The next day dawns overcast and the air is heavy with humidity. The inn provides cool showers with rainwater collected on the roof, and while they are refreshing, by the time you're done dressing, you already feel sticky with sweat.

Qawasha and Kupalue are waiting downstairs, and navigate you through the teeming city towards the edge of town. The oppressing humidity doesn't put a damper on Port Nyanzaru; the Chultan people are busy about their day, laughing and talking and buying and selling.

Qawasha leads the party through Tiryki gate and into Tiryki Anchorage. This district is full of animal trainers, dinosaur pens, and explorers heading off or returning from the jungle. Your canoes are ready for you at the docks, and Qawasha takes a moment to inspect them. Satisfied, he and Kupalue sit together in the middle of the lead canoe and he takes up a paddle.

Once you have yourself sorted into canoes, the journey begins. The river here is wide, slow, and water is brown with churned up sediment. It takes almost an hour to navigate past the various riverboats, along with ocean vessels that prefer Tiryki anchorage to the more regulated city docks. But soon enough, Port Nyanzaru slips behind a bend in the river, and your adventure has truly begun.

The morning passes easily. The river is sluggish, and paddling upriver is easy. The banks are teeming with colourful birds, raucous monkeys, and beautiful ferns and vines. A few hours in, the heavens open, and you find yourself paddling through torrential rain. The smaller members of the team find that they’re busy bailing rainwater out of the boat. The monsoon only lasts and hour or so, and when the sun comes out, the humidity is lessened for a while.

Spoiler: passive perception 15+
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You see some movement at the water’s edge, and turn to see several small humanoids fishing in the shade of an overhanging tree. They’re about three feet tall, and wearing elaborately carved masks, painted with terrifying visages. They completely ignore the canoe


You take turns eating your lunch in the canoe, and keep paddling throughout the day. This close to the equator, the days and nights are equal in length, so Qawasha advises not pulling over to land until you’re ready to set up camp. The paddlers have aching arms and blistered palms by the time your guide directs you to the western bank, where he knows of a good place to make camp.

There is no beach, but the exposed roots of a mangrove grove provide a good spot to tie up the canoes. A few meters away you find a clearing, with a fire-ring to show the site’s regular use as a campsite. In fact, as you begin setting up camp for the night, you hear the strains of music coming from not far away...