This dungeon has a secret history. One that the DM is aware of and the players will slowly unravel through artifacts, frescoes, and even ancient writing. 2,000 years ago, the Tlaca people were a nomadic hunter-gatherer society, then they met the Illuminated Ones. These giant, beautiful people taught the Tlaca people how to grow corn, and build great cities. Within a generation, the Tlaca people were flourishing under the tutelage of their masters.

The Illuminated Ones are ten-foot-tall aliens, travelers from another dimension who find themselves trapped where they do not belong. They built the complex around their crashed ship to keep interlopers away from their dark passenger. The Illuminated Ones did not travel here alone, they brought with them a dangerous prisoner called The Darkness.

As time stretched on, the power of the Illuminated Ones began to wane. This concerned their leader, Mihcatzintli the Wise. He created the sleep coffins for the rest of his crew and hid them throughout the dungeon for their safety. Only he remained behind to complete the incantation that would preserve his people in stasis forever.

Alone, he turned to a dark power to grant himself eternal life. He became the vampire known as the Bat-Faced God. The Tlaca people worshiped him as their sole god. They replaced their pantheon of deities with bat-faced idols. They brought him sacrifices to feed his bloodlust. He withdrew from the world and began to formulate a plan to return his people to their home.

Evidence suggests 200 years ago, some sort of catastrophic event wiped out the Tlaca people. No one can be certain but prevailing theories are plague or a more aggressive neighbor enslaved them all.

The tombs of the Illuminated Ones can be found throughout the dungeon. They are sealed behind secret doors that can only be opened from the inside. They are also surrounded by powerful alien magic items. If the sleep coffins are left undisturbed, their occupants will lie in an ageless sleep for the rest of eternity. However, if they are broken into, the aliens sleeping within them will react in a blind rage, which is a temporary symptom of hibernation sickness.

This level lies just beneath the great pyramid of Atzoatl. The pyramid is staked out by a small Skullduggery Guild camp. The guild is friendly to newcomers and allows anyone to go into the pyramid. However, they charge a toll for anyone trying to come out with any treasure. (They charge a 20% fee on anything coming out of the dungeon.)

This level was a part of a rite of passage for the Tlaca people. Young men and women who wished to take their place in the tribe had to make their way through the first trap filled rooms of the temple. Those who lived were found worthy, those who died fed the Bat-Faced God.

This level was storage for religious regalia and embalming. The average cleric was not permitted to travel beyond this first level. Low ranking initiates and lords were embalmed and buried here.

This is also one of the hidden locations of one of the sleep coffins of the Illuminated Ones. There are several of these mysterious hibernation chambers that can be found throughout the rest of the dungeon. They are sealed within hidden vaults so that their eternal slumber cannot be disturbed.