The Tear of Ubtao

Our three daring adventurers—Brother Taro, a disciplined monk; Garret Halloway, a sturdy and steadfast fighter; and Magnus Vaylen, the cunning rogue—set sail for the untamed wilderness of Chult. Their quest, issued by the King of Calimshan: recover the legendary Tear of Ubtao, a mysterious gem of immense power, hidden deep within a forgotten temple.

The Song of the Sirens

The expedition began on the shimmering waters of the Shining Sea, with the sails billowing under a golden sun. Sailors whispered of sirens lurking below, but the crew pressed on. A storm threatened to engulf the boat, but Taro made the smart move of changing course.

The next day, at dusk, haunting melodies began—a song that pulled at the soul. Three sirens, with flowing hair of blonde, black, and red, emerged from the waves. The sailors, unable to resist, leapt overboard one by one, bewitched by the deadly lullaby.

Magnus, relying on his keen wit, had plugged his ears with melted candle wax and did likewise for the others, save 6 sailors because there wasn't enough was. A desperate struggle ensued as Brother Taro, Magnus, and Garret did their best to restrained several of the sailors. Unfortunately, 3 of them jumped to their death, to the delight of the cruel sirens.

The sea fiends

Upon their arrival, the three envoys of Calimshan found the output eerily quiet. Nobody was there. The sailors anchored the ship at a safe distance from the outpost while Taro and his two friends explored the silent outport. The jungle loomed close and dangerously dark. Trying to get a better view, Magnus climbed up the lighthouse of the outpost, the only tall building, promptly followed by Taro and Garret.

When they reached the top, they heard screams coming from their boat: it was being attacked by a horde of blue and green humanoids covered in scales and brandishing deadly harpoons. The boat was quickly taken over and these creatures proceeded to take the ship apart and burn it down. A dozen of them emerged from the waves and headed to the lighthouse, determined to murder our free heroes.

Garret quickly ran down the steps of the lighthouse to lock the door, but he didn't quite make it. One of the sea fiends was coming through the door, but Garret bravely attacked him, soon joined by Taro and Magnus. They dispatched another 3 of the slimy creatures when a horn sounded the retreat. The creatures ran back to the sea.

Brother Taro found a trail of steps all pointing towards the foreboding jungle, and they all agreed they should at least attempt to find out what happened to the outpost farmers, even though it was a detour from their intended target in the jungle.

The Hungry Jungle

Dense vines and poisonous spores slowed their progress, but the party’s vigilance kept them moving forward. Their reprieve was short-lived. Ahead of them, they heard the threatening buzing of many wasps, so they cautiously decided to avoid them.

Eventually, they found a terrific scene: most of the farmers had been murdered. One of the sea creatures was also laying dead amongst them. After this sad discovery, they camped for the night. Soon a ragged man came out and identified as one of the survivors from the massacre, John. 

The next day, they all set out for the temple. John fell prey to a quick sand, but the quick thinking of Garret saved him from drowning in the sandy pit.

Magnus fell sick, and a debilitating fever took hold of him, his hands starting to shake. Garret found herbs in the jungle that temporarily stopped the shaking but couldn't cure the fever.

The Forgotten Guardians

At last, they arrived at the crumbling remains of a ziggurat, where the Tear of Ubtao awaited. The temple’s entrance was sealed by a stone slab covered in Chultan glyphs—a puzzle that required intellect and precision. Magnus stepped forward, intending to carefully aligning the runes. However Garret side-stepped him and tried to push against the door. This provoked the awakening of one of the Jaguary statues who leapt from its pedestal, its stone claws slicing through the air. 

Brother Taro and Garret engaged the guardians, fighting atop the temple. After a harrowing fight, Magnus tried to align the glyphs three more times, with each failure awakening another stone jaguar.

On his fourth attempt, Magnus solved the puzzle and opened the temple’s door.

The Warning of the Bone Naga

The grand chamber of the temple was breathtaking: shafts of sunlight illuminated an altar where the Tear of Ubtao gleamed with otherworldly light. But as the party approached, an ominous voice echoed through the chamber. A Bone Naga, the temple’s eternal guardian, slithered into view, its skeletal form coiling around the altar.

“You dare disturb the Tear of Ubtao? Leave, or face oblivion!”

The three friends tried to reason with the Bone Naga who told them that should they attempt to take the Tear of Ubtao from this temple, the balance of life of death would be disrupted in the Jungle of Chult. The dead would rise and the living would become their preys. Despite the King of Calimshan request to procure the gem, the adventurers decided it would be best to leave the Tear of Ubtao where it stood.

Magnus requested for his fever to be cured, and the Bone Naga granted his wish. The Tear of Ubtao sparkled and granted him a vision of a supply ship from Calimshan coming in the next few weeks to re-approvision the output and bring back the product of its fields back to the desert kingdom.