Tomb of Annihilation - Wyfingrem Hulwir's Journal - Entry 41

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 57 (continued)

My dearest love,

My companions and I were pondering the latest riddle this accursed dungeon had best upon us. As we conferred with one another regarding possible solutions, we are startled as words magically appeared suspended in the air before us. “Fast Forward?” they inquired of us as they flashed rhythmically. In addition, two buttons also manifested from seemingly nowhere, one green and the other red.

We briefly debated this bizarre new turn of events and what the prudent course of action should be. But as we have continually been confronted by the fantastical and unbelievable while in our pursuit of ending the Death Curse, we have become accustomed to making imprudent decisions for the sake of advancing our cause.

Dimo bravely stepped up and pushed the floating green button, and to everyone’s surprise, a green pill appeared in his hand. With a shrug, the reptilian man dropped the pill into his mouth and swallowed. While we noticed no immediate negative effect, we also came to the conclusion that until everyone made a decision – red or green – we would not be able to progress beyond this point.

One by one, we each pushed the green button and consumed the green pill we received in return.

A sudden flash of light blinded us, and then we find ourselves in a circular room. We observed a handful of exits at different points around the exterior, and a console with multiple levers of varying shapes and designs. But more interestingly, another magical sign floated in the center of the room flashing in pink the message, “Solve Puzzle?”

Without hesitation, Toni walked up and hit the button accompanying the sign. While my acolyte has made significant and impressive strides since gaining a soul and surrendering herself to the Gods of Life and Death, her impulsiveness continues to abhor me.

At first, she seems fine, but then she started nodding her head as if in acknowledgment of some message unheard by the rest of us. Then without warning, she bent over and began retching. On the ground among the contents of her last meal was the green pill she took. Amazingly, however, she was undeterred by the event. Rather, she began speaking of knowing how to solve this puzzle.

Someone must stay behind to operate the levers, she tells us with unwavering confidence, and then instructed Tladi to man the console and listen for her telepathic instructions on what to do next.

Before we can question Toni about what is happening, she boldly strode out of the room. We followed her into another circular room. This one looked as if we had stepped into a jungle. Lush foliage covered the floor and walls, but we also noted multiple exits.

Suddenly parts of the foliage seemed to come to life and lunge for us with malicious intent. Before they can engage with us, however, everything but us comes to a complete standstill as yet another magical sign appeared. This one read, “Skip Combat?” The constant exercise of healing myself and my companions has become truly exhausting, making this latest inquiry highly appealing. Apparently, Toni felt the same as she instantly hit the button. Nothing happened as far as we could tell, however.

Walter then hits the button, and like Toni before him, he immediately became violently ill, regurgitating the green pill with the contents of his stomach. Unlike Toni, however, he seemed to slump with fatigue as he continued to dry heave. I was concerned for him, but it had to wait as the vegetation monsters instantly unfroze and attack.

Fortunately, we handily disposed of the creatures. Toni then told us to wait as she closed her eyes, apparently communicating telepathically with Tladi. Suddenly we heard great grinding noises, and the room began to slowly turn counterclockwise. As it did, one of the exits lined up with the entrance to another room, and Toni quickly urged us through the door.

The next room, also circular, contained five wardrobes evenly spaced around the edge of the room. There were also multiple puddles of some sort of grey slime scattered about. To the north was an exit blocked by some sort of metallic bars. Sir McManly tried to bend them but found them to be beyond even his considerable strength.

We noticed sitting above the door were five blood-red crystals. I surmised for the group that the five wardrobes and five crystals are most likely connected. And knowing this terrible place, each crystal would demand some sort of sacrifice on our behalf to activate them.

Another door at the south end of the room was also aligned with a door from another room so we decided to investigate that instead. With Dimo leading the way, we come upon a room with a gigantic golden mastodon adorned with bejeweled tusks. Inscriptions marked the base the mastodon stands upon. The walls of the room were decorated with murals of a Chultan warrior riding upon a mastodon. They depicted a variety of hellish landscapes, each with its own horrible demon lord.

After studying the mural and inscriptions for some time, Toni shared they tell the story of a Chultan warrior who stole the mastodon, and for that crime, he was banished to the Nine Hells. However, the warrior fought his way through all nine, defeating the demon lord that reigned over each, and returned to the land of the living. He then killed the king who had banished him and used the ruler’s head as a chalice he also decorated with fine gems.

While the story had its intrigue, it also made us hesitant to disturb the statue. We have seen far too many seemingly inanimate objects in this dungeon suddenly come to life, and none of them friendly. Nonetheless, we performed a cursory inspection of the golden mastodon to best deduce whether it held an important key to navigating the dungeon. We made note of some scratches around the base of the statue that seemed to indicate it could be rotated. Dino also discovered a star-shaped hole in the back of the mastodon’s head. Toni recalled a star-shaped lever among those on the console Tladi was manning, and even though Walter willingly retrieved it, we ultimately decided using it was not worth the risk at this moment.

Instead, we returned to the room with the wardrobes, slimes, and blood-red crystals sitting atop the barred door. Having decided we had to know what was past the barred door, and understanding the potential connection, and risks, of the wardrobes and crystals, we watched as Walter opened one of the wardrobes.

Choosing one covered in images of orcs and goblins engaged in a battle, Walter opened the doors. We were astounded to see within it an actual battle raging between armies of the creatures beneath a blood-red sun. Almost instantaneously, a party of orcs, blood lust surging through them, leaped into the room and unleashed a war cry.

As with the monsters made from foliage, everything in the room but us ground to a halt as another sign asking us if we wanted to skip combat popped into existence. Once again, Toni reacted before any of us, hit the button, and, once again, nothing happened. This time, Dimo stepped up next and hit it. He and Sir McManly instantly appeared to droop as if suddenly exhausted and the orcs blipped out of existence. We noticed however that one of the crystals over the door was now lit up. Apparently, we must do this four more times.

The next wardrobe we selected depicted a grinning night hag holding a baby. Opening the doors, we saw a volcano floating over a sea of magma. A pair of four-armed insectoid monsters sprang forth from the wardrobe but were frozen in the air as another sign manifested, asking if we want to skip combat. This time we choose to do the combat rather than risk any more of our party becoming fatigued by pushing the button.

While most of us wait to see if the insectoids will become aggressive, Toni with her aggravating impetuousness unleashed her mysterious mental powers upon them. We note one crumble under the unseen attack, but the other appeared unaffected and responded by filling part of the room with a dense cloud of poisonous smoke.

I managed to fight through my coughing fit enough to summon a blessed aura about me that banished the effects of the poison. I could not see what was going on about me, but my ears picked up Walter nearby hurling insults at the monsters, trying to demoralize them.

From beyond my limited vision, I was caught off guard as a trident thrust through the fog and bit into my side. So great was the injury I was unable to maintain my aura of purification, and soon thereafter I lost consciousness due to the toxic air.

The next thing I recalled was seeing Al’Variean over me, healing my wounds. In the distance, I heard Toni shout a prayer to the Gods of Life and Death for protection, and many spirits answer her call. While the healing energy continued to pour into me, I was ruthlessly stabbed again while I lay vulnerable on the floor.

I saw Sir McManly launch himself at one of the creatures, tackling it as Dimo delivered a savage, and rather uncouth, blow to the insectoid’s crotch area, stunning it. As it crumpled, the poisonous fog it had been producing disappeared. Having sudden relief, I quickly asked the Gods of Life and Death to deliver unto me their healing energy as I channeled radiant energy and then hurled it at the foul insect man. Dimo then finished it off before leaping away to attack its companion. Together with multiple rays of eldritch energy produced by Al’Variean, it was quickly defeated too.

We decided after that that avoiding combat is probably in our collective best interest. After Sir McManly opens a wardrobe bearing the image of an ornate clock, he quickly hits the magical “Skip Combat” button as a spherical construct with spindly legs and small wings tumbled out through the doors. While Sir McManly retched violently as a consequence, the construct appeared to float over to a corner and go to sleep.

As I observed the fantastical automaton, I am reminded of an old book from our home library, a reference guide to another plane of existence known as Mechanus. It is a dimension occupied by beings known as Cogs. I believe this tiny construct to be one such Cog, but I am unable to confirm it as we do not share any common tongues despite Walter and I giving it our best effort.

Apparently disinterested in engaging with us further, the construct attempted to return to the wardrobe. Interestingly, an unseen force seemed to prevent this, pushing the metallic creature back on each attempt. It was undeterred by this however and instead turned its attention to meticulously disassembling the wardrobe. I continued to observe it while I performed a Prayer of Healing ritual for myself and my companions. The mechanized creature only got as far as removing the wardrobe doors though. After that, it seemed to be unable to find more removable parts.

At this point, many of us were clearly exhausted – both physically and of our abilities – and had sustained injuries of varying degrees of concern. Walter summoned one of his magical huts where we can safely rest. The party was divided however on whether to rest or push forward. While Walter and Toni go into the hut for rest, the rest of us decide to try another wardrobe.

We chose the most disturbing one yet, one covered with twisted humanoid faces in chains. As soon as we opened the doors, waves of heat crashed over us. We observed inside of it a road littered with the bodies of a slain army that lead to a basalt citadel. This time a devil made of bones shot forth from within to attack us, but its confrontation was cut short as I pushed the magical button once it appeared. As with the others, intense nausea gripped me and caused me to get physically ill. I suddenly felt as drained as if I had spent an entire day performing difficult labor without receiving a single break.

I knew at that point I needed to seek refuge in Walter’s hut, but I would not leave Sir McManly after all he has done to ensure my safety throughout this ordeal. Also, we had but one more wardrobe to confront in order to fill the final crystal above the barred door.

The final wardrobe depicted a pack of ghouls gnawing upon bones. After summoning what was left of our strength, we opened the doors to reveal an ancient cemetery shrouded in fog. Eerie shapes moved about the fog, and I prepared to unleash a powerful rebuke upon any undead that dared reveal themselves. Instead, it was two bright balls of light that appeared in the room with us. This time Al’Variean made the sacrifice, pushing the button. While he did vomit up his green pill like the rest of us, he reported not feeling different. I could tell from his demeanor he was being truthful too as his visage bore none of the excessive exhaustion I immediately noticed in the others’ appearances.

We had now filled the final crystal, and that was a victory in and of itself. Upon doing so, lightning strikes crackled all about the room, but they were harmless. Most importantly, the bars blocking the door slid up and out of the way.

Sir McManly lead the way down the tunnel, and I followed to protect him if needed. Toni apparently heard all the commotion as she reappeared from the hut and joined us.

Along the walls of the corridor beyond the doorway are craven images of rotten corpses, a most unsettling sight indeed. Old coins and rotten chunks of metal, leather, wood, and more littered the floor, all of them in varying states of decay. Toward the end of the hall, we have spotted a door on the south wall. It is a yawning archway with the skull of a bull biting down on a ring of what appears to be made of ivory.

At this point, most of us are struggling to remain standing. With Walter’s help, we have managed to persuade Sir McManly to take a long rest, so we are retiring to the magical hut for some well-deserved rest.

Day 58

Now rested and refilled, we returned to the corridor strewed with decaying refuse. As the end of the hall past the bull skull archway, we notice another doorway. Just beyond it, we observe two massive chains hanging vertically, although we cannot ascertain from this distance how high up or down they go. We do, however, note the strong scent of ozone coming from the room.

It seemed to me that perhaps this length of hallway causes things to decay at a rapid rate and so I suggested we toss something out to see what happens. Producing a small bit of food, we hurled it into the corridor. Within seconds the morsel completely decayed and disappeared. Blessed be the Gods for granting me such wisdom!

After hypothesizing that the ivory ring in the bull skull’s mouth likely is key to safely traversing this stretch of the dungeon, we set to figuring out how to get it. We decided to try convincing the metallic construct to do our bidding.

Toni managed to employ her psychic abilities in such a way that she could communicate with the construct enough to make our request of it. It complied and was able to fly down the hallway, grab the ring, and bring it to us. This time when we tossed a piece of food, nothing happened. Confident we would now be safe, we decided to further investigate the archway and room with the massive chains.

Before we departed, however, Toni showed her appreciation to the construct by successfully casting a spell meant for unlocking magically sealed barriers on the force field emanating from the construct’s wardrobe. After thanking her, it returned home. She may be impulsive and make seemingly irrational decisions at times, but ultimately, I see her heart touched and guided by the divine. She will make a fine disciple of the Most Wise Eternal Judges.

At the end of the hall, we stopped before the yawning archway in the south wall and instantly sensed great evil emanating from where the stairs beyond it descended. For the moment, we opted not to take that path and instead investigated the room with the chains.

Stepping through the doorway, I was awestruck by the sight before us. We found ourselves on a balcony of stone built into the wall of a gigantic circular and cylindrical room easily 40 feet in diameter. On the opposite side of the room and perhaps 15 feet higher than our own balcony was another balcony. Between the two, however, were the two enormous chains we had observed from the start of the corridor, except they were not two chains but one.

Allowing my eyes to follow the lengths of chain upward, I could see them reaching another 200 feet from where I stood and into a rumbling cloud of electricity. They extended 100 feet or so below us too where they wrapped around a gigantic gear that was also surrounded by wild crackles of electricity. The chains themselves were moving incredibly fast. Doing my best to gauge their speed by locking my eyes onto one particular link, I estimated the chain moved approximately 50 feet every second. Further, I guessed they wrapped around another gear hidden somewhere above within the electrical storm.

Al’Variean informed us that what we were seeing above and below us was something called a “planar vortex” and warned us with no uncertainty that no one could survive if they were sucked into one of the vortices. He too was familiar with the plane known as Mechanus and suspected the entire mechanism was built there. How we wished at that time the construct from that dimension was still with us. It could have potentially taught us something about the mechanism and likely traverse the room with no harm coming to it.

Walter shared his own observations surrounding the vortices and the chain, suggesting that this is what feeds the dungeon the energy it needs to keep its many mechanisms, traps, and mechanical denizens operating.

The opportunity here to significantly cripple the dungeon if we could somehow reach the opposite side of the room and locate any controls was almost too great to surpass. On Al’Variean’s somber warning, however, and without the construct seemingly from Mechanus to aid us, we regrettably decided to move on.

We returned to the yawning archway and the ominous stairwell.  At its base, we have found a room with three rocking chairs. Workbenches adorn the room along with a bronze cauldron bellowing green smoke, and a rusty cage containing a prisoner. The other three sides of the room opposite and adjacent to the entrance are wrapped with a balcony accessible by a pair of small stone stairways.

As we were observing it all, looking for any obvious or less-than-obvious danger, a trio of tiny, unsettling creatures approached us. One looks to be a straw doll with rusty pins in it. A second resembles a faceless child made of clay. The third is a stuffed monkey, but its lower half has been replaced by a unicycle.

The stray doll has spoken to us, urging us to run away as someone known as the Sewn Sisters are coming.

It appears we have wandered into yet another challenge thrown at us by this evil place, but with the love and unwavering support of the Gods of Life and Death behind me, I am confident we will be up to the task.

We are getting so close, my dearest love. I can sense it in every bone of my body. In my heart, I know the days until we are reunited in living and loving embrace are truly numbered now. How my heart sings to think of it! Just know the thought of seeing your sweet face emboldens and strengthens me whenever the darkness threats to pull me under its frigid waters. You are ever my light.

All my love…