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.

Arrival in Port Nyanzaru and Pursuit into the Jungle

At the suggestion of Captain Bene, the group produced a sack and made a show of adding gold coins to it. Proffering the bulging sack to the dragon turtle, they dumped it overboard and watched as the giant creature submerged, with the Pink Pearl finally able to right its course to Port Nyanzaru.

At the city Captain Bene avoided the main harbor and entered the common docks in Tiryki Anchorage. After receiving payment from the company she stated that the Pink Pearl would likely be in port for several weeks. If they needed to travel to a location on the shores of Chult she was willing to offer them transportation for a modest fee while she secured enough cargo and crew to return to the mainland.

The group set out trying to find any news of the arrival of the Handmaiden and learned that the group of cultists arrived several days prior. During that time they were able to gather provisions for an expedition within the jungles. Interestingly the cult had gained the employment of a black market guide. All business and services were under the control of several merchant princes within Port Nyanzaru. Somehow the cultists managed to find and convince a non-guild guide to head their expedition. Following the same haunts that the cultists used through guile and a quick tongue, the group were able to secure the services of a pair of Tabaxi guides.

Going by River Mist and Flask of Wine, these independent guides knew the man hired by the cultists, and the likely region they would be heading. The area was known to have several ruins. They expected that a group of 40-50 men would be an easy trail if one knew the expected destination. The pair of cat humanoids made an offer for an equal share of treasure in exchange for guiding them through the jungles. The group decided it was a fair offer and accepted the contract.

The following day using canoes to skirt the shoreline, the group headed east and south entering a large river. Several days going up river, the group left the canoes and traveled east through swamps on foot. After nearly a week of travel the party found the trail of the cultists. The trail lead to a small set of ruins. There they made an arrangement to have River Mist and Flask of Wine wait nearby for several days until the company’s return.

The group entered the ruins and came across several cultists guards. They managed to take one prisoner that offered little information other than his comrades had entered the ancient complex several days ago. Both their leader, Frulam Mondath and Langdedrosa Cyanwrath were in a lead group that had been inside for most of the day. As the party explored further they came under ambush by guards several times, but found a path in the underground structure easy to follow. Ominously, they noticed some chambers had blood trails leading out towards the entrance. As if some cultists had met their demise and the corpses were disposed of nearby.

Steeling themselves they investigated further into the ancient ruins...

A Ship to Chult

The group was able to follow the trail of the cultists into the city. Some questioning of the locals and guards led them to the lower docks, as the cultists were apparently seeking passage on a ship. The main group of mercenaries accompanying the raiders sought drink and other forms of entertainment. The group gathered through conversation that the mercenary group was released from their contract, however they were not told of where their former employers were off too.

As some of the group sought more information on the final destination, others went to find any agents of the Order of the Gauntlet. Speaking with members of the order, the group spoke of their tale, the raid on Greenest, the ancient Tiamat temple and the kobolds they defeated, and the request from Ontharr Frume to find out more information. The Order of the Gauntlet agreed that discovering the final location of the cult and the baggage train of treasure was of importance. They asked the group to continue their mission and provided funds to help with any travel.

While this was happening the other members of the company were slipped a note from a street urchin. The parchment written in elvish had a brief message, ‘The Handmaiden to Chult. - Q.’ It seems as if Quel'thalas Silvermoon was able to continue his ruse of being a novice cultist and learned of the cult’s destination.

The group convened, making their way to the docks in haste, only to find that the ship had left. They decided to find their own passage to Chult and approached a Kellet Bene and her cutter, the Pink Pearl. She was willing to take them to Chult the following day. Her ship was a smaller craft and likely could catch up with the sluggish Handmaiden. She offered a fair price for passage but also made a stipulation that the party pay any taxes requested by the Chult harbormaster. The group agreed and spent a restless night preparing for their voyage.

Their two week voyage to Chult was not without incident. They were raided by sahuagin and further misfortune visited them. A brutal storm hit and Captain Bene felt it more prudent to alter course. Being a smaller ship compared to the Handmaiden, they likely could not traverse the pitched waves. Skirting the edge of the gale would mean added days to their journey, but they would not suffer the brunt of the storm.

Days later they made sight of the jungles of Chult. Miles of pristine beaches and thick carpets of green jungle forest lay before them. They saw mountains and fiery peaks jut from the deep canopies of rain forest, with the peaks slightly hidden from low rainclouds. Barely in the distance approaching the Bay of Chult they could make out Port Nyanzaru, with its array of brightly colored houses and twisting network of streets and alleys.

As the Pink Pearl sailed to the mouth of the bay the water churned. The ship pitched and rolled, buffeted by a monstrous dragon turtle that broke the water’s surface. Belching a cloud of steam the beast roared something in draconic over and over. Captain Bene leaned back against the ship’s wheel and waved her hand towards the beast. She offered a weary smile and said, ‘Time to pay the harbormaster’s tax.’