As you fly down towards the ship smashed in the tree tops you see that it is 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. You see movement in the treetops some distance away, but it is far enough that you decide that it is safe to investigate. You see six figures lying on the deck. At first you think you are corpses, but then one looks up and weakly calls out. "Hello up there, can you help us?" You fly down and land on the middle deck, which lurches alarmingly when you do to talk to the figure. All 6 of the crew are alive, but very weak after over a week with no food and only rainwater to drink. Grizzlee produces some Goodberries to nourish them and you talk with the captain of the ship. After some discussion it emerges that the ship was transporting the Company of the Yellow Banner to the lost city of Omu when they were set upon by a red dragon. The ship crashed where you see it, and the adventurers left immediately stating the urgency of their mission to Omu. The crew were to follow after gathering some supplies from the hold but each time they moved around the ship the ship creaked and groaned alarmingly, then they found that almost all of the supplies in the hold had fallen to the ground in the crash. They decided to climb down the rigging and vines to the ground but found that the noise they have made had attracted a pack of ghouls who were lurking below the ship. Knowing that they could not survive the ghouls, the crew have been stuck up here since. You ask the captain, Thasselandra Bravewing, who made up the company of adventurers. They were: Lord Brixton: The leader of the group. Brixton was a knight of Cormyr. Devlin Bashir: A Calishite wizard who had been cursed to look like a goat at some point in his past. Bravus Boulderborn: A gold dwarf cleric of Moradin. Sephirius: Better known as "Seph", Sephirius was a dragonborn paladin of Bahamut. Seward: A Chondathan ranger. Their allies were An awakened lizard that the group hoped could help them defeat the traps that they would find in Omu. Biff Longsteel, an adventurer who they had dropped off at Oralunga who had never returned. As you talk with the captain, suddenly danger erupts from the treetops in the form of three Girallon Zombies You fight and defeat these beasts, but not before two of the crew are ripped to pieces. You then destroy the ghouls on the ground, allowing passage for the captain and remaining crew. Thasselandra thanks you profusely. They may not have much of a chance of getting back to civilisation, but at least they now have a chance. She promises to help you however she can if she ever gets a chance. Realising that your power of flight will end at dawn, you decide to fly through the night. This allows you to cover the equivalent of 4 days travel, and then as the sun rises you stop, make camp and rest that day and the following night. You travel for the next 7 days, stopped for two days by storms, and interupted by a variety of undead creatures - all of whom have blue triangles on their foreheads marking them as having been created by Ras Nsi. At the end of the seventh day, the jungle parts to reveal a dead city enclosed by sheer cliffs. Ruined buildings and stone boulevards rise like ghosts from the floor of the misty basin. Colorful birds glide overhead. A waterfall pours into the basin, creating a swollen river that floods much of the city before draining into a deep rift filled with molten lava. A ruined palace lies a few hundred feet from the edge of the steaming abyss. This is obviously the city of Omu that you have been searching for. The cliffs surrounding Omu are 100–150 feet high and composed of crumbling rock. Thick jungle hugs the clifftops, with ferns, orchids, and moss spilling over the edges. Every 100 feet or so, a gargoyle perches on the brink of the precipice. A nearby vine-draped gargoyle perches on the clifftop, staring down at the ruined city. It has the face of a devil, with its mouth agape in a silent scream. It appears obvious that your choices are to climb down the cliff-face, or to approach from the southwest where there is more of a gradual decent. Given that the place you emerged is above a massive pool of lava, you decide on the latter option. As the twilight deepens you come across an abandoned guardhouse, arrow slits are cut into its limestone walls, and a lopsided iron portcullis hangs over the gateway, beyond which you see an open plaza. You enter the plaza to investigate and see that many people have been here before you. Much of the interior has collapsed into rubble. Creepers cling to the walls, and high grasses sprout between the flagstones amid evidence of long-dead campfires. One wall is covered with graffiti—some words painted, others etched. The words are all written in common (which is interesting) and among the graffitti you see the following messages, all in different hands. "Fear the fangs of Ras Nsi!" "Erik, I've gone in search of the nine shrines. V." "The puzzle cubes are the key." "Beware the frog monster!" "Who is Unkh?" "All hail the King of Feathers!" "The snakes are not what they seem." "Kubazan = bravery. Shagambi = wisdom. Moa = ?" Grizzlee recognises the names of Kubazan, Shagambi and Moa as three of the old trickster gods that were once worshipped in Omu. He recognises the name 'king of feathers' as a legendary dinosaur of great size and ferocity. You decide that this is not the best place to camp and decide to go a little further into the city to find a different building. After a 5 minute walk as the darkness descends, you what appears to be a ruined house. As you walk you note that there seem to be a number of snakes moving around you, but moving in the same direction. This makes you uneasy. You stay the night in the house without disturbance and in the morning you decide to move further into the city. You know that the soulmonger is meant to be in Omu, but you have no idea where to look. As you move further into the city you see smoke drifting lazily from a walled compound. The gate lies in splinters, and scorch marks deface the buildings. You enter and near the center of the compound is a plaza littered with charred human corpses. One of the corpses is being torn apart by a pack of wild dogs who flee when you approach. You look at the corpses and see maybe thirty corpses, scattered across the compound. These are the remains of three Red Wizards, and the rest are Chultan. You examine the compound further and note a glaive has been thrust into remains of a burned-out pyre. Charred snake skulls and blackened inhuman vertebrae are lashed to the spear. On a wall nearby, a symbol has been daubed in ash: a snake curled in a spiral, gripping a circle in its jaws. As you are examining this you note the same snakes that seemed to be tracking you last night moving around you stealthy, you wisely prepare for attack and then watch as they transform into Yuan-ti. These are creatures that are hideous blends of human and serpentine features. The leader, whose human features are that of a beautiful and muscular chultan warrior but his entire bottom half is that of a giant serpent, demands that you leave. "We are the dwellers of the forbidden city", he states in heavily accented common, "Omu is now ruled by the Yuan-ti and you are not welcome here". If you do not leave immediately you will be killed. Or worse". You try to explain the urgency of your mission and explain that the soulmonger you seek is in Omu. "I have never heard of such a thing", the Yuan-Ti leader exclaims, "You northerners have had your chance to leave. Now you must meet your fate". With that the other snakes transform. Two have human bodies with snake heads, and the other two have human heads and bodies with snakes for arms. They attack and you are hard pressed to defend yourself. Grizzlee summons a large number of axe beaks who assist. Sudrin has a great deal of trouble as the Yuan-Ti continue to suggest that he kill his friends. Sometimes this suggestion grabs hold in his head and he aggressively approaches them. Luckily you know this spell enough to know that injuries end the spell, so well placed arrows become essential. As Trayzeal ducks into an abandoned building for cover he hears a weak groan and a voice weakly says "A little help please". It is a older gentleman who is partially lying under a collapsed wall. Trayzeal has no time for this as he is in combat, but notes it for later. Before too long you defeat the Yuan-Ti, but not before their leader transforms back into a snake and slithers back into the overgrown street and out of sight. He has escaped. It is approximately 9am.
