Dragon+ 14/Fiction: Prelude (Tomb of Annihilation)

Fiction: Prelude with the subtitle Prelude to the Tomb of Annihilation, as cursed secrets are discovered throughout Faerûn is a short story written by Bart Carroll and featured in Dragon+ Issue #14. It was released as part of a promotion for Tomb of Annihilation.
==Synopsis==
===Part 1===
The story begins in Neverwinter amidst the backdrop of the death curse, which is killing people who were raised from the dead. A Shadow Thief named Pion breaks into the mansion of Alfin Biscop, a cleric of Torm and retired adventurer who has not been seen for six months. While trying to get into a trapped vault, Pion is fatally poisoned and is only saved by the intervention of Biscop, who is dying of the death curse and has been reclusively researching it. Biscop informs Pion that the poison has no antidote and will kill him, so his only chance to "survive" is if the death curse ends and then he dies and is brought back to life. Biscop promises to arrange for this on the condition that Pion deliver a message to the Harpers containing what he has learned about the cause of the death curse.
===Part 2===
A warlock artificer named Rokh Manti navigates the Positive Energy plane inside a specialized apparatus. His expedition was funded by the Harpers and based on information that they acquired from communing with gods, meeting with Szass Tam, and consulting with knowledgeable mystics (notably including Alfin Biscop). Rokh discovers that all of the positive energy flowing to Toril is being siphoned to somewhere in Chult, but before he can investigate further, his craft is destroyed by xag-yas. It is revealed that Rokh's body is almost entirely artificial, and he manages to teleport his brain to safety just in time.
==Index==
===Characters===
::Alfin Biscop • Pion • Rokh Manti
::
::Anthraxus • Geryon • Kwalish • Szass Tam
===Creatures===
::girallon • gorgon • imp • mephit • owlbear • xag-ya
::
::cattle • devil (bearded devil, erinyes, osyluth) • dragon (blue, silver) • iron golem • lich • modron • mouse • quasit • ram • undead
===Locations===
:;Regions : The Realms • Sword Coast
:;Settlements : Neverwinter
:;Planes of Existence : Prime Material plane • Positive Energy plane
::
::Chult
===Items===
:;Games : chess (lanceboard)
:;Tools : telescope
:;Weapons : blade • glaive • mace • polearm • rope
:;Other : orrery • poison
::
::clockwork device • crossbow • goblet
===Magic===
:;Magic Items : gem of seeing
:;Spells : gate • gaseous form • passwall • plane shift • polymorph • raise dead • resurrection
:;Miscellaneous : death curse • divine magic • glyph • negative energy • positive energy
===Organizations===
::Shadow Thieves
::
::Harpers • Red Wizards
===Religions===
::Torm
===Miscellaneous===
:;Classes and Occupations : artificer • beggar • cleric • politician • smuggler • thief • warlock • wizard
:;Holidays : Highharvestide • Masquerade of Liars • Midsummer • Wonders of Gond
:;Materials : adamantine • brass • crystal • glass
:;Other : evil • moon • privy • sewers
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Published in 2017
Category:Works by Bart Carroll
Category:Short stories
Category:Year of Manuscripts