Chapter 8: Castle in the Clouds - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Chapter 8: Castle in the Clouds. The cult has acquired a friendly roost in Skyreach Castle, a flying fortress built by cloud giants. This castle is docked near the village of Parnast and guarded by mists, magic, and monsters. The fortress contains much of the treasure and valuables that the cult has looted from the surrounding region-treasure that will be added to an even more monstrous hoard at the Well of Dragons, where the cult plans to summon forth Tiamat. By the time the characters arrive in the village, Rezmir has already announced that the fortress must be made ready for departure. Characters should have time to deal with Talis and possibly other cultists before it takes to the sky. The characters must be smart in how they tackle storming the castle-it's clearly a well-fortified place. They also can't wait too long. If the characters tarry, Skyreach Castle leaves to pick up more treasure from another lair of the cult. The exact moment when it takes flight is up to you as DM. If Talis is with the party, she can use her rank and influence to get the characters safely to Skyreach Castle, but once inside, she cannot guarantee their safety and, in fact, turns against them at the earliest opportunity. Characters should be at or near level 8 by the end of this chapter. Parnast 1. Village of Parnast This small village is secretly under the control of the Cult of the Dragon. The cultists load and unload goods here, and some of those goods are sent to Talis's hunting lodge (see chapter 7). The village has a few dozen houses and a small square, with buildings that include a tavern, a stable, and a shrine. In contrast to this rustic burg stands a mighty ice castle half hidden in a fog-shrouded ravine: walls stand forty feet high, huge narrow towers loom upward-one of blue ice, one crumbling-and all of it is built to a scale for giants. Wisps of fog hide much of the castle's detail, but you see two statues standing just before the enormous gate. Cultists posing as vill...