Tomb of the Sand King's Daughter - Dungeons & Dragons adventure for 25th-level PCs

Oct 6, 2026

Tomb of the Sand King’s Daughter is a D&D epic adventure designed for five 25th-level PCs, centered on Urum-Shar, the youngest daughter of the ancient brown dragon Nefermandias. It provides adventure background on the rise and fall of the Maru-Qet dynasty of brown dragons, explains the tradition of ruling dragons dwelling in elaborate tombs, and outlines how Urum-Shar maintains her defenses. The text also offers multiple adventure hooks and guidance for accessing the tomb.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryComic

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time14 min

AccessFree to download

Adventure Overview

Adventure Background

Construction of the Tomb

Adventure Hooks

Getting to the Tomb

Tomb of the Sand King’s Daughter “And they bade their slaves, ‘Build unto us tombs to rival the palaces of the gods, for there shall we live our lives and sleep our deaths in splendor.’ And the people of Maru-Qet wore their ﬁngers down, broke their backs, burst their hearts to obey. Indeed they raised up great tombs to rival the palaces of the gods. And their masters were well pleased, for it was as gods they saw themselves.” by Ari Marmell illustrations by Carl Frank and William O'Connor cartography by Sean Macdonald TM & © 2008 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved. November 20 0 8 | DUNGEON 16 0 55 |
Tomb of the Sand King's Daughter | | | | --- | --- | --- | | This adventure, designed for five 25th-level PCs, pres- | Several of the brown dragons survived the fall of | as an occasional source of amusement. The rare few | | ents the lair ofUrum-Shar, youngest daughter of an | their domain, however. Nefermandias is said to be | who dare to brave her tomb seldom emerge whole. | | ancient brown dragon. As much a location description as an adventure,“Tomb of the Sand King’s Daughter” | one of them. Another was Urum-Shar, the pharaoh’s youngest child. The children of Nefermandias were | Adventure Hooks | | is intended to serve a number of purposes. It expands | infamous—even more than their father—for lusting | Consider one of the following hooks, all of which fit in | upon and gives context to one of the sample lairs presented in the Draconomicon, as well as making use of the new material from that supplement. This adventure also serves as a model for what a dungeon crawl might look like at the epic tier. And, of course, it’s meant to provide several evenings of challenging entertainment. Possession of the Draconomicon can greatly enhance the usefulness and flavor of the material presented here, but it’s not essential. You can play with just the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide. ADVENTURE BACKGROUND Long ago, before the rise of Nerath, or even Arkhosia, the great dynastic empire of Maru-Qet thrived. Here, in this lush and fertile region, humanoids lived in eternal subservience to their draconic overseers, a dynasty of brown dragons. For thousands of years, the empire grew, and none could stand against it. None, that is, until the last pharaoh, the great brown dragon Nefermandias, declared war on a neighboring clan of dragons. As a result of that disastrous war, Maru-Qet is nothing now but a hot and windswept desert, blasted and ruined. Only a few struggling city-states and a handful of nomadic tribes prove that anyone once dwelt here. (For more on Maru-Qet and Nefermandias, see Draconomicon 240.) after the luxuries their authority gave them. UrumShar was no exception. Even as compared to other chromatic dragons of note, she was avaricious beyond the nightmares of mortal beings. It is said that her tomb is a repository not only of riches, but also of ancient secrets and powerful magic unknown to modern times. Construction of the Tomb Tradition far older than Nefermandias dictated that the ruling dragons of Maru-Qet dwell in their own tombs. Although the originators ofthat tradition might have intended it as a humbling reminder of mortality, by the time of the empire’s fall, it was considered a means to ensure that each dragon shared the same comforts in death that it had grown accustomed to in life. Obviously, such rich lairs had to be guarded against intrusion—but by Urum-Shar’s time, the threat of theft was all but forgotten. Who would dare to raid the tomb of a living god? Urum-Shar and her siblings transformed the construction of their tombs into a contest of status. Each dragon came up with the most elaborate and creative defenses and death traps, earning great respect from the others. Efficiency was cast aside in their quest to create ever more ornate mechanisms of death. Even today, though the ancient wyrm spends most of her time sulking quietly in t

FAQs

What is the adventure’s main focus and intended party level?

The adventure follows Urum-Shar and her tomb, and it is designed for five 25th-level PCs.

How did Maru-Qet change after the dynastic war?

A war waged by the last pharaoh, the brown dragon Nefermandias, left Maru-Qet ruined, reduced to hot desert conditions with only a few struggling city-states and nomadic tribes.

Why is Urum-Shar’s tomb worth exploring?

Urum-Shar maintains elaborate defenses and is associated with an epic hoard and secrets and powerful magic, making her tomb both a dangerous location and a source of valuable objectives.

Oct 6, 2026

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