Pachamama

Pachamama is the Image of the Kirkjufell mountain, featured in Session 3 of Eyes of Katobi 2. It acts as a set of supernatural trials that are aimed to test the greed and the avarice of anyone pursuing items possessed by the mountain. The tests are enacted by an appointed master with the name of Popsicles.

## Biography

### Origin

Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous peoples of the Andes. In Inca mythology, she is an "Earth Mother" type goddess, and a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting, embodies the mountains, and causes earthquakes. She is also an ever-present and independent deity who has the creative power to sustain life on this earth. Her shrines are hollow rocks or the boles of legendary trees, and her artists envision her as an adult female bearing harvests of potatoes or coca leaves. The four cosmological Quechua principles – Water, Earth, Sun, and Moon – claim Pachamama as their prime origin. Priests sacrifice offerings of llamas, cuy (guinea pigs), children (The Capacocha Ritual), and elaborate, miniature, burned garments to her. Pachamama is the mother of Inti the sun god, and Mama Killa the moon goddess. Mama Killa is said to be the wife of Inti.

After the Spanish colonization of the Americas, they converted the native populations of the region to Roman Catholicism. Due to religious syncretism, the figure of the Virgin Mary was associated with that of the Pachamama for many of the indigenous people.

As Andean cultures formed modern nations, the figure of Pachamama was still believed to be benevolent, generous with her gifts, and a local name for Mother Nature. In the 21st century, many indigenous peoples in South America base environmental concerns on these ancient beliefs, saying that problems arise when people take too much from nature because they are taking too much from Pachamama.

### Appearance

Pachamama is depicted as being bound to Kirkjufell Mountain. Mount Kirkjufell becomes elongated and becomes a statue of a four-armed woman holding a baby with two arms and holding two arms up with an arc of floating stars. The statue has been crosshatched and has holes in various places. There is a black second layer of the same statue, which is made up of its human victims, most of which display expressions of pain and grimace. The main layer is hollow, with drawings of horses and oxen skulls on the walls. On the base facing the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall is a chest its master uses to present new victims with their gifts.

### Abilities

Pachamama attaches itself to Mount Kirkjufell and serves as a trial for those discovering the tree and its current master. Although seemingly easy to pass, the test becomes more difficult as it goes on and will push a person's will to its limits.

#### Master

Mount Kirkjufell appoints one of the victims to fail its second trial as its master, charging them with interacting with passing people and giving them full disclosure about the tests. The individual's age locks despite the passing of time, thus Popsicles, a shy dolphin youkai, remains 14 years old despite being the tree's guardian for many years (around 12).

#### Trial of Greed

Pachamama affects the entire north coast of Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula and activates when someone drops an object worth value (a rare weapon, piece of jewelry, or artifact to be specific) in the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall.

Pachamama’s master (i.e. Popsicles), then approaches the person who dropped the item, then presents the said dropped item, along with a much more valuable or improved version of the item, asking which item they dropped in the waterfall. For example, Popsicles asked whether Shinku dropped the blue Tachriallite, a gold-jeweled staff with desert powers, or an ancient necklace with a large falcon pendant made of malachite.

If a person succumbs to their greed and lies, the mountain punishes the offender: they are slowly petrified, starting from a part of their body (such as one of their legs) turning to stone and working up to the whole body.

If the person tells the truth, they can keep the more valuable/improved items along with the original.

The trial is straightforward and someone can even obtain the Magatama Mount Kirkjufell is guarding easily by dropping an ancient pendant in the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall and answering truthfully. If the person chooses to end it and leave with the riches, the second part of the test begins.

#### Trial of Avarice

Before midnight, the person who obtained the riches must “use them up”. If they fail, they are petrified and must wait in line before they turn from stone to their fleshy vessels and become the next master. If they succeed, the current master as well as those in line are freed.

Through lawful exchanges between parties, selling the riches, or losing them in a gamble, the person must get rid of everything they obtained, even the money given in exchange for the riches. To Lapis’ dismay, even the Magatama needed to be traded away. Giving away the riches, trashing the riches, having them stolen or destroyed, or losing them because of cheating counts as not rightfully using them and thus, Mount Kirkjufell will begin to petrify the offender until they get back the lost item.

The trial may be surprisingly hard to complete. If one accumulates too much riches, the administrative ordeal of trading great sums of money, the mistrust of potential traders, or the threat of being stolen can make someone lose time and fail the test, and if the riches are destroyed, they automatically fail.

## Trivia

* Pachamama's ability was likely inspired by one of Aesop's Fables, about a woodcutter who accidentally drops his ax into the lake. When Hermes offers him a silver or gold ax, the woodcutter tells him the truth that his ax is simply a normal one, and Hermes rewards him with all three for his honesty.
* Pachamama is the first Image whose user is a landmark.
	+ It is also one of 3 Images whose user is a landmark, the other 2 being Saturn used by the Frammusset, and Achlys, used by the Belém Tower.