Overview
Date: Palm Sunday (March 1921).
Locations: Lima, the Uru Floating Isles, and the mysterious pyramid site.
Key Themes: Ancient gods, supernatural rituals, and the growing danger posed by the Kharisiri.
Key Events and Discoveries
Palm Sunday in Lima
Lima bustles with activity as locals visit seven churches, with priests wearing robes in yellows and oranges.
Legends emerge about Ekeko, a deity who sealed a Sky God underground in a golden temple.
Maria: Local champion of Palm Sunday traditions.
Complications in the City:
- A local newspaper reports on the university fire, suspecting the group of involvement (authored by Nino Rizo, the sister of Trinidad - Prof. Sanchez's assistant).
- Corrupt police ransack rooms at the Hotel, stealing valuables, including money from Imelda.
Visions and Encounters
Ellen's Dream: Sees a mountain ritual filled with blood and chaos, culminating in the sun consumed by black tentacles.
Hotel España (Psychometry):
Jacob attempts to use his powers of Psychometry to understand who Larkin is
On Mr Larkin's bed (where the black handprint was):
- Experienced intense pain and burning veins.
- Felt a cold, malevolent force and caught the attention of something ancient and powerful.
Road to Lake Titicaca
They find a car to travel in, and start the expidition to the Pyramid site without Augustus Larkin or any of his companions
The group bonds en route:
- Imelda: Reveals she has a recovering brother, Albert (or Arnold), who lost his leg in the war.
- Ellen: Shares her past working with mobsters, the crystal shrapnel embedded in her back, and her life left behind in the States (husband Jack and daughter Rosie believe her to be dead).
The group arrives in Puno, high in the Andes, where altitude sickness sets in. The region is known for its hardy crops (maize, quinoa, potatoes) and alpacas.
The Uru Floating Isles
Nayra, the Wise Woman: Found on the isles, an elderly Aymara woman tells the story of:
- Viracocha: A creator god who positioned the Sun, Moon, and Stars and gave life to the world.
- Ipampa (the God of Gold): A fallen star that pierced Viracocha's heart, consuming His body and turning to devour people.
- Ekeko: Viracocha's daughter, who tricked Ipampa into being trapped underground in a temple of gold.
- Ipampa's power now resides in the gold itself.
Attack on the Isles: A Kharisiri posing as Nayra's “grandson” (Padro) leads an attack, attempting to burn the floating isles.
The Pyramid and Its Horrors
Approaching the Temple: Reach a plateau surrounded by a wall of screaming faces elongated by the wind. Pass through a trapped archway using Qaffu (four bronze tokens offered to appease the gods). The courtyard is filled with buzzing flies, crumbling ruins, and religious structures.
Within the Pyramid:
- Kharisiri Rituals: Two creatures vomit into the top of the pyramid, where a large crack oozes white, fatty pus.
- Exploration: Inside, tunnels lined with golden inlays lead to increasingly dangerous encounters:
- Mr De Mendoza stabs Jacob, leaving him unconscious, but vanishes before the group can retaliate.
- A golden crack similar to the rebar artefact is discovered, leaking pus.
The Woman in Red (Ellen's Vision):
- Ellen's vision continues as she gazes into the golden mask.
- The woman grows into a mass of mouths dripping fatty residue.
- A cryptic demand is made: "Return the golden seal to the forgotten temple."
Final Confrontation in the Pyramid:
- Ellen begins chanting uncontrollably, her eyes turning pitch black and oozing viscous liquid.
- Jacob, rejoining the group, critically shoots Ellen, halting her chanting and stopping the glowing and pus eruption.
- The group slots the golden rebar back into place, stopping the corruption.
Aftermath
Escape from the Pyramid: As they leave the tunnels, the group hears screaming as Kharisiri flees, ageing rapidly and disintegrating into ash.
Mr Larkin Appears: In the courtyard, Mr Larkin shoots Jacob. His ghostly visage seems detached from his physical body, with a black handprint and eerie misalignment. A massive crack atop the pyramid seals itself.
Lingering Mysteries
- Ellen's chanting appeared to invoke the Woman in Red's ritual.
- The golden artefacts remain imbued with ancient, malevolent power.
- No direct connection to Mr Larkin's chest tattoo was found within the ruins.
