Tomb of Annihilation Session 24 – Road to Nangalore

Here’s the write up from our latest Tomb of Annihilation session, in which the adventurers travelled to Nangalore in search of the black orchid Teacher needs to cast the Dance of the Seven Winds ritual. I tried out a couple of new monsters from Monster Vault 2 in this session – both were great fun to run!

Begin here with Session 0 – Caves of the Cockatrice

Feast of the Moon, 1495 DR

The party head north from Kir Sabal to retrieve their canoes so they can travel up the River Olung to Nangalore. Certes has run out of insect repellent so Nanna kindly lends the wizard her jar.

Retracing their steps through the dense jungle, the characters run into the angry treant Kapokroot. Eysleigh casts speak with plants to talk to the furious tree monster, but Kapokroot isn’t in the mood for chat and animates two trees which attack the party, flattening the druid with their mighty boughs. Realising they are in trouble, the characters retreat, leaving the tiny Green and the unconscious druid behind. Tharhul and Nanna go back to try and get Eysleigh back on his feet, while Certes blasts a tree with his scorching rays. When Tharhul also goes unconscious, the others grab their comrades’ bodies and make a run for it.

Fleeing south, the characters find themselves in a huge grove of mushrooms that stand 30–40 feet tall and have hand- and footholds cut into their stalks. Rhamash and Nanna climb up, looking for signs of the inhabitants. The kobold finds a hole cut into one the stalk which holds a painted wooden crocodile mask, but when he tries to climb onto the mushroom cap, he slips and falls. Fortunately, his slow fall ability means he avoids damage.  

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1st Nightal

Deciding not to risk another run-in with Kapokroot, the characters give up on the idea of canoes, and head southwest on foot. 

Close to the river, they come across a moss-covered mound. Nanna and Tharhul go inside, discovering a wooden box filled with rusty daggers, some spoiled rations, and signs of recent habitation. The group spend the night in the earthen chambers, leaving Vorn on guard outside.

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2nd Nightal

As the characters continue southwest, following the river, they are ambushed by a phantasmid – an insect-like aberration that can click its legs together to create a terrifying cacophony. They manage to drive it off, but more than half the party have been reduced to single-digit hit points. 

After a short rest on the banks of the river by a rope bridge, the group set off again, wary that the phantasmid might be following. Nanna and Tharhul hide in the foliage, hoping to ambush the creature, but the minotaur’s horns are visible through the greenery and the aberration attacks him. The others rush to the pair’s aid and the phantasmid teleports away, hiding somewhere in the trees. When Eysleigh spots it, Certes blasts it with a fireball, and its smouldering corpse falls to the jungle floor.

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4th Nightal

The characters come across a stone plinth; only the statue’s feet remain. Eku translates the Old Omuan inscription: “Zalkoré, Greatest of the Omuan Queens”.

The jungle begins to thin out and the ground around the river transitions into marsh. Eysleigh summons Birdie and Tharhul casts beast sense to see through her eyes as she flies along the river looking for Nangalore. Tharhul can tell that the ruined gardens are surrounded by marshland for a mile in each direction.

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5th Nightal

A mile from Nangalore, Eysleigh casts water walk so the characters can walk on the surface on the marsh. When they arrive at the gardens, he summons Birdie to distract the crocodiles in the water so the characters can scramble up the steps to the entrance. Unfortunately, not all the crocs have gone after the pterodactyl, and one of them snaps at the druid as he crosses the water.

Nanna leads the way along the main concourse, checking out the tunnel entrances and stone faces depicting Queen Zalkoré. Eku translates the inscriptions. One has been amended to read: “Worshipped by her people and by Thiru-taya who loves BETRAYED her.” 

The gnome enters the collapsed central west tunnel and climbs the steps at the end to the terrace where she finds the rotting corpse of a mage. She carefully retrieves the wizard’s satchel, finding a scholar’s pack, 15 gp, and a wooden box inside. The box has three command words carved into its lid. 

The others enter the tunnel and Certes starts to examine the box but is interrupted by the arrival of a phytotitan, a huge dinosaur-shaped plant monster covered in sticky fronds. Valdro, Rhamash, Nanna, and Tharhul all end up stuck to the creature as it lashes out with its claws and deadly tail. Eventually Rhamash finishes off the monster, and the characters resume their short rest. Certes identifies the wooden box as a folding boat.

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