"No need for loans; silly of me," Sylvane remarks, pulling her own purse out of her robes. "I'd promised an upfront on expenses." She hands each of you a small pouch of 100GP each. 

It's at this point that the party splits to tackle Port Nyanzaru; Sylvane, Dughening, and Jorvik heading to the villa of the Merchant Prince Otamu, and Tulock heading to find Harbormaster Zindall. Zaza heads off toward the Old City.

 Otamu's villa is as described; it's brightly mosaiced edifice gleaming in the sun. Sylvane nods to the two guards who obviously recognize her, and performs what you can only assume is either a counterspell on the arcane lock on the door, a password, or both. You enter into a breezy tile courtyard complete with tropical plants and a splashing fountain. A harp, sitting in the corner, plays a soothing tune, its strings set to vibrate with no apparent source. The courtyard is illuminated by sockets in the walls containing continual magical flames. A pair of guards stand idly by, and a variety of armaments hover on the walls. Sylvane leads you past a lavish sitting room behind a trio of columns, through a grand hall flanked by two sweeping staircases that lead to the second floor, and into a large study with chairs, a desk covered in maps, and tall, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A man is seated on one of the chairs, peering at a journal on the table. His skin is dark and pallid, and he wears a finely embroidered blue robe and gold rings pierced into his ears and woven into his beard. (See next post) "Ah!" He exclaims delightedly as he turns to notice you. "My wonderful friend and collaborator, my warmest welcome! Come in, come in, you've arrived exactly when you said you would." He stands to embrace Sylvane. "And welcome, new friends as well! To whom have I the pleasure of showing Nyanzaru's hospitality?"

 It is a short turn from the wharf you teleported onto to the Harbormaster's office, and as Tulock approaches he sees it is a sturdy, if airy-looking building, with a bulletin board featuring a collection of guides advertising their services, which you may peruse at your leisure (see next post). Going in, the office is a hazard of strewn office supplies, furniture, and documents on the walls, that all start to achieve a loose sense of organization if you zone out just the right amount; but no Harbormaster. Upon exit from the office, you hear a loud argument coming from the nearby Warehouse District, a short way down the docks from where you are now. A trio of workers are shouting at a pair of sailors about something or another, and a tall, golden-scaled dragonborn steps in between the two groups. "Tiamat's wings, the lot of you better come to an accord and get back to work if you know what's good for you!" This does the trick, as it seems the men are all afraid of him, and they start sheepishly discussing under less audible terms while the dragonborn looks on with satisfaction before starting his way towards the office you stand out front of now.

 It's a bit of a walk to the Old City, and as Zaza makes his way through the streets of Port Nyanzaru he is treated to an immersion into the city's life. You pass by an opulent structure you can only assume seats local government and the Merchant Princes, and the Grand Soux, an enormous three-winged and open air market where you see stalls of gold, jewels, and jungle finery. Meandering a little east, you see a cozy-looking building off in the distance in the Market Ward with a sign depicting a happily sleeping moon, before arriving at the Old City. Three ancient, vine-covered ziggurats tower above this crumbling ward, and the whole district is a juxtaposition of ancient and decaying (but still seemingly occupied) stone structures interspersed with flimsy new huts and longhouses of bamboo and thatch. The road through the Old City splits around a rectangular, stone-lined pit 15 feet deep, 50 feet wide, and 200 feet long, and you hear raucous cheers from the crowd gathered around its edges, and yells and bestial grunts from within.

  Otamu

Guide Posters (Open in new tab to expand):

Zaza walks up behind a couple of the onlookers to get a better look at what is going on in the pit.

OOC - I figured that Sylvane already gave us the 100 gp each and Tulock is taking 50 from Dug and whatever everyone else gave him from that 100, so I have 60 extra gold so far (50 from Dug, 10 from Zaza.

IC - Tulock sees the Dragonborn take control of the situation and pegs him for Harbormaster Zindall and starts to make his way over. He uses his spear in one hand as a walking stick and then waves with his free hand with a smile at the Dragonborn as he approaches him. "Hail, Dragonborn, you must be Harbormaster Zindall. I am Tulock from the Swordcoast and was told you were the gentleman to speak to when it comes to hiring guides and other hirelings." Tulock then pats his coin purse and looks at Zindall.

Zaza, you make your way through the throng, the stench of the ward, mixed with the sweat and adrenaline of the crowd, are supplemented by a new smell: blood. As you approach the edge of the pit and look downwards, you see a pair of agile-looking bipedal dinos with wicked looking claws, and a group of unarmed people; one woman and three men. One of the men is screaming in pain and sporting a fresh slash wound down his torso while trying to evade one of the dinos, while the other engages the remainder of the prisoners. The crown screams bloodlust as the first man goes down. A chaotic and terrible scene ensues, and all but one of the captives are brutally cornered and slain. The last, however, manages a clever trick with a thrown rock, and manages to scramble up an exit at one far end of the pit. There, the bloodlust of the crowd is matched and surpassed with cheers of celebration and adulation. "Would you look at that," one nearby spectator remarks. "No one's won a pardon in over a tenday."

One man stands out from the crowd, looking distraught rather than celebratory, biting his nails and looking with despair at the next batch of captives being led to the edge of the pit.

((For future reference, go ahead and put any out of character text in parentheses. I'll be bolding all speech text and coloring it to identify characters, I suggest everyone do the same and pick a color specific to their PC)) 

"Aho there! You have me pegged correctly, Master...Tulock was it? Well met! If you're looking for a guide you've come to the right man, let me show you my postboard." He saunters up to you and clasps your free wrist in greeting, then leads you back to his office building. "What have you need of a guide for I ask? Incidentally, you said you were from the Sword Coast. Mayhaps you be an adventurer?"

Dughening says to Otamu, "My name is Dughening, sir. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I come here seeking knowledge, and I understand that you are renowned for your magic and lore."

Dughening, Otamu meets your gaze amicably with a wide grin, and for a brief moment you see his ostentatious, frankly slightly dandy-ish, countenance waver in its veracity as his eyes bore into yours with appraisal. The moment ends, and his loudly welcoming persona returns. "Ah, welcome Dughening, well met! Sylvane you've outdone yourself this time, I can see the arcane prowess in this one. Magic and lore; I am indeed. All such things in Port Nyanzaru go through me, and I have been collaborating with Sylvane an her contacts. I was just perusing through this wizard's journal that was brought to me out of the jungle many years ago." 

((Side note, how is Dughening pronounced? I've been flipping in my mind between DOOG-hen-ing and dug-HEN-ing))

((dug-HEN-ing, named after cheesy 70's magician Doug Henning))

"This journal came from within the jungle?" Dughening asks. "Might I take a look at it? Does it contain any information about what we might expect to find within? Or any information about this mysterious 'death curse' or the Soulmonger?"

Zaza shuffles his way through the crowd up to the distraught man, "Pardon, but it seems like you have some kind of stake in this er ah bloodgame? bloodbath? deathpit? pit of death?" he shakes his head before he starts to get too lost in his own trail of thoughts, "ah forgive me I don't mean to make light of it, I'd just like to know more of what is the purpose of all this.  It looks a little more involved that your regular old martial contest to the death."

At Otamu's Villa:

"Insight into the death curse no, I'm afraid," Otamu replies. "This journey was nigh on a decade ago; far before this curse emerged. As to what you might expect, absolutely, though it's difficult with his rambling writing to discern all the exact details of locations. He talks about his attempts to locate the Heart of Ubtao - Chultans say it is the very petrified heart of the god Ubtao - that I can pinpoint. On the way, he speaks of a tribe of Grung* somewhere in the jungles south he calls Dungrunglung, and a homeland of sorts of the Batiri Goblins, Yellyark, southeast near Camp Vengeance." He turns to Sylvane, "I told you about Camp Vengeance when last you were here, yes?" Sylvane nods, "Indeed you did, you mentioned there were Order of the Gauntlet knights who had to flee from their crusade and hole up in the forest." Otamu claps his hands in approval and grins. "Yes, and that hole is now a fort. Reinforcements are amassing there currently. This wizard speaks volumes of the concentrations of undead surrounding the Aldani Basin in the center of Chult; they've since spread nearly to Nyanzaru." Otamu gives Dughening and Jorvik a measured look. "You'd both consider yourself knowledged in the arcane, yes? If so there may be one other point of interest for you."

*Knowledge of Grung is fairly common, they are a race of froglike humanoids who live deep within forests and jungles and worship dark amphibious gods.

At the Old City:

Zaza, the man looks up with a start, giving you an up and down you're-not-from-around-here look. "Welcome to Executioner's Run," he says sardonically. "Where our City's justice"--he practically spits out the word--"is carried out. Condemned criminals, like the four we just watched, are thrown in and 'given their chance at freedom', which is the Merchant Princes' way of saying 'slain for sport and gambling'". His darkly humored face falls. "And next condemned includes my husband Draza. But he is innocent, I swear it! He was sentenced without proper trial, and they have they wrong man! I beg of you do something, anything, to help him escape. No one will listen to my pleas..."

Tulock spits when he hears mention of being an adventurer, his face contorting like he ate something sour. "I wouldn't have that word tattooed on my ass if you paid me a thousand gold pieces. Only fools and those who seek fame call themselves adventurers. No, my friend, I am a sane sellsword trying to make an honest living," he says as the two of them walk over towards the listing of guides. Tulock reaches into his soft pouch and hands Zindall a gold coin and then points at the posters of guides and says, "now, which one these would you hire if you wanted to go exploring this here island? And by exploring I mean bushwhacking into untravelled territories. Which two work best together and which two I shouldn't hire on as a team?"

Tulock, while waiting for Zindall's answer, asks some more questions that quickly pop in his noggin, "also, Zindell, what's the weather on this here island? I'm imagining it's pretty tropical. We should stock up on some tonics to avoid any tropical diseases. Can you point me in the direction of a good herbalist too? And what about some cheap hirelings, people who are happy to be paid a few silvers a day and a small cut of the action? We can always use people to tend the camp, carry goods, maybe a brave soul to carry a torch or lantern for us. And what animals do you recommend for beasts of burden?"

Zindall chuckles at Tulock's questions. "By my scales, noted. Not an adventurer but certainly as eager as one!" He gives you a friendly grin. "I respect your pragmatism, let me think." ((For ease, when he points to a picture I'll refer it by number, 1 - 8)) "Azaka (1) I'd trust to keep you safe in combat, though she has her own quest and may be aloof at the idea another guide. Eku (2) won't be much help in a fight but she knows the lands well and would be happy to work with another. Faroul and Gondolo (3) have all your needs covered, but they're the most expensive and I guarantee won't want another guide present. Hew Hackinstone (4) and Musharib (5) would likely happily work together, as each has somewhat aligned goals and are both fierce warriors in their own right. Qwasha (6) is a druid and knows the island extremely well, he may be open to another guide but will certainly want to focus on the undead. Flask of Wine and River Mist are a wily pair, cheap and effective but will want to work alone. Salida (8) is a tough one, I know her to be experienced and skill, but she'll take convincing to work with another. You could also certainly hire extra hands, and Prince Ifan Talro has numerous dinos of burden you could buy."

As to Chult itself, well let's just say we've fairer weather here in Port Nyanzaru. Tropical is right, more days rain than not, though usually a drizzle. Tonics, insect repellant, and herbal remedies are all within Princess Kwayothe's domain. She'd have more insight, but leeches, shivering sickness, and mad monkey fever all plague the island. Yours sounds like a good plan.

Dughening listens attentively to Otamu's story. "I am curious, indeed, about any other points of interest you have to share, but I am also intrigued by one anomalous detail. This death curse seems to affect those who have been raised from the dead... does it not affect the undead you speak of, as well? You say it has been a decade since the wizard noted the concentration of the undead in the Aldani Basin, so it seems unlikely that their life force is fueled by this recent death curse, and yet... it seems more than a coincidence that a region so afflicted by the undead should be the home to this curse. How long has it been since the undead became so prominent in this land?" Dughening sips his wine and watches the strangely mirthful Otamu with a scrutinizing eye.

Otamu chuckles, looking for all the world like a proud teacher beholding a student who just asked the perfect question to move class along. "Indeed, there is a discrepancy; those raised back to life seem afflicted while those animated to undeath are spared. I've not been able to fully puzzle this one, though maybe you've insight. Tis a cruel twist matter of fact, we could have used half the danger in Chult dropping...er...dead?" He flashes a cocky grin, before again giving a momentary lapse into a more serious countenance. "So you want to hear another story eh? One where there very fate of Chult hung in the balance? If not too bad, I'm telling it anyway. It is a story from the time of the Spellplague, before Chult was separated into an island." ((This is referenced only mildly in the module, but doing some cross checking this is actually a very relevant piece of history that many in Faerun know. Essentially there was an upheaval in the planes a little over a century ago, and there was a brief period where magic ceased to work and the lands themselves were reworked)) "There was once a great city within the heart of Chult, called Mezro. A paladin there, Ras Nsi, Chosen of Ubtao, betrayed his sacred oaths and was banished from the city. In wrath and vengeance, he amassed an army of undead to lay siege to the city. The story here is somewhat murky, but by most accounts Ras Nsi's assault failed, and the Spellplague destroyed the city of Mezro and Ras Nsi's powers over undead. Over a century later the remnants of his army still roam Chult. I know not whether it be coincidence that this land also houses the source of the Death Curse."

Approaching the seated Otamu, Jorvik reaches out his hand with a nod and says "Jorvik, pleasure to meet yah. This is quite a beautiful villa you have here, fits wonderfully with the aesthetic of city". 

As the conversation continues, Jorvik listens intently doing his best to follow the conversation. Putting together the pieces of Dughening logic, Jorvik pipes up "That is quite the coincidence. Was never much for book learning, but I think you're on to something Dughening. I'm of the opinion that coincidences are rare and far between - usually something goin on underneath we haven't quite seen yet. Seems like it might make sense for us to see if we can find this Mezro and say hello to a few of those Paladins at Camp Vengeance. They're sure to be self-righteous, but probably also seen a thing or two that could be helpful.". 

Tulock raises the eyebrow above his patched eye towards Zindall when the Harbormaster mentions the tropical diseases and then Tulock says, "mad monkey fever you say! Sounds like something I once had a lady of the night do to me after a successful raiding party," and then slaps Zindall on the back as he laughs at his own joke. After keeling over for a second he stands straight again like an officer would and says, "but all kidding aside, I thank you for the recommendations. Where can I find Salida and Eku? I'd like to talk to them. Also," he then gives Zindall three gold pieces and says, "one is extra for you to keep, but the other two are to be split between four hirelings that, relying on your judgement that I saw earlier, who are in need and looking for work. And if you don't come across any then keep the two gold pieces. Hard-working fellas like us deserve breaks like these."