Archdragon Splendora

Ancient legends suggest that that first dragon to visit the Feywild laid a clutch of eggs. Nathair happened upon the eggs and infused them with Fey magic, which hatched into the first Moonstone Dragons. Their descendants are now found throughout the Feywild. Nathair and his children didn't stop there...the story continued. There are those that have ascended to a higher status, Archdragons. Splendora was the first to hatch of that very clutch. She is the only Archdragon aligned to The Court of Ancients. The Librarian, the keeper of stories. She is known colloquially as Winters Last Rose.

Archdragons are born in the Feywild of all species. They align themselves with the Fey Courts or like many are Courtless. They have gained nearly god-like powers and established a position of preeminence among Fey-kind. Each Archdragon has a unique appearance and set of abilities, most maintain a territory in the Feywild.

Some Archdragons are regarded as deities and granted divine abilities to their worshipers.

As a rule, Archdragon's break the mold. They are all unique and cannot be made to fit into boxes, unless that is what they wish.

Splendora prefers to read stories, all filled with wonder. She weaves the words to life where the impossible becomes the everyday. She'll find a mountain top and some moonbeams to sit under and read until dawn. Her favorite are about heroes who overcame their deepest sorrows and put hope into the heart's of the beings who read them. It reminds her to be grateful and cherish life. She takes many forms; as a dragon her scales often shine a plethora of colors. Most often blue, pink, white, and purple or even combinations of them. As a dragon she prefers the form closest to that of her favorite flower a blue rose. The softness of her petals is misleading for they are as strong as steel. She can sprout retractable black brambles from most any part of her body at will. Her horns are long and curve back, she occasionally adorns them with silks and silver rings. While Splendora can take on the form of any dragon she cannot use nor benefit from any of their skills/abilities. Splendora masquerades as a Changeling Wild Magic Sorceress by the name Alice Cromwell. This is a very well kept secret, known to few. Alice is a very well known Sorceress. She often appears where the veil is thinnest between the Material Plane and The Feywild. Most who encounter her describe her as charming, wonderful, and everybody looks up to her. In this form she dresses in an elegant black dress. Her hair falls to her collar bone and looks like cotton candy; it's pink, purple, blue, and white with fringe. Splendora does choose to maintain her horns in this guise. She is very generous and kind however when she's feeling more mischievous or irritated she can be quite villainous, a beautiful yet dark individual.

Splendora Personality Traits

Splendora Ideals

Archdragon Splendora's Lairs

She considers herself a collector rather than a hoarder. Most notable are:

Willow Grove. A secluded grove in The Feywild. Willow Grove is lavish with wild flowers and has shady areas to lounge under the many willows that thrive there. It has a tiered waterfall and a secret a cave, the entrance to which is at the bottom of the lake. It is a sanctuary for all manner of magical creatures. Splendora forbids destructive and violent behavior here, and anything that threatens the residents. Discretion is the single most important rule for any visitor of the grove. There were those who sought to abuse her hospitality, however they were relatively few and far between, easily dealt with. Her library can be found within the hyperion tree. Splendora's private study is off limits (may or may not contain romantasy smut amongst the old tomes).

Scathach Castle. Found on The Isle of Skye in the Material Plane. Left to Splendora by her disciple. The bridge connects to the castle's imposing archway made of beautiful marble. Fireflies dance with the torchlights where you catch a glint of the silver veins shimmering. The archway repels those who look upon it, unless they have been granted permission to enter; it is the only thing visible if you do not. The castle itself is covered in brambles from which blue roses bloom. It serves as a Bastion for Splendora's beneficiaries. It is vast and adapts to the requirements of the guests. Always present are: The Library, Courtyard, Garden, Kitchen, Dining Hall, Training Field, Lab, Forge, and several bed/bathrooms.

Dreamland. A whimsical amusement park found in the Ethereal Plane. There is a humongous book at it's center. It's in a constant state of flux, the book being the only stationary object within. Splendora keeps her most prized possessions here. She fiercely protects this lair against all intruders with lethal force. The sojourners are welcome, so long as their stay does not extend past two weeks time. The lair changes to best fit the desires of those who venture inside. The entrance fee is the exchange a nostalgic memory.

Archdragons often use locations in the Feywild as their primary residences, locations on the Material Plane for entertaining guests, and locations on the Ethereal Plane for storage.

Archdragons navigate their multiplanar lairs by opening portals between planes at will. They sometimes forget to close those portals, allowing the inhabitants of one plane to wander into others.

An Archdragon’s Lair

For their lairs, Archdragons make them anywhere and everywhere. They establish multiple lairs from a young age. They link their scattered sites with magic portals, often splitting their time between the Feywild, the Material Plane, and the Ethereal Plane.

The challenge rating of a legendary Archdragon increases by 1 when it’s encountered in its lair.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon can take one of the following lair actions; the dragon can’t take the same lair action two rounds in a row. 3 lair actions to any given lair:

Stage Fright. The dragon targets a creature it can smell within 50 feet of it and attempt to petrify them. The target must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or be turned to statue of your choosing stone/wood/ore/mineral/gem etc. While petrified, the target is incapacitated until initiative count 20 on the next round. The target suffers from any damage taken in statue form.

Plane Scatter. Sigils appear under your feet. The dragon targets creatures of it's choosing that it can see within 120 feet and attempts to send those creatures to another plane. The targets must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or be banished until initiative count 20 on the next round. While there, the target(s) is/are stunned. When the effect ends, the target(s) reappear in the space they left or in the nearest unoccupied space.

Dance F*cker, Dance! The dragon targets a creature it can see in its lair, and warped melodies blare that only the target can hear. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or dance until initiative count 20 on the following round. The dancing creature is incapacitated and must use all its movement to mosh.

Shelved. With a snap, threads woven of words spring forth and ensnare the target. The target must succeed a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be trapped within the book's pages until initiative count 20 on the next round. An action can be spent to stroke the book's spine and free the target.

Overdue. If the target has taken anything from the lair they must succeed a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be stamped as Overdue. On a failed save the target takes 12d8+10 bludgeoning damage, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Shhhh! For the duration, no sound can be created within or pass through a 120-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you choose. Any creature or object entirely inside the sphere is immune to thunder damage, and creatures are deafened while entirely inside it. Casting a spell that includes a verbal component is impossible there. Concentration up to 5 minutes.

Regional Effects

The region surrounding a legendary Archdragon’s lair is altered by the dragon’s magic, creating one or more of the following effects:

Dream Communication. Whenever a creature that can understand a language sleeps or enters a state of trance or reverie within 6 miles of the dragon’s lair, the dragon can establish telepathic contact with that creature and converse with it in its dreams. The creature remembers its conversation with the dragon upon waking.

Limbo Lane. The veil between planes is thinned near an Archdragon’s lair. Various portals link the Material Plane, the Feywild, and the Border Ethereal within 6 miles of the lair. Creatures can pass through a portal in either direction by spending 5 feet of movement.

If the dragon dies, any portals near the lair close immediately.