Jovial Jungle Jaunt (ToA)

"Well, my friends, we are not leaving this island anytime soon. If you wish, we can explore a while and make camp within. It might be better, though, to make camp on the surface and prepare for a full investigation tomorrow. We have better visual of our surroundings here and know there is no immediate threat. The invulnerable dome cast earlier could be of great benefit as well."

"I am with Nenne. It's the best option and it has ourselves well rested for tomorrow's journey. I'll prepare a ritual now to make ourselves a hut."

After a bit if investigation to find some flat ground, Funderburk began the ritual to make the hut for himself and his friends. 

The bats take to the air, filtering out and away from the heart. A female elf comes up the staircase shortly after Funderburk begins his ritual. Her blonde hair and black robes whip in the wind as she surveys the scene before her. She seems surprised to find anyone up here and asks in common, "What are you doing out here?" Her eyes linger on each of you for a long moment as she awaits an answer.

"We're here on a sightseeing tour," says the gnome.  "They've recently started running them out of Port Nyanzaru.  Are you our guide?" 

"Yes... a tour..." Funderburk could only muster without swallowing nervously. He began figiting with his robes when he stood up. Once he did however, he decided to get as far away as he could from the elf, behind his friends. Then just watched silently. Trying not to embarrass himself even further.

The elven woman gives a surprised look at Boosey for half a second before scowling at him. Her scowl turns sour and she asks the gnome directly, "Does your tour also include falling out of the skies?"

Nenne shakes her head and greets the elf with a slight bow. "We were summoned here," she says. She motions to Sthara. "Our friend is a chosen of Ubtoa, and we believe the deity himself transported us here for answers. Apologies for any intrusion."

The elf's scowl is returned in kind.  "Yes it does.  I've already been able to have that experience before the rest of the group arrived, as I suspect you know already."  He looks the elf directly in the eye. "It would be unfair, I think, for me to enjoy that experience twice, wouldn't you agree?  I may have to put in a complaint to the tour operator, the welcome here has been somewhat less than warm." 

He sighs and continues in a slightly more conciliatory tone, "Getting dropped from a great height without a word of warning makes me a little tetchy I'm afraid.  Had you spoken to me at the time, our journey here may not have been necessary.  As it is..." and he gestures at the rest of the group, "we are here for better or for worse, looking for answers to this death curse that plagues Chult.  Can you help us?"

Allister leans to Boosey and whispers „Straight to the point, no beating around the bush. Not very bardic.“ He gives him a slab on the back and a wide grin.

The gnome mutters back, "This one might not give us time to beat around the bush.  The time for a silver tongue isn't now"

She turns up her nose at the name Ubtao and seems to pay the cleric no more attention after that. She continues to give Boosey a cold look and says dryly, "Perhaps next time you visit, you should use more reliable magic. I would have spoken with you if I had the time." She makes a disgusted look and waves a hand in front of her face. "If you wish to know more about the death curse we can talk inside. Otherwise, you are free to leave."

 "If you had the time?  Is that how you treat people you don't have time for, just drop them out the sky as if they were a stone being dropped over the side of a bridge?  It may have escaped your notice, but I'm not exactly built for flying."  He looks as if he's going to carry on, but seems to stop himself.  taking a few deep breaths again, he calms himself and gives the elf a deep bow.  "My apologies, mistress elf.  I am rather fraught at the moment and I am speaking without thinking.  I realise there was no harm intended, but it was an experience that...well...dropping from that height...." and he closes his eyes and shudders.

"I thank you for the offer to talk about this curse.  We," and he indicates the party "are determined to destroy it, but we have little information to go on.  Any help you can give us would help end this blight on Chult.  May I accompany you inside?"

„Just so we know who we are talking to, may we know your name? Mine is Allister Halving.“ Waiting a second for any reaction Allister alsointroduces the others.

To Boosey she says one final thing, "I did not drop you, nor did I expect you to fall as most creatures in the ethereal plane are unaffected by gravity's pull." She turns away from the gnome pointedly and answers Allister casually as she descends the staircase, "Valindra. Valindra Shadowmantle."

"Valindra, eh? Your initials – you are the one who wrote the letter to the pirate Worlo?" Sthara asks. 

„Well, look at us, finally meeting V.S. It was so nice of you to give the pendant WE used to this wretched piece of merrow shit Worlo, an utterly untrustworthy and despicable creature. Just in case you are wondering why he hasn’t shown up yet, he is still recovering from the loss of an arm. And his mind... let’s say he is still pissing his pants every night, thanks to us. Maybe in our conversation we can find out why you promised him wealth and power...“

As she disappears from sight she waves her hand dismissively in the air saying, "Pirates die all the time. What do I care if another goes into the night? I wrote that letter."

As Boosey follows the elf down the steps, he's muttering and chuntering something under his breath, (that might sound like "Bloody Elf", if anyone is paying attention),before saying incredulously, "You wrote the letter to Worlo?  You must've been expecting that someone would come here then, telling him that he would meet another that would help with the curse."

Sthara will follow behind Boosey and Valindra.

"Then I am who you were looking for – Sthara Izhsoan, yuan-ti sorceress, chosen of Ubtao. I've come to the Heart, as the letter had said to do. And I do wish to know more of this Death Curse." She stops suddenly and holds Boosey back before they enter the cave. "But before we join you here, can you tell us more about yourself? We have encountered some very untruthful and scheming individuals along our path to this stone. Where are you from? What is your interest in the Curse? How did you know to seek me?" 

@DM:

At Sthara's words, Valindra stops just before going inside the cave entrance, which is a natural looking cave. A stream of water flows out of the sloped cave entrance, turning into mist as it falls from the heart. She turns a look back to the sorceress and for a moment it looks as if she might just ignore her and go inside. She gives a mirthless smile and says, "I am a liar and not to be trusted. I have my own plans that I have no doubt are quite different from your own. I only sought you out because of your interest in the Death Curse. You and your lives are unimportant to me. But - I know where the Soulmonger is and how to find it." With that she heads inside, ducking under the vine draped entryway.