A tenuous alliance, an ambush, a surprise attack, and entrance into the tomb

The company settled in early among the rubble of the ancient amphitheater. As promised, the Red Wizards of Thay entered the ruins at high noon, with Amaras inquiring what number of puzzle cubes the group had obtained. The group finally produced their bounty after some attempts of subterfuge, and the wizards began to discuss term on how the two parties might continue this joint expedition. Suddenly an arrow dug into the shield of a man-at-arms. Yuan-ti, led by Ras Nisi himself, flooded into the amphitheater.

Suspecting betrayal, Amaras yelled for his followers to attack everyone. The group found themselves beset at all sides in a wild melee. As expedition warriors and snakemen fell, a beastial roar was heard. Crashing out from the light brush an immense Tyrannosaurus entered into the fray, swallowing a screaming Amaras. The puzzle cubes fell to the ground in a leather pouch still clutched by his severed arm.

The immense beast tore into the party and Yuan-ti alike, eventually slaying all the cultists and Red Wizards, save one wizard which cast invisibility on herself and slipped away. With deft thinking and action, the company was able to slow the beast, grab the cubes and escape. However the terrible creature pursued them, pushing them north.

The adventurers were corralled to a small glade at the city’s edge, where suddenly the tremendous creature stopped, roared defiantly, and then retreated. The group took stock of their surroundings and realized they were at the tomb entrance. They suspected some great evil here make the beast uncomfortable, and it stalked off, away from these bleak surroundings.

Overcoming traps and puzzles the group was able to enter the tomb, only to have a door shut behind them, sealing them inside. With streams of light coming in from above the group carefully explored the entrance. Branching right, they found a large room with a narrow ledge and sections of stairs that led down into darkness. Briefly they were able to make out a strange, pale figure in a section below them. The dwarvish creature appeared to work some hidden mechanism, slip into an entrance that formed in the stone walls, and have it seal up after them.

Seeing this odd denizen and realizing that there were many approaches forward, the group decided to head back into the entrance hall and discuss the best way to further explore the Tomb of the Nine Gods.

A parley with the Red Wizards of Thay and another cube discovered.

The company set about exploring the city further encountering some of the foul undead within the lost city of Omu. While they continued their investigation they came across another group of adventurers led by a human wizard wearing a red robe. Flanked by almost a dozen men-at-arms, he introduced himself as Amarus and immediately recognized Orvex Ocrammas. Amaras asked Orvex what he was doing with this other company and Orvex summoned up what backbone he could, replying that he had found new employers that were exceedingly competent.

Amaras then queried the group if they were searching for the same puzzle cubes as himself. As if on cue another red-robed wizard leading group of warriors was spotted further down the street in an empty plaza. The party seeing the superior numbers decided to drop any subterfuge or threat of violence and said they were adventurers seeking entry into the Tomb of the Nine Gods.

Amaras made an offer of cooperation. In three days time they would meet north in the ruined amphitheater. Once there, both parties could combine their previous efforts securing the cubes and seek out the final tomb. The group agreed and parted ways.

The group found another temple and bypassed the traps inside to obtain a puzzle cube. They also came across another temple later in the day. Inside traps appeared sprung and pools of fresh blood were discovered, but no trace of a puzzle cube could be found. Uneventful days passed and the group set camp in the early evening. The following day at noon they would meet with the Red Wizards of Thay. They all sat by a small fire and began a council to make their plans how to conduct their business with the likely devious wizards.

Exploring Omu and some temples to the nine gods...

Orvex Ocrammas made an offer to the group. He would gladly help them explore the city and look for the old temples. He sheepishly requested they might offer him a fair share for his efforts, but was grateful for being saved and felt the knowledge gained from the expedition the highest reward.

The party spent the remaining day searching the city. Ominously they saw some script written in mud and charcoal on a building wall, “Q, beware of the fangs of Ras Nsi!” They explored further and came across a temple to Kubazan. Defeating the creature outside they overcame the traps inside and secured a puzzle cube. A simple stone cube engraved with the animal symbol of Kuzban. The cube itself was approximately 3” per side, and could easily fit in the palm of one’s hand.

That night as the group rested, they were attacked by Yuan-Ti. Slaying most of them, they managed to interrogate one of the foot soldiers. They got little useful information from the devoted cultist other than the general area where the Yuan-Ti were, and that Ras Nsi was their leader. Losing patience with the fanatic creature, Takari killed the fiend and the group moved camp.

The next day the group stumbled upon a large wheel with engravings on it, watched over by curious creatures. They had large white, expressionless faces and dark, gangly limbs, only a foot or so in height. The creatures made no sound but expressed some curiosity with the group, finally offering them a magical respite from the heat and humidity of the day. Orvex was rather excited, finding that the wheel was a primer of ancient Omu. Using parchment and charcoal, he captured the etchings on the stone wheel and saved the parchments in his scroll case. He claimed that this codex could allow even a novice to be able to interpret the ancient Omu language.

The group made their way through old buildings and found another abandoned campsite. Aside from rotten supplies and a crushed brass horn, the group found a note inside a leather scroll case. It was written by a Lord Brixton and described himself among a group of adventurers that called themselves the Yellow Banner. He claimed that the Tomb of the Nine Gods held great riches, including the famous Eye of Zaltec. This was a large jewel with a nefarious past, being used for sacrificial rituals.

The group explored the city further and came across another temple to the god, Shagambi, where they secured another puzzle cube. Weary from the trials of the temples and their efforts, they came across an abandoned camp. They discovered a scene much like where they rescued Orvex. Some human corpses and a crude funeral pyre of Yuan-Ti. Among the remains they discovered a journal that was half burned. Much of it was not legible but a few pages of flourished script of daily entries that described excursions into districts of the city, searching for temples. Underlined was a note stating ‘The puzzle boxes are needed to enter the tomb.’ Along with another stating that ‘The skeleton keys are required to final tomb.’ The script appeared familiar and looked as if penned by Quelthalas himself.

A fiend slain, a surprise ally, and Omu discovered

From the jungle crashed a young Tyrannosaurus rex which the company dispatched after a brutal fight. They continued their trek to an ancient village, slowly recovering from their wounds as they travelled. Eku led to them to the outskirts of a ruined village with a lone standing hut. She claimed she could not approach without the hag immediately recognizing her. It was best to have the party interact with the hag, where the monster would likely use guile and trickery to gain the group’s trust. That would be the best time to strike and once they called out, she would come to their aid.

They approached what seemed like an ancient, frail woman, but after a terse conversation its facade dropped and the green hag exposed itself. The company fought with the creature, calling out for Eku. What broke from the treeline instead of a Chultan woman was a large winged serpent with brilliantly colored wings. The hag screeched a command and an undead construct crawled up from the ground joining the battle in her aid. In the end the group eventually triumphed.

The couatl spoke with them, stating that she had taken the form of Chultan human for many years. She held hope she would eventually be able to avenge the poor denizens of the ancient village that were killed by the hag. True to her word, Eku would guide them to Omu for helping her rid the foul creature. Nursing a severe wound, the couatl led the company further east and south for nearly another week.

Omu was before them. Sunken in a deep depression, the group understood how it could be considered a hidden city, being nestled well under the surrounding rain forest. Eku stated she would care for the pack animals and give them a week. With no word from them after that period of time, she would journey back to Port Nyranzaru. The group agreed and made their way down a precarious set of stone stairs. Along the rising cliffs to the forest above the group noticed large, stone-winged figures that were perched every 100 yards or so on the sheer walls. Occasionally the group would get some unnerving feeling that some of the figures shifted in position slightly.

As the base of the stairs they found the sprawling lost city of Omu, the standing buildings of limestone were choked with vines, ferns, and verdant plant life. A semblance of stone paths and roads existed, but the flagstones were cracked and missing, bursting with thick grass and small trees. Wildlife buzzed about them, with clouds of insects, darting lizards, slithering snakes, and the occasional winged monkey and bird flying through the air. However it seemed as if there was a diminish in the number of creatures that one would typically see deep within the Chult jungles.

The group explored the ruins further and found a grisly discovery in a walled compound. Nearly thirty bodies were in what appeared the remnants of a camp. Most seemed to be mercenaries, but others were red robed men with shaved scalps and tattooed covered skin. In addition was a smoldering pile of bones. A glaive was thrust in the ground before the burned remains, and nearby a wall depicted a crude, ash drawing of a snake in a spiral with a circle in its jaws. Examining the burned remains they found unusual humanoid vertebrae and large snake skulls.

From a collapsed structure they heard a soft tapping. As the party approached and shifted some masonry, the tapping grew more frantic. Removing stones a human arm darted from underneath a pile of bricks and stones clasping the arm of one of the heroes. They dragged a human from the rubble and the emaciated man begged for some water.

Once sated some, the human man in his 50s told a brief summary of his recent events. His name was Orvex Ocrammas, a scholar from the mainland. His employers were the Red Wizards of Thay. For almost two weeks they were exploring the ruins of Omu. Several days ago the camp was attacked by yuan-ti. The building he hid in collapsed during the fight and he was buried in the rubble. The group knew there was more to his tale, but the near-death human practically collapsed at their feet in a heap of starving exhaustion.

Preparation, a Guide Secured, and an Expedition Started

The group set about preparing for the expedition. Based on what they learned from the tablets, likely a journey one way would be over a month. One critical task would be to find a guide. The party approached Prince Jobal, the merchant prince of guides and mercenaries, who stated flatly he would suggest some individuals, but they had to pay a hefty fee as a penalty for previously hiring guides that avoided paying tribute to him.

Redoubted some the group wrestled who would be a suitable guide and set about getting supplies and equipment. To help with carrying large amounts of supplies and rations, they purchased two triceratops. As they discussed who would serve as a useful guide among many potential candidates, in the end they were approached by Eku, a Chultan female that said she would pay the penalty fee to Jobal herself. She also said that she knew the location of the lost city, Omu. However she requested the party help her with a task first.

She demanded they help her extract revenge and kill a hag. Eku said that the evil fiend disguised herself as an old woman and resided in the remnants of a village deep within the Chult jungles. The company decided the opportunity to get a more direct route to Omu would be worth the side trip to slay the creature.

To quicken the journey, the party secured the services of Captain Kellet Bene and the Pink Pearl. The captain agreed that for a fair wage she would take the group along the southwest coast to the base of the Kobold Mountains. For the most part the trip was without incident. Yet near the last leg they were pursued by pirates and made the decision to lighten the ship’s load by discarding a sizable amount of rations. Their sacrifice for reducing weight worked and the Pink Pearl was easily able to outdistance her pursuers.

Over a week at sea, they disembarked from the ship and made their way over the Kobold Mountains. The jungles were had going, but they were able to make slow, steady progress to the village Eku wanted to visit. After setting camp one evening, in the quiet of the jungle night, the group heard distant, booming steps that seemed to be drawing closer to their direction...

Meeting a Merchant Prince, the Death Curse, and a New Patron

The party awoke and immediately began to work local contacts to determine who could help them decipher the stone tablets they obtained from their exploration of the ancient temple ruins. The company eventually was able to get an audience with Wakanga O'tamu, a merchant prince specializing in arcane goods and historical documents.

He was stumped on the language and symbols depicted on the stone tablets, but knew of a visitor to Port Nyanzaru that might be able to decipher them. He arranged the group to meet Syndra Silvane, a human woman that hailed from Neverwinter. In her dwelling they came across a strange figure, a woman clothed in opulent flowing robes with velvet gloves and a face covered with a silver mask.

She looked at the charcoal impression that the group had made of the tablets and stated flatly that she could interpret the engravings given enough time. Her curiosity was piqued however and wanted to know how they came about the ancient writings. The group offered the entire tale of their adventures from Terrelton to Chult.

Syndra came forth with her own secret. She, along with everyone in Faerûn, was suffering from a magical curse. No one could be resurrected from the dead and even more distressing to many former adventurers, if one had been resurrected in the past, they were slowly dying. Her affliction was as if the magics which brought her back to life were slowly fading. She said this Death Curse was known to many and her connections with the Harpers indicated that within the heart of Chult, an answer could be found. A necromancer artifact called the Soulmonger was likely the cause. It was rumored to lay within the ruins of a lost city called Omu deep within the jungles.

She along with many other foreign agents have hired groups of adventurers to discover and recover this magical artifact. She stated she could likely translate the tablets within a few days. She suggested that until then they learn of what happened to their old companion, Quel'thalas Silvermoon, and discover his activities and intentions.

The group arranged the tablets to be delivered to her domicile and began to seek out any information on the cultists and where Quel'thalas might be. They learned through rumors and talk from locals that a large expedition had left days ago, prior to their return from Chult. The warehouse which housed the ‘cargo’ from the Handmaiden was cleared out. A charming half-elf had arranged for a large retinue of men-at-arms, trackers, and hunters to accompany him south into the jungles with supplies that would last them well over a month. However, the party learned of an even more dark discovery found just a day prior to their return from the ruins.

A handful of outsiders dressed in garb like the cultist they pursued were found dead in a local brothel. Each one was dispatched with a dagger and had been dead for days. The adventurers pressed the local authorities for more information but found the response one of uninterest. The victims were outsiders, and religious zealots at that.

More importantly, word had come from the upper echelons of the local guard that proper ‘sanctions’ were obtained from Jessamine. She was the merchant prince that controlled the market for plants, alchemical reagents, poisons, and the like. She also was the figure to approach if seeking to commit murder. Such deeds are frowned upon, but could be done in a semi-legal manner by purchasing contracts from Jessamine offering protection from legal repercussions (although friends and family of the victim could in turn obtain their own sanction against the assassin).

The days determining what became of Quel'thalas and the Tiamat cult passed quickly and they gained word that Syndra wanted an audience with them. Once gathered she explained that the ruins they disovered were a temple to an old, primal god of Chult called Nangnang. Further the tablets described of the lost city Omu which was hidden beyond the Aldani Basin and west of Lake Luo. It was not a precise location but fortunately eliminated much of Chultan peninsula.

Syndra had asked of their old companion and listened intently. She noted a detail from their story within the old temple where they found the stone tablets, that some of them had been destroyed. She was certain that Frulam Mondath had been tasked with finding Omu and the Soulmonger. Very likely the planned ritual to raise Tiamat would be folly if the Death Curse was still in effect. Even more distressing, it appears that for whatever reason, their old friend Quel'thalas was in pursuit of the artifact himself.

Syndra immediately made a proposal to the group. Come under her employment to find and retrieve the Soulmonger. She promised each would be able to attain a magical item of their choice from her extensive wares if successful. She was also willing to pay a small retainer to help cover modest food and lodging while they began their preparations for the expedition. Further she would reimburse the company for needed supplies and equipment. She offered to do so in 200 gold piece installments. She recommended to drive good bargains. If they made a request for reimbursement well under 200 gold, they could keep the difference. The party accepted the offer and began to plan out their lengthy expedition.

Exploration, Melee, and Discovery of Temple to a Primal God

The company explored the subterranean ruins coming across a cultist rearguard of sorts. A heavy rope in a room led down to a lower chamber. The rope was threaded through a gaping maw of a stone figure. The visage of the ancient carved stone was that of some kind of lizard like creature.

The group offered parlay to a cultist that surrendered and another cultist that was charmed. They offered the cultists a chance to escape, brave the jungles back to civilization, and live if they gave up their faith to Tiamat. One of the cultists bitterly complained that their leader was blinded by a new recruit. The half-elf cult member had a strong knowledge of the arcane, and claimed that more resources were needed to translate stone tablets that were discovered deeper in the old temple. With his silver tongue he had managed to convince Frulam Mondath to allow him and a small team of cultists to return back to Port Nyanzaru for more supplies and references for translation. They had done so several days ago.

The adventurers slipped into the lower floor and burst open doors into a larger chamber. There they came across a pacing Langdedrosa Cyanwrath while Frulam Mondath poured over the contents of some stone tablets written in a long dead language. While the group fought them and cultist followers, stone guardians animated from columns in the temple and attacked all the interlopers. The group was finally victorious defeating all the cultists and stone creatures, and then explored the room further.

Three stone tablets were propped up on the lower chamber wall to the north with a few appearing to have been smashed. The upper walls of the room had ornate reliefs of some type of frog or lizard like being. One depicted the figure lounging on a throne atop a pyramid eating parts of sacrificed humans while other humans worshipped below it. The other relief showed the frog creature leading men into battle against other men. The northern relief stood out as a crude image of the creature, more simple than the other walls. The group found that behind it was a secret chamber filled with riches.

The company took what treasure they could carry, and also managed to haul out three of the tablets the cult leaders were investigating. A long week’s journey back to Port Nyanzaru was fortunately without incident. The group gave a promised share of treasure to their Tabaxi guides, River Mist and Flask of Wine and parted ways. A night’s rest was in order but the group was able to discover through conversation rumors of a half elf spending a horde of treasure to obtain men and supplies for an expedition in the jungle. They had left just a few days ago and the group wondered what (or whom) Quel'thalas Silvermoon was pursuing.