Tomb of Annihilation Session 15 – Return to Port Nyanzaru

Here’s the write up from our latest Tomb of Annihilation session, which featured several mini-adventures from Encounters in Port Nyanzaru, and finally introduced Syndra Silvane and the death curse.

Begin here with Session 0 – Caves of the Cockatrice

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29th Marpenoth, 1495 DR

Certes doesn’t want Wakanga O’Tamu to learn that the party have recovered Vorn so he can keep the shield guardian. He enlists Eysleigh and Rhamash’s help in finding a suitable hiding place for the construct two miles from Port Nyanzaru.

The party enter the Old City as a criminal succeeds in outrunning two kamadans, climbing out of Executioner’s Run to cheers from the crowd. Nanna is there too and gives the party a cheery wave. Suddenly, an argument breaks out between two spectators, and one shoves the other into the pit! 

The characters react quickly to save the victim, a man named Kabonto. Eysleigh casts entangle to restrain the kamadans, while Rhamash leaps down and drags the injured man over to the escape ropes. Certes casts fireball and then scorching ray to kill one of the monsters, and Rhamash hauls Kabonto to safety. Grateful for his rescue, Kabonto splits his gambling winnings with the party.

While Eysleigh persuades the beast handlers to let him harvest the snake heads from the dead kamadan, the Zhentarim representative Pock-Marked Po appears, asking the party to meet him at his hut once they’ve had a chance to bathe and rest.

The characters say goodbye to the four Order of the Gauntlet soldiers and head to the Thundering Lizard Inn. The owner tells them there have been a series of thefts at the Public Bathhouse. 

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At the bathhouse, Nanna drinks mint tea and chats to the priests of Sune about the thefts, while Certes, Eysleigh, and Rhamash get changed; Eysleigh casts barkskin on himself as a precaution. Certes has a massage, Eysleigh has a herbal bath, and Rhamash soaks up the steam from the hot pool. Meanwhile, Nanna discreetly checks for hidden doorways that a thief could use but finds none. 

The characters’ relaxation is rudely interrupted by a cry of “Stop Thief!” as a fully clothed young woman sprints through the baths, clutching a fistful of jewellery. As soon as she reaches the centre of the room a water elemental erupts from the cold bath, attacking everyone nearby. Certes is washed off his feet by a tidal wave, and Eysleigh is scalded when the herbal bath begins to boil. The angry elemental summons two mephits and attempts to whelm the thief and Rhamash, and then the Green.

The thief makes a run for it, but her escape is blocked by Nanna. The gnome does a deal with her, letting her go in exchange for her ill-gotten gains. Nanna leaves the bathhouse with the panicking bathers and staff.

Rhamash dashes to the lockers to get his gear, followed by Eysleigh and Certes, pursued by the two mephits. The characters kill one mephit, then make their escape. The bathhouse is closed until further notice.

While the others return to the Thundering Lizard to rest, Nanna buys a +1 rapier from representatives of the merchant prince Ekene-Afa. At the inn, they hear stories of the death curse.

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30th Marpenoth

Eysleigh spends the day extracting serpent venom from the kamadan snakes he’s harvested. The others go to see Alastar Bol with news from Camp Vengeance. The Order of the Gauntlet representative thanks the characters for their help in bringing the sick soldiers back to Port Nyanzaru and asks them if they will escort a supply expedition back to the fort. Nanna suggests the characters could also lead a group of soldiers east into the jungle to confront the undead. Alastar looks dubious, but says he’ll consider it.

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Next, the party visit Pock-Marked Po and learn that children have been going missing near the refuse pits. He offers them a moon sickle to investigate

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That evening, the whole group are invited to Wakanga O’Tamu’s villa where they meet Volothamp Geddarm. Eysleigh buys a signed copy of Volo’s Guide to Monsters at a discount. Wakanga asks if the party have had any luck finding Vorn – Certes lies and says they haven’t. 

Wakanga introduces the characters to his friend Syndra Silvane, a former adventurer who died once and was raised, and is now suffering from the death curse. Syndra’s allies in the Harpers have learned that the cause of the death curse is a necromantic artefact called the Soulmonger that lies somewhere in Chult. Wakanga offers the characters a rare magic item each if they can put a stop to the curse.

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1st Uktar

The characters enter the refuse pits in the Old City to look for the missing children. Their minds are bombarded with telepathic images of toys and sweets as they walk through the foul-smelling piles of rubbish. 

When they reach a clearing in the refuse strewn with human bones, the characters are attacked by a large otyugh that has gained greater telepathic powers by swallowing a ring of three wishes. Certes thinks twice about casting fireball because of the risk of an explosion so casts scorching ray instead. Rhamash and Nanna are grabbed by its tentacles but manage to escape. 

Once the otyugh is dead, the characters visit Pock-Marked Po and claim their reward.

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