Dungeons & Dragons - Peril at the Port

 

We're going to take a look at a special Tomb of Annihilation adventure today. It is an "Epic", a convention/game store event where four or more D&D groups all play in the same scenario at the same time.

As far as I know, this adventure is not available for sale. I think you have to get it at a convention or your game store. I'm writing this to tell you about the ideas that you might want to use and I pulled out some descriptive text you can read to the group to describe certain locations. 

It's Cheating: I don't want to post spoilers, reveal goals or how to resolve a particular encounter. I'm looking at this from the perspective of a DM looking to see if there is anything I can use in my game. The answer is a resounding yes!

Deluxe: This thing clocks in at a mighty 82 pages, although the last 30 pages are for stats and handouts. It's written by Will Doyle, who is quite the prolific fellow.

This adventure is about Port Nyanzaru being overrun by the undead. The city's in chaos and it's up to the heroes to fend them off.

Here's the backstory:

• 10 years ago, a pirate named Pelican Jake decided to rob his pirate girlfriend, Idrianne Smoke.
• Jake teamed up with Aremag the dragon turtle and they sunk her ship.
• Now, her ship has returned from the Nine Hells (!!!).
• She is leading an alliance of "infernal pirates" to attack Port Nyanzaru.
• She wants to find Pelican Jake.

Captain Smoke is Awesome: Check out the description of the infernal pirate: "If Idrianne Smoke was once beautiful, her years in the Nine Hells have twisted her horribly. Her teeth are now jagged metal, her skin is scaled, and black horns curve from her brow. On her shoulder, a scraggly parrot eyes you suspiciously."

A devil pirate! This actually fits in with the story of Levistus, the ruler of Stygia. In 4e, Levistus had a scheme where pirates were bringing him souls to hoard.

Ideas

Here's some of the highlights and notable things about this scenario.

Ouch: I won't say which scenario this was in, but this shocked me. Characters are going to lose limbs! 

Old City Tomb: We get details on an unexplored tomb under one of the ziggurats. In it is a powerful spell scroll that can inspire armies.

Mother Sibonseni: It uses Mother Sibonseni, who is an interesting NPC that kind of gets lost in the shuffle in Port Nyanzaru. The group is actually given does of a poison that incapacitates in this scenario, which is pretty cool.

Blow Things Up: This mini-adventure is my favorite. The group has to blow up Captain Smoke's ship!! They'll be using a wagonload of oil and alchemist's fire. I'm dying to run this one.

Cloak and Dagger: There's a very harrowing scenario where the group has to pull off some really fun disguise stuff. Pretending to be a pirate, that seems like it can lead to a lot of fun things.

This thing is awesome! They should sell it on the DMs Guild. A ton of work went into this and it looks like a heck of a lot of fun.

Descriptive Text

Here's some boxed text from this adventure that you can use to describe things in Port Nyanzaru when you run Tomb of Annihilation. 

My version of Kwayothe

Kwayothé: "Kwayothé (k-WAY-oath-ay) is a Chultan priestess of Kossuth. She’s calm in a way that exudes both serenity and menace, and uses her beauty to manipulate men and women alike. She’s always accompanied by males and females highly trained in unarmed combat, who double as her consorts."

Kwayothé's Villa: "Kwayothé’s villa perches on the lower slopes of Throne Hill. Inside, the air is thick with the aroma of perfume and fresh fruit. Servants fetch you water and wine while you await the arrival of the prince. Kwayothé arrives draped in fine silks and feathers. She dismisses her servants with a snap of her fingers, and looks you over with a smile."

Jessamine's Villa: "Writhing serpents decorate the walls of Jessamine’s clifftop villa. The lamps in here burn low, and hooded warriors lurk like gargoyles in the shadows. Roars and screams drift from the battle below. Jessamine watches over the city from a balcony, her body swathed in black bandages."

Ekene-Afa's Villa: "Ekene-Afa summons you to her villa on Throne Hill. Ornate weapons hang from her walls, and parrots squawk from gilded cages. When you approach, warriors are strapping armor to her scarred body. With her back to you, she addresses your reflections in the looking glass."

Dinosaur Race: "On this day, Port Nyanzaru hosts its famous Dinosaur Races! Grand lizards of all sizes scramble through the streets, whipped on by daredevil riders. As evening fog rolls in over the Bay of Chult, torches are lit to mark the race course through the city’s streets."

Old City: "The Old City sprawls beyond the port’s outer walls. Three lofty ziggurats loom over the streets - remnants of some lost civilization - with a shantytown of bamboo shacks clinging to their flanks. Panicked citizens cram the streets when you arrive. Greasy smoke coils from the outskirts of town and bells toll from the ziggurats."