Revisit UK6 - Tikul's Return through the Jungle

Maybe I'm being pedantic, but it's always struck me as a bit odd how easily Tikul, seemingly a lone low-mid level 1E magic user (or perhaps an "archaeologist" style variant bard) seems to have returned without mishap through the Wind Walker's Passages, only to die of contaminated water "within a day's journey" of reaching civilization as per the quote from Tikul's Saga (page 3). 

"Crushed with disappointment and despairing at the fate of his friends, he hardly noticed the return journey through the passages. Weak and wounded he struggled back through the jungle towards Kett's Rapids only to collapse within a day's journey of safety, poisoned by drinking water from a stagnant pool..." - Tikul's Saga, UK6

Maybe the shock of his friends' deaths affects him? 

Or perhaps a fever contracted while in the jungle (see ToA) impairs his memory? 

Or maybe the narrator of Tikul's Saga is just an unreliable narrator?

Although convenient for the backstory, the main issue with the Saga fiction presented is that it remains largely unknown to the players, with few clues within the module to link it to their present-day experiences making it a waste of a page of text in some respects. The author, Jim Bambra seems to have gone to lengths to develop the backstory without it being excessive but it's really for the DM's eyes only as a summary, albeit one presented in a different way. It's written as an oral story as if told by a bard or overhead in a tavern, but there's no way for anyone in the adventure to know this tale, other than the map fragment used to wrap the ivory carvings of the Mallata (likely Amedian Suel) tribesmen, nothing has returned to civilization and nobody else survived the expedition. 

The narrator isn't a discoverable character in the adventure, just a fictional device, unfortunately.

Particularly for this implied return journey after the passages, there's really no indication of the path Tikul traced on his way back or where his body might be found and I think that's an oversight - a few more clues and traces left by the original party could add to the foreshadowing of the later elements of the adventure ahead.  It's only really once the players encounter the Hek of the Ash Mire that they have a chance to learn anything about Tikul's expedition unless they capture and question either Abu or her assistant, Muban, during the Barrier Shrine encounter, which seems unlikely.

I conclude that as written, Tikul's Saga isn't really relevant in this context to the players - unless they somehow manage to contact his ghost to interrogate it. 

Now there's a good idea...

So let's take the limited information from the module however and see what we can glean from them, considering some potential additions to add to the atmosphere and experience - looking through the module "in reverse", I've come up with this modified map of the Indicara leg as a starting point: 

Tikul's Possible Return Journey?

(adapted from UK6 All that Glitters...)

Tikul's undetailed flight consists of several stages, although the first 4 stages are clear enough:

• Flight from the Temple of Aumata-Perion (perhaps on a giant strider, 6 hexes)
• Using a minimal amount of incense to activate the eastbound steel hoop
• Walking back west from Terabar through the tunnels to Maintenance Station VIII
• Emerging from the Emergency Exit near Vanck's cave 
• Rounding Mt Gegesti (likely to the north to avoid the awaiting Atem)
• Stumbling through the Indicara northeast towards Kett's Rapids
• His death following drinking stagnant water from a pool

As it's implied that Tikul is the only survivor once his cleric companion is slain, it seems likely he fled back alone to the exit from the Windgate Terminus on a loaned Hek'Ilj giant strider mount from the Temple assault within a day or two, surviving on the water in his carved bone Hek water-bottle. I'd be tempted to add a few Hek "hirelings" to his party, perhaps a lieutenant and 2-3 tribesmen intrigued by the tales of free-flowing water to the east. 

He does seem to be a charismatic fellow.

His mount might be able to be led into the passages and through the steel hoop gate to Terabar with some (potentially magical) persuasion but is more likely to have been set free on the edge of the Ash Mire. At this point in time the passages may or may not have been inhabited by unspecified "dark foul beasts" mentioned in the Saga (perhaps the devil's retinue and prisoner arrive later), but apart from some wandering vermin (see random encounter table for this section) he is unlikely to have had any issues that his spells and possible Hek "hirelings" could not deal with readily.

As Vanck, the delusional giant survives to the time of the original module timeline, I'd suggest Tikul either slips past the giant using an invisibility spell or ascends the exit stairs to a rock shelf overlooking the gully that the river tributary leading to the bog flows through. I favor the latter and rather than having the stairway entirely blocked by rubble, let's say for Tikul that the path is partly blocked but still accessible, leading to a surface building ruined by the volcanic eruption in the past. This ruin overlooks a path that channels him northwards around the *western* slopes of Mt Gegesti rather than back south into the bog and puts him near the grey "+1" camp marker on the annotated map above. This could easily have been the route Vanck traveled when exiled from his kin.

Note: as I consider this section, I don't really see the need for Vanck to be a fire giant specifically other than the proximity to Mt Gegesti. Given the retconning of the module to the Amedio, I think a "Suel Giant", first mentioned in Roger E. Moore's "Green Nightmare: the Amedio Jungle" Oerth Journal article, borrowing concepts from either the Pathfinder or this adapted 5E variant of the original Al-Qadim Jungle Giant might work better as a basis for Vanck and perhaps his cousins.  Swapping his hell-hound pets out for large panthers to tie him into the Atem's totem animal is a possibility - or perhaps a pet baby hydra from the bog? He can still be delusional and think everyone is another Suel giant, explaining his otherwise misplaced friendly demeanor towards exploring humanoids. A Suel giant makes him a more interesting NPC and leads to further story ideas and hooks so that would be my preference, even if mechanically he remains similar. 

The Northern Path around the Volcano

Regardless of whether Tikul encounters Vanck on his return, it makes sense for him *not* to retrace his steps exactly as his expedition fought with the Atem at their shrine and they are unlikely to be welcoming to him on a repeat visit. 

It's more likely he attempts a northern route - the gulley above the black stairs of area I8 has no northern boundary on the 1c map insert and the Indicara Jungle map suggests the "valley" between Mt Gegesti continues northwards and then turns eastwards to end in a waterfall before joining the unnamed northern tributary of the Utdoo that leads to area I2 (the Twin Falls). As this is the likely path Vanck followed in his exile, it may even be suggested to Tikul by a previous conversation with the deranged giant. Climbing over the depicted rocks would have been easier for the giant than Tikul admittedly but it's probably his only option at this point and provides a ready source of fresh water for him to drink after depleting his supplies escaping the Ash Mire.

If accompanied by Hek auxiliaries, the tribesmen will be fascinated by the natural running water of the Utdoo rover tributary - a sight and concept so foreign to them from their lives in the parched western desert. It's at this point they may either refuse to accompany Tikul further and rather than return to their village with the news, selfishly follow their water obsession and follow the cascading river down into the treacherous bog despite his loud protestations of danger from the waiting Atem. Their distinctive skulls become part of the collection at area I1 (White Tooth Water) or are used to mark the edge of Atem territory somewhere else along their boundary line...

Traveling in a northward and then eastward arc along the valley floor with or without his Hek companions would take Tikul about 3 days to reach area I2 on foot, likely exhausting his water supply. If alone by this stage, he'll be skirting any encounters with the giants of Mt Gegesti, having determined they aren't as friendly as their delusional cousin. There's the obstacle of the waterfall to negotiate due north of the volcano, but assuming he manages this through magic such as spider climb or sheer courage (the latter less likely), Tikul can then follow the river down towards the Twin Falls and his first familiar landmark. 

It's here at "Camp +4" above and between the falls that he leaves his dagger "thrust into a dead tree" and readily noticeable for his apprentice, which seems to make no sense if that's his only weapon as a 1E magic-user (or an OSR bard equivalent) but I've had an idea that might work I think...

Let's assume it's a Hek'Ilj dagger instead, gifted to him by the tribe's leader before the attack. It's still a valuable item, but not his only weapon and perhaps he's somewhat wiser now after suffering the consequences of his greed. Seems unlikely he would have gained such wisdom so quickly given his motivations for embarking on the original expedition, but the distinctive dagger makes a better marker than a basic weapon due to its exotic appearance.

The catch with this approach is that the magic mouth at area I3 is specifically activated by Tikul's dagger, implying he cast the spell *after* he came into possession of the blade. Alone in the jungle, far away from civilization deep within hostile Atem territory, the thought of him journeying back to the secret entrance valley seems somewhat foolhardy... but maybe Tikul really believed he would survive and needed to mark his way for a later attempt with his apprentice. 

The more sensible alternative is that it's his original dagger he leaves behind and he has another blade or keeps a new weapon recovered from the ruins of Ash Mire and gifted by the Hek before the temple assault. In this scenario he's already cast the magic mouth and linked it to his personal dagger on the journey westwards, arrogantly believing he will return triumphant.

Either way, it implies he has not only some forethought but also another unique weapon that could potentially be detailed and add to the richness of the items in the module. This raises the question of where exactly this second weapon ends up and creates the potential for it to be discovered by later explorers through a set or wandering encounter.

Interlude: Tikul's Remaining Lost Gear

The module implies Tikul loses the following gear somewhere along his return journey:

• Tikul's other dagger
• Tikul's ruined spellbook or collection of empty scroll cases
• Tikul's journal from which his map is torn, filled with his writings and sketches 
• A scrimshawed bone Hek'Ilj water bottle 
• A small amount of magical red incense to activate the steel hoops

All of these may be scattered in the jungle and have otherwise ended up in the hands of the Atem, discovered by the murderhobos, or sold by Mallata merchants. Allowing a party to discover these items to help piece together and foreshadow the later areas of the adventure seems desirable.

A further item, Tikul's skull (and skeleton), isn't so much a piece of gear but makes for an interesting item to discover in order to obtain some background about his expedition if used to interrogate his ghost or through the use of an equivalent to the PFRPG Occult Skill Unlock of Psychometry or object read... 

Flight through the Jungle

Note: there's some brief rules for jungle exploration given in the adventure but adapting some of the options presented for the Jungle of Chult from Tomb of Annihilation may be very worthwhile.

Having set up for a second future attempt, Tikul completes his crude map with its relevant symbols if he hasn't already and sets off for Kett's Rapids. Whether by his own choice or by being forced to avoid an Atem patrol returning to their village, he sets off in a northeast direction along the northern river bank of the main Utdoo River passing the rapids section but after camping on the western bank for the night decides to ford or swim the main channel at the junction with the southernmost tributary leading to the Atem village. He then forges ahead into the jungle in a straight line on his sixth day since leaving the passages rather than continuing to follow the water.

Although a surprising route, there is some benefit in terms of potentially avoiding the Atem warbands that likely travel along the main river bank. Landmarks can be readily seen by climbing one of the tall trees using spider climb but this route makes finding potable water more difficult and opens him up to encounters without the potential defense of the river at his back in case he stumbles upon a pack of animals he can't climb a tree to escape from and use his spells.

But maybe Tikul is again overconfident.

During the next three days, he crosses the main Utdoo River again. This time however his Hek water bottle is dislodged and lost while swimming or defending himself from a water encounter, leaving him without a supply of water that he'd hoped to replenish. The water bottle washes downstream past Kett's Rapids, to be discovered by an inhabitant of Port Elizabeth, and ends up on a trader's table to be sold on...

The day after crossing the river and just after passing the Atem boundary line, he drinks from a stagnant pool in desperation, poisoning himself unwittingly and becoming delirious. This ultimately causes him to scatter some of his possessions as he staggers through the trees only to collapse within a day of Kett's Rapids, propped up against a jungle tree (as in the illustration on page 2 that accompanies "Tikul's Saga").

Tikul's Skeleton (and Skull)

By calculation, Tikul's skeleton lies in the same hex as the settlement of Kett's Rapids, but won't be discovered by other explorers unless they are specifically searching for it rather than following the river's course southwestwards. It's possible one of the original Mallata that discovered the body and then used the map for wrappings for ivory carvings still lives in the village and may possess the magical red incense forgotten on a pantry shelf and fragments of Tikul's journal and spellbook, minus some other pages were torn out to use similarly as wrappings. This villager may be prepared to lead explorers to the skeleton where he found the wrappings if persuaded - Tikul's other dagger (the Hek weapon if the second choice above is made) is thrust into a tree a few hundred yards from his body but isn't easy to spot.

Tikul's remains may be used to summon or contact his ghost for his potentially unreliable version of the story - after all, his arrogance and greed may mean he tells a different tale to the one outlined by the meta-game narrator of "Tikul's Saga"...

Of course, the adventurers need to know to ask about Tikul in the first place, something the module as written gives little clue towards, other than the MacGuffin map and an oblique reference to Tikul's unfaithful apprentice, who may be the leader of the later murderhobo expedition.

Summary Thoughts 

I think there's definite value in considering Tikul's undetailed flight back to civilization. 

Some of the elements that are implied or inspired by the module would add to the first section significantly and assist in foreshadowing the later sections without ruining the central "surprise". Even the concept of the water-greedy Hek "hirelings" could be readily fitted in. The "northern path" provides not only the potential for interaction with Vanck's cousins, but also helps open up the linearity of this section and free up the players from the "jungle railroad" presented as written.

Writing this post, I now believe the Indicara section of the original module has great potential to be a more developed sandbox with several possible factions (Atem, giants, Mallata, rival explorers) and would be key to developing a "Return to..." style adventure or campaign based on this material.