Tomb of Annihilation: Episode 25
Trouble can arise with DMPCs — that’s when a character is essentially another member of the party, but they are controlled by the Dungeon Master. Sometimes you need them, but having DMPCs around can take the spotlight off your players. It’s fine for them to have wants and desires, but they should only be able to attain them through your players. So when the adventure calls for them to be a part of your story, make sure they take a backseat to the action, and don’t linger on their choices. Have them be bold, and let your players react to the consequences.
The Party:
(Jon) Zorel, inhabited by Kubazan — Aasimar Paladin/Alathar — Half-Elf Bard
(Terry) Harden, inhabited by Nangnang— Dwarf Barbarian
(Matt) Hexton, inhabited by I’jin — Gnome Wizard
(Stacy) Torven, inhabited by Wongo — Lizardfolk Monk/Druid
The Path:
Tomb of the Nine Gods — Chambers of Horror
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;”
William Shakespeare — Henry V
Harden and Torven could hardly believe what they were seeing. Was this really Alathar? Or was it one of Acererak’s illusions? Torven asked what happened to Alathar. He said that he was enslaved by Zalkoré in Nangalore, but was rescued by another adventuring group who were on their way to Omu. They entered the Tomb a week ago, but he was separated and thrown into this mirror by a Tomb Dwarf.
Alathar looked rough. His hair was frayed. His skin was pallid. His eyes were anguished. But the cautious excitement he displayed when he found out what Harden and Torven had been up to was enough to convince them — he was the real thing. And now they had to get him out.
Hexton figured out that they needed to speak the command word and a cell number, which would expel whatever creature was in there. Alathar said he heard something evil was in a low numbered cell, but that was just about the only clue they had going for them. The group would systemically expel the inhabitants of the cells until they found their two friends.
They revealed a four-armed gargoyle and a troll, who both attacked on sight. Next was a drow mage, Tlad Xolbrys, who seemed charming and capable. Harden refused to trust a drow. He used his Helm of Telepathy to detect the drow’s thoughts, and found that he was ready to betray the party at a moment’s notice. Tlad did his best to best to run for it, but Harden was in no mood for that. The two fought, and Harden came out on top.
Finally they brought out some friendly faces. First was an Omuan bodyguard, Lukanu, and then her minotaur ally, Zaal. Next was Biff Longsteel, an adventurer in the Company of the Yellow Banner, who was thrilled to see the party, and give any advice he could. Zorel and Alathar were next, and the party embraced. Not only were they whole again, but they had an extra member in Alathar. Their three new allies were also eager and committed to stopping Acererak.
Alathar couldn’t help but be a little jealous of Zorel, but did his best to re-integrate into the group. Biff mentioned that he was captured by the secret door to Shagambi’s Tomb. Harden was intrigued by a secret door that he had missed, and told Biff to lead them there. Harden and Hexton discussed Shagambi on the way, with Hexton thinking she’d be a worthy ally. Nangnang’s spirit, which inhabited Harden, was very against this, saying Shagambi was nowhere near as useful as she.
Biff led the group to the northeast part of this level and pressed against a wall. His hands wandered against the stone, and finally he hit what he was looking for. A door revealed a very small room beyond.
Waves of heat blasted out of this cramped cell. The walls were scribed with relief carvings showing volcanoes setting cities ablaze. Rows of tiny holes were bored into the floor and the ten-foot-high ceiling. A human skeleton embedded in the opposite wall held an iron sconce with a burning red candle in it. There wasn’t much room in there, but Zorel and Harden led the way in.
Alathar wanted to show off his worth and ran ahead with them. As the three of them stepped in, the door slammed shut, cutting them off from the rest. The group looked around as Torven tried to pry the door open. A cavalcade of Tomb Dwarfs appeared and began a skirmish with the group.
“This is where I leave you,” said Biff with a wink, as he transformed himself in front of Torven’s eyes and carried out a malicious sneak attack.
It turned out he was actually a doppleganger named Pox. Torven only now remembered that one of the Company of the Yellow Banner journals they’d found mentioned a suspected doppleganger in disguise.
This surprise attack could have been quite fatal, but fortunately Lukanu and Zaal were incredible fighters. They protected Hexton and Torven, taking down many Tomb Dwarves and stunting Pox’s assault. But the doppleganger managed to slay Zaal before Hexton brought could bring it down with a Scorching Ray. Lukanu was distraught at seeing her friend fall, but swore to avenge him by finding her Omuan queen, Napaka. Torven reassured her that they’d do everything they could to help.
“I do not cling to life sufficiently to fear death.”
Alexandre Dumas — The Three Musketeers
Molten lava began pouring on the heads of Zorel, Harden and Alathar. Zorel and Harden lifted their shields above their heads to protect themselves as they ran to the candle. The door was shut, so they were on their own in another of Acererak’s strange trap rooms. Zorel didn’t want to wait for long with lava raining down on him. He went up to the candle and blew it out.
This seemed to work, as they blinked out of the room. Unfortunately, they immediately began to choke as they were teleported to a room with no light, no sound and no air. Their darkvision would be needed now, as they peered around for clues, trying not to suffocate. Sculptural reliefs on the walls of this dark cell showed tornadoes uprooting trees and tearing cities apart. An aarakocra skeleton embedded in one wall held an iron sconce bearing an unlit red candle.
They couldn’t speak, but Harden could still read thoughts. Alathar had an idea. He knew about birds, and even a little about the aarakocra, since spending time at their monastery in Kir Sabal, before he fell to Zalkoré. He surmised they had hollow bones, so he pried out a big aarakocra femur from the wall and tried to use it as a sort of snorkel. This teleported Alathar away, so Harden and Zorel quickly followed his lead, and were teleported as well.
Each were transported to a different teleportation rune. Inside was a tomb filled with terracotta warriors, kneeling in neat ranks around a polished wooden coffin. Between the warriors, four aisles scattered with broken pottery led up to the coffin. Its painted lid showed a leopard with serpents sprouting from its shoulders.
Harden conferred with Nangnang about what to do, but she only wanted to badmouth Shagambi. Alathar wasn’t yet his cocky self and quivered in the corner. Zorel wondered if he could smash all the terracotta warriors before they could move. His spirit, Kubazan, was in favour of this tactic.
Harden swatted Nangnang’s issues aside, and used her ability to climb on the walls and ceiling. The group figured they couldn’t make any noise, as warned by Acererak’s poem that said “the army sleeps in silence.” On the ceiling, he would avoid all the broken pieces of pottery. Harden made it to the centre above the sarcophagus, and tried to open it with the help of Alathar’s Mage Hand spell. Harden carefully peeled back the lid, and just barely noticed a music box set to go off in case he shifted the lid any further. He wiped his brow, and deftly tried to cut the trigger. His fingers weren’t as nimble as he hoped. He pulled the trigger wire, and the music box blared a haunting melody. All the terracotta warriors turned their heads to face Harden. As one, they pulled their swords from their scabbards and began to swing.
Terracotta pieces went flying around the tomb as Zorel heaved his sword and Harden whirled his hammer around. But there were so many of them. A group converged on Alathar. He knew he wasn’t nearly strong enough to take many hits. But he had a couple Fireballs ready to go, and cast them in the middle of the tomb, taking out bunches with devastating effect. Zorel tried to make his way to protect Alathar, but there were still so many warriors in his path. He used his Radiant Soul ability to sprout wings and unleash divine energy to fight them back and make it to Alathar. Harden used some well-placed blazes of his volcano hammer as well, and soon, the enemies were no more.
They opened the sarcophagus and found some kamadan bones, moonstones as well as a gorgeous mandolin. Harden nodded to Alathar to take it. As he did, six shadowy serpents slithered out of the mandolin and coiled around his body. He heard a purring voice in his mind say, “I am not your enemy.”
Shagambi the Kamadan was wise and virtuous. Alathar gained the flaw: “I never show mercy to evildoers,” and the ability to make one extra attack per turn. For the first time in a long while, Alathar seemed optimistic about his predicament. He smiled and reassured Shagambi that he would do what he must to defeat Acererak.
They used the teleportation runes to get out of the tomb and were reunited with their friends. Only Lukanu remained from the mirror. She was adamant that the group help her find Queen Napaka, or she would leave them. Hexton and Torven had seen her power up close, and knew keeping her around was for the best.
The party set out to appease Lukanu, and resumed exploring this level of the tomb. Suddenly, they spotted a skeleton key running down a hallway on the balcony above. Torven was by far the fastest party member, and used his Step of the Wind ability to shoot up the stairs. He closed the gap as the party tried to keep up. Torven swiftly turned down a staircase, gaining on the skeleton quickly.
Resting on the floor at the bottom of the staircase was an old treasure chest with a rusty built-in lock. Just beyond the chest, the tunnel opened up to a huge, dark chamber. Torven raced further, but unknowingly triggered a trap. A huge granite ball was tucked into a secret compartment at the top of the stairs, and began tumbling down towards him. Torven used the last bit of energy left in him to lunge above the chest and out of the way of the ball. The stone ball thundered into the chest, crushing it into hundreds of pieces.
Torven landed beyond, inside the chamber, but his feet barely made contact with the ground. The floor beneath his lizardfolk feet gave way and crumbled into a deadly acid pit. Torven reached out desperately and made a Dexterity saving throw. He managed to cling onto the edge of the pit, as the stone ball came crashing down. It was absorbed by the acid and destroyed.
Torven dangled precariously as he realized the walls of the pit were too smooth to climb on his own. The acrid smell below invaded his nostrils, beckoning him to fall to his death. He helplessly waited for his friends to come and save him in time.
Previous: Episode 24
Next: Episode 26
