Eastern Landmass Civilisation

Culture Tidbits

- Teixiptla – a deity embodiment used within ritual practice. Either a person or sculpture, fashioned to represent deities. It was a belief that through ritual costuming among other processes, the teixiptla assumes the life force/universal power (called teotl) of a deity and becomes their embodiment. These ritual costumes included the flayed skin of sacrificial victims and/or deity regalia which included headdresses and clothing among other accouterments. Teixiptlas were often the ritual centerpiece of festivals and were present throughout life in urban centres, countryside, etc. 

Trivia 

- This civilisation of the First Age is based on Mesoamerican civilisations: Olmec; Maya; the city of Teotihuacan; Aztec (Nahua); Toltec; Mixtec; and Inca.  

Population 

- Predominantly Unknown, just like the other civilisations of this era.

- It also featured serpentine Coatls, whom the Humans often worshipped. 

- Some people tamed native Dinosaurs, which still live in the jungles of Eastern Landmass™ to this day. 

- This civilisation coexisted with Saqqara and Achaeans. The three nations frequently interacted with each other.

Internal Politics 

- It started off as a collection of independent city-states, called Altepeme (singular Altepetl). The Ancient Ones elevated certain cities, granting each a Tlahtoāni, a Demigod ruler (plural Tlahtohqueh). 

• The Verdant Mother appointed her son, Tlahtoāni Xōchitl, the Prince of Flowers, as the god-king of Xochicalco.
• The Fabulist appointed Tlahtoāni Huēhuehtetz as the god-king of Tetzcotl, the Fabled City. 
• The Weaver appointed Tlahtoāni Tepēyōllōtl, the Lord of Beasts, as the god-king of Tenoyōllōtl.
• The Unbound appointed Tlahtoāni Xaxamaque as the god-king of Xaxamacota. 
• The Flame, an Ancient One that is no longer extant, appointed Tlahtoāni YYY as the god-king of Teacher's City-state. The Teacher of Teachers eventually usurped and subsumed the Flame; and his godling, Tlahtoāni Teacher's Demigod, defeated and replaced the previous one. 
• The Vitruvian did not appoint any demigod, deciding to rule over Vitruvian's City-state as a deified force of nature rather than a personified deity. The sea itself was seen as the city's Tlahtoāni. 
• Monday appointed Tlahtoāni Monday's Demigod as the god-king of Monday's City-state. 

- Under the Ancient Ones' guidance, these cities grew into full-fledged Altepeme, absorbing other settlements and lands which were not "blessed" by the patronage of an Ancient One. This period was marked by a lot of instability, as well as bickering and infighting between the Ancient Ones, which culminated in the Teacher subsuming the XXX.

- Following this grim reminder of their own (potential) mortality, and wanting to avoid its repetition, the Ancient Ones decided to work together, and their Altepeme eventually united into one country. The cities' deific leaders formed a ruling council, Huēyi Tlahtoāni (the Great Rulers), where none held more power or influence than the rest. 

- One of the most obvious, still-surviving remnants of this unification is the presence of sacbeob (singular sacbe), grandiose roads that connected the cities. 

- This civilisation served as testing grounds for the Ancients Ones, where they were experimenting with how direct their influence should be; whether they should be represented by divine envoys of some kind, or worshipped more directly; whether civilisations should be allowed to grow and to what degree, and whether they should be united or forced to remain fractured into smaller political entities. It also showed them that they need to work together, instead of competing. 

- Some of the aforementioned ideas were further expanded upon during the age of the Halflings; their holy wars, Cults and Churches; and via the Radiance and the Sun-in-Shadow. 

Dragonshapers

- Under the secret guidance of some Coatls, a clandestine organisation called Feathered Serpent Organisation emerged within this civilisation. They were a parallel to the Oracles of Saqqara and the Dragonshapers in general, and these rebels worked together in secret to fight against the Ancient Ones.