AAR [3M]: Monkey Orchid, 2021-01-24 Sunday Jan 24, 2021 at 18:00 GMT, 1:00pm Eastern, 10:00am Pacific

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nadimsuer
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Re: AAR 3M: Monkey Orchid, 2021-01-24 Sunday Jan 24, 2021 at 18:00 GMT, 1:00pm Eastern, 10:00am Pacific

Post by nadimsuer » Mon Jan 25, 2021 1:02 am

Orrn Stoneforged's Journal Entry

Journal Entry 2: Restoring the Monkey Orchid

Having completed my first task, and needing more money and experience before I could truly join the brotherhood of Adepts, I accepted an offer to join and expedition to attempt to restore a powerful medicinal herb, The Monkey Orchid. A flower we had been growing since before the the Kaer was sealed, they had slowly lost their power over time. Sadly, in the time the disease we had sought them out has appeared to return and so either a new supply of the orchids, or a way to restore the power of the ones we have been growing, was needed.

We went to meet Lady Aesha in the Great Library, who was to be our patron for this task. She was asking us to travel many days to the jungles where the Monkey Orchrids were originally found. There we are to seek out either a replacement of some kind, or a way to restore the existing Monkey Orchird to full flower. She suspected that this could be accomplished through the use of a certain kind of fertilizer, the dung of the powerful Jungle spirit known as Kong.

We were directed to speak with several others who may have more information, including the Librarian Estevan who provided us with access to the book and notes that the Great Library held, as well as allowing us to purchase copies of a few key texts that proved to be useful. We next spoke with Healer Potts, a Questor of Garlen, who gave us some details about the medicine we were seeking, as well as medicines to protect us from the diseases that we might encounter ourselves in out travels. Medicine that nearly provided the undoing of several of the weaker stomached of my allies, much to their dismay. Lastly we sought out the Royal Gardner, Moss Questor of Jaspree, who not only provided us with a blessing but also told us many valuable pieces of information about the jungle and the plants there in, as well as about the plant itself that we fought. With this information gathered, as well as supplies from the Grand bazaar, we made our way out of the city and joined a caravan would we would be providing protection for in return for travel to the jungle and supplies when we arrived.

After many days journey, we arrived at the Iron Bark Grove, the last spot of civilization before we entered the jungles, and home to a Living Crystal mine that might very well also be the prison of an ancient horror. Still, the locals didn't seem to be too concerned, and so I followed suit, enjoying the last night under a roof with much food and drink. While we were hear, my allies and I took some time to find out more about the Cathan people, who were known to be servants, of a sort, of the might jungle spirit Kong and most likely our best chance at locating what we sought as it was through them that Charwin had originally gained access to the flowers. A tribal people, their issues between us seemed to come down to a clash of beliefs and way of life, one i hoped that we would be able to overcome.

The next day found us traveling through the jungle and, while it was slow going, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought, until we came across one of the Cathan natives who had been tree'd by a fierce looking pair of reptiles. We quickly rushed to the namegivers defense, little did we know that there were many more of these creatures and a battle was fought. I would like to say that I was a valuable assets here but, sadly my allies carried most of the day, though i was able to at least make sure that no one was caught out completely alone. Convincing the man that we meant no harm with an offering of the flesh of the beasts that we had slain, he offered to allow us to eat with his tribe and tell us what he could that would assist us on our journey. A night of food and tails followed, including warnings of the great river beast known as Dungalaba who was known to attack anyone who entered the river unprepared, as well as the strange spirit animals known as Hufgufa, which appeared as nothing more than flying flesh devouring fish.

We left the tribe that morning and made for the river where, after constructing a raft using local materials and some very helpful instructions purchased in the City, we were able to safely navigate the river, though there were many close calls including several near attacks from Dungalaba itself. While i do not wish to attempt it again, i would not give up this experience for the world and am great to have done something like this at least once i my short life.

Once across the river, we sought a way to get the attention of the elder's here, for to enter the jungle here without there permission was taboo and we dared not risk that. We quickly decided on a course of action and, after I crafted a drum from a well cured log, and the others had decorated with the correct symbols and laid out are offerings, we used it to call out to the elder's. It wasn't long before we were found and, permission to enter being granted, we were lead deeper into the taboo lands by a guide, Highnew known as The Death that comes from the Darkness of the Jungle. While he was a good fellow indeed his presence willed one with a sense of barely restrained violence. He was one i am glad i will never have to face, for I am certain that I would not survive such an encounter.

We were brought before the elder's and, after explaining our missions, we were afforded entrance into a strange place, the home of the Monkey Orchid spirits. And this is where we discovered that it was not the fertilizer that was important, but the spirits themselves that once dwelled in the orchids. In order to restore them, we would have to bind a new accord with them, an accord that could only be won with a show of strength, though strength with restraint as killing the spirits would only take us further from our goal. Armed with this information, and with Highnew standing guard to hold the path back open as long as he could, we entered their lair and discover the spirits themselves. Beings as strange as the place they dwelled, they did not welcome us and once more we were engaged in combat, though this time with spirits on their home turf, and with the knowledge that slaying them would bring us no good. But with the powerful magics at my allies disposal, as well as the unexpected charisma and social prowess of our Sky Raider, we were able to prove ourselves and gain not only the blessing of the spirits, but also the speeds we would need to restore the power of the Monkey Orchids, though specific indeed were the instructions provided to make sure that these blessed flowers grew and flourished so that the medicine needed by our people would be there for generations to come.

With that we returned once more to the jungle back the way we came, only to discover that we had been gone for 10 days, our ally having stood his watch that whole time. We quickly gave over the things he would need to restore himself and, with the knowledge acquired traveling to the home of Kong, we were able to quickly return and make our way back to the great city. I must say, the world outside of the City is even more vast than I imagined and I can't wait for my next chance to experience it.

kaetaur
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Re: AAR 3M: Monkey Orchid, 2021-01-24 Sunday Jan 24, 2021 at 18:00 GMT, 1:00pm Eastern, 10:00am Pacific

Post by kaetaur » Mon Jan 25, 2021 5:58 am

The Spirit of the Monkey Orcid and the Spirit Beast Kong. Journal Entry of Arphen Elven Scout

For those who need to know about the Monkey Orchid it needs a couple things to grow properly. It needs the respect of the Monkey Orchid Spirits, the Poop of Kong the enormous half spirit half great ape, and a devote questor related to Charwin to grow correctly. The great nation of Throal needs to protect Gardener Moss and her family as much as we can for this pre-scourge connection to allow us access to the healing properties of the Monkey Orchid. Below this is a very direct account of what transpired in my life. Keep this Servos Jungle sacred and protect this information from those who might prey upon it or I, Arphen, will haunt you after my leaving this mortal coil.

I thought this adventure to find the Monkey Orchid was too much for me to pass up. Even though I replied that I was interested in this work and was not selected I showed up to the meeting place at the appointed time. There I met with Ornn, a troll weaponsmith I adventured with before, Keel, an elven Skyraider that I had heard about, Calina, Barag,and Vallone. We drank some ale, ate breakfast and then went over to the library where Lady Aesha was hiring us to go find what we needed for the Monkey Orchid. The Lady is an impressive woman who deserves respect and I will say that I find it difficult to talk with her unless it is directly in relation to scout business. She was contacted by a few different people in relation to a disease that is sweeping through the elderly of Throal and causing them to get sick and die. The Monkey Orchid is a key ingredient in the medicine needed for this disease and is new plants are not as potent as they once were. It turn out the the Healer Potts was canabalizing anything that contained the essence of past Monkey Orchids in order to gain the magical properties needed to fight this virulent disease.

After Lady Aesha gave us the run down and hired us to go find the needed Poop of Kong with which to grow the orchid. We were directed toward Asteven to research information we needed. Asteven was very knowledgeable and easily guided one of my compatriots toward the needed knowledge. To be truthful, while I like books, libraries are overwhelming to me so I did not pay that close of attention to who was looking for what and just focused on what they found. I think it will be good to know this man as he will make researching easier. He showed us a series of books on the Servos Jungle that were for sale as instructional books for knowledge of the area. I bought the Jungle Survival Skills books as it seems like a wise idea to red this and learn some basics on the way there.

From there we went to Healer Potts where we learned some basics about what he needed the Monkey Orchid for. Certainly a skill physician I intend to learn from him in the future. He supplied us with medications needed to survive in the jungle. Let me tell you the dysentery cure was quit helpful. After speaking with him we went to Gardener Moss to learn more about the Monkey Orchid and discover what the problem was. As it turns out they have run out of the fertilizer of Kong and that is the suspected problem. I was taken by the happiness of this dwarven woman and asked her to show me what other things we could recover from the jungle that may be rare for her. I was then whisked away and show many interesting plants and we reviewed a book together. I will be returning to her to learn more botany as I like her. Little did I know that her kind hand resting on
my arm would matter as much to the mission as it did to me in that moment. Moss mentioned that Lord Gunderson's papers had more details and we did not investigate them. Honestly I was so enamored with her love of nature I forgot to mention that she showed us what the garden looked like in astral space with some sort of magic of blessing of Jaspree. I will definitely be learning more about the passion and devotions required of Jaspree to see if this is a path I should go down.

We went shopping and then headed out. Honestly there was so much that happened just in Throal that I fail to write down here so I suggest that for more information you find journals of anyone who travelled with me on the Caravan. The caravan ride was uneventful and filled with free food and kind people. I will suggest that if you need a trustworthy merchant that you barter with House Mikul.

Upon arriving at Ironbarr Grove I settled in for a night of drinking and learning what I could from the townsfolk there. It turns out that the most important thing I learned is that one should stay away from this rich town. While it is filled with metals and living crystal the source of that crystal is a crystal cage trapping a great horror. Pass through this town if you must and remember that every piece of crystal that comes from that place will one day release a horror. This needs to be stopped soon and I hope that I advance to Journeyman fast enough to be able to help change the mining town into an abandon town before great evils are unleashed back upon Barsaive.

Travelling through the jungle was hard. It was also easier than any group conversation I have had in my life. Living in tune with how the jungle works would be a challenge that I may not be up to. We happened upon a jungle resident slowly shooting dinosaurs with blow gun darts. I was not in the mindset to see a namegiver die to the jungle today so shot the younger dinosaur with an arrow from my new Elven Warbow. This cause the mother to rage and the group of us was attacked. It was tough for a bit when we were surrounded by six dinosaurs. Thankfully my arrows struck true, the flying ice of the elementalist in our group, and the blades of my compatriots made short work of the mother dinosaur and the remaining young fled.

Kwamae is a pleasent person who told us stories of Kong and the heart of the Jungle. It is taboo to speak of Kong not over a fire eating meat. You must do so quietly and with great respect. Kong lives in the center of the taboo lands where a tribe of people live who venerate him and other jungle spirits. We now had a solid heading as to where to go and knew more of what to expect.

The river crossing was frightening. Without a weaponsmith, brackets and tools to make a boat, lots of meat and blood from the dinosaurs, and swift paddling across I dare say it is wiser to spend sever weeks travelling around the top of the river to avoif the deadly giant Dungalaba or flying carniverous fish called Hufgufa. Do not do this unless you have to.

After a few more days travel we reached the edge of the taboo lands just in time for the full moon. Keel had the idea that we should try to make rythym with the drumming sound of the natives. Ornn set about hollowing out a tree stump with which to creat these sounds and the rest of the party matched a beat to the other drumming without disturbing its pattern. Shortly there after a shaman arrived and we began a discussion. I did not talk much because talking is not my forte. An understanding was reached and the shaman revealed connections that looked like a vines running from him to many things. This included one that looked like a flower on a vine rising up from where Moss had touched me. Thank you Moss and Jaspree for having the kindness to help us achieve our goals. The actions of my travelling companions made the Shaman's acceptance of us possible and this flower on my arm sealed the deal. We all swore an oath to commit no acts of violence on their sacred day. Hinu, DEATH THAT COMES FROM THE DARKNESS OF THE JUNGLE, was assigned to take care of and protect us during out time here. We need to ask the spirit of the Monkey Orchid to approve of us to create an alliance between us and the tribe of Throal so that the orchid would regain their astral presence and be able to have healing properties again.

Arriving at a ring of mushrooms with a gateway and a ladder leading into the spirit realm, we were told by Hinu that we needed to go to the Monkey Orchid Spirits and show our graceful strength without causing too much harm. Ascending the ladder and following a path lead us to the pool of the Monkey Orchid spirits. The group of us tried to show our strength without causing too much harm and eventually the Elementalist succeeded in proving that we were strong and know how to apply appropriate force. The Elder Monkey Spirit encased me in vines and communicated with my mind to let me know that an alliance was formed and that it was temporary and that Throal needed to prove itself worthy. The astral flower on my arm changes color proving this alliance is real. I fear my left arm may be a pattern item of Jaspree's.

Upon leaving the spirit realm we saw Hinu had stood guard over the entrance for at least 10 days without leaving his post of eating. THe Shaman gave us Orchid Bulbs, Kong Poop, and instructions.

DO NOT HARVEST THE FIRST GENERATION OF ORCHIDS EVER! These are sacred and need to be cared for. The second and third generations can be harvested for the ingredients we need and generations of orchids after than can be harvested as well. I have made sure to pass this information on to Gardener Moss.

The trip back was long and uneventful. I am happy to be home.

predajey
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Crap for One is Treasure for Another

Post by predajey » Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:18 am

An extravagant white leather bound journal contains several chapters detailing Calina Ravanqnerosicor’s journeys. It is written in a rich blue ink and the pages have a gold trim. It is written in Sperethiel.

Chapter 97: Crap for One is Treasure for Another

It is very rare that I am able to pull myself away from the Subject of my study, but Funds were running low and I found a rather decent job in which I learned and plied botanical expertise to supply certain reagents to the Alchemists of Throal. Unfortunately, I had far more acceptable expertise in psychology than practical botanical care. As I packed my things yet again, I ventured back to the Great Library. Over the past few months (or maybe it was a year already? Time is irrelevant for this research.) the Great Library had become more comfortable to me than my flophouse in the Dahnat. I had noticed a small group of Adepts speaking with Lady Aesha. As a marvelous researcher, her interaction with several Adepts closer to my Circle drew my attention. As I slowly inched my way closer to catch what their topic of discussion was, I was inadvertently included in the group. Another job as an Adept would stay the necessity for these menial labor employments, even if just for a short duration. This time, I was asked, even before formally introducing myself as part of the respondents for a call to action, to conduct some research on the Servos Jungle. I found some isolated reports on sentient species who had settled in tiny tribes within the Servos. They were identified as that Cathan. I acquired copies of these records, and working in tandem with renowned researcher Esteban, came across information on where we might locate the object of our pursuit. We needed to adapt our botanical care to the specifics required of the Monkey Orchid, and unfortunately that required use of the excrement given by a very large simian. This same simian was looked at with worshipful reverence by the Cathan tribes.

Further research exposed another Adept who had initiated the growth of the Monkey Orchids within Throal. A gentleman by the name of Charwin developed habits, hobbies, and practices that accelerated his knowledge on adventure, naturalism, and elementalism. He even pursued devotions as a questor of Jaspree. He gave an in depth record on his travels through the Servos to obtain similar defecation for tending to the Orchids. Following his path was not terribly difficult, but before departure, we were given a list of recommended supplies to advance comfortability during our journey. Of course, the most prominent and important of these was insect repellant. We also met with Healer Potts and Royal Gardener Moss, who informed the other members of the party of information that might be vital to our success. I presented letters of introduction to both, which the rest of the party had seemed to forget. The practice of etiquette is definitely limited to many Adepts. Personally, I had no interest, as my focus would be on the Cathan Tribes. They spoke in a manner that combined sign language with verbal components to portray thoughts across to others. One term I found particularly strange was the translation of the term 'message'. With another somatic motion, it would be mistranslated into a term used to describe a particularly uncomfortable act of passion that women might perform for a man or one that is one of the limited availabilities for men to perform for a man. The literal translation of the term was 'to pass something onto another'. The somatic motions detailed what exactly was passed and how it was received.

Along the journey, we stopped in at Ironbark Grove. I heard of a marvelous spa that had some availability to weary travelers, and treated myself to what they could accomplish in an evening. Massages, soakings, facials, bathing, cuticle care, and even a bit of eyebrow shaping all occupied my time as I allowed my rather delicate attire to be washed by their laundry professionals. I even got a chance to meet with the owner, a Troll named Azurea. She didn't understand Throalic Sign Language, so the interaction was brief. I hope she doesn't confuse my silence with any form of malice. In the morning we continued into the more dangerous area of the trek, leading through territories contested for by some of the most dangerous creatures I've come across to date. One such encounter hosted a battle between one of the Cathan and a family of carnivores. I quickly checked my book on Cathans to ensure we would not be interrupting a rite of passage if we intervened. The party dove into combat. Aside from my mage armor, I found myself to be rather useless and not able to weave enough threads for even a single spell. After ensuring the Cathan's survival, he guided us to a relatively safer location and method to cross the Galanga.

He continued to guide us towards the Taboo Lands. In the distance, we heard faint drumming. Ornn rapidly hollowed out a log to be used as a drum. I sat next to it and began drumming. I'm not sure why my drumming was best suited for the task. I suppose being the only educated person amongst our highly combat capable team made the decision easy. I had noticed that one of our teammates had purchased goods to trade to the Cathans. I reminded Keel that we had them, and they were laid out in offering to any who would apppear. Eventually a wood spirit appeared, as did what might have been a chief or another type of leader from the Taboo Lands. Keel recommended I try to communicate with the tribesman, and I allowed Barag to take over the drumming while I attempted to communicate, but without verbal components, the meaning behind my attempts was lost. When Keel took over with vocal communication, I provided the somatic motions to clarify what would be perceived as incomplete thoughts and mindless blathering. As we spoke with the chief, a blessing from Healer Potts and Royal Gardener Moss bloomed a magnificent astral flower. The chief placed us under the guidance and protection of a mighty warrior. He led us further into the Taboo Lands to a mushroom circle. A silhouette of the great ape named Kong appeared. It was quite a frightening sight to behold. Before I could take in the horrible optical aesthetics he provided, our warrior guide urged us to climb a rope ladder and enter the astral plane where the Monkey Grotto would be located. He advised us to show our strength.

As we made our way towards the Monkey Grotto, the party was discussing another warning given to us by Royal Gardener Moss: Do not do anything to jeopardize our alliance. They agreed on preventing loss of life while we were in the grotto. We entered to find five Monkey Orchid Spirits. Again, I was unable to cast a single spell, mostly because I did not want to risk killing any of the spirits and instead opting to attempt a cast of Binding Threads. The leader of these spirits had determined that our show of force was ample enough to provide us with what we were sent to retrieve and then some. He offered a few Monkey Orchid seeds, informing us of the breeding requirements to maximize the effectiveness of any salves made with the Monkey Orchids. We also gathered a full bag of Kong feces.

We returned just before the gateway to the grotto closed. By the look of our warrior guide, we had been gone about a week, despite our experience providing evidence contrary to this fact. He had not moved from his location and was heavily atrophied. We tended to him as best as we could before the party decided I would be the one to carry the bag of Kong crap back to Throal. I made no serious effort to transport the bag. I certainly wasn't going to carry it with my hands. I'm not staining my blouse with giant monkey poo! I tried to tie off my binding threads to it, but it did not budge. Eventually, Keel offered to carry it back for me. I'm a scholar and not well suited for manual labor. I did take an in depth record of the Cathan tribe. I even got their permission to get it published. This might possibly be one of the most impactful additions I have added to the Great LIbrary. Even better than that, I didn't stain any of my clothes, although they did get a bit soaked. I'll have to revisit the Nah Imma Stay spa.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

Re: AAR 3M: Monkey Orchid, 2021-01-24 Sunday Jan 24, 2021 at 18:00 GMT, 1:00pm Eastern, 10:00am Pacific

Post by Anoush » Sun Mar 07, 2021 10:36 pm

[A letter from Kun'da'lin Iceclaw, found among her parents' effects at the troll moot; written in Sperethiel.]

Dear Mom & Dad,

I recently visited the Servos Jungle for the first time. What an experience! If I never go there again, it’ll be too soon. The overwhelming heat and humidity made me long for the coldest, snowiest winters in the Throal Mountains. Still, I’m glad that I went there. I feel that we accomplished something good.

It all started because a disease was sweeping through Throal like wildfire. A lot of people died, and more were ill. My friend Calina asked me and a few others to join her. She’d been recruited to help with finding a cure to the disease. The others were Ornn (a troll Weaponsmith), Barag (a dwarf Elementalist), Vallone (a windling Shadow), Arphan (an elf Scout), and of course, Calina (an elf Wizard).

The first stop was to the Great Library to see a dwarf librarian, Lady Aesha. I’d never seen so many books all together in one place before, ever. It was amazing to consider that so many books even existed in the world. Lady Aesha explained that this disease ran in cycles, and that the current cycle was in the early stages. In previous outbreaks, the healers had used an extract from the Monkey Orchid plant to combat the disease, to form a medicine. Apparently, the healers needed a new supply of Monkey Orchids, which only grow natively deep in the Servos Jungle. Although the orchids are now grown in the Throal greenhouses, over the last generations, the Orchid’s medicinal effect had faded. She said the problem was that Throal didn’t have the right kind of fertilizer, more specifically, feces from a Great Ape Nature Spirit. So, our job was to travel to the Servos jungle and collect as much of this excrement as we could. Really. It was hard not to giggle at the thought, and then be appalled. They wanted as many bags of it as we could carry back.

We also visited Healer Potts at the Temple of Garlen. He gave us pointers on how to identify the feces and what things to avoid in the Servos. He suggested taking great care in crossing the Galaga River, if we had to. And to avoid the Flying Piranha fish. And to avoid the jungle tribes, as they often practiced Name-giver sacrifices. Sounded like a really wretched place.

Before leaving Throal we bought supplies for the jungle, including light-weight clothes, dried foods, some trade goods, and machetes for hacking through the underbrush. We also bought medicinal supplies, in particular preventatives for common jungle ailments, like dysentery. Oh yes, this was going to be a fine trip!

Next, we visited the greenhouses of Throal and talked to Moss, a questor of Jaspree there. It was eerie there. The plants seemed to move and sway as Moss moved, leaning forward as if to listen to her words. Spooky. She told us that Monkey Orchids were the children of a Nature Spirit, Named Kong, and an avatar of Jaspree. She warned us that Kong was known for his combat prowess, so we should do our best to avoid disturbing him lest he attack. And under no circumstances were we to kill Kong. As if we could. At one point, Moss touched Arphen on the arm, telling him that Jaspree was pleased. Odd, but after a confused pause, we just continued with the conversation. Moss told us that Kong, and the other giant apes, were astrally active, and that’s what made their, uh, excrement so vital to growing Monkey Orchids. We learned that once we’d collected the feces we should be sure to make sure to keep it moist, but not too moist. She gave us a huge collection bags, and afterwards we bought a couple more at the market.

To get to the Servos, we joined a caravan heading for Iron Bark Grove, led by Opir the Trader of House Mikul. There were a total of 16 of us in the caravan. They carried a variety of trade goods, everything from spicy foodstuffs, to artisan crafts, to pots, pans, utensils and knife blades. Along the way we quizzed Opir about the Servos, took notes and copied maps. Not only did we want to get where we needed to go, but to get back home safely as well. We reached Iron Bark with no problems, and spent one final night there, enjoying the comforts of civilization. Iron Bark is a mining town, known for the many earth elementals nearby. Some of our group indulged at the Crystal Rainbow Spa for the evening, but I settled for a quiet and early night in a comfy bed at the inn.

Bright and early the next morning, we strode into the Servos Jungle. It became clear very quickly that the place was an extremely complex eco-system. The mages reported that astrally the place was as bright as they’d ever seen, and with many and varied layers to the brightness. The astral was open here, even clear, which they said meant that we were unlikely to encounter horror constructs. Good thing, since from what I’d heard the natural residents would be dangerous enough.

A few days in, we spied a native man in a tree, pointing a blow gun at something. Then we noticed several large lizards at the base of the tree. They strode on two-legs, like t’skrang, but with heads and jaws more crocodile-like, without crests. These “dinos” as someone dubbed them, were colorful, about 6’ high at the hip, thus they towered over us. We helped the native fend off the dinos. We killed three, while the rest scattered. The native, Named Kwame, had been hunting for food for his tribe. We roasted one of the dinos that night and sent the rest of the meat with Kwame the next day.

Over the fire that night, we learned some things about the jungle from Kwame. At first, we tried asking about Kong, but Kwame made a sign as if to ward off the evil eye and said not to talk about that. But Kwame did warn us against two types of creatures: the husgapha and gumbala. The husgapha were the flying piranha fish that we’d already been warned about. Kwame said that they swarm in the river. But that there was one place with three mangrove trees where there were many fewer. He suggested we save some raw meat and throw it out to occupy the piranha while we crossed the river. He said that the same technique would work for evading the gumbala as well. To make the meat even more appetizing to the creatures, we collected some herbs that Kwame pointed out, smeared them all over the meat, and let the stuff marinate overnight. By morning, it reeked horribly, but we hoped it would save our lives.

Later, near the end of the evening, Kwame did quietly tell tales about Kong, about how Kong kept the Horrors out of the Servos Jungle during the Scourge, how Kong saved the native tribes of the Servos Jungle. Kwame pointed us to the southwest, to an area known as the Taboo Lands. He said that there would be a festival there in 9 nights, at the full moon. These lands were the center of where the Giant Ape Spirits dwelled long ago, and that if we searched for Kong, that was where to go. Kwame’s final admonition was to get help from the Wise Ones.

The next day, we followed Kwame’s directions and found the grouping of three mangroves near the Galanga River. Indeed, as we watched, we saw swarms of flying fish leaping out of the water and back into it. We also saw some logs on the water, that turned out to be gumbala. So we followed his instructions and threw the meat into the river, throwing it as wide as we could. While the husgapha and gumbala were occupied with the dino meat, we hurried across on a raft we’d built.

After a few more days of traveling, we heard drumming one morning. That night would be the full moon. We began drumming ourselves on hollow logs, in time and counterpoint to the drumming we heard. We laid out some of our trade goods, too. Eventually, we felt that people were all around us, watching. But we kept on drumming, while a couple of our group picked up the trade goods and offered them to the unseen watchers. We waited, and waited.

Suddenly the atmosphere changed. Then a native man appeared out of the nearby jungle brush. He wore bright clothing, feathers, and was covered in tattoos. He used some form of sign language. Calina was reluctant, but we urged her to communicate with the man. After all, she used sign language most of the time, so she should be able to talk to him. And she did. Eventually the two found common ground. Calina learned that he was a shaman from the nearby tribe that was doing the drumming. This shaman pointed to Arphen’s arm, right where Moss had touched him, and said that Jaspree had touched him there and was growing inside him, but that everything would be all right. Odd, again, I didn’t really know what to say about all that, and think that the rest of our group was just as puzzled.

The shaman, who introduced himself as Hainu, summoned a few guards and together they led us to their village. He asked us all to swear to keep the peace, and we did so. We explained our mission to the shaman. In response, he told us that what the dwarves did in the jungle was not good and that the jungle tribes pitied those who came to the jungle from outside, like from Throal. They considered anyone from the outside to be a taker, someone who took what they wanted from the jungle and never gave back. In contrast, the tribe said they lived in harmony with the jungle, giving and taking in equal measure.

The shaman talked to us about the Heir of Chawan. He said there was a pathway to a sacred grotto and that he’d take us there where we could prove our worthiness to ask a favor of the jungle spirits. I presumed the favor was to be able to collect the feces and take it out of the jungle. We learned that we needed to show strength, but gentle strength.

About this time, the drumming began intensifying, as if it was reaching a climax. The shaman led us down a pathway and we saw a stone wall, made of large blocks preventing us from going further. But somehow, the drumming — I think — made a gateway open in the wall, and then there was silence. From beyond the gate we heard a deafening roar and caught a glimpse of the shadow of a giant ape, with enormous teeth the color of moonlight, and eyes as dark as night. We all instinctively looked away. No one could look on that sight for more than a few seconds.

Hainu bowed to the giant ape — Kong, I presumed — and led us further along the path. He pointed us to a tunnel, but warned us not to stay very long. We hurried down the tunnel to what we expected was the Grotto of the Monkey Orchid Spirit. The grotto was round, with a circular pool in the middle, with a couple of small isles, really just rocky outcroppings, dotting it. There were several tamarinds on ledges and the isles — all monkey orchid spirits — with one elder on the other side of the pond.

The spirits attacked and we responded. Most of us at least. I was conflicted. I didn’t want to kill, or really even hurt them, so I great leaped my way across the grotto until I was standing right in front of the elder. Immediately, the water began to froth and bubble in a variety of patterns. The elder pointed to the path behind us, and we hurried back the way we came.

Once back in the village, Hainu looked thinner. But there was no sign of the festival or villagers. We learned that Hainu had been waiting in that same position for 10 days. How could that be? I swore we were only in the tunnel and grotto for a few minutes, at most. Yet, 10 days passed here on the outside.

Hainu brought us to the village Wise Ones. One of the them, Solon, welcomed us and gave us a bag of blessed seeds. He said that we proved ourselves worthy of them, and that these seeds — for the Monkey Orchid — would grow plants with the astral presence of the Giant Ape Spirit, and they would be able to save our people from the disease.

Somewhat bewildered, we accepted the gift and began our long trip back to Throal. We delivered the seeds to Moss, at the greenhouse, and later heard that they had been successful in creating an effective treatment for the disease. So, we accomplished something wonderful and have a fascinating story to tell about how we did it.

Hope you’re all well. I’ll be home to visit next month.


All my love,
Kun'da'lin

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