Tomb of Annihilation: Episode 10
Dungeons don’t care about your players. They exist on their own, and won’t cater to the player’s whims. So while the rooms may be numbered 1–10, and follow a logical progression, players are by no means obliged to follow along. As a DM, you can switch things on the fly, and change events behind the scenes to better suit how you think the dungeon should go. Alternatively, you can lean in to the chaos and let disorder reign supreme.
The Party:
(Jon) Alathar — Half-elf Bard
(Terry) Harden — Dwarf Barbarian
(Matt) Illiyum — Gnome Illusionist
(Stacy) Torven — Lizardfolk Monk/Druid
The Path:
Nangalore
“Respect the past; you never know how it may affect you.”
Christopher Paolini — Eragon
The group was on the way to the great garden of Nangalore, built for an Omuan queen long ago. It held a tragic tale, if the characters were able to uncover it. I was experimenting with new ways to roleplay during travel, and I found an interesting mini-game where one player would describe a challenge, and the next player would describe how their character overcame it in a fun or innovative way. It kept things moving, and let every player showcase a feature they thought was important about their character.
Soon, they arrived at Nangalore. There were exotic stone carvings and a garden filled with dazzlingly vibrant plants. Multicoloured parrots and canaries flew around as running water flooded much of the lower levels of the garden. It was a tangled mess of flora and dilapidated stone that oozed danger. The party of seven cautiously rowed their canoe to the entrance.
They could see a large domed structure in the middle of the garden, but there was no clear way to get there. They crept out of the canoe and walked up the flooded concourse leading further into the garden. Splashes of water echoed softly against the overgrown plants that surrounded the party. They could hear strange noises like birdcalls they’d never heard before. Qawasha was even unfamiliar with a lot of the greenery he was seeing. As they moved through the walkway, they could see stone faces in different expressions.
Illiyum peered at the first stone face, and was able to translate a message from Old Omuan written on it. It said “This garden is dedicated to Zalkoré, queen of Omu and jewel of Chult.” Torven and Harden were off looking for ways to get out of this canal, as it seemed vulnerable for an ambush. If they had investigated further, however, they could have learned more about Zalkoré, and what they might expect in Nangalore.
Instead, they found a tunnel that lead upstairs to the main level of the garden. Untamed overgrowth like towering ferns, giant pine cones, and huge lily pads were spread out everywhere, with striped parrots flitting between them and squawking. Alathar was curious but confident, and figured exploring the area would be a safe move. Torven seemed more comfortable staying in the tunnel, as it reminded him of the sewers he lived in back home. The rest of the group looked around.
Many interesting flora and fauna could be found here, so I rolled on the Garden Discoveries table. Unfortunately they found two jaculis — snakes that can launch themselves like javelins. One launched straight at Illiyum and another at Harden, hitting him square in the face. Alathar reacted quickly to help. At the same time, however, a mantrap plant secreted its attractive pollen which enticed Alathar toward it. Instead of being able to help, he took a sharp left turn and was almost swallowed whole by the monstrous plant’s leafy jaws.
A party of seven is still quite formidable, and with some quick spells and strong attacks, they were able to fend off this wave of creatures. But they were now even more wary than before. They took in the surrounding area. There was the domed palace in the middle, but still no clear way to get there. To the east was a walkway ten feet above them, with a cracked stone base (occupied by three chwingas that would have paid back the kindness the group showed to chwingas before by bestowing on them a charm of restoration). There were other stairs back down in the flooded avenue that could presumably lead to the western side of the garden. And there was a single stairway to the north that led up to an enclosed area.
They decided to go north, but this time much more carefully. Harden’s player specifically noted that he was on the lookout for dangerous plants. That was a good idea, since they were walking into Zalkoré’s hallucinogenic green room where she could huff the plants and live in a dream-world to escape her pain. Pain that the players didn’t yet realize she was in. They examined the plants carefully. With Harden and Torven’s training in the Nature skill, they determined these plants were soporifics, and would be poisonous to them. Illiyum’s keen eyes saw something scrawled into the wall in Old Omuan that said “Great Ubtao, free me!” Alathar felt the pressure, and yelled to run to the northeastern stairs quickly to escape.
Unfortunately, three tri-flower fronds grew here as well. With its orange blossoms, they poisoned Illiyum and he dropped unconscious. Harden’s dwarven bloodlines were strong enough to fight off the poison, and he bashed angrily at the plant’s stems. Their yellow blossoms sprayed corrosive sap and the red blossoms tried to wrap around the team. Without Illiyum to provide spells to hit multiple enemies, the fight was difficult. Plants couldn’t be tripped or blinded, so Torven and Alathar just had to go head on and hope for the best. They took a lot of hits, but survived and dragged Illiyum up the stairs to safety.
Now they could take a breath. They debated whether to find some safety and rest, or continue on. Illiyum wasn’t the most formidable of heroes, and had used some of his very helpful spells, but he didn’t want to be a burden to the group. He swallowed his pride, and declared that he could trudge along. To the east was the big, weathered building that was main construct of the garden. To the north was a smaller, bell-shaped dome with bronze double doors. They next debated where to go.
Harden did not want to go into the big central building. He was very angry about being on high alert for dangerous plants, and still getting attacked by the tri-flower fronds. So he was certain there were more nasty plants in that building. But Alathar was intrigued by the main building, and wanted to explore. If they’d chosen it, they may have found out part of the tangled romance and betrayal that was at the heart of Nangalore, and its owner, Zalkoré. The group outvoted him though, so they headed north.
North led directly into Zalkoré’s lair. They’d been to Nangalore for what felt like 10 minutes, and already they were approaching the climax, missing out on more than half of the rest of the garden. I considered changing her lair to another area in Nangalore to get them to discover more, then decided against it. This adventure was supposed to be deadly, after all.
“Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.”
Lewis Carroll — Alice in Wonderland
The bronze doors were unlocked, and they stepped into a chamber that seemed to once be beautiful, but was now faded with time. Bright, floral murals were now dim and grey, coloured glass was cracked, wooden tables were split and tilting, and every bit of cloth was frayed and streaked.
A woman reclined on a long divan in the centre of the room. She was completely covered in feathery veils, while next to her sat a large clay pot with a single black orchid. This was the very thing the adventurers had come to Nangalore for. They were so close. The woman, Zalkoré, addressed the party oddly. “Strangers have come to Nangalore, my love,” she said softly. “What boon do our subjects beseech?”
All seven members of the party blinked and seemed unclear on how to approach. Illiyum mustered up his courage, and walked forward, complimenting her marvellous garden and extraordinary beauty. Zalkoré responded back in a soothing voice, yet seemed in another world entirely. She mentioned a Thiru-taya, as if they were there, but no one else was in the room. Illiyum cordially brushed past this, so she remarked that the group were her royal subjects. Illiyum looked back to the group to help him out, and they all communally agreed that they were indeed her subjects.
Zalkoré seemed pleased. Illiyum kept inching closer and closer. Alathar tried to Persuade her to give them the black orchid, but she merely laughed, and quizzically asked Thiru-taya what he thought of their new jester. Illiyum instead asked if there was some way he could place the orchid outside in the garden, so it could be appreciated by others. This intrigued Zalkoré. She considered it, as Illiyum was almost within arm’s reach of the plant.
She eventually conceded that it was a fair idea, but she would need something equally as beautiful to replace it for her and Thiru-taya’s delight. “Perhaps he would do nicely. His golden hair… he would be my new favourite cup-bearer,” she said, pointing to Alathar.
Torven whispered to Qawasha if that meant Alathar would be her slave, and Qawasha nodded affirmatively. Illiyum chuckled, and said they could never part with a friend like Alathar. “But you could probably part with THIS.”
And he quickly reached out to grab the orchid.
Attempting this was one of the few things that drove Zalkoré even more insane than she already was. As Illiyum reached for it, Zalkoré leapt to her feet, unveiling herself as not simply a mad human queen, but in fact a medusa. As a DM, I loved his bold move, and I was sad to have to punish it so harshly. She peered into Illiyum’s eyes as he reached out for the clay pot. He rolled a Constitution saving throw, failed miserably, and before anyone could react, he was instantly turned to stone.
Chaos broke loose. Zalkoré’s eblis — intelligent evil cranes — stormed the dome and began pecking the party with their beaks. There were so many of them, and the party were crowded up into a choke point at the entrance. Harden tried to take on as many as he could, as the rest of the party endured horrible blows. Nephyr, the aarakocran guide, flew high up to help spread out the group, but Zalkoré’s petrifying gaze found him next. He turned to stone as he crashed to the floor, breaking into large pieces.
Torven and Alathar tried their best to kill Zalkoré, who was grasping the black orchid by her breast. They fended off her sword attacks and bites from her snake hair. But she soon called on the spirit of Thiru-taya, who was her old protector and lover, and he appeared as 10-foot-tall apparition. He threw massive spears of force that did devastating damage to the heroes.
Alathar was a bloody mess. Harden was taking on way too many eblis. Illiyum and Nephyr were stone statues. Qawasha and Kupalué were outside fending off another wave of enemies. Torven knew they didn’t have many options. “We need to get the hell out of here,” he yelled. “We can’t win.”
Alathar understood this. He knew they needed that orchid. There was a spell that wouldn’t do as much damage, but might get them out of here. He cast Tasha’s Hideous Laughter on Zalkoré. She failed her saving throw, and began manically laughing as she dropped the clay pot with the black orchid.
Torven leapt on it and Wild Shaped into a raptor so the plant would be magically contained in his new form. Alathar shouted to run, as Thiru-Taya’s spear pierced his heart, and he collapsed to the ground.
Harden looked to see if he could grab Alathar, or try to heal him quickly. But he was being overrun by eblis. Torven was already running back to the canoe, with Qawasha and Kupalué close behind. It destroyed him to leave a man behind. He was still haunted by losing his friend Sturm from the Axe-Grinders, and now he was re-living that moment all over again. But there was no other choice.
Harden, Torven, Qawasha and Kupalué breathlessly raced back to the canoe as eblis crowed in victory and Zalkoré screamed how they would rue the day they crossed the queen of Omu.
They had lost Nephyr, Illiyum, and Alathar. But they’d gotten the black orchid for the ritual. As they mournfully paddled back, they could only agree on one thing — this orchid had better be worth it.
Previous: Episode 9
Next: Episode 11
