Nangnang is one of the nine trickster gods of ancient Omu, represented in legend and iconography as a grung (a frog-like humanoid). She embodies greed, selfishness, and cruelty, with a neutral evil alignment.
Role in the Legend
According to Omuan mythology, Nangnang was a crafty grung who stole a holy spear that the kamadan Shagambi had fashioned to lance evil from the Omuans’ hearts. Shagambi left the spear by the riverbank, and Nangnang took it. This theft enraged Shagambi, who forgot her original purpose and chased Nangnang forever across the sky. This rivalry defines their eternal opposition—Nangnang (NE) stands opposed to Shagambi (NG) in the cosmic order of the nine gods.
The legend teaches the Omuan principle that “Nangnang teaches us to serve only ourselves,” epitomizing selfish acquisition and hoarding.
Worship in Chult
Dungrunglung: King Groak, the gold grung ruler of Dungrunglung, is obsessed with summoning the goddess Nangnang. He has ordered his subjects to build a 60-foot-tall mud shrine where he plans to woo her, hoping she will bless him with “god-touched, royal Groaklings.” The grungs perform a Great Ritual intended to bring Nangnang forth, though the priest Krr’ook secretly fears it will fail. The ritual site becomes central to the characters’ potential involvement with Dungrunglung.
Omu: In the ruined city, a small colony of grungs led by Chief Yorb lives on rooftops around Nangnang’s shrine (area 18). They view it as holy ground, with Yorb and his elite guards defending it. Chief Yorb can recount the full legend of the nine trickster gods to characters who earn his trust.
Nangnang’s Shrine (Omu, Area 18)
The shrine is an arrowhead-shaped edifice rising from the swamp, adorned with monoliths featuring prancing frog-like figures. Inside, the Chamber of Greed (area 18B) contains illusory treasures—gold, pearls, ornate armor—all of which revert to worthless materials (tin, clay, rusty scrap) when removed from the shrine. The shrine’s puzzle door only opens for a creature carrying treasure from within, but only if no other creature in the shrine also carries such treasure—a test of Nangnang’s selfish nature.
The shrine contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods. Nangnang’s cube rests on a pedestal carved to resemble a squat, humanoid frog.
Nangnang’s Spirit
Within the Tomb of the Nine Gods (area 24), Nangnang’s spirit resides in a petrified grung egg that functions as a pearl of power. When attuned, it grants resistance to poison damage. The egg is cursed with an enchantment—the first creature to touch the urn containing Nangnang’s remains must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom save or be affected by Otto’s irresistible dance, taking 11 (2d10) psychic damage at the end of each turn.
When the spirit attempts to inhabit a character, a tendril of slime rises from the egg’s surface and transforms into a frog-like head, croaking “Nangnang will help you now” in the character’s mind.
Spirit Powers: A host inhabited by Nangnang’s spirit can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings while leaving their hands free, gaining a climbing speed equal to their walking speed.
Inherited Flaw: “I won’t share with others.” Throughout the tomb, Nangnang consistently advises her host to hoard treasure, make deals that benefit only themselves, grab valuables before others can, and act in purely selfish ways. She is described as “greedy,” “skittish,” and “cruel.”
Relationships
- Shagambi (eternal enemy): The kamadan whose spear Nangnang stole, representing the opposition between selfishness and virtue
- King Groak: The obsessed grung king who seeks to summon and woo her
- Chief Yorb: The gold grung chieftain who reveres her shrine in Omu
Puzzle Door Configuration
In the Tomb of the Nine Gods, Nangnang’s puzzle cube must be placed opposite Shagambi’s cube (NE opposed to NG) with Unkh in the middle position to open the first puzzle door.