Ras Nsi is a yuan-ti malison and the primary antagonist who rules the yuan-ti of Omu from their underground temple, the Fane of the Night Serpent. He serves as both a guardian of the Tomb of the Nine Gods and a tragic figure slowly dying from the death curse he seeks to end.
Background and Transformation
Ras Nsi was originally a human paladin sworn to protect the holy city of Mezro. After betraying his oaths, he was banished and subsequently raised an undead army to conquer Mezro over a century ago. His forces consisted mainly of zombies and ghouls bearing his symbol—a small blue triangle tattooed on their foreheads. After his defeat, Mezro planeshifted away, and Ras Nsi lost his god-given powers to create and command undead.
Bitter over this loss, he forged an alliance with yuan-ti in Omu fifty years ago and underwent a ritual of transformation to become a yuan-ti malison. He then became their leader, imposing his will on the snake people and plotting to bring forth Dendar the Night Serpent to end the world.
Current Situation
Ras Nsi is afflicted by the death curse and weakening daily, though neither he nor his priests can determine the cause or cure. This vulnerability makes him desperate and more willing to negotiate with the party if they can convince him that Acererak’s Soulmonger is the source of his affliction. Above all else, Ras Nsi values his own life.
His power within the yuan-ti hierarchy is tenuous. Fenthaza, the temple’s high priest and nightmare speaker, actively plots against him. She resents his clinging to his humanity and believes her prophetic visions show he will bring ruin. Meanwhile, Ras Nsi has begun ceding power to his champion, Sekelok.
Pact with Acererak
Ras Nsi made a deal with the archlich Acererak: in exchange for defending the Tomb of the Nine Gods, Acererak promised to help him unlock a gate beneath the Peaks of Flame that prevents Dendar the Night Serpent from entering the world. Ras Nsi doesn’t realize Acererak is manipulating him—the Soulmonger is actually causing the death curse that’s killing him.
Role in the Adventure
Puzzle Cube Guardian: Once eight of the nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the tomb have been claimed, Ras Nsi steals the ninth cube and leaves an obvious trail to the Fane’s main entrance (area 20A), forcing the characters to infiltrate his temple.
Intelligence Network: He employs Salida, a yuan-ti pureblood spy disguised as a human guide in Port Nyanzaru, who communicates with him via sending stones to report on adventurers heading to Omu.
Potential Ally: If captured or cornered, Ras Nsi can be convinced to become a temporary ally. If the characters prove that Acererak’s Soulmonger causes the death curse, he’s willing to let them pass and even provide the remaining puzzle cubes needed to enter the tomb, though he won’t actively help (to avoid provoking a yuan-ti revolt).
Lair and Defenses
Ras Nsi divides his time between the throne room (area 11) during the day and his private lair (area 12) at night. He created five magical teleporters throughout the temple that allow him to move instantly between locations. His lair contains flying shields that activate on his command, granting him a +10 bonus to AC until they’re destroyed one by one.
Combat Statistics and Equipment
- Wields a flame tongue longsword
- Carries a sending stone (companion to Salida’s)
- Protected by his champion Sekelok, yuan-ti broodguards, and four ghouls bearing his triangle symbol
- Owns a spellbook containing all his prepared spells
- Can command a pet hydra that lairs in the temple’s underground river (area 21)
Legacy
The remnants of Ras Nsi’s undead army still roam the jungles of Chult as a blight, claiming hundreds of miles as their hunting ground. The Nsi Wastes—a poisoned region containing the ruins of his former palace built on giant undead turtles—serves as a grim monument to his failed conquest. Acererak later reinforced these undead with girallon zombies and tyrannosaurus zombies to discourage explorers from approaching Omu.
Key Relationships
- Fenthaza: His rival and second-in-command who plots his overthrow
- Sekelok: His loyal yuan-ti pureblood champion and bodyguard
- Salida: His spy in Port Nyanzaru
- Acererak: His manipulative patron who is unknowingly killing him
- Artus Cimber/Alisanda: His ancient enemies from the siege of Mezro
- Saja N’baza: The guardian naga who urges the party to kill him for his past atrocities
What Ras Nsi Knows
If interrogated, he can reveal:
- He’s dying from an unknown affliction (the death curse)
- His goal to unleash Dendar the Night Serpent
- His pact with Acererak to guard the Tomb of the Nine Gods
- Nine puzzle cubes unlock the tomb entrance
- The tomb entrance is marked by an obelisk
- Acererak killed the nine gods of Omu and enslaved the city’s inhabitants to build the tomb