Puzzle Cube Retrieval

Session 17 of Tomb of Annihilation

The PC's:

Shaun the Kobold, Cleric (Light of Kossuth) 7, Criminal from streets of Port Nyanzaru, Zhent
Varis, High Elf Wizard 7 (evoker), acolyte of Oghma
Adran, Wood Elf Bard (Lore) 6, Entertainer and Bagpiper from the cold northern forests, Zhent - unconscious at start of session from sleep gas toward end of last session
Angry Agatha, Half-Orc Barbarian (Totem Bear) 7, Harper, bodyguard and long time associate of Sembian Sam
Shummp, Half-Orc Fighter (Champion) 7, Soldier from the North seeking wealth in Chult
Are, Moon Elf Druid (Circle of Moon) 5, Young refugee from overrun northern village, now travels in company of Darius Foreshot
Darius Foreshot, Human Fighter (Eldritch Knight) 5, Outlander/Hermit, Seeking fortune in Chult

PC's Not Present:
Sembian Sam, Human Rogue 5 (thief), Ranger 1, archaeologist, Harper - unconscious after inhaling sleep gas toward end of last session
Farout, Tortle Druid (Circle of Land - Beach) 5, Traveling up from Snout of Omgar in far southern Chult, following rumors of source of death curse.


NPC's:
Vorn, a Shield Guardian found in the jungle now under the command of Varis, who promised to eventually return the shield guardian to Wakanga O'Tamu in exchange for a spell book.
Cormyran Kandy, a rival archaeologist and former lover of Sembian Sam, had been hired by the Red Wizards but now working with the PC's - unconscious from inhaling sleep gas last session.
Ras Nsi, Chief of the Yuan Ti of Omu

Messengers kept running to Ras Nsi as he awaited developments on the apparent invasion of the Fane of the Night Serpent, home of the Yuan Ti of Omu. They were increasingly distressed, Yahru, his wiliest advisor was missing, and the latest report suggested his champion, Sekelok, had fallen to the intruders. They reported a golem of some kind wreaking havoc, along with a great deal of magical destruction and multiple orcish or half-orcish warriors. It was time for Ras Nsi to take personal command - he could already sense Fenthaza whispering to others of his failure to defend the Fane. With two of his personal ghoul attendants accompanying him, he slithered through the complex to the hall near the storeroom where the fighting had been heaviest. Dead snake men and broodguards lay all around. Of the intruders the only sign were a human and an elf - and they were still inside. Snaru, one of his loyal snake headed followers, suggested that the back door to the store room had slammed shut, but after that they had noted movement in the storeroom; perhaps one of more of the intruders had been left behind. Of the flanking party sent through the other entrance to the cavern leading to the back entry to their complex, nothing had been heard - Fenthaza, who just showed up full of criticism for the disaster, could be entrusted with investigating their fate and the disappearance of the golem in that direction. Ras Nsi would deal personally with whatever was left in the storeroom. Sending his ghouls in the lead, he followed after nothing immediately attacked them. They flanked the exit behind Ras Nsi as he activated his flame-tongued sword and slithered around the store room, eventually running into an elf trying to hide behind some crates. He tried talking to the elf about surrender, but the elf began chanting words of magic but Ras Nsi was quicker, slashing the elf twice before getting hit by a blast of thunderwave. A rather weak attempt, Ras Nsi could sneer, slashing again at the elf and dropping him. This elf, too, appeared to have survived, and was hauled along with the others to his throne room. On the other elf, the snakemen discovered the eight cubes - Ras had just recently grabbed the other to keep it out of the hands of a band of Red Wizards that appeared to be heading toward interfering with whatever Acererak was using the Tomb of the Nine Gods for, and Ras was charged with preventing that from happening. It also appeared that these intruders were not Red Wizards - had they taken the cubes from the Wizards? That would make for a formidable force. Questioning would have to wait until the intruders had recovered enough to provide answers, in the meantime, now that Fenthaza had confirmed the deaths of the flanking party and Ras Nsi's pet hydra in the cavern, they would retreat their forces back from the cavern, and collapse the tunnel connecting the store room to the lake. Then they would conduct the ritual, they needed more snake men, the tribal delegation who had just brought tribute would serve that purpose, though they would have to sacrifice their remaining slaves.

Oddly, when they awakened  the next day and Ras Nsi questioned them, it was the human who spoke for them, not one of the elves. He was full of arrogance and bluster - and claimed they were essentially a band of treasure seekers. In that case they could serve as slaves until the next sacrifice - which should be soon, these three might be too dangerous to keep around for long. They were chained in the slave pits to await their fate.

Soon after, the alarm gong began ringing again. The rest of the intruders had returned, including the golem that had caused so much trouble; Ras Nsi again slithered out of the throne room to face them - they would first send in their new batch of purebloods along with some of their few remaining broodguards. After lobbing some fireballs and other magic back and forth through what remained of the poison distillery, the intruders eventually retreated behind a magical wall of fire that incinerated four purebloods. They had already lost another four along with four broodguards in the fighting, the metal and wood golem took a massive beating but retreated out before the wall of flame was cast. Two half-orcs were again in the thick of the fighting, it was unclear exactly how many were further back in the cavers, apparently another elf, and could that be a kobold tossing fireballs? As one of the last remaining snake headed Yuan Ti retreated from the flames, one of the half-orcs charged out from the flames as well, chopping him down. Ras Nsi attempted to knock that half orc out of the fight with a powerful casting of blight, but was dismayed to see the half orc take it and remain standing. The half orc then dove back into the flames, and when the flames dropped the enemies had again disappeared.

Returning to the throne room, he discovered the other intruders had also escaped, seizing the eight cubes they had brought with them along with their gear and the tribute recently arrived from the tribal delegation - and there was some good stuff in there! Still, they had not taken the last cube - Ras Nsi still had that one. The boat in the underground lake was gone as well - at least they knew how they had escaped. His forces, however, were getting dangerously low. Sending a party out to pursue might only weaken him further - waiting for them to return for the last cube might be the best option. Perhaps they might even be willing to bargain for it, if they were indeed the mercenary force described by the human warrior and not actually seeking the death of Ras Nsi (most of Chult would rejoice at his death, he well knew).

The next day the female half orc who had been blasted by the blight spell the previous day came knocking at their front door looking hardly worse off for it, offering to meet Ras Nsi and cut a deal. The human had returned as well. One of the Yuan Ti scouts stationed outside the entrance called out a warning that there was an invisible member of the treasure hunting band nearby. Fenthaza and Snaru accompanied Ras Nsi out, and the human pointed out that Fenthaza had helped them escape and asked them to kill Ras Nsi! Fenthaza cursed at the foreigners and slithered away in protest, but Ras Nsi knew the intruders were being truthful. The kobold then arrived, and suggested Ras Nsi disease was caused by the death curse, which was itself apparently caused by a device Acererak had hidden in the Tomb of the Nine Gods. As they were entering the Tomb to turn off or destroy this device, Ras Nsi would benefit from them doing so. If they were not successful, Ras Nsi would eventually succumb to the magical disease. If they agreed to enter the Tomb, stop the death curse, and no longer disturb the Yuan Ti, Ras Nsi was willing to give them the last remaining cube. The bargain struck, the outlanders left for the Tomb and Ras Nsi went to deal with Fenthaza...