Page 95 - Tomb of Annihilation

terrible ritual she performed to inhabit the body of her
own granddaughter. All four mages carry spellbooks
that contain all their prepared spells.
Zagmira has seen the entrance to the Tomb of the
Nine Gods (area 14) and believes the Soulmonger is
held within. The Red Wizards have separated to find the
puzzle cubes needed to unlock the tomb (see "Puzzle
Cubes," page 94).
A man named Orvex (see area 2) serves tile Red Wiz-
ards as a scribe and translator, but his loyalty to them is
tenuous. The adventurers can easily befriend him.

TABAXI HUNTERS
In the twilight of their lives, venerable tabaxi sometimes
leave their families and venture into the jungle to claim
a hunter's death. A divine being known as the Cat Lord
leads the bravest to Omu, where they spend their final
days hunting dinosaurs and other jungle beasts.
Three elderly tabaxi hunters (see appendix D) stalk
the city wnen the characters arrive. Their names are
Hooded Lantern (male), Bag of Nails (mate), and Copper
Bell (female). The hunters know the city well, but care
little for its history and keep clear of its shrines. They
hunt alone and avoid contact with explorers. Rare weap-
ons and hunting gear are the only items the characters
could offer to gain their help.
Hooded Lantern has graying black fur, and cataracts
cloud his left eye. He is preparing himself for a glorious
death fighting the great tyrannosaurus rex known as the RACE FOR THE PUZZLE CUBES
King of Feathers (see area 13). Copper Bell has speck- The characters need not explore all nine shrines. The
led ginger fur and wears a torn blue cloth over her bony Red Wizards find at least two of the puzzle cubes, and
shoulders- the blanket used to comfort her cubs when Ras Nsi always steps in to claim the final cube. Things
they were infants. She retains much of her inquisitive- play out differently if the players find a way to foil their
ness and wry humor. Bag of Nails has gone mad and is enemies' plans-by killing them, for example.
described in area 7. On the day the characters claim their first puzzle cube,
the Red Wizards clear a separate shrine within the city.
PUZZLE CUBES
While the Red Wizards remain active, there's a cumula-
To unlock the Tomb of the Nine Gods, the characters tive 25 percent chance per day that they claim another
must first recover nine puzzle cubes from shrines hid- puzzle cube from a random shrine. If the players arrive
den throughout the city. The Red Wizards are already at a cleared shrine, they discover a scene of devastation:
searching for the cubes, and Ras Nsi does what he must traps sprung, monsters slain, and the cube missing.
to prevent the Red Wizards or the characters from ob- Once five puzzle cubes have been taken from their
taining all of them. shrines, Ras Nsi begins to set ambushes. When the
A puzzle cube is a stone cube 3 inches on a side and characters arrive at their next shrine, three type 1
engraved with images of a specific trickster god. Each yuan-ti malisons and six yuan-ti purebloods ambush
cube weighs half a pound. A detect magic spell or sim- them. Their orders are to capture characters and bring
ilar effect reveals an aura of abjuration magic around them to the Fane of the Night Serpent for interrogation.
each cube. Once eight puzzle cubes have been claimed, Ras Nsi
The puzzle cubes can't be destroyed by any means. steals the ninth cube for himself and leaves an obvious
If they're discarded, buried, or taken more than a mile trail leading pursuers to the main entrance of his un-
outside Omu, they teleport back to their resting places derground temple (see area 20A). The characters must
inside their respective shrines. If the characters return infiltrate the temple and either take the puzzle cube by
to a previously cleared shrine, there's a cumulative 20 force or convince Ras Nsi to part with it. For more infor-
percent chance per day that kobolds have reset its traps. mation on the temple and its inhabitants, see chapter 4.
LEARNING OF THE SHRINES AN UNEASY ALLIANCE
A few clues can point the players toward the shrines, The characters could form an alliance with the Red Wiz-
including a lost journal found at a campsite (area 9). ards to recover the puzzle cube taken by the yuan-ti. If
Characters can also discover the shrines on their own an accord is reached, Zagmira reveals that she has a spy
or learn about them from Orvex Ocrammas (area 2). in the yuan-ti temple: a yuan-ti pureblood named lsh-
makahl (pronounced ISH-mah-kawl). Zagmira doesn't
reveal that this spy is a doppelganger.

C!IAPTER 3 I DWELLERS OF Till FORDIODEr-.' CIT\"