Well of Sacrifice (IC)

[Quatermass]

"I am not rich, sir!" says Anna, but concedes, "though I do own a watch. Tell me, why are you and your friend"--she nods at his brother Juan--"not at work today?" She treads water, and peers beneath her circling feet: "How I'd love to dive down, deep down."

The smile on Hernando's face falls. He begins to look about and then glances at his brother and back to Anna. "I.....I.....am....sorry Senorita. Is there something you need us to do.....?" he says with almost a mournful tone.

[Tabs]

"No, I am sorry--I didn't wish to make you uncomfortable," she replies. "I'm just a gringo, Anna--Anna Dahl, an archeologist on her way to Xaminik."

EDIT:

"I'm just a gringo. I look forward to our excavation of Xaminik." Anna prepares to swim away.

[Quatermass]

After a hour or so enjoying the cenote, your group gets back to preparing for the next day. Before dawn you are on your way into the eastern Yucatan. The road quickly turns into a dirt mule path and then disappears totally. Quinn studies his maps and point the way.

Quinn,Make a Navigate check.

[Mr. Handy]

David follows Quinn's directions, glad to finally be on his way to Xaminik at last.

[Grognardsw]

Occasionally wrong but never uncertain, Quinn leads the way.

Navigate [1d100] = 64

[Tabs]

Anna trots her pony (it is not a horse really) after Quinn.

"How much further today, sir? I confess to being so unused to riding that I'm saddle-sore already."

[Quatermass]

The journey is uneventful though it takes your group four days instead of the three you though it would take to reach the area where you think Xaminik is.

You travel through the scrub jungle of the eastern Yucatan. It is hot though the trees provide some shade from the sun.



As you travel along a dirt path though the jungle you come upon two men and a boy leading some skinny cattle. The men wear wide brimmed hats and have machetes tucked into their rope belts.

[Grognardsw]

Quinto, explorer

"Good day sirs," says Quinto in Spanish to the two men. "We seek the ruins of Xaminik here about. Do you know where it may be?"

[Tabs]

Anna, her movements slow, her joints stiff, climbs down off the pony and stretches manfully. She plays with Flossy's ears, the sheep bleating, possibly, with pleasure, though no doubt oblivious to its destiny in the stew pot.

Anna squats, pulls out a small trowel from her belt, and desultorily chips at the earth and stones between some tree roots.

[Mr. Handy]

Not knowing Spanish, David hangs back and lets those who do converse with the locals.

[Quatermass]

The men look at you suspiciously at first but then seem to lower their guard. "Xaminik? I know that there are several Mayan ruins around here but I don't think I have heard of Xaminik. Maybe one of the older men in our village would know."

The young boy comes up and starts to pet Flossy and gives Anna a smile. "You are Americans?" he says.

[Tabs]

"Yes, that's right," answers Anna in Spanish, pausing at her chipping. "We're archaeologists, that is we search in the ground with tools, like these"--she holds up the trowel--"for evidence, such as pot sherds--broken cups and bowls--and stone foundations, which tell a story, the history of a place and its past. What is your name, young man? I'm Anna Dahl."

[Quatermass]

"Yes, that's right," answers Anna in Spanish, pausing at her chipping. "We're archaeologists, that is we search in the ground with tools, like these"--she holds up the trowel--"for evidence, such as pot sherds--broken cups and bowls--and stone foundations, which tell a story, the history of a place and its past. What is your name, young man? I'm Anna Dahl."

"I am Pedro." the boy says with a shy smile and continues to pet Flossy.

[Tabs]

"Come to our camp later, Pedro, I'll find you something sweet to eat," says Anna. "Do you know of any ruins, statues or old objects kept by the villagers?"

[Quatermass]

"Come to our camp later, Pedro, I'll find you something sweet to eat," says Anna. "Do you know of any ruins, statues or old objects kept by the villagers?"

"My mother has a statue of Mary." he says.

[Tabs]

She smiles. "Good boy. I'll come and pay my respects to your mother when we are settled."

To the professor: "That boy I was speaking with, his mother has an old statue of the Virgin, it may be worthwhile visiting . . . ? I'll do so anyway--never hurts to keep in with the locals."

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, that's an excellent idea," says David. "The statue would be too recent to come from Xamanik, as there was no knowledge of her until the Spanish arrived, but you never know what the locals may know."

[Tabs]

"You're teasing me, Prof. Johnson!" replies Anna about the statue; "maybe, and okay this is a long shot, it's a statue of a pre-Columbian goddess?"

[kabukiman]

Percy looks bored and stays out of the pool. He is anxious to see the ruins and this seems to him a waste of time.

[Mr. Handy]

David strokes his chin in thought. "That is a possibility, Miss Dahl, though unlikely as you said," he says. "Many ancient cultures throughout the world worshipped a 'Mother Goddess' figure, though she goes by many different names. In fact, the early Catholic Church confabulated the Virgin Mary with this goddess figure to make their religion more appealing to pagans. I've long suspected that there was ancient transatlantic contact between the Mayans and their ancestors and other cultures, particularly the Phoenicians, so they mey have gotten the idea from them. It is worth investigating."