Chief Yorb. Obo'laka's Shrine.

Written by RealmsDM

11 Nightal, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
Day 59 of 79
Ruins of Omu, Jungles of Chult


With the scholar Orvex Ocrammas aiding the group in translating Old Omuan, the group was able to acquire their second puzzle cube.
A third puzzle cube lay inside a shrine they couldn't get into, yet. Nangnang's Shrine was home to a tribe of grungs, frog-like humanoids, led by Chief Yorb who sat atop a dinosaur.
A dozen or more grungs armed with spears and bows stood ready to attack if their chieftain ordered it.
Fortunately, Orvex was able to speak the language of the grungs.
He translated for the adventurers and asked if they could be allowed in the shrine to acquire a puzzle cube they were searching for.
Chief Yorb said they worshipped the dead trickster god, Nangnang, and considered the shrine their sacred home. However, he would allow the group to enter their home and get the cube if they helped him first.
It seemed, the chief's favorite 180th son, Imbok, has been missing for nearly two days. Grung scouts reportedly saw him near where the vegepygmy tribe lives in the southern part of Omu. The chief offered to give the group the puzzle cube if they find his beloved son.
The group reluctantly agreed then left.
Since it was getting late, the adventurers searched for a suitable place amidst the ruins to camp for the night.

***

The next day seemed cooler than the day before.
Despite being in the jungle, it seemed the season was beginning to change. Orvex said Chult's winter, if it can be called that, just meant cooler days and nights and less rain.
The group realized they had been in Chult for nearly two months. But with 20 days left before Syndra Silvane died, they didn't have much time left to find the Soulmonger.
No one was still entirely sure what they were going to do once they found the Soulmonger. But what mattered was finding it. And according to Orvex, the Red Wizards believed the artifact lay inside the Tomb of the Nine Gods beyond the Fane of the Night Serpent, which lay somewhere beneath the city of Omu. The Red Wizards suspected the nine puzzle cubes were the keys they needed to find the Soulmonger.
The group spent nearly the entire morning looking for another shrine. Before highsun, the adventurers found another shrine.
A pair of needlelike columns marked the entrance to a walled ruin. In the courtyard beyond, banyan roots enveloped a squat building. The stone doors that sealed the entrance were carved with images of snarling bears with long, sharp claws.
A plaque above the shrine's entrance bore the following message in Old Omuan: "Obo'laka teaches us to tread warily and stay in the light."
Bolte searched the doors for traps but found none. He opened the door and the group entered.
Inside they found a corridor covered with painted reliefs showing Omuan people hunting, harvesting fruit, planting crops, crafting weapons, feasting, fighting, weaving, and skinning animals. Eight empty torch brackets protruded from the walls under the reliefs.
Beyond the corridor, they discovered a room containing a pool.
A glorious sun was carved on the ceiling, directly above a pool of still clear water. Strangely, the ceiling reflected in the pool didn't show a sun carving, but rather a moon carving.
After trying to figure it out some in the group decided to jump into the pool which was only a few feet deep. After submerging themselves and standing back up, they found they had been teleported to a room that was similar yet different to the room they were just in.
In the room, a full moon was carved on the ceiling, directly above the pool. The walls were decorated with reliefs of the Omuan people carrying out daily chores.
A door was visible on one side of the door.
After checking for traps, the group opened the door.
Beyond was a large chamber. Eight torches illuminated the room. The light washed 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 stood next to a waist-high pedestal, atop which rested a stone cube. The cube was exactly like the previous cube they had found.
Before grabbing the cube, they inspected the statue. The figure was bald and had one hand on the cube. In its other hand, it held a metallic rod. It took a moment to realize that the figure was a statue.
However, the details of the statue suggested it was at one time made of flesh and bone, not stone!
The sight of the petrified person brought back horrific memories for Alice and Nip'hto who had both been turned to stone by the gaze of Queen Zalkoré in the garden of Nangalore.
Orvex said he recognized the statue. It uncanningly resembled a Red Wizard named Voj. According to Orvex, Voj was part of a small expedition who left Port Nyanzaru a tenday before he and the other Red Wizards did. Voj was supposed to go ahead of the large expedition and set up a base camp once in Omu.
It seemed Voj had indeed found Omu and had paid the price for not solving the shrine's riddle first.
The group knew better than to simply take the cube. Just like the previous shrine they had investigated, they knew they had to first solve the riddle before they could safely get the cube.
Everyone recalled what Orvex had read outside the shrine's entrance: "Obo'laka teaches us to tread warily and stay in the light."
After some time, the group thought they had figured out the riddle.
They took all eight lit torches from the room. They then took them to the corridor they first entered. There, they placed the torches in the eight empty torch brackets that protruded from the walls under the reliefs.
When they returned to the puzzle cube nothing had changed. Not wanting to risk being petrified, the group carefully wrapped the cube with a piece of cloth and placed it inside the Bag of Holding Atwix was carrying.
Before leaving, they pushed the statue over. It crashed to the floor and broke into several pieces.
They took the metal rod, a leather-bound spellbook, and eight tiger-eye gemstones that somehow were not petrified along with the rest of the Red Wizard.
With the puzzle cube from Obo'laka's shrine in their possession, the group left to search Omu for the other shrines to the trickster gods.

Session played on February 10, 2021

Adventurers:
Alice (Female Human Cleric of Tempus)
Atwix (Male Drow Fighter)
Bolte Bastardo (Male Half-Elf Rogue)
Nip'hto the Tiptoe (Male Elf Ranger)

NPCs:
Orvex Ocrammas (Male human scholar)
Zartan, the Jungle Lord (Male human barbarian NPC)

Plot type

Chapter

Obo'laka's Puzzle Cube

Chief Yorb. Leader of the Grungs of Omu.