Page 70 - Tomb of Annihilation

safety- if they can reach it. The aarakocra are also shel- taken on a life of their own irrespective of any religious
tering the last human descendants of the royal line of observance.
Omu. If the characters eventually liberate Omu from the If the characters approach peacefully, they'll be wel-
evil possessing it, the royal line can be restored. come in Kir Sabal as long as they don't harm anyone,
Originally, the monastery structures could be reached disrupt traditions, steal, or lie. Even as guests, they're
by ascending a path that combined natural stone ramps, expected to spend a few hours a day helping with chores
steps cut into the cliff face, and wooden walkways built (sweeping floors and cleaning dishes, mostly).
onto the cliff. The ramps and steps are still mostly in- If the characters tell Asharra of their plan to visit Omu
tact, but the wooden walkways are rotting or missing and destroy the Soulmonger, she offers to perform a rit-
entirely in many places. The aarakocra don't need them ual called the Dance of the Seven Winds, bestowing on
and have no reason to repair them. the characters the magical ability to fly (see the "Dance
To reach the monastery from the ground. a character of the Seven Winds" sidebar). To complete the ritual,
must make three ability checks. Each time a check fails, she needs a black orchid, which can be found only in
the character must choose between either taking 10 Nangalore (described later in this chapter). Asharra can
(3d6) bludgeoning damage from a fall or gaining 1 level provide directions, but she doesn't allow her people to
of exhaustion (which means disadvantage on further go anywhere near the ruins because of the evil, intelli-
ability checks). The three ability checks are as follows: gent cranes (eblis) known to live there.
Seventeen-year-old Princess Mwaxanare (see ap-
• A DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to climb around
gaps in the walkway. pendix D) is the oldest living descendant of the royal
families of Ornu and the primary heir to the fallen
A DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to cross wide
gaps in the wooden walkways by jumping along oddly kingdom. She and her six-year-old brother Na (a non-
spaced support beams. combatant with AC 10 and 3 hit points) are guests of the
• A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to spot rotted aarakocra- although "wards" might be a more accurate
planking that won't support weight. description. Their great-grandmother, Napaka, was the
last ruling queen of Omu; their father, Omek, died in a
The climb takes 1 hour, plus 10 minutes for every fall, and their mother, Razaan, was killed by pterafolk.
failed ability check. Unless characters make the climb The aarakocra aim to protect the young royals (and their
invisibly, at night, or during a rainstorm, it's impossible progeny, if necessary) until the evil in Omu is banished.
to reach the monastery without the aarakocra knowing The aarakocra say that they're doing this solely for the
they're coming. future of Chult, but Asharra secretly hopes that the
Fifty-six aarakocra live in Kir Sabal, in twelve "nests" aarakocra will be elevated to key roles in any renewed
or extended family groups. About a third of the aara- Chultan kingdom, if and when it comes about.
kocra population are juveniles; the rest are adults split Mwaxanare is vain, headstrong, and impatient to
evenly between males and females. They live primarily claim her throne. She doesn't take kindly to backtalk
by hunting in the jungle, fishing along the River Olung, and is unaccustomed to speaking to anyone except
and gardening atop the plateau, where they're safe from Asharra without condescension. In her view, she's al-
most of Chult's predators. ready Queen of Chult; the rest of the world is at fault for
The leader of the community is an incredibly old not acknowledging that.
aarakocra named Asharra. The others refer to her as Unfortunately, the princess's whole life has been shel-
Teacher, and they revere her as a living saint. Asharra tered at Kir Sabal, so her understanding of the world
is intelligent, ambitious, and somewhat manipulative, beyond the monastery is woefully, almost comically,
but never cruel or insensitive. Asharra is an aarakocra, narrow and distorted. For example, she never refers
with these changes: to other kingdoms as anything but principalities or
• Asharra is lawful neutral. holdings ("the holding of Waterdeep," "the principality
• She has 31 (7d8) hit points. of Arnn"); she believes that the other rulers of Faerun
• She has an Intelligence of 14, a Wisdom of 17, and the would send thousands of soldiers to her aid in a matter
following skills: History +4, Insight +5, Perception +7.
• She has the Spellcasting trait described below. DANCE OF THE SEVEN W IN DS
• She speaks Auran and Common. Asharra knows a ritual called the Dance of the Seven
• She has a challenge rating of 2 ( 450 XP). Winds, which temporarily grants magical flight to as many
as ten nonflying creatures. The ritual, which takes 10 min·
Spellcasting. Asharra is a 5th-level spellcaster who uses Wis·
utes to complete, can only be performed by an aarakocra
dom as her spell casting ability (spell save DC 13; +S to hit with elder and requires a black orchid as a material component.
spell attacks). She has the following druid spells prepared:
Asharra must grind the orchid to powder, inhale it, and
Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, mending, produce flame dance in circles around the ritual's beneficiaries uninter-
1st level (4 slots): detect magic.faerie fire, thunderwave rupted while seven other aarakocra chant prayers to the
2nd level (3 slots): gust of wind, hold person, lesser restoration Wind Dukes of Aaqa. When the dance concludes, Asharra's
3rd level (2 slots): call lightning, wind wall wings disappear and she loses the ability to fly. The ritual's
beneficiaries each gain a magical flying speed of30 feet
The aarakocra of Kir Sabal lead ritualistic lives and (allowing them to fly 4 miles per hour). This benefit lasts
follow strict rules of behavior laid down by tradition and for 3 days, a~er which Asharra's wings reappear and she
the Teacher. To a large extent, the rules and rituals have regains the ability to fly.

CH.o\PTER 2 I THE LANO OF CHULT