[Forum Game] The Long Winter

[Emilersej]

Chapter X: New Ideas
Thruthfully, the reign of Cecmiztl was not an uneventful one. In the year following the one where Quaquahuicalla was also split between the Snow-Wanderers, Clan Xiuhcoatl, and the Sons of the First Trader, the renowned Acachtopahuiqui declared his intention of dedicating his life to discovering the truly best and most meaningful way of living one's life. To begin with, this was regarded as some kind of strange obsession on his part, but eventually it caught the interest of some young men, mostly from the Cuallitechichic Apothecary's Guild, and together they came up with many interesting observations.

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We have invented Classical Lifestyle!
I think it is time to come up with some new lore. If you feel creative, feel free to write something philosophical, sort of like something the Ancient Greeks could have come up with, only different.

Update will be up this weekend.

 

[Ironhide G1]

Decius Pontifex Maximus, one of the young members of the new Guild and an upstart philosopher, aged only 16, said "The natural world around us is fascinating. Look how intricate everything is. There must have been something out there that designed everything. This natural world is too carefully created to have been just mere chance. But what created it? That is the question I am trying to tackle. Could it have been multiple dieties? Or just one? We all must assume that it had to come from somewhere, right? There had to be something, or things that started it all, otherwise it couldn't haven't been started. That is what I have been thinking about. What do you all think? Different theories?"

 

[Galren]

Nelli, a member of Clan Cecuecacayotin that had joined the Cuallitechichic's Apothecary Guild, was interested by the question of Decius Pontifex Maximus. Although he would like to find out what created the world, that would then pose another question: How did the creator come to be? Those sorts of questions were probably best left unasked unless if everybody wanted a headache. Instead, Nelli would put out his theory on how the world formed.

"Decius, I believe that the world started out as a great field of lava that cooled over time. As the lava cooled, a great spring of water would emerge, beginning to create small pools of water. The water would go around the world as rain, eventually softening the stone to create dirt. And from the earth and the water, life would begin to form out of it. Over time, the world has cooled down so much ice and snow would begin to fall.

The Cecuecacayotin believe that each of our gods is associated with an aspect of this creation of the world. The Great Serpent, Xiuhcoatl, would be the only thing to live in the lava. The Water Siblings, Quiatl and Ahuahmi, would come from this great spring. With the softening of the earth, the Earth Siblings, Cihuatl and Cuatlalan, would emerge from the dirt. Both the Water and Earth Siblings would create plants and animals. Where death is, Ixomitic is sure to follow. The first great quantities of ice and snow would allow Cetacanetla to form.

With all this, the answer to your question is that Xiuhcoatl is responsible for the first form of the world, the great field of lava."

((Here's a link to the Cecuecacayotin Pantheon to refresh your memory. There's a new god of ice, suffering, and cruel human nature I decided to add. I think @Rovsea has finally found a snow god he can hate.))

 

[chopak]

"I mostly agree with Nelli, although I'm afraid he missed an important part" Xochitl Xiuhcoatl, one of the few women in the guild joined the discussion. "Are the plants and animals only made of water and earth? There's more to life than that and it also applies to us, humans. I think all alive beings also contain an another important part. The Fire Within The Heart, the <<that-what-makes-to-live>>, Teyolia. And as the body and form come from the gods of water and soil, the Teyolia comes from Xiuhcoatl, god of fire. The difference between life and death, the human and the corpse is the presence of Teyolia. When it leaves the body or is forced to do so, all is left is just mortal shell."

((I was trying to somehow show the importance of Xiuhocoatl in human lifes, and it actually pretty well incorporates with Aztecs idea of Teyolia (sort of soul) so that's what i'm gonna roll with ))

 

[Kaisersohaib]

Can we get a map? Because it seems the Tlatoani disregarded that I was the first one to settle Quaquahuicalla.

 

[Ironhide G1]

"To further explain my point, some of you might ask how this one thing came to be. But that misses the entire point. There needs to be something, or things that is not created, and is outside of space and time. For this world needed to have had some beginning. Whether by lava sea or a water sea, one thing or many, something needs to have created the world.

Bear with me, if you are still not satisfied, think of this. Our senses show our lives are moving constantly. Everything we and this world does is some form of movement. Every form of movement is started by something else. When I move my hand, I am willing it to move. Go back and further back, everything was caused by movement. This cannot go forever. Therefore, there must be an immovable thing that is outside movement, that began the movement."

He paused. "I have another theory I am still developing though alongside this one, and it is radical. Think about this. Since this thing must be omnipotent to have 'started the movement', how could there be multiple things? Therefore I believe there is only one thing, one deity, one god."

After another long pause he said, "Bear in mind, this is not conclusive. It is a theory I am developing."

He sat down.

***

Can we get a map? Because it seems the Tlatoani disregarded that I was the first one to settle Quaquahuicalla.

Link please? Here was my original, on December 16, which I later added to my orders:

The axe stuck the tree. The unsettled Quaquahuicalla was now Maximotl land. Well, the Maximus Fortis branch at least. The clan had grown much larger since they had first arrived, and while the Maximus Rex and the Pontifex Maximus branch had decided to stay in the capital with their successful lumber business, The Maximus Fortis decided to settle to establish their own lumber camp thing there. This would be the Maximus Fortis' branch to live in and work.

 

[Galren]

Nelli, realizing that he left out one crucial detail, quickly spoke about his mistake. "Forgive me, Xochitl. I forgot about the will that resides in all animals, with that will being strongest in us. This will is what gives us a unique spirit, more unyielding and stubborn than any other animal. Xiuhcoatl would be in charge of this will, and this will permeates animals as well as us, much like the sun."

Nelli then turned his attention to Decius' theory about something immovable before the movable. "I do have to admit, everything has some kind of movement to it. Animals, plants, rock, sand, and water all have movement to it. Even the most imposing of mountains can be moved very slowly by a good pick. The problem I see is that if something immovable has to start the movement, the immovable object has to do something to start the movement. It has to move, no matter what it does. Therefore, that immovable object can't be considered immovable because it can move."

With a sigh, Nelli then muttered to himself, "Here we go."

--​

((Quick reminder, our language is Nahuatl and our culture is Celtic. I really don't think that should stifle our creativity, because we are already going different directions with our cultures. I'm going somewhere, chopak seems to be going for an Aztec slant, the Yotoli based their pantheon off the Celtic mythology, and Ironhide is trying to get us to believe in one god. Don't lie, Ironhide. I smell a rat! If rats smelled like monotheism and Christianity.

Kaiser, at the beginning of the game, you did settle Quaquahuicalla. But then you moved your people to Atlauhtipan. Which means that you had no people in Atlauhtipan. Since then, other clans have claimed the land, seeing as it was empty. That's the way the cookie crumbles around here. If you have a problem with it, bring it up with the necentlaliliztli and propose a different way of settling land or establishing a way to do claims.))

 

[Emilersej]

Chapter XI: The Reign of Tlatoani Cecmiztl

In the waning years of Tlatoani Cecmiztl’s reign, the ambitious Teotlacatona of the Tonatepotztocah Clan decided that his clan needed more land. One early spring, he crossed the river making up the border with Western Nanacatlan together with a small group of his most trusted men, as well as some of the supplies that were left from last year’s harvest. In the dense woods of Western Nanacatlan, which was the native land of the Cuallitechichic Clan, the Teotlacatona built a fortified settlement. Although the area was rather unpopulated and the Cuallitechichic did not need the entirety of their territory to sustain themselves, they were outraged by this. However, it remains to be seen what will come of it.



In other news, the Tonatepotztocah expanded their production of eggs greatly back in Atzalan, where they soon became the main producers of chicken and eggs in Atlauhtipan.

((the Tonatepotztocah build a fortification in western Nanacatlan, and establish a chick coop (+1 food, +1 gold, provides eggs and feathers)))



Clan Necuametzli

The reign of Cecmiztl saw both the settling of Quaquahuicalla and the birth of the great medicine man and philosopher Acachtopahuiqui. Also, we saw the men of the Clan of Necuametzli venture north into Tepenalca (On-the-other-side-of-the-Mountain), where they claimed the land as theirs and erected a small fortified settlement. To man this outlying outpost, the head of the Necuametzli wanted to hire men in return for gold and precious metals, but no one took up his offer, so in the end, he resorted to training the men of the clan in the martial arts just like all the other clans.

((Necuametzli claims Tepenalca, builds a fortification there and trains 60 warriors armed with composite bows.))


Tlatoani Cecmiztl and the Cecuecacayotin

Although Cecmiztl worked hard to eliminate the budget deficit of the Tlatoani office and the Necentlaliliztli, most notably through aiding artisans through providing them with workshops built and owned by the government, the expenses of administrating the growing state apparatus kept rising, and although his projects were successful, the budget deficit persisted.

((Rents from assorted woodcarving workshops (+1 wealth, +1 culture)))


Chief Zeltzin of the Cecuecacayotin was as busy initiating projects as Cecmiztl, and was responsible for establishing a warband of lightly armed warriors. She also wanted to establish a tool making business, but lacked the resources to pull it off.


Some Snow-Wanderers living near the western border of Camotlalpan get the idea to bring some jaguars they caught with them when patrolling the border. They are not really very well trained, but must be rather deadly in battle.

((30 atlatl throwers recruited along with a pack of jaguars with 1.7 strength - also, there is nothing wrong with the numbers in the spreadsheet; the “in-game turns” value is the total amount of turns we’ve been through.))



Clan Tlanextic

Although already by far the most militarized clan in Atlauhtipan, Clan Tlanextic continues to train its young men in the martial arts. As a slightly untraditional move, the most recent bath of eager warriors are trained in the use of the atlatl rather than the bow.


The men of Tlanextic continue hunting in the vast frozen forests. One brave hunter called Teotocaitl one day brings home a walrus that he trapped somewhere. Instead of eating it, he uses this great opportunity to get his very own tamed war walrus. This man clearly shows potential, and perhaps the Tonauac should decide whether he should be employed as teacher of the young warriors (+2 wealth and +2 xp), be promoted to Master Hunter (+5 xp for hunting units), or make him a warlord or field commander (not sure what these do).


Someone also catches a bunch of pheasants and begins breeding them.

((recruits one unit of atlatl throwers, catches 1 unit of badly trained war walruses with 1.3 strength, pheasant farm (+1 food, provides poultry and eggs)))

Clan Xiuhcoatl

Although the clan head wished to build a shrine at Tepoztepetl, her kinsmen were far too busy with digging mine shafts. The project was so extensive that a great number of workers were imported from Huaxetl.

((Copper mine built (-1 health, +1 production, +1 wealth)))



Clan Achtopochtecapiltzmeh

Despite the clan chief’s efforts, the Achtopochtecapiltzmeh were unable to improve their food production during the reign of Cecmiztl.

((not enough production points))

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Before we continue, I'd like you to react on the Tonatepotztocah ( @Luftwafer ) aggression towards the Cuallitechichic ( @aedan777 ).

I'll update the stats and map ASAP, and archive your philosophical theories, which you may expand upon at any time.

edit: Regarding Kaisersohaib's question on his claim of Quaquahuicalla - his clan did live there once, but they moved into the capital and didn't protest when the land was claimed by the Maximotl decades ago. Whether he still has a claim or not is up to the players to determine IC.

 

[Galren]

((If you turn a Great General into a warlord, units that are on the same tile as the warlord when first created get a certain amount of experience split evenly among them. In addition, you have to attach a warlord to a unit. The warlord's unit gains free promotions as well as access to unique promotions. Source: CivFanatics Warlords Info Center (Note that this is information from the Warlords expansion for Civ 4. The mod we are using may have more unique promotions for warlords (don't quote me on this, but I believe there are more unique promotions in C2C for warlords) or change the amount of experience distributed.)

A Great Commander gives Great Generals the ability to lead troops. At first, the Great Commander will provide no benefit, but will level up as successful combat is done with units on the same tile. The Great Commander gets a unique promotion tree to pick from when it levels up. While the Great Commander cannot benefit from these promotions or take part in combat, these promotions will help nearby units within the Great Commander's command range. Source: C2C Google Doc pg. 9

In a nutshell, Warlords will get you a Super Unit along with training some other units while Great Commanders are Civ 5's Great Generals, a unit that couldn't attack but provide a combat bonus to other units, if you also gave them levels and promotions.

Also:

The new head of the Cecuecacayotin Zeltzin, the older sister of Cecmiztl, spoke after Cecmitzl finished.

Chief Zeltzin of the Cecuecacayotin was as busy initiating projects as Cecmiztl, and was responsible for establishing a warband of lightly armed warriors. He also wanted to establish a tool making business, but lacked the manpower to pull it off.

Stay classy, @Emilersej. Stay classy.))

 

[Emilersej]

Stay classy, @Emilersej. Stay classy.))

((Good research. Also, I've now removed the unintentional male chauvinism.))

 

[Emilersej]

Chapter XII: In the pits of Tepoztepetl
The delving of the pits at Tepoztepetl was a great undertaking. Indeed, it was probably the greatest project ever to be set in motion by the people of Atlauhtipan. The deep pits that were laboriously hewn out of the bedrock were mainly not made by the Xiuhcoatl Clan, however. Only about a dozen small families from the clan had moved there, and they mostly functioned as overseers and guards. The bulk of the work was carried out by free Kemetec men, who had migrated there from Huaxetl. These men were given a good pay and were treated well, so there was a mood of mutual gratitude and friendship at Tepoztepetl, and over time, many Kemetecs even rose to become overseers and guards, to the point of even outnumbering their Xiuhcoatl counterparts.


But, due to the magnitude of the endeavor and due to the many Kemetecs migrating there, the digs at Tepoztepetl did not go unnoticed in foreign courts. In particular, the king of Kemetlalpan became interested in the riches which found rich next to his border. Through his own personal connections with some of the Kemetec leaders at Tepoztepetl, he managed to convince the local leaders to trade some of their copper in Huaxetl.


As Tlatoani Cecmiztl grew older and older, the Kemetec king grew bolder and bolder, and when Cecmiztl died after having dwelt in this world for 72 years, the king of Kemetlalpan sent his tax collector to tax the inhabitants of Tepoztepetl. At this point, there were as many respected local Kemetec leaders as there were from the Clan of Xiuhcoatl, and so the local elder’s council agreed to acknowledge the king of Kemetlalpan as their lord.

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Oh no! The king of Kemetlalpan has won Tepoztepetl almost without lifting a finger! What will we do? While stationing troops there will not cause any conflicts due to the friendly relations between Atlauhtipan and Kemetlalpan, but any attempt of seizing the area will be considered as an act of war by the Kemetecs. However, the Kemetecs do not have any troops stationed there, and the cumulated strength of the clans’ armies is 70% greater than that of Kemetlalpan. The Kemetec army at Huaxetl currently consists of 60 militiamen of varying training and equipment, as well as 30 professional archers - their king’s retinue.

Also, stats and map has been updated. The clan leaders should react to the actions of the Kemetec king and/or set in motion the process of selecting a new Tlatoani, unless they deem it to be too timeconsuming.

Map:

 

[Galren]

From the diary of Cihuatecpanecatl Cecuecacayotin.

Nanich ((My mother)) had an outburst today after hearing the news of the Kemetec king acquiring Tepoztepetl due to the loyalties of the Kemetec elders there. It’s nice to hear something from her after the silence she gave the clan after the death of tecol ((uncle)) Cecmiztl, but her words make me fear she is stressing herself too much, especially with her illness.

“Bah!” she began. “Our kindness to the Xiuhcoatl in letting them take care of Tepoztepetl ends up with our neighbors taking advantage of them!” Nanich then coughed heavily. I tried to remind her not to overexert herself and that the Xiuhcoatl were only victims of the machinations of the Kemetec king.

“Exactly!” nanich exclaimed. “Although the Kemetec king claimed to want peaceful and prosperous relations between our people, he had siphoned off a portion of the copper being extracted at first and arranged the acquisition of Tepoztepetl in such a clean way we have no easy way of taking it back. I’ve heard that, like many of the other tribes out there, they think that we are savages for our way of life, including dumping trash into the river. What hypocrites they are! Our traders see their people throwing trash into their rivers as well!”

Nanich had her fist shake in anger as she talked about the further dishonor of the Kemetec King. “To execute this plot after icauhtli ((brother)) is dead! This king may as well have shit on his grave!”

Nanich then calmed down, but had quite a grim smile on her face as she continued. “If the other clans wish to do so, this king will topple like Ceccuauhtli once the mighty first strike comes to bear on him.”

After she stopped, Nanich had another coughing fit. I wrapped my arm around nanich and tried to comfort her. She then started to talk about the future. “My pilli ((child)), I won’t be able to lead our clan for much longer. I believe that you are a strong man and will lead the clan well. I only have one more piece of advice to give you: Don’t trust the Kemetec king.”

I then escorted Nanich to her room, where an herbalist takes care of her. I left her in order to prepare for the gathering of the clan leaders at the necentlaliliztli.

--​

Cihuatecpanecatl, the favored successor to the Cecuecacayotin clan, was at the necentlaliliztli to represent the Cecuecacayotin instead of Zeltzin, who had fallen gravely ill recently. As the other heads did not speak yet, Cihuatecpanecatl would initiate this session of the necentlaliliztli.

"Respected heads of the necentlaliliztli. We are all here today due to the recent usurping of Tepoztepetl by the Kemetecs. The opinion of Clan Cecuecacayotin is that the Xiuhcoatl are likely victims of the machinations of the Kemetec king, and that this usurpation is a dishonorable blow to all the clans, not just the Xiuhcoatl. Although every clan has a voice in what to do, I believe that the word of the Xiuhcoatl should be more heavily considered, because they claimed Tepoztepetl. As such, the Cecuecacayotin will not suggest a plan of action.

The Cecuecacayotin believe that we should also pick our leaders from the trial. The Kemetec king made his move when we had no leader. We must show him that we are strong and united through selecting a leader by the trials."

((Well folks, from my point of view, that wonder whoring bastard Ramesses II (unless if I'm mistaken, yellow is Egypt's color. Also, it might be that bitch Hatshepsut.) stole our copper (already mined for him!) with his apparently superior culture. What's so cool about pyramids and hieroglyphs anyway? We have the advantage, we can take it back, and that copper benefits all of us.))

 

[Ironhide G1]

Cassius Maximus Rex stood up. "I understand the anger, but should we risk an all out war? Do we have the resources or the strength? Are these rocks worth fighting over? They may or may jot be, I would like to know before the Maximotl join in, as we Maximotl are hesitant to leap without looking. This situation requires a well thought answer. Let us not do something we will regret. Together we can make the best solution."

 

[Rovsea]

Clan Tlanextic ponders the pluses and minuses of a possible war. ON the one hand, war is costly, and it would severely drain the strength of our clan the most. On the other hand, this is quite a slight, and the land is quite valuable. The most important thing to remember, however, is that no matter what we do, we must act as a unified whole. Half of us trying to prosecute a war will only end in disaster for all of us. We would personally be in favor of declaring war, and if we all decide to pitch in troops, I have no doubt that we could speedily remove the Kemetec as a viable rival.

 

[chopak]

Xipil was shocked. She of course knew that some Kemetec men have settled at the base of Tepoztepetl and even helped with the mining. But she never expected the Kemetec king to just grab the Copper Hill. "The Xiuhcoatl is testing us" she whispered to herself. She gathered her thoughts and went to meet other leaders. The Xenatl (or maybe the Necentlaliliztli, they never quite agreed on the name), was waiting.

"People of our tribe! Leaders of the clans! The Kemetec have acted dishonorably against us. They took our land, the Tepoztepetl, they took the gift of Xiuhcoatl laying within, and what's worse, they posed as our friends while slowly plotting to take them. We should not, and will not, answer kindly to such treatment. It was not only act against Xiuhcoatl, it was act against our whole tribe. You ask whether these rocks are valuable, Cassius Maximus" Xipil turned to head of Maximotl clan "They are extremely valuable. I know you do not share our beliefs that they are gift from our god. But listen to this: we managed to gather only a small amount of Tepoztli for ourselves before Kemetecs took over the mine, but we can confirm the rumors Zetlin of Cecuecacayotin heard. These rocks are indeed very hard and sturdy, and tools and weapons made from them would be sharper and more durable than those we use now. It's not only matter of our faith that's at stake." She waited for her words to settle and continued to address all leaders: "We propose to send an ultimatum to the Kemetec King. Either he renounces his claim on Tepoztepetl and transfers the hill, the mine, and all mining rights back to us, or we would consider our tribes at war. I foresee he would not back down so easily though, so we should prepare for the worst." Xipil paused for a second before the last part of her speech "The problem with the war is, you cannot wage it without the leader, but I'm afraid we simply don't have time to conduct all the Tlatoani trials. The hunting trial only would take a full month, and that's just one of them. Because desperate times call for desperate measures, I propose that we, the clan leaders, simply choose a leader among ourselves. One clan leader, one vote, person with most votes is the new leader. This leader will not be Tlatoani. He or she will only guide us through this conflict and after it's resolved, we will conduct The Trials as usual and our temporary leader could take part and win or lose the Tlatoaniship."

 

[Galren]

Cihuatecpanecatl, after some deliberation, rose as Xipil finished speaking. He wasn't sure if a long, drawn out war with the Kemetecs would be best for the tribe in the long run, although he was sure the combined clan warriors would immediately seize and defend Tepoztepetl, ideal because many of these warriors were armed with a bow.

"It seems that we have two options on how to deal with the Kemetec king seizing Tepoztepetl. We either ignore it and go on with the usual nomination of candidates for the Tlatoani trials or vote for a temporary leader right now, gather up our warriors, and send an ultimatum to the Kemetec king. This ultimatum would demand that Tepoztepetl be returned to the Xiuhcoatl. If the ultimatum is refused, we shall immediately seize Tepoztepetl and defend it. The Cecuecacayotin shall vote for the latter (ultimatum) option."

 

[Emilersej]

((Please vote on whether to elect a temporary leader or carry on as usual. Vote ends in two days.))

 

[Ironhide G1]

"We need a tempoary leader until this event has past, when we can duly elect a Tlatonai. I nominate myself, Granicus Maximus Fortis, to temporarily lead the tribe, present the ultimatum and lead the troops if war does break out."

 

[Rovsea]

We over here at Clan Tlanextic, of course, understand the importance of standing strong in the face of opposition. We are, after all, the most prominent warriors of the Altepetl. We are fine with any clan's nomination for temporary leader, although we reserve the right not to grant our warriors to any unfair ruler. If there is a problem with that reservation, we can negotiate on it.

 

[Ironhide G1]

"Do you have any reservations against myself as leader? We need you mighty strength, so if you did, we would need to nominate a different leader."