Page 155 - Tomb of Annihilation

40. CURSE OF THE GOLDEN SKULL them. The spiked chain can be attacked separately and
has AC 18, a damage threshold of 10, 5 hit points, and
immunity to poison and psychic damage. If the chain
I ] breaks, both tomb guardians instantly go berserk.
A golden skull rests on a pedestal in the middle of this
small, dusty room.
1
42. KUBAZAN S TOMB
This cursed human skull plated in gold is the remains
of a fool named Yaka-an entertainer who once amused A four-columned portico juts out from the far wall, be-
the royal family of Omu. If any character touches it, the neath which a stone sarcophagus rests in a wall recess.
skull levitates into the air and begins to follow that char-
Four ceramic frog masks hang in niches around the
acter everywhere. The skull never strays more than a
sarcophagus. Beneath the masks, humanoid bones are
few feet away, teleporting back to the character's side if
strewn across the floor. To the east, a large carving of a
it loses sight of him or her. As it hovers, Yaka's skull sup-
plies a stream of deadpan banter in a mocking, hollow tentacled frog-monster squats above a shrine. Offerings
voice. Unless the skull is magically silenced, its inoppor- lie on a shelf before it. Four rectangular frescoes adorn
tune comments cause the character to make all ability the adjacent walls.
checks with disadvantage.
Roleplay the skull as cruel and cynical, with a dark
sense of humor. It knows nothing of the tomb but pre- To unlock sarcophagus, the characters must perform
tends to know all. Acererak has warded the skull with a simple ritual at the shrine while wearing the frog
powerful magic, rendering it impervious to damage and masks. The wall frescoes reveal what must be done.
spells. Its curse is too powerful to be broken with any
ADVICE FROM THE SPIRITS
spell other than wish, which can be used either to de-
stroy the skull or end the curse. If the curse ends but the Any characters inhabited by the spirits of Nangnang,
skull survives, it teleports back to its pedestal and waits Obo'laka, or Shagambi receive advice when entering
for another character to touch it. this area:
The curse can also be ended by feeding gemstones • Greedy Nangnang urges her host to snatch up the gold
to the skull, which it craves. The skull chews up and
coins on the wall shrine.
destroys any nonmagical gem fed to it, leaving no trace
• Cautious Obo'laka warns against trying on the masks.
of the gem behind. Once it destroys 10,000 gp worth of • Wise Shagambi is convinced that the frescoes are
gemstones, the skull teleports back to its pedestal and
clues to understanding the power of the wall shrine.
the curse ends for the affected character.
FRESCOES
41. TOMB GUARDIANS Four frescoes Hne the east wall of the tomb, two on each
side of the shrine.
Fresco 1. This fresco shows a time when Kubazan
Two hulking figures stand in alcoves along this long hall, used his tentacles to help the Omuans cast down a
facing each other. Armor is bolted to their flesh, and they statue of the god Ubtao:
wear bucket helms and spiked gauntlets. Iron collars
around their necks are connected by a spiked chain that A frog-like behemoth uses its tentacles to help the
stretches across the corridor.
Omuan people knock down a mighty statue. In the fore-
ground, an old woman wearing a frog mask tosses five
The tomb guardians in the alcoves attack any creature coins from her hand as though sowing seeds.
that attacks them or tries to move past them. They are
Oesh golems, with these changes:
Fresco 2. This fresco shows a time when Kubazan
• The golems are clad in plate armor (AC 17). helped a group of Omuan hunters kill a giant crocodile
• With its spiked gauntlets, a tomb guardian deals 13 that was threatening the city:
(2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6} piercing
damage with each successful Slam attack.
A frog·like behemoth wraps its tentacles around a giant
• Each tomb guardian has a challenge rating of 6
(2,300XP). crocodile as Omuan hunters stab the crocodile with their
spears. In the foreground, an old man wearing a frog
SPIKED CHAIN
mask holds a bug up to his open mouth.
The magical spiked chain that binds the guardians
together prevents them from moving more than 15 feet
apart. Additionally, as long as the chain is intact, dam- Fresco 3. This fresco shows a time when Kubazan
age dealt to either guardian is divided evenly between helped the Omuans find a missing child in the jungle:

CHAPTER 5 I TOMB Of THE !';INI': CODS