Temple of the Tiger

Inspired by https://www.deviantart.com/aranchi/art/Temple-1247867341

Your name is Henry, an archaeologist. You discovered a map to a temple deep in the Indian jungle. It was apparently guarded by a monster and abandoned hundreds of years ago. The temple was called the temple of the tiger, so it was quite obvious what the monster was. You weren’t worried about tigers; you had your gun if needed.

You trekked through the jungle. The map required some creative interpretation, and the paths had been reclaimed, but you kept finding worn stones and small tiger statues that proved you were still on the right path. It didn’t take long to find the temple with the map, but you approached with caution. The entrance was flanked by two statues. They depicted a creature that resembled a man and a woman with the body of a tiger at the hips, like a centaur. You could also consider it a Tiger lamia

It was not uncommon for the ancient people of this area to create creatures like this. This wasn’t the first time a so-called “Tiger lamia” had been depicted in the local artwork. Art historians theorised that it represented the bond these people had with the local Tiger population. Tigers, even today, rarely attack natives.

You started taking photos and sketches of the entrance. Marking the temple’s local on a digital satellite map. You noticed that although the surrounding area was a ruin, the temple was well kept. The jungle canopy completely hid it from above.

You had a body camera and you started recording as you walked up the steps and turned on your flashlight. It was one of those big heavy ones that you saw night watch carry. Your gun was in its holster, ready to grab it in your spare hand if needed. Your job here was to document the temple in as much detail as possible. You would be able to bring back a team to explore and excavate the site later.

You walked carefully. booby traps were mostly made up by storytellers. This was also a temple, a place for people to come and go, not a tomb to be warded against robbing. That said, time could make structures unstable, and wild animals could use this for shelter. You were hoping the tigers of the namesake were absent.

The walls were carved with more of these tiger lamia, with people offering food and gifts to them. The writing was not something you could translate, but you made sure your body cam caught it clearly in the torchlight.

You could get the basics of the story being told from the imagery. The tiger lamias would take offerings of food in return; they control the wild tigers and drive off snakes. There was also a depiction of them judging the people. They're pointing people in different directions. A man depicted in distinctive green clothing was shown killing another man. He was taken before the lamia who pointed to the right. The next image showed another lamia swallowing the man whole. The next images showed a man in blue helping the poor, giving out food and coins. The lamia gave him food and coins from their offerings in return. A woman in white took care of many children, some depicted as very different in appearance from her, showing they were not her own children. The lamia sent a tiger to guard her house and drive off armed men who tried to take her stuff. These men featured in the next story. A man in golden armour fought and killed the bandits. Taken before the lamia, it pointed to the left. Here, the wall had cracked and the image had fallen to the floor and was broken. You could try and piece the fallen pieces back to finish the story.