D&D 5E Tomb of Annihilation Post-Mortem (Spoilers)

[Seramus]

In fact, as written one major Forgotten Realms lich is indeed very interested and has agents very actively doing exactly that.

This is just an aside, but I think Acererak was basically doomed to fail from the start. There are some really big names on the list of Liches who would not be happy with his plans, and some of them are very capable of beating Acererak if it came down to the wire. Being secretly guided to stop him by one of those liches is a great plot hook.

Similarly, since Acererak is doomed to failure from the start, I like to imagine the whole thing is a big diversion for something else Acererak is planning to do.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

"Incompetent" as not actually knowing the way to Omu or helping the party in accomplishing their mission at all. IIRC, there's one good-aligned guide who knows what she's doing who can actually help. There's another who knows what she's doing who wants to kill the party. The rest of them basically have no clue what's going on. Some of them have never even been in the jungle before.

If they knew the way to the Lost City, then it wouldn't be lost, would it? Clue's in the name. That doesn't make them incompetent, and most of them are capable of helping the party avoid jungle hazards and hinting at the right area to look. Or their agenda will cause them to lead the party to someone who does know. There is only one who is useless, and one actively malevolent, and there is plenty of opportunities for the PCs to suss them out.