A note from the Author
Firstly, thanks so much for your continued support of Hourglass Brewing. As you may know many of our staff members have been here for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10+ years and we could never have done that without y’all. It has been a perilous journey and we have learned so much along the way. Now on to the nerdery.

A message to GM’s who may run this material
Boiled down to its core there’s only one true rule to tabletop games- have fun. Many parties enjoy these games in different ways, and they are all valid as long as everyones having fun! Whether you prefer hardcore rules, long battles and big stat blocks, or fast paced improvisational ‘rule of cool’ stories I hope you will bend this material to suit you and your players how y’all will enjoy it most!

The material is organized into ‘scenes’, which together build the story of this fairly linear adventure. Music suggestions are included to help set the mood for each scene for those who enjoy music with play.

About this material
This is intended to provide enough content to run a 1 or 2 session short adventure or sidequest. Using challenge rating calculators the Boilerdrake would be a ‘hard’ fight for a party of 5 level 5 adventurers. There will be options provided to make the Boilerdrake a suitable encounter for a low level party. See the Young Boilerdrake statblock at the end of this page for reference. Suggested DC’s will be included targeted at a low level party, again feel encouraged to modify them to whatever you feel best suits you and your party.

Scene 1 – A call for help

This scene will set the main plot points before the party, introduce the first NPC, and get our story in motion.

Suggested music: Adventure begins for meeting Iti in a town, Highlands for travel through the woods.

If this is an existing party and you are running this material as a side quest then the party can be wherever they currently are, whether it be a town or a mountain road. If you have crafted a new adventuring party just for this material they are currently traveling through the city of Odnalro between jobs. Wherever the party is they are approached by a flying creature. As it nears they can identify it as a small Kiwi bird-like person perhaps the size of a gnome- and notably not using wings to fly. He is well appointed in high quality light leather armor, a colorful shirt, and a variety of small trinkets. He will identify himself as Iti Manu. He is well spoken, and has an airy high pitched tone to his voice.

“Hail adventurers! I bring word from the mayor of Longwood -Bartholamew Masonry, he is in immediate need of aid from adventurers such as yourself! A dreaded Plated Boilerdrake has been spotted carving a path along the countryside towards Hourglass Brewery- in the heart of Longwood.”

Iti is a curious and friendly creature who can explain the common lore of the Boilerdrake and give directions to Longwood. In fact Iti offers one better- a magic compass he made that always points towards the nearest brewery. Opening the neat little wooden box will reveal not a needle- but the smallest bottle the adventurers have ever seen- and sure enough it steadily points in one direction. 

Other pertinent information Iti can offer- 

♦  The Drake has already pillaged a number of small towns and smithies, growing stronger with every meal, and seems to be making its way to Longwood. It is hard to say for certain but it could be as little as 3 or 4 days until it arrives.

♦  Longwood is about two days’ travel from here. Never heard of it? Not surprised, it’s a tiny quiet place in the middle of nowhere. Pretty much the only reason anyone goes there is for the brewery. It is named after a tall, ancient tree that has sadly since been burned down by a manic halfling.

♦  A reward – if the party is successful in driving away the Boilerdrake Bartholamew will reward them with 100 gold each and a Cask of Endless Ale.

Iti will also reach into a small bag and produce a number of cans of beer. They are colorfully labeled Wolf, Brown Bear, Bees, and Toad.

“Bartholamew sent these gifts as a token of goodwill. These are no ordinary beers, but enchanted ones imbued with magic by a sorceress who lives in the woods near town. Each will grant you a different boon.”

♦  Wolf Shirt – This crisp light lager increases the characters movement speed by 10ft

♦  Brown Bear – This malty classic increases a characters HP by one of their corresponding Hit Die

♦  Bees – This aromatic IPA with honey allows the character to add their proficiency bonus to their initiative. This can stack with other similar bonuses.

♦  Toad – This dry chocolatey porter grants the character resistance to poison damage and immunity to the poisoned condition.

 At the DM’s discretion these boons may last till the end of this one shot, or be permanent. If the characters ask Iti what each beer does he will tell them in ambiguous terms. At this juncture Iti will await the hero’s answer. When they agree he will say,

“Oh! Most excellent indeed! I knew you were the Adventurers we needed. Now, post haste, let us make the trip to Longwood so we can begin preparations for the Drakes arrival.”

Clearly abuzz with excitement Iti flies off, presumably in the direction of Longwood. For a moment the party may seem confused as Iti quickly out paces them. Shortly after he will return, land, and apologize saying he forgets not everyone can fly. 

Setting off on foot towards Longwood, Iti will begin telling the party long stories of his many mixed past adventures- he is truly a chatterbox. Soon the party is on a simple dirt road traveling through the wooded countryside. Cottages and farms occasionally appear off the path. One of the characters will notice a sign declaring the road I – 4 with subtext saying intervillage road no. 4. Not far from where the sign is posted a looming tower can be seen in the distance. If anyone comments, Iti will explain how a wizard started building it hundreds of years ago, it changed hands many times since but no one has ever finished it. Shortly after this quip a muffled voice seems to emanate from one of Iti’s many pockets.

“Oh!”  Iti says as he physically jumps a little, it seems the noise startled him. He then fishes around in his shirt and produces a small stone carved to resemble a talking face. “Ah, hello,” Iti says, “You startled me!”.

  “Iti, we need you back in town to help with the preparations. Please tell me you found more adventurers willing to help.” Says a deep slightly garbled voice out of the stone.

Their conversation continues as Iti delivers the good news of the party coming to help. As the conversation comes to a conclusion Iti will answer any last questions from the party and apologize profusely for leaving them. If one of the players did not already take the compass earlier Iti will pass it over. He will let them know to follow the road and they should reach the home of the Sorceress that enchants the beer, Kandrea, by sundown. Show her the compass and she may offer a place to sleep for the night. With that last bit Iti magically flies off above the trees in the direction of Longwood.

Scene 2 – Cultists attack!

This scene will be our first combat and get the players rolling some dice. In addition it will add some lore to the Drake, and give our players their first loot.

Suggested music: Continue with Highlands for travel through the woods, and anything from your favorite RPG, anime, action movie, etc for the fight!

After Iti leaves the party, they continue their journey to Longwood. Hopefully they engage in a bit of in-character small talk here. Regardless, after another hour or two of traveling they are about to walk into an ambush. A group of cultists who worship the Drake followed Iti on his way to recruit more adventurers to help. They were hoping to off Iti, but will gladly accept the party instead.

A nondescript wagon approaches in the distance. Driving it are two humanoids in cheap brown cloaks- hoods up. Both are cultists, with more waiting further down the path to Longwood. Their goal is to pass the party in the wagon undetected so they can spring their ambush with the party surrounded.

A character who takes a closer look may make a perception check (DC 14) to notice protrusions in the cloaks that look an awful lot like swords. If engaged in conversation the cultists will claim they are just local farmers in a hurry and continue on their way. Any suspicious character can make an insight check (DC 13) to determine that the cultists are indeed lying and something is fishy about this situation. If pressed they may spring the trap early, allowing the party the advantage of not being surrounded.

If the party passes the wagon shortly after two humanoids will spring from the bushes blocking their path forward, weapons in hand.

Roll Initiative! There are a total of six cultists, two who sprang from the bushes, two on the wagon, and two more who climbed nearby trees. Feel free to make it more challenging if you have the time for more than one  session for this material. Depending on the level of your players the cultists may use any of the following statblocks, or any other statblocks you feel are appropriate opponents for your group.

Bandit Goblin Hobgoblin Spy (Basic Rules pg. 162, Basic Rules pg. 138, Basic Rules pg. 140 Basic Rules pg. 402)

The battle map will be simple, a dirt road through the woods, and of course the wagon which can potentially be used for cover. The cultists strategy is to sandwich the party in melee while the two cultists in the trees make ranged attacks. 

The cultists may shout cheesy battle lines such as “For the Drake!”, or  “All breweries will be consumed in his Plated wake.”

Once the cultists have been defeated the party will discover that one of the cultists is still alive, holding on to life by a thread. This cultist, a middle aged human male named Anhize Boosh, will beg for his life to be spared. Persuasion or intimidation checks (DC 15) can be made here to glean some additional information about the cult and the Drake. If the party heals or offers stabilizing medical attention to Anhize, persuasion checks can be made at advantage for this information. Numbers 1, 2 and 3 are most relevant to completing this module, the final two are more for flavor.

♦  They are from a group that calls itself the Bud Drakes. They worship the Plated Boilerdrake and their goal is to help it propagate. 

♦  During hibernation the Bud Drakes will gently bleed the drakes, they collect the blood to study, consume, use in rituals and refine into a special magic elixir.

♦  There are more cultists about attempting to stop anyone from getting in the way of the Drake.

♦  Their leader is a Dragonborn named Bevin Abhaus. He resides in the mountains above the Drakes lair.

♦  They have discovered in their research that Boilerdrakes reproduce through a process called budding. As the Boilerdrake eats it begins to grow a metallic egg-like mass at the tip of its tail which looks strikingly like a hop-cone. When fully formed it will fall off and enter an incubation period of many months. Finally a young Boilerdrake will hatch, ready for its first meals of simple metals.

The better the party rolls, the more of this information they will glean from Anhize. After the conversation Anhize will promise that if they let him go he will leave the cult and return to an honest life, he has always wanted to be a beet farmer after all. He is telling the truth.

Loot: Rummaging through the corpses and wagons the party will find 10d10 gold pieces, two small vials with golden caps detailed with an insignia that looks like the Boilerdrakes head, and one minor magic item. This magic item could simply be a +1/+1 weapon that suits one character, or alternatively something fun and more utilitarian like a pair of sending stones. To get creative ideas I highly suggest this great list of 100 magic items.

The vials contain a potion made using the Boilerdrakes blood amongst other alchemical ingredients. Consuming it grants the character the effect of the Dragon’s Breath spell.

Scene 3 – A brief respite at the home of the Sorceress

This brief scene will allow an injured party to catch their breath. It will also add some flavor to the world and give the Party a chance to spend any gold they may have on potions and other oddities. At the end of the scene, the party will arrive in Longwood. If attempting to complete this module in a single sitting at your discretion this scene can be greatly shortened to simply finding the home of the Sorceress, resting, and her teleporting the party to town in the morning.

Suggested Music: Shamans Hollow for travel by night, and Banshee’s Lair for Kandrea’s home. 

By the time the party has finished dealing with Anhize they notice the sun is starting to set down behind the tree line, and it’s getting darker quickly. They may take a moment to bandage their wounds and stem any bleeding. The night sky is clear, and the stars shine brightly as a cool breeze blows through the wood. It is undeniably a beautiful night.

The evenings travel, aside from possibly needing to light a torch for anyone who lacks darkvision, passes uneventfully. A few hours pass as the party now travels in the dead of night, tired from their day of travel and the fight with the cultists. If anyone was injured in the fight make sure to remind them of their aching wounds. At this juncture one of the characters notices a small footpath off the road into the woods. Peering closer a player may make a perception check (DC 12, 14) a low success notices a small sign seamlessly made as if it was grown out of the earth. On it simply the letter ‘K’ and an arrow pointing down the path. A high success will notice the path is significantly overgrown with spiky brambles whose vines are covered in closed buds, like flowers waiting to bloom.

Moving into the brambles without taking any other precautions will cause a player to receive 1d4 damage and the poisoned condition as they are scraped and poked by the sharp spiky vines. There are a number of ways the party can overcome this obstacle. Any character may make an acrobatics check (DC 14) to move through them carefully avoiding the brambles. A survival check (DC 12) will allow a character to recognize the plant as a lightbloom bramblevine. And they know that source of magical light, such as the dancing lights or light cantrip, will cause a nearby bud to bloom into a beautiful flower of pristine white laced with bright sharp lavender. As the flower reaches full bloom it produces a soft glow of its own, triggering a chain reaction as the path before them slowly blooms in full and the large thorns shrink away to leave a clear and safe path. Your party may think of other creative ways to overcome this minor obstacle, such as using druidcraft to make the first bud bloom, and causing the chain reaction.

Moving forward the party will not encounter any further obstacles as they make their way down a short path that gently climbs up a hill. It is easy to notice this space is different from the rest of the forest as various exotic plants grow dotted over the landscape, many bioluminescing. Small birds and insects zip through the air chirping. Any magic user in the party can palpably feel the charge in the weave here, suffusing the flora and fauna.

A colorfully painted wooden house consisting of a few different joined circular structures, capped by red tile shingles, sits near the center of this grove. As the party approaches a young elven woman with short cut black hair comes out to greet them. She is adorned in a long embroidered tunic, a flowing cape, and tall tanned leather boots.

“What in the nine hells are you lot doing here!”, Kandrea exclaims in a brash tone.

Kandrea is a mischievous but good willed and has long worked with the brewers in Longwood to magically enchant their beers. She also has potions for sale and can provide healing services. She will continue to be stand-offish until the party presents the compass and explains that Iti has recruited them to help protect Hourglass from the Boilerdrake.

“Oh, why didn’t you just say so!”, her tone quickly becomes more friendly and she invites them inside.

The inside of her home is as magical as the exterior, bubbling cauldrons scatter one room with herbs drying suspended above. One wall is completely covered in various wet and dry specimens, bleached animal skulls and countless little vials of variously colored liquids. As she implores the party to tell their tale so far she will tend to any minor injuries with little leaf like bandages and offer strangely colored bubbling concoctions to anyone who has been poisoned. After tending to any wounds she will offer hot stew served in little hollowed out gourds, and mugs of a special peach beer of her own design.

Through their conversation Kandrea will have a few talking points:

♦  The Plated Boilerdrake is not a malicious creature, but simply seeks to feed and raise its young.

♦  It seems that the Boilerdrake has awoken early for some reason (if the party has told her information about the cultists she will speculate that this is why). Usually the breweries of the region band together and amass surplus or retired equipment to provide a sufficient meal to appease the Drake such that it does not target any whole brewery itself, but they were caught by surprise this time.

♦  You need not kill it, simply drive it away.

Kandrea will also offer to sell potions and oddities, if the party is first level all are 10gp each:

♦  Potion of Healing(sometimes) – upon consuming this potion roll 1d20, on a roll of 10 or higher it restores 2d4+2 HP, otherwise it’s just tasty fruit juice.

♦  Potion of Climbing 

♦  Potion of Fire Resistance

♦  Roll 1d100 and consult one of these tables 1, 2. This can be purchased once by each party member.

 After any possible purchases and conversation has been concluded Kandrea will usher the party into another side room of the house where they find a number of bedrolls already laid out and requests that they meet her in the garden in the morning. The night passes peacefully aside from the sound of bubbling cauldrons. When morning comes sunlight peeks in through the many windows of the home. Heading out into the garden the party will find Kandrea already there, using chalk to draw glyphs along the ground in a circular pattern.

“Come, we must be quick, all hands will be needed to protect the Brewery. And please remember you need not slay the creature- just convince it this meal isn’t worth the trouble. Now I haven’t done this particular enchantment in a while so forgive me if its a bumpy ride.” Kandrea says as she put the last few marks down for the magic circle.

“Right-O pile in, and good luck to you!”  She says cheerfully as she motions for the group to enter the circle.

Shortly after they do, Kandrea will wish them farewell, and begin to cast a spell. Light flashes brightly as the party is hurled through the teleportation spell. It is indeed a bumpy ride as the party feels jostled and thrown about. Finally with another flash they appear somewhere else entirely. For flavor you may have the party roll a dexterity saving throw (DC 12) to see if they land on their feet or show up in a dog pile all knocked off their feet from the bumpy ride.

Scene 4 – Arrival in Longwood

This scene will set the final plot pieces in motion as the party makes their way about town and meets a few more key NPC’s.

Suggested music: Medieval Town for moseying about Longwood.

Dusting themselves off after the turbulent teleportation spell they find themselves standing on the outskirts of Longwood. Nearby an old man with a shocked expression on his face stands quietly in disbelief. If approached in conversation he will first ramble on about he has never seen such a thing in his life, troublesome adventurers meddling in quiet towns, so on and so forth. Ultimately he will answer any questions about where they are and how to get to the brewery from here.

Heading into the small town the party will see that it is in quite the bustle. Many townsfolk are packing belongings into wagons, nailing shut windows, or leading a horse out of town. Off to the side people are chaotically pushing towards a river boat where a muscular sailor with full mutton chop beard and a portly man in wizards robes help shepherd them on board one by one. Occasionally a group of women and men in leather armor with spears will jog by importantly.

Moving further into the chaotic town the party will see a large building in the distance with a painted wooden sign, “Hourglass Brewery”. More town guards seem busy here, erecting makeshift barricades made of keg shells and pallets.

Looking around a perception check (DC 12) can be made to spot someone in charge- in this case a man in black pants and shoes, wearing glasses with a handsome black beard and shaved head. As the party approaches they catch his eye and he comes over to greet them.

“Ah! Welcome to Longwood, you must be Iti’s new recruits. My name is Wayne Shilliams, I am the general manager of Hourglass Brewing. Thanks for coming, you are just in time.” He explains in a level tone, though an insightful character may notice the underlying tension in his voice.

Wayne is a level headed and straightforward man who has been with the company for many, many years. He will discuss with the party their adventure so far, and invite them into the taproom to discuss their role in mounting the defense.

Entering the taproom the party might be surprised to see it is bustling and busy. Every seat is occupied and many more are standing all with large mugs of ale and lager in hand. If anyone notices or comments on the stark contrast from the scene outside Wayne will explain that it is tradition to empty the tanks as much as possible in case of an impending Boilerdrake attack, a bittersweet party hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Iti gleefully waves from the stage where he is playing the piccolo while a tiefling woman sings a wandering shanty of ale and battle. Wayne leads the party through the masses, amidst calls of cheers and shouts of excitement at the sight of the adventurers here to help. Near the back of the taproom Wayne sits at a private table to talk with the group.

“We need to stop the Boilerdrake in its tracks here and now. If it consumes our brewery it will become far stronger and threaten every brewery in Odnalro. Weviant Dolfe, Hatlin Gall, Led Right Led Right, Pockrit, Widesard, Pivanhoe Ark, and even Dead Cypress could be next!”

Wayne has the following talking points through the conversation with the party:

♦  If the party mentions what Anhize said about additional cultists Wayne will immediately look concerned, saying he was hoping their entire force could fight the Drake together. If this is the case the Party will have to deal with the Drake alone, while the rest of their forces hold off the cultists. 

♦  Wayne wants the group to make their stand in the brewery yard, as it is the only place the Drake is guaranteed to go. And if things go south in the battle, hopefully the beast will leave the adventurers to live, and consume the brewery instead. A sad sacrifice, but one the Brewery is prepared to make. Safety of our people always comes first in the Brewhouse.

♦  Join the festivities! Have a mug of ale or lager, enjoy the band, play some games. Wayne will come and find you when they have news of the Drakes location. It could be as soon as this afternoon.

Point three is optional pending time and group interest. Otherwise, content can skip directly to the engagement with the monster.

If the party seems to want to take part in the party there are a few groups they may engage with. The brewers, two red haired dwarven brothers named Quarters and Chesco, will approach the party to thank them for coming to defend their brew house. Quarters, the larger of the two, has a huge full red beard and long hair while Chesco sports short hair and a curling mustache both are wearing work boots and long many-pocketed pants. Quarters will challenge the strongest looking member of the party to an arm wrestling contest using competing athletics checks for a round of beers. For a low level party Quarters will have a +5. The brothers are a grateful and jovial bunch.

A pair of goblins, one male and one female, will approach and introduce themselves.

“Hi! I’m Lonk, I’m a Goblin!,” The first will say cheerfully before the second chimes in “Me too! I’m Klunk! Wanna play dice!”

Klunk and Lonk will offer to bet gold on dice games, this will use competing sleight of hand, again with a +5 for the NPC’s. The goblins are an eccentric and playful duo. They will talk about how they have been thieving from the cultists and replacing their ale kegs with ones spiked with sleeping potion.

After some time passes over beers in the brewery mayor Bartholamew Masonry will run in and jump onto a table near the center of the taproom, with a frantic look on his face. He is a stocky man, wearing a strangely shaped animal pelt around his waist with a formal vest fitting of his mayoral position.

He belts out at the top of his lungs, “The Boilerdrake has been spotted not far from town, it’s time for us to make our stand! Remember, we do this not only for Hourglass but for every brewery in Odnalro! Stand together, watch each other’s backs. Now, to your positions!”

The taproom goes up in a ruckus, as everyone loudly cheers in response to Bart’s words. A few people finish their beers as soldiers grab their spears and swords to head into position.

Scene 5 – Showdown at the Brewery

In this scene we have our ‘big bad’ fight where hopefully the party slays, or drives away, the Boilerdrake. Again, be encouraged to run this fight in the way you think you and your party will enjoy it most!

Suggested music: Again, anything epic from your favorite adventure movie, video game, or RPG.

We find our party stationed as the last line of defense between the brewery and the Drake, the entire town and all the arranged forces wait with bated breath for the imminent arrival of the creature. The tension in the air is palpable. Soldiers ahead of the party huddle together in small groups, whispering about what awaits. Behind the party in the back of the brewhouse Wayne Shilliams looks on along with Bartholamew Masonry.

Suddenly the tension snaps as a warhorn can be heard blaring in the distance. All eyes snap forward, and guards heft their spears and shields into position. Shouts can be heard in the distance. Before long the party catches their first glimpse of the creature, as large as a house, its metallic plated hide glistening in the sun.

The party can spot everyone they have met so far. Iti flies above casting spells with his piccolo, leaving cultists rolling on the ground laughing uncontrollably. Kandrea shouting insults at the cultists while tossing various vials and bottles leaving clouds of colorful smoke. The Goblin duo weaving in out of the fray almost like a dance while delivering precision strikes with their rapiers and daggers. And of course the brewing brothers, wielding not axes or hammers, but steel mash paddles- the tools of their trade.

It moves forward slowly but surely and cultists can be seen swarming into town, engaging the guards and spearmen helping create a clear path for it forward. A group of spearmen able to break away from the cultists run forward, hurling their spears only to watch as they uselessly splinter against its plated hide. Looming back the Drake takes a deep breath, before a torrent of searing steam launches forth from its vast toothed maw. As the steam clears the spearmen can all be seen collapsing, clutching wounds.

A simple wooden gate, the last thing between the Drake and the party, almost seems to cower before the beast. Not even bothering to shatter it, the Drake quickly burrows under the earth. A long moment passes as everyone seems to hold their breath before finally the Drake erupts before them!

Roll Initiative.

This fight can run pretty traditionally with a battle area that covers the brewery yard, and the brewhouse area itself. In the yard are scattered makeshift barricades the party can use to take cover, then a large bay door leads into the back side of the brewery proper where the large metal fermentation and brewing tanks scatter about. These can also be used for cover and the Drake can use his healing action by eating them as well. 

Alternatively the fight can use ‘phases’ like many RPG bosses. During the first phase the Drake will mostly hang back using its breath weapon and the dodge action. The Drake will ‘forecast’ its intent to use the breath weapon allowing the party a turn to take cover behind one of the barricades. Once it has been reduced to ¾ of its HP it will switch to a secondary tactic, using burrow to move unpredictably and surprise more vulnerable party members from under the earth. This phase lasts till roughly ½ of its HP remains. Thirdly it seeks to eat as many tanks as possible, to regain hit points. Finally it will act erratically, mixing all its actions and strategies.

During the fight Bartholamew or Wayne may run in to revive a fallen adventurer with a healing potion if this helps the flow of the fight. If the party is low level the young  Boilerdrake stat block should be used to make it a winnable fight, unless you are itching for a brutal TPK. Depending on the direction the players want to take it they may either slay the Drake, or when it reaches 0 hit points it is instead driven away, and uses its burrow to disappear under the earth. Either way, the hopcone like ‘egg’ or ‘bud’ pops off and is left there with the party.

Scene 6 – The Aftermath

The purpose of this scene is simply to wrap up the story and allow the party to receive their hard-earned rewards. If this is being run as a one-shot, this scene may be skipped and instead, the session ends simply with the parties triumph over the Drake.

Any party members knocked unconscious in the fight will be awoken shortly after as the brewers provide a special barrel-aged healing draught. Wayne and Bartholamew will congratulate them on their success and declare that with the Drake gone the remaining cultists are fleeing. The battle has been won! The breweries are safe once more.

Much of the afternoon is spent cleaning up the destruction from the battle, and healing the wounded. That evening Wayne will hold a special toast at the Brewery for the party and Bartholamew will present them with their reward, 100 gold each, and the Cask of Endless Ale. It is a tiny wooden barrel roughly the size of a football, beautifully engraved with the Hourglass insignia. It can on command produce a pint, gallon, or geyser of delicious beer. The geyser functions the same as this magic item.

The party will always be given free Lodging in Longwood, and an employee discount at the brewery.