Hi, all. This story is (obviously) called Aztec Glory. It is a story about the Mesoamerican scenario in Conquests. I modded it a bit, so now the years that pass are a bit shorter, the start is 50 years earlier, and there is no time limit. Plus, each Civ starts with 3 cities. This is in narrative form, but I will first post the start location, then I'll start updating!

Since I don't have an account on Imageshack or Photobucket, all images will be at my website, at http://www.freewebs.com/worldofciv/pictures.htm

Those websites are free, y'know. It will help your story immensely if the readers can see the pictures here.

Yeah, imageshack and photobucket are totally free, and I know most people won't go to your site just to see the pics.

Okay. I'll try to make a Photobucket account. I'll Update soon!

You don't need a membership for ImageShack. That's what I use and I don't recall ever signing up and I know that I don't ever log in.

http://www.history-aztec.com/four-suns.jpg
*Aztec Glory*


Prologue:
Etax walked to the wooden podium. His fine shoes made a clop-clopping sound and his small bronze knife jingled hauntingly.
This podium was at the public gathering place at the city of Texcoco. But, it was not just the people of Texcoco gathered at this venue. Citizens from the land of Texpan were also gathered here, listening to Etax. This man was a prominent leader, the greatest orator in all of Mesoamerica, the greatest Emperor of the Double Alliance. He, the leader, spoke in an important and convincing voice as he addressed the crowd.
“Gentlemen!” he said. “We are all gathered here today to discuss the treacherous city of Tenochtitlan. Although Tenochtitlan is a powerful city, greater in power than both other cities in the Aztec brotherhood, it has abused this great power! The Emperor, Atakna, can override any man and have anyone executed at the snap of his fingers! We must stop this treachery! We must end the treachery and make justice! If I am made Emperor, I will allow each city to have an influential governor and a senate with representatives from each of the three cities shall be made. There will be peace and justice in the Aztec Empire!
The crowd went wild. The Aztec people of Texcoco and Texpan all wanted to attack Tenochtitlan. They chanted their famous motto in a way that would haunt their enemies for ages: “Aztec glory! Aztec glory! Aztec glory!
The attack on Tenochtitlan was highly successful. The Emperor was sacrificed to the gods during the battle by the famed eagle warriors of Texpan and the fearsome jaguar warriors of Texcoco. The troops panicked when their leader was killed. The majority either fled or surrendered. Very few had the will to fight on. As Tenochtitlan fell that night, it was thought that the Aztec nation would live on in justice forever.
But nay, this could not happen. Years later, after the Aztecs had grown mightier than ever before, Etax tragically died of a disease. The man Etax named as his successor, Moctezuma, ascended to the throne. But, Moctezuma did not like the system of justice that Etax had instated. He wished for all power to be centered on the Emperor. He explained to the crowds how Etax’s disease must be a sign that the gods disapproved of Etax’s government system. So, all power was restored to the Grand Emperor, Moctezuma.
This was how the Aztecs became the fierce and militaristic power they are known as. Grand Emperor Moctezuma mobilized great numbers of archers, ax warriors, spear fighters, eagle warriors, and sacred jaguar warriors. They crushed the pitiful ‘barbarians’ that lived near them and rose as a powerful nation. The true Aztecs were born. The true Aztec Glory was born.

All feedback, comments, questions, and suggestions are all welcomed (hint hint).

This looks like it could be interesting. :)
I've never played the mesoamerican scenario so I don't know what to expect, but I'll be following this.

Smaller scale (just bit) images or spoiler tagged images, so users would not have to scroll back and fourth to read text (atleast I have to).

Otherwise I, like few people more on these boards, like these kind of a "story" game threads :)

Yeah, it's weird. When I pasted the image link, the image got really big for some reason. The rest won't be like that.

When you post a large picture, you can resize it to fit on screen. Also, use spoiler tags to hide oversized pictures.

Viola! It's spoilered now.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Jaguar_warrior.jpg/300px-Jaguar_warrior.jpg

Chapter One: Battling the Barbarians

Moctezuma looked upon the great city of Tenochtitlan and smiled. The capital of the great Aztec Empire was prospering well. Outside his palace, jaguar warriors trained; practicing their skills in melee combat, footwork, endurance, and sometimes even archery. The Aztec army already had 1,000 men and was growing by the day. Moctezuma knew that the cities of Texcoco and Texpan had a small army of only 300 each, and were trying hard to keep up with the Tenochtitlan power.

Further away from Moctezuma’s great palace, men were being trained to build and construct. Tenochtitlan had plans to build a new city for the Aztec Empire, and Tenochtitlan was preparing men to do this job. 2,000 men were almost ready to leave Tenochtitlan and form a new city. It would be called Tlateleco.

Meanwhile, Moctezuma’s top advisors were working on a plan to build a great sacrificial altar, to appease the gods.

Moctezuma’s smile widened. “Tenochtitlan must be the greatest city in the world,” he thought. “Soon, it will be so great that any other peoples that may exist will bow down to it.

By sheer coincidence, that statement would soon be put to the test.

General Five Jaguars looked out upon his troops. The great Aztec warriors were ready to fight. An invasion by the hated Northern Barbarians was imminent. Although these barbarians weren’t very civilized, they had 1,500 men, outnumbering the 1,000 Aztec fighting men.

The small band of 100 archers was poised to fire. The moment the evil barbarians were within range, they would fire.

Shields bristled within the ranks. Bloodlust and hatred for the northern neighbors ran through these men.

It was at that moment when the huge invasion force of barbarians broke through the trees 100 feet away from the Aztecs.

Just as the archers were about to fire, General Five Jaguars yelled “Wait!”

The archers kept their arms prepared, but did not shoot.

The barbarians drew nearer. 90 feet… 80… 65…50… “FIRE!!!”

A deadly volley of arrows penetrated the barbarian ranks. 3 fell, never to rise again. 5 others were painfully wounded in the volley.

“Nock arrow,” came the command from Five Jaguars.

FIRE!!!

Several volleys of furious fire coursed into the ranks of the enemies. 40 men fell in 4 volleys. Now, it was time for the infantry to begin their fight…

Nakil readied his shield and stone ax. The barbarian now charging him was a medium-sized man who was ferociously waving around his ax. His sights were clearly set on Nakil. So, he took quick action to prevent a painful blow from his enemy…

Nakil took the offensive, striking with his ax. The enemy’s blade meeting his own made a resounding clang. Since, the opposing man had no shield, Nakil used his own shield to shove his enemy.

The ploy worked perfectly. The fearsome uncivilized brute was knocked to the ground, ax on the ground a foot away. It was simple for Nakil to strike a death blow with his carefully chiseled stone weapon.

At the moment when he struck the death blow to his enemy, another raider rushed Nakil, slashing his blade in a deadly arc that would have killed Nakil had he not held up his shield at that exact moment. As the enemy vibrated with the force pushed back upon him with the blocking of his blade, Nakil lashed out with his legs, kicking the enemy to the same position as him; on the ground.

The stunned enemy could do nothing as Nakil struck his neck Blood spilling from the wound as yet another barbarian was killed by the great warrior Nakil.

Since Nakil had scared off anyone who might oppose him with his mighty kills, he had an oppurtunity to look around. His comrades were having similar luck. The trained, ferocious, and well-equipped Aztecs easily defeated most of the unruly, unready, and unequipped barbarians.

This, combined with the fact that arrows were raining in on them, had a profound effect the invading troops’ morale. Instead of bloodlust, all that the invaders felt was fear. Fear that they would be chopped up by the fearsome Aztecs. Fear that they would never see their wives and children. Fear that the seemingly unbeatable Aztecs would swallow them up whole.

That was when the retreat began. With the marauding Aztecs close behind, the attackers who were now being attacked abandoned their weapons and anything not essential to marching.

After battering the back ranks of the retreating lines, the Aztecs stopped their pursuit, chanting the haunting cry of “Aztec glory, Aztec glory!” all the while.

Comments, questions, ideas, constructive criticism, compliments, etc. are welcome! (Hint, hint)

Love the story, but I thought it was going to be like Quintillus' story Conquest of the World.

It will have a lot of pics, once I get a Photobucket account.

Very nice, i will follow this story with interest. How are you planning to win anyway?

Very nice, i will follow this story with interest. How are you planning to win anyway?
I'm the Aztecs. What do the Aztecs do? ;)

I am totally going for Conquest Victory. :king:

AWSOME, more Veni, vidi, vici!:whipped::whipped::king:

More sacrifices to gods or the sun won't rise! (I know some tribes sacrificed to god, don't remember which one, too lazy to wiki/google it :) ).

The Aztecs sacrificed to the god Quezocoatal (forgive my speling), but i do't know who the Mayans sacrificed to.

http://www.plu.edu/~arnoldwp/img/sacrificial-stone.gif

Chapter Two: Appeasing the Gods
Ehawatalax marched alongside the troops in his small detatchment of Aztec eagle warriors. These elite Aztec fighters would normally be on the battlefield, mercilessly destroying enemies as they lived up to their glorious name.

But, Ehawatalax was not engaged in his normally glorious activity at the moment. He, and his 50 man detatchment, had been ordered to march a crowd of 100 enemy prisoners to Tenochtitlan. Although Ehawatalax was displeased by the fact that he was doing work usually done by lowly conscripts, it was his duty to do whatever the Aztec command wished him to.

Presently, the Aztec troops approached the capital of the great Aztec Alliance, Tenochtitlan. The roof of the Pyramid of Moctezuma, the capitol building of the empire, loomed close.

"Come on, you yellow-bellied cowardly morons!" Ehawatalax yelled to the prisoners. "Your final destination awaits."

The prisoners quickened their pace. They knew that they would be punished severely for anything but a firm and powerful stance. They were aware that some in their midst would be painfully sacrificed. Others would simply be held until the barbarians negotiated exchanges.

After marching for a few more minutes, the caravan reached Tenochtitlan. After passing through the gates, the prisoners were led to the prisoner holding cells. These stone brick buildings were anything but inviting.

Immediately, five prisoners were picked from the large band. They were bound together with rope, and were forced to march toward the exact thing they dreaded; the sacrificial altar...

Moctezuma stood before the small altar of Tenochtitlan. It occured to him that major renovation must be done. This altar was very makeshift. It was not elaborate. He knew that if he made it more powerful looking, the Aztec glory would become even more immortalized.

Finally, the captives were led to the Great Altar of Tenochtitlan. One man was untied from the rest and forced to put his head upon what the Aztecs called the Stone of the Gods.

Moctezuma stepped in front of the altar, facing the assembled people. He spread his arms wide.

"People of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, Texpan, and what will soon be Tlateleco! I call you here today to witness the triumph of our Aztec forces! We have captured some cowardly enemies from our battle with the Northern Barbarians! We have captured many more than these five! Through several days, we shall appease the gods by sacrificing a total of 25 men! For Quetzalcoatl!"

Then, the sacrifices began. One by one, the prisoners were painfully dismembered by a priest. All to the backdrop of hundreds of Aztec citizens and military-men screaming "Aztec glory, Aztec glory!" in unison.

If you hadn't already figured it out, each update ends with people chanting "Aztec glory, Aztec glory," or something related to the fact that everything progresses toward the glory of the great Aztecs.

If anyone wants to become part of this story, just post what kind of person you want to be (soldier, general, citizen, governor, etc.) and a name (make sure it sounds Aztecish.

I'll be General Mendiozas

"Come on, you yellow-bellied cowardly morons!"

:lol:

morons?
Did the Aztecs ever really say that? ;)

:lol:

morons?
Did the Aztecs ever really say that? ;)

Who knows? You can translate old languages into pretty much any terminology you want.

I will be Montezuma's advisor

http://www.umiacs.umd.edu/~kuijt/dba105/AzCamp6.JPG

Chapter Three: A New and Glorious Empire

Moctezuma sat at his stone desk at the Pyramid of Moctezuma. It had taken his people several years to build a temple for the great emperor. It demonstrated the might and glory of the Aztecs. However, the tasks that Emperor Moctezuma had to complete were not nearly as glorious as the great pyramid.

Moctezuma was recently finishing signing yet another round of stone tablets, He had to sign quite a few of these lately. This was because a very large number of Aztec workers would be sent to settle the new city of Tlateleco soon, and he had to Moctezuma had to authorize allocations of resources, tools, weapons, and money to ensure that the settlers could make Tlateleco a glorious city that reflected the glory of the entire Aztec nation.

At this moment, a loud knocking was heard from the door. One of the five guards who stood guard outside Moctezuma’s office stuck his head inside.

“Great Emperor Moctezuma,” the guard said. “A farmer from the outskirts of Tenochtitlan wishes to speak with you.”

Moctezuma sighed.

“Very well,” he said. “Send him in.”

The slender farmer walked into the office, escorted by two guards eyeing him suspiciously while gripping their spears and shields.

The farmer bowed low, while repeating the phrase “Hail Moctezuma, hail Moctezuma” several times.

Moctezuma spoke then. “I do not have much time, citizen,” he said. “What is at that you wish to discuss with me?”

“Great Moctezuma,” the farmer said, bowing once again. “I am Fekandax, a farmer who has joined the party of settlers who will settle the new city of Tlateleco. While I am gone, my wife and son will be the only people left to tend my farm. However, I fear they will not be able to harvest all the crops. I beg you to aid me with money so that my family will survive.”

Moctezuma thought for a while. I would like to help you, citizen,” he said. “You have done a good deed, doing your patriotic duty to help build Tlateleco. However, I am not made of gold. So, I cannot afford to pay you any some of money. But, as you aware, each able must do two hours of civil service each week. Therefore, every week, I will order five able-bodied males to help your wife and son with your farm each week.”

The farmer bowed low.

“Thank you, great Moctezuma,” he said.

The farmer was then escorted out of the room by several guards.

Moctezuma sighed. The Aztecs seem to be so different nowadays, he thought. It seems that just a few months ago. Defeating a few barbarian invaders seemed a great victory. But now, the world is so much larger. New cities, new technology, and new neighbors. It was reported that a people to the east were rising to power. They called themselves the Olmecs and were supposedly as powerful as the Aztecs. He knew it was unlikely, but he knew that being hostile would not help.

It is obvious, thought Moctezuma, that the Aztec Glory is an entirely different thing than before.

I just edited the first post. It's a different Aztec calendar. It's smaller, and not spoiled for easy viewing, :)

Sorry about the really long holiday. The next update will be in about two seconds.

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/images/content_spotlight/cinco/aztecTOT.jpg

Chapter Three: Tlateleco

General Mendiozas panted as he led his men up the hill. He had been traveling for 15 days now, and was very weary. With morale running low and troops becoming extremely tired, Mendiozas knew that he would have to reach the site of future Tlateleco quickly. Otherwise, his settlers would fall apart. He had been trying to galvanize them for the past three days. At first, it had worked and spirits were high, but gradually they went back to the dismal mood of just pushing on and hoping, praying, that their journey would soon be over.

As Mendiozas climbed over the hill, he saw the sight he had been waiting and hoping he would see. This miracle that he saw was a small group of men around a tent, with an Aztec flag flying overhead. They had reached the building site of Tlateleco.

The general turned about and said to the men: “Gentlemen! We have arrived. We have reached the construction site! The world will remember this day. We have reached our building site! Now, we can stop walkin’ and start buildin’! Tonight, we will rest. But, tomorrow, we will begin our massive construction project and reclaim the glory of the Aztecs!

And that was what happened. That night was marked with feasting and merriment. But, the next day was different. The feasting ended and the building began. The men knew that although it was excellent that the journey was over, they still had work to do. The Aztec glory could never be true glory if the only thing they did was feast and dance. There was work to do, and the building of Tlateleco would bring the Aztecs glory beyond their wildest dreams.

All comments, questions, comments, random thoughts, compliments, and constructive criticism are all welcomed (hint hint).

Interesting. I like it so far! I'll be reading

I'll be following too. I'm doing a very different Aztec story right now. It'll be good to follow the differences as you seem to have a pretty solid feel for Aztec culture.

Good so far, but I'm ready for more blood sacrifices, sir.

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I'll be updating again this weekend.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1324/877779333_fd3d8a7cf4.jpg?v=1208808459

Chapter Four: Engineering a City

General Mendiozas unrolled the city plans, two engineers fidgeting uncomfortably behind him. If he didn’t like their plans they could be sacrificed for their bad job. As Mendiozas glanced over the arrangement of plans, his straight face turned to a smile. The engineers were relieved. Perhaps they would not meet their doom.

As Mendiozas looked over the plans, he did indeed begin to smile. The city was arranged in an excellent fashion, with the peasants’ homes arranged neatly (unlike most Aztec cities, where the peasants’ dwellings were scattered about) and the central platform held temples and government buildings. They were arranged with interesting architecture, somewhat reflecting Tenochtitlan, with the grid pattern shaping the entire city. The lords’ manors were near the marketplaces. The formation of the temples and shapes on the roofs would be sure to please the gods and grant great fortune to the Aztecs.

“Engineers,” he began. “This is an excellent set of plans. We will begin construction immediately! You will be rewarded with 20 large gold measurements each. I congratulate you on a job very well done.”

The peasants’ work was done for the day. Another handful of small dwellings had been completed and the main temple was nearing completion. At the end of the day, peasants were allowed to trade with nomads who came to show their wares.

General Mendiozas stepped from the crowd. Many were shocked to see an official so high as himself actually freely walk amongst those considered lower class.

“General,” a citizen from somewhere in the crowd. “Will the gods be pleased that you walk among us peasants as if we were your equal?”

Mendiozas ignored the comment and bent down to examine a ware. It was a beautiful clay pottery piece depicting a sacrifice. Mendiozas laid down a small sack of silver coins, picked up the ware, and left the market.

General Mendiozas trotted to his small manor at the top of the central hill. He liked his position as city-builder, but he yearned to go back to the battlefields.
Perhaps, he thought. I shall request to be re-instated in the Aztec army once the city has been built. I yearn to charge upon the battlefield and reclaim what I feel is the best for the Aztecs. After the city is complete, the entire Aztec army will no me as a great city-builder, and a great general who honored his family with true Aztec Glory!

lol nice picture.