Azcala

Azcala-A realm in the JR&WoB game A realm based very loosely on Aztec mythology and using a vast amount of Aztec stylized art.

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As shadow swarms and chaos swirls bastions of Order have their places of ascendancy. A place of Order cast its might against the flow of wild chaos.

Azcala is a realm of 9 tiers based on a Sigil. Each level a vast land comprising lands and seas as vast as a thousand earths or more. Its sense is that of a Primal realm though its volume is not. The Sigil of Azcala is a might construct based on a failed attempt to create a Pattern.

Stories of Azcala are few in Amber. It had some brief interactions with Amber in the ancient past but the details are lost to antiquity. It was not close enough to any Golden Circle realm to have left a memory of its time. Echos of a war between Amber and Azcala are spoken of but it was squashed by Oberon in its infancy. Like many realms that makes war on Amber, their reasons are their own and often the insults are as well.

There are legends of wars between Chaos Lords and various

Court of Azcala

The Court of Azcala is a powerful collection of personalities. They don't all like each other.

Royal House of Azcala and the Line of Tonacat

The High King and Queen of Azcala are Tonacat and Cihuacoa. Tonacat was long a prisoner under house arrest in Chaos. Cihuacoa was a Lady in Waiting and Servitor of the Serpent during her husband's imprisonment. During their time in Chaos Azcala was sealed against all interactions beyond its borders.

Some of the royal family were trapped outside when the realm was sealed and others trapped inside. Those on the outside were Xozla, Untara, Zolton, Alcona, and Mixcoatl. As well as Tonacat and Cihuacoa. Those inside were Cihalas, Quetzecatl, Aztilios, Zictalas, Zentalas, Acoza, Xolotl, and Coatlicue.

Other Royal Lines of Azcala

While the family of Tonacat are the undisputed royal family and rulers of Azcala they are by no means the only people of rank and power or the only royalty.

Tesloa Line

Cipactonal and Oxomoco rule the realm of tesola, and the great city of

Past Royal Lines

Before the rise of The Clan Tonacat other royal lines ruled in Azcala. The clan Tonoacat spent ages destroying and slaying the remnants of previous royal lines till only a few exist. Then they spent centuries erasing the legends, memories and monuments as well as remaining supporters of those ancient lines.

Huitzilopochtli

Huitzilopochtl, also called Huitzil, is a King in the

Location

Cosmologically speaking Azcala is close to the Black Sway but not part of it.

Azcala does not exist on the well traveled paths between Amber and Chaos. Nor does the Jeweled Road extend into it. There are only three pathways into this closed system. One can transport into it from constructs like the Logrus and the Patterns. It is unknown if transport into Azcala is possible by the Mark of Mandalay.

There is a powerful Chaos Path of Blood from Chaos to Zictla. This tells of conflicts at some time in the ancient past. Also, until recently the two paths into Azcala were sealed against

Over time pathways have opened and trumps and pattern transports can enter Azcala. The Jeweled Road extends into the Azcalan Sway. King Random's deck has cads entering Azcala that just began working.

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Tiers of Azcala

(1) Tzin Tlalocan

The seat of the gods. A paradise of lush and desolate places, where the lucky come to find their places of solitude and excitement. This realm is a incredibly beautiful realm. It has nearly every environment. There are vast numbers of cities, villages and hamlets, in one size or another. In the center of the vasty realm is the Tower of the Sun, where Tonacat rules.

(2) Tesola

This vast realm is almost entirely cultivated and inhabited. Farms, cities, fortifications, villages, dells, waterways and seas. The capital od Azcala rests on a great island in the middle of a massive lake on this plain, Tenochilan, the Great Center. The rulers of of Tesola are Cipactonal and Oxomoco. Both are mighty sorcerers, controllers of the Calender, and producers of plenty. They are not blood relations of the members of the Azcala royal family. Many in Azcala consider them the first man and woman, apart from the gods. They bore a son named Piltzintecuhtli, who married a maiden, daughter of Xochiquetzal

• While the people of Tesola are not specifically pacifists but they are exempt from the involuntary bloody alters common in other realms of Azcala. Residents join military groups and clans. Warrior bands like the Yellow Eyes are popular with the Tesoli. The Clans of the Eagle and the Clan of Corn gain many recruits here.

A great producer of food for the many shadows of Azcala.

• Home of the Corn Clan. The Corn Clan are a gathering of farmers and cooks. It rises to the respectability of the other clans but is often overlooked for it lack of military ability. Many members of the military quartermasters and logistical branch are members of the Corn Clan.

(3)Umillan-Zlapa

A vast series of islands and archipelagos. Its main ruler is Quetzal. (This will be a main person in this realm). This realm is a place of learning and education, a cultured place where denizens of all the other realms spend time gaining skills and education.

It is a heavily populated realm with a series shadowpaths leading in and out of Azcala. Traveling from Umillan to realms inside Azcala is trickier but not impossible. This is one of the only places open to shadows beyond Azcala

(4)Ahshaza

A vast continent with one massive central lakes with many islands. Like a submerged mountain range. Forests fil this realm and nearly every growing thing yields fruit to feed the living, and fertilize the growing. The central lake is ruled by Naytalaz- a great lake creature of great age. Many small nations and kingdoms fill this vast plain.

(5) Untola

This is the breadbasket of Azcala. It is a realm of vast growth. Every thing that grows in the realm grows here someplace. This realm has several large settlements but it has a huge number of tiny villages, hamlets and strongholds.

• Chicomecoatl, goddess of agriculture
• Centeotl, god of the maize associated with the Tianquiztli (Pleiades)
• Xilonen, goddess of tender maize

(6)Zictla

The Realm of the Ravaged. Ruled by Zictalas and his wife/sister Zentalas and Senior warrior Xozla, a brother of Zictalas & Zentalas, and his sister/wife Cihalas. Cihalas, a sister, responsible for medical care, especially childbirth and Attended by motherly women, yet still seen as a death goddess. Snakes are Cihalas' symbol. Acoza-Son of Zictala&Zentalas, Warrior, associated with Pumas. Acolna-A younger son associated with the squirrel. Aztalios and Untara, brother and sister, are the children of Xozla and Cihalas. Untara is a rebel of the house of Zictla and hates everyone in it, especially her brother Aztalios.

This realm is a craggy mountainous realm of blacked and desolate lands. Volcanoes, rivers of lava, fast growing forests that frequently burn leaving charred remains and a smoky haze over the whole tier.

(7)Zunala

This is a warrior realm. The people born and raised here fill the majority of the armies of Azcala. They are a blood soaked people who love death sports and bloody warfare. They heal extremely fast compared to other races and are nearly immune to diseases. They are able to survive in incredible heats but do poorly in snows and cold weather. Its ruler, Xolotl, brother of Quetzel, is a canine war god of extraordinary cruelty who favors sickness and monsters.

They are also the arm of the priesthood. People of other realms often fear the coming of the Arm of the Alters, who collect victims for sacrifice. Nearly all the royalty and most the nobility raise their armies here. Many of the royalty have cities and nations in Zunala that worship them individually.

The Destruction of Zunala

For reasons unknown to natives of Azcala, Zunala suffered a cataclysm. The mountain range that surrounded the realm, enclosing the vast lands inside, suddenly erupted and flew a thousand feet in the air, crashing to the ground and leaving a ring of rubble around what became an inland sea when the protective ring was shattered. The outer sea had flowed in to filled the wrinkles land creating many large islands. The population once nearly a billion was drowned. Survivors fled into the crumbled mountain ranges and settled in places where considerable soil remained.

A deity called Desalri rose as a bringer of life to the survivors of Zunala. She refused to meet other Azcalan deities and refused to take rulership of the realm since Xolotl disappeared in the disaster.

(8)Etepaq

This dark realm is filled with billions of people living in complex medium technological realms. A sword age with the internal combustion engine with cars, motorcycles, tractors and gunpowder. They are realms with hot black suns and dark blue moons. It is a land of dim electrical lights. Imagine a technological world where they developed inefficiently, messily, and kind of stupidly.

Its warrior king is Tezcatlipoca. Not a member of the line of Tonacat, he is a difficult and dangerous warrior king without familial loyalty to Azcala. He has no living children and his dead ones don't like him and wage a constant war against him.

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For more detailed information on the Tier of Etapaq see The Great Realm of Etapaq

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Warrior Societies

Etepaq provides many warriors for the military might of Azcala and they make sure the rulers of Azcala know it. However the warriors of Etepaq do not serve in the Puma, Eagle, Snake or Jaguar Clans. They have something of an antipathetic relationship with the Warrior Clans despite being part of it. They have their own Warrior Societies but hate them being called or compared to clans.

The military of Etapaq is well equipped with magical armor and weaponry and supported by combat mages and healers.

• The Red Face Society
• Bladed Hand Society
• Etapaqaxilitios. A cavalry wizardry order. T

Sigil of Etapaq

The Sigil of Etapaq is not a shadow of the Sigil of Azcala. It was a High order, minor squiggle at the time of the creation of the squiggle of Azcala and was consumed by the forces of creation at the time. It does not cast its own shadows.

Serpent Stones

A High Order item created by passage through the Sigil of Etepaq. The stones are usually a mixture of turquoise and gold and are carved before a person walks the Sigil, empowering them. They may also be carved human bone embossed with gold or high woods with embedded silver. They can hold a single spell of most forms of low or high order initiations of magic. Spells cast from Serpent Stones work in shadows even were the magic of the spell or magic of shadow does not allow the original system of Low Magic or High Order Sorcery to function. A person may carry many of these items.

(9) Mictlan

The underworld. Most people who died went to Mictlan. Mictlan was ruled by a king, Mictlantecuhtli ("Lord of the Underworld")[2] and his wife, Mictecacihuatl ("Lady of the Underworld"). Other deities in Mictlan included Cihuacoatl (who commanded Mictlan spirits called Cihuateteo, as well as being the mother of Quezel and Xolotl), Acolmiztli, Chalmecacihuilt, Chalmecatl.

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Primal beasts in Azcala

Azcala has 3 primal beast that take residence in its tiers. The Jaguar, the Puma and the Eagle. All of these are heavily represented in the arts of Azcala, its music, fashions, and religion.

The serpent of Chaos is also heavily represented in Azcalan art but this represents a influence of the Serpent during the time that the Key of Azcala was locked against its rulers.

Powers

• 20 pip Basic Imprint. Frame can hold 8 Minor Spells and 4 Major Spell
• 40 pip Advanced Imprint. Frame can hold 12 Minor Spells and 6 Major Spell
• 80 pip Lord's Imprint. Frame can hold 16 Minor Spells and 9 Major Spell

The Sigil of Azcala is the most potent and powerful Squiggle in Shadow. Close in power to Regor.

Warrior Clans and Hearth Societies

Jaguar

The most numerous of the Warrior Societies. Elite, highly trained, extremely well armed, troops. Often backed by sorcerers and combat mages. Fighting in small groups of 10 to 50 warriors. Members are drawn from across all ralms of Azcala and from points in the Azcala Sway.

Eagle

A warrior society with members across Azcala, specializing in archery and artillery. They also tend birds of various sizes including combat birds. Several races of avians with heightened intelligence. Many of the avians are used in intelligence gathering.

Puma

An Elite warrior society that draws from jungle and dark realms. Elite warriors, specializing in guerrilla warfare and tactics as well as general combat functions.

• Puma Pair: Azcalan Pumas often bond with individuals forming a potent hunting pair for night work. These pairs often act as assassins.

Turtle

A Transportation Clan that focuses on transportations of goods and materials across the shadows of Azcala. Technological systems vary from realm to realm and the Turtle Clan adjusts from realm to realm.

Corn-Corn Cult

This Hearth Society is dedicated to feeding people regardless of their station, occupation, crimes or benefices. While Corn is the primary produce of the Corn Cult

Tobacco Cult

Mainly in Untola.

Specials of Azcalla

The Cipactlix

This is a race of lizardmen that either evolved from crocodiles in the realms of Azcala or may have been created at the time the squiggle of Azcala was inscribed.

• They are exempt from compulsory heart sacrifices.
• They provide something close to 8% of the population of the realm.
• They do well in the military and are represented in all the cults.
• The Cipactlix mix regularly among the population. There are few racial issue among the humanoid and lizard races. They eat the same foods though the Cipac tend to prefer raw meats.
• Being a cold blooded race they experience heat and cold extremes differantly

Cipactlix Bond Warriors

among the Cipact is a ritual performed for many reasons where a warrior, or many warriors, will bind themselves to a great warrior magically. This allows the warrior to summon them to combat. The Cipac Bond Warrior gain strength and endurance by subjecting themselves to the ritual.

Summoning a warrior creates a magical call bring the warrior and anything they are carrying with them. The warrior may then serve the person they are bonded two for several days before they are sent to the point of their origin.

The Jagri

The Jagri were a race created at the creation of the sigil of Azcala. They are a humanoid jaguar race, not a race based in lycanthrope or animagusi. They exclusively belong to the Jaguar Clan and provide a tiny fraction,0.03%, of their military might. Yet most shock groups try to have at least one Jagri with them.

They have heightened senses of smell and hearing, and can run in the 40 mph level for hours at a time.

Their basic strength, Endurance, and warfare are Amber level with most members ranging higher in Strength, depending on mostly strength based attacks.

Jagri are fiercely loyal. There is a great deal of competition to gain a Jagri companion by groups, clans, warbands, cult groups, rich or important families and priestly factions. Once a Jagri chooses a subject for their loyalty they are loyal till death.

Jargi are excellent hunters, nearly from birth. They crave combat and the hunt. They hunt in packs usually though occasionally they hunt individually to prove personal prowess. The Jagri who come to prefer individual hunting often become the Group companions.

Some Jargi packs hire out in a manner something like elite guards or shock troops.

There is a ruling caste among the Jagri. A ruling family is at the top or the ruling caste. The monarch of the Jagri, usually a queen, has a great deal of control over the whole race.

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