“The mistakes of our past must remain there. Your mission is one of great import, Zartarxis. Uphold it with honor. The giants must never rise again. We know you will stand vigilant.”
—Bexraktosar, Golden Eye of Chronepsis
Deep in the fetid jungles between the eastern head of the Hydra and the ruins of Bazek Mohl lies the domain of the Green Watcher. Since the fall of their empire, the giants have struggled to rise from the ashes and regain their lost glory. The Eyes of Chronepsis have no wish to see the dragons’ greatest folly once again grow mighty. This guardian keeps close eye on the giant rabble should the powerful Du’rashka Tul curse falter, and monitors the incursions of those who probe the forsaken continent’s ruins in search of artifacts of fell power.
The post of the Green Watcher has passed from dragon to dragon for thousands of years, usually from old bloodlines of green dragons. Being chosen to take up the mantle of the Watcher is a great honor to some; to others, it is a tedious task of lonesome exile. Many have shirked their duties in the past, but the current Watcher is the laziest yet.
Zartarxis quickly grew to despise his post. The jungle environs are vermin-infested and uncomfortable. The dismal ruins of the giants remind him of his race’s fallibility and emphasize his solitude. To make matters worse, the dragon finds it nigh-impossible to locate worthy slaves. The jumpy denizens of the forsaken continent either flee at his approach or savagely attack, forcing him to reduce the insolent creatures to splotches of acid-ruined flesh.
After a few decades of trying to make the best of his situation, Zartarxis succumbed to utter ennui. He has since given sloth a new name. The green dragon rarely leaves the comfort of his lair, forcing his minions to bring him meals, freshen up the scented leaves of his den, and occasionally even turn him on his hoard.
The reclamation efforts of the Domains of Purity and the Scriveners of the Sky (SX 60) have made frightening advances on Zartarxis’s watch, to say nothing of the increase in giant relics garnered by Khorvairian expeditions launched from Stormreach. In fact, Stormreach itself sneaked up on Zartarxis. The green dragon doesn’t remember it being there when he took up his post, and he was shocked when news of this teeming city and the many explorers now surveying giant ruins pierced his sleep-addled brain.
Zartarxis is not the only one shocked at the severity of his negligence. Several among the Eyes of Chronepsis, upon learning of his lassitude, grew unsettled and paid him a visit. Roused now by shame and fear of the repercussions the Eyes promised if his torpor continues, Zartarxis has resumed his neglected duties. The numbers of missing expeditions are on the rise in recent months—all victims of the Green Watcher’s rekindled purpose.
Description
Centuries of inactivity have left their mark on Zartarxis. Years of gorging himself on meals delivered right to his maw have fattened him to a state of obesity nearly beyond belief. Zartarxis’s green scales stretch taut over his girth, and stumpy limbs peek out from his plump body. The dragon’s face droops, and his lidded eyes are little more than slits, lending him an air of perpetual sleepiness.
Zartarxis rarely bothers to clean his scales or even order his minions to do so. Muck, leaves, and the rotting remains of crushed enemies settle in hard-toreach places. In flight, his wings beat fiercely to keep his girth aloft.
Minions
In the first few decades of his stay, Zartarxis managed to subjugate a tribe of trolls who now worship him, calling the dragon the Great Green God. The tribe’s leader, the God’s Huntmaster, is a troll ranger (MM 247) named Maarg’jarth. The Huntmaster is a towering specimen with dark mottled skin, whose drooping nose dangles far past his chin. Maarg’jarth is responsible for capturing meals of appropriate size to satisfy his master’s immense appetite. When he fails to do so (which is often), Zartarxis eats one of Maarg’jarth’s limbs, then watches the troll writhe in anguish as he painfully regenerates it.
A few decades back, Zartarxis gained a useful servant in Katress, a spirit naga. Katress has long ruled over a clan of poison dusk lizardfolk, but her minions were constantly harried by the trolls under Zartarxis’s control. The spirit naga approached the Great Green God and promised to take care of the daily upkeep of his domain, allowing him to sink even deeper into slothfulness. Zartarxis happily agreed. Now Katress flaunts her position as Speaker of the God, taking great delight in bullying the trolls. Maarg’jarth wishes nothing more than to slay the naga, but he dares not incur Zartarxis’s wrath.
Allies and Enemies
Prior to the Eyes’ recent visit, Zartarxis’s enemies were few. Even though he loathes other creatures, his slothfulness makes it difficult for him to pursue an active agenda of hate. A more perfect example of the age-old adage of “let sleeping dragons lie” is hard to find. If any creature disturbs his rest, or worse, forces him to actually do his job by venturing into forbidden ruins and uncovering artifacts, Zartarxis’s resultant rage knows no bounds. He has learned to hate adventurers and explorers above all. Aside from the disturbance these meddlesome creatures visit upon his rest, he finds the very principle of spirited exploration distasteful. Zartarxis exalts sloth and apathy to an ideological supreme, and to him any creature that would willingly journey far and wide seeking “adventure” is an abomination.
Zartarxis’s recent wrath is often borne by the giants. Frustrated beyond measure by the Eyes of Chronepsis’s reproach, the green dragon takes out his anger on the Domains of Purity and the Scriveners of the Sky, blaming his plight on them. The dragon takes pleasure in tearing apart any giant who wanders too close to his domain. Most organized tribes of giants are now intimately aware of the Green Watcher. Though staggered at first by his sudden surge of activity, they now plot the green dragon’s demise.
Hooks
Simply by braving the giant ruins, or any adventure locations detailed earlier in this chapter, the PCs could draw the wrath of Zartarxis. Other possible hooks include:
Relic Refuse: Several potent items of magical might and important relics connected to the giants’ legacy are discarded in the refuse pit of Zartarxis’s lair. PCs seeking a specific item could be forced to look for it there.
Food for the God: Maarg’jarth knows well his master’s hate of explorers and often brings them to the dragon alive, hoping this special treat will curry favor. The PCs are set upon by the trolls and dragged back to the Green Watcher’s lair. They must devise an escape plan before Zartarxis awakens and they become breakfast.
Treat with the Dragon: An organization whose expeditions have lately been vanishing down Zartarxis’s throat hires the party to parley with the Great Green God. The PCs must ascertain what appeasement he requires to cease the attacks. If they can’t reach an agreement, they face the daunting task of slaying the dragon.
Spies of the Eyes: PCs might be manipulated into spying on the Green Watcher by agents of the Chamber, or even by the Eyes of Chronepsis. They are asked to monitor the Green Watcher’s performance of his duties and subtly find ways to break his lethargy. Prodding Zartarxis to action and provoking his fury are practically the same thing, making this mission extremely dangerous.