Page 93 - Tomb of Annihilation

The cliffs surrounding Omu are 100-150 feet high and FALL OF 0MU
composed of crumbling rock. Thick jungle hugs the Omu's bloody trials drew the attention of Acererak, an
clifftops. with ferns, orchids. and moss spilling over the archJich who wanders the cosmos in search of souls to
edges. Every 100 feet or so, a gargoyle perches on the harvest. Acererak, who is fond of deathtraps, marveled
brink of the precipice. When a character gets a good at the trials concocted by the Omuans. They inspired
look at one of these creatures, read: him to create his own dungeon below the city.
A little over a century ago, Acererak entered Omu
I I
and slew all nine trickster gods. He then enslaved the
A vine.draped gargoyle perches on the clifftop, staring
Omuans and forced them to carve out a tomb for their
down at the ruined city. It has the face of a devil, with its
defeated gods. When the tomb was complete, Acererak
mouth agape in a silent scream.
murdered the Omuans and sealed them in the tomb
with their false gods. The archlich resumed his odyssey
across the planes, content that the dungeon would feed
The gargoyles attack anyone who flies over the city or
his phylactery with the souls of dead adventurers. The
tries to climb up or down the cliffs, but they ignore in-
truders who enter by the river or the ravine to the south- jungle reclaimed Omu, and it fell into ruin.
west. They serve Acererak and take orders from his RISE OF RAS N SI
undead tomb custodian, Withers (see chapter S).
Fifty years ago, a brood of yuan-ti from Hisari (see
chapter 2) slithered into Omu and made it their new
HISTORY OF 0MU
home. They built an underground temple beneath the
The tragic history of Omu is written in its ruins. As the old palace and patiently waited for their god, Dendar
characters explore, use the information provided here to the Night Serpent, to come forth and swallow the world.
bring the city to life. Earthquakes shook Omu and cracked it open like a fig,
causing the river to burst its banks. Chance spared the
FORBIDDEN CITY
yuan-ti temple from destruction, but scores of yuan-ti
Omu was once a jewel in Chu It's crown. Built over rich died, including their leader (a yuan-ti abomination).
mineral veins, the city garnered wealth in abundance. The evil warlord Ras Nsi, who had raised an army of
Omuan jewelry was coveted far and wide, and the city's undead to wage war on the holy city of Mezro, only to
merchants grew fat on commerce. To enter Omu, it suffer a terrible defeat, arrived in Omu shortly after the
was said, was to enter the gates of paradise itself. Such yuan-ti. Ras Nsi wormed his way into the yuan-ti's favor
wealth brought greed. Omu's hunger for slaves made her and underwent a ritual to transform into a malison.
rulers demand ever greater tribute from their neighbors. Before long, he became their ruler. Today, beneath the
When their vassals couldn't pay in flesh, they paid in cracked and broken streets of Omu, Ras Nsi holds sway
blood. Omu's feared legions marched across Chult. and plots to bring Dendar the Night Serpent into the
The Omuans' greed and hubris angered the god world, sealing its doom.
Ubtao, causing him to turn his back on Omu two hun-
dred years ago-long before he abandoned the rest of LEGEND OF THE NINE Goos
Chult. Omu's clerics lost their spells, and the city fell to
sickness and disease. Slave uprisings wracked Omu, Stories of Omu's nine trickster gods died with the
and its nobles fled in droves. Maps showing Omu's lo- Omuans who worshiped them. As characters explore
cation were destroyed, and its coins were melted down the gods' shrines, the players piece together fragments
and reminted. Fallen from grace, Omu became known of the following legend, which provides clues on how to
as the Forbidden City. enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
Long ago, the god Ubtao hardened his heart and
NINE TRICKSTER GODS vowed to weep for the people of Omu no longer. The
With Ubtao gone, primal spirits arose from the rain- rains stopped, the jungle withered and died, and death
forest to bewitch the few remaining Omuans. They swept through Omu.
disguised themselves as jungle creatures and promised One morning, a wise zorbo emerged from her hollow
great power in return for devotion. Desperate for re- tree and spoke to the dying Omuans. To convince Ubtao
demption, the Omuans tore down their temple to Ubtao of their worth, she decided to cook him a stew made
and raised shrines to these nine trickster gods. from a!J their good qualities. Catching such virtues
The new deities were divisive and often cruel. Too wouldn't be easy, so she asked a wily almiraj to help her.
weak to grant mfracles to every follower, they concocted The almiraj snuck recklessness in the pot, which she
elaborate trials to winnow the clergy. On holy days, saw as a virtue, and Ubtao spat out the stew when he
the mettle of aspirant priests was tested in their nine tasted it. From that day on, Obo'laka the zorbo and l'jin
shrines, with deadly consequences for failure. The trials the almiraj became terrible enemies.
provided entertainment for the degenerate Omuans and At noon, a brave kamadan hopped down from her
fed their weakling gods with much-needed sacrifices. rock. She saw the evil in the Omuans' hearts and de-
For nine decades, the city folk lived by the mantras of cided to lance it like a troublesome boil. The kamadan
their trickster gods. They built statues in their names fashioned a holy spear, but she left it by the riverbank
and schemed against each other to assert their chosen and a crafty gruog stole it. In her rage, Shagambi the
god's dominance. Omu's glorious past was lost, but its kamadan forgot all about the Omuans and chased Nang-
people endured. Such mercy did not last long. nang the grung forever across the sky.

011.1\.PTER 3 j DWELLERS OFTRE FORBIDDEN CITY