Ran frowns at Hew's joke then smiles.

"I'll make sure to stay close to you," Ran says to Hew. "I'm sure the odor will help keep the beasts away."

He joins Danica for a drink but he only manages to choke down one mug of the Tej. He finds it far too sweet and seems to just make him thirstier. He stays with the group as long as they're up but switches to a couple of mugs of water. He retires to a private room again, watching the weight of the coins in his pouch get even lighter.

Come morning he hoists his gear and straps one of the tents to his pack. He stops when he sees Velan return with an owl perched on his shoulder. 

"That's new, right?" Ran says. "It's a beaut."

Then he finishes up with his gear and nods at the others, ready to go.

 [OK.  Players are on the honor system for any alcohol rolls.]

Yapa is gravely disappointed to learn Velan is following through on his idea to venture into the jungle.  He wishes you well and offers you a continued place at the Golden Macaw if you return from your adventure.

The seven of you depart the Thundering Lizard in the last hour before dawn.  Most of Port Nyanzaru is still asleep, though the merchant ward is never truly closed.  Already, shipments of dye and material are arriving at clothiers and seamstress shops in advance of the days work.  And from somewhere near the docks, you can hear a man exhorting a beast to 'move, move move!'

You pass through the westernmost gate, then pass the ziggurats of the Old City, then the town landfill.  Your last experience of Port Nyanzaru was the silhouette of the city wall and ziggurats against the pre-dawn glow of the eastern sky, and the smell of rotting fruit from the dump.  The light rain is just letting up as you lose sight of the city.

You have company for the first short stretch; a crew of gatherers and their spear-armed escorts are also on their way to harvest heart of palm.  The women in the group make small talk in the native tongue with Inete as you walk.  After half an hour, as the first rays of the sun are breaking over the horizon behind you, the gatherers peel off into a grove of palm trees and you continue the rest of the way alone.

The path - and it is a path here, worn down by both humanoid and dinosaur tracks - hugs close to the coast, sometimes meandering through patches of jungle and at other times following the treeline at the beech.  With morning light comes a cacophony of bird calls from the jungle.  At least, they sound like birds.  It may trouble some of you to consider that it may not be parrots and egrets making those noises, but strange and terrible beasts.

Ninlil circles high overhead.

Velan:

 The morning walk is... surprisingly uneventful.  A breeze occasionally comes in off the sea to break up the oppressive still air.  Even so, this being your first real, prolonged exertion since arriving in this jungle land, you are all feeling hot and tired from the long walk.  

The only scare comes shortly after Hew tells you that you are drawing close to Ataaz Itlan and the mouth of the Soshenstar.  You are all alarmed to see Ninlil wheel and drop sharply in the sky; the reason soon becoming clear.  Overhead you see a flock of 4 winged reptiles come into view.  One of them peels away from the others and pursues Ninlil.

It follows the barn owl down like a falcon chasing a dove, but is startled by your presence on the beach as it draws near.  With an indignant squawk, it turns sharply and laboriously flaps its wings to try to catch up with the rest of its wingmates.  For his part, Ninlil returns to Velan's shoulder for the moment, its owl face betraying no hint of concern or embarrassment.

"Pterosaurs," Hew notes.  "Not a problem for us.  See, they can't bite or chew.  They only hunt things small enough for them to swallow whole."

An hour later, you are standing at the edge of Ataaz Itlan.  It is a small village of less than 20 buildings surrounded by a short wooden wall.  Past the village, the coast curves south into the mouth of the River Soshenstar.  A number of small fishing boats are tied to the docks here, and more can be seen out on the sea.

"Catch a breather and refill your waterskins.  I'll make sure the canoes are ready," Hew says.  "Plan to be on the water a half hour from now."

At the sight of the pterosaur diving after Velan's owl, Ran had reached for his crossbow, but let it hang where it was when the reptile peeled away. The distance might have been too far anyway. He would need to keep his eye out for a decent bow. Crossbows were great in cities but he suspected they weren't going to be in one of those for awhile.

Ran drops his gear and drinks deeply as they refill the waterskins, drinking again and then topping them back up.

"The amount I've drank so far should have had me bursting," Ran says with a laugh. "But nothing. Just sweat."

At Mica's response, Danica would simply shake her head and say, "No need to buy one. I gave Hew enough to buy two tents just in case the weather gets truly awful. I prefer the same myself as well. I appreciate your willingness to help out. Don't have any problems with you making the Harvesting Kit yours." 

After making sure she paid the runner to send the letter to Prince O'Tamu and pay for another night of using the room, the elf began plying herself with Tej since it was the most recommended, not to mention cheapest. And get her drunk it did. She had just begun the fifth mug before realizing she should probably call it quite and ended up sipping it as she made her way to where she could see the stars. There was so much to be gleaned from them and yet it was so hard to read them at times. She would know more if she was more familiar with the ones in the area. As long as the jungle wasn't too dense, she might be able to map a bit at night during their travels. It was deep in the night by the time she finished her mug and realized that she needed to go inside to rest before their journey. Thankfully there were no more odd dreams or terrifying wakeups. Although the pounding in her head as the person knocking to wake her was rather scary in the light of the morning. Metaphorical light as it was still dark out. 

Washing up the best she could using the bedside wash basin, Danica made sure she had her hair up and out of the way before moving on to doing her usual checklist with a few recent additions. After making sure everything was accounted for, the sailor loaded up her pack and swung it over her shoulder with a grunt and realizing that the addition of the two tents was a bit too much for her. Taking out one with a sigh and having her shield in one hand, she carried out the other tent in her right hand before making her way out of her room. The elf's movements were stiff and her eyes squinting as she peered around for her companions and finding them easily. Blinking slowly at Velan's introduction to his familiar she said in a quiet voice astutely, "Owl." Though it might have just been heard as 'ow'. The bow was too adorable to be a regular owl, the thought passed through her pounding head. Magic. "Nice." Her expression was deadpan other than her squint. At least until she set eyes upon Inete who just looked so much more at peace compared to the previous day it couldn't help but soften up the alcohol soaked sailor, cracking a hint of a smile without saying a word. Standing between Mica and Ran she wordlessly held up the extra tent in a silent request that someone take it from her. Once it was, she would nod and then wince before trudging towards Hew as she gulped some water from her waterskin. 'Great idea Danica, let's get plastered the night before set off on your big quest. Real solid leadership qualities....' "Good to go." She told him in a quiet voice after doing a quick glance for a head count and confirming everyone was accounted for. 

It was odd not to feel any morning chill considering the sun wasn't even peaking out yet. The rain didn't help her headache but it didn't do anything compared to the occasional morning shouting of early workers. The otherwise quiet made them seem all the louder and the druid couldn't help but wince and groan occasionally. Once they were out of the city though it got a little better, even with the added presence of some Chultan women speaking with Inete. It was easy for her to tune out the foreign language but unfortunately not possible to do the same with the rays of light streaming from the sunrise. Even with the early morning light, she was still able to see the strange winged dinosaurs trying to pray on Velan's owl, though thankfully they weren't successful. "Hate to think of anything big enough to swallow a humanoid whole..." 

At the fishing village, Danica takes notes of all the different kinds of ships, boats and water vehicles, not hesitating to drain what she had in her waterskin before filling it and her backup, draining one into herself and filling it up again. The deep pounding in her head had been diluted to steady knocks but still unfortunately present. "Fairly sure my sweat's just sugar n alcohol at this point. Ugh." She glanced at Mica before pointing a finger and saying with no heat whatsoever, "I blame you. Made Tej seem so great. Shoulda known anything that tasted that good would come back to bite me in the arse." Gesturing to where they were getting their water from she encouraged, "Make sure to fill up yer second waterskins as well. We'll need every last drop." 

Meili woke up by herself feeling excited to begin the journey. Too much so for the proper appearance, and in need to calm down. Though the room did not have space even for the minimal kata, a few breathing exercises can be done in a closet if need to be, so she joined the group properly collected and calm. "Good morning," she traditionally lowered her head greeting everyone and after the light breakfast was ready to go.

She did not talk much during the morning walk either, measuring her breath and getting used to long walks in Chultian heat. The grand scenery of the waking up city and the green wall of jungle meeting the sea did not demand any commentary anyway, Meili was just quietly taking it all in - Chult was scary, yes, but magnificent nevertheless. The giant "swift" of the jungle held her attention and even draw out an "ah!" almost making her skip a breath when attacked cute little owl, but Hew's comment returned her thoughts to the book - did she see that creature there? Have to check at the first stop. Once the waterskins were filled up, she did just that (if Danica allowed to pick up the book). First animal in the wild! Even if not dangerous, it was worth knowing what to expect.

[So you want to adventure in the jungles of Chult?  Here are some basic rules to help you know what to expect!

• Stay hydrated!  Each day traveling, adventurers will need to consume at least 1 gallon of freshwater.  That is the equivalent of 2 full waterskins.  Anyone who doesn't drink at least that much, will need to make a CON save or gain 1 level of exhaustion.  The CON save is made with disadvantage if you are wearing heavy armor.  Today is a freebie... we will assume you've had enough and these skins you just filled can still be full tomorrow morning.
• Apply your bug repellant!  Make sure to note that you've applied it - each application of the salve is good for 24 hours.  Or you can light an incense stick and it will burn for 8 hours and protect a 20 ft radius.  We will be keeping track of supplies.
• Speaking of which... Keep track of your stuff.  I am making the 'canoe' characters in the campaign page.  You can stash extra or heavy gear there.  But... if you park the canoes and head off to explore, anything left in the canoes stays in the canoes.  If you want to bring something, be sure to add it back to your character sheet.
• While in the canoes, personal movement will be limited.  If combat occurs, moving around inside the canoe will trigger a DEX save to keep from falling (they are big canoes, but not meant for walking around or fighting inside of).  You can try to move the canoe itself, either toward shore or to try to evade dangers or to move your allies into better attack positions... doing so will involve using your action and making an Athletics check.
• Encounters can and will happen.  There will be certain narrative related encounters related to different locations.  DM will also be rolling for random encounters.  Random encounters will not necessarily be level-scaled appropriately.  There may - and likely will - be times, especially at early levels, where fighting is not a good idea.
• DM reserves the right to remember that he forgot additional tips later.

And don't forget to have fun out there! ]

After a few minutes, Hew returns to advise the canoes are ready.  He asks Ran and Mica for assistance loading some 5 gallon kegs into the canoes.  One is marked 'water' and the other three are marked 'Tej'.

"We are going to have to press hard this first leg.  Barring any misshaps or delays, we will be able to make the village of Waxan'abu before dark and have a safe spot to camp for the first night."  He suggests you decide how to split the group between the two canoes and get under way quickly.

Mica is up early in the hours before dawn, eager to finally leave this city.  He shoulders the tent Danica holds out, he will store it in the canoes once they get into the water.  He stays close to Hew during the walk to the headwaters, getting an idea of how Hew handles himself on the trail and starting to form a first impression of their guide.  He nods to Velan as Ninlil flies above them during the walk "Your new friend will make a fine guide to help us spot trouble ahead"

At the river, he makes sure his waterskins are topped off and helps Hew and Ran load the barrels and other supplies into the canoe.  Remembering Danica’s comment from this morning, he points at the barrels and chuckles “There is more Tej here than water, you will be all set, Cap’n”

He nods as Hew pushes them to get started.  He slathers on some insect repellent, they were bound to be worse out there on the river, and settles into a canoe.  The canoe groups don’t concern him too much, but he makes a point to get in a different canoe than Ran, just in case there is trouble.  He also sets his longbow and arrows in easy reach, just in case he needs to reach out and touch something from the middle of the river. He nods to Danica, ready to go “I hope you can pilot these on the river as well as your large ships on the open water.”

Ran helps with the loading of the canoes and looks more closely at the markings once Mica points out the disparity between water and tej.

"Hew," Ran calls over to the dwarf and gestures at the barrels marked tej, "you planning to have a few big ones on the turps? There's enough tej here to put a shipload of sailors under. Don't think we should swap some of this out for water, do you?"

"You can thank those kegs for the wall you'll be sleeping behind tonight," Hew says in response to Ran.  "It's not for us.  Its a gift for the village where we aim to stay."

Caine nods at Hew's explanation. Then he finishes loading up the canoes and gathers his gear. 

Taking his lead from Mica, he rubs in some of the insect repellent, takes another long drink of water before one last top up of the waterskins and then gets ready to push off in the second second canoe.

Seeing first Mica and then Ran begin applying the oily salve she mutters, "Shite..." Having forgotten to do so earlier and unshouldering her pack to extract her own gourd. It felt tackier than simple lotion or bees wax for ones lips. And had an odd odor to boot. But as long as it did it's job... The elf made sure to rub it between her palms to even it out before spreading it over her face, elongated ears, neck, chest where she could reach before moving onto her arms, elbows and any other exposed skin. It didn't feel pleasant, especially given the humid heat, but she imagined it felt a lot better than being swarmed by bugs. Wiping off any excess onto the thighs of her breeches, she stored away the gourd as Mica makes a comment about Tej to which she groans, her head giving a throb at the mere mention.

Rubbing her forehead, she then saw what he was speaking of and frowned in confusion until Hew explained. "I'll keep comments about Tej to m'self then." She grunted, definitely grateful for whatever protection they could get out here in the jungle. Sidling up to Hew she pulled out the map and gestured to the Soshenstar, "So how far 'long is this Waxan'abu village?" Whether her brows were pulled taught from headache or concentration was uncertain. Once marked on the map, she'd confer with the guide as to the assigning of canoes, stating her own knack for water crafts and agreeing with his suggestions.

Once that was settled she'd approach Meili and hold out Volo's Guide to Monsters to her. "Figure you seemed most interested so you should get first crack at it. Keep it safe. Or I'm sure Wakanga will give us an earful. Or worse, make us repay the fifty gold." 

Trying to stretch before they would have to settle into the canoes, Danica glanced at the blue hued man she was next to and asked, "I'm curious... What happens if someone...or something were to try'n eat yer Ninlil? He's magic, right? Just....poof?" 

"The village is a half day upriver.  We should make it with about an hour to spare before nightfall.  The next leg will be tougher.  It is two days between Waxan'abu and the Brave and Bold camp at the Bloody Beaches.  We'll have to make camp in the bush tomorrow night."

As you settle into the canoes, Inete looks over at Ninlil.  "My friend Jestos had an owl.  Not a conjuration... an actual owl he bought from the Red Bazaar.  There are several native varieties of owl, though they are seldom seen."

Hew also chimes in.  "My nephew Jaquemon did, too.  A devilkin, one of those little jobs with the feathers that made it look like it has horns."  He laughs and holds his index and small fingers up in front of his forehead to simulate little devil horns.  "What did he call that thing...".  He trails off, and the smile fades from his face.  He looks back to Velan.  "I meant to ask earlier, what control do you have over the beast, and how smart is it, eh?  Can you tell it exactly what to watch for?  Or does it just react to things an owl would find interesting or alarming?"  He scratches his beard.  "If it takes direction, tell it I want it to keep an eye out for crocodiles and large snakes.  One or two crocs, I don't care about.  But big groups of 'em, either on the beaches or in the water.  Also, anything it sees in the water - or on the shore -  that's as big or bigger than our canoes, I need to know about.  Can the bird do that?  Or am I wasting my breath?"

Following the group Velan immersed himself in the most absolute silence, trying to keen his mind to the environment. Remember the way there. It would certainly be useful to his work, provided he returned to the Port and still had some work. Here and there he drank of his waterskins and when Ninlil evaded the dinosaur he allowed himself a smile, equal parts relieved that she did not get hurt and entertained with the protests of the flying reptile. Good work, my dear. Always retreat in the face of danger. He said with the voice of his mind.

When they arrived at Ataaz Itlan he was happy to refill his water supply. He was pondering if their next stop could have some herbs of interest, the kind listened in Jessamine’s notes, when Danica asked him about the familiar. Hew did the same not much longer after. Even Inete commented on the fey.

“I cannot help but to imagine how hard it is to actually try to tame an actual beast.” He said to Inete, then Hew, half regretting not having attempted to make the owl have the appearance of a native species to Chult. Not that many people could tell the difference from the skies. “Ninlil is a fey and if she is fatally wounded she simply returns to the Feywild. There she will be unharmed, but I won’t be able to summon her unharmed, provided I have the material components of the spell, which I don’t have anymore, and burn them in a brass brazier which I wouldn’t count on finding anywhere in the jungle, so let’s that yes, she just poof.” And an expensive poof at that, he thought reminding the spent coin. Having answered Danica he turned his attention back to their guide. “She is bound to heed my every command so this should be no problem but just to be sure I will take to the skies myself. I can see and her through her, with her keen senses, by while I do so I can not hear of see through my own body. I can speak so by doing that I can warn us pretty fast about any danger. I just need someone to tap my arm or shoulder in case something demands my senses at the boat.”   

Ran spares a brief glance at the fey owl as the discussion centers around the bird but his real attention is on the canoes. When he helped load them, he couldn't help but notice how rocky they were. The more weight put in them seemed to settle them down and improve the balance a little but they still looked like they'd toss you into the water at a moment's notice.

Ran had collected debts and run to ground a number of sailors back home in Waterdeep, but despite that and despite growing up in the Dock Ward, the ship from Baldur's Gate to Chult had been Ran's first time in any kind of boat. Canoes looked like the kind of makeshift rafts kids would float down the gutters of the Dock Ward.

"So you know how to manage one of these?" Ran asks Danica keeping the unease out of his voice. "Do they tip easily?"

Once the canoes are loaded and everyone is in position, you set off.  You pass a fishing boat at the river mouth and the two fishermen look up from their nets and wave hello.  A third man in the boat doesn't acknowledge you; he holds a long spear, and his eyes remain alert to the waters around their little boat.

The canoes are long and wide, with three bench seats.  There is enough room for two to sit side by side on each bench, with room and straps fore and aft to hold gear and supplies.  Each canoe holds one of the little barrels at the front and back along with extra tents and other heavy gear.  You notice Hew has a distinct paddling style.  Absent an arm, he tucks the handle up under his chin with his head cocked sharply as he muscles the paddled through the water with his remaining arm.  It looks quite uncomfortable, but the sturdy dwarf makes no complaint.  The work is not terribly strenuous.  Hew sets a hard pace, but the current is slow here and the river is wide.  Getting a proper rhythm down takes some getting used to.  As most of you are inexperienced with canoes, there is a lot of drifting back and forth and unintentional turning as one person paddles a little harder or faster than another.  After a couple of hours, you have most of the kinks ironed out and you methodically work your way deeper into the jungle.

Velan:

 The further you get from the coast, the sounds of sea and surf fade and you start to get a better feel for the ambient sounds of the jungle.  Everywhere there are insects, and you pass many small clouds of flies or mosquites that buzz and hum but scatter as the noxious fumes of your repellant keep them at bay.  Larger insects like beetles occasionally take off from rocks or logs along the shoreline with a 'zip' sound reminiscent of a mage casting shocking grasp. 

 There are no large animals, though the reeds, grasses and palm trees along the riverbanks are thick and it is difficult to see much.  You do spot lots of turtles, big and small, sunning themselves on partially submerged trees and rocks.  And occasionally you are startled by shapes in the water along side your canoe; shadows twisting and moving away from your paddle.  Perhaps giant fish, or small crocodiles... or something else.

[Those of you whose hands have seen hard work or labor ease into the work without issue.  Those of you with unblemished or soft hands - leaving it up to you to decide/roleplay - quickly form blisters and then small bleeding sores on your thumbs and palms from gripping the paddles.  No mechanical impact - just painful and irritating.]

 Still, other than the oppressive heat and the strange looking trees and plants, this could be a canoe trip on any continental river.  Your journey is unmolested.  

 Until...

Velan:

 Ninlil turns and begins flying lower and back toward your canoes.  Pulling paddles out of the water, all your eyes begin to scan your surroundings for danger.  Then there is a crashing in the underbrush on the east bank of the river, and two creatures emerge.  They look a little something like a giant rat crossed with a pig.  Wach one is holding something that looks like a fat, disgusting white worm in its mouth.  They squeal around their meals and dive into the river and begin paddling across.  You quickly determine these creatures are not a threat - indeed they don't seem to be paying your boats any mind at all as they furiously swim.  But a loud droning sound soon fills your ears, and the motivation for the little mammals' flight is soon clear.

5 Giant Wasps burst out of the foliage, flying out over the river.  One of the Wasps continues to pursue the two paddling rat-creatures, but the other four react to your presence and swarm toward your canoes!  You are under attack!

Rolling Initiative...

• Wasps  7
• Danica  23
• Ran  3
• Velan  15
• Mica  21
• Meili  5
• Hew  18
• Inete  11

ROUND ONE

Initiative Order:

1. Wasps
2. Velan
3. Meili
4. Danica
5. Inete
6. Hew 
7. Mica
8. Ran

"Hells Bells!  Keep clear of their stingers!" Hew shouts, as if anyone didn't already know that.

One of the wasps flys overtop of the paddling larvae thieves and violently plunges its stinger downward into the water.  Attack: 8 Damage: 6

The next two Wasps approach Hew's canoe.  One hovers in front of the dwarf and tries to sting him.  Attack: 21 Damage: 4  On a hit, the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 12 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.

Another flies alongside Meili, zipping above the water and darting back and forth before trying to plunge its stinger into her side.  Attack: 11 Damage: 3   On a hit, the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 15 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.

The final two Wasps fly toward Danica's canoe.  One lands on the small barrel of Tej in front of her and then pauses... then it clutches the barrel and attempt to lift off with it.  Athletics: 9

The last wasp pulls alongside the other and then lands on Danica's shield, jabbing its abdomen at her in an attempt to find a soft spot to inject venom.  Attack: 16 Damage: 7   On a hit, the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 11 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.