have lucid dreams of the Dreamspace
Pockets, and can navigate them as a disembodied con-
sciousness. Because of this, you can never get lost while in
one, and always know the shortest route between koppies.
Suggested Characteristics
These are the suggested characteristics for a Dreamwalker.
Chapter 8: Backgrounds
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I get lost in daydreams, sometimes completely detaching
2
from the situation around me for a few minutes.
I see signs where I feel the Dreamspace is encroaching upon
the physical realm, and cannot ignore them.
3 Sometimes I clutch tightly onto physical objects because I
feel I’m being pulled into the Dreamspace.
4 I sing inharmonious songs or whistle discordantly; only I can
hear the other parts that make it whole.
5 My dreams are valuable visions that shouldn’t be
squandered; I chronicle each and every one of them.
6 My imagination sometimes gets the better of me, and I come
to believe false truths that I’ve invented.
7 I paint beautiful wonderfully vivid pictures of the places I’ve
been and things I’ve seen.
8 There are a few strange behaviors I’ve picked up from the
Dreamspace that mark me out as being different.
D6 IDEAL
1 Creativity. Artistry is the point of life, and I seek to create in
every action I take. (Neutral)
2 Curiosity. The realms are filled with things to behold, and I
want to see them all. (Any)
3 Freedom. Everyone has the right to express themselves
however they see fit. (Chaotic)
4 People. There’s no point in experiencing amazing things if
you can’t share them with others. (Neutral)
5 Creed. To distinguish between dreams and reality you have
to follow certain codes of conduct. (Lawful)
6 Avidity. Experiencing new things somethings comes at the cost
of others. If they can’t handle it, that’s their problem. (Evil)
D6 BOND
1 I hold onto a token from the physical realm to keep me
grounded in the Dreamspace.
2 I keep drawings of the amazing things I’ve seen in a book
that I’d be lost without.
3 I surround myself with dear friends so that I may share in
experiences with them.
4 My dreams sometimes show glimpses of a second cataclysm
I must prevent.
5 My ability to explore and discover new places is worth more
to me than my own life.
6 Someone close to me got lost in the Dreamspace. I need to
find them.
D6 FLAW
1 If I spend too long doing the same task I’m overcome
with ennui.
2 I prefer my fantasies to reality.
3 I’m protective of my favorite things and keep them secret.
4 I lash out at those who try to curtail my freedoms.
5 I often slip into new vices that I discover.
6 When I get bored, I get angry.
155
 Exorcist D6
1
IDEAL
Tranquility. Existence is a never ending cycle of life, death,

A t some point in your life, you realized you could sense

the presence of the unquiet dead and had a gift for
communicating with them. For some this happens during
late childhood or early adulthood but for others these
abilities manifest only after a near death experience.
Regardless of what precipitated your abilities, your life was
never the same after they manifested. In Khoor they came
with respect and responsibilities but, in other lands, you
find the living shun you for your macabre talent.
In the haunted lands of Khoor, your gift is as practical as
it is esoteric. Wandering undead are a nuisance throughout
Khoor, a danger which you are uniquely suited to address.
Whether you sailed the swamps with your tribe or lived in
one of the region’s settlements, you made a living finding
the undead and driving them out. You may have done
battle with the dead to drive them away or destroy them,
but much more often you engaged them with diplomacy,
convincing them to pass on to the next life or at least avoid
areas inhabited by the living.
Skill Proficiencies: Persuasion, Religion
Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A wooden board with each letter of the
alphabet, a planchette, a flask of holy water, a reliquary,
a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp.
Feature: Death Speaker
You understand the speech of, and your speech can be under-
stood by, any undead creature who understands or speaks at
least one language, even if you do not share a language.
2
and rebirth. (Neutral)
Order. I wish to help undead pass into death, whether they
want me to or not. (Lawful)
3 Power. I use my abilities to amass undead followers rather
than send them to rest. (Evil)
4 Peace. I believe the living and the dead both have a place in
existence. I’m happy to help them coexist. (Good)
5 Responsibility. I have a responsibility to facilitate
communication between the living and the dead. (Lawful)
6 Selfishness. The dead know much the living do not, I use
my gift to hear them to advance my own goals first and
foremost. (Evil)
D6 BOND
1 I am haunted by the spirit of a friend who died when we were
only children.
2 I frequently call upon the wisdom of my mentor who taught
me how to use my abilities.
3 I keep a memento from every undead I’ve helped pass into
true death.
4 A spirit I helped once led me to a sentimental treasure it had
in life. Although it has little material value, I cherish it.
5 I correspond with a woman who I helped get rid of her angry
deceased husband.
6 I carry a parchment on me at all times that contains the
details of how I want my funeral rites to be handled.
D6 FLAW
1 I have a dark sense of humor and no sense when not to crack
a joke.

Suggested Characteristics 2 If I seem sullen and withdrawn it’s because I am.

3 My fascination, and comfort, with death often unnerves others.
Exorcists are united by their ability to sense and communi-
4 I find the only thing that alleviates my preoccupation with
cate with the dead. In Khoor, anyone who manifests these my responsibilities is an expensive night spent in the most
abilities is expected to use them to protect the living against boisterous taverns around.
the undead through battle or diplomacy. Whether you took 5 I’m suspicious of others and quick to assume they are
up these responsibilities or not, your life as a medium between attempting to deceive me.
the living and the dead has shaped your every experience.
6 I have a rigid code of ethics and judge others harshly when
they don’t meet my standards.
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I feel most at peace in places where the dead are laid to rest.
2 The constant reminder of my own mortality compels me to
live life to the fullest.
3 I didn’t ask for the ability to mediate between the living and
the dead and resent the responsibility.
4 I prefer the company of the dead to that of the living.
5 I sometimes pretend to speak with spirits who aren’t around
to get out of uncomfortable situations.
6 I rigidly adhere to a healthy lifestyle. I’m too familiar with the
bleak reality of the dead to wish to join them any sooner than
I have to.
7 I hide my abilities as an exorcist from others whenever
possible. It makes life too complicated when others know.
8 My habit of humming dirges sometimes unnerves my companions.

156 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Grobb Smuggler
These are the suggested characteristics for a Grobb Smuggler.
I n Khoor, nothing holds greater importance than the Way
of the Foam—the harvesting, storage, and processing of
the realm-traveling resource known as grobb that is used as
a protective slathering while performing inter-planar travel
through the few inter-planar rifts found within the Five
Realms (see relevant sections in The Five Realms chapter).
There is no greater criminal punishment in Khoor that that
reserved for grobb smugglers. It’s a dangerous and lucrative
occupation, with the knowledge that capture and discovery
risks the gravest consequences. Opportunity, greed,
dangerlust, and desperation drive most grobb smugglers.
With the danger comes great excitement. Every smuggler
has a great story to tell—what’s yours? When you select this
background, choose or roll for your most famous story (or
make up your own!):
D6 GREAT STORY
1 That time you made your very first run. Your swamp boat
may have been old but “Aye, was she ever a beauty!”
2 That time the guard spent a whole night searching your
swamp boat, and “Ye’ll never guess where I’d hid the cargo!”
3 That time you had to hide your cargo in the deep swampland,
only to return and find “The biggest swamp monster that
you’d ever seen. It had seven…”
4 That time you made the “Long Run” with nothing but 12 bog
parsnips for supplies.
5 That time you got caught and your crew came to the rescue.
“You won’t believe how they got into the cell!”
6 That time you had to create an elaborate ruse. “It wasn’t just
costumes; the accents were the best part!”
Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water)
Equipment: Set of nondescript clothing, a vehicle disguise
kit (includes a set of blank decals, quick-drying paint,
and a reference book of common authority symbols),
and a pouch containing 10 gp.
Feature: Timing is Everything
Smuggling has taught you that most people have patterns,
and that knowing them can be the difference between life
and death. Whether through your network of connections
and finely-honed instincts, you usually know who can tell
you the exact schedules of organized groups, such as when
the guard shift changes or when a group of mages have to
recharge protective wards. While you know who has this
information, they may still not tell you.
Chapter 8: Backgrounds
Suggested Characteristics
D8
1
PERSONALITY TRAIT
I don’t need to know the odds, only that it’s possible.
2 I’m always ready to make a deal.
3 I place great faith in lucky charms and omens, especially
while on the swamp on rivers.
4 There are no famous smugglers: I avoid making myself memorable.
5 I like to think through every possibility.
6 Water means business.
7 My frequent exposure to danger has made me unflinching.
8 I respect my opponents.
D6 IDEAL
1 People. Respect of friends and enemies alike makes for
better business. (Good)
2 Greed. Profit is the only thing that matters. (Evil)
3 Freedom. I didn’t make the laws, so I don’t have to obey
them. (Chaotic)
4 Loyalty. I’ll never give up my friends. (Good)
5 Honor. I always deliver. (Lawful)
6 Privacy. I’m an intermediary. I don’t ask questions about my
cargo. (Neutral)
D6 BOND
1 I’m in this life because of a close family member.
2 My mentor went missing years ago, and I’ve never stopped
looking for them.
3 I was mistreated by those who control the grobb trade, and
smuggling from under their noses is my revenge.
4 I believe in the cause of those I smuggle for.
5 My swamp boat is my most prized possession and I would
do anything for it.
6 Members of my crew got captured on a job I planned, and I
swore to one day free them.
D6 FLAW
1 I’m not nearly as smooth as I think I am.
2 I’ve upset a lot of people in a lot of places.
3 I’ll betray anyone if it means saving my own skin.
4 I lie so often that I often do it just out of habit.
5 I find it hard to trust anyone.
6 I don’t care about what’s right, only what’s best right now.
157

Icekissed
Y our history is deeply rooted in the frozen lands of
Prazzolar. Perhaps you were carving out a peasant’s
life learning to survive the tundra, or perhaps you were
hiding from your settlement’s authorities for some
reason. The cold expanse holds secrets and gifts for
those who know where to find them, and the rewards are
bountiful for those who can determine how to eke out
a living where even the basic act of surviving can be a
great challenge.
You are bound, for better or worse, to the cold and
oppressive wilds. Your life has been a difficult one, but
you have learned to wield your hard-learned lessons as
tools that propel you forward instead of miring you down.
Perhaps you’re a self-reliant hermit, or maybe you’ve
earned a reputation as a mighty hunter. Or were you a
sage, listening to the songs of the wind as they whipped
across the ice sheets? Maybe you’re a wilderness guide,
your skin gnarled and leathery due to exposure and pure
grit. Your story is yours, and it is as rich as the ice itself.
Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Nature
Tool Proficiencies: Choose one set of tools, one gaming
set, or a vehicle
Equipment: A basic map showing two important locations
in the tundra, a dagger, a staff, a hunting trap, a set of
cold weather clothes, a clay pot containing three ounces
of bear fat, and a pouch containing 8 gp.
Feature: One With The Ice
It is said that water is eternal, and that it retains an ele-
mental sort of memory. You have learned to read the latent
energy present in the ice. You can take an hour to perform a
primal ritual that allows you to “read” the ice. At the end of
the ritual, you can learn how many creatures have crossed
through the area in the last several days. Furthermore, you
know how to find water that is safe to drink in the frozen
lands, even if you have to melt ice to get it.
Suggested Characteristics
The icekissed have been fundamentally changed by their
time in the frozen lands. They are deeply bonded with
those places and in time this affinity grows into something
more. They often adopt a persona that sings like the
howling wind or is sturdy like the ice.
158 Arora: Age of Desolation
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I prefer to be cold and hard, like the ice.
2 Beneath my crusty exterior is a soft center because I am an
unconditional supporter.
3 Everything that has happened will happen again. Water—
and ice—will always win.
4 I struggle to share my desires because I prefer to simply exist
in the moment.
5 I take pride in being the anchor for my allies and strive to
provide for them.
6 The wilderness is an extension of me. I don’t feel safe around
most people.
7
8
I hide my most personal treasures inside blocks of ice.
Feeling the cold wind on my skin reminds me that I am still alive.
D6 IDEAL
1 Dissolution. I go where the wind takes me and scour away
that which opposes me. (Chaotic)
2 Inevitable. Like the ice, I am inevitable. (Lawful)
3 Community. My power is a battery, a well, a font from
which others may prosper in time. (Good)
4 Unrelenting. As a force of nature, no obstacle can halt my
advance. (Chaotic)
5 Balance. I represent both bounty and folly in equal
measure. (Neutral)
6 Desire. I want to prove myself to the true lords of nature
and the world. (Any)
D6 BOND
1 All who dwell in and on the ice are my family, for better
or worse.
2 I desire to protect the secret histories that are known only to
the glacial ice.
3 I was protected by a being of pure wintry power when I
needed it most, and I must find them so that I can repay
that kindness.
4 The world is better off with me here in the wild—and I am
stronger for it.
5 I will do everything in my power to protect the frozen lands.
6 True wisdom can only come from throwing myself into the
embrace of the howling winter wind.
D6 FLAW
1 I am convinced that the story of the history of life itself is
contained within the ice.
2 I can’t resist an opportunity to immerse myself in the cold.
3 Who knows what lies in the ice? I do, and I’ll tell you why.
4 I believe that I am as immovable as a primal glacier.
5 My only true comfort in life is that I am an agent of the ice
and snow.
6 I believe that you can only truly live once they have been
exposed to the deep freeze.
 Realm Guide
Y ou have spent years in the wilderness on and off
the trail. You led a life far from civilization and the
comforts of towns and soft beds. You can navigate by the
stars and the terrain landmarks day or night. You thrive
outdoors and have sold your skills helping hunters catch
rare game, caravans cross long distances, and help clients
seeking places or people far away. Even in places where you
don’t know the land, you know the ways of the wild.
Skill Proficiencies: Survival and choose 1 from Athletics,
Nature, Perception, or Stealth,
Tool Proficiencies: Navigator’s tools, one instrument of
your choice.
Languages: None
Equipment: A set of traveler’s clothes, navigator’s tools, a
hat, a hunting trap, a trophy from an animal you killed,
and a pouch containing 10 gp.
Realm Origin
You’ve been to the different realms and seen things that
others only read about or hear in stories. Consider some of
the distant realms you have visited, and how they impacted
you. You can roll on the following table to determine your
realm of origin during your time in the wild or choose one
that best fits your character.
D10 ORIGIN
1-2 Gallaht
3-4 Khoor
5-6 Mogsturma
7-8 Prazzolar
9-10 Tievmer
Feature: Tracker’s Mindfulness
You have an excellent memory for maps and geography,
and you can always recall the general layout of terrain,
settlements, and other features around you. You have
advantage on survival checks to track beasts.
Guide’s Foraging
You know how to find water, edible plants, and wild game
in the inhospitable desert sands. Your skills are often used to
find respite from the dry hot winds and cold nights. You know
where the oases are and what plants are safe to eat. Make a
DC 10 Survival Check. On a success you can find enough
water and food for yourself and up to 5 others once each day.
Suggested Characteristics
Guides are shaped by their experiences in the wilds.
Their knowledge of surviving and navigating inhospitable
places often makes for exciting stories and sullen moments
impacts their mannerisms and ideals. Their flaws might be
what you least expect, or how they cope with loneliness or
the horrors they have witnessed.
Chapter 8: Backgrounds
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 Traps don’t make me nervous. The fools who blunder into
2
traps make me nervous.
Nothing will shake my optimistic belief in my current situation.
3 I love to tell stories of big game hunting!
4 The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t
do it.
5 I prefer to make a new friend than a new enemy.
6 I’ve spent so long in wilds that I have little practical
experience dealing with people in the civilized world.
7 I laugh heartily, feel deeply, and fear nothing.
8 I love a good insult, even one directed at me.
D6 IDEAL
1 Open. I have much to learn from the kindly folk I meet along
my way. (Good)
2 Security. Doing what must be done can’t bring the innocent
to harm. (Lawful)
3 Indifferent. Life is tough. There is no point in saving
people if they’re just going to wait for someone else to
save them. (Chaotic)
4 Greed. I’m just in it for the money. (Evil)
5 People. I’m committed to my friends I care about, not to
ideals. (Neutral)
6 Knowledge. By understanding other races and cultures, we
learn to understand ourselves. (Any)
D6 BOND
1 I’m secretly in love with the patron who sponsors me as a
guide and wants stories of my exploits.
2 I owe a dangerous person a lot of resources. If they’re happy,
they let my debt rest unpaid.
3 Freedom is my most precious possession. I’ll never let
anyone take it from me again.
4 I lost something important deep in the wilds, and I intend to
find it.
5 I wish my childhood sweetheart had come with me to
pursue my destiny.
6 I idolize a hero of the legends and measure my deeds against
that person.
D6 FLAW
1 I get seasick or airsick easily
2 I have a secret fear of some common wild animal—and in my
work, I am likely to bump into them.
3 I indulge in a terrible habit which threatens my reputation or
my health.
4 A scandal prevents me from ever going home again. A kind of
trouble which seems to follow me around.
5 I am deathly afraid of heights
6 You must look out for yourself. No one else will.
159

These are the suggested characteristics for a Sahali Expert.
Sahali Expert
T he realm of Mogsturma is plagued by sahali, dinosaur-
like creatures that raid settlements and terrorize
the badlands at night. But you know that the sahali are
misunderstood. They’re dangerous, but they’re not the
mindless devourers others think are they. Rather, they’re
complex animals with a deep emotional intelligence that
should be respected and appreciated. You’ve spent much
time exploring the badlands of Mogsturma while studying
the sahali and have come to gain a deep appreciation for
the animals.
You might work on your own, keeping folio upon folio of
notes about the sahali, or for a zoological group of scholars
that wants to document and study the unique and hardy
fauna of the scorched realm of Mogsturma. Alternatively,
you could come from a Mogsturma culture that venerates
the sahali or has begun to tame the beasts.
Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Nature
Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (land) or one type of gaming
set or one musical instrument
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: One set of traveler’s clothes, a hunting
trap, book filled with sahali descriptions, and a pouch
containing 10 gp.
Feature: Sahali Bond
You’ve formed a bond with the sahali because you have
studied them more than any other kind of beast, and you
see aspects of your own personality reflected within them.
You know more about them than anyone else and can
always accurately answer simple questions around their
habitat, diet, hunting behaviors, and so on.
Feature: Sahali Companion
You have formed a close bond with a juvenile sahali. You and
the beast are inseparable. They’re able to do small, mundane
tasks for you such as fetch items or follow a scent, but they
will not fight for you or put themselves into obvious danger on
your behalf. They leave if subjected to cruelty. The sahali can
be used as a mount at the GM’s discretion.
160 Arora: Age of Desolation
Suggested Characteristics
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 When I’m stressed or frightened, I have a tendency to list
things aloud, like all the sahali species I’ve studied.
2 I’m always sketching interesting animals and plants I see on
my travels.
3 I always carry little snacks for myself and for any hungry
creatures I might spot.
4 Sometimes I forget that I’m an adventurer too, and not just
an observer and chronicler.
5 I’ll put myself in harm’s way in order to get a sighting of a
rare animal.
6 The brutality of the natural world has made me somewhat
accustomed to violence.
7 When I get deeply interested in something, I lose track of
everything else going on around me.
8 I have a bad habit of forgetting where I’ve put things.
D6 IDEAL
1 Caring. I can’t stand to see innocent animals hurt. (Good)
2 Nature. The natural world holds more value than all
humanoid civilizations. (Neutral)
3 Knowledge. I strive to constantly learn and improve my
understanding of the world. (Any)
4 Power. If we can fully understand the sahali, we can work
with them to overthrow others. (Evil)
5 Cooperation. By working with each other and the natural
world, we can better ourselves. (Lawful)
6 Protection. I must do everything within my power to
protect endangered creatures. (Good)
D6 BOND
1 I won’t let anything come between me and my sahali companion.
2 I know the location of a sahali breeding ground that must be
protected at all costs.
3 I’ve been writing a series of tomes of sahali that I want to
publish one day.
4 My mentor taught me everything I know about sahali.
Losing them would crush me.
5 I bore witness to an act of brutality against a sahali, and
want to avenge it.
6 There’s a particular question about the sahali that I live to answer.
D6 FLAW
1 I care more about animals than I do about people.
2 I get really stuck into my work, and sometimes forget to
shower, eat, and sleep.
3 People are harder to understand than animals, and I’m slow
to trust them.
4 I’ve got some bad habits thanks to spending time in
the wilderness.
5 Sometimes I forget how dangerous my work is.
6 I’ve got a secret I learned in the wilds that I’ve never shared.
 Sandborn
C haracters who hail from Gallaht can take the sandborn
background, reflecting a life spent in the harsh climes
and itinerant culture of this realm. As a sandborn, you
understand the complexities that underlies the harshness of
Gallaht, and you have the respect for nature that comes of
having spent a lifetime on the edge of survival.
You have spent your youth wandering the dunes, battling
whipping sands, and lasting the ever-present heat during the
Age of Desolation. These challenges in life have made you
hardy and adaptable in the harshest of environments.
Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Glassblower’s tools or mason’s tools
Languages: Primordial
Equipment: A staff, two waterskins, a pendant made of
blown glass or crafted from the stone of a settlement you
dwelled in as a child, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a
pouch containing 10 gp.
Feature: At Home in the Desert
The time you’ve spent in and around the open sands of
Gallaht gives you an edge when you are forced to fend for
yourself in inhospitable climes. When in any desert, you can
find fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each
day, provided a water source exists within walking distance.
Suggested Characteristics
Living within the constantly shifting, largely itinerant tapes-
try of settlements and relationships in Gallaht instills many
sandborn with the urge to be constantly on the move, both
physically and emotionally. Settling in one place for longer
than a year can feel downright unnatural, as can long-term
relationships. Even so, many adventuring sandborn look to
their relationships with their fellow party members as a sta-
ble anchor, especially if their adventures take them far from
the deserts that have always been their home.
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 Stillness of mind or body drives me to distraction. I need to
always be thinking, always on the move.
2 Friendships are about focus, not duration. We might not
know each other for long, but I’ll prove my worth to you.
3 You can’t wait around for things to happen to you. You don’t
like where you are in life, you change it.
4 Silence is sweet up to a point. After that, I need voices and
laughter to set my mind at ease.
5 There’s a beauty in the sands that those who haven’t spent
time here will never see.
6 People with too much stuff are weird. Why do you own that?
Are you going to pack it around your whole life?
7 I’ve never been around finery, and I get nervous if I am.
8 I’ve spent more time in the desert than I can reckon, and
none of it was pleasant.
Chapter 8: Backgrounds
D6 IDEAL
1 Movement. The wind moves. The sand moves. You fight to
2
stay in one place, you just get left behind. (Chaotic)
Duty. No one survives in Gallaht alone. You work together.
You do what’s expected. You let people know they can count
on you. (Lawful)
3 Natural Splendor. First light catching sculpted waves of
sand. The gleam of just-blown glass. You can have your art
and your music. I know what beauty is. (Good)
4 Balance. One step in the wrong direction, and the sand and the
stone will take you. Always seek the middle path. (Neutral)
5 Strength. A life in Gallaht has honed me like a blade. I’ll cut
my way through competitors. (Evil)
6 Weal. Life is a struggle for everyone. Do what you can to
lessen the struggles of others. (Good)
D6 BOND
1 The stone hold where I grew up holds all my best memories.
I must return there some day.
2 I fell in love when I was younger, but didn’t realize it until
after we had parted along different paths. I must find my
way back to that person one day.
3 The Age of Desolation will not be the end. Gallaht and the
other realms will endure. I will make it so.
4 My family members have always moved together, but I know
that will change. When I’m on my own for the first time, I
don’t know what I’ll do.
5 I’ve lived in more stone holds that I can count, and spent
more time in the trekking statues than I can reckon. The
open desert is the only place that feels like home.
6 My life partners and I are the only union that endures.
Everything else is transitory.
D6 FLAW
1 Everyone who ever wronged me has their name scribed on a
list in my heart. And that list is long.
2 The folk of Gallaht know what it means to struggle to
survive. The folk of other realms are soft.
3 The emptiness of the desert terrifies me, but I can’t let that
fear be seen.
4 Stillness irritates me—to the point where I can’t stop talking.
5 The austerity of life in Gallaht is unbearable. When I have a
chance, I’ll leave this place and the people for good.
6 I get close to people, but I know it won’t last. What’s the
point of ever trying to make a friendship real?
161

Scavenger
T he forests of Tievmer are dotted with the crumbling
remains of settlements, the Ruins of the Lost being per-
haps the most famous. These still places hold wonders for
those brave enough to sift through their fallen edifices, and
you have always had a knack for uncovering lost marvels.
You have combined your natural talent with an intense
study of the ancient and lost people whose decaying homes
you plunder, hoping to understand them better.
You have always had quick eyes to spot things of worth,
but none of the overgrown ruins are safe for visitors. Trouble
lurks in the shadows, and you have had to leave more than
one big score behind in exchange for escaping with your life
intact. The market for uncovered treasures and knowledge
continues to rise in the Age of Desolation as buyers hope
treasures from the past might offer some clue or measure of
protection from ever threatening effects of the Dragonrage.
You’ll just have to go back again.
Skill Proficiencies: History, Perception
Tool Proficiencies: Tinker’s tools, thieves’ tools
Equipment: A tool kit that you are proficient with, 5
sacks, 50 feet of hemp rope, 10 torches, a strange trinket
discovered from the first place you scavenged, a set of
common clothes, and a pouch containing 5 gp.
Feature: Knowledge of the Past
While you don’t have a comprehensive knowledge of the
lost cultures, you have picked up helpful details here and
there. Each time you enter a ruin in Tievmer that you have
never visited, you recognize some interesting detail. You
might know the origin of the architecture, the value of
particular piece of artwork, or even recall a beast or trap
famous for protecting the ruin. What you learn, and when
you learn it, is up to the GM.
162 Arora: Age of Desolation
Suggested Characteristics
D6 PERSONALITY TRAITS
1 I have a fascination for lost architectural styles.
2 It’s not tomb raiding if you don’t find a body. Sell it all.
3 I love puzzles.
4 I collect odd bits and pieces, regardless of whether they have
an obvious use.
5 I love reading about lost cultures and locations. A good book
is better than a night at the tavern.
6 I try to avoid meeting new people. You never know what
they might want.
D6 IDEAL
1 Culture. Artifacts of cultural significance should be returned
to the descendants of those cultures. (Good)
2 Experience. I’m in it for the thrill. Coins come and go, but
the memories remain. (Neutral)
3 Safety. Thrill seekers are dangerous. Avoid them and always
take the safest path. Preparation and planning leads to a
longer life. (Lawful)
4 Perseverance. Something in my past has scarred me, and
I see new sights so I might forget it. I suspect I can’t outrun
my past, but I’m going to keep trying. (Neutral)
5 Knowledge. You are gathering knowledge of the past with
the intention of writing a book, or otherwise sharing the
knowledge. The lost folk should not be forgotten. (Good)
6 Power. If I keep gathering items of lost civilizations, I will
eventually find one that grants me the power I seek. (Evil)
D6 BOND
1 The Shrine of Jha-dhol is all that stands between us and
oblivion. Anything that I find of religious significance should
be sacrificed to Jha-dhol, that she might protect us all.
2 I owe another scavenger that hasn’t been seen for months. I
will find them.
3 A loyal patron sometimes employs me to look for something
for their collection.
4 I have found a book in a language that I have never seen and
resists all attempts to translate it. I will uncover its secrets.
5 I have found a small statuette that has become precious to
me. I will never part with it and make small offerings to it.
Sometimes I think it talks to me.
6 Scavenging is rough business. I am loyal to those who delve
with me.
D6 FLAW
1 There is danger everywhere. Better to hide than take a
chance of being eaten.
2 I can’t stay in one place for long and thirst for the next adventure.
3 I have trouble sleeping in the open.
4 Unattended objects tend to find their way into my sack.
5 I don’t like climbing and prefer delving deep. High places
make me dizzy.
6 The world is a dangerous place. I don’t risk myself for others.
 Spelunker
Y ou are a spelunker, an explorer of the dark depths of the
realms. Tight spaces give you little cause for concern
and you take pride in finding an unexplored nook, cranny,
or cave. There’s no place you’d rather be than underground,
feeling the tight embrace of dirt and stone.
There are many different types of spelunkers, some of
which are listed below. If you choose one of these spelunker
types, you gain proficiency with the skill listed. In addition,
those who might hire you are listed in parenthesis.
Spelunker Specialty Table
Roll on the table below to choose your spelunker’s
speciality, or pick whichever suits you best.
1 Nature. You are adept at locating plants and animals in the
darkest locations of the realms, providing others with new
and exciting specimens for study.
2 Investigation. You have a nose for riches, able to find
ancient relics, sources of gemstones, and rare ores.
3 Arcana. You are adept at locating rare spells components.
4 Survival. You are adept at safely helping others navigate,
lending a helping hand and making certain their gear is safe
and secured properly.
5 Stealth. You’ve learned how to be nimble and quiet while
evading the dangers that lurk below ground.
6 History. You delve into the deep places of the realms in search
of worlds that once were, now buried beneath the earth.
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics and the skill associated with
your specialty.
Tool Proficiencies: Cartographer’s tools
Languages: One of your choice.
Equipment: A set of cartographer’s tools, a climber’s kit,
100 feet of rope, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a pouch
containing 10 gp.
Feature: Underground Forager
Your time spent exploring the dark depths of the realms
has taught you where to find sustenance. While foraging in
caves or other natural underground formations, you easily
locate enough edible plants, fungi, and algae for you and
your companions for one meal.
Suggested Characteristics
Spelunkers adore the unknown. For them, finding and
exploring a new cave system is just as exciting as battling a
fiend or saving a life. A spelunker is adventurous, and often
safety conscious. Though, some spelunkers are known for
their action first, safety later mentality, diving into the
unknown headfirst, excited to see what unknown wonders
and hazards lay ahead.
Chapter 8: Backgrounds
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 There’s nothing wrong with venturing into the unknown.
It’s exciting!
2 Safety, especially when spelunking, is very important to me.
3 Who needs a plan? If there’s a way in, there’s also a way out.
4 I like to tell stories about my amazing underground adventures.
5 Spelunking is dangerous. I don’t easily put my life in the
hands of others.
6 I love venturing into an unknown cave. You never know what
you’ll find!
7 I’m as loyal as they come. My companions know they can
count on me.
8 I believe in fate. If it happened, it was meant to happen.
D6 IDEAL
1 Safety. It’s always necessary to have the correct tools for
the job. (Good)
2 Greed. I’m always the first to enter a new place. (Chaotic)
3 Freedom. I don’t interfere with the natural order of things
unless I absolutely must. (Good)
4 Freedom. If you get lost in the dark depths of the earth, I’m
not going to spend my time to find you. (Evil)
5 People. If you don’t want to go digging and get your hands
dirty, that’s okay by me. (Neutral)
6 Aspiration. One of these days I’ll buy a section of the
underground and charge handsomely for tours. (Chaotic)
D6 BOND
1 I lost a dear friend to the underground. I’m always looking
for them, hoping to find them in the shadows of the deep.
2 The antiquities and gems I find in the underground are my
source of income.
3 I live to teach others how to safely navigate
underground labyrinths.
4 I owe a debt to a loan maker in a large city. I can’t return to
that city until the debt is paid.
5 I’m an escaped convict. My true identity must never
be revealed.
6 My life goal is to map the caves of the realms.
D6 FLAW
1 I like to drop rocks or feign falling to scare other spelunkers.
2 I double, sometimes even triple, check my gear
when spelunking.
3 Caves and small openings fascinate me.
4 I have a pocket stuffed with rare antiquities. Though, what I
consider an antiquity may be rubbish to someone else.
5 I don’t like large, open spaces. There’s too much going on.
6 I’m secretly afraid of the dark.
163

Stone Shaper
D eep in the caves of Prazzolar, master masons and
stone-sorcerers are at work. The stone shapers are
magic users who read the complex patterns in rock and
sandstone. They shape stone into vast chambers, small
passageways, air and water flows, artful reliefs, weapons,
and stone tools.
Their skill with hammer, chisel, and well-placed magic is
unmatched. The stone shapers’ speed and artful precision
is often poetry in motion and efficiency.
Skill Proficiencies: Perception, and one other skill of
your choice.
Tool Proficiencies: Mason’s tools
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A set of traveler’s clothes, masons tools, 100
feet of twine, a leather apron, a bullseye lantern, a stone
crafted trinket from a mentor, and a pouch with 20 gp.
Feature: Knowledge of the Craft
You can accurately gauge the value of any stone works
or stone art you find. Additionally, you can accurately
determine the creator of the art if they have inscribed the
work with a personal sigil and are somewhat well known
for their art.
Suggested Characteristics
Stone shapers are often at their best when working the
sandstone and rock as part of their trade. Their ideals
are based in a strong work ethic and sense of community.
Their bonds and flaws are often built on a foundation
linked to their position in society and past injustices they
have witnessed or experienced.
164 Arora: Age of Desolation
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I see omens in the stone. The stones speak to us, we just
need to listen.
2 Fame for my artful stonework is more important to me than
money.
3 My honor is more important to me than my life.
4 I will never get out of my famous mentor’s shadow, and no
one else will ever understand this burden.
5 I have a crude sense of humor.
6 I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing right. I
can’t help it—I’m a perfectionist.
7 I work hard; nature offers no handouts.
8 I’m well known for my stone shaping work, and I want to
make sure everyone appreciates it. I’m always taken aback
when people haven’t heard of me.
D6 IDEAL
1 Protection. I must do everything possible to save a
community facing extinction from all sides. (Good)
2 Tradition. The ancient traditions of stonework and shaping
must be preserved and upheld. (Lawful)
3 Daring. The richest rewards go to those who risk
everything. (Chaotic)
4 Greed. I’m just in it for the fame and money. (Evil)
5 Sincerity. I won’t pretend to be something I’m not. (Neutral)
6 Honesty. The art of stone shaping should reflect the soul; it
should come from within and reveal who we really are. (Any)
D6 BOND
1 I owe my life to the stone shaper who took me in when my
parents died.
2 I have a friendly rival. Only one of us can be the best, and I
aim to prove it’s me.
3 My earnings go to support my family.
4 Everything I do is for the people who live in stone holds.
5 My tools are my most treasured possession, and they remind
me of someone I love.
6 I will get revenge on the evil forces who destroyed my stone
hold and ruined my livelihood.
D6 FLAW
1 I am suspicious of strangers and expect the worst of them.
2 I have lingering pain from old injuries incurred during a stone
shaping accident.
3 I judge others work harshly, and my work even more severely.
4 While growing up, I was bullied by a brat who’s now a leader
in a stone hold.
5 I’m quick to assume that someone is trying to cheat me.
6 Just like when shaping stone, I think far ahead, a
detachedness often mistaken for daydreaming.

Storyteller
S ome of your fondest memories are of sitting on the floor
with other children, listening to wondrous tales of the
great, wide world. Your imagination flickers as bright as the
campfires and candles that lit the faces of the storytellers
that came before you. You have a natural knack for
exhilarating oration, a memory as sticky as spider’s silk, and
a way with words that makes folk stop and listen.
Skill Proficiencies: History, Performance
Tool Proficiencies: Disguise kit
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: An entertainer’s pack, a set of normal clothes,
and a belt pouch containing 10 gp.
Feature: Oral Tradition
Storytelling is more than just entertainment. It is an
unwritten record of the way things were and the way
things are, today. You have been blessed with, or trained
hard to obtain, a flawless memory. You have the ability to
recall and retell any firsthand experience, without error.
You prefer your accounts to be delivered with delicious
embellishments, but when pressed, you can cough up the
facts without the flavor.
Suggested Characteristics
These are the suggested characteristics for a storyteller.
Chapter 8: Backgrounds
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I have a story for every occasion. From entertaining to
educating, I know just what to say.
2 I prefer to tell stories to children because most adults have
forgotten how to listen.
3 I understand how information flows. There’s more truth to
be heard at a tavern than a town hall.
4 My profession is sacred, and I deserve to be respected as
much as any member of the clergy.
5 I often get lost in my stories and have difficulty distinguishing
the past from the present while performing, mentally
incorporating myself and my audience into the tales.
6 I probe for the most minute details, searching for missing,
important connections.
7 I rarely talk when not performing.
8 I read historical texts for the sole purpose of annotating
them with true versions of the events.
D6 IDEAL
1 Allegory. Stories of good deeds serve as important
examples for expected behaviors. (Good)
2 Witness. Past events happened in exactly one way and the
truth must be preserved. (Lawful)
3 Embellishment. The more flavor, the more fun.
Exaggerations make a more profound impression. (Chaotic)
4 Implication. The choice or omission of the proper words can
sway the minds of listeners. (Evil)
5 Narration. Heroes can fail and villains do prevail. The truth
6
is occasionally inconvenient. (Neutral)
Legend. The oral accounts of daily deeds will survive longer
than the ink of any book. (Any)
D6 BOND
1 I survived a horrible ordeal by remembering lessons I heard
in a story.
2 Libraries are cumbersome and exclusionary. Book knowledge
should be memorized and spread by word of mouth.
3 There is one story I don’t know the ending to: What
happened to my family?
4 Travel is the best way to amass a diverse repertoire of stories.
5 I live to perform. The accolades I receive are almost as
important as sharing my stories.
6 A great secret was lost to me, burned in a fire. I am now
distrustful of written records and memorize everything I read.
D6 FLAW
1 I suffer from stage fright and often vomit before appearing in
front of a crowd.
2 I have a hard time answering even simple questions without
an elaborate, tangential story.
3 I have a habit of constantly speaking in rhymes.
4 I demand to be well compensated for my performances.
5 I am illiterate and go to great lengths to disguise it.
6 I don’t have strong opinions of my own and make my
decisions based on similar situations from my stories.
165
 Swamper
Y ou grew up in a nomadic tribe that patrols the swamps
of Khoor. Like other swampers, you’ve spent the
majority of your life on a boat foraging for sakrill and other
valuable plants, fishing, and hunting. Life floating through
the murky waters and dodging acid rain was dangerous but
it left you alert to dangers and capable of enduring harsh
conditions and treacherous terrain.
Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (water)
Equipment: A backpack, a bedroll, fishing tackle, a
lamp, a mess kit, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a pouch
containing 5 gp.
Role
The people of the nomadic tribes of Khoor are known for
being resilient and independent but even they must rely on
one another to survive the haunted marshlands they call
home. You performed a specialized role for your tribe that
led you to learn to use a certain tool. You can roll on the
following table to determine your role while in your tribe,
or choose the one that best fits your character.
D6 ROLE
1 I was in charge of rations and cooking. You have proficiency
with cook’s utensils.
2 I built and repaired boats. You have proficiency with
carpenter’s tools.
3 I was a healer. You have proficiency with herbalism kits.
4 I created armor from the hides of swamp beasts. You have
proficiency with leatherworker’s tools.
5 I created clothes, blankets, and nets. You have proficiency
with weaver’s tools.
6 I was a toolmaker and fletcher. You have proficiency with
woodcarver’s tools.
Feature: Nomad
You are used to swiftly maneuvering through natural
obstacles and harsh landscapes in the swamplands of
Khoor. While you are traveling for 10 minutes or more
through a swamp type terrain, you ignore nonmagical
difficult terrain.
Suggested Characteristics
Bound together by their experience of common perils and
an itinerant lifestyle, swampers are as adept at surviving
dangerous encounters with wild creatures as they are
celebrating such moments with drink and song. Through
the highs and the lows, swampers rely on their tribes for
support and protection and offer the same in kind.
166 Arora: Age of Desolation
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I prefer to sleep under the open sky.
2 I utilize a homemade concoction of herbs and mud to mask
my scent.
3 When I’m bored or nervous I sing swamp sailing shanties
to myself.
4 I get antsy when I’m on dry land for too long.
5 I’ve always got an eye out for new and interesting plants.
6 When there’s a reason to celebrate, I’m the last one to put
down my drink or stop singing.
7 I’m haunted by the memory of a creature I saw take a young
member of my tribe down into the murky depths.
8 I never learned table manners or any other kind of manners.
D6 IDEAL
1 Freedom. I follow wherever my heart takes me. (Chaotic)
2 Tradition. I must carry on the traditions and practices of my
tribe. (Lawful)
3 Brutality. The weak must die so the strong may live. (Evil)
4 Community. I put the wellbeing of my chosen tribe above
my own. (Good)
5 Exploration. I exist to witness as much of the realms as I
can. (Neutral)
6 Found Family. I consider anyone I fight alongside a member
of my tribe. (Good)
D6 BOND
1 The swamps of Khoor are my home, no matter how far I may
wander from them.
2 I keep a piece of driftwood from my ill-fated boat to remind
me that life is fleeting.
3 As I wander the wider world, I recruit new members to my
tribe by sharing our customs.
4 I was burned by acid rain that still scars me, a sign of my
Khoor heritage.
5 I safeguard my alligator tooth necklace, a family heirloom
created when my great grandmother saved my great
grandfather from a giant alligator, so I can one day pass it
along to my own child.
6 My older sibling gave up being a swamper to settle down
many years ago. I’m looking for them now.
D6 FLAW
1 I speak bluntly and honestly, even when I shouldn’t.
2 I never retreat and never surrender.
3 I’m preoccupied with remaining vigilant against unseen
threats.
4 I usually forget to tell my companions before I wander off
by myself.
5 To survive in the swamp, you have to act first and think later.
So, I do.
6 I never say no to a drink.

Vermin Sweeper
You are a member of the Shonchoi echelon tasked with
eradicating invasive species and keeping an eye on the local
pest populations. Tracking down creatures wily enough to
gain entry to your home settlement has granted you a keen
understanding of the area and its hidden paths. It also has
brought you into close contact with people and creatures
from other realms, making you surprisingly savvy about
conditions beyond your hometown borders.
Operating in the shadows, vermin sweepers cultivate
contacts among less-reputable citizens, and many sweepers
supply the black market with a steady stream of foreign
animals and materials. With connections among importers
and smugglers combined with their low social standing,
vermin sweepers make up a large percentage of those who
end up leaving their home realm to explore others.
Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument, one
type of gaming set
Equipment: A net, a sack, a small animal for hunting vermin
(a small dog, cat, or ferret), one instrument or gaming set
(one of your choice), a set of common clothes aligned with
your home realm, and a pouch containing 5 gp.
Feature: Chink in the Wall
As a vermin sweeper, you are intimately familiar with the
myriad ways creatures infiltrate a settlement, town, or city
and can use them to your advantage. When your party
needs to travel along an established trade route, either
between realms or into a city or settlement, you can do
so without arousing attention. The method depends on
the situation and can include acting as stowaways aboard
legitimate transport, dealing with smugglers, or finding a
gap in security that you can exploit. This does not remove
any potential cost or consequences for such actions.
Suggested Characteristics
Members of the lowest echelon in the town or city, vermin
sweepers are viewed as an unpleasant necessity by most.
Those who take up this task may do so because they
are comfortable operating in the shadows or through
curiosity about the various creatures that inhabit other
realms. Most share a dim view of those higher up on the
social ladder, knowing that their lifestyle is built on the
backs of those below.
Chapter 8: Backgrounds
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I am slow and methodical, ensuring that my prey has no
escape before confronting it.
2 I am drawn to things that are flashy or gaudy, equating it
with wealth and success.
3 I speak to animals as if they can understand me.
4 I am incurably optimistic at the worst times.
5 Beasts and monsters don’t frighten me. I’ve seen plenty of
strange creatures in my day.
6 When making a deal, I always try to haggle.
7 I will always try to keep small treats or morsels of food on
my person, either for later or in case of emergency.
8 My speech is peppered with animal metaphors, equating
everything with some creature I’ve faced in the past.
D6 IDEAL
1 Freedom. I resent my social standing and long for the
freedom to explore other realms. (Chaotic)
2 Mercy. I always try to capture creatures alive, because
everything deserves a chance to live. (Good)
3 Cunning. I have learned to exploit every opportunity and
every weak point that I find. (Chaotic)
4 Strength. Pitting myself against dangerous creatures makes
me stronger. (Neutral)
5 Duty. While others don’t appreciate it, I take comfort in
knowing I perform an essential service. (Lawful)
6 Exploration. Having seen a taste of what’s out there, I can’t
wait to get out and explore it myself. (Any)
D6 BOND
1 My animal partner and I have been together for years. There
isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them.
2 I once supplied a creature I caught to a black-market dealer
and people died as a result. It still haunts me.
3 A dangerous creature eluded me once, and I’m convinced
that it is still hunting me.
4 I lost someone dear to me to sickness carried by vermin
from another realm. I won’t let anyone else know that loss.
5 One of the creatures I hunted was carrying a note in some
sort of code. I must know what it says.
6 I keep a detailed record of the creatures I encounter and
where they are from. Someday I’ll see all those places.
D6 FLAW
1 I value people based on what they can do for me.
2 I distrust anyone in a position of authority.
3 I can only rely on my pet and myself, all people betray me.
4 I take no pains with my appearance.
5 I live in the moment, dismissing anything that isn’t
immediately useful.
6 Having spent so long hunting in the dark, bright light makes
me very irritable.
167
 Village Healer
You have developed a healthy curiosity about the body’s
inner workings. What are creatures made of, exactly?
What, if anything, differentiates the healthy from the sick,
or the living from the dead? In your studies, you came to
realize illnesses are not easily cured without first detecting
their causes. With your knowledge, you could ease the
suffering and save the lives of countless beings.
Skill Proficiencies: Medicine, Investigation
Tool Proficiencies: Healer’s kit and either an herbalism
kit or alchemist tools
Equipment: A bottle of ink, a quill, a book on medicine, a
healer’s kit, either an herbalism kit or alchemist tools, a
set of fine clothes, and a belt pouch containing 5 gp.
Feature: Care for the Sick
You have spent many hours and sleepless nights tending
to sick individuals or entire wards of diseased patients.
Mopping fevered brows, administering poultices and herbal
sedatives, providing water, cleaning wounds, changing
dressings, and emptying chamber pots; you have done it all.
When you are attending to creatures suffering from disease,
their saving throws made at the end of a Long Rest to reduce
or end the disease are made with advantage.
Suggested Characteristics
These are the suggested characteristics for a Village Healer.
D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I am inquisitive and gain as much information as possible
before making a decision or giving an opinion.
2 Despite routinely examining wounds and infections, I feel
certain tasks are disgusting and below me.
3 I feel duty-bound to help heal the sick and wounded.
4 My comfort level around blood, excrement and discharge
is unsettling.
5 I am not as confident in my own abilities as I may appear.
6 I am a specialist, not a generalist and I don’t deal well with
conditions outside of my expertise.
7 I like to give the impression that I have seen everything and
know it all, rarely admitting ignorance.
8 I am great at what I do but not good with people and all their
constant complaints and questions.
168 Arora: Age of Desolation
D6 IDEAL
1 Oath. When delivering care, I will do no harm. (Good)
2 Triage. Those with the direst need will be helped
first. (Lawful)
3 Ambition. Conflicts provide many opportunities to advance
my skills. (Chaotic)
4 Experimentation. Those beyond saving become perfect test
subjects to further my knowledge. (Evil)
5 Impartial. All help will be delivered in the order requests are
received. (Neutral)
6 Mission. Care for the sick and wounded is the highest
calling. (Any)
D6 BOND
1 I am a servant to society, valuable only as long as I
can contribute.
2 Teaching others how to dress wounds and care for minor
illnesses will free me to take care of more important
problems.
3 I claim to distrust folk remedies, but I secretly research
them, hoping to uncover hidden cures.
4 My first patient died because of a mistake I made.
5 I chose to save myself and left an injured friend to die alone.
I will not do that again.
6 I abandoned my family to pursue my studies. To atone, I send
everything I can spare to support widows and orphans.
D6 FLAW
1 I drop whatever I am doing to help those in need, leaving a
wake of uncompleted tasks and broken promises.
2 I condescend to those I help, unable to fathom how they
allowed themselves to become ill or injured.
3 I don’t exude confidence in my own treatments, which
unnerves my patients.
4 I will help those in need, but I will expect to be paid
handsomely for my efforts, regardless of severity of injury or
the individual’s ability to pay.
5 I am too skilled and my time far too valuable to bother with
trivial injuries or illnesses.
6 I drink too much, as a coping mechanism for the gruesome
sights I have seen.
 Warden of Tievmer D6 BOND
1 The brotherhood of the Wardens of Tievmer is my new family.

I t is the Wardens of Tievmer who best know the twisted

forests of the realm . You are one of those brave souls;
equal parts caravanner, woodsman, and hunter. You know
secret paths through the wood and can navigate them
in violent weather when others would succumb to the
wilds. But twisted paths and bad weather are not the only
challenge to delivering the offerings. Bandits, dracokin
corrupted by the Dragonrage, and Lost Beasts constantly
threaten travelers through Tievmer and every month there
are fewer Wardens to protect them.
Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: Cartographer’s tools, vehicles (land)
Equipment: Cartographer’s tools, tinderbox, waterskin,
journal detailing a familiar area, a trophy from one of
the Lost Beasts that you helped kill, a set of traveler’s
clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp.
Feature: A Way Through
You have a talent for plotting the safest route from one wild
location to another. While in the wild, you can find food
and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people
each day, provided that the land offers suitable forage.
In addition, while traveling through the wild areas of
Tievmer, you easily spot signs of beasts that are actively
hunting forested areas.
2 We all owe a debt to the Scales of Jha-Dhol and should defer
to them.
3 The local merchant prince is my liege lord. His word is law
and his defense my priority. Long Live the Prince!
4 I am the next in a long line of Wardens. I would never
dishonor my ancestors by failing in my duty.
5 I owe a life debt to one of the guards at the nearest
settlement and bring small gifts back to them every time I
pass through.
6 Those I have fought with easily earn my respect.
D6 FLAW
1 Getting my pay for guiding travelers through is more
important than their lives.
2 I love hunting for sport and often don’t use what I kill.
3 If you aren’t sure, stick a sword in them. They were probably
going to betray you anyway. A man can’t rob you if he’s dead.
4 Everyone has a price. Never trust those who claim not to
have one.
5 The face I present to others is not the real me. The real me is
not someone others are likely to find acceptable.
6 I always claim to know the best path; even when I don’t.

D6 PERSONALITY TRAIT
1 I love traveling and will sometimes take a new path just to
see what is over the next hill.
2 I collect leaves and flowers from plants that I encounter and
press them into my journal.
3 I am furtive by nature and tend to watch others unobserved
before judging whether they are worthy of meeting.
4 Travel is made easier with a good story. I collect stories like
others collect coins.
5 I am haunted by the massacres I have witnessed while on
the road.
6 I am curious about the Lost Beasts and seek out knowledge
and artifacts related to them.

D6 IDEAL
1 Guidance. Guiding travelers is a holy calling that protects
the folk in need during this Age of Desolation. (Lawful)
2 Respect. I take care to not upset the natural world. (Neutral)
3 Protect. All those traveling upon the road deserve my
protection. (Neutral)
4 Discipline. I follow orders easily and like things that go by
the book. (Lawful)
5 Remembrance. I find beauty in the world around me
and document it by drawing pictures, writing poems, or
composing songs. The world is art. (Chaotic)
6 Judgement. Those that betray the Warden’s sacred duty
should be severely, and permanently, punished. (Evil)

Chapter 8: Backgrounds 169

170 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 9:
Running
the Game

Between Worlds
With Arora having been split into the Five Realms, each
acting as their own physical plane, none of the realms
physically touch each other. The realms are connected only
by the power of Jha-dhol, who in the cosmology of Arora,
acts as the central life bringer, sun, and protector of the
realms. Each realm is protected by the Great Abjuration, a
magical and divine protective sphere that surrounds each
of the Five Realms.
When a mortal being approaches the Great Abjuration
on any of the Five Realms, a magical force gradually
restrains them from ever reaching the edge of the realm.
This effect starts gradually 50 miles out from the precipice
of the realm and grows in strength the closer one comes.
Ten miles from the edge of any realm, the force is so great
that the creature simply cannot move any further forward.
Many have tried, and all have failed.

Interplanar Travel
Travel between the realms is possible, despite the Great
Abjuration impeding the ability to leave from the edge of a
realm. Each realm is connected by a series of interplanar
rifts. These natural tears in the fabric of space create portals
to other realms. Each rift has unique characteristics and are
sometimes not as obviously recognized as others. Despite
their unique characteristics, interplanar travel in Arora is as
dangerous of an experience as anything in the realms.
One Way. While one rift may be open and travel
directly to one particular realm, that does not necessarily
mean that the rift on the other side leads back to the
originating realm. Travel between realms is often a one-
way event, and returning to a previous realm sometimes
requires multiple journeys through different rifts in
different realms. An experienced realm-guide is a useful
commodity when braving interplanar travel, though they
are often very costly.

171
 Grobb Dangers of Interplanar Travel
In the days when the realms were first born again, when Traveling between the realms is deadly. When a creature
the ruling dragons arrived in the Five Realms and laid enters an interplanar rift or suffers any of the unique
their eggs to gestate the first generation of people, Jha-dhol dangers shown in the table below, the creature must
spent the last of her powers to protect what would become make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. If they fail, the
the first to walk Arora. creature takes 11 (2d10) force damage.
The dragon goddess created grobb, a foam that Grobb. If a creature covers their body in grobb foam
allowed the dragons’ eggs to hatch not only draconic prior to entering a rift, they have advantage on any save
beings, but the first generation of blended humanoids, made while conducting interplanar travel for the next hour
among a few other unique creatures. Once the first gen- and take no force damage while doing so. A grobb covered
erations had hatched, however, the need for grobb faded. creature also takes damage effects from the table below.
With the folk of Arora now beginning their new lives, and
learning the ways of the lands, they soon became curious
PORTAL REALM DANGER
and studious in all things Arora presented them. Grobb
was no exception, and over the thousands of years before Khulud Gallaht The creature must make a DC 15
the Dragonrage plunged the realms into the Age of Deso- Portal Wisdom saving throw. On a failure
they take 39 (6d12) psychic damage.
lation, the clever folks of Khoor found an alternative use
of the magical foam. They discovered that grobb provided Arinok Khoor The creature must make a DC 15
some protection from the dangers of interplanar travel. Portal Strength saving throw. If they fail,
they are torn from their current
This discovery opened trade between the realms and
trajectory, and land in a random
allowed Arora’s different people to intermingle. realm. Roll 1d4 to determine the
Now, during the Age of Desolation, grobb is quite rare, creature’s destination.
having been farmed to near depletion in the realm of 1. Gallaht, 2. Mogsturma,
Khoor. Due to its now-scarce amounts, grobb is heavily 3. Prazzolar, 4. Tievmer.
guarded and regulated throughout the realms, with Vast Plains Mogsturma The creature must make a DC 15 Dex-
some realms seeing barely any of the foam at all. The terity saving throw. If they fail, they are
industrious, entrepreneurial, and exploitative folk of the hit by unstable magical whips of ener-
realm have created a highly lucrative black market around gy and are paralyzed for 1d4 hours.
grobb. Seedy smugglers bring it across planar rifts while Icy Crossing Prazzolar The creature must make a DC 15
wizards and alchemists study the substance in hopes to Constitution saving throw. If they fail,
produce similar creations, often with disastrous effects. they are blinded until the next dawn.
Wildwood Tievmer The creature must make a DC 15
Threshold Intelligence saving throw. If they fail,
they suffer the effects of the feeble-
mind spell.
The Dragons’ Tievmer The creature must succeed on a DC
Ingress 15 Constitution saving throw. If they
fail, they are poisoned for 1d4 days,
and take two levels of exhaustion.

172 Arora: Age of Desolation

Improved Exploration
and Discovery
Good stories present interesting characters interacting
with each other to create conflict and drive narrative ac-
tion. Well-developed characters have more opportunities
to engage with the story in meaningful ways. While player
characters and non-player characters provide most of
the engagement opportunities for your game, the setting
itself is also a character in its own right. The setting is the
world in which every character lives, constantly shaping
and providing context for every thought and action taking
place within it.
Like a character with a well-developed backstory, Arora
has a rich history replete with mystery, wonder, and danger,
but characters (and players) need to be aware of those
aspects to interact with them. The more thoroughly they ex-
perience and understand Arora, the more meaningfully they
can engage with it, making the entire story more dynamic
and exciting.
Rather than simply handing Arora’s story to your
players, they can engage with it directly through the
Improved Exploration and Discovery system. Using this
system, players make choices and leverage their characters’
skills to actively interact with the setting, earning
discoveries through investigation and exploration. This
engagement provides a new avenue for players to flex their
characters’ abilities, but it also helps them remember and
appreciate the setting’s details. The deeper characters get
into Arora’s many features, the more interesting things they
get to experience, and the better prepared they will be to
handle whatever dangers they find.
Order of Play
From a high-level, the intended order of play for the
Improved Exploration and Discovery System is as follows:
Before choosing a location to adventure in:
Discover Region. The party enters or learns about a
new region.
Research (optional). The party decides to conduct
research about the region entering the Research Phase.
Exploration. The party decides to confirm the
information they currently know of the region. This is
an abstract view point conveying a day’s worth of travel
and exploration around the region visiting various
features previously considered as rumor.
Rolling for After Exploration Danger. After the party has
completed their exploration checks, confirm and run any
encounter that happened at the most dangerous feature
that was explored, by rolling for Danger.
Choose Adventuring Location. The party declares
where they would like to visit and begin adventuring.
After choosing a location to adventure in:
The Journey. The GM decides what other features the
party would visit along the way rolling for Danger as the
party passes through each.
Chapter 9: Running The Game
Run Encounters. The GM runs any encounters along the
way where the Danger roll stipulates.
The Destination. The GM zooms into the destination,
running the location scenes as per standard play. For
instance, a dungeon delve.
Information about each of these parts of play are further
detailed in the sections below.
Key Terms
The Discovery system relies on a few key concepts.
Understanding the terms representing them is crucial.
Regions
A region represents a significant geographic area containing
interesting things for characters to discover and interact
with. The number and size of regions in your game depends
on the game’s scope and how broadly the party ranges. A
game focused on a small area likely contains few or small
regions, while a far-flung, exploration-heavy game may
contain many large regions. Importantly, the entire group
should discuss the game’s scope both at the outset and as the
game progresses. You can generate and add Regions both at
the start of the game and over time as appropriate.
Region Sheet
Each region has a pair of corresponding region sheets.
Think of the region sheet as a region’s character sheet.
Just as a character sheet serves as a reference for the
character’s important characteristics, the region sheet
does the same for a region. The GM’s copy, which you
create, contains the region’s complete information, but
the players’ sheet begins blank. As the party interacts
with the region through research and exploration (see
page 177), they learn more about it, allowing them to fill
in the blanks and verify any uncertain information. See
page 182 for an example of a GM’s region sheet.
A region sheet contains the following information:
Name: This is the name the region is known by. Some
regions may have many names or local variations on a
common name.
Description: This is a short summary describing the
region’s appearance and environment, and its place in one
of the Five Realms. This should provide a general feel for
the region.
Size: Regions don’t have strictly defined sizes, but the
larger a region is, the more likely it is to have more features
to discover.
Features: Features define a region and how the
characters interact with it.
"Learning what’s out there, and then taming it, is the
greatest skill one can have in Arora."
- Jhakith Madra Adailar
173
 Features
Features are locations or points of interest within a
region, such as landmarks, geographic elements, natural
phenomena, magical anomalies, creature habitats, hunting
grounds, population centers, ancient ruins, hazardous
areas, and so on. The region sheet divides its features into
four categories. Each feature belongs to one category based
on how difficult it is to discover.
• Obvious features are readily apparent to anyone
observing the region, such as towering mountains, vast
deserts, large cities, mighty rivers, well-marked roads,
or other landmarks impossible to miss through simple
observation. Someone who hasn’t experienced the region
firsthand may not know about the region’s obvious
features, but even cursory research on the region is
sufficient to reveal rumors about them.
• Common features aren’t as conspicuous as obvious
features, but they only require minimal time and effort
to discover through research or exploration. Examples
include secluded valleys, well-known trading posts, small
cities, tributaries, unmarked roads, or other landmarks
difficult to overlook by anyone with a mind to find them.
• Uncommon features are generally poorly known, off-
the-beaten-path, or otherwise difficult to find except to
those who know the area well or spend substantial effort
exploring it. Examples include small or seldom-traveled
mountain passes, desert oases, villages hidden deep in
wilderness, small streams, hunting trails, or other places
one would have a hard time finding without detailed
knowledge about the region.
• Secret features are either purposefully hidden or
shrouded from discovery through obscurity or natural
misdirection. They can be learned about and found, but
such discoveries require an abundance of skill, time, and
effort. Examples include small caves and tunnels, hidden
tombs, ruins of fabled cities, magical springs, hidden
paths, and other magical or esoteric locations.
Each feature includes the following information regardless of
its category. This information is recorded on the region sheet.
Name: Like regions, features have names. The name
should give some idea of what it represents. For example,
if a feature represents a vast forest, it could be named
as simply as Vast Forest, or it could carry a name more
specific to the setting, such as Saihan’s Thicket. Though
it’s possible to have multiple names for one feature, keep in
mind that each region has several features, so use multiple
names for the same feature sparingly. Too many names can
quickly become overwhelming and confusing for everyone.
Description: This is a short summary, usually only a few
phrases or sentences, describing the feature. This should be
sufficiently descriptive to serve as a prompt when describing
what the party finds when interacting with the feature.
Danger Rating: Each feature has a Danger Rating
from 1 to 20 determined by the GM. The higher a feature’s
Danger Rating, the more likely the party is to encounter a
dangerous situation while lingering there.
Status: Each feature has a status that allows the players
to track the degree to which the party has discovered it.
Status is only used for the players’ region sheet.
174 Arora: Age of Desolation
• Unknown: An unknown feature is left blank on the
region sheet so the party remains unaware of its
existence until they learn about or witness it firsthand,
thereby changing its status to rumored or discovered,
respectively. Because players don’t list features on their
region sheet until they learn about them, unknown
features only appear on the GM’s region sheet.
• Rumored: A rumored feature is one the party believes
exists because they learned about it through research
or other secondhand knowledge like studying maps or
listening to trivia from scholars or travelers. A rumored
feature appears on the players’ region sheet once the
party learns about it but hasn’t confirmed its existence
firsthand. When the party records a rumored feature,
the GM might hint at some of its environmental hazards.
When the party explores a region, they can seek out
and confirm a specific rumored feature’s existence or
absence. If the feature actually exists, as wasn’t merely a
folktale or outright lie, and the party spends Discovery
Points (see page 179) in this way, its status changes from
rumored to discovered. If the feature doesn’t exist, it
instead becomes missing.
• Discovered: A discovered feature begins as unknown or
rumored, but becomes discovered once the party witnesses
it firsthand, typically through exploration. When the party
discovers a feature, they learn all of its environmental
hazards, if any. Once discovered, the party doesn’t need to
make a check or spend Discovery Points to locate it again
unless the feature or GM specify otherwise.
• Missing: A missing feature begins as a rumored feature
but becomes missing once the party encounters evidence
that it is absent from the region. This can mean the feature
once existed there but has since moved or been destroyed,
or it can indicate the feature never existed in the first place
and was merely fantasy or rumor.
Changing Features
Though feature statuses change according to the prescribed
rules, it’s important to note that a feature’s contents can also
change as the story progresses. For instance, a kobold lair
may exist in a region, but they could abandon it upon hearing
of the party’s approach. Once the party discovers it, they may
find it empty (and laden with vile traps) because the kobolds
relocated elsewhere in the region or to a new region entirely.
Likewise, a bandit hideout could become the party’s base of
operations after displacing its previous occupants.
It’s a good idea to change feature names and
descriptions on the region sheet to reflect their changing
contents. Using the previous examples, Kobold Lair could
become Abandoned Kobold Lair and Bandit Hideout could
become Party Headquarters.
"Beasts kill and eat you. The swamp eats you alive."
- Khoor Proverb
 Creating a Region
It’s usually best for you, the GM, to set up regions before
or between game sessions because they require some
preparation. It’s ok to prepare region sheets only for
the regions the party will visit or look into during the
upcoming session, so don’t worry too much about trying
to prepare every possible region up front. You can always
establish more regions later.
Step 1: Name the Region
Choose a name and description for the region, recording
both on the region sheet. Multiple names may apply to
indicate how different languages and cultures refer to the
area, potentially suggesting particular sentiments from
certain groups. For example, a place known as Forgotten
Valley by most cultures could be called Dragonfall in
Draconic, signifying some historical significance to
dragons, or that most cultures know it only by rumor.
For Age of Desolation campaigns that may travel
between the Five Realms, you may want to note which
realm each region is in.
Step 2: Describe the Region
Write a sentence or two explaining the overall contents and
atmosphere of the region. This should contain just enough
detail to differentiate this region from others at a glance.
Step 3: Determine Region Size
and Number of Features
Decide how large the region is. They are generally catego-
rized as small (less than 25 square miles), medium (25 to 50
square miles), or large (more than 50 square miles). These
ranges are only guidelines. It’s not important to precisely
Chapter 9: Running The Game
define a region’s boundaries; a rough approximation is fine
and boundaries often shift over time.
Next, decide how many of each feature type the
region contains.
• A small Region or one sparse in Features contains 3 (1d4
+ 1) obvious features, 2 (1d4) common features, 1 (1d2)
uncommon features, and 0 (1d2 – 1) secret features.
• A mid-sized region or one with moderate features contains
4 (1d4 + 2) obvious features, 3 (1d6) common features, 2
(1d4) uncommon features, and 1 (1d2) secret features.
• A large region or one packed with features contains 6 (2d4 +
1) obvious features, 4 (1d6 + 1) common features, 3 (1d4 + 1)
uncommon features, and 2 (1d3) secret features.
Regardless of size, you are free to modify the number of
features according to your preferences and the needs of
your story.
Step 4: Generate Features
Next, decide the specifics for each feature. You can come
up with your own ideas or roll on the Feature Tables. Each
feature has a name, description, and Danger Rating, all
recorded on the GM’s region sheet.
Each feature gets a Danger Rating (see page 180),
which is recorded next to the feature’s name. Assign
Danger Ratings at your discretion or roll 1d20 for each
feature. In the case of missing features, this represents
how dangerous the supposed feature is believed to be.
Once you determine what each feature represents, you
can make some of them missing (see page 174). An occasion-
al missing feature can foster a sense of mystery and reinforce
the changing nature of a living world, but players may be-
come frustrated if too many of their rumors and other leads
turn up with nothing, so it’s wise to use missing features
sparingly. Generally, regions should have no more than one
missing feature (if any).
175
 Feature Tables
D20 OBVIOUS FEATURE
1 A mountain peak thrust high into the clouds
2 A vast forest infested by predators
3 A heavily populated city that never sleeps
4 The crossroad of two major roads lined with merchants
5 A high plateau where the air is thin
6 A barren wasteland baking under the sun
7 A mighty river with no ford in sight
8 Grassy plains stretching to the horizon
9 A placid lake alive with aquatic life
10 A raging forest fire immolating acres
11 An expansive swamp crawling with insects
12 An active volcano belching fumes and molten stone
13 Rolling foothills teeming with life
14 A recent battlefield reeking of carnage
15 A massive canyon, deep and wide
16 A huge beacon burning brightly
17 A giant tree scraping the sky
18 A calm harbor set apart from the vast ocean
19 A massive palace at the center of all major roads
20 A face carved into a mountainside serving a monument to
an old hero
D20 COMMON FEATURE
1 A deep ravine half full of muddy water
2 An eerily quiet mountain pass, but clearly visible
3 A sheer cliff with no obvious way up or down
4 A prosperous town, quiet at night
5 A sparkling beach with golden sand kissed by azure water
6 A rocky caldera, littered with broken stones
7 An active quarry, thick with masonry dust
8 A fortified castle, its crenelations damaged from war
9 A lively inn bursting with song and the scent of cooking meat
10 A well-travelled river crossing with ropes and markings
11 The rotting corpse of a gargantuan creature
12 An open road of packed earth littered with the refuse
of travelers
13 A wizard’s tower lit up at night with faerie lights
14 A permanent military encampment full of soldiers and
their support
15 An ancient amphitheater, partially intact
16 A stone bridge spanning a wide chasm
17 A deep valley perpetually covered in mist
18 A shanty town constantly besieged by monsters
19 A circle of standing stones with signs of visitors
20 A gladiatorial arena operated by malicious creatures
176 Arora: Age of Desolation
D20 UNCOMMON FEATURE
1 A disused farmhouse full of cobwebs
2 A mysterious stone obelisk thrumming with magical power
3 Abandoned ruins of a failed settlement
4 A majestic waterfall falling from an impossible height
5 An ancient battlefield, possibly haunted
6 An obscure trading post dealing in rare commodities
7 A crumbling statue to a famous historical figure
8 A secluded temple with few devout in attendance
9 A lonely watchtower, its occupants nowhere to be found
10 An isolated mineshaft, still ripe with minerals
11 A mass grave in an open pit, the bones picked clean
12 A well-kept path leading through a field of deadly plants
13 A hot spring tinged with sulphur
14 A network of caverns crisscrossing beneath the surface
15 A hunting trail leading through thick brambles
16 The feeding grounds of a herd of native animals
17 An abandoned palisade, signs of old battle marking the
wood and stones
18 A pool of bubbling tar, its vapors on the wind
19 A cluster of huts, not even a village, still occupied
20 A tree split by lightning and surrounded by fireflies at night
D20 SECRET FEATURE
1 A hidden druid grove with signs of animal dwellings
2 The lair of a legendary creature just outside a town
3 A cult’s meeting place, blood dried upon the stones
4 A hermit’s shack, complete with hermit
5 A forgotten graveyard prowled by sinister creatures
6 A smuggler’s cave full of rotten produce
7 A buried escape tunnel, but recently used
8 A hastily-abandoned but still stocked alchemical lab
9 An overgrown path hidden at the foot of a fortress
10 A filthy dungeon, now devoid of inmates, but still full of traps
11 A hidden cache of weapons and siege machines
12 A library deep within a mountain, accessible only through a
twisting tunnel
13 A dragon’s horde far from populated areas
14 A wizard’s tower perched on the side of a sheer cliff facing
the sea
15 The den of a ferocious animal concealed by overgrowth
16 A monastery set in the branches of trees, tucked beneath
the boughs
17 A twisting labyrinth built by unknown hands
18 A stone chamber with multiple portals connected to
other realms
19 A temple to a Jha-dhol, its candles still lit
20 An unmarked grave with a broken rune-etched spear haft
transfixing the remains
 Discovery
The players start with a blank region sheet for any region
they have discovered or heard of, only filling in the region’s
name once they learn it exists. They fill in additional infor-
mation like feature names, statuses, and Danger Ratings as
they learn about the region through Discovery Points.
Players earn Discovery Points through two processes:
research and exploration.
Research
Not all discoveries occur as adventurers trek through
unknown places they’ve never heard of. Deliberate
explorers research their destinations first, taking time to
learn what they can about the area before even setting foot
there. Not only does foreknowledge help guide explorers to
points of interest, it also helps them avoid or better prepare
for the dangers awaiting there, including environmental
hazards (see page 190).
To research a region, a character can spend 8 hours ,
essentially a full day’s work, performing a task to gather
information about the region. At the end of their efforts,
they roll an ability check appropriate to their research
method. Research can be done many ways, and players are
encouraged to be creative, but examples include:
Recall Knowledge: You consult your notes and carefully sift
through your memories to recall anything you’ve previous-
ly learned about the Region. Intelligence (History)
Chapter 9: Running The Game
Search for References: You search for useful references
about the region including maps, journals, illustrations,
diplomatic documents, and other sources of recorded
information. Intelligence (Investigation)
Ask Around: Consulting the local population, you
convince them to share stories, rumors, personal
accounts (firsthand or otherwise), gossip, and trivia
about the region. Charisma (Persuasion)
Exert Leverage: The locals may know something
they aren’t willing to share about the region, so you
strongarm them (literally or figuratively) into revealing
what they know. Charisma (Intimidation)
Multiple characters can perform research at the same time,
but each character must make their own ability check.
A character can also spend their time helping another
character’s research attempt instead of performing their
own, providing advantage to the researcher’s ability check.
You are free to decide some research methods are easier
or more difficult in certain situations, granting advantage or
disadvantage to their associated ability checks. For example,
searching for references in a library known for its abundance
of geographical references probably grants advantage to the
Intelligence (Investigation) check. Meanwhile, asking around
about a distant land might prove difficult in an isolated
village with inhabitants who seldom travel abroad, the Cha-
risma (Persuasion) check has disadvantage. You may even
decide some attempts are impossible if the situation couldn’t
possibly result in useful information.
Each research attempt generates a number of Discovery
Points determined by the ability check’s result.
177
 ABILITY CHECK RESULT DISCOVERY POINTS All features revealed through research begin as rumor-
ed features and only include the name and description.
5 or lower 0
A feature’s Danger Rating is only revealed if Discovery
6–10 1 Points are specifically spent to learn that information (or
11–14 2 through exploration, see below). Research cannot reveal if
a feature is actually missing — only the GM should know
15–20 3
that until the party explores the region.
21 or higher 4 Research isn’t strictly necessary to discover what lies
inside a region, but foreknowledge is always helpful. Being
Multiple Same-type Checks in Research. During the aware of a region’s features allows the party to find them
research phase, in the case where multiple players make more easily once they arrive, and it gives them a chance
the same type of skill check to earn Discovery Points, each to prepare for hazards and obstacles those features might
player’s roll is unique and all rolls earn the Discovery present. The party might procure specialized equipment
Points mentioned in the table above, unlike the exploration or clothing, and magic users might prepare spells to deal
phase below. with the dangers they expect to face. You are encouraged
Spending Discovery Points. Players then spend to reward parties that take the time to find out what
their Discovery Points to learn information about the they’re getting into. This might manifest as starting certain
region they researched. Players can only spend their own situations in advantageous positions, avoiding specific
Discovery Points; they cannot combine totals with other enemies, mitigating the dangers of environmental hazards,
players. Once every player has a chance to spend their or gaining advantage on relevant ability checks related to
Discovery Points, any unspent points are lost. the problems they prepared for.

1 Discovery Point: Reveal a rumored feature’s

Danger Rating.
1 Discovery Point: Reveal all obvious features and
the region’s description.
1 Discovery Point: Reveal one common feature.
2 Discovery Points: Reveal one uncommon feature.
4 Discovery Points: Reveal one secret feature.
The players record revealed features on their region sheet.
If a player tries to reveal a type of feature after all features of
that type have been revealed, they can choose to spend those
points another way—Discovery Points are never wasted.
Learning Without Research
Though research is an effective way to learn about a region,
you can also deliver information to the party narratively.
For example, knowledgeable NPCs might share information
about a region (often for a price), or the party might find
a regional map. In situations like these, you can allow the
party to fill in blanks on their region sheet at your discre-
tion, though any features revealed in this way are always
rumored. If the source isn’t completely reliable or current,
some of those rumored features may turn out to be missing
— much can change with the passage of time.

178 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Exploration
While research can help uncover what dangers lurk in a
region, information is only as reliable as its source. There’s
no substitute for firsthand observation. To accomplish that,
the party must Explore.
Exploring a region requires the party to spend 8 to
12 hours, essentially a full day’s travel, using their skills
to discover a region’s features as they brave its dangers.
Before this point, any known feature is only considered
a rumor, and knowledge of how to get there or if it exists
at all, can only be confirmed through an entire day of
exploration. The party cannot choose to visit a feature for
adventuring until it has been confirmed and discovered via
the exploration phase.
At the end of their efforts, each character rolls an
ability check appropriate to the skills they used to explore
the region. Players are encouraged to be creative in their
approach to exploration, but examples include:
Observe Nature: You locate interesting features by
recognizing their impact on the surrounding natural
world. Intelligence (Nature)
Search for Clues: You scour the area for clues that suggest
where significant features are located. Intelligence
(Investigation)
Notice Details: You rely on your senses to catch telltale details
denoting landmarks and anomalies. Wisdom (Perception)
Traverse Terrain: You guide your party through the
region efficiently while following signs of remarkable
locations. Wisdom (Survival)
Multiple characters can explore at the same time, but each
rolls their own ability check. A character can also spend
their time helping another character’s exploration instead
of rolling their own ability check, allowing the character
they’re helping to roll the ability check with advantage.
Additionally, if a character has a feature, magic item, or
similar that could feasibly aid their exploration, consider
granting them advantage on relevant ability checks to
explore. For example, a ranger exploring in their favored
terrain might have advantage on their exploration ability
checks at your discretion.
Each ability check generates a number of Discovery
Points determined by the result.
ABILITY CHECK RESULT DISCOVERY POINTS
5 or lower 0
6–10 1
11–14 2
15–20 3
21 or higher 4
Multiple Same-type Checks in Exploration. In the case
that two or more characters make the same type of skill
check while exploring, the highest of the rolls (maximum
of one roll) earns the above detailed Discovery Points.
However, every other check of the same type that would
otherwise successfully gain Discovery Points, only gains a
Chapter 9: Running The Game
maximum of 1 Discovery Point each. For instance, Laura
rolls a 15 on her survival check and Jackson rolls a 14 on
his survival check. Laura earns 3 Discovery Points, per the
above table, meanwhile Jackson only gains 1 Discovery
Point for the point pool.
Discovery Point Pool. Unlike research, exploration
allows the entire party to add their Discovery Points
together into a single pool. They can then spend points
from that pool to discover features in the region. Once
the party finishes spending Discovery Points, any unspent
points are lost.
1 Discovery Point: All obvious features become discovered.
1 Discovery Point: The party finds one rumored feature
of their choice, changing its status to discovered. If
they choose a rumored feature that is actually missing,
describe what they find instead. The party marks the
feature’s status as missing. Its Danger Rating is 0.
1 Discovery Point: The party finds one unknown
common feature of the GM’s choice, changing its status
to discovered.
2 Discovery Points: The party finds one unknown
uncommon feature of the GM’s choice, changing its
status to discovered.
4 Discovery Points: The party finds one unknown
secret feature of the GM’s choice, changing its status
to discovered.
When a feature becomes discovered, the party learns
its name, description, and Danger Rating if they didn’t
already have them. If the party tries to reveal a type of
feature after all features of that type have been revealed,
they can choose to spend those Discovery Points another
way — they aren’t wasted.
Exploration’s goal is to discover features within a
region. The party knows what they represent and where
they are located — use these as opportunities for the party
to interact with the setting in interesting ways. Features
provide great backdrops and locations for dramatic
encounters and narrative scenes. Features are great places
to include localized hazards to add drama and dynamic
elements to encounters set there (see page 176).
179
 Rolling for Danger
After Exploration
Few places are truly safe in the Five Realms, and exploring
the wilds exposes the party to many dangers. When the
party finishes spending Discovery Points from exploration,
identify which features they discovered during that explo-
ration, choose the one with the highest Danger Rating, and
roll 1d20. If the result is higher than the feature’s Danger
Rating, the party avoids danger. If the result is equal to or
less than the feature’s Danger Rating, the party encoun-
ters a dangerous situation at that location. For simplicity,
assume that location was the last one discovered. The
party encountered trouble there upon arrival, halting their
exploration for the day. This encounter should pose signifi-
cant risk to the party, up to and including hostile creatures,
though it can take the form of any dangerous situation
you’d like to throw at the party.
When Resting
While it is difficult to truly find rest in the wilds of Arora,
explorers are often forced to brave the Five Realms as they
180 Arora: Age of Desolation
recover. When the party rests at a feature during normal
gameplay (outside the Improved Exploration and Discovery
system), danger may find them while they linger.
If the party attempts a short rest at a feature, roll 1d20.
If the party attempts a long rest, roll 2d20 instead and
choose the lowest result. If the result is equal to or lower
than the feature’s Danger Rating, the party encounters a
dangerous situation at that location (as described in After
Exploration above). If the result is higher than the Danger
Rating, nothing occurs, and the party rests normally. A
dangerous encounter interrupts both types of rest. The
party gains no benefit from an interrupted rest, though
they can try again once the encounter is resolved.
When Journeying
Traveling from one discovered feature to another can
take the party through other discovered, or undiscovered,
features and areas. When this happens, as the party gets
to the other feature along the way, roll 1d20. If the result
is equal to or lower than the feature’s Danger Rating, the
party encounters a dangerous situation at that location (as
described in After Exploration above). If the result is higher
than the Danger Rating, nothing occurs, and the party
continues their journey toward their destination normally.
 Discovery System Example
GM Kim knows her players, Mo and Javier, are seeking a lost artifact
in the burning wastes of Mogsturma. Before they even know where it
is, Kim prepares a region that houses the artifact, intending them to
find it in an ancient tomb she puts within that region.
Kim starts by filling out her region sheet (see example region sheet on
page 174). She decides it’s called Hardin’s Folly, named for a famous
adventurer who died there years ago. She then describes the region in a few
sentences, emphasizing its abundance of hostile terrain, sweltering heat,
and burned ruins scattered throughout. Next, she decides the region is small
and gives it 2 obvious features, 1 common feature, 1 uncommon feature,
and no secret features.
Next, Kim generates the region’s features. She starts with the
obvious features, coming up with Ruins of Salinar and the Lake
of Molten Tar, deciding they’re obvious because it’s difficult to miss
these prolific landmarks due to their size and the open landscape. She
describes both features, making notes about what is found there, then
rolls 1d20 for each to determine their Danger Ratings. The dice come
up with 13 for the Ruins of Salinar and 9 for the Lake of Molten Tar.
Kim then moves on to the common feature, deciding it’s a tiny
village of hovels called Misery. She makes a few description notes about
the nomads who once used Misery as a waypoint during their travels.
She wants Misery to be mostly safe for the players so they can rest there
without too much concern, so she assigns it a low Danger Rating of
5. Remember, you can roll for Danger Ratings or assign what feels
appropriate as you see fit.
Next, Kim makes the Ancient Tomb of Hardin the region’s
uncommon feature. She intends for this to be where the characters find
the artifact. It consists of an elaborate dungeon she’s already prepared,
so her description is only a brief note to remind her. Considering the
party is likely to fight their way through the tomb full of traps and
monsters, resting might be a dangerous prospect there, so she assigns it
a high Danger Rating of 18.
Finally, Kim decides all these features are still present in the region,
so none of them will turn out to be missing.
At this point, Hardin’s Folly is ready for the party, but they can’t
explore it if they don’t even know about it. During the game session,
Kim has the party find a letter in an NPC’s possessions. Reading it,
the party discovers the letter points to Hardin’s Folly as the artifact’s
resting place. Now that the party is aware of Hardin’s Folly, Kim
gives them a blank region sheet. At this point, all they can fill in is the
name because they don’t know anything else about the region.
The party decides to do some research to see what they can find out
about the region, hopefully getting a lead on the artifact in the process.
They spend a day researching in their home city. Mo’s character
asks around, trying to gather information from travelers, rolling a
Charisma (Persuasion) check, resulting in a 12. Javier’s character
recalls knowledge, trying to remember details from his teacher’s lessons,
rolling an Intelligence (History) check, resulting in a 15. Referring
to the Research table, Mo’s result generates 2 Discovery Points, and
Javier’s result generates 3.
Mo decides to spend his 2 Discovery Points to reveal an uncommon
feature in Hardin’s Folly, so Kim tells him to add the Ancient Tomb
feature to the players’ region sheet along with its description. Its status
is rumored since it was discovered during research. She decides not to
outright reveal that this place is the artifact’s resting place, but she does
hint at it. Mo asks what the Danger Rating is, but Kim reminds him
Chapter 9: Running The Game
that players must spend Discovery Points to reveal a rumored feature’s
Danger Rating during research.
Javier has 3 Discovery Points available. He spends 1 to reveal
the region’s description and all its obvious features. Kim gives the
players the region’s description as well as the obvious feature names
and their descriptions, which all gets added to the players’ region
sheet as rumored features. Javier has 2 Discovery Points left, so he
spends 1 more to reveal a common feature. Kim gives him the name
and description of the Misery feature. With only 1 Discovery Point
remaining, Javier asks to reveal another common feature. Kim
informs him there are no more common or obvious features, so his only
remaining option is to reveal the Danger Rating of a rumored feature
if he doesn’t want the final point to go to waste.
Javier spends that final point to reveal the Danger Rating of the
Ancient Tomb. Kim tells him the Danger Rating is 18. Javier chuckles
nervously at the high number and records it on the party’s region sheet.
With no Discovery Points left to spend, the party’s research ends, but
they’ve learned a lot about Hardin’s Folly. Knowing that it’s a dangerous
place plagued by sweltering weather, they wisely stock up on warm
weather gear and combat supplies before embarking on their journey.
Kim narrates their travel experience (perhaps the party encounter
a band of Shardscale-crazed kobolds along the way), ultimately
informing the party that they’ve arrived in Hardin’s Folly. When the
party arrives, they know they must explore to confirm the information
they researched, and ultimately to find the artifact. The party wastes
little time beginning their exploration of Hardin’s Folly.
Mo notices details while Javier searches for clues. They both make
ability checks, Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation),
respectively. Neither rolls very well, however, resulting in a 6 and
an 8—each player only generates 1 Discovery Point from their day
spent exploring. This isn’t great, but it’s what they have to work with.
Fortunately, because this is exploration and not research, they can pool
their points, giving them a total of 2.
They suspect the tomb is the crucial feature, so they spend Discovery
Points to locate it. It is already listed on their region sheet as a
rumored feature due to their previous research, so they only have to
spend 1 Discovery Point to find it, changing its status to discovered.
They would normally learn its Danger Rating at this point as well,
but they already learned it through research.
With 1 Discovery Point left, they spend it to discover Misery,
revealing its Danger Rating in the process. The party has spent all of
their Discovery Points and the exploration phase ends. While the pair
did make good progress consider their rather poor rolls, they must have
been too focused on their quarry to notice the Ruins of Salinar or the
Lake of Molten Tar elsewhere in the region. They can always find
them next time they explore Hardin’s Folly.
With the party’s exploration phase concluded, Kim needs to roll for
danger. She checks which features they discovered and sees the highest
Danger Rating among them is 18 for the ancient tomb. She rolls 1d20,
and, lucky for the party, the result is a 19. Because the d20 result is
higher than the highest Danger Rating of all the discovered features, the
party is able to avoid danger during their exploration. If she had rolled
an 18 or lower, they would have stumbled into trouble at the tomb.
Kim knows monsters and worse still lurks within, of course, but that all
happens in normal gameplay outside the Discovery System.
181
 GM’s Region Sheet Example

Region Sheet
Region Name Realm Size

Hardin’s Folly Mogsturma SMALL MID LARGE

Description & Lore

A sweltering wasteland littered with cracked rocks and the burned-out wreckage of razed villages and ancient ruins.
Few call it home, save dangerous denizens of Mogsturma.

Features Key
# Feature Name Category
1 Ruins of Salinar Obvious
2 Lake of Molten Tar Obvious
3 Misery Common
4 Ancient Tomb of Hardin Uncommon
5
6
7
4
8
9 1
10
11
12
13
14 2
15
16
17 3
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

1 Hex = 1 Mile
 Region Sheet
Region Name Page
Hardin’s Folly 1

Feature Name Feature Name

1 Danger Rating 13 Danger Rating

Ruins of Salinar Status Status

Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret

The crumbling remains of a large, once-prosperous city.

It is virtually devoid of life, save for the predators
that prowl it periodically, preying on looters and those
using the remaining stones for shelter.

Feature Name Feature Name

2 Danger Rating 9 Danger Rating

Lake of Molten Tar Status Status

Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret

The crumbling remains of a large, once-prosperous city.

It is virtually devoid of life, save for the predators
that prowl it periodically, preying on looters and those
using the remaining stones for shelter.

Feature Name Feature Name

3 Danger Rating 5 Danger Rating

Misery Status Status

Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret

A wretched collection of ragtag stone hovels that can

barely be called a village. Misery is only populated every
third moon cycle as its nomadic inhabitants move between
similar settlements following sparse herds of wildlife.

Feature Name Feature Name

4 Danger Rating 13 Danger Rating

Ancient Tomb of Hardin Status Status

Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret

Ancient warrens carved by both nature and mortal

hands delve deep beneath an isolated outcropping of
volcanic rock. The tunnels are home to the hero Hardin’s
remains, locked away in a deep chamber. Few can tell
the truth of what lies within, though, because it is
infested with dangerous traps and monsters who have
taken up residence within the dark passages.
 Survival in Arora
Moving through the razor-sharp ice crystals blowing
across the arctic tundra, a group of heroes must both find
a way to brave the cold and find sustenance while seek-
ing the lair of the deranged white dragon that threatens
nearby settlements.
In the acid-infused waters of the vast swamp, heroes
must find safe paths and edible plants as they lead a group
of survivors toward a rumored haven, where safety may be
more than just a dream.
The caverns beneath the volcano-riddled wastelands
provide shelter from the patrols of ravaging dragaurs
living on the surface. Unfortunately, the caverns often
fill with noxious fumes or surging lava flows, requiring
an experienced explorer to find safe areas of respite or
possible locations to build a permanent settlement.
In all these cases, knowledge of the natural
surroundings, quick decision making, and careful planning
are just as important as a strong sword arm and a mastery
of devastating magical attacks. A slow death by starvation,
hypothermia, or poisoning is more likely than a quick
death by ravaging beasts in places like these.
However, in the campaigns and stories that are encour-
aged by roleplaying games, those environmental-induced
deaths lack the drama and excitement most players are
seeking. While they have many different thoughts and opin-
ions on the role of character deaths in games, few players
would contend that “you failed your Survival check, so you
freeze to death” is a more exciting and memorable demise
than “you failed your saving throw and the dragon’s breath
charred your smoking corpse.” Death may come to charac-
ters in fantasy RPGs, but we’re more likely to accept deaths
that are dramatic and meaningful.
So how do we make a setting, a game style, and a
campaign where survival—where the challenges presented
by the setting and the environment—is just as memorable
and important as the challenges presented by the
dangerous creatures that stalk the world? Let’s explore!
Survival Stories in Fantasy Games
If you ask fantasy RPG players about survival in their
games, most are either going to bring up Survival as a
specific skill, or they are going to think of the overall
survivability of their characters in relation to the threats
provided by the various monsters in the setting. Survival
is simply thought of in terms of staying alive when facing
monsters during adventures.
This may seem counterintuitive when you look
at the wide variety of settings—both homebrew and
published—in which these games take place. How many
settings think of themselves as being very different
from other settings, as being extremely dangerous,
as being challenging because the world is savage and
the environment hostile? Despite these claims, the
settings in question aren’t terribly different in how the
campaigns and adventures set within them seem very
similar to each other, or to the campaigns set in more
civilized worlds.
184 Arora: Age of Desolation
What makes these settings so similar in story or cam-
paign play, despite their claims of danger or uniqueness?
It’s generally because the places offer many civilized areas,
places where the characters are safe and the players rely on
as havens. These metaphorical points of light offer refuge
and safety in an otherwise dark and dangerous world. The
issue with a “points-of-light” type campaign or setting is
that if the characters never leave the light, or if they’re
always within easily navigable distance of light, the whole
world might as well be light. Therefore, if you want to cre-
ate a campaign or a story that brings survival into a more
prominent role, the first thing you must do is snuff out
those points of light. You must either make safety unreach-
able, or at least very hard to access and maintain.
Addition Through Subtraction
A campaign that is centered around a civilized area (or
areas), or that frequently visits civilized areas, offers char-
acters a safety net. All the food, water, equipment, shelter,
resources, and respite the characters could ever want is at
their disposal—whether they get it for free or must pay for
it or steal it, those resources are there. That means even if
the setting itself is hostile and the environments challeng-
ing, survival is an assumption rather than an impediment,
struggle, or important goal.
To make a setting or a world where survival is an
interesting or dynamic element of the campaign, specific
elements that are taken as granted in most fantasy games
need to be removed or restricted. More importantly, those
elements that make survival a given must be removed on
a long-term basis, and they need to be constantly under
threat of removal when they do exist. The aspects of the
campaign that many players take for granted, or that
are considered a given in most game settings, need to be
earned through play, guarded as the precious commodities
they are, and nurtured to ensure they bear fruit now and in
the future.
What are those elements? The first, and most important,
is shelter that allows both protection from the elements
and access to safe rests. Accessible food and water, which
takes hours of steady effort to find and prepare when not
readily available, are another element that can be removed
in a campaign and setting that wants to highlight survival
as a major plot point. Easy access to material goods like
weapons, armor, and adventuring gear also deemphasize
survival in a setting.
Removal of these setting elements can make for
an interesting campaign, but the next step is equally
important. To make lack of essential resources an integral,
valued, and story-rich part of the game, that scarcity also
needs to be gamified in a way that meshes organically with
the rest of the campaign.
"Gold doesn’t do you a whit of good if you’re dead."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
 Gamifying Survival
The next step, after thoughtfully and carefully removing
elements from the setting, is to make sure that the survival
element of the game is fun, dramatic, and story-enhancing
rather than onerous. So, what are some of the pitfalls of a
so-called “survival-focused campaign?”
One of the common pitfalls in a game that focuses on
survival is the unnecessary reliance on detailed bookkeeping
as a way of “gamifying” survival: how many days of food or
water does one have, how much of a particular resource can
a character find, how long does it take to find those resourc-
es? While a dedicated minority of players and game mas-
ters tolerate, or even relish, extensive bookkeeping in their
games, a majority of players don’t want, or actively avoid,
tracking resources in such a highly detailed manner.
This means that, if we are to create a fun game that
highlights survival as part of the story, we need to find
a way to introduce rules, mechanics, strategies, and
consequences that enhance fun in a fair but easy-to-
use manner that also fits into the game as a whole. But
sometimes the rules we have at our disposal, and that make
sense in the narrative, detract rather than add to the fun of
the game. Exhaustion is a prime example.
Tired of Exhaustion
Exhaustion, as a generic concept, is a logical narrative
representation of a lack of sleep, shelter, food, and water.
Exhaustion, however, is a problematic game mechanic
on its face, so using exhaustion as a game-mechanical
consequence for unsuccessful survival attempts is prob-
lematic at its core. The first level of exhaustion in 5e, for
example, penalizes characters by applying disadvantage
on all ability checks.
In a campaign style that doesn’t put much emphasis on
ability checks (although initiative is an ability check), this
disadvantage on all ability checks isn’t a major penalty.
However, if you want to run a campaign that relies on ability
checks and skill proficiencies—especially a campaign that
uses these checks as part of a survival system—disadvantage
can be an overly restrictive penalty triggering a steep spiral
that is terribly difficult to overcome.
While the second level of exhaustion (speed is halved)
isn’t nearly as punitive as the first level, the final four tiers
of exhaustion are powerful in their negative effects with
regards to combat disadvantage on attacks rolls and saving
throws, hit point maximum halved, speed reduced to 0, and
finally, death. Any of these final four steps in the exhaustion
mechanic are both devastating to a character’s ability to
succeed, and not very much fun in terms of game play.
With exhaustion being a common (understandably
so) game-mechanical consequence for failing at survival
challenges in a 5e game, we must find alternative ways
to provide consequences for failure in survival-focused
games that don’t make it totally unfun to play. Setting
aside the portion of players who rail against any negative
consequences at all in their games, what are some
consequences that can actually add fun to the game (and by
extension, the story) rather than detract from the fun?
Chapter 9: Running The Game
Safety in Numbers
Making the existence of civilized settlements (or a
lack thereof) an important part of a survival-focused
campaign can go far in making memorable games, stories,
campaigns, and adventures. These settlements provide
obvious benefits for the characters’ survival, but they also
provide potential benefits that become an important and
memorable aspect of a campaign:
Places of Respite: With long and short rests being crucial
elements of a game, places to undertake those rests in
complete safety are important to the story and pacing of
the game. Without a secure location with shelter, food,
drink, and protection, taking rests should be difficult, if
not impossible.
Places of Replenishment: Most living creatures, even
in fantasy worlds, perish without a constant supply of
safe food and water. Civilized settlements not only offer
a location to store and protect large amounts of those
vital resources, they can act as a place to produce them.
Settlements often inhabit spaces in the world where
potable water or arable land are present.
Places of Production: In addition to food and water,
settlements are places where people can specialize in
producing goods and services. While most production
within settlements founded in hostile environments
focuses on the creation of essentials (food, water, shelter,
etc.), areas where stability has been achieved see an
influx of creators of other goods and services. For
adventurers, this might be weapons, armor, potions,
scrolls, magic items, adventuring gear, and more.
Places of Game-Mechanics Access: This is the least-
used aspect of civilized settlements in most fantasy RPG
settings, but it can be one that adds the most interest to
stories, especially stories of survival. In many games,
game-mechanical elements like spells and subclasses are
treated as a given. If they are in a book, players simply
assume they are always available at any time, and game
masters are often hesitant to deny or limit those mechan-
ics. In the world of Arora, however, magic was dampened
significantly by the Great Abjuration. As the protective
shell cracks, day by day, the Dragonrage and the Shard-
scale infestation worsen—and so too does more magic
leak into the world.
What does this mean? Gamemasters can limit the available
spells, subclasses, magic items, and other mechanics. Players
want to rely on a certain spell or feature from a subclass or
feat? Perhaps these game elements are only available as other
individuals in the world experiment and strive and investigate.
Not only are settlements valuable for normal resources, but
they may also play a huge role in attracting the folks who can
teach the characters how to access certain game mechanics!
(We discuss this further later in this chapter.)
"Jha-dhol never gives you more than you can handle.
But Arora sure does!"
- Anonymous Villager
185
 Creating and
Maintaining Settlements
If the characters need vital resources or specific game
mechanics to achieve their adventuring goals, but they can
only access those things by helping to build and maintain
settlements amid the harsh environs of the Five Realms,
you can bet that settlements quickly become a priority
for characters. Players pay much closer attention to the
inhabitants and details of a settlement than they might
in other campaigns if those settlements offer elements
essential to their successes.
As these settlements play a more significant role in
the campaign, finding a way to gamify the creation,
maintenance, growth, and protection of the settlements
is important. Typical adventures—find treasure, defeat
monsters, gain experience, and solve larger problems—
become much more interesting when they are weighed
against, and hopefully integrated more closely with,
adventures (and time spent) focusing on the establishment
and maintenance of one or more settlements in the regions
the characters spend their adventuring time.
In a campaign with the ultimate goal of finding a
cure from the Dragonrage or fighting off the Shardscale
infestation, one of the first steps in that plotline would
likely be to establish a reliable settlement to work from,
especially if one does not already exist in the area. When
combined with the Exploration rules earlier in this chapter,
a game master could neatly balance a campaign on the
multiple fulcrums of heroic adventure, brave exploration,
and planned worldbuilding.
186 Arora: Age of Desolation
Steps for Establishing a Settlement
Assuming the characters are going to be adventuring in ar-
eas with no safe and permanent settlements, the following
steps are useful in planning adventures and campaigns that
take settlements into account for the characters’ long-term
survival. These steps reference the Exploration rules from
earlier in this chapter.
Step 1: Clear the Area
Before a settlement can be established for long-term useful-
ness, the area where the settlement will reside needs to be
cleared and made safe from existing threats. For example,
if the characters think that a series of underground ruins
from the time before the Great Abjuration might be key
to drive away the Shardscale menace and reestablish the
Great Abjuration, they’d want to establish a settlement in
the midst of those ruins. Perhaps a vicious band of kobolds
currently inhabits that area, giving it a danger rating of 10.
Driving those kobolds away is the first step in the process,
which is made even harder as the characters must not only
defeat the kobolds, but they must also find food, shelter,
and other necessities while doing so.
Step 2: Find the Ideal
Settlement Location
Once the area of the settlement is cleared of immediate
threats, the characters must use their knowledge and train-
ing to find the best place to establish the settlement. While
they could consult allied NPCs, the characters might have
to rely on their own talents to make these important deci-
sions—and they’ll get the face (or enjoy) the consequences
of their work.
Use the chart below to determine the results of the
characters’ checks to determine the best location for a
settlement. A character who spends 8 hours exploring
potential settlement sites can attempt an ability check.
Based on the area, the check could include proficiencies
in History for using past knowledge to determine current
situations, Investigation or Perception to find hidden
problems, Nature for locating potential natural hazards, or
Survival for ascertaining assets or liabilities in an area.
Settlement Location Success Chart
ABILITY SETTLEMENT
CHECK DC POSSIBILITIES
5 or less Poorly Chosen Area. The settlement score cannot
rise above 4 unless it is abandoned and
re-established at a better site.
6-10 Questionable Area. The settlement score
cannot rise above 8 and drawing settlers to the
area is difficult.
11-15 Passable Area. The settlement score cannot rise
above 12.
16-20 Above Average Area. The settlement score cannot
rise above 15.
21-25 Excellent Area. The settlement score caps at 18,
and settlers are more willing to move and settle in
the area.
26 or higher Optimal Area. The settlement score could reach 20
with enough time and attention. Settlers are eager
to move and settle in the area.
Step 3: Attract Settlers
The new settlement cannot thrive without individuals to
live and work there. This recruitment of settlers might fall
upon the characters. While the settlement initially needs
hardy folks as adept at fighting as managing the necessities
of survival, such as building and growing or hunting food,
the settlement could later recruit artisans to provide more
specialized goods and services, such as magical research
or weaponsmithing. As the settlement grows in population,
size, and safety, more individuals and specialists are likely
to travel to the place and set up their places of business.
The settlement rating for a settlement is based on the
number of settlers who eventually take up residence in
the area and contribute to the maintenance and protec-
tion of the settlement. The settlement rating assumes that
the settlement can offer safe lodging and food needs for
those who settle there. If outside threats, environmental
challenges, or lack of resources do damage to the settlers
or the settlement, the settlement cannot grow until those
problems are overcome, usually with special attention
from the characters. That attention could include special
adventures to address the problem, downtime days spent
focusing on the problem, or other methods of attention
and care.
Chapter 9: Running The Game
Settlement Rating Chart
SETTLEMENT
RATING FEATURES
1-2 Tent Village. There are few permanent
structures. Minor agriculture progress with
security handled by the settlers as needed. Less
than 30 permanent inhabitants.
3-4 Small Hamlet. An equal number of permanent
and temporary structures built. Agriculture
progress expands so that half the population can
be fed without the need for hunting or foraging.
From 30 to 60 permanent inhabitants.
5-7 Small Village. More permanent structures built than
temporary ones. Agriculture progress expands so
that the population can be fed mostly with agricul-
ture. From 60 to 100 permanent inhabitants.
8-10 Thriving Town. A central area of business is sur-
rounded by living areas, with agricultural activities
taking place within a day’s cart ride of the town
center. From 100 to 400 permanent inhabitants.
11-13 Small City. The city center grows out, as does the
working and living areas of residents. Defensive
fortifications protect the inner areas of the settlement.
From 400 to 1,000 permanent inhabitants.
14-15 Large City. The threats from without are generally
less severe than threats of crime within. Police
force grows to match any military presence. From
1,000 to 5,000 permanent inhabitants.
16-18 Metropolis. The city grows beyond its proposed bor-
ders. From 5,000 to 10,000 permanent inhabitants.
19-20 Megalopolis. There are multiple large settlements
linked together. The area is self-sufficient for survival
resources, and there is a standing, professional
military force to protect the area from outside
threats. More than 10,000 permanent inhabitants.
Step 4: Access Building Materials
What will the settlement look like? What materials
will the structure be built from? How easy will it be to
gather and use the building blocks of the settlement?
All these questions can be answered in a variety of ways
in a campaign, and the extent to which the characters
participate in the procurement of those materials can
vary. Are the materials available naturally within the
region? Do the characters have to clear that area of danger
to allow settlers to access the materials more easily? Do
the materials need to be obtained from a different area,
forcing the characters to escort the caravans carrying them
through dangerous territories?
The answer to these questions is best answered through
actual adventures in the campaign, challenging the
characters to explore, plan, defeat potential enemies,
forge agreements with others, etc. As with the other parts
of these campaigns, the pacing of the campaign should
alternate between pursuing major PC goals and plot
points, ensuring the survival of the PCs is being tested,
and spending time and resources to find and deliver the
building materials.
187
 Step 5: Build the Infrastructure
Once the settlers are drawn to the area, and the resources
they need to build the settlement are gathered, the building
of the settlement’s infrastructure can begin. Unless the
characters’ skills and backgrounds provide proficiency in
this sort of work, they are best employed by protecting the
workers, continuing to explore, gathering resources, or
rooting out other dangers in the area.
Once the required amount of time is spent (1 month
to create a settlement rating 1 area), the settlement can
be assigned its first settlement safety score. When the
settlement rating of a settlement reaches a satisfactory
relationship to the area’s danger rating, the characters can
then count on the place as a haven of safety during the long
rests and downtime taking place between adventures.
Step 6: Establish Agriculture and Trade
With the infrastructure in place, the settlement needs to be
able to support itself through either growing or obtaining
the standard resources of survival such as food and potable
water. This requires areas of agriculture, trade routes
to places that have supplies for trade, protected hunting
grounds, and the like. As with finding a location, finding
materials, etc., this is best handled through adventures and
downtime. Full adventures where characters drive away
predators from agricultural fields or patrol trade routes to
eliminate hazards and other threats. Assume that a settle-
ment can only grow (gaining a higher settlement rating) if
the agriculture and trade can proceed unhindered.
Step 7: Grow and Maintain Settlements
A settlement will likely start as a small thorp, with only
a few settlers and little infrastructure. As the characters’
adventures provide them with more wealth, probably in
the form of precious metals or gems or trade goods, they
gain both the material wealth and the growing reputation
that would bring more settlers searching for safety and a
place to join a growing community.
188 Arora: Age of Desolation
To grow from a settlement rating to the next higher
rating, an amount of time must be spent equal in months
to the rating being achieved. For example, to move from a
rating 3 settlement to rating 4, four months must pass as
the building and growth happens. This assumes no inter-
ference by the characters. If the characters pour signifi-
cant resources (wealth, downtime, adventuring time, etc.)
into assisting with the growth, this time can be decreased
significantly at the GM’s discretion.
Step 8: Protect
The difference between a higher danger rating and a lower
settlement rating determines how likely the settlement is to
survive without direct protection from the characters. This
could be shown through direct attacks on the settlement
by the threats of the area, but it could just as easily be
explained through the failure of the settlers to successfully
maintain agricultural efforts in harsh conditions or
to easily find natural resources important to survival.
Dangerous environmental effects of the realm also threaten
settlements as much as any monster or predatory groups.
Once a settlement rating is equal to or higher than the
danger rating for the area around the settlement, it can be
considered safe enough to defend itself from the typical threats
in the area without the direct intervention of the character.
That doesn’t mean, however, that a new threat won’t later
appear in the area that threatens the settlement anew.
When making a roll for danger during long rests while
you’re in a settlement (see “Rolling for Danger” above),
you can add the settlement rating to the danger roll. This
represents the protection provided by the settlement and
its settler population. That doesn’t mean, of course, that
danger disappears. It only means that the characters can
get a full long rest without getting interrupted. There may
be some damage to the settlement, some settlers may be
killed or injured, or some other negative effects may be
absorbed by the settlement. At the GM’s discretion, enough
damage to a settlement might cause the settlement rating to
be reduced by one or more points.

Short-Term Survival in Arora
The focus on survival in these rules has been long-term
survival. The Five Realms of Arora are inhospitable to life
in general, so characters must be willing to invest time,
energy, and resources into securing their long-term safety.
However, short-term survival is an important feature
in Arora campaigns as well. Without a steady source of
food or shelter during overland travel, exploration, and
downtime, simply getting to an adventuring site or goal
might be as dangerous as the end-challenge. A week-long
journey from a safe settlement into the wilds of Arora
might be an adventure in itself.
Earlier in this chapter, the rules for exploration were set
forth. While discovery points are gathered and spent as the
characters explore the wilds, they should also be wary of
the dangers lurking in the darkness and dread, especially
when investigating areas with high danger ratings. The
checks and charts of the Exploration do not take into
account the need to forage for food and water; it assumes
that the characters brought their own food, water, and
other necessary resources into the area with them.
If the characters must forage for resources while
exploring, any character foraging cannot make checks to
gain discovery points. Alternatively, a character can spend
1 discovery point to automatically succeed on a foraging
check for 1 day. This check can use a discovery point
earned from either exploration or research.
Working with Existing
Survival Mechanics
The existing 5e rules don’t address survival in a deep and
satisfying way. The rules for foraging and survival are par-
adoxically simple and hard to reconcile. A character needs
a pound of food and a gallon of water each day to survive.
Half rations can sustain a character for a limited time, and
Constitution checks are required for half water consumption
to avoid gaining levels of exhaustion. (We’ve already talked
about the unsatisfactory nature of exhaustion as a conse-
quence for failing survival-based checks like this.)
Adding to this are various rules that seem to completely
bypass or short circuit the normal survival rules. The
Natural Explorer feature of the ranger allows for finding
double the normal food when foraging in the wild. Low-
level spells like goodberry and create or destroy water can
completely remove the need to forage at all, sustaining 10
people each day for the low cost of two spell slots. Even a
1st level character could sustain several people forever in
that way, assuming they can rest each day to replenish their
spell slots.
Chapter 9: Running The Game
While it’s not recommended to eliminate these resources
over the length of a campaign, it’s not unreasonable to
want to highlight the drama of survival in a dangerous
world without having a magic button pushed repeatedly to
eliminate all the challenges completely.
So how does one keep the challenge?
First, keep the pressure on the characters by combining
survival with other adventure considerations. Characters
using spell slots to alleviate their hunger and thirst should not
get a free pass—that choice should have consequences as they
are challenged by other encounters that call for combat.
Secondly, they should have to work for those short-
cuts. Spells like the ones mentioned earlier might not be
available to the characters until someone proficient in
magical research can be drawn to a settlement the char-
acters frequent. And the settlements would have to reach
a certain safety rating before such a person would settle
there. Alternatively, some spells might be locked away at
long-forgotten sites in Arora’s wilds, and the characters
must adventure in those sites before they have full access to
the spells. This provides the characters with difficult and
dramatic choices: travel to the place where the spells might
be located, leaving a settlement unprotected or some other
threat unaddressed in the interim.
Survival and High-Level Play
The consensus on high-level play is that the characters have
much more power and survivability than the comparable
Challenge Ratings at those levels. As characters gain levels,
it becomes harder and harder to challenge them. Survival
is no different in this case.
The availability of powerful spells—even those as low as
level 3—tends to eliminate any need to worry about food,
water, or even shelter in the most hostile environments.
Tiny hut, a level 3 spell, allows a group of characters to take
a long rest in practically any environment. Magnificent
mansion is a spell that can accommodate 100 individuals,
the size of a small village, for 24 hours. With resources like
this, high-level characters, especially spellcasters, could
maintain small settlements magically indefinitely.
One way to challenge high-level characters, then, is to
make adventures and challenges that invite characters to
use resources to protect others in large settlements, while
at the same time taking on normal combat challenges
in adventures. Characters as higher levels may be nigh-
indestructible, but the settlers who they count on to
maintain settlements are not.
"I’ve seen the founding of new settlements in all five of
the Five Realms. I’ve done so as a leader, as a follower,
and as an outsider watching from a distance. Only two
things were the same about each: hope and death."
- Jhakith Madra Adailar
189
 Environmental
Hazards
Environmental hazards represent dangerous areas or
conditions in the Five Realms. Each realm has specific
hazards related to its specific draconic nature. There are
two types of environmental hazards.
Regional hazards are effects that apply to an entire
region. Unless otherwise noted, any space within the
region that is exposed to the environment is affected by
that hazard. Generally, shelter from the outside world
helps mitigate or prevent these effects but traveling out
of doors is always dangerous. These effects are typically
ever-present, so travelers, explorers, and adventurers are
much safer if they spend the time and effort to learn about
and prepare for these hostile environments before entering
them. Enough time in the unrelenting environment of any
of the Five Realms is certain death. Preparation is key.
Localized hazards are effects that apply only to relatively
small, specific spaces within a region. A localized hazard
works similarly to effects like difficult terrain: it has clearly
defined borders on the map to differentiate which spaces
contain the hazard. Though localized hazards are not ubiq-
uitous, they are a looming threat. Parties are wise to research
an area before traveling there so they can understand what
hazards it might contain and prepare themselves accordingly.
Acclimated Characters. Any creature that has spent
more than one year continuously in a particular realm be-
comes acclimated to its environment. They count as having
specialized adaptations to the realm’s regional hazards,
rolling any saving throw associated with it at advantage.
Creatures can only be acclimated to one realm at a time,
losing their acclimatation to a previous realm after spend-
ing the one year in the new realm.
Gallaht
Shaped by the influence of blue dragons, Gallaht is an
endless sea of arid sand plagued by scouring winds and
electrical storms.
Arid (Regional)
Baking heat and desiccating winds constantly wick mois-
ture from Gallaht’s unfortunate denizens. Creatures in
arid regions require twice the normal amount of water to
survive. This danger compounds because accessible water
and precipitation are exceedingly scarce in Gallaht. If a
thirsty creature can’t slake its thirst, it must succeed on a
DC 10 Constitution saving throw every 12 hours it spends
within the region, gaining one level of exhaustion on a
failure. If the creature fails the saving throw by 5 or more,
it also reduces its maximum hit points by 1d8. All reduced
maximum hit points are returned once the creature is able
to drink an adequate amount of water.
Creatures with natural adaptions or specialized
equipment to avoid desiccation (such as dew gauze face
wrappings or tents) automatically succeed on the saving
throw. Long rests provide no benefit to thirsty creatures
who don’t drink during the rest.
190 Arora: Age of Desolation
Mirages (Regional)
Gallaht’s deserts are notorious for convincing mirages
that mislead travelers, causing them to wander needlessly,
wasting time and precious water. When a group explores
a region in Gallaht and generates Discovery Points, each
member must make a DC 11 Wisdom (Survival) check
before spending their Discovery Points, subtracting 1
Discovery Point from the pool for each failure.
Quicksand (Localized)
Quicksand is insidiously dangerous throughout Gallaht
because it threatens to ensnare unwary creatures without
warning. Spaces containing quicksand are difficult terrain.
A creature requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception
or Survival) check (or a passive Perception score of 15 or
higher) to identify quicksand within 60 feet.
When a creature enters the quicksand area for the
first time during a round or begins its turn there, it must
succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or become
restrained, the lower half of its body sinking into the
quicksand. Once restrained by the quicksand, the creature
remains restrained until it can escape.
If the creature can hold onto a solid object anchored
outside the quicksand, it can use its action to make a DC
14 Strength (Athletics) check to attempt escape, ending the
restrained condition on a success. Alternatively, another
creature outside the quicksand can use its action to free the
victim on a successful DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check,
provided the rescuer can reach the victim.
Scourstorms (Localized)
Scourstorms are deadly whirlwinds of scathing sand and
crackling lightning that come and go with little warning.
A creature within the storm makes Wisdom (Perception)
checks that rely on sight or hearing with disadvantage, and
attack rolls with ranged weapons also have disadvantage if
the attacker, target, or projectile are exposed to the storm.
Additionally, spaces within the storm are difficult terrain
for flying creatures.
When a creature enters a scourstorm for the first time
on a turn or begins its turn there, it suffers 1 slashing
damage and must also make a DC 10 Dexterity saving
throw. A creature wearing metal armor or wielding a
metal weapon has disadvantage on the saving throw. On
a failure, the creature takes 2d6 lightning damage and is
stunned until the start of its next turn. On a success, the
creature only takes half damage and is not stunned.
Water Scarcity (Regional)
Natural sources of water are extremely rare throughout
Gallaht, further compounding the desert’s lethality. The
DC of ability checks to locate naturally occurring sources
of water in Gallaht is never less than 22.
 Khoor
Khoor’s foul swamps are rife with acidic quagmires and
breeding grounds of foul diseases.
Acid Morass (Localized)
Acid morasses are formed by the confluence of brackish
water, sucking mud, and vile fluids, creating a pool of
acidic slime. This muck clings to creatures, trapping
them as their flesh dissolves into the fetid swamp. Spaces
containing acid morass are difficult terrain. When a
creature enters an area of acid morass for the first time
on a turn or begins its turn there, it must make a DC 10
Dexterity saving throw. On a success, the creature suffers
3d4 acid damage. On a failure, it suffers the same damage
and is restrained.
On its turn, a restrained creature can use its action
to repeat the saving throw, freeing itself on a success.
Another creature within 5 feet can use its action to free
the restrained creature with a successful DC 12 Strength
(Athletics) check. Once freed from the acid morass, the
freed creature suffers 1d4 acid damage at the beginning of
each of its turns until it or another creature within 5 feet
spends an action to clean off or neutralize the acidic slime.
Acid Rain (Regional)
Inundated with the corrupting power of black dragons, the
gloomy clouds over Khoor rain sizzling acid that scours the
landscape of all but the hardiest lifeforms. When rain starts
Chapter 9: Running The Game
to fall in a region within Khoor, roll 1d20. On a roll of 1–10,
the rain is acidic. Creatures and structures made of organic
material suffer 1d4 acid damage at the end of each turn
that they are exposed to Khoor’s acid rain. Creatures with
natural adaptions or specialized equipment to mitigate the
rain (such as acid-resistant hide or specially-treated tarps)
instead suffer 1 acid damage every 10 minutes.
Everchanging Landscape (Regional)
Khoor’s constantly shifting water levels unpredictably alter
its landscape, submerging established paths while carving
new ones through the muck. Creatures make ability checks
to explore regions in Khoor with disadvantage.
Pestilent (Regional)
Slime, mold, and putrid flesh intermingle throughout the
stagnant swamp water covering most of Khoor, creating
pestilent vapors that bubble up to blanket the land. A
creature in a pestilent region must succeed on a DC 10
Constitution saving throw every 12 hours it spends within
the region or become poisoned for 12 hours. If the creature
fails three saving throws in a row, it also contracts a disease
of the GM’s choice.
Creatures with natural adaptions or specialized
equipment to avoid the miasma (such as plague masks or
sealed shelter) automatically succeed on the saving throw.
Long rests provide no benefit to poisoned creatures who
are unprotected from the miasma during their rest.
191
 Sodden Ground (Regional)
Sleeping on the ground is ill-advised in Khoor because
unwholesome dampness and biting insects permeate the
soil. Creatures who rest on soft ground in Khoor can’t rest
comfortably, so they can’t spend hit dice to recover hit
points during a short rest, and they do not regain spent hit
dice during a long rest.
Swamp Gas (Localized)
Pockets of flammable gasses rise from Khoor’s swamps,
sickening those who breathe the fumes and combusting
violently when ignited. When a creature ends its turn
within an area of swamp gas, it must succeed on a DC 10
Constitution saving throw or become poisoned until it
begins its turn outside the area.
Additionally, when a spark, open flame, or other
ignition source touches the swamp gas, the area combusts.
Creatures within the area of burning gas must make a DC
15 Dexterity saving throw, suffering 2d6 fire damage on a
failure or half as much on a success. Swamp gas is removed
after it combusts, burned away in a searing flash.
Tainted Water (Regional)
Though water is abundant throughout Khoor, acidic
precipitation and foul parasites render most of its water
sources unpotable. A creature ingesting an ounce of
naturally occurring water from Khoor without sanitizing
it suffers 1d4 acid damage and must make a DC 11
Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature
contracts a disease of the GM’s choosing.
192 Arora: Age of Desolation
Mogsturma
Warped by the red dragons who lay claim to it, Mogstur-
ma radiates oppressive heat and is plagued by volatile
volcanic activity.
Eruptions (Localized)
Burning jets of flammable gas and gouts of molten rock
constantly threaten to burst forth from Mogsturma’s surface,
causing the ground to rumble and unpredictable volcanic
geysers to erupt without warning. On initiative count 20
each round, roll 1d6 and consult the results below.
D6 ERUPTION EFFECT
1–2 The area is difficult terrain until Initiative count 20 the next
round as the ground quakes with building pressure.
3–4 The ground buckles and shifts violently with pent up
geothermal activity. Creatures within the area must
succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked
prone. Additionally, the area is difficult terrain until
initiative count 20 the next round.
5–6 All spaces in the area rupture with burning gas or streams of
lava. Creatures in the area when it erupts must make a DC
10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature suffers
4d4 fire damage, or half as much damage on a success.
Incendiary Projectiles (Regional)
Mogsturma’s volatile surface periodically launches
shards of volcanic rock high, returning to the surface as
violent showers of burning stone that pummel and scorch
everything they fall upon. When a group begins a short
rest under open sky in Mogsturma, roll 1d20. On a 1, the
rest is interrupted by a shower of incendiary projectiles
pelting the entire rest site. Each creature therein suffers
1d8 bludgeoning damage and 1d8 fire damage. When a
group begins a long rest, the same rules apply, but the rest
is interrupted on a roll of 1–3.
Pyroclastic Flows (Localized)
Lava spills from Mogsturma’s surface unpredictably,
flowing across the ground at varying speeds, incinerating,
and crushing all in its path. On the first time during a
round that a creature enters a pyroclastic flow area or
starts its turn there, it suffers 4d12 fire damage.
Additionally, when the GM introduces a pyroclastic flow
to the characters, the GM chooses one direction the lava
flows. At initiative count 20 on each turn, the boundary
of the pyroclastic flow expands. The GM adds 1d6 spaces
to the pyroclastic flow’s area. The added spaces must be
adjacent to an existing area of pyroclastic flow and must
be in the direction of flow previously set by the GM. If
the lava flows into an area occupied by a creature, that
creature must succeed on a DC 10 Strength or Dexterity
saving throw (player’s choice) or be knocked prone by the
surge of molten stone.
 Smoke and Ash Clouds (Localized)
Though airborne smoke and ash hang perpetually in
Mogsturma’s sky, it also gathers in thick clouds at ground
level around volcanic activity and devastating fires. Spaces
occupied by a smoke and ash cloud are heavily obscured.
Additionally, the air within the cloud is unbreathable, so
creatures must hold their breath within the cloud or begin
to suffocate.
Stifling (Regional)
Mogsturma burns like a furnace, constantly pouring swelter-
ing heat and eye-watering fumes into the air from countless
thermal vents throughout the realm. A creature in a stifling
region must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw
every 12 hours it spends within the region or suffer disad-
vantage to Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight and
all attack rolls for 12 hours. If the creature fails two saving
throws in a row, it also gains a level of exhaustion.
Creatures with natural adaptions or specialized
equipment to mitigate the heat and stinging fumes (such
as goggles and cooling salve) automatically succeed on the
saving throw. Long rests provide no benefit to exhausted
creatures without relief from the heat during the rest.
Toxic Water (Regional)
Water found in Mogsturma is invariably contaminated
by toxic chemicals leeched from the volcanic surface and
atmosphere. A creature ingesting an ounce of naturally
occurring water from Mogsturma without purifying it
suffers 1d4 poison damage.
Prazzolar
The frozen wastes of Prazzolar are frozen in perpetual
winter, but temperatures plummet even more drastically
where the corruption of white dragons lingers most heavily.
Advancing Glaciers (Regional)
Rapidly spreading glaciers alter Prazzalor’s geography
constantly, demolishing established routes and landmarks.
When the GM designs a region, roll 1d4 for each feature.
On a 1, the feature is missing (see page 174), erased from
the landscape at some point by creeping ice.
"I try to stay near the portals. That’s where people need
the grobb, and that’s where the money is. That’s where
the soft beds and ready food are. Traveling into the
wilds of any realm is a fool’s journey."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
Chapter 9: Running The Game
Avalanches (Localized)
Avalanches are commonplace in Prazzalor’s mountains as
inclement weather and malicious creatures send rocks crash-
ing down. Once per encounter (in a mountainous region
within Prazzalor), the GM may unleash an avalanche, which
occurs during a round at initiative count 20. The GM selects
a point as the avalanche’s epicenter, then rolls 1d8 against
the following table to randomly determine a direction. The
epicenter shifts to a point 1d6 x 10 feet in the random direc-
tion, then the avalanche occurs.
D8 DIRECTION
1 North
2 Northeast
3 East
4 Southeast
5 South
6 Southwest
7 West
8 Northwest
Creatures within 30 feet of the epicenter must make a
DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature
suffers 3d10 bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone
and restrained. On a success, the creature suffers only half
damage and is not knocked prone or restrained.
A creature restrained by the avalanche remains
restrained until it uses its action to make a DC 15 Strength
(Athletics) check, ending the restrained condition on a
success. Alternatively, another creature within 5 feet of
the victim can use its action to make a DC 15 Strength
(Athletics) check, ending the victim’s restrained condition
on a success. The avalanche’s area is difficult terrain.
Blinding Sunlight (Regional)
The sun glares off Prazzalor’s snow and ice fields with
harsh intensity. While within an area of snow or ice lit by
Prazzalor’s sun, creatures unprotected from the glare have
disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception)
checks relying on sight. If an affected creature also has
Sunlight Sensitivity, it is instead blinded while affected by
the glare.
Deep Freeze (Localized)
There are pockets of space within Prazzolar so inundated
with the frigid menace of white dragons that virtually
all heat is obliterated. The cold is so deep, creatures
experience frostbite immediately upon contact. When a
creature enters a deep freeze area for the first time on
a turn or begins its turn there, it must make a DC 10
Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes
2d6 cold damage, and its speed is halved until the start of
its next turn. On a success, the creature only takes half as
much damage, and its speed is not reduced.
193
 Gelid (Regional)
Prazzolar’s icy expanses are perilously cold, making survival
difficult for living creatures that haven’t adapted to survive
there. Creatures in a gelid region must eat twice as much as
normal to avoid starving, and food is already scarce on the
barren glaciers. Additionally, a creature in a gelid region
must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw every 12
hours it spends within the region. On a failure, it suffers 2d6
cold damage. If the creature fails the saving throw by 5 or
more, it also gains a level of exhaustion.
Creatures with natural adaptions or specialized
equipment to tolerate extreme cold (such as warm clothing
or a heat source like lampstone) automatically succeed on
the saving throw. Long rests provide no benefit to creatures
without protection from the cold.
Hidden Chasms (Localized)
Thin layers of ice and snow accumulate over deep cracks
in Prazzalor’s icy surface, posing great risk to creatures
treading over them. A creature requires a successful DC
15 Wisdom (Perception or Survival) check (or a passive
Perception score of 15 or more) to identify a hidden chasm
within 60 feet.
When a Small or larger creature steps on an area
containing a hidden chasm, the ice covering it breaks. The
creature may use its reaction to make a DC 13 Dexterity
saving throw. If successful, the creature can throw itself 5
feet in any direction, landing prone, avoiding falling into
the chasm if it lands on solid ground. On a failure, the
creature falls into the chasm, which is 1d10 x 10 feet deep.
Tievmer
Green dragons and their dracokin rule Tievmer, warping
its lush forests with sinister influences, sapping wills and
poisoning bodies.
Ambush Predators (Regional)
Tievmer teems with many types of twisted life, which
attracts hungry predators that thrive on the abundant
prey, so encountering such dangerous creatures is likely in
Tievmer. When randomly determining the Danger Rating
of a region within Tievmer, add 1d4 to the d20 roll’s result
(maximum 20).
The GM is also encouraged to add predatory creatures
to encounters, especially hidden ones that ambush player
characters and other creatures.
194 Arora: Age of Desolation
Coastal Conditions (Regional)
Tievmer’s coasts are almost entirely inaccessible from
the sea, blocked by the Fell Barricades and unnavigable
storms. Harbors and accessible beaches are extremely rare
and difficult to find. Undiscovered features of this type are
secret (see page 174).
Additionally, trying to land a ship outside one of these
safe locations is treacherous, requiring the pilot to succeed
on a DC 25 Wisdom (Survival) check to safely berth the
ship. On a failure, the GM determines the consequences,
potentially wrecking the ship.
Fire Hazards (Localized)
Thick canopy and poisonous conditions choke smaller
plants throughout Tievmer’s forests, leaving pockets of
dead trees and withered undergrowth dotting the forest
floor. The resin-soaked kindling comprising these areas
is extremely flammable, presenting a major fire hazard,
though the surrounding forest is lush enough to prevent
fires from spreading beyond the dead vegetation. When
open flame or other intense heat enters a fire hazard area,
the area bursts into flame and burns for 1 hour. When a
creature enters the burning area for the first time during
a round or starts its turn there, it must make a DC 15
Dexterity saving throw, suffering 4d6 fire damage on a
failed save or half as much on a successful one. Once the
fire burns out, the fire hazard is removed.
Impending Doom (Regional)
The insidious nature of green dragons crawls throughout
Tievmer, constantly whispering into the minds of outsiders,
wearing away their resolve. A creature in a region of im-
pending doom must make a DC 10 Charisma saving throw
every 12 hours it spends in the region. On a failure, it suffers
the effects of the bane spell for 12 hours. If the creature
fails the saving throw by 5 or more, choose one ability score
at random; the creature also gains disadvantage to saving
throws made with that ability for the duration.
Creatures with natural adaptions or specialized
equipment to withstand emotional or psychic manipulation
(such as a ring of mind shielding or other protective
charms) automatically succeed on the saving throw. Long
rests provide no benefit to creatures suffering the effects of
the bane spell.
Siahan’s Venom (Localized)
Tievmer is plagued by showers of poisonous water that
falls like rain, rises like green mist, or collects in pools.
If Siahan’s venom manifests as mist, the area is lightly
obscured. Regardless of how it manifests, when a creature
enters a space containing Siahan’s venom for the first
time on a turn or begins its turn there, it must make a DC
10 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature
takes 3d4 poison damage and is poisoned until the start
of its next turn. On a success, the creature only takes half
damage and is not poisoned.
 Feats
These feats work directly with the Discovery system and Trailblazer
environmental hazards.
You are an intrepid explorer, leading your party into the
unknown boldly and capably. You gain the following
Coordinated Efforts
benefits:
You are an expert at organizing the research and explora-
• Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score
tion efforts of your team. You gain the following benefits: by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• Increase your Intelligence or Charisma score by 1, to a • When you generate at least 1 Discovery Point through
maximum of 20. exploration, you generate 1 additional Discovery Point.
• When your party researches or explores a region, • When you explore a region, choose a character exploring
you can coordinate their efforts. If you choose not to the same region you’re searching, including yourself.
research, explore, or assist a party member, you can That character gains advantage on their exploration
instead grant each member of your party a bonus to ability check.
their research or exploration ability check equal to your
Intelligence or Charisma modifier (whichever ability you
chose to increase with this feat). Watchful Eye
When traveling, you’re always on the lookout for safe
places to rest, and you keep a careful watch while
Diligent Researcher
encamped. You gain the following benefits:
When researching regions you’re interested in, you go
• Increase your Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
above and beyond, even helping your team with their
• Add 1d4 to Danger rolls when you take a rest. This can
research along the way. You gain the following benefits: bring the total result above 20.
• Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score • You have advantage to Wisdom (Perception) checks when
by 1, to a maximum of 20. keeping watch during a rest.
• When you generate at least 1 Discovery Point through
research, you generate 1 additional Discovery Point.
• When you research a region, choose a character
researching the same region at the same time. That
character gains advantage on their research ability
check. You can grant this bonus to yourself.

Survivalist
Surviving this long in Arora’s realms has taught you to avoid
and endure their many inherent dangers through quick think-
ing and ruggedness. You gain the following benefits:
• You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid or
resist environmental hazards.
• When a creature within 5 feet of you makes a saving
throw to avoid or resist an environmental hazard, you
can use your reaction to allow that creature to make the
saving throw with advantage.

" There is no safety, only the illusion of safety. Death

doesn’t knock on the door and politely ask for permission
to enter. Death bursts through the door. That’s why I try
to stop Death before it gets to the door."
- Ystel, Ranger of Gallaht

Chapter 9: Running The Game 195

 Evolved Advantage If you choose to draw an advantage card in place of an
advantage roll that is part of a feature or trait that also
grants a negative effect, such as the barbarian’s reckless
Advantage is the game’s standard way of representing a
attack, the character still takes the negative effect while
circumstantial, environmental, or situational benefit to an
also drawing a card in place of the positive advantage roll.
attack roll, ability check, saving throw, or other d20 roll.
If a character has sneak attack bonuses due to having
Rolling the d20 twice and using the higher roll is one of the
advantage in a combat situation, taking the advantage card
best ways to increase your chances of success in the game.
in place of the advantage roll negates the ability to include
But sometimes it can be fun to trade in that increased
sneak attack damage.
chance of success to gain alternative benefits, whether in
As soon as you play the card, put it back into the deck.
the moment or later on.
You can also choose to put a card back in the deck without
The advantage deck consists of entries detailing specific
using it, if you think it might be more useful if another
benefits you gain instead of rolling a second d20 when
player has a chance to draw it as there are only two of each
you have advantage. Before you roll the second d20, you
card in the deck. Any advantage cards you hold when your
can decide to take an advantage card (or roll on the below
character finishes a short or long rest go back into the deck,
table) instead. You shuffle the deck, draw from it, and
as do any additional dice bestowed by an advantage card
read the text that goes along with the card to determine
and not yet used.
the benefit it grants, which always applies to a d20 roll of
Only players can draw and use advantage cards.
the same type you drew the card for. This means you can’t
No Cards. If you are not using the physical advantage
trade advantage on an ability check for an advantage card
deck, simply reference the resulted below entry and make
that can later apply to an attack roll, or vice versa.
note of it in your character sheet notes. Once used, erase or
If you are not using the card deck, simply roll on the
mark out the entry from your notes.
below table and cross reference the result with one of the
20 entries below.
Advantage Benefits Best Effort
D20 ADVANTAGE BENEFIT D20 ADVANTAGE BENEFIT The threat of failure can give you the incentive to succeed.
Play this card when you fail the same type of d20 roll you
1 Best Effort 11 Insightful Edge
drew it for (attack roll, ability check, or saving throw).
2 Communal Edge 12 Lead by Example When you play the card, roll a d10 and add the roll to the
3 Continuing Luck 13 Not Enough d20 roll.
4 Costly Success 14 Roll with It
5 Don’t Get Cocky 15 Shut That Down Communal Edge
6 Extra Effort 16 Sterling Example The bond you share with your allies benefits everyone.
7 Fast Moves 17 Stolen Insight Play this card when you or an ally makes the same type of
d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check, or saving
8 Formidable Expertise 18 Tag Team
throw). When you play the card, you and each of your allies
9 Good Enough 19 Turn the Tables gains a d6, which can be rolled and added to the next d20
10 Hard Luck 20 Wait for It roll of the same type each of you make.

Advantage Benefits Continuing Luck

If the benefit tied to an advantage card is meant for you, you
can use it on the d20 roll you drew the card for if you want
to. Otherwise, you hold the card to gain its benefit later on
another d20 roll of your own, or to apply a detriment to
another creature (typically an enemy). Some cards are given
to other players to play later on their own d20 rolls.
Only one advantage card can be held at any one time.
If you choose to take an advantage card while you already
hold one, you can choose to return your current card back
into the deck and replace it with a new drawn card.
Playing an advantage card requires no action, but you
can play an advantage card only once per round. A d20 roll
can be affected by only one advantage card, and you can’t
play a card to affect a d20 roll if that roll is being made
with advantage. An advantage card can’t be used to cancel
out disadvantage in the same way advantage does (except
for the Wait For It card). When a card affects a d20 roll,
you play the card before the roll is made unless the card
specifies otherwise.
You’re able to hold onto a little bit of luck. Play this card
when you make the same type of d20 roll you drew it
for (attack roll, ability check, or saving throw). When
you play the card, you gain a d4. For the next minute,
whenever you make the same type of roll, you roll the d4
and add it to the d20 roll.
Costly Success
Turning failure into success is easy for you, but leaves you
a little shaky. Play this card when you fail the same type of
d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check, or saving
throw). You succeed on the attack, check, or save, but have
disadvantage on the next roll of the same type you make
before the end of your next short or long rest.

196 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Don’t Get Cocky
A foe that feels assured of their superiority is in for a
surprise. Play this card when another creature succeeds at
the same type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability
check, or saving throw). When you play the card, roll a
d10 and subtract it from the d20 roll, potentially turning
success into failure for the foe.
Extra Effort
Focus and determination lets you push beyond your
normal limits. Play this card when you make the same
type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check,
or saving throw). When you play the card, you gain a +5
bonus to the roll.
Fast Moves
A bit of extra effort lets you accomplish more. Play this
card when you make the same type of d20 roll you drew
it for (attack roll, ability check, or saving throw). When
you play the card, you gain one of the following benefits
according to the type of roll:
Attack Roll. If the attack is made using an action, you
can make one extra weapon attack as part of that action,
using the same weapon and modifiers used for the original
attack. If the attack is made using a bonus action or
reaction, you have a +2 bonus to the attack roll.
Ability Check. If the check requires an action or
a bonus action, it instead takes no action. If the check
requires no action, you have a +2 bonus to it.
Chapter 9: Running The Game
Saving Throw. If the effect that triggered the save
doesn’t allow repeat saving throws, you can make another
saving throw against the effect at the end of your next turn.
If the effect does allow repeat saving throws, you have a +2
bonus to those saves.
Formidable Expertise
For one focused moment, your talent and instinct surpass
normal levels. Play this card when you make the same
type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check,
or saving throw). When you play the card, you add double
your proficiency bonus to the roll, instead of your normal
proficiency bonus.
Good Enough
In a clutch situation, you’ll take any success you can get.
Play this card when you roll less than 10 on the d20 for the
same type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability
check, or saving throw). When you play the card, you treat
the d20 roll as a 10.
Hard Luck
One of your enemies just can’t seem to catch a break.
Play this card when another creature makes the same
type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check,
or saving throw). For 1 minute, whenever the creature
makes the same type of roll, they roll d4 and subtract it
from the d20 roll.
197
 Insightful Edge
Intuiting a foe’s strengths and weaknesses can let you get
the upper hand. Play this card when another creature
makes the same type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll,
ability check, or saving throw). When you play the card,
you learn the following details about the creature based on
the type of roll:
Attack Roll. What weapons the creature has
proficiency with, or the average damage of its best attack
excluding spells (your choice)
Ability Check. What skills the creature has proficiency
in and what tools it has proficiency with
Saving Throw. What saving throws it has proficiency
with, or its best saving throw (your choice)
Lead by Example
Your instincts and know-how make an impression on an
ally. Give this card to another player, who can play the
card when they make the same type of d20 roll you drew it
for (attack roll, ability check, or saving throw). When the
card is played, the player adds your character’s proficiency
bonus to the d20 roll, in addition to their own if they
normally would.
Not Enough
A foe’s momentary stumble always works in your favor.
Play this card when another creature rolls 15 or higher on
the d20 for the same type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack
roll, ability check, or saving throw). When you play the
card, you cause the d20 roll to be treated as a 5.
Roll with It
When you’re hit, you can shrug off some of the effect. Play
this card when you take damage as a result of making the
same type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability
check, or saving throw). When you play the card, you take
half as much damage. Taking damage as a result of an
attack roll includes such things as targeting a creature that
deals damage from spikes or an aura when it’s attacked, as
well as a creature that deals damage as a reaction to your
attack (including making its own attack as a reaction).
Shut That Down
A moment’s confusion can thwart an enemy’s success. Play
this card when another creature succeeds on the same type
of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check, or
saving throw). When you play the card, the creature must
succeed on a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw or fail the
attack, check, or save.
198 Arora: Age of Desolation
Sterling Example
Your confidence inspires an ally to beat the odds. Give this
card to another player, who can play it when they make
the same type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability
check, or saving throw). Playing the card gives the player
advantage on a roll of the same type.
Stolen Insight
When you test yourself against a foe, you rise to their level.
Play this card when another creature makes the same type
of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check, or
saving throw) against or in response to you. When you play
the card, you add the creature’s proficiency modifier to
your own d20 rolls of the same type for 1 minute.
Tag Team
Working with a trusted ally gives you an edge. Play this card
when you or an ally who can see or hear you makes the same
type of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check,
or saving throw). When you play the card, you and the ally
both have advantage on the next roll of the same type each
of you makes before the end of your next turn.
Turn the Tables
An enemy’s unexpected difficulty works in your favor.
Play this card when another creature makes the same type
of d20 roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check, or
saving throw). When you play the card, the creature has
disadvantage on the d20 roll.
Wait for It
You hold your edge until the best possible moment. Play this
card when you have disadvantage on the same type of d20
roll you drew it for (attack roll, ability check, or saving throw).
When you play the card, you negate the disadvantage but
cannot get advantage on the roll.
 Equipment Lightning Rod
Gallaht’s lightning rods are metal tubes filled with lightning
This section details the unique equipment that can be
sand and capped at both ends with wax plugs. While
found across the Five Realms of Arora. Many of these items
carrying it, the bearer has resistance to lightning damage
can be found generally in specific realms, however some
against the first source of lightning damage they encounter.
can be found generally across all realms.
The lightning sand within it reacts when it absorbs an
Exotic Equipment. Where an item of equipment from
attack, projecting glass spikes out of both ends of the tube,
one realm is found or sold in another realm it is considered an
creating a weapon that can be used as a javelin or spear.
exotic piece of equipment and may attract a larger cost.
The weapon deals 1d6 piercing damage and 3d6 lightning
damage on a successful attack, but shatters and becomes
Gallahtian Equipment useless after a successful attack.
The following pieces of equipment can be found in
Gallaht. All of the following pieces of equipment originated Lightning Sand
in Gallaht, but may also be found in other realms,
particularly Mogsturma which is only a single interplanar This alchemical sand draws in electrical energy,
rift trip away. transforming the sand into intricate glass. A small packet
can be scattered over a stationary 5-foot square. A creature
within the area when the sand is used gains resistance
Bulette Armor to lightning damage against the first source of lightning
damage. The effect ends after 1 minute.
A skilled armorer can harvest the scales and plates of a
Once used the sand becomes inert. Large bags of
bulette’s chitinous hide, turning it into a non-metallic
lightning sand can effectively cover up to a 20-foot-square
breastplate or suit of plate mail that offers similar
area. Lightning sand is quickly dispersed, and fails in
protection, but at half the weight of the metallic versions.
windy or rapidly moving environments.
Bulette armor has the added effect of repelling heat and
does not adversely affect a wearer in hot desert conditions.
Sand Shield
Desert Goggles This portable shelter against Gallaht’s slashing winds
consists of a large sheet of canvas supported by spring
These are basic glass lenses fitted into a leather half mask
loaded, collapsible poles. You can use your action to unfold
to allow the wearer to see normally in windy conditions
the sand shield into a 5-foot by 10-foot wedge shelter.
without risk of getting sand, silt, or grit in their eyes.
The shelter can easily stand against most sandstorms and
When the wearer makes a Wisdom (Perception) check
scoutstorms, and provides shade from direct sunlight.
that rely on sight during windy condition events that
Repacking the sand shield takes 1 minute.
would give them disadvantage, such as a sandstorm or a
scourstorm, the wearer gains a +2 bonus to their roll.
Shatter Shield
Dune Skis This iron shield has a hollow center where the boss
would be. The hollowed-out area is typically fitted with a
Dune skis are either a pair of wooden planks or a single
cartridge of lightning sand. The cartridge gives the bearer
wider plank, with curved edges and ends. They are used
resistance to lightning damage against the first source of
to easily skim the surface of Gallaht’s sand dunes, either
lightning damage they encounter.
with downhill momentum, or being pulled by a creature
The lightning sand within the cartridge reacts when it
or wind sail.
absorbs an attack, bursting forth to create a jagged glass
Wearing dune skis allows you to negate difficult terrain
shield spike. This can be used as a simple weapon dealing
caused by sand so long as you move during your round. If
1d6 piercing damage and 3d6 lightning damage, which
paired with a wind sail, a skilled user can move up to twice
shatters after a successful attack. The shield’s bearer can
their normal speed in the direction of the wind’s movement.
use their action to replace the cartridge of lightning sand.
The shield can only have one lightning sand cartridge
Lightning Glass Lens equipped at a time.
A shatter shield that does not contain a lightning
In most cases, lightning sand that is exposed to electrical
sand cartridge, or contains a shattered one, becomes
energy forms small, fragmented shards of glass, but in rare
a conductor and attracts lightning, giving the wielder
cases a larger agglomeration forms naturally. A skilled
vulnerability to lightning damage.
glazier can create a slightly concave lens that magnifies tell-
tale signs of electricity build up before it discharges.
Wearing a lightning glass lens as part of eyewear or in a
set of desert goggles grants you advantage on saving throws
against lightning and electrical effects if you can see the
point of origin.

Chapter 9: Running The Game 199

 Khoorian Equipment
The following pieces of equipment can be found in Khoor.
All of the following pieces of equipment originated in
Khoor, but may also be found in all the other realms which
are only a single interplanar rift trip away.
Acid Neutralizer Paste
This thick, pale green alchemical paste neutralizes
acid. It can be used to coat exposed skin and vulnerable
areas. After taking 1 minute to apply the paste, you have
resistance to acid damage for 1 hour, after which the
paste dries and flakes off in foul-smelling clumps. Acid
neutralizer paste must be kept in wax-sealed jars to prevent
spoiling. Unsealed acid neutralizer paste spoils after 1 hour
and then becomes ineffective.
Bang Stick
This indelicate weapon is a harpoon with an explosive
compound contained within the head. It has the statistics
of a javelin but deals an additional 1d6 fire damage. The
weapon is ruined after use.
Crocotoad Oil
This thick, odorless oil is naturally secreted from the
crocotoad beast and is prized by Khoor’s hunters—and
assassins. After taking 1 minute to apply the oil to your
body, you lose your natural scent and the terrain somehow
remains undisturbed underfoot. For 1 hour after applying
the oil, all ability checks made to track a creature treated
with crocotoad oil have disadvantage.
Dragon Light
This lantern is filled with a peat moss found only in deep
caves and the Grand Bog in Khoor. Naturally slightly
fluorescent, it can be treated with an alchemical activator
that slowly burns the peat moss in a deep purple flame.
The lantern produces only dim light in a 5-foot radius but
200 Arora: Age of Desolation
reacts to dragon scales within a 60-foot radius, causing the
scales to fluoresce brightly. Any dragons or dracokin in the
area are revealed and cannot use Stealth or benefit from
invisibility. An dragon lantern burns for one hour before
the peat moss fuel must be replaced.
Lightning Gig
While this weapon appears to be a crudely fashioned spear,
it packs a shocking punch. Preserved eel glands attached to
an alchemical activator sit just behind two metallic twines.
A tightly bound vine cord is attached to the shaft, allowing
the gig’s wielder to reel in prey.
A lightning gig uses the statistics of a spear but has a
range increment of 30/60 feet. The wielder can use their
bonus action to vigorously shake the gig, forcing the eel
glands to activate, charging the tines. For 1 minute after
being activated, the lightning gig deals an additional 1d6
lightning damage. After 1 minute the alchemical fuel runs
out and must be replaced.
Sawgrass Blade
The Sawgrass Blade is a longsword with a hilt made
from dragon talon and a blade made of woven blades of
sawgrass. The weapon is particularly effective against
heavy armor, its serrated sawgrass blade slashing through
it easily. The sawgrass blade gains a +1 damage bonus to all
successful attacks against heavy armor.
Snap Whiff
This sealed glass jar contains a gas captured from rare
vents in Khoor’s dangerous swamps. When inhaled the gas
temporarily boosts mental acuity and resilience.
A creature can use an action to break the air-tight seal
and deeply inhale the gas. For the next minute the creature
has advantage on Perception checks and Wisdom and
Intelligence saving throws. After the duration the user
becomes momentarily disoriented, losing their action on
the subsequent round as they recompose themselves.

Swamp Gas Mask
Created by harvesting a specific tree moss that absorbs
traces of poison to use as a filter in a leather half-face mask,
a swamp gas mask gives a creature immunity to the effects
of inhaled swamp gas while wearing the mask. The moss
can only filter small amounts in a short time, so prolonged
exposure for more than 1 hour overwhelms the mask, effec-
tively destroying it.
Toad Cloak
A skilled leatherworker can skin a giant crocotoad and turn
its thick hide into a cloak that retains some of its natural
neutralizing properties. Any creature wearing a toad cloak
gains resistance to acid damage.
Vampire Dart
These hollow bone darts are dipped in an anti-coagulant. If
they hit a creature with blood, the dart causes the creature
to bleed profusely, taking 1 point of necrotic damage at
the start of each of its turns until the dart is removed. An
affected creature can take an action to remove any number
of vampire darts.
Mogsturmian Equipment
The following pieces of equipment can be found in
Mogsturma. All of the following pieces of equipment
originated in Mogsturma, but may also be found in other
realms, particularly Khoor, Prazzolar, and Tievmer which
are only a single interplanar rift trip away.
Ashtuber Sap
The ashtuber is a root vegetable that grows wildly in
Mogsturma. A low-lying red leaf is its only visible part
above the surface. Below the surface, these soft, malleable
tubers can grow in clusters of up to six. The tuber tastes
like ash, and has no real nutritional benefits, but can be cut
and bled of a pale white sap.
When spread across the skin of a creature, it counteracts
the harsh burning and loss of moisture the Mogsturma
environment creates. Each application lasts 1 hour, and
during that time a creature doesn’t suffer from any heat-
related effects of the environment.
“Bang Stuff”
Originally discovered by the Vomitfang tribe while
attempting to create new toxins, “Bang Stuff” is a highly
volatile crystalline salt that explodes in flame if exposed to
a spark or treated roughly enough to generate friction. The
only safe way to store the material is to keep it damp, which
is not easy in the parched realm of Mogsturma. The bang
stuff formula was stolen and now is distilled by the various
kobold tribes with varying degrees of success.
A small handful of the incendiary substance can cause
a fire in a 5-foot radius. The fire burns quickly, dealing
Chapter 9: Running The Game
1d6 fire damage before being consumed after one round.
A pinch can create a small flame to light a campfire,
torch, or lantern.
Blackened Heartwood
The plants that are able to survive in Mogsturma’s blasted
soil have adapted to the harsh conditions, such as the
heartwood trees. Sickly compared to their historical
lushness, these trees cling stubbornly to life, growing up
through the ash and mineral rich soils. The resulting trees
are thin, black and obscenely hard. They take twice as long
to cut and work as typical hardwood, but remain resilient
as steel and slightly flexible.
Boomballs
The natural progression after discovering Bang Stuff
was to weaponize it. Boomballs are thin ceramic spheres
containing tightly packed Bang Stuff. On impact the
ceramic shatters, creating enough friction to ignite the
alchemical concoction in a significant explosion.
A Boomball causes an explosion in a 10-foot-radius sphere,
dealing 2d6 fire damage to all creatures in the area of
effect. Creatures that make a successful DC 12 Dexterity
saving throw take half damage. Boomballs can be thrown
as grenade-like weapons, with a range of 20/60 feet. They
must be handled carefully as they are extremely fragile.
Any significant impact to a Boomball sets it off, as well as
any others within a 10-foot-radius sphere. It is rumored
that accidental Boomball detonations are responsible for
more kobold casualties than the constant warfare.
Big Boomballs
These are much larger than regular Boomballs, measuring
1 foot across and weighing 40 pounds each. The ceramic
spheres are quite thick and resistant to incidental damage.
Designed to be catapult ammunition, on impact
Big Boomballs explode into a 20-foot-radius sphere
dealing 8d6 fire damage to anything in the area of effect.
Creatures that make a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving
throw take half damage.
201

Cinder Armor
Cinder armor is the Garamount people’s main defense
against the blistering heat of the realm and the ravages of
dragonfire. It is also a statement of defiance and an essay in
using an enemy’s strength against themselves.
Cinder armor is special hide armor constructed of
carefully extracted and prepared dragon hide, using a
closely guarded technique known only to a few lauded
artisans called Scaleshapers. Useful hide can be obtained
from certain types of dracokin, as well as from young
dragons, who have small, pliable scales. Older dragons’
scales are too large and rigid to be worked. The skinning
process is painstakingly slow, even for veteran crafters.
Once the hide is successfully gathered it is treated in
a bath of corrosive liquid made from natural mineral
effluents. The liquid softens the scales temporarily, just
enough to be worked into shape, stitched together with
sinews culled from the creature’s limbs. The material then
hardens again after a few hours. If the Scaleshaper takes
too long, the hide hardens and becomes useless. Exposing
the hide to the toxic mineral bath a second time often
causes the scales to crack and shatter.
The result is a fine set of scale armor made from hide,
half the weight of a standard set of scale armor. The wearer
gains resistance to fire damage and can weather the intense
heat of Mogsturma in relative comfort. Cinder armor
incenses the dragons and dracokin of the realm. These
creatures immediately attack anyone wearing cinder armor.
Ceramic Shields
The blasted earth of Mogsturma has yielded an unusual
bounty in rare mineral-rich clay deposits along some of
the Veren-ra river and its tributaries. This clay is ideal
for ceramics, and produces a glittering red finish when
fired. The peoples of Mogsturma often create large shields
with the ceramic as a thin glaze over a wooden or iron
framework While the shields easily shatter from even a
weak blow, they offer protection from dragonfire.
202 Arora: Age of Desolation
A creature wielding a ceramic shield has advantage on
saving throws against fire-based attacks and spells if they
can interpose the shield between themselves and the source
of the fire. The shield is immune to fire damage.
Obsidian Weapons
This reflective black rock is most commonly found in areas
of volcanic activity, having been ejected from below the
surface. Hard but brittle, it can be sharpened to a razor’s
edge and becomes an effective, if fragile, resource for
bladed weapons.
An obsidian weapon that deals slashing or piercing
damage deals an additional 1 point of damage on a
successful attack. However, if the attacker rolls a 1 or 2 on
the attack roll, the weapon breaks (after dealing damage if
the attack is successful).
Red Dragonscale Shield
Crafted from single scales of very large dragons—usually
cast offs from molting or battle—these shields are light
and resilient. Weighing half that of a normal shield, these
shields are highly desired for their effectiveness and defiant
symbolism. Of course, possession of such a shield makes
a creature a particularly desirable target for dragons and
their servants. As well as the standard protection from a
shield, the welder also gains resistance to fire damage.
Red Dragon-forged Armor
Crafted of high impurity iron, this armor can be of any
type that can be forged from metal. The iron is heated by
dragonfire and tempered in blood. The flames and blood
leave the armor with a rusted, red hue.
Dragon-forged armor grants the wearer resistance to
fire damage. However, it is 10% heavier and has 1 AC less
than the armor would typically grant.
 Red Dragon-forged Weapons
Dragon-forged weapons are extremely rare, and almost
always unique in some way. Crafted from high impurity iron
and forged similarly to dragon-forged armor, nine out of ten
of these weapons melt and fail under Toroshivar’s dragonfire.
Those that do survive become rare magic weapons with
a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. Additionally, they
deal an additional 2 points of fire damage on a successful
attack. The weapons radiate heat to 300°F (150°C) and
must be stored in heat resistant sheathes or slings and
handled with thick gloves to avoid burns. A dragon-forged
weapon can ignite flammable materials and melt snow or
boil water on contact.
Every dragon-forged weapon has a third, unique property
rolled from the table below or assigned by the GM.
D8 UNIQUE POWER
1 Radiates a deep red light in a 10 foot-radius.
2 Subtly vibrates when within 50 feet of a dragon or dragaur.
3 Deals an additional 1 point of damage (of the weapon type)
to non-draconic humanoids.
4 Deals an additional 1 point of damage of the weapon type
to kobolds.
5 Hovers in place if released, though still retains its weight.
Any force acting on the weapon can move it.
6 The wielder can cast produce flame as a cantrip using
their Charisma as their spellcasting ability. Once used the
weapon loses its additional fire damage for 1 hour and the
cantrip cannot be used again for the duration.
7 Deals maximum damage against inanimate objects.
8 Scores a critical hit on a 19 or 20 against water- or ice-
based elementals.
Rockdarter Glands
The rockdarter is a small, insect-eating lizard that grows
up to a foot in length. It gets its name from its speed
and rock-hard grey hide. Its hardness is caused by the
secretions of a gland in its abdomen, a defense mechanism
developed to adapt to the realm.
If caught and harvested, a creature can ingest the
rockdarter gland. One hour after ingesting the gland, the
creature’s skin hardens for 12 hours, granting a +2 bonus
to AC and resistance to fire. The creature has disadvantage
on all Dexterity ability checks, attack rolls, and saving
throws for the duration.
Shuddergrass Extract
Shuddergrass extract is an alchemical liquid distilled from
the root bulb of a shuddergrass plant. If imbibed, a dose of
the extract grants the drinker tremorsense for 1 hour.
Chapter 9: Running The Game
Prazzolian Equipment
The following pieces of equipment can be found in Prazzolar.
All of the following pieces of equipment originated in
Prazzolar, but may also be found in other realms, particularly
Gallaht which is only a single interplanar rift trip away.
Creeping Cold
An alchemical solution that rapidly freezes when exposed
to air spreading a thick frost over the surface of whatever
the solution coats. Any creature not resistant to cold takes
1 cold damage upon contact with an object coated in
creeping cold.
Creeping Cold Bombs
Prazzolar’s alchemists create simple bombs by filling
vials with creeping cold. When shattered it creates a
thick patch of ice in a 5-foot-radius area from the point of
impact. Creatures who are in contact with an immovable
surface and are caught in the area are restrained until the
start of their next turn. A creature can use its action to
apply a heat source to automatically melt a 5-foot-radius
area of creeping cold. or break the ice with a DC 15
Strength check.
Creatures covered in thermal paste, those that generate
significant heat (such as a remorhaz) or those with 22
Strength or more are unaffected.
Creeping Cold Ammunition
These are arrows or bolts containing a small bead of creep-
ing cold within the head. A creature struck by creeping cold
ammunition has its speed reduced by 5 feet until the end of
its next turn as ice covers a portion of its body. Multiple hits
accumulate speed reduction, but do not extend the duration.
The ammunition is destroyed after firing.
Creatures covered in thermal paste, those that generate
significant heat (such as a remorhaz) or those with 22
Strength or more are unaffected.
Gulca Bow
Crafted from waxed gulca antler, this elaborate longbow
has numerous spiked protrusions sweeping forward from
its thick arms. A gulca bow is a longbow with a range
of 170/640 feet. The bow may be used as a simple melee
weapon that has the two-handed property and deals 1d6
piercing damage.
Icewalkers
These thick boots are fitted with small spikes made of
metal, stone, or bone on the soles, letting the wearer bite
into the ice and snow that blankets Prazzolar. The wearer
ignores natural difficult terrain caused by ice, and has
advantage on ability checks and saving throws to avoid
slipping. However, when used on any other type of terrain
the wearer’s speed is reduced by 5.
203

Instant Shelter
This item is a mix of both liquefier and compressed gas in
a glass container. When shattered, it rapidly disperses the
liquefier over a 20-foot radius in an exothermic reaction,
liquefying it in 1 round. This process creates significant
heat and steam. Any creature in the area takes 6d6 fire
damage. Any snow- or ice-based creatures also take 6d6
acid damage.
Liquefier
This mix of alchemical salts has a rapid melting effect on
ice and snow. A small packet can reduce a 5-foot radius of
ice or snow to water in 1 minute. The resulting liquid is
toxic and cannot be ingested safely. Any creature doing so
gains the poisoned condition for 1 minute, and must make
a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1
hour. If used against a snow- or ice-based creature, it deals
3d6 acid damage per packet.
Sungoggles
Crafted from smoky glass, these discs are usually set into
a leather strap that can be wrapped around the head and
tied securely. They reduce brightness and glare, granting
advantage on saving throws to resist light-based effects, and
negate the adverse effects of blinding sunlight (see Environ-
mental Hazards). If worn in dim conditions, the wearer had
disadvantage on Perception checks that rely on sight.
Sureflame Candle
This candle is made of a mixture of wax, thermal paste,
and alchemical accelerant. When lit, it burns for 1 hour
and cannot be extinguished by any means.
204 Arora: Age of Desolation
Snowcloak
These white-grey, irregularly patterned heavy wool cloaks
are a prized position in Prazzolar. Snowcloaks trap the
wearer’s precious body heat close, and has several pouches
sewn in the interior typically stuffed with aromatic herbs to
mask the wearer’s scent.
While wearing a snowcloak you have advantage on
Stealth checks to hide in arctic terrain and on Constitution
ability checks and saving throws to combat the effects of
cold weather exposure.
Thermal Paste
This thick paste is made from animal fat, ground
lampstone, and an alchemical mixture that generates
constant heat. It can be spread on a creature, providing
resistance to cold damage for 1 hour. However, it also
conveys vulnerability to fire as it is highly flammable.
Tievmerian Equipment
The following pieces of equipment can be found in
Tievmer. All of the following pieces of equipment
originated in Tievmer, but may also be found in other
realms, particularly Gallaht and Khoor which are only a
single interplanar rift trip away.
Chaos Shrooms
Though most of the flora of Tievmer is stable and consistent,
its fast-growing fungi are constantly changing form and
feature, making cataloging and identification impossible.
Once a mushroom type is identified — usually by ingesting
— the findings may remain reliable for a week or two at
most. After that, the mushroom has likely taken on entirely
new properties. Eating more than one mushroom in an hour
is hazardous. For each mushroom after the first consumed
within an hour, a creature must make a DC 15 Constitution
saving throw or gain a level of exhaustion.
When eating Tievmer’s mushrooms — regardless of how
they are prepared — roll on the following table:
D20 EFFECT

1 Deadly Toxin: You must make a DC 15 Constitution saving

throw, taking 10d6 poison damage on a failure or half as
much damage on a success.

2 Mild Hallucinogenic: You have disadvantage on

Perception and Survival checks for 10 minutes.

3 Mild Euphoria: You have advantage on saving throws

versus fear effects for 10 minutes.

4 Mild Restorative: You regain 1d4 hit points.

5 Mild Fortifying: You have advantage on the next saving

throw you make against poison. The effect ends after 1 hour.

6 No Effect: This mushroom is wholesome and filling.

7 Toadstool: You must make a DC 15 Constitution saving

throw or be polymorphed (as the polymorph spell) into a
toad for 1 hour.

8 Birdsong: You lose all vocal language capability (but can

still understand the languages it knows). Additionally, you
can emit avian trills and understand and converse with all
birds for 1 hour.

9 Zoom Shroom: You gain the effects of haste for 1 minute,

but gain a level of exhaustion after the duration ends.

10 Shrink Shroom: You are affected by a reduce effect (as the

enlarge/reduce spell) for 1 hour. This is counteracted by a
Tall Stool.

11 Bark Shroom: Your skin becomes hard and bark-like. You

gain +2 to AC but your speed reduced by 5 feet for 1 hour.

12 Sick Shroom: You ooze a pungent slime from your skin
for 1 hour. You have disadvantage on Stealth checks.
Additionally, creatures that make successful bite attacks
against you must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw
or gain the poisoned condition for 1 minute.
13 Vision Shroom: You fall unconscious for 10 minutes, and
can’t be awoken unless affected by a spell or ability that
neutralizes poison. After awakening, you gain the effects of
the commune with nature spell.
14 Tall Stool: You are affected by an enlarge effect (as the
enlarge/reduce spell) for 1 hour. This is counteracted by a
Shrink Shroom.
15 Fairy Shroom: You can cast minor illusion. Additionally, you
can see through all illusion effects for 1 hour.
16 Poisonous Shroom: Make a DC 16 Constitution saving
throw, on failure you gain the poisoned condition for 1 hour.
17 Lunacy Shroom: A creature is affected by a confusion
effect (as per the spell for 1 minute.
18 Intoxicating Euphoria: You are immune to fear and
negative emotion effects, but have disadvantage on saving
throws against illusions and charm effects for 1 hour.
19 Enhancement Shroom: The next potion, spell, or mushroom
effect you are subject to has its duration doubled.
20 Life Shroom: You are healed of all wounds, diseases, and
conditions. Additionally, you grow 10% taller for 1 hour
after ingestion.
Poison Paste
This seeping green paste isn’t actually poisonous as the
name suggests. If you take 1 minute to spread the paste
over your skin, you have advantage on saving throws
against contact poisons for 8 hours.
Silver Lamprey
This rare stream dweller feeds on other living creatures but
becomes intoxicated and docile by Tievmer’s rich gases. The
Lorpel folk learned that you can attach one to your nose and
mouth and it becomes slightly pliable for 1 hour.
Breathing through the lamprey filters poisonous gasses,
giving the wearer immunity to the effects of inhaled gas.
After an hour the lamprey becomes active again, dealing
1 point of necrotic damage per turn until the wearer uses
their action to remove the agitated lamprey. Leaving a lam-
prey on for too long can lead to horrific facial scarring—
some of Tievmer’s deep-forest hunters can be identified by
these tell-tale scars.
Stone Salve
The Oakstill humanoid folk developed a thick grey paste
that can be smeared on the skin to combat the Medusa and
other fey creatures of the Saihan’s entourage. Using a pot
of this salve takes 1 minute, and grants you +1 to AC and
advantage on saving throws versus petrification for 1 hour.

Chapter 9: Running The Game 205

 Magic Items
The following magic items can be found across the Five
Realms of Arora. Where a magic item indicates a realm in
its italic information, that is the realm where the magic item
is most likely to be found.
Alkali Leather
Armor (leather), rare, Khoor
This suit of leather armor is made from a dark violet,
rough hide.
You gain a +2 to Armor Class while wearing this armor.
As a bonus action you can speak a command word and
the armor exudes a viscous alkali coating for 1 minute,
granting resistance to acid damage. Additionally, creatures
who make a bite attack against you have disadvantage
on the attack due to the sickening substance. The armor
regains the use of this ability at dawn the next day.
Daskin’s Bag of Storms
Wondrous item, very rare, requires attunement, Gallaht
This tan sack is embroidered with glyphs in purple and
gold thread. A golden rope cinches the bag closed at its
top. The bag slowly undulates like something inside seeks
to escape.
The bag has an empty and a full state. You can use your
action to cast a limited form of the control weather spell. If
the bag is empty, you can only use the spell to reduce the
severity of weather in the area of effect, which appears
to be drawn into the sack. After the spell ends the bag is
full again. The next time you use the control weather spell
you can only increase the severity of the weather, which
appears as if the weather is being emitted from the sack,
emptying the bag.
After using the bag three times it cannot be used again
until you finish a long rest. If it stormed during your long
rest, the bag is now full. If it did not storm during your rest,
it is empty.
Dunestalker’s Helm
Wonderous Item, rare, requires attunement, Gallaht
This greathelm is crafted from bulette chitin. You can use
your action to lower the visor and speak the command
word, activating its abilities. For 1 hour you gain
tremorsense out to a range of 60 feet and a burrow speed
equal to your speed, but only through loose sand or soil.
You do not leave a tunnel in your wake. The helm regains
the use of this ability every dawn.
"Jha-dhol’s gifts come in many shapes and sizes.
Sometimes a simple feather holds great power."
- Jhakith Madra Adailar
206 Arora: Age of Desolation
Fleshsear, Black Dragon Blade
Weapon (greatsword), very rare, requires attunement, Khoor
This greatsword is carved from a single black dragon
rib bone, its serrated, double-edged blade dripping with
hissing acid. The hilt is carved obsidian, resembling a
dragon’s claw.
You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls you
make with weapon, though attacks against dragons and
dracokin have disadvantage.
On a hit with this weapon, the target takes additional
1d6 acid damage and must make a DC 15 Constitution
saving throw gaining the poisoned condition on failure
until the end of its next turn as the acid eats into the wound
painfully. Any effect that neutralizes acid, such as acid
neutralizer paste, ends this condition early.
Frostfire
Magical weapon (greataxe), very rare, requires attunement, Prazzolar
The head of this double-bladed great axe resembles the
flared wings of a dragon in flight, while the dragon’s tail
wraps around the ebony shaft.
You can use a bonus action to speak a command word,
causing blue crackling flames to erupt from the twin axe
heads. These flames shed bright light in a 20-foot radius
and dim light for an additional 20 feet and cast everything
in a spectral blue glow. While the axe is ablaze, it deals an
extra 2d6 fire damage to any target it hits. If a creature has
resistance or immunity to fire damage the flames instead
deal 2d6 cold damage. The flames can ignite flammable
materials on contact. The flames last until you use a bonus
action to speak the command word again or until you drop
the axe.
While the axe is ignited you may point the weapon and
emit a 60-foot cone of frost fire from it as an action. You
must expend a number of Hit Dice equal to the damage you
wish to generate, rolling them as the effect. Each creature
within the cone must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving
throw. A target takes fire damage equal to the amount
rolled on the expended Hit Dice on a failed save, or half
as much damage on a successful one. Creatures with fire
resistance or immunity take cold damage instead. Hit Dice
expended in this way do not restore hit points and can be
regained normally. Once you use this ability the flames
are extinguished and cannot be reignited for a number
of minutes equal to the Hit Dice expended. The weapon
regains the use of this ability every dawn.
Life Charm
Wondrous item, uncommon, requires attunement, Khoor
These gruesome charms are created using mummified
dragon organs. They resemble tiny, dried-meat pendants
on vine ropes.
This first time a wearer is subject to necrotic damage,
they gain resistance to that effect, then the charm crumbles
to dust.
Relliam’s Icepick
Weapon (war pick), rare, requires attunement, Prazzolar
This oversized climbing pick is made from carved
Plesiosaurus teeth set into an ice-steel handle.
You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made
with this magic weapon and have advantage on Strength
(Athletics) checks when climbing in arctic terrain.

Lightning Bottle Ring of Tremorsense

Wondrous item, very rare, requires attunement, Gallaht Wondorous Item, rare, requires attunement, Mogsturma
This large clear glass vessel is etched with minute runes While wearing this ring you gain tremorsense out to a
across its surface. It has a glass stopper fixed to the neck by range of 60 feet. If you already have tremorsense, wearing
a length of golden chain. the ring increases its range by 60 feet.
You can use your reaction to absorb any lightning effect,
magical or non-magical that would include you in its area,
regardless of the size of the effect. The lightning effect Vile Tooth
is drawn harmlessly into the bottle, becoming a visible Weapon (dagger), rare, Khoor
writhing electrical discharge. The bottle can hold the
effect for up to one hour. As an action you can discharge This dagger is fashioned from a sharpened allosaurus
the effect from the bottle, using the bottle as the point of tooth, the hilt and handle made of leather-wrapped wood.
origin and replicating the original effect in its entirety. For You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls you
example, if you used the bottle to absorb a lightning bolt, you make with this weapon. Any creature struck by the weapon
can cast lightning bolt using the original caster’s spell save is wracked by painful muscular contractions and must
DC and other features. make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or gain the
Once discharged, or if not discharged within the dura- poisoned condition for 1 minute. On a successful saving
tion, the bottle shatters and any contained effect vanishes throw, or at the end of the duration, a creature becomes
harmlessly. However, If the bottle is damaged or destroyed immune to this effect for 24 hours.
while an effect is contained, it is released uncontrolled in a
20-foot-radius sphere centered on the bottle.
Xandrian’s Icewalkers
Wondrous item, very rare, requires attunement, Prazzolar
Paradise Feather These magnificent icewalkers are crafted from supple white
Wonderous item, uncommon (poached), rare (found), very rare (gifted), dragon scale and fitted with wyrmling teeth cleats.
requires attunement, Tievmer While wearing these boots you have resistance to cold
The unusual birds of paradise within Tievmer are rare and damage and can walk on any icy surface without slipping.
closely guarded by the Lorpel folk. These rare birds each You can choose to adhere to any icy surface at any angle —
carry a single iridescent purple feather tucked between including vertical or even upside down — moving at your
hues of bright blues and vibrant greens. A feather takes standard speed.
years to mature and begins to glow when active.
If obtained and attuned, it grants you the effects of
sanctuary (your Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this
effect). How you obtained the feather dictates its power.
If poached from a bird or another owner, you can use the
feather just once— paradise feathers grow to match their
owner and are destroyed if used by someone else. If found
discarded or not in the possession of another, the feather
can be used once per day, regaining its power each dawn.
If gifted from the bird or a creature whom it was also
legitimately gifted to, the feather can be used a number of
times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining expended
uses at dawn the next day.
A single feather can have been through all the rarity
categories, but only ever remains equal or descends in
power. A feather found or stolen can never be restored to
its greater status.

Chapter 9: Running The Game 207

 The Shardscale
Incursion
The Great Abjuration suddenly ended the Shardscale’s
first attempt at Arora, pushing the sentient parasitic hive
minded aliens from the world in a single brutally effective
display of Jha-Dhol’s power. Their second incursion,
however, was more subtle, cunningly insidious. It came
to each of the realms through small cracks in the Great
Abjuration and wormed its way into the first dracokin and
true dragons it encountered. The Shardscale didn’t exert
its full power over them straight away. In these early days,
it waited at the back of their minds, dormant for a long
time. The crystalline invaders slowly spread, waiting for
the perfect opportunity to attack as a large hive-minded
force. While the infection secretly spread throughout the
dracokin and dragon populations of the Five Realms, it
started to have an unintended effect on those it infected. It
slowly drove them mad, day by day, year by year. Suddenly,
one day during a hivemind communion between the
Shardscale infestations, its potency became too strong for
many of the infected, sending them mad in an instant. That
day would become known as the Dragonrage, a destructive
and murderous event that forever changed Arora.
The Dragonrage was the first clue that the citizens of
the Five Realms of Arora had that the Shardscale had
returned to the world — the Shardscale had accidental-
ly shown themselves. Fearing their untimely and early
unveiling, the Shardscale hivemind receded again, hiding
deep within their hosts. However, those affected never
truly recovered from the Dragonrage.
During the 500 years that followed, the maddened
dragons and dracokin ravaged Arora, spewing forth
uncontrolled draconic magic that brought chaos and
desolation to the Five Realms, tearing apart the land
208 Arora: Age of Desolation
itself. The folk of Arora believed that the Shardscale had
diminished, but its effects on the world remained.
Recently however, the Shardscale has again begun to
rear its head. The time is fast approaching to when the
alien crystalline invasion will expose itself completely and
begin to take over the minds and bodies of the infected
dracokin and dragons. The time draws near for when
the invasion will coordinate its strike in a second, more
powerful, and potentially world ending Dragonrage.
As the Shardscale begins to show itself once again,
awakening from its slumber in the back of the dragons’
minds and growing within their bloodstreams, the hosts’
bodies will begin to change. Shardscale not only effects its
host’s mind, driving the infected mad in the process, but
also grows crystal shards that explode through the flesh.
A host body suffering from an active Shardscale infection
is likely to have some visible signs across their body. Over
time the Shardscale will complete its hostile takeover of
the host’s body and mind, turning them into a crystalline
monstrosity. The Shardscale host then joins the hivemind,
growing the Shardscale’s numbers. With an ample force
of crystalline soldiers, the Shardscale’s true incursion will
begin, threatening all of Arora.
Shardscale in Your Game
In gaming terms, the Shardscale incursion is intended to
be a campaign climax event. However, there is plenty of
adventure to be had in the lead up to this within the realms
of Arora. The clues to the Shardscale incursion within the
realms should, however, become more and more prevalent
as the characters’ adventures progress, having more obvious
impacts on the world the longer the campaign progresses.
And when the time is right, the Shardscale will strike.
There are three main stages to a Shardscale infection,
and each stage changes the infected true dragon’s or dra-
cokin’s stat block or character sheet. They are as follows:
 Dormant
When a creature is infected with Shardscale, but it lurks
dormant, add the following trait to the creature’s stat block
or character sheet. This stage of infection is intended for
Tier 1 (levels 1–4) gameplay.
Dragonrage. The creature suffers from uncontrollable
bouts of rage. Once per day, and at the GM’s discretion,
the creature must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw,
becoming enraged for 1d4 hours on a failure. An enraged
creature attacks any other non-shardscale infected crea-
ture, friend, or foe, that comes within 30 feet of it. When
the enraged state ends, the creature has no memory of its
time while enraged.
Stage 1
When the Shardscale begins to activate and the host shows
visible signs of the infection, adjust or add the following
traits and actions to their stat block or character sheet.
Dragonrage (Stage 1). The creature suffers from
uncontrollable bouts of rage. Once per day, and at
the GM’s discretion, the creature must make a DC 12
Wisdom saving throw, becoming enraged for 1d8 hours
on a failure. An enraged creature attacks any other non-
shardscale infected creature, friend, or foe, that comes
within 30 feet of it. When the enraged state ends, the
creature has no memory of its time while enraged.
Shardscale Protrusions (Stage 1). The creature suffers
growths of multi-colored crystalline shards protruding
from their flesh, growing from within. The crystals are
as hard as steel and offer a degree of protection. When
the creature wears no armor, the creature has a +2
bonus to their AC.
ACTIONS: Replace any claw attack with the following:
• Crystal Claws (Stage 1). Melee Weapon Attack: (Strength
modifier + Proficiency bonus) to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: (1d8 + Strength modifier) piercing damage.
If the target is an uninfected dragon or dracokin-type
creature, it must succeed on a DC (10 + Constitution
Bonus + Proficiency Bonus) Constitution saving throw
or be infected with Shardscale starting at the Dormant
Stage (see rules on Shardscale Stage Progression).
• Medium and Large Creatures: Damage becomes
1d8 + Strength modifier.
• Huge Creature: Damage becomes
2d8 + Strength modifier.
• Gargantuan Creature: Damage becomes
3d8 + Strength modifier. Reach becomes 10 feet.
"Dragonkin are bad enough without some disease
making them even less reasonable."
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler
Chapter 9: Running The Game
Stage 2
As the Shardscale infection becomes more prominent and
progresses to truly begin its takeover of the body and mind,
the crystal protrusions begin to cover half of the host’s
body. Adjust the following traits and actions on their stat
block or character sheet.
Creature Stat Blocks: Increase Challenge Rating by 1.
Dragonrage (Stage 2). The creature suffers from
uncontrollable bouts of rage. Once per day, and at
the GM’s discretion, the creature must make a DC 17
Wisdom saving throw, becoming enraged for 1d12 hours
on a failure. An enraged creature attacks any other non-
shardscale infected creature, friend, or foe, that comes
within 30 feet of it. When the enraged state ends, the
creature has no memory of its time while enraged.
Shardscale Protrusions (Stage 2). The creature suffers
growths of multi-colored crystalline shards protruding
from their flesh, growing from within, now covering
more than half of its body. The crystals are as hard
as steel and offer a degree of protection. The creature
can no longer wear armor effectively — it is no longer
proficient with any type of armor. The creature has a +5
bonus to their AC while not wearing armor.
ACTIONS: Replace any base claw attack with the following:
• Crystal Claws (Stage 2). Melee Weapon Attack: (Strength
modifier + Proficiency bonus) to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: (1d12 + Strength modifier) piercing damage.
If the target is an uninfected dragon or dracokin-type
creature, it must succeed on a DC (10 + Constitution
Bonus + Proficiency Bonus) Constitution saving throw
or be infected with Shardscale starting at the Dormant
Stage (see rules on Shardscale Stage Progression).
• Medium and Large Creatures: Damage becomes 1d12
+ Strength modifier.
• Huge Creature: Damage becomes
2d12 + Strength modifier.
• Gargantuan Creature: Damage becomes
3d12 + Strength modifier. Reach becomes 10 feet.
Stage 3
The third stage of the Shardscale infection is a complete
takeover of the creature’s mind and body. The creature
effectively becomes something else entirely and joins the
Shardscale hivemind completely, akin to a mindless zombie
controlled by a larger force. At this point, if the creature is
a playable character, their character should be retired and
become an NPC. Adjust or add the following traits and
actions to their stat block or character sheet.
Stage 3 Implications
This stage is intended for campaign climax gameplay. If a
player has contracted Shardscale and it progresses to this
stage, we recommend using the infections ultimate conclu-
sion as an epilogue for the character. This provides a fair yet
still dramatic character arc.
209
Creature Stat Blocks: Increase Challenge Rating by 2.
Dragonrage (Stage 3). The creature suffers from
uncontrollable rage all the time. The creature attacks
any other non-shardscale infected creature, friend,
or foe, that comes within 30 feet of it. The creature is
When your group of characters are traveling through a
unthinking and unreasonable, seeking only to destroy
region, and you feel they need an encounter to spice their
life and spread Shardscale to other dragon or dracokin
journey up a little, or a random event that is tied to the lore
type creatures.
and creatures of the realm they are traveling through, choose
Shardscale Protrusions (Stage 3). The creature suffers
or roll on the appropriate table below for encounter ideas.
growths of multi-colored crystalline shards protruding
from their flesh, growing from within, now covering its
entire body. The crystals are as hard as steel and offer a de-
gree of protection. The creature can no longer wear armor
of any kind. The creature has a +10 bonus to their AC.
ACTIONS: Replace any base claw attack with the following:
• Crystal Claws (Stage 3). Melee Weapon Attack: (Strength
modifier + Proficiency bonus) to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: (1d12 + Strength modifier) piercing damage. If the
damaged target is an uninfected dragon or dracokin-type
creature, it must succeed on a DC (10 + Constitution
Bonus + Proficiency Bonus) Constitution saving throw or
be infected with Shardscale starting at the Dormant Stage
(see rules on Shardscale Stage Progression).
• Medium and Large Creatures: Damage becomes 1d12
+ Strength modifier.
• Huge Creature: Damage becomes
2d12 + Strength modifier.
• Gargantuan Creature: Damage becomes
3d12 + Strength modifier. Reach becomes 10 feet.
• Shard Darts. Ranged Weapon Attack: (Dexterity modifier
+ Proficiency bonus) to hit, range 20/40 ft., one creature.
Hit: (2d6 + Dexterity modifier) piercing damage. If the
damaged target is an uninfected dragon or dracokin-type
creature, it must succeed on a DC (10 + Constitution
Bonus + Proficiency Bonus) Constitution saving throw or
be infected with Shardscale starting at the Dormant Stage
(see rules on Shardscale Stage Progression).
Shardscale Stage Progression
The progression speed of a Shardscale infection is entirely
the GM’s discretion. The GM should advance the infection
as best fits their narrative and campaign structure.
Shardscale infections always progress in order. Once
the Shardscale fully reveal themselves, at a point in the
campaign that the GM decides, they rarely remain dormant
after infection, progressing immediately to Stage 1.
210 Arora: Age of Desolation
Random
Encounter Tables
Gallaht Random Encounters
D10 ENCOUNTER
1 1d4 blue-scaled kobolds and 1d4 blue dragaurs from a
local warlord’s tribe attack.
2 The party find a natural oasis ready to quench their thirst. The
area is riddled with quicksand (see Environmental Hazards).
3 The party approaches a fulgurite field. 2d6 dust mephits
attempt an ambush by blending into the fulgurite.
4 A fulgurite field contains 1d4 dust hags interested in
approaching the party.
5 The ground tremors and shifts under the party. They are
ambushed by a Bulette.
6 3d4+3 blue-scale kobolds infected with Stage 1 Shardscale
attempt to ambush the party.
7 A cavalcade of 3d6 blue scaled winged kobolds and 1d4
blue winged dragaurs strike the party from above.
8 A young blue dragon with a Dormant Shardscale infection
sits atop the ruins of a once great city.
9 The sandy dunes begin to shift as 2 sand elementals rise
from their depths to attack.
10 A storm flashes in the distance, Dawilquar approaches.
Khoor Random Encounters
D10 ENCOUNTER
1 While traveling through the shallows of a swamp, a sinkhole
opens beneath the party (see Environmental Hazards).
2 The party is ambushed by a swamp troll and 2d4
awakened shrubs.
3 While taking shelter from acid rain (see Environmental
Hazards) 2d4 leechwings strike the party from above.
4 1d4+1 crocotoads lie in wait attempting to swallow the
party as they traverse the swamp.
5 The party is engulfed by a thick, viscous fog. 2d8 will-o’-
wisps begin to surround the party.
6 2d10 kobold skeletons attack the party.
7 The party stumbles upon the ruins of a swamp-sunken fortress.
A young black dragon makes its lair in its sunken depths.
8 An overgrown husk of an adult black dragon lies rotting.
Upon investigation 2 swamp trolls ambush the party.
9 Toxic waters release caustic gasses (see Environmental
Hazards) and 2d4 black dragon wyrmlings ambush the
party from the depths.
10 The party hears the heavy beating of wings in the distance
as the twisting mangroves vibrate viciously. The air thickens
with vile fumes as Nycthias approaches.
 Mogsturma Random Encounters
D10 ENCOUNTER
1 The party approaches a grove of charred and twisted trees
where they are ambushed by 1d4 charred souls attempting
to charm them.
2 While traveling overland, the party notices the occasional
mud-brick termite-like tower dotting the landscape. These
are hrulgindar structures.
3 The party approaches the entrance to a cave trapped with
vials of “Bang Stuff”. Inside the cave are 3d12 kobolds.
4 A winged dragaur flies overhead, this is a scout for Toroshivar.
5 The party approach a fragile natural bridge that crosses a
river of lava where a fire elemental plays.
6 The charred and tattered remains of a makeshift wooden
dragon worm lies in the ashen dirt. 2d4 kobolds with
dormant Shardscare infections await in ambush.
7 A volcanic eruption occurs, and lava explodes from the
scorched earth (see Environmental Hazards).
8 The party is ambushed by 1d4 magma mephits hiding in
a mound of magma.
9 A caravan of 2d4 dragonaire veterans transporting 2d6
prisoners can be seen in the distance.
10 Toroshivar is on the hunt during a bout of Dragonrage, she
soars the skies looking to deal destruction.

Prazzolar Random Encounters

D10 ENCOUNTER
1 An antlered gulca is spotted grazing the icy tundra for
lichens in the distance.
2 The party approaches a hidden chasm which could break at
any moment.
3 A pack of 2d4+1 white scaled kobolds attempt to ambush
the party.
4 An ice golem begins to animate and attack the party.
5 The party stumble across a patch of thin ice.
6 Traveling overland, the party approach a deep freeze area
(see Environmental Hazards)
7 A hunting pack of 2 white dragaurs and 3d4 kobolds
approaches the party.
8 An adult white dragon approaches the party, flying from
a distance.
9 A plesiosaurus strikes from beneath the icy floor.
10 1d4 young white dragons with stage 1 Shardscale infection
strike from above.
"I’ve hunted beasts from Prazzolar to Gallaht, from
Khoor to Mogsturma. If I can kill the greatest beasts of
Tievmer, I’ll be the great hunter who ever lived. People
of the Five Realms will know my name forever."
- Anonymous Hunter, Deceased
Tievmer Random Encounters
D10 ENCOUNTER
1 2d10 skeletons attack the party from the dark twisted and
tangled woods.
2 1d4 hill giants search the woods for food, including
dracokin and humanoids.
3 2d6 pixies follow the party, playing tricks on them at
any opportunity.
4 A band of 2d6 stage 1 Shardscale infected kobolds hide in
the trees awaiting an ambush opportunity.
5 1d10 dryads stand in a circle of deep woods, protective of
their area.
6 The front half of visbun lost beast sits at the mouth of a burrow.
7 A rhylif lost beast hides, camouflaged, and makes its stand
and protecting its territory.
8 2d4 othalu lost beasts scutter out of the twisted and dark
tree roots.
9 A young green dragon and 1d4 green dragaurs approach
the party in the forest.
10 Saihan soars overhead, searching for prey.

Chapter 9: Running The Game 211

212 Arora: Age of Desolation
 Chapter 10:
Monsters
of Arora

Dracokin
The following stat blocks cover the unique dracokin found within
the Five Realms of Arora during the Age of Desolation.

Dragaurs
As the name implies, the dragaur are a saurian race related to
true dragons. They reproduce in male/female pairs, though
spontaneous sex change is not uncommon. Most dragaur have a
fluid sense of gender.
They lay eggs in groupings of usually four to eight, with an
internal gestation period of around five months, and then an
external development period of another five months. The eggs must
be kept at a constant temperature and under strict environmental
control. Once hatched, dragaur are extremely hardy, but before
hatching the eggs are highly susceptible to damage. Even under the
best conditions around ten percent of eggs become non-viable.
Dragaur have scaled hides, an elongated lower body closer in
aspect to a lizard with four limbs, a humanoid torso with arms and
a draconic head, but otherwise can vary greatly in size, coloration,
intelligence, capability, and temperament. Some fifteen percent of
the population grow wings strong enough for flight.
Dragaur Colors. Now the dominant dracokin generally across
the Five Realms of Arora, the dragaur are powerful quadrupeds
related to dragons. They have four powerful lower limbs and a
tail extending from a lizard-like body. A humanoid torso extended
above the forelegs, supporting a pair of humanoid arms and a
saurian head. They typically come in five different colored scales,
each color having a unique damage immunity type. Red dragaurs
are immune to fire, white immune to cold, black immune to acid,
blue immune to lightning, and green immune to poison damage.
Different colors can be found across the different realms, however
they are typically more likely to be found in higher numbers in
the realm for which their ancestral true dragon cousins rule. For
instance, red dragaurs are more likely found in Mogsturma, and
white dragaurs more likely found in Prazzolar.

213
 Variant Dragaurs
Dragaur
Elite Champion. AC increases to 20 (natural armor),
Large dragon, typically any evil (75%) or any neutral (25%) Multiattack increases to five attacks - three spear attacks
and two claws, and CR increases by 2.
Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Winged Dragaur. add Fly 60ft.
Hit Points 51 (6d10+18) Hunter Dragaur. add Earthsense 120 ft. and increase CR by
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (15% of dragaur) 1 and gains the following feature:
Earthsense. You can sense the shape and motion of creatures
and objects through earth and stone to the limit of the
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
range of this ability. This ability is blocked by metal.
18 (+4) 12 (+1) 17 (+3) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) Red Scale Sorcerer Dragaur. Charisma becomes 18, CR
increased by 2, and gains the following feature:
Skills Athletics +7, Perception +3 Innate Spellcasting. The scale sorcerer dragaur’s innate
Damage Immunities fire (red), cold (white), acid (black), spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15, +7
lightning (blue), poison (green) to hit with spell attacks). The scale sorcerer dragaur
can innately cast the following spells, requiring no
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from
material components:
nonmagical weapons
At will: dancing lights, produce flame
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
3/day each: faerie fire, flaming sphere, scorching ray
Languages Common, Draconic
1/day each: fireball, fire shield
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3

Magic Resistance. The dragaur has advantage on saving throws

against spells and other magical effects.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The dragaur makes three attacks: two with its
spear and one with its claws.
Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to
hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11
(2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7
to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
9 (2d4 + 4) slashing damage,
and if the target is Medium or
smaller it must make a DC 16
Strength saving throw or be
knocked prone.

214 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Shardscale Dracokin
The following stat blocks are examples
of dracokin who have been infected with
different stages of Shardscale.

Shardscale Kobold Dragonrage (Stage 1). The kobold suffers from uncontrollable
bouts of rage. Once per day, and at the GM’s discretion, the
Small dracokin (Kobold), typically any evil
creature must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw, becoming
enraged for 1d8 hours on a failure. An enraged creature attacks
Armor Class 14 (Shardscale) any other creature, friend, or foe, that comes within 30 feet of it.
Hit Points 5 (2d6-2) When the enraged state ends, the kobold has no memory of its
Speed 30 ft. time while enraged.
Shardscale Protrusions (Stage 1). The kobold suffers growths
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA of multi-colored crystalline shards protruding from their flesh,
7 (-2) 15 (+2) 9 (-1) 8 (-1) 7 (-2) 8 (-1) growing from within. The crystals are as hard as steel and offer
a degree of protection. When the creature wears no armor, the
creature has a +2 bonus to their AC.
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8
Languages Common, Draconic ACTIONS
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Crystal Claws (Stage 1). Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d8-2) piercing damage. If the target is an
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the kobold has uninfected dragon or dracokin-type creature, it must succeed on a DC
disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) 11 Constitution saving throw or be infected with Shardscale starting
checks that rely on sight. at the Dormant Stage (see rules on Shardscale Stage Progression).
Pack Tactics. The kobold has advantage on an attack roll against Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
a creature if at least one of the kobold’s allies is within 5 feet of Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
Sling. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 ft.,
one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 215

Shardscale Red Dragonborn
Medium dracokin (dragonborn), typically neutral

Armor Class 20 (Shardscale)

Hit Points 60 (8d8+24)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

15 (+2) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)

Saving Throws Con +6, Int +7, Wis +5, Cha +4

Skills Athletics +5, Intimidation +4, Perception +5
Damage Resistances Fire
Senses passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3

Dragonrage (Stage 3). The dragonborn suffers from uncontrolla-

ble rage all the time. The creature attacks any other non-shard-
scale infected creature, friend, or foe, that comes within
30 feet of it. The creature is unthinking and unreasonable, seek-
ing only to destroy life and spread Shardscale to other dragon or
dracokin type creatures.
Shardscale Protrusions (Stage 3). The dragonborn suffers
growths of multi-colored crystalline shards protruding from
their flesh, growing from within, now covering its entire body.
The crystals are as hard as steel and offer a degree of protection.
The creature can no longer wear armor of any kind. The creature
has a +10 bonus to their AC.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The dragonborn makes three longsword attacks.
Crystal Claws (Stage 3). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d12+2) piercing damage. If the damaged
target is an uninfected dragon or dracokin-type creature, it must
succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be infected
with Shardscale starting at the Dormant Stage (see rules on
Shardscale Stage Progression).
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage.
Fire Breath (Recharge 6). The dragonborn exhales a cone of fire
in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 14
Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Shard Darts. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 20/40 ft.,
one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) piercing damage. If the damaged
target is an uninfected dragon or dracokin-type creature, it must
succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be infected
with Shardscale starting at the Dormant Stage (see rules on
Shardscale Stage Progression).

216 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Monsters of Gallaht

Chamocactus
A large carnivorous plant, the chamocactus lures its
prey by camouflaging its body to look like a large shade-
providing stone. Its two long sucker vines hide beneath
the sand and latch onto shelter-seeking creatures, slowly
draining them of blood.
The chamocactus’ needleless skin contains pigments
that allow it to effectively camouflage. These are valued for
both their use in dyes and medicinal use.

Chamocactus
Rooted in the Sand. While the chamocactus has its tendrils dug
Large plant, unaligned
into sand and remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a
desert rock. It takes the chamocactus 1 minute to dig its tendrils
Armor Class 14 (natural armor) into the sand.
Hit Points 75 (10d10+20)
Speed 5 ft. ACTIONS
Multiattack. The cactus has two sucker vines and can make one
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA attack with each of them.
18 (+4) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 1 (-5) 12 (+1) 1 (-5) Sucker Vine. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 20 ft., one
creature. Hit: The target takes 11 (2d6+4) piercing damage, and
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +2 it is grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, at the start
Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhaustion, prone of each of the chamocactus’ turns, the target loses 21 (6d6+3) hit
points due to blood loss and the chamocactus regains hit points
Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 13
equal to half that amount. While attached, the chamocactus
Languages –
can’t use the same sucker vine on another target.
Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 217


Chimeric Peacock
The chimeric peacock is a multi-headed flightless bird
native to the deserts of Gallaht. It has a round, featherless
body with a tough, chitin-like skin that protects the brain
within. Five to eight long curved necks grow out of the
body, each culminating in a beaked head with a colorful
feathered crest.
As camouflage, the peacock can bury its head array in
sand, leaving only its rock-resembling body exposed. When
its heads are out of the ground, they form a semi-circular
array that gives the birds its name.
Peacocks are prized the armor of their bodies and the meat
of their soft thick necks, which makes excellent travel jerky.
The necks are so thick that they barely bleed, giving the bird an
uncanny ability to survive with one or more head cut off.

Chimeric Peacock Head in the Sand. While the peacock has its heads dug into sand
and remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a desert
Medium beast, unaligned
rock. It takes the peacock 1 minute to dig its head into the sand.

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 33 (6d8+6)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON
16 (+2) 12 (+1) 13 (+1)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages –
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Multi-headed. The chimeric peacock has 1d4+4 heads. As long as
it has 2 or more heads, the peacock loses one of those heads for
every 6 points of damage it takes.
ACTIONS
INT WIS CHA
Multiattack. The chimeric peacock makes one peck attack for
9 (-1) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) each of its heads.
Peck. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage.
Battle Rattle. The peacock issues a loud noise targeted at one
creature it can see within 60 feet. The creature must succeed
Proficiency Bonus +2
on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 2 (1d4) thunder
damage per head. On a success, the target takes half damage.

218 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Dawilquar
The ancient blue dragon soars above her realm,
preferring to stay aloft as long as the taint of the
Shardscale threatens to infect her. She is now more like
a weather event than an imperious ruler, for where she flies
immense electrical storms follow.
Dawilquar
(Ancient Blue Dragon)
Gargantuan Dragon, Lawful Neutral
Armor Class 22 (natural armor)
Hit Points 555 (30d20+240)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
29 (+9) 10 (+0) 27 (+8) 18 (+4) 17 (+3) 21 (+5)
Saving Throws Dex +7, Con +15, Wis +10, Cha +12
Skills Perception +17, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities lightning
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 27
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 26 (90,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +7
Raging Storm. Dawilquar has a perpetual lightning storm
raging around her to a distance of 150 feet, protecting her from
common threats as she makes her way through the skies of
Gallaht. An affected creature’s speed is halved in the area, and
when the creature enters the area for the first time on a turn
or starts its turn there, it must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving
throw, taking 88 (16d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful one.
Dragonrage. Dawilquar suffers from uncontrollable bouts of
rage. Each dawn Dawilquar must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving
throw, becoming enraged on failure for 1d4 hours. An enraged
creature attacks any other creature, friend, or foe, that comes
within 30 feet of it. When the enrage stops, Dawilquar has no
memory of her time while enraged.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw,
it can choose to succeed instead.
Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then
makes four attacks: one with its bite, one with its tail, and two
with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target.
Hit: 20 (2d10+9) piercing damage plus 11 (2d10) lightning damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 16 (2d6+9) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target.
Hit: 18 (2d8+9) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is
within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a
DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute.
A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of
its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s
saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is
immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Lightning Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales lightning
in a 120-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line
must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 88 (16d10)
lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
successful one.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the
options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at
a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon
regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings.
Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a
DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 16 (2d6+9) bludgeoning
damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to
half its flying speed.
219
 Dragon Warlords
The fierce and powerful Warlord Katighez has spent
centuries studying the mysteries of the arcane crystals
found in Krystalys. His experiments have yielded fruit, as
he has become adept at summoning and manipulating their
energies to his benefit.
In addition to being able to channel powerful
spellcasting through large arcane crystals, he has slowly
been adorning himself with smaller crystals, as well as
consuming them in small quantities. This has altered his
lightning breath into a devastating explosive attack that
leaves behind unstable explosive crystals.
Warlord Katighez
(Adult Blue Dragon)
Huge dragon, chaotic neutral
Armor Class 21 (natural armor)
Hit Points 243 (18d12+126)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 30 ft., fly 80 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
25 (+7) 10 (+0) 25 (+7) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 21 (+5)
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +12, Wis +8, Cha +11
Skills Arcana +15, Perception +14, Stealth +6
Damage Immunities lightning
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 24
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 19 (20,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +6
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving
throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence and its
Summon Crystals action. It then makes three attacks: one with
its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit:
18 (2d10+7) piercing damage plus 5 (1d10) lightning damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
14 (2d6+7) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit:
16 (2d8+7) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is
within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a
DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute.
A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of
its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s
saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is
immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
220 Arora: Age of Desolation
Lair Actions and Region Effects
Warlord Katighez uses all the standard Adult Blue Dragon
Lair Actions and Regional Effects, with the addition of the
following Lair action:
Wield the Eight Swords (1/day). If Warlord Katighez
has already used his Crystalline Lightning Breath action
and it has yet to recharge, he can use the breath weapon
one additional time as a lair action. This lair action can only
be used once per day.
Crystalline Lightning Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales
in a 90-foot line that is 15 feet wide. Each creature in that line
must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 66 (12d10)
lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on
a successful one. Regardless of success, the breath attaches
1d8+4 charged crystalline shards to each creature in its line. All
the crystalline shards attached to each creature are either black,
blue, red, or yellow (roll 1d4), and each have a unique effect on a
creature while they remain attached to it:
1. Black / Necrotic / The creature can’t regain hit points.
2. Blue / Lightning / The creature can’t take reactions.
3. Red / Fire / If the creature moves 15 or more feet, the shards
explode immediately dealing 1d6 fire damage.
4. Yellow / Radiant / The creature is blinded.
A creature or another creature adjacent to it can spend its action
removing all the shards. If any crystals are still attached to a
creature at the end of its turn, they explode, dealing 1d6 damage
of its damage type for each type of shard attached to the creature.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the
options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at
a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon
regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings.
Each creature within 10 feet of the dragon must succeed on a
DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 14 (2d6+7) bludgeoning
damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to
half its flying speed.
LEGENDARY REACTION
Drain Blue Crystal (Costs 2 Actions). When the dragon
perceives another creature casting a spell, the dragon can
expend 2 legendary actions to consume a blue crystal and cast
counterspell immediately. This does not expend the dragon’s
standard reaction, and can be used even if the dragon has
already used a legendary action this turn.
Other Dragon Warlords Add to Legendary Actions:
To create other blue dragon warlords, make the following Cantrip (Costs 1 action). The dragon casts one of its cantrips.
adjustments to an adult blue dragon. To add any shardscale Spellcasting (Costs 2 actions). The dragon casts one of its spells.
effects, see page 209.

Warlord Velahntropir
Warlord Sokkerranantha (Dustwing)
CR Increases to 17
CR increases to 18
Velahntropir’s Stealth bonus is +10.
Add to actions:
Add to traits:
Chaotic Dustwave (Recharge 1-2). The dragon rears and creates
Spellcasting. The dragon is a 14th level spellcaster, charisma
a strong dust blast in a 60 foot cube originating from it. All
is its casting stat. DC 17, +9 to spell attacks. It can cast the
creatures within the cube must succeed on a DC20 Constitution
following spells without any components.
saving throw or be blinded by dust until the end of their next turn.
Cantrips (at-will): minor illusion, shocking grasp (3d8), true strike
Additionally, any friendly creatures within 30 feet of the dragon
3/day each: counterspell, mislead
can immediately use their reaction to leap or fly up to 40 feet and
1/day each: confusion (6th level), dominate person
make 1 melee attack. If it chooses, the dragon can use this action
as part of its multiattack instead of using Frightful Presence. Add to Actions:
Move the Pieces (Recharge 1). The dragon magically turns up
Warlord Xarikethrex (the White Knight) 8 willing creatures of its choice within 100 feet of it. They are
CR increases to 18 invisible and the dragon teleports them to new locations within
Add to traits: the same range. The creatures remain invisible until they move,
take an action, or the end of their next turn. If it chooses, the
Spellcasting. The dragon is a 14th level spellcaster, charisma
dragon can use this action as part of its multiattack instead of
is its casting stat. DC 17, +9 to spell attacks. It can cast the
using Frightful Presence.
following spells without any components.
Cantrips (at-will): chill Touch (3d8), shocking grasp (3d8)
3/day each: dispel magic, mass cure wounds
1/day each: spirit guardians (6th level), heal

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 221

 Dust Hag
Dust hags are independent hermits with fey origins. For
the dust hags that call Gallaht home, the connection to the
fey realms is tenuous and does not define their behavior,
morality, or purpose. Each dust hag has free will to act as
she pleases.
Regardless of age, dust hags have grey skin that has
the look and texture of heavily wrinkled leather. Many
adorn their clothing and abode with pierces of fulgurite
or polished fulgurite glass.
All dust hags are capable spellcasters, though in combat,
they prefer to use their innate ability to control sand
whirlwinds in combination with their spellcasting. They
are also known to summon dust mephits—either as support
or distraction.
Dust hags rarely form covens, but when they do, these are
most often alliance of convenience and purpose, the need to
combine power to achieve a specific end. Such covens are
usually dissolved peacefully once the task is completed.
Some dust hags focus on developing divination powers.
These dust hag oracles are widely respected and often sought
out even by other dust hags for their wisdom and sight.
Fulgurite Whirl. Finally, there are some dust hags in
the Fulgurite Fields of Gallaht that choose to give up their
personality and desires, becoming one with the sand. They
slowly transform into a construct known as fulgurite whirl.
In this form they no longer have biological needs, and are
immune to most desert hardships. Whirls wander the deserts
without purpose, many becoming a danger not only to
humanoids, but to other dust hags as well. Some fall under the
control of powerful dust hags or other spellcasters.

Variant: Dust Hag Oracle

To create a dust hag oracle, add the following traits to the
dusk hag.
• Add to senses: truesight 60 ft.
• Add to reactions: Oracle’s Vision. When the hag or
a creature it can see makes an attack roll or saving
throw, the hag can cause the roll to be made with
advantage or disadvantage.
• Add to spellcasting:
At-will: hex
2/day each: detect thoughts
1/day each: arcane eye

222 Arora: Age of Desolation

Dust Hag
Medium fey (hag), chaotic evil
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 120 (16d8+48)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 11 (+0) 16 (+3) 18 (+4)
Saving Throws Cha +7, Con +6, Wis +6,
Skills Deception +7, Insight +6, Perception +6, Survival +6
Damage Resistance bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from
nonmagical attacks.
Damage Immunities lightning, thunder
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Common, Primordial, Sylvan
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Innate Spellcasting. The hag’s spellcasting ability is Charisma
(spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately
cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: blur, disguise self, prestidigitation, vicious mockery (3d4),
gust of wind, shocking grasp (3d8)
2/day each: counterspell, dispel magic, fly, lightning bolt, misty step
1/day each (cast at 5th level): bestow curse, fear, conjure minor
elementals (dust mephits only)
Magic Resistance. The hag has advantage on saving throws
against spells and other magical effects.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The hag casts or interacts with 1 spell that requires
1 action and makes 2 conjure whirlwind attacks, or it makes 3
conjure whirlwind attacks.
Conjure Whirlwind. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 90
ft., one creature. Hit: 17 (3d8+4) slashing damage, and if the
creature is Large or smaller, it is knocked 10 feet in the direction
of the hag’s choice.
Variant: Dust Hag Coven
A dust hag coven can include any combination of dust hags
and dust hag oracles. To create a coven version of a dust
hag or dust hag oracle, add the shared spellcasting trait, and
increase the CR of the creature by 1:
Shared Spellcasting. While all three members of a hag
coven are within 30 feet of one another, they can each cast
the following spells. Each spell can only be cast once total
by the coven. All coven spells are cast at 6th level:blight,
eyebite, conjure elemental (sand elemental only), insect
plague, greater invisibility, heal
Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora
Fulgurite Whirl
Large construct, unaligned
Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 161 (19d10+57)
Speed 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 20 (+5) 17 (+3) 5 (-3) 14 (+2) 8 (-1)
Skills Acrobatics +9, Athletics +9, Perception +6, Survival +6
Damage Immunities poison, lightning, slashing
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 120 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages understands languages it knew as a hag (usually
Common, Primordial, and Sylvan) but can’t speak
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +4
Greater Fulgurite Shell. Whenever a creature hits the whirl
with a melee attack, that creature takes 1d8 slashing damage.
Any creature grappling or grappled by the whirl takes 5 (2d8)
slashing damage immediately, and at the start of each of the
creature’s turns until the grapple ends.
Magic Resistance. The whirl has advantage on saving throws
against spells and other magical effects.
Unusual Nature. The whirl doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The whirl can make two attacks and use its
Fulgurite Blast action, or it can make four attacks.
Fulgurite Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
creature. Hit: 18 (3d8+5) piercing damage, and the creature can’t
take reactions until the start of its next turn.
Fulgurite Shard. Ranger Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 30 ft.,
one creature. Hit: 15 (3d6+5) slashing damage.
Fulgurite Blast. The whirl spins and unleashes fulgurite shards.
Each creature within 20 feet of the whirl must succeed on a DC
17 Dexterity saving throw or take 21 (6d6) slashing damage. On a
success, the creature takes half damage.
223
 Knight of the First Wing
The kobolds of the First Wing are chosen carefully for both
their dedication to Dawilquar and their martial prowess.

Knight of the First Wing Lightning Empowered. When within 100 feet of Dawilquar, the
knight’s speed is doubled, it has advantage on Dexterity saving
Medium humanoid (kobold), lawful neutral
throws, and it gains an additional action on each of its turns. Addi-
tionally, all of its attacks deal an additional 1d8 lightning damage.
Armor Class 20 (plate armor, shield)
Hit Points 68 (8d8+32) Pack Tactics. The knight has advantage on an attack roll against
a creature if at least one of the knight’s allies is within 5 feet of
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA ACTIONS

16 (+3) 16 (+3) 18 (+4) 11 (+0) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) Multiattack. The knight makes two attacks, either with its
longsword or with its storm tiara.
Saving Throws Str +6, Dex +6 Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from target. Hit: 13 (2d8+3) slashing damage.
nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities lightning Lightning Blast. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 100 ft.,
one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+3) lightning damage.
Senses blindsight 60 ft, darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Draconic REACTIONS
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Block. The knight adds 2 to its AC against one melee attack that
would hit it. To do so, the knight must see the attacker and be
wielding a shield.

224 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Lingering Wakeshark
Likened to sharks for their triangular sand-colored fins,
these long-bodied reptiles live in deep sands. The lingering
wakeshark burrows through sand, staying buried as it
stalks its prey.
Although not especially intelligent, lingering wakesharks
use their fins to project illusions of anything they have seen.
These illusions lack comprehension of their subject matter,
and are based entirely on items or locations that had
previously drawn creatures to them.
Lingering wakesharks are patient and can lie in wait
for days waiting for prey. Once a creature is drawn in,
the wakeshark uses its six short but powerful legs to leap
great distances.

Lingering Wakeshark Standing Leap. The wakeshark’s long jump is up to 40 feet and
its high jump is up to 20 feet, with or without a running start.
Medium beast, unaligned
Waiting Predator. The wakeshark deals an additional 1d10
Armor Class 16 (natural armor) damage to any creature that it was hidden from.
Hit Points 37 (5d8+15)
Speed 30 ft., burrow 30 ft. ACTIONS
Multiattack. The wakeshark makes two bite attacks.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
15 (+2) 12 (+1) 14 (+3) 3 (-4) 14 (+2) 7 (-2) 13 (2d10+2) piercing damage.
Hunter’s Illusion. The wakeshark’s fin projects a large magical
Skills Perception +4 Stealth +5 illusion in a 10-foot cube around it. The illusion can be of any-
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 14 thing that a wakeshark has seen, even if it does not understand
Languages – its purpose. It typically appears as a desirable object or location
found in the desert such as quicksand, a plant, or even a sand
Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
skiff. The illusion lasts until the wakeshark moves. The illusion
can contain minor movement such as the buzzing of insects
Blood Frenzy. The wakeshark has advantage on melee attack and simple sounds. While the illusion is projected, the hidden
rolls against any creature that doesn’t have all its hit points. wakeshark cannot be seen without detecting the illusion, which
Sand Stealth. The wakeshark can use a bonus action to move requires a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check.
up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks and hide in
sandy terrain.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 225

 Living Sandstorm
Barely sentient, the living sandstorms of Gallaht serve as
unwitting guardians of its natural borders. Stretching out
for hundreds of feet, they roam the Golden Ocean without
purpose or desire, grinding anything and everything they
come into contact with into sand.
The living sandstorms prefer deep open sands and the
reasons as to why they never cross out of the Golden Ocean
is a mystery. If one chose to cross into populated lands, or
was somehow drawn there, it would pose a deadly danger
even to dragons.

Living Sandstorm Limited Magic Immunity. The living sandstorm can’t be affected or
detected by spells of 6th level or lower that require a saving throw,
Gargantuan elemental (titan), unaligned
even if they are cast using a higher-level spell slot. It has advantage
on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.
Armor Class 25 (natural armor)
Hit Points 676 (33d20+330) Siege Monster. The living sandstorm deals double damage to
objects and structures.
Speed 100 ft.
ACTIONS
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Multiattack. The living sandstorm makes one sand grind attack
30 (+10) 8 (-1) 30 (+10) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 3 (-4) against every creature within 100 feet of it that is not a living
sandstorm or a sand elemental. If the living sandstorm has made
Saving Throws Str +19, Wis +10 less than 10 attacks on its turn, it can make additional attacks
Damage Immunities fire, lightning, poison, psychic; up to a total of 10 against any creatures of its choosing.
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Sand Grind. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach 100 ft., one
Condition Immunities all target. Hit: 36 (4d12+10) slashing damage. On hit, a creature
Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 11 must succeed on DC 20 Strength saving throw or be tossed
Languages – 1d6×10 feet up into the air.
Challenge 30 (155,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +9
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Air Form. The living sandstorm can enter a hostile creature’s The living sandstorm can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from
space and stop there. It can move through a space as narrow as 1 the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used
inch wide without squeezing. at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The living
sandstorm regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Blinding Winds. The area within 100 feet of a living sandstorm is
heavily obscured. Sand Grind Attack. The living sandstorm makes a sand grind attack.

226 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Red Crystal Snail
Variant: Other Crystal Snails
Crystal snails are unique to the Krystalys region of Gallaht.
As these snails gorge themselves on the arcane power of Crystal snails come in many varieties, depending on the
energy crystals, they grow to the size of a medium creature. crystal type they had been feeding on. Different snails have
different colors, a different immunity, and deal damage
Red crystal snails are created after a giant snail feeds
appropriate to their color:
on a red fire-energy crystal. As the snail grows, its shell
becomes imbued with energy, and can become unstable D8 COLOR TYPE D8 COLOR TYPE
and explode when damaged. The snail defends itself by
channeling energy through its antennae. 1 Yellow Radiant 5 Black Necrotic
Crystal snails are valuable for their energy- 2 White Cold 6 Green Poison
shells, the water they store in their 3 Red Fire 7 Purple Psychic
shells, and for their delicate meat.
4 Blue Lightning 8 Grey Thunder

Red Crystal Snail
Medium monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 49 (9d8+9)
Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft.
STR DEX CON
14 (+2) 8 (-1) 12 (+1) 6 (-2)
Skills Perception +4, Survival +4
Damage Immunities fire
Senses tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages –
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Crystal-charged Shell. The crystal snail’s shell begins with 1d4+2
charges. Whenever the crystal snail takes damage from an
attack or a hostile creature’s spell, roll a d10. On a roll of 1, the
snail’s shell fully discharges, forcing all creatures within 30 feet
of the snail to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6
fire damage for every charge remaining in its shell. On a success,
the creature takes half damage. On a roll other than 1, the snail
discharges a single charge of its crystal at a random creature
INT WIS CHA within 60 feet of it that is not behind total cover, dealing 3 (1d6)
fire damage to that creature.
14 (+2) 6 (-2)
Spider Climb. The snail can climb difficult surfaces, including up-
side down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Targeting Antennae. The crystal snail does not suffer
disadvantage as a result of making ranged attacks at close range.
ACTIONS
Proficiency Bonus +2
Multiattack. The crystal snail makes two attacks with its
charged antennae.
Charged Antennae. Ranged Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 60 ft.,
one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) fire damage.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 227

 Sand Elemental
The sand elementals of Gallaht are wild and aimless.
When they lash out at passersby out of self-preservation or
boredom rather than out of malice or hunger.
Even though sand elementals can blend perfectly
into the desert, they rarely choose guile. They present
themselves in their pure swirling form of hot sand that can
grind through humanoid skin in moments.
Sand elementals are difficult to damage with weapons.
Although they radiate their own heat, extreme heat or
lightning can cause them to start hardening into glass.
This makes them easier to break, but increases the force
of their attacks.

Sand Elemental Vitrification. When the elemental takes 15 or more lightning or

fire damage from a single source, it hardens until the start of its
Large elemental, unaligned
next turn. While hardened, its AC increases to 20, it becomes
immune to fire and lightning damage, its burrow speed is
Armor Class 17 (natural armor) reduced to 5 feet, it loses resistance to bludgeoning, piercing,
Hit Points 126 (12d10+60) and slashing from nonmagical attacks, and becomes vulnerable
Speed 30 ft., burrow 30 ft. to bludgeoning damage. Additionally, it’s sand burst attack
changes to sand slam.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Sand Glide (Base Form Only). The elemental can burrow through
20 (+5) 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 5 (-3) 8 (-1) 5 (-3) nonmagical sand. While doing so, the elemental doesn’t disturb
the sand.
Damage Resistances fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
ACTIONS
from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison Multiattack. The elemental makes three attacks.
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, Sand Burst (Base Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit,
poisoned, unconscious reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) slashing damage.
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Sand Slam (Hardened Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit,
Languages Terran reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8+5) bludgeoning damage.
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Sand Swirl (Base Form Only, Recharge 4–6). Each creature
within 10 feet of the sand elemental must succeed on a DC 15
Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. The target or
another creature within 5 feet of the target can use their action to
remove sand from the target’s eyes, ending the blinded condition.

228 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Swarm of Fulgurite Crabs
Bloodthirsty fulgurite crabs use their glass-sharp car-
apaces to cut creatures and feed on their liquids. The
crabs are communal and where there is one, there is
usually a swarm.

Swarm of Fulgurite Crabs Blood Frenzy. The swarm has advantage on melee attack rolls
against any creature that doesn’t have all its hit points.
Large swarm of Tiny beasts, unaligned
Fulgurite Shell. Whenever a creature hits the swarm with a
Armor Class 15 melee attack, that creature takes 1d6 slashing damage.
Hit Points 52 (8d10+8) Cutting Carapace. Whenever another creature begins its turn
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. in a space occupied by the swarm, that creature takes 2d4
slashing damage.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Spider Climb. The swarm can climb difficult surfaces, including up-
9 (-1) 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 3 (-4) 10 (+0) 3 (-4) side down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing vice versa, and it can move through any opening large enough
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, for a Tiny creature. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain
paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned temporary hit points.
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft. passive Perception 10
Languages – ACTIONS
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the
swarm’s space. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage, or 7 (2d6) piercing
damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 229

 Volt Warrior
The Children of the Volt are humanoids that have adapted
to live in the poisoned ruins beneath the deserts of Gallaht.
They are naturally adapted to poison and acid, and won’t
hesitate to lead others into traps.
Volt warriors are adept at using spears at both close
range and distance, while volt shamans wield the power
of lightning.
Aside from their resistances and well-developed
darkvision, the Children of the Volt—like most humanoids
of Arora—feature a wide variety of ancestral traits.
The Children speak their own language, which was once
rooted in the common tongue of the city of Alforra, but has
since evolved to be unrecognizable.

Volt Warrior
Medium humanoid, chaotic evil

Armor Class 16 (studded leather)

Hit Points 75 (10d8+30)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

12 (+1) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 11 (+0) 14 (+2) 10 (+0)

Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +5

Skills Acrobatics +6, Perception +4, Stealth +6
Damage Immunities poison
Damage Resistances acid, lightning
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Draconic, Common
Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Brave. The warrior has advantage on saving throws against

being frightened.
Desert Camouflage. The warrior has advantage on Dexterity
(Stealth) checks made to hide in desert terrain.
Variant: Volt Shaman
ACTIONS The Children of the Volt warriors are often led by a
Multiattack. The warrior makes three melee attacks or two shaman. The shaman has the same statistics as the
ranged attacks. warrior, with the following adjustments:

Desert Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach

• Its Wisdom is 16 (+3)
• Its Perception bonus is +5
5 ft. and range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) piercing
• Its passive Perception is 15
damage, or 12 (2d8+3) piercing damage if used with two hands
It’s actions and reactions are replaced with: Spellcasting (5th-
to make a melee attack.
level spellcaster; spell save DC 13 +5 to hit with spell attacks)
and it can cast the following spells:
REACTIONS
At-will: shocking grasp (30 ft. range)
Lightning Backlash (3/Day). When a creature hits the volt warrior 3/day each: shield, thunderwave
with an attack, the attacker takes 9 (2d8) lightning damage. 2/day: dispel magic
1/day: call lightning

230 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Wild Sand Drake
These naturally occurring dragons live and breed in the
Wild Sand Drake
wilds of Gallaht. They are wingless and are commonly used Medium dragon, any alignment
as pets or mounts.
Sand drakes are well-acclimated to the desert Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
environment and are comfortable in its blistering sun. Hit Points 52 (7d8+21)
They can subsist on very little water. Speed 40 ft.
Desert raiders train drakes to sniff out water deposits.
A trained waterdrake is highly prized, so help them defend
themselves from desert beasts and other raiders, they are STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
sometimes outfitted with a bonetusk armor. This armor 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)
is grafted permanently onto their bodies to provide both
protection and a stronger attack. Damage Resistances fire, lightning
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Variant: Trained Waterdrake Languages understands but can’t speak Draconic
A trained Waterdrake has the same statistics as a wild sand Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
drake, with the following adjustments:
• Its Wisdom is 14
• It has proficiency in the Perception and Survival skills. ACTIONS
Both have a +4 bonus. Multiattack. The drake makes two attacks: one with its bite and
These adjustments do not change its CR. one with its claws.
Additionally, some trained waterdrakes are outfitted with Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
permanently-attached bonetusk armor. This increases Hit: 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage.
the drake’s AC to 16, and replaces its bite attack with
a bonetusk strike. Using bonetusk armor increases the Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
waterdrake’s CR to 3. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) slashing
Bonetusk Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft.,
one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) piercing damage.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 231

 Crocotoad
Crocotoads are large beasts with the torso of a giant toad,
an elongated snout lined with sharp teeth, and a powerful
tail that not only propels them through water but can also
slap unsuspecting creatures. On land, they hop on their
strong toad legs. Lacking forward appendages, the cro-
cotoad relies on its snout and tail for balance. The large
Monsters of Khoor
stomach allows them to swallow Medium-sized or smaller
creatures whole.
Few predators enjoy the taste of crocotoad flesh, though
in the deep swamp, some resort to eating the peculiar beast
when other food is scarce.
Though they prefer eating meat, these omnivores have
a peculiar favorite treat, witches’ beard, which they are
immune to. These beasts enjoy the hanging moss so much
that they’ve been spotted leaping to great heights along the
edge of the Dead Wood to reach the magical morsel.
Witches’ Beard Crocotoad. Occasionally, a crocotoad
consumes enough witches’ beard that they become a
conduit for the moss’s magic, its body becoming covered in
glowing bubbles of acid which burst when hit with a melee
attack. A crocotoad with witches’ beard dangling from its
snout is certainly a not one to mess with.

Crocotoad ACTIONS
Large beast, unaligned Multiattack. The crocotoad makes a bite attack and a tail attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
Armor Class 12 (natural armor) 7 (1d10+2) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape
Hit Points 22 (3d10+6) DC 12). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the
Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft. crocotoad can’t bite another target.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA (1d10+2) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must
15 (+2) 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 4 (-2) 10 (+0) 5 (-3) succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Swallow. The crocotoad makes one bite attack against a Medium
Skills Stealth +2 or smaller target it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target is
Damage Resistances acid swallowed, and the grapple ends. The swallowed target is blinded
and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects
Senses darkvision 30 ft. passive Perception 12
outside the crocotoad, and it takes 7 (2d6) acid damage at the
Languages –
start of each of the crocotoad’s turns. The crocotoad can have only
Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 one target swallowed at a time. If the crocotoad dies, a swallowed
creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the
Hold Breath. The crocotoad can hold its breath for 15 minutes. corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Standing Leap. The crocotoad’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its
REACTIONS
high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
Tail Whip. As a reaction, after being hit with a melee attack,
the crocotoad whips its tail at the attacker. The target must
succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or suffer 5 (1d6+2)
bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.

232 Arora: Age of Desolation

Witches’ Beard Crocotoad ACTIONS
Large beast, unaligned Multiattack. The crocotoad makes a bite attack and a tail attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
Armor Class 12 (natural armor) 7 (1d10+2) piercing damage, and the target is grappled (escape
Hit Points 22 (3d10+6) DC 12). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the
Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft. crocotoad can’t bite another target.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA (1d10+2) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must
15 (+2) 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 4 (-2) 10 (+0) 5 (-3) succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Swallow. The crocotoad makes one bite attack against a Medium
Skills Stealth +2 or smaller target it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target is
Senses darkvision 30 ft. passive Perception 12 swallowed, and the grapple ends. The swallowed target is blinded
and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects
Languages –
outside the crocotoad, and it takes 7 (2d6) acid damage at the
Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
start of each of the crocotoad’s turns. The crocotoad can have only
one target swallowed at a time. If the crocotoad dies, a swallowed
Caustic Flesh. When the crocotoad takes damage, one of its acid creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the
bubbles burst. Any creature within 5 feet of it must make a DC 13 corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Dexterity saving throw, taking 3 (1d6) acid damage on failure.
Hold Breath. The crocotoad can hold its breath for 15 minutes. REACTIONS
Tail Whip. As a reaction, after being hit with a melee attack,
Magic Resistance. The crocotoad has advantage on saving
the crocotoad whips its tail at the attacker. The target must
throws against spells and other magical effects.
succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or suffer 5 (1d6+2)
Standing Leap. The crocotoad’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 233

 Giant Archer Fish
Giant archer fish have a triangular shaped,
silver body covered in dark splotches. The
fish has the unique ability to shoot jets of
water from its mouth, targeting creatures
above or around it with amazing accuracy.
Once the target is knocked into the water,
the fish gobbles it up and then finds a safe
place to digest its meal.

Giant Archer Fish ACTIONS

Large beast, unaligned Bite. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
3 bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 12).
Armor Class 12 (natural armor) Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the archer
fish can’t bite another target.
Hit Points 16 (3d10)
Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft. Water Jet. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 30 ft., one tar-
get. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature,
it must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
prone, landing in a random unoccupied square within 5 feet.
12 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 4 (-2) 12 (+1) 5 (-3)
Swallow. The archer fish makes one bite attack against a Medium
or smaller target it is grappling. If the attack hits, the target is
Skills Stealth +5 swallowed, and the grapple ends. The swallowed target is blinded
Senses darkvision 30 ft. passive Perception 11 and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects
Languages – outside the archer fish, and it takes 3 (1d6) acid damage at the
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 start of each of the archer fish’s turns. The archer fish can have
only one target swallowed at a time. If the archer fish dies, a
Sated Hunger. After an archer fish swallows its prey, it must swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape
use its actions and movement to disengage and move to a place from the corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.
where it can safely digest its meal.
BONUS ACTIONS
Water Breathing. The archer fish can breathe only underwater.
Feeding Time. If the archer fish’s water jet attack hits its target,
the archer fish may immediately move up to 15 feet and attempt
to bite the creature.

234 Arora: Age of Desolation

Kalnira ACTIONS
Large monstrosity, lawful evil Multiattack. Kalnira makes four attacks: one bite from each of
her heads and two with her claws. If she uses her fire breath
Armor Class 16 (natural armor) attack, she may also attack with her jaguar bite. Each attack may
choose separate targets.
Hit Points 178 (17d10+85)
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft. Jaguar Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 13 (2d10+2) piercing damage.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Dragon Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one
15 (+2) 15 (+2) 21 (+5) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 19 (+4) target. Hit: 13 (2d10+2) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) fire damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +9, Wis +7, Cha +8 10 (2d6+3) slashing damage.
Skills Insight +7, Perception +7, Persuasion +8 Fire Breath (Recharge 5-6). Kalnira’s red dragon head exhales
Damage Immunities fire a fire in a 25-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a
Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17 DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 45 (13d6) fire damage on a
Languages Common, Draconic failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +4
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Glide. Kalnira can glide up to 40 feet after leaping into the air Kalnira can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options
or jumping from a perch. At the end of her glide, she ends her below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time
movement landing on the ground or on another perch. and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Kalnira regains
spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
Innate Spellcasting. (3/Day). Kalnira can innately cast compelled
dual, friends, and command (spell save DC 16). Her spellcasting Claw. Kalnira makes a claw attack.
ability is Charisma. Detect. Kalnira makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Jeer (Costs 2 Actions). Kalnira utters a goading gibe or remark
Two-headed Perception. Kalnira has advantage on directed at a single target within 30 feet of her. If the target
Perception checks. can hear, it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw
or have disadvantage on its next ability check, attack roll, or
Improved Awareness. Kalnira has advantage on initiative rolls.
saving throw.
Magic Resistance. Kalnira has advantage on saving throws
against spells and other magical effects.
Standing Leap. Kalnira’s long jump is up to 40 feet and her high
jump is up to 20 feet, with or without a running start.

Kalnira
The result of dormant dragon blood being activated by
Shardscale, Kalnira has the head of a jaguar and the head
of a red dragon, each on individual necks. The jaguar head
speaks as the red dragon head is mute, though it can hear,
growl, and roar.
Kalnira’s body is a mix of jaguar and red dragon. She has
a jaguar paw ending in dragon talons, two misshapen wings,
and one dragon leg. Pieces of her jaguar hide hang from her
body, revealing sections of dragon scales. Though her wings
do not allow her to fly, she can glide with them for several feet.
Kalnira is proud of her form, seeing it as a blend of two
ferocious and intelligent creatures. The majestic creature
is charismatic and has gathered many followers. Many of
the inhabitants of the Sawgrass Sea worship her, creating
handcrafted altars depicting a taloned jaguar paw where
they leave food and treasures as offerings.
The cunning and calculating Kalnira has ambitions of
overthrowing Nycthias to take control of Khoor, seeing
The Deathly Shadow as a sad representation of a ruling
dragon. She wants to seal Khoor from the other realms by
destroying the interplanar rift. She’s begun to amass an
army, but isn’t yet strong enough to defeat Nycthias.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 235

 Lady Lillian Erragath
When the dragonborn vampire named Lady Lillian
Erragath first learned of her affliction, she moved to
Khoor and hired workers to build a tower in the center
of a dark forest where the trees nearly touched the
clouds. There, she lived out her undead life in solitude,
ever fighting the thirst for humanoid blood. Instead,
sating her appetite with the blood of forest animals
collected by her swarms of leechwings.
The Lady lived many years this way, hard years
living alone. But now Shardscale has entered her life,
destroying her will to remain somewhat good. She no
longer cares where her swarms obtain the blood that
quenches her hunger, though she can tell when they’ve
leeched from a humanoid.
Lady Lillian Erragath was a tall, slender green eyed
dragonborn with onyx black scales who loved art, music,
dancing, and especially fashion. One entire floor of her
tower is filled with robes, dresses, shoes, cloaks, and
traditional garments. She also brought many books, several
about undeath and vampirism, to the tower to fill the small
library next to her bedroom, which she studied for many
years, until she forgot why she even owned them.
Undeath has turned her once beautiful black scales
a putrid grey, her green eyes a pale white. She still
appreciates fashion and looks forward to dressing for
the night, though she’s slightly tired of the garments she
owns. She’s lost many of her memories of the days before,
her mind occupied with her constant hunger. One thing
remains, one scattered memory of gliding across the
ballroom floor, dancing. She longs to dance again, to feel
the warmth of another being grasp her hand, to smell
their neck, and to make one small bite.
Most of her nights are spent on the top floor of her
tower, peering out across the swamp forest, anxiously
waiting to hear the whipping tentacles of her flying
leechings. Longing to gorge herself with the bloated
creatures and the blood they carry.

236 Arora: Age of Desolation

Dragonborn Vampire
Medium Undead, lawful evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 144 (17d8+68)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 18 (+4) 18 (+7) 17 (+3) 15 (+2) 18 (+4)
Saving Throws Dex +9, Wis +7, Cha +9
Skills Perception +7, Stealth +9
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing damage from nonmagical attacks
Senses Darkvision 120 ft. passive Perception 17
Languages Draconic
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +5
Shapechanger. If the vampire isn’t in sunlight or running water,
it can use its action to polymorph into a Tiny leechwing or a
Medium cloud of mist, or back into its true form.
While in leechwing form, the vampire can’t speak, its walking
speed is 5 feet, and it has a flying speed of 30 feet. Its statistics,
other than its size and speed, are unchanged. Anything it is
wearing transforms with it, but nothing it is carrying does. It
reverts to its true form if it dies.
While in mist form, the vampire can’t take any actions, speak,
or manipulate objects. It is weightless, has a flying speed of 20
feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creature’s space and
stop there. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist
can do so without squeezing, and it can’t pass through water. It
has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving
throws, and it is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the
damage it takes from sunlight.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the vampire fails a saving
throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Misty Escape. When it drops to 0 hit points outside its resting place,
the vampire transforms into a cloud of mist (as in the Shapechanger
trait) instead of falling unconscious, provided that it isn’t in sunlight
or running water. If it can’t transform, it is destroyed.
While it has 0 hit points in mist form, it can’t revert to its vampire
form, and it must reach its resting place within 2 hours or be
destroyed. Once in its resting place, it reverts to its vampire form. It
is then paralyzed until it regains at least 1 hit point. After spending 1
hour in its resting place with 0 hit points, it regains 1 hit point.
Regeneration. The vampire regains 20 hit points at the start of its
turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn’t in sunlight or running wa-
ter. If the vampire takes radiant damage or damage from holy water,
this trait doesn’t function at the start of the vampire’s next turn.
Spider Climb. The vampire can climb difficult surfaces, including
upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora
Vampire Weaknesses. The vampire has the following flaws:
Forbiddance. The vampire can’t enter a residence without an
invitation from one of the occupants.
Harmed by Running Water. The vampire takes 20 acid damage if
it ends its turn in running water.
Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven
into the vampire’s heart while the vampire is incapacitated in its
resting place, the vampire is paralyzed until the stake is removed.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The vampire takes 20 radiant damage
when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has
disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
ACTIONS
Multiattack (Vampire Form Only). The vampire makes two
attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
Unarmed Strike (Vampire Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack:
+9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) bludgeoning
damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the
target (escape DC 18).
Bite (Bat or Vampire Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by
the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) piercing
damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point
maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage
taken, and the vampire regains hit points equal to that amount.
The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target
dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid
slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following
night as a vampire spawn under the vampire’s control.
Draining Breath (Recharge 5-6). The vampire exhales a 30-foot
line that is 5 feet wide of crackling black energy. Each creature
in that line must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 27
(6d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage
on a successful one. The vampire gains temporary hit points
equal to half the hit points drained.
Children of the Swamp (1/Day). The vampire magically calls 2d4
swarms of leechwings or rats, provided that the sun isn’t up.
The called creatures arrive in 1d4 rounds, acting as allies of the
vampire and obeying its spoken commands. The beasts remain
for 1 hour, until the vampire dies, or until the vampire dismisses
them as a bonus action.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The vampire can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the
options below. Only one legendary action option can be used
at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The
vampire regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Move. The vampire moves up to its speed without provoking
opportunity attacks.
Unarmed Strike. The vampire makes one unarmed strike.
Bite (Costs 2 Actions). The vampire makes one bite attack.
237
 Leechwing
Leechwings have a 5-inch long, soft, tubular body
ending in a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth surrounded
by three to five 5-inch long, thick tentacles covered in
tiny suction cups. Their coloration varies from light
brown to dark gray but can change slightly to mimic the
color of their surroundings.
These bloodsucking creatures fly by chaotically twirling
their tentacles in the air. No one knows why this allows the
leechwing to fly. Some believe the action creates a magical
effect, propelling the leechwing about on invisible strands
of arcane energy.

Leechwing ACTIONS
Small Beast, unaligned Blood Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
creature. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) piercing damage, and the leechwing
Armor Class 14 (natural armor) attaches itself to the target. While attached, the leechwing
doesn’t attack. Instead, at the start of each of its turns, the
Hit Points 4 (1d6+1)
target loses 6 (1d6+3) hit points due to blood loss.
Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft.
The leechwing can detach itself by spending 5 feet of its
movement. It does so after it drains 15 hit points from the target
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA or the target dies. A creature, including the target, can use its
6 (-2) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 2 (-4) 8 (-1) 6 (-2) action to attempt to detach the leechwing by succeeding on a
DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check.

Skills Stealth +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft. passive Perception 9
Languages –
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Keen Smell. The leechwing has advantage on Wisdom

(Perception) checks that rely on smell.

238 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Nycthias
The ancient black dragon was stricken with Shardscale
and, to escape the crystalline affliction’s progressing
madness, and eventual mind and body control, they are
seeking to become a dracolich. Nycthias is desperate for
a cure and will entertain any possibility to be free of the
disease—but many are the bones of those who have failed
to please the dragon.
While Nycthias believes that they have yet to surrender
to the Shardscale, they are delusional. The entire realm
Nycthias
(Ancient Black Dragon)
Gargantuan dragon, chaotic neutral
Armor Class 24 (Shardscale)
Hit Points 367 (21d20+147)
Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
27 (+8) 14 (+2) 25 (+7) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 19 (+4)
Saving Throws Dex +9, Con +14, Wis +9, Cha +11
Skills Perception +16, Stealth +9
Damage Immunities acid
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 26
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 26 (90,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +7
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Dragonrage (Stage 1). Nycthias suffers from uncontrollable
bouts of rage. Once per day, and at the GM’s discretion,
Nycthias must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw, becoming
enraged for 1d8 hours on a failure. An enraged Nycthias attacks
any other creature, friend, or foe, that comes within 30 feet of
it. When the enraged state ends, Nycthias has no memory of its
time while enraged.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw,
it can choose to succeed instead.
Shardscale Protrusions (Stage 1). Nycthias suffers growths of
multi-colored crystalline shards protruding from their flesh,
growing from within. The crystals are as hard as steel and offer a
degree of protection. When Nycthias wears no armor, they have
a +2 bonus to their AC.
Tears of Acid. When Nycthias takes flight she cries acid that
falls to the ground to a maximum distance of 40 feet directly
beneath her, covering a 20-foot-radius area centered on herself.
Any creature directly beneath her that is caught the area for the
first time on Nycthias’ turn while she moves overhead, or enters
the area for the first time on their turn must make on a DC 22
Dexterity saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) acid damage on a failed
save, and half as much damage on a successful one.
Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora
has been impacted by the dragon’s regional effects, hence
Khoor’s current state. The dragon is indeed crazed and
has bouts of dragonrage where they attack villages,
settlements, and even their own servants unprovoked,
though they rarely truly remember such occurrences.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then
makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit:
19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) acid damage.
Crystal Claws (Stage 1). Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit,
reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (4d8 + 8) slashing damage. If
the target is a dragon-type creature, it must succeed on a DC
14 Constitution saving throw or be infected with Shardscale
starting at the Dormant Stage (see rules on Shardscale Stage
Progression).
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit:
17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is
within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a
DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute.
A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of
its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s
saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature
is immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24
hours.
Acid Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales acid in a 90-foot
line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a
DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 67 (15d8) acid damage on a
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the
options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at
a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon
regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each
creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC
23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning
damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to
half its flying speed.
239
Swamp Troll
Large giant, chaotic evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 84 (8d10+40)
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
STR DEX CON
18 (+4) 10 (+0) 20 (+5)
Skills Perception +2
Senses darkvision 60 ft. passive Perception 12
Languages Giant
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Keen Smell. The swamp troll has advantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on smell.
False Appearance. While the swamp troll is motionless, it is
indistinguishable from a normal swamp formation, such as a
large tree or group of bushes.
Regeneration. The swamp troll regains 10 hit points at the start
of its turn. If the troll takes fire or radiant damage, this trait
INT WIS CHA doesn’t function at the start of the troll’s next turn. The troll dies
only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.
7 (-2) 9 (-1) 7 (-2)
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The swamp troll makes three attacks: one with its
bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7
Proficiency Bonus +3
(1d6+4) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
11 (2d4+4) slashing damage.

Swamp Troll
A swamps troll’s body is a mix of
greens, browns, and black patches
and streaks. Each swamp troll is
unique in its color pattern, making
no two swamp trolls similar in
appearance. Knobs, nodules, and
twig-like growths sprout from their
body. The combination of the col-
oring and these growths help them
blend into the swamp, appearing
as bushes, trees, or fallen trees if
they remain still.

240 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Monsters of
Mogsturma

Charred Soul
When the Forests of Mogsturma burned, the dryads
burned with them Unable to leave their trees, those that
didn’t perish became as twisted and blackened as the land.
Referred to as charred souls, these once gentle creatures
have become feral and bloodthirsty, convinced in their
pain and madness that the blood of intelligent creatures
could restore their arboreal home.
The Charred Souls hunt humanoids and other sentient
creatures that venture too close to their groves. Fortunately,
their range is limited, but within the woods they are
impossible to escape—transporting amongst the blackened
trunks and stalking with a fury unmatched. When a
sentient is captured, they are taken back to the grove for
ritual sacrifice, their blood watering withered roots while
their flesh nourishes withered bodies.
Charred Souls are humanoid in shape, but dark and
cracked. Whisps of smoke drift from empty eye sockets that
see more than they ever did in life, while bone-white teeth
and claws gnash reflectively in the presence of prey.

Charred Soul (Dryad)

Medium fey, chaotic evil

Armor Class 14 (natural armor) Tree Stride. Once on her turn, the charred soul can use 10 feet of
Hit Points 27 (5d8+5) her movement to step magically into one burned tree within her
Speed 30 ft. reach and emerge from a second burned tree within 60 feet of
the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of
the second tree. Both trees must be Large or bigger.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) ACTIONS
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5 7 (2d4+2) slashing damage
Damage Resistances fire
Dire Charm. The charred soul targets one humanoid that she
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
can see within 30 feet of her. If the target can see the dryad, it
Languages Draconic, Sylvan
must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be magically
Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 charmed. The charmed creature cannot harm or act in ways
that might harm the charred soul, and will follow single word
Innate Spellcasting. The charred soul’s innate spellcasting ability commands, such as surrender, follow, sleep, kneel.
is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The Each time the charred soul or its allies do anything harmful to
charred soul can innately cast the following spells, requiring no the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on
material components: itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 1 hour or until the
charred soul dies, is on a different plane of existence from the
At will: thorn whip, produce flame
target, or ends the effect as a bonus action. If a target’s saving
3/day each: bane, entangle
throw is successful, the target is immune to the charred soul’s
1/day each: hold person, spike growth
Dire Charm for the next 24 hours.
Magic Resistance. The charred soul has advantage on saving The charred soul can have no more than one humanoid
throws against spells and other magical effects. charmed at a time.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 241

 Dragon Worm
This gargantuan creature resembles a
dragon scaled worm of immense size, with a
tri-split maw filled with jagged teeth, and no
obvious sensory organs. They ‘see’ through
a combination of tremorsense and highly
sensitive pheromone receptors.
Dragon worms move through the earth
by magically liquifying it in a cone in front
of them, ingesting the result and consuming
any desirable minerals—or creatures—in
their path. The liquified earth is destroyed,
leaving tunnels in their wake. They are
omnivorous, but prize human flesh and iron
ore, and are irresistibly drawn to creatures
or objects covered in Tarleaf sap.
Their origins are something of a mystery.
Clearly at least partially draconic in nature,
they do not appear to conform to or take
direction from the dracokin hierarchy, nor
do they appear to be sophisticated or have a
language. Any motivations they might have
remain hidden behind a seemingly mindless
drive to consume.

Dragon Worm ACTIONS

Gargantuan dragon, unaligned Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature.
Hit: 42 (5d12+10) piercing damage. If the target is a Large or
Armor Class 20 (natural armor) smaller creature, it must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving
throw or be swallowed by the worm. A swallowed creature is
Hit Points 370 (20d20+140)
blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and
Speed 40 ft., burrow 40 ft.
other effects outside the worm, and it takes 55 (10d10) acid
damage at the start of each of the worm’s turns.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA If the worm takes 30 damage or more on a single turn
30 (+10) 3 (-4) 24 (+7) 6 (-2) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) from a creature inside it, the worm must succeed on a DC 22
Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate
all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10
Saving Throws Con +13 feet of the worm. If the worm dies, a swallowed creature is no
Skills Perception +4 longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse by using
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from 20 feet of movement, exiting prone.
nonmagical attacks
Crush (Recharge 5-6). The worm can rear up and drop its bulk,
Damage Immunities Fire
targeting a line 10 feet wide and 30 feet long. All creatures
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, within the area must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or
frightened, prone suffer 55 (10d10) bludgeoning damage and be restrained under
Senses tremorsense 240 ft, passive Perception 14 the worm’s bulk until it moves from the target area. A successful
Languages – saving throw halves the damage and negates the restrained
Challenge 18 (20,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +6 condition, moving the creature to the nearest available space.
A creature can escape by using its action to make a Strength
Liquify Rock. A dragon worm can liquify rock and earth in a cone (Athletics) or Dexterity Acrobatics) check against a DC of
to a range of 30 feet in from of its body. This magical hypersonic 20. Creatures that end their turn restrained take 21 (6d6)
projection vibrated the rock on anatomic level, making it fluid. bludgeoning damage from the extreme weight of the worm.
Any creatures in this area are not directly affected by the ability
but find themselves immersed in liquid earth. Metals and other
elements are unaffected.

242 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Fire-Spitter Lizard
This red-scaled lizard is about the size of a dog and is or honey, that clings to its target and burns continuously,
highly aggressive. It produces a flammable substance that even underwater. The fire spitter can generate a burst of
ignites on contact with air, and has the consistency of sap speed to catch prey or flee from other predators.

Fire-Spitter Lizard
Small beast, unaligned
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 18 (4d6+4)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR DEX CON
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 13 (+1)
Skills Perception +3
Damage Resistances fire
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages –
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Sprint (Recharge 6). The fire spitter has a walking and climbing
speed of 90 feet until the end of its turn.
ACTIONS
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
Hit: 4 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
Fire Spit (Recharge 5-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range
20/40 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) fire damage. At the start
INT WIS CHA
of each of the target’s turns it takes 2 points of fire damage for
4 (-3) 12 (+1) 6 (-2) 1 minute or until the fire is smothered. Water is ineffective, but
a creature can use its action to smother and scrape away the
flammable substance with sand or course fabric.
Proficiency Bonus +2

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 243

 Hargul the Slayer
Hargul is a particularly savage ash giant and a skilled drag-
on slayer. Ash giants are a very rare giant-kin originating in
the volcanic mountains of Mogsturma. Hargul can usually
be found in the hellscapes of Mogsturma but there have
been some rumors of his sighting in the icy realm of Praz-
zolar too.

Hargul the Slayer

(Ash Giant)
Huge giant, neutral evil

Armor Class 18 (Shardscale)

Hit Points 250 (20d12+120)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

25 (+7) 9 (-1) 23 (+6) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 13 (+1)

Saving Throws Dex+3, Con +10, Cha +5

Skills Athletics +11, Perception +6
Condition Immunity poisoned
Damage Resistances fire, poison
Senses passive Perception 16
Languages Giant
Challenge 14 (11,500 XP) Proficiency Bonus +4

Firebreaker Wielder. Hargul wields a magical greatclub made

from the skull of an adult white dragon strapped to a large slab
of volcanic stone. The club deals additional cold damage and
provides fire resistance to its wielder.
Shardscale Armor. Hargul has ritually inserted crystals of dead
Shardscale into his body as a form of trophy gathering from his
various dragon slays. These give him a +2 armor bonus.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The giant makes two firebreaker attacks.
Firebreaker (Greatclub). Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach
10 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (6d6 + 7) bludgeoning damage plus 10
(3d6) cold damage.
Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one
target. Hit: 29 (4d10 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
Ash Cloud (Recharge 6). The ash giant can stomp its foot and
produce a large cloud of ash that blasts over a 20-foot radius
area centered on a point that the ash giant is standing in. When
the ash giant moves away from the area, the ash cloud does
not follow it but stays in place. The area within the ash cloud
is considered heavily obscured for 1 minute. When a creature
enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn
there, it must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, becoming
poisoned for 1 minute on failure. The poisoned creature can
reattempt this save at the end of each of its turns.

244 Arora: Age of Desolation


Sahali
Large beast, unaligned
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 26 (4d10+4)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON
14 (+2) 13 (+1) 13 (+1)
Skills Perception +3
Damage Resistances fire
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages –
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Sahali
Sahali are bipedal reptiles with long, powerful hind legs,
short forearms with delicate claws and a long serpentine
neck ending in a viper-like head. They are covered in grey
and green scales and hunt in packs across the blasted lands
of Mogsturma. These predators are omnivorous but prefer
fresh meat whenever possible.
Their fangs secrete a venom that slows prey by causing
muscular spasms, and a pack will harry its quarry until
they can drag it down and slay it with weight of numbers.
They are intelligent enough to raid settlements and cause
distractions or appear to attack one creature while others
of the pack select and separate the real target.
Pack Tactics. The sahali has advantage on an attack roll against a
creature if at least one of the sahali’s allies is within 5 feet of the
creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The sahali makes 2 attacks: one with its bite and
one with its kick.
INT WIS CHA
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature.
4 (-3) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC
12 Constitution saving throw or have its speed reduced by half
for 1 minute.
Kick. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
Hit: 4 (1d8+2) bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a
DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 245
 Toroshivar
Toroshivar, the ruling dragon of Mogsturma, is
an ancient red dragon being driven mad by
the Shardscale infection. The infection led
the dragon and her kin to raze Mogsturma’s
cities during the Dragonrage.
Toroshivar is powerful, brash, and arrogant,
acting first and then thinking later. This, combined with
her malady, has made her dangerous indeed. All of the
dracokin that aligned with her are trying to not only
survive the Shardscale plague, but they are also trying to
survive the madness of their queen.
Toroshivar
(Ancient Red Dragon)
Gargantuan dragon, chaotic evil
Armor Class 27 (natural armor)
Hit Points 546 (28d20+252)
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
30 (+10) 10 (+0) 29 (+9) 18 (+4) 15 (+2) 23 (+6)
Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +17, Wis +10, Cha +14
Skills Perception +16, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities fire
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 26
Languages Common, Draconic
Challenge 26 (90,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +8
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving
throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Dragonrage (Stage 2). Toroshivar suffers from uncontrollable
bouts of rage. Once per day, and at the GM’s discretion, she must
make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw, becoming enraged for 1d12
hours on a failure. An enraged creature attacks any other creature,
friend, or foe, that comes within 30 feet of it. When the enraged
state ends, Toroshivar has no memory of its time while enraged.
Shardscale Protrusions (Stage 2). The creature suffers growths
of multi-colored crystalline shards protruding from their
flesh, growing from within, now covering more than half of its
body. These protrusions provide an element of natural added
toughness to their body. The creature can no longer wear armor
effectively (is no longer proficient with any type of armor), and
the creature has a +5 bonus to their AC while not wearing armor.
246 Arora: Age of Desolation
The Shardscale will soon take complete control over
Toroshivar’s mind and body, and it will begin to spread and
build its zombie-like crystalline army masses to attempt
complete world domination once again over Arora.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then
makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target.
Hit: 21 (2d10+10) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) fire damage.
Crystal Claw (Stage 2). Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach
10 ft., one target. Hit: 29 (3d12+10) slashing damage. If the target
is a dragon, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving
throw or be infected with Shardscale starting at the Dormant
Stage (see rules on Shardscale Stage Progression).
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target.
Hit: 19 (2d8+10) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that is
within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a
DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute.
A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of
its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s
saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is
immune to the dragon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dragon exhales fire in a 90-foot
cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 24 Dexterity
saving throw, taking 91 (26d6) fire damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful one.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the
options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at
a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon
regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon beats its wings. Each
creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC
25 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (2d6+10) bludgeoning
damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to
half its flying speed.
 Monsters of
Prazzolar

Dragon of Flesh and Bone

The Flesh-Takers are capturing humanoids, stripping them
of their skin and flesh, and creating a grotesque mockery
of a dragon. This horrifying construct is formed from
melded humanoid flesh and bone. Merged into the head of
the creature is Andreen Grast, who assumes control of the
entire awful being.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 247

Dragon of Flesh and Bone
Huge construct, neutral evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 126 (11d12+55)
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
25 (+7) 9 (-1) 20 (+5) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)
Saving Throws Str +11, Con +9, Wis +4
Damage Immunities lightning, poison; bludgeoning, piercing,
and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t adamantine
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened,
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Deep Speech, Draconic
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP) Proficiency Bonus +4
Spellcasting. The dragon is a 14th-level spellcaster. Its
spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 10, +2 to hit with
spell attacks). It regains its expended spell slots when it finishes
a short or long rest. It knows the following warlock spells:
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, eldritch blast, guidance, mage hand,
minor illusion, prestidigitation, shocking grasp
1st–5th level (3 5th-level slots): black tentacles, clairvoyance,
contact other plane, darkness, detect thoughts, dimension
door, dominate beast, hideous laughter, misty step, telekinesis,
vampiric touch
Berserk. Whenever the dragon starts its turn with 40 hit points
or fewer, roll a d6. On a 6, the dragon goes berserk. On each of
its turns while berserk, the dragon attacks the nearest creature
it can see. If no creature is near enough to move to and attack,
the dragon attacks an object, with preference for an object
smaller than itself. Once the dragon goes berserk, it continues to
be berserk until it is destroyed or regains all its hit points.
The dragon’s creator, if within 60 feet of the berserk dragon,
can try to calm it by speaking firmly and persuasively. The dragon
must be able to hear its creator, who must take an action to make
a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If the check succeeds, the
dragon ceases being berserk. If it takes damage while still at 40 hit
points or fewer, the dragon might go berserk again.
Aversion to Fire. If the dragon takes fire damage, it has disadvantage
on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn.
"I don’t rub oil on my skin to keep it supple. I don’t want
to draw the attention of the Flesh-Takers."
- Anonymous Villager
248 Arora: Age of Desolation
Immutable Form. The dragon is immune to any spell or effect
that would alter its form.
Legendary Resistance (1/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw,
it can choose to succeed instead.
Lightning Absorption. Whenever the dragon is subjected to
lightning damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a
number of hit points equal to the lightning damage dealt.
Magic Resistance. The dragon has advantage on saving throws
against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The dragon’s weapon attacks are magical.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The dragon can use its Horrifying Presence. It then
makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 18 (2d10 + 7) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target.
Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
Horrifying Presence. The dragon rises to its full height, exposing
its awful construction. Each creature of the dragon’s choice that
is within 60 feet of the dragon and can see it must succeed on a
DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute.
A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of
its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s
saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is
immune to the dragon’s Horrifying Presence for the next 24 hours.
Vomit Gore (Recharge 5–6). The dragon regurgitates blood and
gore in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC
17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) necrotic damage on a
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the
options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at
a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon
regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Tail Attack. The dragon makes a tail attack.
Cast a Spell. The dragon casts one spell from its Spellcasting trait.
 Flesh-Taker
These aberrations lurk in the South-Rim Mountains of
Prazzolar. They are awful beings to behold, totally alien
in their anatomy and devoid of any recognizable features.
Little is known of the aberrations save that they have the
ability to psychically influence and torment other crea-
tures, and that they are capable of stripping flesh from
bone and melding it into other forms.

Flesh-Taker Psychic Shielding. Whenever the flesh-taker is subjected to

psychic damage, it takes no damage and each creature within
Medium aberration, lawful evil
30 feet of the flesh-taker must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence
saving throw or take 10 (3d6) psychic damage.
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 97 (15d8+30) ACTIONS
Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
Multiattack. The flesh-taker makes two tendril attacks. If the
flesh-taker is grappling a creature, the flesh-taker can also use
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Acquire Flesh once.
9 (–1) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 12 (+1) 6 (–2) Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
9 (2d6+2) slashing damage plus 10 (3d6) psychic damage. The
Saving Throws Int +7, Wis +4, Cha +2 target is grappled (escape DC 15) if it is a Large or smaller creature
Skills Arcana +7, Insight +6, Medicine +4, Nature +8, Perception and the flesh-taker doesn’t have another creature grappled.
+4, Stealth +5 Acquire Flesh. One creature grappled by the flesh-taker must
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16 succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 22 (4d10)
Languages Deep Speech, telepathy 120 ft. slashing damage and have their hit point maximum reduced by
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3 an amount equal to the damage taken. The target dies if this
effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. The flesh-taker gains
temporary hit points equal to the amount of damage dealt.
Magic Resistance. The flesh-taker has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects. Sculpt Flesh. The flesh-taker can reduce its own temporary hit
points gained through the Acquire Flesh action by 10 to create
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The flesh-taker’s innate
a homunculus, or by 50 to create a flesh golem, from the flesh
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit
it has stolen. The construct acts as an ally of the flesh-taker and
with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells,
obeys its telepathic commands.
requiring no components:
At will: detect thoughts, suggestion
1/day each: dream, mass suggestion, phantasmal killer

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 249

 Ice Golem
Ice golems are the primary protectors of the Pinnacle. The
golems are huge chunks of ice sculpted into crystalline, bes-
tial forms that patrol the ice labyrinth and further afield.
These golems were created by Bitingcold and can slow
creatures in an aura around them thanks to the crippling
chill that they emanate.

Ice Golem
Large construct, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 105 (10d10+50)
Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

20 (+5) 7 (–2) 20 (+5) 3 (–4) 10 (+0) 1 (–5)

Damage Immunities cold, poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing,

and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t adamantine
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened,
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Understands the languages of its creator but can’t speak
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3

Chilling Aura. Each creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of
the golem must make on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a
failed save, a creature takes 10 (3d6) cold damage, and its speed is
reduced by 10 feet until the start of its next turn. Creatures with
resistance to cold damage have advantage on this saving throw.
Creatures with immunity to cold damage automatically succeed.
Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that
would alter its form.
Magic Resistance. The golem has advantage on saving throws
against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The golem’s weapon attacks are magical.

ACTIONS
Multiattack. The golem makes two slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
14 (2d8+5) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) cold damage.

"What’s more dangerous than ice? Ice that moves."

- Jhakith Madra Adailar

250 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Monsters of Teivmer

Lost Beasts
The lost beasts are a group of magical beasts originally created by the elves, humans, and gnomes in Old Arora, during a
time before memory and the Great Abjuration. Created for different purposes, many of these unnatural creatures found
ways to quickly reproduce and thrive in the hidden spaces of Tievmer without their original creators’ oversight. They now
crawl through the dark places of Tievmer in the Age of Desolation.

Othalu
Distended, wiry legs spring outwards in all directions from a
dog-sized bulbous, throbbing center mass. A single, huge eye
stares out of the shape of the skittering horror. A single tenta-
cle topped with a wickedly curved poisoned spine waves from
its rear. Three sets of black mandibles clatter from one side of
the atrocity, constantly oozing a foul-smelling thick paste that
they use to inflict disease upon those they bite. This distorted
predator generally feasts upon smaller prey animals in groups
of two, focusing more intently on anything dracokin but have
been known to swarm larger creatures for unknown reasons.
Voracious Eaters. These mutated beasts exist only
to hunt and eat. They never rest and are never satiated,
turning from their latest kill to resume their hunt, their
victims’ blood still warm.
Adaptive Pursuit. Othalu make use of their numerous
legs to chase down their prey, pursuing up trees, rocky
shelves and other inconsequential obstructions.
Disease Dealers. Survivors of othalu attacks often
find themselves crippled with disease spread by the foul
ooze coating the othalu’s mandibles. Many such victories
are short lived as the disease weakened creatures succumb
quickly to new threats.

Othalu
Small beast, neutral
ACTIONS
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 58 (9d6+27) Multiattack. The othalu makes three bite attacks
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
5 (1d4+3) piercing damage. Hit. The target must succeed on a
DC 11 Charisma saving throw or become diseased. Diseased
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws.
16 (+3) 15(+3) 16 (+3) 2 (-4) 8 (-1) 7 (-2) The save may be repeated at the end of a long rest with a
success removing the disease.
Skills Perception +3 Sting. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Damage Immunities poison Hit: 10 (2d6+3) piercing damage and the target must succeed
Condition Immunities poison on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If
Languages – the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target falls unconscious
Challenge 3 (700XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 for 1 minute, or until it takes damage or another creature uses
an action to shake it awake.

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 251

 Rhylif
This Lost Beast is unique among its kindred in that it
doesn’t seem to harbor active ill will towards dracokin
and is rarely seen. Scholars are uncertain if this is due to
low numbers or their exceptional ability to blend into the
natural forest surroundings. Rhylif are majestic beasts
appearing much like a woodland stag, though with some
notable differences. Their powerfully built body is crafted
from leafy, entwining vines that allow them to seamlessly
blend into the forest of Tievmer. Great horns of wooded
bark crown their elegant heads, sometimes hanging with
bits of white moss. Their large eyes are an irisless, emerald
green that always glow faintly.
Superb Scouts. With their excellent camouflage and
tree stride ability, rhylif can quickly scout an entire forested
region, undetected.
Nature Affinity. Though created by magical means,
rhylif maintain a deep connection to the natural world.
They protect territories by preventing the destruction of
natural resources.
Disorienting Ambushers. Rhylif will blind their
enemies and engage in hit-and-run attacks, nimbly traveling
from tree to tree to avoid harm. Occasionally, rhylif will
join forces with dryads or other fey creatures to defend a
sacred woodland area.

Rhylif Spellcasting. The rhylif’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell

save DC 11, +3 to hit with spell attacks). The rhylif can innately cast
Large beast, neutral
the following spells, requiring no material components:
At Will: speak with animals, speak with plants
Armor Class 14
3/day each: tree stride
Hit Points 92 (15d10+10)
Speed 50 ft. ACTIONS
Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit:
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (3d8+3) piercing damage. Hit. The target must succeed on a
16 (+3) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 8 (-1) 6 (-2) DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Blinding Flash (Recharge 5-6). Brilliant green light flares from
Skills Perception +5, Stealth +8 the rhylif’s eyes. Each creature within 60 feet of the rhylif, who
Damage Immunities poison can see it, must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from failed save, the creature is blinded. It must repeat the saving
nonmagical attacks throw at the end of its next turn. On a success, the effect ends.
Condition Immunities poisoned, charmed
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages understands Sylvan but can’t speak
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) Proficiency Bonus +4

252 Arora: Age of Desolation

 Visbun
The visbun is truly a disturbing creature. With the front
half of a sinewy skinned rabbit and the back half that of a Visbun
five-foot long, gray, writhing, multilegged centipede. The Medium beast, neutral
visbun dig underground lairs that are easily mistaken for
rabbit burrows, waiting for the unsuspecting to pass by Armor Class 13
their holes. The visbun uses their great reach allowed by
Hit Points 66 (12d8+12)
its squirming back half and thousands of legs to root itself
to the ground, pulling their quarry down into dens that are Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft.
much larger than the small top hole would suggest. When
removed from its lair completely, the visbun moves with a STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
disturbing crawl. 19 (+4) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 6 (-2)
Lurk and Lure. Using its skinned rabbit appearing
frontal body as bait, the visbun will ambush creatures
approaching for a quick meal or coming to the presumed Skills Perception +5, Stealth +6
rabbit’s aid. Powerful legs grapple and heave backwards, Damage Immunities poison
toppling victims into underground burrows to be devoured Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 10 ft., passive Perception 15
in the suffocating darkness. Languages –
Mass Graves. Visbun dig chambers within their Challenge 4 (1,100XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
burrows to store the discarded belongings and indigestible
remains of their victims. Indiscriminate eaters, Visbun lairs
may hold all manner of treasure. ACTIONS
Shielded Assault. A visbun pulling a victim into its
Snare. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
lair will shield itself from attacks coming from outside
Hit: 11 (2d6+4) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled
the burrow with the grappled victim. Oftentimes a well-
(escape DC 14) if it is a large or smaller creature. The visbun
meaning companion will deal their friend a fatal blow,
has advantage on all attacks made against a creature it has
while attempting to strike a retreating visbun.
grappled. Any creature grappled by the visbun and pulled into its
burrow has disadvantage on checks made to break the grapple.
Additionally, while grappling a creature in its burrow, the visbun
"Rabbit is a delicacy for hunters.
has three-quarters cover from attacks made outside the burrow.
Any attack missing the visbun by 5 or more instead strikes the
Hunters are a delicacy for visbun."
grappled creature.
- Nyben, Grobb Smuggler

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 253

 Saihan
Saihan is a vain, ambitious, yet quite reclusive
ancient green dragon, stricken with
Shardscale. A medusa, the dragon’s
friend, tends to Saihan, constantly on
the lookout for new potions and pharma
that can help slow the Shardscale. Other
forest faeries chant spells and incantations to
help the dragon to deal with the sickness.

Saihan ACTIONS

(Ancient Green Dragon) Multiattack. Saihan can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes
three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Gargantuan dragon, chaotic evil
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit:
Armor Class 23 (Shardscale) 19 (2d10 + 8) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage.
Hit Points 525 (30d20+210) Crystal Claws (Stage 1). Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10
Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 40 ft. ft., one target. Hit: 26 (4d8 + 8) slashing damage. If the target is
a dragon-type creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA saving throw or be infected with Shardscale starting at the
Dormant Stage (see rules on Shardscale Stage Progression).
27 (+8) 12 (+1) 25 (+7) 20 (+5) 17 (+3) 19 (+4)
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit:
17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +14, Wis +10, Cha +11
Skills Deception +11, Insight +10, Perception +17, Persuasion Frightful Presence. Each creature of Saihan’s choice that is within
+11, Stealth +8 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC
Damage Immunities poison 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A
Condition Immunities poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its
turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 27
saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is
Languages Common, Draconic immune to the Saihan’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Challenge 25 (75,000 XP) Proficiency Bonus +7
Poison Breath (Recharge 5–6). Saihan exhales poisonous gas in
a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22
Dragonrage (Stage 1). Saihan suffers from uncontrollable bouts of
Constitution saving throw, taking 77 (22d6) poison damage on a
rage. Once per day, and at the GM’s discretion, the creature must
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw, becoming enraged for 1d8
hours on a failure. An enraged creature attacks any other creature,
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
friend, or foe, that comes within 30 feet of it. When the enraged
state ends, the creature has no memory of its time while enraged. Saihan can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options
below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time
Amphibious. Saihan can breathe air and water. and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Saihan fails a saving throw, it regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
can choose to succeed instead. Detect. Saihan makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Shardscale Protrusions (Stage 1). Saihan suffers growths of Tail Attack. Saihan makes a tail attack.
multi-colored crystalline shards protruding from their flesh, Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). Saihan beats its wings. Each
growing from within. The crystals are as hard as steel and offer a creature within 15 feet of the dragon must succeed on a DC
degree of protection. When Saihan wears no armor, they have a 23 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning
+2 bonus to their AC. damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to
half its flying speed.

254 Arora: Age of Desolation

Chapter 10: Monsters of Arora 255
 Appendix A
Region Sheet
Region Sheet
Region Name Realm Size
SMALL MID LARGE

Description & Lore

Features Key
# Feature Name Category
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

1 Hex =
 Region Sheet
Region Name Page

Feature Name Danger Rating Feature Name Danger Rating

Status Status

Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret

Feature Name Danger Rating Feature Name Danger Rating

Status Status

Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret

Feature Name Danger Rating Feature Name Danger Rating

Status Status

Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret

Feature Name Danger Rating Feature Name Danger Rating

Status Status

Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret Category: Obvious Common Uncommon Secret
A fter finding success with the dark fantasy setting Grim Hol-
low, we at Ghostfire Gaming wanted to expand our horizons,
and we envisioned a post-apocalyptic setting that toyed with
some of the standard fantasy tropes. Thus, Arora was born.
Stepping into new territory can be challenging and scary.
Still, we thought the risk was worth it. And the 5,330 backers
who contributed to our crowdfunding campaign confirmed
our beliefs. We thank you so much for your trust and your
support in our work.
The entire Ghostfire Gaming staff, as well as all of our
creative and dedicated freelance artists and writers, worked
as a team to envision the Five Realms. Creating a setting so
different from a typical fantasy setting—from the art to the
worldbuilding to the game mechanics—takes an extraordinary
amount of coordination and communication. Thank you to all
the freelancers who took the time and expended the energy
to bring something new to the page, and hopefully into the
minds and stories of the game masters and players.
And speaking of players, thank you to everyone who makes
memories and tell stories using this content. Arora is a world
that presents many challenges, and with great challenges
come exciting narratives. We hope you enjoy!
 Open Game License
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