"A Day at the Races" - Tomb of Annihilation, Chapter 2

A MINOR RETCON
The Karanja limped into Port Nyanzaru, visibly in need of assistance as the untrained passengers serving as temporary crew did their best to sail a heavily laden ship for the first time in their lives.

A shadow passed over the deck and the brilliant figure of a humanoid dragon descended from the sky on golden wings. The magnificent golden dragon-man landed on the deck and, in a commanding voice, called out to the Karanja's captain, "Captain Abasi, what has happened to your crew?"

Captain Abasi replied, "Zindar! It is good to see you my old friend! Alas, my recent recruitment proved ill conceived. Luckily, I had these fine passengers to save me in my time of need."

Captain Abasi described the recent mutiny of his crew and the efforts of the diverse passengers to retake the ship to the dragon-man before introducing the passengers.

"I am Zindar, harbormaster of Port Nyanzaru. You have proven your bravery and I will recount your story to my superiors. Welcome to my harbor."

TOMB OF ANNIHILATION, CHAPTER 2

"A DAY AT THE RACES"

Five travelers survived a mutiny 
and arrived in the jungle land of Chult
hoping to find their destiny...

THE TRAVELERS
Nova Scotia Blackman - a black Canadian archaeologist (Human Rogue) from 1920s Earth who was transported from Greenland to the strange continent of Zazamanc. He is searching for a way to return to Earth but has come to appreciate his new home. He is searching for a man named Artus Cimber.

Apparently Jones - a blue-skinned demijin caravan guide and animal trainer (Air Genasi Ranger) from Akasa, the land of sky mountains. She is traveling to Port Nyanzaru to find work as an animal handler.

Bramble Wolf - a theran barbarian wise-man (Wildhunt Shifter Druid) searching for the legendary origin of his tribe.

Qhallebbewk Zriri - an aarokan aristocrat (Aarocockra Ranger) from the sky-city of Aarokar-Nasaris, banished by his noble family for his boorish behavior. He is travelling to Port Nyanzaru hoping to win the approval of his family by accumulating glory and fame.

Xoc-Wik - a b'alam warrior (Tabaxi Fighter) from the jungles of Bres, searching for the person or people responsible for the destruction of his tribe.


SHOPPING: THE ROLE-PLAYING GAME
Once in Port Nyanzaru, Apparently bid farewell and sought a job as an animal handler or trainer in Tiryiki Anchorage. The others agreed to accompany a man named Rhogar on a seven-day journey to Fort Belurian to aid his covert mission. They would meet to commence their journey on the second dawn for tomorrow the city would be closed for the dinosaur races.

They spent the remainder of the late afternoon and early evening exploring the city. Bramble and Qhallebbewk hired a young street boy named JibJab to show them the city and its shops. They wanted to purchase weapons, armor, and provisions. More importantly, Qhallebbewk wanted some meat on a stick.

They met Ekene-Afa, the muscle-bound former gladiator, and appraised her finest weapons and armor but lamented their lack of funds. From her they purchased rain catchers and outdoor traveling clothes.

They were nearly overwhelmed by the heavy miasma of burning incense and aromatic oils in Kwayothe's shop of fruits, liqueurs, and balms. They purchased insect repellent in both salves and incense.

They entered the tower of Wakanga O'tamu and climbed the tightly confined stairs into the small dark chamber of the wizard merchant. O'tamu's face was painted in grey ash and he was slowly stirring a liquid concoction in a metal bowl, dribbling in pinches of arcane ingredients from nearby stone mortars. They admired the potions but could afford none. Before they left, the wizard said, "Tell your friend the John Henry to come visit me. I have a gift for him."

Qhallebbewk looked confused, "Who's John Henry?"

Bramble explained, "The Nova Scotian."

"Ah!" exhaled the bird-man in sudden understanding.

They left and ran into Nova Scotia Blackman. Qhallebbewk asked if he had seen any shops selling meat on a stick. Nova said he had not.

"What have you been doing?" inquired Bramble. 

Nova looked somewhat embarrassed, "Well, since coming to this world, I haven't earned very much money. I must admit that I have been hanging out in the merchant district looking to relieve some merchants of their fat purses."

"Any luck?"

Nova made an exasperated sound, "No."

They informed Nova of the wizard's message.

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER
The sun was setting and Bramble and Qhallebbewk were preparing to head back to the inn when a woman wearing full scale mail armor interrupted them, "Excuse me, I need your help! Can you help me?"

Her name was Undril Silvertusk. She was a beasthide theran and a priestess of the Knights of the Circle from Avallonis. She was trying to find a way to get upriver. She had an important message to deliver to her fellow Knights of the Circle at Camp Righteous. She had recently arrived in Port Nyanzaru and was unable to secure a horse for the journey. She balked at the prospect of hiring a riding lizard or bird, considering such primitive beasts to be undignified.

Undril seemed very naive. She refused to remove her armor despite the intense heat and her severe perspiration. She was wholly unprepared for any kind of jungle expedition. When asked about finding passage upriver on a riverboat, she slapped her head for not thinking of that.

She thanked her new friends and left towards the harbor to find a riverboat.


A MEETING FORETOLD
John Henry Blackman, the Nova Scotian, climbed the tiny stairs and entered the abode of Wakanga O'tamu. The ash-faced wizard waved waved him in, "Sit, sit."

Nova sat before Wakanga's evaluating eye. The wizard asked, "How is Maara Ihe?"

Nova was taken slightly aback by the inquiry, "You know Master Ihe?"

"Yes, for he, too, was my scholarch."

Nova took a breath, "He is dead, I fear."

"Yes. I know. I know all. I know why you are here."

"Because you had a gift for me?"

"No, why you are in Chult. You seek Artus Cimber."

"Yes, do you know where I can find him?"

"Okay, I know ALMOST all. I do not know where he is currently. But I know what he seeks. You seek the same thing."

Nova became skeptical, "What do I seek?"

"You seek Orolunga."

"What's Orolunga?" asked Nova.

"What your heart desires."

There was an awkward silence.

Nova finally spoke, "I was told you had a gift for me."

"Yes! Yes!" Wakanga flicked his fingers and a book darted across the room into his hand, "It's an old journal. It was found in the jungle fifteen years ago." The book contained illustrations and writing in an unknown language. Wakanga described where the book was found.

"You may have the book. But if you find in your travels this amulet illustrated here, return it to me. More rewards will await you."

WHO'S THE BOSS?
"What do you mean 'SURVIVE'?" demanded Apparently Jones.

"Don't worry, a figure of speech," explained Satebi, "Come, I must introduce you to the boss, Ifan Talro'a."

Satebi took the blue-skinned demijinn to an opulent office overlooking the animal pens of Tiryiki Anchorage. Apparently stood in the doorway as Satebi crossed the room to address the older Chultan man in a dashiki with a full white bearded chin and a multi-colored fez. Satebi spoke in a low reverent voice. The man in the dashiki jumped up, his face enraged. He glared at Apparently, "No! She is a demijinn! She is the offspring of evil! She will not work for me!"

Satebi plead his case, "But master Talro'a, you did not see! She calmed Lucy with a look! She has a way with animals!"

Ifan was momentarily taken aback. "Lucy, you say?"

"Yes, sir!"

Ifan contemplated his options. After a moment, he reconsidered his position, "She can race tomorrow. If she WINS, she can have the job."

THE BIG DINOSAUR RACE
It was heavily raining on the morning of the following day. Water poured from every drain and downspout into catch-basins and cisterns. In spite of the heavy rain, the entire town gathered along the wide wall surrounding the arena atop Yklwazi hill in anticipation of the day's dinosaur races.

The rains let up just after noon but the sky remained dark and tumultuous. Qhallebbewk, Bramble, and Nova joined the crowd to partake in the festivities.

Qhallebbewk asked, "Where's Xoc-Wik?"

Bramble shrugged.

The first race of the day was among the four-legged dinosaurs - triceratopses, dimetrodons, and ankylosauruses all vied in competition. The dinosaurs jostled and shoved their way out of the colliseum, through the narrow city streets, around all four hills, and back to the colliseum. Qhallebbewk and Nova wagered a few coins on some of the races.

The second race included the two-legged dinosaurs - young tyrannosauruses, allosauruses, hadrosaurs, and deinonychuses.

Everyone was waiting for the third race - the unchained event! All dinosaurs would compete!

Qhallebbewk was the first to notice a blue-skinned rider on a parasaurolophus, "Wait, is that Apparently?" He quickly put a large sum of money down on the demijin to win.

Competing against Apparently were ten other dinosaurs:

1. A big tyrannosaurus rex named Big Honker - obviously a crowd favorite with a confident and experienced rider.
2. A young triceratops named Ubtao's Favorite - apparently the rider was on a winning streak.
3. An colorful hadrosaur with a bright yellow head named Banana Candy - the animal seemed serene compared to the other beasts.
4. A big ill-tempered allosaurus named Bonecruncher - it kept biting at the other dinosaurs nearby.
5. A spiky ankyloaurus named Grung Stomper - its rider appeared to be little older than a child.
6. A seasoned tyrannosaurus rex named Scarback - it was getting too big to race and would soon be released into the wild.
7. A rambunctious allosaurus named Nasty Boy - its rider was well known to the crowd and appeared to be overconfident.
8. A feathered deinonychus named Jungle Princess - its rider was a short creature with yellow skin wearing a strange wooden mask, the rider looked nervous and was easily spooked.
9. An aged ankylosaurus named Mountain Thunder - it appeared easily distracted.
10. A beautifully groomed triceratops named Please-o-saur - its rider was a voluptuous woman in skimpy garments.

Apparently was riding a parasaurolophus billed as "Loosey-Goosey".

The starting horn was blown and the dinosaurs took off!

The beasts shoved their way through the city streets. Scarback, Banana Candy, and Nasty Boy became early favorites.

DM Note - Qhallebbewk placed a large wager on Apparently to win. During the race, Qhallebbewk's player kept chastising Apparently's player for not winning.  

"What are you doing? You're rolling dice like a LOSER"

In the end, Scarback won the race followed by Nasty Boy and Banana Candy. Apparently and Loosey-Goosey seventh.

After the race, Ifan Talro'a met her with a sour face. He took the reins of Loosey-Goosey and simply pointed towards the exit.

She was joined by Satebi as she crossed the arena floor, "Maybe I can find work at one of the other stables."

Satebi shook his head, "No. I'm sorry. Ifan is a merchant prince and controls all the stables in Port Nyanzaru. You must find work doing something else."

She sighed and exited the arena.

ATTEMPTED THEFT
During the race, Nova once again decided to practice his skills as a cutpurse. This time a likely prospect presented itself. Nova made to retrieve the purse but the target took notice and shouted. The target tried to grab Nova's wrist but Nova managed to twist away. He tried to run away but found his going difficult through the crowd of spectators.

Nova was trapped on top of the wall outside the arena. City guards were working their way from both directions, penning him in. Nova moved towards the edge of the wall overlooking a thirty foot drop to the buildings of the red bazaar.

Nova unfurled his whip and lashed at a flag pole atop a building outside the wall. He leaped off the top of the wall and swung down to the alley below. He loosened his whip and disappeared into the tight narrow back alleys. On his way he purloined some local garments so that he could change out of his conspicuous Earth clothes.

DM Notes-
Here's my ad hoc rules for allowing PCs to earn some bonus coin by petty pickpocketing during down-time.  

Pick Pocket
This activity gives a character the chance to make some extra cash by separating some purses from some wealthy merchants.

Resources
Picking Pockets requires a character to spend eight hours and at least 2 gp on food and ale while observing potential marks.

Resolution 
The character must make a series of checks, with one DC for all the checks determined by the profit sought from the crime.

The chosen DC can be 10, 15, 20, or 25. Successful completion of the crime yields a number of gold pieces based on the chosen DC, as shown on the Loot Value table.

To attempt the lift, the character makes three checks: Wisdom (Perception), Dexterity (Stealth), and Dexterity (Sleight of Hand). If there is the opportunity for crowds, throngs, or masses, the check is made with Advantage.

• If none of the checks succeed, the character is (1d6):

1-3 = Caught and jailed. The character must pay a fine equal to the potential payout and must spend two nights in jail per 5 gp value.

4-6 = Roughed up by thugs.  The character gains 1d4 levels of Exhaustion

• If one check succeeds, the lift fails but the character escapes. 
• If two checks succeed, the lift is a partial success, netting the character half the payout. 
• If all three succeed, the character earns the full payout.

Loot Value 
DC Value 
10 = 5 gp, the purse of a struggling merchant
15 = 10 gp, the purse of a prosperous merchant
20 = 20 gp, the purse of a noble
25 = 100 gp, the purse of one of the richest figures in town

Complications Picking pockets for a living is filled with complications. Roll on the Pick Pocket Complications table (or create a complication of your own) if the character succeeds at only one check. If the character’s rival is involved in crime or law enforcement, roll if the character succeeds on only two checks.

Crime Complications
d10 Complication
1* = A bounty equal to 10 times your earnings is offered for information about your crime.
2* = An unknown person witnessed your crime and threatened to call you out to your victim unless you promised to render a service.
3 = Your victim is beaten up for being unable to pay a debt because of your crime.
4* = Someone who knows of your crime has been arrested on an unrelated crime.
5 = Your loot is a single, easily identified item that you can’t fence in this region.
6 = You robbed from someone who was under a local crime lord’s protection, and who now wants revenge.
7 = Your victim calls in a favor from a guard, doubling the efforts to solve the case.
8 = Your victim approaches one of your adventuring companions asking about you.
9* = A paladin or cleric of justice is keeping their eyes peeled for someone matching your description.
10* = You stole something precious from a beloved figure; everyone in town is looking for you, the thieving scumbag.
*Might involve a rival

A NEW DIRECTION
After the races, the passengers reunited down by the harbor. Apparently, now without job prospects in Port Nyanzaru, asked if she could join the other passengers. She was welcomed back as a friend and colleague.

While they were catching up they heard someone crying nearby. They saw Undril Silvertusk sitting on the edge of a fountain and at the end of her rope. She said she waited in the harbor all day but nobody was around! The others explained that everyone in town was watching the dinosaur races. They further explained that even if there was anyone around, she wouldn't have found any river boats in the harbor. She needed to go to one of the rivers outside of town.

Undril, sweating profusely in her armor, broke down into sobs. She complained that she was a failure! She worried that the brave knights and clergy of the Knights of the Circle would suffer without the important information she had to deliver.

The others suggested hiring a guide. They asked Zindar and the dragon-man showed them to a nearby board containing several notices. Each notice was an bill advertising the services and qualifications of a local wilderness guide. The passengers said they would help Undril hire a guide.

They reviewed the bills posted for each guide. They eventually settled on the cat-folk siblings River Mist and Flask of Wine.

They spent the rest of the late afternoon searching for them in Tiryiki Anchorage but to no avail. The sky was darkening as they made their way through the gap between the ridge and the outside of the wall into Malar's Throat.

Malar's Throat was a steep canyon that flowed downhill to the western bay. The canyon was filled with slums, shanties, and ramshackle structures.  Rickety bridges of rope and wood were suspended overhead. In one large structure they heard loud music and merriment. There they found the pair they sought. One was standing silently on the wall while the other was holding a flagon of tej and recounting a wild story to several interested listeners. They interviewed the quiet one, River Mist. River Mist offered the pair's services for four gold pieces a day each. Alternatively, they'd waive their fee in exchange for a share in the treasure.

Undril had no money on her but she promised that the commander of Camp Righteous would pay them two gold pieces a day each if she was safely delivered to them.

Undril's new friends considered this for a moment.  Undril was just going upriver! She didn't need to hire a guide - they were all experienced travelers with extensive survival skills. They decided to forego traveling with Rhogar and instead they would travel with Undril to Camp Righteous.

Undril agreed.

TO BE CONTINUED...