ToA: Session 47

## **The Lay of the Land**

The Squad move further into the city, trying to get a sense of how it is laid out and how to best navigate it. Even with the rolling fog obscuring their vision, and the overgrowth of plants making the remnants of the city unclear, they start to piece together roadways and intricate waterways. It becomes clear to them, even from only this small portion of the city, that the entirety of Omu is a truly enormous place. While they examine the remaining magical mechanisms, things far beyond what even the most skilled druids could perform, they are met with a parliament of ghost owls. Each time they open their beaks to make a sound whispers of an old phrase come out instead.
"There is a taste of fear when the war is called, iron will to reclaim the land, iron will to claim it all." It reminds the group of Ah-puch, one of the gods of death they have learned of in their travels. Giving the owls their space, the others continue to investigate the magic of the city. They feel something like the echo of an echo of a song long forgotten in the air of the city, and Neb feels the energy of Rasni around them still. Before long they find a functional, albeit damaged box of some sort, thrumming with energy. Kinlek and Neb both go to examine in and inside they feel the same neutral energy, but in two very different ways. To Kinlek it is screaming out, agonizing, while to Neb it sounds like harmonious singing. Despite this, it is clear the energy is being channeled through something nefariou. But before they can discuss it further, something else grabs their attention just off into the trees and ruins a little ways behind them. They are not alone.

## **Karma Chameleon**

The group notices a party of lizardmen trying to blend into the trees behind them, chameleon men by the look of it. According to Kinlek they are isolationists who do not give much weight to Ubtao or the known religions of the land. The party decide it is best to try and approach them carefully, as they do not seem to be ghouls and are not attacking outright. They may be friendly! After a shaky bit of introduction and talking, eventually it turns out they are in fact friendly, or at least willing to be civil. The Chameleons live in a safe perimeter around Omu, and despise the ghouls. They offer the group to trade with them, and happily the squad agrees.

## **Back at the Shop**

Moving away from the open the squad realizes how few Chameleons there are, and after some talking they gather that it seems some of them are touched by the taint, but they do not realize it, and believe it is simply illness from the ghouls. With some bargaining in hand, and offers to help the sick and complete tasks to trade for more magical goods, the Chameleons reveal to the squad that some of their own were taken by the ghouls and may yet still live. In exchange for whatever they can offer, the Chameleons ask for help in saving their captured kin. The Squad is all too happy to help, and make some exchanges to prepare. Gifting them the spear of the almiraj, the staff of tentacles, and the healing they in turn get a valuable yuan-ti mask, a cloak of chameleon scale, and a puzzle box with a mysterious secret to it. After taking the time to attune to their new items, the squad readies to track down the ghouls and their hostages, and cleans these ruins as well.

## **The Songs of frogs and cloaks**

As the squad travels Fargus learns his new cloak has some strange voice attached to it, constantly whispering him as if he was some sort of heir to a throne. It can only be good for his mental health. Dealing with that new bit of psychosis the squad head towards the end of the safe perimiter and into ghoul territory yet again. The dark pit in the ruins is where they have to go, and as they arrive they take a time to examine the glowing charms and carvings around the place. It is undoubtedly ghoulish, and there are signs things like the local water ways have been recently repurposed. While making their way deeper into the territory the group come upon a family of normal frogs who....can speak common? They try to pretend like they cannot but after some coersion they eventually spill some information for the squad. They tell the squad how long ago the ghouls arrived, 15 months, and how the CGC may have come through, entering the center of the city. After that the frogs leave and the squad moves in, all while the cloak whispers to Fargus.

**Will the Squad have trouble clearing out another den of ghouls? Will they get all the treasures from the chameleons? Will they find the CGC once again captured and have to save them? And just how smug will they be when they see Sivis D'Sivis in need of help, yet again? Find out next time on Tomb of Annihilation!**