Dinosaurs, Zombies and Necromancers, Oh My! – Tomb Thoughts #3

Since my last missive, we’ve played three more sessions, bringing our total sessions to five. Some general thoughts first about playing a 5th Edition game again (as opposed to running it), followed by a break for spoilers and then session notes at the end.

Firstly, I’d like to say that switching from hand-writing notes to using my tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard has been fantastic. Eliminating the need to go through my notes and decipher them as I type them up has eliminated a major pain point. I remain a steadfast proponent of a shared player document, with a player or players taking notes as a great way to create an easy to reference record of the game. We play every two weeks on Wednesdays but skipped a date as it fell on Halloween and our intrepid DM’s birthday, but having the notes let me quickly recap the previous session when we returned to the game.

With our sixth session tonight, this is the longest I’ve gotten to play a single 5th edition character. I don’t know that 5th edition is my favorite edition to play, but I’ve still enjoyed it. Frankly, the best decision I made about my character was taking this Archaeologist Ideal: Death Wish: Nothing is more exhilarating than a narrow escape from the jaws of death. (Chaotic), which has served as a prompt for me that my character should be active and helping to push the plot forward when otherwise I might hesitate. Instead of giving in to the urge to protect my precious PC at all cost, the ideal reminds me that he should be taking risks, even, or perhaps especially, potentially deadly risks, which means Ordulin Bellweather is jumping onto the backs of Zombie Tyrannosaurus Rexs and rushing forward into trapped areas to test solutions instead of hanging back and watching everything from 120ft away to plink away at foes with Eldritch Bolt.

I’m enjoying playing a warlock, though the spell slots increasing in level rather than in quantity is slightly frustrating in one regard, which is that not every spell scales with level. It’s annoying to have to decide on using a second level spell slot on Shield, which gets no bump from a higher slot or taking an extra hit from a foe to save that slot for Branding Smite which does benefit from that increased spell slot level.

We played a session in a local brewery...

**Spoilers for Tomb of Annihilation Follow**

Tomb of Annihilation continues to be a pretty good campaign, with the mix of good and bad elements leaning decidedly to the good. The monsters and foes that have been introduced in the module have been well done, with the zombie T-Rex vomiting up humanoid zombies being an excellent thematic element that added some complexity and flavor to the encounter instead of having it just be a bag of hit points that deals a ton of damage. We did discover one of the rough edges of the module when we realized that the 2000gp bounty the party was offered for each pirate ship they capture is laughably below the 3,000-10,000 gp value of ships per the Player’s Handbook. Not having a clear mission focus is also something I’m wondering about. Though our party had come up with a plan of action by the end of our first session, partly just at my prodding to make sure we had a plan, we don’t have a clear mission given by the module, which has let us be tempted by side jaunts and potential distractions, like risking resources and life by battling flail snails for their valuable shells instead of avoiding them. On the other hand if there had been a poorly implemented overarching mission for us to follow from the beginning, would we have chafed against it or found that it fit poorly with the PCs we wanted to play or the style of game we wanted? Without reading the module to see how the authors recommend setting the plot in motion and tying in the PCs, I remain agnostic on this, but wanted to note it. At least in my experience so far, it does seem like the module is better suited to self-directed PCs/Players than those who want to be told where to go and what to do.

Here's the session notes that I took from our third, fourth and fifth sessions.

Session 3 - 10/3

Continue on the 19th of Tarsakh

Doors open further into the shrine, floor covered in a thick layer of dust as no one has been here in a long time. Littered with what appear to be dinosaur bones and wide chamber, 20ft wide with tall central pillar that goes up 30 of the 40ft of the ceiling with a narrow staircase wrapped around it with lots of webs. low relief carving of a man carrying a crocodile up the stairs. Large beautiful ceramic jug at top of the column, worth 500gp. Sami determines that no one has been here for at least decades, probably decades. Old webs and moss in the ceiling but no large things. Steps are 2ft wide and each goes up a foot or so, about 30 steps. Examining the base of the column, the relief shows the man carrying the crocodile all around the world. When Sami gets to step number three, she determines that step number 3 glows faintly and Sirus detects five sources of magic: The jug, step 3, 10, 17 and 23. Sirus uses Mage Hand to attempt to press down on the step. Magic glyph looks very similar to the glyph of warding on the door, but the effect is probably different. Dropping the warhammer on the step does not trigger the trap. Sami and Sirus piggyback and attempt to climb up. And Sirus tumbles down from 20ft. Sami lowers a rope to let Ordulin climb up. Ordulin tumbles down and is healed by Thexidon but Sami pulls him up again. Two foot tall jug, decorative motive of about 2-3 centuries ago, shows man and crocodile carrying a jug and pouring out different liquids (?) in different parts of the world. Jug appears to contain water. Brush away the dust from the base of the jug, there is a glyph of warding, Ordulin and Sami each grab a handle with two hands. Bricks begin to fall from the ceiling of the room and they try to rush out of the room. They tumble near the bottom of the steps but then pick themselves up and run out of the room with the jug. The bricks stop falling after about 30 seconds.

The party carefully make their way back out of the shrine. Undril provides healing to Sirus and Sami.

Thexidon casts speak with animals and the axebeak says “let me out let me out” he says he crawled in and then calls out for its mother. Axebeak says that if Thexidon lets him out he will go find his mother and Thexidon asks for the bird to tell his mother not to attack them. Thexidon decides to let the bird out.

The party then tries to take a long rest. Most of the party retreats back into the shrine, Kwilgok, Ordulin and Deadly Treasure stay at the shrine entrance.

20th Tarsakh

Kwilgok and Ordulin hear voices and see coming around both edges of the shrine strange short humanoid creatures with beetle masks, Batiri. At least 6 of the things, in two stacks as they are on each others shoulders. They rush in to attack. Deadly Treasure takes out two in a single blow. One flees into the Jungle but Thexidon wings him and knocks him out. Goblins each have a mask in the form of an insect. Find three javelins, enough strips of dried meat (3 days rations) and one had a large nut that glows (Wooka nut). Two small canoes.

Thexidon ties up the goblin and begins an interrogation, what is doing - fleeing from the biting ant tribe. Went to pay homage to Vorn when they were leaving the biting ants attacked. Attacked for supplies and it would be fun. Fled from biting ant tribe, who are to the west, across the river. He is from the Stinging (Stinking) Beetle tribe. Village is northwest of here, two days across the river. Vorn is sacred space, everyone worships Vorn. Kwilgok doesn’t recognize the name Vorn but can tell us that old chultan statues that the Batiri and others in the jungle worship. We make him swear upon Vorn to not menace us. The goblin knows that the blue mists drives you mad but doesn’t know anything else. We are on the undead side of the river according to the goblin. There have been more undead on the west side of the river lately, previously they had been on the east side mostly. Gorgach, is then set free as Thexidon gives him his life.

The party then continues south along the river to head on towards Camp Vengeance.

Day is hot but not unusually so. The alchemy jug can be filled with a certain list of liquids.

Travelling the party is AMBUSHED. Deadly Treasure stops, looks down at the ground and a similar looking shell rises up, a zombie ankylosaurus attacks! Focusing its wrath on Deadly Treasure. Kwilgok brains the undead ankylosaurus with a crossbow bolt, rendering it fully dead again.

21st Tarsakh

The weather is comfortable. Spot a strange sight, a bunny rabbit with a single horn, al maraj. They are not dangerous, but they often flee. Thexidon attempts to sneak up on it and successfully gets within 13ft of it and casts Speak with Animals to talk with “Me”, is eating cinda berries which keep you safe and let you drink bad water, but the bunny ate all that are here. Has seen big stompy things and a cold place that was weird, saw it long ago, 7 days ago, whole part of jungle got cold and slippery. Saw things bigger than Thexidon, like giants as tall as the trees. Maybe about as many as the party, and were cold too. Not near the cold place but coming away or going towards it. There is one Cinda berry left. Could be converted into 3 antitoxins with the proper herbalism skills (that Sirus) has. The al maraj joins up with two others when they head back into the jungle.

22nd Tarsakh

Arrive across the river from Camp Vengeance and attempt the crossing. It is late afternoon and hear a commotion, shouts of battle as we beach the canoes and pull the animals out of the water and see a well fortified camp with a wooden palisade surrounding it and a ditch with spikes. There are watch towers and a large gatehouse, scattered around the fort are charred human corpses and flayed animals and see on the far side of the fort looms the giant head of a tyrannosaurus.

Session 4 - 10/17

22nd Tarsakh continue

The t-rex zombie is attacking the far of the moat and palisade, the gates of the camp are locked and all the inhabitants are on that side defending the settlement. There are also three humanoid zombies. The zombie t-rex coughs up a humanoid zombie. The t-rex knocks Deadly Treasure unconscious with two bites and then hits Bernadette with a tail attack. Ordulin defied death to run up and hit the T-rex with a branding smite. Undril uses Cure Wounds to revive Deadly Treasure. Ordulin acrobatically leaps upon the T-Rex and strikes before the T-Rex coughs up another zombie. The T-Rex then bites and swallows Undril before knocking Bernadette down with a tail attack. The humanoid zombies feast upon Deadly Treasure, as human zombies attack Thexidon and Kwilgok. The archers take down the T-Rex and then three more zombies rip out of the dead beast's belly. Thexidon runs over to heal Bernadette. Repeated volleys of arrows from the walls help take out the remaining zombies. Thexidon cuts Undril out of the T-Rex so that her message to Niles Breakbone can be delivered. Sister Cass runs out to cast Revify on Undril to bring her back to life. Bernadette has a zombie bite scar on her shoulder and Undril has T-Rex bite scars around her midsection and legs. There are 20-24 people in the camp currently, the soldier say that half of their number are off with their captain trying to figure out why the undead are attacking the camp. Crazed dwarf wearing full plate armor despite the heat of the jungle, comes up to thank to the party for their help and for escorting Undril Silvertusk. He introduces himself as Ord Firebeard. It is very obvious that the camp is not doing particularly well. There are sick and/or malnourished soldiers. They have come to an agreement with the inhabitants of the jungle that they only bother the undead on the other side of the river. Ten days ago a group of aarakocra came and spoke with Niles Breakbone and told him where the source of the undead might be. He left and went north towards the Mist Cliff mountains. They have not heard from Captain Breakbone for two days, despite his having a magic Sending Stone. His last known position was near the Mist Cliff mountains, would take 8-10 days to reach that position. Ord can offer a scout as a guide and a few warriors, six warriors to be exact. Could spare the services of an acolyte for healing while in camp. Ord and Sister Cass delayed the Aarakocra for a day so that zone of truth could be cast. Three weeks ago there was a man and dinosaur man that did not say a word while in camp for one night, spoke to the commander.

Talk to Sister Cass about what the Aarakocra told the Commander-- they believed there was someone directing the undead attacks as the undead have been attacking the camp, birdfolk and the goblins. It was a shock since it was believed that this side of the river was free of the undead but the aarakocra say it has changed in the last few months. Her impression is that there was a specific destination where some nefarious activity was centered and the command insisted that he should speak with the leaders of the aarakocra and investigate. Sister Cass tells the party that the commander has connections but was not good in his position, many believe that he was about to be recalled to Port Nyanzaru because of his incompetence. The aarakocra sincerely believe that someone or something was behind these attacks, and that there was a clue at an ancient city or a village, Matolo. Kwilgok has not hear of Matolo and neither has Ordulin. Cass brings in a tribal warrior and asks them about Matolo and he says that it was a minor town or village as Orolunga was probably the capital in this area and should lie west of the camp.

Thexidon is asking around about joining the Order of Gauntlet, but recommend that he does not stay in the camp if Breakbone is in charge. Sami uses her skill with Calligraphy to sneakily open the letter, which turns out to be from a higher up in Port Nyanzaru who is ordering Breakbone back while leaving a subordinate in camp.

23rd Tarsakh

The party leaves to find the Commander, taking 6 warriors and a scout (Greydon Margrane) from the Order of the Gauntlet with them, as well as a still bereft Kwilgok. Three warriors are Chultan and three are from the Order of the Gauntlet. Before the party departs, Undril hands off a scroll as thanks for protecting her. The scroll is a scroll of Raise Dead. One of the acolytes is with Breakbone, so someone might be able to read it as needed, the scroll will be carried by Sirus.

The party heads north following the trail of Breakbone’s group. After about six hours, Greydon shushes everyone, groups everyone back together and warns that there is something big ahead and Sirus sends his owl up to scout and spots six frost giants moving through the jungle. The party moves back 200+ feet as the giants pass by. The giants are fanned out slightly as though they might be looking for something. They seem to be headed west. With a casting of comprehend languages, Ordulin hears them talking about going south-west where “he’s going” to a city.

24th Tarsakh

Good weather. Looking for a good place to make camp and find two large creatures that look like snails with rainbow shells. Kwilgok whispers that they are flail snails (break here for the next session)

Session 5 - 11/14

Continue on the 24th Tarsakh

The shells of flail snails seem to have anti-magic properties. Bernadette slays one of the Flail Snails with a might axe blow after entering a rage. The snail then emits a blinding light stuns Ordulin. Sirus attempts to hide in the shell of the fallen snail but then just hides behind it but then the flail knocks Bernadette unconscious. Sirus pours a healing potion down her throat. She has a bit of iridescent stone stuck in the back of her head from the injury. The second snail goes down in a volley of arrows. The second flail snail shell is intact an we load it on the donkey, the first shell is broken down into 40gp of shell each.

Make camp in comfortable weather and get a long rest.

25th Tarsakh

Hot and muggy, no long rest.

26th Tarsakh

Strong storm blows in. Thexidon finds a campsite despite the heavy rain and the party takes a long rest. Notice that during lulls in the storm that further down in the jungle there is scraps of cloth that washes in with flash floods. Appears to tent canvas and clothing cloth that appears to be the livery of the order of the gauntlet. A quarter mile from the camp we find an abandoned campsite with tents torn to shreds, bodies, abandoned equipment. Some bodies are far decayed and appeared to have been undead. There is a broken body of an aarakocra in the trees too. Dried blood on tent poles and stains in tent fabric.

Find boot prints leading away from the campsite.

Large number of broken branches in the trees, indicating a huge flying creature reaching through the trees.

Thexidon’s best guess is that these are survivors attempting to head back to Camp Vengeance.

The six warriors are going to follow the trail of survivors. Greydon continues with the party.

27th Tarsakh

Arrive at the base of the mountains and find a path into the mountains. Slow day of travelling up the path to the top of the plateau. Greydon says there was a ruined village at the top of the plateau and Ordulin remembers there was in some old maps there Matolo near the northern edge of the Mist Cliff mountains abandoned for centuries. With the help of Sirus’ owl the party locates the ancient shelter used by travellers where they can rest. The path doesn’t look entirely disused. There is no evidence that it has been recently tended, but it is not overgrown and looks like it is occasionally used. Ordulin looks around at Thexidon’s suggestion and finds a broken beaded bracelet from a few centuries ago. Shelter appears to be made by the Omuans whose dynasty fell around two centuries ago or by a similar people.

28th Tarsakh

Cross the plateau and start to see the outlines of a ruined village. No sign of camp fires, the party sends the owl to fly over and take a look and he reports back that most of the buildings have completely fallen and only a few are still standing. The streets appear to still be clear though. There are humanoid shapes moving around the ruins. One building in particular they are gathering around that is a larger structure, like a temple or a palace. Thexidon uses primeval awareness and detects that there is some kind of unnatural creature within one mile. The party approaches the village with caution. Thexidon and Bernadette realize that there are undead and send Sami back to wait with Nosir the donkey. All the undead appear to have a blue triangle symbol on their foreheads and the undead don’t appear to notice the party or care about the party. The undead appear to be controlled and orders, the blue triangle is associated with ancient city of Mezro was once the biggest city in Chult over a hundred years ago and was destroyed in the Spell Plague. Mezro had a number of defenders who were servants of Ubtau the god of Chult, one of the defenders thought the way to protect was to raise an army of the undead, Ras Nsi was his name. The undead are milling about an old temple complex. Ubtau’s symbols are mazes. The building and city, appear to be a place of pilgrimage for Ubtau.

There is a humanoid creature in the doorway of the temple. Ordulin decides to boldly approach and sees that the creature in the doorway has a snake tail. The woman responds while a loud scream from in the temple in Chondathan shouts out, “I serve Tyr til the End”.

The woman threatens to take all off the party and claims that the person inside is now dead. Sirus hits the woman with burning hands and takes out 4 zombies as well. The woman grapples Sirus in her tail, restraining him. Behind in the doorway emerges a stunted aarakocra covered in bandages who approaches and casts a spell. Greydon has a hold person cast on her by the Yuan-Ti. From Greydon a voice calls out “Breakbone return to camp, were attacked by undead, aarakocra saw a rider on quetzalcoatlus, attackers headed to mist cliff please find out what is happening up there.”

Thunderwave takes her out and she shrieks “The Night Serpent will devour you”. The aarakocra orders the zombies to attack and casts blindness on Ordulin but he shakes it off after a moment. Bernadette scores a critical hit on the aarakocra with her axe. Sirus casts Dragons Breath and breathes fire on zombies.

Aarakocra pushes past Ordulin and Bernadette and calls out in a bird language to call up a giant pteranodon type creature.

Sirus hits the aarakocra again with a dragon breath and it falls. Gather up necromancer notes, and head back to camp. It takes seven days to get back. The necromancer was a rogue member of the aarakocra tribe who was cast out and

Loot: 20 gold pieces of an older provenance. circlet of gold and precious gems, magical scimitar from snake woman, magical bronze griffon figurine of wondrous power. wooden chest with 500gp, 5 platinum, a bronze figurine of ubtau worth 40gp, two potions of greater healing. finely carved wooden box with paint and brushes, marvelous pigments.

The quetzalcoatlus pokes around its fallen master and leaves.