by Steve J. Larson II (Exalted | Resources)
When the First Age had fallen to a close and the Great Contagion came to be, the inward rush of the great hosts of the Wyld swallowed over forty percent of Creation in one fell swoop. As the Wyld was beaten back it was discovered that the borders of Creation could not be returned to their previous positions.
So much was lost.
It is a literary impossibility to catalogue the myriad immense works and fantastic Manses that no longer grace Creation and inspire its inhabitants. Death and ravaging Chaos had swallowed libraries, eaten elder craftsmen, and warped glorious constructs of lore that would never, could never, be witnessed again.
Or did it?
Many First Age cities and fortresses were familiar with the ravages of the Wyld and its citizens and had wisely prepared for the day when Chaos would step over the line and knock on their gates. Whether they used potent Adamantine sorcery, Lunar enchantments, subtle weaves of the Five Maidens, constructed impregnable walls, or created ward pacts with powerful Gods, they were able to fight off the hordes that swept around these bastions. The lands around them were swept away, lost to the madness of the Unshaped. They became islands of sanity within the realms of the Fair Folk.
Some fell over the long centuries of isolation. Some fell from without and some fell from within. Many believed themselves to be the last city or land to exist as they know of no other survivors nor believe that any could exist but them. Some believe that the Mad Gods outside their boundaries punished the sinners and spared them. Some have forgotten that Creation existed at all.
This article is about creating these islands of lost culture and lost lore for your players to discover. I will go through how to define one and then I will provide my own example of one such place.
The first question to ask of your Island is: why does it exist? What made it so special that it survived the overwhelming horde of Fair Folk? What is the exact mechanism of its survival?
This can be broken down into many different categories:
After the type of protection is decided, you should think about how much protection the method provides. A systematic protection (sorcery, Manse, etc.) would be able to keep out all Wyld influences or perhaps it allows for the subtle changing of its inhabitants over the decades. A force of arms protection would more than likely allow in Fair Folk and Wyld influence alike. Those unprotected by Charms and talismans would soon become parodies of humanity or worse. The flavor of the protection mechanism will influence the flavor of the Island as a whole.
Each of these categories can be divided into infinite possibilities. Here are some suggestions that can fall into these categories or combine some of them:
Once the actual reason for an Island’s existence is done and fully thought out, you can go onto the next step.
Once you have decided the exact mechanism, a reason, for the existence of your Island, you can then go about constructing the overall environment to be found within. For this, I have constructed a list of questions you should ask yourself:
This is the most important part of the creation of an Island in the Wyld. This is the part your players and their characters will be interacting with. Each Island should be unique and memorable to the characters as well as the players. Creation is static but the Islands that float in the Chaos of the Wyld are the Storytellers way to exercise complete freedom from canon. One of the coolest things about the Islands in Chaos is that you can introduce cultural concepts that are not usually a part of Exalted canon.
Now that you have defined the environment, the people, and the culture of an Island, it is time to present it to your players and their characters. This involves the last section of considerations: Links.
How does one find an Island in deepest regions of the Wyld? How does one reach something that should not be found within the churning Chaos? Here are some tips and pointers on how to find or reach these Islands:
Now that you have the Who, What, and Where of the Island figured out, it is now time to consider the When’s of the Island.
Now comes the time when you have to connect the dots and put together the history of the Island. You can go back to the days of the Great Contagion on move from there. This history does not have to be apparent to the inhabitants of the Island nor the ones to stumble upon it. It will merely be the way that the current situation on the Island has come about. Consider how a society would react if it was suddenly cut off from the rest of reality. What would its inhabitants do in such a situation?
A major factor to consider is the life span of the ruler or ruling elite. If an ancient Solar or Sidereal is in charge then they have more than likely kept a firm control over the island’s culture and political makeup. This would be quite a different story if mortal humans were in charge. They would not have the memory or lifespan to keep their little chunk of reality the way it was when they were first separated from the rest of the Creation.
The ultimate goal of history is to explain the current situation on the Island. This is important to the structure of the culture and the structure of the current powers on the Island. Depending on the Island’s role within your story this information is either critical, window dressing, or unimportant.
This is an Island I created to be the home of a certain Sidereal character of mine. The players and Storytellers I have shown it to like the idea so much that I thought the rest of you might want to use or abuse the idea yourselves. In the prelude, the city’s barriers fall and the population is over run by the Fair Folk who have waited outside for so many decades. I have changed the story somewhat to allow its continued existence. I have broken it down according to the formula I presented above. Here, for you pleasure, I present the City-State of Azcapotzalco.
Azcapotzalco’s Reason for Existence
Azcapotzalco owes its continued existence to thirteen red jade monoliths that create a perfect 20-mile diameter circle. The monoliths are carved with arcane glyphs and incantations written in Old Realm. Each is a perfect cone that is 165 feet tall and 46 feet in diameter at its base. Every five feet the cone is a band of Orichalcum or Moonsilver. The metals alternate in a progression to the pinnacle. Seven of the monoliths are topped with Orichalcum and six are topped with Moonsilver. During the day the Orichalcum shines with solar intensity while at night the Moonsilver casts the light of a full moon. An invisible field provides a perfect shield from the influence of the Wyld and the predations of the Fair Folk. Mortals and Exalted can freely pass the barrier although no one in their right mind ever tries to.
The monoliths are virtually indestructible, especially against the attacks of the Fair Folk. Even though they are constructs of three of the five Magical Materials they are also heavily enchanted. The people of Azcapotzalco don’t even like to be within a hundred yards of the structures although no one could actually tell you what would happen if you ventured too close. Anyone found defiling one of the monoliths is ritually tortured for a year and then fed to the Fair Folk.
The source of the monolith’s power comes from conduits that run from the two Manses in the center of the city. The artifacts that push the Essence to the monoliths lie under the Grand Plaza. As long as the Manses are properly cared for the city remains untouched by the ravages of the Wyld and the Fair Folk.
Even though the priests of Azcapotzalco were taught how to maintain the Manses, none of them understood how or why they worked. The primitive and horrific methods they used to maintain the Manses have warped them over the years to where they now require a regular harvest of bloody Essence to remain functional. The return of a Solar and Lunar custodian of the Manses has not changed this.
Azcapotzalco’s Environment
Azcapotzalco was a city on the southern most edge of Creation in the First Age. It rose out of the sweltering jungle that grew around five natural wells called Cenotes. Many are the Gods and mortals that flocked to such locations that provided shade and water so close to the Elemental Pole of Fire. Humidity is extremely high and the people often sleep during the high hours of the sun.
The jungle provides fruits and berries to supplement the diet of the natives. There are also fields that are used to grow corn and beans, another staple of the local diet. Whereas the jungle and fields would normally be teaming with life, instead they are eerily silent accept for the calls of the sixteen species of sacred birds that no one is allowed to harm without the priesthood’s permission. All large wild and domestic animals have been hunted to extinction. All that remains are the sacred birds, serpents, rodents, insects, and arachnids. The lower classes do not normally receive the blessed meat of the Gods so they eat the snakes and rodents they can catch.
The Gods of Azcapotzalco that once were numerous and healthy are now few and far between and are now possessed of a rather unhealthy disposition and particularly horrid tastes. They will be described later.
On the southern hills of the Island are the mines that were discovered by the builders of Azcapotzalco and which still produce massive amounts of the red jade, obsidian, gold, silver, iron, and rare amounts of Orichalcum and Moonsilver. Red jade is by far the most abundant material to come out of the mines and it shows in the fact that so much of Azcapotzalco is built with it. If this extensive mine system was located in Creation there would be wars over its ownership.
The Manses of Azcapotzalco
These Manses are all of First Age design. While it is strange to have so many Manses in relatively close proximity, one should realize that Azcapotzalco was once the center of the art of creating them. It should also be noted that dozens more where lost that lay outside the protective ring of monoliths. It is certain that these lost Manses have become Freehold under the Fair Folk’s rule.
The House of the Unconquered Sun (Level 5 Celestial, Hearthstone: Gem of Radiant Victory) Located on the Great Plaza. This grand Manse has been returned to its former glory. It is constructed out of red jade and obsidian blocks that are carved and inlaid with Orichalcum. It is an enormous step pyramid with an elaborate three-story temple sitting on top of it. It is a monument to the greatness of First Age architecture. At the base of the great steps is a huge disk of pure Orichalcum upon which the bodies of the sacrificial victims are thrown. Its original purpose was to reflect the light of the noonday sun that was concentrated on the temple above to illuminate a huge orb of Orichalcum that was mounted on the top of the temple. Sometimes a Solar could stand in front of it to address the people. It was quite a display. It has been cleaned up to restore its beauty. Before the cleaning up the Manse was reduced to a level 4. The Hearth of this Manse is located inside the orb and is unknown to all except the two rulers. Hearthstone: The Gem of Radiant Victory appears as a palm-sized yellow diamond that always seems to catch the light no matter how you look at it. By concentrating on the Gem for 10 turns the attuned can summon forth the daylight of the noonday Sun under cloudless skies at any time of day or night. The area of effect is a one-mile radius and the effect lasts until sunrise or sunset. The temperature also rises as if the noonday Sun is shining so take that into account when calculating the effects.
The House of the Silent Moon (Level 5 Celestial, Hearthstone: Gem of the Silent Moon’s Madness) Located on the Great Plaza. Similar to the House of the Unconquered Sun, this Manse is constructed in a similar style with similar materials except that the inlay is Moonsilver. The disk and the orb display are similar but it reflects the current face of Luna at midnight. These have been cleaned up as well to return the Manse to its former power and glory. The Hearth of this Manse is hidden in a similar fashion as the House of the Unconquered Sun. Hearthstone: The Gem of the Silent Moon’s Madness appears as a large opal that is shaded according to the current phase of the Moon. When an attacker strikes the flesh of one attuned to the Gem they are afflicted with Moon Madness. The afflicted will believe that they transform into some beast when night falls and the Moon’s light shines upon them. They will ignore their armor and weapons and run into the wilds hunting their prey. This derangement is permanent until treated but cannot affect someone already under its influence.
The Miner’s Shrine (Level 2 Earth, Hearthstone: Stone of the Laborer’s Perfection) Located within the mines of the southern hills. This Manse is underground and is a beautiful example of a natural cavern carved to perfection to create a place of peace and quiet meditation. It is currently where the miners relax and prep themselves for their journeys into the mines. Three physicians are always on call here and they provide their services to the miners. Their skills seem to be enhanced by the Shrine and the miners are grateful that the God-Queen continues this practice in the new era. A gentle flowing stream creates a moat over which an exquisite stone bridge spans to allow access to the altar upon which the Hearthstone forms. Hearthstone: The Stone of the Laborer’s Perfection is a perfect oval of white granite with three veins of black granite running through its exact center. When used by one attuned to it, it allows that person to heal perfectly. No scars, no deformities, etc. If allowed to remain in contact with the injury, a person could even re-grow a lost limb! That use takes two weeks.
The Feathered Wind Temple (Level 1 Air, Hearthstone: Stone of Holy Plumage) Located in the center of the northern jungle. This Manse is a sanctuary for the sacred birds of the city-state. It is an artificial valley with two carved stonewalls that make up its narrow walls and a small pyramid at either end. The court is designed so perfectly that one can hear what is being said on one pyramid at the other pyramid. A distance of about two hundred yards. The priests of Azcapotzalco used to play a sacred game within these walls to appease the Gods of the sacred birds. The winners of the game were sacrificed to these Gods. Tolche is deciding whether or not to continue this ritual. Perhaps these Gods can be made to focus their attentions on other matters that would benefit his people. Hearthstone: The Stone of Holy Plumage appears as a brightly colored stone in which the colors appear to have been brushed on with a feather that left its pattern. When attuned to this stone, the user can engender feelings of trust and devotion. This provides a bonus of one die to any roll of Manipulation or Charisma involving trust, loyalty, or the generation of such feelings.
The Cenote of Watered Wishes (Level 3 Water, Hearthstone: Gem of Reflected Lust) Located around the Great Cenote of the city. This was the central watering hole for the citizens of the main city. The Manse makes a half-moon shape around the Great Cenote with the open side being the place where citizens draw water. This Manse was designed by sorcery and it is quite obvious. The form is a seamless three-sided pyramid made from blue granite that has two straight-based sides and one curving around the Cenote. It angles out over the Cenote in a majestic curve that keeps the waters shaded and cool. There are six floors to this structure with a main staircase that winds up the middle in a gentle spiral. One is reminded of the inside of a seashell. On the ground floor of the Manse is a still pool of water that reflects gentle light about the room. As one moves up these pools get smaller and smaller until, at the sixth level, the pool is six feet wide with a blue jade dais in the center of it. On this mount the Hearthstone is formed. Hearthstone: The Gem of Reflected Lust appears as a clear, cool blue water drop that appears to have a liquid center if stared into long enough. The attuned user can induce a sense of extreme desire into the heart of another. The victim will be required to make a Willpower roll to resist the urge to pursue his desire immediately.
The Calendar Wheel (Level 4 Celestial, Hearthstone: Stone of the Sleeping Oracle) Located a small distance off the Great Plaza. This Manse is a large, flat-topped platform that rises in five steps above the streets. A wall of red jade surrounds the courtyard and has five spires on each side. Each of the spires is topped with a glittering diamond-shaped piece of Starmetal. Inside the courtyard are massive wheels filled with glyphs from the Old Realm. The wheels rotate around each other and inside each other to form a massive wheel that is hard to see when one is standing on it. To gain entrance to the Manse, one has to walk the proper route around the wheel towards the center. This is the only way one can gain access to the inner chambers and the Hearth. This Manse is valuable to the Sidereals and they can use it to increase the potency of their predictions and manipulations. Hearthstone: The Stone of the Sleeping Oracle appears as a perfect sphere of brownish yellow crystal that contains five glowing motes of colored light that interact in complex ways. When the one it is attuned to falls asleep, he will have a prophetic dream that he or she remembers when she awakes in the morning.
The Chapel of the Eagle Knights (Level 1 Air, Hearthstone: Eye of the Lightning Eagle) Located a small distance off the Great Plaza. This is a small temple-like structure that is used as the training grounds and barracks for the elite Eagle Knights. The compound is made from the ever-present red jade with a roof made out of obsidian spires that is now the nesting area of hundreds of Eagles. The structure is wide at the main gate and narrows down to a small pyramid at its farthest end. It is at the small temple at the top of the pyramid contains an obsidian pillar where the Hearthstone is formed. Hearthstone: The Eye of the Lightning Eagle appears as a red stone with a blue, jagged line running down its center like a broken pupil. The one attuned to this stone finds that their mental and physical reflexes are sharpened. This adds one die to those dice pools involving Wits or Dexterity.
Azcapotzalco’s Inhabitants
Population: 36,857 Inhabitants (Height of population was 72,440)
Physical Attributes: Azcapotzalco is populated by mortals who have been isolated from the rest of humanity for centuries. The average mortal stands about five and quarter feet tall and possesses deep brown-red skin and jet black eyes and hair. They vary between lean and wiry to stocky and muscular but all are strong and possess a driving stamina that one would be wise not to underestimate. One can see the influence of the Wyld and the hard living placed on them. Their eyes are extremely slanted and their teeth are naturally pointed and sharp. They have a natural, predatory look about them.
A side note, one out of every thousand or so births is what the natives call a Clototl, or albino. These aberrations are immediately handed over to the priesthood. What happens to them within the priests’ sanctuary no one knows.
Add to this a culture that heavily encourages body modification and you can see some truly alien looking mortals. The more popular modifications are a sloping forehead, caused by strapping boards to an infants head, extended earlobes, multiple piercing, lip extensions, and jade bead work placed under the skin through incisions.
On a mechanical note, most of the natives are considered heroic mortals do to the extreme conditions this culture inhabits. They are tough in mind, body, and spirit. They possess and practice many forms of lost First Age lore and technology.
Psychological Attributes: The psychology of the people of Azcapotzalco is based on the theory that life is fleeting and painful and that all true insights into the nature of the universe stem from pain and suffering. This is a fitting for a culture that relies on cannibalism for survival and that has been, until recently, ruled by a domineering priesthood that possessed the absolute power of life and death over the population.
Due to the crushing overpopulation problem, minimal resources, and extreme stratification of the classes, the inhabitants have become extremely perceptive of weakness and possess the ability to exploit that weakness without remorse or moral crisis. This is survival of the fittest as a basis for an entire society. It is common for parents to have many children in order to sell them off to others or simply to rent them out as servants or worse. They do so without thought as they know that their child would do the same given the same set of circumstances. For the wheel to turn there must be sacrifice. If this order breaks down, the monsters from beyond the barrier offer a far worse fate.
Societal Structure: The society of Azcapotzalco is currently ruled by the God-Queen Huitz-Tol the Spear of the Sun and her consort, the God-King Tolache of Horrid Talons. Before their Exaltation, the Priest class that still exists in a smaller and more humble form ruled the city-state. They are the God-Queen’s personal servants and do nothing without her express directives. They are actually quite well schooled in the ways of talismans and mundane astrology. They possess secret lore unknown to the lower classes.
Under the priests exists the craftsmen class. These are the elite of society and are valuable for their ability to build and maintain the structures of Azcapotzalco including the Manses. They also possess secret lore in regards to Manse construction and maintenance. An Exalted sorcerer could learn much from them. They are also the engineers who keep the mines open and functional.
Under the craftsmen are the workers. They make up the majority of the population of Azcapotzalco since it is a popular philosophy in the city-state that if one does not work, one does not eat. Or, as some would say, if one does not work, one is eaten.
The last rung on the ladder is the injured, the deformed, the mentally ill, and children. They merely count the days until they are singled out and marched to the Manses to meet the God-Queen and her consort. Criminals and outlaws are unheard of since they have no place to run to.
Cultural Attributes: Strangely enough for a culture based on death and cannibalism, the people of Azcapotzalco have a rich storytelling tradition and everyone seems to know an artistic craft or three. Works of art abound although most pay tribute to the rulers and Gods of Azcapotzalco. Each class teaches the next generation the skills required to maintain the city-state’s existence. Those who do not seem to be learning their place in society are reported to the priesthood for consideration. At all times the people know they are under surveillance.
Another curiosity is that the people seem to be outwardly happy and joyful. This quickly disappears when confronted with something that disrupts the natural order of things. They can be surprising violent in an instant. If the society was to be given a psychological label that label would be bi-polar or multiple personality disorder for the more extreme citizens.
Azcapotzalco’s Gods of Note
All Devouring Water – God of the Great Cenote. Appears as a blue skinned woman or man of vulgar proportions possessing two vipers as a head. This old and corrupt God requires a virgin male and a virgin female to be bound and thrown into its depths. The citizens, to curry its favor, carve jade “wishstones” and throw them into the Cenote. The God is secretive and quite vengeful. If wronged it could make life extremely difficult for offender. This particular God is at odds with the new rulers but measures its rebellion carefully as it clearly sees the power of the Exalted.
Drums Dangerous Stone – God of the Mines. A silent figure made of Obsidian with bands of red jade around his arms, legs and neck. He has no face and never speaks. When the miners hear the spirit’s fists smashing into the stone they know to get away from the sound as quickly as possible. The Drummer tells the miners of dangerous tunnels, explosive gas, and unseen predators if they listen closely to his signals. The older miners are quite adept at knowing what the Drummer is telling them. All miners make it a habit of leaving toy drums behind them at the end of the day. When the next miners arrive the drums are always gone. They respect the presence of Drums Dangerous Stone by pretending that the God is not present yet speaking favorably of him. It is not wise to confront this God who values his solitude.
Many Feathered Eye – God of the City-State. An enigmatic creature, this God appears as a serpent’s eye that is surrounded by an ever-shifting array of wings and feathers. It wanders the whole of the area within the barrier, accompanied by a myriad of brightly feathered hummingbirds, and watching whatever catches its singular, unblinking eye. When it chooses to speak it does so in riddles and twisted words. If one can understand what is being spoken one can gain insights into the mysteries and hidden locations of the City-State. The wrath of this God can be quite potent. Many Feathered Eye has taken the two newly ordained rulers under his wings and councils them. It understands that these two are the future of the City-State and wishes to increase the power of his domain.
Two-Faced Corn Woman – God of Corn. This God is the epitome of the dual nature of the people of Azcapotzalco. In her form of a nurturing God of Agriculture she appears as a voluptuous woman of dazzling beauty and compassionate eyes. This is the face of Corn that is giving of life and vitality. As the people of Azcapotzalco used the Corn to create pure-grain alcohol she developed a very unsavory side. When this side is dominant the skin on her skull peels away and her eyes roll back as vicious fangs erupt from her mouth. This insane and wanton creature rips apart those who encounter her. Farmers try to appease the compassionate side while celebrants and alcoholics try to appease the destructive side.
Links to Creation
Currently, and fortunately for Creation, Azcapotzalco resides on the far side of the Middlemarches. The only beings that know about its existence are the Sidereals of the Bronze Faction. For some reason, Azcapotzalco has produced more than its share of Sidereal Exalted. It has been theorized that since the cities priesthood are some of the best mortal astrologers and astronomers around that the Maidens smile upon the city. Perhaps the Maidens had a hand in its survival? They won’t say.
When the Sidereals wish to gather a newly Exalted brother or sister, they use the Calibration Gate to enter and leave. Other than this method the only way to and from Azcapotzalco is to journey through the Wyld. Even if you made it to the barrier wall, you would encounter several Fair Folk stationed outside that you would have to confront.
But that may change…
Huitz-Tol and Tolache are attempting to find a way to pull their city-state back to the shores of Creation. Tolache is working and experimenting with the great stores of knowledge held within the Manses. He is about to gain use of Celestial Circle spells and is starting to understand more and more about some of the earth-shattering artifacts in his possession. Perhaps these two discoveries will allow his people to be turned loose on Creation?
The History of Azcapotzalco
Azcapotzalco was built in the early years of the First Age as a staging ground and fortress of forces that were to be aimed at the Fair Folk and the forces of the Wyld. It was considered a Demesne of unusual power but nothing much really became of it until the fantastic supplies of Magical Materials and other valuables were discovered during initial experimental mining operations.
In a decade a huge city had grown around the mines. The Solar Deliberative sent the Dawn Caste Tetzauhteotl of the Ill Omen and his wife, the No-Moon Chicomecoatl of the Seven Serpents to manage and protect the vast wealth of the site. Tetzauhteotl brought with him Dragon-Blooded architects of great skill, Sidereal advisors, and Dragon King craftsmen to help him build the Manses and great plaza that stand today. It was Chicomecoatl who came up with the design of the monoliths and their means of empowerment. The plaza, monoliths and the two Manses took over 90 years to build. Each Manse is made out of carved red jade and obsidian was considered to be prime examples of the greatness of the Solar Deliberative. The House of the Unconquered Sun, an enormous step-pyramid stood on one side of the plaza and the enormous red jade and obsidian blocks were inlayed with Orichalcum. The House of the Silent Moon was similar but smaller with Moonsilver used in the inlay instead of Orichalcum. Scholars and astrologers from around Creation made pilgrimages to Azcapotzalco to study these master works.
The Fair Folk attempted to disrupt its construction many times but could not withstand the might of the great Tetzauhteotl who had taken par t in the ousting of the Primordials from Creation. Once the construction was done they never even attempted an assault on the city-state until the dark days of the Contagion.
As the years turned the city-state became a mighty jewel in the crown of the Solar Deliberative. Colleges came to be that instructed mortals and Exalted alike in the lore of Manse building, astrology and astronomy, and the working of the Five Magical Materials. Wealth flowed in from all directions.
As the city-state grew in wealth, Tetzauhteotl and Chicomecoatl grew arrogant and despotic. When their Sidereal advisors complained that Chicomecoatl’s use of the House of the Silent Moon was damaging their astrological readings, she flew into a rage and injured two of them. Then, to heap more insult onto the injury, she declared that Azcapotzalco was off-limits to all Sidereals.
At the same time the Dragon-Blooded legions were growing weary of fighting and dying against the Fair Folk who had ceased being a threat centuries before. Tetzauhteotl would take them into the Wyld to rid himself of the boredom he felt. He had long ago slain his favorite adversaries and being the lord of merchants and artisans was not something the Dawn Caste could get into to.
Thus the seeds of Tetzauhteotl and Chicomecoatl’s downfall were sown. They never saw the knives being sharpened behind their backs. They never heard the whispers of discontent made by their “loyal” retainers. No one knows how they met their end accept for Huitz-Tol and Tolache and they are not willing to talk to their lessers about such things.
The Great Betrayal came to Azcapotzalco in the form of an urgent summons. The messenger, a Sidereal, told the pair that the Solar Deliberative was under attack by the ancient and vengeful Yozis who were, at that moment, poised to take the Blessed Isle itself! They were to gather their forces and leave immediately.
The two, excited by the challenge, gathered their personal arsenals and mustered their legions. They left the city-state in the hands of the College lore masters and told them to maintain things until they returned triumphant. They, and their vast legions, were never heard from again. The legions of Dragon-Blooded allowed the grand City-State to run on its own as they worked to cement their positions on the Blessed Isle and organize the newly formed government in the absence of the Solar Deliberative. They had intended to return but the Contagion and Fair Folk sidetracked any plans they may have held for Azcapotzalco.
Azcapotzalco was one of the first places hit by the forces of the Wyld as they surged inward. This was the true test of the barriers and they worked perfectly. Untold thousands of Fair Folk threw themselves at the barrier and paid the ultimate price for it. Those who survived contact with the barrier refused to attempt it again. The permanent nature of their comrade’s demise forces the legions to move past the city-state and continue on to easier targets.
The dissolution of Reality outside the barrier causes panic and unrest amongst the citizens. They turned to the lore masters of the Colleges for advice and comfort. In the beginning they stood up and nobly tried to lead the people and maintain the sense of order and veneration of the Unconquered Sun. As noble as their beginnings, the food crisis, the living space crisis, and civil unrest had brought about a change of culture and roles.
The biggest crisis of them all was the one that turned this once virtuous city-state into a blood drinking, cannibalistic culture. That was the barrier crisis. The masters of lore noted that the barriers seemed to be weakening, as was the flow of Essence from the Manses. They believed they had another five to ten years before they were completely vulnerable. Delving into their vast libraries they came up with a solution. They would solve the overpopulation, food supply, political dissent, and Essence depletion with one simple solution: human sacrifice. The masters of lore elevated themselves to the roles of priests and the ultimate purveyors of the divine will. They made one of their own into a God-King and made the role hereditary. As they implemented the changes they noticed a strengthening of the barrier. They also noticed that the more painful the sacrifice, the more Essence that was released. Ritualized torture of the sacrifices became standard. The Unconquered Sun and Luna, of course, sanctioned all of this. Without sacrifice, the sun and moon would no longer rise for their city.
Within three centuries they had produced a heavily stratified society, converted to cannibalistic practices, and had mostly forgotten the grand and wonderful history of their city-state. The priesthood used their craft and force of arms to punish dissent and had completely wiped it out with a brutality that has rarely been seen in Creation.
And so the years moved forward. The people began lose their full range of human emotion. There was little that could shock them and little hope that they would ever be able to be out from under the priests and the horrible Sun and Moon Gods that consumed their lives, families, and dreams with an unending appetite.
Then came what the natives of Azcapotzalco call the Rebirth of the Sun and Moon. During the early years of the reign of High Priest Cihuacaotyl, the One Who Roars, was born a strange child born under auspicious stars. This child grew into the role set for him and studied the lore presented to him. He quickly surpassed his teachers in their understanding of astrology, astronomy, and the geomantic principles of the Pyramids upon which he and his fellow priests performed their rituals. He modified the calendars to reflect corrections he made in the astronomical calculations. He even improved some of the maintenance methods of the pyramids to increase their efficiency. The other priests grew fearful of the young man’s abilities and sought to rid themselves of a potential threat of unknown power. They turned the High Priest against his son easily. Even the man’s father was fearful of him.
The High Priest made an announcement that the Unconquered Sun demanded a great sacrifice be made. What could be greater than to sacrifice an up and coming priestly prodigy? He named his own son and the people cheered. The son did not. He knew the Unconquered Sun did not ask for him. He knew his rivals had plotted against him while he had his face buried in ancient scrolls.
He was imprisoned in the Chapel of the Eagle Knights, the Manse that was the home of the warrior faction of the priesthood. Somehow, the young man was able to escape the compound through means unknown. Even more strange was that he had made his way into passages that run underneath the Great Plaza, the House of the Unconquered Sun and the House of the Silent Moon. The priests did not know these passages. It was there that this strange lad discovered the First Age relics that powered the barrier that protected Azcapotzalco for all these centuries.
The accounts of what happened next tell that the young man appeared at the top of the House of the Unconquered Sun. He emerged from the main temple housing at the top with a strange thirteen-pointed star crystal in his hands. He then walked down the main stair. As he did so, the crystal began to glow brighter and brighter until the crystal was unbearable to look at. The young man held it over his head as he mounted the podium that was set into the center of the Great Plaza. People were gathering and the priests, who were performing their rituals at the top of the House of the Silent Moon, came running to see who was defiling there sacred rituals.
Cihuacaotyl showed up quickly with his Eagle Knights in tow. He looked upon his son with disbelief and asks the young lad what he had done. The only reply he received was mocking laughter. As it grew the crystal flared and fingers of energy flowed from it to connect with the thirteen spires that protected the city-state. With a final look of hatred, the man threw the crystal at his father’s feet. The blast of light and concussive force threw the gathered mob to the ground.
The young man remained standing as he watched the strands of power fade away. It grew deadly quiet for a long, painful moment and then they heard a most horrific sound. The sound of the Fair Folk’s hunting horns. They realized the barrier was down.
Instantly the crowd panicked and bolted to retrieve whatever weapons and protections they thought they possessed. The young priest’s father ordered him killed immediately. The Eagle Knights lunged forward and then fell over dead. Each one with a single, yellow feathered arrow in their hearts. A man had appeared next to the Mocking One and with a flash of his yellow cape they were gone. Leaving the citizens of Azcapotzalco to the tender mercies of the Fair Folk.
No one remembers what happened next but in the fierce fighting and confusion two of their number Exalted and made their way to the House of the Unconquered Sun and the House of the Silent Moon. With a flash of gold and silver the barrier was re-established and every Fair Folk within the boundaries of the city-state dissolved into shapeless masses that screamed in agony. Those who survived gathered in the Great Plaza to worship their Gods made flesh.
The God-Queen Huitz-Tol, the Spear of the Sun, stood at the top of the House of the Unconquered Sun adorned in the shining brilliance of her patron. She wore a suit of armor and brandished a golden lance that she took for her namesake. Across the Great Plaza stood the God-King Tolache of Horrid Talons whose outspread wings rained silver motes of light upon the gathered crowd. The God-Queen walked down the stairs and the God-King glided down the pyramid. They met at the podium and stood looking at each other for long moments. Each opened their hand at the same time. Huitz-Tol held a band of Orichalcum while Tolche held one of Moonsilver. Without a word they placed the bands on each other’s finger and then held hands as they turned to face the crowd.
She had tears in her eyes as she spoke with a voice pure and strong, “My children! We have returned!” The crowd cheered and some priests moved forward, pushing themselves through the crowd. Her spear struck them down before they could speak a word. She looked upon her people with a harsh eye, “The reign of the priests is at an end. Our word is the only word that matters from now on! Gather the priests and bring them to me!” The crowd jumped to her orders immediately.
That is how the reign of Huitz-Tol and Tolche began. They have reconstructed the damage done by the Fair Folk and have been working to change the damage done to the main Manses by years of blood and suffering. It is not easy and some sacrifice still occurs. It is, after all, the only thing they have ever known.
Recently Tolche has worked a deal with the Fair Folk to have them transport live animals from Creation to stock a game reserve he is creating and to start a domestic animal breeding program to maintain the food supply. The new rulers hope to rid themselves of cannibalism in the coming decades. This has been helped by the fact that the population dropped instantly due to the Fair Folk incursion. They possess deep memories of what Azcapotzalco used to be and its fallen state is a source of pain to them. When they are not out tending to the needs of their followers, they are buried in hidden rooms of the Manses devouring lore and learning everything they can about the structures within the city-state.
They have artifacts of tremendous power at their disposal as well as libraries of lore that would be of incredible worth if located in Creation. They have no idea what is going on outside of their city-state and are not about to start believing the words of the Fair Folk they deal with. When they have fully realized their powers they will attempt to connect to the lands denied them by the Wyld.
