I actually think this is where your adventure can become memorable, because **the correct ending isn't necessarily "kill the dragon."** Your players are level 16. They've crossed half of Faerûn, solved one of the greatest geographical mysteries in the Realms, and infiltrated the home of one of its oldest dragons. By the time they stand before Iymrith, they have already achieved something extraordinary. The climax should reward that accomplishment with meaningful choices rather than forcing a single combat encounter. Iymrith is not a mindless monster guarding treasure. She is an ancient archmage in dragon form, a historian, an excavator, and a survivor. Unless the party has spent the previous acts loudly announcing their intention to kill her, her first instinct should be to understand why they succeeded where everyone else failed. --- # Act IV – The Doom of the Desert ### Adventure Summary After navigating Anarath and descending beneath the ancient amphitheatre, the party reaches the heart of Iymrith's domain. Here they finally meet the Dragon of Statues. Whether the encounter ends in negotiation, exploration, theft, alliance, or battle depends entirely upon the choices made by the characters. This act is designed to support multiple conclusions rather than a single predetermined ending. --- # The Audience Chamber Instead of a traditional treasure cave, Iymrith's audience chamber resembles an enormous archaeological hall. Colossal pillars support the ceiling, while broken statues from Isstosseffifil stand beside Netherese relics and shattered phaerimm constructs. The dragon's immense hoard surrounds the chamber, but much of it consists of scrolls, stone tablets, magical devices, sculptures, and ancient records rather than mountains of gold. A massive crystal suspended from the ceiling bathes the chamber in blue-white light, while channels carved into the floor conduct crackling arcs of lightning between ancient pylons. The air smells of ozone, dry stone, and old parchment. Iymrith is already there. She is not asleep. She is studying an ancient inscription when the party enters. Without turning to face them, she speaks. > "Do you know how many have searched for this place?" She pauses only long enough to finish tracing a weathered rune with one enormous claw. > "Enough that I stopped counting centuries ago." Only then does she slowly turn to face the characters. --- # Understanding Iymrith The encounter works best if the players quickly realise that Iymrith is unlike the dragons they have fought before. She is calm, patient, and completely in control of the situation. She does not boast or threaten unnecessarily because she has no reason to. Every gargoyle in the city has been reporting the party's movements since they first entered Anarath, and she already knows who they are, where they travelled, and what they have discovered. She is curious. More importantly, she is impressed. Very few mortals have ever reached her lair. --- # Running the Encounter The conversation begins with one simple question. > "Why have you come?" Whatever answer the players give determines how the encounter develops. --- ## Outcome One – Diplomacy If the characters approach respectfully and are willing to negotiate, Iymrith is prepared to listen. She has little interest in needless violence, particularly against opponents capable of surviving the journey to Anarath. She may offer information, ancient Netherese knowledge, or access to parts of her library in exchange for assistance with a problem only capable adventurers can solve. Possible bargains include recovering an artefact from a rival dragon's domain, destroying a surviving phaerimm cell hidden beneath the city, or retrieving a Netherese relic from a location too unstable even for her to enter. The reward for diplomacy is knowledge rather than treasure, allowing the campaign to continue without forcing either side into immediate conflict. --- ## Outcome Two – Theft If the party intends to steal from Iymrith rather than confront her directly, the audience becomes an elaborate distraction. The dragon deliberately engages the characters in conversation while gargoyles quietly reposition throughout the chamber. Should the party attempt to deceive her, the challenge becomes escaping the city alive with whatever they have taken. This path favours clever planning, illusion, and stealth over direct combat. --- ## Outcome Three – Alliance Perhaps the party's objectives unexpectedly align with Iymrith's. The dragon remains fascinated by the forgotten history of Isstosseffifil and continues excavating chambers beneath Anarath that even she has not fully explored. If the characters possess information concerning the Nether Scrolls, ancient mythallars, or surviving phaerimm, she may regard them as useful collaborators rather than enemies. Such an alliance should always remain uneasy. Iymrith is not redeemed by working alongside the party, and everyone understands that the arrangement will end the moment their goals diverge. --- ## Outcome Four – Trial Iymrith may decide the party has earned neither trust nor death. Instead, she offers them a challenge. Hidden beneath Anarath lies a sealed complex she has been unable to access for centuries because doing so would collapse portions of the city above. She proposes that the characters enter in her stead. Success earns her respect and access to the knowledge she seeks; failure merely confirms that they were never worthy of finding her. This option allows the campaign to continue while postponing any final confrontation. --- ## Outcome Five – Combat If negotiations fail, the party attacks, or Iymrith decides they have become too dangerous to leave alive, combat begins. The battle should not resemble a typical dragon encounter. Iymrith knows every inch of her domain and fights accordingly. She uses collapsing architecture, hidden tunnels, lightning channels, and coordinated gargoyle attacks to divide the party before committing herself to direct combat. She withdraws whenever the terrain favours her enemies and strikes only when she can exploit her overwhelming mobility. Most importantly, she has no intention of fighting to the death unless absolutely necessary. If defeat becomes inevitable, she retreats through secret passages known only to her, preserving both her life and her accumulated knowledge. --- # The Aftermath Whatever path the players choose, the discovery of Anarath changes the balance of power across northern Faerûn. The greatest secret of the Anauroch Desert is no longer known only to Iymrith. Scholars, dragons, adventurers, and ambitious rulers will eventually learn that someone has found the City of Statues. Whether the party destroyed the Dragon of Statues, bargained with her, robbed her, or earned her respect, they leave Anarath having accomplished something no other mortals have achieved for more than a thousand years. Their actions will shape not only the future of the city, but the fate of every secret buried beneath the sands of Anauroch.