The party sails into the Bay of Chult.  From a peninsula a turtle beak rises out of the water.  This is Arameg, a giant Dragon Turtle, who demands tribute.  With Kilgore using some very persuasive words, they are allowed to pass paying less money than is traditional.

MEANWHILE

Zyldi and Elgard were transported to Chult by Syndra.  They hung out in Chult, staying with a merchant prince Wakanga O’Tamu, while waiting for the rest of the party to arrive.  Zyldi practices her druid powers; Elgard gets a fancy hat and books.

The rest of the party arrives, and it is damn hot.  They are all reunited, and there is some confusion around how Elgard got to the docs before them…but Elgard just glosses over the issue with the excuse of, “Magic”.  They head to the Harbormaster where they all lie through their teeth about the amount of Captains they have captured.  It was a Captain Conference…naturally.

Fictional Names of Pirate Ships: Bloody Sash, Hungry Turtle, Sea Cow, Decepticon

True Pirate Ship Names: Sturge, Emerald Eye, Dragon Eye

The party learns a few things from Wakanga.  Syndra died in the jungles of Chult via a trap in the Mist Cliffs.  The prince wants an amulet; he has asked Elgard to get it via a journal that he has provided to the wizard.  The prince does not know where the Soul Monger is.

Thus, the party proceeds out into the marketplace to buy and listen.

Some party members did some dino shopping:

• Rahn buys a hadrosauraus
• Kanye buys a triceratops – Bill
• Kilgore buys a raptor – Clarise

Rumors Overheard: [Courtesy of the DM himself]

• The jungle is full of nature spirits – weird little elemental creatures with masks. They don’t speak, and I’ve never known one to be harmful, but their magical powers should not be taken lightly.
• Perched atop a plateau overlooking the Aldani Basin is a ghost village. All the people there disappeared. No one knows why. You can reach the Aldani Basin by following the River Soshenstar
• Bird folk inhabit a monastery that hangs on the side of a plateau many miles up the Olung River, past the Laughing Gorge. The bird folk are holding the last royal heir of Chult as their prisoner.
• If you head up the Tiryki River about five days by canoe, you’ll see a stone spire to the east. Natives call it Firefinger. Terror Folk nest there, and if they spot you, you’re in for a fight.
• If you head up the Tiryki River about five days by canoe, you’ll see a stone spire to the east. Natives call it Firefinger. Terror Folk nest there, and if they spot you, you’re in for a fight.
• One must purchase a Charter of Exploration at Fort Beluarian before undertaking any jungle expedition. The Flaming Fist punishes explorers who don’t have the required paperwork.
• Deep in the heart of the jungle is a city built by Minotaurs. It’s now overrun by snake people, but even worse things dwell below. In visions, I have seen strange devils screaming in the dark.
• A Dragon Turtle named Aremag lives in the Bay of Chult. If you wish to set sail from Port Nyanzaru, you’ll need treasure to appease the greedy monster. How much treasure, I can’t say. Aremag will tell you what it wants, and you’d best give it what it demands.
• Long ago, a peaceful tribe of fisherfolk called the Aldani angered Ubtao by catching and eating all the lobsters in a river. As punishment for their greed, they were all transformed in to monsters that dwell in the Aldani Basin.

That evening they all assemble at Wakanga’s home for a dinner party.  He has invited several jungle guides to dine so that they can share their skills with the party members.  After interviews, the crew decides to hires Qawasha, a druid, and his vegepygmy, Kupalue.  His price will be reduced depending on how many undead they are able to kill on their journey.

In addition, they will be joined by another guide Azaka.  She will pay the party to retrieve a mask that she has lost to the pterafolk.