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REGNANT FANEA lair for five 29th-level adventurersHidden in dark corners of the world are grim templesto the deity Tiamat. Some are recent constructions,and others are ancient. A few share similar floorplans. However, Tiamat rarely visits any of thesetemples herself. In this regard, the Regnant Fanenumbers among a handful of locations so blessed, forhere, the god laid a clutch of eggs.HistorySome years past, a high priest of Tiamat named AzarrKul created a magnificent temple to his divine benefactor.With her guidance, Kul dominated goblin,hobgoblin, and related monstrous humanoid tribes ofthe Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Kul, a dragon-favoredhobgoblin, then turned his attention to the widerlands beyond the mountains. Unsuspecting humancities lay in the vale beyond, ripe for plunder to thegreater glory of Tiamat’s celestial hoard (and herpriesthood’s coffers).But Azarr Kul’s ambitions were opposed by a valiantgroup of war veterans. They bearded the priest inthe inner sanctum of his own temple, defeating himand the partly formed avatar of Tiamat that coalescedin Kul’s final hour. The allied armies that had formedunder Tiamat’s banner melted away.Surviving goblinoids that had served Azarr Kuldeclared the temple complex taboo and stayed clearever after. The abandoned fane lay quiescent for overa year. However, divine energy released in the faneduring the high priest’s final struggle remained. Thisfell energy reignited the divine portals that Kul haddevised for communion with his deity.Even in her priest’s absence, Tiamat turned herattention to the fane anew. She recalled the buried,abandoned temple already hallowed in her name andchose it as an ideal location for a nest—the perfect hideawayfor a clutch of her divine eggs. To further divertattention from the fane, she ripped away the originalentrance one night, making it look as though a naturalrockfall was to blame. Tiamat then arranged for new,stronger guardians in the fane and departed, confidentthat the temple would remain hidden. And if it did not,well, she would return to squelch any disturbance.EnvironmentThe Regnant Fane is concealed in the WyrmsmokeMountains, though few that remain in the area nowrecall it. The old pathway leading to the fane was collapsedby the warriors who defeated Azarr Kul, andno direct physical method of reaching the templeremains. The entire complex is sealed in stone.However, a less direct entrance exists. Thosewho desire to gain entry can find clues to locate theproper portal. (No clues are provided in the descriptionof this lair; feel free to work them into your ownadventures.)Approaching theRegnant FaneThe planar portal that leads to the fane was rippedaway from the world and hidden in a secure location—afiery isle lost in the infinity of the ElementalChaos. However, epic-level characters who have theright clues can eventually find this entrance, which isthe only way that anyone other than Tiamat can enterthe fane.When the PCs find the portal, read:Amid the surging flames of the surrounding firestorm,a mote of stone resolves as a free-floating cliff face. Thecliff face is carved to resemble a lifelike sculpture of a fiveheadeddragon. The dragon is massive—easily 150 feettall—and carved as if emerging from the stone. The fiveserpentine necks arch up and then back down, each leeringa challenge at any who dare approach.A huge pair of closed stone double doors are set into thedragon’s chest. Each door is 6 feet wide and 12 feet tall.The entrance to the fane is trapped. The trap istriggered when anyone attempts to open the doorswithout observing proper obeisance (uttering thewords, “Hail Tiamat, Devourer of Worlds andGranter of Vengeance,” in Draconic).The entrance is not locked, but regardless ofwhether the intruder knows the words to bypass thetrap, Tiamat is aware when the doors to the fane areopened. It is only a matter of time before she showsup to investigate the disturbance and deal with thetrespassers.WHY VISIT THEREGNANT FANE?Possible reasons that a group of epic-level player charactersmight want to visit the fane include:Dragon eggs laid by Tiamat are valuable beyond reckoning,and a clutch lies in the fane.Tiamat is the ultimate villain in a long-running campaign,and the PCs hope to draw her into battle here byattacking her eggs.Talking to Tiamat is a crucial step in an even greaterepic quest.158CHAPTER 3 | Dragon Lairs