Tomb of Annihilation: Episode 1
As a spiritual successor to the notoriously brutal Tomb of Horrors where players descend into a small dungeon filled with devious traps that were said to test a players skill rather than their strength, this adventure had some big shoes to fill. A “thinking player’s dungeon” that was designed by the co-creator of D&D himself, Gary Gygax, it was meant to humble his arrogant players who were getting a little too accustomed to their ability to kill monsters and steal treasure. Even if the players managed to make it through all the dead ends and countless ways of dying, they’d have to face Acererak the demi-lich who could kill adventurers effortlessly and trap their souls forever.
It turned out Acererak was back with the Tomb of Annihilation, and I was eager to see his plans come to fruition.
The Party:
(Jon) Alathar — Half-elf Bard
(Terry) Harden— Dwarf Barbarian
(Matt) Illiyum— Gnome Wizard
(Stacy) Torven— Lizardfolk Monk
The Path:
Baldur’s Gate, Port Nyanzaru
You’ve left and left and found my Tomb, and now your soul will die.
— Gary Gygax, Tomb of Horrors
The characters had been summoned by Syndra Silvane, a retired adventurer affiliated with the Harpers, a faction of shadow agents who promoted good and were aligned against those who held too much power. Her adventuring days were behind her, but recently she had noticed a change. She, as well as anyone else who had been raised from the dead, were slowly wasting away.
She asked the characters to find a way to stop this “death curse.” She’d met all four of them individually, but their only chance of success would be if they worked together. The characters very cautiously eyed each other, and began asking questions. Syndra said the only lead she had was based off some Harper intel that the curse was originating in Chult, a vast jungle peninsula filled with wild beasts, hulking dinosaurs, and disease-ridden swamps. She provided them with a map filled with blank spaces of unexplored terrain, and asked them to accompany her as she teleported them to the one remaining city, Port Nyanzaru.
Illiyum was the most eager to help. He believed in contributing to the greater good, wanted to get his hands dirty, and had the closest relationship to Syndra. And as this curse looked to be magical in nature, he was eager to study it. Torven understood that he could trace his lizardfolk roots back to Chult, which intrigued him, but Alathar was skeptical. He asked why she sent for the four of them, and not some other, more established adventurers first? Syndra plainly replied that she already had. The curse had been affecting people for two weeks, and in that time her other contacts had either died or gone missing. They were her last hope.
Harden, while not exactly thrilled with a team of non-dwarves who were nowhere near as intimidating as his old company of “Axe Grinders,” grabbed the map and accepted her quest. Soon, everyone was ready, and just like that they were being teleported to Chult.
This heat’s nothing compared to the days in Chult… you sweat so badly the clothes rot off your back.
— James Lowder, The Ring of Winter
The characters arrived with Syndra in the Harbor Ward where they got their first view of Port Nyanzaru. Tame dinosaurs stomped by, minstrels performed in the streets, and children happily raced by a backdrop of brightly painted buildings choked with leafy, flowering vines. Syndra essentially left it up to the characters to do what they wished. She headed off to meet one of the Merchant Princes, Wakanga, where she would rest her frail body and await her fate.
There is a lot that characters can potentially do in Port Nyanzaru. I was tempted to say too much, partially because I didn’t even scratch the surface, but all of that potential activity helps show what Port Nyanzaru is all about. It is bustling and chaotic and filled with activities and stories. You can make enemies with an underground secret society and get thrown into a pit of dinosaurs, or you can mess with the economy of the city by encouraging black market trade against one of the Merchant Princes, or you can try to become a famous dinosaur racer while betting on yourself to earn some extra coin. Or you can do none of that and still have lots of wild things happen.
The adventure provides a list of 10 random side quests to offer to the characters, and I thought that would be a good way to reinforce the chaotic nature of the port. Also, it’s fun when DMs get to discover new things at the same time as the players, so I didn’t pre-select which quests I liked most and just went with them. The group decided to split up — Alathar and Torven headed off to secure lodgings, and Illiyum and Harden went to get gear. As Alathar and Torven stopped by the Thundering Lizard inn I asked them to roll a d10, and they got a 6: Help a Dyeing Man.
Therefore, before they could enter the inn, a Chultan man named Omala stopped them and begged them to hear his story. He’d recently bought some dancing monkey fruit on the black market to make some dye to sell. The Merchant Prince who controls the fruit trade, Kwayothé, must have found out and Omala was given an iron token from the Ytepka Society — a warning that means his death is imminent! He implored the characters to guard him and escort him to Goldenthrone where he could beg for the prince’s forgiveness.
I was glad I got this side quest. It introduced a lot of intriguing elements of Port Nyanzaru. Would they investigate this Ytepka Society? Did they care about the Merchant Princes? Or would they just want to help a desperate man? Alathar was quite unimpressed with the story, and told the man he was embarrassing himself. Omala couldn’t even offer a reward. But his imminent death at least moved Torven, who suggested they could accompany him to Goldenthrone. At least they’d get to see a bit of the city.
Don’t think too much about your orders. A Harper may hear what you’re thinking.
— Zhentarim Saying
Harden and Illiyum made their way to the bazaar. I described some dinosaurs passing by carrying carts and Harden — who was clearly still dealing with some issues about dinosaurs wiping out his dwarven clan — instantly grabbed one and wrestled it to the ground. Its owner lambasted the dwarf, and told him if he wanted to fight dinosaurs he could go enter the dinosaur races instead, and not mess with his lot.
They bought some gear and I got them to roll another d10. This time they got a 2 — Create a Distraction at Fort Belurian. So as they were buying their gear, I mentioned that someone was eyeing them up. Once they were done, this person approached the pair. He introduced himself as Rokah, and said it looked like they were explorers gearing up for quite the journey. Illiyum tried to keep things coy and answered cautiously, though Harden couldn’t help but brag about his prowess in the wilderness. Rokah informed them the Flaming Fist claims control of most of the jungle of Chult, and they are known to “shake down” adventurers who they catch without an official Charter of Exploration purchased from the Fist.
Rokah said he would pay for their Charter of Exploration if they accompanied him to Fort Belurian, the stronghold of the Flaming Fist, and helped him prove that the Fist were in league with the pirates of Chult. All they would have to do is create a distraction while he ransacked the commander’s quarters and found some proof.
Harden liked this idea a lot. A free Charter, and Rokah seemed like a capable ally. Illiyum was far more skeptical. He wanted to help the people of Chult, and he didn’t fully trust Rokah’s motives yet. Rokah sensed this, and tried to sweeten the deal — it was absolutely known that nobody explored the jungles of Chult without a guide. Guides know the dangers of the jungle better than most, as evidence by the fact that they have travelled through it and lived to tell the tale. Rokah would introduce the characters to a pair of tabaxi (a race of nomadic catfolk) siblings, River Mist and Flask of Wine, and pay their guide fees to get to the Fort. He’d wait for their reply in the bazaar.
Again, this quest did a lot of the exposition work for me. It introduced the concept of guides (a big and fun part of the adventure), and hinted at the factions that operated in the city, like the colonial Flaming Fist.
The party grabbed a couple more notices for other guides that I rolled for randomly, (the bumbling pair of fops named Faroul and Gondolo, and the way-too-intense one-armed dwarf, Hew Hackinstone) but they didn’t seem too interested. They made their way back to the Thundering Lizard, where all four met up and discussed what to do next.
Alathar and Torven had just returned from escorting the man they’d met to face his judgment. They learned that if they killed a man named Shago within 10 days, all would be forgiven — no questions asked. After asking around, they discovered Shago was a guide himself, stationed in Fort Belurian.
Harden said they should go with Rokah to Fort Belurian. It seemed like the Flaming Fist controlled a lot of the area, and he wanted a better understanding of their position. Illiyum wasn’t convinced yet.
From his studies, he had seen a marking on Rokah, and told the group that it appeared he was part of the Zhentarim — an underground faction that helps their own kind over anyone else. Illiyum didn’t trust Rokah, even if he was supposedly sniffing out pirates.
They weighed their options back and forth, and then Alathar got very excited. He said he had a devious plan. He proposed that they tell Rokah and his two tabaxi guides to accompany them to Fort Belurian — they’d get a free charter of exploration out of it after all. Then, when they made it there, they’d ditch that crew, and tell Shago that even though they were sent to kill him, they’d spare his life if he instead worked as their guide. Perhaps at a discounted rate for “saving” his life, suggested Alathar.
The rest of the team really liked the idea. They’d finish their business in Port Nyanzaru and leave the next day for Fort Belurian. The only thing that could get in the way of a plan like that would be some very bad luck.
