Rediscovery EP: The Sacred Quill of Quetzalcoatl

[The Ancient Warrior]

Author's Note: This is one of the episodes of my independent project, Legends: The Rediscovery.  More information on the project can be found by following this link.

Episode 12: The Sacred Quill of Quetzalcoatl

The camera maneuvers through a thick, lush rainforest to stop in front of an ancient temple. A giant stone head next to the gate of the temple begins to speak:
"LEGENDS OF THE HIDDEN TEMPLE! With your guide, Kirk Fogg!"

On this final word, Kirk descends into view on a rope. "Thank you, Olmec! Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple. The rooms are filled with lost treasures that are protected by mysterious Mayan Temple Guards. Only Olmec knows the legend behind each of the treasures in his temple. Which legend are we gonna hear about today?"

Olmec replies:
"The legend of the Sacred Quill of Quetzalcoatl."

"Ooh, the Sacred Quill of Kez…al…wattle!" Kirk says, stumbling over the name. "Well the legend is set, and one of these six teams will have the chance to retrieve the Sacred Quill. Will it be:
"Tim and Amanda of the Red Jaguars—" the camera pans to each team in order—
"Jimmy and Carly of the Blue Barracudas,
"Tom and Maria of the Green Monkeys,
"Jason and Brittany of the Orange Iguanas,
"Josh and Kati-Anne of the Purple Parrots,
"Or Seth and Jamilah of the Silver Snakes?"

"They'll have to pass some tough physical and mental tests," Kirk says, "but in the end, only one team will earn the right to enter Olmec's Temple. First, they must cross the moat, and here's how they'll have to do it today:
"Each team has four wooden planks, and in front of them are the remains of an ancient bridge. When I say 'go,' they're gonna take the planks and lay them down in order to construct a bridge. You'll both crawl out onto the planks, and then the second player will grab the plank behind them and hand it up, move on up, and keep going like that until you're both at the other side of the Moat. If either one of you falls, you'll both have to start over again.
"When both players get off the bridge on the other end of the Moat, run over and hit the gong." He slams down on the Red Jaguars' gong to demonstrate. "The first four teams to hit their gongs will go on to the next round, so teams— are you ready?"
The players all cheer and shout in response.
"Olmec, are you ready?" asks Kirk.
"Let's get rollin'!" Olmec shouts as an answer.
"Okay then teams," Kirk says. "On your mark, get set, GO!"

The teams take off at a pretty good pace and carefully construct the bridges— but the Blue Barracudas fall in almost halfway across the Moat and have to go back. They slow down considerably on their second try, allowing the other teams to get a much further lead.
The Silver Snakes get across first, and as the other teams approach the end the girl on the Orange Iguanas team falls into the drink. The Red Jaguars and Purple Parrots get off at about the same time, and then the boy on the Blue Barracudas slips through the planks and into the Moat again, costing his team a chance at going on. The Green Monkeys manage to beat out the Orange Iguanas for the final position.
"We've got our four teams right here!" announces Kirk. "Silver Snakes got over here fast. They're going on to the Steps of Knowledge, along with the Purple Parrots—" the camera briefly shows each winning team— "and the Green Monkeys— and the Red Jaguars! Blue Barracudas and Orange Iguanas gave it a great effort. They're not leaving empty-handed, we've got a great gift for them and here's what it is." Jimmy, Carly, Jason and Brittany will each be receiving a $50 U.S. Savings Bond provided by Nestle.

[The Ancient Warrior]

The four teams are now at the top of the Steps of Knowledge accompanied by Kirk. "As the quest continues, it's now time for Olmec to tell us about the Sacred Quill of Kettle-go-wattle.  But pay attention teams, because your knowledge of the legend can bring you one step closer to Olmec's Temple."

Olmec begins to tell the story:
"The strongest, most respected and most feared of all the Central American gods was Quetzalcoatl.  He was an enormous feathered snake who had power over the sun and the sky.  And I can tell you firsthand that he was powerful.
"About 4000 years ago the spirit of Earth was dying— floods, storms and earthquakes raged all over the planet.  And I knew only Quetzalcoatl was worthy enough to be able to revive it.  When I told him about the near destruction of Earth, he replied:
" 'Chill out, Olmec, I got a plan.  I'll sail down to the underworld of Mictlan, take some of my blood and pour it on the heart of Earth.'
"And so he left, and little did I know that he would die giving life to Earth.  Quetzalcoatl's heart became a star, and I kept one of his golden feathers which is still in my Temple.  Your quest is to retrieve the Sacred Quill of Quetzalcoatl and bring it back here."

"Thanks Olmec," Kirk says after Olmec finishes telling the story. "So tell us, where is the Sacred Quill?"
Olmec replies:
"The Sacred Quill of Quetzalcoatl can be found in the King's Storeroom."

"Teams," Kirk begins, walking down the steps, "you are now standing on the Steps of Knowledge, and in a minute, Olmec will ask you a question about the legend.  If you think you know the answer, stomp down on the ancient marking in front of you.  If you're first, your step will light up, and you'll have three seconds to answer.  If you're right, you can move down to the next level, but if you're wrong or run out of time, one of the other teams will get a chance to answer.  The first two teams to make it to the bottom level will be one step closer to Olmec's Temple.  Olmec! We're now ready for your first question."

Olmec begins:
"Was Quetzalcoatl a god in: North America, South America, or—?"
Maria rings in: "Central America…?"
"Correct," replies Olmec, and so the Green Monkeys get to move down one level.

Olmec then asks:
"Did Quetzalcoatl look like: A furry snake, A feathered snake, or A white snake?"
Tom buzzes in: "A feathered snake."
"That is correct," answers Olmec, so the Green Monkeys can move down again.
"One more correct answer, Green Monkeys, and you're going to the Temple Games," explains Kirk. "Next question Olmec."

Olmec then asks:
"According to our legend, when did Quetzalcoatl live: 2000 years ago, 3000 years ago, or 4000 years—?"
Maria stomps down first: "4000 years ago…?"
"That is correct!" Olmec shouts, allowing the Green Monkeys to walk down to the bottom step.
"Just like that, the Green Monkeys are going to the Temple Games," says Kirk. "Who'll join them: the Red Jaguars, the Purple Parrots or the Silver Snakes? Next question."

Olmec continues:
"Of the following, which was happening during Quetzalcoatl's life: Montezuma was born, Earth was dying, or—?"
Kati-Anne rings in: "The earth was dying…?"
"Correct," says Olmec, and the Purple Parrots can move down a step.

Olmec then asks:
"In our legend, where did Quetzalcoatl sail to revive the earth: Mictlan, Tehuantepec, or Valhalla?"
After a second, Amanda stomps down and guesses: "Mictlan…?"
"Correct," Olmec answers, and the Red Jaguars can move down a step.

Olmec immediately proceeds:
"Which of these is a Central American civilization: Tamil, Aztec, or Cherokee?"
Amanda buzzes in again: "Aztec…?"
"That is correct," replies Olmec, and the Red Jaguars step down again.
"Red Jaguars are now only one step away from the Temple Games," says Kirk. "The other teams can still catch up.  Next question, Olmec."

Olmec now asks:
"According to our legend, how did Quetzalcoatl prevent Earth from dying—?"
Seth rings in, but freezes and says nothing before a bell sounds.
"Time's up!" yells Olmec. "The three choices are—"
But before Olmec can give the choices again, Tim stomps down: "He, um, poured his blood on… the heart of Earth!"
"That is correct!" Olmec shouts, and the Red Jaguars can join the Green Monkeys on the final step.
"We've got our two teams goin' to the Temple Games right here!" announces Kirk. "And they are the Green Monkeys and the Red Jaguars! Purple Parrots and Silver Snakes gave it a great effort too.  They won't be leaving empty-handed, we've got some great gifts for them and here's what it is." Josh, Kati-Anne, Seth and Jamilah will each be receiving a copy of RV on DVD.

[The Ancient Warrior]

"Now," says Kirk, "the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, so let's get to know these two tough teams. On the Green Monkeys, we have Tom. And how old are you?"
"Twelve," replies Tom.
"And you're into skateboarding," Kirk reads on his index card. "Tell me about that."
"Well, yeah, I've been boarding for about a year," explains Tom, "and I'm trying to pull off a 720."
"And your partner here's Maria," says Kirk. "And how old are you?"
"Thirteen," replies Maria.
"And you like to hang out at the mall or go rollerblading," Kirk reads. "So how long've you been doing that?"
"Two years," answers Maria.
"Can you pull off a 720?" Kirk asks, looking over at Tom for a second.
"No, not yet," she replies, laughing a little.
"Well you'll have to show us your moves in these Temple Games," says Kirk. "Let's hear it for the Green Monkeys!" The audience applauds for a moment as Kirk goes to interview the other team. "And on the Red Jaguars, we have Tim. And how old are you?"
"Twelve," answers Tim.
"And you play football and basketball," Kirk reads. "Which one you like better?"
"Football just cause… um… I dunno, I just like it."
"And Amanda," says Kirk, "you like swimming but you also like painting. Tell me about that."
"Well, um, it's way I can express myself, and I can show what I'm thinking."
"Well you'll really have to show us what you're thinking in these Temple Games," comments Kirk. "Let's hear it for the Red Jaguars!" The audience applauds again.

"Why don't you go get ready for the Temple Games," Kirk says, "while I tell you guys what's gonna happen here. Now, in the Temple Games, these teams will be competing to win Pendants of Life. The winning team will need the Pendants to protect themselves from the dreaded Temple Guards when they go to Olmec's Temple. There are three Temple Games, and Olmec… tell us about Temple Game #1."

Olmec begins:
"Quetzalcoatl was not only the god of the sun and the sky, but he also gave corn to his people. Here you must do just that. You are now strapped in a rotating lever and, when Kirk gives the signal, you will run around to grab an ear of corn off of the pedestal. Next, return to place it in your bin.
"The player with the most ears of corn in their bin after 60 seconds wins."
"This Game's making me hungry," comments Kirk. "Let's put 60 seconds on the clock. On your mark, get set, GO!"
Tim and Maria take off and start running around to grab ears of corn. They both miss the first two times around, and Tim misses again on the third try. "It's hard to get your right momentum," Kirk says over the cheering audience. The players go around a total of ten times before time expires. The ceiling lights flash and the spotters run over to stop the rotating levers.
"Okay," says Kirk. "Red Jaguars got one, two, three… five ears of corn, and the Green Monkeys got one, two, three, four, five… seven ears of corn! Green Monkeys win the half Pendant of Life!" The audience applauds for a minute. "Red Jaguars can catch up in the next game, it's worth a half Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2."

Olmec continues:
"When the earth was dying, floods and storms raged all over the planet. Here you must predict where in the planet a storm will start up. When Kirk gives the signal, place your stopper into one of the holes on the podium. If you choose correctly, nothing will happen, but if you choose wrong, you'll be squirted with water from the flood. Then take out your stoppers and choose again.
"The player who makes the most correct guesses after 60 seconds wins."
"It's gonna get wet 'n' wild out there," says Kirk, "so let's put 60 seconds on the clock. On your mark, get set, GO!"
Amanda and Tom manage to make twelve guesses within the minute. They both get squirted several times, and the ceiling lights flash just before the kids can make another choice.
"Okay, that's it!" says Kirk, running over to count the spotters' scoreboards. "Green Monkeys got 3 right, but Red Jaguars got 4! Red Jaguars win a half Pendant of Life!" The audience applauds again. "So it's all tied up, a half Pendant apiece, but this is the third and final game and it's worth a full Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3."

Olmec narrates:
"Quetzalcoatl revived Earth by sailing down to the underworld, pouring some of his blood on the heart of the earth and sailing back. Here you will do just that. When Kirk gives the signal, sail out from the dock and, without touching the water, jump out to place the bottle of Quetzalcoatl's blood on the heart of Earth. Then, sail back and run back up the dock.
"The first team to place the bottle on the heart of Earth and run back up the dock— or the team that's furthest along in 30 seconds— wins."
"Whoever wins this goes to the Temple," says Kirk. "So let's set the clock for 30 seconds. On your mark, get set, GO!"
Both teams row out at about the same pace and leave the bottles of Quetzalcoatl's blood at about the same time. The Green Monkeys actually placed the bottle without getting out of the boat, so they were able to turn around faster than the Red Jaguars. The Red Jaguars were only just starting back when the Green Monkeys landed all four feet on the dock with two seconds left.
"That's it!" announces Kirk. "Red Monkeys had trouble turning back around, but the Green Monkeys got up here just before time's up. That gives the Green Monkeys the full Pendant, that gives them one and a half to take to the Temple!" Tom and Maria quickly high-five each other as the audience bursts into applause. "Red Jaguars gave it a great effort too. They're not going away empty handed, here's what we've got for them." Tim and Amanda will each be receiving a prize package from British Knights.

[The Ancient Warrior]

"Olmec!" calls Kirk. "The Green Monkeys have won the Temple Games and now have proven themselves worthy and now have earned the right to enter your Temple. But before they go, can you give them any information to help them retrieve the Sacred Quill?"
Olmec begins to give the rundown:
"You could start by climbing through the Ledges and climbing down into the Great Chasm. Crawl through the chasm, then race into the Throne Room. Sit on the Throne of the Pretender to spin the wall, and you could choose to go up into the Burial Pit or into the Junction of the Secret Shafts. If you escape, you may have a chance to enter the Chamber of Four Columns. Knock over all the columns to go upstairs or plow through the wall and into the Quicksand Bog.
"Next, climb the Pharaoh's Secret Passage up into the Room of the Secret Password. Find the tablet with the right password and shout it out to open the door to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey. Assemble the statue and you may be headed toward the Room of the Ancient Warriors. Place yourself in the correct armor, but be careful— one of the suits of armor could be possessed by the spirit of a Temple Guard! If they grab you, you'll have to give up a Pendant of Life! Next, race up to the King's Storeroom, where you can grab the Sacred Quill of Quetzalcoatl, then swing on the rope across the Great Chasm. Then, pass through the Vault, race down the stairs and back through the Temple Gate. The choices are yours and yours alone." Olmec pauses for a second here. "You won 1½ Pendants in the Temple Games. Who's going first?"
"I am!" shouts Tom eagerly.
"Very well, Tom," replies Olmec as Kirk hands out the Pendants of Life. "Good luck to both of you."

"All right then," Kirk says, beginning to explain the rules. "When I say 'go,' you'll race through the gates into the Temple and make your way toward the Sacred Quill of Kwet-sulk-a-whattle. Be careful though— inside the Temple there are many locked doors and dead ends. But there's three old ventilation shafts somewhere in the Temple. If you can find one and it's open, you can jump in and slide down to the Room of the Secret Shafts. In the Temple there are also Temple Guards assigned to protect three specific rooms. If you enter one of those rooms, a Temple Guard will jump out and grab you, but you can trade your Pendant for an extra life and go on, but if you're caught without a Pendant, you'll be taken out of the Temple— and it'll be Maria's turn to enter and try her luck. Now, you have a Pendant and a half, but hidden somewhere inside the Temple is the other half of your Pendant. If you can find it and you're carrying the other half, you'll get an extra life. If you can reach the Quill, all the doors of the Temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish. And you'll have three minutes, and for your efforts you'll both be handsomely rewarded— and here's how!"
• For just making it into the Temple, Tom and Maria will each receive a Bollinger-brand trampoline.
• If they can get to the Sacred Quill in 3 minutes, they're each going to get a XBOX 360 game package complete with two new games.
• And if they can get the Quill out of the Temple before 3 minutes is up, they'll be going to Cancun, Mexico! Exploring ancient Mayan ruins and staying at Krystal Cancun!

"Cancun!" Kirk shouts, excited. "Let's see if we can get you to Cancun. By the way, Maria, what's your strategy? How do you think you'll get to the Quill?"
"Um… well we're gonna try going through the Ledges, and the big pit thingy," Maria explains, "and then, um, we're gonna try the room with the throne, and hopefully the doors open, we're gonna go up and up and see if we can get to the Quill in there."
"So you're gonna try and get in there climbing up from below," Kirk says.
Maria nods.
"Okay, let's see if that works," says Kirk. "Mouthpieces in, both of you. You never know when you're gonna have to go in. Lower the gate, Olmec!"
Olmec moans as he lowers the gate.
"And let's set the clock… for three minutes. On your mark, get set, GO!"

Tom eagerly races into the Temple and slides down into the Ledges. He finds an open crawl tube and heads into the Great Chasm with about 2:40 left. Sticking with the strategy, he then heads into the Throne Room and hits the actuators on the armrests, but before the throne can turn around completely out from the door in the back of the room comes the first TEMPLE GUARD!
Tom hands over his Pendant of Life, and the Guard quickly vanishes. He then waits for the throne to stop moving and climbs up into the Burial Pit with about 2:22 left, where he meets the second TEMPLE GUARD!
Maria runs through the Temple Gate with about 2:16 on the clock, and makes a wrong turn in the Ledges. (She tries to go down into the Cave of Sighs entrance.) She then realizes her mistake and goes back up, then using the already-open crawl tube into the Great Chasm and entering the Chasm with about 1:47 remaining. She then races into the Throne Room and heads up the ladder on the back of the Throne of the Pretender. The Throne then begins to turn around so that she can climb up, and she enters the Burial Pit with about 1:27 left.
Maria climbs up through the sarcophagus, then looks around and shrugs. She tries hitting the keypad for the door going up, mistaking it for an actuator. When she realizes it's not a button after about ten seconds, she tries looking around for one on the walls.
"You need a key!" Kirk shouts. "In the coffin there's a key to open the doors!" Maria finally hears him and pulls off the other sections of the sarcophagus lid and finds a key inside. She tries it on all the doors leading out of the room, but only the one back into the Great Chasm opens up. Maria then heads back into the Great Chasm with about 44 seconds left. She carefully walks along the ledge and hits the actuator for the door to the King's Storeroom a couple times. When it doesn't work, she backtracks into the Burial Pit and tries the keypad for the door into the King's Storeroom a couple more times. "Ooh, she's lost! She's confused!" Kirk says as Maria shrugs and goes back into the Great Chasm again with roughly 29 seconds left. She then jumps down into the Chasm and stands there for a second before re-entering the Throne Room. The Throne then spins around again, and then Maria begins to climb back up into the Burial Pit one more time.
Suddenly the sound effect for a door opening plays. "Something opened!" Kirk shouts. Maria continues up the ladder to see if it's the door from the Burial Pit into the King's Storeroom, but it's not. So she checks the door into the Room of the Ancient Warriors, but that's still closed too. She looks around for a second, then climbs back down into the Throne Room with a short seven seconds left. She goes through the door into the Junction of the Secret Shafts with only four seconds left, but time runs out before she can leave the room.
"Aww!" Kirk shouts. "Time's up! Maria got completely lost in the Temple. Sometimes the Temple gets ya. But you get the trampolines, you still get to keep your courage. Join us next time for another great adventure and another great legend of the Hidden Temple! Buh-bye!"

[The Ancient Warrior]

Episode Summary
Episode 12: The Sacred Quill of Quetzalcoatl

Name of Artifact: The Sacred Quill of Quetzalcoatl
Season: 1
Layout: 3
Result: Failed acquisition
Team: Green Monkeys
Pendants Won: 1 ½
Location of Artifact: The King's Storeroom




I realize it looks like Tom and Maria had no idea what they were doing, but they might have had an excuse for only covering five rooms in three minutes. Although it's not very clear, it seems like the door from the Throne Room to the Junction of the Secret Shafts failed to open until the last few seconds. (If that's correct, I think the Temple Guard in the Throne Room was to blame. He jumped in before the Throne of the Pretender was turned all the way around and that might have screwed up the run.)

Tom made great time going through the Temple, but met a HelmetCam-wearing Temple Guard in the Throne Room very quickly, and was removed from the Burial Pit in a short thirty-eight seconds. Maria spent most of her time in the Burial Pit, and she didn't get the objective right away, either. After looping through the Throne Room, the Burial Pit and the Great Chasm several times, Maria noticed the Junction of the Secret Shafts was open with just a few seconds to go. Time ran out before she could enter the Chamber of Four Columns.

This team definitely deserved a do-over of the Temple Run, but perhaps the fact that they weren't given one means that the door actually opened and nobody noticed it (the only issue with such a claim is that it makes the "Something opened!" remark seem out-of-place— if so, the only reasoning that would seem to make sense is that it was just to stop Maria from entering the Burial Pit for the fourth time). In any case, this seemed like a good team until the Temple Run. I can't help but feel a bit sorry for them.

Trivia and Records:
This is the first Temple Run in which only five rooms of the Temple were entered— a low for the first season. While not confirmed, I'm 99% sure that Tim and Amanda, the Red Jaguars in this episode, were the Green Monkeys that made it across the Moat in "The Thorn Crown of Emperor Augustus," but were disqualified— this is based not only on their names, but also on their looks. This is also the only episode in which Olmec speaks in the first person during the legend.

[The Dark Enforcer]

Two words: GOLDEN STALLION!

[The Ancient Warrior]

What're you looking at me like that for? All the good production defect ideas were already taken.

[Turbo Barracuda]

I liked that i find it funny that she got completely lost in the temple!

[Kornography17]

now you must make an episode where the 2 have NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE DOING! as in they cant even make it into rhe central column!HAHAHAHAH

[The Ancient Warrior]

Sorry, I don't take requests.  The episodes just happen the way they do.

[Kornography17]

oh, they just come up in your head?the  you write what you see in your head?

[Kornography17]

oh and sorry, now that i read my last comment, it sounds kinda like im mocking you. I dont mean to.

[The Ancient Warrior]

I know this is a late response, but don't worry: I wouldn't have taken that comment that way.  Just imagined a tone like you understood, hahah.

I'm fairly surprised no one commented on how Olmec said that he knew Quetzalcoatl personally during the legend~

[DrThinker]

i'm fairly surprised no one commented on how Olmec said that he knew Quetzalcoatl personally during the legend.

I saw it--but I decide it wasn't out of Olmec's character. He is a old talking stone head.

Happy now, T.A.W.?