Heroic fantasy on the world of Krynn, where the return of the dragon armies shatters a fragile peace and plunges an entire continent into war. The gods abandoned Krynn centuries ago during the Cataclysm, and true clerical magic has only just returned — along with the terrible revelation that the Dark Queen Takhisis has been raising dragon armies in secret. This campaign captures the sweeping, war-torn grandeur of the Dragonlance saga, where ordinary people become heroes of legend and the fate of the world turns on acts of courage and sacrifice.
Story Arcs
The Return of the Gods
The adventurers begin in the town of Solace, built among the branches of enormous vallenwood trees, reuniting after five years of separate wandering in search of evidence that the true gods still exist. They find proof in the form of a blue crystal staff carried by a barbarian woman — a staff that channels divine healing magic for the first time since the Cataclysm three centuries ago. But the staff has drawn the attention of the Dragonarmy, the vanguard of the Dark Queen's invasion force, and the adventurers must flee south through occupied territory with the staff and its bearer, discovering along the way that war has already begun.
The Dragonarmy Advances
The Dragon Highlord's forces sweep across Abanasinia and the eastern kingdoms with terrifying speed, riding chromatic dragons into battle alongside disciplined legions of draconians — dragon-spawned soldiers created from corrupted metallic dragon eggs. The adventurers witness the fall of cities and the enslavement of entire populations. To turn the tide, they must find the legendary Dragonlances — weapons forged in the Age of Dreams specifically to slay dragons — and rally the fractious free peoples of Krynn into a unified resistance before the Dragonarmy becomes unstoppable.
The Search for the Dragonlances
Ancient texts point the adventurers to the ruins of Xak Tsaroth and the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin, where the secrets of Dragonlance forging are preserved. The journey takes them through occupied territories, underground kingdoms, and the haunted ruins of civilizations destroyed by the Cataclysm. They must negotiate with suspicious dwarves, outwit Dragonarmy patrols, and recover the knowledge and materials needed to forge new Dragonlances — all while the war rages on without them and every day of delay costs more lives.
The Battle of the High Clerist's Tower
Armed with Dragonlances and leading a coalition of free peoples, the adventurers make their stand at the High Clerist's Tower — an ancient fortress guarding the only pass into the last free kingdom on the continent. The Blue Dragon Highlord hurls the full might of a dragon army against the tower, sending waves of draconians, blue dragons, and siege engines against the defenders. The battle is desperate and the outcome uncertain. The adventurers must hold the tower, use the Dragonlances to bring down the dragons, and ultimately face the Blue Dragon Highlord in personal combat as the fate of Krynn hangs in the balance.
Session Outlines
These outlines are for planning reference only. Actual sessions are not created by the template.
Reunion in Solace
The party reunites at the Inn of the Last Home in Solace, the famous tavern built high in the branches of a vallenwood tree. They share stories of five fruitless years searching for the true gods. That evening, a barbarian woman named Goldmoon and her companion Riverwind arrive, bearing a blue crystal staff that heals a crippled man with a touch — true divine magic, the first in three hundred years. Theocrat Hederick, a fraudulent cleric of the old false religions, denounces the staff as heresy and tries to seize it. In the chaos, Dragonarmy soldiers in the town reveal themselves, and the party must flee Solace with Goldmoon and the staff.
Flight Through the Forest
Fleeing south through the forests of Abanasinia, the party is pursued by Dragonarmy patrols and encounters the first draconians — reptilian soldiers that are disturbingly organized and disciplined. The party discovers that the draconians turn to stone or dissolve into acid when killed, making combat dangerous even in victory. A kender named Tasslehoff (or a local guide) leads them to the hidden refuge of Que-Shu, Goldmoon's homeland, only to find it destroyed — burned by dragonfire, its people scattered or enslaved. The scale of the invasion becomes horrifyingly clear.
Xak Tsaroth
The blue crystal staff leads the party to the ruined city of Xak Tsaroth, once a grand center of civilization, now a crumbling ruin sunk into swampland by the Cataclysm. The city is occupied by draconians and guarded by a black dragon named Khisanth who lairs in the sunken temple district. Within the temple, the party discovers the Disks of Mishakal — platinum disks inscribed with the teachings of the true gods, confirming that the gods never truly abandoned Krynn but were driven away by the hubris of the Kingpriest. Goldmoon's staff is consumed in the revelation, but she emerges as a true cleric of Mishakal, the first in three centuries.
The Dragonarmy's Shadow
With proof that the true gods have returned, the party tries to rally resistance but finds the free peoples paralyzed by fear. The Dragonarmy has taken Solace, sacked Haven, and pushes westward with five separate army columns, each led by a Dragon Highlord riding a chromatic dragon. Refugees flood the roads, and the party witnesses the fall of a city from a distance — red dragons strafing the walls with fire while draconian legions pour through the breaches. The party receives intelligence that the Dragonlances, legendary weapons that could turn the tide, were forged in the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin. But Thorbardin sealed its gates centuries ago.
The Road to Thorbardin
The journey to Thorbardin takes the party through the Plains of Dergoth, a desolate wasteland created by the Cataclysm. The plains are patrolled by Dragonarmy scouts and haunted by the undead remnants of armies that perished in the Cataclysm. A key encounter with a Dragonarmy patrol led by a death knight — an undead knight in blackened armor radiating malevolent power — forces the party to choose between a dangerous fight and a stealthy detour through skeleton-infested ruins. The death knight serves the Blue Dragon Highlord and carries intelligence about the army's advance.
The Gates of Thorbardin
The dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin is a vast underground realm carved into the mountains, sealed behind enormous stone gates that have not opened for outsiders since the Cataclysm. The dwarves within are isolationist and suspicious — they survived the Cataclysm by closing their doors to the world, including the refugees who begged for entry and died outside. The party must negotiate with the Council of Thanes, appealing to honor, self-interest, or both. The dwarves possess the ancient forges and knowledge to create Dragonlances but demand proof that the weapons are needed — and that the party can be trusted with them.
The Hammer of Kharas
To prove their worth and recover the key component needed for Dragonlance forging, the party must retrieve the Hammer of Kharas from the tomb of the legendary dwarven hero. The tomb is a massive floating structure suspended over a bottomless chasm within Thorbardin — accessible only by a chain bridge guarded by ancient traps and spectral defenders. The tomb itself is a dungeon filled with trials that test courage, honor, and sacrifice — qualities Kharas valued above all. Retrieving the hammer requires one party member to make a significant personal sacrifice, echoing Kharas's own story.
Forging the Dragonlances
With the Hammer of Kharas, the dwarven smiths begin forging Dragonlances — silver-white weapons imbued with divine magic specifically designed to pierce dragon scales and disrupt draconic magic. The forging process is a ritual as much as a craft, requiring prayers to the true gods and the sacrifice of precious dragonmetal. While the forging proceeds, the party must defend Thorbardin's outer tunnels from a Dragonarmy probe — draconians and a young red dragon test the dwarven defenses, giving the party their first taste of using a completed Dragonlance against a dragon. The weapon works devastatingly well.
Building the Alliance
Armed with Dragonlances, the party emerges from Thorbardin to rally the free peoples of Krynn for a stand against the Dragonarmy. The dwarves commit a contingent of heavy infantry. The Qualinesti elves, whose forest home is threatened, send archers and scouts. The Knights of Solamnia, once a disgraced order blamed for the Cataclysm, pledge their cavalry. Human refugees form irregular militia. Each alliance requires the party to address specific grievances — the elves distrust the knights, the dwarves distrust everyone, and the humans are simply terrified. Diplomacy, demonstrations of the Dragonlances' power, and personal heroism forge the coalition.
March to the Tower
The allied army marches to the High Clerist's Tower, the ancient fortress that guards the only mountain pass into Solamnia — the last major free kingdom. The march is harried by Dragonarmy scouts and aerial attacks from blue dragons, forcing the party to organize defenses, maintain morale, and make tactical decisions about the route. A night ambush by draconians and undead soldiers tests the alliance's cohesion. The party reaches the tower to find it partially ruined but defensible, and they have perhaps two days to prepare before the Blue Dragon Highlord's army arrives in force.
Preparing the Defenses
Two days of frantic preparation at the High Clerist's Tower. The party must assign defenders, position Dragonlance batteries, set traps, shore up damaged walls, and plan for dragon attacks from above. Each decision affects the coming battle — positioning the dwarves at the gate, the elves on the walls, the knights as a mobile reserve, and the militia in the courtyard. The party discovers the tower contains an ancient weapon — a dragon trap built into the architecture — that can be activated if they solve a puzzle involving the tower's original purpose as a temple to Paladine, the chief god of good.
The First Assault
The Blue Dragon Highlord launches the first wave at dawn — a probing attack to test the defenses. Draconian infantry charges the main gate while blue dragons strafe the walls with lightning breath. The party commands a section of the defense, making tactical decisions in real time: where to reinforce, when to commit reserves, how to use the limited supply of Dragonlances. The first wave is repelled, but casualties are significant, and the Highlord was watching, learning the defenders' tactics. That night, saboteurs infiltrate the tower, and the party must root them out before the next assault.
The Dragon Storm
The Highlord commits the full dragon wing — a dozen blue dragons in formation, raining lightning on the tower. The ancient dragon trap becomes critical: if the party activates it, the trap lures dragons into a killing chamber within the tower using an irresistible magical bait, where Dragonlance batteries can destroy them in close quarters. The aerial battle is spectacular and terrifying — dragons crash into towers, lightning shatters stone, and defenders are swept off the walls. The party must man a Dragonlance battery, protect the trap mechanism, and survive the most intense combat of the campaign.
The Highlord's Challenge
With the dragon wing broken by the trap, the Blue Dragon Highlord is enraged and launches a personal assault, riding the largest blue dragon in the army directly at the tower. The Highlord challenges the party's leader to single combat on the tower's highest battlement — a duel above the clouds while the battle rages below. The Highlord is a formidable warrior in enchanted dragonscale armor wielding a lightning-charged lance. Meanwhile, the draconian army makes a final desperate push at the gate, and the rest of the party must hold the line while their champion fights above.
Victory and the Road Ahead
The Blue Dragon Highlord falls, and the dragon army breaks. The surviving draconians retreat in disorder, pursued by Solamnic cavalry. The victory at the High Clerist's Tower is the first major defeat for the Dragonarmy and a turning point in the war. The alliance celebrates, and the party is hailed as the Heroes of the Lance. But the war is far from over — four more Dragon Highlords command armies across the continent, and the Dark Queen Takhisis herself stirs behind the scenes. The Dragonlances have proven their worth, and the free peoples of Krynn now have hope. The epilogue sets up the broader war and the party's continued role in it.
NPCs
Goldmoon
Human · Cleric of Mishakal
A barbarian princess of the Que-Shu tribe who became the first true cleric on Krynn in three centuries when she was chosen by the goddess Mishakal to bear the blue crystal staff. She is wise beyond her years, compassionate, and carries the weight of her people's destruction with quiet dignity. Her healing magic is a beacon of hope in a world that had forgotten what divine grace felt like, and she struggles with the enormous responsibility of being the gods' chosen vessel in a time of war.
Riverwind
Human · Barbarian Warrior and Ranger
Goldmoon's devoted partner and protector, a tall, stoic plainsman who found the blue crystal staff in the ancient ruins where Mishakal's temple lay hidden. He is fiercely loyal, deeply spiritual in a quiet way, and profoundly suspicious of civilization and its politics. His tracking skills and wilderness knowledge are invaluable, and he fights with a calm ferocity that makes him one of the deadliest warriors in the party. He speaks rarely but always with purpose.
Elistan
Human · High Cleric of Paladine
A former Seeker priest — one of the false clergy who rose to fill the void left by the true gods — who experienced a genuine spiritual awakening when exposed to the Disks of Mishakal. He abandoned his fraudulent past and became a true cleric of Paladine, the chief god of good, bringing with him centuries of theological knowledge and a deep understanding of the prophecies surrounding the War of the Lance. He is an old man racing against time, knowing his body may fail before his mission is complete.
Laurana
Elf · Elven Princess and Military Commander
A Qualinesti elf who defied her father's isolationist policies to join the fight against the Dragonarmy. She began as a sheltered noble with more courage than experience but rapidly matured into one of the war's most brilliant military commanders. She leads the elven contingent in the alliance and proves instrumental in coordinating the defense of the High Clerist's Tower. Her tactical mind, combined with elven archery and magic, makes her a force multiplier for the entire army.
Flint Fireforge
Dwarf · Dwarven Smith and Veteran
A gruff, elderly hill dwarf with a magnificent beard and a deep distrust of anything that flies, floats, or moves faster than a walking pace. Despite his constant grumbling, he is ferociously brave and unfailingly loyal. His knowledge of dwarven craftsmanship is essential to the Dragonlance forging process, and his connections among the hill dwarf clans help smooth negotiations with the suspicious Thorbardin council. He has outlived most of his generation and fights with the grim determination of someone with nothing left to lose.
The Blue Dragon Highlord
Human · Commander of the Blue Dragonarmy
The masked and armored commander of the most disciplined of the five dragon armies, riding an enormous blue dragon into battle. The Highlord is a brilliant tactician who commands through a combination of strategic genius and sheer intimidation. Behind the horned helm and dragon-scale armor is a warrior who sold their soul to Takhisis for power and glory, and who will stop at nothing to crush the resistance and claim dominion over all of Ansalon. The Highlord fights with a crackling blue lightning lance and wears armor that deflects dragonlance strikes.
Thane Hornfel
Dwarf · Thane of the Hylar Clan
The leader of the most influential dwarven clan in Thorbardin, a pragmatic and cautious ruler who remembers the shame of sealing the gates during the Cataclysm and letting thousands of refugees die outside. He is torn between his duty to protect his people by maintaining isolation and his growing conviction that the Dragonarmy will eventually break through even Thorbardin's gates. He can be swayed to support the alliance if the party demonstrates both the reality of the threat and the effectiveness of the Dragonlances as a countermeasure.
Locations
Solace
A unique town built among the branches of enormous vallenwood trees, with homes, shops, and bridges constructed high above the forest floor. The town's most famous landmark is the Inn of the Last Home, a sprawling tavern perched in the largest vallenwood, known across Ansalon for its spiced potatoes and warm hospitality. Before the war, Solace was a peaceful crossroads community. Now it lies under Dragonarmy occupation, its people enslaved and its treehouses used as barracks for draconian soldiers.
Xak Tsaroth
The ruins of a once-magnificent city that was swallowed by the earth during the Cataclysm and now lies half-submerged in a murky swamp. Crumbling temples and shattered colonnades jut from the mire at impossible angles. The sunken temple district, accessible only through flooded passages and crumbling stairways, houses the Disks of Mishakal — but it is also the lair of the black dragon Khisanth and a garrison of draconians who guard the ruins against intruders.
Thorbardin
The greatest dwarven kingdom on Krynn, an underground realm of immense halls, soaring caverns, and precisely engineered tunnels carved into the heart of a mountain range. The kingdom contains entire cities built on stalactites and stalagmites, connected by chain bridges and mechanical lifts. Thorbardin's gates have been sealed since the Cataclysm, and the dwarves within have maintained a self-sufficient civilization for three centuries, growing suspicious of all outsiders and divided among their own clan politics.
The Plains of Dergoth
A blasted wasteland south of Thorbardin, scoured clean of life by the Cataclysm and haunted by the undead remnants of armies that perished in the catastrophe. The ground is cracked and barren, the sky perpetually overcast, and at night, spectral armies march across the plains in endless repetition of their final battles. Dragonarmy patrols use the plains as a staging area, and death knights — undead Solamnic knights cursed for their betrayal — ride through the darkness on skeletal steeds.
The High Clerist's Tower
An ancient, massive fortress built into a mountain pass — the only viable route from the eastern lands into Solamnia. The tower was constructed centuries ago by the Knights of Solamnia as both a military fortification and a temple to Paladine, and its architecture reflects both purposes: soaring buttresses and stained glass alongside murder holes and killing grounds. The tower contains a hidden dragon trap — a chamber designed to lure dragons inside with magical bait and destroy them with concentrated Dragonlance fire. Much of the tower is damaged but defensible.
The Dragonarmy Encampment
The Blue Dragonarmy's forward base, a vast military camp spread across the foothills before the High Clerist's Tower. Thousands of tents house draconian soldiers, human mercenaries, and ogre auxiliaries, while dragon roosts — massive wooden platforms reinforced with iron — hold the army's terrifying air wing of blue dragons. The camp is organized with military precision, reflecting the Blue Highlord's disciplined command style. Supply wagons, siege engines, and war banners stretch to the horizon.
Quests
Protect the Blue Crystal Staff
The blue crystal staff is the first evidence that the true gods have returned to Krynn, and its bearer Goldmoon is the first true cleric in three centuries. The Dragonarmy wants the staff destroyed, the false Seeker priests want it suppressed, and frightened people want it for their own desperate purposes. Keep the staff and its bearer safe long enough to reach the temple in Xak Tsaroth, where its true purpose will be revealed.
Recover the Disks of Mishakal
The Disks of Mishakal, hidden in the sunken temple of Xak Tsaroth, contain the teachings of the true gods and the proof that they never truly abandoned Krynn. Recovering the disks requires braving the dragon-haunted ruins and confronting the black dragon Khisanth. The disks are essential to restoring true clerical magic and giving the people of Krynn the spiritual foundation to resist the Dark Queen's forces.
Forge the Dragonlances
The legendary Dragonlances are the only weapons capable of reliably slaying dragons, and they have not been forged since the Age of Dreams. The knowledge and the Hammer of Kharas needed to create them lie within the sealed dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin. Gain entry to the kingdom, recover the Hammer from the hero Kharas's tomb, and convince the dwarven smiths to forge new Dragonlances for the war effort.
Defend the High Clerist's Tower
The High Clerist's Tower is the last fortress standing between the Blue Dragonarmy and the kingdom of Solamnia. If the tower falls, the war is lost. Rally a coalition of dwarves, elves, knights, and refugees to defend the tower against the full might of the Dragon Highlord's army. Use the Dragonlances to counter the dragon air wing, activate the tower's ancient dragon trap, and hold the line until the Dragonarmy breaks.
Encounters
Draconian Ambush at Solace
As the party flees Solace with Goldmoon and the blue crystal staff, draconian soldiers pursue them through the vallenwood forest. The draconians are disciplined and fight in coordinated squads, using their wings to drop from the trees onto the party. When killed, baaz draconians turn to stone, potentially trapping weapons embedded in their bodies. The forest provides cover but also limits visibility, and more draconians are closing in from multiple directions. The party must fight a running retreat to reach safety.
The Black Dragon of Xak Tsaroth
Deep in the sunken ruins of Xak Tsaroth, the black dragon Khisanth guards the temple where the Disks of Mishakal are hidden. The dragon's lair is a partially flooded grand hall with crumbling columns and ankle-deep acidic water. Khisanth uses the water and tight spaces to its advantage, breathing acid in sweeping arcs and using its tail to collapse weakened pillars onto the party. Draconian guards join the fight from the balconies above, raining javelins down on the party while they face the dragon.
Death Knight on the Plains of Dergoth
Crossing the haunted Plains of Dergoth, the party encounters a death knight — a former Solamnic knight cursed to undead existence for an ancient betrayal. The death knight rides a skeletal warhorse and commands a retinue of skeleton warriors. It wields a greatsword wreathed in hellfire and can cast destructive magic. The death knight may parley if the party bears the symbol of the Knights of Solamnia, offering cryptic warnings about the road ahead in exchange for news of the living world it is forever denied.
Dragon Siege at the High Clerist's Tower
The Blue Dragon Highlord's air wing — a dozen blue dragons in formation — assaults the High Clerist's Tower, strafing the walls with lightning breath while draconian infantry scales the outer fortifications. The party must man Dragonlance batteries on the tower walls, coordinating fire against swooping dragons while dodging lightning bolts and falling debris. Activating the tower's ancient dragon trap requires solving a puzzle mid-battle, luring dragons into the killing chamber where concentrated Dragonlance fire can destroy them.
The Blue Dragon Highlord's Duel
The climactic confrontation with the Blue Dragon Highlord atop the tower's highest battlement. The Highlord rides the largest blue dragon in the army, a massive ancient wyrm whose lightning breath has shattered castle walls. The duel takes place on a narrow stone platform hundreds of feet above the battlefield, with wind howling and lightning crackling. The Highlord fights with supernatural skill, wielding a lightning lance and wearing armor that partially deflects Dragonlance strikes. The blue dragon circles the tower, strafing with breath weapon attacks between the Highlord's melee assaults.
Factions
The Knights of Solamnia
Lawful Good
Once the greatest order of chivalry on Krynn, the Knights of Solamnia were blamed for the Cataclysm and have spent three centuries in disgrace, their ranks thinned and their reputation shattered. The knights cling to their ancient code of honor — Est Sularus oth Mithas, "My Honor is My Life" — and the War of the Lance represents their chance at redemption. They are proud, disciplined, and desperate to prove that the knighthood still stands for something worth fighting for.
The Blue Dragonarmy
Lawful Evil
The most disciplined and feared of the five dragon armies raised by the Dark Queen Takhisis to conquer Krynn. Commanded by the Blue Dragon Highlord, the army consists of draconian shock troops, human mercenaries, ogre auxiliaries, and a devastating wing of blue dragons. The Blue Dragonarmy fights with military precision, using coordinated air-ground tactics that no force on Krynn has faced before. They conquer not just through force but through organization — occupied territories are efficiently administered and their populations enslaved.
The Qualinesti Elves
Chaotic Good
The elves of the Qualinesti forest, an ancient people who have watched the rise and fall of human civilizations with weary detachment. Their Speaker of the Sun, Solostaran, initially favored isolation — retreating deeper into the forest and hoping the Dragonarmy would bypass them. But the invasion has reached their borders, and younger elves led by Laurana advocate for joining the fight. The Qualinesti bring unmatched archery, forest warfare expertise, and subtle magic to the alliance, but their trust must be earned.
Recommended Characters
Pre-built characters designed for this campaign setting. Create them separately from the character templates page.
Garrett Brightblade
Human · Cleric · Level 4
A Knight of Solamnia who clings to the old codes of honor even as the world turns against his order. Garrett serves Kiri-Jolith, the god of war and courage, seeking to restore faith in both the gods and the knighthood.
Silvara Windrunner
Elf · Ranger · Level 4
A Kagonesti wild elf ranger who has watched the dragonarmies march across Ansalon from the forests of Southern Ergoth. With her homeland threatened, Silvara has left the deep woods to join the fight against the Dark Queen's forces.
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