Fratarron

Once a powerful green dragon, Fratarron attacked Shelmere in ages past, causing the Siege of Shelmere, an event camptured in myth and legend.   Fratarron was once a powerful and cunning green dragon who ruled the dense forests near Shelmere . Driven by insatiable greed, he turned his eyes toward the wealth of the fortified city. Despite his immense strength, Shelmere’s defenders managed to repel his solitary attacks for years. Frustrated and impatient, Fratarron changed tactics and turned to the inhabitants of his wooded domain: orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears, uniting them into a savage army with promises of plunder and dominance.   The Siege of Shelmere unfolded with terrifying speed and ferocity. Having resisted Frattarron for so long, in only three days the city’s walls crumbled, and its defenders were overwhelmed. Fratarron’s forces, bloodthirsty and chaotic, ravaged the streets. He quickly lost control of his forces, but cared little. He turned his attention on this original goal, and went for the royal palace.   The veil between the land of the living and the land of the dead was naturally thin in Shelmere's part of the world. Historically, the settling of the region had been perilous and grim, and death was a constant compainion. By the time of the siege, the citizens of Shelmere were well aquinted with ghosts and other undead. So, as the violence escalated, the slaughter led to an unexpected new distaster. The collective anguish and desperation of the dying tore a breach to the beyond, unleashing a tide of vengeful undead into the city.   As Fratarron attempted to crack the city's treasuries, his army and the city's survivors began to fight for their lives among the swelling ranks of undead horrors. By the next sunrise, everyone, even Fraterron himself, had been utterly overwhelmed.   Risen as formiddable dragon skeleton, Fraterron rules the ruins of the city. It is said he mindlessly scrapes any wealth he can find into a heap upon the collapsed royal palace at the city's center. His rotted army attacks anyone entering the region. Seemingly on instinct, they plunder anything of value to return to their master.   The story of Fratarron serves as a grim warning about the dangers of unchecked greed and violence. Adventurers who enter the cursed ruins of Shelmere must face not only the dragon’s power but also the haunting legacy of his folly. To date, no one has successfully returned from his domain, but the lure of his fabled hoard ensures that Shelmere’s story is far from over.  

Dragon Lord of Death

  Fratarron’s once-pristine green scales have rotted away, leaving a massive skeletal frame imbued with a faint, sickly green glow. Deep within his empty eye sockets burns an eerie emerald light. Unlike most skeletal undead, Fratarron retains some of his faculties from life. While not as cunning as he once was, he still retains the spark of intelligence. His tattered wings somehow hold him aloft, allowing him a form of clumsy flight. Like this dragon he once ones, his presence still inspires terror, and those who enter his domain must resist succumbing to overwhelming fear.   As an undead dragon, Fratarron’s powers have been twisted. In place of his acid breath, Fratarron exhales a black mist that saps the vitality of all it touches, dealing necrotic damage and leaving its victims weakened. Fratarron controls the undead that roam Shelmere, from skeletal warriors to banshees, and they act as an extension of his will.   Driven primarily by instinct and greed, he obsessively collects and guards wealth, piling it atop the ruined royal palace in Shelmere. While he occasionally demonstrates cunning, such as setting traps or directing his undead forces with precision, these moments are rare and inconsistent. Fratarron is entirely indifferent to the suffering of his subjects, focusing solely on his hoard. Despite his diminished state, he still exudes the arrogance of his former self, viewing adventurers and trespassers as unworthy pests.  

The Dragon's Domain

  The ruins of Shelmere remain a cursed and desolate place, steeped in death and despair. Fratarron’s former army now serves him as undead minions. These creatures, along with cursed citizens of the city, patrol the ruins and the surrounding forest, attacking intruders on sight.   The ruins of the royal palace sit at the city’s highest point, where Fratarron piles his stolen wealth. Tales describe heaps of gold, gemstones, and magical artifacts buried beneath the rubble, guarded by traps and undead sentries.   The breach to the beyond still festers, making the entire region unnaturally cold and suffused with necrotic energy.  

Adventuring Hooks

  The Dragon’s Hoard: Treasure hunters and desperate nobles may hire adventurers to recover lost artifacts or plunder Fratarron’s fabled hoard.
Breaking the Curse: A powerful cleric or mage seeks a group to delve into Shelmere and seal the breach to the beyond, ending the undead scourge.
Ancient Alliances: The descendants of Shelmere’s royal family hire adventurers to recover an heirloom, claiming it holds the key to reclaiming the city.
Fratarron’s Memories: A scholar seeks to extract fragments of Fratarron’s memories, believing the ancient undead dragon might hold secrets from the city’s past.