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D&D 5E - Tumb of Anihilation - Removed
D&D 5E - Tumb of Anihilation - Removed
S
omething evil is trapping the souls of the dead Beneath the cracked and broken streets of Omu lies a
and draining life from all who have been raised secret yuan-ti temple called the Fane of the Night Serpent,
from death by magic. This worldwide “death where Ras Nsi holds sway and plots to bring about the end of
curse” not only prevents the raising of the dead the world. Omu is also home to the Tomb of the Nine Gods. As
but also causes creatures that were previously the characters explore this multilevel dungeon, they encounter
raised from the dead to wither and die. The the spirits of Omu’s trickster gods and are potentially
source of this death curse lies in a trap-riddled inhabited by them. Each god embodies a different alignment,
tomb hidden beneath a lost city in the depths and any character inhabited by one gains a special power as
of a vast jungle. well as a flaw. The nine trickster gods don’t get along, and they
Tomb of Annihilation is a Dungeons & try to push one another out of the characters’ bodies. As the
Dragons adventure that takes place on the gods fight over their living hosts, the characters must deal
peninsula of Chult in the Forgotten Realms. Chult is a tropical with the deadly traps and monsters that guard the Soulmonger.
wilderness composed mostly of jungles, plateaus, impassable Venturing deeper into the tomb, they uncover clues about the
mountains, and belching volcanoes. You can substitute a dungeon’s evil architect — the archlich Acererak — and learn
different jungle setting, changing location names as needed. that the Soulmonger is feeding souls to an undead horror
Alternative D&D settings include the Amedio Jungle of Oerth, called an atropal. Once it consumes enough souls, the atropal
the Savage Coast of Mystara, the jungles of Xen’drik on will transform into an evil god.
Eberron, or a comparable setting on your home campaign Destroying the Soulmonger ends the death curse affecting
world. the world, while killing the atropal incurs the wrath of
This adventure is designed to begin with a party of four to Acererak. Under normal circumstances, the enraged archlich
six 1st-level characters, who should advance to 11th level or would be far too great a foe for mortal adventurers to
higher by the adventure’s conclusion. overcome, but with the trickster gods of Omu on their side, the
heroes have a fighting chance.
Story Overview
The characters are drawn into the story by Syndra Silvane, Running the Adventure
a retired adventurer and merchant who, years ago, was raised To run this adventure, you need the D&D fifth edition core
from the dead. Now, she’s withering away. When she rulebooks (Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide,
consulted priests, Syndra learned that the affliction was and Monster Manual).
widespread and that no spell could cure it. She spoke to her
Text that appears in a box like this is meant to be read
friends among the Harpers, who determined the source of the
aloud or paraphrased for the players when their
affliction: an ungodly necromantic device called the
characters first arrive at a location or under a specific
Soulmonger. The Harpers received their intelligence from a
lich, but they don’t know much about the Soulmonger other
circumstance, as described in the text.
than its name and general whereabouts. Adventurers willing The Monster Manual and Volo’s Guide to Monsters contain
to help Syndra must travel to Chult, a land of jungles and stat blocks for most of the creatures found in this adventure.
monsters, to find the Soulmonger and destroy it. You don’t need the latter reference to run Tomb of
Unknown to Syndra and her allies, the Soulmonger is Annihilation, as all the necessary stat blocks from Volo’s Guide
trapping the souls of the dead and depriving liches of the to Monsters are included with the new monsters in appendix D.
means to trap souls in their phylacteries. (The Soulmonger When a creature’s name appears in bold type, that’s a
snatches up the souls before they can be trapped elsewhere.) visual cue pointing you to its stat block in the Monster Manual.
Szass Tam, the most powerful lich among the Red Wizards of If a stat block appears in appendix D, the adventure’s text tells
Thay, has sent operatives to Chult to steal the Soulmonger or, you so.
failing that, destroy it. Leading the Thayan expedition is Szass Spells and equipment mentioned in the adventure are
Tam’s devoted lieutenant, Valindra Shadowmantle. Valindra described in the Player’s Handbook. Magic items are described
has been warned that adventurers might cross her path, so in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, unless the adventure’s text
she’s prepared for them. directs you to an item’s description in appendix C.
Also lurking in the heart of Chult is Ras Nsi, a mythic,
villainous figure among Chultans. Ras Nsi was a human
paladin and a sworn protector of the city of Mezro. He Abbreviations
betrayed his oaths and was banished. Rather than redeem
The following abbreviations are used throughout this
himself, he raised an undead army to conquer Mezro. The
would-be tyrant was defeated and banished once more. Mezro adventure:
was later destroyed by the Spellplague (or so it seemed), hp = hit points gp = gold piece(s)
during which Ras Nsi lost his power to create and command
undead. He withdrew to the city of Omu, leaving the vestiges of LG = Lawful good CN = Chaotic neutral
his undead army to roam unchecked throughout the jungle.
That was not the end of Ras Nsi, however. Bitter over his loss AC = Armor Class ep = electrum piece(s)
of power, he forged an alliance with the yuan-ti lurking in the
ruins of Omu and underwent a ritual of transformation, CG = Chaotic good LE = Lawful evil
becoming a yuan-ti malison. As a yuan-ti, Ras Nsi imposed his
terrible will on the evil snake people and became their leader.
INTRODUCTION
DC = Difficulty Class sp = silver piece(s) precious time. Mostly he likes to watch them suffer and die as
a result of their magical pursuits and folly.
NG = Neutral good CE = Chaotic evil Although he has lived on many worlds and crafted
countless demiplanes, Acererak spends most of his time
XP = experience points cp = copper piece(s) building tombs. He fills each one with treasure to attract
powerful adventurers. He then kills them off in terrible
LN = Lawful neutral NE = Neutral evil fashion, using deadly traps and monsters while baiting and
ridiculing them. The terror he evokes scars their souls, which
pp = platinum piece(s) NPC = nonplayer he traps in his phylactery, the location of which is one of the
character multiverse’s greatest secrets.
N = Neutral Not too long ago by human standards, Acererak found an
atropal adrift at the edge of the Negative Plane and built the
Soulmonger to nourish it to godhood. The lich chose one of his
Adventure Summary tombs — specifically the Tomb of the Nine Gods on Toril — to
The adventure is likely to play out as follows. serve as the atropal’s nursery.
The adventurers are teleported to Port Nyanzaru, the only For more information on Acererak, including his statistics,
major settlement in Chult. After exploring the city (chapter 1), see appendix D.
they embark on an expedition into the wilds of Chult (chapter
2), eventually finding the ruined city of Omu (chapter 3). The Death Curse
characters don’t know that Omu is their ultimate destination
from the outset; they must find clues or evidence pointing in Understanding how Acererak’s death curse works is vital to
that direction. running the adventure smoothly.
In this adventure, three creatures know that the cause of The Soulmonger was activated 20 days ago and remains
the death curse lies in Omu: Grandfather Zitembe in Port active until it is destroyed. While the Soulmonger is active, the
Nyanzaru, Valindra Shadowmantle in the Heart of Ubtao, and following effects are in play:
Saja N’baza in Orolunga. Several creatures know Omu’s Any humanoid on the planet that has been brought back
location: the guides Eku and Salida in Port Nyanzaru, Valindra from the dead begins to waste away. Its hit point maximum is
Shadowmantle in the Heart of Ubtao, the aarakocra of Kir reduced by 20 (1 for each day the Soulmonger has been active)
Sabal, Zalkoré of Nangalore, Saja N’baza in Orolunga, and the and decreases by 1 every midnight until the Soulmonger is
red dragon Tzindelor in Wyrmheart Mine. If the characters are destroyed. If a humanoid’s hit point maximum drops to 0, it
unable to locate Omu or ascertain the source of the death dies. Traveling to another world or plane does nothing to halt
curse, the following additional creatures might possess the the wasting effect once it has begun.
knowledge they seek, at your discretion: Krr’ook in A humanoid whose hit point maximum is reduced can’t
Dungrunglung, Nephyr in Firefinger, Nanny Pu’pu in Mbala, increase or restore it. This is true whether the creature’s hit
Bwayes O’tamu in the wreck of the Narwhal, the survivors of point maximum is reduced by the Soulmonger or by some
the Star Goddess shipwreck, and Red Wizards under Valindra other life-draining effect, such as the touch of a wight, wraith,
Shadowmantle’s command. or similar creature.
As the adventurers explore Omu, they are either captured by If a humanoid dies anywhere on the planet, its soul
yuan-ti or forced to confront them in their underground becomes trapped inside the Soulmonger. Only the destruction
temple (chapter 4). Not far from the yuan-ti temple is the of the Soulmonger can free the trapped soul.
entrance to the Tomb of the Nine Gods (chapter 5). The Any spell that breathes life into the dead (including
Soulmonger lies deep within the tomb, which is riddled with revivify, raise dead, resurrection, and true resurrection)
puzzles, traps, monsters, and magical wards. Best case automatically fails if cast on a humanoid whose soul is either
trapped in the Soulmonger or has been devoured by the
scenario: the adventure concludes with the destruction of the
atropal (see “Soul Devouring” below).
Soulmonger and the heroes’ daring escape from the tomb. The Soulmonger does not affect the workings of speak
Worst case scenario: the characters succumb to the evil of with dead spells or similar magic. The death curse has no
Acererak, and their souls are devoured. effect on preexisting ghosts or spirits.
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Soulmonger is destroyed. Other rules concerning death city as a terrifying place so that players feel the tension of
saving throws remain unchanged. wanting to get there quickly, but not too quickly.
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Starting at 9th Level have them meet at Syndra Silvane’s residence.
Characters of 9th level will steamroll through chapters 1 and 2,
and that’s fine. Spend less time on encounters in the jungle, Syndra Silvane’s Curse
and steer the characters toward Omu as quickly as possible.
Once they arrive, run the adventure as you normally would. The party’s benefactor is a retired adventurer named Syndra
Characters at this level will still be challenged by chapters 3 Silvane. Being a wizard and merchant of no small repute, she
and 4, particularly if you play the yuan-ti as intelligent has magic to expedite the party’s journey to Chult as well as
adversaries. Hold off on XP awards and level advancement treasure with which to reward characters for their assistance.
until the characters enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods in When you’re ready for the characters to meet with Syndra,
chapter 5. read:
You have been invited to the home of Syndra Silvane, a
Starting the Adventure retired adventurer and merchant. A uniformed attendant
leads you up a grand staircase to the third floor, then
The adventure’s default starting location is the city of Baldur’s
Gate on the Sword Coast, in the Forgotten Realms setting.
ushers you into a wood-paneled room with a fireplace,
However, any large settlement will do. Possibilities from other comfortable chairs, and a heavy table bearing goblets
D&D worlds include the Free City of Greyhawk on Oerth, the and bottles of wine. The darkly paneled walls are hung
city of Specularum on Mystara, and the city of Sharn on with maps and sea charts. Racks, shelves, and cabinets
Eberron. hold hundreds more rolled-up maps and charts.
To get things rolling, read or paraphrase the following
introductory text to the players: A person is seated in an overstuffed chair near the fire.
You can’t discern a gender, because only the person’s
For the past several days, the talk of the streets and head emerges from under a heavy blanket draped over
taverns has all been about the so-called death curse: a the chair, and an embroidered hood and silver mask
wasting disease afflicting everyone who’s ever been conceal the wearer’s face. Even the person’s dry, raspy
raised from the dead. Victims grow thinner and weaker voice provides no clue. “Help yourselves to wine, and
each day, slowly but steadily sliding toward the death seat yourselves, friends — I hope I may call you that.”
they once denied. When they finally succumb, they can’t
be raised — and neither can anyone else, regardless of The masked speaker is Syndra Silvane. She is a Tethyrian
whether they’ve ever received that miracle in the past. human archmage, with these changes:
Temples and scholars of divine magic are at a loss to Syndra is lawful neutral and speaks Common, Dwarvish,
explain a curse that has affected the entire region, and Elvish, and Halfling.
possibly the entire world. Syndra’s hit point maximum has been reduced to 79 by
the Soulmonger’s death curse, and it decreases by 1
At this point, invite the players to explain why their characters every midnight. If her hit point maximum drops to 0,
are together, how long they’ve been together, and what they’ve Syndra dies and can’t be brought back from the dead
been doing. If the characters don’t know each other, you can until the death curse has ended (and if her soul hasn’t
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been devoured). Destroying the Soulmonger is the only Shadowmantle, and were never seen or heard from again. If
way to halt the attrition and restore her hit point the characters urge Syndra to seek out a more experienced
maximum to normal. party of adventurers, she replies dryly, “I already have.”
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curse, which lies deep in the jungles of Chult. Your expertise could prove
helpful, so you’ve asked to join the expedition.
Criminal Player’s Handbook Local authorities grant you a full pardon for past crimes. In exchange,
you are to join an expedition to Chult and help put an end to the “death
curse” affecting several wealthy citizens of the city.
Entertainer Player’s Handbook Your sponsor is a retired adventurer and merchant named Syndra
Silvane. A terrible curse has befallen her, and she needs your help to end it.
The quest will take you to Chult, a distant and exotic land where you can
win fame and renown.
Faction Agent Sword Coast A widespread magical curse threatens to devour the bodies and souls
Adventurer’s Guide of the living. The Harpers have learned that its source lies somewhere in
Chult. You volunteered to join the expedition.
Folk Hero Player’s Handbook You’ve garnered quite the reputation and caught the attention of a
merchant and retired adventurer named Syndra Silvane. She wants you to
explore Chult and discover the source of a curse.
Inheritor Sword Coast A horrible curse threatens to claim the life of Syndra Silvane, a retired
Adventurer’s Guide adventurer. She has blood ties to your family, and you have an obligation
to help her. To do otherwise could jeopardize your inheritance and your
future.
Mercenary Sword Coast A merchant and retired adventurer named Syndra Silvane needs
Veteran Adventurer’s Guide trained warriors to join an expedition to Chult. You’ve always wanted to
visit Port Nyanzaru and see the dinosaur races. They say the jungles are
full of riches and danger—two things you crave.
Noble Player’s Handbook Your family owes a favor to a merchant named Syndra Silvane. She’s
calling in the favor and asking for help. The family is counting on you to
fulfill its promise, and you’ve heard rumors that Syndra is planning an
expedition.
Outlander Player’s Handbook When you were young, you fled your homeland of Chult by stowing
away aboard a ship. Now you’re anxious to return home. A local merchant
is mounting an expedition to Chult, and you’ve talked your way into joining
it.
Sage Player’s Handbook A wizard named Syndra Silvane has fallen prey to a magical curse.
She’s mounting an expedition to Chult to end the curse, and she believes
your expertise will prove invaluable. You’re inclined to agree.
Soldier Player’s Handbook Your superiors in the military recommended you for an important
expedition to Chult. The success of the mission is so vital that they
promised to make you a captain if you help ensure the expedition’s
success.
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Chultans dress in light, colorful clothing appropriate for
Races of Chult the tropical climate. They trade in gold, gemstones, jewelry,
textiles, spices, rare herbs, ivory, wood, unrefined metal ore,
Members of every race and nationality of Faerûn can be found and other commodities plucked and plundered from the
in Port Nyanzaru, but few of them ever travel more than a jungles, valleys, and mountains of Chult. Among themselves, all
hundred yards beyond the city walls. The native peoples must Chultans still speak their own tribal languages (a mix of
be divided into those that are commonly known and those exhaled and inhaled vowels, consonants, and tongue clicks),
whose presence is legendary or only suspected. The first but any who deal regularly with foreigners also speak
group consists of Chultans (humans), aarakocra, Batiri Common fluently, often with a heavy, characteristic accent.
(goblins), dwarves (including albino dwarves), pterafolk, and Chultans in Port Nyanzaru seldom don armor because of the
tabaxi. In the second category, weretigers are suspected to be climate, but large, colorful shields made from toughened
present in small numbers; explorers and hunters sometimes dinosaur hide are ubiquitous. These shields are called hlang
report seeing grungs (frog folk) deep in the jungle; and yuan-ti and function as ordinary shields. In melee, they favor the
are rumored to be making a resurgence in remote areas. traditional yklwa (pronounced YICK-ul-wah), a short, broad-
In addition to these known and suspected residents, a bladed, one-handed, spear-like weapon. For more information
crew of frost giants has come to Chult seeking the Ring of about the yklwa, see “Buying a Special Item.”
Winter and an expedition of Red Wizards is hunting for the
Soulmonger, but the presence of these bands is still unknown
to the larger population. CHULTAN NAMES
Finally, the deep jungle is overrun by skeletons, zombies, You can use the following lists to create Chultan NPC
ghouls, and other types of undead. Everyone in Chult is all too names on the fly. Some Chultans adopt their old dynastic
aware of their presence. names as surnames.
Male Names: Atuar, Atumwa, Chiwa, Dengo, Emporo,
Juma, Kundé, Kwalu, Losi, Mezoar, Mzolu, Olu, Osaw,
Chultans Rindawan, Selu, Teron, Ugor, Vazul, Weshtek, Yapa
Chultans are the human natives of Chult. They have dark skin, Female Names: Azuil, Bati, Chuil, Déla, Eki, Fipya, Isi, Joli,
black hair, and a rich culture. Driven out of the jungle by Katéla, Lorit, Mainu, Naboli, Nyali, Omoyala, Razira, Sana,
monsters and undead, they took refuge behind the stout walls Tefnek, U’lolo, Wadizi, Yuta, Zaidi, Zamisi
of Port Nyanzaru, gave up their dynasties, and united to Dynastic Names: Agolo, Atazi, Balaka, Bolélé, Dawa, Ekulu,
become a mercantile power in the southern ocean, eager to do Hakal, Imbogoro, Jaharwon, M’wenye, Natombe, Ngore, Oboko,
business with anyone who visits their perilous land. A few O’tamu, Sahandi, Talro’a, Utugelu, Yudan, Zuberi
Chultans migrated northward and established outposts in
distant cities such as Athkatla, Baldur’s Gate, Calimport, Aarakocra
Memnon, and Zazesspur. Tribes of aarakocra live atop the mountains and plateaus of
The lines of kings and queens that once held political sway Chult. Aarakocra leaders are skilled dancers who use their
throughout Chult have been mostly wiped out by time, war, dances to inspire their followers as well as cast spells.
calamity, and misfortune. They’ve been replaced by Chultan Aarakocra strive to defend the land against the forces of
merchant princes who learned the art and craft of trading evil. They have a reputation for aiding explorers who are lost,
from Amnian and Tethyrian profiteers, and who now use their sick, or in some other trouble, provided those explorers aren’t
wealth to forge profitable alliances and to steer the fate of intent on plundering Chult’s natural resources or exploiting its
their frontier realm. inhabitants. The aarakocra are natural enemies of pterafolk
and the gargoyles of Omu.
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tactics” effect; all the goblins are waving spears at the enemy,
even if only one can hit.
Batiri (Goblins)
Chult is home to scores of independent goblin tribes
collectively known as the Batiri. A Batiri tribe is ruled by a
queen (use the goblin boss statistics). When a queen dies,
fighting ensues until a new queen emerges victorious and
proclaims herself ruler of the tribe. While the Batiri have many
cultural and mythical aspects that make them unique, they
behave essentially like other goblins; they are superstitious,
cruel, suspicious of outsiders, fractious among themselves, and
just as likely to torture and eat other humanoids as they are to
trade with them. They are not only sadistic but highly creative
in their tortures. For example, they enjoy tying enemies to
trees, dousing them in honey, and leaving them to be devoured When a goblin in the stack drops to 0 hit points, it is
by insects over the course of several days, if a larger predator thrown from the stack. If the stack succeeds on a DC 10
doesn’t finish them off first. Dexterity saving throw, it remains intact (albeit one goblin
War Masks. Batiri warriors wear oversized wooden war shorter). On a failed save, the stack collapses and all the
masks into combat. Each goblin paints and decorates its own goblins fall prone in a 5-foot-square space.
mask to make it look as fearsome as possible. Aside from To form a new battle stack, a goblin must use its action to
intimidating enemies, these masks serve the same purpose climb onto the shoulders of another willing goblin within 5
among the Batiri as coats of arms among noble knights of feet of it. Other goblins can join an existing battle stack in the
Faerûn. Batiri of opposing tribes might not know an enemy’s same way. A goblin can use its action to remove itself from a
given name, but they’ll know Snarling Crocodile or Fanged Ape. battle stack, landing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of
Battle Stacks. Batiri warriors sometimes ride on each the bottom of the stack.
other’s shoulders in battle, in a formation known as a battle The Batiri invented battle stacks as a way to combat
stack. These can be up to nine goblins tall. Each goblin tracks creatures much larger than themselves as well as a way to
its hit points individually, but the stack moves and makes reach enemies in trees. The battle stack formation has the
ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws as one creature. added effect of making the puny goblins appear taller and
Only the goblin at the top of the stack can attack, and only the more fearsome to their larger enemies. Battle stacks are not
goblin at the bottom can move (all goblins stacked on its effective against other ground-based threats, since all but the
shoulders move with it). The goblin at the top makes all topmost goblin give up their attacks and mobility to be part of
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma ability checks and saving the stack.
throws for the stack. The goblin at the bottom makes all Dwarves
Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution ability checks and saving
Most of the shield dwarf strongholds beneath Chult were
throws for the stack. A battle stack can’t jump, but it can
destroyed by intense volcanic activity. Hundreds of dwarves
grapple or shove another creature, swing from vines, and use
were forced to flee their collapsing halls, only to be
the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, and Hide actions. The stack has
slaughtered and devoured by jungle predators. A few made it
advantage on melee attacks because of its built-in “pack
to Port Nyanzaru, where they remain to this day. Some of
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these survivors are albinos (see appendix D for more they claim hundreds of miles of wilderness as their hunting
information). ground. To make matters worse, Acererak filled out their
ranks with horrible undead creatures such as girallon zombies
Frost Giants and tyrannosaurus zombies (see appendix D), mainly to
Twenty frost giants came to Chult in search of the Ring of discourage explorers from getting too close to Omu. As the
Winter. Their ship is anchored north of Kitcher’s Inlet, and atropal feeds on the souls of the dead, it grows in power.
teams of frost giants are scouring the jungle for signs of the Eventually, it will become powerful enough to control these
ring and its wearer, Artus Cimber. A female frost giant named ravenous undead creatures. Until then, the undead hordes of
Drufi leads the hunt. So far the frost giants have gone about Chult have no leader.
their business unnoticed, but it’s only a matter of time before
they encounter a Flaming Fist patrol from Fort Beluarian. The Weretigers
frost giants hate Chult and its climate, but they won’t give up Chultans infected with weretiger lycanthropy haunt the jungle
the search for the ring no matter what the cost. in small families or prides. Everyone in Port Nyanzaru has
heard this rumor, but not all believe it.
Grungs Weretiger prides avoid outsiders, including adventurers,
These predominantly evil frog folk live in villages scattered but a few evil weretigers enjoy making a sport of hunting
throughout the jungle. They build their primitive structures intruders who come to plunder their land. Since weretigers
from mud, vines, and wicker, and are more comfortable in can appear human, they readily pose as Chultan hunters,
trees than on the ground. They pepper enemies with poisoned guides, rescuers, or explorers to lure in prey. These evil
arrows and leap from branch to branch without leaving any weretigers usually worship Malar, the god of the hunt. Others
trail. continue worshiping whatever deities they revered before
Not all grungs are evil. A few are willing to help explorers becoming lycanthropes.
in exchange for food or treasure. Evil or not, grungs warn away
intruders by hanging the bodies of slain foes from trees at the Yuan-ti
edge of their territory. After being driven out of their ancient city (see “Hisari,”), the
Some Chultan guides are aware of one grung village due yuan-ti claimed the ruins of Omu as their demesne. Their spies
south of Port Nyanzaru, just above the headwater of the River in Port Nyanzaru keep a wary eye on the merchant princes,
Tiryki (pronounced tee-REE-kee). For more information on would-be treasure hunters, and adventurers. Characters might
this village, see “Dungrunglung." Appendix D contains also encounter yuan-ti purebloods, yuan-ti malisons, and
additional information on grungs. yuan-ti abominations searching the jungle for hidden
settlements and lost treasures.
Pterafolk (“Terror Folk”) The yuan-ti of Omu believe that a sealed portal lies
These malevolent flying reptilian humanoids swoop down on somewhere under the Peaks of Flame and that opening it will
unsuspecting prey, steal what they can, and retreat to their enable Dendar the Night Serpent to enter the world. The god
high lairs to gloat over their stolen loot. The suddenness and Ubtao was supposed to stand against Dendar, but with Ubtao
violence of their raids has earned them the nickname “terror gone from the world, the yuan-ti believe nothing can stop the
folk” among other races of Chult. They are natural enemies of Night Serpent. They have dedicated an underground temple to
the aarakocra. See the pterafolk entry in appendix D for full this serpentine destroyer of worlds, but they are a long way
details. from fulfilling their ultimate goal.
Additional information about yuan-ti can be found in
Tabaxi Volo’s Guide to Monsters, as well as appendix D.
Tabaxi are feline humanoids, originally native to the western
continent of Maztica. Some Chultans refer to them as “cat folk” GODS OF CHULT
or “leopard people.” Groups of tabaxi wound up in Chult after A central figure in Chult’s history is the greater god Ubtao,
escaping from slavers. They are a cultured people and seldom who long protected the land and Chultan civilization. But
evil. A few work as guides out of Port Nyanzaru. Others enter Ubtao grew angry over his worshipers’ endless warring and
the jungle in small groups to hunt grungs and goblins for their their reliance on him to solve all their problems. More than a
own purposes. century ago, Ubtao simply abandoned Chult, and his influence
Tabaxi hunters can be encountered anywhere in Chult. hasn’t been felt there since that day. When he left, the Chultans
Tabaxi minstrels are seldom met outside Port Nyanzaru. suffered a crippling spiritual blow, but eventually the
Appendix D includes statistics for both. Tabaxi can also be disunited, warring tribes learned to put aside their petty
player characters (see Volo’s Guide to Monsters for tabaxi conflicts and unite as one people. To this day, the dinosaurs of
racial traits). Chult are still revered as Ubtao’s sacred children by many
Chultans, even though Ubtao himself is no longer popular.
Undead
Over a century ago, the warlord Ras Nsi raised an undead With Ubtao gone, the Chultans turned to other deities,
army to conquer the city of Mezro. The army consisted mainly including ones introduced to them by missionaries from
of dead Chultans raised as zombies and cannibals transformed distant civilizations. Waukeen, a goddess of trade, is revered
into ghouls. Ras Nsi and his legion were defeated and driven by Port Nyanzaru’s many merchants. Other deities with
back into the jungle. Before Ras Nsi could organize another shrines in the city include Gond (god of craft), Savras (god of
attack, Mezro planeshifted away, and Ras Nsi was stripped of divination and fate), Sune (goddess of love and beauty), and
his god-given powers. Declaring himself an enemy of the world, Tymora (goddess of good fortune).
he threw his lot in with the yuan-ti. The remnants of Ras Nsi’s
undead army spread through the jungle like a blight, until now Besides spreading word of their deities, however, too
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many foreign missionaries also exploited the Chultans and
their land for profit, which led to many conflicts. The temples
and shrines persist, but most of the clergy are now Chultans.
Foreign clerics who proselytize too energetically aren’t
welcomed in Port Nyanzaru
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Chapter 5: Tomb of the Nine Gods
A
cererak built the Tomb of the Nine Gods few decades, Acererak returned to tinker with his dungeon’s
not only to house the remains of Omu’s traps, add treasure to its vaults, and reap a bounty of hoarded
trickster gods, but also to slay interlopers. souls. His planar wanderings have influenced the tomb’s
However, few today even know the tomb mishmash of architectural styles, and have populated it with
exists, and thus it remains an enigma. Rare strange and deadly monsters.
are the tavern tales that lure adventurers
to its gates, and its horrors remain
undocumented in the libraries of
Nourishing the Atropal
Candlekeep. The reason for this is simple: On one of his journeys through the cosmos, Acererak stumbled
not one person who has entered the tomb upon an atropal (see appendix D). He brought it to Toril,
has lived to tell the tale. ensconced it in the cradle of his tomb, and began feeding it
necromantic energy, hoping to transform it into a deity: one
History of the Tomb able to claim dominion over death. Unleashed on Toril, the
newborn death god would glut itself on life until none but the
As the characters plumb the depths of the Tomb of the Nine dead walked the world.
Gods, they’ll learn snippets of its grisly past. To nurture the atropal, Acererak needed an untold number
of souls. The archlich made a bargain with the Sewn Sisters, a
Rise of the Tomb coven of night hags feared throughout the Lower Planes.
Seduced by the prospect of a near-endless supply of souls, the
After Acererak murdered Omu’s gods, he enslaved the Omuans hags joined Acererak in his tomb. With their assistance, the
and forced them to carve a grand tomb under one of the cliffs archlich crafted the Soulmonger — a necromantic device that
surrounding the city. The archlich devised brutal trials for could reap the souls of the dying from across Toril and feed
each burial chamber, and sprinkled riddles and illusions them to the atropal. Leaving the Sewn Sisters behind as
throughout to deceive intruders. When the building work was nursemaids, Acererak abandoned his tomb to watch the rise of
done, he fed his slaves into the death trap to test its efficacy. the death god from afar.
The archlich turned some of his victims into undead and flesh
golems, then locked them inside the tomb to serve as
guardians. Acererak then resumed his wanderings. Exploring the Tomb
In Acererak’s absence, the tomb snared adventurers from To survive the tomb’s horrors, the player characters must call
faraway lands and harvested their souls to feed the archlich’s on every ounce of their cunning and willpower.
phylactery, which remained hidden on another plane. Every
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General Features done, they retreat to their secret headquarters on level 2 of the
tomb (areas 27 and 28). Withers avoids contact with the
The following features are common throughout the tomb. characters when possible, confident that Acererak’s traps will
Some levels of the tomb have additional features that are defeat them.
described at the beginning of their respective sections.
Legendary Monsters
Ceilings Two legendary monsters dwell in Acererak’s tomb: a beholder
Unless specified otherwise, ceilings in the tomb are 8 feet high guarding a treasure vault (area 44) and an aboleth lurking in
in corridors and 12 feet high in rooms. an underground lake (area 65). These creatures can’t use lair
actions within the tomb, and the regional effects of each
Crawlways creature’s lair are localized to the levels where they dwell.
Certain areas of the tomb are accessible only by way of narrow Despite being the dungeon’s creator, Acererak doesn’t
tunnels. These crawlways are 3 feet high and 2 feet wide. count the Tomb of the Nine Gods as his lair. Consequently, no
lair actions or regional effects are ascribed to the archlich in
Lighting this adventure.
All areas of the tomb are unlit unless noted otherwise.
Skeleton Keys
Secret Doors To unlock the final gate to the Soulmonger, the adventurers
Most secret doors within the tomb slide open on stone runners. must acquire five skeleton keys — each the carved skull of an
The handles that unlock them are hidden within the features animated human skeleton that roams the tomb. The characters
of relief carvings along the walls, including inside the jaws of can capture and control these skeletons, or can simply snap a
many graven skulls. skull off its spine.
A secret door can be spotted by any character within 5 feet A skeleton key has the statistics of a skeleton, with these
of it who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 20 or changes:
higher, or with a search and a successful DC 20 Wisdom The skeleton key is unaligned.
(Perception) check. It has a climbing speed of 30 feet and can climb difficult
surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without
Staircases needing to make an ability check.
It wields a pair of daggers and can make two melee
Stairs in the tomb are carved out of the living rock, and each
weapon attacks (+4 to hit) as an action. Each dagger
step is topped with a single slab of cut stone. The skulls and
attack deals 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage on a hit.
bones of dead Omuans fill niches along the walls of each
When reduced to 0 hit points, a skeleton key falls apart,
staircase. Staircases run 25 feet between each level of the
though its skull and bones remain intact.
tomb.
A skeleton key does not trigger any trap placed in a room
or on a door of the tomb.
Tracks Each skeleton key has a skull that extends into a carved
Explorers have broken into the tomb recently, and Withers key-like shape. These shapes match the keyholes of the
and his tomb dwarves make frequent patrols. Their trails skeleton gate in the lair of the Sewn Sisters (area 71). The
crisscross back and forth, making other creatures in the tomb Skeleton Keys table summarizes the location and shape of each
difficult to track. The freshest tracks belong to the skeleton key.
keys (see “Tomb Inhabitants” below). Any character who tries Finding a Skeleton Key. Each of the first five levels of the
to follow a skeleton key’s trail can do so with a successful DC tomb has its own skeleton key. A skeleton key can be
12 Wisdom (Survival) check, finding the way to the nearest encountered in any of the locations marked with a skull
unexplored location marked with a skull symbol on the symbol on the level map. You choose a skeleton key’s location.
dungeon map. You can also change your mind and relocate the skeleton key
to make it easier or harder to find.
Apart from unlocking the skeleton gate in area 71, the
Tomb Inhabitants skeleton keys perform no function. When the characters enter
an area containing a skeleton key, it might be standing in the
A grim pageant of monstrous residents lurks in the tomb, middle of the room, standing in a corner, walking across the
waiting to greet visitors. ceiling, or clinging to a wall. A skeleton key’s primary goal is to
avoid capture or destruction, so it flees if it can.
Withers and the Tomb Dwarves
Withers, Acererak’s undead custodian, oversees the undead Tomb Level Key Shape
maintenance crew that keeps the tomb’s traps in working 1 Triangle
order. To assemble that team, Acererak abducted dwarf
miners and transformed them into wights to exploit their
2 Square
expertise at underground construction. Withers acts as 3 Pentagon
supervisor for the dwarves and serves as Acererak’s adjunct 4 Hexagon
when the archlich visits the tomb. Using his scrying pool at
area 25, Withers can command Omu’s gargoyles and speak to 5 Octagon
agents on the surface world.
Withers and his crew use the staircase at area 26 to roam
unseen through the tomb’s many levels. When their work is
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The Sewn Sisters The Navel of the Moon is set into the pendulum of a
In the lowest level of the tomb, a coven of night hags nurses grandfather clock inside a secret room (area 56).
the atropal to its apotheosis. See area 71 and “The Sewn
Sisters” sidebar near that section for more information on the Skull Chalice of Ch’gakare
hags. This jeweled goblet was crafted from the skull of a long-
dead Omuan king and served as a symbol of office for the royal
Tomb Guardians line of Omu. The legendary Chultan hero Ch’gakare
Adventurers who have perished inside the tomb are stitched (pronounced chuh-GAH-kah-ree) is said to have beheaded the
together by tomb dwarves and bolted into suits of armor. Once king after escaping the Nine Hells on the back of amastodon.
complete, these shambling golems are released into the tomb Princess Mwaxanaré (see "Kir Sabal," and appendix D) is
to hunt intruders. keen to recover the Skull Chalice of Ch’gakare as part of her
A tomb guardian is a flesh golem clad in plate armor, giving bid to reclaim the throne of Omu. To obtain it, characters must
it AC 17. One or two tomb guardians should appear whenever first survive the perils of the hall of the golden mastodon (area
you feel the need for combat. As the characters delve deeper 67).
into the tomb, they should come to know these monsters well.
Spell Restrictions
Trickster God Spirits
Many spells have altered effects when cast in the Tomb of
The spirits of the nine trickster gods of Omu haunt the
the Nine Gods, including spells cast from magic items or
tomb. Although they cannot escape it, these spirits can inhabit
artifacts, and class abilities that duplicate the effects of spells.
adventurers within the tomb (see "Spirits of the Nine Trickster
Acererak’s magic and the magic of the amulet of the black skull
Gods").
(see appendix C) are unaffected.
Spells that would normally allow creatures to transport
Fabled Treasures into and out of the tomb either fail or deposit their recipients
in area 57. Spells that normally allow one to pass through
Among the many treasures hidden in the tomb are four
stone fail, and divination spells cast within the tomb provide
fabled art objects that hold special value. Acererak uses them
false readings. Spells designed to communicate over long
to lure adventurers to the tomb.
distances are similarly foiled. These alterations are
summarized in the Modified Spells table. Spells not included in
Any character with proficiency in the History skill who lays
the table might suffer similar alterations, at your discretion.
eyes on one of these treasures can recall its lore with a
Magic that summons creatures or objects from other
successful DC 20 Intelligence (History) check.
planes functions normally, as does magic that involves the
creation of an extradimensional space. Any spells cast within
Black Opal Crown an extradimensional space (such as that created by rope trick)
The Black Opal Crown was once worn by the archmage are subject to the same restrictions as magic cast in the tomb.
Sadamor of Netheril. Legend speaks of how Sadamor saw the
depths of humanity’s evil reflected in the opal of his crown. Modified Spells
Heartbroken, he created a doomsday device — a sphere of
annihilation — to swallow the world but was consumed by his Spells Effect
own creation. Antimagic This spell does not prevent the
The yuan-ti nightmare speaker Fenthaza (see chapter 4) field spirits of trickster gods from
believes that the Black Opal Crown can awaken Dendar the inhabiting hosts. The spell also has
Night Serpent. If the characters find the crown, Fenthaza tries no effect on the Soulmonger.
to kill them before they escape Chult with it. The crown rests
Arcane gate Any creature that tries to enter
in the maze of death (area 49).
or leave the tomb using this spell
appears in area 57.
Eye of Zaltec
For centuries, this fist-sized ruby surmounted the Great Astral This spell fails if cast in the tomb
Pyramid in Nexal, capital city of the Maztican Empire. The gem projection or if its intended destination is
is a relic of the cult of Zaltec, and its dagger-like point was inside the tomb.
plunged into the hearts of countless sacrifices. Augury This spell returns false readings
An adventuring band known as the Company of the Yellow if cast in the tomb.
Banner entered Omu to find the Eye of Zaltec and was never
seen again. The Eye of Zaltec is guarded by a stone juggernaut Banishing Any creature banished by this
(area 62). smite spell appears in area 57.
Banishment Same as banishing smite.
Navel of the Moon .
Said to be carved from a chunk of the moon, this polished egg- Clairvoyance This spell fails if the sensor is
shaped stone was given as a gift by the ruling syl-pasha of meant to appear inside the tomb.
Calimport to his sailor daughter. It is said that anyone who
holds the stone can always find the way home to his or her Commune This spell returns no answer if
loved ones. cast in the tomb.
The tabaxi hunter Bag of Nails (see chapter 3) came to Dimension Same as arcane gate.
Omu in search of the Navel of the Moon but failed to find it. door
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Divination Same as augury. Replacing Dead Characters
Etherealness The caster enters the Border
If a character dies in the Tomb of the Nine Gods and you need
Ethereal but can’t move through
a hook to introduce a new party member, choose from the
surfaces or doors in the tomb.
suggestions below or work with the character’s player to
Ethereal characters might encounter
devise something appropriate:
one or more of the Sewn Sisters.
The replacement character broke into the tomb centuries
Find traps This spell fails if cast in the ago but was imprisoned inside a magical carving. When
tomb. one of the other characters accidentally leans against this
Gate Any creature in the tomb that carving, the replacement character is released from
steps through the gate created by captivity.
this spell appears in area 57. The replacement character hails from another world
(Athas, Krynn, Oerth, medieval Earth, or any other milieu
Passwall This spell does not allow of your choosing) and is trapped in stasis within the
passage through surfaces or doors tomb as one of Acererak’s trophies. If the character is
in the tomb. touched, the archlich’s binding magic ends.
Plane shift Same as arcane gate. The replacement character is a clone of the fallen
adventurer. The hags in area 71 created and tortured the
clone to gain information about the adventurers’
Stone shape This spell has no effect on
presence in the tomb. Having escaped, the new character
surfaces, doors, sarcophagi, stone
suffers from amnesia and has scant memory of the hags.
blocks, or statues in the tomb. The clone has gear scavenged from dead adventurers.
Teleport Same as arcane gate. The new character is the sole survivor of a doomed
Teleportation Same as arcane gate. adventuring company that breached the tomb in order to
circle find and destroy the Soulmonger.
Transport via
plants
Same as astral projection.
Spirits of the Nine
Tree stride Same as astral projection. Trickster Gods
Wish This spell can’t be used to Acererak trapped the spirits of Omu’s nine trickster gods in
escape the tomb. the tomb he constructed in their name, and they’re not happy
Word of Same as arcane gate. about it. The spirits don’t know the tomb’s layout or defenses,
recall but they offer advice and magical powers to those they inhabit.
Of course, their assistance comes at a price.
Trickster Gods
Spirit Align. Personality Inherited Flaw Enemy Power
I’jin CN Fickle and “I never stick to a Obo’laka The host’s Dexterity score
(female) unpredictable plan.” becomes 23, unless it is already
higher.
Kubaza CG Wild and “I am fearless and not Papazotl The host’s Strength score
n (male) spirited afraid to take great risks.” becomes 23, unless it is already
higher.
Moa (m LG Truthful “I must always speak Wongo The host can use an action to
ale) and kind the truth.” turn invisible. Anything the host
is wearing or carrying is invisible
as long as it is on the host’s
person. The effect ends if the
host attacks, casts a spell, forces
a saving throw, or deals damage.
Nangna NE Selfish and “I won’t share with Shagambi The host can move up, down,
ng (female) cruel others.” and across vertical surfaces and
upside down along ceilings, while
leaving its hands free. It gains a
climbing speed equal to its
walking speed.
Obo’lak LN Nervous “I am risk-averse and a I’jin The host can attune to one
a (female) and obsessive slave to routine.” additional magic item. When
Obo’laka leaves the host, all
magic items to which the host is
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attuned are no longer attuned to
it.
Papazo LE Shrewd and “I bow before no one Kubazan The host can’t be surprised,
tl (male) conniving and expect others to do as gains advantage on all Wisdom
I command.” checks, and never takes damage
from falling.
Shaga NG Wise and “I never show mercy to Nangnang The host can make one extra
mbi virtuous evildoers.” attack when taking the Attack
(female) action on its turn.
Unkh (f N Self- “I am incapable of None The host’s Constitution score
emale) absorbed and making decisions.” becomes 23, unless it is already
indecisive higher.
Wongo CE Violent and “I act without concern Moa The host can use an action to
(male) deranged for the well-being of unleash a psionic assault on a
others.” creature it can see within 60 feet
of it. The target must succeed on
a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or
be stunned until the end of the
target’s next turn.
“odd” to another, then roll any die. The result determines
Spiritual Inhabitation which god is victorious, with the losing god forced out of the
host. The host has no influence over which god gets forced out.
The spirits are bound inside magic items scattered throughout
the tomb. When a creature of the humanoid type touches such
an item, the trickster god bound within attempts to inhabit Roleplaying the Spirits
that creature. With a successful DC 16 Charisma saving throw, A trickster god can use the host character’s senses and speak
the creature resists the god’s power, and that god can’t to the host’s mind. The character retains his or her alignment
attempt to inhabit the same creature for the remainder of the and can think independently. However, if the character has a
adventure. On a failed save — or if the creature chooses to flaw that runs counter to the trickster god’s flaw, the
forgo the save — the god’s spirit inhabits the creature’s body. character’s flaw is suppressed until the trickster god’s spirit
The trickster gods can tell whether or not a creature is leaves the character’s body.
humanoid, and they have no interest in possessing other types You can roleplay the voices of the trickster gods in the
of creatures. characters’ heads, but let the players roleplay their characters’
While inhabiting a host body, a trickster god acts like an inherited flaws. If a player neglects to roleplay a trickster god’s
overbearing passenger. The host creature remains in control flaw, have the inhabiting spirit attempt to goad the character
of its actions but inherits a flaw from the god, as well as a into behaving more like it. You can award inspiration to a
special power. When a trickster god inhabits a player player who roleplays a trickster god’s flaw particularly well.
character, give the player that god’s card (see appendix F). A All the trickster gods are eager to get their revenge on
character doesn’t know what power and flaw are gained from Acererak. They can offer only limited guidance regarding the
a specific trickster god until that god inhabits the character for tomb and its denizens, but they encourage the characters to
the first time. Both the flaw and the power end when the spirit seek out other trickster god spirits and offer supernatural
leaves the host. assistance in the final battle against the archlich.
Each trickster god (except Unkh) has its own rival in the
Leaving a Host tomb that it would prefer to avoid. The Omuans dreamed up
colorful stories to explain these antipathies, but in truth, the
A trickster god never willingly leaves a host, but its spirit is spirits simply represent conflicting points on the alignment
forced out if a host dies or leaves the tomb, or if a host is axes. When rival spirits occupy different characters in the
targeted by the break enchantment function of the dispel evil same group, they try to make their hosts bicker and defy each
and good spell. A trickster god can also be forced out by other whenever possible.
another trickster god (see “Fighting Over a Host” below).
When the spirit of a trickster god is forced out of a host, it
returns to the magic item to which it is bound and cannot Level 1: Rotten Halls
inhabit that host again for the remainder of the adventure. If Map 5.1 shows this level of the dungeon. The air is stale
the item is destroyed or taken from the tomb, the trickster and humid here. Moss covers the walls, which are decorated
god’s spirit finds another object within the tomb to inhabit. with screaming skulls and hung with rotting tree roots and
The spirits of the trickster gods can’t be destroyed and can dead vines.
never leave the tomb.
Ceiling Cracks
Fighting Over a Host Thin shafts of daylight and moonlight spill through tiny rock
fissures, forming pools of natural light as shown on map 5.1. A
When the spirit of one trickster god inhabits a host that is Tiny creature can use these narrow fissures to enter and leave
already inhabited by a trickster god, the two gods battle for the tomb.
the right to remain in the host. Assign “even” to one god and
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Underground River Characters with a combined Strength of 60 or more can
Muddy rainwater seeps from the jungles above, flowing topple the obelisk, breaking it off at the base. Breaking or
through the tomb as a sluggish underground river that is destroying the obelisk releases a cloud of black smoke that
treated as difficult terrain. The water is 3 feet deep, with the coalesces into a nalfeshnee demon. The demon appears in an
tunnel ceiling above it varying from 6 inches to 3 feet over the unoccupied space within 30 feet of the obelisk and attacks
surface. The water is unfit for drinking. those responsible for the obelisk’s desecration. After 1 minute,
the demon disappears and returns to the Abyss.
The teleportation function of the ebon pool (area 81)
1. Acererak’s Warning returns characters to the obelisk even if it is toppled or
destroyed.
Near the base of the cliffs, a fifteen-foot-tall obelisk of
cracked stone is draped with vines and black moss. 2. Gallery of Tricksters
Behind it, you see a dark passageway obscured by
withered creepers. A second, smaller tunnel burrows
into the base of a cliff to the east. Alcoves run the length of a narrow tunnel, each one
featuring a bestial statue standing or squatting above a
The tunnel leading to the tomb’s true entrance (area 4) is basin of oil.
obscured by vegetation and cannot be detected unless the
characters search for it. However, any character who succeeds The statues depict the nine trickster gods, with each facing
on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check around the areas of the pair of alcoves dedicated to two trickster gods who oppose
false entrance (area 2) or the open gallery (area 3) notices each other. Moving down the hall from west to east, the
something more: opposing statues depict Moa (jaculi) and Wongo (su-monster),
I’jin (almiraj) and Obo’laka (zorbo), Papazotl (eblis) and
Three stone gargoyles watch you from narrow ledges Kubazan (froghemoth), and Nangnang (grung) and Shagambi
carved into the cliff side. Each has the face of a bearded (kamadan).
devil, its mouth agape in a silent scream. Each statue is 3 feet tall and can’t be moved from its
The three gargoyles are perched on the ledges overlooking pedestal. When any character carrying a puzzle cube (see
the obelisk, at the points marked G on map 5.1. The ledges are chapter 3) enters the tunnel, the oil basin matching the cube’s
30 feet above the ground, 5 feet wide, 2 feet deep, and spaced trickster god bursts into flame. A detect magic spell or similar
25 feet apart. The gargoyles swoop down and attack anyone effect reveals an aura of divination magic around the statues.
who tries to topple or damage the obelisk, or who attacks The oil basins give off an aura of conjuration.
them first. Only eight trickster gods are initially visible; the statue of
Unkh (flail snail) is hidden behind a secret door at the end of
Obelisk the tunnel, though it functions the same as the others. Bringing
Unkh’s puzzle cube into the tunnel lights Unkh’s brazier, giving
The obelisk radiates a strong aura of abjuration magic under
characters advantage on ability checks made to find the secret
the scrutiny of a detect magic spell or similar magic, and a
door.
paladin using Divine Sense can detect a fiendish presence
within the obelisk. Clearing the vines and moss from the south
face of the obelisk exposes a message carved into it in
Treasure
Common. (Give the players a copy of handout 17 in appendix A golden pendant shaped like an eye hangs on the Unkh statue.
E.) The message reads as follows: It is worth 25 gp and radiates an aura of divination magic. If a
character wearing the pendant passes within 10 feet of the
Fear the night when the forsaken one seizes death’s obelisk at area 1, the pendant tugs the character toward the
mantle and the seas dry up and the dead rise and I, hidden tomb entrance (area 4). The pendant is also of use in
Acererak the Eternal, reap the world of the living. Those area 79.
who dare enter take heed: The enemies oppose.
Don the mask or be seen. A short tunnel ends at a slab of worked stone, whose
edges are marked by relief carvings of grinning skulls.
Speak no truth to the doomed child. Four lines engraved at the center of the slab cross one
another to form a star, with both ends of each line
The keys turn on the inside only. marking the location of a cube-shaped cavity cut into
the door — eight cavities in all.
The warnings Acererak has placed on the obelisk and on
Each cavity is sized to hold one of the puzzle cubes
the grand staircase (area 7) provide clues to overcoming some
recovered from the shrines of Omu (see chapter 3). However,
of the challenges of the tomb. The obelisk’s clues pertain to
there are nine puzzle cubes in total and only eight cavities.
features and locations on level 1, specifically the true entrance
If puzzle cubes representing every trickster god except
(area 4), the devil face (area 5B), Obo’laka’s tomb (area 10),
Unkh are inserted into the cavities in such a way that the cubes
Moa’s tomb (area 14), and Wongo’s tomb (area 16).
of rival gods are opposite to one another, a stone block slowly
descends over the tunnel entrance. Any character in the tunnel
must decide whether to stay or to flee, which requires a
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successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Characters who
Pulling aside the heavy undergrowth, you uncover an
stay or who fail the check are trapped when the stone block
archway in the cliff face. Stone skulls peer down from
seals off the tunnel. Once the tunnel is sealed, caustic gas
the lintel, and old bones litter the threshold. As light
billows out from the mouths of the relief-carved skulls. Any
creature trapped in the tunnel must succeed on a DC 15
strikes the entrance, a swarm of bats screeches out from
Constitution saving throw or take 5 (1d10) poison damage and within.
5 (1d10) acid damage. While any affected creature remains in The bats are harmless. Jungle predators use this tunnel as
the tunnel, it must repeat the saving throw at the start of each shelter, and the bones are a mix of grung and velociraptors.
of its turns. After 10 rounds, the gas valves close and the stone Any character who searches for tracks discovers boot prints
block rises back into the ceiling. Any puzzle cubes still in their leading into the tomb. The tracks are not recent and belong to
cavities are pushed out, and the trap resets. the last group of treasure seekers to enter here.
Any character searching the tunnel for traps spots the
raised stone block with a successful DC 16 Wisdom 4A. First Puzzle Door
(Perception) check. The weight of the block makes it
A slab of worked stone blocks the overgrown tunnel
impossible to hinder its descent. Any character who examines
some twenty feet from the entrance. Grinning skulls
the puzzle door and succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception)
mark the edges of the slab, in the center of which are
check notices holes in the mouths of the skulls. Stuffing the
nine cube-shaped cavities arranged in three rows of
holes with cloth or wax prevents the gas from being released.
three.
Doing so while the trap is active is difficult, requiring six
successful DC 10 Dexterity checks, each made as an action. Give the players copies of the god symbols in handout 11
Beyond the false door is a gas-filled chamber. Any creature of appendix E. The individual squares can be cut out to be
that starts its turn in this area takes 11 (2d10) poison damage arranged by the players as they wish, or they can simply make
and 11 (2d10) acid damage. notes on paper.
To open the door, the characters must fill the cavities with
all nine puzzle cubes retrieved from the shrines of Omu (see
4. True Entrance chapter 3), but in the proper configuration. The cubes
Thick foliage conceals the true entrance to the Tomb of the representing the trickster gods must be placed so that each
Nine Gods. Any character searching the base of the cliff at this god is opposite its rival’s cube on the grid, with Unkh (who is
location finds the entrance with a successful DC 10 Wisdom neutral and has no rivals) in the middle. For example, a puzzle
(Perception) check. cube inserted into a corner of the grid must have its rival in
the diagonally opposite corner. Diagram 5.1 shows one
possible configuration, though others will work as long as
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Unkh is situated between I’jin (CN) and Obo’laka (LN), 5. Trapped Corridor
between Kubazan (CG) and Papazotl (LE), between Moa (LG)
and Wongo (CE), and between Nangnang (NE) and Shagambi
(NG). A moss-covered corridor extends beyond the second
If a puzzle cube is placed incorrectly, any previously placed door. Tree roots hang from the sagging ceiling, and the
cubes pop out. Electricity then erupts from the incorrectly air reeks of rot and damp. Ahead, a bas-relief carving of
placed cube, dealing 18 (4d8) lightning damage to any a bearded devil’s face adorns the wall at a T-shaped
creature within 20 feet of the door. A mage hand spell can be intersection. The devil’s open mouth is a well of utter
used to place the cubes from farther away and avoid this darkness.
damage.
A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of 5A. Poison Darts
evocation magic around each of the cavities. If the characters Each X on the map marks a 5-foot-square pressure plate
place the cubes correctly, read: triggered by 20 pounds or more. When a plate is triggered,
The nine cubes flare with light, then disappear. Growling four poisoned darts shoot out from spring-loaded tubes in the
like an angry beast, the slab begins to slide up into the walls. Each dart makes a ranged attack (+8 to hit) against a
ceiling. random target within 10 feet of the pressure plate. Any
creature hit by a dart takes 2 (1d4) piercing damage and must
When the door opens, the puzzle cubes teleport back to make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6)
their respective shrines in Omu. Once the door has fully risen, poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
it remains open for 1 hour before slowly sinking back into successful one.
place. Characters who are outside when the door closes must Moss obscures the tiny holes in the walls through which
revisit the city to recover the cubes. the darts are fired, but they can be spotted with a successful
DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. With a careful inspection of
4B. Second Puzzle Door the floor and a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, a
When the characters move past the first door, read: character notes irregularities in the floor’s tile patterns that
reveal the pressure plates. Wedging an iron spike or similar
Another slab blocks the hallway twenty feet beyond the object under a plate prevents that plate from being triggered.
first door. An iron lever is set into the door’s surface, Stuffing the wall holes adjacent to a pressure plate with cloth
with a graven stone skull leering down from above. or wax prevents the darts from being fired.
When a character reaches the midpoint of the hall, read: 5B. Devil Face
The skull’s jaws creak open, and a skeletal hand holding Magical darkness and a permanent silence spell fills the mouth
a crystal hourglass-style timer emerges from within. of the devil face and a large cavity behind it. The face is
With a click, the timer rotates and sand starts to trickle sculpted from stone and melds seamlessly with the
into its lower globe. surrounding wall, and its mouth is wide enough for a Medium
or smaller creature to crawl through. A detect magic spell or
Count down slowly from 10, and let the players tell you similar effect reveals an aura of illusion magic over the face.
what, if anything, their characters do in that time. If the The cavity behind the devil’s mouth is home to a shadow
characters don’t pull the lever by the time you’ve finished your demon that can see normally in the magical darkness. If any
countdown, the lever and the sand timer retract as the door creature reaches into the mouth, the demon makes an attack
sinks into the floor, revealing area 5 beyond. The sand timer against it with advantage, then continues attacking if any
can’t be budged or damaged. creature enters its abode.
After remaining open for 1 hour, the door slowly rises to A successful dispel magic (DC 16) cast on the demon’s lair
seal off the passage once more. Characters can prevent the dispels the magical darkness and the silence. If the darkness is
door from rising by jamming iron spikes into the surrounding dispelled, the shadow demon emerges and attacks until
floor seams. The lever resets when the door returns to its reduced to half its hit points or fewer, at which point it flees to
closed position. The door can’t be opened from the north side. a darker area of the tomb.
Pit Trap. Pulling the lever causes the floor between the
two doors to split open along a central seam. Each creature 5C. Floor Hatch
standing on the floor when the lever is pulled tumbles into a
20-foot-deep pit lined with poisoned spikes. With a successful A rusted iron grate is set into the corridor floor. Through
DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, the character who pulled the its bars, you see muddy water flowing slowly past.
lever can avoid falling by hanging onto it. The pit remains open The bars cannot be bent or broken, but they are spaced
until the lever is reset to its original position. widely enough that a Small creature can squeeze through them.
Each creature falling into the pit takes 11 (2d10) The grate can also be lifted by one or more creatures with a
bludgeoning damage and is impaled on 1d4 spikes, each of combined Strength score of 24 or more. Any creature that
which deals 3 (1d6) piercing damage and 5 (1d10) poison passes through the hatch drops into the sluggish underground
damage. Any creature that takes poison damage from one or river, which flows toward area 17.
more spikes is poisoned for 24 hours, or until the condition is
removed with a lesser restoration spell or similar magic.
Spotting the seam along the floor requires a successful DC
15 Wisdom (Perception) check. Characters can hammer spikes
into the floor to prevent it from dropping, but at least ten
spikes are needed because of the floor’s size and weight.
FOOTER 1
6. Crystal Window Nangnang’s tomb (area 24), Papazotl’s tomb (area 22), and the
devil pit (area 18).
Creepers and vines cling to the walls of this corridor, at 7C. Acererak’s Third Warning
the end of which is an arched crystal window, six feet
Another bronze plaque appears on the north wall of the
wide and ten feet high. Through it, you can see a dark
balcony on level 3. (Give the players a copy of handout 19 in
chamber.
appendix E.) This warning reads as follows:
The crystal window peers into Obo’laka’s tomb (area 10),
cannot be opened, and blocks all sound between area 6 and Walk through water with weapon in hand.
area 10. The window has AC 5, a damage threshold of 15, 10
hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Slake your shadow at the font.
When any character approaches the crystal window and
peers through it, read the boxed text in area 10, omitting the The vulture is the first step.
last sentence about the window.
Right the gods.
If the characters enter area 10 through the broken window
without taking appropriate steps to conceal themselves, the The walls of history tell all.
undead creatures in Obo’laka’s tomb attack (see area 10 for
more information). The clues on this bronze plaque pertain to features and
locations on level 3, specifically the reflected hall (area 31), the
magic font (area 33), I’jin’s tomb (area 35), the golem pit (area
7. Grand Staircase 39), and Kubazan’s tomb (area 42).
Creepers and vines cling to the walls of this corridor, at 7D. Acererak’s Fourth Warning
the end of which is an arched crystal window, six feet The last warning is on a bronze plaque mounted to the
wide and ten feet high. Through it, you can see a dark west wall of the balcony on level 4. (Give the players a copy of
chamber. handout 20 in appendix E.) It reads as follows:
The grand staircase connects the first four levels of the Death to fire, dine or drown, precious air, and falling
tomb, each of which is 25 feet below the level above. The sand.
balcony is 5 feet wide.
The army sleeps in silence.
7A. We Are Not Alone
The first character to reach this point on the map glimpses a The mirror holds twelve.
tomb dwarf on the level below:
A hunched figure glares up at you from the balcony Find the iron scepter’s twin.
below, wearing a mask that is a replica of the devil face
at the tomb entrance. Without saying a word, the figure The maze holds the key.
steps out of sight.
If the characters take action at once, they can catch the The clues on this bronze plaque pertain to features and
tomb dwarf. The tomb dwarf uses the statistics of a wight, locations on level 4, specifically the elemental traps (area 47),
except that it wields a battleaxe and a light crossbow. If it is Shagambi’s tomb (area 48), the mirror of life trapping (area
not caught, the creature moves silently through the secret 50), the scepter in the crypt of the Sun Queen (area 53), and
door to area 25. To any character leaning over the balcony to Unkh’s tomb (area 55).
see where the figure went, it appears to have vanished into
thin air. 8. Magical Attraction
7B. Acererak’s Second Warning A rusting statue of a knight stands at the west end of
A bronze plaque is fixed to the east wall of the balcony on level this hall, gripping a large iron shield. Shards and flakes
2, engraved with another of Acererak’s cryptic warnings in of rusted metal cover the floor around the statue’s feet.
Common. (Give the players a copy of handout 18 in appendix
E.) It reads as follows: A magical field around the statue attracts metal objects of
The ring is a path to another tomb. any kind (not just ferrous metal). Any metal object that comes
into direct contact with the shield disintegrates, showering the
The dead abhor sunlight. floor with powdered rust. Artifacts are immune to this
corrosion. Any metal object not being worn or carried that
Only a jewel can tame the frog. enters the room is instantly drawn to the shield if it weighs
150 pounds or less. Any creature wearing or carrying metal
Bow as the dead god intoned. items that enters the room or starts its turn there can feel the
pull of the statue and must succeed on a DC 10 Strength
Into darkness descend. (Athletics) check to resist it. On a failed check, the creature
loses its footing, flies across the chamber, and slams into the
The clues on this plaque pertain to locations on level 2, statue, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it
specifically the gravity ring (area 19), the false tomb (area 20), moved. If the character is wearing metal armor, the check is
FOOTER 1
made with disadvantage. The shield disintegrates only metal 10. Obo’laka’s Tomb
objects that come into direct contact with it, so a metal object
stored in a backpack would be protected from destruction by
the pack’s leather. This vaulted tomb is overgrown with moss and
A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of creepers. A stone sarcophagus rests on a stepped dais
transmutation magic over the shield. The statue and shield are in the middle of the floor. On the wall behind the
treated as a single Large object with AC 17; 40 hit points; sarcophagus, two large statues of bears grip a five-foot-
immunity to piercing, bludgeoning, and slashing damage from diameter bronze disk embossed with a dozen glaring
nonmagical attacks; and immunity to poison and psychic eyes. Six desiccated corpses slump on thrones in niches
damage. If the statue and shield are destroyed, the trap is along the walls. Each corpse wears a black mask made
disabled. A successful dispel magic (DC 17) cast on the statue of papier-mâché and feathers. An arched crystal window
shuts down the attractive field for 1 hour. to the east offers a view of the tunnel beyond.
See area 6 for a description of the crystal window.
9. Magic Fountain The corpses slumped on the thrones are six dormant
wights. If the eyes on the bronze disk spot intruders in the
A large fountain crusted with moss rises in the middle tomb (see “Disk of Eyes”), the wights rise and attack. The
of a circular room. Three marble maidens stand in the wights also attack if one or more of them takes any damage.
fountain, holding pitchers out of which water flows. They won’t leave the chamber to pursue intruders. Once all
intruders are dead or gone, the wights return to their thrones
and fall dormant once more.
Advice from the Spirits
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Obo’laka or Disk of Eyes
Wongo receive advice when entering this area: Any character who studies the disk notices that its eyes are
Cautious Obo’laka advises against anyone drinking from moving, their bronzed pupils flicking back and forth to scan
the fountain. the tomb for intruders. These eyes have darkvision out to a
Reckless Wongo encourages his host to drink from the range of 30 feet. If the eyes spot any humanoids inside the
fountain. tomb, the wights awaken and attack. The disk of eyes can’t
perceive any humanoid that dons one of the papier-mâché
Magic Fountain masks worn by the wights, nor can it see in magical darkness
Any creature that drinks from the fountain experiences a or while covered with a blanket or similar object.
random magical effect, determined by rolling a d4 and The bronze disk weighs 250 pounds. The bear statues grip
consulting the Magic Fountain Effects table. Water removed the disk tightly in their stone paws, so that it can’t be pried
from the fountain and stored in a container retains its magical free without smashing the statues. Each statue is a Large
properties, and a different effect occurs each time someone object with AC 17; 45 hit points; immunity to bludgeoning,
drinks from the container. Under the scrutiny of a detect magic piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks; and
spell or similar effect, the fountain radiates an aura of immunity to poison and psychic damage. A detect magic spell
transmutation magic. or similar effect reveals an aura of divination magic around the
disk.
Magic Fountain Effects
d4 Effect Sarcophagus
Any creature wearing one of the wights’ papier-mâché masks
1 The creature drinking the water can push aside the lid of the sarcophagus with a successful DC
must make a DC 12 Constitution 13 Strength (Athletics) check. To all other creatures, the lid is
saving throw, taking 44 (8d10) magically locked and cannot be opened without a knock spell
necrotic damage on a failed save, or or a successful DC 20 Dexterity check made by a character
half as much damage on a using thieves’ tools.
successful one. If this damage
reduces the creature to 0 hit points, Secret Doors
it dies and turns to dust. Secret doors are set into the back walls of two alcoves — one
2 The creature drinking the water to the north and the other to the south. The secret door to the
loses the ability to speak for 8 hours. south has edges made of flint. Opening this door creates
A lesser restoration spell or similar sparks that ignite the odorless gas in area 11 (see that area for
magic ends this effect. details).
3 The creature drinking the water
magically changes sex. A greater
Treasure
restoration spell restores the The bones of a zorbo (Obo’laka’s animal form; see appendix D)
creature’s original sex, as does lie in a dusty pile within the sarcophagus. A ring of protection
another drink from the fountain that rests atop the pile. The ring turns to dust and is destroyed if it
yields this same result. leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods (but see "Lost Treasures").
Obo’laka’s Spirit. The spirit of Obo’laka tries to inhabit any
4 The creature drinking the water character who touches the ring (see "Spirits of the Nine
gains 2d10 temporary hit points. Trickster Gods"). When Obo’laka’s spirit manifests, read:
FOOTER 1
As you touch the ring, the dust swirls into the shape of a 13. Stone Skull
small, feral, bear-like creature that billows toward you
with a ghostly roar. As you touch the ring, the dust swirls into the shape of a
small, feral, bear-like creature that billows toward you
If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the with a ghostly roar.
player Obo’laka’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails, the
spirit returns to the ring and waits for another character to Any character who peers through the skull can see into
touch it. area 14 (see the description below). The skull’s jaws are
opened wide enough to allow a Medium or smaller creature to
11. Gas Pocket climb though.
Each time a creature climbs through the skull’s jaws, one of
This section of the underground river contains a buildup of the flames in its eye sockets snuffs out. The third time a
flammable gas that has a rotten odor. If a torch, lantern, or creature climbs through, the jaws clamp shut, making a melee
other open flame is brought into the area, or if the secret door weapon attack with a +10 bonus. On a hit, the target creature
to area 10 is opened, the gas explodes. Each creature in the takes 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage and is grappled (escape
area of the gas pocket or within 15 feet of it must make a DC DC 19). While it remains grappled, the creature takes 5 (1d10)
15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on a bludgeoning damage at the start of each of its turns. When that
failed save, or half damage on a successful one. The explosion creature exits the jaws, the flames in the skull’s eye sockets
burns away the gas, which builds up again after 8 hours. reignite, the jaws open, and the trap resets.
The flames within the eye sockets give off no heat or
12. Trapped Chest smoke, and they can’t be extinguished except in the manner
described above. Any character searching the skull and
succeeding on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check notes that
Water pours from cracks and seams in the rough walls
the lower jaw is hinged. A stout object jammed into the skull’s
of this cavern, whose floor is a muddy pool that flushes
jaw holds it open for as long as the object can withstand the
out into the tunnel beyond. Just above the pool’s
damage. A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura
surface, a large treasure chest dangles from rusty chains
of transmutation magic around the skull.
embedded in the ceiling.
The chest is 6 feet long, 3 feet wide, 3 feet high, and 14. Moa’s Tomb
suspended 1 foot above the surface of the 5-foot-deep pool. A
keyhole shaped like a cackling demon skull decorates the front
Skulls crusted with dried mud glower from niches cut
of the lid. Encircling the keyhole, a tiny inscription in Common
into the walls of this tomb. A stone sarcophagus stands
reads, “I devour all but the greatest thieves.”
at the center of the chamber, its lid adorned with a
The chest is locked and doesn’t appear to be trapped.
coiled serpent carved in relief. Behind the sarcophagus,
However, a detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura
resting atop a marble pedestal, is an ornate crystal box
of evocation magic around it. Picking the lock requires a
with a small humanoid skull floating inside it.
successful DC 22 Dexterity check made using thieves’ tools.
This also disarms the lock’s magical trap, allowing the chest to If the characters enter this tomb from the secret passage
be opened safely. along the river, they see the concave inner surface of the stone
If the check fails, the demon skull bites down on the skull at area 13.
thieves’ tools and destroys them. If the check fails by 5 or more, A maze of tiny passages is cut into the walls beyond the
the magical trap teleports the character making the check niches, and any character who succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom
inside the locked chest, whereupon the character is restrained. (Perception) check can hear the faint yet grotesque scuttling of
The chains holding the chest then release it into the water, insects from within. Hundreds of tarantula-sized undead
where it sinks to the bottom of the pool. Even if the chest is spiders crawl through these warrens.
removed from the water, a character trapped within runs out
of air after 5 rounds (see “Suffocating” in chapter 8 of the Nepartak’s Skull
Player’s Handbook).
The skull in the crystal box belongs to Nepartak, the 10-year-
The chest is a Medium object with AC 13, 30 hit points, and
old granddaughter of Napaka, the last queen of Omu. The
immunity to poison and psychic damage. Any character who
magic of the crystal box preserves her consciousness, but
attempts to pick the lock or hit the chest with a melee or
centuries of solitude and horror have caused her mind to
ranged attack while it’s underwater does so with disadvantage.
blank out the details of her plight. The first character to enter
the tomb hears Nepartak call out telepathically:
Treasure
The chest interior is lined with lead and contains 300 gp, a The voice of a young girl echoes in your mind: “What’s
gold tankard embossed with a sad face that smiles when the happening? Why can’t I see?”
tankard is filled (250 gp), and a stoppered bone tube
Nepartak magically senses the presence of intruders, using
containing a spell scroll of remove curse.
telepathy to question all the characters. Roleplay her as a
terrified child lost in the dark. In her panic, she might ask any
of the following questions:
“Where am I? How did I get here?”
“Why can’t I see anything?”
“Are you friends of my father? Is he looking for me?”
FOOTER 1
To safely explore this area, the characters must calm
Nepartak without revealing her true predicament. Lying to her While the propeller is spinning up or slowing down, a
requires a successful DC 12 Charisma (Deception) check. If the creature can leap through a gap between two blades with a
characters reveal that she’s nothing more than a disembodied successful DC 20 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failed
skull, if they fail three Charisma checks to deceive her, or if check, the character takes 33 (6d10) slashing damage as it
they simply ignore her, Nepartak grows increasingly anxious, passes through the blades.
then flies into a murderous rage. At full speed, the propeller deals 66 (12d10) slashing
damage to any creature that passes through it, and the blades
The voice shrieks in horror as the skull’s eye sockets
are turning too fast for a creature to leap between them. The
flare with green flame. With a shattering crash, the
rapidly spinning propeller also creates a wind tunnel effect,
crystal box explodes and the skull levitates into the air.
such that any creature that comes within 10 feet of the
Nepartak has the statistics of a flameskull but doesn’t propeller or starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 15
speak, instead communicating using telepathy out to a range Strength saving throw. A creature that fails the save is hurled
of 30 feet. When she attacks, swarms of mummified spiders northward into the pit in area 16. If this forced movement
pour out from the niches at the start of the following round. causes the creature to pass through the propeller, the creature
takes damage from the spinning blades.
Undead Spider Warrens One can jam the propeller by fixing an immovable rod in
Six swarms of undead spiders inhabit the warrens within the place between two of the blades. Other magic items wedged
walls of the tomb. They are treated as swarms of insects between the blades are knocked aside as the propeller turns.
(spiders), except that they are susceptible to effects that can The propeller destroys all nonmagical objects lodged between
target undead. its spinning blades.
The warrens are too narrow for Medium and larger While the propeller is motionless, a creature that isn’t
creatures to enter, and Small creatures must squeeze to incapacitated can jam the mechanism with its body. When the
traverse them (see “Movement and Position” in chapter 9 of propeller begins to turn, the creature must make a DC 20
the Player’s Handbook). Tiny creatures can move through the Strength (Athletics) check. If the check succeeds, the propeller
warrens freely. The swarms attack any creatures that enter is jammed until the start of the creature’s next turn, when it
the warrens or any creatures in Moa’s tomb if Nepartak can use its action to repeat the check. A creature that fails the
becomes enraged. check or chooses to extricate itself takes 11 (2d10) slashing
damage and is ejected north of the propeller.
Treasure If the propeller is jammed for 3 consecutive rounds, it
breaks down and becomes nonfunctional. At dawn the next
The stone sarcophagus isn’t locked and can be opened with a
day, Withers sends tomb dwarves to repair the damage and
successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Inside, a bundle of
return the trap to its operational state.
faded cloth holds the serpentine bones of a jaculi (the trickster
god Moa’s animal form; see appendix D). A staff of the python
rests atop these remains. The staff turns to dust and is 16. Wongo’s Tomb
destroyed if it leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods (but see "Lost
The pit is 20 feet deep. To unlock Wongo’s sarcophagus, the
Treasures").
characters must turn three keys hidden inside the treasure
Moa’s Spirit. The spirit of Moa tries to inhabit any
chests.
character who touches the staff (see "Spirits of the Nine
Trickster Gods"). When Moa’s spirit manifests, read:
Treasure Chests
Green smoke billows from the staff, coiling around you Each chest is 5 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet high. All three
like a serpent. A sibilant voice whispers in your ear: “Let are unlocked and (for the most part) empty. The chests cannot
me help you! I promise to be good.” be moved, and they are impervious to damage and spells.
Opening any chest reveals a 3-inch-long gold key
If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the
protruding from an adamantine keyhole set into the underside
player Moa’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails, the
of the chest’s lid. The key cannot be removed, and adamantine
spirit returns to the staff and waits for another character to
clamps prevent it from being turned while the chest is open.
touch it.
When the chest lid closes, a muffled click sounds from within
the lid as the clamps around the key release. Any character
15. Wind Tunnel who climbs inside a chest and closes its lid can turn its golden
Carved birds soar across the walls of this corridor. key with ease.
Blocking the passage near its northern end is a large If a chest’s key is turned while the chest is shut, the chest
adamantine propeller with five sharp blades. locks and the clamps snap shut on the key once more. Any
character inside the chest when this happens is trapped. At the
With a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, a same time, a button magically appears on the lid of Wongo’s
character discerns that the entire floor of the corridor is a sarcophagus.
single pressure plate. The adamantine propeller has AC 20, 30
hit points, and immunity to all damage except force damage. It Sarcophagus
thunders into motion whenever more than 20 pounds of The sarcophagus lid is carved with a stylized image of Wongo
pressure is placed on the corridor floor. Once activated, the in his su-monster form (see appendix D) and has been melded
propeller spins up to full speed in 6 seconds. If the weight is to the rest of the sarcophagus with powerful magic.
removed from the floor, the blades take a full minute to slow Consequently, the lid cannot be removed. The stone
to a stop. sarcophagus is impervious to damage and spells.
FOOTER 1
Whenever one of the three chests is locked, a carved The treasure chest is a mimic in disguise. If any creature
button magically appears on the sarcophagus lid above the touches it, the mimic attacks in object form.
monstrous image of Wongo. The material of each button
matches its corresponding chest: onyx, rusty iron, or silver. Ledge
Pressing the button simultaneously unlocks the associated The ledge is 15 feet from the lip of the waterfall. A successful
chest and triggers a trap within it: DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check is required to climb around
Pushing the onyx button forces any creature inside the to the ledge.
onyx chest to succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving The ledge is slippery and uneven. Any creature that takes
throw or take 75 (10d6 + 40) force damage. A creature damage while standing on the ledge must succeed on a DC 10
reduced to 0 hit points by this damage turns to a pile of Dexterity saving throw or fall into the rift, plunging 100 feet
dust, leaving behind whatever gear it was holding or into the water at area 64. The fall deals 35 (10d6) bludgeoning
wearing. damage, or no damage with a successful DC 10 Dexterity
Pushing the rusty iron button causes any nonmagical saving throw.
metal objects inside the rusty iron chest (including
objects carried or worn by a creature in the chest) to
corrode into worthless piles of rust. Objects partly made
Level 2: Dungeon of Deception
of metal are ruined as their metal components decay. Map 5.2 shows this level of the dungeon. Mocking devil faces
Pushing the silver button causes any creature inside the are graven into the walls, and the air reeks of rotting flesh.
silver chest to make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, With no light to nourish it, the vegetation that fills much of
taking 45 (10d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as level 1 doesn’t extend down here.
much damage on a successful one.
Once all three buttons on the sarcophagus lid have been
pressed, read:
18. Devil Pit
The stone sarcophagus turns to transparent crystal, The walls and floor of this fifteen-foot-square room are
revealing a mummified monkey-like creature within. cracked and carved with images of terrified humanoids
Clutched in its desiccated claws is a fearsome mace. falling. Set into the middle of the floor is a stone bas-
When the sarcophagus turns crystalline, it becomes brittle, relief of a bearded devil face, painted green. Forlorn
having AC 5, 10 hit points, vulnerability to bludgeoning and cries echo from the black void of its gaping maw.
thunder damage, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The devil face forms the mouth of a 5-foot-wide cylindrical
It shatters if reduced to 0 hit points, whereupon the su- shaft that descends 10 feet before opening up in the ceiling of
monster mummy within animates and attacks. In its first area 35. Magical darkness fills the mouth and the shaft. A
round of combat, the mummy activates its mace of terror to detect magic spell or similar effect reveals auras of evocation
unleash a wave of terror against the characters. Thereafter, it and illusion magic within the shaft.
makes melee attacks using the mace or its rotting fists. A successful dispel magic (DC 16) cast on the darkness
dispels it. If the darkness is dispelled, its fading essence
Treasure magically coalesces into a swarm of bats that flies up out of the
Wongo’s mummy clutches a mace of terror. The mace turns to shaft and attacks any creatures in the room.
dust and is destroyed if it leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods
(but see "Lost Treasures"). 19. Gravity Ring
Wongo’s Spirit. Wongo’s spirit is bound to the mace. If the
mace hits or otherwise comes into contact with any character,
Wongo’s spirit tries to inhabit that character (see "Spirits of At a four-way intersection, the corridors to north and
the Nine Trickster Gods"). When Wongo’s spirit manifests, south curve upward and out of sight, but with no rails or
read: steps to allow them to be climbed. The corpse of a half-
human, half-goat creature in robes sprawls ten feet to
Red smoke seethes from the head of the mace, forming the north. It grips a staff tipped with a bronze goat’s
the outline of a monkey with a long tail. With a roar, the head.
smoky apparition leaps at you, screaming, “Let me in!”
The curving corridor forms a perfect circle, imbued with
If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the magical gravity that keeps creatures bound to the floor as they
player Wongo’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails, the walk along it. A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an
spirit returns to the mace and waits for another character to aura of transmutation within the corridor.
come into contact with it. The mummy is friendly toward any The corpse belongs to Devlin Bashir, a Calishite wizard and
character inhabited by Wongo’s spirit, treating that character member of the Company of the Yellow Banner. Devlin’s goat-
as an ally. like features are the result of a curse, and he was killed by
tomb dwarves after he became separated from his companions.
17. Underground Waterfall Any inspection of his remains reveals that he was killed by
wounds from axes and crossbow bolts. Devlin’s ink-stained
robes contain a journal that hints at the tomb’s mysteries (see
The underground river plunges down into a dark, rocky “Devlin’s Journal” below). A search of the corpse also yields
chasm. Cold air swirls up from below like the breath of more valuable belongings (see “Treasure” below).
some monstrous creature. Through the gloom, you spot
an ornate treasure chest resting on a ledge opposite.
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Advice from the Spirits Devlin’s Journal
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Papazotl or When the characters find Devlin’s journal, give the players a
Shagambi receive advice when entering this area: copy of handout 21 in appendix E, showing the journal’s final
Bossy Papazotl urges his host to order another character entry. Earlier entries chronicle the exploits of the Company of
to walk the length of the circular hall. the Yellow Banner in Chult. The company made landfall at
Wise Shagambi warns her host that the staff held by the Kitcher’s Inlet and followed the River Olung to Lake Luo before
fallen wizard might be cursed. cutting southwest into the jungle toward Omu. The journal
describes harrowing encounters, the adventurers’ search for
Mirror Tomb puzzle cubes in Omu, their brushes with the yuan-ti, and the
The halfway point of the circular corridor, directly “opposite” discovery of the true tomb entrance. Only the final entry
the intersection, is an invisible planar gate that cannot be mentions their experiences in the tomb, but no mention is
detected with magic. Any creature passing through this gate made of Devlin’s staff (see “Treasure” below).
emerges into a parallel reality. Characters who walk the length Any character who spends 10 minutes poring over the
of the circular corridor notice that Devlin’s body is no longer journal can note a few brief mentions of the other company
present — nor are any companions who waited behind for members: Lord Brixton (a Cormyrean knight), Bravus
them. If they step back through the gate, they return to their Boulderborn (a gold dwarf cleric of Moradin), Seward (a
own world. Chondathan human ranger), and Sephirius (a dragonborn
To test his traps, Acererak crafted a "mirror tomb" and hid paladin often referred to as “Seph”).
it inside a demiplane. This mirror tomb is identical to the real
tomb as it stood exactly one year ago. All objects and creatures Treasure
encountered in the mirror tomb appear real, but they fade A search of Devlin’s body also turns up an ink pot that never
away if taken to the real world. The mirror tomb has the same runs dry (100 gp) and a spellbook containing the following
magical defenses as the true tomb, and any character who dies spells:
in the demiplane is trapped by the Soulmonger. 1st level: alarm, comprehend languages, detect magic,
Each dawn, Acererak’s magic replaces the mirror tomb expeditious retreat, identify, illusory script, sleep, Tenser’s
with a fresh fabrication. Slain monsters reappear in their floating disk
original locations, and moved objects teleport back to where 2nd level: arcane lock, cloud of daggers, flaming sphere,
they were found. When this occurs, characters inside the knock
mirror tomb witness a strange distortion ripple through the 3rd level: dispel magic, fireball
air.
FOOTER 1
Devlin’s staff is a staff of striking, but any character who damage and spells. When fully lowered, the block is air-tight
attunes to it transforms into a goat-humanoid hybrid over the and refuses to be budged.
course of 3 days. Tieflings are immune to this curse. Four enormous cisterns filled with red wine are hidden in
Throughout the first day, shaggy fur begins to grow all over the walls behind the gargoyle heads. When the stone block
the cursed character’s body. After 24 hours, the character’s seals off the entrance, the valves behind the heads open,
eyes become goat-like, and stumpy horns sprout from the causing the wine to pour from the gargoyles’ mouths and
brow. On the last day, the character’s fingers and toes meld nostrils. The wine floods the tomb at a rate of 1 foot per round.
into double digits, and the horns grow to full length. This Trying to crawl into a gargoyle’s mouth while wine is gushing
transformation doesn’t prevent the character from wielding out of it requires a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check.
weapons or casting spells. Remove curse, greater restoration, As the wine begins pouring into the room, all creatures
or any other effect that ends a curse restores the character’s present must roll initiative. Track the passage of rounds:
original appearance, but only a wish spell can rid the staff of At the start of round 3, three wine weirds (use water
its power to transform those who attune to it. weird statistics) flow into the tomb from the northwest,
northeast, and southeast cisterns. The weirds attack
20. False Tomb anyone in the tomb and are invisible while fully
immersed in wine.
Nested in the ceiling of the western tunnel is a stone block. A After 12 rounds, the wine fills the tomb. Use the
character who searches the tunnel spots the block with a underwater combat rules in chapter 9 of the Player’s
successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. The block is part Handbook to handle fighting in these conditions.
of the room’s trap (see “Trap” below). Visibility within the wine is limited to 5 feet.
The ability to breathe water does not help a character
This room smells of wine. On a checkerboard marble drowning in wine. When 10 minutes have passed, the stone
floor, a gilded coffin sparkles in sunlight streaming block sealing the tomb rises back up to its niche in the ceiling.
down from the chamber’s vaulted ceiling, which arches The wine cascades down the west tunnel, pouring down the
twelve feet overhead. Four huge stone gargoyle heads, grand staircase (area 7). At dawn the next day, Withers sends
their mouths agape, protrude from the walls. tomb dwarves to clean up the room and tunnel, after which the
Illusion magic generates the sunlight that shines on the wine cisterns magically refill and the trap resets.
coffin. This light is treated as real sunlight, and creatures
averse to sunlight are affected by it. The gargoyle heads are 5 Escape Tunnel
feet tall and 5 feet wide, with mouths that are 2 feet in The southwest crawlway ascends to area 24. When the tomb
diameter. Behind each head, an airtight stone valve blocks a floods with wine, the liquid reaches as far as the sloped section
crawlway. The valves remain closed until the room’s trap of the crawlway.
activates, though a knock spell or a successful DC 25 Strength
(Athletics) check can force open a valve. Casting dispel magic 21. Zombie Door
on the illusory sunlight dispels it and prevents the trap from
triggering. Adventurers on the balcony hear guttural moans coming from
this door.
Advice from the Spirits Three oval holes are carved into a nine-foot-wide, nine-
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Kubazan or Moa
foot-high stone door at human head height. As you
receive advice when entering this area:
approach, three humanoid heads stick out of the holes,
Spirited Kubazan tries to persuade his host to throw
each covered in putrid flesh and gnashing on an iron bit
open the coffin lid and pummel whatever is inside.
bolted to a chain bridle.
Truthful Moa points out that this tomb doesn’t match the
symbolism of any of his godly companions. The gnashing heads belong to three zombies that are
chained to a pulley bolted to the ceiling on the south side of
Trap the door. The pulley is set up in such a way that when all three
The closed coffin is stuck to the floor with sovereign glue and zombies move away from the door, they heave it open. The
has a hinged lid. A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals zombies won’t move while fresh meat tempts them from the
an aura of abjuration magic around the coffin. A wooden balcony, but if they are successfully turned, they raise the door
plaque inside the coffin reads “Drown your sorrows” in as they flee toward the south.
Common. The door weighs 1,000 pounds. Characters with a
If the illusory sunlight falling from the ceiling strikes the combined Strength score of 33 or more can lift the door. The
plaque when the coffin is opened, the stone block in the zombies attack any creatures they can reach. Withers and his
corridor outside the room slowly descends, sealing the tomb dwarves replace destroyed zombies within 24 hours.
entrance in 6 seconds. A creature that wishes to enter or leave
the tomb during this time can do so, moving up to its speed. If 22. Papazotl’s Tomb
the creature ends its movement under the block, it must make
a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. If the save succeeds, the
Six glass cauldrons brimming with humanoid bones line
creature manages to get out from under the block on the side
the walls of this tomb, at the center of which stands an
it was moving toward. If the save fails, the creature takes 55
ancient chariot bearing a bronze sarcophagus with
(10d10) bludgeoning damage. If this damage reduces the
treasure strewn atop it. Paintings on the chariot’s body
creature’s hit points to 0, it is crushed to a pulp; otherwise, the
show a tall bird with a long, sharp beak. On the south
creature is shoved into the room. The block is impervious to
wall, a bronze shield bears the embossed image of a
FOOTER 1
Chultan warrior carrying a spear, below an inscription Treasure
that reads, “Bow before no one.” Four bronze statues The following treasures are strewn atop the sarcophagus: a
stand on pedestals to either side of the shield. They gold torc (250 gp), three gold cups (75 gp each), five gold cloak
depict Chultan warriors: one holding a sword, two with pins (25 gp each), and an amulet of health. The amulet turns to
spears, and one missing its face. dust and is destroyed if it leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods
(but see "Lost Treasures").
Papazotl’s bones are contained within the sarcophagus, Papazotl’s Spirit. The spirit of Papazotl tries to inhabit any
but they are well protected (see “Glass Cauldrons” and “Bronze character who touches the amulet of health (see "Spirits of the
Shield” below). Nine Trickster Gods"). When Papazotl’s spirit manifests, read:
Advice from the Spirits Strange shadows shift across the walls, forming the
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Nangnang or outline of a long-legged bird. Its beak stabs at you as a
Obo’laka receive advice when entering this area: voice echoes through your mind: “You will do as I
Greedy Nangnang encourages her host to grab some of command!”
the treasure from the chariot. If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the
Nervous Obo’laka warns its host that the cauldrons player Papazotl’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails, the
contain the bones of Papazotl’s most zealous devotees spirit returns to the amulet and waits for another character to
who, even in death, might seek to protect him. touch it.
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Once freed, Keshma remains true to her word. However, Treasure
she won’t tolerate any slight to her honor. If she feels insulted, Inside the sarcophagus are a potion of poison disguised as a
she attacks the characters and attempts to enslave them. potion of supreme healing and a petrified grung egg that
The dao could become a thorn in the characters’ side or a functions as a pearl of power. A spellcaster that attunes to the
difficult ally. Her ignorance of the tomb’s defenses confines her egg also gains resistance to poison damage. The egg turns to
to area 57 if she casts plane shift. If she escapes from area 57, dust and is destroyed if it leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods
she expects the characters to help her find a safe way out of (but see "Lost Treasures").
the tomb. When she learns of the trickster gods, Keshma Nangnang’s Spirit. The spirit of Nangnang tries to inhabit
encourages the characters to seek them out and use them to any character who touches the egg (see "Spirits of the Nine
defeat Acererak. Trickster Gods"). When Nangnang’s spirit manifests, read:
Treasure As you touch the egg, a tendril of slime rises from its
The dao wears two sapphire cords (1,250 gp each), two surface and transforms into a frog-like head that bobs
platinum armbands engraved with dueling dragons (750 gp toward you. A croaking voice sounds out in your mind:
each), and a topaz belly-button gemstone (500 gp). “Nangnang will help you now.”
If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the
24. Nangnang’s Tomb player Nangnang’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails,
the spirit returns to the egg and waits for another character to
The air here reeks of sulfur and brimstone. On the floor touch it.
of this chamber, a pentagram traced in salt surrounds
an ornate sarcophagus, its lid covered with figurines of 25. Scrying Pool
prancing frog-like humanoids.
An invisible gray slaad paces inside the salt pentagram. Behind the secret door, water fills a carved stone font.
Magical wards prevent the slaad from disturbing the salt or
Withers uses this font to speak to creatures outside the
leaving the circle’s confines. If another creature attacks the
tomb and contact his tomb guardians. A detect magic spell or
slaad, enters the area of the boundary circle, or breaks any
similar effect reveals an aura of divination over the water.
part of the circle or pentagram by sweeping or brushing away
When any character gazes into the font, read:
the salt, the slaad is freed. Hungry for carnage, the creature
vents its rage on the characters before leaving the room in As the water begins to swirl, eerie light emanates from
search of its control gem, not knowing that it is kept in area 28. within the basin. Slowly, an image resolves on the
water’s surface.
Advice from the Spirits
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Obo’laka or Wongo Those gazing into the font can see through the eyes of a
receive advice when entering this area: random tomb guardian as it patrols the dungeon. Pick a
Cautious Obo’laka thinks the salt pentagram could use random level (or roll a d6) and describe the guardian’s path
more salt and encourages her host to add to it. if any salt through it. The guardian relies on darkvision to see, so images
is available. (Doing so doesn’t break the wards that trap in the pool are in black and white. The images fade and the
the slaad.) scrying effect ends if no character gazes into the water.
Reckless Wongo doesn’t care much for salt pentagrams, Unless one of the characters gazing into the pool is
and he urges his host to wreck the symbol and see what wearing an amulet of the black skull (see appendix C and area
happens. 28), the tomb guardian becomes aware of the party’s scrying
after 1 minute. When that happens, read:
Sarcophagus The surface of the pool explodes, and a hulking figure
Arranged atop the sarcophagus are twelve painted wooden wearing plate armor and a bucket helm heaves itself up
statuettes depicting grungs. They are cute but worthless. The from the font.
lid of the sarcophagus can be lifted and pushed aside with a
successful DC 17 Strength (Athletics) check. Within is a The tomb guardian is a flesh golem clad in plate armor
varnished clay urn containing the skull and bones of a grung (AC 17). As it emerges from the font, it attacks everyone in the
(Nangnang’s animal form; see appendix D), as well as a chamber, fighting until destroyed. When the guardian appears,
number of valuables (see “Treasure” below). the pool loses its scrying power until the next dawn.
A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of
enchantment surrounding the clay urn. The first creature to 26. Spiral Staircase
touch the urn or disturb its contents must succeed on a DC 21
Wisdom saving throw or be affected by an Otto’s irresistible Three archways overlook a circular chamber where a
dance spell. Until the effect ends, the creature also takes 11 spiral staircase descends into darkness. The staircase
(2d10) psychic damage at the end of each of its turns as walls are lined with unlit torches in iron sconces and set
discordant, percussive music overwhelms its mind. Any with niches containing moldering humanoid skulls and
creature under the effect of a mind blank spell or similar magic bones.
doesn’t hear this music or suffer the psychic damage. A
successful dispel magic (DC 18) dismisses the effect on the urn, This staircase descends from level 2 to levels 3, 4, and 5,
allowing it to be touched safely. with each level 25 feet below the level above. The bones and
skulls in the niches belong to dead Omuans whom Acererak
FOOTER 1
sacrificed to build the tomb. Withers and his tomb dwarves The creature that emerges from the contraption is a tomb
use these stairs to move between levels. guardian — a flesh golem encased in plate armor (AC 17).
The torches can be removed from their brackets and taken This guardian was fashioned using the salvaged remains of
elsewhere. Seward, an adventurer with the Company of the Yellow
Banner, and a number of other unfortunate trespassers. Now a
27. Forge of the Tomb Dwarves mindless undead, it attacks the characters on sight.
FOOTER 1
ancient dead. The company tracked the jewel to the tomb and When he encounters the characters, Withers is keen to
perished without ever finding it. learn everything he can before killing them. He’s particularly
The spirit of the Starfallen has weakened over time and interested in current affairs in Chult and in the history of
grown forgetful. She remembers little of her past or her travels foreign lands. If the characters humor him, he behaves
with the Company of the Yellow Banner, but certain things cordially while they answer his questions. Then with some
might jog her memory. If the players get stuck, you can use the regret, he finally announces that it’s time for them to die.
Starfallen as a means to provide hints to keep the adventure Withers would rather escape than be destroyed or captured,
on track. so he uses his spells to retreat if the battle goes against him,
saving wall of fire to cut off pursuers when he flees.
28. Withers’s Office
Candles dimly illuminate a cluttered office. A skeletal
songbird rasps at you from a filthy cage in one corner.
Other furnishing include a wooden writing desk and a
tall-backed chair. Anatomical drawings sketched in
charcoal hang on the wall behind the desk. Seated in the
chair is the shriveled corpse of a humanoid wearing
moldy robes and a bronze mask sculpted to look like a
frowning visage. Around the figure’s neck hangs a black
skull-shaped amulet, and a number of severed hands
crawl on the desk and floor around him.
Before he was turned into an undead creature, Withers
was an Omuan engineer named Gorra. Like all of Omu’s
citizens, Gorra was enslaved and put to work constructing the
tomb. When Acererak sacrificed his workers to their own
dungeon, Gorra’s traps performed the best. This pleased the
archlich enough that he transformed Gorra into a wight, with
these changes:
Withers has an Intelligence of 16 (+3).
He wears an amulet of the black skull (see appendix C)
and doesn’t carry a longbow.
He has the Spellcasting feature described below.
He has a challenge rating of 4 (1,100 XP).
Spellcasting. Withers is a 9th-level spellcaster. His
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13; +5 to hit
with spell attacks). He has the following wizard spells
prepared:
FOOTER 1
journals further, refer to the “History of Omu” section in This view is a magical window into the past. Whoever
chapter 3 and “History of the Tomb” earlier in this chapter. looks through the jackal’s jaws sees a vision of I’jin’s tomb
(area 35) as it was just before the last person entered it. After
Treasure a few moments, the vision reveals a person entering the
Withers has enough equipment on his desk to assemble a chamber.
scholar’s pack. A manual of golems (clay) lies open on his desk A slab of wall suddenly grinds upward to the east, and a
next to a spellbook containing all the spells he has prepared. dwarf wearing a turban and chain mail creeps into the
On the inside back cover of the spellbook is what appears to be
tomb. He brandishes a shield in front of him as he
a name: Khomara Blackfire. “Khomara” and “Blackfire” are
treads cautiously across the floor.
actually the command words for the mirror of life trapping in
area 50. The magic here records the last moments of Bravus
The desk drawer contains a translucent, fist-sized gray Boulderborn, hero of the Company of the Yellow Banner. The
stone that radiates an aura of enchantment to a detect magic dwarf ignores any attempts by the characters to communicate
spell or similar effect. This stone is the control gem for the with him.
gray slaad in area 24. For more information on control gems,
A loud click sounds out as the dwarf steps onto one of
see the “Slaadi” entry in the Monster Manual.
the floor tiles. Then a deafening buzzing rises as locusts
Withers’s skeletal songbird is tame but cantankerous. It
pour out from the mouths of the sphinx statues, quickly
can’t fly, but it can be sold to a buyer in Port Nyanzaru for 75
gp. Withers’s bronze mask is worth 25 gp.
engulfing him. He tries to fight them off, to no avail.
When the cloud of insects vanishes, nothing of the
dwarf remains except its bones and gear.
Level 3: Vault of Reflection
If all the characters turn away, the vision resets. When any
Map 5.3 shows this level of the dungeon, which an invisible character next looks through the mask, the dwarf is seen
beholder named Belchorzh the Unseen (see area 44) claims as entering I’jin’s tomb once more.
its home. It doesn’t have access to lair actions and regional The jackal mask radiates an aura of divination to a detect
effects; instead, it has infected its home with weird alien magic spell or similar effect. If any character uses teleportation
growth. or other magic to bypass the teeth and enter the tomb, the
dwarf’s moldering skeleton is discovered in area 35.
Alien Growth
The beholder’s aberrant influence permeates the 30. Iron Barrier
stonework across this level of the tomb, causing purple mold
to sprout from the floors, walls, and ceilings. The mold smells
like rotting corpses and occasionally releases clouds of Ahead of you, the face of a snarling minotaur is etched
harmless spores. As characters move through areas with alien into a sheet of iron that bisects the crawlway. Its eyes
growth, tiny eyeballs emerge from the mold to scrutinize them. have been cut out, letting you see through the sheet,
Belchorzh can see through these eyes and uses them to track beyond which the tunnel continues onward.
the party’s progress. The minotaur face is etched into both sides of a 1-inch-
Any effect that deals fire, necrotic, or radiant damage thick, sharp-edged iron sheet that blocks the crawlway. The
destroys a patch of alien growth on contact. However, the holes that form the eyes are 2 inches wide. The characters can
beholder doesn’t take kindly to the mold’s destruction. When a use spells such as gaseous form and misty step to move past the
patch of growth is destroyed, the next nearest patch sprouts a iron sheet.
stubby eyestalk that shoots a randomly determined eye ray at Any character who examines the barrier discovers that it
the nearest character. (Roll a d10 and consult the beholder slides up into the ceiling. Coiled springs provide resistance,
stat block to determine which ray it produces.) After making and a successful DC 17 Strength (Athletics) check is needed to
this attack, the eyestalk quickly disappears back into the mold. lift the sheet. If the check succeeds, a hidden latch locks the
sheet in place, allowing creatures to crawl underneath it.
29. Jackal Mask Unless it is wedged in place with an iron spike, a stout weapon,
or a similar object, the barrier snaps down after 1 minute,
A huge carving of a snarling jackal’s head protrudes sealing the crawlway once more. Any creature underneath the
from the wall at the end of this corridor. A chamber is sheet when it snaps shut must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity
visible through the gaps between its fangs. saving throw or take 44 (8d10) slashing damage. Any creature
reduced to 0 hit points by this damage is chopped in two.
The gaps between the teeth are only 2 inches wide, but any
character who looks through can see into area 35: 31. Reflected Hall
Four torches illuminate stone sphinxes crouched in the
A curtain of water separates two hallways that are
corners of this fifteen-foot-high room. The torches cast basically mirror images of one another. When characters enter
flickering light across hieroglyphs carved into the tiled the first hall, read:
floor. At the center of the room, a gold-inlaid funeral
barge stands atop a three-foot-tall stone dais. Resting
on the deck of the barge is a small golden sarcophagus
decorated with horned rabbits. A dark shaft opens in the
ceiling directly above the barge.
FOOTER 1
Unarmed hawk-headed females (the east mural is
Still puddles of water cover the floor of this fifteen-foot-
illusory; see area 31A)
wide hallway. The walls are slick with moisture and set
Panther-headed males with blowguns
with murals showing animal-headed humanoids in
Lizard-headed females with maces
armor, most of which appear to brandish real weapons Stork-headed males with handaxes (the figure on the
hanging on the walls. A three-foot-high crawlway in the east wall has the crawlway to area 32 between its legs)
east wall is flush with the floor. At the far end of the hall,
a rippling, transparent curtain of water fills a stone 31A. Hidden Alcoves
archway. Beyond the curtain, you see another hallway
Two alcoves are hidden behind 5-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall
that looks similar to the one in which you stand.
illusions of damp stone walls bearing paintings of hawk-
The tarnished weapons hanging on the walls are in poor headed female warriors. Touching the surface of either section
condition and are held in place with hooks to make it appear of wall reveals that its stones and the images on them are
as though the painted warriors are holding them. illusions.
Twelve painted figures line each hall, six on the west wall Each alcove contains a plinth bearing a crystal eyeball 1
and six on the east wall, directly across from one another. inch in diameter: a pale purple eyeball to the south and a
Figures on facing walls are perfect reflections of each other. bright green eyeball to the north.
South Hall. From south to north, the warriors and Crystal Eyes. The nonmagical crystal eyes are two of the
weapons in this hall are as follows: ten keys needed to open the vault of the beholder (area 44).
Stork-headed males with handaxes (the figure on the
east wall has the crawlway to area 36 between its legs) 31B. Curtain of Water
Lizard-headed females with maces Clear water forms a 1-foot-thick, 7-foot-high, 10-foot-wide
Panther-headed males with blowguns curtain between the two hallways, radiating an aura of
Unarmed hawk-headed females (the east mural is conjuration magic to a detect magic spell or similar effect. A
illusory; see area 31A) successful dispel magic (DC 17) cast on the curtain causes it to
Goat-headed males with sickles vanish, leaving the archway open. The curtain magically
Frog-headed females with tridents reappears after 1 hour.
North Hall. From south to north, the warriors and If any creature passes through the curtain of water
weapons in this hall are as follows: carrying a trident, nothing happens. Any trident will do, not
Frog-headed females with tridents just the ones in the hallways.
Goat-headed males with sickles If any creature passes through the curtain without a
trident, the water erupts as a fierce wave flowing north and
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south. Any creature in either hall is slammed by the water and The corpse belongs to Sephirius, dragonborn paladin of the
must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw. On a failed saving Company of the Yellow Banner. Looting the body reveals
throw, the creature takes 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage and is several items of interest (see “Treasure” below).
swept to the end of the hall with such great force that it falls
prone. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half Treasure
damage and falls prone, but is not swept away. The weapons Sephirius wore no armor but carried a +1 yklwa (see “Buying a
hooked on the walls remain where they are. Special Item” in chapter 1 for more information on this
Water expelled by the curtain disappears before it can flow weapon), a dungeoneer’s pack, a pouch containing 8 gp, an
beyond the confines of the hallways. The water also does not ivory back scratcher shaped like a dinosaur claw (25 gp), a
enter either of the hidden alcoves (area 31A), so creatures holy symbol of Bahamut (25 gp), and a red crystal eyeball
there are safe from the waves’ effect. measuring 1 inch in diameter.
The water conjured by the curtain leaks out of the hall Crystal Eye. The nonmagical crystal eye is one of the ten
through tiny cracks in the floor, leaving puddles behind. keys needed to open the vault of the beholder (area 44).
FOOTER 1
Crystal Eye. The nonmagical crystal eye is one of the ten Once the medallion is out of the way, the dial can be easily
keys needed to open the vault of the beholder (area 44). removed from its spoke inside the stone block. However,
removing the dial releases a corrosive gas trapped within the
Empty Closet block. The gas escapes through tiny holes hidden behind the
East of the font is a dusty, empty room. dial and fills the 5-foot space directly east of the block. Any
creature in this area when the gas is released must make a DC
14 Constitution saving throw, taking 44 (8d10) acid damage
34. Peephole on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A
If one or more characters approach this area from the character who searches for traps can detect the holes hidden
south, read: behind the dial with a DC 25 Wisdom (Perception) check; once
found, these holes can be plugged with wax before the dial is
The corridor turns sharply to the left. At the corner just removed, preventing the gas from escaping.
before the turn, a peephole is carved into the stone wall
at a height of 6 feet. 35B. Tomb
The peephole forms one end of a 5-foot-long tube cut
Four torches illuminate stone sphinxes crouched in the
through the solid rock wall. Magnifying lenses set throughout
corners of this fifteen-foot-high room. The torches cast
the tube give anyone who peers through the hole a clear view
flickering light across hieroglyphs carved into the tiled
of the gold medallion in area 35A and the hieroglyph visible on
floor. At the center of the room, a gold-inlaid funeral
the dial behind it. In addition, a creature looking through the
peephole can communicate telepathically with creatures in
barge stands atop a three-foot-tall stone dais. Resting
area 35B. Using the peephole, a character can identify the
on the deck of the barge is a small golden sarcophagus
correct sequence of floor tiles to step on in area 35B and
decorated with horned rabbits. A dark shaft opens in the
communicate that information to everyone in I’jin’s tomb. ceiling directly above the barge, while to the south, a
corridor is visible through a set of fangs carved into the
wall.
35. I’jin’s Tomb
Characters can reach this area via area 18, by lowering the The skeleton of a dwarf sprawls on the floor east of the
stone block in the east wall (area 35A), or by slipping between barge, clad in a tattered yellow turban and dusty chain
the teeth of the jackal visage at area 29. mail, and clutching a bronze shield.
To unlock I’jin’s sarcophagus, eight floor tiles must be
35A. Stone Block stepped on in the correct sequence (see “Hieroglyphic Floor”
A 5-foot-wide, 5-foot-thick, 12-foot-tall block of solid stone below and handout 23 in appendix E). Stepping on the tiles in
fills the doorway leading to I’jin’s tomb (area 35B). The block the wrong order triggers a trap (see “Sphinx Statues” below).
is featureless on the side that faces the tomb, and it is The skeletal remains were once Bravus Boulderborn, a
impervious to damage and spells. If the characters approach gold dwarf cleric of Moradin and former member of the
the block from the east, read: Company of the Yellow Banner. Bravus died as a result of
The corridor ends at a block of stone on which is stepping on floor tiles in the wrong order, and his body lies
painted a seven-foot-tall jackal-headed humanoid with a atop a floor tile bearing the “foot” hieroglyph. A search of the
circular gold medallion around its neck. All around the body yields some valuables (see “Treasure” below).
figure are carvings of locusts. Four torches light the room. As long as they remain in their
brackets, they never burn out. If a torch is removed from its
Close inspection reveals that one of the carved locusts is a bracket, it burns down normally.
button that can be pushed. When this happens, the stone block
sinks into the floor, creating an open passage to the tomb (area Advice from the Spirits
35B). Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Nangnang or
The “medallion” worn by the jackal-headed painting is Shagambi receive advice when entering this area:
actually a 6-inch-diameter gold disk engraved with the face of Skittish yet greedy Nangnang wants her host to loot the
a horned devil, its mouth agape. Lodged behind this disk is a corpse of the dead dwarf before anyone else can.
clay dial etched with eight hieroglyphs. One hieroglyph (a Wise Shagambi suggests that there might be a clue
vulture) is visible through a hole that forms the devil’s gaping nearby to suggest which floor tiles are safe to walk on.
mouth, but the dial is locked in place and its remaining seven
hieroglyphs are hidden from view behind the medallion. Hieroglyphic Floor
If any character steps on a vulture floor tile in area 35B, The floor around the dais and the statues is covered with
the dial turns, revealing a new hieroglyph: a serpent. One 5-foot-square stone tiles, each one etched with a hieroglyph.
hieroglyph at a time, the dial reveals the correct sequence of Give the players handout 23 in appendix E.
floor tiles to stand on: vulture, serpent, door, reed, scarab, Characters can avoid triggering the floor tiles by flying or
scepter, foot, and urn. Stepping on a floor tile that matches the by climbing along the walls and ceiling. Climbing the walls
hieroglyph on the dial causes the dial to turn, revealing the requires a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. Those
next symbol in the sequence. who set foot on the tiles must traverse them in the proper
The gold medallion is attached to the stone block with sequence or suffer the consequences.
sovereign glue, and removing it requires universal solvent. If any character steps onto a tile and the passage to the
However, one can simply destroy the medallion to get at the east is open, the stone block at area 35A rises to seal the
dial underneath. Removing or destroying the medallion tunnel. Any creature atop the block when it meets the ceiling
exposes the dial and its eight hieroglyphs. must succeed on a DC 7 Dexterity saving throw to leap clear in
FOOTER 1
one direction or the other. On a failed save, the creature takes Treasure
55 (10d10) bludgeoning damage. Any creature reduced to 0 Bravus’s yellow turban is set with a peridot gemstone (500 gp).
hit points by this damage is crushed to a pulp. Otherwise, the A search of Bravus’s corpse also yields a nonmagical shield
creature falls prone inside the tomb. and a belt pouch containing a 500 gp diamond (the material
The correct sequence of floor tiles matches the order in component of a raise dead spell) and two 1-inch-diameter
which the hieroglyphs appear on the clay dial in area 35A: crystal eyeballs — one dark blue and one vibrant purple.
vulture, serpent, door, reed, scarab, scepter, foot, urn. Each Crystal Eyes. The nonmagical crystal eyes are two of the
time a character steps on a correct floor tile, a new hieroglyph ten keys needed to open the vault of the beholder (area 44).
clicks into view on the clay dial, with that view accessible by
any character using the peephole in area 34. The dial rotates
through all the hieroglyphs in the correct order. If any 36. Chamber of Respite
character steps on a hieroglyph out of order, the statues react The tomb’s keepers have all but forgotten this tiny room
as described in “Sphinx Statues.” Stepping on the wrong tile lodged between two crawlways. Characters who shelter here
does not reset the sequence. are rewarded with undisturbed rest.
When the final tile in the sequence is stepped on, the
following things all happen at once:
I’jin’s sarcophagus opens. 37. Winds of Pandemonium
The stone block at area 35A sinks into the floor, creating
an open passage to the east. Two balconies face each other over a vast pit. Between
Any locusts conjured by the sphinx statues are dispelled. the balconies hover five wooden platforms, each one a
The hieroglyphic floor is disabled. After 24 hours, disk ten feet across. A single torch burns above each
Withers sends 1d4 tomb dwarves to reset the trap. balcony. On the east balcony stands a rough-hewn,
fifteen-foot-tall statue of a hulking fiend with furled
Sphinx Statues wings and clenched fists. Set into the wall on the west
Each of these statues depicts a life-size gynosphinx, and all balcony is a rusty lever in the up position.
four radiate auras of abjuration and conjuration to a detect
magic spell or similar effect. The statues are impervious to Climbing the walls requires a successful DC 15 Strength
damage and spells. (Athletics) check. A crawlway is set into the northwest corner,
When any creature steps on an incorrect floor tile, all four at the same height as the balconies and floating platforms.
statues yawn and masses of magically summoned locusts fly Another crawlway extends off the east balcony. At the back of
out of their mouths. The locusts form a single cloud that fills a the west balcony, a staircase descends 10 feet to a landing and
15-foot cube centered above the offending floor tile. Each a secret door.
creature in the cloud when it forms, as well as any creature
that enters the cloud for the first time on a turn or starts its
Advice from the Spirits
turn there, takes 44 (8d10) piercing damage. Any creature Any characters inhabited by the spirits of I’jin or Kubazan
reduced to 0 hit points by this trap is killed and eaten to the receive advice when entering this area:
bone by the devouring locusts. The cloud lasts for 1 minute or Fickle I’jin urges her host to pull the lever. What harm
until another cloud of locusts is created. could it do?
Fearless Kubazan insists that his host jump to the
Sarcophagus platforms, even if others are better equipped to do so.
I’jin’s golden sarcophagus cannot be opened by any means
other than stepping on eight floor tiles in the correct order.
Floating Platforms
The sarcophagus is worth 7,500 gp intact but weighs 75 The circular wooden platforms are 10 feet in diameter and
pounds. Removing it from the funeral barge causes four floor- hover between 6 and 12 feet apart, as shown on map 5.3. They
to-ceiling walls of force (like those created by a wall of force float at the same level as the balconies, 15 feet below the
spell) to surround the dais on all four sides. The walls last until ceiling and 60 feet above the pit floor. A detect magic spell or
destroyed or until the sarcophagus is returned to the barge. similar magic reveals auras of abjuration and transmutation
The sarcophagus contains the fragile bones of an almiraj around each platform. Each disk is wide enough that
(I’jin’s animal form; see appendix D), as well as its spiral horn, characters can move 10 feet before jumping (see “Movement”
which functions as a wand of wonder. The horn turns to dust in chapter 8 of the Player’s Handbook). The platforms bob
and is destroyed if it leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods (but see slightly when anything lands on them, as though they were
"Lost Treasures"). floating on water. Any creature that falls from a platform to
I’jin’s Spirit. The spirit of I’jin tries to inhabit any character the pit floor takes 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage. Casting
who touches the horn (see "Spirits of the Nine Trickster dispel magic on a platform causes it to fall.
Gods"). When I’jin’s spirit manifests, read:
Wailing Winds
Streamers of light emanate from the tip of the horn. As If the lever on the west balcony is pulled, the fiendish
they swirl around you, they form into a spectral rabbit statue unclenches its fists to reveal a marble-sized object in
with a single horn on its brow. A female voice whispers, the palm of each hand (see “Treasure” below). Simultaneously,
“Quick, quick, let me in! We must stop Acererak!” howling winds rise up and fill the room. Returning the lever to
its original up position causes the winds to abate and the
If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the statue’s fists to close.
player I’jin’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails, the
spirit returns to the horn and waits for another character to
touch it.
FOOTER 1
Have all party members roll initiative whenever the winds 38A. Control Room
begin to howl. While the winds are howling, any creature not
standing on a floating platform that starts its turn in the room This room is dark and dusty. A hulking figure wearing a
must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or gain a bucket helm stands to the west, with one hand on an
random form of short-term madness, determined by rolling on iron lever set into the wall. The south wall is sloped and
the Short-Term Madness table in chapter 8 of the Dungeon has a large rectangular window five feet wide by seven
Master’s Guide. Constructs and undead are immune to this feet high. The window looks into a hallway, through a
madness. In addition, the winds cause creatures in the room to rectangular hole in the hallway floor, and farther down
suffer disadvantage on all Strength-based skill checks, into a well-lit room shaped like a cylinder tipped on its
including checks made to jump to and from the floating side.
platforms and checks made to climb the walls.
The helmed figure is a tomb guardian: a flesh golem clad
in plate armor (AC 17). Its task is to pull the lever when it sees
Statue adventurers enter area 38C. The tomb guardian fights only in
Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) self-defense and has orders from Withers to not leave the
check realizes that the statue depicts a nycaloth. A detect control room. If it goes berserk, it ignores these orders.
magic spell or similar effect reveals auras of transmutation Window. The window in the south wall is stone magically
magic radiating from the statue’s clenched fists. rendered transparent from this side only. A successful dispel
The statue weighs 15,000 pounds and is impervious to magic (DC 17) cast on the stone causes it to lose its
damage and spells. Casting a knock spell on the statue causes transparency. If the tomb guardian is prevented from seeing
one of its fists to unclench for 1 round, during which time the into areas 38B and 38C, it won’t pull the lever.
object in that hand can be safely removed. Iron Lever. The lever protrudes from a vertical slot cut
into the northwest wall. It rests in the up position. Pulling the
Treasure lever down activates the trap in area 38C.
The statue clutches a 1-inch-diameter pearly white crystal
eyeball in its left hand and a similarly sized scarlet crystal 38B. Access Tunnel
eyeball in its right hand. This hallway is 10 feet high and 5 feet wide. If the characters
Crystal Eyes. The nonmagical crystal eyes are two of the enter the hall through the crawlways from areas 30 or 37, read:
ten keys needed to open the vault of the beholder (area 44).
The walls of this narrow tunnel slope inward as they
approach the ten-foot-high ceiling. Patches of mold
38. Revolving Room Trap cling to the walls and floor in the eastern half of the hall.
Three separate areas comprise this section of the tomb: a Cut into the floor at the west end of the corridor is a
control room (area 38A), an access corridor (area 38B), and a three-foot-wide, four-foot-long rectangular hole with
revolving death trap (area 38C). Diagram 5.2 shows a side bright light spilling out of it.
view of these areas.
Any character standing next to the hole can peer down into
a cylindrical room (area 38C), the curved floor of which is 15
feet below the hole.
The wall north of the hole acts as a one-way window, but it
appears no different from the rest of the tunnel from this side.
Creatures in area 38A can see into this tunnel, but creatures in
the tunnel can’t see into area 38A. Spells such as detect magic
and true seeing do not reveal the window from this side.
FOOTER 1
taking 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half teleport the golem up to their level, or send one of their own
as much damage on a successful one. into the pit.
FOOTER 1
The skull never strays more than a few feet away, teleporting Advice from the Spirits
back to the character’s side if it loses sight of him or her. As it Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Nangnang, Obo’laka,
hovers, Yaka’s skull supplies a stream of deadpan banter in a or Shagambi receive advice when entering this area:
mocking, hollow voice. Unless the skull is magically silenced, Greedy Nangnang urges her host to snatch up the gold
its inopportune comments cause the character to make all coins on the wall shrine.
ability checks with disadvantage. Cautious Obo’laka warns against trying on the masks.
Roleplay the skull as cruel and cynical, with a dark sense of Wise Shagambi is convinced that the frescoes are clues to
humor. It knows nothing of the tomb but pretends to know all. understanding the power of the wall shrine.
Acererak has warded the skull with powerful magic, rendering
it impervious to damage and spells. Its curse is too powerful to Frescoes
be broken with any spell other than wish, which can be used
Four frescoes line the east wall of the tomb, two on each side
either to destroy the skull or end the curse. If the curse ends
of the shrine.
but the skull survives, it teleports back to its pedestal and
Fresco 1. This fresco shows a time when Kubazan used his
waits for another character to touch it.
tentacles to help the Omuans cast down a statue of the god
The curse can also be ended by feeding gemstones to the
Ubtao:
skull, which it craves. The skull chews up and destroys any
nonmagical gem fed to it, leaving no trace of the gem behind. A frog-like behemoth uses its tentacles to help the
Once it destroys 10,000 gp worth of gemstones, the skull Omuan people knock down a mighty statue. In the
teleports back to its pedestal and the curse ends for the foreground, an old woman wearing a frog mask tosses
affected character. five coins from her hand as though sowing seeds.
Fresco 2. This fresco shows a time when Kubazan helped a
41. Tomb Guardians group of Omuan hunters kill a giant crocodile that was
threatening the city:
Two hulking figures stand in alcoves along this long
A frog-like behemoth wraps its tentacles around a giant
hall, facing each other. Armor is bolted to their flesh,
crocodile as Omuan hunters stab the crocodile with
and they wear bucket helms and spiked gauntlets. Iron
their spears. In the foreground, an old man wearing a
collars around their necks are connected by a spiked
frog mask holds a bug up to his open mouth.
chain that stretches across the corridor.
Fresco 3. This fresco shows a time when Kubazan helped
The tomb guardians in the alcoves attack any creature that
the Omuans find a missing child in the jungle:
attacks them or tries to move past them. They are flesh
golems, with these changes: A frog-like behemoth with four Omuan hunters riding
The golems are clad in plate armor (AC 17). on its back finds a small boy in the jungle. The hunters
With its spiked gauntlets, a tomb guardian deals 13 (2d8 seem elated. In the foreground, a young woman wearing
+ 4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) piercing damage a frog mask holds a knife in one hand and a headless
with each successful Slam attack. chicken in the other.
Each tomb guardian has a challenge rating of 6 (2,300
XP). Fresco 4. This fresco shows a time when Kubazan got angry
and the Omuans appeased him with treasure:
Spiked Chain A frog-like behemoth wallows in a shallow pool as
The magical spiked chain that binds the guardians together Omuans offer it urns of food and treasure as tribute.
prevents them from moving more than 15 feet apart. Cracks in the fresco obscure the head of the human
Additionally, as long as the chain is intact, damage dealt to figure in the foreground, but you can see that it grasps a
either guardian is divided evenly between them. The spiked lit candle.
chain can be attacked separately and has AC 18, a damage
threshold of 10, 5 hit points, and immunity to poison and A search of the wall shrine reveals several items:
psychic damage. If the chain breaks, both tomb guardians A 6-inch-tall stone statuette of a froghemoth (see
instantly go berserk. appendix D), which weighs 5 pounds and has an
inscription on its base in Old Omuan: “Give thanks to me
as others have done since the dawn of time.”
42. Kubazan’s Tomb A copper bowl containing rat bones
Four dead cockroaches
A four-columned portico juts out from the far wall, A green wax candle with a salvageable wick
beneath which a stone sarcophagus rests in a wall 5 gp (loose)
recess. Four ceramic frog masks hang in niches around
the sarcophagus. Beneath the masks, humanoid bones Performing the Ritual
are strewn across the floor. To the east, a large carving To open the sarcophagus, one or more characters must stand
of a tentacled frog-monster squats above a shrine. before the wall shrine and perform the following actions in no
Offerings lie on a shelf before it. Four rectangular particular order:
frescoes adorn the adjacent walls. Donate at least 5 gp to the shrine while wearing a frog
mask.
To unlock sarcophagus, the characters must perform a
Light a candle before the shrine while wearing a frog
simple ritual at the shrine while wearing the frog masks. The
mask.
wall frescoes reveal what must be done.
FOOTER 1
Spill the blood of a living creature into the copper bowl
Another curtain hangs behind the first, showing the
while wearing a frog mask.
same scene but descended into depravity. The nobles
Eat a bug (living or dead) while wearing a frog mask.
fight with each other, partake in carnal encounters on
If any of these actions are performed incorrectly, three
wraiths rise from the bones on the floor. The wraiths attack
the table, or sprawl on the floor in puddles of vomit.
until they are destroyed and pursue any characters who flee Behind the second curtain is a third:
this area. When the wraiths appear, any character wearing one
of the frog masks is polymorphed into a frog, as though it had A scene of horror confronts you: nobles feasting on
failed a saving throw against the polymorph spell. servants, eating each other alive, and setting fire to the
hall. The roast boar is alive and laughing on its platter.
Sarcophagus A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of
Kubazan’s sarcophagus is bereft of adornment, though a detect enchantment magic radiating from the third curtain. Any
magic spell or similar effect reveals auras of abjuration and creature that looks at this curtain must succeed on a DC 14
evocation magic around it. Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of it. A frightened
When the ritual is performed correctly, the sarcophagus lid creature tries to leave the room as quickly as possible and
unlocks and slides open. It contains the bones of a froghemoth cannot reenter. Once outside the room, a creature can repeat
(Kubazan’s animal form; see appendix D) as well as some the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the
valuable items (see “Treasure” below). The sarcophagus lid is effect on itself on a success. A creature that saves against this
otherwise sealed shut with an arcane lock spell. It can be effect is unaffected by the curtain thereafter and can reenter
opened with a knock spell or forced open with a successful DC the room.
25 Strength (Athletics) check. However, if the sarcophagus is
opened by any means other than the ritual, a prismatic spray Lord of the Feast
spell (save DC 19) erupts from the wall behind the When the final tapestry curtain is pulled aside, the dreaded
sarcophagus. All creatures in the room, as well as creatures in Lord of the Feast confronts the characters:
the narrow hallway to the south, become targets of the spell.
The rotting head of a giant boar is mounted to the wall
Treasure behind the final curtain. Fresh blood and gore spatters
its tusks, dribbling down the wall beneath it.
The sarcophagus contains a pair of bracers of archery and
twenty brittle arrows in a rotting leather quiver. Each arrow Any humanoid that can see the severed boar’s head must
shatters on impact and deals only 1 piercing damage on a hit. succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by it.
Carvings of froghemoths adorn the bracers, which keep the On its turn, a charmed creature does nothing except approach
skin of any character attuned to them disturbingly moist. The the severed head and put its own head in the boar’s mouth.
bracers turn to dust and are destroyed if they leave the Tomb Only one head can fit in the mouth at a time. If the boar’s
of the Nine Gods (but see "Lost Treasures"). mouth is already full, a charmed creature waits patiently until
Kubazan’s Spirit. The spirit of Kubazan tries to inhabit the mouth is clear. Any creature that ends its turn with its
any character who touches either of the bracers (see "Spirits of head in the boar’s mouth takes 22 (4d10) slashing damage as
the Nine Trickster Gods"). When Kubazan’s spirit manifests, the boar’s jaws clamp down. If this damage reduces the
read: creature to 0 hit points, it is decapitated. A charmed creature
can repeat the saving throw each time it takes damage, ending
The bracers glow as watery light ripples across the walls. the effect on itself on a success. Once a creature successfully
A monstrous, tentacled shadow rises from the saves against this effect, it cannot be affected by the boar’s
sarcophagus, and the air fills with the stench of a head for 24 hours.
swamp. A rumbling voice echoes through the tomb: Destroying the Lord of the Feast ends its charm effect on
“You are brave to summon me. Together, we will crush all creatures. The boar’s head is a Medium object with AC 5
the undying one!” and 22 hit points.
If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the
player Kubazan’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails, the Treasure
spirit returns to the bracers and waits for another character to Destroying the boar’s head reveals three items lodged
touch one of them. between its teeth: a bent pair of gold spectacles (25 gp), a
leather eye patch set with a bloodstone (50 gp), and a
43. Veils of Fear platinum hair pin (75 gp).
This room lies beyond a double door, the outside of which is 44. Vault of the Beholder
carved with leering and laughing skulls. The doors are neither
locked nor trapped, and they swing inward on rusty hinges to An invisible beholder lairs in this circular chamber. To enter,
reveal the room beyond. adventurers must pass through a locked door.
Ten feet from the doors, a thick tapestry curtain hangs 44A. Eyes of the Beholder
from wall to wall. Its embroidery shows a scene of
merriment: nobles feasting around a banquet table, a Ten feet from the doors, a thick tapestry curtain hangs
roast boar on a platter, and servants pouring wine. from wall to wall. Its embroidery shows a scene of
merriment: nobles feasting around a banquet table, a
Two more curtains hang beyond the first, each showing
roast boar on a platter, and servants pouring wine.
the same image descending into horror. When the second
curtain is revealed, read:
FOOTER 1
The door is sealed tight and can’t be opened with ability Any ranged attack made in the chamber that uses
checks or magic. To open the door, ten crystal eyes found ammunition made wholly or partly from metal has
elsewhere in the dungeon (see areas 31A, 32, 33, 35B, 37, and disadvantage on the attack roll; if the attack misses, the
39) must be inserted into the indentations. Each eye lights up ammunition becomes stuck to the sphere.
as it clicks into place. With each eye that is inserted, the Throwing the black drape over the sphere renders it
reflections of the characters in the mirror become temporarily inert, with creatures and objects stuck to it falling
progressively unhealthier — losing weight, hair, and teeth as to the floor. A successful dispel magic (DC 16) cast on the
they come to resemble undead. sphere dispels the Nystul’s magic aura spell, permanently
When all ten eyes are in place, they disappear and the door deactivates the magnetic field, and causes the sphere to crash
grinds open and remains open henceforth. to the floor. This sends a web of cracks through the marble,
negating the floor’s frictionless effect and allowing creatures
44B. Inside the Vault to move across it normally. The sphere also deactivates and
When the door opens, read: falls if it comes into contact with an antimagic field or is
destroyed.
The vault door grinds upward, revealing a domed, The sphere is a Large object with AC 20; 100 hit points;
candlelit room fifty feet high. The polished marble floor resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from
is so perfectly reflective that it creates the illusion of nonmagical attacks; and immunity to poison and psychic
standing at the entrance to a sphere. Nine alcoves filled damage. It weighs 1,000 pounds. While the magnetic field is
with glit tering treasure open up along the walls. In the active, any attack made against the sphere with a metal
middle of the chamber, a large spherical object hovers weapon automatically hits, though the weapon becomes stuck
under a black silk drape twenty feet above the floor. to the sphere after impact.
The beholder, Belchorzh (pronounced BEL-korj), floats at
the top of the room. Acererak cast a wish spell to render Beholder Tactics
Belchorzh invisible. A successful dispel magic (DC 19) cast on The Tomb of the Nine Gods is not truly the beholder’s
the beholder or contact with an antimagic field ends its domain, so it can’t use lair actions.
invisibility. Belchorzh reacts to intruders as described in the The invisible beholder puts as much distance between
“Beholder Tactics” section below. itself and the adventurers as possible, while making sure to
The hall contains one hundred lit candles. While the not catch the iron sphere in its Antimagic Cone.
candles remain inside this vault, they burn indefinitely. If a Belchorzh doesn’t pursue intruders who flee its vault.
candle is taken from the room, it burns down normally. However, if the adventurers steal even one copper piece from
The floor beneath the dome is magically slick. Any creature its trove, the beholder uses the alien growth throughout this
that steps onto or starts its turn on the floor must succeed on a level of the dungeon against them. Whenever the characters
DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. When an come near a patch of the growth, it sprouts an eyestalk and
untethered creature is shoved or otherwise moved across the attacks (see "Alien Growth").
floor, it travels in one direction and does not stop until it The beholder knows Deep Speech and Undercommon, and
comes into contact with a wall or other barrier. it refers to itself in the third person. Haughty and defiant, it
The alcoves contain treasure (see “Treasure” below). delights in the destruction of tomb robbers while refusing to
yield. Any character who understands its words can translate a
Advice from the Spirits few of Belchorzh’s choice sayings:
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Kubazan, “You fight like flumphs!”
Obo’laka, or Wongo receive the following advice: “You are no match for Belchorzh the Unseen’s terrible
Impulsive Kubazan urges his host to attack whatever is eye rays!”
hiding under the black drape, with no warning or “What ugly, imperfect creatures you are.”
negotiation.
Cautious Obo’laka thinks a beholder is hidden under the Treasure
black drape and urges her host to flee at once. The nine alcoves contain the following treasures:
When he becomes aware of the beholder, reckless 12,000 cp, 5,000 sp, and 2,200 gp
Wongo suggests that his host attack another party A clay chameleon statuette covered in crystal beads that
member, to trick the beholder into thinking it has an ally. change colors (25 gp)
Three painted gold masks sized for children and shaped
Black Drape, Iron Sphere like the faces of a bat, a monkey, and a parrot,
The black drape conceals a magical sphere of iron, 6 feet in respectively (75 gp each)
diameter and floating 20 feet above the floor. A Nystul’s magic A gold coronet shaped like an octopus with mother-of-
aura spell placed on the sphere makes it seem like an evil pearl eyes (2,500 gp)
aberration to features or magic that can sense such A potion of diminution, a bead of force, and a bronze +1
information. shield shaped like a screaming devil’s face
The iron sphere is hollow and immobile, and it remains
inert while the drape covers it. Belchorzh can use its
telekinetic eye ray to remove the drape at any time, revealing
Level 4: Chambers of
the sphere and causing it to emit a magical magnetic field.
Each creature in the room wearing metal armor is pulled to
Horror
Map 5.4 shows this level of the dungeon. These corridors
the sphere and becomes stuck to it, as does any metal weapon
and chambers are choked with dust, their floors littered with
or object that isn’t secured or being held. Any creature stuck to
rubble and the bones of dead Omuans.
the sphere is restrained until the magnetic field deactivates.
FOOTER 1
always accept a more precious coin than the one required, so a
45. Gargoyle Guardians character inserting a platinum coin into every pedestal could
exit the room safely. A gargoyle will also accept a tithe of
At the bottom of the grand staircase, a resonant multiple coins of equal or greater value (10 cp instead of 1 sp
mechanical rumbling emanates from a dark shaft in the east pedestal, for example). The pedestals have hollow
opening up in the middle of this chamber’s floor. Four cavities within them to store the coins (see “Treasure” below).
cylindrical stone pedestals surround the shaft, each ten The gargoyles always know when they’re being cheated. If
feet tall, five feet wide, and featuring a tiny slot in its any humanoid leaves the room without offering sufficient coin,
side. Squatting atop each pedestal is a large four-armed any cheated gargoyles spring to life and attack the cheapskate.
gargoyle. A gargoyle also springs to life and attacks if it or its pedestal is
damaged in any way. The metallic tiles atop the pedestals can
Any character looking down on the room from one of the be pried loose, but they turn to dust if removed from this
balconies above or another high vantage point notices chamber.
something else:
Each gargoyle is contained within a square made of Shaft
metallic tiles embedded in the top of its pedestal. The shaft in the floor is 10 feet wide and 15 feet deep. It
Starting with the northernmost pedestal and going opens into the ceiling of area 58. To scale the smooth walls of
clockwise, the tiles are copper, silver, gold, and
platinum.
Four giant four-armed gargoyles (see appendix D) are
perched atop the pedestals, each one crouched within its
square of tiled precious metal. The gargoyles remain
motionless until they are provoked.
The slots in each pedestal are 4 feet above the floor and
roughly the size of a standard coin. All humanoids must pay a
tithe before leaving this room to avoid provoking the
gargoyles’ wrath. Specifically, each humanoid must insert a
coin of the appropriate type into each pedestal (1 cp in the
north pedestal, 1 sp in the east pedestal, 1 gp in the south
pedestal, and 1 pp in the west pedestal). A gargoyle will
FOOTER 1
the shaft, a character needs climbing gear or magic. Lava Trap. Molten lava begins pouring from the tiny holes
in the ceiling as soon as any character comes within 1 foot of
Treasure the candle or removes it from the sconce. The lava rains down
Each pedestal is a hollow stone cylinder with 6-inch-thick and magically drains away through the holes in the floor. Each
walls. Characters with appropriate tools can smash through creature in the cell when the lava begins to fall must make a
the stone to get at the coins within each pedestal. DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on
The north pedestal holds 5 sp and 100 cp. The east a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Any
pedestal hides 1 gp, 120 sp, and 200 cp. The south pedestal creature that enters the cell for the first time on a turn or
conceals 2 pp, 90 gp, 350 sp, and 500 cp. The west pedestal starts its turn there must repeat the saving throw. Because of
holds 10 pp, 630 gp, 7,200 sp, 5,000 cp, and the skeletal the cell’s antimagic field, magic items and spells that provide
remains of an Omuan engineer. resistance to fire offer no protection here.
Extinguishing the Candle. If the candle is extinguished
inside the cell, the antimagic field is dispelled and all creatures
46. Lizard Den in the cell are teleported to one of the other cells, as follows:
If the candle’s flame is doused with water or some other
A six-foot-tall green devil face is carved into the far end liquid, creatures in the cell are teleported to the water
of this hallway, its mouth agape. Painted murals on the cell (area 47B).
walls show faceless humanoid figures doubled over in If the candle’s flame is blown out or smothered by a lack
pain, clutching at their heads and ears. of oxygen (including being ground out against the wall or
floor), creatures are teleported to the air cell (area 47C).
Despite the ominous murals and the devil face carving, this
hall is devoid of traps. Any character who searches the devil
face finds a lizard hiding in the carving’s shallow mouth cavity.
47B. Water Cell
The recipient of an awaken spell cast by a Chultan druid, the You appear in a cell that smells moldy. Its damp walls
lizard has an Intelligence score of 10 and speaks Druidic. The are covered with living snails and oysters, and feature
Company of the Yellow Banner captured it in Omu and sculptural reliefs of tidal waves destroying coastal cities
brought it to the tomb thinking it might be useful for setting and ships. A merfolk skeleton embedded in one wall
off traps. The lizard escaped and wound up here. It doesn’t clutches an iron sconce fitted with a burning red candle.
know what became of its captors and helps the characters any Suddenly, lukewarm water begins to pour into the cell
way it can if they promise to return it to Omu. through rows of tiny holes in the ten-foot-high ceiling.
The candle is a distraction and offers no way out of the cell.
47. Elemental Cells As long as it remains in this cell, the candle burns indefinitely
To reach Shagambi’s tomb (area 48), the adventurers must until extinguished. If taken from the area, it burns down
pass through four cells thematically linked to fire, water, air, normally.
and earth. Unless the characters destroyed him, Withers (see Flood Trap. The water fills the cell at a rate of 1 foot per
area 28) senses when the secret door to area 47A is opened round, taking 10 rounds to fill the room. If the candle is left in
and uses the scrying pool in area 25 to observe the its sconce, the rising water extinguishes it on the fourth round.
adventurers as they contend with the cells. Trying to stuff or block the holes doesn’t stop the water from
An antimagic field fills each cell, rendering magic items pouring in. Because of the cell’s antimagic field, spells and
useless, suppressing ongoing magical effects, and preventing magic items that enable characters to breathe underwater
all spellcasting. See the spell’s description in the Player’s don’t function here. Any character who runs out of air begins
Handbook for full information. to suffocate (see “The Environment” in chapter 8 of the
Player’s Handbook).
47A. Fire Cell Snails and Oysters. There are dozens of snails and oysters
clinging to the walls. A character can use an action to remove
Waves of heat blast out of this cramped cell. The walls an oyster or snail from a wall, crack it open, and eat it. The first
are scribed with relief carvings showing volcanoes time an oyster or snail is removed from a wall, the cell’s
setting cities ablaze. Rows of tiny holes are bored into antimagic field is dispelled. Eating an oyster teleports a
the floor and the ten-foot-high ceiling. A human character (along with his or her possessions) to the air cell
skeleton embedded in the opposite wall holds an iron (area 47C), while eating a snail teleports a character (along
sconce with a burning red candle in it. with his or her possessions) to the earth cell (area 47D).
When the last character leaves the cell, rows of tiny holes
The skeleton is all that remains of a dead Omuan engineer. open in the floor, allowing the water to drain out at a rate of 1
As long as the candle remains in this cell, it burns indefinitely. foot per round.
If taken from the area, it burns down normally.
Secret Door. If Withers is watching, he tries to trap as 47C. Air Cell
many characters as he can in the cell by whispering a
command word that causes the secret door in the south wall to You immediately begin to choke as you are teleported to
slide shut and lock. No keyhole or visible opening mechanism a room with no light, no sound, and no air.
can be found on the secret door. The secret door remains The cell’s antimagic field douses magical lights, and
sealed until the characters escape from the cells or die trying. nonmagical flames are snuffed out because of the lack of
A wedge, spike, or similar object can be used to prevent the oxygen in the room. Creatures that can see in the dark can see
door from closing. the following:
FOOTER 1
rollers with at least 1 hit point remaining lands on an iron
Sculptural reliefs on the walls of this dark cell show
grate 5 feet below the grinders. A stone button is set into one
tornadoes uprooting trees and tearing cities apart. An
of the walls above the grate and is visible only to creatures
aarakocra skeleton embedded in one wall holds an iron
under the rollers. When pressed, the button causes the rollers
sconce bearing an unlit red candle. to stop turning and retract into the walls, allowing creatures
Any creature that requires air to breathe immediately that survived the horrid trap to climb out with a successful DC
begins to suffocate unless it took the precaution of holding its 15 Strength (Athletics) check.
breath before teleporting here (see “The Environment” in The pit is within the cell’s antimagic field, so spells and
chapter 8 of the Player’s Handbook). magical effects that might otherwise allow a character to
Any character who cannot see can use an action to blindly survive the rollers or ascend the pit won’t work.
search the cell by touch, then make a DC 13 Wisdom Secret Door. Any character who searches the medusa bas-
(Perception) check. If the check succeeds, the character relief and succeeds on a DC 11 Wisdom (Perception) check
discerns one key feature of the room: either the wall carvings, notices seams around the carving, suggesting the presence of a
the aarakocra skeleton, or the candle. secret door. A successful check also reveals that the medusa’s
Aarakocra Bones. The aarakocra skeleton embedded in obsidian pendant is a button. The button won’t depress unless
the wall has hollow bones containing stale yet breathable the pit is open. A character can try to unlock the button using
air — each one essentially a tube sealed with wax. A character thieves’ tools, doing so with a successful DC 17 Dexterity check.
with a dagger or similar tool can use an action to pry a bone Pressing the unlocked pendant causes the secret door’s lock to
out of the wall, pierce the wax seal, and inhale the air within. release with a dull clunk, after which the door can be swung
The first time a bone is removed from a wall, the cell’s open to reveal area 48 beyond. The secret door has springs
antimagic field is dispelled. Any character who inhales the air that cause it to close automatically unless it is held or wedged
is teleported (along with his or her possessions) to area 48. open. The door locks when it closes and can be opened only
Unlit Candle. The candle can’t be lit without air, but let from within the cell.
characters waste time trying. The candle is not the means by
which characters can escape the cell. If somehow lit, the candle 48. Shagambi’s Tomb
burns indefinitely as long as it remains in this cell. If taken
from the area, it burns down normally. Each character who teleports into this tomb from area 47C
appears atop a randomly determined teleportation rune (see
47D. Earth Cell “Teleportation Runes” below). Characters can also enter the
tomb through the secret door at area 47D.
The walls of this stone cell are covered with reliefs
showing desert sands swallowing the ruins of This tomb is filled with terracotta warriors, kneeling in
civilization. A bas-relief of a robed medusa dominates neat ranks around a polished wooden coffin. Between
one wall. It wears a stone necklace with an obsidian the warriors, four aisles scattered with broken pottery
pendant and clutches an iron sconce with a burning red lead up to the coffin, whose painted lid shows a leopard
candle in it. Sand begins to fall from tiny holes bored with serpents sprouting from its shoulders.
into the ten-foot-high ceiling, and you hear a rumbling
If intruders are heard within the tomb, the terracotta
noise under the floor.
warriors rise to defend it (see “Terracotta Warriors” below).
The candle can be extinguished and relit, but is of no use to To steal Shagambi’s treasures, characters must move quietly.
characters trying to escape the room. As long as it remains in
this cell, the candle burns indefinitely. If taken from the area, it Advice from the Spirits
burns down normally. Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Unkh or Wongo
Any character who searches the cell and succeeds on a DC receive advice when entering this area:
10 Wisdom (Perception) check notices a seam running down Nervous Unkh suggests that her host leave the tomb at
the middle of the floor from north to south. The seam suggests once using one of the teleportation runes, though she
the existence of a pit trap. can’t decide which rune is best.
Trap. The falling sand fills the room at a rate of 6 inches Impulsive Wongo thinks it’s a good idea to shatter as
per round, turning the floor into difficult terrain after 1 round. many terracotta warriors as possible, as quickly as
Any character who can reach the ceiling can use an action to possible.
stuff a number of holes with cloth or wax, slowing the sand by
1 inch per round. If the sand reaches a depth of 12 inches, the Teleportation Runes
floor splits open along its seam. When the pit opens, half of the Three teleportation runes are scribed on the floor along the
floor swings down to the west and the other half drops to the north, east, and south walls of the tomb. A detect magic spell or
east, and the sand stops falling. A 6-inch-wide ledge surrounds similar effect reveals that each rune has a different aura —
the pit on all sides. Any creature standing on the floor when it strong, steady conjuration magic from the eastern rune;
opens must make a DC 15 Dexterity check; those standing flickering conjuration magic from the northern rune; and a
along the walls have advantage on the check. On a successful combination of conjuration and transmutation magic from the
save, a creature finds purchase on the ledge. A creature that southern rune.
fails the save falls. Whenever a creature teleports into the tomb, roll a d6 to
The 10-foot-deep pit contains two giant stone rollers with determine which rune it arrives on: 1–2, north rune; 3–4, east
interlocking stone teeth. Anything larger than a grain of sand rune; 5–6, south rune. If more than one creature is teleported
gets chewed up between these rollers, taking 132 (24d10) to the same rune, the previous creature is pushed harmlessly
force damage. Any creature reduced to 0 hit points by this off the rune when the new creature appears. Additionally, the
damage is ground to a pulp. A creature that passes through the
FOOTER 1
north rune is malfunctioning, and any creature arriving there the spirit returns to the mandolin and waits for another
takes 18 (4d8) force damage. character to touch it.
Any creature that moves from outside a rune into its space
is instantly teleported to area 50. A creature that uses the
south rune to teleport is also polymorphed into a random
49. Maze of Death
beast, as though it had failed its saving throw against the Stone slabs seal off the entrances to this corner of the
polymorph spell. Roll a d4 to determine the new form: 1, dungeon.
baboon; 2, bat; 3, flying snake; 4, quipper.
49A. Stone Slabs
Terracotta Warriors When the characters reach either entrance, read:
Forty-eight terracotta warriors guard the tomb. Use animated
armor statistics, with these changes:
A stone slab blocks the end of this corridor. Painted on
Each terracotta warrior wields a shortsword. As an the slab is the image of a gaunt male humanoid wearing
action, it can attack twice with the weapon (+4 to hit), a hooded cloak, its face a mask of stars. The figure’s
dealing 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage on a hit. withered left hand is raised with palm extended.
If a critical hit is scored against a terracotta warrior, it The stone slabs are impervious to damage and spells, and
shatters and is destroyed. they are fitted so snugly that even creatures in gaseous form
The terracotta warriors remain perfectly still and pose no can’t slip past them. If any character stands in front of a slab
threat as long as the tomb remains relatively quiet. If any and raises his or her left hand with palm extended, both slabs
character talks loudly, steps on a piece of broken pottery, or open at the same time, regardless of any efforts taken to
makes any other equivalent noise while in the tomb, read: prevent them from doing so. When this happens, read:
All the terracotta warriors turn their heads to face you. The slab sinks into the floor, revealing a dusty
As one, they pull their swords a few inches from their passageway beyond. Relief carvings on the walls depict
scabbards. crowds of humanoids fleeing a black star in the sky, with
rays of light extending from it to turn those they strike to
After this single warning, the terracotta warriors attack if
dust.
they hear any other noise. Without the use of magic, any
creature walking through the tomb must succeed on a DC 12 If the stone slabs are raised up to seal off the exits once
Dexterity (Stealth) check to remain quiet. Moving through more (see area 49C), characters within the maze see a second
pottery shards imposes disadvantage on the check. Once image on the inner surface of each slab:
roused into action, the terracotta warriors attack all the
creatures in the tomb. Painted on the inside of the slab is a male humanoid
wearing a hooded cloak, once again with stars where his
Coffin face should be. The figure holds up his right arm, which
Shagambi’s coffin is trapped but not locked. When its lid is is severed neatly at the elbow.
opened, a music box inside the coffin is activated, rousing the This image is visible only while the slabs are in their raised
terracotta warriors if they can hear its haunting melody (even positions. From inside the maze, a character can make both
if the adventurers have been silent up to that point). Any slabs sink back down into the floor by standing in front of
character who succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) either slab while holding up his or her right arm — as long as
check while gently lifting the coffin lid spots the trap’s trigger that arm has been severed at the elbow. It doesn’t matter how
wire, which can then be cut with thieves’ tools and a successful the arm is cut off, but sticking it in the sphere of annihilation in
DC 12 Dexterity check. The music box is activated on a failed area 49B is one way to do it.
check.
The bones of a kamadan (Shagambi’s animal form; see 49B. Green Devil Face
appendix D) are bound in cloth inside the sarcophagus, along
with valuables (see “Treasure” below). A green stone face of devilish countenance protrudes
from the wall. The devil’s mouth is agape and filled with
Treasure darkness.
The following treasures are heaped around Shagambi’s
bones: 200 gp, five moonstones (50 gp each), the fine music
box activated by the trap (250 gp), and an instrument of the
bards (Canaith mandolin). The instrument turns to dust and is
destroyed if it leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods (but see "Lost
Treasures").
Shagambi’s Spirit. The spirit of Shagambi tries to inhabit
any character who touches the mandolin (see "Spirits of the
Nine Trickster Gods"). When Shagambi’s spirit manifests, read:
Six shadowy serpents slither out of the mandolin and
coil around your body. You hear a purring voice in your
mind say, “I am not your enemy.”
If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the
player Shagambi’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails,
FOOTER 1
The devil face is 6 feet tall, with a mouth 2 feet in diameter. sees its reflection must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving
A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of throw or be imprisoned within one of the mirror’s twelve
transmutation magic on the face. extradimensional cells, along with anything it is wearing or
The darkness within the mouth is a sphere of annihilation, carrying. Constructs automatically succeed on the saving
which can’t be controlled or moved. Any character who stands throw.
within 5 feet of the sphere can hear a faint whisper emanating The mirror currently has three vacant cells. If the mirror
from it. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check allows traps a creature when its twelve cells are already occupied, it
a character to make out words in Abyssal that translate as releases one trapped creature at random to accommodate the
follows: “Darkness is coming for you. Your doom is at hand.” new prisoner. The Prisoners of the Mirror table lists the
mirror’s current prisoners and summarizes how they react if
49C. Black Opal Crown set free or spoken to. Otherwise, roleplay them as you see fit.
The mirror has two command words. Speaking the word
In this central open space, a gold crown topped with a “Khomara” while standing within 5 feet of the mirror
glittering black opal rests on a marble pedestal. deactivates or reactivates it. (The mirror can’t trap creatures
If any creature removes the crown from the pedestal, two while deactivated.) Speaking the word “Blackfire” along with a
things happen simultaneously: cell number frees the creature trapped in that cell.
The stone slabs in area 49A rise up to seal off both exits Casting an identify spell on the mirror reveals its command
from the maze. words and magical properties. The command words are also
Two bodaks (see appendix D) magically emerge from the written in the spellbook found in area 28.
sphere of annihilation in area 49B, seemingly unaffected
by it, and begin scouring the maze for prey. Any creature Destroying the Mirror
killed by the bodaks is dragged back to the sphere and If the mirror is destroyed, all creatures trapped within it
tossed into it. The bodaks crawl back into the sphere only are released at once. (See chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s
if they’re satisfied that there’s nothing left in the maze to Guide for the mirror’s statistics.) Rather than running combat
kill. with so many creatures, assume that only the invisible
Treasure. The Black Opal Crown is worth 5,000 gp but can stalker and the troll attack the party initially. The other
fetch up to four times that value if sold at auction in any major creatures react to their liberation by turning on one another or
city. For more information on this item, see "Fabled running away, as follows:
Treasures." Lukanu and Zaal attack the gargoyle, destroying it in 4
rounds, and then help the characters deal with the
invisible stalker and the troll.
50. Mirror of Life Trapping The stirge attacks A’tan, killing him in 1 round. After
Any creature teleported here from area 48 appears in a draining A’tan’s blood, the stirge flies away to digest its
random spot near the center of the room and facing west, meal.
much to its peril. The doppelganger tries to flee but doesn’t go far, hoping
that the characters survive and returning to thank them
This dusty room is fifteen feet square and empty except if they prevail.
for an ornate, rectangular mirror mounted on the wall Tlad Xolbrys uses his magic to help the characters unless
opposite the room’s only exit. it looks like they’re near defeat, whereupon the drow
turns against them.
Attached to the west wall with sovereign glue is a mirror of
life trapping. Any creature within 30 feet of the mirror that
Prisoners of the Mirror
Cell Prisoner Notes Reaction if Released
1 A’tan (CN male Chultan Omuan merchant trapped shortly Follows his liberators around,
human commoner) after the fall of Omu; driven insane by talking nonsense
his long incarceration
2 — — —
3 Invisible stalker Mirror guardian Tries to kill whoever released it,
and vanishes if it succeeds
4 Zaal (minotaur) Trapped by Acererak shortly after Attacks any other creature it sees
Omu’s fall except Lukanu, whom it obeys
5 — — —
6 Yraggath (troll) Driven insane by its captivity Attacks anything it can eat
7 Tlad Xolbrys (NE male A visitor to Omu who was trapped Aids or betrays his liberators to
drow mage) during the construction of the Tomb ensure his own survival
of the Nine Gods
8 Pox (doppelganger) Disguised as a male human Tries to join the party and stay out
adventurer named Biff Longsteel; of harm’s way
followed the Company of the Yellow
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Banner into the tomb
9 Giant four-armed gargoyle Mirror guardian Attacks all other creatures, then
(see appendix D) stands guard next to the mirror
10 — — —
11 Lukanu (N female Chultan Bodyguard to Queen Napaka of Helps her liberators, but won’t
champion; see appendix D) Omu, trapped during the city’s fall; leave Omu until she learns what
wears scorpion armor (see appendix happened to Queen Napaka (see area
C) 53)
12 Stirge Trapped when it flew toward the Attacks the nearest warm-blooded
mirror creature
FOOTER 1
image of a human male (the late Lord Brixton, whose remains queen’s courage — not enough to spare her life or honor her
can be found in area 63) choking on poisonous gas. The other request, but enough to place her in a special crypt.
two artists are in the process of painting images that capture A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals auras of
the player characters’ harrowing exploits in the tomb thus far. evocation magic around the golden sun and the bejeweled
(Choose memorable moments in which one or more party cockroach (see “Treasure” below).
members were badly wounded or killed.) The lid of the black sarcophagus bears a name etched in
The undead artists have the statistics of zombies, with Common: NAPAKA. The lid is sealed with strips of melted lead
these changes: that can be easily pried away. Once the lead is removed, the lid
Instead of darkvision, each artist has blindsight out to a can be pushed aside with a successful DC 15 Strength
range of 30 feet. The artists are blind beyond this radius (Athletics) check. The interior of the sarcophagus is lined with
and immune to the blinded condition. lead and contains several treasures (see “Treasure” below).
They have no effective attacks and are worth 0 XP.
If the characters turn or destroy any of the artists, a Golden Sun
tyrannosaurus zombie (see appendix D) bursts up from a Whenever the sun or its chain are touched or damaged, the
cavity beneath the floor and attacks, leaving a 20-foot sun’s smile fades to an inscrutable expression, and it emits
diameter hole and shattered floor tiles behind. While it’s too tremendous heat in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on itself.
big to squeeze down any 5-foot-wide corridors, it can easily Any creature that starts its turn in the area takes 10 (3d6) fire
traverse the wider passageway to the east. damage. This effect ends if all creatures leave the affected area.
The first time the queen’s remains or any of her treasures
Throne of Acererak are removed from the sarcophagus, the sun’s expression turns
The throne is made from the skin and bones of slain Omuan angry as it emits rays of searing light. Each creature within 30
warriors, and the skulls of Omuan children are piled around it. feet of the sun that doesn’t have total cover against it must
The skull atop the throne once belonged to a minotaur succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be struck by a
guardian of Omu named Karagos. Any creature that touches ray, which deals 42 (12d6) fire damage.
the skull or sits in the throne must succeed on a DC 16
Charisma saving throw or become cursed with the Rage of The sun and its chain are treated as a single Small object
Karagos. When cursed, the creature gains 50 temporary hit with AC 15; 22 hit points; and immunity to fire, poison, and
points and goes berserk. Until the curse is lifted, the victim is psychic damage. The sun loses its magical properties when it
forced to attack the nearest creature it can see with melee shoots its rays or is destroyed.
attacks. It can’t make ranged attacks or cast spells, and if it
can’t see any creatures to attack, it does nothing. The curse Treasure
ends if the berserk creature drops to 0 hit points, or if a The jewelry box and the sarcophagus contain treasure.
greater restoration or remove curse spell is cast on it. When the Jewelry Box. The cockroach-shaped jewelry box is made of
curse ends, the temporary hit points granted by it disappear. gold, set with precious gems (including tiny black pearls for its
Acererak’s Scepter. The scepter on the throne is made of eyes), and worth 1,500 gp. It weighs 5 pounds and contains
solid iron and has an adamantine head. It is nonmagical, two items: a small jade key shaped like a crocodile (designed
weighs 12 pounds, and can be wielded as a mace. Its magical to fit in the keyhole in area 62B) and a necklace of fireballs
twin is hidden in area 53. with eight beads remaining. Acererak placed a curse on the
necklace, which can be revealed by an identify spell.
Secret Doors When any creature dons the cursed necklace, all its beads
Behind the statue in the northwest alcove, a secret door leads detonate at once. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere
to area 53. The door is slightly ajar, and any character who centered on the exploding necklace must make a DC 15
searches the alcove finds it. Dexterity saving throw, taking 56 (16d6) fire damage on a
A properly closed secret door in the southeast corner of failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The
the room leads to a spiral staircase going up and down (area wearer of the necklace fails the saving throw automatically. A
26). remove curse spell or similar magic removes the curse from
the necklace.
53. Crypt of the Sun Queen Sarcophagus. The sarcophagus contains the magically
preserved remains of Queen Napaka. She wears the tattered
remnants of a black gown and a hornet mask made of painted
The walls of this room are adorned with tile mosaics of gold (250 gp).
a jungle city intermingled with frescoes of flowering In her left hand, Napaka holds an iron scepter with an
plants, birds, insects, and humans wearing gold skirts adamantine head, which is lighter than it appears (5 pounds).
and carrying spears and ornate jugs. The ceiling is A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of
painted to look like a clear blue sky. A small bejeweled transmutation magic around the scepter, which can be used to
cockroach rests atop a sarcophagus of black basalt in destroy the stone juggernaut in area 62. Casting an identify,
the middle of the room. A two-foot-diameter orb legend lore, or similar spell on the scepter reveals that its
hanging from a chain above the sarcophagus is made of singular purpose is to destroy a construct named after Napaka.
hammered gold to resemble a smiling sun. If the scepter is removed and not immediately replaced
After Acererak slew the trickster gods of Omu and with its nonmagical twin from area 52, or if Napaka’s remains
enslaved the city, Napaka, the city’s elderly queen, chose not to are removed from their resting place, the queen’s corpse
flee, and instead offered herself as a sacrifice in exchange for opens its mouth in a wide yawn and exhales a baleful black gas
the release of her people. Acererak was impressed by the that fills a 15-foot cube centered on it. Each creature in the
area must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 45
FOOTER 1
(7d12) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much 54C. Acid Pit
damage on a successful one. The walls of this 10-foot-deep pit are lined with thick glass,
and the pit is filled with green acid to a depth of 5 feet. The
Questioning Napaka pit’s lid is crafted of interlocking stone tiles that fall apart
Queen Napaka has been dead for more than a century. If a beneath 100 pounds or more of weight. Any character who
speak with dead spell is cast on her corpse, the characters can searches the floor notices the unusual stonework and smells
ask it questions about Omu and receive honest answers. the acid below with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception)
Napaka came to believe that the gods of Omu were not truly check.
divine beings but rather trickster spirits that had fooled the A creature in the area of the pit when the floor collapses
Omuan people into worshiping them. The queen remembers can avoid a fall and grab the edge of the pit with a successful
Acererak killing the trickster gods and enslaving the Omuans, DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. The saving throw is made with
but she knows nothing about the Tomb of the Nine Gods, disadvantage if the character was unaware of the pit. Any
which was built after her death. She knows that a few creature that enters the acid for the first time on a turn or
members of the royal family fled Omu, but she is unaware that starts its turn there takes 66 (12d10) acid damage. The walls
the aarakocra are sheltering her great-grandchildren at Kir of the pit are too smooth to climb without the aid of magic or
Sabal. Napaka knows that her grandmother, Zalkoré, climbing gear.
languishes in the ruins of Nangalore. The pit’s acid can be safely contained in glass vials if the
Even in death, Napaka pines for Omu to be reborn and characters have any at hand, and can then be used as the acid
repopulated. However, what she desires above all is the in chapter 5, “Equipment,” of the Player’s Handbook.
destruction of Acererak.
FOOTER 1
If a crystal key is inserted when the sarcophagus and the
You stand within a fifteen-foot-high passageway walled
key are not the same color, the key is teleported back to the
by smooth, featureless stone, which is lit by torches and
maze and the sarcophagus remains sealed.
shrouded by fog. There’s no ceiling, and when you look
up, you see a distorted view of the room you left behind. Treasure
Characters standing near the wall carving can see The sarcophagus is filled with salt, within which are buried ten
characters trapped in the maze but can’t hear them. Similarly, opalescent bracelets (75 gp each) made from the shell of a flail
characters in the maze can see giant, distorted versions of any snail (Unkh’s animal form; see appendix D) and a robe of
creatures standing within 10 feet of the wall carving, but they scintillating colors. The robe turns to dust and is destroyed if it
can’t hear anything outside the maze. leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods (but see "Lost Treasures").
The configuration of the maze constantly changes to Unkh’s Spirit. The spirit of Unkh tries to inhabit any
ensure that characters within it remain separated and unable character who touches the robe of scintillating colors (see
to find each other. Visibility within the maze is limited to 20 "Spirits of the Nine Trickster Gods"). When Unkh’s spirit
feet because of the churning fog. Spells that are altered within manifests, read:
the tomb are similarly altered in the maze (see "Spell
Slime pours from the folds of the scintillating robe to
Restrictions").
take the form of multiple flail-like pseudopods. A female
The walls of the maze can be climbed with a successful DC
20 Strength (Athletics) check. Any character who climbs to the
voice echoes through the chamber: “I can help you. At
top of the walls or flies beyond them is expelled from the maze,
least, I think that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
taking 22 (5d8) force damage and reappearing with a loud pop If the spirit successfully inhabits the character, give the
in an unoccupied space near the wall carving. player Unkh’s card (see appendix F). If the attempt fails, the
Finding a Key. Any character in the maze can spend time spirit returns to the robe and waits for another character to
exploring it. At the end of each turn spent exploring the maze, touch it.
roll percentile dice and use the Maze Discoveries table to
determine what, if anything, the character finds. Any character Acererak’s Gift
who finds a crystal key and picks it up is teleported to an The character who retrieves the crystal key used to open
unoccupied space next to Unkh’s sarcophagus, along with all Unkh’s sarcophagus receives a supernatural gift from Acererak
gear and possessions. that varies based on the key’s color. The character becomes
aware of the gift when Acererak’s arcane sigil appears
Maze Discoveries somewhere on his or her body. The source of the gift cannot be
confirmed without consulting a higher power, but the mark
d100 Discovery can be removed with a lesser restoration spell or similar magic.
01–70 Nothing These gifts otherwise follow the rules for charms in “Other
Rewards,” chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
71–75 Skeletal remains of an Omuan child
Black Key. The recipient gains a charm of nine lives. When
76–84 Minotaur that fights to the death you drop to 0 hit points as a result of taking damage, you can
85–87 Blue crystal key choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Once used nine times, the
charm goes away.
88–90 Gold crystal key Blue Key. The recipient gains a charm of the crystal heart.
91–93 Purple crystal key This charm grants you immunity to piercing and slashing
94–96 Green crystal key damage from nonmagical attacks, but you gain vulnerability to
bludgeoning damage. These effects last for 10 days, after
97–99 Red crystal key which the charm vanishes from you.
00 Black crystal key Gold Key. The recipient gains a charm of treasure sense.
While this charm lasts, you can use an action to pinpoint, by
scent, the location of precious metals and stones, such as coins
Sarcophagus and gems, within 30 feet of you. The effect lasts for 3 days,
Any character who examines the sarcophagus notices a tiny
after which the charm vanishes from you.
keyhole carved into its lid. The keyhole does not penetrate to
Green Key. The recipient gains a charm of the swollen hag.
the interior of the sarcophagus, and there are no mechanisms
This charm allows you to spit up a frog as an action. The frog
within it to pick or disarm. The sarcophagus is impervious to
understands you and obeys your commands. Once used three
damage and spells.
times, the charm goes away.
The crystal sarcophagus changes color every 6 seconds,
Purple Key. The recipient gains a charm of the maimed.
shifting through the following repeating cycle: blue, gold,
This charm allows you to regrow a lost appendage or organ,
purple, green, red, black. If a crystal key claimed from the
such as an arm, a foot, or an eye. After it is used once, the
maze is inserted into the keyhole when the sarcophagus and
charm goes away.
the key are the same color, the sarcophagus lid disappears,
Red Key. The recipient gains a charm of the ghoul. This
and the contents of the sarcophagus are revealed (see
charm allows you to use an action to eat a mouthful of flesh
“Treasure” below). At the same time, the character who from a humanoid that has been dead no longer than 1 day.
retrieved the key from the maze receives a supernatural gift
When you do, you regain 3d8 + 3 hit points. Once used three
from a mysterious benefactor (see “Acererak’s Gift” below).
times, the charm goes away.
FOOTER 1
56. Grandfather Clock An otyugh feeds on the corpses and is presently buried
under the heap in the southwest corner. Any character who
Any character approaching this room hears a rhythmic ticking succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check spots the
sound from within. creature’s eyestalk poking up above the reeking mass. The
otyugh eagerly attacks a lone character but avoids
This room contains a wooden cabinet with a numbered confrontations with multiple enemies. Once killed, the otyugh
dial at its top set with two ornate metal spokes. Beneath is not replaced.
the dial, a pendulum swings inside an open
compartment. An egg-shaped stone adorns the Green Devil Face
pendulum's tip.
The 8-foot-high devil face protrudes from the north wall. Any
This long-case clock radiates an aura of transmutation close inspection reveals that its nostrils contain hollow
magic to a detect magic spell or similar effect. cavities, each one containing a stone lever. A pulled lever locks
into place and can’t be moved until it resets.
Advice from the Spirits Pulling the lever in the left nostril causes the mouth of the
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Unkh or Wongo devil face to open wide, revealing a gullet filled with
receive advice when entering this area: impenetrable darkness that pulls in everything in the room.
Indecisive Unkh is struck by the technological wonder of Initiative should be rolled for all creatures in the area. Any
the clock and wants to stay and marvel at its beauty. creature that starts its turn in the room and isn’t secured in
Deranged Wongo finds the ticking of the clock oddly some fashion must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw
soothing and urges his host to stay for a while. or be pulled into the gullet and destroyed. If a character fails
the saving throw, another character within reach, or any
Clock character bound to the first character by a rope, can use his or
Bronze chimes within the clock ring at the top of each hour. her reaction to grab on and grant the first character a reroll.
Any creature within 30 feet of the clock when it strikes the top After 1 minute, the lever resets with an audible clunk. The
of the hour must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw gullet remains open until the lever resets. Magic has no effect
or age by ten years. The effect can be reversed by a greater on the gullet or the darkness within.
restoration spell, but only within 24 hours of it occurring. Pulling the lever in the right nostril causes the devil’s eyes
When characters first arrive, assume the time is 5d10 + 5 to glow red as all living creatures in the room (including the
minutes past the hour. otyugh, if it’s still alive) are teleported in front of the devil face
An invisible locked metal door shields the compartment at area 5B, along with whatever they are wearing or carrying.
containing the clock’s pendulum. The invisibility effect on the The lever then resets.
door can’t be dispelled, but the keyhole can be located by If the characters return to this room at a later time, the
touch. The invisible key from the treasure chest in area 54A effects of the levers are reversed.
opens the lock, as does a knock spell. To pick the lock, a
character must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity check made Level 5: Gears of Hate
using thieves’ tools. If the character thinks to blow powdered Map 5.5 shows this level of the dungeon. The Soulmonger
chalk, dust, or a similar substance into the lock to highlight its draws power from the machinery on this level. The rumbling
gears, the check is made with advantage. of that machinery echoes throughout all areas here, setting up
tremors in the riveted metal panels that clad many of the walls,
Treasure floors, and ceilings. The malign influence of an aboleth also
The egg-shaped jewel fixed to the tip of the pendulum is pollutes this level.
the fabled Navel of the Moon. The fist-sized stone is worth
2,500 gp but can fetch up to three times that value if sold at Aboleth Slime
auction in any major city. For more information on this item, Puddles of viscid gray slime cover the floor in some areas,
see "Fabled Treasures." as marked on map 5.5. These areas are difficult terrain, and
If the egg is removed from the pendulum, the clock loses any creature that starts its turn in a puddle of slime or comes
its magical properties and stops working. into contact with it for the first time on a turn takes 5 (1d10)
psychic damage. A slime puddle is destroyed if it takes any
57. Oubliette cold, radiant, or necrotic damage. It is immune to all other
types of damage.
Any creature that tries to magically transport itself out of
the tomb arrives here instead. Great Stone Gears
You arrive in a room half-filled with rotting corpses. Areas 58, 59, and 60 are constructed within giant stone
Protruding from one wall is a large green devil’s face, its gears. When the characters arrive on this level for the first
flared nostrils set just above the putrescent mass. A time, the gear rooms are configured as shown on map 5.5.
sconce above the face holds a flickering torch. Thereafter, the rooms can be rotated using the controls in area
61. Their ceilings are disconnected from the walls, allowing
The torch burns with a continual flame spell, illuminating
the chambers to turn without reorienting the ceilings or the
the humanoid corpses that fill the room to a depth of 6 feet
shaft in area 58.
and make the area difficult terrain. As needed, Acererak’s
magic draws new corpses here from graveyards across the
world, all in various states of decay.
FOOTER 1
58. Cog of Rot puddle of gray slime in the middle of it. Friezes along
each wall just beneath the ceiling depict five black
dragons.
A pungent stench fills this pentagonal room, the walls of
which are covered with riveted sheets of iron. A wild Gouts of acid are meant to rain down from the mouths of
garden full of sickly plants and rotting compost takes up the dragon friezes whenever this room is rotated by the
most of the interior, and a narrow path hugs the walls controls in area 61, but the acid compartments in the ceiling
between two exits. Jutting from the middle of the garden are currently empty. Consequently, nothing happens when the
is a six-foot-tall rusty sprinkler. In the ceiling above the room turns. Any character who can get close enough to the
sprinkler, a ten-foot-wide shaft leads straight up. ceiling to examine the friezes notices tiny holes in the dragons’
mouths.
Whenever this room is rotated by the controls in area 61,
the sprinkler draws water from the underground lake (area 65)
to spray the plants in the room. Magic keeps the plants alive 60. Cog of Blood
despite the lack of sunlight.
If the cogs are turned so that one of the doorways lines up Five teak wardrobes stand against the ironclad walls of
with area 63 to the north, gas from that area billows into the this chamber, each with a door bearing a carved image
garden and transforms random piles of compost into three or scene. Puddles of gray slime cover parts of the floor.
shambling mounds, which rise up and attack any other The room has two exits, including an adamantine
creatures in the room. After 1 hour, the shambling mounds portcullis blocking a passage to the north. Set into a
revert to dead compost. metal plate above the portcullis is a row of five red
The shaft in the ceiling ascends 15 feet to area 45. To scale crystals shaped like drops of blood.
the smooth walls of the shaft, a character needs a climbing
The adamantine portcullis is impervious to damage and
gear or magic.
spells, and its bars are spaced 4 inches apart. A Tiny or
gaseous creature can slip between the bars easily.
59. Cog of Acid To raise the portcullis, monsters from all five wardrobes
must be summoned and slain in this room. Only one wardrobe
An acidic stench fills this pentagonal chamber, which can be opened at a time, and until that wardrobe’s monsters
has two exits. The walls are covered with riveted sheets are defeated, all other wardrobes in the room are sealed and
of iron, and the pockmarked stone floor has a large unopenable. When all of a wardrobe’s monsters die, the
wardrobe disappears and one of the red crystals above the
FOOTER 1
portcullis lights up. When all five crystals are lit, the portcullis
Waves of heat assail you as the door opens, revealing an
rises and remains up for 24 hours. Once this duration ends, the
iron road leading to a basalt citadel surrounded by the
portcullis lowers back into place, the crystals go dark, and the
charred remains of defeated armies. Prisoners scream
wardrobes reappear with their doors closed.
from iron gibbets that festoon the citadel walls.
Each wardrobe contains a one-way gate to another plane, Suddenly, a single glowing ember flies out of the
which deactivates if the wardrobe is removed from this wardrobe and transforms into a winged, bony fiend with
chamber or destroyed. Any creature attempting to pass a smiling, skull-like visage.
through a wardrobe’s gate from this side is forced back and Opening the wardrobe summons a bone devil. When it
cannot enter. dies, its body transforms into a pool of stinking ichor.
Each wardrobe weighs 250 pounds, stands 6½ feet tall,
and radiates an aura of conjuration magic to a detect magic Shadowfell Wardrobe
spell or similar effect. A wardrobe is a Medium object with AC The scene on this door depicts ghouls gnawing on bones.
11, 30 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. When the door is opened, read:
Acheron Wardrobe You gaze out across an ancient cemetery, its canted
The scene on this door depicts an army of orcs clashing with tombstones shrouded in fog. Eerie, hungry shapes
an army of hobgoblins. When the door is opened, read: move among the graves in the distance. Suddenly,
bright glowing balls of light appear in the room behind
Dust and smoke billow from the wardrobe, and the air you.
around you sounds out with the roar of battle. Beyond
the doors, armies fight under a blood-red sky that has Opening the wardrobe summons four will-o’-wisps, which
an iron cube floating in it like a huge, distant moon. are invisible until they attack. Nothing remains of them when
Clouds of ash suddenly fly out of the wardrobe, they are destroyed.
transforming into screaming orcs before your eyes.
Opening the wardrobe summons an orc war chief and 61. Control Room
seven orcs. Their bodies, armor, and weapons remain in this
chamber when they die. A four-foot-high, seven-foot-wide iron lectern in the
middle of this rusty, iron-plated room is topped by a
Gehenna Wardrobe slanted control panel. Set into the control panel are a
This door depicts a grinning night hag with a swaddled human gold lever with a star-shaped handle, two dials in red
infant in her arms. When it is opened, read: and blue, and two buttons of the same colors. Wall
engravings behind the control panel show five groups of
The door opens above the caldera of an active volcano. circles, with a small crystal embedded in the wall under
Shards of black rock float above the molten magma. each one. The crystal under the configuration labeled
Perched atop one shard are two man-sized creatures “3” glows bright green. Three six-inch-diameter rusty
with insectoid features and four arms apiece. iron pipes jut from the wall above the engravings.
Opening the wardrobe reveals two mezzoloths, which When the characters reach this room, give the players a
teleport into the room and attack. When a mezzoloth dies, its copy of handout 24 in appendix E. It shows the control panel
body transforms into wisps of oily smoke, though its trident atop the iron lectern, as well as the wall engravings and rusty
remains. pipes. Inspection of the pipes reveals traces of the same gray
slime found in puddles throughout this level.
Mechanus Wardrobe
This door is carved to depict the face of an ornate clock. When Advice from the Spirits
the door is opened, read: Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Papazotl, Unkh, or
Enormous interlocking gears and cogs stretch as far as Wongo receive advice when entering this area:
you can see. Suddenly, a spherical construct with Shrewd Papazotl asserts that the blue controls are
spindly legs and small wings tumbles through the open helpful and the red controls are baleful. (This is pure
doorway. guesswork on his part.)
Fretful Unkh thinks she can figure out what the controls
Opening the wardrobe summons a clueless, disoriented do by studying them. If her host allows her an hour of
monodrone that lands prone at the characters’ feet. It then study and contemplation, she concludes that the controls
tries to right itself and reenter the wardrobe, but is rebuffed are a mystery and should be left alone.
by the wardrobe’s magic. The modron fights only in self- Violent Wongo urges his host to smash the controls.
defense and disintegrates if destroyed.
Concealed Crawlway
Nine Hells Wardrobe A hidden crawlway runs from the underside of the lectern to
The scene on this door depicts twisted, screaming humanoid area 70, but it cannot be accessed from inside this chamber.
faces wrapped in chains. When the door is opened, read: Any character who enters the crawlway from area 70
discovers a stone lever in the wall at the south end of the
crawlway. Pulling the lever slides the lectern aside to reveal an
access point.
FOOTER 1
Control Panel communication is telepathic, all participants can understand
The control panel is a Medium object with AC 15, a damage one another even if they don’t speak the same language.
threshold of 10, 15 hit points, and immunity to poison and Roleplay the aboleth using the information in area 65.
psychic damage. Destroying the panel disables the controls The aboleth is accustomed to speaking only with Withers
and causes arcs of lightning to momentarily erupt from the and refers to the wight by his original name of Gorra. If the
iron lectern. Each creature in the room must succeed on a DC characters activate the telepathic link, the first thought the
16 Dexterity saving throw or be struck by lightning, taking 11 aboleth sends is an exasperated, “What now, Gorra?” Once the
(2d10) lightning damage. aboleth realizes it’s telepathically linked to strangers, it wants
The controls atop the iron lectern have no labels, so their to know all about them for no reason other than to satisfy its
purpose must be discovered with experimentation. curiosity.
Blue Dial. This dial can be turned to the left or right, and it
snaps back to center if released. The blue dial determines Cog Configurations
which wall crystal is lit. Currently, the crystal under Handout 24 (see appendix E) shows the five different
configuration 3 is illuminated. If the dial is turned, the configurations for this level of the dungeon:
currently lit crystal goes out and the crystal to the left or right Configuration 1. Open doorways connect area 58 to areas
(the direction the dial is turned) lights up. 60 and 63. Area 59 is cut off, as are exits to areas 61, 62, and
Blue Button. Pushing the blue button orients the cog 67.
rooms (areas 58 through 60) to match whichever
configuration has its crystal lit. The entire level trembles as the Configuration 2. An open doorway connects areas 58 and
giant cogs rotate. If the blue button is pushed while the cog 63, but a doorway leading to area 59 ends in a blank wall. Area
rooms are rotating or already in their proper configuration, 60 is also cut off, as are exits to areas 61, 62, 67, and 68.
nothing happens.
Gold Lever. The lever begins in the up position. If pulled to Configuration 3. As shown on map 5.5.
the down position, the lever locks in place and aboleth slime
(see "Aboleth Slime") begins to pour into the room through the Configuration 4. An open doorway connects area 58 to
iron pipes above the wall engraving. If the pipes are plugged area 62. Area 59 and area 60 are cut off, as are exits to areas
with cloth before the lever is pulled, the slime is prevented 61, 67, and 68.
from flowing into the room, but the pipes can’t be stuffed
while slime is pouring out of them. Configuration 5. Open doorways connect areas 59 and 61,
The slime covers the floor to a depth of 1 inch per round. If as well as areas 60 and 67. Area 58 is cut off, as are exits to
the crawlway to area 70 is exposed (see “Concealed Crawlway” areas 62 and 68.
above), the slime does not accumulate in the room and instead
pours into the crawlspace.
The lever’s locking mechanism can be released with a
62. Stone Juggernaut
successful DC 15 Dexterity check made by a character using This area is a dead end — in more ways than one.
thieves’ tools. If released, the lever automatically shifts to the
up position, shutting the valves in the pipes and stopping the 62A. “Awaken Napaka!”
flow of slime. The lever can be torn from the console with a
successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check, which has the This hall is choked with dust and cobwebs. Up ahead,
same effect. flickering lights dimly illuminate a larger hall running
The gold lever has another function, which is revealed in perpendicular to this one. Where the two halls meet,
area 67. words have been scrawled on the ceiling in dried blood.
Red Button. Pushing the red button causes a 6-inch-thick
A secret door in the west wall slides open to reveal a dark
wall of iron to drop from the ceiling in the doorway, sealing off
tunnel leading to areas 26 and 66. At the spot marked X on
the east exit. Any creature in the doorway when the wall drops
map 5.5, bloody words on the ceiling read, “AWAKEN
must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a successful
NAPAKA!”
save, the creature is pushed to one side of the barrier or the
other (its choice). On a failed save, the creature is pinned
under the wall, falls prone, and takes 44 (8d10) bludgeoning
62B. Sloped Hall
damage. A pinned creature is restrained, can’t stand up, and Large puddles of gray slime spread across the floor of
takes 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage at the start of each of its this ten-foot-wide, gently sloping hallway. Candles flicker
turns until it crawls out from under the door or another on riveted sconces, casting dim light across a sequence
creature pulls it free, either of which requires an action and a of sculpted reliefs depicting humanoids with bestial
successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check. The iron wall heads kneeling before a black star. At the lower end of
remains locked in place for 1 hour, after which it rises back the hall, a thick purple drape hangs wall to wall. At the
into the ceiling on its own. It can't be lifted or pried open, upper end, the hallway terminates.
though a knock spell causes it to retract into the ceiling. While
the iron wall is down, pushing the red button has no effect. The hall slopes down toward area 62C. Area 62D lies to the
Red Dial. This dial can be turned to the left or right, and it west, behind a secret door that spans the entire wall (see that
snaps back to center if released. Turning the dial to the left area for more information).
establishes a two-way telepathic link between the creatures in Candles. Six magic candles are spaced 10 feet apart on
this room and the aboleth in area 65. Turning the dial to the alternate sides of the hallway. The candles don’t burn down as
right ends the link. The telepathic link to the aboleth also ends long as they remain in this area.
for any creature that leaves the control room. Because the
FOOTER 1
Secret Crawlway. Hidden behind a bas-relief depicting a 62D by the sacrifice of the gems. If the ruby is plucked from
crocodile-headed humanoid holding up a trapezoidal chest, a the gargoyle’s hand, the statue magically opens its mouth and
crawlway leads to area 62D. Close inspection of the relief exhales a cloud of soporific gas that fills the eastern 15 feet of
reveals that the chest’s keyhole is real. The jade key found in the hall. At the same time, the secret door at the west end of
area 53 can be used to unlock the relief and swing it open, the hallway slides open, and the stone juggernaut in area 62D
revealing the crawlway. The lock can also be picked with a rolls down the corridor.
successful DC 21 Dexterity check made by a character using Each creature in the gas cloud that is not immune to the
thieves’ tools. But if the check fails by 5 or more, the secret poisoned condition must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution
door in the west wall slides open to release the stone saving throw or fall unconscious for 1 hour. The effect ends on
juggernaut (see “Napaka Awakens” in area 62D). a creature that takes damage.
FOOTER 1
and it doesn’t have room in the hallway to turn. It attacks by
The walls of this grotto are slick with slime, and the air
rolling forward and backward.
reeks of decay. Filthy water tumbles down from a hole in
Hidden in the tomb of the real Napaka (area 53) is a magic
the ceiling, then courses along a rough-hewn tunnel
scepter, the adamantine head of which reduces the juggernaut
to 0 hit points and turns it to dust on contact. While the
toward a murky lake. The din of machinery echoes from
juggernaut is inert, no attack roll is needed to strike it with the that direction.
scepter. If the juggernaut has been awakened, a character can Climbing the slimy walls requires a successful DC 15
use the scepter to make a melee weapon attack against the Strength (Athletics) check. The water here is 30 feet deep.
juggernaut, reducing it to 0 hit points and turning it to dust on Characters who allow themselves to be carried by the current
a hit. are swept gently into area 65.
Treasure. Unless it has been teleported to area 62C, a
lustrous, spiked ruby as big as a human fist sits on a stone
shelf that juts from the west wall of the room. This gemstone is 65. Underground Lake
the fabled Eye of Zaltec. It is worth 5,000 gp but can fetch up to
five times that value if sold at auction in any major city. For A dark underground lake opens up before you, its ceiling
more information on the Eye of Zaltec, see "Fabled Treasures." festooned with chains and gears — some of which
If the Eye of Zaltec was teleported to area 62C, the shelf is appear to have dwarves dangling from them. A gigantic
bare. motionless stone cog rises from the water, with two
matching cogs connected to it. Rusty metal conduits
63. Gas-Filled Room stretch from the cavern walls to the cogs. The water of
the lake is slimy, with pinpricks of phosphorescent light
This chamber is closed off and inaccessible most of the time. twinkling in the murk.
The characters can reach this area by reorienting the cogs so
The cavern ceiling is 20 feet above the foul surface of the
that a doorway opens up to area 58.
lake, which is 20 feet deep. Any creature that drinks the water
Thick green gas billows out of skull-shaped nozzles set is poisoned until it regurgitates the liquid, which happens
into the walls of this cramped room. A rotting corpse automatically in 1d4 minutes. The lights at the bottom of the
clad in studded leather armor lies on the floor, mouth lake are phosphorescent crabs that feed on the muck. Each
open and hands grasping its throat. Wrapped around crab sheds dim light in a 5-foot radius but stops glowing 10
one of its arms is a yellow band. minutes after being removed from the water.
The three stone cogs of areas 58 to 60 are half-submerged
The green gas that fills this room fills area 58 when the in the water and rise 10 feet above its surface. Their uneven
two rooms are open to each other, but the gas is too heavy to upper surfaces are difficult terrain, and their smooth outer
rise up the shaft into area 58. The gas has two effects: walls can’t be scaled without climbing gear or magic.
It transforms the dead vegetation in area 58 into three The Mechanus chain (area 69) drives the machinery in this
shambling mounds (see that area for details). cavern, feeding power to the Soulmonger and to the many
It is poisonous to non-plants. Any creature susceptible to traps and other mechanisms within the dungeon. At any given
the gas that starts its turn in a gas-filled area must make time, 1d4 + 1 tomb dwarves in leather harnesses dangle from
a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) the ceiling while performing routine maintenance on the gears
poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage and giant cogs. Each tomb dwarf has the statistics of a wight,
on a successful one. A creature is affected even if it holds except that it wields a battleaxe and a light crossbow. The
its breath or doesn’t need to breathe. tomb dwarves ignore intruders unless they are attacked, in
Stuffing the nozzles with cloth prevents more gas from which case they defend themselves with their crossbows.
spilling into the room. If the characters block the flow of gas,
the lingering gas disperses after 1 minute. Lurker in the Lake
An aboleth named G’lyh’rul (guh-LEE-rool) lives in the lake.
Treasure When Acererak enslaved it, the aboleth lost its mind and
The dead figure on the floor is Lord Brixton, the Cormyrean developed a split personality. Its dominant aspect awaits the
leader of the doomed Company of the Yellow Banner. He died coming of the death god, which it believes heralds the fall of
when Withers rotated the cogs from area 61 and trapped him divinity. Until that day, the aboleth humbly obeys Withers
in this room. (whom the creature refers to by his original name of Gorra)
The corpse wears studded leather armor and carries a and attacks anyone seeking to prevent the atropal’s ascension.
sheathed longsword with a dragon-shaped hilt. The sword has The aboleth’s other personality is that of a humanoid child —
a minor magical property: its bearer gains the ability to speak harmless, gleeful, and insanely curious. In this state of mind,
and understand the Draconic language. the aboleth poses no threat to anyone and flees if attacked.
Next to Lord Brixton’s body is a dungeoneer’s pack, tucked Roll any die to determine which personality is dominant at any
inside which is a pouch containing six carnelian gemstones (50 given time. On an even result, the aboleth’s childlike
gp each). personality is dominant.
If the characters explore the lake using the rowboats in
64. Base of the Waterfall area 66, the aboleth ignores them regardless of its current
demeanor, unless they draw undue attention to themselves. In
Anything that falls from area 17 ends up here. the event of combat, the aboleth is not the master of the lake
and has no lair actions as a result.
FOOTER 1
Ancient beyond reckoning, G’lyh’rul has accumulated tens whole. No attack roll or saving throw is required. A character
of thousands of years of knowledge. If the characters establish “devoured” in this manner is teleported to area 57.
telepathic communication with the aboleth and it is inclined to
speak to them, it can provide information as if the characters Diving Cage
had cast a commune spell. (Since they’re not actually casting A rusty iron gate on the side of the cage provides ingress for
the spell, this effect is not subject to the restrictions on two Medium or smaller creatures. The cage radiates
spellcasting within the Tomb of the Nine Gods.) After sharing transmutation magic to a detect magic spell or similar effect,
this information, the aboleth grows bored and withdraws to a and bestows the effect of a water breathing spell on any
dark corner of the lake to dream of evil things. creatures within it. The stout bars grant half cover against
attacks originating from outside the cage.
66. Door of Devouring Using the winch, a character on the steps can lower the
cage 20 feet to the lakebed, allowing characters in the cage to
If the characters approach this area by way of the spiral easily harvest 2d6 phosphorescent crabs from the muck.
staircase (area 26), read the following when they reach the The creaking descent of the cage draws the attention of the
bottom of the stairs: aboleth in area 65. If the aboleth’s crueler personality is
dominant, it attempts to enslave any characters in the cage. If
At the bottom of the staircase, a dark corridor leads
it succeeds, it sends them back to the surface with orders to
south, while a stone door with iron hinges and a brass
entice others down into the depths. If the aboleth’s childlike
knob stands to the east.
personality is dominant, it swims over and uses its telepathy
If the characters approach this area from the lake, read: to strike up a friendly conversation with the divers.
A worked stone column stretches from the bottom of Rowboats
the lake to the cavern roof and is attached to the nearby
The two rowboats have the names Predator and Prey etched
wall by a stone conduit. On one side of the column,
into their transoms. A detect magic spell or similar effect
steps of moss-covered stone climb from a stone dock to
reveals an aura of transmutation magic around each vessel.
a landing whose stone door shows no handles or
Each boat can hold up to four Small or Medium creatures and
hinges. Ropes lash a pair of rowboats to a dock post,
their gear, and each contains two oars, an empty wooden
and a rusty iron cage wallows in the slime, held afloat by
bucket, and a 50-foot-long coil of hempen rope.
chain and winch. Phosphorescent crabs gather at the
Predator. Creatures aboard the Predator have advantage
bottom of the lake below the cage.
on attack rolls while the boat is in the water. A filled bullseye
The stone door separating the mooring area from the lantern hangs off the boat’s bow.
spiral staircase (area 26) radiates auras of abjuration, Prey. Creatures aboard the Prey have advantage on saving
conjuration, and illusion to a detect magic spell or similar throws while the boat is in the water.
effect. The door can be opened easily from the west side
simply by pulling on the brass knob. The door is much harder
to open from the east side.
67. Hall of the Golden Mastodon
A character who searches for traps in the tunnel approaching
Hungry Door this room notices a block of stone lodged in the ceiling with a
The mossy staircase that climbs up out of the lake and the successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. The block
landing at its top are strewn with bits of crab shell. If any remains there until the room’s trap is activated.
character touches or inspects the door, read:
A life-size golden statue of a mastodon stands atop a
A monstrous mouth forms on the door’s surface, calling one-foot-high stone cog at the center of this room.
out with a deep drawl: “I’m so hungry I could eat you Jeweled tusks sweep from its jowls, and its trunk is
alive, but I’ll settle for somethin’ else. Somethin’ livin’. raised in a roar. Inscriptions coil around the statue’s
Somethin’ light!” body, and murals on the walls show a Chultan warrior
riding a living mastodon through a series of hellish
The mouth is similar to that created by a magic mouth spell, landscapes. In each scene, a different breed of devil
but more powerful. A successful dispel magic (DC 19) cast on assails them.
the door suppresses its magic for 10 minutes, preventing the
mouth from forming. However, the door cannot be opened The murals on the walls tell the story of Ch’gakare
without the mouth except from the west side, not even with a (pronounced chuh-GAH-kah-ree), a Chultan warrior who stole
knock spell. his king’s prized steed: a mastodon named Ghom. As
The mouth isn’t programmed to say anything else, but its punishment, the king’s sorcerers banished Ch’gakare and
words (and the crab shells underfoot) provide the characters Ghom to the Nine Hells, but the two fought their way back
with a clue regarding how to open the door. If the mouth is home. On his return, Ch’gakare chopped off the king’s head
offered a live phosphorescent crab, it opens wide, chomps and turned his skull into a jeweled chalice. Any character who
down to consume the crab, then spits out its crushed shell. studies the murals and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence
Once the mouth has been fed, it disappears and the door into (History) check recognizes the legend and can recount it. The
area 26 swings open. The door locks and the spell resets if the murals show Ch’gakare and Ghom fighting spined devils,
door is closed again. bearded devils, barbed devils, horned devils, and erinyes.
If a character tosses anything into the mouth that isn’t a
phosphorescent crab, the mouth spits it out. If the character is Advice from the Spirits
within 10 feet of the door when this happens, the door wraps Any characters inhabited by the spirits of I’jin, Obo’laka, or
its tongue around the character and swallows the character Shagambi receive advice when entering this area:
FOOTER 1
Unpredictable I’jin wants to ride the golden mastodon! Round 4: Two barbed devils
Nervous Obo’laka is afraid of the golden mastodon and
urges her host to not provoke its anger. Round 5: One horned devil
If the challenges faced by Ch’gakare and Ghom are
recounted to her, wise Shagambi concludes that the hall Round 6: One erinyes
was constructed to present similar challenges.
If the characters try to strike a bargain with the devils, only
the erinyes is willing to engage them — but it demands the
Golden Mastodon willing sacrifice of one character’s soul. A character who offers
When the characters first enter the room, the 10-foot-high his or her soul to the erinyes is destroyed by fire. The
mastodon statue is facing the entrance. The statue’s lifelike character’s soul becomes trapped in the Soulmonger, the
qualities owe to the fact that this is Ghom, whose body was character’s belongings are left behind, and all remaining devils
preserved in magical iron and covered with a thin layer of in the room disappear in clouds of smoke.
hammered gold, and whose tusks have been set with gems
(see “Treasure” below). Ch’gakare
The inscriptions on the statue are written in Old Omuan.
When the last devil is defeated or when the party strikes a deal
They read as follows:
with the erinyes, the mastodon statue returns to its original
Let your bones watch over my treasure, brave Ghom. As north-facing position and stops revolving. When this happens,
you carried me from the inferno, so shall I rise from read:
death to defend my riches.
The fires go out, though smoke still hangs in the air. A
Scratches on the floor beneath the stone cog indicate that it warm wind blows through the hall, carrying the scent of
can rotate, yet no amount of pressure budges it. Any search of jasmine, frankincense, and grave dust. The smoke
the top of the statue reveals a star-shaped indentation on the coalesces into a decayed warrior wrapped in bandages.
back of its head. Those who have seen the gold lever in area 61 He holds up a gruesome chalice made from a human
recognize the lever’s star-shaped handle as a perfect match. If skull.
the lever is claimed and set head-first into the indentation,
The undead warrior is Ch’gakare, barely recognizable as
read:
the man riding the mastodon in the wall murals. He has the
A thunderous trumpeting sound erupts from the statistics of a revenant, but he can’t be destroyed. If reduced
mastodon’s trunk, causing a block of stone to seal off to 0 hit points, Ch’gakare turns to smoke, vanishes, and
the room. The cog under the mastodon’s feet then reforms in his tomb somewhere in the distant jungle.
begins to revolve, letting the statue face each of the Ch’gakare does not speak but holds up the chalice in a
murals in turn. manner that suggests he’s offering it as a gift. If the chalice is
taken from his hand, Ch’gakare turns to smoke and is gone.
The block of stone fills the space in the hallway indicated The stone block that seals off the room retracts into the ceiling
on map 5.5. Any creature under the block when it falls must when Ch’gakare disappears.
make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a success, the
creature moves out of the block’s way in whichever direction it
prefers. On a failed save, the creature takes 55 (10d10)
Treasure
bludgeoning damage. If this damage reduces the creature’s hit If stripped off, the
points to 0, the creature is crushed to a pulp; otherwise, it is mastodon’s gold leaf is
shoved into the room. worth 2,500 gp, though it
When the mastodon statue begins to revolve, all creatures takes a character 30 hours
present should roll initiative. The statue turns to claim it all. Multiple
counterclockwise and completes one 360-degree revolution characters working
on initiative count 0 of each round. together can shorten the
When the statue completes its first revolution, magical fire time proportionately. Fifty
engulfs the floor and the cog, flaring up 6 feet high. Any gemstones (100 gp each)
creature that enters the fire for the first time on a turn or can also be pried loose
starts its turn there takes 10 (3d6) fire damage. Any character from the mastodon’s tusks.
perched on the golden mastodon is shielded from the flames. Ch’gakare’s gift is the
Up to six Medium creatures can perch on the mastodon at fabled Skull Chalice of
once — four on its back and one on each of its curved tusks. Ch’gakare. This item is
Each time the statue turns to face north, one or more worth 2,500 gp but can
devils emerge from the murals and attack all other creatures fetch up to four times that
in the room. Roll initiative for each group of new arrivals. Each value if sold at auction in
magically summoned devil vanishes in a puff of smoke when it any major city. Alternatively, returning the chalice to Princess
drops to 0 hit points or when there are no creatures left to Mwaxanaré yields its promised reward (see "Kir Sabal"). For
attack. The devils appear in the following order, emerging more information on the chalice, see "Fabled Treasures."
from the walls wherever you see fit:
Round 2: Four spined devils
FOOTER 1
68. Hall of Decay attacks that originate outside the vehicle. The pentadrone
can’t make melee attacks through the decahedron, but it can
use a bonus action to open a small hole in any of the
Graven images of rotting corpses decorate this hall, and decahedron’s facets in order to spray creatures with its
the floor is littered with tarnished coins, pieces of paralysis gas.
armor, broken shields, axe heads, and other bits of The decahedron has AC 16, 50 hit points, immunity to
scrap metal. poison damage, resistance to piercing and slashing damage,
All nonmagical objects made of cloth, leather, wood, or and vulnerability to bludgeoning and thunder damage. If it is
metal that enter this corridor instantly decay or corrode to the reduced to 0 hit points, the crystal decahedron shatters and
point of being useless and worthless. Clothing and armor falls the pentadrone falls.
apart, shields and weapons become brittle and ineffective, and The crystal decahedron has enough room to accommodate
so forth. A mending spell cannot repair an object damaged in one Small or Medium creature in addition to the pentadrone if
this fashion. a character thinks to enter the vehicle using misty step,
An archway stands at the west end of the hall, through dimension door, or similar magic. Inside the vehicle, the
which characters can see into area 69. pentadrone can attack as normal. When the pentadrone dies,
the decahedron shatters.
This yawning archway has a keystone adorned with an
iron bull’s skull, which bites down on an ivory ring. Planar Lore
Characters with proficiency in the Arcana skill can make an
A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of
Intelligence (Arcana) check to determine what, if anything,
necromancy magic emanating from the ivory ring. If the ring is
they recall about planar vortices and Mechanus chains. With a
yanked from the skull’s jaws, it disintegrates and the
successful check, a character learns the appropriate lore and
destructive effect in the hallway ends.
all lore with a lower DC:
The staircase on the south side of the hallway descends 25
DC 10: Planar vortices are incredibly destructive. No one
feet to area 71 on level 6.
can expect to enter a vortex and survive.
69. Mechanus Chain DC 15: The chain is called a Mechanus chain. Such chains
are crafted by modrons and used in conjunction with other
Hot wind tinged with the smell of burning oil blows machinery to keep the plane of Mechanus in working order.
down a forty-foot-diameter vertical shaft. Stone
balconies protrude from the walls on opposite sides of DC 20: This Mechanus chain has been repurposed for the
this expanse, with the west balcony fifteen feet higher tomb. One chain would be enough to keep the tomb’s traps
than the east one. Two thick chains rattle in the gulf and other mechanisms in working order.
between the balconies — one ascending two hundred
feet before disappearing into a cloudy vortex lit by arcs DC 25: Destroying a Mechanus chain requires the casting
of purple lightning; the other wrapping around an of three wish spells.
enormous metal gear floating one hundred feet below.
Another hundred feet below the gear, a second vortex The Shaft
rages. The shaft is 400 feet high in total and features deadly planar
To drive his infernal machinery, Acererak contaminated a vortices at top and bottom. Any creature in the shaft that
workforce of modrons from the plane of Mechanus. Under the enters a planar vortex is torn apart, its body and possessions
stewardship of a corrupt pentadrone, the modrons rerouted scattered across the multiverse.
one of their great chains into the tomb. The sections of the The Mechanus chain forms a loop in constant motion. One
shaft above and below the balconies exist outside of normal part of the chain descends at a rate of 50 feet per round,
space, preventing the shaft from intersecting with the tomb’s wrapping around the giant gear that floats 100 feet below the
other levels. east balcony, while the other part of the chain climbs to enter
the upper vortex at the same rate.
Modron Intervention The two balconies are separated by a 15-foot-wide gulf,
The first time any character moves out onto a balcony, read: through which jangling chain links rise and fall. Magic that
allows characters to fly or to walk on walls makes it easy to
A rip forms in the vortex high above, and nine cube- cross from one balcony to the other. Any character who moves
shaped creatures with wings and shortbows fly through. at least 10 feet beforehand can jump from the west balcony to
They are quickly followed by a large crystal decahedron the east balcony. Because the west balcony is 15 feet higher
that holds a weird starfish-shaped creature. than its eastern counterpart, a character must either pole vault
A pentadrone leads a squad of nine quadrones through across the gap (using a 10-foot pole or similar item) or use
the upper planar vortex, which allows safe passage into the magic. A character can also cross the expanse by leaping from
shaft but not out of it. Knowing that they cannot return to one balcony to the nearest chain, from that chain to the other,
Mechanus, the modrons fight until destroyed. Once these and finally to the opposite balcony. Each of these jumps
modrons are dealt with, the shaft becomes undefended. No requires a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Any
other modrons are sent through the vortex. character who fails a check made to jump to a balcony or chain
The pentadrone can’t fly on its own, but it gains a flying falls down the shaft and into the lower planar vortex unless
speed of 30 feet and can hover while encased in the crystal somehow halted. A falling character can land on the floating
decahedron, which grants its occupant total cover against gear 100 feet below with a successful DC 10 Dexterity saving
throw but takes falling damage as normal.
FOOTER 1
armillary sphere breaks down, causing the levers to lock in
place and the hatch to lock shut.
70. Armillary Sphere The locked hatch is a Large object with AC 11, 25 hit points,
and immunity to poison and psychic damage. As long as the
outer rings and orbs aren’t in motion, the hatch can be forced
This chamber contains a bronze apparatus centered on open with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check, or
a hinged arm. Slowly rotating within the arm is a 10- opened with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check made by
foot-diameter globe decorated by a topographic map of character using thieves’ tools.
landforms and oceans. Concentric rings of brass
constrain the device, all rotating and bearing their own Armillary Sphere Conjunction
lesser spheres. One of those spheres has sharp points
and appears sunlike. Carvings of tall, headless d100 Conjunction Effect
humanoids decorate the walls of the room. 01–05 The armillary sphere and any creatures
inside it disappear. The DM ultimately
The armillary sphere depicts Toril, its moon, the sun, and
decides where they end up, if anywhere.
other planetary bodies in Realmspace. Any character who has
Possibilities include Mechanus, the Vast
viewed large-scale maps of Faerûn will recognize certain
Swamp on Oerth, Mount Nevermind on
geographical features on the globe.
Krynn, a desert on Athas, Victorian London
Activating the Sphere on Earth, or the sun.
The first time any creature moves within 5 feet of the 06–15 The creature sitting in the armillary
central globe, read: chair is touched by an unknown entity and
suffers a radical personality change. Work
The apparatus suddenly swings around, its rings with the player to determine an appropriate
rotating out of the way as the surface of the globe peels change.
back to reveal a dark, hollow interior. Inside this cavity is
a padded bronze chair with levers built into its armrests. 16–30 A cloudkill spell is cast within the globe.
31–50 The sun-shaped orb splits open,
When a creature sits on the armillary chair, the globe
spilling 5,000 gp onto the floor.
closes again. Any attempt to prevent that closing overloads the
mechanism; until the blockage is removed, any creature within 51–65 The creature sitting in the armillary
5 feet of the armillary sphere that isn’t seated on the chair chair gains a charm of heroism (see
takes 18 (4d8) lightning damage. “Supernatural Gifts” in chapter 7 of the
When the creature seated on the chair stands up, the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
globe’s hatch opens, closing again only when another creature 66–80 Every creature within 20 feet of the
sits on the chair or when there are no creatures within 5 feet armillary sphere regains 50 hit points.
of the armillary sphere. Creatures inside the globe do not gain this
While the globe is sealed, the character sitting in the chair benefit.
can see through the globe as if it were made of transparent
glass. Pulling the levers at the end of each armrest causes the 81–90 A gem of brightness appears on the lap
armillary sphere’s rings to spin the representations of the sun, of the creature seated in the armillary chair.
the moon, and other planetary bodies in one direction or the 91–99 The Intelligence score of the creature
other. seated in the armillary chair permanently
increases by
Monster in the Moon 1d4 + 1, up to a maximum of 22.
A nycaloth is crammed inside the bronze orb representing
00 The creature seated in the armillary
Toril’s moon, Selûne. The first time a creature inside the
chair is granted the ability to cast the wish
armillary sphere reorients its rings and outer orbs, the
spell once.
nycaloth bursts out of the moon, shattering it. The nycaloth
then tries to kill all other creatures in the room, pursuing
fleeing enemies. It ignores creatures inside the globe but Secret Crawlway
attacks any creature that exits it. A secret door in the south wall conceals a crawlway that
When this nycaloth rolls a natural 20 on an attack roll leads south and passes underneath the control room. See area
made with its greataxe, it cuts off the target's head (or one of 61 for details.
the target's heads, if it has more than one). If the target can’t
survive without the lost head, it dies. A target that is immune Level 6: Cradle of the Death God
to slashing damage is immune to this effect. The target is also
spared decapitation if it doesn’t have or need a head, has Map 5.6 shows this level of the dungeon. Here, the dreaded
legendary actions, or if its head is too big to be cut off with the Soulmonger nurses the atropal to godhood. A coven of hags
greataxe, though it still takes the damage from the weapon’s called the Sewn Sisters guards the nursery, which remains
critical hit. sealed until five skeleton keys are used to unlock it. If the
characters failed to obtain all five skeleton keys from the
Critical Conjunction upper levels, they won’t get far on this level. If you want to
If the rings are spun so that all the celestial bodies are keep the adventure moving forward rather than have the
lined up, roll on the Armillary Sphere Conjunction table to characters backtrack, place the remaining skeleton keys in
determine what happens. Once a conjunction effect occurs, the area 71 or somewhere else nearby.
FOOTER 1
71. Lair of the Sewn Sisters Hag Dolls
Each hag has created a cruel plaything: a doll brought to
life through the implantation of a child’s soul. When the
Green smoke billows out from a bronze cauldron in the
adventurers arrive, these dolls scurry into view:
middle of this twenty-foot-high vaulted hall. Barely
visible through the haze are three rocking chairs, several Three tiny figures waddle toward you through the smoky
work benches heaped with haberdashery, a spinning haze: a straw doll with rusty pins sticking into its body, a
wheel, and a rusty iron cage containing a prisoner. faceless child molded from clay, and a stuffed monkey
Galleries stand ten feet above the floor to either side of with the lower body of a unicycle. The straw doll says,
the room. “You need to run away! The Sewn Sisters will be back
The green smoke makes this chamber lightly obscured and
any moment now!”
blocks the characters’ view of a great green door to the south Each doll is a Tiny construct with AC 10, 1 hit point, a
(see “Skeleton Gate” below). The iron cage and its prisoner are walking speed of 10 feet, immunity to poison damage and the
described in the “Cage” section. poisoned condition, and no attacks. Destroying a doll causes
When the characters are in a position to get a better view the child’s soul within it to become trapped in the Soulmonger.
of the upper galleries, read: The straw doll, Strawbundle, usually speaks for the group.
Five wooden doors are set into the walls of the galleries, Clay No-Face can speak only if it molds a mouth onto its blank
each carved with a geometric symbol: a triangle, a face, and Joho the monkey coughs on its stuffing when it tries
square, a pentagon, a hexagon, and an octagon. to talk. Given a chance, the dolls share the following
information:
This chamber belongs to the Sewn Sisters, a coven of three The Sewn Sisters are three night hags. The dolls refuse to
night hags loyal to Acererak. Together, the hags mother the mention the hags by name, lest the hags hear their names
atropal and guard the Soulmonger. They eagerly await the being uttered.
atropal’s apotheosis, when the downfall of civilization The dolls were made from the souls of children and want
promises an abundance of souls to harvest. The Sewn Sisters to be free of the captors.
spy on intruders from the Border Ethereal. Any character who The hags are nursing some kind of creature that lurks on
can perceive creatures and objects on the Ethereal Plane sees the other side of the skeleton gate (the great green door),
the hags as spectral figures huddled in the middle of the room. but the dolls don’t know what the creature is.
See “The Sewn Sisters” sidebar for more information. To learn more about the adventurers, the hags have been
torturing the “lookie-like” in the cage.
FOOTER 1
If the characters take an interest in the skeleton gate, the
dolls reveal what they know about it: Widow Groat has tarnished gold coins covering her eyes
Five skeleton keys are needed to unlock the skeleton gate. and ants nesting in her skull. The ants serve as her spies, and
Each key looks like an animated skeleton with a skull their presence often portends her arrival. She carries a
that extends into a carved key-like shape. heartstone, a soul bag, and an iron ring with eight keys. The
The skeleton keys wander the upper levels of the tomb. keys unlock the shackles in area 78.
Before the skeleton keys can be used, the skeleton gate’s
five keyholes must first be opened. The five adjoining Peggy Deadbells wears a string of chattering children’s
rooms (areas 72 to 76) contain trials that can be teeth and thumps about on a heavy peg leg. When she laughs,
overcome to open the five keyholes. yellow gas billows out of her nose and ears. Around her neck,
The dolls don’t know the nature of the trials in areas 72 she wears a pouch made from gnome skin, inside which is a
through 76, and they can’t leave this chamber unless they are heartstone and five lustrous black marbles (see area 81). Tied
picked up and carried out. to Peggy’s rope belt is a soul bag.
If any character makes an effort to befriend one of the dolls,
the soul of the child trapped inside the doll bestows a magical Baggy Nanna has a squirming leather sack sewn over her
charm on that character. Each doll can bestow its charm once. head. The bag also contains a cockerel, a viper, and a terrier.
These charms are similar to the ones described in chapter 7 of One animal can emerge from the bag in place of her own head
the Dungeon Master’s Guide and follow the same rules. to speak on her behalf, and the animals become smoke when
Strawbundle’s Charm. While you have Strawbundle in Baggy Nanna dies. In her pockets, she carries a heartstone, a
your possession, this charm allows you to cast the etherealness soul bag, and three goblin fingers.
spell as an action, no components required. After it is used
three times, the charm vanishes. The night hags have a shared pool of spells (see the “Hag
Clay No-Face’s Charm. While you have Clay No-Face in Covens” sidebar in the Monster Manual). The scarecrow Mister
your possession, you don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe. Threadneedle (see area 74) carries the coven’s hag eye.
These benefits last for 30 days while the doll is in your
possession, after which the charm vanishes from you. For more information on heartstones and soul bags, see
Joho’s Charm. While you have Joho in your possession, it the “Night Hag Items” sidebar in the Monster Manual.
grants you the benefit of a helm of comprehending languages.
This benefit lasts for 7 days while the doll is in your possession,
after which the charm vanishes from you.
Cage
A heavy padlock secures the gate of the rusted cage, inside
which a naked figure cowers under a bloodstained blanket.
THE SEWN SISTERS Mister Threadneedle (see area 74) carries the key to the
padlock, which can otherwise be unlocked with a successful
Acererak recruited three night hags for their expertise in DC 15 Dexterity check made using thieves’ tools. The lock can
stitching soul bags — a craft they adapted for the creation of also be broken off easily enough.
the Soulmonger. The hags are a frightful lot:
FOOTER 1
The cage’s prisoner is a degenerate clone of one of the
This twelve-foot-high, ten-foot-wide door is made of
player characters and is instantly recognizable as such. It was
green stone, its surface carved with grinning goblin
created from blood or strands of hair obtained by one of the
skeletons. A belt of smooth stone spans the door at a
hags while the character slept. Characters had a slight chance
of meeting the hag as a random wilderness encounter (see
height of four feet, set with five gold symbols in a row: a
appendix B); however, when and where the theft occurred is triangle, a square, a pentagon, a hexagon, and an
up to you. octagon. Each symbol is engraved on a recessed circular
The clone is not a perfect copy. It is shorter and scrawnier seal.
than the character after whom it’s modeled, and it has The geometric symbols are 6 inches across, 1 foot apart,
deformities. Use the commoner statistics to represent this and set into stone disks 8 inches in diameter. Hidden behind
creature, applying racial traits as appropriate. the seals are five keyholes that conform in size and shape to
The clone has no name and no memory of having been the heads of the skeleton keys found on the other tomb levels
created. However, the hags have forged a magical link between (see "Skeleton Keys").
the clone and the character from which it was made. The clone
knows everything the character knows, up to and including all Each time the characters complete a trial in areas 72
present knowledge. The hags have been interrogating the through 76, one stone seal rolls aside, exposing the keyhole
clone to learn everything about the adventurers. Now that behind it. When a skeleton key is inserted into its
they have no more use for such information, the Sewn Sisters corresponding keyhole and turned clockwise, a tumbler inside
plan to kill and eat the clone. the door unlocks. When all five tumblers unlock, the skeleton
gate can be pulled open like a normal (albeit heavy) door,
Cauldron revealing a wide staircase that descends 20 feet to area 77.
A tarry greenish-black brew fills the bronze cauldron. Any The door and its seals are impervious to damage and spells,
creature that drinks the brew is stunned for 1d10 minutes. and cannot be opened in a manner other than that which is
While stunned, the creature succumbs to seizures brought on prescribed above.
by the dark dreams of the atropal. Facing the Night Hags. If the characters manage to open
The bronze lid of the cauldron lies on the floor nearby. If all five keyholes and have the requisite skeleton keys in their
the lid is placed on the cauldron, the green smoke that fills the possession, the Sewn Sisters emerge from the Border Ethereal
room dissipates after 1 minute. and attack them. The hags’ goal is to seize one or more of the
skeleton keys, thus preventing the characters from reaching
Skeleton Gate the Soulmonger. If a hag obtains a skeleton key, it cackles as it
returns to the Border Ethereal with it.
When the characters get close enough to make out the details
If two hags die, the third tries to bargain with the
of the green door, read:
characters, offering useful information in exchange for her life.
The hag makes the characters swear on their mortal souls not
to harm her once her information is divulged. Any character
FOOTER 1
who reneges on the agreement contracts slimy doom, as The mephit knows three command words: “bloatbug,”
though he or she had failed a saving throw against the “frogspittle,” and “spindledash.” While in this room, it can
contagion spell. The hag reveals the following information speak one command word as a bonus action on it turn,
(and nothing more) once an agreement is reached: triggering the associated magical effect below. It can’t speak
“Hidden on this level of the dungeon is a library of lost lore, the same command word two rounds in a row.
guarded by an arcanaloth whose true name is Ygga Raxyg.” Bloatbug: The mephit targets one creature within 30 feet
(See area 80 for details.) of it that it can see, which immediately increases its weight by
“There is only one way to leave the dungeon: the ebon 50 percent. Any spell that ends a curse, such as greater
pool. Charred bones point the way.” (See area 81 for restoration or remove curse, ends the effect and returns the
details on the ebon pool. “Charred bones” refers to the creature to its normal weight.
charred skeleton on the floor in area 79.)
“The Red Trail leads to death.” (See area 79.) Frogspittle: Each creature in the room must succeed on a
DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 9 (2d8) poison
72. Trial of the Triangle damage. (The mephit is immune to poison damage.)
The door to this area has a triangle carved into it. When the Spindledash: The effect targets a random creature in the
characters open the door, read: room. Have the players roll a d20 for each character in the
room, and roll a d20 for the mephit and each other creature in
A five-foot-wide, floor-to-ceiling glass cylinder near the
the room. Whichever creatures roll the lowest take 21 (6d6)
back wall of this room is filled with light, the source of
force damage.
which is not apparent. A tiny triangular hole is cut
through the glass, five feet above the floor. Inside the When the dust mephit dies, it collapses and transforms
cylinder, an iron lever is set into a metal plate on the into a stick of black chalk.
floor.
Phantom Lever
To reach the lever, the characters must figure out a way to
The lever on the north wall is carved from bone but is
enter or bypass the cylinder. If the lever is pulled, the triangle
insubstantial, such that a character’s hand passes right
seal on the skeleton gate in area 71 rolls aside, revealing a
through it. The lever appears solid to a creature on the
triangular keyhole behind it.
Ethereal Plane, and an ethereal creature can pull it normally.
The cylinder is 5 feet in diameter, shaped of glass 2 inches
Dispel magic has no effect on the lever, which remains
thick. The triangular hole in the glass is 1 inch wide. The
insubstantial even within the area of an antimagic field. If any
cylinder is normally impervious to damage and spells, and it
creature uses chalk to draw a square on the wall around the
can’t be moved. A character in gaseous form can enter the
lever, the lever becomes solid. If the square is erased, the lever
cylinder through the hole, while an ethereal character can pass
turns insubstantial again.
through the glass. A character can also use misty step,
If the lever is pulled, the square seal on the skeleton gate in
dimension door, or similar magic to enter the cylinder. A
area 71 rolls aside, revealing a square keyhole behind it.
magically summoned creature can appear inside the cylinder,
as can an unseen servant, either of which can be commanded
to pull the lever. The lever is too heavy to be moved with a 74. Trial of the Pentagon
mage hand spell but responds to a telekinesis spell.
The door to this area has a pentagon carved into it. When the
If three creatures stand around the glass cylinder, forming
characters open the door, read:
the points of a triangle around it, the cylinder turns brittle and
can be shattered with any solid hit. Once the cylinder is The delicious aroma of spiced meat greets you. At the
destroyed, anyone can walk up to the lever and pull it. end of a twenty-foot-long corridor, a room opens up
with red tapestries covering the walls. A feast is spread
73. Trial of the Square out on three tables, consisting of roast boar, squash
stew, and a tray of iced cakes. Flagons of frothy beer
The door to this area has a square carved into it. When the complete the banquet.
characters open the door, read:
A gaunt human male in a dusty black suit quietly
This room is filled with flying sheets of parchment, with
arranges the items on the cake table, taking notice of
writing on the pages visible as they flutter by. A metal
your intrusion. Without a word, he gestures for you to
plate bolted onto the far wall is set with a ghostly lever.
come forward and sample the feast.
The flying pages are from a spellbook and are destroyed if
The gaunt gentleman is Mister Threadneedle, the Sewn
they take any amount of fire damage. A character can use an
Sisters’ manservant. A detect magic spell or similar effect
action to grab a page as it flutters past with a successful DC 10
reveals an aura of illusion magic around him. A successful
Dexterity check. Written on the page is a random spell; roll a
dispel magic (DC 16) reveals his true form.
d6 to determine the spell’s level, then randomly choose a spell
Mister Threadneedle is a scarecrow disguised with magic
of that level from the wizard spell list.
to appear human. In a pocket, he carries the Sewn Sisters’ hag
If more than three pages are taken, all the remaining pages
eye (see the “Hags” entry in the Monster Manual) and one
in the room turn to dust, which coalesces into a hostile dust
lustrous black marble (see area 81). Mister Threadneedle
mephit and three illusory duplicates created by a mirror
understands Common but can’t speak. He communicates by
image spell. The mephit attacks all other creatures in the room,
nodding and shaking his head, or with gestures and facial
with its duplicates appearing to follow suit.
expressions.
FOOTER 1
Warned of the adventurers’ arrival, the hags prepared this 75. Trial of the Hexagon
magical feast and instructed Mister Threadneedle to lay it out.
The scarecrow attacks the characters only if they attack first, Carved into the door of this room is a hexagon. When the
or if the hags command him to. characters open the door, read:
Advice from the Spirits A large, cracked, six-sided mirror is mounted above a
stone shelf protruding from the opposite wall. Five unlit
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Kubazan or
candles stand on the shelf, each made of yellow wax and
Nangnang receive advice when entering this area:
covered with tiny black sigils. Scrawled on the wall
Wild Kubazan urges his host to try the roast boar.
above the mirror in dried blood are the words “PIGGY
Greedy, skittish Nangnang urges her host to hoard all the
iced cakes and shun the frothy beer.
PIGGY PIGGY.”
A sixth candle, identical to the five in plain view, is tucked
Magical Feast out of sight under the stone shelf. Any character who searches
The food is well prepared and delicious, and the beer is rich. the shelf for traps or hidden compartments automatically finds
Any character who partakes of the feast gains benefits and the sixth candle. Both the mirror and the candles radiate auras
suffers detrimental effects based on what is consumed. Do not of conjuration magic to a detect magic spell or similar effect.
reveal detrimental effects to the players until those effects
come into play. Cracked Mirror
Roast Boar: The character feels stronger and has The cracked mirror can’t be pried from the wall or damaged
advantage on Strength checks, but has disadvantage on attack more than it already is.
rolls made against Widow Groat. Both effects have a duration If all six candles are lit, a character who looks in the mirror
of 24 hours. and says the word “piggy” three times in a row sees the
reflected candlelight reveal a wooden lever set into a metal
Squash Stew: The character feels healthier and gains panel on the north wall. If fewer than six candles are lit when
advantage on Constitution saving throws, but has the words are spoken, the lever appears on the south wall
disadvantage on attack rolls made against Peggy Deadbells. instead. These levers exist only in the mirror’s reflection, not
Both effects have a duration of 24 hours. in reality.
Only a character who can see a lever reflected in the
Iced Cakes: The character feels energized and gains 2d10 mirror can pull it. As this likely puts the lever out of the
temporary hit points, but has disadvantage on attack rolls character’s reach, he or she can cast a mage hand or telekinesis
made against Baggy Nanna for the next 24 hours. spell, conjure an unseen servant, lasso the lever with a rope, or
undertake any suitably clever solution.
Frothy Beer: The character gains a special die: a d6. True Lever. If the north lever is pulled, the hexagon seal on
Anytime in the next 24 hours, the character can roll this die the skeleton gate in area 71 rolls aside, revealing a hexagonal
once and add the result to a d20 roll he or she just made. keyhole behind it.
Additionally, if the character is inhabited by the spirit of a False Lever. If the south lever is pulled, three insane
trickster god, the power normally granted by the spirit is wereboars in hybrid form magically spring from the mirror,
suppressed for 24 hours. land in the middle of the room, and fight to the death. When
the wereboars have nothing left in the room to fight, they join
Characters who enter the room but do not partake of the the night hags in area 71.
food or drink are cursed with crippling hunger as soon as they The wereboars can be summoned only once. Pulling this
leave this area. The effect imposes disadvantage on attack rolls lever again has no effect.
and ability checks, and it can be ended on a character with
greater restoration, remove curse, or similar magic.
76. Trial of the Octagon
Tapestries Carved into the door of this room is an octagon. When the
Five red tapestries hang from iron rods bolted to the walls. characters open the door, read:
Each is made up of pentagonal patches stitched together. Any
character who inspects the tapestry on the southwest wall and The ceiling of this plaster-walled room is fifteen feet
succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check sees high. A leather-backed tome rests open atop a wooden
something more: a subliminal devil’s face cleverly hidden in lectern bolted to the floor. Set into the wall behind the
the design. The devil’s open mouth forms a pentagon. A lectern are eight human skeletons, arranged so that they
character can reach into the devil’s mouth as though the fabric appear to be falling and screaming.
wasn’t there, uncovering a small extradimensional
The skeletons are inanimate remains embedded into the
compartment with a glass lever set into the back of it. The
plastered walls. The lectern is held in place by four bolts set
compartment can be accessed only from the front side of the
deep into the floor and is impervious to damage, spells, and
tapestry, and only while the tapestry is hanging on the wall. If
attempts to move it. The book’s covers are secured to the
the tapestry is taken from the room or destroyed, a new one
lectern with sovereign glue, preventing it from being easily
materializes on the wall in 4d6 hours.
removed. The eight-page book contains an eight-line nursery
If the lever in the tapestry is pulled, the pentagon seal on
rhyme written by the Sewn Sisters in Infernal, with each page
the skeleton gate in area 71 rolls aside, revealing a pentagonal
bearing one line of the poem. The book is open to pages 4 and
keyhole behind it.
5 when the characters first arrive.
FOOTER 1
Hidden in the leg of the lectern, on the side facing the east to this area. When the characters reach the bottom of the
wall, is a secret compartment that can be found with a stairs, read:
successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Crumbling balconies overlook a pool of lava filling this
If the lines of the nursery rhyme (see below) are read
triangular chamber, above which is suspended an
aloud in reverse order, starting with the last line and ending
on the first, the doors of the secret compartment open,
enormous crystal cylinder held in place by three
revealing a brass lever inside. If the lever is pulled, the octagon
adamantine struts. Wraithlike forms swirl inside the
seal on the skeleton gate in area 71 rolls aside, revealing an cylinder, and otherworldly screams hang in the air. Four
octagonal keyhole behind it. long, writhing tentacles sprout from the cylinder’s cap.
The compartment can also be opened with a knock spell, or A shriveled monstrosity the size of an elephant floats
with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check made by a character near the cylinder. Its body is wet and malformed, its
using thieves’ tools. Opening the compartment in either arms and legs are atrophied, and its oversized head
manner triggers the trap (see “Spider Fan Trap” below). drips black goo. The creature is attached to the cylinder
by a twisted umbilical cord.
Nursery Rhyme Book The cylindrical device is the Soulmonger. The malformed
Any character who understands the Infernal tongue can creature floating next to it is an atropal (see appendix D),
translate the hags’ nursery rhyme as follows: which feeds on the captured souls of the dead. The atropal
Page 1: Backward, backward, eight to one. attacks any creature that threatens it or tries to damage its
food source. If the atropal dies, Acererak arrives to take his
Page 2: Speak the rhyme until it’s done. revenge (see “Acererak’s Revenge” below).
The ceiling of the vault is 30 feet high, and the walls along
Page 3: Keep the spider locked away. the north balcony are lined with alcoves containing piles of
skulls and bones — the remains of Old Omuans and their
Page 4: See the lever, clear as day. minotaur protectors.
FOOTER 1
immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from the lava takes damage on initial contact and once per round
nonmagical attacks. thereafter until it is removed from the lava or destroyed.
Adamantine Struts. One way to destroy the Soulmonger is
to break any of the three adamantine struts that suspend it
above the lava. Each strut is a Large object with AC 20; 100 hit Phylacteries
points; immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing Along the east and west walls of the chamber, two balconies
damage from nonmagical attacks; and immunity to fire, poison, stand 30 feet above the lava pit.
and psychic damage. When a strut drops to 0 hit points, it
breaks and causes the other two struts to snap as the Two facing balconies halfway along the room are littered
Soulmonger falls. by ornate glass bottles, fluted silver urns, ivory caskets,
The struts are wide enough that Medium or Small and other vessels — all of them inscribed with baleful
creatures can walk along them without difficulty. However, sigils.
any creature that takes damage while standing on a strut must Acererak has disciples scattered throughout the multiverse,
succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall off it, including
plunging into many liches
the lava unless that seek to
the creature is become as
somehow powerful as
secured. him. He keeps
Unless their
likewise phylacteries
secured, any here.
creature Each
standing on an balcony has
adamantine 2d6 + 5 lich
strut when the phylacteries
strut breaks on it. Any
falls into the character
lava. If the who succeeds
creature is on a DC 15
within reach Intelligence
of a balcony, it (Arcana)
can leap onto check
the balcony recognizes
and avoid the fall with a successful DC 10 Dexterity saving the phylacteries for what they are. Destroying a phylactery is
throw. no simple task and often requires a special ritual, item, or
Tentacles. Once per turn, in response to any creature weapon. The phylacteries here are all unique, and discovering
making a successful melee weapon attack against the cylinder the key to each one’s destruction will require time and
or one of its struts, the Soulmonger attacks that creature with expensive research. There’s a 10 percent chance that any one
one of its 30-foot-long tentacles. The tentacle has a Strength of these phylacteries would be destroyed by hurling it into the
score of 22 and makes one melee weapon attack against the lava.
creature: +7 to hit, 24 (4d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage. Instead
of dealing damage, a tentacle can grapple its target (escape DC Mist Gate
16). If the target weighs 330 pounds or less, the tentacle can The balcony at the south end of the room holds the gateway to
also lift the grappled creature and move it to any unoccupied the final chambers of the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
space within its 30-foot reach, or drop it inthe lava.
The tentacles can be attacked and destroyed. Each one is a An ornate archway looms over this balcony. Grinning
Huge animated object with AC 15, 30 hit points, and immunity skulls are molded into its frame, and glowing mist swirls
to poison and psychic damage. within.
Destroying the Soulmonger. When the Soulmonger drops A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of
to 0 hit points, read: conjuration magic around the gate. Any creature that steps
The crystal cylinder shatters, and a myriad of tiny lights into the archway emerges from a similar archway in area 78,
pour forth from within. These bright souls coil through along with anything it is wearing or carrying.
the air like a tornado, blazing upward and then
vanishing in a blinding, spectral flash. Acererak’s Revenge
If the characters kill the atropal, read:
If the atropal has not been destroyed, it shrieks as the
souls of the dead escape from the wreckage of the Soulmonger. A skeletal figure wrapped in moldering robes and
clutching a skull-tipped staff appears on the south
Lava Pit balcony. Hateful pinpricks of white light burn in its eye
The lava pit is 30 feet below the floor of the room and 100 feet sockets, and a two-foot-diameter sphere of utter
deep. Any creature that falls into the lava or starts its turn darkness floats in the air beside it.
there takes 55 (10d10) fire damage. Any object that falls into Acererak (see appendix D) rolls initiative and attacks with
all his power, hoping to slay the intruders and reap their souls.
FOOTER 1
The archlich carries the Staff of the Forgotten One (see Advice from the Spirits
appendix C) and is accompanied by a sphere of annihilation, Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Moa or Wongo
which he controls using a talisman of the sphere worn about receive advice when entering this area:
his neck. Because the Tomb of the Nine Gods is not Acererak’s Kind Moa suggests freeing the shackled creatures.
home, he has no access to lair actions during this battle. Violent Wongo urges his host to stab the body bag,
Acererak speaks to the adventurers in condescending making sure that whatever is inside it is dead.
tones, referring to them as “puny mortals” as he sets out to
destroy them. Body Bag
Wrath of the Trickster Gods. When Acererak appears, any
The leather body bag can be cut open to reveal an unconscious
character inhabited by the spirit of a trickster god hears that
prisoner, whose identity is yours to decide. It might be Artus
spirit cry out for vengeance. In addition to the power granted
Cimber, Dragonbait, Volothamp Geddarm, or some other NPC
by his or her trickster god, the character gains the following
the characters never got the chance to meet. It could also be an
benefits while he or she can see Acererak:
NPC who became separated from the party in the course of the
The character gains 50 temporary hit points at the start
adventure.
of each of his or her turns.
If no suitable NPC springs to mind, use a captured member
When the character makes an attack roll against
of the Order of the Gauntlet named Zalder Faelrond (LG male
Acererak and hits, the attack deals an extra 3d6 psychic
Tethyrian human knight of Torm, with no armor or weapons).
damage.
Zalder’s story is that he was kidnapped by the Sewn Sisters
while patrolling the jungle. If set free, he requests an escort
Acererak’s Defeat back to Camp Vengeance (see chapter 2).
If Acererak drops below 100 hit points, he casts teleport on his The night hags’ magic keeps the prisoner alive and
next turn and flees. As he departs, read: unconscious. With a successful DC 17 Intelligence (Arcana or
“We’ll meet again, fools!” says the lich. “And on that Religion) check, a character determines that the effect can be
day, you will die!” With that, Acererak raises his staff, ended only by splashing the prisoner with holy water.
utters some arcane syllables, and is gone.
Devotees of Acererak
If the characters succeed in killing Acererak before he has The creatures shackled to the chapel walls are eight nothics —
a chance to escape, read: former disciples of Acererak who lost their minds trying to
A look of horror passes over the lich’s face as his body learn their master’s arcane secrets. The nothics are restrained
turns to dust. His tattered robes fall to the ground, as by the shackles and can’t make melee attacks until they are set
do his staff and talisman. free. They speak Undercommon and demand to be released.
The night hag Widow Groat (see area 71) carries the keys
Acererak’s body reforms near his phylactery, which is to the nothics’ shackles, which can also be picked with a
hidden in some far-flung demiplane, but his possessions are successful DC 13 Dexterity check made by a character using
left behind for the characters to pilfer. The sphere of thieves’ tools, or sundered with a good, hard weapon strike.
annihilation remains stationary until someone takes control of If the characters ignore the nothics’ demands, the spiteful
it using the talisman. Because it’s not a creature, the sphere is creatures attack them using their horrid Rotting Gaze. If the
not teleported if it enters the mist gate (see “Mist Gate” above). characters unshackle them, the nothics loiter in the chapel and
leave the party alone. They also provide the following helpful
78. Chapel of Hate information if their liberators question them:
If the characters are searching for an exit to the tomb,
Any creature that passes through the mist gate in area 77 one nothic hops over to the black curtain, pulls it aside,
emerges from a similar arch set into the south wall of this points down the tunnel to the north (area 79), and
room. The gate also allows travel back to area 77. shouts (in Undercommon), “Mind the bones!”
You step out of the mist into an underground chapel If the characters are searching for treasure, another
with black basalt pillars and a polished obsidian altar. nothic performs the same actions as above, except it
Resting on the altar is a leather bag the size and shape shouts, “Follow the purple trail!”
of a human body, and which appears to have been sewn
shut. Beyond the altar, a heavy black drape hangs from 79. Hall of Finality
an archway.
Behind the curtain is a ten-foot-wide, forty-five-foot-long
Eight emaciated, green-skinned creatures are shackled hallway set with four decorative archways that have
to the walls of the chapel, each one gazing toward you blank walls within them. Three paths marked out in red,
with a single baleful eye. The monsters begin to gibber gold, and purple tile snake along the floor, each leading
and drool as they shake their manacles, eager to be set to one of three archways. A charred skeleton on the floor
free. points to the fourth archway, which has no path leading
Once the atropal has fed on enough souls, Acererak plans to it.
to baptize it in the blood of a worthy sacrifice. This chapel was
built for that dark ceremony. The Sewn Sisters obtained an A single torch burns in a wall sconce at the far end of
appropriate sacrifice and have stitched it inside the leather the hall. Mounted below it is a bronze plaque that bears
body bag that rests on the altar. a warning in Common: “Behold the fate of those who
defy me!”
FOOTER 1
The torch remains lit and doesn’t burn down as long as it pushed through the wall, emerges from the back wall of the
remains in this corridor. If taken from the hall, it burns down alcove in area 80.
normally.
Red Trail
Advice from the Spirits The short trail of red-colored tiles ends in front of the
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of I’jin or Shagambi hallway’s southernmost arch. A creature that walks along the
receive advice when entering this area: red trail without ever stepping off of it, then touches the wall
Fickle I’jin wants her host to follow the purple-tiled within the archway, is pulled into the wall and
pathway to see where it leads. (Purple is I’jin’s favorite unceremoniously dumped into area 57.
color, at least for now.)
Wise Shagambi urges her host to not stray from the tiled
pathways.
80. Red Library
The characters might arrive here by way of the tunnel to the
Charred Skeleton and Secret Door east, or through the alcove in the southwest corner if they
The charred skeleton points to the arch containing a secret activate the purple-trail archway in area 79.
door that slides open to reveal area 81 beyond.
Soft dulcimer music fills this room, the walls of which
Glyph of Warding. Opening the secret door triggers a
are painted the color of dried blood. Bookcases draped
glyph of warding spell, which targets all creatures in a 20-foot-
in cobwebs and dust line the walls and stand four deep
radius sphere centered on the door. The sphere spreads
in the middle of the room. Hundreds of leather-bound
around corners. Each creature in the area must make a DC 24
tomes weigh down their sagging shelves. At one end of
Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) cold damage on a
the room, a small study contains a padded leather chair,
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The
a footstool, and a small table — as well as three corpses
triggering glyph is at the bottom right corner of the door and
dangling upside down from shackles and chains bolted
can be found with a successful DC 24 Intelligence
to the ceiling near the north wall. A lantern-shaped
(Investigation) check.
Wall of Fire. When the glyph of warding spell activates or
device resting atop the table appears to be the source of
is dispelled, a magical wall of fire springs up at the south end
the music. An old man lies asleep in the chair, his horn-
of the hallway, setting the black curtain ablaze if it still hangs rimmed spectacles slipping down to the end of his
there. The wall of fire spans the width and height of the hall. nose.
Any creature that enters the wall, starts its turn inside the wall, The library contains the collected wisdom of a hundred
or starts its turn within 5 feet of the north side of the wall sages, along with a few spellbooks and scrolls (see “Treasure”
takes 22 (5d8) fire damage. below).
When the wall of fire appears, all creatures present should The corpses hanging along the north wall are the remains
roll initiative. Each round on initiative count 15, the wall of three archmagi who tried to meddle in Acererak’s affairs. A
moves 10 feet northward, stopping only when it reaches 5 feet successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check confirms that all
from the north wall. The wall lasts until there are no creatures three died within the past month and that destructive spells
in the hallway, or until it is dispelled with a successful dispel were the cause of their demise.
magic (DC 14). The old man sleeping in the chair is an arcanaloth under
the effect of its alter self spell. The fiend has one of the library’s
Golden Trail and Secret Door spellbooks lying open on its lap and pretends to be asleep. If
The trail of gold-colored tiles leads to the archway in the west approached, the man appears to wake and asks, “Why do you
wall that contains a secret door. Any character wearing the disturb me?” The creature won’t reveal its true name, instead
eye-shaped pendant found in area 2 can find the secret door referring to itself as “Mr. Fox.” The arcanaloth is bound to the
without needing to make a check and can open the secret door library by Acererak’s magic and can’t leave, nor can it allow
without setting off the trap (see below). Behind the secret any of the library’s books or scrolls to be removed.
door is a dusty, web-filled hallway filled with sweet dulcimer If any character speaks the arcanaloth’s true name (“Ygga
music. The music gets louder as one approaches area 80. Raxyg”; see area 71) within earshot of the fiend, it is stunned
Glyph of Warding. Opening the secret door triggers a for 1 minute. Once the stunned effect wears off, repeating the
glyph of warding spell, which targets all creatures in a 20-foot- arcanaloth’s name has no effect on it for the next 24 hours. If
radius sphere centered on the door. The sphere spreads killed, the arcanaloth melts into a pool of ichor, leaving behind
around corners. Each creature in the area must make a DC 24 its robes and horn-rimmed spectacles (see “Treasure” below).
Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) thunder damage on a
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The Alcove
triggering glyph is at the bottom right corner of the door and The alcove in the southwest corner of the room is empty. If the
can be found with a successful DC 24 Intelligence magic at the end of the purple trail is still active (see area 79),
(Investigation) check. the back wall of the alcove has the consistency of thick mud.
Any creature that passes through the wall, or any object
Purple Trail pushed through the wall, emerges from the northernmost
A trail of purple-colored tiles leads to the hall’s northernmost archway in area 79.
arch. If a character walks along the trail without stepping off it,
then touches the wall within the archway, the wall takes on Treasure
the consistency of thick mud for 1 hour. While this effect lasts, The arcanaloth’s horn-rimmed spectacles aren’t magical, but
any creature that passes through the wall, or any object they are worth 250 gp. The spectacles are also a gate key that
opens a portal in the planar city of Sigil. The portal is a two-
FOOTER 1
way door to the plane of Arcadia. A legend lore spell cast on the including parcels of land and special favors (see “Marks of
spectacles reveals this information and raises their potential Prestige” in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). If the
value to 2,500 gp if they are sold to a wizard or sage. characters allow the atropal to survive in the depths of the
The object on the table is a music box made of dark wood tomb, it eventually attracts nihilistic devotees of Acererak who
with gold filigree. A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals feed it their own dark souls as nourishment.
an aura of conjuration magic around it. Each of its five sides is
sculpted with the image of a horned woman playing a different
musical instrument: a dulcimer, a flute, a harp, a lyre, and a
Lost Treasures
viol. While touching the box, a creature can use an action to As they explore the tomb, characters are likely to find one or
make it play music featuring one of the instruments shown, more fabled treasures as well as magic items inhabited by the
which can be heard up to 60 feet away. The character can also spirits of Omu’s dead trickster gods. What happens to these
use an action to stop the music. The music box is worth 750 gp. items when the characters leave the tomb is discussed below.
The library contains two hundred historical texts (50 gp
each), sixty tomes of arcane lore (100 gp each), three dusty Relics of the Past
spell scrolls (create undead, fabricate, and resurrection), and six Acererak placed four treasures in the tomb as lures: the Black
spellbooks. The first three spellbooks contain 1d6 spells each Opal Crown, the Eye of Zaltec, the Navel of the Moon, and the
of 1st through 3rd level. The fourth and fifth spellbooks Skull Chalice of Ch’gakare. These items can be kept, sold to
contain 1d4 spells each of 4th through 6th level. The sixth interested buyers, or returned to their rightful owners.
spellbook has a title (X the Mystic’s Arcane Grimoire) burned Black Opal Crown (Area 49). The yuan-ti of Omu are after
into its spine and contains 1d3 spells each of 7th through 9th this treasure. If they can’t wrest it from the characters, they
level. attempt to buy or steal the crown from the individual to whom
the characters sell it. Whether the crown has the power to set
81. Ebon Pool loose Dendar the Night Serpent is up to you. Should the crown
fall into the wrong hands, characters might need to venture
A pool of jet-black ooze glistens inside this silent into the caverns below the Peaks of Flame to retrieve it before
chamber, whose walls are decorated with relief carvings the world ends.
Eye of Zaltec (Area 62). The Company of the Yellow
depicting black stars.
Banner was vanquished trying to obtain this lost jewel, which
The pool radiates an aura of conjuration magic to a detect is rumored to have the power to resurrect the ancient dead. If
magic spell or similar effect. Creatures that come into contact the Eye of Zaltec indeed has such power, it requires a great
with the ooze are unharmed. Any object that isn’t being worn many sacrifices to function. Tabaxi thieves might try to steal
or carried by a creature disappears if submerged in the black the jewel and bear it safely back to Maztica, perhaps trading it
ooze. Such items are permanently lost, having been for the release of enslaved loved ones. Conversely, a villain
transported to a secret demiplane whose location cannot be might buy the jewel and use it to resurrect a dead tyrant, an
divined. Any amount of ooze that is removed from the pool evil archmage, or some even greater threat.
disappears instantly. Navel of the Moon (Area 56). If the characters try to sell
this stone in Baldur’s Gate, Port Nyanzaru, or some other city,
Activating the Pool word of the sale quickly reaches the spies of wealthy Calishite
Peggy Deadbells (in area 71) and Mister Threadneedle (in area merchants. A bidding war might ensue, or assassins might be
74) have black marbles in their possession that can be used to sent to retrieve the stone and quietly dispose of its new owner.
activate the pool. If one of these black marbles is tossed into Whether the stone has its purported power to reunite families
the pool, read: separated by time and fate is entirely up to you.
Skull Chalice of Ch’gakare (Area 67). Princess
The black marble sinks into the ooze, which rises up Mwaxanaré can’t afford to pay characters what this treasure is
suddenly to form a four-foot-tall black obelisk — a worth, and she will despise them for selling it to someone else.
miniature version of the obelisk that stood outside the Three of Port Nyanzaru’s merchant princes express interest in
tomb entrance. buying the chalice: Ifan Talro’a wants to add it to his private
Any creature that touches the ooze obelisk is teleported, collection of Chultan relics, Kwayothé wants to melt it down,
along with all objects it is wearing and carrying, to an and Zhanthi wants it for sentimental reasons. Denying any one
unoccupied space within 10 feet of the obelisk outside the of them would be a grave mistake on the characters’ part and
tomb entrance (area 1). This effect is not subject to the magical might result in them receiving an ominous Ytepka Society
wards that prevent teleportation spells from functioning token.
within the tomb.
The ooze obelisk sinks back into the pool and disappears Magic Items of the Trickster Gods
after 1 minute. Tossing another black marble into the pool Certain magic items — specifically those in which the spirits of
causes the obelisk to reform. the nine trickster gods reside — turn to dust and are
destroyed as soon as they exit the tomb. These items include
Conclusion Obo’laka’s ring of protection (area 10), Moa’s staff of the python
(area 14), Wongo’s mace of terror (area 16), Papazotl’s amulet
Destroying the Soulmonger frees the souls trapped inside it of health (area 22), Nangnang’s egg-shaped pearl of power
and ends Acererak’s death curse. Characters who accomplish (area 24), I’jin’s horn-shaped wand of wonder (area 35),
this goal will have saved many lives, and if word spreads of Kubazan’s bracers of archery (area 42), Shagambi’s instrument
their heroism, wealthy and influential NPCs come forward of the bards (area 48), and Unkh’s robe of scintillating colors
bearing gifts of thanks. These gifts can take many forms, (area 55).
FOOTER 1
If, in your estimation, a player did an extraordinary job Omu
roleplaying a trickster god’s flaw, the god’s spirit might reward
that player’s character by allowing its magic item to exist Unless the characters cleared out the Fane of the Night Serpent,
outside the tomb, provided that character is attuned to the Omu remains in the clutches of the yuan-ti. If Ras Nsi is still
item when it leaves the tomb. alive, he has no further use for the characters once the death
curse is ended. Believing they know too much for their own
Syndra’s Fate good, he sends a party of yuan-ti to capture or kill them before
they leave the city. If the party obtained the Black Opal Crown,
Characters who survive the Tomb of the Nine Gods won’t they can trade the item for their lives.
know the fate of Syndra Silvane until they return to Port If Fenthaza lives, Ras Nsi makes the mistake of putting her
Nyanzaru, use a spell such as scrying to spy on her, or reach in charge of the team sent to kill the characters, and she offers
out to her with a sending spell or similar magic. If the the party a deal instead. If the characters agree to kill Ras Nsi,
characters destroy the Soulmonger and Syndra is still alive, they can go free and keep whatever treasure they take from
priests quickly restore her to full health, and the characters the fane except for the Black Opal Crown, which Fenthaza
can collect their promised reward. If Syndra dies but her soul insists be given to her at once. If the characters defeat Ras Nsi
is saved before the atropal devours it, she is raised from the handily, Fenthaza honors her end of the deal. If they emerge
dead within a tenday of the Soulmonger’s destruction and from the fane weakened, she tries to destroy them.
honors her agreement with the party. In the event that Syndra Princess Mwaxanaré wants to restore Omu to its former
dies and her soul is devoured, her body lies in state pending a glory and build a new kingdom there. With the Skull Chalice of
funeral and proper burial. Ch’gakare in her possession, she can win the support of
Chultans eager to return to the old ways. However, the
Artus and the Ring of Winter merchant princes of Port Nyanzaru aren’t willing to back her
claim, and the yuan-ti won’t give up Omu without a fight. It
Artus Cimber is unwilling to part with Ring of Winter. He is could take years for Mwaxanaré’s dream to come true, if it
justifiably concerned that the ring would dominate and control ever does.
any other owner. Furthermore, Artus would begin to age as a
normal human without the ring, and he wants to live forever
with his beloved Alisanda.
Red Wizards of Thay
Xandala, the Harpers, the Zhentarim, and frost giants loyal News of the Soulmonger’s destruction annoys Valindra
to Jarl Storvald won’t stop searching for the Ring of Winter. If Shadowmantle. Using her teleportation circle, she returns to
the characters make their way back to civilization with Artus Thay and informs Szass Tam that her mission in Chult has
in tow, they should encounter one or more of these groups failed. Angered by the party’s interference, Szass Tam sends
along the way. Valindra Shadowmantle and the Red Wizards of new operatives and powerful undead to spy on the characters,
Thay also won’t pass up a chance to take the ring by force. learn their weaknesses, and (eventually) dispose of them. If
With or without the ring, Artus Cimber continues to await the characters have friendly ties to the Harpers or the
Mezro’s return while searching for the means to reach or Zhentarim, spies working for one faction or the other learn of
summon the displaced city. Nothing matters to him more than the Red Wizard plot and can warn the characters.
reuniting with his wife. Characters interested in helping Artus
can use divination spells or downtime to conduct research. Acererak the Eternal
They might also consult with the Harpers, who have access to
lore that might assist Artus in his quest, but they demand the Acererak keeps his phylactery hidden, and neither gods nor
ring in exchange for their assistance. Forced to choose spells can divine its location. If his physical body is destroyed,
between the Harpers’ assistance and the ring, Artus chooses Acererak reforms next to his phylactery in 1d10 days. The
the latter. Alternatively, a portal to Mezro’s demiplane might archlich isn’t quick to avenge his defeat. He prefers to let
be hidden somewhere in Chult, creating the seeds of a time — his most powerful ally — slay the adventurers. Once
wonderful new adventure. they’re dead and gone, he sets out to make life miserable for
their descendants.
Dragonbait
If he’s with the characters when they escape from the Tomb of
More Adventures
the Nine Gods, Dragonbait is eager to put Omu and this This concludes Tomb of Annihilation. Space limitations
adventure behind him. As long as Artus Cimber is alive, preclude us from exploring Chult in its entirety, but you can
Dragonbait remains committed to helping his friend find the create your own Chult-based adventures and publish them at
displaced city of Mezro. If Artus is dead and there’s no hope of the Dungeon Masters Guild (www.dmsguild.com).
raising him, Dragonbait opts to return to Port Nyanzaru,
where he drowns his sorrows in a few casks of tej before
enjoying some downtime. The saurial gives off the scent of
roses as he waves farewell to the party. He eventually crosses
paths with Volothamp Geddarm, and the two explorers
embark on numerous adventures together.
FOOTER 1