Page 166 - Tomb of Annihilation

look like a clear blue sky. A small bejeweled cockroach
rests atop a sarcophagus of black basalt in the middle of
the room. A two-foot-diameter orb hanging from a chain
above the sarcophagus is made of hammered gold to re-
semble a smiling sun.

After Acererak slew the trickster gods of Omu and en-
slaved the city, Napaka, the city's elderly queen, chose
not to flee, and instead offered herself as a sacrifice in
exchange for the release of her people. Acererak was
impressed by the queen's courage-not enough to spare
her life or honor her request, but enough to place her in
a special crypt.
A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals auras of
evocation magic around the golden sun and the bejew-
eled cockroach (see "Treasure" below).
The lid of the black sarcophagus bears a name etched
in Common: NAPAKA. The lid is sealed with strips of BLIND ARTIST
melted lead that can be easily pried away. Once the lead
is removed, the lid can be pushed aside with a success-
ful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. The interior of
the sarcophagus is lined with lead and contains several
curse spell or similar magic removes the curse from
treasures (see "Treasure" below).
the necklace.
GOLDEN SUN Sarcopha~us. The sarcophagus contains the magi-
Whenever the sun or its chain are touched or damaged, cally preserved remains of Queen Napaka. She wears
the sun's smile fades to an inscrutable expression, and the tattered remnants of a black gown and a hornet
it emits tremendous heat in a 20-foot-radius sphere mask made of painted gold (250 gp).
centered on itself. Any creature that starts its turn in the In her left hand, Napaka holds an iron scepter with
area takes 10 (3d6) fire damage. This effect ends if all an adamantine head, which is lighter than it appears (5
creatures leave the affected area. pounds). A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an
The first time the queen's remains or any of her trea- aura of transmutation magic around the scepter, which
sures are removed from the sarcophagus, the sun's can be used to destroy the stone juggernaut in area 62.
expression turns angry as it emits rays of searing light. Casting an identify, legend lore, or similar spell on the
Each creature within 30 feet of the sun that doesn't have scepter reveals that its singular purpose is to destroy a
total cover against it must succeed on a DC 14 Dexter- construct named after Napaka.
ity saving throw or be struck by a ray, which deals 42 If the scepter is removed and not immediately re-
(12d6) fire damage. placed with its nonmagical twin from area 52, or if
The sun and its chain are treated as a single Small Napaka's remains are removed from their resting place,
object with AC 15; 22 hit points; and immunity to fire, the queen's corpse opens its mouth in a wide yawn and
poison, and psychic damage. The sun loses its magical exhales a baleful black gas that fills a 15-foot cube cen-
properties when it shoots its rays or is destroyed. tered on it. Each creature in the area must make a DC
18 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (7d12) necrotic
TREASURE damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a
The jewelry box and the sarcophagus contain treasure. successful one.
jewelry Box. The cockroach-shaped jewelry box is
made of gold, set with precious gems (including tiny QUESTIONI NG NAPAKA
black pearls for its eyes), and worth 1,500 gp. It weighs Queen Napaka has been dead for more than a century.
5 pounds and contains two items: a small jade key If a speak with dead spell is cast on her corpse, the
shaped Hke a crocodile (designed to fit in the keyhole in characters can ask it questions about Omu and receive
honest answers. Napaka came to believe that the gods
area 62B) and a necklace of fireballs with eight beads
remaining. Acererak placed a curse on the necklace, of Omu were not truly divine beings but rather trickster
which can be revealed by an identify spell. spirits that had fooled the Omuan people into worship-
When any creature dons the cursed necklace, ing them. The queen remembers Acererak killing the
all its beads detonate at once. Each creature in a trickster gods and enslaving the Omuans, but she knows
20-foot-radius sphere centered on the exploding neck- nothing about the Tomb of the Nine Gods, which was
built after her death. She knows that a few members of
lace must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking
56 (16d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much the royal family fled Omu, but she is unaware that the
damage on a successful one. The wearer of the neck- aarakocra are sheltering her great-grandchildren at Kir
lace fails the saving throw automatically. A remove Sabal. Napaka knows that her grandmother, Zalkore,
languishes in the ruins of Nangalore.

C llAPfJ::R 5 I TOMB OF THE NlNE GODS