Matthias would let Edrik do the talking for that encounter, feeling unsure and awkward at the situation.  As they walked toward the temple, Matthias couldn't help but mutter.  "Makes me wish I joined the dinosaur races..."

The Temple of Savras is one of the oldest, grandest buildings in the city. The tiled roof of its great dome resembles an unblinking eye, staring skyward. Upon entering the place, Rasp, Matthias, and Edrik see a hoary-headed Chultan man in the midst of a heated conversation with three men, each of whom is clad in studded leather and armed with a shortsword and crossbow. There is clearly a bit of tension in the air as the dialogue continues. 

You can see the old man shaking his head, and you overhear his words, "No, gentlemen, I cannot. Good day to you."

The three men seem inclined to argue the matter further until they become aware of your presence. Upon seeing you, they change their minds and depart with scowls on their faces.

The priest watches them leave and then turns to you. "Savras welcomes you. I am Grandfather Zitembe."

Edrik smiles as the older man introduces himself, "Thank you, I am Edrik Lutkeln.  We have come here hoping to speak to you, we have heard you are quite wise.  We are seeking an item - the Soulmonger - a cursed item which is somehow causing a disease to spread.  We were hoping you might have some insight as to where we might look for such a thing." 

Barkas turns to Eldeth and nods, "Two canoes, that sounds about right.  I wouldn't mind having along another healer either.  Undril.  Perhaps.  Let's mention it to the others and try to catch up with her later.  Do you wish to go ahead and purchase the canoes now?  Anything else you have found?"  Barkas adjusts his pack for Elonath and feeds him a date.  "Have you found the insect repellent?  I can put things in my bag you see, it holds more than you think!"

"Oh, you have a bag of holding!" Eldeth says. "My brother has one -- I tried to get him to give it to me, all he uses his for is to hold his cards for some stupid fighting card game he plays. I said he could just keep them in a regular bag, but nooo --" she stops herself from rambling on. "Um, but anyway, as I said, insect repellent and the like is over here. I don't have enough on my own for even one canoe, how much do you have?" She'll lead him over to where she found insect repellent and rain catchers, and they can help each other bargain for a good price on the last of the items the group needs to stock up on.

In the Temple of Savras...

Zitembe gives a slight tilt to his head, and quizzical look passes over his face. "I know of the curse, Edrik Lutkeln. A few friends I have lost to it. When you say the word soulmonger, you speak of something I have never heard. You believe such a thing is here in Chult. How can you know this?"

In the Red Bazaar...

Faloniir is weaving his way through the crowd, and, as he does so, he cannot disguise his satisfaction about being hired to be Gorumi's rider in today's race. Although his mind is focused on the future, he is able to recognize Barkas and Eldeth, who happen to be engaged in conversation with the seller of canoes. 

Faloniir will walk over to Barkus, Eldeth, and the canoe monger, "Hello you two, how's the procurement going?" He'll look over the canoes for a bit then turn to the seller, "Your canoes seem to be of fine quality. My friends and I will be embarking on an expedition into the depths of Chult and our very lives rest on the quality of the supplies we purchase. Before we go however... I will be racing in today's dinosaur race and I aim to win. Would you be interested in an endorsement from Faloniir and his mount, the triceratops Go-Go-Gorumi? There will be many eyes and ears in attendance, and every one could see and hear me extoll in the virtues of your canoes as I stand atop the podium in the winner's circle later today."

Faloniir is hoping to get a deal on any items that are purchased before the races, offering the same spiel to every merchant.

Barkas gives guidance to Faloniir’s efforts to sell himself, looking at him with awe and wonderment, going along with the act.

10 | 17 | 5 

 In the Red Bazaar...

Faloniir applies his charisma to the local vendors, hoping to save the party a bit of gold as they gather supplies for their imminent jungle adventure. The seller of canoes congratulates Faloniir on having the honor of competing in today's dinosaur race, but she stand firm on the price of the canoes. "Fifty gold per canoe, sir. I'm sure your race winnings will more than cover that, yes?" she says with a mischievous smile. 

Nearby, the vendor who is selling rain catchers is far more receptive to the party's offer. "No doubt, you'll need one for each member of your party. Six altogether, yes? Happy to sell six for the price of five. Five gold total then."

The tiny old Chultan woman selling the insect repellent--in both incense and salve form--is rather curt. "No dealing. A silver for the incense and one gold for the salve."

Edrik pauses as he is talking to Zitembe before replying. "It is a long story. Others did a large part of the work, but we were able to get a lich to share some information about this curse.  She connected it to an artifact called Soulmonger and had traced it to Chult but could not pinpoint it further.  We are here hoping to find it." 

Eldeth digs out her coinpurse. "How many containers of incense do we need?" she asks in dwarvish. "I'm not sure how long we'll be in the jungle. Do you think you could reverse-engineer it?" she asks Barkas, lowering her voice.

Barkas wants to err on the side of caution and buy extra, not sure how long they will be in the jungle.  “I could give it a try, but I’m not too confident about it.  I’m not used to Chult and the mammoth eating bugs they have down here, I think we should buy enough to handle us.”  He tries to sort out how much that would be.  He purchases a rain catcher and enough incense and salve for the group.  He pools his money together with Eldeth to purchase the two canoes as well.  

In the Red Bazaar...

"Enough salve for the group?" asks the vendor. "One container of the salve will see you through three or four weeks. Unless you'll be bathing every day. Don't bother with the incense if you're willing to rub the salve on yourself."

Barkas purchases six containers of salve repellent for a total of six gold pieces.

In the Temple of Savras...

Zitembe stands still and silent for a moment as he digests what Edrik has just said. Rasp, Matthias, and Edrik receive the impression that the old priest is studying them, trying to discern the veracity of the story about the lich and the Soulmonger. "A lich? You have spoken to one? And you believe her tale?"

The old priest then changes his tone. "Forgive me. I would do all within my power to root out this death curse, but I am perplexed to hear that its source might be here in Chult."

The now-armorless Rasp's back straightened as the looming Kenku watched the three harassers depart, uttering a warning as they left - "Showing ill-intent towards the spiritually inclined weighs on the soul. I advise you think again before repeating what you attempted." The cloaked Paladin's bleak eye contact didn't break until the three were sufficiently far away. Rasp held no respect for those willing to prey on the weak, and would take the steps necessary to ensure the temple wouldn't be bothered again. If necessary, Intimidation: 14. 

Rasp then turned towards the priest, setting his heavy armor down to the ground. Chult was far too hot for Rasp's liking. It's strange; the Kenku's frame is far more wiry than one would predict for a sword-wielding Paladin - yet Rasp's blade swung with ferocity clearly unexplained by the muscles on the Kenku's chest and arms. The black-feathered Kenku kneeled. "Grandfather Zitembe - I am Rasp. My pledge as a Paladin has been to eradicate traces of harmful curses. Any aid I can offer is yours - and any aid you can offer in my mission gratefully accepted." The Kenku rose. "As for your disbelief? The decision is in your hand." 

Wasting no time, Rasp perfectly imitated the voices of Syndra and Remallia and their conversation where they offered the quest. The Kenku's vocal chords seemed to echo the words with exact precision - as if the Kenku was borrowing words from their throats directly. After their mission was explained, Rasp shifted to a direct vocal transcript of the party's conversation with the Lich; presenting the words for Zitembe to judge himself. 

The Paladin leaned on his sword. "Perhaps that will change your mind, and I hope verification will allow you to fully invest your resources into our cause." 

Edrik nods to Rasp, appreciating the detailed replay of the past conversations.  He turns to Grandfather Zitembe, waiting in silence to hear what his response might be. 

"I mean, we had her dead-to-rights and she was desperate to live; I believe she told the truth.  We were already told there was a large body of undead on Chult so it seems like we're in the right spot."  Matthias would add-on to Rasps statements to the old priest.

After buying the incense and the rain catchers, Eldeth stops short at the canoes. "Where are we going to put these? Do we have somewhere to store them until we leave? Or can we pay for them now, but pick them up later?"

Barkas says “Let’s come back here and pick them up right before we are ready to go.  I don’t know that I can fit them in my bag, and we will need help carrying them.  Anything else we will need out in the jungle?” he asks out loud to himself, Eldeth, and the vendor, checking off an imaginary list on his fingers.  After the interaction, Barkas pulls out his star map to see if he can figure if it is time to begin their journey and head into the heart of Chult.

"The bug repellent and the rain catchers were what I was most interested in, aside from the canoes," Eldeth agrees. "There's lighter clothing, as well, but I think that's everyone for themselves. When, um, when is the dinosaur racing?"

In the Temple of Savras...

One of the three men departing the temple locks eyes with Rasp. His gaze suggests that he might be willing to cause a bit of trouble with Rasp if they were to encounter one another in the future. He a few disdainful words as he passes through the door and into the street. "Preachy little parrot, eh?"

The other two men emit a soft chuckle in response. 

Grandfather Zitembe, without so much as a blink of his eye, listens to Rasp's recounting of the events with Remallia and Syndra. His response is brief but not lacking substance. "This is curious. I must consult the guides. If you are able to return tomorrow at this time, then I would tell you of what I learn."

You understand that Zitembe's use of the word guides has nothing to do with those individuals who lead expeditions into the jungle...

In the Red Bazaar...

The canoe vendor assures Eldeth, Barkas, and Faloniir that their purchase will remain safe with her until they wish to pick them up. "Today, tomorrow, next week. It does not matter. These two canoes are yours, I assure you."

She then knots a strip of cloth around one of the seats in each canoe, indicating that they've been sold. 

Based on the information Faloniir received from Kahu and Teron, the races begin in a few hours.