Page 144 - Tomb of Annihilation

characters to release her. If they refuse, she tries to bar· An invisible gray slaad paces inside the salt pentagram.
gain with them (see "Roleplaying the Dao" below). While Magical wards prevent the slaad from disturbing the
trapped inside the bottle, Keshma can't attack or cast salt or leaving the circle's confines. If another creature
spells. Once she's released, she can cast the tongues attacks the slaad, enters the area of the boundary circle,
spell to better communicate with her liberators. or breaks any part of the circle or pentagram by sweep-
lf the bottle is broken or unplugged, the dao emerges ing or brushing away the salt, the slaad is freed. Hungry
in a whirlwind of sand. She fulfills whatever promise for carnage, the creature vents its rage on the characters
she made to the characters in exchange for her freedom, before leaving the room in search of its control gem, not
then casts plane shift in an effort to return to the Ele- knowing that it is kept in area 28.
mental Plane of Earth. (The attempt fails, naturally, and
she winds up trapped in area 57.) ADVICE FROM THE SPIRITS
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Obo'laka or
ADVICE FROM THE SPIRITS Wongo receive advice when entering this area:
Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Moa, Nang-
• Cautious Obo'laka thinks the salt pentagram could
nang, or Papazotl receive advice when seeing the genie
use more salt and encourages her host to add to it.
in the bottle:
if any salt is available. (Doing so doesn't break the
• Truthful Moa advises his host not to break any bar- wards that trap the slaad.)
gains made with the dao. Reckless Wongo doesn't care much for salt penta-
• Greedy Nangnang advises her host to cut deals with grams, and he urges his host to wreck the symbol and
the dao that benefit only the host and her. see what happens.
• Proud Papazotl encourages his host to treat the dao
like a servile lickspittle. SARCOPHAGUS
Arranged atop the sarcophagus are twelve painted
ROLEPLAYING THE DAO wooden statuettes depicting gruogs. They are cute but
Decades of imprisonment have done I ittle to dent Kesh- worthless. The lid of the sarcophagus can be lifted and
ma's imperious nature. As befits a dao, she regards the pushed aside with a successful DC 17 Strength {Athlet-
characters as lesser creatures and bargains with them ics) check. Within is a varnished clay urn containing the
only if they refuse her commands. skull and bones of a gruog (Nangnang's animal form;
At first, Keshma promises the characters riches in see appendix D), as well as a number of valuables (see
exchange for freedom- the sapphires coiled through "Treasure" below).
her braided hair and the platinum armbands (see "Trea- A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura
sure" below). Such baubles mean little to the dao in of enchantment surrounding the clay urn. The first crea-
the greater scheme of things, but she feigns anguish in ture to touch the urn or disturb its contents must suc-
surrendering them. If the characters press for more, ceed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by
Keshma promises to take them anywhere in the multi- ao Otto's irresistible dance spell. Until the effect ends,
verse. Finally, she offers to travel with them through the the creature also takes 11 (2d10) psychic damage at the
tomb and aid them three times with her spells. end of each of its turns as discordant, percussive music
Once freed, Keshma remains true to her word. How- overwhelms its mind. Any creature under the effect of
ever, she won't tolerate any slight to her honor. If she a mind blank spell or similar magic doesn't hear this
feels insulted. she attacks the characters and attempts to music or suffer the psychic damage. A successful dispel
enslave them. magic (DC 18) dismisses the effect on the urn, allowing
The dao could become a thorn in the characters' side it to be touched safely.
or a difficult ally. Her ignorance of the tomb's defenses
confines her to area 57 if she casts plane shift. If she ThEASURE
escapes from area 57, she expects the characters to help Inside the sarcophagus are a potion of poison disguised
her find a safe way out of the tomb. When she learns of as a potion of supreme healing and a petrified gruog
the trickster gods, Keshma encourages the characters to egg that functions as a pearl of power. A spellcaster
seek them out and use them to defeat Acererak. that attunes to the egg also gains resistance to poison
damage. The egg turns to dust and is destroyed if it
ThEASURE leaves the Tomb of the Nine Gods (but see "Lost Trea-
The dao wears two sapphire cords (l,250 gp each), two sures," page 189).
platinum armbands engraved with dueling dragons (750 Nangnang's Spirit. The spirit of Nangnang tries to
gp each), and a topaz belly-button gemstone (500 gp). inhabit any character who touches the egg (see "Spirits
of the Nine Trickster Gods," page 129). When Nang-
24. NANGNANG's TOMB nang's spirit manifests, read:

As you touch the egg, a tendril of slime rises from its
The air here reeks of sulfur and brimstone. On the floor
surface and transforms into a frog-like head that bobs
of this chamber, a pentagram traced in salt surrounds
toward you. A croaking voice sounds out in your mind:
an ornate sarcophagus, its lid covered with figurines of
"Nangnang will help you now."
prancing frog-like humanoids.

CHAPTER ~ I TOMB OF THE NIN£ GODS
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