 The time for action is now. Evil chromatic dragons have risen, and the world has been unified under the one threat. Tiamat, the Queen of Dragons. May you be ever so brave to face the challenges of the Cult of the Dragon. This time, the fate of the world depends on you. Rise of Tiamat is a high-level campaign that is the direct sequel to Horde the Dragon Queen. They are meant to be run as a session with one another, but it isn't necessary. This story walkthrough will assume that you haven't played Horde the Dragon Queen, but some of the material would be better understood if you did. If you're not familiar with the events in Horde the Dragon Queen, I will link my story explained of it in the description down below, and with that, let's dive on into it, because this one's a long one. Whether if you had to stop the skycast on Horde the Dragon Queen, or a new adventure, you find a letter requesting your presence at the Lord's Palace in Waterdeep. After making it into the city, you notice a stillness in the air. A faint rumbling could be heard in the distance, and the residents of Waterdeep seem to be at unease. Something is wrong. Once arriving at the Lord's Palace, you are escorted to the entrance of a secret chamber by a monk named Lyosin Arlantar. The monk was not invited to the council's discussion, but has been well informed of the grave matter at hand. Lyosin warns you that within the secret chambers are a number of faction leaders. He believes you are the hero that is needed to unify the factions for the oncoming threat. You will need to earn the favor of each one to aid you in your future journeys. With that, you step into the chamber. Here, you find a lively group of people conversing among each other. Everyone looks at you as you enter, but resume their conversations once they acknowledge you. You join into the group of chatter for it is time to make some friends. In this chamber room, you meet several factions and their respective representatives as follows. The Harpers are represented by an elf named Romalia Haventry. The Harpers wish for equality and balance in their realms and prefers to gather information. While willing to commit immoral acts to reach their goals, it is never at the cost of endangering others. Gathering information seems to be the priority of the Harpers. The Order of the Gauntlet is represented by a friendly, if not boisterous, Paladin named Anthar Frum. The Order of the Gauntlet exists solely to thwart evil. Nothing pleases them more than bringing villains to justice. Good moral deeds and acts of heroism pleases the Order of the Gauntlet greatly. The Emerald Enclave is represented by a suave half-elf ranger named DeLon Winterhound. Similar to the Harpers, the Emerald Enclave focuses on keeping balance, but their scale lies with the natural forces. Wishing never to harm unnecessarily, they value bringing order to the balances of nature. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, the Lord's Alliance. This faction is just as it sounds, a collection of lords around the realm. Here, you meet six representatives from their respective land. The Lord's Alliance is seemingly the most difficult to please, for all the lords in the faction seem to value different things. This, however, can be unified under one value, the survival of civilization. After talking to each of the representatives and understanding their ideals, Lord Daggolt Neverember of Waterdeep calls for everyone's attention. Understanding that this is a group of varying goals, one thing is for certain. There is a grave danger to the realm. Under the leadership of a man named Severin, the Cult of the Dragon has been trying to summon Tiamat the Queen of Dragons. They have been collecting treasures and transporting it to the Well of Dragons where they will summon Tiamat. Along with that are some dragon masks that, when assembled, can summon Tiamat from the depths of the Nine Hells. Luckily, the Sky Castle transporting the treasure has been thwarted. Still, there is more work to be done, and it will take the combined efforts of everyone to stop the Cult. A noble woman named Dala steps up. She describes the unsettling grumbling you heard earlier as the Draghorn. An ancient device that was news to call dragons to a location. The last known location of it is in the Sea of Moving Ice. Wondering who she is or how she got this information, you are wary of her. Even so, if this is true, you need to find out what happened at this location. Additionally, Romalia of the Harper steps up. She tells you that their spies have found the location of the White Wormspeaker, one of the leaders of the Cult of the Dragon. Romalia informs you that once you are ready, speak to the monk who escorted you, Leosin, and he will provide more information. The council then grants you emergency investigative powers to solve the issue at hand, but requires you to report to them. With that, the people in the room return to bantering among one another, leaving you to figure out your next step. Exiting the chamber, you are confronted by Leosin. He tells you that the White Wormspeaker, Varum, has lost his White Dragon Mask. The last known location of it is somewhere near Berezkyr Bridge. You hurry your way there, taking a few days' journey to the location. Once arriving there, you investigate the town and find that the residents hail him as a hero. Apparently, Varum was looking for escorts into the Serpent Hill when he was approached by a Yuan-Ti spy. Varum had immediately killed the spy, gaining the favor of the villagers. You head to the nearby hill where you find a camp with a few chambers carved into a cliff. In one of those chambers is the Tomb of Diderus. Exploring the tomb, you come face to face with the Yuan-Tis who have Varum beaten and bound. You fend off the Yuan-Ti and take Varum into your custody. Varum quickly admits his capture and informs you that the White Dragon Mask has been reclaimed by the cult already. Whether you decide to kill or capture him, you make your way back to Waterdeep and report on your findings. Meeting with the noble woman Dala, she informs you that not much is known about the Draghorn. It was last seen in the Sea of Moving Ice, but not many know of the exact location. There is a person by the name of Makath the Crimson who may be of help. She is known to be the most knowledgeable in regards to the Draghorn, but no one knows of her whereabouts. Makath was last reported to be at the Sea of Moving Ice by her organization, the Arcane Brotherhood, but lost contact there. Additionally, Dala warns you of an evil White Dragon that haunts the area, Arathator. Be sure to tread carefully. Grabbing some winter clothing, you make your way to the harbor and obtain a boat and some crew. Setting sail north, your trip only takes a few days with the favorable winds. Once arriving, you find the icy village of Oya-Vigaten. The shaman of the town greets you and explains that they are under the watchful eye of Arathator, and death is all but guaranteed for them if the White Dragon finds out that they are harboring you. The shaman leads you to an entrance of an icy dungeon and wishes you luck on finding Makath. To sending into the caves, you meet Makath the Crimson. Makath has been imprisoned here by the White Dragon and has been tasked with deciphering stolen writings from the Arcane Brotherhood. She refuses to leave without taking as much of the stolen writing as possible, dedicated to translating these texts. When questioned about the Draghorn, she informs you that it is a magical item that warns chromatic dragons of great danger. It has been last seen being hauled off by the Cult of the Dragon, whether by killing the White Dragon, chasing it off, or abducting Makath under its nose. You make your way back to the coast from which you came. Here you drop off Makath with her Arcane Brotherhood and gain the allegiance of the organization. Back at the council, they all commend you for bringing the aid of the Arcane Brotherhood with the exception of the Order of the Gauntlet, who don't seem to like them too much. Whether on the road or at an inn, you are ambushed by a small group of cultists who have been sent to assassinate you. They aren't much of a threat and you easily fend them off, however a few of them managed to escape. They have clearly underestimated you, but you have a feeling that those who got away will certainly make things difficult. You make your way to rest, awaiting for the following day. After saving Makath and capturing Varum, you receive a letter of summons to the council. Once arriving into the large room, you see two new faces here. Lady Lero Silverhand has been placed as the new Lord of Waterdeep. Alongside her is the begrudging Lord Neverember and a silver dragon in her human form, named Elia. The representatives and lords complain of increasing cult activities in their various domains, indicating that the situation is clearly escalating. Deline Winterhound of the Emerald Enclave steps up and announced that there has been recent dragon attacks in the Misty Forest. King Melondrack of the Lord's Alliance immediately shuts him down, stating that he's king of that region, and there hasn't been a dragon attack since he increased the patrols. Elia steps up and tells you that the council has been invited to meet with a good alliance of metallic dragons. The council has selected for you to go in their stead, and Elia tells you that the meeting will be had in the nether mountains. With nothing else to discuss, you leave the chambers and continue your investigation. When leaving the chamber rooms, the doors open up from behind you, and Deline Winterhound follows through. He informs you that they have rumors of a worm speaker in the Misty Forest, and it is imperative you head there quickly. Deline tells you that the village of Altand is one of the surviving villages, and it would be the best location for information. Making your journey south, deep into the Misty Forest, you find yourself at the village of Wood Elves called Altand. Investigating the village, you hear of a green dragon that had swooped down and attacked along with some cultists. On top of the dragon was a humanoid figure, riding it with grace. The raid didn't last very long, and the cultists didn't take any treasure which was very unusual. Additionally, you also learned that the dragon rider took flight southeast of their location. He seemed to be quite damp, as if recently passing through water. With a direction in mind, you rush into the forest and search for the cult's hideout. On your search, you meet a druid who has her legs stuck underneath the tree. Deciding to help the druid, she bestows upon you a garland of flowers that protects you from the watchful eyes of the forest. Once reaching a waterfall, you walk past it to find a large cavernous hideout. Venturing deep into the cave, you find a green dragon named Chuth, along with the dragon rider and his cultist. After engaging the two, you learn that the dragon rider is a worm speaker named Neronvane. Either capturing or killing the worm speaker, you eliminate the draconic threat and report back to Neverwinter, where King Melondrak is upset to hear that his son, Neronvane, has allied with the cultist. You make your way to the Nether Mountains to attend the Council of Chromatic Dragons. Once arriving there, you are met with five ancient metallic dragons. Protanthar, a gold dragon who seems to be the leader of the group. He's not particularly fond of the humans and elves. With humans, he believes them to be flawed, noting how the most blighted creatures such as the Yuan Tees and Liches are of human creation. With elves, he harbors an even stronger disdain, for they have shaped the magic of the Draco-Rage Mythow, causing the dragons of this realm to go mad. Protanthar wishes to go into battle immediately, without the aid of humanoid races, but that opinion could be swayed if King Melondrak would apologize for the Draco-Rage Mythow on the elves' behalf. Illuthra, a male brass dragon. He is truly neutral in this Council. Illuthra believes that no race is truly fully evil or good, thus keeping him from making hasty decisions. He requests that after the cult is stopped, the dragons would take the dragon mass for humanoid are too unpredictable to be in possession of these items. Elia introduces herself next as the Silver Dragon. She believes that humanoids are not evil, just misguided. With the aid of the Chromatic Dragons, they can amount to great goods in the world. This courtesy, however, ends with the dwarves, for it is they who killed her niece in the dragon haunts they call dragon moots. She is willing to have the aid of the humanoid races, but would like an apology from Braun Anvil of the Lord's Alliance on the behalf of the dwarves for their barbaric dragon moot. Nimur, the male bronze dragon, is perhaps the most friendly of all the dragons. He believes dragons are created with the vision of good and evil at their core, but humanoid creatures must actively choose against villainy. This earns him great respect of you and does not need any persuading unless you've recently committed crimes of evil. Lastly is Tosmikella, the female copper dragon. While fond of the humans, she has reservations on aiding the factions. Tosmikella fears that the factions might turn on them in dedication to Tiamat. She agrees with Protanthar that they could strike right now, but believes it would not end too well without the humanoid help. After conversing with all the dragons and reaching an arrangement, the Council of Metallic Dragons agreed to help you on your endeavors. Elia flies you back to Waterdeep, or you report your newfound alliance. Once arriving in Waterdeep, you are ambushed once again by cultists and monsters. This time they are much better prepared, potentially even bringing a black dragon to the fight. As you fend them off, one of the boisterous cultists let important information slip. The mask or join, the call has sounded. Soon the gates of the Nine Hells shall swing wide and she shall return. Barely managing to push back and escaping the cultists, you can't help but wonder what they meant by that. Invited to the Third Council of Waterdeep, you enter the chambers to find another new face. Known as the Black Network, the Xenterum faction is being represented by a typhoon named Rion Nightshade. Their help is easily bought, although at a steep price they don't respect you. As you discuss your findings of Neronbane, the Wormspeaker of Green, King Melondrack is furious. He no longer opposes any plans that you may have for the news of his son's betrayal infuriates him. You inform the council about the fruitful meeting with the metallic dragons and some factions are happier than others depending on the deals that you cut with them. Nevertheless, they appreciate your diplomatic skills and grant you the honor of stationing said dragons where you see fit. Along with that honor, they request that you gather the aid of the Red Wizards of Tay. This organization of evil wizards claimed that they have defectors working for the cult of the dragon. They request a meeting and who else better to represent the council than you? Additionally, reports of a Wormspeaker at Xanthos Tower wishes to surrender, giving up his blue dragon mask in exchange. This may very well be a trap but the council deems it worthy of at least investigating. With that, the Third Council of Waterdeep has concluded and you set off on your way. When exiting the chambers of the council, you receive a mysterious message. It reads that it's Gandar, a member of the cult of the dragon, is in dire need of aid. He has decided to leave the cult in fear of death that would await everyone if they were allowed to continue. He is currently trapped at Xanthos Tower and if you rescue him, he will lead you to the blue dragon mask. Once reaching the location of the tower, you find a large maze surrounding it. In front of the entrance of the maze is a small village in which you investigate. The abandoned structure known as Xanthos Tower now inhabits someone but the villagers aren't sure who. When approaching the hedge maze, you hear a male voice call out to you from the balcony of the tower. He informs you that your presence has alerted the cultist and he has hastily taken the mask. The man will meet you at the basement of the tower where you will teleport to a dungeon with him. Making your way inside the maze, you find it to be as magical as it is confusing. You navigate the strange layout and make your way towards the end of the maze and at the foot of the tower. You enter the tower only to find that it has no stairs. Just teleportation devices that jump you from one floor to the next. Making your way to the dungeon below, a body of a man is found leading against the wall. Bloodied and burned, the man has passed away and you can only assume that this is his Scandar. In his hands is what you've come and searched for, a blue dragon mask. As you make your way back to the entrance of the maze, you see a blue dragon laying waste to the village. From the stories that you've heard, this is the same dragon that attacked the town of Greenus not too long ago. Either fending off the dragon or escaping with the destruction of the village behind you, you rush back to Waterdeep and deliver the blue dragon mask to the council. At the city of Waterdeep, you are approached by Leosin of the Harpers. He tells you that the representative of the Red Wizards of Tei, named Ni Ilmik, has come to escort you to their land. Leosin warns you that these wizards are not to be taken lightly, for they are notoriously evil. Caution and respect is highly advised when speaking with them, for they may become an enemy in a moment's notice. Understanding the gravity of his words, you reassure the monk as he leads you to Ni Ilmik. She introduces herself and asks if you are ready, prepared as you'll ever be, you nod, and she teleports you away to the Neth Watchkeep. Inside the magnificent fortress, you are escorted to the Audience Hall, where you meet the governor of the Red Wizards, known as a Darkion. Standing before you in the Audience Hall is a vampire with 10 Red Wizards flanking her sides. The vampire presents herself as Darkion Esaldra Yeth. She states bluntly that her organization wishes vengeance on those who defected from the Red Wizards. After briefly questioning you, Esaldra takes her leave and informs you that a decision of their cooperation will be made tomorrow morning. In the meantime, you are encouraged to spend the night and rest, the undead servants of the fortress guides you to a lavish guest room and feeds you a magnificent meal. In your sleep, you are interrogated and tortured by the Red Wizards in your dreams. Once enough information has been gathered, they leave you be and you awake unable to recall your nightmares. In the morning, Ni Ilmik greets you and gives you news of the status of their cooperation. The Red Wizards agree to aid the faction in the Sword Coast for your interests align all too well. In truth, they have gathered enough information from you in your sleep to make an informed decision on entering the Alliance. Satisfied with the outcome of events, you make your way back to the city of Waterdeep, accompanied by Ni Ilmik as the ambassador of the Red Wizards of Tay. On your path through some settlements, you are once again attacked by the Cult of the Dragon. This time, it is different. A full force of young Red Dragons, Dragonborn and defected Red Wizards join the Cultists as they strike you. You barely manage to survive and watch as the surrounding settlements are laid to waste. The Cult wants you dead and they are doing everything in their power to ensure it. If anything, this was a display of their terrifying power. You limp your wounded body back to Waterdeep and hit the local inn for some much-needed rest. You are called upon for the fourth and final time at the Council of Waterdeep. The Council has noted hundreds of Chromatic Dragons gathering near the Well of Dragons. Now is the time to strike. You discuss your conquest over Zontal's Tower and retrieval of the Blue Dragon Mask. The Council informs you that the Blue Dragon Mask you had retrieved was a fake, albeit a very convincing one. Rian of the Xanterum pulls you aside and offers to purchase Zontal's Tower off of you. She tells you that you now own the Tower by right of conquest and the Xanterum are more than willing to take it off your hands. When returning back to the discussion with the Council, it seems like everyone wishes to own the Tower but it is up to you to decide who gets to own the location. Talks of the Red Wizards joining the Alliance gains mixed opinions among the Council. While certainly a questionable ally, ultimately, their help is much needed in the forthcoming fight. Lastly, any location you did not allocate a metallic dragon to is horrendously raided. Nothing remains in the path of destruction created by the Cult. It is time to take forth to the Well of Dragons and defeat Severant in his evil Cultist. Taking a trek of several days, you approach the Well of Dragons within a masked army from multiple alliances. The constant drone of the Draghorn has forced the local animals to flee or driven them mad. You reach the outside of the border of the Well of Dragons and are greeted by the sight of Ash and Ruins. Caldera of a long dead volcano rises from an Ash and Plain ahead. Along the cinder cones, steeply sloped sides, thousands of creatures mill about or lining up into ordered infantry ranks. In the air above, dozens of chromatic dragons wheel and shriek like a flock of immense crows awaiting the bloodshed of the battle to come. You rush down the slopes of the land, weapons in hand, and make your way to the center of the Well where you can clearly see the army of the enemy ready to strike. Suddenly, the ground grumbles as the earth littered with corpses crumbles around you. A mind-numbing structure has pushed up from beneath the tangled bones to tower over the blasted volcano. Partly volcanic ash, fused with dragon bones, and partly stone imbued with the dark magic of the Nine Hells, the Temple of Tiamat is all chaotic angles and jutting buttresses. You infiltrate the temple and battle through hordes of cultists and monsters alike. Finding the draghorn, you put an end to the device and make your way to Tiamat's temple. Inside the temple are red wizards performing a ritual to guide Tiamat to the surface. Along with them is Severin wearing the Mask of the Dragon Queen which is the combination of all five dragon masks. You take down the wizards while they perform the ritual but it's too late. The magical maelstrom filling the central apps of the temple suddenly splits open with a crack of thunder. The gargantuan heads of five dragons begin to tear and nash their way out of the ruined line pit of fire that forms there. Tiamat, the dragon queen, is about to burst bodily from her confinement in the Nine Hells and enter the world. As each of the heads pierce through the pit, you and your many allies strike at them. Once all five heads emerge from the flames, the death of the realm is nearly imminent. With the help of the many factions, you weaken Tiamat by destroying the mask or preventing them from continued use in the ritual. Once the queen of dragons is weakened, you land the finishing blow in the portal that allowed her to rise collapses. Tiamat roars and screams as she disintegrates being dragged back into the Nine Hells. You have vanquished the Drogonic Threat and emerge victorious. Only thing left now is picking up after the mess the Cult of the Dragon has caused. Nevertheless, the world is safe from the terrors of Tiamat for the time being. Hello everybody. If you guys enjoyed the story of Rise of Tiamat, please give me a like and subscribe. Would really help me out. Thanks.