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.

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.

The Sacbe 8 (Arrival in the Nexal Valley)

The travelers reached the valley of Nexal. From a rocky outcrop, they surveyed the turgid brown lake, the listless fields, the swarms of desperate people approaching from all directions. Based on a map Zolin had recovered, they identified three cities—Nexal iself on an insland in the lake, and the subsidiary city-states of Tezat and Azatl. This was their destination, but what would they find? Several members of the party were sick with exhaustion. Zolin and Omechoka to go down for a closer look, taking with them Paal, Hoscotl and the two porters.

They crossed the dried-up fields and joined the procession of people making their way toward Azatl. Omechoka’s jaguar armor inspired immediate respect. The beleaguered families and haggard young man all gave them a wide berth. Until another, larger man, also wearing jaguar armor came along, accompanied by 10 strong-looking. This man challenged Omechoka with a cryptic greeting and, when Omechoka did not respond, accused him of not being a real jaguar warrior. As the two faced off, Omechoka insulted Tezcatlipoca and promised that he would fight to the death rather than be sacrificed to him or any of the other gods. He freely admitted that he had never captured a single prisoner and had stolen his jaguar armor from a warrior whom he had killed in ambush. Such sacrilege so distressed the larger man that he ordered one of retainers to fight the duel in his place, encouraging him to do his best to capture Omechoka and so proceed to the next warrior rank.

The other warrior fought with a maca, while Omechoka fought with a knife in each hand. They circled, Omechoka, constantly backing away from the wildly swung maca. As Omechoka retrated, the other warriors tightened the circle, and one of them pushed him into the way of his opponents weapon. The blade caught him above the ear and he was sent sprawling. He lay face down in the dirt. The jaguar warrior and his retainers cheered and the warrior brought out a rope to bind Omechoka. Omechoka let the warrior grab his arm, and then sprung into action. He kicked with his legs and stabbed the would-be captor in the armpit the warrior went down. His companions rushed into stop him from dying and the jaguar warrior ordered Omechoka to take his prisoner. “You have defeated him. Take him to the temple and give him the honor he has earned.” Omechoka, still bewildered by the ways of city people, bound the man.

Omechoka himself was badly weakened by his wounds, so Zolin took charge of the prisoner. As they proceeded toward Azatl, the other travelers were even more deferential than before.

Azatl did not seem to offer anything like what the travelers had expected when they left Otoch so many months before. There were many more people, but they were all hungry. Many of the houses were in ruins. From the tops of the tall pyramids, fires burned day and night, but the constant sacrifices seemed to have purchased little in the way of divine favor. In the market, those with money found little they wanted to buy—jewelry, feather clothing, and fine pottery were available. But food was scare, half-spoiled and still too expensive.

The travelers spent the night in an abandoned house and the next day returned to their place on the cliff.

After a few days, it was clear that the sick people weren’t getting better. Hoscotl thought that they should go back to Azatl to buy medicine and perhaps to find out something about the cloak of the one plume. If they could find it and bring it back to the Village of the Cetay, then they would be honored and welcomed for a long time. Omechoka, still nursing his injuries, and Divemoye took his place.

Divemoye was shocked at the desperation of the of families traveling to Azatl. He gave away all the food he carried and agreed to adopt a child from parents too poor to take care of him. As the travelers reached the city, other migrants noticed that they carried plenty of food and begged to trade something for some of it. Zolin firmly excluded Divemoye from these negotiations, and through shrewd trading, acquired a gold quill from a sunken-faced merchant. This merchant said he could get them medicine, too, and also knew something about the cloak of the one plume. He asked them to meet him that evening and told them where to find his house.

The travelers spent the rest of the days, looking for a safe place to rest. They stayed well away from the pyramids where priests were preparing sacrifices. The quiet parts of the city were barricaded and patrolled by jaguar warriors. In the other parts of the city, they couldn’t avoid deserving beggars.

At nightfall, they found the merchants house. They traded some more food for the promised medicine and listened to the merchant’s tale. In these strange times, the beast people, including half-human jaguar were showing themselves again. A group of tabaxi had come to Tezat recently, stating that they knew the location of the cloak of one-plume and intended to retrieve it. The jaguar warriros, not knowing what else to do, killed or captured the tabaxi. At least one was still waiting to be sacrificed. Zolin noted this with interest, intuiting that his face would be to seek the rescue the tabaxi.

And then there were some surprise visitors. Three men, with macas and spears, who demanded all the travelers’ food. The merchant seemed little surprised. Divemoye charged the leader of the thieves, striking at him with his bronze-headed axe. The man was a powerful warrior; he repelled Moye’s blows and pushed his way into the room. The other two thieves chased Hoscotl and the porters into the corner of the room, stabbing them with their spears. Paal stepped forward to defend Divemoye from the lead warrior while Zolin attacked and killed one of the spearmen. The powerful warrior struck Paal a grievous blow and demanded again that Zolin surrender his food. Instead, Zollin killed the second spearman with his stone axe. The powerful warrior did not like these odds. He fled, warning the travelers that they wouldn’t leave the city alive.

Zolin turned on the merchant. He tearfully apologized and promised both that the medicine was real and the information about the tabaxi was true. He returned some of the food that Zolin had traded.

It was now night but the travelers decided to flee immediately. They climbed up onto the merchant’s house and crossed the rooftops to leave the city.

The Sacbe 7 (Leaving the Cetay)

The travelers remained in the village of cetay for several days. When it was time to leave, two of the villagers, Hosa and Hoscotl, volunteered to come along on the journey to Nexal. The village had once been the guardian of a legendary feather-cloak and rumors suggested that the cloak was last seen in Nexal. The travelers showed little interest in the legends of another village but they were happy to have additional companion for their journey.

While waiting for the appointed day of departure, Zollin, Atl and Omechoka heard rumors that animals had been seen—or at least heard—in the forest outside the village. Reasoning that a few hours hunting could provide them with enough meat to sustain them in their journey and to leave a gift with their hosts in the village, Zollin, Atl and Omechoka asked their new friend Hosa to help them track the mysterious animals. After several hours hunting, they heard a strange and unbeautiful sound, a long, rhythmic shriek without pathos. They traced the sound to a pair of huge, many-armed creatures, with heads like men, but lacking features. Atl encouraged Omechoka and Hosa to attack the creatures.

Atl’s exhortation was irrelevant as the creatures were charging and the terrible sound that seemed to emanate from them reached a nearly deafening level. They resembled enormous ants or other insects. They were multicolored—gray on the bottom and reddish brown on top. Their mandibles were like knives and their arms were like spears. Theirs tails tapered to a sharp point. Omechoka and Hosa prepared their weapons.

Hosa’s first blow knocked off one of the creature’s arms. Without flinching, it lashed at him with its remaining arm and mandibles. The other creature attacked Omechoka. Attacking it with his knife, he found that it seemed to be made of a strange metal, much harder than gold or silver. Hosa struck his attacker another solid blow, knocking off its head, whereupon it began flailing wildly and running in circles. Omechoka, fighting with a knife, was forced to get much closer to his assailant, relying on his armor to protect him. The giant bug lodged its mandibles in a thick fold of Omechoka’s jaguar pelt. He used this opportunity to seize hold of its head and wrench it from its body. This did not incapacitate the creature, however. Instead, it thrashed at Omechoka with its arms, cutting him several times across his chest. Atl and Zolin rushed forward to club the monster to the ground. When its body ruptured, there was an explosion of cold vapor, but no blood or viscera. As the four companions in battle caught their breath and tended to each others’ wounds, they heard the sound of another creature approaching. This one moved much more quickly, especially with its stinging tail. Omechoka was struck and collapsed to the ground. The top of the creature’s back opened like the lid of a box. His friend’s, shocked and horrified, watched the creature lift Omachoka with its long, spindly arms and placed him in the box, and in the same motion turned and started to run. Hosa chased after it and knocked off one of the creature’s legs. In the same instant, he was felled by a quick dart of the tail and pulled inside the creature. Zolin and Atl, however, attacked it from the sides before it could run away and brought it to the ground. There was a sizzling sound like a strike of lightning and then the creature was still. Zolin and Atl pried open the creature and dragged their friends out of the cavity inside. They were cold and unresponsive, but alive. Zolin and Atl carried them back to the village, where Atl mixed a warming drink to revive his friends.

The next day they finally set out, no richer for meat, but with three weeks’ worth of beans and maize. They traveled for three days in the jungle and reached a cliff where they saw that next section of their journey would take them across dry plains. They rested here for the night, and found places to refill their waterskins. During the night they heard voices. Atl called out that those making the noises should show themselves. Silence. A restless night for all.

The travelers reached the plains. The grass was brown. And, as the days progressed the dry grass turned to cracked earth. The wind picked up and tossed clouds of sand into the air, obscuring the white stones of the sacbe. The travellers pressed on toward Nexal and the valley of Zatal.

The Sacbe 6 (The Cetay)

Having found more food than they could carry, the travelers remained at the cliff house and over the next few weeks, consumed the maize recovered from the ruined city. Because of their high vantage point, they felt safe from marauders and did not leave the cliffs except to gather firewood and water. They cooked and ate maize cakes and rested in the coolness. One day, they were approached by a lone traveler, a pluma weaver by the name of Hueyi. He had little to say about himself except that he, too, came from a village threatened by drought and storm and famine. The travelers decided to trust him and to ask him to join their band. Although their reserve of maize was still more than they could carry, the stream was starting to fill with ashy sediment. It was time to move on.

They descended from the cliff house and returned to the sacbe that led to Nexal. The road rose to a high flat plain and they walked two whole days with little protection from the harsh sun. One day, they were attacked by two huge birds. Taller than a man, the birds did not fly, but ran across the hard-packed ground completely silent until the moment of attack when their screams tore the air. One leapt into the air and slashed at Zolin with its huge talons. The other charged through the middle of the party, swinging its axe-like beak from side-to-side, putting the porters and Divemoye to flight. Hueyi proved his worth. As the charging bird turned to make another charge, Hueyi shot an arrow into its back. Seeing the effectiveness of this tactic, Atl and Omachaka did the same. More arrows diverted the bird from its charge, and it chased after the porters. Zolin meanwhile, took a defensive position, ducking under his shield and swinging his weapon to keep the monstrous bird at bay. As the arrow-ridden bird caught up to the porters, Paal rushed to their defense and killed the bird with his maca. The other bird, seeing the death of its fellow, turned with a squawk and ran away.

Atl tended to the wounds of his compatriots while the others butchered and cooked the bird. There was meat for everyone and plenty left over. As they were finishing the meal, a group of people approached, waving their arms from a distance. Zolin waved them closer. There was some debate among the travelers regarding whether they should share the leftover bird meat with the strangers. But when the strangers revealed that they came from a nearby village, blessed with a deep cetay of cool, clean water, it became obvious that a mutually beneficial bargain was close at hand.

During the long walk to the nearby village, the villagers offered that the travelers should feel free to drink as much water as they could. There was something they should know first.

Something lived in the cetay. And it demanded sacrifices from those who wanted water. Sometimes jewelry or trinkets were enough. But it also liked meat. The villagers described a creature that sounded something like the crocodiles that lived in the saltwater marshes near Otoch. But it had hands like a man. And its breath caused the water to turn into snakes.

Desperate with thirst, the travelers decided that they would kill the monsters and then enjoy water without fear. Zolin still possessed the Shield of Friendship. Atl volunteered that he would suffer for Zolin if Zolin would go into the cetay to fight the monster. The travelers, even the porters agreed to do the same, as did four of the villagers. Atl prayed to the new and still barely-known god revealed to him by the old man at the pyramid and devised a special protection for Zolin should he be attacked by the water snakes. Hueyi prepared his bow, Omachaka his knives, and Divemoye his axe. 

 They went to the pool and surrounded it. Zolin slipped into the water with a small splash. As the water cleared, a dark shadow emerged at the bottom of the deep, clear pool. 

 It was smaller than Zolin had expected, but somehow more terrifying, resembling a dog as much as crocodile, and with long, grasping, and clawed hands. As it reached out to grab Zolin, the warrior pulled up his legs and dove with his knife. His strong blow barely pierced the monsters hide, but this seemed enough to provoke a furious counter attack. Its claw tore into the figures on Zolin’s shield and the poweful jaws gripped the rim. The villagers standing next to cetay bled profusely and fell to their knees. Omechoka and Divemoye leapt into the pool, stabbing and hacking the monster’s back. Zolin urged Hueyi to shoot the monster, declaring that he’d rather die by his friend’s misfired arrow than be eaten. As the water began to turn red with the monster’s blood, it turned quickly and lashed at Zolin with its tail. Bleeding welts appeared on the faces and chests of Atl and Hueyi. The monster dove, leaving behind the rumored water snakes—these were literally snakes formed from the water. When Hueyi lashed at one with his knife, the blade passed through its body and he was sucked into the pool. The other water snakes attacked Zolin but were repelled by the divine protection requested by Atl. Atl called for more protection and dispelled the water snake that was wrapped around Hueyi. As Hueyi climbed out of the water, Paal and the four villagers dived in. They grabbed the monster by the tail as Zolin grabbed one of its forearms. Suddenly the monster turned and slashed at Zolin who cast his shield aside, knowing his friends were already severely wounded. As the monster stretched its jaws, Zolin thrust his knife into its throat, stabbing it as the jaws closed in on his arm. The monster thrashed and thrashed and then the water was still. Zolin’s shield floated up to the surface, followed by the heroic slayers of the Ahuitzotl.

They travelers cooked and ate the monster. They retrieved the gold, turquoise, and jade from the bottom of the pool. And they drank lots of water.

The Sacbe 4 (Last of the Dog People)

The travellers spent the night on the cliff, too broken-hearted even to speak. A thin and dirty, ragged man appeared, as if from nowhere, and welcome them to his home. He was the last son of a large family that had once lived on the cliffs. His name was Omchaka and he explained that the Jaguar knight had come from Nexal, demanding tribute. His family, being dog people, owed nothing to the gods of Nexal, and refused.

The Jaguars had departed, and took up residence in the long-abandoned city. Over the next several weeks, the Jaguars had hunted and raided Omchaka’s family into extinction. A few might have escaped successfully, but to his knowledge, he was the last. He told the travelers that he had been hiding and watching them, and had come to believe that they were good folk who did not eat people. He could see that they too had lost one of their own to the Jaguars.  If the travelers wanted to kill him, he hoped that they would instead allow him to attack their common enemy. The travelers welcomed him and fed him and said that they would not eat him.  They had heard that there was plentiful food in Nexal and were traveling there. Omchaka asked to join them and was accepted.

As the travelers were making plans to return to the road, the porters thought they noticed some fruit trees in valley below.  The four of them went down to investigate and hopefully return with something no one had tasted for a long time.  They returned quickly and very distraught—one of their number was missing!  Down in the valley, they had spotted a wounded animal and tried to capture it. This proved to be a trap. The Jaguars from the ruined city were lying in wait. They had jumped out and captured one of the porters. The porters were desperate to rescue their friend from the fate that likely awaited him. They agreed to take up weapons if the travelers would lead them. 

After some discusssion, the travelers did agree. They followed the same path they had followed previously and, when they reached the stream, Zolin found the place where they had crossed it on branches. He crossed first and the others followed, but one of the porters broke the branch while crossing and fell into the stream. He was attacked by a dozen viscous fish, but Divemoye rescued him before he suffered too greatly.  The travelers resolved to walk along the stream, with members of the group on either side until they found another place to cross. They walked a long distance.  As they drew closer to the city, there were fewer trees and no likely crossing places.  As they walked, they noticed they were being followed by vultures. The huge birds circled, occasionally diving to a height where they could almost be shot by an arrow.  The travelers walked past the city, still looking for a good place for Divemoye and the last of the porters to cross. At last they found such a place.  This time, while the porter was crossing, a pair of vultures dived toward him, slashing at him with their talons. Omachaka shot one of the vultures.  It fell into the water.  Two more vultures dove to grab the first vulture and pull it from the water. Divemoye killed one of them with his axe. Another vulture was shot out of the sky while the remainder flew away.  The vulture in the water was not attacked by fish. Divemoye and the porter crossed. Zolin suggested that they collect the dead vultures and cook them.

The smell of roasting vulture attracted the attention of Jaguars.  They attacked the travelers pushing them towards the stream. The leader of the Jagyars grabbed the roasting vulture and ran with it into the forest.  The travelers did not pursue him, but instead surrounded and killed three of the lesser warriors.  The fourth escaped.

In the battle, Atl and one of the porters were badly wounded.  The group found a safe place to rest further down the stream. While resting and tending to the wounded, Divemoye noticed that the flying vultures had returned and seemed to have discovered the site of the battle. Omachaka, Divemoye, and Zolin crept through the underbrush to get a closer look.  As the vultures descended on the dead bodies, the Jaguar warrior and the last of his men jumped out to attack them. The vultures were quick and flew away unharmed. The two men shrugged and dragged away the body of one of their dead companions.

Omachaka, Divemoye, and Zolin returned to the group and discussed their options. Both Atl and the porter needed close attention. Soon the vultures would find them and when that happened so would the Jaguars. Atl and the porter would not survive such an encounter.  They decided to return once more to the cliff dwelling
.

The Sacbe 1 (Leaving Otoch)

Things have been bad in Otoch.  Long-forgotten by the warring powers to the north, the southern peninsula has suffered years of drought and storm.  Hungry refugees from other places who had seen the same cycle.  And then the big one that wiped out whole villages.  In the north, there was food.  In the north, they were wanted.

The elders wouldn't let strong young children wait for the big one.  If you don't leave now, you'll be forced to leave later.

Follow the Sacbe.  Follow it to the great city in the north.  Follow it to another village.  Follow it to the pyramid of the sorcerer.  Follow it anywhere that's not here.

Who?  The best, the brightest, the young:

"Young Savage" Quick with a spear. He knows how to make pulque.
"Zolin" Well-armed, with shield and axe. She keeps the peace.
"Huasteco" Strong like a water plant.  She knows how to braid rope.
"Divemoye" the jokester.  He fights with an axe.
"Atl" the sleeepy Plumaweaver.  He is good at making a fire.

They had slept in the jungle before and the first day was like a party.  But quiet.  No animals.

The second day was the same.  They saw the pyramid and went toward it.

Attack of the flying cat creature-- larger than the largest dog and with wings like a bat.  Huasteco launched her spear as the monster descended. Shadecian braced his against the ground and drove the blade into its armpit even as he was knocked to the ground.  The obsidian blade broke and the monster howled lashing out with its claws.  Mazateco embarassed himself by using this opportunity to strip off Shadecian's loincloth.  Wayob was scratched by the monster and fled into the underbrush.  Zolin beat the monster over the head with her axe.  When the blade broke, she beat him with the haft. The monster roared so loudly that all were stunned.  The monster flapped its wings and took to the air.

The explorers continued their way to the pyramid.  They went to the room on the top platform where they found an old man weaving with feathers.  His design looked like the monster they had just fought.  He explained that he liked to be left alone, but didn't mind the occasional visitor. 

Zolin asked the man what he ate.  He said that he was hungry and she gave him some food.  He thanked her and showed them around his home.

Soon it was time to press on.  The pyramid was a safe place to rest, but neither the travelers nor the old man had food to spare.

From the top of the pyramid they studied what lay before them.  The sacbe threaded invisibly through the jungle, but in the distance, it emerged from the greenery into a sea of brown grass, the white stones glistening in the bright sun.  From the top of the pyramid, they saw their road would join another road to become part of the great sacbe pointing northwest, to heart of the Nexal empire.

As they made their way through the last few miles of jungle, this image of the open road was by turns encouraging and tantalyzing.  Huasteco fell sick, but the others urged her on.  Night came  They slept, and woke before dawn, stumbling forward in the darkness and the fog.  They emerged from the fog and jungle onto the plains.  As the fog cleared, they saw people, other travelers.

The other travelers were a larger group than them and moving slowly, also traveling north and west.  Some were laden with baskets, others with red head-dresses and whips.

Blastoise told his companions that he was going to kill the men with the whips.  Taking his axe in hand, he sprinted forward.  The others trotted behind him and, when they came in range, shot arrows at the man at the head of the column.  Blastoiste attacked the big man at the back of the column and killed him with two quick blows.

The men in red head-dresses welcomed this opportunity for battle.  Their five captives, laden with baskets continued to walk the road.

Blastoiste fought ferociously, felling another foe and wounding two others.  His companions closed more cautiously, continuing to shoot arrows.  Their enemies hurled their spears and closed.  With two men down, the red-head-dress men numbered 5 and the travelers from Otoch soon relized they were out-matched.  Young Savage was the first to be wounded and the first to desert the battle.  He drew off two of the red head-dress men.  One was hit by Young Savage's arrow, but did not falter.  They caught him and together battered him to the ground.  One knelt to prevent Young Savage from bleeding to death and the other overpowered Huasteco.

Atl was the next to fall, followed by Blastoise, but not before he killed another foe.  As on of the red-head-dressed men, knelt to take Atl as a living prisoner, Zolin came behind him and cleaved his skull with her axe.  The other red-head-dress men jeered their friend's spectacular death and jeered at Zolin as they tried to grapple her my the shoulders.  Zolin shook them off, swinging her axe.  She fought alone against two attackers, while the third living red head-dressed men went from one friend to another, staunching their wounds and claiming them as prisoners.

Zolin was struck by a maca and fell to one knee.  As her assailant again tried to overpower her, she rose and attacked them in a blind fury.  She killed them both and broke her axe head.

The last of her foes, smiling at this opportunity to take such a fearsome prisoner or die trying, was clubbed sensenless and then to death.

Zolin called out to the burden carriers.  They stopped, awaiting the commands of their new master.  They wer carrying loads of beans and rice.  Zolin confirmed that her friends were all still breathing.  She gave them water and helped them recover their breath.

Zolin selected the best of the weapons from the fallen enemies.  The burden-carriers refused to touch any weapons, but would help Zolin bring her friends back to the old man's pyramid.