the 500 gold allowed to be spent on magic items and equipment?
Equipment, sure. magic items, no.
Regarding Sparhawk, you recall hearing if how he took over as captain of a ship when its captain died. His crew recovered a frost giant skull in Chult and helped with its transportation to a museum.
Religion check to see if she knows of Gells deity:- 18
Many reptilian creatures are known to worship different aspects of the World Serpent, the lizardfolk commonly seeing the world serpent through Semuanya, whose symbol is a lizard egg.
I am slightly surprised Sparhawk knows Boccob, but adventurers learn all kinds of surprising things.>
Pointing at the map: "So, we are here at the port and headed to these mountains (southeast). I considered hiring a boat, but not sure its our best route. Do any of you know these lands enough to guide use there in the quickest amount of time?" (Cha!jil?)
"In addition, if we need some supplies, such as rations and such, there are plenty of vendors here. I also know a merchant that may be able to provide us with much better maps of our destination."
Just wanted to say Heloo and officially welcome everyone now that we're all in the chat and all tbe PCs have been introduced.
Shimson's PC, you may have noticed, is a bit of a hybrid PC/ NPC in that a lot of the background and things they canonically know in it story, having been making about Chult for some time previous, as have several others, but also connected to the outside world and able to move about relatively freely through society as a half-orc of some renown. The deep jungles and swamps of Chult are home to others. And at least one of you calls Oerth home. In each case, your knowledge of the relevant areas makes your PCs the authority on what exists there, so feel free to add in any lore or details and we can flesh out the world together.
Here, in Port Nyanzaru, Sparhawk has the inside scoop on much of how the city operates and what you can find and where to find it. If you need details or have questions about anything, feel free to ask in PMs or here, in one of these spoiler boxes - preferably the PM, but honestly I don't check these as often as I do the threads (I'm working on that).
About the magic items. I didn't design kr adapt these modular adventures, and the pre-made PCs they come with are setting one +1 weapon or item of equal rarity. That said, if we're doing g some overland travel and you want ro have somwthing foe that part, that gies away by the time you reach the caverns of Tsojcanth, I'm fine with that, because I would be creating and tuning the encounters en route. In-world, magic items are somewhat rare, as the name implies, making them suitable treasure worth riaking life and limb for, so even where you can find them in a market of exotic goods, they should be pretty ridiculously expensive. Of course that woukd still leave theft and crafting, each with its own potential pitfalls. The 5e rukes for these things range feom absent to weak/bad so it would be whatever I come up with. Little of the overland activities will matter to the adventure, unkess you donsomething of consequence I don't foresee, of course.
So, just say what you want to happen and we'll get to it. Thanks to everyone for playing and let's have a great adventure.
“maps would be a wise idea. I have some rations, as well as some means to produce food with magic. I do not know this world, aside from what I have read. But the wilderness seems similar to Oerth. Lead on to the merchants. What little gold I have to spend, you all are welcome to share it for needed goods or maps.”. She says.
Theres somwthing we havent mentioned yet, but yoi would all know if.
You're in Chult, and if you've been here for a while, you're obviously familiar with the historically endemic plague of undead, but more novel and troubling is the Death Curse. The 'normal' magical means of reviving someone struck down in their prime seem to have lost hold, here in Chult. This has been going on for weeks or longer (depending on who you ask) and what was once a handful if anecdotal accounts has spread to ears across the cities, outposts and remote villages that dot the continent. Virtually everyone, save perhaps the most recent arrivals, fresh from a long sea voyage, have heard of the Death Curse, but seldom do folk speak of it. Most who would know not of what they speak, and the prevailing view from the top down, that is the view taken by the majority of the Merchant Princes of Nyanzaru, is that misinformation is the greatest danger. As long as everyone knows they know nothing, they'll be more risk averse than the shrewd Princes could ever hope to make them with lies and exaggerations. At least, so goes the thinking among the city's rumor mill of idle chatterers, the middling sort of merchants, wealthy enough to have time to spare, but not so empowered as to believe they have a true insight into the true motives of the Port Nyanzaru's ruling elite. Thus, they relish in the speculation of such affairs, free from the care of being called upon to act in the interest of others, nor the worry of being swept up with the masses of destitute who will be first, as always, to meet any nastiness that shambles or bounds forth from the shadows beyond the treeline.
<So, you guys leaving the bar, heading to the city? Want to play through the city or fast forward it? If you ask around, even though the Barrier Peaks are a remote locale, you could potentially learn something about something.>
“Perhaps we can gather what supplies we might need for say a two week trip, then meet back here in a few hours?” Sparhawk suggests. “I’ll grab some maps, anyone wanna join me?”
“At that time, we can start our journey unless any have other business here or questions.”
Tess and Stormhawk pay their tab* and depart the Thundering Lizard, (possibly with the others in tow) and head to the Merchants ward, oast the many temples and in the shadow of the Merchant Prince's villas and Golden throne, itself. As they stroll through the grand souk, there is little doubt they can find all they need for their journey. It’s a noisy, jostling, aroma-rich circus. Guards are numerous, but less numerous than the urchins and pickpockets. Street performers and tabaxi minstrels add to the cacophony. Colorful awnings protect the market from sun and rain but also trap the heat and smells.
Traders from up and down the Sword Coast come to this market to buy timber, spices, medicines concocted from jungle plants, dinosaur skulls and claws, iron, tiger pelts, carved ivory, Batiri and grung handiwork, colored feathers, tropical fruit, monkeys, plesiosaur meat, and all the other riches of Chult.
One brick and mortar establishment, tucked behind the rows of stalls that litter the wide steel, displays in its windows some beautifully crafted maps. The ornately carved wooden sign above the lavish mahogany door reads "The Cartophile" in ornate script. Beneath these words, in smaller print letters: "prop. Anaxi Zephries"
*
Tej is an amber-colored, fermented drink made from honey. It’s more common and popular in Chult than beer or ale. A mug of tej costs 4 cp in Port Nyanzaru.
<Just to note: among mundane items for sale in Chult, one would count dinosaurs, flying snakes or flying monkeys. Prices are pretty reasonable.
Also, I changed my mind. The following magic items are available for purchase: >
Potion, common 80 gp
Potion, uncommon 300 gp
Spell scroll, 1st-level 100 gp
Spell scroll, 2nd-level 550 gp
+1 ammunition (per piece) 50 gp
+1 shield, wooden 450 gp
+1 dagger or +1 yklwa 500 gp
You'll have to deal with the appropriate merchant prince or try your luck on the black market for these items. And haggling is a thing, but it can backfire.
So if each of us has 500 or so gold, we have about 2000 total. Not sure we are friendly enough to share yet, but....
We need
Rations for 2 weeks x4 people, unless we have folks who can freely find food, purify water, etc.
Not sure if we want some healing potions, anti toxins, maybe a few spell scrolls, we don't have a few classes so maybe a few scrolls of useful scrolls would be helpful?
The area is a jungle and then could also be hot.
I think we can decide to fast play or moderately fast play getting to the site. I'm thinking we may want at least a few encounters to work out any kinks and build some camaraderie for the characters. Then we can speed it up if all agree.)
"Alright," Sparhawk rises to leave, taking Tess and any others who want to tag along.
"We are headed to a gnomish merchant and sage. His name is Anaxi Zephries. I have not spent much time in his shop but he is known to have a huge collection of maps, routes across planes, even knowledge of pocket dimensions." He tells Tess. "I believe we can get a map to our location at the Barrier Peaks, and we may even get lucky enough to find a make of Kwalish's original expedition there."
Cha!jil and her people have never had much use for maps, but she knows those she has guided in the past find them comforting so she's happy to accompany. She assures the captain she can get them there. As for Gells diety....it is one of the less destructive aspects of that great Wyrm....she will forbear...
The huge half-orc paladin seems reassured by Cha!jil, "Cha!jil, please join us. We may be able to obtain a map of parts of the inside to chambers, tunnel complexes and you can verify the best, fastest path to get to our destination. I am glad you have joined us."
The group heads to the map merchants shop (Gell can join us if he wishes and we'll grab gear along the way)
(OOC Anyone want any spell scrolls or potions, +1 shield, or mundane stuff?)
We can get two weeks of rations, water/ water purification stuff, fishing gear, traps if needed to catch food.
I'm thinking a speak with languages scroll, detect traps scroll, healing potions, could be helpful
<up to you, but you csn grab anything mundane from the market, no issues. For magic items you have to go to one of the Merchant Prince's villas (you're right between two of them, just in the valley between the hills on tip of whixh they're constructed). If you want to go get your map first, you can just walk in the door as you're already standing just outside the Carrophile's office. I'm just waiting on the players to act.>
Sparhawk says, lost in his own thoughts. “Anaxi? You here?” The captain walks in like a bull in a china shop. He seems uncomfortable with so many fragile documents about.
The well furnished shop is full of stately shelves, desks and sideboards. Walls lined with racks hold tube suitable for rolled maps. Maps are displayed on walls and unfinished maps sit at the center of workspaces, surrounded by notes, drafts and additional maps. A modron works at a short standing desk and a thickly-bearded teifling, dressed in a matched vest and trosuers of green trimmed with burgundy, his horns a riot of piercings adorned with coins, feathers and diamonds, stands behind the counter facing the door, reading a book. As you enter, he marks his page abd shuts it greeting you with a broad smile. "Good day, travellers, welcome to The Cartophile. I'm Garrett, is there anything I can help you with?" asks the teifling.
“Good day. We are interested in maps to and around the Barrier Peaks. I don’t suppose you have any copies of Kwalish’s expedition notes?”. Tess says, right to the point.
(OOC, Tess also has access to Teleportation Circle- she would like to learn the sigil sequence for a circle in town, if there is such available, for emergency travel return- ig available she will purchase the material components for the spell)
Equipment, sure. magic items, no.
Regarding Sparhawk, you recall hearing if how he took over as captain of a ship when its captain died. His crew recovered a frost giant skull in Chult and helped with its transportation to a museum.
Many reptilian creatures are known to worship different aspects of the World Serpent, the lizardfolk commonly seeing the world serpent through Semuanya, whose symbol is a lizard egg.
I am slightly surprised Sparhawk knows Boccob, but adventurers learn all kinds of surprising things.>
<Edited.>
Pointing at the map: "So, we are here at the port and headed to these mountains (southeast). I considered hiring a boat, but not sure its our best route. Do any of you know these lands enough to guide use there in the quickest amount of time?" (Cha!jil?)
"In addition, if we need some supplies, such as rations and such, there are plenty of vendors here. I also know a merchant that may be able to provide us with much better maps of our destination."
DMs note / welcome
Hello and welcome, everyone.
Just wanted to say Heloo and officially welcome everyone now that we're all in the chat and all tbe PCs have been introduced.
Shimson's PC, you may have noticed, is a bit of a hybrid PC/ NPC in that a lot of the background and things they canonically know in it story, having been making about Chult for some time previous, as have several others, but also connected to the outside world and able to move about relatively freely through society as a half-orc of some renown. The deep jungles and swamps of Chult are home to others. And at least one of you calls Oerth home. In each case, your knowledge of the relevant areas makes your PCs the authority on what exists there, so feel free to add in any lore or details and we can flesh out the world together.
Here, in Port Nyanzaru, Sparhawk has the inside scoop on much of how the city operates and what you can find and where to find it. If you need details or have questions about anything, feel free to ask in PMs or here, in one of these spoiler boxes - preferably the PM, but honestly I don't check these as often as I do the threads (I'm working on that).
About the magic items. I didn't design kr adapt these modular adventures, and the pre-made PCs they come with are setting one +1 weapon or item of equal rarity. That said, if we're doing g some overland travel and you want ro have somwthing foe that part, that gies away by the time you reach the caverns of Tsojcanth, I'm fine with that, because I would be creating and tuning the encounters en route. In-world, magic items are somewhat rare, as the name implies, making them suitable treasure worth riaking life and limb for, so even where you can find them in a market of exotic goods, they should be pretty ridiculously expensive. Of course that woukd still leave theft and crafting, each with its own potential pitfalls. The 5e rukes for these things range feom absent to weak/bad so it would be whatever I come up with. Little of the overland activities will matter to the adventure, unkess you donsomething of consequence I don't foresee, of course.
So, just say what you want to happen and we'll get to it. Thanks to everyone for playing and let's have a great adventure.
“maps would be a wise idea. I have some rations, as well as some means to produce food with magic. I do not know this world, aside from what I have read. But the wilderness seems similar to Oerth. Lead on to the merchants. What little gold I have to spend, you all are welcome to share it for needed goods or maps.”. She says.
Theres somwthing we havent mentioned yet, but yoi would all know if.
You're in Chult, and if you've been here for a while, you're obviously familiar with the historically endemic plague of undead, but more novel and troubling is the Death Curse. The 'normal' magical means of reviving someone struck down in their prime seem to have lost hold, here in Chult. This has been going on for weeks or longer (depending on who you ask) and what was once a handful if anecdotal accounts has spread to ears across the cities, outposts and remote villages that dot the continent. Virtually everyone, save perhaps the most recent arrivals, fresh from a long sea voyage, have heard of the Death Curse, but seldom do folk speak of it. Most who would know not of what they speak, and the prevailing view from the top down, that is the view taken by the majority of the Merchant Princes of Nyanzaru, is that misinformation is the greatest danger. As long as everyone knows they know nothing, they'll be more risk averse than the shrewd Princes could ever hope to make them with lies and exaggerations. At least, so goes the thinking among the city's rumor mill of idle chatterers, the middling sort of merchants, wealthy enough to have time to spare, but not so empowered as to believe they have a true insight into the true motives of the Port Nyanzaru's ruling elite. Thus, they relish in the speculation of such affairs, free from the care of being called upon to act in the interest of others, nor the worry of being swept up with the masses of destitute who will be first, as always, to meet any nastiness that shambles or bounds forth from the shadows beyond the treeline.
<So, you guys leaving the bar, heading to the city? Want to play through the city or fast forward it? If you ask around, even though the Barrier Peaks are a remote locale, you could potentially learn something about something.>
“Perhaps we can gather what supplies we might need for say a two week trip, then meet back here in a few hours?” Sparhawk suggests. “I’ll grab some maps, anyone wanna join me?”
“At that time, we can start our journey unless any have other business here or questions.”
“Ill join you to look at maps.” Tess says eagerly, standing and slinging her pack to one shoulder.
Tess and Stormhawk pay their tab* and depart the Thundering Lizard, (possibly with the others in tow) and head to the Merchants ward, oast the many temples and in the shadow of the Merchant Prince's villas and Golden throne, itself. As they stroll through the grand souk, there is little doubt they can find all they need for their journey. It’s a noisy, jostling, aroma-rich circus. Guards are numerous, but less numerous than the urchins and pickpockets. Street performers and tabaxi minstrels add to the cacophony. Colorful awnings protect the market from sun and rain but also trap the heat and smells.
Traders from up and down the Sword Coast come to this market to buy timber, spices, medicines concocted from jungle plants, dinosaur skulls and claws, iron, tiger pelts, carved ivory, Batiri and grung handiwork, colored feathers, tropical fruit, monkeys, plesiosaur meat, and all the other riches of Chult.
One brick and mortar establishment, tucked behind the rows of stalls that litter the wide steel, displays in its windows some beautifully crafted maps. The ornately carved wooden sign above the lavish mahogany door reads "The Cartophile" in ornate script. Beneath these words, in smaller print letters: "prop. Anaxi Zephries"
*
Tej is an amber-colored, fermented drink made from honey. It’s more common and popular in Chult than beer or ale. A mug of tej costs 4 cp in Port Nyanzaru.
<Just to note: among mundane items for sale in Chult, one would count dinosaurs, flying snakes or flying monkeys. Prices are pretty reasonable.
Also, I changed my mind. The following magic items are available for purchase: >
Potion, common 80 gp
Potion, uncommon 300 gp
Spell scroll, 1st-level 100 gp
Spell scroll, 2nd-level 550 gp
+1 ammunition (per piece) 50 gp
+1 shield, wooden 450 gp
+1 dagger or +1 yklwa 500 gp
You'll have to deal with the appropriate merchant prince or try your luck on the black market for these items. And haggling is a thing, but it can backfire.
(All out of character details:
So if each of us has 500 or so gold, we have about 2000 total. Not sure we are friendly enough to share yet, but....
We need
Rations for 2 weeks x4 people, unless we have folks who can freely find food, purify water, etc.
Not sure if we want some healing potions, anti toxins, maybe a few spell scrolls, we don't have a few classes so maybe a few scrolls of useful scrolls would be helpful?
The area is a jungle and then could also be hot.
I think we can decide to fast play or moderately fast play getting to the site. I'm thinking we may want at least a few encounters to work out any kinks and build some camaraderie for the characters. Then we can speed it up if all agree.)
"Alright," Sparhawk rises to leave, taking Tess and any others who want to tag along.
"We are headed to a gnomish merchant and sage. His name is Anaxi Zephries. I have not spent much time in his shop but he is known to have a huge collection of maps, routes across planes, even knowledge of pocket dimensions." He tells Tess. "I believe we can get a map to our location at the Barrier Peaks, and we may even get lucky enough to find a make of Kwalish's original expedition there."
(We head to the merchants map shop)
Cha!jil and her people have never had much use for maps, but she knows those she has guided in the past find them comforting so she's happy to accompany. She assures the captain she can get them there. As for Gells diety....it is one of the less destructive aspects of that great Wyrm....she will forbear...
The huge half-orc paladin seems reassured by Cha!jil, "Cha!jil, please join us. We may be able to obtain a map of parts of the inside to chambers, tunnel complexes and you can verify the best, fastest path to get to our destination. I am glad you have joined us."
The group heads to the map merchants shop (Gell can join us if he wishes and we'll grab gear along the way)
(OOC Anyone want any spell scrolls or potions, +1 shield, or mundane stuff?)
We can get two weeks of rations, water/ water purification stuff, fishing gear, traps if needed to catch food.
I'm thinking a speak with languages scroll, detect traps scroll, healing potions, could be helpful
(OOC dont have gold left for purchases. But Tess actually casts goodberry every day, so we should be OK on food).
<up to you, but you csn grab anything mundane from the market, no issues. For magic items you have to go to one of the Merchant Prince's villas (you're right between two of them, just in the valley between the hills on tip of whixh they're constructed). If you want to go get your map first, you can just walk in the door as you're already standing just outside the Carrophile's office. I'm just waiting on the players to act.>
“Ah, here is the map place I mentioned.”
Sparhawk says, lost in his own thoughts.
“Anaxi? You here?” The captain walks in like a bull in a china shop. He seems uncomfortable with so many fragile documents about.
The well furnished shop is full of stately shelves, desks and sideboards. Walls lined with racks hold tube suitable for rolled maps. Maps are displayed on walls and unfinished maps sit at the center of workspaces, surrounded by notes, drafts and additional maps. A modron works at a short standing desk and a thickly-bearded teifling, dressed in a matched vest and trosuers of green trimmed with burgundy, his horns a riot of piercings adorned with coins, feathers and diamonds, stands behind the counter facing the door, reading a book. As you enter, he marks his page abd shuts it greeting you with a broad smile. "Good day, travellers, welcome to The Cartophile. I'm Garrett, is there anything I can help you with?" asks the teifling.
“Good day. We are interested in maps to and around the Barrier Peaks. I don’t suppose you have any copies of Kwalish’s expedition notes?”. Tess says, right to the point.
(OOC, Tess also has access to Teleportation Circle- she would like to learn the sigil sequence for a circle in town, if there is such available, for emergency travel return- ig available she will purchase the material components for the spell)
( Cha!jil has 500 gp to spare......she doesn't really need it for anything....)