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Previously on Tomb of Annihilation
Starring:
Mannix, level 4 Human Inquisitive Rogue
Khaless, level 4 Half-Drow Assassin Rogue
Gillian, level 4 Triton Bard of Whispers
George, level 4 Tortle Battle Master Fighter/Rogue
Therin, level 4 Hill Dwarf Druid of the Moon
The party wanted to tackle one more thing before leaving the ancient yuan-ti temple of Orolunga. A wyvern had taken up residence along the south side of the upper level, terrorizing anyone who got close. It had also amassed a sizable treasure pile, which no self-respecting adventurer could leave behind.
NOTE: My version of Orolunga is partially based on the Viper’s Pit dungeon designed by JVC Parry on the DMs Guild. I replaced the hydra with a wyvern.
I ended up modifying the wyvern encounter quite a bit from my initial plan of the beast sleeping atop its mountain of treasure. Thanks to Crafting Annihilation’s always helpful chat, I realized the fighting in the nearby temple chamber would have awoken the beast, and it took to the skies to defend its territory while the PCs short rested.
There was another factor – a number of dead bodies strewn about its lair. Fresh kills from when it attacked the yuan-ti. Fresh bodies = potential undead while the death curse is in place.
The plan was set. The party would turn the corner to find the beast’s lair and the gaping hole to the outside, but no beast in sight. A pile of treasure lie in the middle, free for the taking!
As soon as they started stuffing coins in their greedy pockets, the dead began to stir. A handful of skeletons, zombies, and ghouls attacked.
This was definitely not a difficult fight, and was designed mostly as a distraction until the wyvern arrived in round 2, shrieking and roaring as it flew in from outside ready to stab, claw, and bite. Most of the undead were dead by then, courtesy of Therin’s first use of the Staff of Thorns to cast Wall of Thorns.
The Wyvern missed both its attacks in its opening salvo (argh), and Mannix followed by up blinding it with the Sliverlight Dagger. Then George worked on hitting it with his Thorn Blade in whip mode to drag it down to ground level for everyone to pummel.
If ever I was worried I hadn’t given my players enough fun magical items, that was certainly dispelled during this fight!
Despite being blinded the wyvern did get off some solid hits, though Therin’s bear form and Mannix’s giant frog took the brunt of them. Khaless came close to going down had the wyvern hit with both its attacks. She’s the only one who hasn’t gone down (0 hp) in our campaign yet, and I’m pretty sure she never went down at all in our last campaign, either!
After the fight they helped themselves to the rather substantial reward, including nearly 1000 gold pieces! They also found some potions of greater healing and a wand of magic missiles. I am far too generous.
Afterwards they settled down for a Long Rest in the bedrooms and finally achieved Level 5! We’re using the milestone XP system in this campaign which has made things a lot easier. Mannix ended up multi-classing into a Wizard to become more of a skill monkey, while the bard and druid now have access to third-level spells. Level 5 is a major power boost for PCs!
Before they woke up they each had a nightmare depicting the Sewn Sisters creating a monster, drawn from the very essences of each of the PCs. They’re not sure what kind of monster was created, but I teased metallic roaring and the fact that it doesn’t sleep or stop in its pursuit. Cue Terminator jokes!
They were able to exit Orolunga via the hole by the wyvern’s nest and descended back down the massive staircase of the ziggurat. When they reached the bottom, however, they found a miniature warzone. Charred ground, chunks of dinosaur flesh, a metal chicken, and a paralyzed Azaka. Having received Mannix’s message, Xandala has arrived!
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