Omu Palace II
Since the Regulators’ first encounter with Chultan undead, they had noticed a curiosity: roughly 2/3 of the undead had an inverted blue triangle tattoo branded on their forehead. In their discussions with Bag of Nails, they learned that this was the brand of Ras Nsi:
When Ras Nsi was cast out of Mezro by the other six barae for seeking bloody and violent revenge against the Eshowe tribe, they branded his forehead with the Chultan symbol of lawbreakers: an inverted blue triangle. Nsi, however, took this brand as a badge of honor. As he created his undead army, he similarly branded them. In his thinking, it would be fitting justice when the ‘lawbreakers’ were the saviors of Mezro from the taint of lesser humans.
During the Spellplague’s cataclysm, the leader of the largest yuan-ti tribe in Chult was killed. Ras Nsi, fleeing from defeat by Mezro, undertook a ritual to transform into a malison and usurped leadership of the tribe. Those yuan-ti that proved their loyalty to Nsi were similarly marked with the blue triangle.
Ras Nsi led his new yuan-ti tribe to Omu and slaughtered his ancient enemies, the Eshowe, that had taken the palace of the long-lost yuan-ti capital as their own. The yuan-ti that had allied with the Eshowe were offered the chance to renounce their former tribe and join Nsi. Once their loyalty was tested and proven, they too would receive the triangle brand.
…the two creatures rose from their beds of straw and converged on Thaminor. Leo‘s thorn whip held a broodguard back, while Molish and Pix stuck with their magic. While one managed to get a bite in between the knight’s armored scales, the monstrosities stood no match against the double threat of Thaminor’s flaming blade and Fell’s arrows.
Once in the room, Pix identified the fallen bodies as Broodguards—a servant caste of the yuan-ti, creatures of bestial intelligence and unsurpassed loyalty. Furthermore, the gnome wizard explained, the broodguard transformation (unlike the others the yuan-ti undergo) is never accepted willingly, due to the deleterious effects the process has on the subject’s intellect. Broodguard stock are typically drawn from prisoners of war, or as a punishment for crimes against the tribe.
In the back of the throne room, a giant nest laid on top of an ancient stone dais. Surrounded by enchanted rocks that radiated heat, the nest contained serpentine eggs. Each one had a blue triangle painted on the shell—the brand of Ras Nsi’s followers. Seeing this nest of evil, Shady systematically destroyed each egg before the party moved on.
Continuing to the northwest, the party found a hall adorned in ornate woodwork and a once-fabulous wooden dance floor. The room was now filled with crates and barrels of all sizes, filled with mundane goods and supplies.
Heading back out and to the south, the Regulators made their way cautiously upstairs to the second level. Turning to the left, and entering the first room on the left, Thaminor found a state room with a female malison (type 1)… the first one they had encountered that did not bare the blue triangle brand. When the yuan-ti rose to confront the elf, Thaminor rushed forward and grappled her, telling her that they need not come to blows.
Shady questioned the yuan-ti, who informed them that Ras Nsi was in the Night Fane, and that the temple could not be accessed from the palace. After the malison agreed to take them to the Fane entrance, the party left her state room and formed up around her. No sooner had they left, than the yuan-ti let out a shrill whistle! Muttering “I fucking knew it,” Fell stepped up and gagged her.
From the door to the north, a non-branded malison (type 2) stepped out into the hall, his ‘arms’ hissing at the intruders. Shady stepped up to him, ears low, and said “You don’t want to do that, just go back inside. She’s fine.” The guy looked confused for a moment, but then stepped back into his room, clearly intimidated.
Molish softly called out that there were more coming down the hall from the east. The Regulators, save Shady, ushered their captive back into her room, while the monk hid in the hallway’s shadows. Three triangle-branded malison walked down the hall, stopping outside the door concealing the party. The tabaxi overheated them saying that the whistle had sounded like ‘Tezsha’s war call,’ and one reached for the door handle.
Shady jumped out of the shadows, stealing their attention, and proceeded to lead them on a chase down the stairs and out of the palace. Thaminor confronted the yuan-ti about her alert whistle, reiterating that the Regulators did not intend to hurt her unless she gave them reason—they were here to defeat Ras Nsi and needed her help to get to him. While she agreed once more to lead them to the Night Fane’s entrance, they trusted her less and gagged her more tightly before heading out of the palace themselves.
Shady led his game of cat-and-snake a couple blocks south and turned to the east. As he turned around to face his pursuers, he saw one down in the road, three familiar arrows sticking out from its back. The tabaxi closed the distance and engaged one of the malisons with a flurry of furry blows. As he turned towards the final yuan-ti, Shady found once again that some arrows had beaten him to the mark. He saluted his thanks to the unseen Bag of Nails, and made his way back towards the palace.
Leo used his simul stone to inform Shady which direction they were heading as they made their way out into the streets, and the monk was able to catch up with them before they got too far. Tezsha led the Regulators west and south, until finally pointing out a building with smoke rising from a hole in the roof. Thaminor asked the yuan-ti if she would lead the way in, but she refused. “They wouldn’t even take the time to question me, you may as well just kill me now.” The party cut her loose, telling her to gather those allies that she could and be prepared to take back her tribe and city after the fall of Ras Nsi.
Shady scouted around the indicated building with the smoke, but found no other windows or ways in but the main door. He relayed such to the party, and positioned them in the brush outside, then made his way in. The three yuan-ti that sat around a small cooking fire rose to confront the monk as he entered. Noting Nsi’s blue triangle on their foreheads, Shady began combat and was joined by Fell and Thaminor a moment later.
The fight was over almost as soon as it began, and the Regulators found themselves looking down a hole in the floor of the building… a hole that supposedly led into the Night Fane…