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: Beginnings…

! Tomb of Annihilation: Beginnings… is designed as an alternate starting scenario for Tomb of Annihilation. The 1st level characters are tasked with finding Ian Swiftfoot, a Harper, who was ambushed on his way to deliver important information about the Death Curse to Syndra Silvane. In addition, this module includes a jump start to the exploration of Port Nyanzaru, the journal described in the encounter with the Merchant Prince, Wakanga O’Tamu , Four Chult encounters including two new monsters and a new magic item, and the Manead, a new playable race.

Although designed to be used with Tomb of Annihilation, the scenario, encounters and playable race can easily be used in any campaign.

by EBrun Sample file ! !

! ! ! DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , , the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, , ’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast.

©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Beginnings… 1!

Unless!otherwise!noted,!images!are!from!Patrick! Tomb of Annihilation Pullen’s!excellent!collections!available!from!DMs! Guild.! Beginnings… Satipo: Let's go. There's nothing to fear here. Puddlefoot Farm : That's what scares me. Note:&Huddle&Farm&by&Willie&Walsh&in&Dungeon& ―!Raiders!of!the!Lost!Arc! Magazine&#&12&inspired&this&scenario.& ! Introduction! ! ! ! ! !!2! Puddlefoot!Farm! ! ! ! !!2! Port!Nyanzaru!! ! ! ! !!5! Chult!Encounters! ! ! ! !!7! Maenad!Playable!Race!! ! ! !!9! Puddlefoot!Cottage!Map! ! ! 10! Handout:!Death!Curse!Letter! ! ! 11! Handout:!On!the!Arcane!Archaeology!of!Chult!12! Introduction This!product!provides!resources!to!get!your! Tomb!of!Annihilation!campaign!off!to!a!strong! ! start.!!Puddlefoot)Farm!starts!in!media!res!with! Wikimedia:&JordyMeow& the!1st!level!characters!on!the!trail!of!the!bandits! ! that!have!ambushed!a!contact!carrying!an! The!characters!have!been!tasked!by!Syndra! important!message.!!By!the!end!of!this!scenario,! Silvane!(describe!in!Tomb!of!Annihilation,!Page! the!characters!reach!level!two!and!have! 8)!to!find!Ian!Swiftfoot.!!Syndra,!a!mentor!and! recovered!a!letter!with!critical!information!about! employer!of!the!characters,!is!suffering!from!an! the!Death!Curse.! Sample unexplained!curse.!file Ian!was!supposed!to!deliver! ! information!about!the!Death!Curse,!but!was!two! The!characters!then!arrive!in!Port)Nyanzaru! days!late!arriving.!!Ian’s!caravan!was!ambushed! with!a!clear!goal!of!obtaining!an!audience!with! and!he!has!been!captured!by!a!small!group!of! the!Merchant!Prince,!Wakanga!O’Tamu.!!While! bandits!working!for!Valindra!Shadowmantle!(pg! waiting!for!an!audience,!they!have!a!few!days!to! 58).!!The!scenario!begins!a!few!hours!after!the! explore!the!city.!!O’Tamu!provides!them!with! characters!discovered!the!caravan.! information!to!begin!their!explorations!of!Chult! ! and!a!useful!journal.! Well,&this&isn’t&what&you&expected.&&A&few&hours& ! ago,&you&found&the&shattered&remnants&of&the& Chult)Encounters!provides!four!short! caravan&you&were&looking&for.&&You&have&tracked& encounters!inspired!by!African!folklore!and! the&bandits&to&their&lair…a&small&farm&nestled&in& locations.!!The!encounters!also!include!two!new! the&rolling&hills&of&the&countryside.&&You&wouldn’t& monsters!and!a!new!magic!item.! believe&that&this&was&the&right&location&if&it&wasn’t& ! for&the°enerate&halfKelf&standing&guard&in&front& This!product!ends!with!a!description!of!the! of&the&quaint&cottage&carved&into&the&hillside.& playable!Maenad,!a!seafaring!race.!! & ! Hopefully,&Ian&Swiftfoot&–&or&at&least&the& information&he&carried&–&is&inside&the&cottage.&

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Beginnings… 2! ! room!has!been!ransacked!and!many!of!the! Use!scout!statistics!for!the!guard!at!the!front!of! crates!are!broken.! the!cottage!(Entrance!1!on!the!map).!!If!the! 4. The!family!room!and!kitchen!contain!a!large! characters!scout!the!farm,!they!can!also!find!a! fireplace!and!table,!copper!pots,!and!broken! rear!entrance!(Entrance!12)!guarded!by!a!Thug.!! furniture!that!appears!to!have!been!a! If!the!characters!wait,!they!eventually!hear!the! comfortable!seating!area.!!The!smell!of!a! screams!of!a!man!being!tortured!inside!the! simmering!stew!is!mixed!with!the!smell!of! cottage.!!The!guard!changes!every!2!hours.!!If!the! stale!sweat.!!During!the!day,!4)bandits!are! characters!don’t!act,!the!bandits!leave!towards! throwing!dice!at!the!table.!!A!!woman! Baldur’s!Gate!the!next!morning!–!without! and!two!children!huddle!in!the!corner!when! Swiftfoot,!but!with!the!letter!he!was!carrying.! they!are!not!serving!the!bandits.!After!the!3rd! ! round!of!combat,!the!leader,!Shiv!_!a!scarred! The)Cottage) Halfling!with!a!nasty!rash!on!his!neck!(use! thug!statistics)!will!join!the!fray!from!area!6.! At!night,!the!bandits!and!thug!will!be! sleeping!in!the!bedrooms!(5),!but!will! emerge!ready!to!fight!if!there!is!a! disturbance.! 5. Bedrooms.!!Each!bedroom!(a_d)!is!nicely! decorated!and!contains!two!beds.! a. Guest!room:!Painted!a!pale!green!with! one!human!sized!bed!and!a!bedroll.!!At! night,!two!bandits!will!be!sleeping!in! this!room.! b. Willy!and!Wilbert’s!room:!Painted!a!light! blue!with!two!small!beds.!!The!furniture! in!this!room!has!been!pushed!to!the!side! to!make!way!for!two!bedrolls.!!At!night,! one!bandit,!will!be!sleeping!in!this!room.!! Sample filec. Aldo!and!Berry’s!room:!!This!room!is! ! painted!a!pleasant!yellow.!!Two!beds!and! The!Puddlefoot!cottage!is!carved!into!the! carved!wooden!toys!are!pushed!to!the! hillside.!It!is!very!spacious…for!.!!Any! corner,!making!room!for!two!bedrolls.!! character!over!7!feet!tall!will!be!at!disadvantage! One!bandit!is!sleeping!in!this!room.! while!fighting.!!In!addition,!attacks!made!with!a! d. Bell!and!Ponto’s!room:!!A!makeshift!bar! large!weapon!that!must!be!swung!(e.g.!glaive,! holds!this!door!closed!from!the!outside.! maul,!great!axe,!greatsword)!are!at! The!room!is!painted!a!light!rose!color.!! disadvantage.!!A!full_page!map!can!be!found!on! The!bandits!keep!the!Puddlefoot!family! page!10.! (Lilly!and!her!6!children)!secured!in!this! ! room.! 1. Porch.!!The!scout!stands!on!a!small!porch!in! ! front!of!a!round!door.!!The!door!is!flanked!on! 6. Theo!and!Lily’s!room:!!This!room!is!painted!a! the!west!by!a!small!round!window.! coral!color!and!holds!one!bed,!a!small!desk! 2. Mudroom.!!The!walls!of!this!room!are! and!two!small!rocking!chairs.!!One!wall!is! painted!a!light!yellow.!!Pegs!hold!Halfling_ painted!with!a!landscape!mural!of!rolling! sized!cloaks,!while!a!number!of!tiny!boots! hills.!The!furniture!has!been!pushed!to!the! are!lined!up!under!small!benches.! side!and!a!human_sized!bed!has!been!pulled! 3. This!storage!room!contains!crates!of!turnips,! into!the!room.!!At!night,!the!bandit!leader! potatoes,!carrots,!onions!and!grains.!!The!

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Beginnings… 3! (use!thug)!statistics!sleeps!in!this!room.!!A! information!that!she!needs.!Ian!was!tortured! few!crates!contain!the!bandits’!loot!and!a! to!death!and!the!leader!took!Ian’s!sword!and! sword!and!scabbard!sit!on!the!small!desk! scabbard.! (see!aftermath).!! ! ! 12. Back!entry.!A!stout!wooden!door!leads!out!to! 7. Workshop.!!This!room!contains!a!variety!of! the!Puddlefoot’s!farm!fields.!!A!thug!guards! tools!and!farm!implements!in!various!stages! the!rear!door.! of!repair.! ) ! Aftermath) 8. Creamery.!This!room!smells!of!aged!cheese.!! Room!6!contains!a!number!of!sacks!and!crates! Shelves!with!wrapped!hard!cheese!line!the! containing!2400!cp,!700!sp,!70!gp,!three!sacks!of! room.!!A!wooden!churn!sits!in!the!middle.!!It! spices!(25!gp!total),!multiple!bolts!of!fabric!(50! looks!like!the!bandits!have!plundered!many! gp),!and!a!crate!of!fur!rugs!(75!gp).! of!the!shelves.! ! ! If!interrogated,!any!bandit!will!be!able!to!say!that! 9. Excavation.!The!Puddlefoot!family!appears!to! someone!named!Shadowmantle!hired!them!to! be!adding!on!to!their!homestead!by!digging! intercept!the!caravan!and!kidnap!Ian!Swiftfoot.!! at!this!location.! The!goal!was!to!determine!what!information!he! 10. Dry!Storage.)Shelves!containing!dried!fruits,! had!about!the!Death!Curse.! herbs,!other!foodstuff,!and!linens!line!this! ! room.!!A!ladder!in!the!corner!leads!down!to! A!plain!shortsword!and!scabbard!is!also!found!in! the!cold!storage!room.!!The!bandits!have! room!6.!!The!scabbard!has!been!dismantled,! consumed!the!majority!of!stored!meat,!ale! revealing!a!letter!(Player!Handout:!The!Death! and!wine.! Curse!Letter,!page!11).! 11. Storage.!Scrap!wood!and!farming!supplies! ! are!stored!in!this!room.!!A!perception!(DC! The!characters!will!hopefully!return!to!Syndra! 10)!check!at!the!door!will!allow!a!character! Silvane!with!the!letter!and!news!of!Swiftfoot’s! to!hear!a!commotion!and!sharp!yipping! death.!!She!will!pay!them!each!50!gp!and!ask! noises!in!the!room.!!The!room!also!contains!a! them!for!additional!assistance!by!following!up! makeshift!cage!housing!a!male!Halfling!Sample on!the!information!in!the!letter…thus,!beginning!file (Theo)!and!the!abused!body!of!an!! the!Tomb&of&Annihilation!adventure.! matching!the!description!of!Ian!Swiftfoot.!! ! Three!!pups!(use!Giant)Badger! Experience) statistics)!are!wrestling!in!the!room.!!They! Defeating!the!bandits:!!900!xp! will!attack!anyone!entering!that!is!not!part!of! Story!Awards! the!bandit!group.!!The!owlbears!are!wearing! ! Rescuing!the!Puddlefoots:!150!xp! leather!harnesses.!!Three!thick!leather! ! Returning!the!letter!to!Syndra:!150!xp! leashes!and!gloves!are!thrown!on!a! ! workbench.! Note:&This&should&be&enough&experience&to&raise& ! the&characters&to&level&two.& If!the!characters!come!to!this!room!prior!to! ! clearing!the!main!living!areas,!Theo!will!be! ! worried!about!his!family!being!held!hostage! by!the!bandits.!!He!will!be!able!to!tell!them! that!seven!bandits!arrived!about!four!days! ago.!!At!one!point,!he!did!overhear!the!leader,! Shiv,!stating!that!someone!named! Shadowmantle!would!not!be!denied!the!

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Beginnings… 4! Port Nyanzaru If!the!characters!are!persuasive!(persuasion!DC! 12)!he!will!help!facilitate!obtaining!the!charter! The!characters!arrive!in!Port!Nyanzaru!with!a! and!pay!for!it.! mission!to!gain!an!audience!with!Wakanga! ! O’Tamu,!one!of!the!city’s!Merchant!Princes! On)the)Arcane)Archaeology)of)Chult) (Tomb!of!Annihilation,!Page!27).!!O’Tamu!is!well! This!waterlogged!journal!is!described!on!page!27! known!for!having!a!monopoly!on!magical!items! of!Tomb!of!Annihilation.!!The!player!handout!of! in!the!city.!!He!also!is!often!consulted!for!his! the!journal!is!available!on!page!12.!Wakanga! knowledge!of!lore.! hopes!that!the!journal!may!be!of!some!help!as! ! they!explore!Chult.!!Unfortunately,!only!a!few! It!will!take!the!characters!about!an!hour!of! entries!are!legible.!!He!is!able!to!show!them!on! waiting!to!meet!with!O’Tamu’s!assistant,!Haydra.!! the!map!where!the!journal!was!recovered!(Vorn! Haydra!is!a!dour!and!rail_thin!middle_aged! on!the!Chult!map!in!Tomb!of!Annihilation).! woman!with!a!severe!lack!of!humor.!!She!will! ! agree!to!schedule!an!audience!with!Master! O’Tamu!for!the!early!evening!in!three!days.!!If! the!characters!ask!her!for!advice!about!the!city,! she!will!state!that!she!is!not!their!concierge.!! However,!they!may!want!to!look!for!boarding!at! Kaya’s!House!of!Repose!near!the!Red!Bazaar.!! The!guard!that!escorts!them!out!of!the!villa! states!that!the!Thundering!Lizard!may!be!more! to!their!liking!and!tells!them!to!make!sure!that! they!do!not!miss!tomorrow’s!races.! ! The!characters!now!have!three!days!to!explore! the!city!! ! Audience)with)O’Tamu! When!it!is!time!for!the!audience,!O’Tamu!will!Sample file meet!them!in!a!grand!sitting!room!just!off!from! the!main!entryway.!!Magical!flames!light!the! ! room!and!soft!music!plays!in!the!background.! Legible!Entries! ! The!following!dozen!entries!describe!the! Wakanga!is!aware!of!the!Death!Curse!and!knows! exploration!of!the!journal’s!author.!!Some!of!the! that!it!is!also!occurring!in!Port!Nyanzaru.!!He!is! entries!refer!to!locations!in!Tomb!of!Annihilation! surprised!to!learn!that!it!may!have!its!origins!in! adventure.!!Others!refer!to!encounters!in!the! Chult.!!Wakanga!encourages!the!characters!to! next!section!of!this!module.! seek!out!the!Grandfather!Zitembe!at!the!Temple! ! of!Savras!(Tomb!of!Annihilation,!page!21).!!He! __! will!also!provide!them!with!the!waterlogged! ! journal!described!on!page!27!of!Tomb!of! I’m!not!sure!if!it!was!worth!it.!!We!discovered! Annihilation.!!The!contents!of!the!journal!are! interesting!carvings!of!the!story!of!Ubtao!and!the! described!below!and!in!the!player!handout!on! Night!Serpent!at!the!top!of!a!tall!rock!spire!today.!! page!12.!!Finally,!he!will!remind!the!characters! However,!we!lost!Tidani!when!she!fell!during!the! that!they!purchase!a!charter!of!exploration!from! ascent.!(Firefinger,!Tomb!of!Annihilation!page! the!flaming!fists.! 52)! ! !

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Beginnings… 5! We!came!across!an!ancient!bridge!spanning!a! I!am!really!disappointed!today.!!We!found!the! beautiful!gorge!this!morning.!!The!carvings!were! ziggurat!of!the!seer,!but!nothing!was!here! exquisite,!although!the!monkeys!were!quite! besides!tangles!of!thorns!and!snakes.!!Either!the! annoying.!(Ataaz!Muhahah,!Tomb!of!Annihilation! myth!isn’t!true,!or!we!missed!the!clues!to!find! page!41).! her.!(Orulunga,!Tomb!of!Annihilation!page!80)! ! ! I!lost!two!of!my!porters!today.!!It!looks!like! My!guide,!Debebe!says!he!heard!a!light!whistling! Raphe!and!Indul!were!possessed!by!the!Adze.!I! ahead.!!I!think!it!is!just!the!wind,!but!he!refuses! need!to!find!a!way!to!train!Vorn!to!be!more!alert! to!continue!on!the!path!that!we!are!following.!! for!those!bloodsucking!fireflies.!!(Adze!encounter,! He!looks!quite!concerned!and!agitated!as!he! page!7)! points!and!says!that!there!are!Biloko!ahead.!!I! ! want!to!explore,!but!he!refuses.!!Instead,!we!take! We!spent!a!couple!of!days!resting!at!the!ancient! a!round!about!path!that!adds!at!least!a!day!to!our! monastery!of!Kir!Sabal.!!With!the!exception!of!a! journey.!!(Biloko!encounter,!page!8)! couple!of!entitled!wards,!it!was!very!peaceful.! ! (Kir!Sabal,!Tomb!of!Annihilation!page!68)! I!was!shaking!with!excitement!today!!!It!has!been! ! quite!a!few!days!since!we!have!found!anything! We!were!pursued!through!the!night!by!undead! interesting.!!However,!shortly!after!setting!out! creatures.!!I!don’t!think!we!would!have!made!it!if! this!morning!we!literally!stumbled!across!a!field! not!for!my!guardian,!Vorn.! of!stelae.!!Most!of!the!waist_high!stones!are! ! tipped!over,!but!it!appears!to!be!a!major! We!passed!near!an!earth!mote!today,!flying!high! archaeological!find.!!The!stelae!are!carved!with! above!our!heads.!!It!is!such!a!supernatural!sight.!! beautiful!indigenous!symbology!of!local!flora! Oh,!how!I!wish!we!had!the!ability!to!join!the! and!insects.!!It!must!be!an!ancient!ritual!site!of! birds!roosting!on!the!rock!so!that!we!could! some!sort.!(Stelae!Field!encounter,!page!8)! explore!this!marvel.!!(Heart!of!Obtao,!Tomb!of! ! Annihilation!page!58)! I!am!really!starting!to!doubt!that!we!will!make!it.!! ! I!lost!the!few!remaining!members!of!my!team! While!trudging!through!this!marshy!basin,!we! over!the!last!two!weeks.!!My!insides!burn!with! made!a!wonderful!discovery.!!The!rumors!of!the!Sample the!disease!that!claimed!Kiisi,!Brehan!and!file Aldani!are!true!!!We!found!the!remains!of!a! Beselot.!!Tedros!and!Milya!were!taken!last!night! lobster_human!hybrid!in!the!mud.!!We!couldn’t! by!the!undead!that!roam!this!cursed!jungle.!!I’m! stay!long!as!it!appears!this!is!a!major!migratory! left!with!only!Vorn,!my!stalwart!companion.! pathway!for!giant!beasts.!(Aldani!Basin,!Tomb!of! (Vorn,!Tomb!of!Annihilation!page!83)! Annihilation!page!41)! ! ! It!has!been!two!weeks!of!difficult!marching! through!the!jungles.!!We!are!exhausted!and! decided!to!make!camp!near!a!bizarre!lake.!!The! lake!is!crusted!with!red!salt!crystals,!taking!the! appearance!of!crystalized!blood.!!The!water!is! almost!boiling!and!mineral!rich.!!The!calcified! birds!and!jaguar!in!the!area!are!a!bit!concerning,! but!the!mud!near!the!lake!seems!to!have! wonderful!restorative!properties.!(Lake!Gedeyon! encounter,!page!7)! ! !

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Beginnings… 6!