Call of the Couatls

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Campaigns: Slaadi Invasion | Northern Strife | Heroes & Traitors | Hollows | Black as Pitch | Air Islands of Nack | BUFD Wars | Weapon of the Gods | Couatlán | Getting the Band Back Together

Couatlán: Call of the Couatls Call of the Couatls (DMed by David W.) Many of the legendary couatls have shed their mortal disguises and beseeched the elders to shed in turn their inter-tribal disputes and differences in order to band together and form an alliance strong enough to fight back against the fair-skins. This call for solidarity, collectively known as the Couatlán, is the only way the indigenous peoples have a chance to repel the fair-skins. As such, the discordant tribes have for a time become harmonious, and warriors and shamans from each have banded together to strike back at the hearts of their enemies to expel them much as an obsidian blade lets blood to expel an affliction.

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Mission 1: "Red River Outpost"
Date: 9 Flintknife - 11 Crocodile (33 days). . . June 2nd, 2018

Played by Cuauhtémoc, Kntanta, N'olvidar, Riclamin, and Sisava

Setup:
 * 1st Couatlán location: clearing deep within the jungle, a few weeks journey from the eastern coastline.
 * Two scouts, Icuahca and Calatlo, spotted after attempting to conduct reconnaissance on an newly constructed outpost, southern side of the Red River, overlooking a 100ft cliffside.
 * Spotted and attacked during scout.
 * One was injured and the other captured.
 * The injured party (Icuahca) managed to escape after a great displacer beast attacked the pursuers. Retreated to Couatlán location.

Objective:
 * Track back to the outpost and retrieve the captured party (Calatlo).
 * Kill or capture as many fair-skins as possible.
 * Destroy outpost if possible.

Outcome:
 * Attacked by two coyotl hunters during travels, dispatched both.
 * Spotted smoke near objective on second day of travel.
 * Discovered dead displacer beast.
 * Three Akkens, two of which injured, tracked back to outpost.
 * One other Akken assumed to travel to separate village for reinforcements.
 * Tracked Akkens to the outpost.
 * Smoke came from a humanoid burned at the stake.
 * Presumed to be objective (Calatlo). Suffered torture and mutilation before execution by fire.
 * Riclamin attempted to pretend to be Akkens. When that failed, sprung attack.
 * Cuauhtémoc nearly felled by an arrow to the neck.
 * Riclamin gave aid to fallen elf, saved his life.
 * Others used the confusion of attack to sneak up to outpost and climb up, killing all three Akkens.
 * Looted the outpost, set it to fire, successfully retreated before reinforcements arrived.
 * Returned to the next Couatlán rendezvous to report on completed mission.

Downtime Activities:
 * Cuauhtémoc: Returned to Cuauhtli village to report mission to elder Quetzal. Received further work and training at tribal village.
 * Sisava: With aid of Kntanta, Riclamin, N'olvidar, found and tamed a giant snake. Will accompany on future missions.
 * Kntanta: Gathered total of eight snakes as companions while travelling with Sisava, N'olvidar, Riclamin.
 * N'olvidar: Traveled with Riclamin, Kntanta, Sisava. Foraged for supplies and created an atlatl for darts.
 * Riclamin: Traveled with N'olvidar, Kntanta, Sisava. Successful foraging and hunts allowed to cure and dry several days worth of rations, sharing with companions.

Mission 2: "The Poisoned Village of Uxmal"
Date: 11 Crocodile - 12 Poison (30 days). . . June 9th, 2018

Played by Cuauhtémoc, Atrox, and Raktajino

Setup: Objective: Outcome: Downtime Activities:
 * 2nd Couatlán location: somewhere on the border of the southern marshes, a week's journey from the eastern coast.
 * Itencualac, the Couatl of Poison, has come to lieutenant Xehsamaal (specialized in poison and traps) in a dream.
 * A concentration of new poison has come to the fishing village of Uxmal, deep within a mangrove forest to the northwest.
 * Xehsamaal has chosen Atrox, Raktajino, and Cuauhtémoc for their knowledge of poisonous substances, familiarity with watery environments, and penchant for violence respectively.
 * Locate Uxmal and determine the source of the poison.
 * Study and extract said poison if at all possible, bring back to the next Couatlán.
 * Poor navigation by Cuauhtémoc, losing a day of travel and going too far north.
 * Group runs into quicksand and warriors from the Cuanmitzli tribe -- jaguar elves.
 * Atrox attacks the group, Raktajino nearly goes unconscious in the melee.
 * After killing the tribesmen, Cuauhtémoc mutilated one of their jaguar headdresses and added the mutilated parts to his own eagle headdress.
 * Backtrack to Uxmal, discovering large froglike humanoids called grungs.
 * Fight with grungs, nearly died, had to retreat.
 * Grungs tracked group to their hidden retreat. Had to kill them, nearly died in the struggle.
 * After a night's recovery, went back to Uxmal, killed several grungs and captured tadpole eggs of red, purple, and green. The red grung leader escaped.
 * Atrox: Traveled with Raktajino with eggs of each colored tadpole (red, purple, green). The eggs hatched and the tadpoles were given to the leaders of the Couatlán.
 * Cuauhtémoc: Returned to Cuauhtli village to continue training toward becoming a Talon.
 * Raktajino: Traveled with Atrox with eggs of each colored tadpole. The eggs hatched and the tadpoles were given to the leaders of the Couatlán.

Mission 3: "Hunting the Hueliloc Hag"
Date: 12 Poison - 12 Snake (6 days). . . August 11th, 2018

Played by Cuauhtémoc, Coyo, Riclamin, N'olvidar and Chakax

Setup: Objective: Outcome: Downtime Activities:
 * 3rd Couatlán location: cliffside overlooking city of Teotepec, capital of the Teotlihuacan, half-day journey around the cliff to get there.
 * Couatlán lieutenants Teoquemitl, Anquemolo and Eztli recruit the warriors to investigate a kidnapping.
 * Nameless, infant daughter of Toctli (temporary leader of the Teotlihuacan) disappeared from her crib.
 * Teoquemitl is infant's aunt, says, "She has fallen from the embrace of Teotl."
 * Anquemolo requests those adept in tracking to start from the crib itself and work from there.
 * Eztli has brought one of her own Huastac tribesmen, Coyo into the Couatlán to assist.
 * Investigate child's disappearance, determine culprit.
 * Rescue child if at all possible.
 * Investigation starts in chieftain's house, leads to infirmary where Toctli's wife Cictlalmina is paralyzed with grief.
 * Coyo talks to kids in central plaza playing stick-ball (now called Coyoball.)
 * Discovered that a young teenager calling herself Xoxoh would come from the woods and play with the kids from time to time.
 * Encouraged them to do naughty things -- break things, steal, hurt others.
 * Followed lead on Xoxoh after speaking with two older kids, Ollin and Ichtaca, took younger of the two, Ollin along. Traveled several miles, two days.
 * Found marsh devoid of Teotl, hut in middle. Xoxoh is an ancient hag, disguises herself as beautiful young elf.
 * Has several girls working for her, seemingly devout servants - not sure if magical or brainwashed.
 * Call each other not by name, only by age: 12, 10, 7, 7, 4, 2 and 0 (the noble infant).
 * "Nana" Xoxoh tried to strike a deal with them, a simple kiss from N'olvidar or Chakax, but to no avail.
 * Fight breaks out, Chakax and N'olvidar are both seriously injured to the verge of death. Nana Xoxoh is killed.
 * All kids taken back to Teotepec, reunited with parents, save 12. Chakax takes her under his wing instead. "0" is given back to Toctli and Cictlalmina.
 * Chakax says, "Child, you know that you will not be able to live comfortably in the city. You have been marked by a power greater than yourself. Come with me and unlock your destiny."
 * Report back to Teoquemitl, Anquemolo and Eztli at the next Couatlán location.
 * Cuauhtémoc: Returns to Cuauhtli village of Puxcatán to continue training to become a Talon.
 * Coyo: Traveled with Riclamin and N'olvidar, hunting and foraging for a month.
 * Riclamin: Traveled with N'olvidar and Coyo.
 * N'olvidar: Traveled with Coyo and Riclamin.
 * Chakax: Took 12 south to the marshlands, training her and studying the source of her mysterious powers.

Mission 4: "The Flame of El"
Date: 13 House - 1 Crocodile (24 days). . . September 22nd, 2018

Played by Coyo, Tannin, Tzakaw, Tzultacaj and Whisper

Setup: Objective: Outcome: Downtime Activities:
 * 4th Couatlán location: Three hours north of the Akken city of Tuk-ruthwoad, on the coast.
 * Couatlán lieutenants Tlatilo and Ta'akik need those skilled in stealth and/or espionage to infiltrate the city walls and steal the Flame of El.
 * Flame apparently has magical powers, and is used by enemy priests for unknown reasons.
 * The Couatlán would like to study this artifact, and deal a blow to enemy morale.
 * Infiltrate the inner walls of Tuk-ruthwoad and steal the Flame of El from the temple.
 * Can choose either stealth or deception. Stealth by night, using one of the sluices under the docks. Or deception by day, pretending to be slaves or Akkens living within the city walls.
 * Steal the Flame of El and bring it back to the Couatlán headquarters.
 * Group chooses to stealth at night, swimming across the small bay and attempting to enter under the city through an underwater sluice.
 * Plan backfires, as many members aren't capable of holding their breath long enough to accomplish goal.
 * Instead try to stealthily climb city walls at night. Unnoticed for a moment, but forced to kill gate guards.
 * Alarms sound, guards run to the action, and civilians still out run away.
 * Coyo knocks out two civilians running away.
 * Dash to the temple, break in through front door, Whisper keeping to the rooftops, keeping watch.
 * Using torch, steal the Flame of El and dash out of the temple.
 * Acolytes and priest notice them, fight breaks out.
 * More guards come, forcing the group to flee with a copy of the Flame in hand.
 * Tzakaw casts fog cloud while crossing a bridge to aid in escape.
 * Take Flame of El to hidden location in jungle, send Whisper for Eztli.
 * Eztli explains that Flame is watchful and allows El to see where the wielder is, so servants of El will descend upon the wielding thief.
 * Burden of surveillance might not be worth having the magical flame.
 * Coyo wishes to study further, meditates on it for several weeks in a cave.
 * Whisper and others defend Coyo against the Akkens searching for them.
 * Dinosaurs attack, somehow possessed by El, along with Akkens.
 * Fight of all enemies, down to the last deinonychus.
 * Coyo uses the Flame of El to eject a holy fire over the charging dinosaur, killing it at the last second.
 * Coyo successfully conquered the influence of El and destroyed the possessed deinonychus on the sacred day of the Couatl, the day after 13-Flower and before 1-Crocodile
 * None. All warriors of this mission stayed with Coyo for weeks after retrieving the Flame of El until the beginning of the next Couatlán.

Mission 5: "Quitzlac and the Messhikah Dissidents"
Date: 1 Crocodile - 2 Poison (30 days). . . November 3rd, 2018

Played by Kntanta, Atrox, Yelcan, and Chimalli

Setup:
 * 5th Couatlán location: Jungles in the west, on the border of the Messhikah territory.
 * Anquemolo hires the adventurers to look into the disappearances of a dozen elves and hueyi.
 * Scouts, hunters, fishermen, all disappearing in the west for several moons.
 * Anquemolo gives three leads to choose/follow:
 * Solmec scout going specifically to Itzetl, large obsidian outcropping
 * Kaxtik hueyi fisherman following Mixpán Ver
 * Huastac elf tracking coyotl ravagers to an old elven ruin somewhere to the southwest.

Objective:
 * Track down one or more of the missing elves and hueyi using the clues given by Anquemolo.
 * Determine the source of disappearances and bring back survivors if possible.

Outcome:
 * Followed the trail of huastac to coyotl ravagers and elven ruins for 15 days, tracks veer away.
 * Fought coyotl scouts/ravagers.
 * Tracks of multiples elves and hueyi eventually merge, lead to an isolated opening in the forest floor.
 * Find a dozen elves and hueyi tied to stakes, many half-eaten, legs and arms eaten down to the bone, most still alive.
 * Female Messhikah purebloods worshiping a male malison named Quitzlac in a cult-like fashion.
 * Atrox and Kntanta pose as potential cultists coming with torture slaves.
 * Group springs the trap and kill Quitzlac very quickly before he can react. Kill the other worshipers but not without Yelcan nearly dying.
 * Head back with eight of twelve original survivors, three of the eight die from poisons setting in or not recovering from wounds incurred during captivity.
 * Return to Couatlan in fifteen days, on 2 Poison.

(Below are secret notes available only to the characters Sisava, Kntanta, and Atrox)
 * Kntanta kills some of the slaves secretly while saving a few others. More are poisoned on the path home.
 * The Messhikah Empire's secrets were relatively maintained, and as far as the spies know anyone who hears about the cult will assume it was an anomaly.
 * For this, all three Messhikah agents will be rewarded by the Empire in time.

Downtime Activities:
 * None recorded.

Mission 6: "The Beast of K'intaj Ts'onot"
Date: 2 Poison - 2 Wind (2 days). . . November 17th, 2018

Played by Raktajino, Kntanta, Tannin, Jahan and Chimalli

Setup:
 * 6th Couatlán location: Midlands at the edge of a cenote, roughly 10 miles south of the Kaxtik village of Kabahpan.
 * A strange amphibious creature has been terrorizing Hueyi and Ilhuicaatl within the underwater rivers connecting cenotes. People torn to shreds by a creature looking like a centipede with great crablike pincers. The shamans do no detect the presence of Teotl within or around the beast.
 * The Kaxtik Elder, Kaynukuch, says that the creature must be from a time before the emergence of the Couatls, a time when great and terrible beings of the unknowable depths reigned upon the surface.
 * Teoquemitl states that this creature, whatever it may be, is a scourge amongst anything embraced by Teotl and must be destroyed before its hold on the sacred can grow any further.
 * Anquemolo says that this quarry would be good to capture alive, if possible, so that the elders might learn more of its nature and where it might've come from. Teoquemitl disagrees.
 * The beast was sighted in and around K'intaj Ts'onot and other smaller nearby cenotes.
 * Cenote dwellers here called the Aphuatahe'etl.

Objective:
 * Investigate the K'intaj region underground and track the beast.
 * Kill or capture the beast. Bring back any survivors if possible.

Outcome:
 * Ten hour trek to K'intaj Ts'onot.
 * Find severed arm in the cenote entrance. Swim deeper into cenote, Raktajino casts shape water to create air pockets for breathing at regular intervals.
 * Get to small Ilhuicaatl hamlet, also called Aphuatahe'etl, deserted.
 * See two Ilhuicaatl leaving the hamlet, zombie-like swimming away into the unknowable depths.
 * Jahan uses his owl familiar Arash to survey the underground cavern.
 * Sees group of Zakedaemoni warriors awaiting in ambush.
 * Start making way toward them around other side of cavern, get attacked by the beast, identified as a chuul. Simultaneously, a second chuul begins attacking the hidden Zakedaemoni.
 * Horrible struggle, chuul quickly paralyzes Tannin, grabs Kntanta.
 * Chuul near death, plunges back into water and begins to swim away.
 * Bacchios de la Torre, leader of the Zakedaemoni, swims across cavern and attacks heroes.
 * Jahan casts sleep on a human priest in the water, casts scorching ray on chuul and kills it, releasing Kntanta and Tannin.
 * Bacchios, hurt, escapes in water using magical swimming.
 * Priest is brought up, bound, questioned, nothing useful.
 * Heroes take priest back to the Couatlán, one chuul beast escaped but one killed.
 * Priest taken by Teoquemitl's people, unsure what his fate is.
 * Jahan asks for the elves to be better people than the vicious Akkens.
 * Teoquemitl says sometimes atrocities must be committed so that more in the future are prevented -- not what Jahan wanted to hear.

Downtime Activities:
 * None recorded.

Mission 7: "Ambushing the Red Devils"
Date: 2 Wind - 2 Lizard (3 days). . . January 26th, 2019

Played by Chimalli, Kntanta, Nahuatl, Coyo and Cuauhtémoc and Tzakaw

Setup:
 * 7th Couatlán location: Midlands region off the coast, roughly ten miles away from the Maize Road.
 * A group of Akken hobgoblins, known collectively as Duende, currently patrol the major trade route called the Maize Road, which runs north to south between many tribal city-states. These patrols are effectively shutting down any trade between tribes and is strangling the inter-state commerce and leading to famine. The trade route is hundreds of miles long.
 * Eztli suggests securing a tactical position along the Maize Road, either in the southern swamp region, the midland jungle region, or the northern valley region.

Objective:
 * Seek out and destroy any Duende patrol on the Maize Road.
 * Secure any useful information on the Akkens if possible.

Outcome:
 * The group determines to go north into the rocky valley terrain to set up an ambush along the road.
 * On the journey, they cross a river and are attacked by quippers.
 * Once there, they find an advantageous stop on the road to set their ambush.
 * They align heavy boulders on both sides of a canyon, with Coyo hiding on a large makeshift swing in the center and Nahuatl cutting down several rocks in the center of the ambush site.
 * A hobgoblin Duende mage throws several devastating spells at the group, including ice storm, melf's acid arrow, and fireball at several adventurers.
 * Four of the ambush party go unconscious in the struggle, except for Chim and Coyo.
 * The group recovers and manages to kill the devastator. Additionally, Coyo chases down the last retreating hobgoblin, effectively cutting off any witness report of the ambush.
 * Nahuatl finds notes about Ja'Koj, a band of savage lizardfolk mercenaries, and tells Eztli about them.

Downtime Activities:
 * None recorded.

Mission 8: "Intel on the Ja'Koj"
Date: 2 Dog - 2 Eagle (8 days). . . April 6th, 2019

Played by Chimalli, Whisper, Yelcan, Tzultacaj and Coyo

Setup:

Objective:

Outcome:

Downtime Activities:


 * 8th Couatlán location: M
 * add jaguar chimalli for brandon
 * 1800xp
 * 8 days
 * shambling mound attack, nearly killed chimalli and whisper
 * rest overnight 2nd night
 * attempted ambush lizards
 * spike growth and plant growth used by lizard priests (this is all along the bank of a shallow river in the swamps)
 * killed 4 of 6, 1 shaman escaped, 1 captured
 * captive reveals Holbox and the fetid mound (guessing this is the location of the Ja'Koj headquarters)
 * bring back 3 tongues
 * escapee shaman + 2 crocs ambush again, they all die

Mission 9: "Holbox and the Fetid Mound"
Date: 2 Dog - 2 Eagle (8 days). . . June 15th, 2019

Played by Coyo, Atrox, Kntanta, Yelcan, and Tzakaw


 * traveled to the Fetid mound
 * fought off an otyugh I think
 * fought Holbox and the Ja'Koj inner circle
 * big to-do about going around the fetid mound, attacking all over the place, lighting the mound on fire
 * in the end, Sydney's character got absolutely skewered by Holbox and killed outright
 * after the death, the entire mound was taken up in darkness -- a great tentacled thing reaching, grasping for it all, visions of more Akkens coming from afar, then the players all went unconscious

Mission 10: "The Eye of El"
Date: 2 Eagle - 3 Poison (10 days). . . September 7th, 2019

Played by Chakax, Tzakaw, Kntanta, E'a, Tannin, Whisper, Nahuatl, Cuauhtémoc, Coyo, Jahan, Moss, and Chimalli


 * rescuers
 * Teoquemitl talks to them, sends them to the prison area
 * fight against a traveling band of Akkens near a river valley
 * fight against Eye of El


 * escapees
 * escape their bindings and fight against a guard and sneaky illusion duende monks
 * find their equipment again
 * fight against Eye of El
 * Coyo dies magnificently from a death ray, face pressed against the flames of el for eternity


 * Bacchios and his retinue laugh at the futile efforts and leave shortly thereafter

Sections: Main | Campaigns | Characters | NPCs | Locales | Culture | History | Artifacts | Maps

Campaigns: Slaadi Invasion | Northern Strife | Heroes & Traitors | Hollows | Black as Pitch | Air Islands of Nack | BUFD Wars | Weapon of the Gods | Couatlán | Getting the Band Back Together

Couatlán: Call of the Couatls