OC Adventure - Part 3 - The Hollow Egg

Narrative
The players have just left the twisted Fey throne room of the Jester of Whim, having bested their final trial. But
instead of awakening back home, they now find themselves… elsewhere.

They awaken in a mist-shrouded glade, the soft rustle of leaves and chirping of strange birds filling the air. The sky
overhead is dusky pink. A cracked, glowing egg the size of a wagon rests on a pedestal of roots.

A soft voice calls to them.

“Oh! You're awake! Thank the moonflame. There’s still a chance…”

Enter Lady Thistleflame, a tiny, fox-like fey creature with moth wings and a crown of flowers. She explains:

“A wyrmling has fallen. A dragonchild of moonlight — born from the Hollow Egg. She is lost in this place, and
shadows are hunting her. If her heart dims too long… she will change.”

Zone 1: The Trickling Truth Spring

Encounter Type: Exploration / Light Roleplay
Purpose: Foreshadowing + Player Engagement + Soft Magical Worldbuilding
MCDM Touch: Vision-based narrative choice + future impact mechanic

Setup

As they follow Thistleflame through the woods, the players come to a glistening spring in a shallow grove,
surrounded by glowing cattails and strange floating motes of light.

Above the spring is a mossy stone with Fey script that reads:

“One of you may ask. All of you will see.”

Lady Thistleflame hushes:

“This spring is ancient — it shows truth, not facts. It sees what you feel... not what you know.”

Player Choice: Who Drinks?

Only one character may drink from the spring.

 Effect: The chosen player sees a vision in the water:

o A young silver wyrmling, crying near a broken statue.
o The Shadow Drake, circling above, wings dragging shadow behind it.
 o A moment where the players are holding hands in a ring of moonlight, protecting the dragon —
hinting at a possible future.
 All players see parts of the vision in the water — even those who didn’t drink.

Outcome Options:

1. No one drinks – The spring chuckles softly, and they lose their chance. No boon.
2. Someone drinks and shares the vision honestly – The spring glows warmly, and they all gain:
o Moon's Insight: Once per long rest, reroll one Wisdom saving throw or Perception check.
3. Someone drinks and lies about what they saw – The spring glows dimly. A small mote of shadow
follows the party into the next zone...

(You, the GM, may let it play out as a little “haunting” that triggers flavorfully later.)

Narrative & Play Goals:

 MCDM-Style Framing: This encounter forces a player to make a declarative choice ("who drinks"),
creating focus and giving that player a moment of spotlight. It also introduces foreshadowing — hinting at
the Shadow Drake early.
 Tone Setting: This keeps the magic and mystery of the Feywild alive, building toward the reveal of the
wyrmling’s innocence and importance.
 Player Ownership: What they see — and how they interpret or describe it — colors how they view the
quest. It sets tone and engagement before danger arrives.

Zone 2: The Burned Clearing

(As previously described)

The trail leads to a blackened grove, the trees burned and twisted. Ash drifts on the air. Signs of claw marks and a
panicked chase are everywhere.

The players find a clearing with signs of a fight: blackened trees, claw marks, and scared animals.

Encounter:

 Enemies:
o 2x Blight Hounds (custom bark-and-smoke constructs)
o 1x Needle Blight (leader, enhanced with minor shadow magic)
 Tactics:
o The blight hounds attempt to flank and drive players into thorny terrain.
o The needle blight uses entangling vines to control movement.
o Environmental hazard: Burned tree stumps with smoldering roots = Dexterity save or light fire
damage if stepped on.
 Player Agency: Use the environment — break off branches, use water from the spring, call for
Thistleflame’s help.
 Reward: Clues leading toward the grotto and proof the shadow court is behind this.
Zone 3: The Grotto Nest
The players arrive at a shimmering cave, lit from within by moonlight reflecting off crystal walls. In the center lies
the wyrmling, curled up, trembling.

She opens her eyes as they enter — curious, hopeful… but a rumble shakes the cave.

Boss Fight: Shadow Drake

(CR 3 Custom Creature – A “dragon” in all but name)

 Clings to walls and ceiling

 Breath weapon: necrotic mist cone (DC 12 Con save)
 Illusion Aura: The drake’s body flickers — some attacks pass through fake parts
 Weak to radiant or sunlight
 Goal is to capture the wyrmling, not kill

Combat Touches:

 Mini Objectives:
o Protect the wyrmling = gain her trust = reward later
o Destroy crystal pillars = reduce the drake’s illusions
 Cinematic Moment:
At 0 HP, the drake explodes into shadow butterflies, leaving only a black scale behind. Thistleflame arrives
in time to see it vanish.

Adventure Resolution:

The wyrmling, now calm, introduces herself:

“I am Lunessa... of the Moon Shell Brood. Thank you for... not being afraid.”

She gives each player a gift (see below) and tells them that one day, they may call upon her again — when the silver
door beneath the world opens.

Rewards:

 Lunessa’s Scale: Cast shield once per long rest

 Moon’s Whisper Trinket: Use message or minor illusion once per day
 Friendship Stone: When held by all party members at once, glows in moonlight and provides warm
fuzzies

Future Ideas

 You've now introduced a dragon, a dragon ally, and a villainous shadow court, all wrapped in whimsy
and mystery.
 The “silver door” is a perfect seed for a future plane-hopping adventure.
 The Jester of Whim can reappear anytime, even just as a voice or reflection, tying your world together.
STAT BLOCKS

Blight Hound

Twisted wooden beasts animated by shadow magic, these hounds bark smoke and embers, sniffing out fear in the forests of the
Feywild.

Medium plant construct, unaligned — CR 1

Armor Class: 13 (barkskin)

Hit Points: 22 (4d8 + 4)
Speed: 40 ft.

STR 14 (+2) | DEX 12 (+1) | CON 13 (+1) | INT 2 (–4) | WIS 10 (+0) | CHA 5 (–3)

Damage Vulnerabilities: Fire

Damage Resistances: Piercing, slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages: —

Abilities

Smoky Snarl (Recharge 5–6):

As a bonus action, the Blight Hound exhales smoke in a 10-foot cone. All creatures inside must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution
saving throw or be blinded until the start of the hound’s next turn.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.

Hit: 7 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

Needle Blight (Shadow-Touched)

Small plant, neutral evil — CR 1/2

(Enhanced version of MM pg. 32)

Armor Class: 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points: 18 (4d6 + 4)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR 12 (+1) | DEX 12 (+1) | CON 14 (+2) | INT 4 (–3) | WIS 8 (–1) | CHA 3 (–4)

Damage Resistances: Piercing from nonmagical weapons

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
Languages: understands Sylvan but can't speak
Abilities

Thorn Entangle (1/day):

Can cast Entangle (DC 11 Strength) once per day. Roots and black thorns erupt from the ground in a 20-ft. square.

Actions

Needle Spray. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 30 ft., one target.
Hit: 8 (2d6 + 1) piercing damage.

Shadow Drake

Medium dragon, neutral evil — CR 3

Final boss of the adventure

A young dragon-like creature warped by shadow. Its body flickers with illusions and breathes cold necrotic mist.

Armor Class: 15 (shadow-scale hide)

Hit Points: 52 (8d8 + 16)
Speed: 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR 16 (+3) | DEX 14 (+2) | CON 14 (+2) | INT 8 (–1) | WIS 12 (+1) | CHA 14 (+2)

Saving Throws: DEX +4, CON +4, CHA +4

Skills: Stealth +4, Perception +3
Damage Resistances: Necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
Languages: Draconic, understands Sylvan

Abilities

Shadow Flicker.
Once per round, when hit by an attack, roll a d6. On a 5–6, the attack hits an illusion and deals no damage.

Moonlight Vulnerability.
While in bright light or radiant magic, the Shadow Drake has disadvantage on Stealth and loses its Shadow Flicker ability.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.

Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.

Necrotic Breath (Recharge 5–6):

The drake exhales a cone of black mist in a 15-foot cone.
Each creature in the area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 13 (3d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or
half on a success.

Tactics:

 Opens with Necrotic Breath to soften the party.

 Sticks to walls/ceilings using climb and makes hit-and-run attacks.
 Encourages creative tactics: players using light sources, reflections, or the wyrmling’s help.

Optional Phase Twist:

When the Shadow Drake reaches 0 HP, it shatters into shadowy butterflies — revealing it was never truly “real” but a
manifestation of corrupted fey magic trying to steal Lunessa.

Leaves behind a single blackened dragon scale, humming faintly with arcane energy.