Sro

X Worldbuilders:

GM James R

"The younger species will do great things---but will need some subtle support to survive."

"The younger species will do great things---but will need some subtle support to survive."

Sro, also known as the Great Sro, is an adult Silver Dragon who took a particular interest to the events in Isonhound during 825 PR leading up to The Battle of Five Lights.

Sro famously authored Lessons From Your Forefathers, a pamphlet handed out to heroes of the Greedy Green.

Ideals

Sro believed he owed the short-lived mortals the lesson of responsibility and preparedness. He wanted to prove who is ready for the new age and who is not.

About

He has generally been friendly toward adventurers and has a penchant for teaching lessons so they can better protect the realm from the coming of Tiamat. His lair is located high in the mountaintops of central Isonhound. His ward is a paladin of Bahamut named Belle.

Sro's hoard is Mayors. That's it. He goes to towns and collects their mayors. From there he takes them to his lair and has riveting conversations about running small towns across Quelmar. Typically he'll let them go home after that…typically.

Many cities were aware of Sro's hoard and his tendency to invade and take political officials, and as such, many established locations such as Synàra and Deeplake, had a plan to offer up a "Mayor Substitute," as Sro often times did not do enough research before invading, leading to him to kidnap mayor-adjacent officials, such as the Assistant to the Mayor, or the Arcscholar. Smaller towns were often under-researched, and had their real mayors taken, such as the mayors of Musso and Galloway.

History

Into the Greedy Green

Sro first appeared in Synara during the festival of Asar Ogalas in 825PR as one of the three titular dragons of the Three Dragons on Synàra incursion, where he stormed the capital building and used his breath weapon to put soldiers to sleep. He abducted a city official who came running out enthusiastically claiming to be the mayor and flew away (the real mayor having escaped out a window). The adventurers soon learned that mayors from many other towns across the region had been similarly abducted in the past.

Soon thereafter, a band of adventurers traveled to his lair to retrieve one of the stolen mayors. There, they encountered Belle and Sro, who warned of Tiamat’s return.  He said he was stealing mayors as a test of the realm’s strength. To further test the adventurers in his lair, Sro polymorphed Belle into a silver dragon and a battle ensued.

After this battle, Sro provided several lessons for dragon fighting, as many unsavory dragons had returned to the region. Sro’s “Lessons from your Forefathers” read:

1. Don’t Fight a Dragon in its own Lair.
2. Work together with your allies.
3. Elemental Arrows of Dragon Slaying are more useful than Guns and Explosions.
4. Pin them down if you need to bring in a bruiser.
5. Spiked Armor can prevent being eaten or squeezed to death.
6. Above all else, weapons should never need to be drawn when a Dragon can always be stopped with Trickery.

After the challenge, Sro admitted that the world may indeed be ready to fight dragons once more. This is one of several documented cases of Sro transforming Belle into a dragon to “test” adventurers and teach them lessons.

Sro would repeat this challenge several times over the course of the year, finding other fun and painless ways to "invite" heroes to join him at his lair. One such incident involved the willing "kidnapping" of Mayor O Donnchu of Synàra, who agreed to leave the city and join Sro for tea, knowing the dragon merely needed a good excuse to have the bravest and boldest heroes go after him, and once again be tested by himself and Belle.

Against the Stag

"Yes P’kinestra, the Law of Consequence is coming for you next." —Sro to the trapped Green Stag

Sro asked adventurers from Isonhound for help with several tasks, including with eliminating the Green Stag. However, his help was short lived, as he caused a cave-in, trapping the adventurers with the dragon in its lair. Fortunately, the Green Stag was defeated, but not without loss of life.  On another occasion, Sro ordered a team of adventurers to free a “good” dragon who had been imprisoned by the Wold Order.

Later, Sro equipped several adventurers with the Tears of Sardior, gems capable of holding dragon boons. Sardior, he explained, is a deceased dragon god akin to Tiamat. Many centuries ago, he said, the gem dragon court went their separate ways in their own pursuits. But some have been seeking each other out, perhaps to rejoin and bring forth the return of Sardior. Sro’s efforts appear to support the return of Sardior.

Against the Order

At some point soon after, Sro discovered that another faction in Isonhound was performing similar training for heroes of the realm. However, he disproved of their methods. As it turned out, the Wold Order was setting up fake dragon lairs with mock hoards as "tutorial dungeons," used as proxy missions to send eager aspiring heroes of the realm.

However, rather than teach the heroes, this was a literal "Trial by Fire," even going so far as to internally call their dungeon The Firegates. He investigated and enlisted some of his own heroes to dismantle the dungeon.

Against the Shadows

Not being a gem dragon, Sro was mostly powerless against the psionic and shadow energies that devoured the land during The Umbral Flood, as a result, he enlisted the help of heroes (by taking the form of a field mouse and being carried surreptitiously across the shadows) to take him to the shelter set up by the gem dragon Bleucorundum. From there, he worked with other great dragons in the region (and the heroes of the Greedy Green) on a plan that would take down Feredemius, resulting in The Battle of Five Lights.

Powers

Sro could cast Beacon of Hope, Calm Emotions, Hold Person, Polymorph, Teleport, Zone of Truth

Hoard

Mayors, Silver Pieces and Silver Chalices and various Silverish jewelery. Also hoards old maps and knowledge of the realm, quickly learning over many years how the current realm is shaped in its politics.

Sro tried to kidnap Mayor O Donnchu of Synàra, and then later tried kidnapping Mayor Stropas Verrin the succesor to Donnchu.

He also kidnapped the mayor of Musso at some point.

Sro's Takes

Wold Order: Not a fan. Looking into what to do about them. “The Fire Gates”, their training grounds, have been shut down for now.

Dragons in the Area: The masses have gotten stronger, and it seems that the dragons of the green are amassing their own lackeys and minions to travel with them after hearing both Green Stag and Flame were slaughtered away from their homes.

Why take Mayors?: It’s his hoard, he talks to them, learns from them, uses them to test towns and cities, but never intends to hurt or kill anyone. One person inadvertently died in his “attack” on Synara in January, and he paid full compensation to their family.

Bazz: Knows she’s a Gold Dragon. Learned all the information about Sardior through a conversation with her.

Protectors of the People: Good folks, lead by a good dragon. Belle has reported some promising things coming from them. But they will need someone to lead them now with Brenna gone.

Space Stuff: A special type of Dragon lived in Isonhound a long time ago, unlike any others, called himself a Relic Dragon. Figured he was just another type of Moon Dragon from another plane or world. Don’t know how long he lives but he could still be out there. Occasionally things seem to drop into Quelmar from far beyond the moon, but they don’t tend to last very long.

More Dragons than Color/Chromatic/Gem: Dragons tend to show up everywhere and anywhere, the echoes of dragons plague all worlds and planes. Cave Dragons for example are a non-chromatic type that emerge in the Underdark and other worlds of darkness.

Towers: Sro knows of many towers in the area. You can make some up, but he wouldn’t be able to share specific information about any one specific tower.

Silent: One of many “Small Deaths” that seem to plague the realm when War is at its worst. Doesn’t know if these many “Small Deaths” are just splinters of Nerull, or if they are the remaining essences of a lost Death God, scattered now in many parts. If Silent is sensed to be present by Sro, he may be able to detect how she recently killed and harvested a Red Dragon soul. He would also demand she not interfere with the test.

Why Arrive in Synara in January with 2 Chromatic Dragons (Red and Black): Refuses to answer. Not a story that could be fully understood if shared today. But be patient.

Citadel of Huldus: Knows the Dwarves used to live inside vaults of the Northern Mountains, if the strange activity a few months ago was any indication, there are many parties trying to get back into those mountains, not just LongFang.

Arlin: Devout followers of Bahamut have been known to become Dragonborns when killing particularly powerful dragons first hand.

The One That Waits: A strange voice that he knows seems to echo around in whispered corners. A puppeteer perhaps. He fought off the ushering from the voice long ago and hasn’t heard from it since. [This alludes to OTW puppeteering many factions in the campaign under different guises]

Behind the Screen

• Sro is named and modeled after The Great Sro, the first named dragon to appear in Dragon Magazine (via an ad for a miniature in the 5th issue in 1975)
  • Sro shares this trait with Flame who is likewise named for the first named dragon in Dungeon Magazine, and Velatheidros named for the first named dragon in the rebooted Dragon Magazine.