Part 10

Welcome to the single Maya-only chapter in the game. This, I suppose is a really weak version of throwing our partner a bone, because as you'll see, her specific section is short and consists of one easy puzzle.

As Maya steps inside the ancient structure, her eyes slowly adjust to the dim light inside. Strange, eerie figures begin to appear in outline form. As she looks to the floor, she feels the hair lift from her scalp and the blood turns to ice in her veins. Superstitious terrors fill her mind and her body shudders in horror....

Wow. The Hall of Death must be a scary place to have our strong female protagonist be filled with such dread.



...That's it?

Welcome to Hall of Death. It's a treehouse of skeletons. That's it.

There are no booby traps and no ways to die. This episode title is a complete misnomer. Hell, this isn't even a hallway! The skeletal remains of the conquistadors are at least given colorful descriptions.

The ancient conquistador blindly stares ahead; the mouth lies open with the "grisly smile of the dead."

The dried skull and bones of a long dead conquistador. The empty eye socket stares blankly toward you.

And their treasure?!

A small, wooden chest.

...Oh. Welcome to the final resting place of Diaz Velasquez. This probably would have had a lot more impact if more were done withthe plot thread than two brief asides. We need two items here, and one is in the chest, which is locked. Thankfully, there's a key on the neck of one of the skeletons if you look closely.



A scroll. How Shadowgate.

The scroll appears to be a diary of some sort, written in Spanish. The final page is all that remains.

September 15
These fiends attack us day and night. We have built refuge in the trees to better protect ourselves. [The easiest time to construct an above ground fortress is when under constant attack, FYI.]

September 20
They capture us one by one. At night we can hear the screams of our men being slowly roasted alive. In the morning, the hacked and butchered remains of our dead are left as souvenirs at the base of the trees.

September 30
All but the last emerald have been stolen from us by these hellish creatures. I am the last survivor of the party and I am determined they will not recover the stone.

Only the buzzards and jackals will profit from my misfortunes.

Hmmm. Not quite "4 Itchy Tasty" but it'll do. One last emerald, huh? Well those vines in the background are too thick to be moved by hand, so let's use the machete we bought from Arturo on them.



Use the machete on the breastplate.



Ta-da! An emerald "the size of a woman's fist". (Er, how'd he swallow it? ... Don't dwell on that.) Take it, hit Exit and that's it for Maya.



Jason and Maya struggle [struggle?] back to the hut of Hans Stroheim. With the emerald and proof of the last resting place of Diaz Velasquez, Stroheim would certainly be willing to give them the information they need to continue on....



Stroheim: Ever since the Spanish came to this continent, there has been a strange legend of a brutal tribe of warriors that live in the great, thick jungles of the basin.

This tribe is said to be like no other, for the warriors are tall, golden haired women. From the mysterious and inexplicable events [such as?] I have seen and heard throughout Sitio Maldito, I believe the tribe does exist.

You will never live to prove it, for they will kill anyone who trespasses. However, that is your choice.

To journey there [oh no], get back in your canoe [NO NO NO FUCKING NO SON OF A BITCH OLD FUCK NO] and follow the river. When you come to the first fork in the river, take the right branch. At the next two forks, take the left branch. At the fourth fork, take the right branch. That will take you back to the site where your brother's party was massacred.

From the massacre site, you must continue down the river through very treacherous water. I have no travel instructions, for no man has come back from that region alive!



Yes, we are in canoeing section number two. It's actually harder than the last and again I recommend many saves. We want to go left right right left (down up up down) and I'll spare you the twenty or so minutes it takes from reloading and dying etc. etc.

Jason pulls the canoe to the side of the river. The location is where Stroheim haad indicated Allen's campsite had been. Signs of new plant life abound. After a few minutes walk, the two travelers come upon a very grisly spectacle.



But before we get to explore, the game has us check in with our - actually mostly absent - antagonist...



Sanchez fumes. He knows a treasure of infinite value is slipping through his fingers. The soldiers missed a golden opportunity at the bridge. [For what? Killing their only leads to it?] Since then, his scouts have had no sign of Jason or Maya. If they are not spotted soon, his hopes for vast riches will disappear. Lost in thought, he is startled by Corporal Rodriguez standing at attention by his desk....



Rodriguez: Jason and Maya have been seen near the campsite.