Page 17 - Tomb of Annihilation

ARRIVAL • The city's defensive walls and towers are topped
with colorful awnings to shield guards from the
Syndra Silvane teleports herself and the characters to sun and rain.
Port Nyanzaru's Harbor Ward, not far from the harbor-
• All streets within the city walls are paved with cobble-
master's office (area 13). Read:
stones or flagstones, and they have deep rain gutters
as much as 2 feet wide. Residents of Port Nyanzaru
pay little attention to any but the heaviest deluge.
You appear in a tropical city under the blazing sun. The
Tabaxi minstrels wander the streets, performing for
familiar sounds of a harbor- creaking ropes, slapping
anyone who tosses them a few coins.
waves, heavy barrels rolling across cobblestones-min·
• Walls divide the city into districts, and the open arch-
gle with voices shouting and cursing in an unfamiliar ways above the streets are painted with murals of
language filled with clicks, inhalations, and singsongy dinosaurs, mountains, and mythic heroes.
words that make it sound almost musical. The aroma of • Crumbling ancient buildings covered with vines and
lichens indicate the city's great age.
unfamiliar spices and tropical fruit mixes with the wharf.
side smells of fish, tar, and canvas. The ground floors of most buildings are made of
stucco-covered stone and have tiny windows to keep
Beyond all that, Port Nyanzaru is an explosion of color.
out the heat at street level. The upper floors have bam-
Buildings are painted in bright shades of blue, green,
boo or thatch walls with enormous windows to let in
orange, and salmon pink, or their walls are adorned with
the breeze, under broad thatched or tiled eaves. All
murals portraying giant reptiles and mythical heroes. buildings are richly decorated with paint, ivy, and vivid
Every building sports baskets and clay urns of colorful flowers. Some are painted in symmetrical, geometric
flowers or is draped in leafy, flowering vines. Minstrels patterns of straight lines and sharp angles, while others
portray animals, monsters, landscapes, and heroes in a
in bright clothing adorned with feathers and shells per·
stylized manner unique to Chult. Where space permits,
form on street corners. Multicolored pennants and sun
buildings traditionally include a walled yard or garden.
awnings flutter atop the city walls. A crowd of children
All the city's water comes from rain, so every building
dressed in feathered hats and capes races past you, has a cistern or wooden barrels to catch water running
squealing in delighted terror as a street performer cos· off the roof. Every public square is built around a foun-
tain or rain basin. With so much water running down-
turned as a big-toothed lizard stomps and roars behind
hill, Chultans also make excellent use of water-driven
them. The whole city seems to be bustling, sweating,
mechanical gadgets. Many buildings have water wheels
laughing, swearing, and singing.
built into their cisterns. Rainwater running through
spouts or channels turns the wheel, which pumps water
into pools, turns millstones, powers bellows or lathes or
Syndra recommends that the characters secure rooms
saws, or accomplishes any other labor-saving or amus-
for themselves at either the Thundering Lizard (if
ing task Chultan engineers can dream up.
they're looking for a raucous time) or Kaya's House of
Repose (if they want a good night's sleep). Both inns are
located near the Red Bazaar (area 18). Meanwhile, Syn· SIDE QUESTS
dra heads to the villa of the merchant prince Wakanga As the characters explore Port Nyanzaru, they might
O'tamu. There she intends to stay for the remainder encounter NPCs who need their help. Given the urgency
of the adventure. If the characters express interest in of their mission, characters might be reluctant to take
accompanying her, she's more than happy to introduce on side quests. They are under no obligation to complete
them to Wakanga (see "Merchant Princes,·· page 25). them; however, completing a side quest can lead to un·
When describing the sights and sounds of Port expected rewards and discoveries.
Nyanzaru, emphasize the heat, the humidity, the exotic Introduce as many or as few of these side quests as
sounds and smells, and other unique aspects of Port you like. The NPCs who trigger them can be encoun-
Nyanzaru. Some of its notable features are described tered anywhere within the city. If you can't decide which
hereafter: side quest to choose, roll a dlO.
• Medium and Large dinosaurs are used as beasts of 1. Collect a Debt. K'lahu (N female Chultan human
burden to haul two-wheeled carts, to hoist heavy loads thug), a bookie who takes bets at Executioner's Run
on cranes, and to tow boats along the canals. (see area 3), asks the adventurers to come with her as
• Dinosaurs compete in weekly races through the
she collects a debt. Th~ pay is 10 percent of whatever
streets. These brightly painted racing dinosaurs are is collected on the 500 gp debt, which is owed by a
fast, vicious, and barely under their riders' control. man named Taban (N male Chultan human gladia-
• Flowers, green plants, and vines grow everywhere, tor). Taban refuses to pay anything until he's beaten
seeming to spring out of the building stones them- down to 20 or fewer hit points, whereupon he offers
selves. The profusion of greenery needs constant up a pouch containing ten 50 gp gemstones. Ashamed
tending to prevent roots and shoots from damaging by his defeat and eager to redeem himself, Taban of-
buildings or tile roofs. fers to join the party as a follower, demanding no pay
for the duration of the adventure.