Session 8

Day 13 began deep in the jungles of Chult along with the constant rain, humidity, and bugs.  Having just crossed the gorge over the River Tath, the party headed due south intending to see the crashed airship.  The party came across a gruesome destroyed campsite.  Lots of blood and two bodies mutilated with limbs cut off.  Group members discovered it was the work of frost giants looking for the ring of winter.  The party made the decision not to follow them but keep on south.

Overnight more antics occurred with "Mike's" next victim was Cogar...the wrong one to mess with his belongings.  Busted again, the parrot was shot at and fortunately the arrow missed allowing the little fucker to yet live another day.  A deep distrust developing. 

The magic of Lehman's Tiny hut once again became an invaluable resource utility saving the party from a huge constrictor snake. 

Arrival at the wreckage site was indeed a site.  The airship trapped some fifty to seventy five up in the trees made it challenge to deal with.  "A wooden vessel is caught high in the tree branches, broken into three chunks. It resembles a ship, but there are differences that mark it clearly as not a seagoing vessel. The stern is the lowest piece, hanging precariously by its rigging about 50 feet above ground. The middle section appears to be 15 feet higher, and the bow section is firmly wedged into a nest of branches another 10 feet above that.  A weak voice calls out, “Hallo, on the ground. Can you help us?” 

Arlen immediately took action and climbed up the vines only slipping once making it look very natural.  At the top he met with several of the exhausted crew members who had been trapped for three months.  Suddenly, three girallons zombies swung from vine to vine towards the rogue with matched skill to his own.  In danger Arlen tried to protect the others only to be knocked out the claws and bites of the girallons.  Eku flew up to assist.

Meanwhile on the ground, the rest of the party had their own issues to deal with...a pack of ghouls. Karn climbed up and assisted the wreckage victims trying to get them out of harms way.  Cogar placed the three in darkness and cold slowing them down a bit.  The rest of the party dealt with the danger of being paralyzed by the ghouls eventually killing them off.  Later the three girallons made it to the ground to be quickly taken down.

Party issues reared their ugly head as to what to do with the wreckage victims.  A heated debate ended in Azaka agreeing to lead them back to safety, leaving the party with Eku as their sole guide.  Arlen was quoted to have lost respect for Johfra, but the party moved on.

On to Omu....or almost.  The group encountered a dilapidated overgrown hanging garden.

"A fantastic edifice rises up out of the jungle: a hanging garden of exotic beauty. Water streams down the steps between two massive elephant carvings. Beyond them, a broad, flooded avenue runs arrow-straight for more than a hundred feet before ending at a carving of a tyrannosaurus face. Water pours from the tyrannosaurus’s jaws and flows the length of the concourse to drain down the steps in front of you. Five-foot-high terraces flank the boulevard. Low archways—three on each side—are built into the terrace walls. These archways are in various stages of collapse, as are the tunnels beyond them. Beautifully carved, larger-than-life stone faces are mounted between the arches.

A wild profusion of plants grows on the upper terraces, and multicolored parrots and canaries flit and sing among them. To the north, a dilapidated brick dome rises above the tyrannosaurus-head waterspout. Smaller, bell-shaped domes surmount the highest terraces to your left and right."

After crossing the river full of crocs, an intrigued party decided to explore the garden so strangely out of place and random.  Discoveries of plants even some easily defeated "flower zombies" were dealt with easily.  Lots of clues in this encounter:  

Face 1 (lower west) has a bemused expression. The message above it reads, “This garden is dedicated to Zalkoré, queen of Omu and jewel of Chult.”

Face 2 (upper west) has a condescending expression. The message above it reads, “Worshiped by her people and by Thiru-taya, who loves BETRAYED her.” (The word “loves” has been chipped away, and the word “BETRAYED” is scratched into the stone above it.)

Face 3 (upper east) has a stern expression. The message above it reads, “In this, the tenth year of her reign, may she govern forever in splendor.”

Face 4 (lower east) has a serene expression. The message above it reads, “And may the gods themselves marvel at this humble reflection of her beauty.”

Having discovered a Huge statue inside the main hall...more clues:

An urn?

"An 18-foot-tall stone statue of a Chultan warrior in splint armor, wearing a helmet festooned with tyrannosaurus teeth and bearing a shield of intricately patterned leopard hide, towers over the chamber and looms above a wide, octagonal cistern. The chamber echoes with the sound of rainwater dripping from the ceiling into the gaping pit. The face of the giant warrior statue is obliterated by deep gouges, but the rest of the statue remains intact. Clutched in the statue’s right hand is a stone spear, and resting on the floor beneath it is a clay urn. North of the statue is an open balcony overlooking a flooded garden.

Standing to one side of the giant warrior is another statue, this one much smaller. Exquisitely lifelike, it depicts a man reaching for the urn, his face turned toward the balcony. In his lifeless eyes, you see terror.

Stone steps ascend along the curved wall to the level of a second floor, but that floor is almost entirely collapsed. Someone’s been up there, however, because a message of some sort is scrawled across the domed ceiling. (“True love, faithful general, safe will you rest in Nangalore eternal. None will disturb you while I live. Such is my vow of penance, and for my sins I cannot die.”)

And inside Zalkore's lair.....The single, large chamber inside the dome is obviously a royal apartment—or was, centuries ago. Now the bright, floral murals are dim and gray, bits of colored glass are heaped beneath a cracked mosaic, enameled wooden tables are split and tilting, and every bit of cloth is frayed and streaked.

At the center of the room, a long divan stands atop a circular dais. Reclining on the divan is a woman dressed in a flowing robe made from parrot feathers in stunning colors. Despite the heat, her arms, head, and face are covered in feathery veils. Next to her, a black orchid grows out of a large clay pot at the head of the divan. She addresses you in a voice tinged with odd inflections. “Strangers have come to Nangalore, my love. What boon do our subjects beseech?” 

After a brief and strange discussion, the party was accompanied with Zalkore to the final dome not yet investigated.  Stay tuned for next week....it might get interesting.

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