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. What follows is a mostly complete account of the perils they faced within. Their original map has been annotated for clarity.
The Lower Levels
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 a large room [2] with a mud-covered floor. A poisonous gas filled the air. Through the gloom, the adventurers could see movement near a boulder in the center of the chamber. An anxious, abnormally large 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 bamboo staff sticking out of the mud, but which turned out to be the articulated 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 caustic lime. They determined this was likely unimportant and moved on.
The stone statue and macuahuitl
Crossing back through the crab room, the Fishwives continued through a room into another hallway [4]. A trickle of flowed along the floor and the walls were wet and slimy. 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, and Sathul took the statue's obsidian eyes.
Tecuziztecatl, Lord of Snails
Following iridescent trails from the statue hall into a water-filled room [5], the adventurers did not encounter a single swarm of rats. They did, however find Tecuziztecatl, Lord of Snails and maker of trails. They bargained with the Lord of Snails, who allowed them to leave.
The nereid and the unsettling crevasse
Bidding their chill snail-friend goodbye, the group returned the same way they came and entered the passage revealed by the fallen statue. They surprised a nereid 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 sculpted animal heads along the walls. They continued to the left and found a small alcove before finally entering an enormous room [7] with several ranks of clay 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 stone block 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 crystal flask and two goblets. The figures looked dead at first; closer inspection revealed that they were not dead, but had clearly been there for a very long time. Curiosity got the best of the group, and they touched one of the figures, bringing it to life. The now former sleeper was annoyed and demanded payment for his trouble. He was appeased and put back to sleep by reconstituting the potion in the glass jar. The party passed 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. As they climbed the stairs, they noticed the poison gas that had befouled the lower rooms dissipating. 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 and revealing it as a gas spore. The party narrowly avoided poisoning from the exploding fungus.
The Challenge of Pelota
The friends walked on to a long, narrow hallway [10]. At the close end of the hall was an intricately carved face with what looked like a ball in its mouth. When touched, the ball flew on its own toward the middle of the long room. The mouth of the carving began to glow, as did a similar carving at the other end of the room. Through a mixture of magical and martial means, the team moved the ball down the field and put some points on the board, eventually winning the game 3-0. The ball immediately stopped moving and Ka-Ess recovered a magical whistle from the far goal.
The cat room
The next room [11] was decorated with a variety of stuffed housecats, which the adventurers collected in their Bag of Holding. They also found a stuffed tiger (this, too, went in the bag) and a statue of a man with a tiger's head that animated when touched. The party defeated what turned out to be a weretiger, but not before Ilabrar was bitten. He became aware that he had been cursed with lycanthropy, but did not reveal this to his compatriots. The group collected the pelts of several big cats and continued their journey.
The Well of Light and Xipe's Lair
Lining the walls of the next room [12] were what appeared to be human skins. The reptilian members of the party insisted the flayed skins be deposited in the Bag of Holding, alarming Ardrick. Inside the room stood a gigantic statue of Xipe, the Lord of the Flayed Skins. Opposite the statue of Xipe was a well that seemed to be illuminated from within. The party attempted to dip several housecats into the well; these turned gold and were returned to the Bag. Above the well was a hole in the tall ceiling. Using a combination of Fly and Ka-Ess' magic whistle, the crew ascended through the hole into the lair of Xipe, an oni who filled the room with some sort of sleet storm. He was subdued by the Fishwives, who then looted his corpse.
The malevolent tree
- The malevolent tree (13)
The giant snake and baboons
- The snake and baboons (14)
The couatl and the trippy pyramid
- The couatl and the trippy pyramid (15)
The strange mirrors
- The strange mirrors (16)
The Land of the Dead
- The Land of the Dead
The fountain room
- The fountain room
The wind tunnel
- The wind tunnel
The room of the conqueror
- The room of the conquerer
The chamber of bones and the exit
- The chamber of bones and the exit