Finally, it’s the start of the jungle adventure, stocked with surly custom agents, massage parlors and an urchin known only as “Bucketboy”.

When last we left our heroes, they had survived being shipwrecked, but were stranded on a deserted beach with no one to rescue them. Their only option: a perilous trek through treacherous waters and a foreboding jungle. The journey was ruthless and unyielding; danger lurked behind every palm frond. They had to contend with ravenous sharks, disgusting hags, disease ridden insects, poisonous plants, unbearable heat, savage monsoons, and wild animals of all shapes and sizes, not to mention the very real risk of dehydration, starvation, and exhaustion.

But the worst was the undead. A band of highly intelligent undead had tracked the party relentlessly through the jungle. Even more terrifying, these abominations to life had once been members of the Narwhal II crew that perished during the shipwreck. These undead issued a grave warning that their master, Ras Nsi, was amassing an army of undead for some dark purpose before attempting to kill the party and induct them into Ras Nsi’s ranks.

But the party persevered, sending the former crewmates into the afterlife. Again. Then, finally, after five days that seemed like fifty, the party immerged from the wilderness to find the blessed sight of civilization. The brightly painted buildings offer the only safe harbor for a thousand leagues. Port Nyanzaru. The jewel of the jungle. Disheveled, emaciated, and dying of thirst, the group crashed their boat into the main dock before the eyes of a very shocked and impressed harbormaster, Zindar.

But how did we end up here? This isn’t the trip we signed up for. In what seemed like ages ago, we were hired by a wealthy benefactor to go on a simple safari gathering animal specimens and cultural artefacts in the distant land of Chult. We weren’t supposed to watch a little girl die, have the captain go mad, ram a dragon turtle, see said dragon turtle kill the crew and cripple the ship, then wreck the ship in the middle of nowhere, and struggle to survive trying to reach here, the single, solitary, hillbilly village on this cursed island that wants to kill us. (This is true. My original intent was to have the players arrive safely in port during Session 2.)

Well, we’re here now so let’s start this adventure! Except for one tiny problem. We we’re not all here. Due to several scheduling conflicts the only players at the table were Wes and Ian. I don’t mind playing with one or two missing player players, but four is a lot. To top it off, the very next week we only had four; Wes, Jane, Aidan, and James. So, I ran the same session twice. With a few differences. Fortunately, the session was a “setting up shop” in a new town session, with barely any combat and lots of talking to random NPCs.

They have a long list of things to do. They have to find lodging. They have to exchange the coins received in Waterdeep for gold pieces. They have to find their contact man here in Chult. They have to learn about expeditions, buy equipment for said expedition and hire a guide to lead them into the jungle.

But first they have to get through customs. Like any booming metropolis, its main purpose is to raise revenue. By means of taxes, tariffs and fees. But how does a booming metropolis determine what fees to levy? By making people fill out stupid forms. Such as my Port Nyanzaru Customs Form, link here: Nyanzaru Questionaire ToA. I used a very similar, nearly identical, okay, okay, plagiarized version of this questionnaire back in my Waterdeep Campaign. With a few changes.

The real purpose of the questionnaire is threefold. First, I want to nickel and dime a few more gold out of the players. The party has been led to believe that they have 2,500 in gold at their disposal. They don’t, and this was a way to squeeze a few more coins out of them before they realized that they are broke. Second. I want to learn about the characters’ backstory. With few exceptions, I don’t know much about what my players have in terms of their character’s personal history, if any. One question in particular is very important to this campaign. Third, I use this to impart some lore about the world that they have been thrust into like lambs to the slaughter.

The players are free to put any answers they want. They can be honest, lie, or create any narrative they want; no one will call them out on any BS. Of course, the custom agent NPC will react to any unique or unusual answers. But strangely, and sadly, everyone told the truth and no one had any interesting responses to any of the questions. On the money-laundering front, I planned to tax them 1 gold per weapon, but Roland had soooo many weapons, (he had dozens of spears, tridents, and harpoons salvaged off the ship) that I dropped the levy to 5 sp. I still cost them almost 20 gold just to be allowed into town. Good thing Martic had stolen 50 gold pieces from that dragon turtle back in Session 3.

For the backstory related questions, the most common answer I received was “I don’t know.” They gave me nothing that I could use for player immersion or story hooks or anything. I really expected at least one player to name a relative or friend who had been resurrected. I would have used that detail when the Death Curse becomes active during the adventure. Not one player claimed any alliance with any faction which could have led to a discussion about that faction and where to find them in town. BTW, the Knights of the Shield is the spy network of the recently overthrown Amn nation. Had anyone claimed that group, the response would have been interesting and aggressive.

Nor did any player claim involvement with any wrathful creature which could have provided more story hooks. Thames did ask if the dragon turtle counted as a wrathful creature, and I got to explain about Aremag. It seems that everyone in town knows who Aremag is, but the town was supposed to have worked out a deal with the dragon turtle. I wonder why it has resumed attacking ships.

As for lore, the last question did get my players to ask about the Merchant Princes. This allowed me, in the role of my annoyed bureaucrat, to explain the history of Port Nyanzaru. Briefly, Chult was “discovered” by Amn (a country just south of the “official” Sword Coast setting, but north of Chult) over 100 years ago, who set up Port Nyanzaru and claimed it as the capital of this country. Seven years ago, Amn reassigned most of its military back to the Amnian capital. (There was a plague there at the time.) This allowed the seven richest merchants in town to stage a bloodless coup and regain control of Chult. Since then, these Merchant Princes have run Port Nyanzaru and Chult as an independent city-state. For a more complete history of Chult, read my post, The Explorers Guide to Chult.

Readers of my blog know that I love props. For this encounter, I wanted something special. Since no passport or government paperwork is official without a stamp or a seal, I made one. Actually, I made two. The first I tried to carve out of wood, but my whittling skill are atrocious and the wood sucked up all the ink and would not leave a mark on the paper. Fortunately, my wife had some extra stamp kits lying around and they worked perfectly. There is no canonical Seal of Port Nyanzaru, so mine is a semi-circle of seven bezants (coins) over a three-pointed crown to represent the seven Merchant Princes. And it’s no coincidence that the crown also looks like a dinosaur footprint.

My favorite part of this encounter was snatching the questionnaire out of the players’ hands, slamming the stamp onto the page, then trusting it back at them while shouting, “Next!” I fully expected for someone to try and steal this stamp. Had they succeeded, I would have handed the physical prop over and allowed them to forge all sorts of documents. But none of them suggested it. They tried to ask about where to go and what to do in town, but the disgruntled civil servant was done with them. “You’re holding up the line. Move along.”

Bear in mind that I initially only had Ian and Wes as players, so they got to play out these next encounters. The rest just got the retelling of events. Before leaving the docks, Thames had a letter that he needed to have delivered back home. He actually presented me with the letter, which was the first time a player had ever given me a handout, so I was excited. The letter gave a little more insight to his backstory where he is on a quest to find items of power to help with the war effort occurring thousands of miles away in the land of Kara-Tur.

Thames finds a duplicitous captain who claims to be heading to Kara-Tur and will deliver the letter for the exorbitant fee of 10 gold. Without hesitation, Gwen paid the price using the collective group’s dwindling gold. This will be remembered and complained about later.

Also remember that there are three other NPCs with the party. There’s the unconscious shipwreck survivor from Baldur’s Gate that was blinded by some hags. He would have woken up here, but it didn’t feel right to have this encounter without the whole party, so he remained in a coma and left in the care of Zindar the harbormaster. Then, there’s Carlos the sailor, who arrived with the party aboard the Narwhal II, and is still in a state of shock after being hunted by his deceased and now undead crewmates. He has been adopted by the party and nervously follows them around. Lastly, Undril the slightly obnoxious cleric thanked the party again for helping her arrive at Port safety. She suggested that they ought to join her faction, The Order of the Gauntlet, and offered to help them if ever they needed in the future. She made her adieus and departed, but we’ll see her again.

As the group exits the dock, they walk past a low wall lined with ne’er-do-wells and street urchins all selling trinkets or offering services as tour guides. One in particular latches onto Gwen. “Pretty lady. Don’t listen to them. They all liars and thieves. One silver, I show you all the best places in town.” This boy is about 10 years old dressed in typical grubby clothes with a typical grubby face except he has twinkling green eyes. He carries a bucket that appears to have all his worldly possessions in it: a few coins, a rusty knife, a dented mouth harp, a half-eaten mango, and a stuffed tiger that is not named Hobbes.

“What’s your name, young one?”

“Don’t got one. Everyone just calls me Bucketboy.”

“Well, Bucketboy. How about I give you a gold piece and you be my guide for the week?”

“A whole gold piece! You got yourself a deal.”

I created Bucketboy to solve one of the major problems of running Port Nyanzaru. It is way too big. For practical purposes, Port Nyanzaru should really be a village, but as written, it is a major city with so many unique and unfamiliar buildings and locations that it would take forever to roleplay just getting around town. Not to mention all the different (and boring) NPCs I’d need to create to facilitate an immersive experience of exploring the city.

But a single guide can take the players where they need to be, explain what each building does, and is more fun and more memorable to play. Plus, playing a child NPC is always hilarious, with a totally different perspective and a limitless supply of unique opinions. “I don’t like this market; they never let you take anything for free. I like the coliseum; sometimes people die there. I don’t trust this guide; he smells like cheese.”

Gwen may have taken a shine to Bucketboy, but Thames wanted nothing to do with him. Thames was focused on just one thing. “Hey kid, just tell me where the nearest library is.”

“What’s a library?”

“It’s the building where the books are kept.”

“What’s a book?

This went on for a while, but finally Bucketboy took pity on Thames. “Oh, you must mean the Reliquary Athenaeum of Savras. Why didn’t you just ask for that to begin with?  It’s on the other side of town on top of a hill. You can’t miss it.” And off Thames went. We’ve got only two players, spent barely 20 minutes in town and we’re already splitting the party.

After getting lost, choosing the wrong hill, then struggling to find the right path up the proper hill, Thames finally reached the front door of the Temple of Savras, god of wizards, divination, and truth, one of the few Forgotten Realms gods still worshipped in Chult. Of all those gods, this one would most likely have a library.

This whole encounter felt weird. It made perfect sense that this character would do as much research as possible before heading into the jungle. Now I had done my research and could discuss the history, legends and lore of the land at length, but I wanted to role-play this experience over time and with all the players present. But here was Wes who just wanted to read all about it in a book.

Fortunately, there is a canonical book described in the novel The Ring of Winter that perfectly suited this request. After haggling with an acolyte of Savras and passing a few speech checks, the scribe brings out a very old tome with the title: “The Eternal Life of Mezro by King Osaw the Wise, negus negusti, bara of Ubtao, translated by Lord Dhalmass Rayburton, advisor to the king.” It’s a long title. Thames can’t keep it, but he is allowed to spend the day transcribing it.

I give Thames the abridged version about Ubtao, creator god of Chult; the founding of his holy city, Mezro; and his eternal feud with Dendar, the Night Serpent, who is prophesized to consume the sun and destroy the world. This lore is not included in the published Tomb of Annihilation adventure, but I use it to make the world richer in detail and will likely become a major quest in my campaign. When asked, the acolyte further explains that after the writing of this book, Mezro was destroyed during the cataclysm of the Spellplague and is now in ruins. What became of King Osaw and Lord Rayburton remains a mystery to this day.

All this extra lore is described in my Explorer’s Guide to Chult. Dole out as much or as little as you want to your players. Do not let your players read the full post. There are lots of details and plot twists that are for the DM’s eyes only. If I ever create a player-safe handout of this lore, I will include it my Tomb of Annihilation Resource Page. But for now, Wes should be rewarded for his ingenuity. So, any time that Thames makes a history check involving Chult, he gets to roll with advantage thanks to this research.

Back to Gwen and Bucketboy. The first order of business is to find lodging. Lazily, the book gives the players only two inns to choose from. The overpriced yet exquisite, Kaya’s House of Repose, or the cheap and deplorable Thundering Lizard. Both of which aren’t even given their own location on the map, but listed as a footnote in the Red Bazaar description (Location 18). This is another example of the book presenting Port Nyanzaru as if it were a village and not as the metropolis it is with thousands of residents and a booming tourist economy.

I could easily conceive of a situation where some players, in their ceaseless and unquenchable quest for player agency and the illusion of unlimited choices, could try and stump their DM. They could refuse both housing options and cry, “Nah! What else you got?” repeatedly until the DM is forced to admit that they are out of ideas, thus breaking player immersion. This may seem like I have a low opinion of my players (I don’t), but I’m just trying to prepare for every contingency. If you had to, you could borrow other inns from other adventures or campaign setting books. But my players are pretty savvy, and would likely recognize anything lifted from another source. So, here is a list of some additional Inn options for Port Nyanzaru. Just in case.

Fortunately, Gwen didn’t need a plethora of options for her immersion. She was satisfied with just the two choices. After several months at sea, not to mention the harrowing experience being lost in the jungle, and as the sole player to make the decision, Gwen decided that they would all stay at the luxurious Kaya’s at the rate of 1 gold per night. Each. Including Carlos, that came to seven gold. Bear in mind that following the shakedown from Aremag (Session 3), the weapons tax from customs, and the postage extortion for Thames’ letter, they only had about 20 gold to their name.

They did have one other type of money, but it has been more trouble than its worth. At the very beginning of the adventure, their patron, Riandon, paid them 50 platinum coins called “Harbor Moons” to fund their journey to Chult. Riandon claimed that these coins were worth 50 gold each, netting them a total of 2,500 in gold, enough to fund at least two expeditions.

Gwen attempted to pay for their lodgings with one of these Moons. The clerk refused to accept it as payment, not recognizing the coin and refusing to believe its value. No amount of haggling and failed persuasion attempts could change the clerk’s mind. “No gold, no room.” Gwen asked where she could exchange her coins for gold. “Try the Hall of Gold. The Temple of Waukeen handles all the big money transactions in the city.”

At the golden temple, Gwen learned the hard truth that these Harbor Moons were worth a fraction of what Riandon had promised them. This coin merchant was not impressed with a coinage of Waterdeep. “This is the stupidest coin I’ve ever seen. What is this? Electrum mixed in with the platinum? Why would anyone do this? I’ll have to melt each one down, throw away the electrum slag, and hope I have enough pure platinum left to be worth anything. You say 50 gold? You’re mad. At best, I’ll give you 10 gold each. And if you come back tomorrow, I’ll offer you five.” With some successful haggling rolls, Gwen talked the price up to 12 gold per coin. Since they only had 30 of these coins left, that gave them a grand total of 360 gold. Way less than they expected, and far short of the amount needed to fund even a single jungle expedition. This won’t even buy them a boat ride home.

This money trick was an epic failure on my part. It was only meant to be yet another setback in a long string of vacation disasters. What would start out as a luxurious cruise to a tropical island and a well-funded jungle excursion turns into a nightmare when they are attacked by monsters, shipwrecked, lost, exhausted, and barely make it to port alive only to discover that they are also broke with no means to get home. It’s National Lampoon’s Vacation D&D Edition. This trick would have worked if no one knew about this quirk in Waterdeep economy.

Unfortunately, half of my players did know about this quirk and spoiled the reveal for the other players. Some were upset that I wouldn’t let them meta-game out a solution or see through Riandon’s deception. There was no deception. He sincerely believed the coins are worth 50 gold everywhere. Others insisted on buying as much expensive armor and gear as they could justify in Waterdeep where the coins were most valuable. I thought it would be funny to let the players think they had thousands in gold, when they only had a few hundred. I was wrong. I’d have been better off just paying them 500 gold up front.

With gold in hand, Gwen went out to spend more of it. I often have my players arrive in town during a holiday, and today was no exception. Today is Valkur’s Day celebrating the seas and ocean-going vessels. Today is a day when many new boats are christened. Gwen insisted on renaming the rowboat that saved them during their shipwreck and bequeathing it to Carlos. The boat had been moved and after paying 5 gold for portage, mooring, and dock fees, they now had a berth in Tiryki Anchorage outside of town. As for the name, several were suggested: The Narwhal IV (skipping #3), Enterprise, Neverwinter, SS Friendship, Intrepid, Bismarck, and my favorite, The S.S. This Jungle Sucks.

After all that, Gwen needed a little me time. She asked Bucketboy where one could go to relax and be pampered. Incredibly, there is such a place on the map at Location 22, The Public Baths. The bathing was free but Gwen splurged on a massage for the whopping price of 12 silver (not gold mind you) that Gwen paid for out of her personal funds. Of all the gold that Gwen blew in a single day, this purchase was the one that most upset all the other players. Gwen was stripped of her treasurer duties and sent to the back of the marching order. That wrapped up Session 6 and then a week later I did it all again.

We replayed the customs agent scene, and I retold the meeting of Bucketboy, the farewell of Undril, the expensive lodgings, the money transaction, and the christening of the rowboat (its name has still yet to be determined). We also replayed a scene that I skipped talking about before. En route to the hotels, Bucketboy led them past the Grand Coliseum (Location 20). There was an advertisement and a sign-up sheet for an event called the Trickster Trials.

Bucketboy explained that all next week is a festival devoted to the Trickster Gods. The trickster gods are nine spirits that reflect different aspects of jungle life and are represented by nine totem animals unique to Chult. Each day of the festival is dedicated to a different spirit and the coliseum holds a contest that is open to the public and tests the skills possessed by that totem animal. I created the Trickster Trials as a way for the party to earn some extra gold after taking it all away earlier and to introduce the subject of the trickster gods. These spirits play a key role in the final act of the adventure and are listed as an important part of Chultan culture. But they are not even mentioned until Chapter 3, months after the party has arrived in the jungle. As such, these “gods” feel like an afterthought and not really a part of the Chultan experience.

Almost everyone was excited about the Trickster Trials and wanted to sign up for every contest. They asked Bucketboy if he could shed some light on the individual competitions. Well, I’m so glad you asked. First, Bucketboy explained that to keep things fair, each contestant could only sign up for three events, except for the last one which is a free-for-all and open to everyone. Next, my descriptions of the challenges were deliberately vague so as not to spoil the reveal of the actual competition. But the players should still be able to figure out which contests are best suited for them

Day 1, Moa’s Hunt is dedicated to Moa the jaculi, a kind of snake known for its stealth and its contest always test the players ability to stay hidden. Shagambi’s Valor honors the kamadan, a cross between a jaguar and a snake. She is famous for her fighting prowess and her competition always involves combat. The Feats of Kubazan celebrates Kubazan the Froghemoth, a gigantic and powerful frog whose contest will test the players strength. Obo’laka the Zorbo is a magical panda and Obo’laka’s Obsession will require knowledge of the mystical arts. Unkh’s Contest is devoted to Unkh the flail snail a docile creature known for its incredible constitution and its contest will reflect that. Ijin the almiraj is a cross between a rabbit and a unicorn. Ijin is infamous for his nimble and acrobatic nature and Ijin’s Race will test that ability.

Papazotl’s Flight will challenge the player’s Insight to reflect her totem animal, the eblis bird, and her daring intellect. Nang Nang the grung is a savage frog race, well-known for its cunning, supreme athleticism and ability to cling to walls. Nang Nang’s Ascent will challenge all those abilities. Finally, Wongo’s Daze pay tribute to the su-monster, a deranged, chaotic chimpanzee creature. No one knows what his challenge we be, but it is always in good fun and no particular skill is required to win. BTW, no one questioned why this ten-year-old is so well versed in theology, contest rules, and other non-juvenile subjects. There is one; maybe they’ll uncover it later.

Everyone quickly signed up for the three events that they thought they would be good at. Everyone except Scáth. Jane explained that under no circumstances would Scáth sign up for anything unless she knew exactly what it entailed. Okay, you don’t have to engage with my content, but this is what we’re doing. The Trickster Trials don’t occur for a couple of days and we have some other things to do this session, so let me know if you change your mind. The refusal was so adamant and visceral that it was awkward, but I was oblivious to any subtext and moved on.

One last note. Wes’s character Thames was the only one not present here at the coliseum. Remember he was off researching Chult, Ubtao, and Ras-Nsi. He never saw these sign-up sheets. The group, particularly Miche, though it would be funny to sign Thames up for a bunch of random events that he would be unskilled at. Even Thames’s player, Wes, said that his character would hate that, but it would be hilarious. I agreed, but gave them the condition that they had to pick at least one contest that Thames would be good at.

Now that we’re all caught up, we moved to the new content for today, the 29th of Eha (see above). While Gwen was off dealing with the rowboat (to explain her player’s absence), the group went down to the warehouse district to find their local contact. Back in Waterdeep, their patron, Riandon, informed them that in preparation for their jungle endeavor, he sent his “best man” ahead to Chult to arrange things for the player’s arrival. By now, he should have purchased a warehouse and begun gathering supplies to stock the group’s expeditions into the jungle. Unfortunately, back in Waterdeep, no one thought to ask what the man looked like. They only had a name, Meepo.

The warehouse district is just off the docks. A narrow channel cuts through the town with supply buildings lining both sides. Ships laden with goods are allowed to steer right up to the warehouses. But to help navigate the channel, the ships are pulled by the most enormous creatures the party has ever seen. It seemed lizard like with a long neck and bulbous head that protruded out of the water, followed by a massive hump and further back, the occasional swish of a long tail. All told, it had to be over 40 feet long and its mass was almost as big as the ship it was towing. Ladies and gentlemen, I present your first dinosaur. FYI, I changed the boat pulling dino from the listed ankylosaurus to a brachiosaur because an ankylosaurus is too short to pull tall ships. It would be completely submerged underwater.

Anyway, a man sat in a saddle on the dinosaur’s back which seemed tiny in comparison. The man held the reins attached to the dinosaur and led it through the channel as if it were a mule or other beast of burden. Other ropes attached the dino to the ship while sailors on deck watched the lines to keep them from getting tangled or too slack. As awestruck and fascinated as the party was, they had work to do. They ignored the strange processional for now and continued their search for this Meepo.

Surprising absolutely no one, Meepo was nowhere to be found here in the warehouse district. Where he is supposed to be! No one they talked to remembered the name and when anyone asked what he looks like, none of the players could give any details about him. The players were at a loss, but before they could get frustrated, the book provides a perfect random encounter.

As you are walking along the piers, you hear furious cries of alarm, followed by a trumpeting sound, a man shouting, “Calm yerself, you dumb beast!”, and the crack of a whip. Looking back, you see a brachiosaur rear up to its full height, tossing its rider into the harbor. Immediately, the sailors cut the lines so as not to be dragged by the enraged beast. A half dozen ropes dangle from its harness as the dinosaur splashes down into the water and runs toward your direction. Palm trees and dock piling line your side of the harbor. What do you do?

The book provides three resolutions to the encounter; to calm, restrain, or destroy the beast. I expected the group to intercede in some way and I hoped that one character would be particularly heroic because I had a reward for that player. But frankly, I prayed that it would be any player except my son, James, because I didn’t want to feel like I was favoring him over other players. But Miche and Thames opted to jump out of the way to avoid being crushed by the rampage. Even more baffling, Scáth ignored the event completely. “Nope. This is not my character’s problem. I walk away and leave the area completely.” I don’t even know what’s going on anymore. Only James’s Martic chose to do anything. He attempted to grab one of the ropes, climb into the saddle and control the dinosaur.

Unfortunately, Martic failed his DC12 Acrobatic check to jump onto the dino’s back. Fortunately, I’m not a save or die, automatic fail DM. I’ll usually give a second chance. Okay, you missed the rope you were aiming for. Now you are tangled up in the mooring lines, dangling upside down, bouncing against the dinosaur’s hide, inches away from the harbor wall. Give me a DC15 Athletics check to see if you can pull yourself upright. If he failed this roll, he’d take damage against the docks and end up in the water. He passed. Okay, give me a DC12 Acrobatics check to climb into the saddle and grab the reins. Pass. Okay, give me a DC16 Animal Handling check to calm the beast. Pass.

You manage to tame the rampaging dino accompanied by whoops and cheers from the sailors and dock hands in the area. After giving the reins back to the handler once he’s fished out of the harbor, a man approaches you. Man is a bit of an overstatement. A gnome wearing a flamboyant multi-colored cloak addresses Martic, “You, yes you, where did you learn to handle a mkubwa like that?” Mkubwa is Swahili for lizard, or in this case, dinosaur.

“I’ve been riding for years,” Martic lied.

The colorful gnome was unconvinced, “Well, either way, you’re a natural. Listen, my name is Gimble Hipporun. I have a stake in the Mkubwa races that are run every week in this town. One of my jockeys is currently infected with Mad Monkey Fever. I need a rider for tomorrow’s race. I’ll give you 100 gold just to run the race and a 100-gold bonus if you win. What d’ya say?”

There was zero discussion. Most of the other players were chanting, “Do it. Do it!”

“You got yourself a deal.”

“Excellent. Find me tomorrow morning at the dinosaur pens in Tiryki Anchorage.”

Their good luck continued when a beggar sitting on the stoop of an empty warehouse called out to the players. “I hear youse fellas are looking for some guy named Meepo. Make it worth my while and I’ll tell you where he is.”

Miche took the bait and tossed the beggar a gold piece. “Okay, where is he?”

“He ain’t here.”

“Yes, I can see that. Where’d he go?”

“He tried to buy this warehouse, but he didn’t have enough money. He was told to check out the cheaper buildings outside the walls.”

“Outside? Where? And what’s he look like?”

“You know, outside the walls, Anchorage, Malar’s Throat, Old City. And he twern’t no man. He looked like him,” pointing to the dragonborn. “But shorter, redder, and more leathery. Now get off my stoop. You’re bad for business.”

Naturally, the group went to both wrong neighborhoods first before finally checking out Old City. The first thing you notice in Old City is the oppressive stench. This is caused by the giant refuse pit that you can see fuming behind the ramshackle buildings that make up this district. Two buildings dominate the landscape. Two ziggurats line either side of the single road leading through the city gates. Every step of the pyramids is covered in tents and dilapidated shacks populated by merchants, beggars, and thieves of all sorts.

Finally, here everyone seemed to know about a short, leathery, red lizardman that was new in town. He bought the beat up, broken-down building just east of here. Upon arrival, the building is in a sad state of disrepair. A squat ziggurat of three stories sits falling apart before their eyes. There are so many holes in the façade that it looks more like a chunk of Swiss cheese than a building. The front door was hanging off its hinges. Knocking on it sent it crashing to the floor.

There in the doorway was a short kobold wearing a blacksmith apron and a pair of goggles. The kobold speaks without taking a breath, “Are you the group the master promised to send? You must be, of course. Why else would you be here. Come in, come in. My name is Meepo. Don’t mind the door. Sorry for the mess. Watch your step. I’ve been trying to get the place ready for your arrival but there’s just so much to do. Are you ready to get started? A jungle expedition. So exciting. But didn’t you bring any equipment? Where are your porters? Which one of you is the guide? Did the master not tell you what you are to do down here?”

After some explanations by the players about the journey to Chult, Meepo concluded, “Oh no, did the master pay you in harbor moons as well? Yeah, they’re not worth anything down here. That’s why I could only afford this dump. In fact, I was kinda hoping you guys would have some extra coin because I’m a few weeks behind in the rent and the landlord threatened to kick me out. You wouldn’t happen to have, say, 75 in gold on you?”

I half expected the group to go on a mission to extort and threaten this landlord, but the group took the path of least resistance and paid the back rent. At long last, we were ready to start the adventure proper. We just need to fix this place up (Thames’s mending spell ready came in handy here), get all our supplies, find some porters, hire a guide, and most importantly, figure out some way to pay for all this.

Next week, It’s Dino Racing Time! And I commit a cardinal DM sin and permanently lose a player as a result.

As always, anyone can have a bad roleplay day, but if a player stops engaging with the presented content entirely, beware, and Game On!

The master is a brilliant man, but when it comes to money, not so much. – Meepo, making excuses about why the players got screwed.

Don’t forget to check out my Tomb of Annihilation Resources Page, filled with all the stuff I use to make this epic campaign even more epicier: My full Campaign Diary, plus Handouts, Maps, Charts, PDFs, Images, and more to use, abuse, or ignore at your peril.

And written specifically for this adventure, read my Explorer’s Guide to Chult to delve into all the legands, lore, history, religion, and culture that I used to bring even more life to this adventure.