Page 44 - Tomb of Annihilation

ing only a pittance at a time, for example-Aremag impa·
The sea ahead roils and churns, and waves crash over the tiently blows a blast of steam breath above the ship and
bow of your ship, driven by saw-toothed hills rising from slaps the hull with its tail, causing everyone not below
the heaving foam. Water streams off the rising crags deck to make a successful DC 15 Strength or Dexterity
saving throw or tumble overboard. The bay is full of reef
like rivers crashing down a mountainside. At last the
sharks, and anyone who stays in the water more than 3
emerging island stops growing in size, although the sea
rounds is attacked by ld4 of them.
around still tosses your ship like a drifting feather. Then a
Some negotiation is possible. A successful DC 15
huge blast of steam erupts from the waves, and through Charisma (Persuasion) check can persuade Aremag that
the drifting, rainbow-crossed mist, you see an immense the passengers have no more to give, provided they've
beak and a milky eye the size of a hogshead cask staring placed at least 50 gp of value into the sack. Only one
character can make the check; others can aid, if they
blindly in your direction. As the water calms, you also
contribute a convincingly pitiable plea to the argument.
spot a dozen or more shark fins circling the ship.
The check is made with disadvantage if the sack con-
tains less than 100 gp in value, or with advantage if the
Aremag speaks first in Draconic; if no one answers in- sack contains 150 gp or more. Every time this check is
telligibly, it switches to Aquan. tried and failed, Aremag reacts as described above, as if
During the negotiation, the dragon turtle slowly cir· characters were adding only a few gold pieces at a time.
des the ship. At first, characters must continually circle When the offering is sufficient, Aremag announces
the deck of the ship to maintain face-to-face contact "Heave it over!" The bag can be tossed onto Aremag's
with the creature, but eventually it creates an eddy that craggy back, into his mouth, or directly into the water.
causes the sloop to revolve at a rate matching Aremag's The dragon turtle submerges without further talk, caus-
motion. It should be obvious to everyone that the dragon ing the ship to pitch and roll violently until the sea calms
turtle could easily sink the vessel. down. Characters can watch the enormous disk of its
Aremag demands tribute for safe passage but doesn't shell swimming down into the clear water of the bay un-
specify an amount. Those aboard must throw valuables til it disappears in the lightless depths.
into a sack, in view of Aremag, until the dragon turtle
is satisfied with the offering. Aremag extorts a different CAMP RIGHTEOUS
amount from every vessel, depending on how rich it sus-
pects the cargo to be and how greedy it feels at the mo-
ment. To determine the minimum value in gold pieces You come upon an abandoned riverside camp strewn
Aremag will accept, roll 2d4 x 50 gp. As each fresh with wreckage. The tents are moldy and tattered, and all
offering is displayed and added to the sack, the dragon the permanent structures appear to have burned to the
turtle roars "More!" until the total reaches or exceeds its ground. Two Intact rowboats are tied off to a short dock.
minimum. If characters act ridiculous about this- add-

CHAPTER 2 I THE LAND OF CHULT