Assassins in the Karak Jungle

The characters are all part of a small hidden village, [insert name], which is a collection of sorcerers and assassins often hired by other Tribes of Midnight.  The hidden village is in competition with a number of other hidden villages that also are used as tools of war by vying Tribes of Midnight.  All these hidden villages have been fighting a secret war for centuries to eliminate the competition, but recently the conflict has increased: poisons, curses, zombies, and Machines have all been used.

The characters' village Elder receives a message from a beautiful slave girl of the Old Woman written on human skin in black ink one night and, after reading its contents, he summons the characters to his smoky hut suspended a thousand feet from the canopy of the Jungles trees.

"The Sultra Sagara calls us to choose the best [insert number of characters] from our village.  She wishes a display of our strength for her own purposes.  You are the best among our peoples and will represent us in this sacred event.  Beware....no doubt the other villages have been summoned too and they will try to kill you before reaching the Manag Sagara of the Old Woman or poison your water at the contest.  Trust no one from any other village, but leave now upon this journey in the blessing of the Machines and our ancestors.  The skin with her writing speaks of the place of this contest, but it is not a place I have ever heard of.  First, find the place, then win.  Our hopes and survival lies with you...as I worry for what dark purpose the Old Woman wants to see our hidden villages arts..."

The Elder hands one of the characters the skin with the message, rations for a week in the Jungle, any weapons they may desire, and then leaves them to find their way guided by the strange words on the skin:

"Follow the webs, follow the stars, follow the spider and before very far,

The Machines that talks with ancient tongues will speak to you of the valley,

Where the Kings of another time lie.

Go there, come here...to live or die."

What now!?