Welcome to Chult¶

2023-Aug-12

As it is getting late into the evening, the party takes a chance to rest well before embarking on the next leg of their adventure
Kleb sleeps fitfully, dreaming of a pine forest in a cold land. He has made camp with his companions, and a chill breeze blows over them, waking the fighter from his sleep. It begins to cut Rulkorf and buffets Kleb, preventing him from aiding his friend. An ethereal figure in the wind plunges a clawed hand through Rulkorf’s chest before lunging at Kleb
- Kleb noticed that his companions looked slightly different in the dream, and it jumps to mind that their doppelgangers are out in the world somewhere
With Kleb having proposed that some entity may be coming after the doppelgangers, Rulkorf decides that it is in their best interest to be on the same page about his situation
He explains that the Mistcutter encountered an old crone of immense power and great hostility on an island, and she slew a number of his crewmates and cursed Rulkorf before he escaped. Whatever attacked him in Waterdeep is likely still on his tail, and traveling with the dwarf puts the others in danger. They have no problem with this, but are hopefully a little better prepared
The party receives a briefing on the situation in Chult
Due to malfeasance on the part of the natives over a century a while ago, the god Uptau abandoned his clerics and paladins, leading to the overrun and destruction of their civilization
Mezro is a ruin, Omu vanished and has yet to be found. Port Nyanzaru is the remaining seat of the developed area, and its walls keep the dangerous rainforest at bay (dinosaurs, undead, volcanoes, etc)
- The Yuan-ti, Aarakocra, Terrorfolk, and other exotic races also inhabit the area
Rowan moves his cart to long-term parking, Kleb takes the Bag of Holding back, and they all head to the teleportation circle
For the sake of being discreet, the teleport will take them inside the house of an ally (a merchant prince of Port Nyanzaru), and from there they will be ferried to the base of operations. They are told to only trust Pelenor, the Head Reader, and not to share their plans “just in case”
They are met at the villa by an ally named Thiel, who provides a map of the city and tells them to discreetly go to Kaya’s House of Repose. The adventurers’ story is that they arrived in the city this morning on a ship by the name of Dawn
The party departs and soon makes a quick detour into the Great Souk, at Rowan’s behest. The paladin is looking for gum arabic but ends up leaving with parachute pants as well
They reach Kaya’s without further complications and snoop around a bit. One room on the second floor contains some sort of magic-nullifying field, which is inhabited by Pel
The trio heckle Pel, like everyone else, so he quickly gives them the information they need
Merchant Prince O’tamu is sympathetic to the Harpers, and by extension the Avowed, but the other merchant princes should not be trusted
Hire a guide before venturing into the jungle, for your own safety
The Flaming Fist mercenary company is here to protect Baldur’s Gate’s interests and are contracted by the merchant princes to supplement the city watch
- Should be extra wary of the Red Wizards of Thay, who are a group of necromancers led by a lich, the Zentarum, Frost Giants who are hunting for someone with a Ring of Winter, the Order of the Gauntlet, a bunch of northern crusaders who are trying to clear out the undead from the jungle
A note from the past expeditionary group says “Come wash your beard” with a location of a tavern by the pier (the Anchor’s Rest in the Harbor Ward)
Kleb is designated the group’s comms officer and exchanges information with Pelenor so that their familiarity can enable future uses of Sending
Oh and by the way, the city has secret police. People have disappeared