I am excited to bring you Stage 2 of the recently released Gold Dragon Monastery map, an actual Gold Dragon's Lair set beneath the Monastery that you can use to develop larger-scale and higher-magic plots and narratives!
There are [2] entrances to the lair, a False Lair that through a cave mouth on the northeastern side of the stone pillar on the Monastery map, and a set of secret stairs that exist beneath the large golden dragon's head statue in the far eastern room of the Monastery.
My idea behind the lair is that the the Monastery was built atop the lair as an initial layer of defense against prying eyes, as well as a way to attract and train warriors to protect the work, will and home of the Dragon itself. We'll delve more into the particulars of my vision for the lair in the post below.
To download the Map Pack, please click on your Tier link below and the download URL will be listed there in map release order.
Tier 1 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-1-dungeon-81146477
Tier 2 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-2-world-map-81312503
Tier 3 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-3-master-87793681
Tier 4 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-4-master-87797001
Here's a concept image for the library in the Gold Dragon's Lair from Midjourney, while the official illustration is being worked on by the artist:

And here is a preview of the map:

The Lair is comprised of [2] main sections, the Outer and the Inner lair.
The Outer lair could also be thought of as the illusion, because it is comprised of elements designed to obfuscate the true presence of the Gold Dragon and its lair.
False Lair - One of the main access points to the lair, a cave mouth on the northeastern side of the stone pillar upon which the Monastery is built leads into a large, dark cave. Full of stone debris and boulders, the skeleton of a long-dead dragon rests toward the back of the cave, indicating that this rumors of a Gold Dragon were just that. A powerful Illusion masks a secret door that leads into a section of the Lair beneath the Monastery.
Base of the Stairs - A set of spiral stone steps twist downward from a secret door above that rests beneath the statue of a Golden Dragon Head. The stairs lead down into a modest room with furnishings similar to the Monastery above, leading one to believe that this may simply be a lower level of the Monastery itself.
Small Hallway - This hallway has portals to both the False Cave as well as the Base of the Stairs, and contains a couple of stone benches a wall treatment upon the west wall, which masks a secret door that actually leads to the Gold Dragon's Lair. A doorway to the south leads toward a large room.
Monastery Grandmaster's Chambers - This large chamber contains a large table, bookshelves, couch and other dressings, along with a large golden portal ringed by stones upon the southern wall. A doorway leads into an adjoining bedchamber that is supposed to be for the Grandmaster of the Monastery, who is actually the Gold Dragon is polymorph form. The portal generates heat and only works for those attuned, teleporting them to other portals linked to this one, one of which lay deeper in the lair.
The Inner lair could also be thought of as the secret lair of the Gold Dragon, containing the main hall, library, scrying room, bedchamber and treasure vault of the lair.
Main Hall - This large expansive chamber has tiered stairs leading up both sides and at the far end of the hall, with black obsidian pillars lining the periphery of the room. At the far end, upon a curved step of steps, rests a large golden pillow flanked by two more black pillars. This is frequently the perch of the Gold Dragon, when entertaining guests.
Library - This modest library has tall shelves that stretch up along the walls, and another swirling golden portal in the corner, ringed by stones. A comfortable rug lay before the portal, while a massive wooden table and comfortable white couch exist, their dimensions seeming quite large to the average human, though there are human-sized chairs provided about the table.
Scrying Room - This large chamber has a large platform in the center, resembling a dragon's eyes, and a pool of blue water that, when activated, can be used to scry against one's enemies or perhaps to explore. The room contains other devices, tables, scrolls and some large jars containing mixtures required for using and maintaining the waters.
Private Bedchamber - This secret bedchamber contains some of the dragon's personal effects, their spell book and a magical orb. The chamber also has a doorway leading toward a large room filled with steam coming from an underground spring. The dragon uses this location to rest and relax.
Treasure Vault - This large vault is filled with coin, chests, weapons, armor and other powerful relics that it has collected over time. A large dragon's head of a fallen enemy of note resides here, as well, and the presence of the chests should make it fairly easy to include whatever magic items you want your party to discover, or be gifted by the Dragon.
Secret Vault - A secret door located behind a statue leads toward a special vault that holds a relic of great power, and two tables containing scrolls written in draconic that speak toward the prophecy of the Scale of Balance, which holds a shadowy obsidian sphere, and a shimmering golden sphere. While both spheres are present on the stand, in generates a state known as Harmony within a large radius. If separate, each sphere has their own powers, but it generates a state known as Discord that has other effects.
This relic and its various effects will be detailed in one of the items being illustrated for the month by Steven Bell and will be released in this month's Illustration Support Pack.
As always, we have a wonderful Sprite created by Katsudon Art to use, a protective and powerful Gold Dragon, perhaps poised to strike against any that would come to seek the relic and end the Harmony it has worked so hard to achieve.

I hope you enjoy the Map Pack and ideas, and I will have more supplemental pieces for this setting to come in the near future!
James P
2025-05-14 16:06:55 +0000 UTC