Hiding your boat near the river, you walk towards Nyanzaru. As you get closer, you see another group of adventurers heading out towards the jungle. With them is Azaka. She seems embarrassed and does not say much and soon you part ways again. You arrive in Nyanzaru and the crowds, colours, noises and smells assail your senses. The town is packed with people, and many many more than last time you were here are from foreign lands. There are the signs everywhere of people preparing for expeditions into the jungle. You see many adventuring companies, Zhentarem mercenaries, groups of red wizards and representatives of many nationalities. You walk directly to Wakanga's house to report your findings, but many people notice your passing - it is obvious that you have returned after some time in the jungle - your clothes are rotting, you are filthy and your equipment is in disrepair. You arrive at Wakanda's house and he is overjoyed to see you. You have been gone nearly two months and everyone had assumed you were dead. He lets you know that you are the second group to return out of the many parties of adventurers that Sylvane has sent looking for the source of the death curse. The first were the company of the Yellow Banner, who have headed back out into the jungle looking for Omu. Their journey is likely to be faster than yours as they have a flying ship. Wakanga pulls out a map of Chult and updates it with your discoveries, but also allows you to update yours with the explorations done by the company of the Yellow Banner. It shows a number of locations on the other side of Chult from your journeys. You tell Wakanga of your discovery that the ancient city of Omu is where you need to go. He tells you of the city of Omu, but tells you that it is hidden by magical means. You will need to find a way to see what is hidden before you go there. He suggests you ask for assistance at the Temple of Savras. "Omu was once a jewel in Chult's crown. Built over rich mineral veins, the city garnered wealth in abundance. Omuan jewelry was coveted far and wide, and the city's merchants grew fat on commerce. To enter Omu, it was said, was to enter the gates of paradise itself. Such wealth brought greed. Omu's hunger for slaves made her rulers demand ever greater tribute from their neighbors. When their vassals couldn't pay in flesh, they paid in blood. Omu's feared legions marched across Chult". "The Omuans' greed and hubris angered the god Ubtao, causing him to turn his back on Omu two hundred years ago—long before he abandoned the rest of Chult. Omu's clerics lost their spells, and the city fell to sickness and disease. Slave uprisings wracked Omu, and its nobles fled in droves. Maps showing Omu's location were destroyed, and its coins were melted down and reminted. Fallen from grace, Omu became known as the Forbidden City". You also ask him of Ras Nsi, and he tells you: "The word “ras” is a noble title akin to “duke.” Ras Nsi was once a Chultan paladin, a Chosen of Ubtao and sworn protector of the city of Mezro. He betrayed his oaths and was banished from the city. Becoming a vengeful warlord, Ras Nsi attempted to conquer Mezro with an undead army but was defeated. Rather than seek redemption, he sought revenge and was stripped of his god-given powers. The undead horde, no longer under his control, spread throughout the jungles of Chult. He has never been heard of since then". You are taken to see Syndra, and it is a sorry sight. Her room is darkened and smells of rotting flesh. You see her face and the skin has sunken right back into the skull. In places the flesh has peeled away and you can see exposed skull. Tywrong casts detect undead, but there are only the living in this room. She explains that the death curse has her firmly in its grip and she does not have long left - she can feel the life slipping away. She asks that you continue to search for the soulmonger and to stop it when you do. It's too late for her, but you may be able to save others. You spend the rest of the evening feasting, taking many baths and relaxing. B'urp and Denny decide to head out into the night to try and see if Artus Cimber is in the city so that they can recover the debt he owes them. They slip through the city to The Thundering Lizard. It is absolutely packed with people waiting to see Volocamp Geddarm who is promoting his new book, Volo's guide to Monsters. However they are recognised, and immediately upon entering Denny is taken aside by a scary looking man in a red robe who demands to know everything he can about Artus. Denny explains that he doesn't know much and is able to send the man away. He then sees a large man in leather armour coming towards him, obviously wanting to talk, so he ducks into a corner and casts a disguise spell to appear like a nondescript human. The man, upon realising he has lost Denny swiftly leaves the bar. B'urp decides to follow the man, who goes to a nearby house where he gather 5 other thugs to return to the bar. Denny makes his way to the front of the queue to try and talk with Volo, as he remembers Artus telling him that Volo was his friend and if he was not to be found in the city, then Volo would pay his debts for him. Denny spends some time trying to explain that he knows Artus without saying the name out loud, but when Volo finally gets the clues says in a loud booming voice "OH. YOU MEAN ARTUS CIMBER. YOU ARE A FRIEND OF ARTUS YOU SAY?" Many heads turn sharply in his direction upon that, and Denny decides that being in the bar is no longer safe. As Denny leaves, he is shoved to the side by the 6 thugs as they enter the bar. He sees B'urp on a nearby rooftop and they decide to make their way back to Wakanga's house. The next morning, B'urp goes off to buy supplies for a long journey while the rest of you head to the Temple of Savras. You enter and see at the far end an old chultan man in robes arguing with 3 of the thugs from the previous evening. Denny raises up the hood of his cloak and moves out of obvious view. The are demanding the old man find Artus Cimber for them and offer him a huge emerald in payment. The old man refuses to help, and they look like they might take action but then they see you in the temple, think better of it and they leave angrily. The old man thanks you for your timely intervention. He is Grandfather Zitembe, the head of the temple. You make an offering and he does a reading for you... "I see a jungle city far to the south, enclosed by cliffs and crawling with snakes. I see a black obelisk draped in vines. You must seek these out, but there are scales on your eyes. I see an ancient monastery overlooking a jungle. Bird men fly in and out of the buildings. You must seek the queen. She knows Omu and can help you to find it" Based on previous clues, you believe that the monastery is Kir Sabal, which is marked on your map. You decide to make your way to the docks to enquire about passage.
