Song of Night Screams

d8	Rumor
1	“They say a song echoes through the stone some nights. No words. Just... screaming notes.”
2	“A merchant from the southern fen swears something moved beneath the swamp. Said it looked like a shadow with wings.”
3	“A pale elf visited the Copper Cup last week. Knew too much. Never blinked. Paid in coins older than the empire.”
4	“There’s a ruin down past the troll holes. Covered in black glass and dead quiet. My cousin swears it glows at night.”
5	“Three wererats went into the deep lairs. Never came out. Their boss says they were ‘reclaimed by the true blood.’ Whatever that means.”
6	“Something is paying doppelgangers to tail adventurers. Someone big. Maybe not even a someone.”
7	“Have you seen the crystals? Growing like flowers in stone? They hum when the wind dies. They hurt to touch.”
8	“Some dragons seek gold. This one seeks secrets. And it always finds them.”

Rumor

“They say a song echoes through the stone some nights. No words. Just... screaming notes.”

“A merchant from the southern fen swears something moved beneath the swamp. Said it looked like a shadow with wings.”

“A pale elf visited the Copper Cup last week. Knew too much. Never blinked. Paid in coins older than the empire.”

“There’s a ruin down past the troll holes. Covered in black glass and dead quiet. My cousin swears it glows at night.”

“Three wererats went into the deep lairs. Never came out. Their boss says they were ‘reclaimed by the true blood.’ Whatever that means.”

“Something is paying doppelgangers to tail adventurers. Someone big. Maybe not even a someone.”

“Have you seen the crystals? Growing like flowers in stone? They hum when the wind dies. They hurt to touch.”

“Some dragons seek gold. This one seeks secrets. And it always finds them.”

To realistically repel or survive an assault from a young black dragon with spellcasting, infiltration, and acid breath, you'd need at least:

Role	Quantity	Notes
Heavy Infantry	12–16	Spearwalls, tower shields; stationed at chokepoints
Crossbowmen / Archers	10–12	Focused fire during aerial or breach assault
Spellcasters	3–5	At least 1 capable of Protection from Acid, Dispel Magic, or illusions
Engineers / Sappers	2–3	Trap setters, wall reinforcement, create deadfalls
Veteran Officers	2–4	For squad cohesion, fast response, and morale recovery
Support Clerics	2+	Must have Bless, Cure Light Wounds, possibly Silence for assassin infiltrators
Sappers / Ward Specialists	1–2	Enchanted sigils, early warning crystals, dragon bane glyphs

Total Garrison Size: 40–50 trained, coordinated defenders, plus 10–15 support staff for food, morale, repair, and magic wards.

Without strong magical support, this is a delaying action—not a defense. You'd need:

Wards vs. shapechangers & illusions (doppelganger-proofing)
Acid resistance across key troops (scrolls or potions)
Alarm spells or magical sensors to detect invisible or polymorphed approaches
One scroll of Wall of Force or Teleport for evacuation

To turn the Gatehouse into a proper redoubt:

Reinforce murder holes and arrow slits with alchemical shielding
Line the ceilings with caltrops, boiling oil points, or chandeliers rigged to fall
Dragon traps: collapsible ceilings, crystal-shattering alchemical barrels, collapsing tunnels

Even this force may not kill Song of Night Screams. But it can buy time:

Commander Ayberk’s Final Word:

"A garrison of fifty can hold it—maybe—if half of them are mages or madmen, and the other half don’t mind dying with purpose.

But I’ll tell you straight: no army holds a ruin from a dragon forever. You don’t win. You endure. Long enough to make him bleed."*