The Yaotlan Empire

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**The Yaotlan Empire** is an tribal based empire located on the Island of Mictlan, south of the Island of Napha, north of Llumiso Village and in the middle of the sea of night. Based on the seven main Tribes that inhabited Mictlan, the empire was united by the first emperor, Golden Vulture, who also founded the capital Yaotlantitlan, around the holy monolith of skulls, at the coast of the inner Island of Cacotlatan.

## Geography

The Yaotlan Empire contains four major Islands, as well as well as a few minor colony settlements on the Islands north of Mictlan. While known for its tropic and deadly jungles, there are also plains of swamps, endless beaches and small mountain ranges inside the empire.

Since the reforms of the second emperor, Crimson vulture, travel inside the empire has become much easier as roads have been build through the jungle, and are protected by the imperial army, who keeps a watchful eye on the beasts of the jungle and bandits.

The people of Yaotlan also seldom build walls to protect them self from enemies, but rather to keep the jungle outside their cities. Deadly and treacherous, even the most skilled of hunters fear the dark hearts of the deep jungle, for

### The four Islands of Mictlan

#### Cacotlatan

The second biggest Island, Cacotlatan, "The land of Cacao", lays in the west of Mictland. Inhabited by the children of the "Snake who always hungers" ,Coatl, and the jaguar god of war, Ocelotl, it is also the heart of the Yaotlan Empire with the seat of its power, the capital Yaotlantitlan located on its coast.

The island is mostly dominated by the steamy jungle, that covers most of Mitchlan, and endless sandy beaches at the western side of the island. Since the founding of the empire, the landscape had some minor changes, as now cacao and coffee plantations, massive roads and minor cities disrupt the jungle, while rivers are redirected and aqueduct cut through the jungles, like blood veins would through a human body. Still the home island of the capital is far from being urbanized, and as such still harbors many secrets in the deep dark hearts of the jungle.

#### Tlaloctlatan

The biggest of all Islands, Tlalctlatan, "The land of Thunder", lays in the east of Mictlan. Inhabited by the children of the Thundergod, Tlaloc, the most numerous of all seven tribes, and the children of the spider god, Toci. On its far east lays the harbor of Queltacala, the second largest city of the empire.

Like Cacotlatan, the island has its share of jungle, yet in its heart lay the Teoctepētl, the "Mountains made out of Gold". Home to some of the richest goldmines in all of Thrae, it is also a holy place of Tlaloc, where his priests dance on top of the highest mountains, until they receive his blessing in from of a lightning-strike. South of it lay the swampy marches, home of the tribes that follow Toci, mother of all webs that hold the world in place. Indeed are the swamps home to countless races of deadly spiders, that range from a few inches to the size of a battleship. Uninhabitable, for anyone who hasn't the blessing of Toci, it is still only settled by the tribes that were always native to the endless swamps. And while the northern half of Tlaloctlatan has been subjects to the steady mark of progress, in form of roads, settlements and mining-projects, the swamps have almost been left alone.

#### Xoctlatan

The third in size, and the most northern Island of Mictlan, Xoctlatan, "The land of the great Shark", is the home of the tribes that worship Xoc, the great white shark, that rules the seas. Home to the most skillfull fishermen in all of Mitctlan

### Colotlatan

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## Government

The government of the Yaotlan empire is dominated by the emperor, the

## Military

### The Vultures Imperial Army

Founded by the second emperor, crimson vulture, to limit the power of the Warrior Orders and the Seven temples, the Imperial army soon became the main fighting force of the empire. While being looked down upon, by the noble orders, who see little more then armed peasants in the imperial army, they were proven wrong on more then one occasion.

Recruited from the lower classes of the Yaotlan society, the force is made up out of volunteers, who are eager to claim the chance to carry arms and win glory for their name. Trained by Veterans in war-camps, the emperor can allways demand that the men and women are drafted into service, if the empire is in dire need. This only happened once, during the uprising of the tribes of Tlaloc, and had devastating consequences for the imperial economy

The normal time of service are twenty harvests, and followed up by another twenty harvests of reserve duty. After that, the warrior is rewarded with a piece of land, and enough slaves to work on that land. Alternatively, he can serve as a Veteran, with a higher pay, and if shown enough skill in battle, might even be invited to join one of the warriors orders.

### The Warrior Orders

Before the descending of the first emperor, Golden Vulture, waging war was a privilege of the nobility of each tribe, who would honor their Chosen god, by wearing his colors and dress in a way that would resemble the holy animal of said god. Being fearsome warriors in single combat, their strict code of honor, combined with their holy fervor made them vanguard of the Yaotlan army, a position they hold till this very day, even if their position is questioned by the rising status of the imperial army.

Each Order follows a different doctrine in battle

### The Skull Knights

The history of the Skull Knights is lost in time, but the earliest tales and legends of the Yaotlan people tell of the masked guardians of the Tzompantli Monolith, who hide their faces behind the skulls of slain enemies, and hold no names on their own. Joining the empire after submitting to the first emperor, Golden Vulture, they still uphold their sacred duty of protecting the Monolith, and making sure that always new skulls are placed on its base. While the emperor has no direct control over the Skull Knights, they do joins his army from time to time, and their mere presence on the field of battle had lead to more then one unconditional surrender.

Every man and woman in the empire can join the Skull knights, yet few survive the ordeal placed on them to test their abilities. When a novice has proven himself to the other knights, he takes a skull from the base to create his own mask. From the moment the novice places the mask on his face, the novice loses his name, his memory and his future. He becomes a silent guardian, unaffected by age or sickness, knowing that his own skull will one day rest on the base of the Monolith, after he has been killed in battle. For this is the grim destiny of all Knights that offer their lifes to protect the Monolith.

### The Imperial Navy

While the Yaotlan people, especially the followers of Xoc, have allways used canoes and other water based vessels, they lacked the knowledge to build ships that were able to cross the ocean. Locked to their land, they were unable to hunt down the foreign pirats and slavers, that tormented the tribes long before the empire was found. Seeing the need for a strong naval force to protect its coasts, the second emperor, Crimson Vulture, ordered that captured ships of raiders should be copied. The outcome was a disappointment, as they craftsman had no background as shipwrights, nor any nautic knowledge. Ships after ship was claimed by the sea, and some saw it as a punishment by the great white shark, Xoc, who was angered by the hubris of the second emperor. Already giving up, the emperor got news about a ship of foreign traders, who tried to ignore the law of isolation, and wanted to buy Cacao. Having their ship sized and the traders hailing from Garnir arrested, they were offered an royal pardon for their crime of setting foot on the holy ground of Mictlan, if they would agree to assist in the building of ships and the training of sailors to pilot them. While this was met with a lot of protest by the holy council, the lesser council offered its full support, as they could see the protection a navy could provide. Yet even the holy council was convinced as the first ships would leave Yaotlantitlan, setting sail to destroy any Pirat den, that used to be out of reach. Coming back with holds filled with stolen loot, freed tribe members and new slaves, the imperial navy had won its first victory. Till the opening of Yaotlan empire to the world, ordered by the fourth empress, Black Vulture, the navy would be used to provide an protection against raiders, and enforce the isolation of the empire, by sinking any ship that would try to reach the Island. After the opening, the navy would be used to explore the world, secure trade and provide a military base for expansions.

The design of the ships is heavily influenced by typical Garnir craftsmanship, yet lacks the superior dwarfen metalwork and tools. As such the Yaotlan empire was never able to reach the high quality of the original ships, yet could easily adapt parts of it to their local technology, by changing metal parts for wood. The ballista, a weapon unknown to the Yaotlan people before, was copied with great enthusiasm and again adapted for the local, metal-less, society. The sailors are mostly recruited from the tribes of Xoc, and still trained in the same way, sailors are in Garnir. The influence of this enforced help is still seen today, as most of the nautic words used by sailors are based on Irhavat tongue.

In combat, the ships mostly try to close in on their enemy, then rely on their marines, mostly shark-warriors, to overwhelm the enemy in brutal close-combat. Using the copied dwarfen ballistas, they use firebombs, obsidian tipped spears, and sealed orbs with angry hornets inside, to lay fire at enemy ships.

At the moment, the empire tries to hire new shipwrights to extend its fleet and to modernize its ships. Under the order of the fourth empress, Opal Vulture, experts from other nations are invited to travel to Yaotlan and are offered payment in gold, titles and slaves

## Culture

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## Economy

While the natives call the Island Mictlan, many other cultures have adopted another name for it, "Land of endless gold" The hills of Tlaloctlatan are filled with

## History

### The time before the founding of the empire, the time of blood (???-0)

In its oldest stories, the elder of the tribes tell from the time long before the empire, there are great heroes, men and women who earned the attention of the gods, some even of them even became gods themself. It was a time of legends, long gone and only remembered in half-forgotten stories. But even in these stories, the monolith of Tzompantli is mentioned, even old at these times. Guarded by the Skull-knights, this mighty monument was the center of the faith of the pre-empire people.

While little is known about this dark age, the few stories that remain are tainted with blood. They tell about a time, in which each tribe waged war against the other, only to gain as much trophies and glory as they could, to present it to the monolith, who would reward the ones he saw fit, and punished the ones that displeased him. The ones that were rewarded became gods them-self, and would enter the realm of hunger, for the gods were never sated. But even in its own bloody the history, one chief was able to impress the dreaming Monolith more then anyone could before. His true name has been forgot, yet the stories of his battles are countless and brought him all around Thrae. When he returned to the monolith, an old, grey man, he was offered a godhood for his trophies, but in his pride, he laughed over this offer, and demanded to fight the gods himself. For a mere moment the monolith woke up from his slumber and devoured his whole tribe around him. He himself was granted a single glare into the realm of the gods, enough to tear apart his sanity, leaving him to wander with empty eyes for the rest of his short life. In this mere moments, the seven gods would enter this realm, shaping the future of the people of Mictlan for ever.

Seven they were, coming from the realm of hunger, to feast and to take their devine place. Coatl, the serpent that allways hungers, Ocelotl, the skinless jaguar, bringer of war and mayhem, Tlaloc, the lord of thunder and lighting, Toci, the spider of flesh and bones, Xoc, the great shark of white and red, Cuauhtli, the three headed eagle and Colotl, the red eyes scorpion. They all were cast into this realm, as the monolith had awoken, and their hunger had to be sated. They would walk over the land, leaving death and chaos in their wake, but soon they would find them-self pleased by the mortals that worshiped them as the god they were, offering sacrifices in their name, their hunger couldnt be sated, yet at least for a time calmed. They found themself places to call their own, with human tribes to satisfy their every needs, and who would in return be blessed with boons from time to time, learning from the way of their new gods. Wars were still fought, but no longer just to impress the monolith, whos sleep got deeper over the years, but to also win the favor of their new gods. This, so the stories tell, was the time before the first emperor had ever spread his wings.

### The reign of the first emperor: Golden Vulture (0-132)

The day the golden Vulture would spread its wings, the moment the Yaotlan empire was born was the moment when the whispers of the Monolith ended. Appearing on its top of the gigantic black monument, the first emperor, Golden Vulture, would fly down, before folding and march forward. And like one man, the Skull knights followed him, guarding him with the same, silent loyalty they showed to protect the monolith. The few worshipers that were around, were stricken with awe, as the whispers of the monolith had vanished in a mere moment. Raising his hands, Golden Vulture began to speak, and even if the tribesmen couldn't understand each other, they all could understand the tongue he spoke. His words were filled with disgust for the petty wars the people of Mictlan, for they pity-full strive for a flicker of divine attention but most of all he spoke of unity. And when the sun had setted over the plain of the monolith, there was not a single soul that wouldn't share his Vision for a united Mictlan. In this moment, the Yaotlan empire was born, and the year zero in its calendar was set on this very day.

Leading the Skull Knights and mere men that crossed his path, he set his eyes upon the tribes, that lived at Cacotlatan, some of them worshiping Coatl, the others followed Ocelotl. Both gods had already been rivals in the realm of hunger, yet here, in the world of plenty, they waged an open war. Serpent-warriors, carrying poisoned spears would clash with disciplined jaguar-warriors, who would face the treachery and cunning of the snake, with quick and well planned attacks. In the greatest of these battles, the gods them self would duel each other, just as their followers did. Cacotlatan was a battlefield, and the common people of both sides, who didn't had the privilege of high birth, that allowed them to wage war for their god, would suffer greatly, not only from the constant holy war of the nobles, but also from attack of sea-bound raiders, who would plage the sub-island like locust. But neither of both sides expected the Vulture to descend upon then, and when he did, his fury was endless. He crushed the Jaguar, picking out his eyes as they fought in the sky, while the skull-knights crushed his army. Blind and broken, he bowed before Golden Vulture, submitting himself to serve the new emperor. Turning his eyes from the blind Jaguar, the golden Vulture and his army, now including the warriors of the Jaguar God, would have to face the serpent and the tribes serving it. While relying on trickery and cunning, Golden Vulture again used the might of the Skull Knights, combined with the strength of the Jaguar Warriors to crush them. In front of all the tribes, enemy and ally alike, he broke the neck of the serpent, forcing it to bend before the new ruler of Cacotlatan.

Knowing that he lacked the army to venture east to the Land of the Thundergod, he marched north, to the smallest of all the Islands Colotlatan, land of the people of Cuauhtli, the three headed eagle. The emperor arrived at the head of his army, and was greeted by the chiefs of the tribes. They bowed willingly, and the three headed Eagle wouldnt contest the sky against the might of Golden vulture. As a reward his people were spared any battles and would peacefully be integrated into the empire. Golden Vulture honored them further, by using their written signs, as a base for the Yaotlan script. The three headed eagle would be brought to the great monolith, where he helped Golden Vulture to create the base for seven great temples. In shock he would realize that the emperor would use these as a focus, to bound him, Coatl and Ocelotl to the land that would soon be the great city of Yaotlantitlan. Flying back north, the emperor rejoined his army, and choose Xoctlatan as his next target, for he would need the support of the seafaring people of Xoc, as well as the rage of the tribes of Colotl.

This time, the emperor wouldnt find an easy victory, for both gods had forged an alliance, and their warriors were supported by the Thunder tribes. Golden Vultures army was outnumbered four to one. Yet without any regard of this odds, he ordered the crossing of the river, knowing what would await them on the other side. With arrows, firebombs, magic and hornets, the landing army was welcomed, while the sky above them turned into a roaring thunderstrom, as the god of thunder, Tlaloc, unleashed its wrath on the army of the insolent usurpator. Four times the attack had to be halted, four times the army of the Emperor was beaten back. But during the fifth attack, the defenders were shocked to see that Golden Vulture himself lead the attack, surrounded by the Skull knights. Inside his massive War-cannoe, he summoned a gigantic wave, and made it crush into the defenders.

### The reign of the fourth empress: Scared Vulture (267-300)

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