Heads Will Roll

The Strangers With Weapons escape the Omuan castle and begin their expedition into the Tomb of Annihilation.

## Major Plot Points

* After a short rest, SWW continued to explore the Ancient Omuan castle to search for the remaining puzzle cubes.
* The Strangers With Weapons discovered a sauna where Ras Nsi’s paramours lounge and wait to be summoned by their “Daddy.” The one named Belvedere claimed to be Ras Nsi’s favorite. He said that these men were lovers, not fighters.
* The group continued and found the throne room that housed an iron throne made to look like a hydra. Suckaclock, Ras Nsi’s honor guard, stood watch by the throne. The SWW fought the scaled and muscled warrior until he succumbed to Calypso’s ray of frost, despite all of her other attacks missing.
* Vlad found a key and love letters from Belvedere to Suckaclock on his body.
* The SWW went back to Belvedere and deceived him by claiming they had Suckaclock held hostage. Belvedere offered information about the castle in exchange for Suckaclock’s life. He said that there were slave quarters, a poison laboratory, a nest, another sauna, and a southern entrance. Belvedere also said that Ras Nsi’s secret chambers were behind a wall in the throne room but only Suckaclock had a key.
* Using Suckaclock’s key, the SWW went into Ras Nsi’s chambers. Fern found six greater health potions and 3,000 gold pieces.
* When they emerged, Belvedere greeted the party looking furious as he stood by Suckaclock’s body, which the SWW left in the throne room. The powerful bottom simply wished the party luck and walked away. As he left, an explosion was heard coming from the northeast of the castle. The rest of the castle shook and the waters of the nearby underground lake grew rough.
* The players headed south and discovered the poison laboratory. Xopal, a man with a copper snake tail was working on concoctions and five humanoid bodies were around his lab. He spoke to Peggy and asked if she’d be willing to let him inject a needle into her for gold. She refused. Voloth tried to attack Xopal but missed and caused his placebo table to fall over. He told the SWW to get out or he’d unleash his real poisons. The SWW continued on their way and paid 40 gold for the damages.
* The group eventually found their way to the slave quarters. The slaves said they recognized the explosion as the Yuan-Ti collapsing the main entrance/exit in the north. This happened during the slave’s failed revolt. They wouldn’t dare leave through the southern exit until the hydra was killed. They also said Salida was once a slave, however, she became a Dendar worshipper and turned into a Yuan-Ti pureblood through some kind of blood ritual. She was recently promoted to being the group’s faith leader, which turned her into more snake than woman.
* The party continued and found the royal saunas. Varysss, the Yuan-Ti spymaster, was bathing in a tub of blood and shedding his skin. He was guarded by two men who resembled Suckaclock. Varysss ordered his men not to attack and that he wanted to get to know the SWW. Varysss told the SWW of the history of Chult’s Yuan-Ti. They called Hisari home, however, they wanted to move into Omu. They were denied entry until Queen Zalkore made a deal with them. In exchange of granting her eternal youth and immortality, she’d allow them into the city. She rescinded the deal when they turned her into a gorgon. As retribution for what they did, Thiru-Taya, cursed Hisari and forced the Yuan-Ti out of their homeland. Around a century later, Ras Nsi showed up and quickly became the leader of the Yuan-Ti thanks to his charm, magic prowess, and fighting ability. He led them to Omu to finally become citizens of the great city, however, it had fallen into ruin by that time. Vlad proposed a deal with Varysss. The SWW would kill Ras Nsi, making Varysss their leader since Salida was already dead. In exchange, he’d have to reach out to Queen Maxima and seek out a truce with her and the rest of Chult. Varysss agreed.
* The SWW made their way to the southern exit and fought the five-headed hydra. They took each of its heads and the five puzzle cubes tied around its necks.
* After a night’s rest and with all the puzzle cubes finally in their possession, the party went to the where Valindra said the Soul Monger was housed.
* At the Obamu obelisk, the party found two passageways and a warning.
	+ Fear the night when the forsaken one seizes death's mantle and the seas dry up and the dead rise and I, Acererak the Eternal, reap the world of the living. Those who dare enter take heed:
		- The enemies oppose. One stands between them.
		- In darkness, it hides.
		- Don the mask or be seen.
		- Speak no truth to the doomed child.
		- The keys turn on the inside only.
* The Strangers took the north passageway first, which lead them to a table with an 8 pointed star. Fern discovered five skulls at the base of the table with pipes protruding from their mouths. The party covered them in cloth.
* There were cube-shaped holes at the end of each points. The party placed the cubes in what they thought was the right order, however, the cubes teleported away to outside the cave. A stone slab began to block the exit. The party chose to stay inside to see what would happen. The clogged pipes rattled and the group could tell some kind of gas was trying to push through the cloth. Vlad and Voloth broke the door down so they could escape.
* They then went down the eastern passageway. This was filled with statues of the Nine Gods who replaced Ubtao. These statues matched that of the carvings on the cube.
	+ Wongo - Su-Monster/Monkey
	+ Unkh - Flail Snail/Snail
	+ Obo’Laka - Zorbo/Koala
	+ Shagambi - Kamadan/Leopard with snakes
	+ Moa - Jaculi/Snake
	+ Papazotl - Eblis/Crane
	+ Kubazan - Froghemoth/Giant frog
	+ Tung-Tung - Grung/Humanoid frog
	+ I’jin - Almiraj/ Unicorn rabbit
* The statues’ oil basins lit aflame when their cubes walked past them. After passing 8, the party came to a dead end but heard a fire crackling from the otherside. They opened the secret door to the Unkh statue and took the gold pendant from it.
* The gold pendant led Vlad towards the true entrance of the tomb. The party successfully placed all 9 cubes in the right order to unlock the door.
* The SWW continued down the dark hall where they came upon a talking skull who was counting down from 10. A lever sat next to it. Vlad ran and pulled the lever, which unhinged the trapped door they were standing on. Vlad successfully held onto the lever and Voloth successfully hung on to him. Fern, Peggy, and Calypso fell, but Calypso used Feather Fall to slow their descent and Peggy used her flying broom to get everyone back to safety. The secret door opened once the skull was done counting down.
* Upon entering the hallway beyond, Calypso, Vlad, and Peggy activated pressure plate traps in the floor, which unleashed a hail of darts from the wall. The three were able to dodge the darts quickly enough.
* At the end of this hall sat a stone devil’s face with a gaping mouth and passages to the left and right. Voloth put a torch in the mouth, but the flame didn’t light up the darkness and something tried to pull him in. Voloth was strong enough to resist.
* The right passage led to a dead end so the party went left.
* There was a sewer grate in the middle the tunnel. A slow, murky river flowed beneath.
* At the end of tunnel was a glass window that looked into a tomb. Looking through it, Peggy discovered six bodies sitting on thrones and a sarcophagus in the middle. There was also two bear statues holding a large disc.
* Voloth broke the window and saw that the disc was covered in eyes darting all over the room. He successfully cast blindness on it and the party walked into the tomb. They quickly removed the masks on the corpses and put them on.
* Fern unlocked the sarcophagus and Vlad opened it. Inside were a zorbo’s bones and a silver ring. When Vlad touched the ring, Obo-laka’s spirit tried to possess him, but he successfully resisted. Peggy then offered herself to the goddess.
* Peggy can now touch metal, wood, or stone to gain +2 AC and have her skin become more like the material she touched. However, she now has disadvantage on all dex saves/checks. Peggy can now hear Obo-Laka in her head and the goddess is very nervous and obsessive. She also loves routine.
* Obo-Laka said she’d like to help the party explore the tomb and hopes she can leave the cursed place with them. She also explained that she and her eight brother and sister gods came to Omu after Ubtao left to give them new faith. However, the nine faiths fought a civil war and killed much of the city. Acererak, the arch lich, then came and killed the nine gods. He forced what remained of the city to build this tomb to house the dead nine gods and so he could slay people in this realm and feed his power. She remarked no adventuring humanoid had ever left this tomb alive until recently. Snake people have been wandering around and one in particular has been coming and going very frequently. She’s unsure why.
* Voloth’s old goose only pooped real shit.
* Vlad realized the ring he touched was a Ring of Protection and gave it to Voloth.
* You’re all level 8 now!