Tomb of Annihilation Session 32 – Battle for the Puzzle Cubes

Here’s the write up from our latest Tomb of Annihilation session, in which the characters continued exploring the ruined city of Omu in search of the nine puzzle cubes they need to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.

Begin here with Session 0 – Caves of the Cockatrice

---

30^th Nightal, 1495 DR (contd.)

Imbok the grung leads the adventurers towards Nangnang’s shrine, hoping to reunite with his father, Chief Yorb. But a scene of devastation awaits at the shrine – the bodies of dead grungs (including the chief) and several yuan-ti lie face down in the water. A trail of blood leads away from the site of the massacre. 

While Eysleigh examines the bodies, Rhamash and Nanna follow the trail, climbing the wall surrounding the ruins of the Royal Palace where thousands of bats fly overhead. They spot another yuan-ti corpse on the ground, and more blood leading west.

Back at the shrine, the characters wade through the water and climb the steps to the entrance. Inside, Certes translates the Old Omuan inscriptions, and Nanna examines the double doors which have no locks or handles. No one wants to touch the treasure strewn around the various rooms. Tharhul offers his mask of the beast to Nangnang, but his impassioned prayers go answered. He leaves the mask on the floor and exits the shrine. 

Outside, Eysleigh tries to tell Imbok that the party will avenge the death of the grungs through the power of mime, but Imbok is inconsolable. The grung remains at the shrine, as the characters set off on the trail of the yuan-ti.

---

Eysleigh casts pass without trace and the group sneak through the ruins. Unfortunately, Vorn isn’t very stealthy, and the party are spotted by a trio of Red Wizards and their bodyguards when they reach the entrance of the Fane of the Night Serpent. Zagmira, the leader of the mages, calls out that she has a proposal for the adventurers; she has a face that is half young, half withered and old. 

Eysleigh and Tharhul come forward to speak with the Red Wizard while the others remain hidden. Zagmira suggests an alliance – she will help the characters get inside the yuan-ti temple where she has a spy that can help them. She claims to have two puzzle cubes, and believes the character have the others. If the characters can retrieve the missing final cube, the Red Wizards and adventurers will be able to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods together.

Saying they need time to talk it over, the party arrange to meet the wizards at Nangnang’s shrine in one hour. As the others head off, Nanna and Rhamash hang back to eavesdrop on the mages but are unable to understand their discussions in Thayvian. 

When the characters reach the shrine, Tharhul retrieves his mask and casts beast sense, sending Buzzter to spy on the Red Wizards. The giant wasp spots the mages but one of them blasts him out of the sky almost immediately.

The characters ambush the Red Wizards as they approach the shrine. Nanna and Tharhul fire arrows at Zagmira, and Eysleigh summons an earth elemental to attack the Red Wizard. Certes casts fireball but it’s counterspelled, and several of the party are caught in a cone of cold. Rhamash finishes off Zagmira, but Nanna falls unconscious when two of the veteran warriors go after her. Luckily, she rolls a 20 on her death save and is back on 1 hp! 

Eysleigh loses concentration on his earth elemental, but summons – and then resummons – Birdie to attack the Red Wizards. By now the two surviving mages can no longer cast counterspell and shield. Loro Pag kills Yamoch, the second Red Wizard, as Certes polymorphs into a T-rex. Thazma, the third Red Wizard, makes a run for it, but the speedy Rhamash catches up and stuns him. Certes Rex arrives and bites the hapless mage in half. The five surviving warriors fight on for a round or two and then surrender. 

The characters search the wizards’ bodies, finding Wongo and Papatozl’s puzzle cubes. They have just one more to find!

---

If you’d like to keep up to date with my Tomb of Annihilation campaign and other posts, please do join my mailing list – there’s a sign up form below and subscribers receive a free Parsantium supplement.