My regular Dungeons & Dragons group is playing through Tomb of Annihilation and I am very excited to be doing so. For this campaign, I am playing a Fallen Aasimar Cleric of the Grave Domain named Wyfingrem. Her family are renowned among her people as Resurrectionists. With the world stricken by a Death Curse that has prevented resurrection, Wyfingrem and an odd assortment of adventurers, have answered the call from a mysterious benefactor to find the root cause of the curse and destroy it. Each day, Wyfingrem journals her experiences as a way to feel close to people, especially those closest to her heart.

Day 2

My Dearest Love,

We procured a room last night at an establishment that goes by the name the Thundering Lizard. It is not long after we arrived and sought a table to partake in a meal when the man we have come to know as Taban enters.

Taban’s presence was met with great enthusiasm from the local patronage. They view him as some sort of celebrity, reportedly for his accomplishments in the gladiatorial arena. I, however, only see him as the morally bankrupt creature who nearly killed many of my new companions during the conflict at the temple.

He ordered a round of drinks for everyone present and suddenly it is as if all is forgiven. I shook my head at this and decided it not a suitable environment for me. How can there be revelry when so much is at stake? Has no one suffered the decimating losses that you and I have, my dearest love?

I ordered another cup of this land’s exotic tea - I have quite grown to like it! - and retired to our room for the night. I was exhausted from the events already and it appears this group of travelers our Gods have deemed necessary for my success will be needing my healing powers quite regularly. It only underscores the importance of this quest and the perilous dangers that separate me from my success. I cannot understand how this curse prevents me from channeling some but not all of their judgment upon the living, but I prayed in earnest that they continue to bless me with the rites of preserving life, if not restoring it.

Sir McManly, one of my companions, shall be the recipient of a personal prayer tonight. It is by his generosity that we have these rooms for many of us gave all our coins to the sea creature. Sir McManly is a peculiar sort. Greenish and boastful and always with his chest out. He reminds me of a peacock, preening about with his tail feathers on full display. But I do not question his bravery or commitment to our well-being. It is signs like this, my dearest love, that assure me the Gods have not abandoned us completely.

While sleep took me quickly last night, my dreams were tumultuous, indeed. The most awful of scenes disrupted my slumber numerous times with visions of unspeakable things happening to you. More unspeakable even than those that already have happened.

By their grace, the Gods of Life and Death sustain me through my prayers and restore my peace.

We gathered for breakfast before setting out. I was thankful to be among familiar faces and listen to their idle chatter, even if I did not feel up to partaking. Another of our companions, a half-orc named Dimo, who makes up for what he lacks in intelligence or basic refinement with incredible spirit and, like Sir McManly, bravery, asked me why I don’t like having fun.

Ironically, I found myself chuckling on the inside at this. Fun? Where is there room in any man’s heart for fun? I find levity impossible these days. I have lost too much, my dearest love, with no bigger loss being the ability to be near you and look into your beautiful blue eyes. But once we are successful, I will once again experience that joy and then all will see how vigorously I embrace the fun that life has to offer us!

We received a summons that morning by a Jessamene who is known in this city as a merchant princess. She is not actual royalty, mind you, but here she holds much political sway. I voice my objection to the group that this is but another distraction from our ultimate goal, but we were advised that ignoring such a summons would bear repercussions. That is simply not something we can afford to do! Every moment delayed means how many unnecessary deaths? 

But if we must, we must, and so off we went on what turned out to be a fruitless visit. This merchant princess offered us nothing of value. My impressions of her character suffer all the more in that she took the Soulless aside to commune in private, a conversation Toni, the name bestowed upon the abomination, refused to share with the group. I don’t blame you for thinking me foolish for thinking I could expect one of her kind to act any different. Without a soul, there is no moral anchor by which to attach her actions. She is without direction. Without conscience. It is not her fault, but it offends me to the core all the same.

Mercifully we left there to return to the high priest Zitembe. While our spiritual guidance comes from vastly different origins, I think you would like him, my dearest love. He is kind and earnest, and I believe him to be a good man. 

We found Zitembe to be thoroughly exhausted from the ritual we had hired him to perform, but blessed be the Gods who hold all life and death in perfect measure, he has a destination for us! The high priest has told us to seek a city to the south that is draped in vines. 

I fear there is greater risk yet in where Zitembe has sent us for even he dared not delve further into his vision. He has issued us a grave warning that whatever plague has infected this mysterious city intends to drag us down with it. I beg you not worry for me, my dearest love. The Gods have chosen for me to take on this holy mission and as long as my faith, and yours, remains strong in them and me, I shall persevere.

Before we can depart for this city shrouded in vines, we had to find a guide. This land is foreign to all of us and I am told local customs require a writ of passage. We interviewed several options but there is one with whom I feel a kindred spirit. Eku is her name and she is of a charitable heart who donates a portion of her wages to help those less fortunate. Her fees are rather steep at 30 pieces of gold, and seeing as how we tossed most of our money into the sea, we are low on funding at this moment.

My heart sang though when Eku tells us she needs help ridding the jungle of a witch, and if we help her do so she will guide us at no charge. While this is a tangent from our true path, it is a noble endeavor and one that shall benefit the people of this land. Witches are sins against the natural order of things. Not as foul as the Soulless, mind you, but a mistake that needs rectifying nonetheless. I saw plainly the gifts the Gods of Life and Death have put in our path and rejoice!

My companions, however, elect to go with a different guide. It is another reminder to me that perhaps we are not all on the same journey even though we are on the same path. While I am here for the most altruistic of reasons that benefit all of mankind, there are others among us who worship at the altar of false gods. Namely wealth and fame. 

The guide who is to be in our employ is named Salida. She is of poor character in my estimation. She speaks disparagingly about her competition rather than focusing on her own strengths and abilities. I can’t help but see shadows upon her heart while Eku’s blazed with the golden light of purity.

To make matters worse, we need to find proper funding to hire this Salida’s services and so we spent the day looking for ways to earn the money required. I must tell you it was a most frustrating endeavor as every person with whom we spoke asked us to rob or murder or otherwise do harm upon another. While I remain humble in the eyes of our Gods and willing to accept work beneath my station in service of the greater good, I shall not consort with criminals and other uncouth individuals.

I write to you now, my dearest love, to let you know another day has regrettably passed us by and we are only minutely closer to achieving our goal. I shall enjoy another cup of tea and then pray for patience and guidance this night before going to bed. 

Tomorrow is another day and it is imperative that I greet it with optimism and determination. Until then, my dearest love, know that I miss you terribly.

All my love.

Day 3

My Dearest Love,

I arise feeling ragged this day. Once again I lay my head down and long to see your beautiful face at the center of my dreams. Instead, however, I am haunted by nightmares both terrible and intense. Over and again I am assaulted by visions of those closest to me perishing in the most unimaginable ways while I remain helpless, unable to grant them the new life they so justly deserve.

Eventually, exhaustion overcame me, delivering some measure of sweet relief, but I awoke feeling like a string pulled too taught and beginning to fray.

We were approached at breakfast by a woman who introduced herself as Zitembe’s daughter. Her name is Inete and, in glory to the Gods, she has offered to pay us a sum of 100 pieces of gold if we help her reach her destination, the Aldani Basin. She tells us it lies to the south, so along our course as well, and that it is a large lake at the center of Chult.

In exchange for her tremendous charity, she asked that we help her find out what a group of red-robed wizards are up to at this basin. More importantly, she is not seeking to do harm to these wizards, merely observe them, and so I feel we are all the more blessed to have had our lives intersect!

The Gods of Life and Death continue to work in ways mysterious to man, but they are good and just and have pushed us further on our quest.

Inete recommended a path along the Tiryki River to a place called Mezro where she thinks we are most likely to find the ruins of which Zitembe spoke. Salida claimed to know the way but I began to suspect she is either lost or guessing at the right way.

We made camp and I collapsed into my bedroll out of sheer exhaustion. But as I closed my eyes, I did so fearful that our decision not to hire Eku may lead to delays at best and wandering into a dangerous situation at worse. 

For the most part, the next day’s trip down the river in our modest boats was uneventful. The scenery was lush and resplendent in its own right. I wish you could share these new experiences with me, my dearest love.

We did cross paths with a group of people Salida named to be something called the Emerald Enclave. I am told they are a group of naturalists who seek to keep man from overtaking nature and nature from overtaking man. I see true beauty in this as it mirrors our own work to keep the balance between life and death. When I learned however that they also endeavor to destroy the undead that reportedly run rampant in the jungle, I hold them in higher esteem yet.

We made camp once again after a full day of travel but as we were doing so, a foul blue mist surrounded us. Salida claimed it to be a curse and with great alarm urged us to pack our things and leave immediately.

Having had no other choice due to our ignorance of this land, we did as she commanded. Once back on our boats, Salida told us the mist can infect us with a serious disease common in Chult known as Mad Monkey Fever. No sooner does she tells us this than Zilditch begins tremoring all over his body. He is but a small goblin and I doubt his body possesses the constitution to bear this sickness for long. While goblins are most often wretched creatures, I feel sympathy for this one as a companion, and perhaps a friend, and thus have prayed to the Gods to grant me the means to help him. My prayers have gone unanswered as yet. Undeterred, I shall continue daily devotions to our Gods in hope that they answer my call so that I may cure Zilditch.

We are camped again and it seems to be safe for the night. I remain convinced, and others appear to be coming around to my line of thinking, that Salida has gotten us lost in this jungle. I cannot let that fill me with despair, however. Faith shall always be my guide when and where man cannot. Besides, this new illness has brought to me greater purpose. While I cannot resurrect even those deserving of it, this remains within my means and I shall see it through! I pray that Zilditch can hold on.

I sleep now, my dearest love, and hope to wake in the morning with clarity and direction.

All my love.