Death-at-Sunset

Start-class article · First seen: s03 · Last seen: s03
Death-at-Sunset
the green dragon · the ancient green dragon
Death-at-Sunset — portrait.
Character
StatusDead
First seens03
Last seens03

Death-at-Sunset was the ancient green dragon defeated long ago by 5 elf families and the elven hero Edvan, at the cost of 34 elven lives, in the battle commemorated by the burial mound at the centre of the Corrupted Redwood Grove near Wyrmbough Grove [4]. She was killed generations before the campaign began, but her residual essence — and her hoard’s essence — remained in her cave-system lair, where her son Sunset is Nigh roosted inside her skeleton claiming to be her avatar of vengeance. The party absorbed Death-at-Sunset’s hoard essence into The Egg in session 3, completing the first stage of The Egg Quest. The egg has glowed permanently green ever since [5].

Overview

Death-at-Sunset was the ancient green dragon whose poisonous breath choked dozens of elves to death in the corrupted-redwood region around what is now Wyrmbough Grove. She was killed generations before the campaign by a coalition of five elven families, led by the hero Edvan, who delivered the killing blow with a long sword [4]. The cost was 34 elven lives, ceremonially buried at the central uncorrupted dirt mound of the Corrupted Redwood Grove — the mound the s2 party noticed but could not explain.

Her body lay in the cave system beneath the grove. Her son, the small green wyrmling Sunset is Nigh, later roosted inside her skeleton claiming to be his mother’s avatar of vengeance. In session 3, the party penetrated the lair, killed Sunset is Nigh, and brought The Egg to the corpse. The egg absorbed the lingering poison and the essence from the hoard, glowing a faint green that grew until it was fully green [5]. One dragon down out of N.

Appearance and demeanour

Massive ancient green dragon (per Caelumn’s s3 vision). The skeleton is the only physical encounter: huge, in a deep cave chamber, with pale-green poison fog hanging in the air above it. Her tunnels were lined with claw marks and the bones of the elves she’d choked.

History / role in the campaign

Pre-campaign — the original battle

Five elven families fought her. 34 elves died. Edvan, leader of the resistance, delivered the killing blow with his long sword. The land remained cursed by her residue; the corruption spread; the Corrupted Redwood Grove formed.

Session 3 — the absorption

Caelumn received a vision on the burial mound, recovering the cave entrance location. The party crossed the poisoned stream, talked down Armin Whisperwind, routed a band of corrupted-elf cultists, and entered the deep chamber containing her skeleton. Combat with Sunset is Nigh and the Yuan-ti woman cost Cholmondeley his life. The wyrmling was decapitated by Vasquez on a perfect-crit opportunity attack. The egg was brought to the corpse:

The egg absorbed the lingering poison and the essence from the hoard, glowing a faint green that grew until it was fully green. — DM, [5]

The hoard contained thousands of mostly copper-and-silver coins, a magnificent elvish-runed sword (the Dragonslayer Longsword, plausibly Edvan’s original weapon — Harvo’s scabbard observation in [6], a corpse of a previous looter clutching a pistol, and dragon teeth.

Relationships

  • Edvan — killer, generations ago. Edvan’s burial mound and ghostly echo are the campaign’s main link to her death.
  • Sunset is Nigh — son. Killed s3 in his mother’s skeleton.
  • The Egg — absorbed her hoard’s essence. The egg has glowed green since.
  • Wyrmbough Grove — the village built in the shadow of her death.
  • Dragonslayer Longsword — the weapon used to kill her, now Caelumn’s.

Status as of session 16

Long deceased. Hoard essence absorbed. Skeleton presumably still in Sunset is Nigh’s Lair (the lair was cleansed but not destroyed).

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 3, line 176-178 — Gwen Homora explains the burial mound; 34 elves + Edvan vs Death-at-Sunset.
  2. ^ Session 3, line 296-312 — Caelumn's vision of the original battle.
  3. ^ Session 3, line 1526-1542 — Egg absorbs the dragon hoard's essence; turns green.
  4. ^ Session 3, line 176 — Inline citation.
  5. ^ Session 3, line 1532 — Inline citation.
  6. ^ Session 3, line 2144 — Inline citation.