Sleeping Dragon (artifact)

The Sleeping Dragon was an unusual artifact that floated over a permanently barren spot in the center of the Dragon Wood, deep in the Evermoors of northwest Faerûn, circa the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR.

Description
The Sleeping Dragon was a megalith about twenty feet (six meters) long and almost ten feet (three meters) thick, with rounded edges that made it resemble a giant stone potato floating horizontally ten feet (three meters) off the ground. Its vaguely ovoid shape gave it a fanciful reputation around the North as being a dragon's egg, and thus, a "sleeping dragon". The stone was dark in color and did not match any local formations. Its surface was boldly carved with abstract curves and swirls, sometimes to a depth of about a foot (thirty centimeters). These designs concealed three hatches that opened with carefully applied pressure in particular directions. The patterns that hid the access points were known by nicknames: the Wink, Darkhole, and the Wizard's Door. There was a fourth bas-relief that was known as the Splendor, but it had other unusual properties rather than being a hidden door.

The Wink
The Wink was located on top of the Sleeping Dragon and required sliding the curved panel in a certain direction until a catch released it with a click. (The direction of "up and to the right" was only meaningful once the compartment was opened, since it was relative to the orientation of objects inside.) Once released, the hatch swung open to reveal a rounded hollow about three feet wide, a foot-and-a-half tall, and four feet deep (approximately 90 by 45 by 120 centimeters). If not recently plundered, the cavity was mostly filled with a chest that could be removed by pulling on one of the large carrying handles. Above the chest was a stone crossbar that had ten cylindrical compartments for holding potion vials.

The chest appeared newly made of solid duskwood and the seams were treated with tar to prevent moisture seepage. The corners and lid were bound with riveted iron bands, and there were two handles for easy portage. The chest had three locks of a claw design, and the keys were usually found in the locks. A wide variety of things were found in the chest over the years. Examples included: If the trunk was removed from its resting place, it (or an identical copy) magically returned in about two tendays with fresh contents. If the trunk was emptied and replaced, it took about the same interval for it to fill up again.
 * Three coils of hemp rope.
 * Dry duskwood kindling.
 * Two dozen baldrics, belts, and scabbards.
 * A half-dozen pairs of hard leather hobnail boots.
 * Bottles of ink, writing quills, and sheets of parchment.
 * Thousands of buttons carved out of bone in myriad sizes and styles.
 * More than a dozen fine steel daggers with scabbards.
 * Three dozen thick tallow candles.

The potions, when present, usually numbered six, and were all in identical frosted glass vials sealed with preserved wooden stoppers and no indication of the function of their contents. There was no rhyme or reason to what sort of potion would appear in which slot, nor which slots would be left empty. If they were taken, replacements usually appeared like the chest, but seldom if ever to the same person or group twice in a row, i.e., if someone camped there and checked every day for new potions, they were likely to be disappointed.

Darkhole
At the opposite end from the Wink was another, larger panel on a single pivot hinge that swung out over the downward curvature of the Sleeping Dragon. The slab was almost four feet wide, two feet high (120 by 60 centimeters), and quite heavy. Even though it rested on a ridge in the design, the open door could be lifted out of its socket and removed. If the cover to the Darkhole was ever displaced or broken, it eventually reappeared, in place and intact. The chamber below was two feet (sixty centimeters) deep and extended into the artifact for six and a half feet (two meters), seemingly sized to hold a tallish, human-sized body. Indeed, the word "darkhole" was an old slang term for a sepulcher or burial cavity in the wall of a tomb or catacomb.

Reports of the contents of the Darkhole varied from empty, to a pile of bones, to a body in a shroud, to an undead skeleton that attacked when disturbed. Once in a great while, adventurers would lay a fallen comrade to rest in the Darkhole, but that rest likely lasted only until the next explorers came along, or possibly even less time. The Dragon Wood was home to a small clan of pixies that liked to play tricks on people who came to examine the Sleeping Dragon. It was difficult to determine which reports were real and which ones were the result of very believable illusions cast by the pixies.

The Wizard's Door
This panel was quite large, measuring out to three feet high by seven feet long (91 by 210 centimeters), and had to be pressed in two places simultaneously to release the catches before sliding it open enough to get fingers in and swing the panel fully open. Inside was a claustrophobic room with almost no floor space because the great majority was occupied by a human-sized reclining couch that could accommodate a fairly tall person. At the foot of the couch was room for a pair of boots and not much else. Above the recliner were two shelves carved into the stone. The upper one contained a number of bottles, flasks, and decanters that contained water and various wines. The lower shelf contained three magnificent books and a squat, cylindrical lantern with three feet on the bottom and a loop on the top. The lantern was always lit with a continual flame inside.

The three books had locks, ribbon bookmarks, and metal-bound corners. Inside were pages of parchment that were often blank, but sometimes contained an arcane spell or two. The presence or lack of spells, and their rarity, seemed to be random. Spell collectors were advised to copy any spells they found because the books would mysteriously disappear from the possession of whomever tried to take them out of Dragon Wood, and reappear on the shelf. Likewise, if the lantern was removed from the Wizard's Door or destroyed, it reappeared on the shelf less than half a tenday later.

Many adventurers who opened the Wizard's Door reported encountering a human-looking eye giving off a pale glow and hovering over the couch, staring at them, unblinking. Spells, turning, or physical force all had no effect on the eye and it soon faded away. Those that were brave enough to touch it with their bare hand reported seeing visions, hearing whispered messages, or, in one case, gaining a voice in their head that cajoled them to do things and haunted their dreams. At least one reliable report avowed that the eye was a manifestation of the god Savras the All-Seeing, and that the witness was recruited to serve him.

The Splendor
A swirling pattern of something akin to flames, force, or flora was carved near one end of the Sleeping Dragon, and it was known as the Splendor. All manner of properties were attributed to this strange glyph, but with the presence of the pixies, it was difficult to separate fact from fiction. As rumors went, the most numerous were about touching a magic item to the pattern and causing something to happen. Reports varied from no effect to wondrous explosions of light. Some claimed that their magic item was drained, or infused with awesome powers. The most reliable story was that of the Splendor draining a charge from an item and causing the mossy bottom of the Sleeping Dragon to give off a faint glow that reached to the ground in a shimmering curtain of dweomercraft. All those who placed themselves beneath the megalith felt physical comfort and satisfaction, as if they were simultaneously wearing a ring of sustenance and a ring of warmth. This succor lasted for 24 hours and could only be called upon once per visit to the artifact.

Defenses
The Dragon Wood had its own "defense" against the intrusion of large predators, teleporting them many miles away. The Sleeping Dragon did the same to anyone that struck it with sufficient force, or cast a spell at it. Even an innocent detect magic could cause the caster to be dropped unceremoniously anywhere from the Reghed Glacier to the Trollbark Forest and from the Sea of Swords off the coast of Neverwinter to the sands of Anauroch. The Sleeping Dragon seemed to be impervious to any attempt to move it. As of the 1370s DR, the elements had taken a slight toll on the megalith's carvings, and it had moss growing on its underside, but no significant cracks or faults marred its ornate surface.