Journal of Rollo Lavius 2

Entry #411 - The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan

(G411 16/05/2020 via Roll20 - AP, JF(GM)) WA65

[Back to what was happening with Fenrir and Veddic. My 'day numbering' sequence is a little out dear reader, as I restarted the numbering for Corum. But basically you add 180 on. In any event I started my 'official' adventures when I stepped off the side of a ship in Sasserine. That was my 'Day 1'. 180 days later Corum's adventures began and that was his 'Day 1' and the start of my current numbering scheme.]

You may remember, dear reader, that right at the beginning, my friend Rah'Siel the young Barbarian was with me. He died at the hands of a Red Cap at the docks of Ishau in Chult. There he was buried. We also left his favourite prostitute there, a young woman called Fatima. She was pregnant and by my reckoning the baby will be nine months old now, assuming that they have both survived.

Well, at the time, I had no idea this was going on, but it seemed that Gertrude the Wise, the very powerful cleric and oracle had resurrected him. This was done about six months ago.

Gertrude was in Skullport, so that was where he arrived back in the land of the living. For the next few months he worked for Gertrude, going off on adventures and the like, retrieving treasures and tweaking the course of history for her - generally by hitting people with his axe. (I later learned that he was mainly working with a group of Vampire Slayers)

Her design was this - Rah'siel is from the Hordelands. Or at least his mother is. His father ended up there for reasons that are currently murky to me, but he took up with a Hordelander lady, got her pregnant and then died in an accident.

The baby was Raz of course, and as unlikely as it seems his father was Lord Argaunt Thalavar. He was the son of Lady Nettel Thalavar the famous matriarch of what remained of the unseated Westgate royal family.

Lady Nettel Thalavar married three times, so Raz and Lady Thistle Thalavar have different paternal grandfathers, but the same grandmother. I think that makes then half-cousins?

Well anyway, bastard as he is, he has a small claim to the Thalavar lineage and if he was to marry Thistle Thalavar then between the two of them they would make a solid base for a return to royal rule of Westgate and the overthrow of the mercantile Croamarkh system.

Well Gertrude plays her games. Raz was to join Fenrir and Veddic in retrieving the sword of the kings of Westgate commonly known as 'The Piecemaker'.

Fenrir knew nothing of Raz of course, as far as he was concerned, it was just another of Gertrude's pawns.

Got all that, dearest of readers? Then to continue...


DAY 470 (15th Kythorn)(June)

As far as I can tell, this is the day that Raz arrived in Westgate. Teleported in by Thjodhild.

Here Cavu introduced him to Fenrir, Veddic and everyone else who was at hand.

Cavu did all the talking after that. He informed them that the magical sword we needed was in a place called the 'Shrine of Tamoachan'. Now this meant nothing to any of them, but I remember that name from Chult.

When on the Sea Wyvern, just a day or so after Raz had died we visited a place called the 'Ruins of Tamoshan'. Are these related? At this moment, I must confess I don't know, but this I do know - they were not the same place. Perhaps part of the same lost civilisation though?

I'd love to get down there and take another look.

Anyway, they needed more people for the adventure and over the next few days they found who they needed. These were:

Dorette - the dark elf rogue from Pedestal
Barendd - An evil dark dwarf fighter currently under Giselle's influence
Weyney the Worrisome - the human cleric from Ferbone, who was persuaded to come along too.


DAY 471 (16th Kythorn)(June)

Fenrir was at work today.

In the evening he took Raz out into society, a brief glimpse of what he might expect if he were ever to become king of Westgate.

Raz is still just as ill-mannered and barbaric as when I knew him, but I'm lead to believe it wasn't a total disaster.

DAY 472 (17th Kythorn)(June)

Raz was taken out again tonight and apparently the review was 'uncouth but amusing'.


DAY 473 (18th Kythorn)(June)

Today Fenrir bumped into Harvel.

They chatted over 'old times'. Harvel had decided on giving up the adventuring life for a while. He had managed to get his foot regrown somehow.

He seemed to be a very good source of gossip and Fenrir ear-marked him as 'council member' in the future of what he imagined the reign of 'Raz the first' would look like.

DAY 474 (19th Kythorn)(June)

Another evening for Raz to refine his social skills. He came across as ignorant but not stupid.

DAY 475 (20th Kythorn)(June)

Yet another night out in society for Raz who by now thought he had it all figured out. Basically - talk a load of nonsense in a loud voice and wave your arms around a lot going 'Fwah-fwah-fwah!'

In truth he was more or less right! But luckily for him he always had Fenrir on hand to cover up the many faux pas he made.

DAY 476 (21th Kythorn)(June)

Tonight was the night of a grand annual summer ball in Westgate and Fenrir took Raz along to that. Thistle Thavlar was there and Fenrir managed to introduce her to Raz (her future husband if Gertrude has her way!).
Cavu had said not to mention anything about what they were up to of course so she is unaware that Raz is a sort of half-cousin.


DAY 477 (22th Kythorn)(June)

Gelly informed Fenrir that the house was being spied on again. Fenrir was not surprised, but she did say, 'these are not Nightmasks. They are out of towners.'

He had bigger things to worry about though. Today Thjodhild took the brave adventurers to the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan.

It was deep in the jungles of Chult, and where in relation to the ruins that I had once visited I have no idea.

The party consisted of:

- Fenrir
- Veddic
- Raz
- Weyney
- Dorette
- Barendd

The teleported in beside a majestic waterfall and then walked about a mile towards a large ziggurat that loomed above the jungle canopy ahead of them.

They had been told to look for a tunnel entrance, and it was easily located. This lead down into an ancient stone carved room.

The room contained dioramas, one of which had a small shepherd's crook in it. Without touching anything else they took the crook and used it as a key to open the door before them.

The followed the corridors, through other craved stone scenes and reached another chamber.

It was constructed of large stone blocks, buttressed in the corners. The walls were wet and slimy, and mud covered most of the floor. A large polished boulder sat in the centre of the chamber amid a pile of smaller rounded rocks. The boulder was as tall as a human and brown with black streaks and spots. A discoloured bamboo staff leaning against it. In the wall opposite stairs descended out of sight. Stone doors were set within alcoves in the wall to the left and right.

As they entered the stones moved and turned out to be Kalka-Kylla, the spirit of some sort of giant crab, and a Crayfish Guardian. At first they were aggressive, but after some sweet talking they allowed the adventurers to pass and they moved on to the next set of corridors.

Soon the found doors with an inscription in Olman hieroglyphs that read:
"Here lies Tloques-Popolocas, thrall of Zotzilaha, master of tombs and the night"

Inside was indeed a vampire, and a nasty one too, but he was soon dealt with by Veddic who turned him and then Fenrir who blasted him into bits.

Even with all the progress they were making, these chambers were full of poison gas that was slowly getting into their system and hurting them. As they explored more chambers and passageways they were taking damage, and it was just as well there were two clerics on hand to provide healing.

The next chamber of note they came to was that of Tecuziztecatl, Lord of Snails. He was boastful and challenged them to fight. He was a giant snail, and talked throughout the combat, each time they landed a blow he would say something like 'Aha! You fall right into my trap!'
But they were too strong for him and when he new he was defeated he begged for mercy and skulked back into his pool.

They left him to it and moved on.