I've read quite a few stories about the Romans, Chinese, Americans, Greeks and a few other more popular civs on this board, and I've been very entertained by all of your work. While the Japanese are my favorite civ as their characteristics fit better with my play style, i suspect that there will be plenty of those coming in soon enough. I'd rather be original... So, I'll make my first story about the Aztecs, who have characteristics similar to my Japanese.

I know many of you are reluctant to try the aztecs, because of their early and 'weak' unit. I'm here to tell you that aztecs can build an empire as well as any other, and jaguars are a major strength, rather than weakness. The jags can be considered an early scout unit. It only takes about ten turns to create two (one for guarding your first city, and another for exploring, or vice versa, if you are as impatient and daring as I am). There are even greater things to say about this unit, but I'll demonstrate it in my story.

A few notes before i begin.. When i am refering to one unit, I will either count them as an army of 1,000 (per unit) or simply call them a division of horsemen, jaguars, etc.. Also, the story will be written in an outline format as I've seen a few other people do here.

I've played a few games with the aztecs and already konw they can dominate... at least during the ancient era. If you dont have a big empire by the time your adversaries have Pikemen, then your opportunity for a growth spurt has already passed. Jaguars with their cheap cost (which equates to larger numbers within a shorter timeframe) are great for overwhelming enemies. A group of 6 or more would be enough to take out a city with two spearmen guarding it (about 80% of the time this will be true. at least in my experience on warlord/regent difficulty..) . Any archers or units with only 1 defense dont stand much of a chance, so they're not worth mentioning. Having one or two horsemen would make the force even more likely to succeed (I wouldnt recommend making horsemen in mass, because they only come out half as fast as jaguars, which are almost as effective.).

Ack! sorry.. I went off on a little tangent there.. Anyways, I'll start a new game so i can better document my progress through the ages. Soon (in maybe a day or so) I'll have the ancient age posted up here (likely to be the most action packed portion of my story). I'll show you all what the brutal aztecs can do to your japanese, americans, romans and chinese!!

The dates here are more of a guideline than a concrete documentation of every move I've made. Unfortunately, i found it difficult to switch from the game to a note pad (I'm sure you people could understand, if you've played this game ;) ), so i just decided to roughly document my progress and give you an idea of how my Aztecs developed. Later in the story it gets a bit more specific as to when certain events happen.

This game was played on a large map, arid climate and normal temperature. The world is 4 billion years old. The map type was continental with 70% ocean/water coverage.

Anyways, i hope you enjoy this pseudo history :)

4000 BC

Montezuma is anointed as cheif and supreme lord of the Aztecs. May the War god Huitzilopochtli Watch over his glorious rule and grant him victory in battle! Our band of nomads move toward the north in a journey that takes roughly fifty years. Settling on the banks of a river flowing from the northwestern mountain range, Montezuma founded Tenochtitlan. A small group of workers set about irrigating the fertile plains and grasslands to the east.

Montezuma then was contacted by his so-called science 'advisor', who informed him that it would take 1500 years to discover the alphabet!! This caused immediate suspicion in the cheif's mind, but he reluctantly decided to see it through. Montezuma resolved to keep a close old, bald, bumbler anyway, to see if the five gold that was given to him for research was worth it..

In the meantime, production was devoted toward building an army in honor of the Aztecs' glorious patron, Huitzilopochtli. One division of jaguar warriors was assigned to guard the city of Tenochtitlan, while another was sent forth in search of battlefields to conquer, and non-aztecs to enslave.

3750 BC

The Aztecs have discovered their first adversary, the weak and cowardly Indians! Their lowly leader, covered in body sores and thin as a skeleton, approached our supreme lord Montezuma, requesting an audience. Ghandi, the Indian 'soveriegn', offered the knowledge of alphabet in exchange for our technology of the wheel. Deciding that the Indians wouldnt have much use for the wheel after we annihilated them, Montezuma cautiously accepted his offer, also opting to exchange territorial maps so it would be easier to track the weaklings down.. After receiving Ghandi's heartfelt thanks, the great cheif declared war with the Indians on the spot. To consumate his declaration, he ordered a division of jaguars to attack and enslave a large group of Indian settlers. Thus the Aztec civilization received the slaves that would prove vital to developing its infrastructure in that ancient age.

India later sent a warrior or two toward Aztec territory, which was intercepted by the same army of jaguar warriors that had enslaved their earlier pioneers. The resulting victory gave the small army of 1,000 the experience it needed and it's commanding cheiftans received elite status in the Aztec military.

After allowing their troops to regroup and heal after the skirmish, the cheiftans then marched their army southeast, toward the pathetically small capital of India, Delhi.

3500 BC

The great and merciless Montezuma opted not to produce any additional workers from his city, Technotitlan, and decreed that he would not do so until further notice. Only the strong blood of an Aztec would appease their finicky gods during the annual sacrificial ceremonies, so those would need to be kept close at hand. Also, the aztec citizens could be better put to use in hurrying domestic projects as well as the battlefield after training in the newly erected barracks. A temple was also erected in honor of Huitzilopochtli. The borders of the Aztec capital were growing steadily.

The development around the perimeter of Technotitlan was going smoothly, with slaves building roads to promote commerce, and irrigation to help feed the ever growing population of that magnificent city.

3000 BC

India's capital city of Delhi was guarded only by an army of 1000 unorganised and poorly trained warriors. Our quicker, and experienced jaguar warriors took the city with ease. From the one-sided battle of Delhi a great hero emerged. Ahuitzotl, one of the commanding cheiftans, had been largely successful for the flawless battle against the Indians. He immediately was called back from the Indian war-front to build a great army in Technotitlan.

Montezuma decided to keep the city of Delhi, reasoning that since he wouldnt have time to produce settlers with the constant need for more troops, he would take the cities that other civilizations were building. The army of jaguars that conquered delhi, were to stay there indefinitely, so as to keep the populous on a short leash, while preventing the Indians from taking it back. Unbeknowest to Montezuma, a small group of settlers had escaped just before Delhi was sacked, and formed the city of Bombay in the tundra lands toward the south. While the land was barren, there was much game to be found in the forests, and fish overflowed in the coast.

At this time, the city of Technotitlan was beginning to process a steady supply of veteran jaguar warriors, who were sent out in every which direction to seek out other prospects for conquest. Over the mountain range toward the north and west, the armies encountered an american envoy carrying the greeting of Lincoln, as well as a proposal. The 'president' of the pitiful american culture wished to trade his knowledge of pottery for thirteen gold peices and Montezuma's recently acquired knowledge of alphabet. Montezuma was becoming stingy with his knowledge, however, and wouldnt consent to such a proposal. Instead, he offered 23 gold for pottery. The bartering went on until the two both agreed to an exchange of 33 gold for the technology of pottery. After this exchange, we had already determined that the americans must've taken root just north west of our own culture, so Montezuma sent three thousand jaguar warriors over the mountain range to descend upon the americans. War was declared with the attack on washington, which resulted in Aztec occupation of the American capital.

2000 BC

Bronze working was discovered by the aztecs approxiamately 500 years earlier than the idiotic science advisor projected. Montezuma already had a sneaking suspicions about the bald headed one and the lack of production being made in certain cities. The cheif held no trial, and used the science advisor as a scape goat. After freezing the funds that were going toward scientific research, the old science advisor was imprisoned. Now with the aztec's golden age coming to an end they would need all the more money to support their innumerable forces. No gold was to be spent on scientific research until further notice by the great cheif. Also, the domestic advisor was suspected for the lost production in the american cities and delhi. She was promptly thrown into a work camp, while her virgin children were sacrificed upon the altar in Technotitlan. She was replaced by a more aggreeable character, who's full, virile head of black hair indicates that he is a cheiftan of some influence. Aside from the fact that he seems to throw the word king around profusely, Montezuma has deemed him a more worthy advisor, and far more entertaining than the bland woman that once held his position. Now with those domestic problems handled, he could concentrate on the war effort.

As more reinforcements arrived from Technotitlan, over the American mountain range, the jaguar horde discovered the city of boston, which lay southwest of Washington. Upon discovery, Montezuma's forces were once again favored by Huitzilpochtli and they took the city by force. Approxiamately nine thousand Aztec jaguar warriors were now roaming about the American region, including those that were assigned to guard the new acquisitions to the empire. Five thousand jaguars were free to roam, however, and were directed toward the one remaining American settlement of New York. The war god was not so kind to the Aztecs in that endeavor, however, and the americans managed to keep Montezuma's forces at bay.

The hero, Ahuitzotl, by this time already ammased a group of three thousand jaguar warriors, whos service was granted by the supreme cheif hiimself, Montezuma. When they marched southward to Bombay, however, they found their war god's favor to be quite lacking. The weakling Indians in Bombay hid behind long, bronze spears, and metal studded tower sheilds. Try as they might, the hero's army failed to bring another victory to the aztec people and was humiliated by the Indian spearmen. Our holy men insist that the Indians must have paid homage to the king of hell himself, Yaotzin, to give them power enough to repel our forces. Montezuma replied to these claims, by swearing upon the Ahuitzotl's death, and damning his name to Yaotzin and his infernal realm.

The Indians obviously didnt have the drive to muster a counter attack, and so offered Montezuma a lucrative offer to ensure a temporary peace. The Indians emptied their coffers before Montezuma's eyes, and showed them all of their scientific knowledge. Ghandi even offered one of his citizens as a slave. The Aztecs accepted this tribute, still holding on to the knowledge that they would someday exterminate the sniveling Indians, and repay them for the humiliation in the battle of Bombay.

1700 BC

A contingent of approxiamately 5000 jaguar warriors was sent to the east and joined a force of 3000 more which was recalled from Indian territory. The troops marched over the eastern plains until they encountered the Japanese civilization. The Japanese had a cold reception for the aztecs, to put it lightly, and would hear nothing of any trades. Accepting their choice with good humor, Montezuma ordered his troops to pillage the japanese lands for all they were worth. Within the space of two centuries, the jaguar hordes overcame Japan's three cities in their eastern homeland. The japanese only narrowly avoided complete annihilation, as a band of settlers escaped the conquest of their homeland to journey west and set up a colony just south of washington.

1450 BC

Scientific research has once again resumed, and another science advisor has been appointed, though he is suspiciously similar in appearance to the previous one...

Teotihuacan, the city of crystal, was founded in the year of 1450 BC. The great Montezuma chose this site in order to take advantage of the large deposits of gems that lay in the mountains surrounding the valley it was built in. This was the first city the aztecs acquired without warlike conquest.

It was around this period that hte great city of Technotitlan halted production of jaguar warriors, and began working on a miraculous wonder: The Pyramids. The project was expected to finish in roughly a thousand years, but would no doubt cause the gods to smile upon their civilization for all time. Annual sacrificed performed at the peak of the pyramids when it would be finished, would no doubt multiply the approval of the gods. With the favor of the harvest gods, food would never be scarce in the Aztec empire...

Thankfully, the production in the conquered cities of Washington, Boston, Delhi, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka was beginning to improve greatly, so the war machine wasnt too stunted by Technotitlan's preoccupation with the Pyramids. The war against the americans and the Japanese would rage on.

1000 BC

The forces of Montezuma have finally succeeded in sacking New York, and have acquired even more slaves to toil on the infrastructure of our empire. However, the Americans have proved just as tenacious as the Japanese and Indians, for they escaped with a lone group of settlers, and built the city of Philidelphia in the desert northeast of New York. Montezuma is confident that the jaguar warriors being rapidly produced in the Aztec/American holdings will eventually wear the american defenses thin, and take the remaining american cities that sprout up.

India had the nerve to build the city of Bangalore just between Techotitlan and Delhi. I will have to deal with them later, however, as the Japanese are becoming a thorn in my side..

650 BC

Our troops have taken the Japanese city of Satsuma, and are now closing in on their final outpost of Edo. The japanese had an audience with Montezuma to negotiate for peace, but they had nothing to offer. A few decades later, the civilization of Japan was annihilated.

Another american city was discovered far to the south east of Philidelphia, and not far to the east of Teotihuacan. Atlanta, as they called it, was easily taken by our hordes of Jaguar warriors. With the completion of the Pyramids, Technotitlan would once again be able to produce it's jaguars. Soon Philidephia would also fall.

We've also received news that the Iroquois, with whom we've not had aggressive relations with as yet, had finished the oracle. Montezuma isnt overly dismayed by this, however. If the Oracle could truly tell the future, it would only bring dismay to the iroquois to learn that they would be annihilated by the hordes of the Aztecs! And if the Oracle said otherwise, then there's an advantage to be gained by taking the enemy by surprise..

530 BC

It seems we wont have to punish the citizens of Bangalore after all. They have been seduced by our superior culture and have joined our great empire. To celebrate this momentus occasion, Montezuma had ordered a mandatory human sacrifice to take place in all of his cities. The sacrfices were held shortly after hurrying the production of temples in a few choice cities. The constructors of the temples were sacrificed and their remains burned upon the very altar they had laboured to build. The occasional uprisings were quieted for a while after this. Montezuma taught them what it is to be living in the glory that is the Aztec empire.

450 BC

Philidelphia has finally been captured, and the American leaders sent to be sacrificed on the Pyramids of Technotitlan. With Japan and American finally gone, Montezuma once again turns his burning gaze toward the bitter cold tundralands of India. The peace treaty had already out-lived it's usefullness and validity, so the wise Montezuma offered Gahndi a chance to pay tribute to the Aztec empire. When he refused to hand over his entire store of gold, Montezuma declared war. Summoning the battle hardened armies that had conquered Japan and America, he sent them to India. The first target was Calcutta..

290 BC

Fifteen divisions of elite and veteran jaguar warriors stand upon the hills just west of Calcutta, prepared to pour forth into the valley like a scythe through a wheat field. As soon as the bulk of Montezuma's legions was poised to strike, they did. Calcutta couldn't hold for long, and fell in 290 BC. The forces split after this victory, half heading north toward Madras, and the rest heading toward the frozen tundra of Bombay. Within the space of a century, both cities were taken by the Aztecs, and the sickly people of India were no more.

10 BC

Now, the Aztecs had taken over nearly all of the habitable land on their home continent. Only one frontier was left untouched by war.. The wild lands of the Iroqouis lay open, just ready to be pillaged and filled with the blood of innocents. Montezuma couldn't resist, and in 10 BC he laid waste to the fringe town of Tonawanda.

The war against the Iroquois was the culmination of four thousand years of Aztec warfare. The burning ambition of its illustrious cheif, Montezuma, could not be denied, and his dream of bringing the entire continent under his rule was about to come true. Twenty thousand crack Aztec troops were poised to spill forth into the wilds of the Iroquois homeland. Fifteen thousand jaguar warrior veterans and elites, backed up by five thousand horsemen trained in Osaka and Kyoto marched through the borders of the Iroquois, sending advance jaguar troops to knock off and safeguard the iroquois source of horses. The only change they would have against Montezuma's troops were their mounted archers. While they were easy enough to counter attack, the aztecs couldnt' afford to lose many troops in the battle.

The outcome of the war was determined when the Iroquois were separated from their route to horses. Thousands upon thousands of jaguar warriors raided the settlements of the Iroquois, and conquered their cities.

300 AD

The Iroqouis capital of Salamanca has been sacked, and the Oracle has been claimed for the Aztec empire. The cities of Niagra falls and Oil springs were captures shortly thereafter. Montezuma has finally fought to become the surpreme sovereign of the known world!

330 AD

An innumerable horde of Anasazi barbarians has risen up in the mountainous frontier just northwest of Niagra falls! Aztec scouts estimate 24 thousand anasazi horsemen approach the city of Niagra falls, which is only protected by a mere two thousand jaguar warrior veterans. The Aztecs await the onslaught, expecting the worse. Reinforcements are on their way from Salamanca, but it is feared they will be too late to prevent mass pillaging.

350 AD

The War God Huitzilopochtli smiles upon the eternal empire of the Aztecs! Two thousand elite jaguar warriors held their ground in Niagra falls, fighting back every last anasazi invader. Though half of our forces in Niagra falls were cut down in the battle, we held our post in the city just long enough for the reinforcements from Salamanca to arrive!

Later, Montezuma ordered two divisions of jaguar warriors to seek out the anasazi encampment and destroy it. The bones of the slain barbarians are now used as war medallions to honor those who lived through their vicious assualt on our civilization.

A settler was soon sent to settle the land near the abandoned Anasazi encampment. The region was rich in gold, so there was no trouble finding pioneering souls willing to set up their homes there.

430 AD

So there is civilization beyond the world of the Aztecs.. The peculiar french have landed and formed a settlement just north of the former Iroquois homeland. After an exchange of world maps with the french people, Montezuma ordered their settlement (which was comfortably close to two sources of iron) to be seized immediately. Declaring war upon the french civilization, Montezuma made it official by banishing them from the continent.

After studying the maps of the french, it has been discovered that they have no access to iron. If only the aztec wisemen could duplicate the technology that allows the french to build their sea 'dragons' that transport their peopel across the water, Montezuma would be able to discover and land upon whole new lands to conquer..

500 AD

Talks have been taking place amongst the priviledged classes in Aztec society, calling for a government that would make it easier to run an empire as wide spread as Montezuma's was now that the entire continent was under his rule. They spoke of a 'monarchy' where the king hands out plots of land to fuedal lords in exchange for loyalty and military aid in times of need. Montezuma heard of these murmurings and immediately ordered the death of those families who proposed the idea, and all of their followers. Montezuma could not deny the value of such a useful government system, however... He did have many sons. Perhaps when they came of age, he could divide his empire in the manner that those aristocrats proposed.. For now the idea of Monarchy would be put to the side. Montezuma's despotic empire still had much growing left to do before any such revolutions take place..


Well thats it. Lemme know how you like it.

And I'd appreciate any suggestions you have for how i should 'deal' with the french..

Next time, I'll document my progress through the middle ages.

Till then... ;)


(GRRR! Stupid character limit wont let me put more than 10000 characters per post... Sorry for the length..)

Quite a good read - thanks for posting it.

Re the Franch - How about a beach-head colony. Use it as a base to unleash you 1000's of warriors, once you have got the lay of the land and identified France's key resources. Have they got musketeers yet? If not, get cracking!

Excellent. I enjoyed reading this... gave me something to do while I wait for Civ3 here in the UK.

As far as the French go... It doesn't sound like you need any help. The fearful Montezuma's warlike tactics have been working like a dread so far. If it ain't broke, don't fix it :rocket:

I really enjoy reading the progress of the ruthless Aztec armies. Please continue, I would like to see how you deal with the French ( my suggestion: use what worked so far :D )
And it would be interesting if you could manage to conquer the world

Cheers,
Parthicus

Yikes! My grammar was terrible! Thats what i get for posting it while i'm tired and anxious.. Next edition will be proof-read for more comprehensible reading, i promise :) .

The french are still in the iron age, i beleive, though they have no access to iron according to their territory map. They shouldnt have any better troops than spearmen or warriors. Also, they're all alone on their island. That can mean one of two things. Either they've built up their forces and maintained them, due to a lack of conflict. Or, they have very few troops due to a lack of demand.

Either way, if i intend to invade them this raises a few problems. First, i have to discover the advance that allows me to build galleys so i can transport my troops. Then, i have to maintain a steady supply of gold (my max units allowed right now is about 108 and i'm twenty units away from breaking that limit.). Then again, if i succeed in taking cities, it will increase my capacity to create troops...

My main concern though, is being able to build enough galleys so i can land my forces all at once. If i invade france, i want it to be similar to how i handled the iroquois, who had a well established nation with well defended cities. The main strength of the jaguars is being able to spit the little buggers out at a very fast rate and keeping the enemy on it's toes until they lost their balance. If i have to ship them over there at a rate of two or three galley loads, then it will significantly stunt this advantage.

I suppose its an opportunity too good to pass up though... an enemy with no resources is better than one with iron, so i might as well off them now. Especially if they get saltpeter within their borders when they discover gunpowder...

My plan is to build at least ten galleys to transport my jaguars and horsemen to france.

Thanks for the feedback and I'll keep you guys posted when i finish up the middle ages (or at least after i eliminate france.) ;)

You could try building a city on french territory and transporting your armies there with only a few galleys... once they are assembled, you attack, and use the galleys to ferry reinforcements. It'd be a good campaign tho, because you have nothing to lose and they can't counterattack effectively (but don't underestimate this AI).

I'm surprised the Aztecs have been so effective... I may have to try them.

Ok, so i promised the conquest of the french, or documentation of the middle ages. There is just so much to write about in this crucial point in the game. Though the aztecs discovered iron working a long time ago, they've only recently gained access to a source of iron. This brings up a whole bunch of problems concerning my inability to build jaguars in most cities. Not so much a problem because i prefer jags over swordsmen, but it will require a change in military strategy. The main issue is reducing the number of troops so i wont be overwhelmed by units costs when i switch to monarchy (most of my cities are less than 7 in size, so they can only support 2 units. With despotism any city can support four, thus my main problem.). If i get rid of my excess jaguars and replace them with more potent swordsmen, then i can change to monarchy without going bankrupt. It seems the war with the french will have to take a back seat to this dilemma, at least for the moment.

Hope you dont fall asleep from all this boring political stuff ;)

Oh, and at this point you will begin to see the main weakness of jaguar warriors, and the reason why they arent neccesarily the best of quick-building, ancient units. Essentially they make it very difficult to switch out of despotism (if you use them like i do, i.e. create a whole bunch to overwhelm your initial opponents.)

550 AD

The Aztecs have finally established a route to one of the many iron sources that lay within their expansive borders. This particular source is located in a mountain in the northwestern region of Satsuma. This route, or the 'Iron Road' as our people are calling it, brings the precious iron to the mighty city of Tenochtitlan. Another series of roads connects the iron route to the provincial cities of Japan and India as well. Montezuma has enlisted the labours of a group of Aztec peasantry to aid in the construction of a road to connect the vital source of iron to the American provinces. With the help of indian, american and japanese slaves, our domestic advisor beleives the road will be finished in a matter of decades.

The Iron age has dawned on the Aztecs, but with the beginning of this new age comes a whole new host of political upheavals and economic dilemmas.

The north eastern Iroquois provinces havent yet formed a connection to the newly established iron industry. The powerful jaguar warrior caste which had migrated and conquered the former Iroquois homeland still maintain their hard earned holdings in that region. Though the Aztec's ancestral homeland has been fully introduced to the promises of iron in warfare, this ancient warrior class continues to practice and train new warriors in their obsolete, but time-honored military traditions in the city of Salamanca.

This evolving social order would begin to propose a problem to the governmental changes that Montezuma wished to undertake. The old despotism was beginning to stagnate with it's inactivity. Gold would slowly be surely siphon away from the aztec warchest over the years with no enemies close at hand to plunder. Barbarian encampments were growing much less frequent. The spoils of raids on their camps wouldnt last for more than fifty years, and the emergence of new barbarian tribes only happens every century or so. The aztecs wouldnt have a good enough navy to transport their troops for at least a hundred years. The war-dependant economy of the aztecs was beginning to fail. A change needed to be made, and Montezuma had something in mind.

By now, the cheiftan's sons were prepared to take the reigns of their own personal feifdoms, leaving Montezuma with only the worries of his home city of Tenochtitlan and the surrounding areas. The hope was that this drastic change in the Aztec political structure would help stave off the corruption that was plagueing the more far flung provinces of the empire.

With the help of the clergy, Montezuma declared to the people that their war-god was calling for a series of great changes in Aztec society. He informed them of the changes in political structure, which they were hard pressed to understand for a few years. Since the dawn of civilization the people had owed their lives and loyalty to only one sovereign. Now they would have tribal lords, cousins of the king, and other titles to take into consideration. The confusion caused momentary discontent, but eventually subsided. However, after the structural changes had been completed and the civilization emerged from anarchy, a new problem reared it's head.

The jaguar warrior caste which rose to prominence during the continental wars was beginning to cost the empire dearly. While under a more centralised government, the empire had no trouble supporting this warrior class (which was so prominent and respected that it was exempt from paying taxes along with the other citizens in the empire). Now that the empire was split into seperate fiefdoms, the tribal lords and cheiftans were finding it difficult to independantly support the Jaguar warrior caste. The smaller cities of the provinces could scarcely support the jaguars that guarded it, let alone the armies that were reserved for war. The corruption that Montezuma hoped to stave off was still very present in the far flung Japanese and Iroquois cities. Not only that, but there was a great deficit in the economy that threatened to empty the coffers of the Aztecs in a matter of centuries. The Aztecs were not prepared for monarchy, and the jaguars sealed the deal by inciting revolts and demonstrations within the iroquois province.

Montezuma immediately employed his clergy in the matter and they set another revolution into motion that would revert them back to a centralised, despotic empire. When the revolution was completed, the jaguars were satisfied and Montezuma punished his sons and their tribal cheiftans. Needless to say their people worked hard in the Aztecs' new public project: The courthouses and the Forbidden palace. The Forbidden palace was planned to be built in Salamanca, the city in which the Jaguar warrior caste was most prominent. Hopefully this would give the decadent jaguars something else to do, other than encourage discontent and corruption.

In the meantime Montezuma was already making the transition from using jaguar warriors as a staple troop to swordsmen. Indeed, the supreme cheiftan was taking a liking to the prideless swordsmen. Though their equipment took longer to make and they were slower moving, their training was less extensive. Any peasant could be turned into a viable swordsmen in a month's time. This, as opposed to the jaguar's more extensive training and ability to pick up any object and use it as a weapon of cruelty. The only thing a swordsmen needed was a sharp peice of iron and some clothes to become twice the defender and three times the attacker a jaguar warrior could be. With the potency of an army of swordsmen, Montezuma could finally afford to downsize his army and someday rid himself of the pesky Jaguar warrior caste. Perhaps then aztec society would be ready for Monarchy..