Tomb of Annihilation: Final Episode
You will eventually have a session where your players will know they are at the end. This will be the last time your players get to play as these characters. This energy is a perfect thing to harness and amp up as much as you can. Encourage epic moments and brave sacrifices. You won’t get another chance.
The Party:
(Jon) Alathar, inhabited by Shagambi — Half-Elf Bard
(Terry) Harden, inhabited by Unkh — Dwarf Barbarian
(Matt) Hexton, inhabited by I’jin — Gnome Wizard
(Stacy) Torven, inhabited by Wongo — Lizardfolk Monk/Druid
The Path:
Tomb of the Nine Gods — Cradle of the Death God
“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”
Edgar Allen Poe — The Raven
The adventurers had been asked to investigate the death curse almost three months ago. They had explored the jungles of Chult and tracked down important clues to take them to the Forbidden City of Omu. Here, in the Tomb of the Nine Gods that served as a perverse reminder to Acererak’s conquest of the land, the characters would find the Soulmonger — the catalyst for the death curse, and hopefully, destroy it once and for all.
Four of those Nine Gods were here with them. They’d been inhabiting the four heroes in the hopes of getting their retribution against Acererak, who slew them and cast their spirits into the tomb a hundred years ago. The party could feel the spirits’ excitement as they opened the Skeleton Gate and revealed what lay on the other side, inside the Death God’s Nursery.
The group stepped forward. Crumbling balconies overlooked a pool of lava that filled the triangular chamber, above which was suspended an enormous crystal cylinder held in place by three adamantine struts. Wraith-like forms swirled inside the cylinder, and otherworldly screams hung in the air. Four long, writhing tentacles sprouted from the cylinder’s cap. A shriveled monstrosity the size of an elephant floated near the cylinder. Its body was wet and malformed, its arms and legs were atrophied, and its oversized head dripped black goo. The creature was attached to the cylinder by a twisted umbilical cord.
The party stood in awe. This was it. The Soulmonger. This cylindrical device was trapping captured souls as the malformed creature, the atropal, fed on them. It didn’t attack the characters though; it just floated there, feeding on souls. Harden attempted an Intelligence (Religion) check and succeeded at finding out more information. He concluded that this was, in fact, Ubtao, the god that had abandoned Chult 100 years ago. This tidbit wasn’t part of the written adventure, but I’d read online that it was a neat way of tying things together, and the timeline of Acererak’s invasion and Ubtao’s leaving worked out nicely.
Along the east and west walls of the chamber, two facing balconies stood 30 feet above the lava pit. They were each littered with ornate glass bottles, fluted silver urns, ivory caskets, and other vessels — all of them inscribed with baleful sigils. At the south end, an ornate archway loomed over the balcony. Grinning skulls were molded into its frame, and glowing mists swirled within.
As they contemplated their next move, their trickster spirits spurred them into action. I’jin encouraged Hexton to investigate the mist-filled archway on the opposite balcony. Shagambi recognized the unholy nature of Ubtao’s state and ordered Alathar to destroy it at once. Unkh urged Harden to communicate with Ubtao, as perhaps it was misunderstood. Wongo wanted Torven to attack the tentacles sprouting from the top of the Soulmonger.
Hexton jumped into action first. Worried that Acererak, or his minions, might use the archway to join the battle, he cast a Wall of Stone in front of it to block it off. Alathar used Misty Step to get to the east balcony and began examining the vessels. He succeeded at an Intelligence (Arcana) check and realized they were phylacteries — objects that magically stored a lich’s soul. Harden told him to throw them in the lava, but Alathar realized they weren’t Acererak’s — they were the phylacteries of his many disciples.
Torven and Wongo were itching to fight. They couldn’t keep it in any longer. They needed to destroy the Soulmonger, and Ubtao in the process. He climbed onto an adamantine strut and began wailing on the tentacles. The atropal let out a withering wail, damaging everyone in earshot. The party got into battle-mode. They could see this would be an epic fight.
It was difficult to get close, as the adamantine struts seemed unsafe, and the lava looked deadly. Harden couldn’t risk getting near the atropal. Fortunately, Hexton sent his most powerful spells from a safe distance. He cast Evard’s Black Tentacles, as Torven used his Flurry of Blows. Magical attacks would be needed, as the atropal had powerful protections.
Harden’s melee attacks could still be useful, however. He smashed the adamantine struts holding up the Soulmonger. In response, the atropal’s tentacles swiped at him, grabbing his legs and pulling him toward the lava.
Alathar and Torven jumped into action, sending all their attacks at the tentacles and chopping it off before Harden was pulled in, as Hexton kept his focus on the atropal. They spread out in a smarter tactical way, and the atropal was soon unable to defend itself against their onslaught. A final Fireball spell from Alathar ended the atropal’s life as it screamed in horror.
“Books ought to have good endings. How would this do: and they all settled down and lived together happily ever after?”
J.R.R. Tolkien — The Lord of the Rings
Before they could revel in their success, a skeletal figure wrapped in moldering robes and clutching a skull-tipped staff appeared on the south balcony. Hateful pinpricks of white light burned in its eye sockets, and a two-foot-diameter sphere of utter darkness floated in the air beside it. “You will die at the hands of Acererak, puny mortals,” he said.
He had teleported in from another plane, so Hexton’s defense of the mist gate was circumvented. Acererak raised his crooked staff carved from bone and summoned forth his Sphere of Annihilation that could obliterate anyone who stepped into its path. He stroked his magical Talisman of the Sphere to make its movements even more precise and fatal.
The trickster gods cried out for vengeance. Each of them imbued an extra 50 temporary hit points for the characters and readied their psychic energy to blast out each time their character could hit Acererak. This boon emboldened the players, and they began the perilous fight.
I boosted Acererak’s spell list based on these recommendations and was ready with some deadly tactics. As powerful as Acererak was he was still only a single demi-lich. The players would get four turns, and he would get one. So he had to be as devastating as possible. Hexton managed to go first and cast a Phantasmal Killer to instill some psychic fear, but Acererak had already cast Mind Blank and was unaffected. Next, Torven took out the Necklace of Fireballs he had found earlier in the dungeon and threw a bead at Acererak. But the necklace was cursed — instead, the necklace itself exploded, gravely injuring Torven in the process. Another of Acererak’s tricks had worked perfectly.
Acererak saw that the players were frustratingly spread out. Many of his spells could hurt multiple creatures if they were close to each other. Instead, he would have to focus on just one. He sent his Sphere of Annihilation to deal with Harden and Alathar, as he closed in on the newly burned lizardfolk. He cast a gnarly Finger of Death, sending negative energy coursing through Torven’s veins.
The players took their turns. They traded some fizzled spell castings for crafty Counterspells by Acererak. Torven turned into a dire wolf so he’d have some extra points while he recovered. Alathar struck the ground and sent a Destructive Wave rippling at Acererak, boosted by Shagambi’s psychic energy. Harden did his best to dodge the lethal motions of the Sphere of Annihilation.
The demi-lich had many defenses and resistances, but the team slowly chipped away at his health. Hexton’s Cone of Cold wasn’t very effective, but his trusty Fireballs were. Still, Acererak was able to cast Time Stop and set up a minefield of Delayed Blast Fireball. But he was still unable to take any of the group down.
They wisely stayed separated and healed each other as quickly as they could, never letting Acererak unleash his full might on any one of them. At one point, Harden was nearly decapitated by the Sphere of Annihilation and found himself closest to Acererak and with the most health of anyone. He was able to take a few punishing spells while the rest of the party regrouped and countered with their retribution. They traded blows as Harden smashed his magical maul against Acererak’s form, screaming in a wild rage as the spirit Unkh empowered his attack.
Torven had taken the worst of it and was out of Wild Shape transformations that could soak up any excess damage. The next big hit would kill him. Alathar didn’t have many spells remaining. He would have to go hand-to-hand soon. He grabbed his rapier and cast his final Synaptic Static, blasting Acererak’s brain with psychic energy. Acererak turned to Alathar. The demi-lich could see Alathar was close to death too.
The trickster gods urged them on. They were close to the end. Acererak was looking weak. Hexton had one more powerful spell left, and he unleashed it as Acererak moved to kill Alathar. He cast Disintegrate, as a thin green ray sprung from his finger and connected with Acererak.
A barbarian cry echoed throughout the chamber as Harden lumbered toward the demi-lich. He furiously swung his maul at Acererak, throwing him from the ledge and directly into the lava below.
Acererak tumbled into the volcanic matter. A look of horror passed over the lich’s face as his body turned to dust. His tattered robes succumbed to the heat, as did his staff and talisman.
The party blinked in wonderment. They had won the fight. The trickster gods rejoiced. Acererak, while not fully dead, had been sent back to some far-flung demi-plane. His phylactery was well-hidden, but this world would be safe for now. The death curse was lifted and they were victorious.
They rested for a moment. They had lost (and regained) party members along the way, but these four were the ones who survived. They chugged the few healing potions they had left and tossed some of the extra phylacteries in the lava, just in case. After huddling together and congratulating one another, they realized there was only one way out — the mist gate. They would have to continue their journey.
Fortunately, the true danger had been dealt with. They passed through a strange chapel filled with gibbering monsters, and into a trapped hall with multiple exits. With Hexton’s magical sight, they found a pool of jet-black ooze glistening inside a silent chamber, whose walls were decorated with relief carvings depicting black stars. The liquid looked similar to the stone that Alathar had plucked from the scarecrow, Mister Threadneedle. After some deliberations, he tossed the black marble into the ebon pool. It sank into the ooze, which rose suddenly to form a four-foot-tall obelisk — a miniature version of the obelisk that stood outside the tomb entrance.
They touched it simultaneously and were teleported outside the tomb. They were free. They had won. Their respective trickster gods thanked them for bringing peace to their souls. They each exited their hero’s minds, as each of their god’s magical items was released of its magical energy. The heroes were finished with the Tomb of Annihilation.
And that was that. Tomb of Annihilation is an epic adventure filled with intense highs and sporadic lows. Some parts ended up dragging on. Surviving in the jungle was a little underwhelming, but the actual exploration part was incredibly engaging for everyone. Random encounters were genuinely interesting and gave insight into the story. Omu and the Tomb were both compelling places with fascinating puzzles, and the trickster gods were an utterly entertaining addition. But the whole tomb was perhaps too big. By the end, my players were happy to be just be done with the whole thing. However, in retrospect, I think they’d agree that the adventure was a bustling journey that brought with it tons of thrilling moments.
As a DM, I enjoyed myself immensely running this adventure. I am already running a second game with a different group. I will be changing some parts and streamlining others, but I am very excited to have these new players discover Chult for themselves. With all the different things that can happen, neither they nor I know exactly what will await them. The same will be true for your players if you choose to run Tomb of Annihilation.
Thanks for reading!
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