To the untrained eye, Omu appears abandoned, yet its raised streets and splintered plazas are far from uninhabited. If the characters reach a point where they can see the city in its entirety, either by flying above it or by looking down on it from a cliff’s edge, give the players a copy of handout 12 in appendix E.
Approaching the City
Two main routes lead into Omu. To the northeast, a river snakes down from the foothills of the Peaks of Flame and flushes into the city through a canyon (see area 17). The second access point is a staircase to the southwest (see area 1).
Entering the City
When the characters see Omu for the first time, read:
The jungle parts to reveal a dead city enclosed by sheer cliffs. Ruined buildings and stone boulevards rise like ghosts from the floor of the misty basin. Colorful birds glide overhead.
A waterfall pours into the basin, creating a swollen river that floods much of the city before draining into a deep rift filled with molten lava. A ruined palace lies a few hundred feet from the edge of the steaming abyss.
The cliffs surrounding Omu are 100-150 feet high and composed of crumbling rock. Thick jungle hugs the clifftops, with ferns, orchids, and moss spilling over the edges. Every 100 feet or so, a gargoyle perches on the brink of the precipice. When a character gets a good look at one of these creatures, read:
A vine-draped gargoyle perches on the clifftop, staring down at the ruined city. It has the face of a devil, with its mouth agape in a silent scream.
The gargoyles attack anyone who flies over the city or tries to climb up or down the cliffs, but they ignore intruders who enter by the river or the ravine to the southwest. They serve Acererak and take orders from his undead tomb custodian, Withers (see chapter 5).
History of Omu
The tragic history of Omu is written in its ruins. As the characters explore, use the information provided here to bring the city to life.
Forbidden City
Omu was once a jewel in Chult’s crown. Built over rich mineral veins, the city garnered wealth in abundance. Omuan jewelry was coveted far and wide, and the city’s merchants grew fat on commerce. To enter Omu, it was said, was to enter the gates of paradise itself. Such wealth brought greed. Omu’s hunger for slaves made her rulers demand ever greater tribute from their neighbors. When their vassals couldn’t pay in flesh, they paid in blood. Omu’s feared legions marched across Chult.
The Omuans' greed and hubris angered the god Ubtao, causing him to turn his back on Omu two hundred years ago-long before he abandoned the rest of Chult. Omu’s clerics lost their spells, and the city fell to sickness and disease. Slave uprisings wracked Omu, and its nobles fled in droves. Maps showing Omu’s location were destroyed, and its coins were melted down and reminted. Fallen from grace, Omu became known as the Forbidden City.
Nine Trickster Gods
With Ubtao gone, primal spirits arose from the rainforest to bewitch the few remaining Omuans. They disguised themselves as jungle creatures and promised great power in return for devotion. Desperate for redemption, the Omuans tore down their temple to Ubtao and raised shrines to these nine trickster gods.
The new deities were divisive and often cruel. Too weak to grant miracles to every follower, they concocted elaborate trials to winnow the clergy. On holy days, the mettle of aspirant priests was tested in their nine shrines, with deadly consequences for failure. The trials provided entertainment for the degenerate Omuans and fed their weakling gods with much-needed sacrifices.
For nine decades, the city folk lived by the mantras of their trickster gods. They built statues in their names and schemed against each other to assert their chosen god’s dominance. Omu’s glorious past was lost, but its people endured. Such mercy did not last long.
Fall of Omu
Omu’s bloody trials drew the attention of Acererak, an archlich who wanders the cosmos in search of souls to harvest. Acererak, who is fond of deathtraps, marveled at the trials concocted by the Omuans. They inspired him to create his own dungeon below the city.
A little over a century ago, Acererak entered Omu and slew all nine trickster gods. He then enslaved the Omuans and forced them to carve out a tomb for their defeated gods. When the tomb was complete, Acererak 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 his phylactery with the souls of dead adventurers. The jungle reclaimed Omu, and it fell into ruin.
Rise of Ras Nsi
Fifty years ago, a brood of yuan-ti from Hisari (see chapter 2) slithered into Omu and made it their new home. They built an underground temple beneath the old palace and patiently waited for their god, Dendar the Night Serpent, to come forth and swallow the world. Earthquakes shook Omu and cracked it open like a fig, causing the river to burst its banks. Chance spared the yuan-ti temple from destruction, but scores of yuan-ti died, including their leader (a yuan-ti abomination).
The evil warlord Ras Nsi, who had raised an army of undead to wage war on the holy city of Mezro, only to suffer a terrible defeat, arrived in Omu shortly after the yuan-ti. Ras Nsi wormed his way into the yuan-ti’s favor and underwent a ritual to transform into a malison. Before long, he became their ruler. Today, beneath the cracked and broken streets of Omu, Ras Nsi holds sway and plots to bring Dendar the Night Serpent into the world, sealing its doom.
Old Omuan
The Omuans wrote in Old Omuan, a cuneiform script that bears little resemblance to any other alphabet. A character with the cloistered scholar or sage background can translate an inscription written in Old Omuan with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (History) check, while a warlock with the Eyes of the Rune Keeper invocation can translate Old Omuan script without a check. If the characters recover the “queen’s decree” from the chwinga cart at area 11, they can use it to decode inscriptions written in Old Omuan. Without the queen’s decree or a character with the appropriate background, the characters can translate Old Omuan writing only by using a
Legend of the Nine Gods
Stories of Omu’s nine trickster gods died with the Omuans who worshiped them. As characters explore the gods' shrines, the players piece together fragments of the following legend, which provides clues on how to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
Long ago, the god Ubtao hardened his heart and vowed to weep for the people of Omu no longer. The rains stopped, the jungle withered and died, and death swept through Omu.
One morning, a wise zorbo emerged from her hollow tree and spoke to the dying Omuans. To convince Ubtao of their worth, she decided to cook him a stew made from all their good qualities. Catching such virtues wouldn’t be easy, so she asked a wily almiraj to help her. The almiraj snuck recklessness in the pot, which she saw as a virtue, and Ubtao spat out the stew when he tasted it. From that day on, Obo’laka the zorbo and I’jin the almiraj became terrible enemies.
At noon, a brave kamadan hopped down from her rock. She saw the evil in the Omuans' hearts and decided to lance it like a troublesome boil. The kamadan fashioned a holy spear, but she left it by the riverbank and a crafty grung stole it. In her rage, Shagambi the kamadan forgot all about the Omuans and chased Nangnang the grung forever across the sky.
When evening came, a wily eblis stepped from his reed hut. He didn’t like the Omuans, but without them he’d have no one to play his tricks on. The eblis sent a marsh frog to reason with Ubtao, but the frog was angry and decided to wrestle the god instead. This amused Ubtao, so he gave the frog tentacles to make it stronger. When Kubazan the froghemoth returned to Papazotl the eblis, he chased Papazotl into the swamp with his new tentacles.
That night, a su-monster broke into Ubtao’s palace and stole a pail of water for the Omuans. When the god came running to find it, the su-monster hid the pail in a jaculi’s burrow. Ubtao asked the jungle animals where his water was hidden, and Moa the jaculi was too honest to lie. When Wongo the su-monster found out how Moa had betrayed him, he vowed to catch the jaculi and eat him up.
All the while, Unkh the flail snail lived deep under the earth. The noise of the other animals fighting made her slither up to the surface, and when day dawned over her shell, the light blinded Ubtao and made his eyes water. Life returned to Omu, and the people built shrines to honor the animals who’d saved them.
City Inhabitants
Several factions dwell within Omu, including yuan-ti, grungs, vegepygmies, and kobolds. Explorers also come here in search of gold and glory. Presently, these include Red Wizards and three tabaxi hunters. Each of these groups can play as much of a role in the story as you desire. They could serve as enemies or as allies brought together by mutual interests.
Yuan-Ti
Yuan-ti offer sacrifices to Dendar the Night Serpent in a sprawling underground temple beneath the ruins of Omu’s royal palace (area 20); the temple is described in chapter 4. The yuan-ti guard the entrances to the city, patrol its streets, and send raiding parties into the surrounding jungle. Ras Nsi rules over them, but traitorous priests plot his downfall.
Salida’s Treachery
One of the guides presented in chapter 1 is Salida, a pureblood yuan-ti loyal to Ras Nsi. If Salida escorts the characters into the city, she’ll surreptitiously use her sending stone to contact Ras Nsi so that he can prepare an ambush. When night falls, Salida uses a lantern to signal the yuan-ti attack. The attacking force consists of one type 3 yuan-ti malison (type 1) and two yuan-ti pureblood per party member. Ras Nsi is keen to capture the characters so he can question them about their mission.
Grungs
A small colony of grungs lives on the rooftops around Nangnang’s shrine (area 18). Ras Nsi regularly mounts raids on them to thin their numbers.
The grungs worship Nangnang and view her shrine as holy ground for their chieftain and his elite guards. Yorb, the mad grung chieftain, craves vengeance against Ras Nsi but hasn’t yet found a worthy attack plan.
Vegepygmies
Years ago, a meteorite fell from the heavens and created the city’s Great Rift. Stardust rained over the ruins and formed patches of russet mold out of which vegepygmies arose. Their tribes prowl the flooded backstreets. Yuan-ti have learned to shun these areas and kill the “moldies” on sight.
Omu contains several small tribes of vegepygmies. They clash over territory and are unified only in their reverence of the Great Rift. Even if the vegepygmies could communicate with the characters, they have little desire to work with them. Their chiefs aren’t clever, and the characters could trick the vegepygmies to unify against a common enemy.
Kobolds
Nine deadly shrines hold the secret to entering the Tomb of the Nine Gods. To maintain the shrines' traps, Acererak recruited a tribe of kobolds to act as shrine menders. These creatures dwell in cellars beneath a ruined marketplace (area 15). Acererak has promised to transform their sorcerer, Kakarol, into a dragon if the kobolds keep their end of their bargain. Too impatient to wait for his ascension, Kakarol has taken to sleeping on a small hoard of treasure and insists his underlings address him as Great Wyrm. If the characters cut a deal with the kobolds, the sorcerer’s greed is easily manipulated.
Acererak hasn’t told the kobolds about his alliance with Ras Nsi. For their part, the yuan-ti are barely aware of the kobolds' existence.
Red Wizards of Thay
A group of Red Wizards entered the city a couple of days prior to the characters' arrival. They camped in the ruined compound at area 2, but Ras Nsi’s forces nearly wiped them out in a night raid. Those who survived the attack continue to search the ruins for the Soulmonger.
The survivors include four Red Wizards (LE male and female Thayan human mage) named Dyrax (male), Thazma (female), Yamoch (male), and Zagmira (female). Their red robes, shaved heads, and sallow complexions betray their allegiance to Thay. Eight mercenaries (LE male and female human thug of various ethnicities) escort the wizards. The highest ranking mage, Zagmira, appears just eighteen years old, yet one half of her face is wizened and old. This effect is a holdover from a 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”.)
A man named Orvex (see area 2) serves the Red Wizards 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 hunter stalk the city when the characters arrive. Their names are Hooded Lantern (male), Bag of Nails (male), 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 weapons 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 King of Feathers (see area 13). Copper Bell has speckled ginger fur and wears a torn blue cloth over her bony shoulders-the blanket used to comfort her cubs when they were infants. She retains much of her inquisitiveness and wry humor. Bag of Nails has gone mad and is described in area 7.
Puzzle Cubes
To unlock the Tomb of the Nine Gods, the characters must first recover nine puzzle cubes from shrines hidden throughout the city. The Red Wizards are already searching for the cubes, and Ras Nsi does what he must to prevent the Red Wizards or the characters from obtaining all of them.
A puzzle cube is a stone cube 3 inches on a side and engraved with images of a specific trickster god. Each cube weighs half a pound. A detect magic spell or similar effect reveals an aura of abjuration magic around each cube.
The puzzle cubes can’t be destroyed by any means. If they’re discarded, buried, or taken more than a mile outside Omu, they teleport back to their resting places inside their respective shrines. If the characters return to a previously cleared shrine, there’s a cumulative 20 percent chance per day that kobolds have reset its traps.
Learning of the Shrines
A few clues can point the players toward the shrines, including a lost journal found at a campsite (area 9). Characters can also discover the shrines on their own or learn about them from Orvex Ocrammas (area 2).
Race for the Puzzle Cubes
The characters need not explore all nine shrines. The Red Wizards find at least two of the puzzle cubes, and Ras Nsi always steps in to claim the final cube. Things play out differently if the players find a way to foil their enemies' plans-by killing them, for example.
On the day the characters claim their first puzzle cube, the Red Wizards clear a separate shrine within the city. While the Red Wizards remain active, there’s a cumulative 25 percent chance per day that they claim another puzzle cube from a random shrine. If the players arrive at a cleared shrine, they discover a scene of devastation: traps sprung, monsters slain, and the cube missing.
Once five puzzle cubes have been taken from their shrines, Ras Nsi begins to set ambushes. When the characters arrive at their next shrine, three type 1 yuan-ti malison (type 1) and six yuan-ti pureblood ambush them. Their orders are to capture characters and bring them to the Fane of the Night Serpent for interrogation.
Once eight puzzle cubes have been claimed, Ras Nsi steals the ninth cube for himself and leaves an obvious trail leading pursuers to the main entrance of his underground temple (see area 20A). The characters must infiltrate the temple and either take the puzzle cube by force or convince Ras Nsi to part with it. For more information on the temple and its inhabitants, see chapter 4.
An Uneasy Alliance
The characters could form an alliance with the Red Wizards to recover the puzzle cube taken by the yuan-ti. If an accord is reached, Zagmira reveals that she has a spy in the yuan-ti temple: a yuan-ti pureblood named Ishmakahl (pronounced ISH-mah-kawl). Zagmira doesn’t reveal that this spy is a doppelganger.
Zagmira encourages human characters to infiltrate the yuan-ti temple disguised as purebloods, with nonhuman characters posing as their slaves. If no human characters are present, Zagmira is willing to spend a 5th-level spell slot to cast
If the Red Wizards obtain all nine puzzle cubes, they use them to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods and, one by one, fall prey to the tomb’s insidious traps.
Navigation
The city basin is densely packed with ruined villas and overgrown courtyards. Buildings in Omu are shaped from limestone. Thick, broad-leaved vines engulf most structures, while ferns and thorny bushes choke the streets. Statues representing the trickster gods leer from many junctions.
Cautious characters can move through the city at a rate of 200 feet every 5 minutes. Even if they throw caution to the wind, the density of the undergrowth makes it tricky to move faster than 200 feet per minute. If the characters stop to search for treasure, each building takes 30 minutes to clear. Whenever the party searches a ruined building, roll percentile dice and consult the Ruin Interior table to see what, if anything, the building contains.
Ruin Interior
| d100 | Ruin Contents |
|---|---|
| 1-40 | Nothing Found |
| 41-50 | Assassin vines |
| 51-55 | Collapsing floor (and roll again) |
| 56-65 | Mad monkey mist (and roll again) |
| 66-70 | Nest |
| 71-75 | Plant discovery |
| 76-85 | Treasure |
| 86-00 | Vegepygmies |
Assassin Vines
This ruin is choked with vines, lurking among which are 1d3 assassin vines.
Collapsing Floor
As the characters explore this building, choose one character at random to make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the floor collapses and the character falls 20 feet into a lower level, taking damage from the fall as normal. Roll again on the Ruin Interior table to see if there’s anything interesting in the lower level.
Ruin Interior
| d100 | Ruin Contents |
|---|---|
| 1-40 | Nothing Found |
| 41-50 | Assassin vines |
| 51-55 | Collapsing floor (and roll again) |
| 56-65 | Mad monkey mist (and roll again) |
| 66-70 | Nest |
| 71-75 | Plant discovery |
| 76-85 | Treasure |
| 86-00 | Vegepygmies |
Mad Monkey Mist
A thin, odorless blue mist lingers inside the ruin. Characters who enter the building expose themselves to mad monkey fever (see “Diseases”). Roll again on the Ruin Interior table to see if there’s anything else in the building.
Ruin Interior
| d100 | Ruin Contents |
|---|---|
| 1-40 | Nothing Found |
| 41-50 | Assassin vines |
| 51-55 | Collapsing floor (and roll again) |
| 56-65 | Mad monkey mist (and roll again) |
| 66-70 | Nest |
| 71-75 | Plant discovery |
| 76-85 | Treasure |
| 86-00 | Vegepygmies |
Nest
Vermin have made a nest in the building. Roll a d6 and consult the Nest Occupants table to determine the nest’s inhabitants. Any character damaged by a giant wasp must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw at the end of the encounter or become infected with shivering sickness (see “Diseases,").
Nest Occupants
| d6 | Creatures |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | 1d6 giant wasps |
| 3-4 | 2d6 stirges |
| 5-6 | 1d3 swarms of poisonous snakes |
Plant Discovery
The ruin contains one or more rare plants, determined by rolling a d6 and consulting the Plant Discovery table. These plants are described in appendix C.
Plant Discovery
| d6 | Plant |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2d6x Dancing monkey fruit hanging from a tree |
| 2 | Menga bush with 1d6x ounces of leaves |
| 3 | 1d6x ryath roots growing in the ground |
| 4 | 4d6x sinda berries growing on a bush |
| 5 | 1d6x wildroots |
| 6 | 2d6x zabou growing on the floor |
Treasure
The ruin contains 1d6 Omuan art objects (jade rings, painted pottery, silver-inlaid wooden statuettes of trickster gods, crystal vases, and so forth). Each art object is worth 25 gp.
Vegepygmies
Hiding in the ruin are 1d4 vegepygmy. They are not in a fighting mood and cower from interlopers. If attacked, they flee through cracks in the walls and attempt to hide in the surrounding marsh.
Random Encounters in Omu
Adventurers are likely to have one or more random encounters as they explore Omu. See appendix B for more information on random encounters in the city.
Locations in the City
The following descriptions correspond to areas marked on maps 3.1 and 3.2.
1. City Entrance
A guardhouse stands near the entrance to the city. Arrow slits are cut into its limestone walls, and a lopsided iron portcullis hangs over the gateway, beyond which you see an open plaza.
If the characters enter the guardhouse, read:
Much of the interior has collapsed into rubble. Creepers cling to the walls, and high grasses sprout between the flagstones amid evidence of long-dead campfires. One wall is covered with graffiti-some words painted, others etched.
The graffiti (written in Common) provides hints about the challenges that await:
“Fear the fangs of Ras Nsi!”
“Erik, I’ve gone in search of the nine shrines. V.”
“The puzzle cubes are the key.”
“Beware the frog monster!”
“Who is Unkh?”
“All hail the King of Feathers!”
“The snakes are not what they seem.”
“Kubazan = bravery. Shagambi = wisdom. Moa = ?”
Ras Nsi’s Scouts
Five yuan-ti malison (type 1) watch this entrance to the city from a small cave carved into the cliffside. A narrow goat track zigzags up the cliff to their hideout.
The group consists of two type 1 malisons, two type 2 malisons, and one type 3 malison. They follow the characters into Omu and shadow them through the streets. Their goal is to ambush the characters and capture at least one of them. If they remain out of sight, the yuan-ti launch their attack when the characters try to take their first long or short rest in the city.
Treasure
The type 3 malison’s longbow is painted and carved like a serpent with tiny amber gemstones for eyes. The weapon is worth 250 gp as an art object.
2. Walled Compound
Smoke drifts lazily from a walled compound. The gate lies in splinters, and scorch marks deface the buildings. Near the center of the compound is a plaza littered with charred human corpses. One of the corpses is being torn apart by a pack of wild dogs.
The Red Wizards seized this compound as their base of operations in Omu, but yuan-ti attacked and nearly wiped them out. Thirty corpses are scattered across the compound-the remains of three Red Wizards, twenty human mercenaries, and seven bearers hired in Port Nyanzaru. The yuan-ti looted all the supplies they found and stole their enemies' weapons. Six wild dogs (use jackal statistics) feed on one of the Red Wizards. The dogs pose no threat if the characters keep their distance.
Spirit Pole
The yuan-ti burned their dead comrades and arranged their bones into a spirit pole. Characters who explore the compound discover this effigy:
A glaive has been thrust into remains of a burned-out pyre. Charred snake skulls and blackened inhuman vertebrae are lashed to the spear. On a wall nearby, a symbol has been daubed in ash: a snake curled in a spiral, gripping a circle in its jaws.
With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check, a character recognizes the sigil on the wall as the symbol of Dendar the Night Serpent devouring the world.
Orvex Ocrammas
During the attack, an explosion buried a member of the Red Wizards' expedition under a fallen section of wall. Orvex is dying of thirst and
Orvex serves as scribe and translator for the Red Wizards. He’s a pragmatic, balding human in his early forties who serves the Red Wizards because, as he puts it, they pay well. Orvex has the statistics of a spy, with these changes:
- Orvex is neutral.
- He has 3 hit points remaining and 3 levels of
exhaustion (see appendix A of the Player’s Handbook forexhaustion effects). - He speaks Common and Grung.
If the characters befriend Orvex, he can help them forge a truce with any surviving Red Wizards. Orvex can translate Old Omuan, and his studies of Omu’s carvings taught him the legend of the nine trickster gods (see “Legend of the Nine Gods,") which Orvex is happy to recount once he’s fully healed and rested.
Despite the obvious risks, Orvex looks forward to exploring more of the city and unlocking its secrets. If he’s still with the characters when they retrieve all nine puzzle cubes, he jumps at the chance to accompany them on their descent into the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
3. Kubazan’s Shrine
A rectangular pool of murky water stretches before this vine-draped shrine. Rope bridges that once spanned the water float on the surface, tangled with other debris. The shards of a toppled monolith form stepping stones to the middle of the pool, where a statue of a stone frog rises above the water.
The shrine to the trickster god Kubazan (represented as a froghemoth) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
3A. Froghemoth Pool
This pool is 6 feet deep and clouded with mud and algae. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check spots the eyestalk of a froghemoth sticking out of the pool. The froghemoth attacks anyone who disturbs the water or tries to reach the shrine, heaving itself from the pool to pursue prey.
The shattered monolith is slippery with moss, and the rotted rope bridges sink as soon as anyone steps on them. Any character who jumps across the stepping stones must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to keep from falling in the pool.
Stone Key
A character who examines the mouth of the frog statue spots a stone key set into an indentation on the statue’s tongue. This key opens the locked gate at area 3B.
3B. Locked Gate
Carved into the lintel above this locked gate is an inscription written in Old Omuan:
“Kubazan urges us to tread without fear and to give back as much as we take.”
A character who heeds the words gains some insight into the trial that awaits in area 3C.
To pick the lock, a character with thieves' tools must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity check. Whether the check succeeds or fails, a
3C. Chamber of Bravery
Steps descend to a ledge overlooking a pit of sharpened stakes. An alcove on the far wall holds a pedestal with a stone cube resting on it. A relief carved into the back of the alcove shows a monstrous frog with tentacles fighting a crane. Wooden beams radiate from the walls at floor height, with four-foot gaps between them. Carved frog heads extrude from the walls above the beams.
The wall relief shows Kubazan (a froghemoth) fighting Papazotl (an eblis). An inscription written in Old Omuan tells how Kubazan earned his tentacles from the god Ubtao (see “Legend of the Nine Gods,").
Spiked Pit
The pit is 30 feet deep. A creature that falls into the pit takes 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage from the fall and must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, 1d4 stakes impale the creature for an additional 1d6 piercing damage per stake.
Wooden Beams
A creature can move around the perimeter of the room by hopping from beam to beam. To hop onto a beam without falling, a creature must succeed on a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check, the DC of which is 5 + the distance (in feet) between the two beams. When weight is applied to and lifted from a beam, it retracts and becomes flush with the wall, preventing it from being used again. The beams reset to their original positions after all of them have retracted into the walls.
Puzzle Cube
If Kubazan’s puzzle cube is removed from its pedestal, the gate in area 3B slams shut and locks. Checks made to pick the gate lock from within the shrine have disadvantage. At the same time, the carved frog heads on the walls open their mouths, belch forth enough poisonous gas to fill the shrine, and then close their mouths. Placing an object of equal weight to the puzzle cube (half a pound) on the pedestal prevents the gate closure and the release of gas.
The gas fills the shrine for 1 minute, then dissipates. Any creature that starts its turn inside the shrine while the gas is present must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage. Creatures are affected even if they hold their breath or don’t need to breathe.
4. Shagambi’s Shrine
A ruined shrine stands at the heart of this walled compound. Tall monoliths flank the entrance, decorated with images of a jaguar with six snakes sprouting from its shoulders. A stone door is set into the shrine beyond.
The shrine to the trickster god Shagambi (represented as a kamadan) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
Two mated kamadan use a cart at the back of the shrine as their lair. If they hear intruders approaching the shrine, the kamadans try to ambush them. The kamadans fight tooth and claw to protect their three young cubs. Kamadan cubs are noncombatants that look like baby leopards and grow to adult size within a year. The cubs' snakes won’t sprout from their shoulders for another 6 months. Characters can capture the cubs and spend months trying to domesticate them, but the kamadans turn on their would-be masters once they reach adulthood in a year.
4A. Shrine Entrance
Flanking the entrance are two stone monoliths, each one 15 feet tall and draped in vines. Characters who examine the carvings uncover an inscription written in Old Omuan:
“Shagambi teaches us to fight evil with honor.”
Reliefs on the monoliths show Shagambi overseeing Chultan warriors as they train with spears and swords.
The door to the shrine is not locked, but it hangs heavy on its hinges. It weighs 600 pounds, so one or more characters must have a combined Strength score of 20 or higher to push it open.
4B. Arena Gallery
When one or more characters enter the shrine, read:
Steps descend into a fifteen-foot-high, moss-covered room. Four statues of Omuan warriors stand in alcoves to either side, overlooking a barred gladiatorial pit in the floor. Each statue looks like it was meant to hold a spear, but its weapon is missing. On the far side of the chamber, a stone pedestal stands conspicuously bare. A relief on the wall behind it shows a monstrous jaguar with six snakes protruding from its shoulders, fighting off a squat, frog-like humanoid armed with a spear. To the left of the relief is a narrow tunnel with stairs leading down.
The statues can’t be moved from their alcoves, and they are impervious to damage and spells. The tunnel in the north wall slopes down to the bottom of the gladiatorial pit (area 4D) and leads to a cellblock beyond (area 4C).
The wall relief depicts Shagambi (a kamadan) fighting Nangnang (a grung). Just below, an inscription written in Old Omuan tells the story of how Nangnang stole Shagambi’s spear (see “Legend of the Nine Gods”). With a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, a character notices tiny holes in the relief. Stuffing the holes with cloth or wax prevents the poison gas from penetrating through when the pedestal is disturbed (see below).
Pedestal
The pedestal is a 4-foot-high stone cylinder that is impervious to damage and spells. Close inspection reveals a stone hatch in the top of it. Any physical attempt to force open the hatch releases a cloud of gas through the holes in the wall relief. The gas fills a 15-foot cube directly in front of the mural. Creatures in the area must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) poison damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much damage on a successful one. The gas affects a creature even if it holds its breath or doesn’t need to breathe. The gas doesn’t linger.
Puzzle Cube
To obtain Shagambi’s puzzle cube, the characters must obtain the four bronze spears from the monsters in area 4C and place the weapons in the hands of the four warrior statues. Only by defeating the monsters in the gladiatorial pit can the spears be obtained. When all four spears are placed in the hands of the statues, read:
The pedestal begins to turn on the spot, and an ornate stone cube corkscrews up from a hatch in its top.
Once it rises up out of the pedestal, Shagambi’s puzzle cube can be safely removed.
4C. Gladiator Cells
This hallway contains four cramped cells behind iron portcullises. The portcullises are locked in place and can be raised only with a
- The clay gladiator is an unaligned construct with an Armor Class of 17 (natural, shield).
- It has a climbing speed of 30 feet and can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
- It is immune to poison damage as well as the charmed, frightened, and poisoned conditions. It doesn’t need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe.
- It doesn’t speak.
- It can’t make ranged attacks, and it can’t be disarmed.
A clay gladiator fights if attacked or when called to the gladiatorial pit (area 4D). If reduced to 0 hit points outside of the gladiatorial pit, the gladiator disappears along with its possessions, reappears in its cell at full health with spear and shield in hand, and returns to the gladiatorial pit if it can. If defeated in the gladiatorial pit, the gladiator leaves its spear behind before reforming in its cell. The spear can then be taken back to area 4B. If taken from the shrine, the spear disappears and reappears in the gladiator’s hand.
The gladiators can go anywhere in the shrine but can’t leave it. When the shrine has no other creatures inside it, the gladiators return to their cells, and the portcullises drop behind them.
4D. Gladiatorial Pit
This pit is 20 feet deep, and its bars are spaced 2 feet apart. A Medium or smaller creature can easily slip between the bars, but the walls of the pit are too smooth to climb without the aid of climbing gear or magic.
Six-foot-high archways stand opposite one another at the bottom of the pit, the floor of which is one large pressure plate. Applying 50 pounds or more to the floor causes the portcullises in area 4C to rise with a loud clatter, whereupon the clay gladiators emerge from their cells and quickly make their way to the pit.
5. Great Rift
Tumbledown ruins cling to the lip of a rift overlooking a lake of bubbling lava.
A creature that falls from the top of the cliff into the lava takes 70 (20d6) bludgeoning damage from the fall and 55 (10d10) fire damage from the lava. A creature that starts its turn in the lava takes the fire damage again.
Sacrifice of Fire
The first time the characters arrive, they encounter a small vegepygmy tribe preparing to sacrifice a grung to the rift. The grung, Imbok, is bound with vines and restrained. As the grung struggles, the vegepygmies encircle him and perform a strange, ritualistic dance. Unless the characters intervene, the vegepygmies roll their captive off the edge of the cliff. A couple of vegepygmies leap off after him, caught in the throes of devotion.
The tribe consists of one vegepygmy chief, eight vegepygmy, and the chief’s thorny pet. Statistics for all these creatures appear in appendix D. Their grung captive is the beloved one hundred and eightieth son of the grung chieftain Yorb. If the characters free Imbok, he grovels at their feet. He doesn’t speak Common but promises to bury his benefactors in gold if they escort him back to his father’s shrine (area 18). Imbok’s promise is empty, but he has nothing else to offer his saviors.
6. Moa’s Shrine
This shrine perches on a pinnacle of rock high above the great rift (area 5).
A column of rock rises 200 feet above the lava. A walled ruin overgrown with palms perches on the summit.
At its narrowest point, the gulf between the shrine and the rest of the city is 60 feet wide. Characters with rope and grappling hooks can throw a line across the gap.
The shrine to the trickster god Moa (represented by a jaculi) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
6A. Shrine Entrance
Palm trees grow in front of this squat building, and worn steps ascend to an archway that forms the entrance. Reliefs of coiled serpents flank the entrance.
Four jaculi lurk in the courtyard, using their camouflage to hide while coiled around tree trunks. If the characters enter the courtyard, the jaculis spring forth and attack.
6B. Trapped Passage
The walls of this rubble-strewn corridor are carved with serpents, and arrow slits are spaced along them every 5 feet. Cobwebs fill the arrow slits and hang like drapes from the corridor ceiling. Above the entrance, a stone plaque bears a cuneiform message.
The message on the plaque is written in Old Omuan and reads,
“Moa teaches us that secrets hide the truth.”
Explorers must heed this message to find the shrine’s puzzle cube.
The arrow slits are 6 inches wide, 2 feet tall, and 1 foot deep. A character who peers through an arrow slit after clearing out the cobwebs can see into the room beyond (area 6D), provided the character has a light source or can see in the dark.
Pits
Three covered pits are spaced along the corridor in the positions marked X on the shrine map. Their covers remain locked until the puzzle cube is moved from the pedestal in area 6C. Thereafter, a creature stepping on a pit cover causes it to swing open and falls in unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. Each pit is 10 feet deep and has a patch of
A character who searches the hallway floor for traps finds a pit trap with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. The lids are cleverly constructed and can be jammed shut only by using magic such as an
6C. Chamber of Deception
In the middle of this room, a stone cube rests on a plain stone pedestal. Statues of twelve tribal warriors jut from the surrounding walls, aiming bows at the pedestal. The floor in front of the pedestal bears a mosaic depicting a monstrous serpent constricting a furious monkey. Moss obscures much of the detail.
The mosaic shows Moa (a jaculi) fighting Wongo (a su-monster). If a character peels the moss aside, they uncover the following message written in Old Omuan:
“Death rewards a thief deceived. Truth comes from the serpent’s mouth.”
Another inscription encircles the floor and tells the story of how Moa upheld the truth to Ubtao and betrayed Wongo’s trust (see “Legend of the Nine Gods,” page 92).
The puzzle cube on the pedestal is illusory, though it feels real to the touch. A
The twelve archers act on initiative count 20. On its turn, a statue shoots one arrow (+6 to hit). A creature hit by an arrow takes 5 (1d8+1) piercing damage. Each statue is a Medium object with AC 17; 30 hit points; immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks; and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
Secret Doors
Characters who search the walls for secret doors find one on each side of the entrance tunnel with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check.
6D. Western Secret Room
A statue of a coiled serpent dominates this web-filled room. The statue is missing its head, which lies broken on the floor next to a stone cube.
The statue is 7 feet tall without its head. The puzzle cube lying on the floor next to the head’s shattered remains is fake and vanishes in a puff of green smoke when taken from the shrine. Bringing it into area 6C activates the statues there.
6E. Eastern Secret Room
A large statue of a coiled serpent dominates this webfilled room. Clutched in the statue’s jaws is a stone cube.
The statue is 8 feet tall and harmless.
Puzzle Cube
The cube is Moa’s puzzle cube. It can be removed from the statue’s jaws and the shrine safely.
7. Fallen Tree
A fallen tree bridges the river ahead. Its trunk is wider than a man and stretches more than 100 feet. On both banks lie ruined buildings.
An elderly tabaxi hunter named Bag of Nails ambushes the characters if they try to ford the river here.
The fallen trunk is wide enough for two Medium creatures to pass each other safely. Under the tree, the water churns toward the falls 200 feet downriver. A creature that tumbles into the river or tries to swim across it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check to reach the bank. If the check fails, the current pulls the creature toward the falls at a speed of 50 feet per round.
Bag of Nails
Bag of Nails yearns for a hunter’s death. Senility has taken hold, and now he sees all creatures as his prey.
When the characters arrive, Bag of Nails is hiding in a ruined building on the east bank of the river, 150 feet from the fallen tree. To spot him, a character must succeed on a DC 22 Wisdom (Perception) check. When a character crosses the bridge, Bag of Nails opens fire. After each shot, he leaps across the rooftops to a new firing position and tries to hide.
Bag of Nails is a tabaxi assassin, with these changes:
- Bag of Nails is chaotic neutral.
- He has a climbing speed of 20 feet and the Feline Agility trait (see below).
- He has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
- He knows Common, Dwarvish, and thieves' cant.
- As an action, he can make a melee weapon attack with his claws (+3 to hit), dealing 1d4 slashing damage on a hit.
- He carries a longbow instead of a crossbow (range 150/600 ft.).
Feline Agility
When the tabaxi moves on its turn in combat, it can double its speed until the end of the turn. Once it uses this trait, the tabaxi can’t use it again until it moves 0 feet on one of its turns.
If Bag of Nails drops to fewer than half his maximum hit points, he surrenders to his enemies, leads them to his lair (a ruined basement), and offers them stew in a show of friendship. While distributing bowls of stew, he explains that he came to Omu to find a fabled treasure called the Navel of the Moon (see chapter 5). He hoped to use its alleged powers to find his lost son, but he has long since given up hope of ever finding it. A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that the tabaxi has no intention of letting the characters leave his domain alive. He laces the stew with midnight tears (see “Poisons” in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Treasure
Characters who search through the tabaxi hunter’s lair find five doses of midnight tears in a hollow gourd and enough gear to make an explorer’s pack.
8. Unkh’s Shrine
Swirly carvings decorate two obelisks at the entrance to this compound. An overgrown courtyard lies under the shade of tall palms. Stone doors seal the entrance to a windowless shrine, with a smaller ruin standing nearby.
The shrine to the trickster god Unkh (represented by a flail snail) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
8A. Shrine Entrance
Above the doors is written an inscription in Old Omuan:
“Unkh urges us to contrast all options before acting.”
Unkh’s priests were contemplative but prone to indecision. Their message is a clue to solving the shrine’s puzzle. The doors to the shrine are not locked and hang heavy on their hinges. Each door weighs 600 pounds, so one or more characters need a combined Strength score of 20 or higher to heave them open.
8B. Ruined Workshop
The roof of this workshop collapsed long ago, and now a thick mass of plants grows from the rubble. Through the moss, you see hundreds of iron keys hanging from hooks on the wall. Some are bent and broken, while others are rusted beyond repair. The rest look serviceable.
One of the keys unlocks the pedestal in area 8C. If the characters know which key to look for, they find it after a few minutes of searching.
8C. Chamber of Contemplation
A statue of a giant snail looms before you. In place of antennae, it has five pseudopods ending in rocky clubs. Along the walls, six iron keys hang in small niches above stone plinths. Behind the statue, a carved pedestal in a wide alcove has a keyhole set into its base.
The statue is 9 feet tall and represents the trickster god Unkh as a flail snail. Three ghast (undead Chultan tribesfolk) hide behind it. Each ghast has Ras Nsi’s symbol—a small blue triangle-tattooed on its forehead. The ghasts leap out from behind the statue and attack as soon as the characters enter the room.
None of the keys in this room unlock the pedestal. However, they are all similar in size. If a character takes all six keys and overlaps them, their overlapping teeth form a particular pattern. A search of the ruined workshop (area 8B) yields a single key that matches this pattern. This key unlocks the pedestal.
Puzzle Cube
Unkh’s puzzle cube is hidden inside the pedestal. If a character inserts the correct key in the keyhole and turns the key a quarter turn clockwise, the puzzle cube emerges from a concealed hatch:
The pedestal grinds around on the spot. As it turns, an ornate stone cube corkscrews up from a concealed hatch in its surface.
The puzzle cube can now be safely removed from its pedestal.
Using thieves' tools, a character can pick the lock on the pedestal with a successful DC 25 Dexterity check. A character who fails the check by 5 or more accidentally triggers the trap.
Trap
If a character inserts the wrong key into the keyhole at the base of the pedestal or botches an attempt to pick the lock, the shell of the flail snail statue emits dazzling rays of light that fire in all directions. When this happens, each creature in the shrine must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. Any creature that fails the save is struck by a ray and takes 33 (6d10) radiant damage. The statue can’t emit rays while wholly or partly contained with an
9. Adventurers' Camp
Amid the ruins is an abandoned campsite. Torn backpacks and rotted gear litter the ground around the three moldering tents. At the center of the camp, a scrap of dirty yellow cloth hangs from a crude wooden flagpole.
This camp was made by the Company of the Yellow Banner, a party of explorers that arrived in Omu over six months ago. All the explorers are now dead. For further details, see chapter 5.
Characters who search the area discover a moldy parchment caught in the lining of one of the tents; give the players a copy of handout 13. The leader of the company, Lord Brixton, left this letter behind for a missing comrade. The rest of the camp has since been looted.
Development
If the characters stay at the camp for an hour or more, a randomly determined Red Wizard (see “Red Wizards of Thay,") stumbles upon them. The Red Wizard is accompanied by two mercenaries and is searching for Omuan shrines. A battle is certain unless the party has struck up an alliance with Zagmira, in which case the Red Wizard offers to join forces with the party.
Random Red Wizard
| d4 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dyrax |
| 2 | Yamoch |
| 3 | Zagmira |
| 4 | Thazma |
10. I’jin’s Shrine
Cracked monoliths flank the entrance to this ruin. Sawedged ferns grow in the courtyard between broken flagstones. A pair of stone doors provide entry to a large, flat-roofed ruin.
The shrine to the trickster god I’jin (represented by an almiraj) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
10A. Shrine Entrance
A harmless almiraj lives in a burrow underneath the courtyard and goes to ground as soon as it senses intruders. When a character approaches the door, read:
Sculptural reliefs decorate the doors of this shrine. The carvings show a horned rabbit charging a small, feral-looking bear with sharp claws. A cuneiform message is etched above the doors.
The message is written in Old Omuan and reads,
“I’jin teaches us to take the path least expected.”
I’jin taught her followers to live unpredictable lives, always changing course and never sticking to a plan. Characters would do well to heed her message inside the shrine.
Smaller inscriptions hidden underneath the carvings tell the story of how I’jin (an almiraj) earned the ire of Obo’laka (a zorbo) by spoiling a stew prepared for the god Ubtao. For details, see “Legend of the Nine Gods,".
10B. Puzzle Floor
A ten-foot-wide hallway strikes off into the gloom. Carved tiles depicting various beasts decorate the hallway floor.
Give the players a copy of handout 14 in appendix E.
Thirty-two tiles cover a 20-foot-long, 10-foot-wide stretch of the hallway. Each tile is 5 feet square, and the tiles are arranged in eight rows of four. The beasts depicted on the tiles are almiraj, dragonflies, eagles, giraffes, monkeys, tigers, warthogs, and zebras.
Poison Darts
To cross the hallway safely, a character must avoid stepping on the same animal more than once. If more than 20 pounds of pressure is exerted on the wrong picture tile, four poison darts shoot from holes in the walls. Each dart makes a ranged weapon attack (+5 to hit) against a random target within 10 feet of the triggering tile. A single creature can be attacked by multiple darts. A creature hit by a dart takes 2 (1d4) piercing damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A character can spot the holes with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. Stuffing the holes with cloth or wax prevents the darts from launching.
Characters can avoid the trap by flying or teleporting across the hallway, or by using
Almiraj Tiles
A
10C. Labyrinth
Traps are riddled throughout this dusty maze. Hidden pressure plates in the floor are located in the positions marked X on the shrine map. If more than 20 pounds of pressure is exerted on a pressure plate, a sharpened axe blade swings from a hidden compartment in the ceiling.
The blade makes a melee attack (+6 to hit) against any creature standing on the pressure plate. On a hit, the target takes 8 (1d8+4) slashing damage. A character searching for traps spots a pressure plate and ceiling compartment with a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check. Wedging an iron spike or other object under a plate prevents the trap from triggering. Using thieves' tools, a character can dismantle an axe blade with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. If the check fails by 5 or more, the trap triggers and makes an attack against the character with disadvantage.
10D. Puzzle Cube
The doors of this chamber are not locked or trapped.
A shaft of natural light spills from a tiny square hole in the ceiling onto a carved stone pedestal. An ornate stone cube rests on its surface.
The cube is I’jin’s puzzle cube. It is not trapped and can be safely removed from the pedestal.
11. Chwinga Wagon
An overturned wagon lies on the street ahead. Rotting flower petals litter the ground around it, and bees nest in its broken wheels. A freshly cut garland of jungle flowers hangs from the wagon’s tongue.
The wagon is home to a chwinga. The vegepygmies in the area are afraid of the chwinga and bring it gifts of flowers to appease its wrath. In truth, the chwinga is harmless.
The chwinga uses its magic to hide in a mossy stone disk underneath the cart (see “Queen’s Decree” below). Characters who approach the cart notice that the area is unusually lush and full of life. If they leave an offering, the chwinga timidly presents itself to them. If not, the chwinga’s natural curiosity forces it to shadow the characters and spy on them.
The scent of honey foreshadows the chwinga’s appearance, and harmless bees follow it around. It has a fascination for humanoid hair and is likely to latch onto a bearded dwarf or a character with curly tresses. While the chwinga accompanies the party, any vegepygmies that encounter the group flee as soon as they discern the chwinga’s presence. The chwinga’s affinity for the natural world keeps it from following characters into shrines or dungeons.
Queen’s Decree
If the characters look under the wagon, read:
A moss-covered stone disk lies half-buried in the mud underneath the wagon. Concentric rings of inscriptions cover its surface-some written in Common and others etched in jagged cuneiform.
The tablet is a proclamation from an Omuan queen to her rivals in Mezro. The Mezroans couldn’t read the Omuans' native script, so the tablet contains the same message written both in Common and Old Omuan. It reads,
“Queen Napaka proclaims that the free people of Omu fear nothing. Brave new gods protect us, as Ubtao did before but does no longer. Omu will rise again, and Napaka shall reclaim all that is hers by right of conquest.”
Using the tablet, the characters can translate any message written in Old Omuan. The tablet is 3 feet in diameter and weighs 200 pounds, but characters with ink and parchment can copy it or take a rubbing. If the characters move the tablet from the cart, they end up taking the chwinga with it.
12. Wongo’s Shrine
Carvings of monkeys hanging by their tails decorate two cracked obelisks that stand before a shrine enclosed by broken walls. Past the obelisks is a courtyard filled with horsetails and arum lilies. Five archways open into darkness at the base of the ruin. Mounted above the central arch is a stone plaque bearing a cuneiform inscription.
The shrine to the trickster god Wongo (represented by a su-monster) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods. The inscription above the central arch is written in Old Omuan and reads as follows:
“Better to be Wongo’s friend than his enemy.”
Portcullises
Portcullises are raised into the lintels above four of the five entrance corridors. When a character claims the puzzle cube from area 12B, the portcullises slam shut and seal off these corridors. Each portcullis weighs 600 pounds and can be lifted by one or more characters with a combined Strength score of at least 20. A character can prevent a portcullis from dropping by jamming it with at least two iron spikes.
12A. Cracked Obelisks
Creatures that pass between these two obelisks hear in their heads a cacophony of shrieking monkeys. The sound fades once the creatures move elsewhere. The shrieks are annoying but harmless. The obelisks are not magical, and their effect can’t be dispelled.
12B. Test of Friendship
A ten-foot-tall stone statue of an evil-looking monkey balances on its tail atop a stone dais in the middle of this twenty-foot-high chamber. The statue’s limbs are splayed, with hands and feet cupped. On the wall behind, a sculpted relief shows a monkey-like creature tearing into a giant serpent. Cuneiform inscriptions are carved above and below the relief. Four masks of painted stone protrude from the walls; they depict the heads of a lion, a zebra, a boar, and a vulture.
The wall relief shows the trickster god Wongo (a su-monster) fighting his hated enemy, Moa (a jaculi). Inscriptions in Old Omuan explain how Moa betrayed Wongo to the god Ubtao (see “Legend of the Nine Gods”).
Statue and Puzzle Cube
A
“Wongo’s friend knows where to pour the water.”
Wongo’s “friend” (the vulture) can be identified by figuring out the logic puzzle written above the masks in the viewing corridors (area 12C).
When a character pours a pint or more of water into the statue’s right hand or one of its cupped feet, the liquid sizzles and transforms into 1d3 steam mephit that fight until destroyed. The statue can create up to six steam mephits in this fashion, after which no more mephits can be created until the next dawn. A steam mephit reduced to 0 hit points loses its form and disappears.
When a pint or more of water is poured into the statue’s cupped left hand, Wongo’s puzzle cube appears by magic on the statue’s head. When the puzzle cube appears, the character who poured the water hears a snarling, disembodied voice say,
“Take the prize and curse your friends, or fight my children to claim it. What is your choice?”
If a character takes the puzzle cube, the masks on the walls deliver their curses (see area 12C). If no character takes the cube immediately, the portcullises slam shut over the entrance corridors in area 12A as four su-monster are teleported into the room, clinging to the statue like startled children to a protective parent. The su-monsters leap down and attack. Once the su-monsters appear, taking the puzzle cube doesn’t trigger the masks' curses. The summoned su-monsters are real, and their bodies don’t disappear when they die.
Masks
Characters who examine the stone masks on the walls see that their eyes are open holes, allowing one to peer into the adjoining corridors (area 12C). The masks are extensions of the walls and can’t be removed without destroying them.
12C. Viewing Corridors
Each of these four corridors ends in a molded stone mask that juts into area 12B. A
Lion Mask (L)
The inscription above this mask reads,
“I ate one of the boar’s friends.”
A character who peers through the mask sees a ray of blue light falling from the ceiling onto the right hand of the statue in area 12B.
Boar Mask (B)
The inscription above this mask reads,
“The vulture is lucky to be alive.”
Through this mask, a character sees a ray of blue light falling onto the left foot of the statue in area 12B.
Zebra Mask (Z)
The inscription above this mask reads,
“My only friend starved to death.”
Through this mask, a character sees a ray of blue light falling onto the right foot of the statue in area 12B.
Vulture Mask (V)
The inscription above this mask reads,
“One of the others has no friends.”
Through this mask, a character sees a ray of blue light falling onto the left hand of the statue in area 12B.
When the masks deliver their curses (see area 12B), any character who has looked through a mask in the last hour must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or transform into the creature depicted on the last mask they looked through. This curse functions as a polymorph spell and ends after 24 hours.
A zebra has the same statistics as a riding horse. Statistics for the boar, lion, and vulture also appear in the Monster Manual.
13. Amphitheater
A ruined amphitheater looms over the surrounding buildings. Vines cling to its steps, and animal statues line its stands. The muddy ground outside is stripped clean of vegetation. An eerie silence hangs over the area. No birds cry, no insects chirp, nothing stirs.
The amphitheater is the lair of the King of Feathers, a powerful tyrannosaurus rex with magical abilities. As they approach the amphitheater, characters can’t fail to notice giant clawed footprints in the mud. From toe to heel, each footprint spans over 5 feet. Closer to the ruin, they find long, slender feathers in scarlet, orange, and green hues, and heaps of dung large enough to bury a dwarf.
The amphitheater is an open-air, semicircular structure with tiered seats overlooking a ruined stage. The Omuans used it for public debates and plays both comic and tragic. Narrow passages and rubble-strewn chambers spread beneath the grandstands. This darkened maze is home to five Deinonychus. While the tyrannosaurus is out hunting, the deinonychuses leave their lair and prowl throughout the amphitheater, attacking other creatures on sight. Strewn about their lair are Omuan relics (see “Treasure” below).
Hail to the King
During the day, there is a 50 percent chance that the King of Feathers rests in the amphitheater. At night, this chance decreases to 25 percent. If the beast is out hunting, there is a cumulative 20 percent chance per hour of it returning. The King of Feathers is a feathered tyrannosaurus rex, with these changes:
- The King of Feathers is a monstrosity with 200 hit points.
- It can see invisible creatures and objects as if they were visible.
- It can innately cast misty step at will, requiring no components. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
- It has the Legendary Resistance trait and the Summon Swarm action option (see below). It can’t use the Summon Swarm action while it is grappling a creature with its jaws.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day)
If the King of Feathers fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Summon Swarm (Recharge 5-6)
The King of Feathers exhales a swarm of insects (wasps) that forms in a space within 20 feet of it. The swarm acts as an ally of the King of Feathers and takes its turn immediately after it. The swarm disperses after 1 minute.
Treasure
A search of the rooms under the amphitheater uncovers an electrum platter inscribed with images of Chultan feasting rituals (25 gp), an Omuan death mask made of painted gold (250 gp), and a
The King of Feathers
The monstrous tyrannosaurus known as the King of Feathers is the undisputed lord of Omu. Most other dwellers of the Forbidden City live in fear of its thunderous approach and steer well clear of the amphitheater, its lair.
The King of Feathers can be encountered anywhere within Omu. At first, tease the characters with glimpses of it moving through distant fog or have them hear its roar echoing over the ruins. It might appear while the heroes are exploring the ruins or taking a rest. Alternatively, it might interrupt a fight that’s going badly for the party (or is too easy).
14. Tomb of the Nine Gods
A vine-draped obelisk marks the entrance to the Tomb of the Nine Gods. For full details, refer to chapter 5.
15. Ruined Bazaar
A derelict market hall stands on the street corner ahead. Frayed cloth awnings hang in tatters above a broad alley lined with stalls.
Kobolds live in hidden cellars underneath the ruined market hall and have set six traps throughout the bazaar. A character has a cumulative 20 percent chance of finding a trap for each minute spent searching the bazaar. When a trap is found, have the character make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. If the check succeeds, the character spots the trap (a hidden, springloaded catapult) and its triggering mechanism (a tripwire or pressure plate) without triggering it. Once spotted, the trap is easily disarmed or avoided (no check required). A failed check indicates that the character accidentally set off the trap, which duplicates the Weapon Invention attack of a kobold inventor.
After the characters find three traps, they spot a kobold disappearing down a well-hidden staircase on the outskirts of the bazaar. If they follow the creature, it leads them to the cellars under the marketplace.
Kobold Cellars
The kobolds live in cellars not shown on map 3.1. All but one of the staircases leading into their lair has been caved in or blocked with heaps of furniture. As the characters make their way through the cellars, read:
Guttering torches cast dim light under the arches of a wine cellar roughly 20 feet square. The cracked ceiling is 8 feet high. In an alcove on the far side of the room, a pile of treasure twinkles in the torchlight. Kobolds gather around it.
Kakarol, a kobold scale sorcerer, rests on the pile of treasure. Two kobold inventor and ten kobold are also present. Statistics for the kobold scale sorcerer and kobold inventor appear in appendix D.
The kobolds rally to defend Kakarol. While they fight off intruders, Kakarol and his inventors make ranged attacks from the rear. If things look dire, Kakarol throws himself at the characters' mercy.
Treasure
Kakarol wears a torn, 6-foot-long tapestry of a macaw decorated with garnet beads (75 gp) as a cloak. His hoard contains 30 gp, 250 sp, 1,800 cp, a colored glass statuette of a dragonfly (25 gp), four bloodstones (50 gp each), and a
Development
Kakarol believes that Acererak is going to transform him into a dragon. As such, the kobold is arrogant, greedy, and vain-traits that can be used against him. He knows nothing of Acererak’s true aims, nor has he been told about the Soulmonger. Kakarol’s kobolds spy on most other factions in the city. If gifted with enough treasure, he could become a useful early warning system for the adventurers.
16. Papazotl’s Shrine
Crocodiles wallow in this muddy lake bed, from which rises a walled ruin. Two columns flank the entrance, carved with images of a long-legged bird with a needle-like beak. At the building’s front, slimy steps ascend to an entry arch.
The shrine to the trickster god Papazotl (represented by an eblis) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods. The water around the shrine is 2 feet deep.
16A. Shrine Entrance
A plaque above the shrine entrance displays an inscription in Old Omuan:
“Papazotl teaches us to bow before no one.”
Characters who remember the cult’s motto gain an edge when they explore Papazotl’s tomb in chapter 5.
Four hungry crocodile lurk in the shrine’s flooded courtyard. These creatures are the offspring of a giant crocodile that nests to the rear of the shrine. If the characters attack the crocodiles, their mother joins the fray 2 rounds later.
16B. Mosaic Floor
Moss clings to the stonework throughout this hall. The mosaic floor depicts a tall bird using its long, pointy beak to pin a monstrous frog-like creature with tentacles sprouting from its shoulders. Set into the far wall is a set of heavy stone doors.
The mosaic shows the trickster god Papazotl (an eblis) fighting his enemy, Kubazan (a froghemoth). Inscriptions in Old Omuan surround the mosaic. If the characters translate these, they learn the story of how Kubazan disobeyed Papazotl and was cursed (see “Legend of the Nine Gods”).
The doors are not locked but hang heavy on their hinges. Each door weighs 600 pounds, so one or more characters must have a combined Strength score of 20 or higher to force it open.
16C. Chamber of Command
An empty pedestal stands in the middle of this chamber. Six statues face it from alcoves on the walls. They depict bare-chested humans with the heads of different animals. From left to right, the heads resemble those of a lizard, a jaguar, a lobster, a toucan, a bat, and a frog.
A character who examines the pedestal finds a riddle inscribed on its base. (Give players a copy of handout 15 in appendix E.) Unlike other inscriptions in the trial chambers, this riddle is etched in Common:
Comes with sunshine
Leaves with night
Hides in darkness
Does not bite
Always joined to its caster
Never strays from its master
The answer to the riddle (“a shadow”) is a clue to finding the secret chamber (area 16D). If a character holds a light source close to the statue with the head of a bat, a crawlway appears in its shadow. The crawlway entrance is otherwise hidden behind an illusory wall that can be dispelled with a
Puzzle Cube
If a character searches the pedestal, they discover the outline of a stone hatch on its upper surface. No matter how hard the characters try, they cannot pry the hatch open. Papazotl’s puzzle cube within only emerges when all six statues are blindfolded (see area 16D). When this occurs, read:
The pedestal rotates, and an ornate stone cube emerges from a hatch on its surface.
The characters can now safely take the puzzle cube.
16D. Hidden Room
A strange grid is etched into the far wall of this stone cell. When a character enters this chamber, give the players a copy of handout 16 in appendix E. This grid is a puzzle key. If the letters from the riddle in area 16C are entered into the grid (minus spaces), the letters in the darkened squares spell out “cover eyes.” This phrase provides a clue to obtaining the puzzle cube in area 16C.
17. Waterfall
A river courses through a rocky ravine before plunging 50 feet into a 30-foot-deep pool. A creature that goes over the waterfall must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, taking 12 (5d4) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or no damage on a successful one. There is no safe path from the top of the waterfall to the city below.
Vision of Acererak
The first character to look out across the city from the clifftops near the waterfall sees a vision of Omu’s fall:
A city of magnificent, whitewashed buildings stretches out before you. Sunlight sparkles off of glass domes and windows, yet all is not well. Black smoke coils from fires across the city, corpses litter the streets, and wraiths circle the rooftops like vultures. A sphere of utter darkness grows out from the heart of the city, blotting out the light as it expands toward you. You turn away, and when you look back, the darkness is gone. The city is a half-flooded, overgrown ruin.
While in Omu, the character who saw the vision has the same dark dream whenever he or she takes a long rest. In the dream, the character is standing in the city during its fall and sees a skeletal figure walking alone through the dead streets. He wears tattered robes and holds a skull-tipped staff, and his sunken eyes contain points of dead light. With each dream, the figure (Acererak) gets a little closer.
18. Nangnang’s Shrine
Monoliths adorned with prancing, frog-like figures rise from the swamp. Beyond, a ruined edifice shaped like an arrowhead squats in the muddy water. Bushes and trees grow from its roof. At the pointed front of the building, steps ascend to a stone door caked in slime.
The shrine to the trickster god Nangnang (represented by a grung) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods. The water around the shrine is 2 feet deep.
18A. Shrine Entrance
The shrine is home to a gold-skinned grung elite warrior named Chief Yorb. Four orange-skinned grung elite warrior wallow in the flooded courtyard with Yorb and his trained hadrosaurus mount. One red-skinned grung wildling and seven green-skinned grung lurk on the shrine’s 20-foot-high rooftop. See appendix D for these creatures' statistics.
The grungs on the roof unleash arrows to ward off intruders. If the intruders fight back, more green-skinned grung close in from nearby buildings, with 1d4 appearing at the end of each round until twenty have arrived.
The grungs are jumpy and distrustful of strangers. At first, Yorb is more interested in scaring away intruders than he is talking with them. If the characters rescue his favored son in area 5 and have the means to communicate with the chief, Yorb opens up to them. He currently has no idea his son is missing.
The grungs worship the dead trickster god Nangnang. If the characters enter into negotiations with Yorb, he can recount the full legend of Omu’s nine trickster gods (see “Legend of the Nine Gods”).
Shrine Doors
The doors to the shrine stand ajar. If the tide of battle turns against Chief Yorb, he retreats into the shrine with his elite guards and bars the doors. A character can force open the barred doors with a successful DC 25 Strength check.
18B. Chamber of Greed
Torches shed light over rooms filled of treasure: chests heaped with coins, polished amphorae, strings of pearls, and ornate pieces of armor. Set into the floor in front of another double door is a mosaic depicting a frog-like humanoid beating a leopard that has snakes emerging from its shoulders. Cuneiform inscriptions are woven above and below the combatants.
The inscriptions are written in Old Omuan. The one above the mosaic reads,
“Nangnang teaches us to serve only ourselves.”
The inscriptions below tell how Nangnang (a grung) stole a spear belonging to Shagambi (a kamadan). For details, see “Legend of the Nine Gods”.
While the treasures remain in the shrine, they look and feel real. If a character removes a treasure from the shrine, the illusion drops and the treasure reverts to its true form: gold coins become disks of tin, silver decanters revert back to clay jugs, and glittering armor becomes rusty scrap metal. A
Locked Doors
The stone doors to area 18C are locked, with neither keyhole nor handle. Above the double door, the following message is carved into the stonework in Old Omuan:
“Whoever among you is the richest, bring me your gifts.”
To date, even Chief Yorb hasn’t learned what lies on the other side of the doors. A
18C. Puzzle Cube
In the middle of this dusty room, a stone cube rests on a pedestal carved and painted to resemble a squat, humanoid frog.
Nangnang’s puzzle cube can be safely removed from its pedestal.
19. Obo’laka’s Shrine
A pair of needlelike columns mark the entrance to a walled ruin. In the courtyard beyond, banyan roots envelop a squat building. The stone doors that seal the entrance are carved with images of snarling bears with long, sharp claws.
The shrine to the trickster god Obo’laka (represented by a zorbo) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
19A. Shrine Entrance
A plaque above the shrine’s entrance bears the following message in Old Omuan:
“Obo’laka teaches us to tread warily and stay in the light.”
This message sheds light on how to obtain Obo’laka’s puzzle cube. The doors are slightly ajar and have rusty hinges that squeal loudly when the doors are opened.
When the characters arrive, four zorbo are lurking around the perimeter of the shrine. They investigate the sound of the squealing doors but won’t attack large groups, preferring to pick off loners and stragglers.
19B. Gallery of Carvings
The walls of this dark corridor are covered with painted reliefs showing Omuan people hunting, harvesting fruit, planting crops, crafting weapons, feasting, fighting, weaving, and skinning animals. Eight empty torch brackets protrude from the walls under the reliefs.
To disarm the puzzle cube trap in area 19E, the magic torches from that room must be placed in the brackets in this hall.
Barred Secret Door
A character who searches the walls and succeeds on a DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check spots a secret door just inside the entrance. The door is triple-barred from the west side. It can’t be opened manually from this side, though three
19C. Sun Pool
A glorious sun is carved on the ceiling, directly above a pool of still water. The ceiling reflected in the pool doesn’t show a sun carving, but rather a moon carving.
The pool is a magic portal that connects to the pool in area 19D. Characters who immerse themselves in the pool surface in area 19D.
19D. Moon Pool
If the characters enter this room via the pool, read:
A full moon is carved on the ceiling here, directly above the pool. The walls are decorated with reliefs of the Omuan people carrying out daily chores.
The ceiling reflected in the pool doesn’t show a moon carving, but rather a sun carving. To travel back to area 19C, a character must duck under the pool’s surface.
Locked Secret Door
A secret door in the south wall requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to spot. Even when found, there’s no obvious way to open the door, although a
A character who studies the wall reliefs and succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check observes that one of the figures on the wall is crafting a key. If the character pushes the key, the secret door pops open, revealing a dusty, web-filled tunnel (area 19F) beyond.
19E. Chamber of Sacraments
Eight torches illuminate this room. The light washes over a floor mosaic showing two creatures locked in combat: a small bear with sharp claws and a rabbit with a spiral horn on its forehead. In the middle of the room, a robed figure stands next to a waist-high pedestal, atop which rests a stone cube. The figure is bald and has one hand on the cube. It takes a moment to realize that the figure is a statue.
The floor mosaic shows Obo’laka (a zorbo) fighting I’jin (an almiraj). Inscriptions in Old Omuan underneath the mosaic explain how I’jin ruined Obo’laka’s attempt to placate Ubtao (see “Legend of the Nine Gods”).
The statue is a petrified Red Wizard (LE male Thayan human mage) named Voj. He failed to disarm the puzzle cube trap before touching it, and its magic turned him to stone. If a
Voj takes orders from Zagmira and knows the legend of Obo’laka and I’jin. If the characters defeat him, they find some valuables on his person (see “Treasure” below) that aren’t obtainable while Voj is petrified.
Puzzle Cube
Any creature that touches the puzzle cube must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be petrified. Even on a success, a creature holding the cube must repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns until the puzzle cube is removed from the shrine. When the torches in this room are inserted into the empty brackets in area 19B, Obo’laka’s puzzle cube can be handled safely.
Torches
Each torch burns with a flame that never wears its wood down. The torches can be extinguished, but they reignite every time they reenter this chamber. Relighting a torch by any other method proves impossible. If all eight torches are inserted into the empty brackets in area 19B, the puzzle cube can be handled safely.
Treasure
Voj carries an
19F. Secret Passage
This dark passage is choked with dust and webs. It’s clear that no one has been through here in years.
Traversing this corridor is the easiest way to transport the torches in area 19E to area 19B without dousing their flames in the pools. The secret door leading to area 19B has three wooden bars across it. Once the bars are removed, the door pulls open easily.
20. Royal Palace
Thousands of bats swirl above a great ruin. Behind a 15-foot-high circular wall, you see crumbling arcades, vine-choked statues, empty plazas, and buildings overgrown with banyan roots. Streets that aren’t flooded are choked with rubble.
The palace looks abandoned and has been looted of all treasure. Snakes slithering through the rubble are mostly harmless (but see area 20A and 20B below). The bats flying above the ruin are also harmless.
The Fane of the Night Serpent (see chapter 4) lies under the palace. There are two entrances: a large entrance to the north (area 20A) and a hidden entrance to the south (area 20B). Watching over each entrance are three type 1 yuan-ti malison (type 1) in snake form. They slither out of hiding, revert to their true forms, and attack anyone who isn’t accompanied by yuan-ti.
20A. Main Entrance to the Fane
The north entrance to the Fane of the Night Serpent is easy to find:
A worked tunnel descends into the earth here. Muddy cart-tracks wind back and forth from the entrance.
The tunnel slopes down to area 1 of the yuan-ti temple (see chapter 4).
20B. Secret Entrance to the Fane
The south entrance to the Fane of the Night Serpent is hidden behind palms and thorny bushes. Yuan-ti who pass through here always try to cover their tracks. To find the entrance, a character must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check while searching the vicinity.
Lifting aside the palm fronds, you uncover a narrow, rough-hewn passage descending into the earth.
This passage connects to area 23 of the yuan-ti temple (see chapter 4).