"The Sacred Amulet"
After the opening sequence, where you, Little Serpent, are unjustly accused of murder, you return to your home village after two days of hiding in the forest.
THE VILLAGE
The first person you see is Quilaztli, the village doctor. He tells you that the soldiers came and took your parents away and they are holding them hostage in lieu of your arrest.
After your conversation, go right and forward to the house with red pillars (trim around the doorway). Take the bag of cocoa beans from the cage on the floor. Go out into the courtyard behind the house and check out the steam bath and the tools leaning against the wall. Go back outside, via the front door. Go left to the house with the blue pillars. Go inside. This is Quilaztli's house. Look at the ailing man to your right. Look at the workshop on the floor to your left, in the opposite corner.
Go into the adjacent room with the small temples and statues. Check out the jade statuette of Zolotl, the Goddess Ixuma, and the nameless gray statuette on the far left end. Open the door in the chest of this statuette and take the incense cup. Turn left and go into the garden. Talk to Quilaztli, who is standing in the left corner of the garden. He will tell all if you give him the incense from the statuette. You learn of a "strange evil" afflicting the village people. You need some sort of proof to save yourself from the soldiers who think you murdered the nobleman in the forest. You tell Quilaztli about the carved necklace and the name Tlatli, the poet in Tlatelolco. You are told you must prove your own innocence. If you like, turn around and check out the small temple of offerings, then leave Quilaztli's house.
As soon as you leave the house, you are confronted by the real murderer, a truly dangerous thug named "Mountain Head." Talk to him. And, when he threatens to kill you, turn around and run to the river behind you. Get into the canoe and avoid the pursuing guards until you are able to go ashore near a grass hut. Get out of the canoe, cross over to the next stream, get in the next canoe and go left forward until you see the map sign cursor. Click on it to go to the Merchants Quarter.
THE MERCHANT'S QUARTER
From where you are standing, go to the right of the house with red pillars to the front of the market place. Turn left and talk to the man standing in front of the house with brown pillars. Ask him for information. He will tell you that the poet, Tlatli is in the house behind him with the yellow pillars.
Go into the back room of the house with the yellow pillars. Talk to the priest. Tlatli has died and the priest doesn't know what his last words were. Tlatli's servant heard these last words, but he is gone. The priest asks you for money; 5 beans. Pay him. He tells you that Tlatli was murdered and gives you a jeweled necklace identical to the one you got from the murdered nobleman in the forest. Hmmm, interesting.
Turn around and move the grass mat on the floor. Pick up the little jewel and put it in your inventory. Turn around and walk past the priest to a mat on the ground about the center of the back wall. Pick up the bloodstained parchment. Examine it and put it in your inventory.
Turn right and right again to see the poet's servant, Bird, hiding in a small alcove of the garden. Talk to him. He tells you about Tlatli's death and that, before he died, Tlatli asked him to go after Turquoise, a woman poet/teacher and courtesan.
Go out into the garden and look out the back doorway. Note that canoes are passing by in the nearby canal at very regular intervals. You can't exit that way, so go back to the front door. Oh, oh! There are two guards standing right in front of the entry. Now what? You can't leave that way either. Go back to the rear alcove where the servant Bird is hiding. He tells you nothing additionally helpful, except that the man who killed his master, Tlatli, was an Otomi warrior. Sounds like Mountain Head is guilty of this crime, also. Keep talking to tell Bird that the warrior won't kill him if Bird tells him nothing.
Turn around and rush out the canal entry door just as a canoe comes by. Timing is of the essence here. If you get it right, you will be able to step onto the canoe and immediately off onto the opposite shore.
Turn left to see a jeweler woman beside a wall. Turn back and go forward to see an old man kneeling beside a grass mat. Try to talk with him. He's asleep. Click on the mat to find out about the Patolli board game. You will be coming back to this later.
Turn around and go forward. There is a guard off to your right, so go forward again between the two buildings. Go back across the bridge and forward left again until you are beside the market place. Turn right and enter the market place. Look at the display of the merchant woman in front of you. Buy light blue and yellow dye from her. Ask her if she knows where you can find some turquoise. Go right to the kneeling merchant. Don't buy anything from him. He doesn't know where you can find turquoise either.
Turn right and talk to the second merchant woman with the strange "mickey mouse" hairdo. Ask her about turquoise. She wants to sell you jade pearls. Buy one bottle of Octli alcohol.
Turn left and go through the archway to the left of the boxes of fruit. Look down and talk to the merchant at the back wall. Ask him about turquoise. He doesn't know either. Buy red and dark blue dye from this merchant.
Leave the market and go left. Stay left and go across the left bridge to access the map. Click forward to go to the Craftsmen's Quarter.
THE CRAFTSMEN'S QUARTER
Go forward left and talk to the weaving woman. She knows of no available turquoise. Go forward again and talk to the young man, Chimalli, beside the temple. He tells you he will help you and also tells you of a woman named Turquoise who lives at the end of the craftsmen's district.
Turn and go left to the young man near the fence. He wants to sell you some wood. Tell him you will see him later, perhaps. Turn and continue around the house until you meet a woman with brilliant red hair. This is Turquoise, the poet/teacher and courtesan. When she asks, give her the jewel (earrings) you found under the mat at Tlatli's house. Talk to her further and ask for her help. She will give you a piece of a parchment poem. She tells you of a feather dresser, Chacoatl. You will see him tomorrow.
The next day dawns and you find yourself back down by the weaving woman. Go talk to her. She will tell you where Chacoatl's house is. Turn around and go straight across the plaza toward the right side of the temple. Turn right and enter Chacoatl's house. Talk to his servant. He wants two cocoa beans before he will let you see his master. If you have purchased jade pearls, too much Octli (you need one bottle), or some corn or wood, you will have to go back to the Merchant's Quarter market place and sell something to regain the two cocoa beans you need to get information from the servant.
If you have the two cocoa beans, give them to the servant. Then, walk past him to the back garden to find Chacoatl. Talk to him. Show him the blood-stained parchment from inventory. Continue talking with him and give him one of the necklaces you got from Tlatli or the murdered nobleman in the forest. He tells you you must finish the Feather Shield behind you and then take it to the Woman Serpent. Chacoatl tells you he will help you finish the shield, but you need the right dyes from the market place. Turn and go to the floor area in the far left corner of the room. If you followed the instructions for what to buy in the Merchant's Quarter, you should have light blue, yellow, dark blue and red dyes. If you do not, you will have to go back and buy the right colors to complete the Feather Shield.
THE FEATHER SHIELD PUZZLE
To complete the puzzle, fill the dye container on the right and dye the feathers the appropriate colors to complete the feather array at the bottom of the shield. This is easy. If you dye a feather the wrong color and change your mind, the feather may be redyed. If you get stuck, go back and talk to Chacoatl again. When it comes to filling in the center of the shield, just think about completing the partially outlined dark blue border, and the correct background color.
The Feather Shield is your pass to see Woman Serpent. When you have successfully completed the puzzle and stored it safely in your inventory, go back and talk to Chacoatl again. He tells you to go to the Temple at Tenochtitlan. And, he tells you that you must find the correct way to enter. He is going to ask around about the necklace you gave him. He also tells you not to hesitate to come back and talk to him again.
Leave Chacoatle's house and you will immediately encounter Chimalli again. He tells you to come and see him if you have found out anything new.
Turn around, go forward, and cross the bridge. Use the map to travel to Tenochtitlan Square.
TENOCHTITLAN SQUARE
Go forward and note that the emperor Montezuma's huge palace is on your right. Go forward again and talk to the poor man who confronts you and asks you for alms. Tell him you have other things on your mind. Swing left and look at the young woman with a basket of corn. She will never talk to you. So don't bother coming back to her time after time during the game. Turn and go across the plaza to the palace steps. Talk to the surly guard with the purple and gold shield. You need the right authorization paper to enter the palace. No luck with this dude! Turn around and head back toward the river. You will get an oral clue about talking to a fisherman. Just before you cross the bridge, turn left and go forward along the river bank. Turn right to see a young fisherman standing in his canoe. Ask him if he will take you into the palace. He will do it for two cocoa beans. He will take you to the site where they collect taxes. Here again, if you are broke, you will have to go back to the market place and sell something to get more cocoa beans.
When you give the fisherman the cocoa beans, he will take you inside to the palace landing. Turn right and go forward to talk to Qualpixqul, the tax administrator. Tell him that you are at his disposal. Listen very carefully to what he tells you about the division of goods.
THE JAGUAR/ PELT/ COTTON /SHELLS PUZZLE
The puzzle is easy to solve. Just keep in mind that there is one bag of shells too many and remove it at the appropriate time.
After you have solved the puzzle, and you have your reward, remember that each shell is worth five cocoa beans.
Turn left and go forward under the palace into the passageway. Keep going forward until you come to the inner plaza. Turn right and see the nobleman Three Rabbit and the guard Jaguar Knight talking together. Use the listen (ear) icon over them to hear their conversation about the emperor Montezuma and Papitzan, the priestess. Turn left and go forward to ask the guard with the purple and gold shield, where you can find the Lord Tlilpatonqui, aka Woman Serpent.
He will tell you he is in the courtyard. Turn left again. Go forward to the man in the white tunic. Ask him about Woman Serpent. He recites you am original poem. Go back out into the Plaza area and find a guard standing in a lighted doorway just to the right of where you originally entered the plaza, after talking to the tax administrator. Talk to him. Show him the Feather Shield. He will allow you to enter. Inside, turn left and talk to Woman Serpent. He gives you a bag of amarand for bringing the Feather Shield. Then, you say the wrong thing (it can't be helped) and you will be promptly arrested.
Momentarily, you find yourself inside a small cage. Look down and scan around until you find a knife laying on the floor covering. Use the knife to cut through the upper and lower thongs on the cage door. Get out of the cage, turn right and go forward toward the back of the room. Speak to the man who addresses you. It's your father! He tells you there is a treasure your family home, at the feet of the Goddess of Flowers. He tells you to go to the goddess' position and dig at her feet. He says that one of the guards has moved away from the entry of the prison, and you must create a diversion in order to escape.
Go to the front entrance and look at the pacing jaguar in the cage. Use your blow gun on the jaguar. He will divert the guard's attention. Run out the door, across the plaza and up the stairs to talk with the tax administrator again. Oh well! Woman Serpent had you put in prison to protect you. Interesting. The tax administrator gives you an object that you must present to the right person in order to get a chance to speak to Woman Serpent again. Put this object, a Magic Rattle, in your inventory. Go past the tax administrator, turn right and reenter the palace's inner plaza, as you did the first time. Go to the guard at Woman Serpent's lighted doorway. Don't talk to him this time. Instead, turn to your right, go forward and turn left at the corner of the building. You are on the upper level of the passageway. Go forward, turn right and go through the red curtain to encounter Jaguar Knight. He will allow you to enter if you show him the Magic Rattle. Go inside, through the red curtain, turn left and walk to Woman Serpent. he will tell you what he knows. You must find the cause of the "strange evil". If you do, you and your parents will be spared. Go through all conversation choices. When he tells you to go, you will exit the palace to the map. Go to the Craftsmen's Quarter.
THE CRAFTSMEN'S QUARTER
You will meet Chimalli again. He will give you useful information about the murdered poet Tlatli and the nobleman in the forest. Chimalli tells you to see Chacoatl. But then you figured that out, probably didn't you?
Turn right and go into Chacoatl's house. Go to the back garden and talk to his servant. Chacoatl has left you a message: "Green serpent. Seven Flint". Go back outside and talk to Chimalli again. He tells you that "Green Serpent" might have something to do with the necklaces from the two dead men; the nobleman and Tlatli. And, that "Seven Flint" might be someone's name.
Go to the woodsman standing near the fence at your left. Buy a bundle of wood from him for two cocoa beans. Turn and walk around the building to speak with Turquoise again. She tells you Seven Flint is the name of a local craftsman and she tells you where to find him. She also confirms for you that the term Green Serpent, refers to the necklaces.
Go straight across the bridge and talk to the jeweler, the kneeling man beside the kiln. He is Seven Flint. Give him your bundle of wood. The necklace means nothing to Seven Flint. He tells you it comes from the Olmec country. There is another man named Seven Flint. And, he lives in Tlatelolco. Go back to the main square and talk to Chimalli again for a status check. Go talk to the woodman by the fence and ask him about Seven Flint. Go to the Merchant's Quarter.
THE MERCHANT'S QUARTER
Go left across the bridge. Go forward until you see the guard in front of the big house with the red tile roof line. Turn left and go talk to the young man standing near the wall. He tells you where Seven Flint's house is. Turn around and go right and forward to Seven Flint's house, with white pillars. Go inside. Look for a secret hiding place. Man, this dude has a lot of stuff! Go through the house and look at everything. Find the small dark room at the back of the house. Go to the far right corner of the room and scan the broken areas of the wall to your right, where the brick is exposed. Search the middle area of the wall with your cursor until you get a fist. Use your knife to dig a hole in the wall and extract another necklace.
Talk to Seven Flint, who immediately arrives to surprise you. You can only find out who bought this particular type of necklace by paying Seven Flint to repair the wall where you have been digging. You don't have enough money to pay the exorbitant price he asks. Leave him and go back to the Merchant's Quarter.
THE MERCHANT'S QUARTER
Go back to the right past the market place and then left past the woodman by the house with the brown pillars. Enter Tlatli's house with the yellow pillars. There you will find Bird again, cowering in a corner. Talk to him. Ask him for more information. He is going home, free, to the land of Toluca. Go back out of the Merchant's Quarter and across the bridge. Go back to your village.
THE VILLAGE
Go straight ahead to find your parent's home; the one with the red pillars. Pick up the digging stick on the right side of the front entry, against the wall.
Go into the house and into the back garden to the door of the steam bath, which has the statue of the Goddess of Flowers in a niche on the left side. Look down at the ground and use the digging stick to uncover the "treasure" your father told you of. Place it in your inventory.
Go straight back through the deserted village and access your map to go back to Tenochtitlan Square.
TENOCHTITLAN SQUARE
Go talk to the old man beggar and offer him six cocoa beans. He will give you a gold bracelet. Turn and go along the river side of the palace toward where you met the tax administrator earlier. You will be guided to an upper walkway and a raised gray wooden drawbridge. When you get to the bridge, turn left and look at the pulley device on the wall. Use your knife to cut the rope and lower the drawbridge.
Go across the bridge and talk to Eagle Knight. He won't let you pass. Show him your Magic Rattle. He will then let you go inside. Go past him and straight back into the palace garden plaza. Go back around behind Woman Serpent's quarters as you did earlier by accessing the upper passageway and showing the Magic Rattle to Jaguar Knight. He will let you pass. Talk to Woman Serpent again, using all available conversation options. Woman Serpent will tell you to continue your investigation. You don't have enough information yet. Go back out to the upper plaza, by way of Woman Serpent's front door. When you are in the plaza, turn left, go forward and into the lower garden plaza area. Turn left at the doorway and return outside the palace via Eagle Knight's entry and across the wooden bridge. Go into the long main square and go right all the way down to the end, where the guards stand in front of the "Center of Ceremonies." Turn right and go forward to talk to the construction site foreman in front of the stockade that is being erected. He tells you the evil sickness is killing his stonemasons. Since you don't have a stonemason's skill, you can't help him out.
Go back out to the main plaza, turn left and go all the way back across the bridge. Access the map and go to the Merchant's Quarter.
THE MERCHANT'S QUARTER
Go left across the bridge. Go straight past the guard at the big house and past the man standing beside the wall. Swing left and go back to the merchant Seven Flint's house, with the white pillars. Give him the treasure you dug up under the Goddess of Flowers statue at your family home. He will be thrilled to pieces. Now, you want to know who bought those necklaces from him. Oh, that's interesting....Three Rabbit lives nearby. Off you go again. As you turn and start out the door, you will hear a threatening voice. Turn and talk to the merchant again. Did he squeal on you? Oh no! He swears that he did not.
Go out the door to meet old Mountain Head. He's got you now. Or has he? You might do something with that jar full of snakes sitting on the floor just in front of him.
When you have stopped running, you will automatically be taken to the map. Choose the Merchant's Quarters.
THE MERCHANT'S QUARTER
When you arrive you will learn that with Three Rabbit, you will have to find two more of these plotters' necklaces. But where is Three Rabbit? Go forward once and left across the bridge. Go past the guard at the big house and talk to the man standing in front of the wall again. Ask him about Three Rabbit. He tells you Three Rabbit lives in the palace (the big house with guard) in the square. Go find the old man who reeks of alcohol in the dead end....turn 360, go past the big house (Three Rabbit's) and turn left down the little alley to find the old servant man. Obviously, he needs little "hair of the dog". Go to the market and buy the old guy a bottle of Octli. (If you don't already have some in your inventory, turn 360 and go straight back across the bridge and left to the market. Go to the merchant woman with the "mickey mouse" hairdo and buy some Octli. Return back across the bridge and down the alley to the old servant man.) Give him the Octli.
TIME TO PLAY PATOLLI
He wants you to play Patolli. Guess you can't escape it. It is either play Patolli or no information concerning Three Rabbit's whereabouts. Use the trainer option if you think you need a little practice on this simple, but somewhat challenging form of checkers. Only two things are important to remember here: 1. Don't leave your beans at the two crossroads positions. 2.Get as many beans on the board, and moving forward, as is possible.
You need to win two consecutive games. But the old servant just make take pity on you if you come close to winning the second game.
When you can, ask him about Three Rabbit. He says something like "my eyes, my nose, my mouth". Remember these three lines. Tell him you want to know where you can find Three Rabbit. He tells you of Tezcatlipoca, and the annex at the Center of Ceremonies near the big pyramid temple.
Turn 360 and go straight back across the bridge. Turn right and exit the Merchant's Quarter. Access the map and go to Tenochtitlan Square.
TENOCHTITLAN SQUARE
Go to see Woman Serpent again, by presenting the Magic Rattle to Eagle Serpent at the side door with the wooden drawbridge. And, to Jaguar Knight at the red curtain behind Woman Serpent's quarters. Talk to Woman Serpent. Oh, oh! Sounds like he trusts Three Rabbit. You will have to find more proof. If you prefer, you can go out Woman Serpent's front door again into the plaza. In any case, go back out past Eagle Knight and go down the full length of the main plaza again and try to talk to the guard in front of the Center of Ceremonies. Nope! No dice. He is not letting you enter. Turn 360 and go back across the bridge to access the map. Go to the Craftsmen's Quarter.
THE CRAFTSMEN'S QUARTER
Find Chimalli in the center square near the temple and altar. Talk to him. Tell him you know where Three Rabbit is, but that you cannot get into the Center of Ceremonies. He will you that Turquoise is at the calmecac, the school. She might know how to get into the Center of Ceremonies. He also tells you that the Lord Black Flower is in the area. Black Flower is the son of Texcoco. He should have succeeded the emperor, but Montezuma threw him out. Black Flower just might be involved in the plot also. Leave the Craftsmen's Quarter and go to the Merchant's Quarter.
THE MERCHANT'S QUARTER
Turquoise will be standing to your right just outside the calmecac. Talk to her. Turquoise tells you that you need to see Cuicani, or Flower of Stone. She can be found in the House of Song to the left near the outer wall inside the Center of Ceremonies. Turquoise gives you a drum that you must take to Cuicani. Turn and go back across the bridge to access the village.
THE VILLAGE
Find Quilaztli in the house with the blue pillars. Talk to him. He tells you that Black Flower is in exile and is leading a rebellion against Montezuma. Tell Quilaztli that you have to find Three Rabbit at the Center of Ceremonies.
Then go back out of the village and use the map to travel back to Tenochtitlan Square.
TENOCHTITLAN SQUARE
Go all the way forward down to the end. Show Turquoise's drum to the guard in front of the Center of Ceremonies. He will now allow you to pass and he will tell you where to find Cuicani, poetess and Flower of Stone. Use your forward cursor to go past the guard and into the Center of Ceremonies. There are guards all over this huge maze. Turn right and go forward once. Turn left, go forward twice. Turn left. Go forward once. Turn right. Go forward twice and you will encounter Papatzin, the Priestess. Tell her you are delivering a drum to the poetess Flower of Stone. She tells you to go left past Eecatl, then in front of the Temple of Tzompantli, the wall of skulls. When she asks you if you want anything else, tell her "No, thank you".
Turn and go left. Go forward twice. the Temple of Quezalcoatl is on the right. Turn left and go forward once. Turn right and look at the ladder leaning against the wall. (Remember where this ladder is.) Turn back around and go forward twice. Turn right and go forward once. Turn right and go forward once. Turn left and go forward three times. Turn left and encounter a young man. Ask him where the House of Song is. he tell you its right in front of you. Ask him where the Tzompantli, the wall of skulls, is. Ask him all the questions you like any time. He will be right there if ever you get lost.
Go forward past the young man. Turn right to see the House of Song. Go forward and show the drum to the guard. He will let you pass. Go up the stairway behind the guard and into the Temple of Song. You will see the poetess, Cuicani in the right corner. Go to her and give her the drum. Tell her about Tlatli's death. Ask her to help you decipher the poem parchment. Give her the parchment. She needs time to study it. Ask her where the Temple of Tezcatlipoca is. She tells you to go back toward the great pyramid. The Temple of Tezcatlipoca is just to its right. Leave Cuicani and go back outside. Go forward once and then left forward to see the young man who gave you directions to the House of Song earlier. Talk to him again if you need more directions on how to find the Temple of Tezcatlipoca. When you find the temple, you will discover it is very near where you talked with Papatzin, the priestess. It is a long, low building with red and blue trim. There is a guard standing in front of a short flight of stairs. (If you are not in auto-save mode, save your game here.) Talk to him. Ask about seeing Three Rabbit. He won't let you in unless you show him the right item. Show him the necklace from the murdered nobleman. He will let you go inside. When you enter, go forward right, then turn to talk to the guard. He asks you for the answers to three riddles before you can enter.
THREE RIDDLES PUZZLE
Correct responses: 1. an eye 2. a nose 3. a mouth
Go past the guard. Don't go right or you will be immediately captured. Go forward again and turn right. Use the ear cursor to overhear the discussion between the priestess Papatzin and Three Rabbit. They are poisoning the water supply! And, Montezuma is getting the blame for the evil sickness.
After Three Rabbit and Papatzin leave, enter the room and pick up the small stele (box) on the floor to the right of the statue. Place it on the hotspot on the floor in front of the statue. Move the statue and take the small gourd of poison from the hole behind the statue. Take the obsidian mirror to the left of the statue. Do NOT take the statue. (Or, if you decide to do it, save your game first.)
Go out of the room. As you leave the stairs going out into the corridor, you will get a fist cursor. Click it and you will find out that Papatzin and Three Rabbit are still there and are a definite threat to your being able to exit the building safely. Use the obsidian mirror to determine when they are gone.
Go back to the House of Song. Again, there is plenty of help (two different guides) if you get lost on your way back. Talk to Cuicani about the parchment. She has found that she is unable to decipher it. But, she has a friend, Azocuan, who can.
Ask Cuicani how to find him. You will find him in the palace, she tells you. But, you need a code to talk to him. The code is a white flower; a Yucca Elefantis. There are some of these flowers in the interior garden plaza of the emperor's palace.
Leave the Center of Ceremonies maze, by way of the front gate where you gave the drum to the guard, and start back toward the palace. You will meet Chimalli along the way. Talk to him. Trade stories. You are on the right track. Papatzin has her water imported! Hmmm. What pool or aqueduct are they poisoning? Woman Serpent has gone off to war. You can't see him and all the best soldiers are out of the city right now. You have to find the poisoning pool.
Continue on your way to the palace. Go in the entry behind Eagle Knight, by showing him the Magic Rattle. Go forward into the palace's interior garden. Talk to the little poet and tell him you are looking for Lord Ayocuan. He tells you to come back later. This guy has to be Ayocuan. You definitely need that Yucca Elefantis blossom. As you turn and begin to look around near the doorway back to Eagle Knight, you will hear a message, "I should be able to find the flower here, but I don't have time to play at being a gardener".
Go pick up the little cage/box that is sitting on the ground directly opposite Ayocuan on his right. Put the box in your inventory. Walk around to the area just to the right the doorway where you would walk out to Eagle Knight's position. Turn to your right and look UP. You will see a Yucca tree with a huge, white blossom. Put the cage down on the garden wall. You will see a scene where you climb up and get the flower blossom. Afterward, go around the corner and present the blossom to Ayocuan. He tells you that Tlatli sent him a parchment some time ago, but it was not one of his poems. It has the wall of skulls on it. You must see Cuicani, Flower of Stone again, and/or go to the wall of skulls. Examine the poem/parchment in inventory. Looks like you're going to need a ladder at some point, doesn't it? For now, return to the Craftsmen's Quarter.
THE CRAFTSMEN'S QUARTER
As soon as you arrive, you will receive a warning about Auyocan and not having much time. Find Turquoise near the second bridge and talk to her. Tell her what you know about Three Rabbit, Papatzin and the poisoned water. She can't help you figure out which water is being poisoned, but she will pray for you. Leave and go to your village.
THE VILLAGE
Go find old Quilaztli in the house with blue pillars. Ask for his help. Ask him about Black Flower. Black Flower is a rebel. And he may be dangerous. Quilaztli will also pray for you. Leave the village and go back the Tenochtitlan Square.
TENOCHTITLAN SQUARE
Go all the way down to the end by the entrance to the Center of Ceremonies. Turn right and walk to the area where you talked with the construction foreman earlier. Look down at the urn with the glowing embers. Pick up the small torch to the right of the urn on the ground. Place the torch in the urn to ignite it. Come up and go forward toward the water in the canal, to the left of the urn. You will find yourself in the underground canal.
Go forward twice. Then turn extreme left and go into the lighted passageway. Go to the end and turn around. Walk to the small niche in the wall to your left. Climb into the niche. Whoops! You find yourself inside the Center of Ceremonies. Well, good. You couldn't have gotten past that guard at the entrance again anyway. This is a great alternative route.
Go back through the Center of Ceremonies maze to the House of Song. Find Cuicani. On your way, you will encouter a priest who demands that you prove you are a servant of the ceremony. Show him the Magic Rattle. He will let you pass. But he is going to relieve you of that rattle! When you find Cuicani at the House of Song, talk to her about Ayocuan, the poet at the palace. Show Cuicani the parchment. She tells you Tlatli may have left you something at the Tzompantli, the wall of skulls.
Go to the wall of skulls. If you get lost, stop by the round gray building outside the House of Song and ask the young priest/guide for directions again. This time, to the Tzompantli. when you get near the Eecatl (round) temple, go down the east side (forward once). Turn right and go forward once. Turn right and pick up that ladder I've been harping about, that is leaning against the wall.
That Mountain Head thug is everywhere, isn't he? Turn back to where you were before you went off to get the ladder. The Eecatl will be behind you. The Tzompantli, the wall of skulls, is to your left, with the thin spikes all along the upper walls.
Go to the left side of the Tzompantli and up the stairs. You will see a man playing a game called Tlachti pitch. Just check it out and leave the area. You will be back later. Go back down the steps and go right once. Turn completely around and go forward twice to the base (red and blue paint) of the Tzompantli wall. Swing around to your left until you get a fist cursor in the middle of the wall. SAVE YOUR GAME here if you are in manual mode. Use you ladder to climb over the wall.
THE SKULL PUZZLE
There are five vertical poles of skulls (left to right) that must be correctly placed. They must all exactly match the order of the skulls placed on the first three poles to the far left of the screen. That is the solution to work for. When you are able to remove the upside down skull on the the last (sixth) post to the right, and appropriately place it, you have solved the puzzle.
When you have been able to remove that bottom skull on the sixth pole, you will see the parchment/poem at the bottom of the sixth pole. Remove it and put it in your inventory.
Go back to the House of Song. Talk to Cuicani again. She tells you the second piece of parchment looks like the earlier one you gave her, but she still doesn't understand. Examine the two pieces of parchment in your inventory together. The one from the skull puzzle and the one that Turquoise gave you earlier. Place them together so that the side with "Five Serpent" joins the row with "Three House." Use the eye icon for a close up to adjust the two pieces, making sure that the colored dots in the center match up. Use/click the hand icon on the black background to move the assembled pieces into your regular inventory bar. Align the two parchment pieces in the close up window
so the right side is higher than the left. The colored dots in the center of the parchment pieces must match. The hand icon must appear on the black background. When you have the hand icon properly positioned, click your left mouse button. Show the parchment to Cuicani. She tells you to go to Tlachtli pitch and look for the name of a god by the left hand hoop. She will continue to study the parchments while you are away.
Go to Tlachtli pitch and talk to the player in the center of the court. He has stopped playing. He wants to put you to a test. Oh, oh! This looks like an ancient Aztec form of basketball. When the player is finished delivering the rules of the game, swing right and go forward once. Turn completely around 360, and you will see the ball laying on the court. Pick it up. Turn and put it through the hoop above you. You should be able to do this with ease, on the first try.
Go back to Cuicani in the House of Song. Tell her you saw Queztalcoatl and the Great Star at the Tlachtli pitch. You learn from her that Three House and Five Serpent references from the parchment, are actually calendar dates.
Go to the House of Calendars upstairs and look at the dates for Three House and Five Serpent. Come back to Cuicani and tell her what you have seen. Three House is Tepeyolloltli, the Heart of the Mountain. Five Serpent is Chalchiuhtlicue, the Goddess of Water. Tlatli's message is "the water that comes from the heart of the mountain", which is to the west of the spring of Chapultapec.
After this, there is a movie. You spend the night and arrive the next morning in Chapultapec.
CHAPULTAPEC
You must go forward until you encounter a guard standing in the road. When he demands to know who you are, tell him "My name won't mean anything to you. You don't mean the Lord Three Rabbit?" He tells you you must prove yourself as a blow gun hunter and bring him back two singing birds.
Turn around and scan the trees until you see a fist. Take out your blow gun. Aim it carefully and kill the bird. Go pick it up. Repeat this until you have killed and retrieved both singing birds. Its easy. Take the birds back and offer them to the guard from your inventory. Now you may pass into Three Rabbit's compound.
Go forward and you will see servants carrying supplies into a guarded storage building. After the movie, go forward and talk to the guard. You need to find some jars of poison to store before he will let you enter. Go to the right of the entry where there is a green parrot, with a bad personality, hanging in a cage. Don't try to talk to him or feed him. Look down and pick up the rightmost pottery jar leaning against the rock. Put it in your inventory. Show the jar to the guard. He says that you need a pass word.
Go back over to the parrot and give him the bag of Amaranth you got from Woman Serpent. The parrot says "topco petacolopto". That's the pass word. Go back to the guard and give him the correct password. He will let you pass into the storage building.
Once inside, turn right and go forward twice. Click on the jars of poison. You must break them. Look around until you find a stick lying amidst some timbers. Break the pottery with the stick...only two or three will break. After you break the pottery, try to leave the building. You will encounter that nasty "Mountain Head" again at the entrance. He tries to kill you immediately, but Chimalli beans him and tells you to run. Unfortunately, you aren't quite fast enough and are confronted by Black Flower. He tells you that you can either choose to pour poison in the aqueduct and kill all the people, or you can drink it yourself and save them. Of course, you must choose to drink it. You are the "good guy", after all.
When you are recovered enough from the poisoning scene, run to the aqueduct and jump in. There will be a dream sequence. You wake up in the home of Quilaztli, the old doctor. Talk to him. Chimalli brought you to Quilaztli. The guards are looking for you. Quilaztli tells you about Three Rabbit, Black Flower and the treacherous priestess, Papatzin. He wants to prepare enough antidote for all the poison. He needs the right herbs first. You must go to the Chinampas and find these special herbs.
Go out the door. Go right twice, then left. Go forward to the Chinampas (river channels) and get in the canoe. Go forward twice, left twice and turn left to go ashore near the grass hut. Turn left and go up the path. Turn right and use your knife to dig up the roots of the orange flowers. You only need to do this once. Turn around and go back to Quilaztli's house with the herbs. You must take a gourd of the antidote medicine to Woman Serpent. Three Rabbit has poisoned him and he is dying. Go into the next room and find the gourd of antidote sitting on the floor.
Go out the door and go left and then forward to access the map to Tenochtitlan Square.
TENOCHTITLAN SQUARE
Eagle Knight is not going to let you into the palace because you had to give up the Magic Rattle. So, go down by the canal where you found the young fisherman in the first part of the game. Talk to him about getting into the palace. Give him 2 cocoa beans. Go aboard and into the palace in the canoe. Go forward and talk to the tax administrator. Three Rabbit won't let anyone see Woman Serpent, but his doctor.
When you are finished talking, go into the passageway to the inner plaza. Before you reach the stairs turn left. Use your knife on the darker brown framed panel on the wall. Go through the opening into the other entry way to the interior garden. Go talk to the poet in the left back corner again. Speak to him about Black Flower. Then, he will help you. He will occupy the guard at Woman Serpent's door while you try to sneak in. Go to Woman Serpent's front door. You will see the poet talking to the guard. Go in and give the antidote to Woman Serpent, who is lying on a mat at the back of the room.
Whoops! Black Flower shows up and you are captured again!
Watch the beautiful, terrifically well-rendered end game sequence. A great story......and an interesting and educational sojourn into the ancient Aztec culture.
