Jungle Travel in Chult
Post date: Oct 25, 2018 5:39:33 PM
Jungle Travel
Navigation. The DM, rnakes a Survival check DC 15 for the navigating character each day.
Foraging. The heroes can forage as they travel by making a Survival check DC 10. Success: The forager finds 1d6 + their Wisdom modifier in pounds of food. Re-roll for gallons of water.
Medium or Heavy Armor: At the end of each day, the character must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion the next morning (disadvantage to ability checks).
The group starts in Port Nyzanzaru.
The group makes a connection with merchant prince Wakanga, who offers to help them out on their journey for the sake of knowledge he would gain of the interior.
Following up on leads from the merchant prince Jessamine, they decide to investigate a site near Firefinger where the Black Spider was seen.
After hearing of the Order of the Gauntlet mission, they decide to escort Undril Silvertusk to Camp Vengeance, before heading to Firefinger.
Xandala sent Summerwise with Sky to keep tabs on the heroes if they meet Artus.
They hire a guide Azaka Stormfang, unaware that she is a werepanther and will warn the werepanthers, who are hunting Artus, when the group runs into him.
[5 days travel (1-5)] The heroes head up the River Soshenstar to Camp Vengeance.
Day 1
Bright light filters through the thick intensely green foliage above you. Huge, broad leaves line the path ahead as heat waves rise off of the ground. Insects buzz in and out of your view suddenly scatter as a faint rumble echoes from far within the jungle.
The Guide. As the group begins their journey, Azaka will tell the group a few things:Entering a goblin village is very dangerous for many reasons, not the least of which is that legend has it that the villages can actually soar through the air like a meteor.
The dinosaurs are the children of Ubtao and should be respected.
The guide has heard of ryath roots and can identify them on sight. These roots make you strong! The more you eat, the better. They're quite rare and very useful (the guide is a bit misinformed)
Foraging. Dangling from a tree are a few tan, wrinkled oval-shaped fruits. Deeper into the jungle, you can see more trees full of these fruits.
Maracuya. These are a type of passion fruit that has juice in the center that is used to treat headaches, alcoholism and nerve pain. Wrinkled ones are safe to eat. Immature, smooth ones are cyanogenic, meaning that they produce cyanide and are quite deadly.
Water. Rain begins pouring down on the jungle. The group spots bowl-shaped leaves collecting a volume of water. The group can easily get their daily fill of water right here.
Wukka Nuts. Later in the day, the group comes upon some wukka trees. A wukka nut falls from the tree and begins emitting hazy light The group could climb 20 feet up a tree to get more.
Day 2
Foraging. You hear the sounds of a babbling brook off to your left. Through the vines of the jungle, you spot a stream of clear water. On the bank of the stream are a number of shrubs that hold small orange
fruit.
Camu Camu. This small, tart citrus fruit is very high in vitamin C.
Water. The river looks pretty clear. Anyone who drinks from it might get throat leeches.
Brontosaurus Lake. Later in the day, the heroes come upon a herd of brontosauruses drinking from a lake. These dinosaurs are harmless unless provoked. A baby brontosaurus plays with the group, trying to splash water on them. The heroes might notice that the brontosauruses are devouring wildroot until there's none left.
Zombie Horde. Once the group continues on, they pass a lot more wildroot. Then, they hear noise up ahead - the groaning of a horde of zombies that have not yet noticed the heroes. These zombies with blue triangles on their heads are blocking the path. The zombies are eating a brontosaurus corpse. Going around the zombie horde required hacking thick vegetation for hours, which will be noisy and will cut their speed down to half normal.
Camp. Towards the end of the day, the adventurers find a hidden waterfall and lake, a perfect place to camp. There is a small, cozy cave behind the waterfall that is ideal for safe camping. Inside the cave are the skeletons of a tabaxi traveler and their rhinocerous mount. The rhino still has a barrel containing 20 gallons of fresh water strapped to it.
Day 3
Foraging. While foraging, the group finds some fruit that has juice in it.
Dancing Monkey Fruit: If one or more characters eat it, they begin dancing for one minute. Pterafolk passing overhead use the opportunity to attack. The pterafolk are mostly amusing themselves, and will fly away if one of them is reduced to half of their maximum hit points.
An aarakocra swoops down from the sky to aid the group. He is friendly and his name is Nephyr. He'll chat for a bit then fly off.
Empty Camp. At noon, the group spots something: Off to the right, you catch a glimpse of a clearing with a number of tents arranged in a circle. It looks like a campsite.
In the camp are two raincatchers full of water and the bodies of 3 halfling explorers that have been dead for no more than a week. There are clawmarks on their bodies that indicate that they were slain by pterafolk. The bodies have 3 flasks full of tej and 3 explorer's packs (backpack, bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days rations, waterskin, 50 feet hemp rope). The tents are tattered and ruined.
Night. That night, at 2 AM, zombies wander into the camp and try to eat sleeping heroes.
Day 4
Foraging. The only edible stuff they can find is bananas that taste like black licorice. While staring at the gross banana trees, the foragers spot almiraj nearby, who are oblivious to their presence. Will the group kill and eat these defenseless unicom bunnies?
Verdant Jungle. At 1 PM, the heroes come upon a strange sight Up ahead, you see tropical flowers covering the trees and a layer of soft moss on the ground. A scent like jasmine wafts through the air and small drops of water bead on the plantlife.
This is the work of Artus Cimber and his leaves of green. He was attacked by pterfolk. As the group investigates the area, pterafolk swoop down from the sky to attack.
After a short time, Artus Cimber explodes through the verdant forest and tums one of the pterafolk into a plant . The other pterafolk will flee if it is still alive.
Xandala attacks. Sensing Artus presence from Summerwise, Xandala teleports in and tries to take out Artus with powerful blasts of magic. Artus flees into the jungle and create a giant vulture made of plants before flying away. Xandala flies after him magically, but is unable to keep up with him.
Night. The group comes upon the ruins of a shrine to Ubtao. quite a few yahcha (harmless meaty beetles the size of a human hand) are here. Tracing the maze-rune on a wall reveals a secret underground chamber, a wondrous and safe place to rest!
Day 5
Foraging. The forager discovers plants full of fruits that come in a hard brown shell.
They are known as "copacou" and they taste like chocolate.
Near the plants is a tree with words carved into it "Bravus Boulderhom was here." Bravus is a member of the Company of the Yellow Banner, a group of heroes who disappeared in the jungle.
Dinosaur Corpse
Sighting. The group spots temptation: Rain has been trickling down for 10 minutes now. Off to the right, you spot a clearing. Lying in it is the corpse of a large dinosaur. Something is gleaming through a hole in the stomach of the corpse.
This appears to be the corpse of a tyrannosaurus rex. In its belly are a few rotted bodies.
The Ring. One corpse is wearing a malachite ring inlaid with electrum. Speaking the command word (it's engraved on the underside: "Ygga Raxyg") causes the ring to emit bright light in a 20 foot radius. The ring was lit when the wielder died and remains so until the command word is spoken again. The ring is stuck hard to the finger and can't be removed by mage hand. Obtaining the ring will require someone climbing in. The body also has a pouch containing 80 gold.
Climbing In. Once a hero is close to or inside the corpse, the whole thing moves. This "corpse" is actually a tyrannosaurus zombie with zombies in its belly. The tyrannosaurus zombie gets on its feet and might make a claw and tail attack on a tree blindly, demonstrating that it does a ridiculous amount of damage and that the group had better run if they haven't already.
The Lycan
Night. At 11 PM. A panther stalks out of the forest, crouches, and transforms into a tattooed woman with feral elven features. Studying your camp, she asks "Is one of you Artus Cimber, bearer of the leaves of green?"
The werepanther's name is Thyra Nightstalker and she got separated from her search party, who she didn't much care for. She claims that the werepanthers want the leaves of green because it is too dangerous to be in the hands of Artus Cimber. The book is evil.
Camp Vengeance
Undril Silvertusk will intercede strongly on their behalf when difficulties arise with Commander Breakbone
[7 days travel (6-12)] The group crosses the jungle heading for Firefinger, possibly crossing river Tiryki, or canoeing down it.
Day 6
Foraging. Plants that bear vaguely triangular fruits that are greyish brown in appearance.
This is pangium edule fruit, which is very poisonous. It can cause shortness of breath, confusion, cardiac arrest or even death.
Further foraging uncovers palm trees bearing pineapples hanging 20 feet above the ground. There is a chimpanzee up there in one of the trees trying to crack open a pineapple. The group might be able to convince it to throw them some pineapples.
The Captive
At 11 AM, the heroes come upon an odd scene: Up ahead, you hear cries of dismay. You spot a man in tan clothing tied to a post, covered in honey. A number of bees are swirling around him.
This is Pontificus Electrumb, a dandy/explorer who tried to steal from a goblin camp. They caught him, and this is his punishment.
Freeing him involves dealing with the insect swarm. Pontificus is not wearing insect repellent and is unaware that he has contacted shivering sickness.
Green Meteor
At 2 PM, what looks to be a huge green meteor appears in the sky. It's heading right for the group!
These goblins had to catapult their village and as fate would have it, it's about to land right on top of the group.
The impact creates a cloud of dust and falling leaves that obscures the area for 3 rounds.
Some Goblins survive the landing. They form a battle stack and attack.
Chwinga
At 4 PM, the group comes upon a gleaming section of forest with weird shimmering rocks strewn about small groves and clearings.
A chwinga named Molbatine lives in a central rock. It will spy on the group and listen to their conversation.
That night, a band of zombies shamble through the jungle toward the camp. Even though its kind can't speak, Molbatine will try to warn the group, possibly giving them the opportunity to surprise the zombies.
Once the zombie situation is dealt with, the chwinga rewards one of the heroes with a supematural charm of dinosaur conjuring.
Day 7
Foraging. The heroes come upon a toppled 20-foot tall statue of Ubtao. It is covered in black beetles known as yahchas. There are flying monkeys happily chomping away at the beetles, but are willing to share.
The Chase
At 10:30 AM, this happens: The sky goes dark and rain begins coming down in sheets. A howling wind shakes the trees. It is hard to hear your allies speak unless they are right next to you.
After 5 minutes of rain, Artus Cimber explodes out of the jungle and runs right through the group. He's being chased by a tyrannosaurus rex.
Night. Towards the end of the day, the group comes upon a hot spring in an isolated area, an ideal spot to rest for the night and bathe. Near the spring is a plant full of wild grapes.
Day 8
Foraging. The heroes come upon an injured triceratops aggressively protecting its offspring from them. It was wounded by a tyrannosaurus rex a few days back. The triceratops has just 10 hit points left and has disadvantage on attack rolls until it regains all of its hit points.
Once the group resumes foraging, they hear someone or something walking in the distance.
The Shrub. It is an awakened shrub bearing ripe fruit. It is terrified of humanoids. Dinosaurs eat his fruit, but don't destroy him or capture him like crazy humanoids do.
Ubtaofruit. If talked to, he says his name is "Ubtao's Nephew". He claims that Ubtao himself grew him, and sent him into the forest to feed his children (the dinosaurs). His fruit is known as Ubtaofruits. They are shaped like lemons, but are twice the size. The are red on the outside, and the interior is similar to what is inside an orange, only it is green.
Triceratops
The group comes upon a triceratops trying to fend off undead. Its foot is stuck in a tree root.
If the group helps it, the triceratops will travel with the group until the end of the next long rest, and can be used as a beast of burden.
Night. At 11 PM, a tiger prowls into camp, purring. It acts like a housecat and wants to cuddle up with the sleeping heroes. If attacked, it will flee. It was a pet for a clan of albino dwarves, and assumes that all humanoids will treat it nicely.
Day 9
Foraging. The heroes find a large number of kiwis hanging from woody wines. The fruit has a soft texture and a unique flavor.
Goblin Cave
At around 10 AM, the heroes spot a cave. Inside it is the ancient remains of a goblin wearing a frog mask with a turquoise stud in it worth 10 gold. There is a carving on the wall depicting a frog with tentacles (the symbol of Kubazan). Half an hour after the group leaves the cave, the wind kicks up.
The daylight fades and gray clouds swiftly fill the sky. Thunder rumbles in the distance and strong winds blow through the trees. Rain begins spilling down on the jungle and already, the ground is turning into slippery mud.
The Cave. If the group backtracks to the cave, they find that su-monsters have taken refuge in there and are not too keen on sharing the space.
Storm Aftermath
When the storm ends, a rainbow appears in the sky. One end of the rainbow connects to an area to the slight northwest.
The area touched by the rainbow is a shrine to Ubtao. The floor of the shrine is made from 5-foot-wide squares of flat, tan stone. One such stone has a maze engraved on it. Anyone who runs their finger on it and solves the maze causes the stone to slide aside, revealing an underground chamber.
The chamber is 30 feet by 30 feet. In the center of it is a glowing fountain spewing crystal clear water into a basin. Standing in the center of the fountain is a statue of man who is part tyrannosaurus rex, has three horns like a triceratops, the bludgeon-like tail of a stegosaurus, and the wings of a pterodactyl. This is a representation of one aspect of Ubtao known as the Dinofather.
Drinking from the Fountain. Anyone who chinks from the fountain feels at ease.
Sleeping in the Chamber. Anyone who sleeps in this chamber has dreams of Omu as a lush, verdant city where people live in peace among the dinosaurs. The only dinosaur regarded with fear is a massive tyrannosaurs rex with feathers on its back.
Day 10
Foraging. The heroes spot many sinda berry bushes in a clump. A stegosaurus shows up moments later. It likes to eat these berries. If the group plays it cool, the stegosaurus will share the sinda berries with them.
Tree Corpse
Corpse. Up in a tree, the group spots a corpse. It looks like the explorer slept on the branch and never woke up.
The explorer has one tin of insect repellent, a week's worth of rations, and the Ring of Wongo. This ring is made from ivory and has a carving of a su-monster on it. It also has a secret curse. Whoever wears it is considered a "dinosaur magnet". Dinosaurs find their scent either delicious or pleasant.
Pterafolk attack
Pterafolk from firefinger attack the group again with poisoned weapons.
Later, the heroes meet a albino dwarf claims that he and the adventuring band he was guiding to Firefinger had been attacked by the pterafolk. He mentions that an aarakocra flew down to help them, but was subdued by the pterafolk and taken away.
Night. At 1 AM, swarms of bats swoop down from the sky and decide that the group's camp is the ideal place to hang out for awhile. The bats hang upside down on trees and some of them will seek the warmth of a tent or sleeping bag.
Day 11
Foraging. As the heroes have their eyes peeled for food. a storm hits. Soft rain falls through the treetops, and a number of lightning bolts strike the are that the group is heading toward. After 10 minutes, the storm subsides.
Lightning Plant. The group comes upon a large flowering plant that holds many ripe, juicy mangoes. The plant was hit by lightning, and instead of being destroyed, it is charged with crackling lightning.
Touching It. The first person to touch this plant is hit by a huge discharge of lightning.
Lightning Mangoes. The mangoes are delicious and allow a character to add 1d10 lightning damage on one melee or ranged attack. If not used, this effect ends at the end of the next long rest.
The Raptor's Roost. The heroes spot an eblis up ahead, trying to wave them down. She says that her name is Pettimol, and that she is interested in trading with the group. She will invite the group to an eblis community known as The Raptor's Roost, a group of buildings built on elevated wooden walkways connected to huge trees.
Trading. The eblis will try to give gold for any gems or jewelry the group has. The community keeps its greatest treasures in a building built in the hollow inside of a gargantuan tree. They claim to have a magic sword, chain mail with healing properties, and a talking staff kept in there.
Treasure Inspection. The eblis will allow the group to inspect the treasures. In truth, they are all actually mundane items. Most of the floor of the room will magically vanish when the command word is spoken ("Papazotl"). Anyone standing on the floor falls down into the depths of the hollow tree into a dug out cavem below the ground where hags attack them unless they complete their soup.
Albino Dwarves. Late in the day, the group spots smoke in the distance. It is a camp of albino dwarf warriors. The group can befriend them. If they don't the dwarves will try to rob the group during the night.