Welcome to the Trickster Trials. Witness thrilling competitions, feats of daring-do, and the specter of past sins.

When last we left our heroes, they had priced out financing a proper jungle expedition and realized that they were ridiculously short of funds. They also literally bumped into that irascible rogue, Volothamp Geddarm, Volo for short. A potential alliance or more probable liability was formed with the oft-inebriated author. Then it was off to the races.

Previously, Martic had befriended a sponsor in the race and agreed to be his jockey for one of the dinosaurs. Despite the odds, and with a little (illegal) help from his friends, Martic and his mount, Numbskull, crossed the finish line first. Between payments, bonuses, and wagers placed, the party was up a few hundred in gold. Close, but still not enough to mount a jungle expedition. Tragically, a clash in play styles and several mistakes made by yours truly, has resulted in Jane leaving the campaign. She will be missed, but the show must go on.

Before the group can go running off into the jungle, several logistical things need to occur. First and foremost, the group needs to raise enough money to afford the equipment and supplies just to survive a week in the jungle. Knowing that the group would still be short of gold, I created a Chultan holiday that honored several minor gods and was celebrated with a weeklong competition offering several cash prizes. May I present the Trickster Trials.

The Trickster Gods are several spirits that reflect various aspects of life in the jungle. They play an important part later in the adventure, but are never mentioned until that part of the book. I wanted to introduce them earlier and build up to their importance. This was also a good way to introduce several other recurring NPCs, including several Merchant Princes (the leaders of this city) and a number of potential jungle guides whom are integral to this adventure.

The trickster gods are nine divine spirits, that are embodied by a token animal, reflect some aspect of jungle life and represent the nine alignments. Many believe that when the primal god of Chult, Ubtao, turned away from his people, then the people turned to these nine jungle spirits to guide their lives. However, these nine spirits never had the power or influence of gods, thus they are “tricksters” pretending to be something they’re not. Over time they have become revered like saints or apostles, not gods. Their presence has not been felt for some time now, but they are still honored with this festival. By the way, all this exposition came from the street urchin, Bucketboy, whom seems to know more than he should about such matters.

For those who care about such things, my Trickster Trials begin on the first day of Azul in my Chultan Calander. This corresponds to Tarsakh 1 in the Forgotten Realms and April Fool’s Day in the real world. A few days prior, when the group first arrived in Chult, they each signed up for several competitions being held in the coliseum as part of this festival. Everyone got to pick their top three challenges. Everyone except for Thames who was not present at the time. As a joke, the group signed him up for some random contests. The player, Wes, thought it was hilarious, but the character, Thames, was not amused.

The basic premise of the competition is pretty simple. Each challenge will test a particular skill or ability, hinting at a similar ability possessed by the totem animal. The challenge consists of three rounds increasing in difficulty, forcing each participant to pass a DC5, DC8, and DC12 skill check. Initially, I had more checks with higher difficulty, but it was nearly impossible to pass. Players who succeeded in all three rounds faced off against an NPC opponent. The victor of that contested skill challenge wins the event. The following chart lists each competition, spirit animal, and relevant skill.

Before we get to the Trials, our resident chef, Miche, had the idea to start a business venture during the games. This is step one of his master scheme to install Carlos, the NPC sailor/sidekick they rescued ages ago, as a new Merchant Prince of the city and use him as a political puppet. Miche, Roland, and Thames cooked up a plan to sell flavored popcorn to the crowd during the Trials. This would net them a little extra coin and kickstart their food truck empire. They were using wild corn, which they called Popped Maize. Coincidentally, the maze is the symbol of Ubtao, the god of Chult. I liked the synergy and it inspired me to use another oft-overlooked detail of this unique city. On to the games!

On day one, our heroes enter the coliseum to find that the entire arena has been transformed into a giant circular maze. Hundreds of banners and flags flap in the breeze depicting the various Trickster Gods, there are snakes and frogs, monkeys and cranes, horned rabbits, snails with enormous antennae, and even a big cat with snakes coming out of its shoulders. Thousands of Chultans have packed into the stadium to cheer on the competitors. Looking back at the maze, it paths toward an open area in the center where a large platform has been erected.

A large, robust, Chultan woman wearing tailored red robes steps onto the platform. The crowd begins to chant, “Ekene, Ekene, Ekene.” The charismatic woman raises her hand and the crowd goes silent. The woman speaks, “Yes, I am Ekene-Afa and it is my privilege and honor to welcome you all to the Sixth annual Trickster Trials!”

“As you all know, I spent my youth, performing in this very stadium for your entertainment. But now I stand before you as a Merchant Prince and a reminder that anyone, from any station, can become anything they want in this jewel of jungle, Port Nyanzaru, in our great and free land of Chult!” Once the cheering of the crowd subsided, Ekene-afa continued, “But you haven’t come to hear me ramble on. This week we celebrate the spirits that guide our lives while we await for Ubtao’s glorious return. Today’s trial is Moa’s Hunt.”

“Moa, the righteous Jaculi, teaches us to survive the dangers of the jungle by not being seen. Master of camouflage, Moa passes through the jungle without trace. And so shall today’s competitors. Each must navigate this monumental maze before you while avoiding the guards that patrols its paths. If you are seen, you are out. The first to reach this central platform shall be named Moa’s champion, receive her blessing, and be awarded fifty gold in prize money. Competitors, to your marks!”

Martic and Miche have the highest stealth scores and both signed up to compete in the event. They passed all their stealth checks and found themselves in a race with just one other opponent. A limber cat-man called the Tabaxi was all that stood before our heroes and victory. But the gods did not favor our heroes today, and the Tabaxi won the contested stealth check to claim first place. On the awards podium, the Tabaxi introduced himself as Flask of Wine. “You both hide well, very sneaky. But you will find none better than me and my sister to guide you in the jungle when caution is needed.”

The rest of the Trickster Trials continued in the same vein. The next day celebrated Shagambi’s Valor. “Honorable Shagambi the kamadan (the leopard with the snakes in her shoulders) is renown for her combat prowess. For when stealth fails, one must be prepared to fight.” This contest used a player’s to-hit modifier against each round’s DC, indicating a first strike on their opponent. Only Roland entered this contest, which ended in a showdown against a towering, muscular man named Shago. He was clearly a crowd favorite for the stadium shook with the chanting of his name. Shago proved to be the better combatant (his modifier was +7) and Roland had to settle for second place.

The Feats of Kubazan, honors the incredible strength of the Froghemoth, an enormous creature of legend. The contest featured a series of stone throwing events that tested each entrant’s raw strength score. Roland and Gwen (who is surprisingly strong) entered the competition which ended in a tug-of-war match against, you guessed it, Shago. Shago won again to the thunderous applause. So far, the group is 0 for 3.

Day four was Obo’laka’s Obsession. This is the only challenge that favors wizards to reflect the zorbo’s mystical nature and to acknowledge that magic is an ever-present and impartial force in the jungle as well. This is essentially a game of wizard’s tag using prestidigitation or similar cantrip to mark your opponent with glowing color, or sparks, or whatever. Each round requires an Arcana skill check to determine if you can recognize the spell being cast upon you, so you can either move out of range or cast it first. Thames was the only one who entered this contest. The finale came down to Thames going up against a masked wizard wearing blue robes. Thames beat the mystery mage and secured the group’s first win and 50 gold. The masked wizard congratulated Thames, “Well done, well done. I’ll be keeping my eye on you,” he said, and then vanished into thin air.

On day four, we discovered that towering wooden poles had been placed all about the course in a haphazard pattern. The is Unkh’s Contest. Unkh, the flail snail, is the personification of survival of the fittest and his iron clad constitution. Each contestant is suspended between two poles, holding on for dear life to ropes lashed to the poles. A straight Constitution check determined if you could hold on. Miche was the only one to enter and he did well. But not well enough to defeat a one-armed dwarf that held onto the ropes with his teeth! At the award ceremony, we learned his name is Hew Hackinstone.

Day five was I’jin’s Race. I’jin is the unpredictable and fabled almiraj. An almiraj looks like a rabbit but with a unicorn’s horn protruding from its head. To reflect his nimble nature, I’jin’s race will require the contestants to test their Acrobatics score as they jump from pole to pole (which are still in place from yesterday) toward the center platform. This was one of the joke contests that Thames was signed up for against his will, and he was eliminated quickly. But Martic and Gwen performed well, alongside a limber female Chultan named Azaka Stormfang who seemed to pounce from pole to pole. In the end, Gwen leaped to victory, netting the group another 50 in gold.

Papazotl’s Flight on Day 6 is the only challenge with a real-world counterpart. Papazotl’s totem animal is the eblis, a type a magical bird (crane). As the only trickster who can fly, our contest simulates that skill. Using the same poles, each contestant must use Insight or Perception to guess the proper amount of rope needed to bungee jump off the pole and not crash into the ground. Gwen, Martic, Miche and Thames all entered this test of wills. This was Thames contest to lose. And lose he did, to Miche, who through blind luck, plummeted 32 feet, 4 inches; just grazing the ground with his hand and grabbing another 50-gold prize.

The next Trial was Nangnang’s Ascent, named for the Grung, a race of devious, poisonous frog men. They are opportunistic and will grab at any advantage. Just as the players will have to do, as wooden boards of all shapes, sizes, and durability have been attached to the towering poles from the previous competitions. The racer will test their Athletics ability as they scurry among the handholds, climbing their way to the center platform. To the player’s chagrin, Shago was also entered in this event and he once again forced Roland to settle for second place.

The final competition of the festival was Wongo’s Daze. Wongo is the deranged and chaotic su-monster, a chimpanzee-like creature with a peculiar psychic ability. This event was unique in a number of ways. The event required no particular skill, thus hundreds of everyday Chultan villagers had signed up to compete. The entire coliseum had been cleared. All the competitors stood on one end of the stadium, while at the far end stood the finish line and a large imposing sculpture of Wongo. The statue slowly turned away from the crowd and the race was on! Suddenly, Wongo spun back to face the crowd and everyone froze in their tracks. That’s right kids, Wongo’s Daze is the Squid Games version of Red Light, Green Light.

The mechanics of the game were simple. I rolled a (d20 – 5) to determine the DC. The players rolled an ability check using their Initiative bonus to determine pass or fail. A Pass allowed the player to move their normal Speed rate. A player could choose to Dash, doubling their speed, but they had to roll the ability check with disadvantage. If a player failed, a blast of energy shot out of Wongo’s eyes, stunning the target and knocking them unconscious. Thankfully, machine guns had not been invented yet and this contest is non-lethal.

Round 1 saw dozens of contestants fail to freeze in time and were knocked out by the Wongo. The group recognized several other competitors in the race including Azaka Stormfang and Flask of Wine who had sprinted to an early lead, plus the one-armed dwarf, Hew, and Shago who were taking it slow and steady. As for the players, Gwen and Martic had also dashed and were tied for first. The rest were 30 feet behind.

In Round 2, they watched as Azaka stumbled and got knocked unconscious and out of the race. Both Gwen and Martic chose to move at their normal speed the next round, and it was a fatal mistake. Flask of Wine dashed every round, passed every check despite the disadvantage, and won the race (I really expected him to fail). Martic finished in second place, followed by Miche, since Gwen had been knocked out a mere 60 feet from the finish line.

At the closing ceremony, Ekene-afa congratulated all of the winners and the runner-ups for their magnificent display of athleticism and skill. The winners were presented with medals for their victory. The medals were bronze medallions etched with Ubtao’s maze and were, in fact, tokens of inspiration. Gwen, Miche, and Thames each received a token, plus the honor of hearing the crowd chant their names.

In addition, they netted the group another 150 gold, just shy of the minimum needed to mount a jungle expedition. I had expected them to win more competitions, but Shago proved to be unstoppable. Speaking of Shago, he took a liking to Roland and told him that if they ever needed a guide through the jungle then to look him up at Fort Belaurian. And with that, the Sixth Annual Trickster Trials came to a close. “Now go forth and enjoy all the food, drink, and merriment that Port Nyanzaru has to offer. And be sure to offer any of the great champions a free pint. They’ve earned it!”

The next few days were a blur and there was much inebriation as the whole town celebrated straight through the night and into the next day dedicated to Ubtao’s Glory. One last bit about the Trials. As I said, Miche and Roland had enacted a plan to sell their latest culinary treat, Popped Maize, to the crowd during the festival. Whoever wasn’t competing that day, would walk through the stadium hawking their product like any other vendor at a sporting event. “Popped Maize, here! Get your fresh Popped Maize! Get it while its hot!” Each day I rolled 4d10 to see how much money they made in silver each day. They ended up with almost 10 gold in profit.

But on Day 4 and again on Day 8, they ended up with something extra in their coin purse. They found a strange iron token that was not a standard silver piece. The iron token was embossed with the head of a three-horned dinosaur. A triceratops. The group had no idea what these coins meant. They thought they had inadvertently accepted the coins as payment for their Popped Maize. But they were wrong. Both days, I rolled a sleight of hand check against their passive perception. Someone (I don’t know exactly who yet) had slipped these tokens into their purse. They didn’t know it, but our heroes have run afoul of the Ytepka Society.

The Ytepka Society is an original faction unique to Chult. It is similar to the Harpers except that it only focuses on Chultan affairs and is even more secretive. Very little is written about them, presumably to allow the DM creative license to do whatever they want. Only one member is confirmed in the book, Zindar the harbormaster, but he does not advertise this fact.

The only other fact about this Society it that they use these iron tokens as warnings to those that displease them. Unfortunately, no message is attached to these warnings. It is up to the person who receives one, to figure out what they did wrong and how to fix it all on their own. This uncertainty can lead to all sorts of unintended consequences. Less scrupulous members use them to settle petty grievances, sadistic non-members use found tokens to instill fear in their perceived enemies, and then the recipient might “solve” the wrong problem, still leaving them in the crosshairs of the real Society.

My group had no idea what these tokens meant and Meepo had no clue either. They began showing them around to random people on the street. No one could shed any light on it until they came across one random food vendor, who demanded that the coin be removed from his sight. “Those things are cursed! You have been marked by the Ytepka Society. Until you fix whatever you did, you are doomed to misfortune. Now go away! We’re closed.” Great. So now what do we do?

Next week, our heroes wrap up their city adventures; gaining sponsors, hiring guides, and fending off the local mafia.

As always, get permission before you start a new business in a highly regimented society, and Game On!

Don’t forget to check out my Tomb of Annihilation Resources Page, filled with all the stuff I use to make this epic campaign even more epicier: My full Campaign Diary, plus Handouts, Maps, Charts, PDFs, Images, and more to use, abuse, or ignore at your peril.

And written specifically for this adventure, read my Explorer’s Guide to Chult to delve into all the legands, lore, history, religion, and culture that I used to bring even more life to this adventure.