Page 177 - Tomb of Annihilation

The fires go out, though smoke still hangs in the air. A
warm wind blows through the hall, carrying the scent of
jasmine, frankincense, and grave dust. The smoke co-
alesces into a decayed warrior wrapped in bandages. He
holds up a gruesome chalice made from a human skull.

The undead warrior is Ch'gakare, barely recognizable as
the man riding the mastodon in the wall murals. He has
the statistics of a revenant, but he can't be destroyed.
If reduced to 0 hit points, Ch'gakare turns to smoke,
vanishes, and reforms in his tomb somewhere in the
distant jungle.
Ch'gakare does not speak but holds up the chalice in a
manner that suggests he's offering it as a gift. If the chal-
ice is taken from his hand, Ch'gakare turns to smoke
and is gone. The stone block that seals off the room re-
tracts into the ceiling when Ch'gakare disappears.
TREASURE
If stripped off, the mastodon's gold leaf is worth 2,500
gp, though it takes a character 30 hours to claim it all.
When the mastodon statue begins to revolve, all crea-
Multiple characters working together can shorten the
tures present should roll initiative. The statue turns
time proportionately. Fifty gemstones (100 gp each) can
counterclockwise and completes one 360-degree revolu-
also be pried loose from the mastodon's tusks.
tion on initiative count 0 of each round.
Ch'gakare's gift is the fabled Skull Chalice of Ch'ga-
When the statue completes its first revolution, magical
kare. This item is worth 2,500 gp but can fetch up to
fire engulfs the floor and the cog, flaring up 6 feet high.
four times that value if sold at auction in any major city.
Any creature that enters the fire for the first time on
Alternatively, returning the chalice to Princess Mwax-
a turn or starts its turn there takes 10 (3d6) fire dam-
anare yields its promised reward (see "Kir Sabal," page
age. Any character perched on the golden mastodon is
68). For more information on the chalice, see "Fabled
shielded from the flames. Up to six Medium creatures
Treasures," page 127.
can perch on the mastodon at once-four on its back and
one on each of its curved tusks.
68. HALL OF DECAY
Each time the statue turns to face north, one or more
devils emerge from the murals and attack all other crea-
l
tures in the room. Roll initiative for each group of new
arrivals. Each magically summoned devil vanishes in a Graven images of rotting corpses decorate this hall, and
the floor is littered with tarnished coins, pieces of armor,
puff of smoke when it drops to 0 hit points or when there I
are no creatures left to attack. The devils appear in broken shields, axe heads, and other bits of scrap metal.
the following order, emerging from the walls wherever
you see fit:
All nonmagical objects made of cloth, leather, wood, or
Round 2: Four spined devils metal that enter this corridor instantly decay or corrode
Round 3: Three bearded devils to the point of being useless and worthless. Clothing
Round 4: Two barbed devils and armor falls apart, shields and weapons become brit-
Round 5: One horned devil tle and ineffective, and so forth. A mending spell cannot
Round 6: One erinyes repair an object damaged in this fashion.
An archway stands at the west end of the hall, through
Uthe characters try to strike a bargain with the dev-
which characters can see into area 69.
ils, only the erinyes is willing to engage them- but it
demands the willing sacrifice of one character's soul.
A character who offers his or her soul to the erinyes is
This yawning archway has a keystone adorned with an ]
destroyed by fire. The character's soul becomes trapped
[ iron bull's skull, which bites down on an ivory ring.
in the Soulmonger, the character's belongings are left
behind, and all remaining devils in the room disappear
in clouds of smoke. A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of
necromancy magic emanating from the ivory ring. If the
CH'GAKARE
ring is yanked from the skull's jaws, it disintegrates and
When the last devil is defeated or when the party strikes
the destructive effect in the hallway ends.
a deal with the erinyes, the mastodon statue returns to
The staircase on the south side of the hallway de-
its original north-facing position and stops revolving.
scends 25 feet to area 71 on level 6.
When this happens, read:
CHAPTER 5 I TOMB OF THE SINF: CODS