Page 138 - Tomb of Annihilation

'TREASU RE NEPARTAK's SKULL
The chest interior is lined with lead and contains 300 The skull in the crystal box belongs to Nepartak, the
gp, a gold tankard embossed with a sad face that smiles 10-year-old granddaughter of Napaka, the last queen of
when the tankard is filled (250 gp), and a stoppered Omu. The magic of the crystal box preserves her con-
bone tube containing a spell scroll of remove curse. sciousness, but centuries of solitude and horror have
caused her mind to blank out the details of her plight.
13. STONE SKULL The first character to enter the tomb hears Nepartak call
--~~~~~~~~~~
out telepathically:
I I
A giant stone skull crusted with moss juts out from the
end of the passageway. A flame flickers within each of its The voice of a young girl echoes in your mind: "What's
happening? Why can't I see?"
eye sockets, and a view into a chamber beyond can be
seen through its open jaws.
Nepartak magically senses the presence of intruders,
using telepathy to question all the characters. Roleplay
Any character who peers through the skull can see into her as a tenified child lost in the dark. In her panic, she
area 14 (see the description below). The skull's jaws are might ask any of the following questions:
opened wide enough to allow a Medium or smaller crea·
ture to climb though. • "Where am I? How did I get here?"
Each time a creature climbs through the skull's jaws, • "Why can't I see anything?"
• "Are you friends of my father? Is he looking for me?"
one of the flames in its eye sockets snuffs out. The third
time a creature climbs through, the jaws clamp shut, To safely explore this area, the characters must calm
making a melee weapon attack with a +10 bonus. On Nepartak without revealing her true predicament. Lying
a hit, the target creature takes 22 (4d10) bludgeoning to her requires a successful DC 12 Charisma (Decep-
damage and is grappled (escape DC 19). While it re- tion) check. If the characters reveal that she's nothing
mains grappled, the creature takes 5 (ldlO) bludgeoning more than a disembodied skull, if they fail three Cha-
damage at the start of each of its turns. When that crea- risma checks to deceive her, of if they simply ignore her,
ture exits the jaws, the flames in the skull's eye sockets Nepartak grows increasingly anxious, then flies into a
reignite, the jaws open, and the trap resets. murderous rage.
The flames within the eye sockets give off no heat
or smoke, and they can't be extinguished except in the
manner described above. Any character searching the The voice shrieks in horror as the skull's eye sockets flare
skull and succeeding on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) with green flame. With a shattering crash, the crystal box I
check notes that the lower jaw is hinged. A stout object explodes and the skull levitates into the air.
jammed into the skull's jaw holds it open for as long as
the object can withstand the damage. A detect magic
spell or similar effect reveals an aura of transmutation Nepartak has the statistics of a ftameskull but doesn't
magic around the skull. speak, instead communicating using telepathy out to a
range of 30 feet. When she attacks, swarms of mummi-
14. M oA's TOMB fied spiders pour out from the n.iches at the start of the
following round.

UN DEAD SPIDER WARRENS
Skulls crusted with dried mud glower from niches cut
Six swarms of undead spiders inhabit the warrens
into the walls of this tomb. A stone sarcophagus stands
within the walls of the tomb. They are treated as
at the center of the chamber, its lid adorned with a coiled
swarms of insects (spiders), except that they are sus-
serpent carved in relief. Behind the sarcophagus, resting ceptible to effects that can target undead.
atop a marble pedestal, is an ornate crystal box with a The warrens are too narrow for Medium and larger
creatures to enter, and Small creatures must squeeze to
small humanoid skull floating inside it.
traverse them (see "Movement and Position" in chapter
9 of the Player's Handbook). Tiny creatures can move
If the characters enter this tomb from the secret passage through the warrens freely. The swarms attack any crea-
along the river, they see the concave inner surface of the tures that enter the warrens or any creatures in Moa's
stone skull at area 13. tomb if Nepartak becomes enraged.
A maze of tiny passages is cut into the walls beyond
the niches, and any character who succeeds on a DC 'TREASURE
10 Wisdom (Perception) check can hear the faint yet The stone sarcophagus isn't locked and can be opened
grotesque scuttling of insects from within. Hundreds with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.
of tarantula-sized undead spiders crawl through Inside, a bundle of faded cloth holds the serpentine
these warrens. bones of ajaculi (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 destroyed if it

CH APTER 5 I TOMB OF THEN rNE GOOS
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