Page 120 - Tomb of Annihilation

New prisoners are slapped in chains and dropped into requires a successful DC 15 Strength check. When the
a random pit. The yuan-ti strip all prisoners of their be- cauldron is tipped, each creature on the floor within a
longings, which are kept in the storeroom (area 13) until 15-foot cone of the cauldron must make a DC 12 Dexter-
they are properly inventoried. If the yuan-ti need to get a ity saving throw. taking 4 (ld8) fire damage on a failed
prisoner out of the pit, they disconnect a hook from the save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
lid and use it to hoist the prisoner out by the manacles.
Each pit contains ld3 prisoners, and the "Prisoners of NORTH BALCONY AND TuLEPORTER
the Yuan-ti" sidebar describes several. If a player char- Ras Nsi and Fenthaza use the north balcony to address
acter dies, you could introduce a replacement character underlings. To climb up, a character must succeed on
here as a prisoner hoping to be rescued. a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check. The balustrades
Prisoners are forced to wear manacles on their wrists around the balcony provide half cover against ranged
and shackles on their ankles. The manacles impose attacks originating from the room below.
disadvantage on ability checks made to climb or swim. Set into the back wall is an alcove with an engraved
The shackles reduce a prisoner's walking speed by half stone disk on the floor-one of Ras Nsi's magic teleport-
and impose disadvantage on ability checks made to ers (see "Teleporters," page 114).
jump. Fenthaza (see area 5) carries the keys for these
bindings. See "Adventuring Gear" in chapter 5 of the PORTCULLIS
Player's Handbook for rules on breaking, escaping, and A portcullis seals the entrance to area 10. A bronze lever
unlocking manacles (and shackles). is set into the wall north of the gate, out of sight of area
10. Lifting the lever raises the portcullis, and pulling the
TELE PORTER lever down causes the portcullis to drop.
The engraved stone disk in the northern alcove is
one of Ras Nsi's magic teleporters (see "Teleport- YUAN-TI RITUALS
Once every ten days, the yuan-ti gather in the fane for
ers," page 114).
a depraved rituaJ. The ceremony takes place over the
course of one night, with a skeleton crew guarding the
9. THE FANE
rest of the temple complex during these periods.
During the ritual, mesmerizing incense is burned in
the wall sconces. (See area 13 for more information on
An underground cathedral opens before you. At one end,
the incense.) Fenthaza preaches to the congregation
a sculptured balcony perches atop five rearing stone
from the north balcony. As the ceremony reaches fever
serpents. Blood dribbling from the serpents' jaws falls pitch, s he joins the revelers in the blood pool to feast on
into a semicircular basin, and from there flows along a the slaves before slithering back to her quarters. On oc-
sloped trough into a wide stone bowl set into the floor. casion, human slaves are transformed into yuan-ti pure-
South of the bowl is a mezzanine, prominently situated bloods or broodguards during these rituals. To undergo
the change, slaves must bathe with snakes in the blood
atop which is a cauldron of steaming broth that exudes
of sacrificial victims while under the influence of temple
fleshy odors. To the west, a huge gong carved with snake
drugs. The transformation leaves each slave with ld6
patterns stands on a second balcony. levels of exhaustion. Once they've shed their old skin,
those who survive the process are taken to their new
home in the yuan-ti nests (area 18) to recuperate. Those
During rituals, the fane swells with yuan-ti, but the
room is unguarded otherwise. When struck, the gong who die are fed to the hydra in area 21.
Fenthaza can arrange for captured human characters
can be heard throughout the temple complex. One strike to be transformed into yuan-ti purebloods so they can
announces the start of a serpent ritual: when sounded, roam freely within the temple complex and get closer
all the yuan-ti within the temple complex arrive here
within half an hour. Two or more strikes in Quick suc- to Ras Nsi. The transformation can be undone only
cession signal an alarm: when sounded, yuan-ti through- by a wish spell or divine intervention. Characters who
out the temple converge on this location as quickly as survive it gain a random form of indefinite madness (see
"Madness" in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide).
possible (see the Temple Roster table).
A human that undergoes and survives the ritual retains
its traits and gains the following yuan-ti racial traits.
BLOOD POOL
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet
Blood spilled in area 6 is channeled into this room, and
the central pool contains 3d6 inches of viscid, days-old of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it
blood from previous sacrifices. The yuan-ti wallow in were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only
the blood from time to time, and slaves are sometimes shades of gray.
brought here to be eaten alive by crazed revelers or Innate Spellcastins. You know the poison spray
transformed into yuan-ti (see "Yuan-ti Rituals" below). cantrip. You can cast animal friendship an unlimited
number of times with this trait, but you can target only
snakes with it. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast
CAULDRON
A stew made from boiled flesh sloshes inside the caul- suggestion with this trait. Once you cast it, you can't do
dron, which is heated by a volcanic vent in the floor so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your
underneath it. Upturning the cauldron is an action that spellcasting ability for these spells.

CHAPTER+ I l"ANE OF TH1' NIGHT SERPENT
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