Tomb of Annihilation

Ras Nsi

Ras Nsi leads the yuan-ti of Omu on a divine mission to usher forth Dendar the Night Serpent and trigger the end of the world (see appendix D for more information on Ras Nsi and his evil plans). His version of the apocalypse is not imminent, since Ras Nsi is distracted with fears of his own mortality. He has fallen victim to the death curse and is growing weaker by the day, and neither he nor his yuan-ti priests have been able to ascertain the cause or find a remedy. As Ras Nsi's power wanes, his rivals are preparing to dispose of him and continue their holy mission.

Acererak promised to help the yuan-ti if they would guard the Tomb of the Nine Gods. Ras Nsi doesn't know that Acererak is playing him for a fool. If the characters convince Ras Nsi that Acererak is a common enemy, he is of a mind not to stand in their way, provided that they vow to destroy the Soulmonger. Above all else, Ras Nsi values his own life.

Fenthaza

The cruel yuan-ti malison Fenthaza is second in power only to Ras Nsi and serves as the temple's high priest. As one of Dendar's "nightmare speakers," she interprets the dream visions of the serpent god and pleases her with torture and sacrifice.

Fenthaza has long resented Ras Nsi for hanging onto the threads of his humanity. Now her visions portend ruin at Ras Nsi's hands, and she actively plots against him. Her dreams have revealed a treasure called the Black Opal Crown, hidden deep within the Tomb of the Nine Gods. She's convinced that the crown is the key to unleashing Dendar the Night Serpent. Fenthaza wants to murder Ras Nsi and obtain the crown from the tomb. The priest is patient and cunning, and she won't take action against Ras Nsi unless the odds are stacked in her favor. Captive characters soon become cat's-paws in Fenthaza's coup.

Infiltrating the Temple

Human characters can pose as yuan-ti purebloods if they dress and act appropriately, and can even lead other characters into the temple as captives. They must bluff their way past the yuan-ti guards. Malisons are the easiest to fool: their inherent disdain for the lower strata of yuan-ti society means that they pay little heed to purebloods moving through the temple.

The temple denizens have racial tics that are difficult to mimic and they speak in a patois that combines the Common and Draconic tongues. To avoid drawing suspicion when talking, a human character pretending to be a yuan-ti pureblood must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma (Deception) check.

Nonhumans have a much harder time fooling the yuan-ti without the aid of magic. Nonhuman characters attempting to pose as yuan-ti purebloods have disadvantage on any ability checks made to act in disguise.

Captured by the Yuan-ti

Characters captured by the yuan-ti are stripped of their gear, fitted with manacles (one set binding the wrists and another binding the ankles), and confined to the pits in x. Their gear is stored in x until it can be studied and inventoried by the storeroom's guardian, Azi Mas. If the characters don't escape within 1 hour, they are visited by the yuan-ti spymaster Yahru and his bodyguards (see x). Yahru asks questions about their mission. He and his bodyguards then escort the characters to Ras Nsi or Fenthaza.

Yahru enjoys political games and uses the characters to play Ras Nsi and Fenthaza against one another. If the characters answered Yahru's questions angrily or arrogantly, they are taken to Ras Nsi. If they reacted in a calm, civil manner, they are brought to Fenthaza.

1. Main Gate

If characters approach this area from the north, read:

When opened, the bronze doors slide into wall niches to either side of the tunnel. To pull the doors apart, the yuan-ti broodguards under Nahth's command tug on heavy chains on the south side of the gate. To bypass the doors without opening them, yuan-ti malisons transform into snakes and slither through the holes at the bottom of the doors.

A type 1 yuan-ti malison named Nahth (pronounced NAWTH) and four yuan-ti broodguards (see appendix D) defend the main gate. Strangers are denied entry unless they are accompanied by one or more yuan-ti.

Nahth is greedy. After allowing characters to pass through the gate, he demands a bribe in the form of food (preferably meat) or treasure (minimum 10 gp). If the characters refuse to pay up, Nahth picks a fight with them. Combat here draws reinforcements from x.

2. Hall of War

Yuan-ti troops muster in this hall before heading into the city. Unless they have been drawn elsewhere, a yuan-ti pureblood named Soakosh (pronounced SOH-kawsh) and four yuan-ti broodguards (see appendix D) are stationed here. Two basilisks chained to hooks in the western alcoves are trained not to look their yuan-ti masters in the eye. Chewed bits of stone (the remains of petrified victims) litter the floor in the alcoves. The triceratops confined to the metal pen in the northwest corner is docile until threatened. The yuan-ti use it to pull supply wagons.

Soakosh is fat and has a forked tongue. He's rarely seen without a bag of his favorite food at hand: candied grung eggs.

If the alarm is raised, Soakosh commands the broodguards to unchain the basilisks from their hooks and lead them into battle like war hounds. If the alarm has not been raised but combat ensues here, one broodguard runs to sound the gong in x.

If the triceratops is threatened with fire or injured by an attack, it smashes through the walls of its pen and heads toward x.

3. Hall of Serpents

The wall reliefs show the legend of Dendar the Night Serpent and the rise of Ras Nsi. Characters who examine them see the following tableaus:

• A giant serpent coils in the underworld, devouring the dreams of sleeping creatures.
• Yuan-ti terrorize Chultans, feeding their nightmares to the great serpent.
• A yuan-ti malison (Ras Nsi) wielding a flaming sword and wearing a gold crown set with a black opal leads the snake people to a great door to the underworld.
• The door to the underworld opens, releasing the serpent. It devours the sun and plunges the world into terror and darkness.

A character who searches the reliefs and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check discovers that the black opal in Ras Nsi's crown is a stone button. If the check succeeds by 5 or more, the character also sees tiny holes hidden among the scales of the Night Serpent carvings.

If a character presses the button in Ras Nsi's crown, the carvings of the Night Serpent expel a soporific gas that fills the hallway and lingers for 1 minute. Any creature that moves into the gas or starts its turn inside it must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. The gas has no effect on creatures that cannot be poisoned, and creatures that fail the save fall unconscious for 1 hour. Using cloth or wax, characters can plug the hundreds of holes and prevent the gas from flowing out.

4. Armory

The armory door has an arcane lock spell cast on it. Officially, only Ras Nsi, Sekelok, and Fenthaza know the command phrase to bypass the spell ("white feather"). Speaking the command phrase while standing within 5 feet of the door suppresses its magic for 1 minute, during which time the door can be opened normally. The door can also be forced open with a knock spell or a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check.

When the characters peer inside, read:

A bone naga named Ukurlahmu (pronounced oo-ker-LAH-moo) has orders to protect the armory from thieves, but it struggles to remember faces. It only attacks creatures who fail to speak the correct passphrase. The current passphrase is "black mask." Characters are given three chances to utter the correct phrase before Ukurlahmu attacks. Before it attacks, the naga uses a bonus action to speak a magic command word that causes two minotaur skeletons to rise from the bones on the floor. The skeletons obey the naga.

Ukurlahmu speaks strangely. When it asks a question or makes a demand, it prefaces every sentence with "It will..." or "They will..." (for example, "It will tell us why it is here and what it wants"). When it makes a statement or answers a question, it always ends its sentences with "... so Ukurlahmu has spoken."

5. Fenthaza's Quarters

Two type 2 yuan-ti malisons stand guard in the corridor outside this room. Combat in the hallway alerts the yuan-ti broodguards in x, which arrive in 1 round. The room can be described as follows:

Fenthaza, a yuan-ti nightmare speaker (see appendix D), lairs here. If an alarm is raised, Fenthaza relies on her guards to protect her while she releases the creature trapped in the stone urn (see below). Fenthaza tries to incapacitate interlopers and confine them to x. A particularly irksome foe might be shackled to the altar in x, where she can torture it at her leisure.

One of the more powerful figures in the temple, Fenthaza ruled the yuan-ti after their abomination leader died, and she performed the ritual that transformed Ras Nsi into a malison. Recently, her visions have led her to doubt Ras Nsi's capabilities. In turn, Ras Nsi has started to cede power to his champion, Sekelok (x).

6. Sacrificial Chamber

Unless they are lured to x by sounds of battle, four yuan-ti broodguards (see appendix D) stand guard in this chamber, one in each corner.

Fenthaza routinely sacrifices prisoners on the altar. As they die, their blood drains into the pool in x. A captured character who insults or otherwise annoys Fenthaza might end up here, shackled to the altar.

7. Evil Oracle

Yuan-ti priests use the pool to commune with Dendar the Night Serpent. Three priests named Arakiti, Kultha, and Nyss are here at all times. They are loyal to Fenthaza and are type 3 yuan-ti malisons, with these changes:

• Add the following to the list of spells that the yuan-ti can innately cast at will: eldritch blast (2 beams; +5 to hit; 1d10 + 3 force damage per beam), minor illusion, and poison spray.
• They don't carry longbows.

8. Prisoner Pits

An iron portcullis seals this chamber. The lever to raise it is located in x.

Characters captured by the yuan-ti are confined here. If this is how the characters first arrive, read:

If characters peer into this room through the portcullis, use this description instead:

The room contains four pits, each one a bell-shaped chamber 10 feet deep and 10 feet in diameter. The pits are flooded to a depth of 3 feet. Covering each pit is a 600-pound circular iron grate that requires one or more characters with a combined Strength score of at least 20 to lift. Alternatively, a character can use the iron winch near each pit to lift or lower its lid with a successful DC 12 Strength check. Climbing the slippery, sloped walls of a pit requires a DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check.

New prisoners are slapped in chains and dropped into a random pit. The yuan-ti strip all prisoners of their belongings, which are kept in the storeroom (x) until they are properly inventoried. If the yuan-ti need to get a prisoner out of the pit, they disconnect a hook from the lid and use it to hoist the prisoner out by the manacles.

Each pit contains 1d3 prisoners, and the "Prisoners of the Yuan-ti" sidebar describes several. If a player character dies, you could introduce a replacement character here as a prisoner hoping to be rescued.

Prisoners are forced to wear manacles on their wrists and shackles on their ankles. The manacles impose disadvantage on ability checks made to climb or swim. The shackles reduce a prisoner's walking speed by half and impose disadvantage on ability checks made to jump. Fenthaza (see x) carries the keys for these bindings. See "Adventuring Gear" in chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook for rules on breaking, escaping, and unlocking manacles (and shackles).

9. The Fane

During rituals, the fane swells with yuan-ti, but the room is unguarded otherwise. When struck, the gong can be heard throughout the temple complex. One strike announces the start of a serpent ritual: when sounded, all the yuan-ti within the temple complex arrive here within half an hour. Two or more strikes in quick succession signal an alarm: when sounded, yuan-ti throughout the temple converge on this location as quickly as possible (see the Temple Roster table).

10. Harem

An iron portcullis seals the entrance to this chamber. To raise it, a creature must lift a lever in x.

Ras Nsi's concubines live in luxury within these chambers. Eleven yuan-ti purebloods and a doppelganger disguised as a pureblood comprise the harem. Two yuan-ti broodguards (see appendix D) watch over the harem at all hours.

Ras Nsi used to spend much of his time here, sampling the harem's delights. Since the death curse took hold of him, he has cloistered himself elsewhere. The purebloods neither help nor hinder the characters, and they fear Ras Nsi enough not to betray him willingly. Despite Ras Nsi's efforts to hide the effects of the death curse, the concubines know that he is sick and dying.

Ras Nsi's yuan-ti champion, Sekelok (x), is fascinated by the concubine Neema and courts disaster by visiting her in the dead of night. Neema browbeats the other concubines to cover up her affair.

11. Throne Room

Circumstances determine this room's occupants:

• During the day, Ras Nsi (see appendix D) "sits" in the throne while addressing two type 1 yuan-ti malisons who routinely advise him. Standing guard in the middle of the room is Ras Nsi's champion, Sekelok (see below), and three yuan-ti broodguards (see appendix D). Hidden behind the throne are four ghouls that obey Ras Nsi's commands. Each ghoul has a blue triangle tattooed on its forehead.
• At night, Ras Nsi retires to x, leaving the other yuan-ti (including Sekelok) and the ghouls here. Sekelok sometimes sneaks off to the harem (x).
• If the gong in x is struck, Sekelok and the other yuan-ti leave to investigate while the ghouls hide behind the throne and Ras Nsi withdraws to x.

Sekelok is Ras Nsi's trusted bodyguard and takes grim pleasure in slaughtering his master's enemies. Ras Nsi delights in forcing those who offend him to duel Sekelok, either to the first cut or to the death.

Sekelok has a secret affair with Neema, one of Ras Nsi's concubines (see x). His motivations here are confused: while he remains staunchly loyal to Ras Nsi, the subterfuge fuels his ego. If Ras Nsi discovers the affair, he flays both parties alive for their betrayal and feeds them to his pet hydra (see x).

12. Ras Nsi's Lair

At night, Ras Nsi (see appendix D) rests here, weakened by the death curse that is slowly consuming him. If enemies corner Ras Nsi, shields leap from the walls to protect him (see "Flying Shields" below). During waking hours, Ras Nsi returns here only if he's in danger.

If the characters defeat Ras Nsi and question him, he reveals the following information to save his skin:

• Ras Nsi is slowly rotting to death. He doesn't know the cause of his affliction and has no way to cure it.
• Before he dies, Ras Nsi wants to bring forth Dendar the Night Serpent and destroy the world.
• The yuan-ti believe there's a locked gate somewhere under the Peaks of Flame that prevents the Dendar from entering the world. Acererak has promised to help Ras Nsi unlock the gate and bring forth the Night Serpent. In return, Ras Nsi defends the Tomb of the Nine Gods.
• Nine stone puzzle cubes are needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods. Ras Nsi doesn't know how to use the cubes to unlock the tomb.
• The tomb entrance is marked with an obelisk. (Ras Nsi can provide directions and/or an escort.)
• Acererak slew the nine gods of Omu before enslaving the city's inhabitants, which he used to build his tomb.

13. Storeroom

The southwest double door is locked. Using thieves' tools, a character can pick the lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.

Supplies gathered from the world above are stored in this chamber. An awakened giant constrictor snake named Azi Mas serves as custodian for the provisions. When fresh goods arrive, Azi Mas personally checks them and mentally catalogs them. The rest of the time, he remains coiled in the shadows. The snake is bored and enjoys chatting with yuan-ti visitors. Should other creatures enter from the southwest, Azi Mas ambushes them and tries to take a hostage. If outmatched, he whines and pleads for mercy.

Long ago, a jungle druid used an awaken spell on Azi Mas, giving him an Intelligence of 10 and the ability to speak Common. After serving him for the duration of the enchantment, the serpent slithered off and found its way to Omu. Azi Mas has a good memory; he can remember names and faces and is quick to warn his masters if yuan-ti pass through whom he hasn't seen before.

14. Venom Distillery

The south door is locked, and the lock contains a cleverly hidden poison needle trap. To pick the lock, a character with thieves' tools must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity check. Finding the trap requires a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check; once found, it can be disabled with a successful DC 12 Dexterity check. A character who tries to pick the lock without first disabling the trap must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the character is pricked by the needle, takes 5 (1d10) poison damage, and is blinded. The blindness is permanent but can be cured with a lesser restoration spell or similar magic.

Yuan-ti use this chamber to extract venom from snakes. Xopal (pronounced zoh-PAUL), a yuan-ti pureblood, bottles and blends the venom to create deadly new strains. Five human zombies serve Xopal as laborers.

Xopal carries a bronze syringe containing three doses of a poison cocktail. As an action, he can make a melee weapon attack with the syringe (+3 to hit), which deals 1 piercing damage and injects one dose of poison on a hit. Any creature injected with a dose of poison must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. In addition, the creature is poisoned for 1 hour whether or not its save succeeds.

Xopal believes it's his destiny to transform into a much more powerful form of yuan-ti—a metamorphosis that will occur when he develops a poison so virulent that even innate immunity to poison can't withstand it. Xopal uses the zombies as test subjects; once he's overcome their immunity, he plans to conduct further tests on live yuan-ti.

15. Snake Pit

Despite appearances, the rickety wooden walkway is safe. The yuan-ti sometimes hurl disobedient slaves into the pit to be devoured by the serpents. The pit is 50 feet deep and filled with poisonous snakes. When a creature falls or sets foot in the pit, a swarm of poisonous snakes forms around it and attacks. A virtually inexhaustible number of swarms can be created in this fashion. A swarm that has nothing to attack ceases to exist as its constituents slither apart.

To climb the wet cavern walls, a character must succeed on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.

16. Blood Baths

When they awake each day, the yuan-ti ritually bathe in the blood of sacrifices. The blood is contained within these stone baths and heated by thermal vents underneath each pool. When the characters enter, four yuan-ti purebloods and two type 2 yuan-ti malisons bathe in the warm pools. Five slaves in loincloths (male and female Chultan human commoners of various alignments) tend to their every need. Give names to slaves as needed (see the "x" sidebar in the book's introduction).

The blood-drenched yuan-ti keep their weapons at the back of each alcove. If they hear the gong alarm sound, the yuan-ti command their slaves to remain here while they arm themselves and head quickly to x. If combat breaks out here, reinforcements from x arrive in 1d3 rounds.

17. Sauna

The oval stone is 8 feet tall and made of porous rock. Situated atop a volcanic vent, it transfers heat evenly throughout the room. The yuan-ti come here to shed their skins and polish their scales.

Thirty jars line the shelves underneath the oval stone, and each one contains a scented ointment that yuan-ti use to keep their skin supple and to ease the shedding of their skin. The ointment is not valuable.

Unless they have been fought and defeated elsewhere, two enslaved men (NE male Chultan human gladiators) watch Yahru (pronounced YAH-roo), a type 1 yuan-ti malison, as he sheds his skin (a process that can take up to an hour). Yahru is Ras Nsi's spymaster, and he doesn't like to be disturbed. Characters passing themselves off as yuan-ti purebloods are instructed to leave the room at once. Enslaved characters are ordered to smear ointment on Yahru's skin to expedite the skin-shedding process.

Yahru abhors physical combat, and he values his bodyguards too much to risk their lives in a pointless battle. Unless the characters provoke a fight, he tries to find out more about them and learn any secrets they might possess, while providing as little information as possible. If Yahru obtains information that would clearly benefit Ras Nsi or Fenthaza, he chooses which superior to bequeath it to. Yahru enjoys playing them off against each other.

If his bodyguards are defeated and he is facing death, Yahru offers small bits of information for the promise of freedom. In addition to the layout and defenses of the temple, Yahru knows the following:

• Ras Nsi commands the yuan-ti of Omu, but his command is tenuous. The high priest, Fenthaza, is Ras Nsi's chief rival.
• Ras Nsi is slowly being eaten away by a magical disease for which there is no known cure.
• Ras Nsi has made a pact with a powerful lich named Acererak, who conquered Omu long ago and built a tomb beneath the city. The tomb's entrance is marked with an obelisk. (Yahru can provide directions.)
• Acererak slew the nine gods of Omu before enslaving the city's human and minotaur inhabitants, which he used to build his tomb.

18. Yuan-ti Nests

When the characters arrive, twelve of the eighteen alcoves are occupied by six yuan-ti malisons (two each of types 1, 2, and 3) and six yuan-ti purebloods. The remaining six alcoves are currently not in use. Passing through the area without being spotted is impossible unless the characters use magic to hide themselves.

If the gong in x is struck, all the yuan-ti in this room gather their weapons and investigate.

19. Slave Grotto

When they're not working, 2d10 slaves (commoners of various races, alignments, and genders) dwell here. For slave names, see the "x" sidebar in the book's introduction. Three yuan-ti broodguards (see appendix D) guard the slaves for Slavemaster Issar, a type 3 yuan-ti malison wearing a red cloth headdress. Issar is more interested in gazing at his own reflection in a hand mirror than putting the slaves to work.

Issar is too stately to speak to the "meat" under his command. Instead, he's chosen a Chultan slave boy named Khoti to translate his subtle, unspoken gestures. A twitch of the tail could be interpreted as an order to fetch water, or the flick of the tongue an approval. In truth, Khoti makes up most of what he sees. Issar couldn't care less either way, as long as the correct amount of deference is shown. If strangers appear before Issar, Khoti questions them on his master's behalf.

20. Underground River

The river links various sections of the complex. The water varies between 5 and 30 feet deep, and the current isn't strong enough to present a hazard to swimmers. To the north and south, the river descends into submerged tunnels that spread for miles under the jungle.

21. Hydra's Lair

A hydra lurks underwater in this vicinity. Ras Nsi treats the monster as his beloved pet and regularly feeds it slaves, prisoners, and subordinates who've defied him. The hydra's victims are bound and ferried on rowboats over the deepest part of the river. To call the monster, their captors sound the rowboat bell and hurl the hogtied victim (or victims) into the water.

While it remains fed, the hydra avoids any boats that ply back and forth. When a rowboat bell is sounded, the hydra surfaces within 1d6 rounds. If it's not fed immediately, it attacks the boat. The hydra attacks any boats that venture north of x. Swimmers are also fair game.

22. Fungi Cavern

A patch of green slime (see chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) clings to the ceiling above the entrance and drops on the first creature that passes underneath.

A patch of yellow mold (see chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) covers the skeletal corpse. If a creature touches the mold, it ejects a cloud of deadly spores.

The corpse belongs to Kukuga, a yuan-ti pureblood who secretly worshiped Zuggtmoy (the demon queen of fungi). Kukuga concocted a fungal brew that would transform his body into a form closer to that of his demonic mistress. Instead, it led to his sudden and horrific death. Xopal (x) occasionally ventures into the cavern to harvest poisonous toadstools from his corpse.

To remove the brass key without disturbing the mold, a character must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. The key unlocks the door to the venom distillery (x).

23. Secret Entrance

If characters enter this tunnel from the surface, read:

The tunnel is roughly 100 feet long. Characters who climb the tunnel toward the surface emerge amid the ruins of Omu's royal palace (see x, area 20B).