Ancient Tomb

An annotated map of the lower levels of the Ancient Tomb

The upper levels of the Ancient Tomb

Seeking an alternate route into the depths of the Obsidian Pyramid, the Fishwives found a passage leading from the cave of the cyclops deep underground to an ancient tomb complex. Their original map has been annotated for clarity.

The Diorama Room

The Fishwives entered the tomb via a room [1] filled with dioramas depicting various aspects of humanoid and reptile life. A locked door blocked their passage, but Ka-Ess discovered a key disguised as a shepherd's crook held by one of the figures in a diorama. The door opened onto a hallway with niches carved into the stone walls. At the end of the hall stood two large, bronze doors.

Kalka-Kylla, the hermit crab

Behind the bronze doors lay large room [2] with a mud-covered floor. Through the gloom, the adventurers could see movement near a rise in the center of the chamber. A large, anxious crayfish repeatedly warned the travelers not to approach. The crayfish described a guardian who would be angered by their presence, but the group paid it no heed. Sathul approached what appeared to be a spear sticking out of the mud, but which turned out to be the leg of an enormous hermit crab, the guardian Kalka-Kylla. The crab was decidedly unperturbed by their presence, but did describe malevolent beings that inhabited the tomb.

The acid door

Entering a hallway off Kalka-Kylla's chamber, the party encountered a stone door [3] that was covered in what appeared to be acid. They determined this was likely unimportant and moved on.

The stone statue and macuahuitl

Ilabrar's macuahuitl

Crossing back through the crab room, the Fishwives continued through a room into another hallway [4]. A large stone statue of a warrior stood on their right. Ka-Ess attempted a nimble leap onto the statue, causing it to crash to the ground. This revealed a passageway previously hidden by the statue. Ilabrar recovered a magical, obsidian-studded macuahuitl from the warrior statue.

Tecuziztecatl, Lord of Snails

Following iridescent trails into a water-filled room [5], the adventurers did not encounter a single swarm of rats. They did, however find Tecuziztecatl, Lord of Snails.

The mermaid and the unsettling crevasse

Bidding their chill snail-friend goodbye, the group walked on and surprised a mermaid in a partially-flooded chamber [6]. The magic users in the party were immediately struck by a profound sense of foreboding emanating from a crevasse under the water. When questioned about the chasm, the mermaid at first advised the Fishwives not to enter it, but later said she didn't care what they did and that there was probably nothing down there. The group agreed that their perception of overwhelming evil was probably nothing. They crossed a small causeway and exited the room.

The Cairn and the jade pectorals

The explorers passed through more bronze doors and entered a long gallery, the floor of which was piled with bones. They briefly trapped themselves in a cage at the far end of the room, but soon escaped. A more careful search of the room yielded a door into another long hallway that had several [?] along the walls. They continued to the left and found a small alcove before finally entering an enormous room [7] with several ranks of stone warrior statues. Carefully avoiding these, they broke into the large stone cairn that sat behind the statues. From this they recovered a variety of valuables, including four jade pectorals. Leaving the room, they passed into a hallway that seemed to be a dead end. However, when all four pushed on the stone at the end of the hall it gradually slid back, slowly at first, but more quickly and easily after a bit. The group noticed the stone moved up a slight incline on rollers set into the floor. Before continuing into the next room, Sathul attempted to wedge the stone so that it would not roll back.

The chamber with the sleepers

The Fishwives entered an octagonal chamber [8] and noticed two figures lying on stone slabs. A table stood between them with a small glass bottle. The figures looked dead at first. Closer inspection revealed that they were not dead, but had clearly been there for some time. Curiosity got the best of the group, and they touched one of the figures, bringing it to life. The sleeper was annoyed and demanded to be put back to sleep by reconstituting the potion in the glass jar. The party complied and continued through the double doors.

The false beholder

Continuing through an L-shaped hallway, the party entered a large room [9] that was notably rougher and dirtier than many of the other rooms they had encountered so far. They went through more doors and began walking up the stairs that stood before them. A step on a trick stair caused an enormous stone sphere to roll down the stairs toward our heroes, but it was eliminated with dispatch by Ardrick's powerful Shatter spell. In a room atop the stairs, the company were confronted by a large, floating orb. At its center was a large eye and erupting from its surface were a variety of bulbous stalks. Fearing a confrontation with a powerful being, Ilabrar cast Mirror Image. [?] followed this with a [ranged attack], causing the entity to explode in a poisonous cloud and revealing it as a gas spore.

• The ball game (10)

• The cat room (11)

• The Well of Light and the Xipe's Lair (12)

• The malevolent tree (13)

• The snake and baboons (14)

• The couatl and the trippy pyramid (15)

• The strange mirrors (16)

• The Land of the Dead

• The fountain room

• The wind tunnel

• The room of the conquerer

• The chamber of bones and the exit