Tomb of Annihilation: Episode 20
Running the original Tomb of Horrors seems only fair for players who will be trying out Tomb of Annihilation. Part of this is to prepare your players for the style of Acererak’s warnings, traps and puzzles. But more importantly it lets them make connections between the two dungeons. If they found the false entrance the first time, it will have extra meaning when they discover it this time. If they were annihilated by a green devil face before, they’ll think twice about entering one again. This can add a fun alertness for callbacks that have a twist to them this time around, as well.
The Party:
(Jon) Zorel, inhabited by Obo’laka — Aasimar Paladin
(Terry) Harden, inhabited by Moa — Dwarf Barbarian
(Matt) Musharib — Dwarf Guide
(Stacy) Torven, inhabited by Wongo— Lizardfolk Monk/Druid
The Path:
Tomb of the Nine Gods — Dungeon of Deception
“Its untouched mazes of matted jungle had as yet invited no hardy pioneer from the human beasts beyond its frontier.”
Edgar Rice Burroughs — Tarzan of the Apes
The party descended the staircase, more wary of the dangers that lay in the Tomb of the Nine Gods. The layout of this second level of the Tomb was similar to the one above it — hallways branching out from a central staircase. A hallway veered off right at the base of the stairs which intrigued Torven, especially now that the trickster god Wongo was encouraging him to charge headstrong into any threats. Zorel was more anxious though. He and Musharib looked around to see what clues they could glean before moving down any hallway. To the south, they saw three oval holes carved into a stone door with three zombie heads sticking out, each covered in putrid flesh and gnashing on an iron bit bolted to a chain bridle. Harden pointed at a bronze plaque fixed to the east wall. It appeared Acererak had left another warning for adventurers.
As Harden, Zorel and Musharib discussed the warning, they returned to find Torven examing the area on the north side. He was in a square room that had its cracked walls and floor carved with images of terrified humanoids falling. Crouched near the middle of the floor was Torven, examining a stone bas-relief of a bearded devil face, painted green. Forlorn cries echoed from the black void of its gaping maw, as Torven began preparations to descend.
Harden urgently pulled him back. These devil faces were merely taunting the party, he assured his friend, and expressed that they should ignore this pit and move on. The party debated back and forth how safe it could be. They tried to see down the mouth, but only empty blackness stared back. Wongo wanted Torven to be brave, but he didn’t wish to see his new workhorse die.
Instead they raced forward down the hallway to the east. There, Torven led them to a four-way intersection, with the corridors to the north and south curving upwards into a ring-shape. Harden pushed forward, and saw the corpse of a half-human half-goat creature in robes sprawled ten feet to the north. Its lifeless hand gripped a staff tipped with a bronze goat’s head.
The players were now accustomed to their trickster gods speaking with them about new discoveries, and each mumbled with their respective spirits about their impressions. Obo’laka told Zorel that he’d never seen a creature like this, and it seemed dangerous. Moa whispered to Harden that the staff could be trouble. And Wongo relayed to Torven that he should get his hands on the goat creature’s treasures quickly. Torven sped off and searched the corpse. He discovered it was another member of the Company of the Yellow Banner — Devlin Bashir, according to a journal found on his body. He had been killed by many stabs and slashes. The journal offered a foreboding warning of the dangers within the tomb.
Zorel investigated the circular ring halls of this corridor. He was amazed by how the gravity kept him from falling. He went all the way around, and re-emerged on the other side, but could no longer see his allies. Nor could he see the dead goat/human.
Harden called out for Zorel, but received no answer. He sent Musharib to find out where he’d went. Musharib ran up the ring, and found Zorel, trying to determine what had happened. They both returned the way they came, and were reunited with their friends. They realized they’d stepped into an alternate tomb.
Acererak’s second warning said “the ring is a path to another tomb.” They began to probe what the meaning of this was. Which tomb was the real tomb? And why were their two? Perhaps they needed to use the second tomb to get further into the first one somehow? They kept it’s existence in their mind as they continued on.
They came to a room that smelled of ripe cherry wine. On a checkerboard marble floor, a gilded coffin sparkled in sunlight streaming down from the chamber’s vaulted ceiling, which arched twelve feet overheard. Four huge stone gargoyle heads, their mouths agape, protruded from the walls.
This looked similar in design to other rooms which housed the different trickster gods they’d encountered so far. But Moa was reticent. He pointed out to Harden that this tomb didn’t match the symbolism of any of his godly companions. Torven knew Wongo would want him to head in, and did his best to impress his spirit. Only Zorel stayed back, unsure of what to do.
Harden, Musharib and Torven entered the room, looking for hints on what to do. Torven found that the coffin had a wooden plaque etched with the words “Drown your sorrows” on it. Harden searched for traps as Musharib gave some cursory looks to the gargoyle heads dispersed around the room. Feeling it was safe, Torven lifted the coffin lid up.
Instantly, a giant stone block began ascending from the floor right where Zorel stood. He had only seconds to decide whether to jump into the room or out of it before being squashed flat. He leapt backwards out of the room as the stone reach the top of the corridor with a dull thud. Zorel scrambled to his feet and called out to his allies. He tried to listen into the room for an answer, but could hear nothing. After a few whacks with his sword, it was clear that the block was impervious to damage, air-tight, and refused to be budged.
“One must wait till it comes.”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — The Lost World
Red liquid began spilling out of the four gargoyle’s mouths and nostrils. Torven, Harden and Musharib stood on the coffin, avoiding the liquid as they quickly tried to figure out what to do. As it slowly filled the room, they could see that the liquid was wine. It meant any potions or spells that let them breathe underwater would be useless, as this was not purely water.
They tried manipulating the coffin, standing on different tiles, and a myriad of other ideas. Nothing stopped the flow of the sweet wine. Even worse, elemental guardians called “wine weirds” spilled out as well, and began attacking the party. A couple wine weirds began constricting Torven and trying to drown him as Musharib and Harden tried to pry him free. Harden’s own superior grappling skills were useless against these enemies, as they slipped through his fingers with ease. By the time the three had defeated the wine weirds, the room was almost completely filled with earthy purple wine.
Zorel was incredibly anxious. He paced back and forth from the mirror tomb trying to find some sort of clue to freeing his friends. Obo’laka was nervous too, but he didn’t like being a sitting duck. Zorel would have to progress further into the tomb. He left the mirror tomb and walked back to the grand staircase. He spotted a testy gnome observing the three zombie heads in the door that Zorel had found previously.
He cautiously approached the gnome and began a conversation. Evidently this gnome, Hexton Marn, was a wizard sent by his temple to cure the death curse. He, along with his team, had entered the tomb and discovered that they needed to track down skeleton keys from every level. His allies had become lost or perished and he was on his own now. Zorel, relieved that he found someone who didn’t want to kill him, said he was in the same situation — his allies were lost as well. They figured it made the most sense to team up and work together, and the best place to start was getting past this door.
Harden took one last gigantic gulp. Musharib and Torven were already swimming in the wine, trying to find a way out. They didn’t have much time until they were out of air, so they’d have to get a little lucky. Harden figured the gargoyle heads had to be somewhat important. There were four, and he swam to the southwest one. He began trying to crush it with his maul. It took a few whacks, but he eventually smashed it, and could see a small route through the mouth. He beckoned Musharib and Torven to follow. They swam through the tunnel and made it to an enormous cistern filled with red wine. But near this reservoir of red liquid, was another tunnel that sloped upward. Harden wiggled his way to it and took a big breath of air. The three of them gasped frantically as they laid down, squished in the tunnel, but alive.
Torven had already encounter a close brush with death in the oubliette. This wine-soaked one was much more tense, and far stickier afterwards. But he was starting to get the hang of Acererak’s devious ways. Musharib and Harden thought it best to rest for a moment as well. They dropped to the ground, trying to forget the strong blackcurrant smell that wafted into their nostrils.
Zorel and Hexton were busy trying to work together on their puzzle. They agreed they were better off as a team than working alone, but as a group of just two they felt utterly vulnerable. As far as they knew, however, a group of two was how they would remain.
Previous: Episode 19
Next: Episode 21
