Tomb of Annihilation: 5
Dear Skye,
Our journey through the jungles of Chult continues, and every day brings new wonders and dangers. On our fifth day, we found a survival cache filled with food rations. It was a gesture of solidarity among explorers, a lifeline left behind for those who might need it. We left it untouched, marking its location on our map, as we still have enough supplies.
Our destination, Firefinger, looms ahead. It’s one of the last beacon towers left on Chult, standing over 300 feet tall. Now, it’s nothing more than a nest for pterafolk. Our guide, Azaka, has an heirloom to retrieve there, a mask of some sort. She’s promised that we can keep whatever other treasures we find. The thought of climbing that enormous tower fills me with anticipation and fear in equal measure.
We encountered an expedition headed by a Zhentarim, who were looking for a man named Artus Cimber. They left without incident, but their presence was a reminder that we are not the only ones with a mission in these jungles.
As we waited for nightfall to infiltrate Firefinger, Angle managed to train Pegasus, his faithful companion, to bear him as a mount. The sight of them soaring through the sky was magnificent, a testament to the bond between them.
Scaling Firefinger was a formidable task. We found bodies of the unfortunate who had been dropped from its peak, a gruesome reminder of the dangers we face. With the help of De’leon’s flight and our grappling hooks, we ascended through caves filled with giant spiders and stirges. We found the body of an unlucky explorer who carried two onyx statues of chwingas – tiny nature spirits Azaka explained to us.
Halfway up the tower, we encountered a group of elderly pterafolk huddled around a campfire. Angle, ever the strategist, swiftly cast a spell that eliminated most of them before they could react. We defeated the rest and continued on.
To our surprise, we found an injured aarakocra captive in the next area. Dolores immediately set to work healing him. His gratitude was a poignant reminder of why we’re here, Skye, of the good we can do and the lives we can save.
I miss you terribly, Skye. But I know that I carry a part of you with me on this journey. Your spirit, your resilience, your belief in the goodness of people – they are my guiding lights in this dark and dangerous jungle.
With all my love,
Mugen
