Town Barber

Deep in the jungle, a crystal river slices through a damp patch of mist-shrouded bog. The Green Watcher waits within. Long ago, this sanctum served as the seat of power for dragon patrons of the giants, whence mighty wyrms dispensed justice and kept a watchful eye over their vassals. The sanctuary fell into ruin after the dragons’ departure, but it was restored to its former glory years later by the first Green Watcher and was well cared for until Zartarxis’s arrival. Under the Great Green God’s custody, it has regressed to little more than a half-sunken ruin choked by vines and marsh gas.

Keyed Locations

The following features correspond to numbered areas on the map.

1. Hall of Judgment: This enormous marble edifice ornamented with traces of mithral and silver bears the visages of the Sovereigns, gazing northwest toward the faraway shores of Argonnessen. Here, the dragon overlords of old Xen’drik passed judgment and took council with the mightiest of titans. During Zartarxis’s reign, the hall sank into the marsh. Now the Sovereigns’ snouts are immersed in the sucking bog, and the silver spire atop the hall juts out of the marsh at a skewed angle. The interior walls were once draped with several massive tapestries of exquisite quality. Now the draperies are little more than damp, rotten cloth. When the Eyes paid Zartarxis their unscheduled visit, the first sign of the Green Watcher’s negligence was the discouraging sight of the half-submerged Hall of Judgment. 
2. Watcher’s Eye: This enormous obsidian tower ascends high into the firmament like a black blade piercing the cloudline. It was used by past Green Watchers to survey the ever-changing wilds of Xen’drik and to spot signs of developing civilization across the land. Until recently, the only inhabitants for the past century have been birds, their passing noted by the large quantity of spattered droppings. A pair of mated wyverns recently moved in, their nest of dried tallgrass sprouting from the observation windows at the pinnacle. The wyverns jealously guard their clutch of three eggs. 
3. Heads of the Hydra: These many tributaries of the eastern branch of the Hydra account for the area’s marshy terrain. Several large grottoes clawed from their banks are home to some twenty scrags (MM 248), all loyal worshipers of the Great Green God. The aquatic trolls patrol these rivers, capturing or killing creatures foolish enough to violate Zartarxis’s domain. 
4. Naga’s Waterfall: The largest tributary of the Hydra plunges over a rocky outcropping here, becoming a curtain of cascading water. Behind the waterfall is a small cavern that Katress calls home. Within she stores her meager hoard, appropriated from tribute meant for Zartarxis: a sapphire-studded golden idol of a scorpion (600 gp), six jade bracelets (worn as body ornaments by the naga, worth 50 gp each), a silver hair ornament carved in the shape of a crane (100 gp), and bat-winged bracers of greater archery (she just likes the way they look). 
5. Red Meadow: Gore-spattered leaves and crimson earth decorate this grim stretch of riverbank. Here, Maarg’jarth prepares his kills for Zartarxis’s maw. The dragon can’t be bothered to crunch bones anymore and forces the trolls to fillet his meals. The river runs red downstream of this meadow, and the stench of carrion wafts on the air. Enormous chunks of meat hang from thick vines; their dripping blood leaves the entire area slick. Anyone moving at full speed or engaging in combat must succeed on a DC 25 Balance check each round or fall prone in a puddle of entrails and gore. Clouds of flies, murders of crows, and the occasional dire vulture vie for the least tender scraps of meat. At the edge of the meadow, trolls work day and night grinding bones into fine white powder. This chalky bone dust, mixed with special herbs gathered from the forest, is enjoyed as snuff by Zartarxis. 
6. Troll Fens: These reeking bogs are home to the Great Green God’s faithful tribe. Over forty trolls lurk among the fetid swamp land. 
7. Lizardfolk Mudbarrows: Bulbous mounds of slick mud are the homes of lizardfolk loyal to Katress. Within are a series of cramped warrens, where thirty poison dusk lizardfolk and their four war chiefs reside (MM3 97 or DMG 115). Occasionally a few lizardfolk disappear into the hungry jaws of the nearby trolls; the next day a family of trolls appears floating downriver, bloated with poison. Hostilities often escalate until Katress and Maarg’jarth are forced to step in. The enmity between the trolls and lizardfolk might be exploited by canny PCs seeking entry to (or escape from) the Green Watcher’s domain. 
8. Refuse Pit: The denizens of the sanctum discard their waste in this large crater filled with murky bog water. Zartarxis carelessly lobbed several notable relics of precataclysm giant civilization into this filthridden pool. 
9. Mud Marsh: On occasion, Zartarxis enjoys a nice bath in this huge expanse of cool mud. He demands his subjects keep it free of debris and filth at all times, just in case the urge to settle in strikes him. 
10. The Sanctum Sanctorum: At the center of this domed pool of crystal-clear water (painstakingly kept clean by troll and lizardfolk worshipers) sits an enormous pile of scented leaves. Here lies Zartarxis. The obese menace passes months without bothering to shift his girth. He demands his minions turn him on occasion (and more than one lizardfolk has been crushed in the process). A small semicircular dais of stone extends along the surface of the pool near the entrance; worshipers (or those foolish enough to request an audience) pay their respects here. Several discolored splotches stain this marble dais, grim reminders of those who incurred Zartarxis’s displeasure and were reduced to puddles by his caustic breath.