Session 10: Monkey Shrine

The entry hall of this shrine was covered in tiles of jungle animals. The rabbit with the horn tiles glowed but after a while we could not decipher the "path least expected"
 
Cimber, having teleported across waited patiently on the other side. I however was running out of patience. I knew I could misty step most of the way across, maybe landing on only one tile. If I gave it a good run, I could continue the momentum in the fey wild
and when I reappeared, I could leap the rest of the way. I was rewarded with two poison darts. And a magical energy washed over me as I leapt across the final tile. Then of course, inspired by my brief journey, the rest of them finally deciphered the path across
the tiles and joined Cimber and myself.
 
Halveer navigated a maze on the other side and found the chamber with the I'Jin puzzle cube.
 
Moving across the main road, we soon find a fourth shrine. The pillars outside were adorned with patterns of monkeys. Leading into the temple were five entrances. With the saying Better to be Wongo's friend than enemy. Halveer called Wongo a Trickster god.
Beyond the center arch was a 20x20 chamber with a statue of the wanker himself. Cupped hands and feet awaiting some offering before giving up the next puzzle cube. We learned that the trick was water and after solving its riddle I went and poured water into the statue's
left hand. Immediately I heard a voice inside my head giving me a choice to betray my friends or fight for the cube.
 
"Well I am not about to betray my mates." I said out loud. " So i reckon it's a battle we will have ourselves."
 
Indeed several Su Monsters appeared and climbed down the statue to fight us. We made short work of them thankfully and claimed the fourth puzzle cube that rose from the statue.
 
Now we had only five more to go before we could unlock the entrance to the tomb and find the soulmonger.
 
"We should investigate that arena to the east." Nhile suggested as we left the monkey shrine.
 
"That doesn't look like a shrine to me." I replied. "I say we save it for last if at all."
 
"Perhaps a shrine lies within." Halveer said. I just look skeptically at him.
"I think maybe a couple of us could scout it out as least." Kasimir suggested.
 
"Fair enough. But not so stealthy myself in this half-plate." I agreed. As we got closer we literally stumbled upon a massive dino footprint. The most ferocious if not the biggest dino in the land, a T-Rex had left the recent prints in the mud. "That' can't be good." I said. "We are good at humanoids and primates, but I don't know how we'd fare against something that large."
 
Nhile and Halveer decided to have a look inside the arena. They quietly approached. Inside they found the bowl of the arena shrouded in a thick fog. Shapes darted about from within. As Halveer climbed some stairs for a better view, a small dino appeared at the edge of the fog and sniffed the air and then
turned and disappeared back into the fog.
 
We wisely decided to venture back into the ruined city where we came upon a market place.
 
Inside was piles of junk and a few easily spotted traps. We discovered a clan of Kobolds living beneath the abandoned market. Halveer was able to converse with the scaly folk and we told them we meant no harm and only wanted information. They proved to be rather informative. They confirmed a T-Rex, a self proclaimed feathered king of Omu, did indeed reside in the arena. Also a shrine rested atop the lone outcropping in the lava pool. The closest shrine was that of Papa Zotl. It was surrounded by shallow water and crocs.
 
I thanked the Kobolds with a few silvers and we made our way to the water shrine of IBIS. We defeated four crocs and a huge one that appeared when the disturbance started. The big one got a hold of me in its jaws but before it could
snap me in half, Cimber, Nhile, and Halveer concentrated their firepower on it and killed it before it dragged me into the muck forever.
 
Now we shall see what lies inside the shrine.