Location: The Shrines of Papazotl, Wongo, and I'jin
After a long period of settling into new school and life schedules, I held a session with Meagan and Ashley on Saturday the 24th at Orc's Forge in Tuttle Mall, from 1pm to about 3:45. Using the power of Dungeon Master Executive Decision, I quickly summarized Agile's entry to the city of Omu and directed him toward the battle that had yet to be completed between Casamir and the crocodiles in front of the shrine of Papazotl.
With Agile arriving as back-up (and the crocodiles making extremely pitiful attack rolls) the party defeated the four enemies without taking very much damage, and entered into the shrine itself. The floor was a mosaic depicting Papazotl, an elbis, fighting its rival Kubazan the froghemoth, and a set of stone doors (that required a combined Strength check of 20 to push) separated the antechamber from the main room, in which six statues sat. A riddle etched into the wall provided their next course of action. "Comes with sunshine, leaves with night. Hides in darkness, does not bite. Always joined to its caster, never strays from its master." The answer to the riddle, “a shadow,” prompted the characters to make light sources in order to create shadows. Casamir used the Light cantrip and also made use of the glowing nuts he had scavenged in the previous session. Agile also used Shape Fire to create a harmless ball of flame. The lights cast shadows behind the assorted statues in the room, and a crawlspace revealed itself behind one of the statues. Agile, being the most dexterous of them, reached into the crawlspace and uncovered a stone cube with an elbis figure carved into it.
A disclaimer: this is not exactly how the elbis puzzle cube is supposed to be found, but because the Tomb of Annihilation campaign guide that I am using is a PDF that lacks some of the handouts (such as puzzle grids featured in shrines) and appendixes of the full version, I usually modify or improvise certain aspects of gameplay when material like that is missing.
With Agile arriving as back-up (and the crocodiles making extremely pitiful attack rolls) the party defeated the four enemies without taking very much damage, and entered into the shrine itself. The floor was a mosaic depicting Papazotl, an elbis, fighting its rival Kubazan the froghemoth, and a set of stone doors (that required a combined Strength check of 20 to push) separated the antechamber from the main room, in which six statues sat. A riddle etched into the wall provided their next course of action. "Comes with sunshine, leaves with night. Hides in darkness, does not bite. Always joined to its caster, never strays from its master." The answer to the riddle, “a shadow,” prompted the characters to make light sources in order to create shadows. Casamir used the Light cantrip and also made use of the glowing nuts he had scavenged in the previous session. Agile also used Shape Fire to create a harmless ball of flame. The lights cast shadows behind the assorted statues in the room, and a crawlspace revealed itself behind one of the statues. Agile, being the most dexterous of them, reached into the crawlspace and uncovered a stone cube with an elbis figure carved into it.
A disclaimer: this is not exactly how the elbis puzzle cube is supposed to be found, but because the Tomb of Annihilation campaign guide that I am using is a PDF that lacks some of the handouts (such as puzzle grids featured in shrines) and appendixes of the full version, I usually modify or improvise certain aspects of gameplay when material like that is missing.
After the party left the shrine of Papazotl, I described
their surroundings and what they could see, and they decided to head toward a
large circular structure to the south of them. I described their approach, including the three yuan ti guards included by the book because, by chance, they had stumbled toward the Temple of the Night Serpent, which they were not supposed to approach for several more levels. Having just come from a battle, Casamir and Agile were very reluctant to fight the yuan ti, and after Agile put two of the guards to sleep I allowed the third one to accept a 'fine' of 30 gold from Agile to let them run away.
Eventually the party meandered their way into the ruined bazaar, where Agile and Casamir succeed Perception checks to avoid traps. They did not succeed the check to spot the kobold that would lead them to the underground dwellings and a potential encounter, and continued on their wandering.
Having obtained the puzzle cube from Papazotl's shrine, the party remained on the lookout for other shrines. They entered the shrine of Wongo, a su-monster godling, hearing the echoes of hideous laughter as they passed the columns, carved with monkeys, which su-monsters resemble, that lined the entryway. Inside the main chamber is a tall, evil-looking statue of a monkey, balancing on its extended tail and its hands all cupped open. Four stone masks emerged from the wall, shaped like a lion, a zebra, a vulture, and a boar. On the base of the monkey statue read the inscription, in ancient Omuan, "Wongo's friend knows where to pour the water."
Agile and Casamir looked through the masks to search for more clues, and noticed that under each mask read its own inscription, involved in a larger riddle. Each mask corresponded to one of the cupped hands of the monkey statue, and after some reasoning Agile and Casamir decided to pour water from the alchemical jug into the right hand of the statue. However, this was the incorrect answer, and so two steam mephits emerged from the water and attacked. After destroying the mephits, Casamir poured water on the correct cup, the left hand, and the puzzle cub of Wongo appears on the statue's head. As this happens, a voice echoes throughout the chamber: "Take the prize and curse your friends, or fight my children to claim it. What is your choice?"
Avoiding another conflict, Agile immediately claims the cube. The curse, delivered from the masks on the wall, polymorphs Casamir and Agile into a zebra and a vulture respectively. They had to succeed on a Constitution saving throw (they didn't) and thus became the creatures whose masks they had last looked through.
Not about to let that stop them, Casamir and Agile exited Wongo's shrine and departed down a long paved road. On this road they encountered an overturned wagon covered in foliage and rotting flower petals. Agile pulls the wagon up with his talons and reveals the chwinga that had made its home there. Content to ride on the back of a suspicious Casamir, the chwinga points in the direction of the nearest shrine at Agile's request.
By continuing down the paved road, the party arrives at the shrine of I'jin, the almiraj godling. Entering the shrine itself is no problem, although the chwinga refuses to accompany Casamir and Agile and stays outside. Immediately the party is met with a puzzle grid floor, the key to which was to never step on the same animal twice to avoid traps. Lacking the handout for said puzzle grid, I required Casamir to make a Dexterity save to accomplish this, while I allowed Agile to use their vulture wings to fly harmlessly over. For the maze of I'jin's shrine, I simply told they players every time they came to a fork in the road, and offered them their choices. The party quickly reached the final chamber of the shrine, narrowly avoiding one of the pressure plate traps, and swiftly claimed the surprisingly untrapped puzzle cube.
For the next two hours they walked through the overgrown city, meandering off of the larger roads and guided by the chwinga once again. I deemed these two hours of travel a short rest, and the party reclaimed some hit points before arriving at their next destination.
A large square pool separated the party from the entrance of the latest shrine, that of Kubazan the froghemoth godling, the reputation of which they had seen previously in Papazotl's shrine. Both characters made high perception rolls that allowed them to see two eyestalks emerging from the water, betraying the presence of a froghemoth guarding the shrine. In vulture-form, Agile circled the shrine a few times, but as the froghemoth slowly emerged from the water as he neared the shrine, he realized that he and Casamir were not in the best shapes to fight a froghemoth, and retreated to perch on Casamir.
The party decided to wait out their curse before attempting Kubazan’s shrine, and began to search for a camp for the night. They approached a ruined compound, the gate being shattered and the buildings fallen into rubble. Scorched human remains littered the ground, and a rod topped by a snake skull with a garland of human vertebrae was planted in the common area. The sound of ragged breathing caught the party’s attention, and they discover Orvex, an aging and exhausted scribe formerly employed by the Red Wizards whose corpses were strewn about him. After many, many Strength checks, Agile dragged the fallen wall off of Orvex with his talons and helped him out of the rubble. As they camped with Orvex for the night, he told the party the legend of the Nine Gods of Omu, whose shrines were littered among the city. The party learned how many puzzle cubes they needed to collect, and the different rivalries among the Nine Gods, which will be useful for them to remember. I felt like a teacher saying, “Remember this, it’s going to be on the test!”
Eventually the party meandered their way into the ruined bazaar, where Agile and Casamir succeed Perception checks to avoid traps. They did not succeed the check to spot the kobold that would lead them to the underground dwellings and a potential encounter, and continued on their wandering.
Having obtained the puzzle cube from Papazotl's shrine, the party remained on the lookout for other shrines. They entered the shrine of Wongo, a su-monster godling, hearing the echoes of hideous laughter as they passed the columns, carved with monkeys, which su-monsters resemble, that lined the entryway. Inside the main chamber is a tall, evil-looking statue of a monkey, balancing on its extended tail and its hands all cupped open. Four stone masks emerged from the wall, shaped like a lion, a zebra, a vulture, and a boar. On the base of the monkey statue read the inscription, in ancient Omuan, "Wongo's friend knows where to pour the water."
Agile and Casamir looked through the masks to search for more clues, and noticed that under each mask read its own inscription, involved in a larger riddle. Each mask corresponded to one of the cupped hands of the monkey statue, and after some reasoning Agile and Casamir decided to pour water from the alchemical jug into the right hand of the statue. However, this was the incorrect answer, and so two steam mephits emerged from the water and attacked. After destroying the mephits, Casamir poured water on the correct cup, the left hand, and the puzzle cub of Wongo appears on the statue's head. As this happens, a voice echoes throughout the chamber: "Take the prize and curse your friends, or fight my children to claim it. What is your choice?"
Avoiding another conflict, Agile immediately claims the cube. The curse, delivered from the masks on the wall, polymorphs Casamir and Agile into a zebra and a vulture respectively. They had to succeed on a Constitution saving throw (they didn't) and thus became the creatures whose masks they had last looked through.
Not about to let that stop them, Casamir and Agile exited Wongo's shrine and departed down a long paved road. On this road they encountered an overturned wagon covered in foliage and rotting flower petals. Agile pulls the wagon up with his talons and reveals the chwinga that had made its home there. Content to ride on the back of a suspicious Casamir, the chwinga points in the direction of the nearest shrine at Agile's request.
By continuing down the paved road, the party arrives at the shrine of I'jin, the almiraj godling. Entering the shrine itself is no problem, although the chwinga refuses to accompany Casamir and Agile and stays outside. Immediately the party is met with a puzzle grid floor, the key to which was to never step on the same animal twice to avoid traps. Lacking the handout for said puzzle grid, I required Casamir to make a Dexterity save to accomplish this, while I allowed Agile to use their vulture wings to fly harmlessly over. For the maze of I'jin's shrine, I simply told they players every time they came to a fork in the road, and offered them their choices. The party quickly reached the final chamber of the shrine, narrowly avoiding one of the pressure plate traps, and swiftly claimed the surprisingly untrapped puzzle cube.
For the next two hours they walked through the overgrown city, meandering off of the larger roads and guided by the chwinga once again. I deemed these two hours of travel a short rest, and the party reclaimed some hit points before arriving at their next destination.
A large square pool separated the party from the entrance of the latest shrine, that of Kubazan the froghemoth godling, the reputation of which they had seen previously in Papazotl's shrine. Both characters made high perception rolls that allowed them to see two eyestalks emerging from the water, betraying the presence of a froghemoth guarding the shrine. In vulture-form, Agile circled the shrine a few times, but as the froghemoth slowly emerged from the water as he neared the shrine, he realized that he and Casamir were not in the best shapes to fight a froghemoth, and retreated to perch on Casamir.
The party decided to wait out their curse before attempting Kubazan’s shrine, and began to search for a camp for the night. They approached a ruined compound, the gate being shattered and the buildings fallen into rubble. Scorched human remains littered the ground, and a rod topped by a snake skull with a garland of human vertebrae was planted in the common area. The sound of ragged breathing caught the party’s attention, and they discover Orvex, an aging and exhausted scribe formerly employed by the Red Wizards whose corpses were strewn about him. After many, many Strength checks, Agile dragged the fallen wall off of Orvex with his talons and helped him out of the rubble. As they camped with Orvex for the night, he told the party the legend of the Nine Gods of Omu, whose shrines were littered among the city. The party learned how many puzzle cubes they needed to collect, and the different rivalries among the Nine Gods, which will be useful for them to remember. I felt like a teacher saying, “Remember this, it’s going to be on the test!”
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