Page 52 - Tomb of Annihilation

THE GREAT RITUAL
4. SHRINE
Once the Great Ritual is complete, King Groak expects
Nangnang to materialize and speak words of love, praise,
The interior of the shrine is one large, hollow room. Just and reassurance to him. Fearing that the ritual will fail,
Krr'ook has concocted a desperate plan to fool the king
inside the entrance is a clear pool of water that ranges in
but needs the adventurers' help to pull it off.
depth from 2 to 5 feet. Phosphorescent fungi illuminate Krr'ook's Plan. A while ago, Krr'ook found a box of
the pool with soft. dreamy hues. Short, frog·like human· Nolzur's marvelous pigments, which she hid from the king.
She plans to paint an image of Nangnang of such quality
oids of different colors are fussing with the fungi and
that Croak will be fooled into thinking it's the real goddess.
tossing flower petals into the pool. Krr'ook hopes that one of the adventurers will have the
At the back of the shrine is an elevated semicircular skill to illustrate Nangnang convincingly. She's willing to
give the magical pigments as a reward to the adventurers
basin of water 10 feet high. Wallowing in the basin is a
if all goes well. As a further reward, Krr'ook offers a ring of
grung with gold skin. On its brow rests a golden circlet. jumping. Anyone touched by a dose of poison must suc-
An orange-skinned grung perches nearby, shortbow at ceed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take S (2d4)
the ready. poison damage. A dose of poison is used up once it deals
damage to a creature.
Moment ofTruth. The ritual happens at night. Fires are
The shallow pool at the front of the shrine is where lit throughout the village, whereupon scores of common
grungs enter the lake and watch the shrine. King Groak
Krr'ook (a red-skinned grung wildling; see the "Grungs
dons ceremonial garb made from reeds and wild orchids,
of Dungrunglung" sidebar) and her assistants (six blue-
and awaits his love on the steps of the shrine, wringing his
skinned grungs) prepare for the Great Ritual by tending
rubbery hands with anticipation.
the phosphorescent fungi and scenting the water with
To fool Croak, the characters must paint an image of
delicate perfumes. Removing the fungi from the pool is Nangnang on a surface or craft some other representation
forbidden, by order of King Groak. of her, then use magic (if they can) to give it a semblance
The elevated pool at the back of the shrine is fed by an of life. Animate object, major image, minor illusion, and
underground spring. King Groak (a gold-skinned grung similar spells can help enhance the illusion. Spells such as
elite warrior with a circlet of blasting; see the "Grungs color spray and prestidigitation can also be used to dazzle
of Dungrunglung" sidebar) issues commands from the an audience long enough to conceal a fatal flub.
Whoever gives voice to Nangnang must "sell" the illu-
pool during the day and sleeps here at night. He rarely
sion with honeyed words, in order to convince King Croak
has cause to leave the shrine these days. By his side
that he has won a special place in Nangnang's heart.
is Roark (orange-skinned grung elite warrior; see the
Finally, the ritual must end with Nangnang's departure,
"Grungs of Dungrunglung" sidebar).
handled in such a way that King Groak won't suspect he's
Treasure .• King Groak wears a circlet of blasting, been fooled or abandoned forever. If Nangnang or her
which he's not afraid to use against anyone who insults words ring false, King Groak orders the deaths of Krr'ook
or defies him. Lining the bottom of his pool are 33 gp and anyone believed to have aided her.
and a fist-sized chunk of green quartz (50 gp). Making Nangnang. To fool Croak, the party must suc-
ceed at three or mo(e of the following tasks. Have the
5. GRUNG HOVELS characters make the requisite ability checks in the fol-
Dotted about the shores of the lake are several squat lowing order:
huts made from swamp moss and reeds plastered to- • Painting or crafting a representation of Nangnang
gether with mud. The huts range from about 15 to 25 requires a successful DC 12 Intelligence check. Us-
feet in diameter, and each has a single, low entrance. ing Nolzur's marvelous pigments grants advantage on
Some have small, round windowlike openings, and a the check.
few have stout mud chimneys. • Animating Nangnang convincingly requires a successful
Each hut is large enough to accommodate six adult DC 12 Charisma (Deception) check. If multiple charac-
ters contribute, have one character make the check with
grungs plus 2d6 baby grungs (noncombatants). All the
advantage.
occupants of a given hut belong to the same caste, and
• Convincing Groak that Nangnang's words are genuine
thus have the same color skin (except the young, which requires a successful DC 15 Charisma (Deception or
are all dull green-gray). Performance) check. If the words are delivered in a
language King Groak doesn't understand, the check is
6. LAKE GRUNGLUNG made with disadvantage. (Croak speaks Crung only.)
Lake Grunglung is really just a large pond covered with • Selling Nangnang's blessed departure requires a
lily pads and duckweed, where slow-moving catfish gulp successful DC 15 Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, or
at the surface for air. The thick, muddy bottom is littered Persuasion) check. The check is made with disadvantage
with the bones of the grungs' feasts. if her words are spoken in a language other than Crung.
End Result. If the characters succeed at three or more
7. PRISON PIT checks, King Croak is thoroughly duped and very happy
This dug-out pit is 5 feet deep and covered by stout, for the foreseeable future. Characters who request his help
wooden bars. Prisoners confined here are guarded will receive it, no questions asked. If the party's trickery is
around the clock by two green-skinned grungs discovered, King Groak orders his subjects to attack them.
(warriors) until they can be cooked and eaten. Any The attacking force consists of sixteen grung elite warriors
(including Roark) and forty grungs. Croak retreats to his
items taken from the prisoners are entrusted to pur-
elevated pool in the shrine and makes his final stand there.
ple-skinned grungs in the nearby hovels (see area 5).
CHAPTER 2 I THE LAND OF' CHULT
51