History Department Office

Welcome all to the Fanatikan Department of historical archives, studies, discusions, raritites and the sort.
We here at the department are just getting started with this thing call history, therefore, and until the discovery of a thing our soothsayers call writting, we shall rely on our cave paintings, pottery, oral traditions, myths, stories and rhymes.

Also, please visit our Historical Statistics Department, run by the most esteemed Octavian X. There you may find all statistics relating to our people. You may find his office here:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30401

First of, let us hear our myth of creation.

--- The world had changed, it could be felt in the earth, sensed in the water, felt in the wind. History had turned to legend, legend had turned to myth, for none now lived that rembered...
Nothing had existed before, everything lay silent and dormant for a millenia, until the great lands awakened and gave birth to a great giant, Atmir, who created the Drayssliga, a great evergreen that would later become shelter to the world. He later created a race of giants from his blood that spilled unto flames. He then went back to sleep, never to awake again. The giants began to melt the ice that had formed on the earth, from where a giant cow, Adlma, emerged and gave sustenance to them, Adlma licked the salty stones for her own sustenance and after 3 days a complete woman emerged, this woman gave birth to a race of dwarves that later killed the giants and from their bones created the mountains, from their blood the rivers and from their brains the clouds... Only one giant survived the slaughter, hiden from the dwarves by their own mother, this giant, Fortwath, slayed the dwarves and in their place created men and women to populate the earth the dwarves had created. Fortwath and his mother used the eyelashes of the giants to create a giant fort to live in and from there they moved the earth under the Drayssliga, so it would be protected for all eternity.
The race of men Fortwath created began to walk the lands towards the south, since the icy north was too harsh to survive in. For 4,000 years the searched the earth for a place to live. They found a great valley surrounded by hills made by the bones of giants and nurtured by the waters of the northern sea, a wild cow was sighted to the north and saw it as a sign of the great Adlma. They settled and founded the city we would later call Bavaria.
----

That is our myth of creation, or so the story goes. Any other myths anyone remembers?

Ehecatl Atzin

I thought our creation myth featured doughnuts. Something like a giant crueller cast forth whole from the smoking maw of the earth, or, you know, some corner shop. I might of had it wrong though, I wasn't really paying attention.

I have heard stories of the great peoples who chose to settle our capital of Bavaria. The tribe was a wandering, roaming on, constantly following the cattle that it hunted and ate.

Then, one day as the tribe sat around their fire to cook the day's catch. This is where the fact become muddled. I have heard many a variation, however most say that the clouds parted, and a great doughnut descended from the sky. Some say it was a regular sized one, though many say it was 10-15 feet across.

Anyway, the doughnut began to move. The tribe, fascinated by this new object, followed it for miles, toiling day and night to see where it went. Through desert, forest, great mountain and river, they say many a good place to hunt new food. However, they still kept on, often without food and water.

Then, unexpectedly, the doughnut stopped it's trek across the sky. The tribe stopped, and gazed in awe as it descended to the ground. After consulting among themselves, they elect the tribe's elder to go up and investigate. The rest watched, as the shaman went up to the mysterious object. He bent to investigate, and watched as he picked it up. Then the tribe watched in horror as he ate it.

The rest of the tribe advanced angrily on the shaman, who had eaten a holy object they had followed for days. All of a sudden, a beam of light fell upon the elder. The tribe halted, and watch amazedly as his eyes flashed a great red color.

According to most accounts, this is what he said...

You have been chosen. You have been chosen to be the people that shall conquer the world! People shall first oppose you, and try to fight back, but do not become disheartened! All will bow before your great desendents.
You are to call yourselves Fanatikans, of the great nation of FANATIKA.
Now I, THE GREAT DOUGHNUT GOD, command to you found a great city here. This city shall stand for all eternity. It will become the envy of your enemies, and the pride of your nation.
Now, go, and fulfill your destiny

With that, the light went away, and the shaman returned to his normal state. The first Fanatikans founded Bavaria on that very site, and built the Presidential Palace there.

To this day, no one has heard again from this mystical deity, the doughnut god. Rumors have it, though, that he shall rise again...

we should put these up, and then poll it for our official creation myth.

@ Octavian -- great story!

@ SAAM -- I disagree, myths and legends aren't polled and aproved, they become. We shall mix my myth with Octavian's myth and see what comes out. If anyone else remembers anything, it shall influence the myth also, until we discover writting it shall continue to change and shift. That's how myths are made.

Ehecatl Atzin

okay. just let it be know, to all, that the ledgen says that this new land we have discovered, this icy artic area, is home to the PENGUIN KING.... He looks down on his faithful followers and grants them victory. Let us pray to him, the Doughnut God and Atmir.

SaaM
High Preist of the Exalted Penguin Temple

now, i dont have a PHD in History writing, but i belive it involves more being at turn chats, or at least reading them, and then writing a history about it, like you read in the textbooks. And i know you say its because we dont have writing, fair enough, but we havent reached the Modern Age yet and we're going to have an automation program running our programs. Im not picking a fight or attacking you personnallly, but i wanna see some history when i come here.

The Great Iguanaman

It's also keeping stats from the game so we know how we're doing, and who has what.

EA, could you please post the thread where the historical stats are in the first post? thanks.

Link:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30401

@ Chieftess -- I appointed Octavian X to do the stats part of the job. He has already done one post on the matter and I aprove of it.

@ Great Iguanaman -- Yes, it involves more than just myths. Excuse me for triying to be a bit realistic in the game. History, like in the text books, appears after writting, and even then it's a bit off. Right now, there is no way of knowing what happened before man began to writte. Hence the term prehistory. Yes, I know that a lot of what will happen and has happened in the game will be lost, just like in real life, but then again, we can investigate it later in the modern age, just like in real life.
Now, if you want history of what has happened:
The game started at 4000 b.C. Two cities where founded, none has had any real historical impact on the world (no wonders, no wars, no nothing) we have been "discovered" by the aztecs, the british and the japanese. (they came to us, not the other way around). We can be considered technologicaly backwards, partly beacuse we haven't found any goody huts and beacuse of low scientific funding. This has happened beacuse there is no gold in the vecinity. As we all know, metals move the world, without any gold, the advancement of a civilization suffers.
The relationship between the germans (us) and the rest of the world, has, so far, been insipid. No real trade networks have been established and no technological trades have ocurred.
In other words, nothing much has happened.

Ehecatl Atzin

@ Octavian, I'm not sure i understand what you're asking of me :confused:

Ehecatl Atzin

In the first post of this thread, could you post a link tot he statistics thread? That way, people can read it also.

oh, done!

Ehecatl Atzin

God, look at this place. It's as if a small child was left adrift in the river waters with nothing to fend for it but it's will to survive...
I have greatly malnurished this place...
Free people of Fanatika! share with us your stories, your rhymes, your legends so that we may begin to form our history. Who here remembers how we were formed as a city?
Who here has songs and stories of great warriors and leaders (AJ, for example)?
Who wishes to share their fanatikan experience?

Ehecatl Atzin

Ok, I am the new stats guy, per Octavian's request and resignation.

Ehecatl, I'm sure once our Crusaders return victorious from the land of the heathen Aztecs, we will have many a story to tell. I'll make sure to post something after the Aegir Regiment wins a few battles....

@ Plexus -- Yes, you are :)

@ Grandmaster -- Yes! and with writing, this office can finally begin, since the Great Trade Debates were the first important thing to happen after said discovery I'm writing the story of that first, I'm just putting some last minute details so it should be ready soon.

Ehecatl Atzin

When the Aztec war begins, expect some corrospondence from a commander in the field :D

Also, when the war does begin, perhaps the history department could sponser a contest concerning the name of the war.

Writing has given us a great gift, the posibility to record our history. Be it political, comercial, social or cultural. We learned it from the hindu culture to the east of us, this is only fitting since they also taught us alphabet. We have a great debt with them...

We are a noble and lighthearted people who cherish liberties and will not doubt to use force to preserve them. Ours is a culture rich in tradition and stories. Our myths speak of a giant doughnut shaped object, known as the Unthathrill, that guided our ancestors to “a place of many wild cows and hills of plenty” They settled and flourished in that small valley. We do not know what they originally called it, but it is now known as Bavaria the Old. It soon grew in population thanks to its abundant plains on wich to farm crops and the cows that fed them with their milk, cheese, cream and meat. Our myths also speak of a giant tree that holds and preserves life. This tree lives to the north farther away than the icy lands, beyond the breath of Quiahuitilatl, the demons of the icy cold...surrounded by a giant dragon that threatens to eat the tree and with it destroy all eternity.

There is no doubt that a divine force guided them to the place we now inhabit. Soon many other people came: Zarn, a lonely mystic that spoke of secret powers known as the Force and has now formed a group called the Jedi, wrapped in mistery and intrigue. Cyc, an honorable fisherman that speaks of a time when a great moment defined our civilization, the meeting with our southern neighbours, the aztecs. Ehecatl Atzin, a man of noble lineage from the south, living in silent exile. Chieftess, a great ruler that guided our first steps onto this world like a mother teaches a child how to walk among thorns...

Soon another city was formed, we do not know exactly why this was. Maybe a group of discontented people left Bavaria. Perhaps it was planned as a sister city. Whatever the reason, conquest seems unlikely. She lies close to Bavaria, ever vigilant of the dangers of the wild. Valhalla, land of the Gods. Many myths speak of it as the birth place of the Gods, the divine land where this world meets the celestial courts. A place of worship, indeed. She is populated by hearty women and men that work the plains and the hills. Home of craftsmen, fine silversmiths that adourn our leaders’ head with royal crowns.

Very little is known of that time, we know it was peacefull, for our great granmothers speak of a prosperous time when the sister cities where the table of the world. Where every civilization met each other. In this sence Bavaria is a link between east and west, a vital strategic point that will no doubt serve future generations well.
Our craftsmen are recognized in the known world as exelent pottery workers as well, their craft has reached the far lands of the japanese, or says Trader/warrior, a visitor of foreign lands that brings us news from the outside world.
A third city was formed shortly after, Morgana. She crowns a hill rich with iron. These mines go deep into the belly of the Earth. Stories of great monsters that inhabit the deep places of the land are heard among the miners. Beasts of many fangs wich they use to shred the skin of their victims while they are dragged to their death in the darkness of the deep. Morgana, a place of ironsmiths and the birth of a great army of men destined to conquer the south. Morgana of the deep she is called among her inhabitants, for they say the city reaches the aztec lands and the warm entrails of the earth with her burried tendrills that span the lands in search of that precious ore.
Even as this is being written there are plans to settle other cities, some to the south, others to the weast and the east...but never to the north, for our settlers fear the Quiahuitilatl...breathers of ice and killers of men.

The aztecs live to the south, they are, as of now, a peaceful people, their cities are grand and sublime. Great streets that guide the way to great structures known as sacred hills. They’re excellent gold and silversmiths. Their leaders are adorned with feathers that glitter blue and green, red and gold as the light dances upon them. They also have many incense fields in the hills that craddle Teotihuacan, an ancient city, not unlike our Valhalla. For they both have similar histories, Teotihuacan is known as the birthplace of the Gods, or where men become Gods, as is Valhalla. Their incense is the very smell of the heavens, it entangles the spirit and craddles the mind held softly but firmly in its grip.

Our lands are currently held in a hurricane of war. We are preparing to attack the aztecs. All leaders have aproved, the people have spoken. Our armies leave our cities while their wives and children look to the place where blood shall be spilled, where the earth shall quench her thirst. The sound of iron on iron can be heard as they silently march onward with CivGeneral at the head of that great mass of iron and cloth, skin and bones.

Ehecatl Atzin

Despite the fact that I'm disappointed I wasn't mentioned, I think that this is an excellent piece of writing. History is, of course, a story that tells of actual events.

Perhaps this description of cities is something you can do periodically, especially now in your new, though unwanted, free time.

Oh, but your doughnut was....

Ehecatl Atzin

Our beginings are lost in the shadows of the past. We know our ancestors have lived in these lands since old. Bavaria has been the center of power and knolledge in the northern lands of our known world. It is here where our leaders have lived, prospered and died. We know not who where the great leaders of old, legends speak of a matriach system, where a woman lead the first bavarians into the wild. Since her name is not known to us, she will be remembered as a Chieftess. How she ascended to power is also uncertain. But under her reign Valhalla was either founded or conquered and entered Bavarias’ circle of influence. Little is known of that era, before the indians gave us the gift writing.
The Great Trade Debates were the first events that shook our historical records. Trade of comunications where at the heart of the matter. The English, neighbours from distant lands, wanted these links with other nations. Some of our people wanted to trade with them, while other did not. Bavarians were at a struggle with herself to be, either a bridge where other people would meet or a wall that would control their passage. The trades were finally settled in favour of the first. A quote has survived from that time, it comes from our Trade Leader, Chieftess: “the world is about to meet, we must be the ones making the deals”. This cristalizes the sentiment of bavarians, we must use what little we have to our advantage.
The Great City Debates also happened around this time. The placing of cities were the issue this time. Some members of the council wanted the problem settled then and there, via either a general concensus by those gathered there or by holding the settlers until a further time was reached. Others wanted to stop and proceed in the forums of our city, where the people would elect the sites. Finally, the issue was taken to the forums where it awaits a resolve.
But there are more important things to attend to. The impending war with the tenochcas to the south is currently all our people can speak of. Yet we have no record of the tecochcas grieving us with an attack of their own. No sugestion that they might have given us just cause for this war. With this, our time must be comprehended in some way. Nothing happens by accident, there must be a reason, a begining. What began, then, this war? what grievences must be dealt with? what score is there to settle? How do we justify this war? only time shall tell..

We live under a despotic system and are ruled by Eklektikos. Our system is composed by the leader and his advisors, elected by the people. Under his rule we have seen our military grow in size and the founding of a city, Morgana. His rule has seen the Great Trade Debates and the Great City Debates. There is currently talk of changing our system, people speak of a monarchy, where our leader is chosen, not by the people, but by a higher power whose control is absolute. We shall see how Eklektikos deals with these new ideas.

Ehecatl Atzin

The aztec-fanatikan war

The dust has settled, weapons have been redirected to new frontiers and soldiers have left the newly aquired lands confident the new regime will not be overthrowned. All consecuences of the war have come to pass, so the time is ripe, I believe, to tell the story of the events that shapped our southern province, the view of the universe and our place in it.
The first attacks occured during the leadership of Eklektikos. But talks and hints of an invasion ocurried when the first contact between both nations came to pass during Chieftess’ leadership, Eklektikos serving as Military Advisor. A lonely jaguar warrior came upon Fanatikan lands and established comunications under Montezuma’s watchfull eye. Even then plans where being drawn up for an expansion into aztec land.
Fanatika grew slowly. Most lands surrounding Bavaria were savage and only ideas and dreams settled in them. Talks of cities reaching iron mines to the west and east where only vague dreams, intended more to create the sence of future and guidance than a real plan of expansion via settlers. Slowly Valhala and Morgana apeared on the map. But while other cultures had 9 and even 13 cities, Fanatika had three. Silently witnessing, terrified, as the surrounding, unclaimed, land was rapidly being devoured by it’s neighbours. Mainly the aztecs, the japanese and the americans.
It is here where the first precendent of the war can be found. A need for land. Fanatikans acted slowly when expansion was in the table, prefering to build-up a military force, fearing an attack and preparing for one they could make. The discovery of iron mines helped to create swordsmen, warriors that use iron swords instead of bronze ones, and have a stronger attack force than warriors.
A small, by todays standard, force of archers and swordsmen started a long walk southward to aztec lands, that gauntlet would prove to be a cul-de-sac for many of them, finding their death among the hills and plains that surrounded Montezuma’s cities.

The aztec confederacy of city states was ruled by Montezuma, via a network of tributes and military might. The seat of power was Tenochtitlan, now renamed Eklektochtitlan. A desert city on the skirts of Popocatepetl mountain to the southeast, the Great Eagle Plains (tentative name) to the north and nortwest. Desert to the south and a forest beyond that. We know not how the city looked like at its peak, since it was sacked and almost burned to the grown, as most cities were. Their great incense city, Tenochtitlan, was completely destroyed and a new, Fanatikan city, was erected in the ruins: New PDX. Who now controls the incense trade, conected to Eklektochtitlan via the Malinche pass. A dangerous, robery infested trade route, controlled by aztec rogues that resist, centuries after the war, Fanatikan rule. Wich is why most commerce is conducted thru the east, using a road that conects to Dacula, then Palanthus, The Burrow, croses the mountain range via the pass of Nalreden, reaches Strider’s Haven and finally, Bavaria.

Montezuma was, at the time, the only foreign leader that actect polite towards Fanatika. This raises the question, why attack the only other culture that could potentially serve as an ally? There is no one answer. Fanatika needed access to the Great Gulf. Since many cultures have access to it and the entrance to it is guarded by the chinese city of Xinjian and the roman city of Caesaraugusta, the trade posibilites this offers are inmense.
At least five cultures have direct access to this body of water, one seaport can conect comerce with all of them, moving fanatikan merchandise around the known world. While we are unsure if the Chieftess and Eklektikos knew this at the time, written records show many discussions on advansing towards the now know Gulf, they no doubt knew of the importance of having cities both in the northern and southern coasts.
Resources where also of importance. Aztecs held many incense fields while Fanatikans had little or no luxury resources. The incense to the southeast of Bavaria wasn’t connected until later on, and while explorers brought news of furs from the nort, no clear intent to reach them was showned until Gunningheim was founded, and even now two fur rich zones go unconected. Other resources of importance are horses and iron. The fanatikan leaders had planned an expansion towards the wild horses to the south, but the aztecs, and Tlaxcala, beat them to them. This only fueled the war effort in the Fanatikan populace. While an effort to control the zone’s iron mines has proved, until now, succesfull.

The war itself was hard and ardous, for both sides. The Fanatikan Army lost many units on it’s way to the south, aztec archers, jaguar warriors and spearmen defendend their borders against the invasion. The Fanatikan Army pressed on, losing men as spears and arrows came from above. Jaguar warrior war-cries could be heard thundering down the mountain sides as they attacked the invading forces from the north. For here is where the fanatikan generals missed, swordsmen proved to be great attackers, but lack in defense strength against massive attacks.
Tlaxcala fell first. It’s main square occupied by attacking forces. The men were massacred, women could be seen hiding from bloodthirsty troops. A great fire was set ablaze among the town houses. The wild horses surrounding the city ran throught the countryside avoiding capture. The aztecs had been clearly caught off guard by the attack. As they raced to build up a defensive force (a clear attack was not forseable then) more aztec cities fell. But Fanatika did not anticipate how dificult it would be to reach their goals in the aztec campaign. Documents show concern in the fanatikan populace over the raizing of cities. As well as a minority pushing for peace as the war effort went longer than expected.
One by one the aztec cities fell to the wave of attack. Adavancing armies pushed the aztecs even further south until their capital, Tenochtitlan, was tacken. Their religious and commercial centre, Teotihuacan, was raized in the conflict. Peace finally returned to the plains only after the aztecs where secluted into their western stronghold, Xochicalco. A small, desert, town surrounded by an, as of know unnamed, river. With no real resources in view, just a small area of fertile riverbeds, their future is unsure.

The aztec populace that now live under fanatikan rule resented the use of force to control them. A cultural absorbtion is just now slowly taken shape. As they are assimilated into the fanatikan way of life, fanatikans themselves have become acustommed to the presence of aztec languaje, colors, tastes and traditions in the southwest province. This process has not been easy, especially since the current war with the japanese is seen by many aztec descendants as a repeat of this war.
This also throws the question –what type of country is Fanatika molding itself to be? a warmongering horde in search of richess? the aquiring of the Great Library via violence seems to point to this. But the long history of technological trade between Fanatika and other nations, including the aztecs, points to other ways. Here is where the real importance of this war resides: the conflict can be seen as a historical conjunction, either Fanatika is built as a war mongering culture that attacks when it’s neighbours posess what she desires, or it’s built as a trading country, buying and selling technology, selling resources and growing territorially via culture and the ocasional conflict. The known world is entirely claimed now, if Fanatika is to expand she will either take of convince. The war with the japanese seems to answer with the latter. But that is a different story.

Ehecatl Atzin

Now, anything in particular you guys would want to know about? this is a general view of the whole thing.

EA

Well written! A great overview of what's been going on so far! ^_^

But maybe you can take into account the forum side of the action too? Maybe write up about our elections, presidents, debates, the investigations... Could be interesting, but it'd take a bit longer than just the game section, I'm sure. :goodjob:

Thanks.
I'll get on the forum part, thanks! It will take some time, due mainly to the investigative part but I do have some time to kill ;)

EA

How about the Domino War in the East (Egypt), and the current one in the West.

Perhaps we should think up a better name than Domino War? How about the Great Eastern War, or the Great Egyptian War? Just a thought.

Domino War is best suited for our last game, I don't know if we would want to drag those events into this game.

EA

The fall of Tenochtitlan and the taking of the Great Library. (part 1)

Fanatikan forces left their cities towards the south. It is there, in the plains and hills of Azteca where the first war between nations would take place. Archers, swordsmen and pikemen were confronted with aztec resistance, first outside the borders, in no-man’s land. The sounds of metal against metal, cries of war and cries of pain flooded the plains as birds took weary flight, horses ran and rodents hid. Nature fled shocked as man spilled crimson blood. War had begun.
Eklektikos’s plan was clear, take down the aztec strongholds first, Tenochtitlan, the capital, & Teotihuacan, incense and trade center, followed by their horse lands, Tlaxcala. Any other cities that could be taken was a suplement to the spoils of war. A strong group of archers and swordsmen led the way. The first victories went to the aztecs: jaguar warriors sprang from the bush and the hills in a wild frenzy to defend what was theirs. Archers heading to Tlaxcala were caught unaware as obsidian stone met fanatikan flesh and the later faltered. Thus, the aztec golden age began, known as the Huitzilitzli Tonatiu, or the Hummingbird Sun, signifiying the age of the warrior, yet this would prove to be insuficient to stand against the inevitable, with superior weapons and strategic planing on Fanatikas’ grip, the aztecs had their days numbered.
Reports of the war flooded the streets of Bavaria, Valhalla and Morgana. From cronicles of men, wounded and taken back to heal, generals weary of the front to prisioners of war: aztec slaves taken from their land and forced into labour. Here is a brief summary of those letters, diaries and reports from that age:

---- Herein lies the account of Hielderg of Bavaria, archer:
“...the hills are deep purple, their bellies filled with human blood, the smell is intolerable, it ensnares the sences...if Valhalla has an oposite then it can no doubt be found here: the killing grounds.
Reports of aztec warriors coming from the south have just been heard. We know not what to do, awaiting instructions... many in the group have fallen in a surprise attack, men in jaguar skin confronted our arrows with obsidian swords, they had the high ground...I’ve been wounded...it’s begining to rot...the infection is getting worse. I know now I shall not see my city again...”

----Letter from the front:
“Dearest Groa:
We are entrenched in the foot hills of Teotihuacan, near their incense fields, their aromas can’t but help remind me of your soft, dark hair, flowing in the summer winds of Morgana as ship pass by... Your memory is my anchour to reality, I miss you so.
We’ve survived many an attack, how long our defenses will hold is not known; but I shall return to you and our daughters.
Bruno has brought with him the gift of music, in these long nights with foreign skies we sing ‘round the fires of what we left behind. It is those moments that help us keep the front.
I yearn to hold you again my sweet Groa, these hills and skies are foreign to me, to us...
I must depart now, the sun’s first rays have began to spring forth, as we also soon shall.

Your faithfull hearth, Svarog.”

This was the last letter of Svarog, son of Morgana, before the archers positioned in the Teotihuacan foot hills began their assault on the city, it is unkown wether he survived the war.

----This next part is a poem found in Tenochtitlan, written soon after the inevitable was clear:
“sorrow expands, tears drop over there in Tlatelolco.
by water have the aztecs gone;
as women they apear, the escape is everywhere.
Where do we go to? oh, friends, and then, is it true?
They abandon Teotihuacan:
smoke is rising, the fog is growing...
with tears do they salute each other, the Huiznahuacatl Motelhuihtzin,
the Tlailotlacatl Tlacotzin,
the Tlacatecuhtli Oquihtzin...
Cry, friends,
have it clear that with these events
the aztec nation we have lost.
The water has been soiled, the food is spoiled!”

----Finally, another letter:

“Dear Niamh:
My heart is heavy with sorrow for not being with you. I’ve had restless nights and weary days accompanied by gloom and dread. I cannot remember your eyes, your hands..only your gentle touch remains, the lone survivor in these retched lands that haunt me day and night and prive me of your sweet presence.
I hope to return to you soon, word has come that the first cities have fallen, we head onwards, to Tenochtitlan, we are told the seige will be short and effective...

Loving you as always, Owen.”

Many more letters from that age survived and are currently in the History Department Archives. You have only to ask for them if you wish to read them.

Using aztec maps of Tenochtitlan we can figure out the original urbanization of the city, the place of the original buildings and structures, as well as the changes the city suffered after colonization. Many buildings were destroyed during and after the inicial attack. Most religious and aristocratic structures are no more, yet some remained hidden from view, others were too importart to destroy, like the Great Library in Tlatelolco.
Built during the war (590 B.C.) as an aztec symbol of their Golden Age, it stood in their hands until 510 B.C. when Tlatelolco fell to fanatikan swordsmen, it survives to this day, though not in it’s original form and adornment. Originally designed as a grand learning center and library, it housed at one time more than 700,000 tomes of knowledge according to aztec records of the age.
It was adorned with exquisite frescoes depicting the aztec creation myth and history. The library also housed sculptures of ancient gods and godesses, kings and noblemen. Two great serpents with emeralds as skin guarded the entrance and a statue of a water god lay silent in the center gardens. Most of that was lost in the pillage following the capture of the city. Many tomes where also forever lost, burned in great pires as nonsense. Only the center library remained, surrounded by ruins. It is still uncertain who or what protected it, credit has been given as of late to Octavian X, who renaimed the city in his honour, Octavinium, and protected her from future abandonment and decay.
Slowly the Library was rebuilt in Fanatikan fashion, with pillars supporting the main entrance an a large, rectangular floor plan would demand the use of the stone from the surroinding ruins to rebuild the past glory into a more Fanatikan structure. Some of the ruins can be still seen roday surroinding the building, like the two snakes, stripped of their emeralds, stand in the gardens to the left of the Library.

Cronicles from swordsmen that entered the city and viewed the building remain to this day:

----- Gunther, swordsman of Morgana:
“...the smoke was dense, nothing could be seen when we broke the aztec defenses and streamed into the city streets, slowly we made our way into the city square, a large, walled structure that housed many religious buildings. When we finally did reach it we stood silently at awe as our eyes walked thru those walls and streets. Roads wide enough for eight horsemen to ride in a row, side by side, buildings adorned with red and blue...great fires at the center of the square and at the distance atop a hill, a great building could be seen among the clouds...we would later discover it to be a Library...”

Tlatelolco (now Octavinium) was one of the last cities to fall, 510 B.C. same as Tlacopan. Tlaxcala fell first in 1150 B.C. Then Tenochtitlan in 850 B.C. later renaimed Eklektochtitlan in honour of then leader Eklektikos. Teotihuacan, the incense center and birthplace of the author was destroyed in 710 B.C. A new city, New PDX, was built shortly after near the ruins of the city.

---- And thus ends part 1 of this investigation, let's hope part 2 arrives shortly thereafter :)

Ehecatl Atzin

An excellent story, EA. (and thanks for writing me in :D)

When your account of the Great Aztec War, I'll try my hand at writing something for Operation Baka Nippon (Falcon and Chieftess' name for the Japanese offensive)

Your welcomed Octavian, I'm glad you liked it. Really? cool, maybe you'd like to publish it here?

EA

Hello all

Yesterday in the #civfanatics chat room something completely unexpected yet entirely welcomed ocurred, a chat about history and current events. I took many, many things from that conversation, but one thing also became aparent: the uncertainty of what History is and what it is not, what’s it for and why. So I believe than no place better than the History Department to continue the discussion, after all, Civilization is a game of history...or so it seems ;)
Let us begin, history is not, as many people believe, a long and tedious list of events designed to help us navigate thru the years and ages. If someone says he or she is good at history beacuse he/she can remember the dates and names of a certain period is gravely mistaken. Events without their historical context are useless.
History, also, is not a teacher of life, this notion of history dates back to the greeks (Herodotus and the sort) that history was designed in such a way to make it posible for humans to learn from the mistakes of the past so that the present would not see their repetition. If that where true, why then two world wars? didn’t we learn the lessons with the first? and even then, why do we continue to have wars? didn’t we learn the lesson from the first war the world saw? why then haven’t we achieved Nirvana on earth? That ideology died long ago, let her rest in peace. Why cannot we learn from those mistakes then so we do not repeat them? beacuse events do not repeat themselves precisely how they ocurred before. Let me explain thus, time in the west is viewed as a line, an unending series of events, one after another. In the east time is viewed as a circle, a chain of events that end only to repeat themselves endlesly. Now, mesoamerican cultures viewed time as a spiral, a chain of events that apear to close a circle to comence once again, and they do, but not exactly like they did before, each with it’s subtle diferences and personality. This vision of time is more in tune with the view many historians have, that is why you cannot learn not to repeat mistakes, beacuse you never know when that mistake is going to ocurr.
What is History then? now that we’ve removed what it isn’t, what’s left? the analysis. History analyzes events, it asks why and it looks for answers. Not the immediate, mind numbing answers like “it’s destiny” or “things just happen” or the infamous “only God knows why things happen”. History gives us an explanation, an answer. It tells us why we are where we are today, what took us here. where are we going. And then analizes our situation.
History tells us who we are. It unites and divides: we know we aren’t japanese beacuse our cultural heritage, our history difers from theirs.
But perhaps the most important thing History does is: it makes us question ourselves. It questions why do we hold alliegance to the values we hold. It questions our ideology. And that is perhaps the most dangerous thing a person can do to another, ask them why they think the way they do. Confront them with the idea that perhaps what they hold dear is not universal, it’s not aplicable to everyone, everywhere.
History forces us to open our eyes and minds, to accept that people differ in ideology, cosmovision and that no one civilization or civilitory process is better than the rest. It makes us question, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
I think I’ll end it here and permit others to comment, add but especially, question ;)

Ehecatl Atzin

The fall of Tenochtitlan and the taking of the Great Library. (part 2)


The war ended soon there after. The aztec nation did survive, barely. Left with only one city, Xochicalco (land of many flowers) in the southwest, they neved did recover from the fatal blow Fanatika had inflicted. A period of peace remained in the area until Fanatika finished what it had started and took the last remaining aztec stronghold.
What follows is the acount of Tenochtitlan, it’s siege and eventual fall.
When Tlaxcala fell in 1150 B.C. the aztecs where caught unaware. Later, during an interview with Montecuzoma, he mentioned his tlatoque (council) did warn him of an army being raised in the north, but he never did make much of it. A move that would cost him dearly. Their defenses moved quickly to fend off the impending attack, a group of archers located in the foothills of Teotihuacan suffered great loses but would later prove vital in the taking and plundering of the city. There is currently a monument to the archer at the top of a mountain one tile north of New PDX. From there the visitor can view the entire plain where the battle was fought, the ruins of Teotihuacan, Eklektochtitlan, Octavinium and on a clear day the forests of New Falcon’s Haven and the mountains of Sapporo can be seen.
When news of Tlaxcala reached the seat of the aztec nation an army of jaguar warriors left the capital to confront the attackers. Montecuzoma thought an attack to Teotihuacan could be next, but relied too heavily on the defensive bonus the hill on wich the city stood and decided to attack instead of defend. Instead the fanatikan army headed south an took Tenochtitlan by surprise, the siege was long and it finally wore out the aztec defenses.
Tenochtitlan was surrounded, it’s people began to eat their reserves, the water from the river went stale, food suplies went scarce, sickness and plague lifted their heads in the streets and houses. When the fanatikan forces finally entered the city, they found this:

Most citizens commited suicide and the rest...came out..giving a strange and horrible spectacle. Their bodies, dirtied, frail and stenched, the nails long, hairs tangled, their clothes repugnant. Perhaps they deserved compasion due to their misery. But they also inflicted terror beacuse in their faces there was written rage, pain and energies spent.

Written in the memoirs of a fanatikan swordsman, writen shortly after his return to Bavaria.

After the fall of the capital the rest of the nation found themselves without a cause to fight, the shock had been to great and many more cities would fall before the aztecs regrouped and a peace treaty was signed. The capital was reinstalled in Xochicalco where it stood until it too was engulfed by Fanatika.
Motecuzoma and the royal court fled in exile to Babylon, where they remained until his death many years later. The aztec nobility has since scattered and serve as embasadors, merchants and spies in nations such as the Iroqois, Babylon and Greece.

Ehecatl Atzin

With the last post ends the investigation on the aztec-fanatikan war, unless of course you want something else to be written of it. I shall head south now, to the former lands of Egypt and write to you about the events that led to the fall of Cleopatra's empire. With any hope she will still be alive, it's been long since I visited her, a queen passed her prime yet still clinging to her past...

Many thanks to Lord Shaitan for helping me rename the thread :goodjob:, as I think with that title it better represents the spirit of the office ;)

Ehecatl Atzin

Hear ye! Hear ye! CivGeneral is now also working in this office, he has been encharged with the investigation of the Egyptian war. Any information the citizenry has is greatly accepted, I'm busy writting the cultural history of Fanatika, I think the first post should be ready in a couple of days (pics & maps included)

EA