Tomb of Annihilation - Session 04
General Summary
Before their dinner concludes, Chibuzo asks his father to identify the gemstone that they found in the ruined storeroom of the temple. Casting a spell, Wakanga identifies it as a Dream Cryst with the ability to emit a bright light—brighter than a torch—when a word of command is spoken. Other command words will cause it to send a blinding beam of light at a single creature, at the cost of one of its limited number of charges, or to create a blinding cone of light at the cost of 5 such charges.
As dusk falls, through the windows they see storm clouds massing over the bay. Servants bustle through the villa, closing shutters against the rising wind. Before retiring for the night, Chibuzo sends a message to his mentor, Akachi, asking to meet at The Thundering Lizard at high noon tomorrow.
Pouring rain drenches the city. In the middle of the night, the party's sleep is disturbed by the sound of screams and shattered pottery in the hall below the main staircase. Grabbing their weapons, they investigate to find the body of a manservant lying prone in the dim light of the hall, with another servant, a woman, kneeling over him. An inky black figure looms above them both.
As Chibuzo—clad only in a loincloth—descends from the upper level, yklwa in hand, Dolan fires bolts of magical force at the shadow from a distance and Dunch charges in with his battleaxe. At his approach, the faceless shadow seems to look up, then plunges its shadowy hand into his flesh. He feels his strength ebbing away but manages to dodge its other hand. Ixtli also attacks, missing with his spear but biting the thing. It has the same foul taste as in the encounter on board the Brazen Pegasus but feels more solid than before.
The guards Osogo and Manu join the fray, attacking with their yklwas, while Ixtli unleashes a flurry of blows at it. It makes a droning, hissing sound as it looks at Ixtli, then grasps the servant woman, who collapses, dead. Becoming more insubstantial, the shadow passes through the ranks of the fighters, then rematerializes in front of Dolan. Its murky hand passes through him; he nearly collapses as he feels his life force being torn from his body.
Enraged, Dunch hacks at the thing with his battleaxe, while Dolan fires another volley of magic missiles. Finally a mighty blow of Dunch's axe cleaves it in twain and it dissipates completely.
After it vanishes, Chibuzo casts a healing spell on Dunch, while Dolan calls on the power of the Ring of the Oracle to heal himself. As he does so, he hears a puzzled voice in his head: "who are you?"
Osogo has knelt to examine the body of the manservant, a man named Makalo, when the dead man's hand suddenly reaches up to grab him by the throat. He manages to free himself; as the zombie rises, Ixtli attacks with his spear, then kicks it as Manu skewers it in the leg. When Ixtli stabs it again, it falls to the ground with a splat.
Anticipating the revival of the woman, Dofi, Dunch brings his axe down on the corpse—but before the blade hits, its eyes open, and its undead hand claws his leg. Dolan attacks it with more bolts of magical force; Chibuzo charges with his spear but trips on Makalo's corpse and falls prone. Osogo finishes the zombie with a thrust from his yklwa. It lets out an unnatural scream and falls over, unmoving.
In the aftermath, Chibuzo looks at the corpses with grief, while Ixtli examines the faces of the fallen. Dolan and Dunch do a quick inspection of the villa but find nothing out of the ordinary.
As the bodies are removed, Wakanga descends from his rooms, trailed by Gero. "What is happening in my home?" Wakanga asks. Chibuzo shakes his head sorrowfully. "I don't know why these things keep happening," he answers. His father looks at him sharply. "This happened before? Tell me."
Chibuzo and the others relate their encounter aboard the Brazen Pegasus. Wakanga ponders their tale. "Creatures such as this are separated from a living body using dark magic. But I have never heard of a living shadow that increases in power." He orders that extra sentries be posted, and that word be sent to the Temple of Zann to warn Grandfather Zitembe. At Dolan's suggestion, a message is also sent to fetch Nera Blacktyde from the small temple to the Maker just outside the city walls.
Next morning the storm has passed. At first light, Ixtli goes to the villa's garden to meditate. Nera Blacktyde arrives, and questions Osogo and Manu about the incident. Chibuzo still slumbers while Dunch and Dolan start on their breakfast. A servant approaches the sorcerer: "You are Dolan, yes? This came for you." He hands over a scroll.
Dolan is just opening the letter when Gero enters, full of excitement. He sits next to Dunch. "I've found the location of Orolunga! I think." Dunch grunts and keep eating as Gero continues: "It's further east of Mbala than I thought, across the river Tath." To get there, they could travel upriver to Camp Righteous, some 5 to 7 days' journey; resupply there; then continue upriver to the Aldani Basin. East of the basin atop a plateau is the ruin of Mbala. And then further east—Orolunga.
Meanwhile, Dolan reads the letter:
Greetings Dolan, I hope this letter finds you well. I have learned through my associates that you had returned to Marakuru. Admittedly, I would have never thought you'd willingly choose to come back here, and as part of another of Ravengard's expeditions no less! It makes me glad, in a way, that he would choose to still trust you. That must mean he only blames me for what happened five years ago. I suppose that leads me to the question you surely have for me. Why steal from the duke? Why ruin my reputation and become a wanted man back in Asturia? Simply put: I was greedy. The riches contained in the ruins of Old Marakuru were beyond anything I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. Enough to wholly abandon my old life and begin a new one, it would seem. Looking back now, I'm not sure it was the right choice. Rashaad al-Tahir was keeping tabs on the duke's first expedition, and even though he knew that Mezro was unlikely to offer up any more treasures, he offered me a deal. He comes from an old and powerful family in Nizam, and their treasuries are vast, so who was I to refuse? If we discovered anything that I believed to be of true significance, he would reward me for bringing it to him. Needless to say, what he offered was far more than what Ravengard had. The day we found the Table of Ch'gakare was my opportunity. Even with only half the tablet, the fire that it stirred in Rashaad was... unsettling. He told me a story from his childhood, of a black opal crown that had once belonged to the first Caliph of Nizam at their nation's birth thousands of years ago. But the crown was older still, and had come from an empire that had risen and fallen before the founding of Nizam. It was the first human empire, which was built on a foundation of sacrifice and blood magic. The story went on to tell of how the crown granted its wearer a piercing, destructive gaze and how it could obliterate entire armies. I'm not sure if I believe that, but Rashaad does. He wants the crown in a very bad way and will do anything to get it. He knows that it is in Orolunga thanks in part to the naïveté of O'tamu's boy. That said, we have not discerned the city's exact location, but the oldest map he has in Fort Tajar places it at the foot of Mount Ngozi and west of the northern branch of the River Tath. Thankfully, his magic hasn't been helpful in locating it either. So now Rashaad is planning to sail around the peninsula and try to find the city from the south. I don't agree with his plan as we'll likely spend weeks, if not months, in the jungle, but he has been ignoring my counsel of late. So why have I bothered to write and tell you all this? I don't know. Mainly regret, I suppose. Or as a misguided appeal for forgiveness. But I think more than anything, it's to help you find the crown first. As much as I stand to gain from this venture, my gut tells me that Rashaad ibn Karim al-Tahir should not find what he seeks. Take care of yourself, and good luck, ElmarIxtli and Chibuzo join the others, and Dolan and Gero share their information. Chibuzo knows something of Mbala; he recalls that Akachi told him of a series of switchbacks and bridges leading up from the Aldani basin to the plateau. But he's never travelled that way himself. His training only brought him as far as the entrance to the Aldani basin. As noon approaches, the party travels through the city streets and the Red Bazaar to the Thundering Lizard. Even at midday, the tavern is busy, filled with the sound of drums and loud conversation and the sweet smell of tej, the Marakuran honey wine. When they enter, the group is stopped by a stocky bald woman named Jada, a bouncer whom Chibuzo recognizes. She reminds them of the rules of the house and the group hands over their weapons. They find Akachi—a tall, muscular woman in her mid-30s, with shoulder-length hair in dreadlocks—drinking with a pair of Tabaxi. Spotting Chibuzo, she rises to greet him enthusiastically. "Chibuzo! So good to see you!" She gives him a big hug. The Tabaxi politely excuse themselves. After the group orders drinks and food, she asks why Chibuzo wanted to meet, and he fills her in on their journey to the interior. Akachi was leading a similar expedition for Rashaad al-Tahir until recently, she relates. He even paid her in advance, quite handsomely. But he betrayed the terms of their agreement. "Just last night, Sayid told me that we're going by boat. I told Sayid he could tell his master to go screw. I'm not getting on any boat." Chibuzo is relieved that she is no longer aiding Rashaad. "I believe the item he seeks carries a terrible curse for our people." She raises her eyebrows. "Sounds ominous." Learning that their destination is Orolunga, she admits to having been there—though only once. "Would you be willing to guide us?" Chibuzo asks. She smiles. "How could I pass up an opportunity to travel with my favourite student?" She leans forward to whisper theatrically: "I’m just as surprised as you." The group talks of their future plans. She laughs uproariously at the news that Gero is coming along. To Ixtli's questions, she answers that the Aldani are indeed still around. She has seen their villages from a distance but never met one in person. "They keep to themselves—can't blame them for that." Their conversation is interrupted when a group of five large men—two Marakurans, three Nizamish—approach their table. The party recognizes the leader as the larger of the two men they saw arguing with Grandfather Zitembe in the Temple of Zann the other day. Akachi rolls her eyes. "Oh gods. It's Sayid." They stop at their table and Sayid speaks flatly. "Akachi. We need to have conversation, you and I." Akachi shrugs. "No. I already gave your boss my answer." "I don't think you understand your situation," Sayid says menacingly. "No one turns Rashaad down like that." Akachi looks between him and his men. "Are you trying to intimidate me? 'Cause you're doing a really shitty job of it." Sayid is insistent. "You're coming back with us on the expedition. Or you return all of Rashaad's gold. Plus interest." Chibuzo interrupts: "I think my friend's made herself pretty clear. Why don't you boys move along." For the first time, Sayid looks over the party members at the table. Ixtli gives him a toothy grin, and Sayid seems taken aback: "are you threatening me?" "Just a friendly smile," Ixtli answers. Finally, one of the thugs can no longer stand the tension, and punches Akachi in the face. Seemingly unharmed, she puts down her drink and looks up at Sayid: "you just made a big mistake." Dolan and Ixtli rise to their feet and start to battle the thugs, both of them taking and dealing heavy blows. Dolan invokes the power of the Ring of the Oracle to command Sayid to kneel; he does so but looks up at Dolan with a deathly glare. Dolan steps back from the fray as Chibuzo and Akachi team up on Sayid. Akachi smashes his head into the table, while Chibuzo drops an elbow on him. He seems little injured. Facing two thugs, Dunch releases his barbarian rage and attacks. He slaps away the hand of the thug who tries to grapple him but takes a punch in the jaw from the other. Ixtli dodges a thug's attempt to hold him down and jumps over another's effort to sweep his leg. Dolan grabs a mug of tej from a nearby table and lobs it at Sayid. The sticky contents splash over Sayid, Chibuzo, and Akachi. Shaking off both the tej and Dolan's word of command, Sayid rises, spins, and punches Dunch in the back. The blow lands heavily but Dunch remains standing. A flurry of blows from Ixtli finally drops one of the thugs, and he moves on to engage the next. Akachi, Dunch, and Chibuzo all attack Sayid, but he withstands their strikes and moves towards Ixtli. Unwilling to risk killing anyone with his magic, Dolan prepares to re-enter the battle, once again invoking the Ring to raise a shimmering field of protection around himself. He hears the same puzzled voice in his head as before. "You are not Gitonga. Who ARE you?" Dunch takes another blow from a thug, nearly bringing him down before Chibuzo casts a healing spell on him. Chibuzo then jumps on a table and launches himself at Dunch's opponent, punching him in the face. Dunch finishes the thug with a final blow. Another thug attacks Akachi, but she seems to hardly notice the elbow she takes in the face or the punch to her kidneys. Hoping to finish his opponent before Sayid can attack, Ixtli focuses his blows on the thug in front of him, striking again and again. With a kick to the knee and a final uppercut, the man topples over. Of the five who attacked, only Sayid and one other are still standing. Sayid looks at his unconscious companions, then raises his hands and backs off. "All right. No more. You've made your point. But I don't expect that Rashaad will be pleased." Akachi snorts. "Pleased that you got your ass kicked?" She boots the prostrate form of the nearest thug. "And take this piece of shit with you." The onlookers cheer, though a few cries of exasperation are also heard as money changes hands between those who bet on the outcome. Drinks flow freely. Rashaad and the remaining thug drag the unconscious associates away, aided by Jada. Fearing that Sayid or Rashaad might attack Akachi again, Chibuzo proposes to escort her home to fetch her gear, and thence to his father's house. She good-naturedly agrees. Dolan, Dunch, and Ixtli decide to return to the villa. After collecting their weapons, but before the party splits up, Ixtli pulls Chibuzo aside: "I am pleased that you recognize the danger of our quest. The pursuit of this thing will change us." Chibuzo and Akachi pass through the city streets to her house in the Tiryki Anchorage. Happily, they see no sign of any enemies or watchers. "What do you think of all this?" she asks. "It smells wrong." Chibuzo fills her in on all the details of their quest, including the shadow attacks, the zombies, and their clues to the crown's location. "This artifact could be used to subdue our people again... I'm sure Rashaad would love that. Better we find it first." As she gathers her belongings and they walk back to the villa, Akachi discusses their journey. She hasn't been to the Aldani basin in a while. One reason she joined Rashaad's expedition in the first place was in the hope she might be able to visit the Firefinger, a column of stone to the east of the basin. She'd lost an old family heirloom near there, a carved wooden mask. When Rashaad's group changed their plans to avoid the basin, it gave her another reason not to go with them. That evening, the servants bring word after dinner that General Voss's ship has arrived and is unloading its supplies. Gero goes to fetch him, while also sending a message to Nera Blacktyde. Meanwhile, Dunch goes to visit Uda in the Tiryki Anchorage. On his way, he spots the Brazen Pegasus at anchor, and is pleased to find Captain Radovich visiting the old woman. Anton greets him warmly. "I've got something for you," he says, "walk with me." They pass through the bustle of the docks to the Brazen Pegasus, and into the Captain's cabin. "In all the kerfluffle," Radovich says, "we never actually gave the tribute to the dragon turtle. I've used some of it to repair the ship, distributed the rest to the crew. Your share is 100 gold. And I have one other little item for you." Smirking, he reaches into a chest and pulls out a beer stein, 12 inches tall, ornamented in gold and embossed with pastoral scenes. "I saw this and thought of you. I hope it helps you in some way." He also relates a rumour that he heard from Uda. A ship out of Fort Tajar is said to have picked up the lone survivor of a shipwreck out on the bay. "If it's who I think it is, you should watch your back." "He'll have to get in line," Dunch answers. It seems all too probable that this was Zaroum al-Saryak, captain of the Emerald Eye. Neither Dunch nor Radovich is surprised that a Nizamish ship would have rescued the pirate; sailors in Port Nyanzaru have long found it suspicious that the pirates seem to leave the Nizamish ships untroubled. Taking his leave, Dunch bids farewell and good luck to the Captain and to his replacement as first mate. He disembarks ashore and returns through the city streets. Back in the villa, Wakanga asks Chibuzo to come to his chambers. "My son," he says seriously, "I have been thinking about what you're planning to do, especially after what happened this morning. I recognize the danger. I am... not happy about it, but I'm not going to forbid your participation. What you're doing is important." "I agree," Chibuzo answers. "I want to give you a gift," Wakanga says. "This was your grandfather's." From out of a trunk, he brings a highly stylized yklwa, carved with runic inscriptions, and hands it to Chibuzo. "This was Atsu's Lance, fuelled by the spirit of the storm." It hits with magical accuracy and damage and can also cast a shock on an opponent once per day. "May you use it well, my son." "I am honoured to receive it," Chibuzo answers. "I shall bear it with pride. And use it to protect Gero." Wakanga looks somewhat deflated at this. "You probably will," he sighs. Later that evening, General Voss arrives at the villa, and the party confers with him and Nera. Voss listens skeptically to their news of Elmar's letter, dismissing it as "bullshit," but concurs with their plan to travel upriver to Camp Righteous, and from there to Orolunga. Nera will negotiate with the merchant princes of the city for the canoes, raincatchers, and other local gear they will need for river and jungle travel. She also has orders for the commander at Camp Righteous, Niles Stanton, and asks that the expedition deliver them. But she has no explanation to offer for the seemingly spontaneous zombification the group witnessed the previous night. She has heard other reports of this happening around the city, but investigation has found no clues. There are no records of this happening even during the Shadow War. Why have the dead begun to walk again?
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