Ras Nsi's Lair

Shadows dance over this opulent bedchamber. Cushions lie in one corner, and decorative shields line the walls. Treasures are heaped around the room: gold and silver coins; a gilded harp; a jeweled wine flask; pillows of silk; and fine clothes draped over wooden mannequins. To the east, an engraved stone disk is set into the floor of an alcove. To the west, a rectangular steel plate mounted on the wall is polished to a mirror-like sheen.

At night, Ras Nsi rests here, weakened by the death curse that is slowly consuming him. If enemies corner Ras Nsi, shields leap from the walls to protect him (see “Flying Shields” below). During waking hours, Ras Nsi returns here only if he’s in danger.
If the characters defeat Ras Nsi and question him, he reveals the following information to save his skin:
Ras Nsi is slowly rotting to death. He doesn’t know the cause of his affliction and has no way to cure it. Before he dies, Ras Nsi wants to bring forth Dendar the Night Serpent and destroy the world. The yuan-ti believe there’s a locked gate somewhere under the Peaks of Flame that prevents the Dendar from entering the world. Acererak has promised to help Ras Nsi unlock the gate and bring forth the Night Serpent. In return, Ras Nsi defends the Tomb of the Nine Gods. Nine stone puzzle cubes are needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods. Ras Nsi doesn’t know how to use the cubes to unlock the tomb. The tomb entrance is marked with an obelisk. (Ras Nsi can provide directions and/or an escort.) Acererak slew the nine gods of Omu before enslaving the city’s inhabitants, which he used to build his tomb. Flying Shields As a bonus action, Ras Nsi can speak a command word (“Ssilum”) that causes five shields to fly off the walls and levitate around him. While they’re active, Ras Nsi gains a +10 bonus to his AC. If an attack that would normally hit Ras Nsi is blocked by the shields, one of the shields is struck and disabled as it falls to the floor, reducing Ras Nsi’s bonus to AC by 2. When there are no more active shields, the effect ends, and Ras Nsi can’t use this power again until he finishes a long rest. A detect magic or similar effect reveals an aura of transmutation magic around the shields. Only Ras Nsi can activate the shields, and the effect is confined to this room.
Teleporter
The engraved stone disk in the eastern alcove is one of Ras Nsi’s magic teleporters (see “Teleporters").

Treasure
Ras Nsi wields a flame tongue longsword and carries a sending stone. The companion stone is in Salida’s possession (see “Finding a Guide").
Ras Nsi’s lair contains treasures from distant lands. The collection includes a Sembian wine flask (50 gp), a bejeweled Amnian doublet with matching money pouch (75 gp), a fine Cormyrean cloak (100 gp), a gilded Moonshae harp (250 gp), and three large cushions covered in Turami silk (25 gp each). Hidden under one of the cushions is Ras Nsi’s leather-bound spellbook, which contains all the spells he has prepared. In addition, his hoard contains thirty 50 gp gemstones in a clay urn, 150 pp in an unlocked wooden chest, 350 gp and 900 sp scattered on the floor, and a froghemoth statuette made of painted wood with three amethyst gemstones for eyes (100 gp each).
Puzzle Cubes. If Ras Nsi has taken one or more puzzle cubes from the shrines of Omu, they can be found among the items in his hoard.
Navigation
The only exit out of this room is south though the secret door toward the Throne Room.