Tomb of Annihilation - Session 14
General Summary
Early in the afternoon of the following day, Dunch, Chibuzo, and Ixtli travel to the Old City in search of Captain Anton Radovich, having learned of his expected whereabouts during a stop at the Tiryki Anchorage. After passing out of the city walls, they come to the long rectangular pit where the condemned run a gauntlet of dinosaurs or other creatures to regain their freedom. As they approach, a man scrambles up and over the low wall that surrounds the pit. Many in the crowd of spectators congratulate him on his escape, while money changes hands between those who have gambled on the outcome.
Dunch picks out Captain Radovich and the Brazen Pegasus's new first mate, Grig Rudell, among the crowd. Radovich watches sternly as a smirking Grig accepts a money pouch from an angry Marakuran man. The man seems about to walk away, then turns and punches Grig in the face before fleeing into the mass of bystanders. The bearded Asturian staggers against the low stone wall; Radovich tries to grab him, but Grig topples over the side and into the pit, dragging Radovich down with him.
A murmur rises from the crowd as the party members run to the edge and look down. The mariners have survived the fall, but Grig looks to have injured his leg. At this narrow end of the pit, ropes hang down to the sandy floor twenty feet below. Still some distance from the two of them prowl a pair of kamadans: large leopard-like creatures, each with six snakes protruding from their shoulders.
Vaulting over the edge of the pit, Ixtli lands easily and adopts a defensive stance in front of the Asturians with the Blood Spear, while Chibuzo climbs down a rope, swinging to the bottom with an extra flourish. Radovich helps Grig to his feet and over towards the ropes, but Grig can't manage to clamber up. Forgoing an attempt to climb, Radovich concentrates on tieing a rope around himself, trusting the bystanders above to pull him to safety.
One of the kamadans charges at Ixtli. He dodges its claws, but the serpents on its shoulders bite deep, their venom wounding him badly. He retaliates with a heavy blow from the Blood Spear. Snarling his rage, Dunch leaps down to join the fray, ignoring his injuries from the fall to hack the same beast with his greatsword. "Don't kill them!" calls one of the beast's handlers from above. "Those are Talro'a's favourites!" She climbs down a rope and tries to calm the creature, but fails. Chibuzo lances it with his yklwa, then smashes the top of its skull with the butt of his short sword. It staggers backwards, shaking its head.
The second kamadan bites Ixtli but he manages to dodge its writhing snakes. After the beast takes a flurry of blows from Dunch and Ixtli, the monk boxes it in the jaw and it collapses, even as Grig and Radovich are hauled out of the pit. Chibuzo raises his yklwa high, then bows to the crowd to acknowledge their cheers. As the other handler descends a rope to care for the beasts, Chibuzo magically heals the worst wounds of the more injured of the two, then—once back up top—magnanimously heals both Grig and Radovich.
The captain angrily scolds his first mate and declares that they are both returning to the ship at once, but thanks the trio of adventurers: "we owe you our lives." He has Grig hand over his pouch of winnings: 75 gold.
"So how the hell are you here?" he asks Dunch. The half-orc relates their adventures as the group walks through the city towards the Tiryki Anchorage. As they approach the city gate across from the The Thundering Lizard, he interrupts his tale when a large poster being applied to the wall catches his eye. The woman putting it up finishes her task, then takes her remaining stack of posters into the Red Bazaar. The poster reads:
PEOPLE OF MARAKURUWe have heard of the cowardly and lethal attack by Rashaad ibn Karim al-Tahir and his minion Sayid al-Qaar on the innocent porters of the Ravensgard expedition!We have all heard of the Incident at Orolunga, in which Rashaad ibn Karim al-Tahir sought to steal the power of Saja N'baza for himself!
People of Marakuru, hear our Proclamation!
Marakuru For Marakurans! End Nizamish domination of our trade and their meddling in our Affairs once and for all!Honour the Sacrifice of Shago Tadala! His death at the hands of Sayid al-Qaar must be remembered and Avenged!Rebuild the Glory of Marakuru and our once Great Cities! The Death Curse spreads on our Land! Retake Marakuru! Help is here!Embrace Saja N'baza and the Kimbala! The Great Oracle has returned in our hour of need. Heed Her Call to Action!! Now is the moment for Marakurans to seize their Future!
For Marakuru, for our Children, and their Children's Children's Children!
WE ARE THE KIMBALA!
JOIN OUR STRUGGLE
All are one in the Cycle!!
"What the hell did you do?" Dunch asks Chibuzo, while Ixtli gives the ranger a skeptical glance. Chibuzo shrugs noncommittally but can't hide his look of self-satisfaction. "The time is right for this message to reach the streets of Port Nyanzaru," he says.
The conversation turns to the pirates that plague the seas around Marakuru. Three pirate captains are particularly notorious: Elok Jaharwon, captain of the Dragon Fang; Lasakir, captaining the Stirge; and Zaroum al-Saryak, captain of the Emerald Eye until it was sunk by Aremag, the dragon turtle, during its attack on the Brazen Pegasus. As to why Zaroum would have entered Aremag's territory in pursuit of their ship, the only explanation Radovich can offer is that the man has a reputation as a risk-taker. It's rumoured that he was rescued from the shipwreck and is now in Fort Tajar, which would seem to confirm a link between the Nizamish and the pirates. The inland fortress is connected by road to two anchorages, one in the Bay of Marakuru and another on the ocean. To avoid paying tribute to Aremag, ships from Nizam will typically not even enter the Bay, instead unloading their goods at the ocean anchorage for overland transport to the Fort. He'd be happy to give them a lift to the Fort if they need one, Radovich says. He expects that the Brazen Pegasus will still be in port for a few weeks to recruit additional crew to replace their losses from the pirate attack.
The party returns to Nkansu House to find Mokomoko pacing the floor anxiously. "They know we're here," he declares, tossing Chibuzo his speaking stone. "This morning I heard Sayid's voice in my head. 'I know you're back in the city,' he said. 'Once I find you, I'll finish what I started in the jungle.'"
They resolve to act sooner rather than later against the al-Tahir, first by gaining more information on Rashaad's residence in Port Nyanzaru, Daha Shabai. After observing the place from a distance, they know that the walled, guarded two-story house has a garden and an aviary, but the interior is a mystery.
Chibuzo puts his plan into action. Sitting on the balcony, he places a bowl of fresh cut mango, papaya, and other fruit a few feet away, then waits. A few hours later, as the sun is starting to set, a grey parrot overcomes its caution and approaches to eat. Chibuzo casts Speak with Animals. "I can get you a lot more of this delicious fresh fruit," he tells it, "if you will do me a small favour". The bird agrees, and Chibuzo has it fly around Daha Shabai and peer in the windows, casting Beast Sense to see what it sees.
The residence has two separate two-story sections. In the upper level of the larger one is the glass-walled aviary, with trees in pots and dozens of birds, many now coming in to roost for the night. There is also a bedroom, what look like servants' quarters, and a gallery of paintings and other art objects. In the smaller second-story section the bird spies an opulent bedroom, a separate wardrobe room, a workshop of some kind, and a small room containing what looks like a teleportation circle, with a permanent gate to its destination.
Through the windows on the lower level can be seen a giant ballroom, a dining room, what looks like a guard room, a few bedrooms, a study or reading room, and a library. Other than guards, of which there are at least nine, the bird sees two persons of note: a woman with dreadlocked hair sitting in the library and, sitting a desk in one of the bedrooms, Sayid al-Qaar.
The four adventurers and Mokomoko gather in the dining room for a council of war. After much debate, they decide to try to break into Daha Shabai and enter the teleportation circle, expecting that it will bring them to Fort Tajar where they hope to find and liberate both Mokomoko's brother Yemi and Elmar Norcross. And if this leads to battle with Sayid or Rashaad, so much the better.
After more discussion, Ixtli offers that his 'shadow', an entity he calls Yollotl, has manifested to him recently, and has abilities that could prove useful in this situation. Sitting cross-legged in a meditative pose, he breathes deeply. Then a cloud of inky darkness spills from his mouth and nose, changing shape and solidifying into a shadowy form that eerily mimics Ixtli's, though some of its features are exaggerated and grotesque. It wears tattered robes and a deep hood beneath which are four points of white light that orbit in a circle.
While Dolan's reaction is noncommittal, Dunch and Chibuzo are startled at this sudden appearance. For his part, Mokomoko is clearly disturbed, backing away from the being in fear. He is not entirely reassured by Ixtli's pledge that Yollotl will not harm them. When Dunch asks what he is, Yollotl answers, "I am part Ixtli, part loa." The shadow can only manifest outside of Ixtli a few times per day, and only for ten minutes at a time, remaining close by throughout.
Together, the party develops a plan of attack on Daha Shabai, then rests until the middle of the night. Fearing a possible attack on Nkansu House in their absence, Chibuzo commands Osogi, Manu, and the servants to return to the O'tamu villa.
The four adventurers and Mokomoko pass quietly through the dark streets to an outer wall of Daha Shabai, where Yollotl manifests once more and casts Fly on Dunch. The shadow and Ixtli then move further along the wall. While Yollotl creates a minor auditory illusion (a few yowling cats) to distract the guards, Dunch flies up onto the roof of the single-story section that connects the two halves of the house. After securing a rope to a chimney and throwing the other end below, he uses their Wand of Magic Detection to scan the three nearby windows that lead into the adjacent second story, the one containing the teleportation circle. Two of them—opening onto the teleportation room and the workshop respectively—are protected by magical glyphs, but the third is not.
Returning to the others, Yollotl casts Pass Without Trace to help them avoid detection. They clamber over the wall and up the rope. Though Chibuzo makes the climb without difficulty, Mokomoko bangs against the side of the house, Dolan has to be hauled up by Dunch and Chibuzo, and Ixtli's climb breaks a roof tile, which falls to the ground and shatters.
Concerned that the sound will attract the guards, they hasten to get inside. The third window opens onto a landing, with a staircase leading down and an inside door. The sound of running water echoes up from below, but there is no light or sound from the other side of the locked door.
Yollotl casts Silence to conceal their attempt to break in. Chibuzo jams his short sword into the door to force it, but is able to pry it open easily, without even damaging the frame. They pass through the door and close it behind them. Ixtli breathes Yollotl back in.
Quietly traversing the hall, Dolan employs the Sceptre of the Honored Voice to scan for magic in the door to the workshop. It too is ensorcelled with protective glyphs. After briefly looking into the luxurious bedroom on the other side of the hall, and finding nothing of interest, they decide that they will have to risk triggering the glyph. Ixtli exhales the inky shadow once more. While the others keep a safe distance, Yollotl casts Silence on the door, while Dolan summons his mage hand to open it.
A brilliant flash of lightning silently fills the hallway, obliterating the mage hand and casting an incandescent glow through the hall window into the garden below. Yollotl allows his spell to drop. Keeping watch on the guards through the window, Mokomoko whispers to the others, "they noticed the light."
They quickly enter the workshop, and Dolan scans for magic again using the powers of the Sceptre. A few magical objects scattered about detect as magical; while the door to the teleportation circle does not, it is nonetheless locked. When Chibuzo's attempt to break it open fails, Dunch joins him, finally smashing it open.
Past the door, now hanging off one hinge, is a glowing oval portal surrounded by luminous glyphs. Weapons at the ready, the party plunges through.