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.