The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, Part 3

24 Marpenoth, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
Day 12 of 79
Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, Jungles of Chult

A shape, looking like a crayfish, faced the entire group. It was aware of their presence and followed their every step through the slippery mud which covered every inch of the chamber's floor.
Brostaff cast Animal Friendship on the giant crayfish. It seemed to calm the animal. It even brushed a claw gently against the bard. 
While the group was examining the room and an eastern passageway Bolte snuck up behind the giant crayfish which was standing next to the strangely painted boulder with a bamboo pole leaning against it. But while doing so, he accidentally pushed against the pole. Suddenly, the pole and the whole boulder moved!
What was thought to be a boulder turned out to be a giant hermit crab. It suddenly struck Bolte with the pole which turned out to be one of its legs. 
As the hermit crab attacked, the crayfish suddenly perceived the entire group, including Brostaff as a threat. Along with the hermit crab, the crayfish attacked the entire group. 
When the fight was over, the hermit crab and crayfish were both killed. However, some in the group were hurt during the encounter. Hal the noble from Cormyr was killed when the crayfish attacked him. 
As the party came to grips with the possibility of not getting their reward money for bringing back Hal and Merced to Port Nyanzaru, they considered where to go next as they desperately tried to find a way out of the underground Maztican temple.

Session played on June 25, 2020

Plot type

Chapter

Adventurers:

Alice (Female Human Cleric)

Atwix (Male Drow Fighter)

Bolte Bastardo (Male Half-Elf Rogue)

Brostaff the Battlebard (Male Human Bard)

Nip'hto the Tiptoe (Male Elf Ranger)

Tanjarra Greysword (Male Human Monk)

NPCs:

Doctor Neverwinter Bones (Halfling Rogue Archeologist)
Hal and Merced Charlen (Human brother and sister Nobles from Cormyr on a Chultan expedition)