Camp Vengeance
29 Marpenoth, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
Day 17 of 79
Camp Vengeance, Jungles of Chult
With the aid of Dr. Neverwinter Bones, the daring adventurers were able to leave the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. However, their guide was nowhere to be found after they climbed out of the underground temple using a rope left behind by Dr. Bones. Without a guide, the group still manages to find their way to Camp Vengeance, a crude walled compound built by the Order of the Gauntlet after their first camp, Camp Righteous was overrun by a horde of undead. The adventurers notice that the camp suffers from unwholesome vapors and clouds of flies, while the knights stationed there are disease-ridden and exhausted from their constant battles against giant jungle carnivores by day and undead horrors by night. Brought before the templar in charge, Don Bonespur, he orders the adventurers to take a detachment of his guards on a two-week patrol north to destroy any undead they encounter or take several of his sick soldiers downriver to Port Nyanzaru using the camp's canoes.
The adventurers declined to go on a 20-day patrol through the dangerous jungle. However, Brostaff and Tanjarra were willing to return to Port Nyanzarru with the sick soldiers. Don Bonespur agreed to this and dismissed the group from his tent.
The group then met Captain Perne Salhana, an imposing female human Tethyrian soldier. She asked them what they were doing far from Port Nyanzaru and deep inside the jungle of Chult. The group said they were looking for a place where an artifact called the Soulmonger might be located.
Captain Salhana said she didn't know anything about the artifact but said a scout named Watabe had often talked about a hidden city somewhere in the southern part of Chult. Watabe said he had been there but considered the ancient city a cursed place.
The adventurers asked to speak with Watabe. Captain Salhana said Watabe was, unfortunately, sick and possibly dying.
The adventurers then met with Sister Cyas, a female human priest of Helm, who said Watabe's condition was beyond her healing abilities. However, the dying scout could be saved if petals from the rare Pusada plant could be brought to her. Sister Cyas said she had learned about using local plants and herbs to fight off diseases but because the plants were so rare and hard to find, she couldn't make enough healing salves to help the sick and dying in the camp.
When asked where the plant could be found, Sister Cyas said Pusada is known to grow inside dark caves nearby. In particular, it's said several of the plants are growing inside the nearby Mad Monkey Cavern, an ancient shrine with an entrance carved to resemble the head of a large angry gorilla.
Afte saying goodbye to Brostaff and Tanjarra, the remaining group composed of Bolte, Alice, Atwix, and Nip'hto left the camp and headed to the Mad Monkey Cavern.
Before leaving, Captain Salhana asked the four adventurers if they would kill King T'kal, an extremely vicious predatory tyrannosaurus rex that had been terrorizing the area and making attacks on the camp. She offered the group a Bag of Holding if they came back with proof of King T'Kal's death.
***
The heroes arrived at the cavern around noon.
They were met by a nearly massive rocky ridge. At the top, they saw an entrance carved like a gorilla's head, albeit one that was 20-foot tall.
The heroes looked at one another. "Captain Salhana said the goblins in the area once worshipped a giant gorilla," Nip'hto said.
The ground suddenly shook!
In the distance, everyone saw trees begin to topple. Something big was headed their way!
"I'll wager that might be King T'Kal," Atwix said as he moved toward the base of the ridge. The others followed right behind him.
On the way, Atwix spotted a clump of trees growing together. Dozens of bananas were hanging in bunches within easy reach. The drow grabbed several.
After a grappling hook was tossed up, the group climbed to the top just as King T'Kal emerged from the jungle below. it was a huge dinosaur, with tiger-like stripes on its sides and tail. Fortunately, King T'kal wasn't tall enough to reach the top of the ridge.
"He's a big one," Bolte said. "I don't think we four can kill King T'Kal without any one of us possibly getting eaten by it."
The others agreed not to try fighting the obviously dangerous dinosaur.
After entering the cavern's entrance, the heroes spotted monkey faces carved into the walls of the tunnel. The faces covered about 30 feet of the tunnel walls on both sides.
When the Nip'hto tossed a handful of iron balls into the tunnel, a dozen darts of blue energy struck the balls in midair!
Alice came up with an idea. She cast Fog Cloud in the middle of the tunnel. When Nip'hto tossed more iron balls down the tunnel, nothing happened.
The group held on to one another and carefully walked in a single file beyond where the carved faces.
They had overcome one trap.
Soon, they came upon more monkey faces. This time, the faces were carved in the floor for a 30-foot stretch. Looking up, they noticed the ceiling was covered with stone spikes. However, there were just enough spaces between the carved faces to put one's foot down.
The group carefully crossed the 30-foot distance one at a time, careful not to step over any of the carved faces.
After what seemed like an eternity, everyone was safely standing together further down the tunnel.
The heroes had overcome a second trap.
Further down the tunnel, the heroes came upon two seated statues. Each was carved to resemble a monkey seated on a throne. Next to each statue were stone pillars that blocked the rest of the cavern beyond. Dim light showed several Pusada plants growing together in the cavern beyond.
When the group carefully approached the statues, the statues spoke together in common. "Feed us our favorite food, and you shall pass safely."
As one Alice, Nip'hto and Bolte looked at Atwix.
"How did you know to grab those bananas?" Bolte asked Atwix.
The drow gave the biggest smile and shrugged.
"I think you're smarter than a wizard, Atwix," Alice said.
"Aww," Atwix replied. "You're only saying that because it's true." The drow moved up to the statues and placed a banana inside each of the statue's mouth.
After, the stone pillars nearby shook and began to sink into the ground.
The heroes quickly moved into the cavern behind the statues. There they gathered all the Pusada plants. They also spotted a natural rock chimney that led out of the cavern into the jungle above. The climb was easy enough and the group soon found themselves back outside.
After carefully making their way back to the cavern's front entrance the heroes climbed back down after making sure King T'Kal wasn't around.
The heroes then made their way back to Camp Vengeance.
Session played on November 4, 2020
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