Thunderous Quake

His full name is Mahtlak-om Popotla Huetziz Ocelotl, which means “12 Earthquake, [mortally] bleeding jaguar” in the Coulritloxtec language. This name marks the day of his birth and his family name.

The day he was born is 12 Earthquake (which can mean movement, quaking, shifting). This is an auspicious day because the god of 12, Tlecaputli, is the twin of the god of Earthquakes, Xolotl, who together are counterparts of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god of creation and dawn.

Coulritloxa

Popotla comes from Coulritloxa.

Coulritloxa is a nearly mystical nation of a homogenous, warlike people living impossibly high on mountain peaks far to the southeast of Creation. Isolated, intelligent, mysterious, ancient, and impossibly large, the Coulritloxtec people are hidden from the world, separated by the mists of chaos surrounding their island amid the Wyld.

History of the People of New Thunder

Coulritloxa began as a simple fortress on the edge of Creation, built during the period of the Shogunate, its original name lost in the mists of time. The fortress was well-protected and served as a staging point from which much of the Southeast’s defense was maintained. Some of the cleverest combatants were sent here, and through the conflict with the Fair Folk, developed many new advances in combat. None matched the prowess of one fighter, a giant among men, who towered over his foes and used this to win many battles. He was called Coulrit or “Newthunder.” But this was in the waning of the Terrestrial power, and soon the borders of creation encroached around this mountain nation, cutting them off completely. High in their peaks, they held off the invading chaos, but the outside world assumed them destroyed.

When the Great Contagion sundered the lives of the world, this nation lost very few, thanks to being separated by the Wyld. However, the constant battles with the Fair Folk cost them many lives. Coulrit eventually rose to leadership and initiated a new religious and social system, honoring gods of his choosing, and taking as wives most of the surviving women large and sturdy enough to survive his appetites. His lineage dominates the Coulritloxtec people, and through harsh elimination of those too weak and small to survive the unyielding Fair Folk invasions, those who remain today either trace their lineage directly to Coulrit, or don’t realize that they are his descendant.

For all of his avarice, tyranny, and unquenching hungers, he also did much to support the sciences of the people and protect the nation against outside threats. They are a people obsessed with astrology and mathematics, honoring gods they have never met nor ever understood merely because the calculations of the priests tell them to do so. They use two complicated calendar systems that combine to form a third system of dating that spreads from the first moment of creation to the present. They live their lives governed by the astrological signs that their priests divine using this calendar.

During the centuries that followed Coulrit’s bloody rule, much has changed in this nation now named after him. Two things have always remained: the constant battles against the Wyld, and complete and utter seclusion. Myths have arisen that the Anathema have destroyed all that once lay below the mists of the valleys, and others say that only their mountains and the Wyld remain of all creation. The Coulritloxtec people have never even heard of the Scarlet Dynasty or the Empress, having lasted thousands of years with no contact with the outside world.

The outside world however, has had contact with some of the Coulritloxtec people. Those disgraced, born on the days of prohibition, Anathema, or who refuse to bow to the Coilritloxtec gods are forced down from the mountain, to face the dangers of the Wyld. Most die there, but some survive the ordeal and go on, bound to secrecy about their mountainous people, and travel the rest of Creation. Long ago a heretic priest, exiled and secretly exalted, made his way west and introduced the nascent Varangian people to the Coulritloxtec calendar and astrological system, thereby giving the Empire its lunar calendar and 5 days of calibration.

The Coulritloxtec People

The people of New Thunder are one of the most homogenous peoples of all Creation, thanks to tracing their lineage directly to one central figure and having no genetic mixing with other peoples.

They stand tall and broad, almost monolithic in proportions. Their skin is an ashen gray with freckles and other dominant pigmentation charcoal colored. Their eyes are very dark red, with no variation from one person to another – all iris colors are red. They have a prominent nose and very thick black hair, but no facial or body hair.

Stature – All Coulritloxtec have the Large Size merit. Most have it as a 6-point merit, but some are rather small for their people and have it at the 4-point level.

Standard – 8 to 9.5 feet tall, 600+ lbs. Additional -0 and -1 health levels. Dexterity rolls to use small weapons, writing instruments, or other tools not designed for their massive hands suffer a -1 penalty.

Runt – 7 to 8 feet tall, 400 – 600 lbs. Additional -0 health level.

Natural Astrologers – The Coulritloxtec calendar is vastly complex, though because it governs almost every aspect of the peoples’ lives, most Coulritloxtec are keenly aware of what the day means to them and how they should tailor their lives to fit. All Coulritloxtec have the Suerstition flaw at 1 to 3 points.

Priests – The Coulritloxtec priests that administer the passage of time, astrological predictions, and interpretation of the weaving of the loom of fate are most bound to the supernatural mechanisms of time. As a consequence they sacrifice victims to whichever god has the most influence at the time, make proclamations about how the battles should be fought based on little more than the reading of the stars, and never balk at the strangest and most repetitive behavior. The priests however, are the least numerous group.

Artisans – The more common folk of the Coulritloxtec people generally care a great deal about the portents for the day and the influence of the gods. The bartering of goods, shipments, harvesting, crafting, and for some even getting to work at all in the mornings are all determined by the day of the calendar. Some however, will selectively interpret the portents to allow for smoother progress, especially when it comes to endangering the Coulritloxa nation.

Soldiers – The constant battle in which the warriors and soldiers of Coulritloxa are enmeshed swiftly drains the supernatural thoughts from a mind, replacing it with the horrors of battle and bloodshed. While the weighty proclamations of the priests are always followed, the general day-to-day service of a soldier allows little thought for the irrational. Soldiers are the largest group.

Attributes – Most Coulritloxtec attribute scores fall into the following range: Strength 3+, Dexterity 2+, Stamina 3+, Intelligence 3+.

3 x 3

Contacts

13 Serpent "Turquoise Moon"</ br> 13 Serpent is the daughter of 6 Lizard and 11 Wind, 12 Quake's half brother. 12 Quake helped to raise her and taught her much of valor and bravery, combat, and how to interpret the mark of days. She eventually married her own half uncle 8 Deer in an attempt to form a political alliance. She is Coulritloxtec.

Allies

11 Wind "Bloody Jaguar"</ br> 11 Wind is 12 Quake's half brother and the king of the city "Xipe's Bundle", also known as Red and White Bundle, or Xipemoutequetla. This is a Coulritloxtec city.

Enemies

8 Deer "Jaguar Claw"</ br> 12 Quake's half brother is 8 Deer, of the Jaguar Claw family (Iya Nacuaa Teyusi Ñaña). They shared a mother, 9 Eagle “Cocoa-Flower”, queen of Tecamatxalco. 8 Deer is a bloody-handed warlord in control of more clans of the Coulritloxtec than any one warlord in a hundred years. 12 Quake chose to leave Coulritloxa, in part, because of conflicts with 8 Deer. (reference) Once the two brothers were faithful war companions, working to unite the various cities of Coulritloxa, when 8 Deer's greed pitted him against his own family.

8 Deer's half sister, 6 Lizard "Jade Fan", was born on an extremely auspicious day when considered with the conjunction of her family line, patron god, and birth order. This, to the Coulritloxtec, is akin to being the most beautiful and chaste woman in the world. When she came of age, 8 Deer made 6 Lizard his lover, and pledged (though some claim "threatened") to marry her. She instead chose to marry 8 Deer's archenemy 11 Wind “Bloody Jaguar”, the king of the city "Xipe's Bundle", also known as Red and White Bundle, or Xipemoutequetla. 11 Wind is 12 Quake's half brother through their father who, along with the other lords of Xipe's Bundle had rights to the throne of Tilantongo and were therefore the most important rivals to 8 Deer's power.

This caused 8 Deer to see 12 Quake as a rival to his own power, or at least as a threat because of his association with 11 Wind. Things came to a head before 12 Quake left Coulritloxa for the mists of the Wyld. Seeing his departure as a weakening of his own power base, 11 Wind agreed to allow his daughter 13 Serpent to marry 8 Deer (she, being the daughter of 6 Lizard as well, would therefore be 8 Deer's half niece).

Combo

Strike From the Birthplace of New Thunder

Popotla breaches the distance between himself and his homeland, Coulritloxa, the "Land of New Thunder", and brings his tetsubo swinging from the top of that mountain down on the head of his enemy.

If the tetsubo weighs 16 lbs, that is roughly 36 kg. The tip of his weapon travels at just under the speed of light to reconnect with himself, but due to friction and his own limitations, slows down to just under mach 3, or 1010 m/s. Therefore the kinetic energy of this attack is equal to 18,361,800 joules (18.4 megajoules), or 4 kilograms of TNT.

This is, however, if the attack is focused on one target. Each additional target reduces the power considerably, thanks to resistance interrupting speed. For instance, if the attack hits two targets, then the vector has to be adjusted to glance off the first target and continue through to the second. Therefore the actual mass hitting the first target is reduced to a quarter, and the speed hitting the second target would be reduced by half. 4.59 megajoules impact the first target, and 4.59 megajoules also hit the second target. 1 kilogram of TNT per target.

Spread among 5 targets the impact's kinetic energy would only be about 736 kilojoules without factoring in the effect of the strength of the swing, in addition to simple force from speed, meaning each would be closer to 1 megajoule.