Zompantli: MZS2 Enhancement

 Zompantli

An additional detailed planar region for MZS2 The Maztican Cosmology

About

One of my personal favorite books in the Maztica Campaign is The Maztican Cosmology, tagged as MZS2. 

Originally, I had written a treatise on Xibalba just as 5th edition was released and in its original form, it was a 3.5e supplement. Updated for 5e and released on DMsGuild it received a number of five star reviews and seemed a popular book. Because of this, I decided to write more individual books about each Maztican version of the heavens and hells (known collectively as temenos from the works of Douglas Niles), but first I completed an introductory book on the afterlife called The Great Pyramid.  Both original books are linked for nostalgia, but I no longer consider either of them “canon” since they were updated in MZS2.  

When the books were combined and updated, the original intent was to write extensive coverage for ALL of the planes, but only Tlalocan, a rainy region of Arcadia, was ever finished and added. 

In the reviews for MZS2 and in emails I’ve received, this has been a major complaint. So while I don’t believe I will ever complete all of the other planes, here is a write up at least for Zompantli; hopefully the first of many new planes exclusive to the Maztica Alive webpage and blog.  

It is recommended that you read at least the introduction to MZS2 before continuing with Zompantli.

Zompantli is the region of Maztica’s “Spirit World” that coincides with Carcerian layer known as Minethys - the prison plane that tends towards a neutral evil alignment with some chaotic tendencies. It is a realm of skulls, and like the greater plane of which it is part, it serves as a prison from which the dead cannot escape and the living have only the faintest hope of doing so. 

Zompantli is somewhere in the deserts of Minethys, but finding it on the layer is almost impossible without a zizimime guide. 

The Tonalli of Zompantli

On the Great Pyramid of the Maztican Afterlife, Zompantli is classified as one of the “Worlds on the Sides.”  The spirits and souls of Maztican dead who are destined for Zompantli are first greeted by the shepherds of the dead known as the zizimime in Maztlan and they are guided at first to the east to the land of the dead known as Mictlan. Here they spend a day suffering the horrors of that realm until they are further shepherded to the border of Zompantli. 

The zizimime do not fear even the cruelest tortures of Exbal Ken, but even they do not pass through the flaming curtain of wailing souls that is the doorway to Zompantli. The zizimime escort the dazed tonalli to the curtain and command them to enter. The spirits of the dead cannot refuse the commands of their shepherds. 

When the tonalli pass through this Burning Curtain, they are stripped of all vestiges of remaining flesh and enter the harsh black and gray land of Zompantli as nothing but a skeletal version of themselves.

Whom are the Fated?

The fates of Maztican souls do not always correspond perfectly to the alignments of the planes to which they reside eternally. For example, women who die in childbirth, regardless of alignment, are often rewarded with a place in the Bytopian paradise of Catlampa. 

Zompantli is the eternal punishment for those of a neutral and evil alignment with a tendency towards chaos, but it is also a place where the evil gods lock away their unwanted. Evil men and women who were destined for sacrifice to their god, but somehow escaped their fate, eventually meet their eternal punishment here. The gods have no mercy for one who steals their sustenance. and they do not come here.  Thus, a tonalli will never be able to bask in the glory of their deity which to some is the highest form of punishment.

No Way Out?

As in the greater plane of Carceri, it is nearly impossible to escape Zompantli. The Burning Curtain is a one way portal and all other entrances or exits are the most well hidden and guarded secrets of the plane. The entire region is surrounded by a wall of skulls so high it cannot be climbed or flown over, so it is equally impossible to escape further into the deserts of Minethys.  Zompantli is a prison within a prison. 

Overview and Appearance 

Zompantli is a realm of bones where no flesh can last. The ground is stone covered in chalky bonemeal, and structures are entirely built of skulls reinforced with other skeletal relics. Dead flesh decomposes at an accelerated rate and will remain for a day or two at most even on a newly deceased body. 

Many of the skulls are animate and scream in eternal pain and suffering. Getting too close can instigate a bite from the ones who remain aware, but the skulls have little ability to reach out to a target. Only the foolish find themselves bitten, but the screams are capable of maddening living visitors over time. 

Worse than the skulls are the vast supply of undead. Skeletons are as common as the tonalli who can be seen acting out a mockery of their former lives until they draw the attention of one of the undead. There are more powerful forms of skeletal undead as well, including at least one skull lord. Even the vermin are strange spider-like creatures disguised as skulls. These “skullriders” are capable puppeteers of the newly dead.

The tonalli build temples to no avail, and they pray to gods that refuse to listen. These temples are riddled with deadly traps, lest a thief take the meager offerings left by the spirits and anger the gods further. While few sacrifices are available, the tonalli grow visibly excited at the (false) hope a living sacrifice would lead to redemption.

Why Visit?

As a land suited only for the suffering dead, what reason would adventurers ever have to visit?

To encourage an adventurer to enter a plane designed to be a prison, the rewards would need to be great, or the characters would need to be desperate. Many of the skulls, the few that aren’t lifeless or screaming like a madman, are sentient. Perhaps an ancient sage who’s skull is the centerpiece of a false temple to Zaltec knows how to stop a newly released evil in the land of the living? Perhaps he or she knows the cure for a plague?

Some of the skulls also develop a magic of their own. A good template to use would be the mimirs found in Sigil and the Outlands, a book from the 5e Planescape setting. Such a unique magic would be sentient in addition to having another beneficial property (or possibly some detrimental ones).  An example of such an item can be found below. 

The Skull of Cuetzpallee

Wondrous Item, Very Rare (Requires Attunement)

The skull of Cuetzpallee is a human skull engraved with stylized serpents. It weighs 5 pounds. 

As a Bonus Action, you can toss the skull into air, whereupon it floats at a distance of 1d3 feet from you and you can access its properties.  While the skull is floating, a creature other than you can use an action to grasp or net the skull, either by making a successful Unarmed strike against AC 22 or a successful DC 22 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. You can use a Bonus Action to seize and stow the skull. 

The skull has AC 22, 25 Hit Points, immunity to Necrotic, Poison, and Psychic damage and resistance to all other damage. It is considered an object that is being worn when it is floating near you. 

Esoteric Knowledge. While the skull is floating you can use an action to cast legend lore from the skull. The sentience in the device speaks the revealed lore aloud. Once this property has been used, it can’t be used again until the next dawn. 

True World Knowledge.  The sentience in the skull was once a great sage and hishnashaper of Maztica. He has knowledge of the ancient history and secrets of Maztica and if he is not in conflict with his owner, will share such secrets. 

Shocking Retribution. As a Reaction, if an attempt is made to grasp or net the skull, it’s owner may command Cuetzpallee to strike at the attacker with a small bolt of lightning. This bolt does 3d6 damage or half that if the target makes a successful DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. 

Sentience. The skull of Cuetzpallee is sentient and has Int 20, Wis 14 and Cha 14. Cuetzpallee is Chaotic Neutral and wishes only to escape Zompantli. If it’s owner is attempting to do so (within a reasonable amount of time) or has already done so, the personality within will not get into conflict with its owner and will feel indebted. The skull has hearing and normal vision out to 120 feet and can speak Common, Maztican and Payit.