Page 131 - Tomb of Annihilation

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F IGHTING O VER A H OST 1. ACERERAK S W ARNI NG
When the spirit of one trickster god inhabits a host that
is already inhabited by a trickster god, the two gods
Near the base of the cliffs, a fifteen-foot-tall obelisk of
battle for the right to remain in the host. Assign "even"
to one god and "odd" to another, then roll any die. The cracked stone is draped with vines and black moss. Be-
result determines which god is victorious, with the los- hind it, you see a dark passageway obscured by withered
ing god forced out of the host. The host has no influence creepers. A second, smaller tunnel burrows into the base
over which god gets forced out. of a cliff to the east.

ROLEPLAYING THE S PIRITS
A trickster god can use the host character's senses and The tunnel leading to the tomb's true entrance (area 4)
speak to the host's mind. The character retains his or is obscured by vegetation and cannot be detected unless
her alignment and can think independently. However, if the characters search for it. However, any character
the character has a flaw that runs counter to the trick- who succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check
ster god's Haw, the character's flaw is suppressed until around the areas of the false entrance (area 2) or the
the trickster god's spirit leaves tbe character's body. open gallery {area 3) notices something more:
You can roleplay the voices of the trickster gods in the
characters' heads, but let the players roleplay their char- Three stone gargoyles watch you from narrow ledges
acters' inherited flaws. If a player neglects to roleplay a
carved into the cliff side. Each has the face of a bearded
trickster god's flaw, have the inhabiting spirit attempt to I
goad the character into behaving more like it. You can devil, its mouth agape in a silent scream.
award inspiration to a player who roleplays a trickster
god's flaw particularly well.
All the trickster gods are eager to get their revenge The three gargoyles are perched on the ledges overlook-
on Acererak. They can offer only limited guidance re- ing the obelisk, at the points marked G on map 5.1. The
garding the tomb and its denizens, but they encourage ledges are 30 feet above the ground, 5 feet wide, 2 feet
the characters to seek out other trickster god spirits and deep, and spaced 25 feet apart. The gargoyles swoop
offer supernatural assistance in the final battle against down and attack anyone who tries to topple or damage
the archlich. the obelisk, or who attacks them first.
Each trickster god (except Unkh) has its own rival OBELISK
in the tomb that it would prefer to avoid. The Omuans The obelisk radiates a strong aura of abjuration magic
dreamed up colorful stories to explain these antipathies, under the scrutiny of a detect magic spell or similar
but in truth, the spirits simply represent conflicting magic, and a paladin using Divine Sense can detect a
points on the alignment axes. When rival spirits oc- fiendish presence within the obelisk. Clearing the vines
cupy different characters in the same group, they try
and moss from the south face of the obelisk exposes a
to make their hosts bicker and defy each other when- message carved into it in Common. (Give the players a
ever possible.
copy of handout 17 in appendix E.) The message reads
as follows:
LEVEL 1: ROTTEN HALLS
Map 5.1 shows this level of the dungeon. The air is stale
and humid here. Moss covers the walls, which are deco- Fear the night when the forsaken one seizes death's man-
rated with screaming skulls and hung with rotting tree tle and the seas dry up and the dead rise and I, Acererak
roots and dead vines. the Eternal, reap the world of the living. Those who dare
enter take heed:
CEILING CRACKS
Thin shafts of daylight and moonlight spill through tiny The enemies oppose.
rock fissures, forming pools of natural light as shown on One stands between them.
map 5.1. A Tiny creature can use these narrow fissures In darkness, it hides.
to enter and leave the tomb. Don the mask or be seen.
Speak no truth to the doomed child.
UNDERGROUND R IVER
Muddy rainwater seeps from the jungles above, flowing The keys turn on the inside only.
through the tomb as a sluggish underground river that is
treated as difficult terrain. The water is 3 feet deep, with
the tunnel ceiling above it varying from 6 inches to 3 The warnings Acererak has placed on the obelisk and
feet over the surface. The water is unfit for drinking. on the grand staircase (area 7) provide clues to overcom-
ing some of the challenges of the tomb. The obelisk's
clues pertain to features and locations on level 1, specif-
ically the true entrance (area 4), the devil face (area SB),
Obo'laka's tomb (area 10), Moa's tomb (area 14), and
Wongo's tomb (area 16).

CllAM"ER 5 I TOMB OF THE NINE GODS