Pasar on the Brink

As Gwinch has re-established the Two-Fold Path in Pasar, he also found time to identify and train an apprentice, one Adidas. Although the young man had first enquired about joining the ranks of the sohei, his talent as a healer and independent personality, soon proved that he less warrior than priest, and that he would follow a path far beyond the walls of monastery.

The Festival of Luc is a busy time in Pasar. Long celebrated by the Pasari Originals, the three days of parades, dancing and feasting have undeniable appeal for the merchants and other newcomers who have turned the backwater village into a thriving market town. But, in the eyes of the Pasari Originals, these foreigners do little to understand the deep mystery under the spectacles. And consequently, a Festival of Peace becomes an occasion for violence.

In this case, deadly violence. While Gwinch and his sohei were lending their support to the Elders of Pasar in maintaining order among drunken revelers, Adidas, together with his friends Dank Sum, Genjob, and Sukh, stumbled upon a murder victim.

It started with a noodle owner complained about demons in her cellar. The heroes checked it out and found—rats. In chasing the rats they came upon a series of tunnels, connecting other taverns and abandoned buildings. Most of these tunnels were several years old, dating to the time when the Black Flowers were first coming to power. A freshly-dug tunnel led to the cellar of Bahati one of the most prominent merchants in the Silk Merchants guild. Adidas, Dank-Sum, Genjob, and Sukh didn’t realize where they were until they were standing over the body of Bahati’s daughter Binti.

Bahati was shocked, outraged, and despondent. Most of Pasar echoed his angry grief. The on-going celebration of the Pasari Original was received by other members of the Silk Guild as a deliberate mockery and most foreigners agreed it was heartlessly insulting. Phang, one of the Elders of Pasar was caught going to a secret meeting at an encampment of the Imperial Army. This was unexpected, as the Elders were very public in their defiance in the war-mongering Emperors to the North and East, but ultimately it only made them look foolish

Over the ensuing weeks, the unrest increased. The Pasar Youth stayed with the palisade of Old Pasar and Gwinch’s monks took a more active role in maintaining basic order.

Until one day, 20 Imperial soldiers entered the city on horseback. They seemed to appear from nowhere, in the middle of a busy square. Someone threw a stone and knocked a rider off his horse. The other soldiers drew their swords and the killing started.

Sukh, Adidas, and Sentra Amangang, a young Pasari priest, were there. There was something odd about the man who’d thrown the rock, a giddy smile behind the mask of rage. Unwilling to commit themselves to either side in the melee, they chased the rock thrower, first into an abandoned house and then into a tunnel. Sentra caught him and knocked him to the ground. The rabble-rouser showed regret for his part in starting a riot and eagerly shared information about his involvement while begging to be allowed to go free. It was the Black Flowers who had hired, him, paying him several weeks wages, just to throw a big rock. He didn’t know why. “They don’t want you to ask question.”

He knew the tavern where the remnants of the Black Flowers met, “almost every day.” He was done with the Black Flowers and he wasn’t looking for a new job. “I just want to get out of Pasar and go back to my own village.”

They let him go and decided to check out the Blue Water Wine Hall, the alleged hideout of the Black Flowers. On the way, they were waylaid by archers. Although the three investigators were unarmed, in keeping with the laws of Pasar, they charged the archers and gave chase when the assassins fled. Although they lost their quarry, they found what seemed to be a secret entrance to the Blue Water Wine Hall. They ventured inside and were attacked by an enormous swordsman. Adidas floored the giant with a well-aimed punch. But rather than explore further, Adidas suggested they should return to the monastery and make a report to Gwinch.

Maztica: The Valley of Peace (Arrival)

On a quiet day, after traveling far from Nexal and when Atl was resting, Omechoka, Divemoye, Mociauh, and Zolin decided to experiment with the odd items they had discovered in the lair of the Rain Dragon. Omechoka had claimed a particularly beautiful object, a small vessel seemingly made of clear water, but in solid form. Because the vessel was clear, Omechoka could see its contents, a viscous liquid the color of the sky of midnight. Now seemed like a good time to open it. Omechoka removed the stopper and tipped out a drop. Immediately the bottle became slippery in his hands. It fell to the ground and shattered in a blinding flash. The ground seemed to dissolve beneath them and all screamed in alarm. When the travelers recovered their sight, they found that they had fallen upward. They were in the sky and the poor dry husk of Maztica lay below them. Far to the North they could see the smoke of Nexal. To the South they imagined they could see their homeland, where the sea encroached upon the land to turn it into swamp. But Zolin among the mountains almost directly beneath them a lush valley. As they got closer-- for they were slowly falling-- they pointed out to each other the lake found by mountain river, croplands, villages . . .

They landed in this green valley, choosing a forest clearing, now far upriver from one of the villages. They drank cool clean water from the stream and then walked toward the village. At first it seemed deserted. No one was working in the fields and all the houses were closed. They walked along the stream to a lake where they found boats and also fish kept in pens. They took many fish. Some they cooked and ate immediately. Others they smoked to eat later. Then they returned to exploring the village. They determined that there were people in the village, but that they were afraid to come out of their houses. Finally they found a house where the occupants acknowledged their presence. A man announced his willingness to fight while a woman chastised him for using violent words and begged the travelers to go away. Zolin insisted that they meant no harm and at last the travelers were welcomed into the house.

Zolin and Omechoka prepared a meal for their hosts (smoked fish) and learned about the strange place they had arrived. First, there was no fighting. Second, there was plenty of food. The village was known as Fat Shamba. There was another village that could be reached in one or two days journey. True Shamba, it was called. Would strangers be treated kindly there? Yes, they must be; it's True Shamba. Midnight, the man of the house, would take them there.

The next morning, Divemoye would not wake up. Sleep sickness. There was only one thing to do. Take him to the Cave of the Ancestors. Midnight would help carry him.

So the Travelers left Fat Shamba, following a narrow path along the lake and then walked along the river that flowed out of the lake. Midnight explained he didn't want to arrive at the Cave when it was dark. During the night, Midnight slept soundly (as did Divemoye!) but the others were kept awake by strange droning cries and then by a hard rain.

In the morning, Midnight explained that the Cave of the Ancestors was a place of healing and a place of rest. Some who entered would emerged fully healed. Others stayed for a long rest. He had made this trip to the Cave with dead or dying relatives, leaving them outside to be welcome by the Guardians. But he had never been inside. "So if we carry your friend inside, the Guardians might decide that we all need to stay for a long rest."

Zolin, Omechoka, and Mocaiauh were all ready to take any risk to help their friend. And Midnight wanted to accompany them.

To enter the cave, they waded through a pool of knee-deep, murky and stagnant water. They found themselves in a large cavern where they lit torches, and discussed where to go next. The cavern covered with small puddles and strewn with rocks and boulders. They followed a dry that led through a chamber full of roosting bats before tapering into a passage too narrow for even one person to squeeze through, even without the sleeping Divemoye.

Returning to their starting point, they looked more closely at a large boulder at the back of the chamber and determined that there was space behind it. Zolin climbed up and confirmed that there was a tunnel behind a boulder that they could easily walk through. And this tunnel was dimly lit.

The party hoisted Divemoye over the boulder and explored the tunnel, soon coming to a vertical shaft with a ladder going down. The light was from the bottom of the ladder. The party climbed down and found themselves in the middle of a tunnel. A trickle of water ran down the middle of it. On a shelf that ran alongside, there was a body, wrapped in cloth and next to it, a candle. Up the tunnel, there were more candles burning. Walking up the tunnel, the party found more dead bodies and skeletons, with the oldest remains in the highest reaches of the side tunnels. The water trickling through the tunnel had no effect on Divemoye.

So the party explored the tunnel in the other directions, lighting the way with their own torches. As they progressed, the water got deeper, finally flowing into a deep pool. Divemoye was plunged in the pool and woke up.

The party was ready to return. As Zolin climbed the ladder, a hand reached down to help her. Zolin recoiled and raised her torch. In its light, she could see bones through the hand's transparent flesh. Looking up at the hand's owner, she saw a figure wrapped in robes. Zolin dropped back the ladder and prepared to fight, taking Divemoye's Axe of Justice form its still groggy owner. When the figure reached the bottom of the owner, it reached out to embrace Zolin, but instead received a solid blow from the bronze blade of Divemoye's axe. The figure hissed and brandished a worn and battered maca. Midnight attacked the figure with his spear, striking it with such force in the middle of its body that the obsidian blade emerged on the other side and broke on the wall of the cave. But the figure barely acknowledge this, instead reaching out wrapping an arm around Midnight and pulling him closer. Zolin hit the figure a second time with the ax and Midnight wriggled free. The figure turned its full attention to Zolin, wildly swing the maca and knocking the axe out of her hand. As Zolin fumbled for another weapon, the figure advanced, and began to batter her with the maca. Midnight grabbed the axe and found the strength to attack the figure. Zolin pressed her shield against the deathly attacker, pinning against the side of the cave so that Midnight could smash its skull with the axe. The fearsome monster was still. Midnight reluctantly returned the axe. He agreed that yes, they had just killed one of the Guardians.

The party climbed the ladder and returned to the daylight.

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 6: Invitations

 Because Beatriss had brought several extra horses from the Happy Valley, those who had been rescued from the Salt Swamp were able to ride. Hyamsam led the way back to where he and the other overland travelers had parted company with Kalashar.  The caravan track was clearly marked and the larger party had no difficulty finding their way to the oasis. This was a muddy hole with a small pool at the bottom, ringed with a dozen date palms. Kalashar was overjoyed to see them. He called for a feast!

Everyone overindulged in food and several overindulged in drink.

Bo-Jong’s advisor Ryu provided the following account of the strange and tragic events that happened that night and the next day:

During the feast Bo-Jing went out to get fresh air and saw a guard talking to a winged monkey creature.

Bo-Jing ran back in and yelled to everyone about the strange sight he had seen. The guards laughed but Kalashar looked worried.

The mighty and fearless Bo Jing ran back outside the tent in time to see the winged monkey in the light of the full moon. Bo-Jing sprinted after the odd creature as it flew and hopped across the desert.

Bo-Jing spot the monster one last time as it disappeared in the ruins of a temple.

The next day, the trustworthy Bo-Jing and his humble advisor returned to the temple, along with BO-Jing’s friends Beatriss, Bayan, Tetsukichi, and Temur. They found a very old temple, half-buried in the sand. Bo-Jing led the others in battle against two statues made of amber, and then found the winged monkey waiting for them.  The monkey cowered and Bo-Jing was unsure of whether it was a worthy foe, but his dilemma was resolved when an evil magician with the head of a vulture suddenly appeared and transfixed the friends of Bo-Jing with his evil magic. When Bo-Jing leapt into battle against he vulture-wizard, the cowardly monkey attacked him from behind. Beatriss broke free of the spell and slayed the monkey. The vulture wizard retreated deeper into its lair. Bo Jing, Beatriss, and Temur followed it into its alchemical workshop where they found a magical mirror.  A man was standing inside the mirror and he addressed them by name. So surprised were they, that they lost sight of the vulture wizard.

The man wore elaborate black metal armor and a helmet that covered his face. He reached out of the mirror and handed them a letter. The letter stated that he was the Master of the Land Beyond the Great Pass and that one day soon, he would be their Master as well. He invited them to visit him, and when they accepted his invitation, reached out of the mirror to hand them a certificate granting them safe passage. Then the mirror clouded in the man disappeared.

In the vulture wizard’s workshop, they found letters in the Master’s handwriting. One letter directed the wizard to, “Bring Bo-Jing and the other agents of Zhou Deng here so that I may look at them.” A second letter stated “Tell Khel that the army of Fitar has been destroyed. I am grateful for his information and he may end his employment with Kalashar any way he sees fit. In one week he should meet the Eastern March at the reckoning point.”

When Bo-Jing and his friends returned to the oasis, they found that Kalashar and the other merchants had been killed, their goods scattered, and the well polluted. There was no sign of Khel and the guards.

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 5: Lost and Found

Meanwhile, Beatriss, Hyamsam, and Temur had little difficulty finding the Salt Swamp. After parting ways with Kalashar, they pointed their horses north and after a few hours saw the white flash on the desert before them, comparable to a mirage that stretched along the horizon. As they drew closer, they were nearly overcome by a brilliance in which the horizon virtually disappeared. Everyone used their cloaks to shield their eyes and those of their horses. Beatriss covered her own sensitive eyes and face completely.

Towards nightfall, the soft desert sand gave way to salt crystals that crackled loudly under their horses’ hooves. There was a pungent smell and unfamiliar birdcalls. Beatriss unwrapped her face and stared into the swamp, but saw nothing alive. They decided to camp and make plans in the morning. Ju-Mei refused to sleep and spent the night softly chanting and burning incense.

They woke early and in the morning light were happily surprised to find a long, flat-bottomed boat, painted a bright sky blue. Hyamsam elected to guard the horses on shore, along with the soldiers of Fitar. Beatriss, Temur, Ju-Mei, and Naron rowed the boat into the swamp.

Ju-Mai sat in the prow of the boat while the others paddled. This was the place of his nightmares. He urged his comrades to paddle and push forward, guiding them through a maze of strange trees and salt-encrusted mudflats with uncanny confidence. As night fell he did not waver, and continued chanting, until he suddenly interrupting himself, “There!”

Ahead of them they saw a flickering light. Soon they heard moans mixed with shouting, mixed with incoherent babbling.

Ju-Mei chanted in a low whispered and directed his companions to pilot the boat toward the light and the voices . . .

-------

For those in hut, the whispers from the darkness seemed to be drawing closer. In time, Bangqiu noted something moving through the water. Those who were fully coherent looked forward to a direct confrontation with whatever had been tormenting them. Al-Fitar loaded his crossbow. Tetsukichi stood on the dock with his sword. Bayan tried to rally the sohei and soldiers. Bangqiu strained his eyes against the darkness, seeking a target for a blast of magic missiles. The shape moving through the water glided into a patch of unobscured moonlight. It was a moved, filled with several people. One of them stood up. “Bangqiu! We found you!” It was Beatriss. At once, the whispers rose to a single loud chant of several voices. The people in the hut responded with a deep sigh and rushed toward their friends in the boat, some clambering down the ladder, others jumping down onto the dock or even into the shallow water. Bayan guided the catatonic soldier down the ladder. By the time he reached the boat, he was sobbing but fully alert. Ju-Mei, while continuing to chant, lit candles and hurled them into the hut and on the dock. Once everyone was safely on the boat, Naron and Temur turned it around and those who were able helped to push and paddle it away from the swamp. Ju-Mei ordered that no one should look back at the hut. “If you cannot move the boat forward, pray with me! If you cannot pray, close your eyes and sleep! If you cannot close your eyes, stare up into the sky!”

Amidst the darkness, there was no way to measure their progress. In time, morning broke and far ahead of them, through the screen of reeds and sickly trees, they saw solid land, and the figure of their friend Hyamsam waving and shouting encouragement.

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 4: The Salt Swamp

Tetsukichi, Bayan, Bo Jing, and Bangqiu continued their way up the river. The river became wider, and more shallow. They pushed their way forward, their poles sinking into the soft brown mud. The air was thick and still and the smell of salt burned in their nostrils. Whithered palms and dry reeds were covered with brownish white crystals. As the day progressed, a salty film settled on their eyelashes.

Everyone was hungry and thirsty. The water was teeming was pale, sluggish fish. Damai speared one. When he cut it open, worms burst out and he flung the gooey mass back into the water. The water of course was undrinkable.

The sunset and as the swamp darkened, the party noticed a light a head of them. They pushed their raft forward, sometimes slashing through reeds and even knocking down small rotten trees.

The light came from a wooden hut, raised on high stilts with a dock at the bottom. A ladder led up to a doorway, covered by a rough curtain, glowing with light from within the hut. The travelers tied their raft to the dock. Bayan volunteered to climb the ladder. Reaching the top, she called out. Receiving no reply, she drew her sword and entered. She found a small, bare room with one window looking out on the dark swamp. There was another room, its doorway curtained, and the source of the light seemed to be within this inner room. Pushing the curtain aside with her sword, she peered in and found another small empty room. She went back and called for the others to come up.

A cool breeze stirred the air outside and rain had begun to fall. Within minutes, the light wind and rain had turned into a fierce storm. The hut was cramped, but no one wanted to stay with the raft. Without bothering to set up a guard, everyone lay down and slept.

Bangqiu woke up hot and sweaty and began yelling at the others. Tetsukichi and Bayan woke up. It was hot and bright again, maybe close to midday. Everyone had experienced terrible dreams. And one of the soldiers would not wake up completely. He opened his eyes and rose and followed simple directions, but he wouldn’t speak and couldn’t be distracted from staring at nothing—or something that no one else could see.

Damai wanted to explore the hut. He found no end to the chain of small rooms with curtained doorways and became absorbed in looking for small differences between them, mapping the design of scratches in the floor.

Tetsukichi went outside. The raft was gone. And most of the remainder of their provisions.

Bangqiu announced that he could assume the form of a hippopotamus and ferry everyone to shore. But first he would take on the form of a bird and find the way to shore. The day was cloudy and didn’t thin out as Bangqiu rose higher. Flying at a lower level, several feet above the turgid water, he weaved through the vegetation toward the horizon. He saw some kind of structure ahead of him and flew faster. As he drew closer, he saw the already too-familiar shape of the hut.

Bayan led efforts to rebuild the raft, and began by tearing off the planks of the hut.

Everyone was nearly overcome by hunger, thirst, and fatigue and the day passed in slow misery. As the sun began to set, someone raised the question of whether it would be safe to sleep, nodding towards Nayan, the catatonic soldier who had spent the entire day standing at the window. A good question, but not one that anyone had the heart to answer.

Then they started hearing whispers out in the swamp . . .

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 3: Ju-Mei's Fortuitous Nightmare

Meanwhile, back in the Happy Valley, Ju-Mei was troubled by strange visions; he convinced Beatriss that her friends were in danger and that she should go their aid. Tetsukichi’s protégé, Temur was glad for an opportunity to prove himself by coming to the aid of his master. And the always unpredictable Hyamsam agreed to accompany them.

Beatriss, Hyamsam, and Temur (leading a few soldiers from Fitar’s army who had remained in the Happy Valley) reached Pramayama to find that both their friends and the army had already departed. A few stragglers explained that Tetsukichi had traveled up river by boat while the army had ventured overland. Based on warning from Ju-Mei, Beatriss decided that they would take the overland route. All were mounted, with at least one spare horse, and they made good time, following the tracks of the army of Fitar.

After about a week of travel, the party spotted a large encampment. Beatriss and Temur discussed whether this would be soldiers from the army of Fitar, enemy soldiers, or someone else. Hyamsam volunteered to investigate while the others found places to hide on a rocky ridge. He became invisible and approached the encampment, making a beeline for the largest and most elaborate tent. Spotting a pair of guards just outside the entrance of the tent and hearing voices inside, Hyamsam found a place outside where he could listen to the conversation. To his happy surprise, they were speaking Findi, his own native tongue. They were two men, a merchant named a Kalashar and his assistant, discussing what sounded like a familiar debate—whether the way ahead of them was becoming too dangerous. As other merchants had been frightened off by stories of attacks by savage bandits and monsters—or simply never returned, the money available to those still willing to travel the “Dark Northern Mountain Way” seemed too good to pass up. Anyway, it would never do to back out on this contract with an army. Nevertheless, this time would be the last time for sure.

Hyamsam returned to share the news. Merchants sounded harmless enough, but which army were they supplying? Beatriss and Temur had found a small cave to spend the night. Better sleep on it rather than make a rash decision unnecessarily.

But then the party heard the sound of hoofbeats from the other side of the ridge. A large group of horsemen were gathering and seemed to be planning an attack on the merchant caravan. Hyamsam demanded that his friends assist him in protecting the merchants; Beatriss and Temur agreed that it was the only honorable course of action. They led their horses quietly down the ridge and then rode quickly toward the merchant camp. When challenged by a guard, Beatriss answered that she has a warning for Kalashar, that the camp was in danger. The guards asked the party to dismount and then led them into the camp.

Kalashar was surprised at the news but had little time to question it. They all felt the ground shake with the sound of pounding hoofbeats. Kalashar called for his guards and their captain, Khel, who sent his men to four defensive positions. Beatriss and Hyamsam joined the guards in front of Kalashar’s tent. Temur, plus Fitar’s soldiers took a position with a group of archers at the front of the caravan.

The attackers proved to be bandits—brutal in their tactics, but most intent in making off with camels and cargo. With a magic blast of steam, Hyamsam broke the charge of the fiercest bandits who had attacked Kalshar’s tent directly. Beatriss and her henchmen dispatched the others of this charge. At the front of the column, bandits from behind rocks and guards from behind a wagon, exchanged missile fire. Temur broke the impasse, leading a group of Fitar’s soldiers in a swift flank attack on the surprised archers. When the heroes of the Happy Valley turned their attention to the other parts of the battle, they found the caravan guards in a bad way, overwhelmed by sheer numbers. But when the bandits saw the magician and the warrior woman coming, they took what they could and fled. Beatriss decided that they should not pursue them, but instead stay and help the wounded. Roughly a third of the caravan guards, plus several drovers had been killed in the battle. Nevertheless, Kalshar thanked the strangers for their help, fully realizing that he too would have been killed if it weren’t their surprise assistance.

The party traveled with Kalashar for several days. He cautioned them against exploring the Salt Swamp, advising them that few who ventured within ever returned. “Centuries ago, a terrible witch lived there. She made men mad and devoured their minds. Nothing good lives there now.”

These warning echoed the dreams that troubled Ju-Mei and reinforced the party’s commitment to rescue their friends. The day came when it was time for the party to part ways with Kalshar. He indicated the way he was headed, pointing out rough mountains to the west and a dark spot before them that he said was an oasis. “We will rest there for a few days. If any mortals can venture into the Salt Swamp and return, it would be the ones who stand before me now. May we meet again.”

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 2: On the Asanda

Over the next several days, the raft continued its way up river. One day, they met a group of soldiers who confessed that they had deserted from Fitar’s army. With encouragement from Bo Jing, they agreed to redeem their army and join the party. During the day, they saw deserted and destroyed villages and one day encounter two rafts filled with refugees making their way downriver. During the nights, the party saw many strange sights including fire-breathing dogs.

One day, sailing up the river, the party found themselves in the midst of an army camp, with about 20 horsemen on one side of the river and 30-40 infantry on the other. They were spotted almost immediately and soldiers from one side of the river challenged those on the other to a contest of target practice. But before anyone from either side could score any points, Bo Jing put the contest to an end. With two quick shots from his own bow, two of the cavalrymen were shot dead. Most of the others fled for cover in the underbrush. The infantry archers on the right bank were more disciplined, but their aim was poor. Most everyone on board the raft took cover and rowed harder while the leading warriors took well-aimed shots at their enemies. Tetsukichi instructed Mustapha to use his best illusions; moments later a second, larger raft appeared behind the first. The enemy captain orders the archers to train their arrows on this second raft while he and his bodyguards charged out onto a sandbar and intercept the first raft. Bayan and Tetsukichi were glad to join in melee combat against these over-confident foes, cutting them down as they tried to reach the raft. The sohei and the reformed deserters did their part, slaying those infantry soldiers who escaped the flashing blades of Tetsukichi and Bayan. Bo Jing challenged the cavalry Captain to enter the water if he dared.

At this moment, two enormous tigers came charging out of the infantry camp and flung themselves onto the two rafts. One of these rafts proved to be a product of Mustapha’s illusion and so one tiger found himself splashing foolishly in the middle of the river. The other, however, landed in the middle of the real raft, testing the courage of the inexperienced soldiers. But this beast was the challenge that Bo Jing had been waiting for. He leapt into combat, putting himself at risk of the flashing claws and powerful fangs of the feast and then finding the right moment to strike with his katana of fire. The beast howled in pain and the other soldiers chose this moment to strike with their own swords. But for nought! The brilliant orange and black coat deflected their blades better than any armor. Only the gift of Saradin could harm the unnatural beast. Bo Jing ordered the soldier and sohei to protect Mustapha and to assist the other leaders in fighting their human enemies while he fought the tiger. The blow of a single claw sent him sprawling to the deck. The tiger pounced and clamped his jaws around Bo Jing’s forearm, the strong fangs barely repelled by the the steel of the warrior’s armor. And now the second tiger proved to be very comfortable in the water; it swam after the first raft and with one motion, climbed on board. Al-Fitar, fighting side by side, turned back in time to see the brave young noble in peril. Clutching the hammer passed down to him from generations of honorable warriors he threw himself into battle against the two beasts. With one blow, he stunned the first tiger. Bo Jing wrenched his arm free of its jaws and found his feet. Al-Fitar struck the second tiger, knocking it off the raft. Bo Jing stepped backwards and let the first tiger come to him; he struck at the moment when the tiger pounced, slitting its throat open wide. As the tiger fell dead and slid into the water, its body changed to that of a man. The second tiger was not deterred by the fate of its brother, but jumped back onto the raft, as hungry for battle as for the flesh of the men it would consume if victorious. But now the odds were against it. As Bo Jing had struggled to fight two tigers, now the tiger struggled to fight two powerful men. Convinced of unnatural wickedness, they would not let it escape, but fought the second tiger until it too was dead and had resumed its human form.

During the course of this battle with the weretigers, Tetsukichi and Bayan, assisted by man brave soldiers and sohei fought and killed many of the enemy including the cavalry captain. While many of the heroes suffered grievous wounds, none were killed. They rested for the remainder of the day, allowing the light wind to catch their sail and take them further up the river.

Master of the Desert Nomads Part 1: Tetsukichi's Choice

After a few years of quiet, repose, and fatherhood in the Happy Valley, Tetsukichi received word tales of his valor had spread far and wide. He had taken on a seemingly thankless mission to seek out Governor Kawabi and succeeded where others had failed, opening up trade routes between the Empire and such far-flung settlements as Quitokai and Pasar. He had defended his adopted clan the Sansars from the threat of Sakatha, the undead lizard king. And through it all, he had shown himself a loyal friend to Al-Fitar, treating the foreign hireling as a brother, sharing equally in danger, glory, and treasure.

An imperial representative was on the way, requesting that Tetsukichi return the jade sword that he had received from the Emperor when he located the lost city of Tempat Larang. This was not an insult, but a coded invitation for Tetsukichi to come to Khanbaliq, deliver the sword personally, and so demonstrate that he could be trusted with the Emperor’s full confidence and welcomed at court.

The elders of the Sansar clan advised against this. The Emperor was plotting against them and knew that Tetsukichi was their brightest hope for the future. He should simply relinquish the sword. His help was needed in the Valley of the Five Fires. If he succeeded in driving the bandit marauders out of the sacred valley, the Sansar clan might join this group of ancient and honored clans—with Tetsukichi named its Khan.

Finally, Al-Fitar had a request. Or two. A group of three dozen ragtag soldiers, men from his father’s kingdom, far to the west had arrived in the Happy Valley. Strange marauders from the mountains threatened the realm of Fitar. Al-Fitar begged Tetsukichi to return with him to the West and help defend his family. Barring that, he begged Tetsukichi to release him from his service so that he might join his father’s army.

When the imperial envoys arrived, Tetsukichi relinquished the jade sword and departed with Al-Fitar. He was accompanied by Bangqiu and Bayan, and by various hirelings.

After a fortnight of hard riding, they reached Pramayama, a once squalid and benighted village on the banks of a muddy river, now reduced to an even lower state by the mysterious marauders. A part of Fitar’s army was using the village as a base and they welcomed the volunteers, especially the renowned Tetsukichi. (For reasons unknown, Al-Fitar kept his own identity a secret.) After a few days in the village, Tetsukichi met a bedraggled man, pursued by a shadowy, hissing, monster. After Tetsukichi slew the monster, the man thanked him with the gift of a map. The map indicates a Temple of Death that most be destroyed—by Tetsukichi as the new owner of the map.

The local commander is interested in the map and Tetsukichi’s encounter with the monster. This seems to confirm a plan that he’d already been considering. It’s time to go to meet the main army. The quickest way is by water, the Asanda River. But there’s only one poor raft in Pramayama and there aren’t resources available to build enough to accommodate the local forces, plus their mounts and supplies. So, the main force will go overland while Tetsukichi and his friends are to travel up the Asada River to the salt swamp and find the main army near there. Give them the message that more are coming.

The Commander set out the next day. Bo Jing found the raft in need of repairs and so the departure of Tetsukichi & co. was delayed until the afternoon. As the repairs were nearing completion, Bayan noticed a large creature circling in the sky above them. Bangqiu, assuming the form of a falcon, flew into the sky for a better look. The creature was some sort of two-legged flying reptile (a wyvern, Bo Jing would explain, based on this description). And there was a man riding on its back. Bangqiu blasted the man with a bouquet of magic missiles. He fell to earth and the wyvern flew away. On the body of the man, Bangqiu found a claimed a skull amulet. He tried it on for a moment and then put it in his pocket.

The raft sailed upriver day and night under Bo Jing’s watchful eye. The second night on the river, the raft struck a sandbar, and three giant crabs scuttled onto the raft. Bayan, Tetsukichi, and Bo Jing killed them and drove off an opportunistic crocodile. Knowing that they well spend the next several weeks eating hardtack, the party decides to live up to its name and have a crab feast. (“Watch the shirt-tails flapping in the wind!”) Their fire attracted visitors, a mysterious pair of adventurers, one a woman, who wore her face completely covered and spoke with a strange accent similar to Beatriss’s. When Bayan questioned her about this, the woman acknowledge that yes, she was from Cynadecia. Although she carried a sword herself, she claimed not to know Beatriss or any of the members of the warrior women’s society. Soon it emerged that this pair was part of a larger group of adventurers, who were invited to join the feast. Their leader was a slow-moving priest whom Al-Fitar identified to Bayan as a “demon worshipper” based on his vestments. The priest mourned the fact that he didn’t have his spices with him so that he could demonstrate the right way to prepare crab. He made strange remarks about the party’s “innocence” in the face of the dangers that lay waiting for them upriver and suggested he might accompany them “for the right price.” His followers took turns remembering the fine dishes he had prepared for them. Tetsukichi and co. listened politely and encouraged their guests to take some food and be on their way.

The Way Back Interlude - Bald Island, Spring Island, Bone Island

The Binggongchang needed maintenance after its long voyages. Bangqiu determined that the fishing village of Nokori-Fodo offered adequate supplies and know-how. In addition, a couple of the sohei were native to Zipang and knew the town by name and its reputation.

In the meantime, Hyamsam and Bo Jing decided to explore the many small islands visible from the town. They were most intrigued by stories about Bone Island, rumored to be either haunted by ghosts or the home of savage cannibals. More accessible was Bald Island, known for its dome of smooth granite, but also boasting acres of fertile farmland, fertilized by the seabirds that roosted up on the rock. Bayan and Hyamsam, along Peerapat and Ryu, one of the Zipangese made the short trip to Bald Island and encountered the farmers who made the daily trip from the mainland to tend their rice crops. The farmers were extremely wary at first and made preparations to leave almost as soon as the visitors arrived. But Hyamsam, using a mixture of magic and clownery convinced them that he meant no harm. The farmers explained that there was a group of bandits who had a hideout on the island. As harvest time was approaching, they expected that the bandits would demand their tribute. Bo Jing and Hyamsam agreed that they would protect the farmers.

After a few weeks, when the first of the crops approached optimal harvest time, the four defenders asked the farmers to leave them on the island overnight. Hyamsam made himself invisible and waited outside the small cave that the bandits were known to use as a hideout. When the bandit appeared, it was by boat. They came ashore on the far side of the island, but rather than go to their cave, seemed to be approaching the flat area where the farmers grew their crops. Hyamsam followed them. Though he was invisible and the possible bandits were nosiy, he was even more noisy. When he tripped on a rock, they stopped and called out. "Show yourself! Do-Hai!" When Hyamsam spoke, they became more alarmed. They continued to demand that he show himself and refused to answer his questions. Hyasam claimed that he was Do-Hai's little brother.

"We never heard about you!"

"That's because he thinks I'm dead."

The men began whispering to each other and then returned to their boat and rowed away from the island.

Hyamsam and Bo Jing continued to stake-out the island for a few more nights, but the men did not return. The farmers harvested the crops they had cultivated.

About a week later, Hyamsam and Bo Jing returned to their quest to find Bone Island, this time joined by Bayan and Bangqiu. They set out one morning for Spring Island, the "other" island visible from Nokori-Fodo. After landing, they climbed to the top of the nearest hill and from there they could see most of the island. Most notably, one the other side of the island, they saw signs of habitation, including smoke from cooking fires and crops growing in a level space between two hills. They made their way down one hill, toward the center of the island, and crossed through a forest. On the other side, they met five men, heavily tattooed, dressed in skins, and wearing long beards. The men pointed their spears at the newcomers and, in a strange language accompanied by familiar gestures, demanded to know their business.

Ryu spoke for the group. He was able to greet the men in their own language. They softened enough to speak to him in Zipang-- and declared that they did not want visitors. Bayan produced a couple gold coins, souvenirs from Maztica, and asked the men whether they knew of Bone Island. The men allowed that they did and noted that they were five and the coins were two. Bayan added three more coins. One of the men pointed due west, while another pointed at the way the party had come and then swung his spear in a sunwise motion. Ryu explained. "It's west. But they demand that we return the way we came and go around."

The party agreed. Except that the magicians-- Hyamsam and Bangqiu had become invisible. After some whispered arguing-- which did not please the men of Spring Island-- Bayan and the others agreed to go back to the boat. Bangqiu and Hyamsam continued their conversation. The men, looking ill-at-ease, started up the ill. Bangqiu assumed the form of a bird (still invisible) to get a better vantage point while Hyamsam trudged up the hill. As a bird, Bangqiu was able to get a closer look at the Spring Islanders village, but also noted that one of the men was laying in wait for Hyamsam. The other men seemed to be raising an alarm.

When Hyamsam, kicking up dust, passed by the place where the man was hiding, he leaped out, stabbing wildly at the ground. Hyamsam stumbled on the unsteady ground, flattening, the grass but before the man could take advantage of this information, Bangqiu landed on the his shoulder and screeched. Startled and terrified, the man swatted Bangqiu off his shoulder and ran up the hill. Bangqiu and Hyamsam agreed that they should get back to the boat.

The party, reunited, circled around Spring Island and then sailed west. Soon they saw the outline of land, and in time, noted a tall, rocky island, its upper heights, bare of vegetation and indeed looking something like a skull. Before they could make landing, they were attacked by blood-sucking birds. In the confusion, Bangqiu got stabbed (he looked like a bird himself at the time). The party landed and encountered an animated skeleton. Ryu raised his holy symbol and drove it away. After a quick conference, the party decided they had indeed found Bone Island and that they return another day when they were well-rested and hadn't stabbed each other.

Another day never came. Bangqiu finished making repairs to the ship and the time came to leave Zipang and sail to Zhou Deng. The voyage to the port of Heng-shai was easy. After making their reports to imperial port officials, Bayan announced her intention to return to Beatriss's stronghold at Happy Valley and invited her fellow voyagers to join her. All except Shoji accepted.

The Way Back 2 (Return of the Blind Captain II and Almost home)

Over the days the followed, Bo Jing, Bayan, and Shoji directed the efforts to remove wires and other eldritch attachments from the Binggongchang. They considered throwing these objects overboard or leaving them on the beach, but at last elected to keep them in a waterproof sea bag, well doused with holy water. Other sohei were sent ashore to fill their water barrels, collect food, and recruit additional crew members. Upon their return, the sohei reported that they had found a good spring, but food was scarce, and they had alienated themselves from the local inhabitants, who seemed to have encountered the blindman and associated him with the benevolent newcomers. But the sohei contended that they had learned how to sail the ship at least as well as the sailors who had hired on back in Zhou Dang. Shu Yin, in studying the blindman’s books and nautical charts had learned that if they could find a westward current, their return travel could be accomplished in about a month. They had enough water, and their chances of finding food, in the form of fish, were better on the open sea than in this accursed land.

And so the Binggongchang began its homeward voyage. Early setbacks came in the form of submerged reefs and the kelp fields, but one night when they found the westward current, there was a stirring below decks. A walking skeleton, with burning red eyes emerged from below, sending the sohei not terrors. It was the blindman, and he demanded an explanation. Bo Jing directed him the bag where they had secured his instruments. Opening it eagerly, he splashed himself with holy water. Screaming with rage, he lunged at the nearest sohei, threatening to kill him if his demands weren’t met. Bo Jing drew his katana and attacked. The blindman release the sohei who fell to the deck, trembling and retching. With a last kick, the blindman turned and ran toward the captain’s cabin. Shoji castigated him with a blistering sermon; the blindman screamed and stumbled, but continued his mad dash, pushing other sohei out of the way. The blindman made it to the cabin and closed the door, but Bayan was right behind him. She battered the door down and found the blindman holding his spellbook and a small box, while opening the cabin window. Bayan splashed him with a vial of the holy water from Saradin’s cave and the blindman was consumed in a burst of blue flame. Bayan suggested the book should be destroyed. They doused it with oil and set it on fire. After it had burned for a few minutes, they cast it into the sea. They did the same to the wooden chair that had been set at the nexus of the gold wires. The small box, was empty, but they decided to keep it.

The voyagers on the Binggongchang enjoyed several days of smooth sailing, even finding what appeared to be verdant island. After sending a boat ashore, they found that it was blessed with waterfalls and fruit trees.

After leaving the island, the Binggongchang sailed into a fierce storm. The sky was so dark, that Shu Yin could not get a bearing day or night and Bo Jing ordered the crew to out all their efforts into keeping the ship together rather than holding a particular course. Days and nights merged together. When the weather cleared one fine morning, they beheld a huge island or continent, and as they approached, a small location of human settlement.

The first people they encountered were fishermen piloting small, narrow boats. The fishers were friendly and greeted the voyagers in a language that Bayan recognized, having heard Beatriss use it in conversations with Tetsukichi. Shu Yin confirmed that they were in northern Zipang, close enough to home that they could afford to linger. The Binggongchang was anchored in a sheltered harbor and the voyagers were welcomed ashore.

The Way Back 1 (Return of the Blind Captain I)

The explorers, with Saradin’s assistance, climbed out of the pyramid, and drew untainted clean air into their cramped lungs, and then rinsed their mouths with long pulls from their waterskins. Still thirsty, they searched for water, Bo Jing leading the way toward the stream he remembered splashing through when being chased to the pyramid. They found the stream, but its flow was reduced to a trickle, the surface coated with a fine layer of ash. They drank half-heartedly and surveyed their surroundings, noting that the vegetation looked dry. They sky was hazy. They discussed their next move. Unanimously, home.

For Rhialle, Maztica was everything he remembered and worse. These people had risked their lives to bring him home; his home then should be with them. “I am not ungrateful, but . . .”

Bangqiu assured him that he would be glad for his support in whatever future adventures he pursued, starting with the voyage back to Oa.

And so the explorers set off through the untracked jungle to find their ship. Traveling due west they came to edge of a steep-sided valley where they encountered many mysteries: a monkey wearing a feathered hat, a cacophony of birds feasting on a panicked mass of snakes and birds and insects, a stone altar strewn with flowers and a twist of paper with a prayer for rain.

Strangest of all, they met Mai-Thi, the sohei who had been left in charge of the boat. She wore the simple smock of a Maztica woman and greeted them without surprise, advising them that the valley was a place of peace that she did not want to leave. “However, if you desire to continue your lives of meaningless striving, do not stop, even to sleep. If you meet any of the people who live here, you must not harm or threaten them in any way.”

Bayan was dubious, but did not argue. Marching through the night, they crossed the valley and climbed up the other side by morning, finding themselves on a high ridge overlooking a misty sea. From the ridge, they found a path that led down to the cove and, hopefully their ship, where they’d left it anchored. Hopefully, but not actually. Just open ocean. They climbed back up to the top of the cliff for a better view. It was midday, the fog had lifted, and the Binggongchang was visible, anchored much further out, beyond sight of the cove. But it was there. So they marched down to the cove once more and spent the rest of the day cutting trees to build rafts, and then camped on the beach.

The next morning, they set to the tasks of assembling the felled tree trunks into something that could carry them out to the Binggongchang. But they hadn’t been working for long when Hayam spotted a boat—the landing boat from the Binggongchang.

Shu Yin, one of the sohei, piloted the boat together with four other sohei and explained that he “had a good feeling I would find my master today.” Shu Yin, it turned out, had been selected by general consensus to lead the sohei in Kafka’s absence after Mai-Thi went crazy. Went crazy? Strange things had happened on the ship in Kafka’s long absence—

Long absence? Oh, there was so much to explain, and it was difficult to talk and pilot he boat at the same time.

As they drew closer to the Binggongchang, it became more and more apparent that much had changed. Gleaming metal objects had been attached to the railing. Golden wires were strung from the prow to the stern. “I have made some changes,” Shu Yin explained, “and I hope you like them.”

Once on board, Shu Yin became increasingly animated in expressing his excitement about how the Binggongchang had been enhanced. The objects nailed to the railings turned out to be the “oddly-formed metal shapes” retrieved from the ghost ship. At the nexus of the gold wire (which they had also taken from the ghost ship) there was a chair. And Shu Yin asked Bangqiu to please sit in the chair so that he could demonstrate the ship’s new capacity. Bangqiu refused. Hyamsam expressed interest, but the others restrained him. Sharp words were exchanged and at last Shu Yin retreated to his cabin.

Bayan, Bangqiu, Bo Jing, and Hyamsam began asking questions of the sohei on deck, most of whom seemed to be preparing the Binggongchang to set sail, with some conducting both typical nautical duties like checking lines while others polished the strange metal instruments or plucked at the gold wires. Those who could be exchanged in conversation said contradictory things, especially when it came to explaining Mai-Thi’s disappearance.

At some point, a group of shei went to the captain’s cabin and knocked on the door. Not long after, a figure emerged, dressed in a monk’s robes, but with his face wrapped in bandages, just like the captain of the ghost ship. By his bearing and at last his voice, they knew they were dealing with a familiar adversary. And he was accompanied by eight more just like him. In a strange chorus, they commanded Hyamsam to sit in the chair at the center of the wires. Hyamsam refused. Bangqiu wanted to know what would happen.

“We will sail to the stars.”

Bayan refused to discuss the matter further. She attacked with her katana and was joined by Kafka, Rhialle, and several of the sohei, who seemed to have been waiting for just this opportunity. The blind man’s many doubles proved to be illusions, but he showed himself to be a formidable opponent in his own right. His frightful voice struck several party members into paralysis—Bo Jing, Bangqiu, Bayan, and Shoji were unable to move. Most of the sohei found themselves too frightened by the blind man’s presence to attack him directly, but could only attack his illusions. He focused his magic on the party’s most powerful henchmen—Kafka, Sing-ha, Rhialle, and Damai were all overcome by powerful illusions. The blindman continued to plead with Hyamsam to try sitting in the chair, even as Hyamsam blasted him with missiles.

Bangqiu silently called upon Sarandon for help again, and help appeared in a pillar of flame. Bangqiu and the others were freed from their curses. The blindman fled to the Captain’s cabin. Damai and Bangqiu chased after him. While Damai battered the door down, Banqiu prepared a spell. As the door burst open, Banqiu saw the blindman standing with one foot out the cabin window. Not giving him a change to speak, Bangqiu blasted him with magic missiles. He burst into flame; the bandages burned away revealing a gleaming white skull. In an instant, there was nothing left of him. Saradin warned his friends that their enemy stored its soul in a magical box and that the blindman would likely return.

The Sacbe 10 (Cloak of the One Plume)

One day, Atl and Hamud went out to explore the abandoned village, with Hamud disguised not as a jaguar warrior, but as a beautiful woman. The disguise was very good, especially from a distance. While exploring, they met two men, dressed in rags, but carrying weapons. The men said that they also lived in the village and they had been watching them and promised that they were good people and thought they looked like good people too. There was a friendly conversation, but it soon became awkward and the meeting ended with an agreement to avoid each other.

Feeling confident, Hamud wanted to go into Tezat and Atl agreed. He wore the jaguar armor and presented Hamud as his slave, using him/her to begin negotiations with a merchant who gave them information about where the tabaxi was held captive and in return Hamud agreed to go with the merchant to his house. As they entered the dark street where the merchant lived, Hamud revealed his true nature and attacked. The merchant ran into his house and his guards came to his rescue.

Atl and Hamud killed the guards.

Hamud cast off his disguise and the pair joined the search party for the strange woman, while collecting more clues about the tabaxi. In time, as Hamud revealed his penchant for violent mischief, Atl persuaded him that they should instead return to their hiding place in the village.

A few days later, Tameme (one of the porters) showed up in the village with some important news. He had been lucky to escape Azatl alive. After going their separate ways on the causeway, Paal had tried to follow Zolin’s orders to lead the other back to the ridge. But Hoscotl had betrayed them, offering them as captive sacrifices or slaves to a group of jaguar warriors. Paal had fought to protect Tamema and the other porter and the three of them were captured, along with the local warrior that Atl had defeated. As far as Tameme could tell, Hocotl didn’t get more then a few quills of gold and a hunk of smoked meat.

At the slave pens, Tameme learned a lot of interesting information. There were stories about Atl and Hamud’s explots in Tezat and about the fact that they were looking for the captive tabaxi. Based on this, a large group of warriors were planning to raid Tezat and take the tabaxi themselves. Paal and the other porter helped Tameme to escape so that he could warn Atl. Atl and Zolin thanked Tameme and decided this was their last best chance to find the tabaxi. Together with Hamood and Divemoye, they went to Tezat.

The ruined city was quiet but tense. The few people out on the streets were hostile or fighting amongst themselves. As they reached the center of Tezat, they saw a group of larmed men striding purposefully down the street with smoldering torches. They enter a two-story building, climbed to the roof, and set it on fire. At Hamood’s urging, the travelers chased the arsonists. But then they heard sounds of a counter-attack and decided they would do better to hide and watch. The smoke of several more fires filled the air. The warriors of Tezat raised the alarm. Warriors were raiding the sacrifice pens!

Moving from house to house, the travelers approached the center of the commotion. From the midst from a large combat, a lone figure broke free. As the figure approached she showed herself to be a bipedal jaguar. Her arms were found, and she dragged a stone tied around her ankle. Zolin freed the tabaxi, who introduced herself as Chioptl and then took off running out of the city. Unhampered, Chioptl was much faster than the party, but every so often, she stopped for them. One they were out of the Tezat, Chioptl gratefully followed the travelers to the abandoned village where they had made their base and when asked told them everything she knew about the cloak of the plume.

The tabaxi elders had determined that humans were no longer worthy of the Cloak and had sent a party to take it and carry it back to Tabaxi-land. The tabaxais had determined that the cloak was guarded by a rain serpent on the slopes of Mt. Nexal. Together they could kill the rain serpent. It would be most helpful to find some cocoa beans and some jade and offer the rain serpent a gift.

Hamood had some cocoa beans, but no one had any jade. While inventorying their possessions, Zolin passed around the medallion that he’d taken from the jaguar that had attacked them in the jungle. Atl refused to return it, believing that it wad cursed; Atl and Zolin began to struggle. Hamood attacked Zolin with his maca. Zolin turned away in time and suffered no more than a glancing blow, but Chioptl attacked Hamood. Hamood refused to yield so Chioptl killed him and ate him.

The party decided that the next day they would go back to Tezat and try to buy some jade. These pans changed the next morning, and for the very best reasons. A warrior named Willy introduced himself to the party, explaining that he had been watching them for days, but had been hesitant to approach because of Hamood. Now that the strange man was dead, he hoped they would accept him as one of them. He had a good spear, and a few pieces of jade. The party welcomed him, offered him Hamood’s maca, and explained what they were trying to do.

The party followed a path up the slopes of Mt. Nexal, a forbidding landscape of black rock, noxious steam, and occasional spurts of lava. But among the many hellish caverns, the party found one that was cool and misty. The stone lintel was carved with the image of a rain servant.

Entering this cave, they found an altar, on which they placed their cocoa and jade. After a few moments, the ground began to shake, and the fog became thicker and warmer. Anticipating the approach of the rain serpent from a large pit in the floor, the party prepared their weapons.

The serpent was about thirty feet long with two heads, that of a snake and that of a jaguar. Greedily eying its alter, it was completely unprepared for the spear that Willy plunged into its belly. It recoiled in pain, pulling the spear out of Willy’s hands and breaking it off. The rest of the party rushed to attack. The serpent slithered deeper into its cavern. Only Chioptl was fast enough to catch it; she leaped onto the serpent, and raked it with her rear claws. The serpent seized Chioptl in both of its mouths and ripped her apart. Atl and Zolin shot it with arrows from a safe distance, while Willy and Divemoye pressed the attack, hacking through its scales and clubbing its enormous fanged heads. Atl and Zolin dropped their bows and charged with their own melee weapons, driving the serpent into a tight space in the cavern where it couldn’t bite them. The serpent likewise took a defensive posture, pulling itself into crevice there it was safe from their weapons. Divemoye approached the jaguar head and when it pounced, met it with the Axe of Justice, severing it with the fine metal blade. The other charged wit their knives and stabbed the serpent until dead.

Zolin and Atl led the charge deeper into the cavern while Willy inspected the serpent’s corpse. Zolin was the first to see the cloak while Atl was the one to seize it. Noticing the air was quickly becoming hot and sulfurous, Zolin did not protest and assisted Atl in collecting the other treasure in the serpent’s hoard—several gold quills, weapons, and an oddly-carved wooden box. The dragon-slayers rushed out of the cave and made their way back down from Mt. Zatal.

The travelers spent a day examining the treasure they'd discovered and planning their next move. Reflecting on their reasons for coming north to Nexal in the first place, they acknowledged the obvious, there was no food in the north, and if they were wanted there, it was not for any good reason.

Atl remembered his time with the old man from the pyramid who gave them gifts. The man had asked for the cloak of the one plume. Atl didn't know what it was at the time but now he did. And even though he liked the thought of keeping it for himself (it did give him a sense of confidence and authority, the others noticed it too) he proposed that rather than starving to death or being captured in Nexal, they should try to return to the pyramid and give the old man the cloak.

The first night out of Nexal, the travelers were pestered by two large feral cats. When the cats became vicious, they were killed, roasted, and eaten.

The Sacbe 9 (Another Day in the Nexal Valley)

After a few days on the ridge, Atl recovered from his sudden illness and wanted to join Zolin in another trip into the city. Divemoye would join him as would Hamud, another refugee, but from a less distant village. Paal, the porters, and Hoscotl would join them.

Hamud proved a useful ally. By strange arts, he was able to change his appearance to resemble a powerful jaguar warrior. As the party entered the city, he was saluted as a member of the aristocracy while the other party members were assumed to be his retainers, slave, or captives to be sacrificed. They made their way through Azatl and with a mixture of bluff, charm, bribe, and intimidation, discovered that the tabaxi was captive in another of the cities of the valley, Tezat. The most direct way to Tezat looked to be by way of causeway that connected Azatl to Grand Nexal, in the center of the lake, and then continued to the other side. Not until they reached the opposite side of Azatl did they discovered that the causeway was in disrepair. Here they met a jaguar warrior, both haughty and friendly who suggested to Hamud that they should each choose one of their bodyguards to fight each other. The loser would be sacrificed, and the winner would be promoted to elite warrior status. Plus, the jaguar warriors would bet a gold quill on the outcome. Hamud and Atl agreed that Atl would fight and that they would use the duel as an opportunity to kill the jaguar warrior.

As soon as the duel began, Atl attacked with savage efficiency; the jaguar warrior frowned, thinking that the duel would end in a quick death and no captive to be sacrificed. Atl’s solid blow to the other warrior’s head seemed to confirm this, but when the man fell to the ground, Atl knelt, and placing his hands on the man’s cracked skull, pushed it together and staunched the wound.

The man’s life was saved and his master, the jaguar warrior was completely unprepared for a surprise attack from Hamud. Though surprised, the jaguar warrior had remarkable instincts, and turned his body in time to avoid the worst of the blow. He was less well-ready for a stab of Atl’s knife, and Divemoye’s axe of justice. Zolin and Paal scared off his remaining bodyguards.

Atl took the jaguar warrior’s armor for himself. Zolin talked to their captive who revealed that there was a canoe hidden nearby. Divemoye discovered the canoe, and the party determined it could safely hold four people. Atl released his captive, telling him that he should tell no one what had happened. Zolin instructed Paal to lead the porters back to the hiding place on the ridge. The other four (Zolin, Divemoye, Atl, and Hamud) selected about two days of food and got into the canoe.

At first they made their way toward Grand Nexal, but as they drew closer to the once magnificent capital, they saw that it was in a state similar to Azatl. Sacrificial fires burned on the tops of the pyramids, but much of the rest of the city looked ravaged. As they drew close to the island, they saw a dozen men engaged in brawl. Hamud, for reasons of his own, shot an arrow and hit one of the brawlers. Zolin decided that they had no reason to visit Grand Nexal and should instead continue to Tezat.

It was close to dark by the time they reached Tezat, and the party decided it would be safer to approach it in daylight and by land. They noted an empty village outside Tezat and landed their canoe there. Though the village was deserted, there were several intact buildings. Choosing one, they made their beds for the night. The next morning, they discovered an intact granary and decided to rest and eat comfortable for a few days.