Tomb of Annihilation: Episode 21
Splitting the party doesn’t have to be scary… for the DM. You can leave the players at moments of high tension that they can think about as you move on to the other group of players. Finding exciting times to switch between the two branching stories can actually make your players become more involved than they usually would. They’ll be forced to step up when another player would otherwise be there. By splitting the party, you can empower them to make bold choices instead of standing in the back.
The Party:
(Jon) Zorel, inhabited by Obo’laka — Aasimar Paladin
(Terry) Harden, inhabited by Moa — Dwarf Barbarian
(Matt) Hexton — Gnome Wizard
(Stacy) Torven, inhabited by Wongo — Lizardfolk Monk/Druid
The Path:
Tomb of the Nine Gods — Dungeon of Deception
“Nothing makes the future look so bright as surveying it through a glass of Chambertin.”
The Three Musketeers — Alexandre Dumas
Zorel and Hexton were becoming fast friends as they stared at the door with the three zombie heads jutting out of it. Hexton was certain he’d seen a skeleton key nearby, and had a feeling it was behind this door. But getting it open was proving difficult. The zombies were attached to some contraption that was preventing the door from being opened.
Zorel recited what he’d seen from Acererak’s warning. “The dead abhor sunlight.” Hexton cracked his knuckles confidently and began listing spells of his that could work. They settled on a simple Burning Hands that Zorel aimed at one of the zombies. It reared back as the door started to lift up enough for Zorel and Hexton to fit underneath and slide into this new room.
Meanwhile, Harden, Torven and Musharib had escaped the wine trap and were finished catching their breath. They continued to move through the dungeon and found themselves in a peculiar place. The air reeked of sulfur and brimstone as they entered this chamber. On the floor, a pentagram traced in salt surrounded an ornate sarcophagus, its lid covered with figurines of prancing frog-like humanoids.
Harden advised caution as he began surveying the room. But Torven had Wongo whispering in his ear. Wongo didn’t care much for salt pentagrams, and urged Torven to wreck the symbol and see what happened. Torven replied how that seemed far too dangerous, but Wongo saw a solution — get Musharib to do it. Torven easily convinced Musharib, who was similarly impatient with waiting around. He strode straight up to the sarcophagus, kicking salt up in the air, and pushed the lid aside with all his might. Musharib held aloft a varnished clay urn from inside, announcing that it didn’t seem very impressive.
Harden finally looked at Torven and Musharib. He yelled out to them not to disturb the area yet, but it was too late. First, Musharib’s face crumpled painfully as he succumbed to a curse placed on the urn which cast Otto’s Irresistible Dance on him. Torven looked back guiltily to Harden. Next, a gray slaad — a toad-like aberration controlled by a magic gem — that was previously invisible appeared in front of Musharib and began ripping at his guts.
Harden and Torven charged to save their friend. The slaad cast a Fireball and resisted Harden’s volcano hammer burst. It sent another Fireball at the group as Torven used his Flurry of Blows and Harden flew into a rage to defend their guide. Finally the slaad was destroyed, but unfortunately, their time with Musharib had come to an end. He died valiantly, and they mourned the loss. It looked aas though their group would be permanently short one member.
Harden pushed aside the now-askew lid of the sarcophagus to see what else lay inside. There appeared to be a potion of supreme healing, and a petrified grung egg. Torven swiped the potion, and Harden picked up the egg. As he grabbed it, a tendril of slime rose from its surface and transformed into a frog-like head that bobbed around him. A croaking voice sounded out in Harden’s mind: “Nangnang will help you now.”
The spirit of the trickster god Nangnang kicked out Moa and made its home in Harden’s head. Harden lost his abilities that Moa offered, but now gained the flaw “I won’t share with others,” and the ability to move up, down and across vertical surfaces or upside down along ceilings with just his feet. Nangnang the grung was selfish and cruel, however. She wanted to not only kill Acererak, but torture and torment all who stood in her way. And she would happily use Harden to further her goals. Harden, while nowhere near as mean as Nangnang, did seem much more at home being nasty than acting kind with Moa around.
Zorel and Hexton stood up in the zombie chamber and looked around. Six glass cauldrons brimming with humanoid bones lined the walls of this tomb, at the centre of which stood an ancient chariot bearing a bronze sarcophagus with treasure strewn atop it. Paintings on the chariot’s body showed a tall bird with a long, sharp beak. On the south wall, a bronze shield bore the embossed image of a Chultan warrior carrying a spear, below an inscription that read, “Bow before no one.” Four bronze statues stood on pedestals to either side of the shield. They depicted Chultan warriors: one holding a sword, two with spears, and one missing its face.
Hexton cried out that he could see the skeleton key, hiding in the corner behind one of the cauldrons. Zorel was still trying to take in everything he could see in the room. His spirit, Obo’laka, nervously warned Zorel that the cauldrons contained the bones of most zealous devotees of the god Papazotl, the crane-like eblis. Even in death, they might seek to protect him.
Hexton chased the skeleton key around. The skeleton tried to scrape against the wall on the west side before Hexton was able to use a Ray of Frost and destroy it, capturing the key for himself. He proudly pocketed it, but Zorel eyed the wall suspiciously. It looked as though the skeleton was trying to open a secret door. Zorel asked Hexton to help him find one.
There were no exits out of the chamber that Harden could see, but he was convinced of a secret door hidden somewhere. He and Torven searched high and low, and soon discovered a passageway to the east. The gave a knowing look to each other, said goodbye to Musharib, and stepped in. It was merely a short hallway going westward. Ancient cobwebs filled the narrow corridor, whose midpoint featured an arched alcove. Within the alcove, a dusty bottle stood on a table.
Torven looked closely at the bottle. He spotted a genie waving from within, but could only hear her muffled voice calling out. This caught the attention of Harden too. They couldn’t understand the genie, but it was clear she wanted out of the bottle.
Nangnang was feeling greedy. She nudged Harden, advising him to cut a deal with the “dao” that would benefit only the two of them. Harden like this idea, but with a twist. He grabbed the bottle and stuffed it in his pack — he would save it for when he was desperate. For now, it would feel right at home by his side.
“The problem with the dead was that they all wanted someone to listen to them.”
The Ghost Bride — Yangsze Choo
Zorel and Hexton couldn’t locate any secret doors. They avoided the moaning zombies and continued exploring the room. Zorel thought the sarcophagus could hold something interesting. He climbed on top of the chariot and prodded at it.
At once, skeletons began pouring out of the six glass cauldrons. Zorel and Hexton went back-to-back and began defending themselves. Zorel could handle himself well against undead, and slashed at them with his greatsword. Hexton threw a Scorching Ray, hoping to keep them back. Then a magical spear of force slammed into Zorel. His eyes widened as he looked for its origin.
The hunter embossed on the bronze shield had become animated and was preparing another spear to throw. Also, six more skeletons crawled out of the glass cauldrons. Zorel and Hexton continued slaying the skeletons, but they were reappearing faster than they could be killed.
They began resorting to powerful magic. Hexton shot a Cone of Cold that obliterated a number of skeletons, while Zorel used his Radiant Soul to unleash divine energy and begin doing extra radiant damage. The spears continued to hammer him though, as more skeletons continued climbing into the fight.
A rumbling sound of stone grinding on stone roared out nearby. Zorel looked back to where the skeleton key had tried to escape, but now saw an opening. There was indeed a secret door there. And Harden and Torven stepped through it. Zorel ecstatically cried out with relief.
Harden picked up his maul and began swinging at the skeletons, blasting them into pieces. Torven turned into a raptor and took the attention of a quarter of them, as well as the force spears. Now Hexton and Zorel could breathe. They started to destroy more undead than appeared, and Harden began smashing the cauldrons with his hammer.
Skeletons continued crawling out, but now the amount was much more manageable. The party slew the rest, and then picked up the shield and faced it against the wall so the hunter couldn’t see them. The battle was over.
The group was introduced to Hexton, and thanked him for the help. They agreed to team up, and shared their two skeleton keys. They looked at what was in the sarcophagus after all, and found a gold torc, three gold cups, five gold cloak pins, and a gorgeous amulet. It seemed natural to let Hexton have a chance to try on the new magic amulet, but Nangnang’s greed had influenced Harden too much. He snatched the amulet for himself.
Strange shadows shifted across the walls, forming the outline of a long-legged bird. Its beak stabbed at Harden, as a voice echoed through his mind: “You will do as I command!” The spirit of Papazotl then tried to penetrate Harden’s mind. But Nangnang’s grip was too tight. It rejected Papazotl, and his spirit retreated into the amulet.
The party was back together. And with Hexton’s insight, they now knew that collecting skeleton keys was imperative to their survival. They’d explored as much as they could on this second floor of the Tomb of the Nine Gods. It was time to head down a level.
Previous: Episode 20
Next: Episode 22
