Tomb of Annihilation - Wyfingrem Hulwir's Journal - Entry 37

My regular Dungeons & Dragons group is playing through Tomb of Annihilation, and I am very excited to be doing so. For this campaign, I am playing a Fallen Aasimar Cleric of the Grave Domain named Wyfingrem. Her family is renowned among her people as Resurrectionists. With the world stricken by a Death Curse that has prevented resurrection, Wyfingrem and an odd assortment of adventurers have answered the call from a mysterious benefactor to find the root cause of the curse and destroy it. Each day, Wyfingrem journals her experiences as a way to feel close to people, especially those dearest to her heart.

Day 55 - Per Dimo and Sir McManly

We continued our desperate flight from Belchorzh the Beholder as he maintained his mocking verbal assault. Clear of his chamber, we thought we could take a moment to assess the various wounds sustained and plan our next steps, but we were sorely mistaken.

The halls outside Belchorzh’s chamber are splattered with intermittent patches of a foreign purple goo from which eyestalks like those belonging to the beholder himself pop out from time to time and attack us.

We make for one of the smaller hallways we know to be clear of the purple goo. They are substantially more narrow than the primary corridors, however, and so we found ourselves jammed up, slowing our escape to more safe environs.

My acolyte is blasted by a savage blow of force and very nearly died before my eyes! Her faith in the Gods of Life and Death grows stronger each day though, and thankfully they spared her, if only just barely. Fortunately, I was near enough to infuse her body with the healing grace of our blessed Gods.

Such relief is short-lived, however, as the insidious Belchorz managed to strike me with one of its paralytic rays of energy. I felt my body go stiff, and I feared I was doomed, but blessedly the gifts of our benevolent Gods know no end. Toni had recovered enough to drag my frozen body out of the room. The demand was too much for her frail figure to manage, and so we found ourselves tumbling down a flight of stairs, and me with no way to mitigate the fall’s toll on my body!

Sir McManly continues to be my protector in this mortal realm! He escorted both Toni and my incapacitated form to safety.

Gods’ blessings upon me, I shook off the paralysis at this time. We were now in a square room with a shaft penetrating the center of the floor. Along each edge of the dark pit stood a statue of a many-armed gargoyle, each resting upon a base that looked to be made of a precious metal. After investigating them more closely, we find each to have a slot suitable for a coin. We surmise that placing a coin of a denomination matching the metal of the statue’s base will trigger some sort of reaction. Considering the temperament of this god-forsaken dungeon thus far, however, I am unconvinced we should entertain such engagement.

I turned my attention to the dark shaft in the floor instead. We could hear the rumbling sounds of some sort of unseen metallic device, and the strong smell of jungle flora emanates from within as well.

Prayers and magic nearly depleted, and with injuries mounting, we decide it is best to rest here for the night. Walter summons his magical hut for us to do so safely, but something is amiss with Sir McManly. He is adamantly against resting, insisting against all sensible caution that we press on. He finds no support for this, and despite our best efforts to reason with him, he is unmoved. Perhaps the mental, physical and emotional exhaustion of this devious place is affecting him more than the rest of us. Eventually, Toni resorted to putting the poor, brave soul to sleep.

Now within the safety of the hut, Dimo produces the wares collected throughout the course of the day. With a whisper of a spell from Al’Variean, we are able to see which are magical and which are mere baubles. The barbarian claims a trident for himself, and Al’Variean equips a shield. There is also a potion that we determine allows the person who quaffs it to reduce in size.

Also among the good are more artifacts from the nine trickster gods of the island nation. Walter collects the egg belonging to the god known as Nang Nang, and willing invites the spirit to inhabit his body! For some unknown reason, the spirit rejects Walter. Or perhaps it is the other way around? This whole ritual is beyond confusing to me, but so many of my fellow travelers have willingly agreed to it.

I decided to deepen my understanding of this ritual but with all caution and, above all, the ultimate respect for my beloved Gods of Life and Death. Closing my eyes as I hold the egg of Nang Nang, I exert a piece of my will into the object, seeking to commune with the god. There is a brief battle in my head as the chaotic spirit attempts to take more ground than I am willing to concede, but ultimately, my will exceeds its own.

The entity known as Nang Nang promises to protect me if I let it in. Instantly dubious of such a claim, I ask it how. It promises to teach me what is safe to eat in the jungle and where it is safe to travel and rest. While this is enticing, it is knowledge that would have been substantially more beneficial when we began this journey and of little use to me know.

Undeterred, Nang Nang does offer me something I must admit had me intrigued: He wants revenge on Acererak. Further, the island god sounds confident in his claim that Acererak is indeed behind the Death Curse and that the beholder has nothing to do with it.

I am guarded and skeptical, but I decide we are aligned in our goals. After a short contemplation, I decided to let the spirit within me. However, I am incredibly firm in my warning that should he even attempt to control any move, thought, or decision, I will immediately expel him with prejudice and destroy his egg.

Nang Nang offers no objection, and so I let him in. Amazingly once the melding is complete, I feel strange sensations. Somehow, I know that if I needed to, I could scale a wall or traverse the ceiling as if I were walking along the cobbles of city street! Further, from the egg, I sense that it could augment my spell-casting ability if needed.

With that, we all turn in for our much-needed rest and recovery.

I bid you goodnight, my sweet. Each day I believe we are moving one step closer to finally being together again.

All my love...