Divine Intervention V: Montezuma's Madness

Divine Intervention V: Montezuma's Madness

Here's the idea - I, as Montezuma, will play 50 turns. Then, I will post a save, and you - the god - shall make any number of changes that are in accordance with the rules. Your Divine Intervention, as it were. Then, you'll upload the save, and I continue playing!

See the bullpen thread for more details.

Game Settings:
- Prince
- Hemispheres (Normal continents, Islands, 3 continents)
- Large
- Epic
- Player (Monty/Aztec) + 8 random AI
- Permanent Alliances enabled


The Eleven Commandments of Deityhood as formulated by TheForestAuro:
I.Thou shalt announce your intentions.
--(Be sure to "got it" so we don't run into continuim errors. We reserve the right to ignore not announced updates)

II. Thou shalt not Intervene if you were the last deity to intervene, and thou shalt only intervene once per waking
--(You may only intervene once per my update, and you must wait for another God to intervene before intervening again.)

III. Thou shalt not reveal the secrets of knowledge or the heavens to mortals.
--(No units or techs should be revealed to any civilization if they are not in the current or previous era of the player)

IV. Thou shalt not use your powers for cataclysmic destruction
--(Remember, less is more. Be subtle. It is far more interesting for everyone if you make subtle, interesting changes like forming a choke with mountains than if you just tear giant swathes of ice through my cities. I reserve the right to reject saves I think are unnecessarily apocalyptic.)

V. Thou shalt reveal yourself to the mortal with grace.
--(Everyone loves a good story, and if you decide to contribute to it, be creative! Choose a name and domain [i.e., Winston, the Sea God] that you govern, even if the characters don't know it's you acting)

VI. Thou shalt not be vindictive, and thou shalt not halt progress.
--(You are not allowed to strip techs away from me. Anything I research is mine permanently. You are also not allowed to remove any named unit, for any reason.)

VII. Thou shalt not be unnecessarily nice to the puny mortal.
--(I do not need a stack of thirty Level 9 Praetorians to win my fights. You do not need to fill my BFC with flood-plain grassland goldmine hills next to rivers. The only exception to this is if you genuinely make me work my ass off to get it, and even then it not ought to be as good as the dream city outlined above.)

VIII. Thou shalt reward him for piety, and thou shalt offer him redemption for his punishments.
--(If you give me a quest and I succeed, reward me! If it was easy don't give me a big bonus, and if it was hard I am going to be miffed if I get another Great Prophet for all my hard work. Likewise, if you punish me, tell me how I can fix it!)

IX. Thou shalt not war with the other gods. Much.
--(Obviously there's going to be some strife between those who would support Monty's Quest, and those who would seek to oppose him. Having said that, Gods are not allowed to reverse the effects of an intervention without waiting for the update after the effects have been felt. This includes quests. In fact, you would do well to leave the other god's quests alone entirely. If you want me to do yours instead, make it more interesting or more lucritive)

X. Thou shalt obey the natural order of things, and of time, and of destiny.
--(There is a storyline going on here. Do try and fit in. Do not take great lengths to completely detract from it. Be smart.)

XI. Thou shalt not abuse your architectural omniscient nature.
--(Don't add wonders that don't already exist.)

FAQ
Q: Another God has already edited the save this turn. Can I do it too?
A: Yes, but you may not undo their changes. Take their save and edit it. Also, you may only edit once per turn.

Q: I have this cool idea that only slightly violates your rules, but it's really cool!
A: Just keep in mind I have the ability to reject any save I deem over-the-top.


Links to chapters (TBA as they're played):
Chapter 1: His name was Montezuma
Chapter 2: Montezuma demands speed! (whip!)
Chapter 3: Bad surprises, blood demanded!
Chapter 4: Aztec conquest, pleasing the gods

Chapter 5: A New Order http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7806164&postcount=127
Chapter 6: Wake the Beast http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7842707&postcount=150
Chapter 7: The Greater of Two Evils http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=7899209&postcount=204









...continued from Div IV

As the years passed the people Greece, Spain, Maya, and India became one and ventured out into space under the leadership of the wise Pericles.

However all things were not as perfect as they seemed, the gods had moved on....along with all shred of divinity in the world.

The cycle continued----a new world was born.

For millennium Montezuma of the Aztecs was locked in the Ice of the north, and sadly when he was finally discovered, he was ignored. He was not even mandated to give his life to save the world, not that he would have, that's what armies are for. And when the gods left the world, so did his immortal spark, ignored by all, and forgotten by most. His lonely spark found its way to the new world and a new soul to infuse---some of what was remembered was retained...but most forgotten. Some say that spark within him drove him mad, others say it kept him "sane" enough to function. But whatever the fragility of Montezuma's mind was, it did not matter, all that did was he was here and immortal.

-----------------

Through out the cycles of the eons Tracnar was there, God of Aether, and he moved from the old to the new with all the rest. What was, what is, what will be...its all the same, but it shouldn't be--its not fair.

Since the old world had been saved, and up to the point of human emergence upon this new world he has been....occupied, arguing amongst....well, himself.

"The only way to stop a new evil from forming is to remove what causes it!"
"The God's divine power tips the balance of power, and the universe creates a opposite power to balance it every time. And the mortals get put smack dab in the middle of the conflict that occurs!"
"I still argue that we do more good then harm"
"Perhaps we do, but multiply this situation countless times, how many have died from the struggle that always must ensue?!"
"We are arguing in circles, we went over this last month, and the month before that....and you brought that point up just yesterday!"

Floating serenely within a pocket of dense Aether somewhere between the God's plane and the human world he monitored the situation, feeling for any new evil that may try to creep or form...so far only the god's are around, watching the world along with Tracnar.....waiting for the day immortal sparks would find their way into their homes, lead a nation to greatness, and watch its leader ascend into the stars.


It has begun, the divine spirits would intervene in this world, it is their nature.......but is it best for the humans who must live with it?

Pavlos walked down the foggy roads of the Underworld towards his throne. While he could teleport at will and save himself a lot of time, he decided to walk the distance to reflect upon the events of past years. The world had been renewed again, and while Pericles still lived, his world was no longer to be ruled by gods.

Still, he figured Pericles would need no guidance. Over the years he had grown wise enough by himself to rule the world.

What kept him more busy was his own purpose. He remembered that when he had first become the God of the Underworld, he was angry. He played one of the most important roles in Creation, but also one of the most thankless roles. He was one of the most powerful gods, but could not change the fact that he was the ruler of a gloomy land, a land that was by its very definition deprived of the beauty of the Overworld. He had planned a rebellion, enlisted help from gods and immortals to kill as much people as they could and bring them to the Underworld, so that he could strengthen his bargaining position among the gods.

That plan backfired on him. The immortal who he had enlisted betrayed the gods and unleashed an ancient horror upon the world, and in his unleashing of the powers of the Underworld Pavlos had critically weakened the dimensional boundary that kept the Overworld and Underworld separate. He had to act to save Creation and in doing so, he had to let go of his own divinity. The Fourth Cycle was spent merged with an immortal, the aforementioned Pericles. The ordeal had brought great wisdom to both of them, and in the end Pericles became ruler of the world and Pavlos regained his divinity.

But well... work was at hand. He floated gently across the great river of the Underworld. He sat down on the throne again, taking his place in the divine order.

He only noticed the horseman that came riding in once he sat down. The horseman was clad in a cloak as black as night, armed with a scythe similar to the one in the possession of Pavlos, and showed no visible face. One of Pavlos' old servants... freed by the 'death' of Ashus.

"Thanatos!"

"Ready to kill again, sir."

"I'm not sending you out to do more killing on your own. You shall only collect the souls of those that are already dead, not kill them yourself. It is not good for the Underworld to intervene that overtly."

"Excuse me, sir? Why not? To bring souls to the Underworld will draw more power towards the Underworld!"

"The powers of the Underworld shall not intervene... unless the danger of something running unchecked is greater than the danger of tearing rifts in the dimensional barrier between Over- and Underworld..."

Thanatos sneered, disgruntled because he would not be unleashed upon the world as it was two cycles ago. Pavlos, it seemed, had gotten other ideas while he was merged with Pericles. "Then what is our purpose, if we are not to kill and bring them to our world?"

"Why is there an Underworld, Thanatos? Do you know what it is?"
Thanatos gave the obvious answer. "It is there to serve as an abode to the dead."

"Partially right, but you make no mention of an even more essential property of the Underworld. The Underworld exists, because it has to exist. The Underworld is there to balance things out - Overworld and Underworld are in balance. As long as there is little traffic between the Over- and Underworld it will be safe... but not if Underworld gods start to intervene yet again with all their powers.

So... no Underworld god will intervene. And that's FINAL."

Story (NFTE):

Phaelep was born. Why? Because he wanted it.

Phaelep was born because he desired it. He was born because his ambitions were stronger than the divine equilibrium. He had no words to express his will, but his will could not be contained - and so, Phaelep was born.

Phaelep, God of Desire and Ambition.

And Phaelep wanted more.

... But with the birth of one God there must come another. Another God to balance things, another god to counteract the influence of the new. And so it was with the birth of Phaelep that a new God was given life. And this god stood against everything that was good in the eyes of Phaelep.

Nihil was his name and he existed solely to consume, to destroy, to weaken. This new god saw the world and heard the laughter of its inhabitants. Laughter that burned him and cut directly into his heart.

"This world will die screaming..."

OCC: Oh yeah! I was going to just resurrect the old god of Rolorunnerism but this opportunity was just to good to pass up. He even has a sweet name Oh, this means that the domain of gold is up for grabs again.

And when is this game going to start?

The God of Luck had wandered Pericles world, doing what he did best. He had saw the unfortunates of the world and he had helped to lift them up. Yet now there was no one to help, as humanity had spread to the stars and needed for nothing. He was bored, and so he slept.

The God of Luck awakened to a new world, a strange world. He smiled. The game of games had begun again and the die were about to be cast. This time though, they would roll the way he wished them.

His name was Montezuma.

From the first moment that he became self-aware, he knew he had a destiny - he was special. Years passed, and he grew strong; and strength, in the earliest of days, was all that mattered. He gained followers, and after years of wandering, Montezuma declared that they would settle, and build.

Thus, Tenochtitlan was founded.



A city by the great waters, Montezuma knew it would prove a good site to build not just a city, but a kingdom...an empire! Men were sent to learn to harvest the resources from the seas, and scouts were dispatched to investigate the nearby lands and their inhabitants.

Several tribal villages were investigated, and new knowledge was gained for Montezuma's people.





Montezuma had ordered the training of a force of warriors, and this complete, he set orders for the building of boats, to harvest the clams in the nearby waters and feed the growing city.

The scouts' work was proving valuable, returning maps of the surrounding lands and resources, as well as news...




Strange things, these religions. What it meant, Montezuma was as of yet unsure.


Finally, as Montezuma knew it must, he met another like himself. Well, so long as you didn't look at her hideous face, that was.



"Good day to you, Montezuma. We are Victoria, ruler of England. Please do not hesitate to call upon us if you need assistance - God commands us give aid and comfort to our inferiors..."

An angry smirk came to Montezuma's face and he clenched a fist as he answered. "Whatever you say."

Once she had gone, Montezuma turned to his court and made a retching sound, drawing laughs all around. Smirking again, this time with death glinting in his eyes, Montezuma proclaimed, "The hag of England shall learn just who her betters are!"

Another visit...and again, Montezuma was annoyed, but waved a hand dismissively, assuring the ambassador that he wished only peace.



Strength was the rule of law in Montezuma's lands, and thus it was only natural that some would eventually rise above others. Slavery became common and accepted - Montezuma made quick use of the new practice to further the development of the fishing efforts.





The years continued to pass quickly by, and the Aztecs, as Montezuma's people came to be known, learned to develop crude methods of transportation - the wheel and roads. But the seas still drew Montezuma's eyes, and thus much effort was made to develop new methods of traveling the waters...what would be, remained to be seen.



In his palace, Montezuma studied the state of the map his scouts had produced of the lands known to them thus far. Victoria and Gilgamesh both had built cities to the North, and Northwest ... but Montezuma was unconcerned. He had a destiny, and the Aztecs would be with him on the journey, for they were part of it as well.



His eyes roamed the map, planning for the days when the Aztec nation would cover all of it. He knew that this was his destiny...

...after all, his name was Montezuma.

Got it

Content with his burgeoning empire, Montezuma returned to his hall. He sat on the throne to await his queen.

Creeaaaaak, the door opened slowly and a dark figure glided inside the dark and drafty hall. Montezuma smiled, his queen would soon be at his side. Yet as the figure grew closer, a bit of doubt creeped into his head. What was this mysterious person? It certaintly wasn't his graceful queen. No, this person, this thing, was nearly 7 feet of pure muscle. Montezuma knew without a doubt that this man could kill him without a second thought. Dark robes covered his bulging body completely but could not conceal the outline of a sword.

"Guards, attack!" commanded the Aztec leader. Immediately his warrior core leaped up and confronted the stranger. Surely one man can't defeat fifty trained warriors!

Hardly pausing the man drew his sword and started swinging. No, swinging was the wrong word. Swinging implied a certain brutality. What was happening was more aptly described as a dance. Montezuma saw warrior after warrior fall until only half remained.

"Stand down!" commanded the now frightened Montezuma, "This is surely a g-" Before he could complete his sentence though, the wanderer raised his hand and reached out to the remaining soldiers. They fell as one, dead.

"Whooo, Who are you?" questioned the normally fearless leader

"I am Nihil, lord of destruction and chaos. Outside your city you will find a new source of prosperity. Take this as a token of my will. You will use this gold to fund a new and terrible army that will annihilate my enemies. You will strike when and where I tell you. Be warned, my enemies are not always easily overcome... Should you fail in my expectations my benevolence and blessings will disappear. Your land will be plagued by nightmares and burn in eternal fire."

Before Montezuma could respond or even think coherently, Nihil was gone.

Changes!

It has been approved!


_____________

If any gods can't edit the save for any reason, I would be happy to do so in their stead. Just PM me with what you want done (I can only do WB changes, no adding new civs or anything) and it will be done.

Got it

XCL

un-got it. my Civ is acting up.

Got it

Forest, if you PM me the changes you want, I'll add them for you.

Unity. People acting together. Working for a common good. These were the aims of the God of Luck.

The God of Luck was a kindly god, who wished for the world to become a better place. He was unwilling to blast people with divine power, what would that achieve? Other uses of his power would be required. The problem was that across the world, there was one man who would put a spanner in the works.

Montezuma

The man was so deranged that the only thing that stopped him from foaming at the mouth was the shred of divinity he held inside himself. His brain cantered along like a three legged pony in the Grand National, far past the time when it should have found the way to the glue factory. This man would cause trouble, and his people were in the ascendancy, well placed to take advantage of their position.

To combat this, the other continents would have to be united as one, under one religion. A path through the seas would provide trade routes between the continents. Only time would tell if the aims of the God of Luck would succeed.

Got the save.

A small rift appeared in the earth, a whisp of wind went through, and it closed itself again but caused the sea to retract. Thanatos had no wish for a dramatic entrance in the Overworld as it would only draw attention.

For now, he could not help but keep his plans subtle and secret. While Pavlos was not actively watching the Overworld, bringing Underworld troops, conspiring with other gods or other overt action would turn his gaze towards him. He was much better off without Pavlos knowing.

Enlisting the aid of the Underworld was out of the question and Thanatos knew of other gods, but did not want to act with or against them as of yet. There were other ways of gaining power and help... immortals.

He flew over the lands. While Montezuma suited his plans well - bloodthirsty like no other, brutal and aggressive - he decided against it. He felt another divine presence there already. So he sought out another immortal, disguised himself as a human, and offered his services to him.

Over time, Thanatos managed to integrate himself into the leadership of that particular empire by virtue of his scientific advice. For now, he seemed only benevolent and genuinely helpful.


NFTE:

Phaelep laughed as Montezuma watched Nihil leave.

"He's a little over the top, isn't he?"

Shifting from the spot he had appeared, the colorful jester laughed hilariously and clutched his stomach. The cackling howled through the night and was, in fact, thoroughly unnerving.

"Runs in the family, 'fraid so, 'fraid so! But, lucky for me, he's the tyke, eh?"

He tiptoed over, and whispered into Monty's ear. "So he says do what you're told, huh? If I were you, I'd think more about yourself. Now, while he wasn't looking and blathering on about your servitude in totality, blah blah blah, I was off doing a little bit of trou-u-u-uble!"

Hopping back, he opened his hands, which overflowed with gold. "I stole gold right from his palace! And I put it right outside your city, I did."

Double nod.

"Yes, I did!"

Double nod.

"So here's the choice, buddy boy - dare you anger the ALL MIGHTY Nihil?"

And the roaring laughter was left in his ears.

In the absence of any formal religion, the Aztecs - a profoundly spiritual people - saw various facets of the natural world as being watched over by mysterious spirits and demons. Every animal had its own mini-deity, as did every terrain feature or natural phenomenon.

However, Montezuma's followers were also an aggressive and violent people, who tended to assume that all these spirits shared their own confrontational disposition, and existed in a state of perpetual war with one another. Even spirits that might be expected to get along (such as fish-spirits and river-spirits) were seen as being at each other's throats the whole time.

There was only one exception to this rule. The Aztecs called him Teotlcuahuitltlacatl - the Spirit of the Forest (or, simply, Tree). Seen as gentle, peaceful and wise, Tree stood apart from and above all the rest. Although other spirits were certainly venerated, it was this divine power which the Aztec people begged for assistance in times of trouble, and it was him that they thanked whenever good news was received.

Legend had it that Spirit of the Forest made his home on an island somewhere out across the ocean, far from the lands of men. In this wondrous place, it was said, the trees and plants and animals and insects all lived together in perfect harmony. Nevertheless, the Aztecs believed that Tree watched over all the forests and jungles across the face of the world, and gave his assistance only to those who treated his protectees with the proper respect.

This did not mean that the Aztec people were sheepish about taking food or wood from the forest for their own use, nor even that they put an outright ban on chopping down patches of forest, at least when the need was sufficiently great. So long as the woods were treated with due respect, and not simply clear-cut for material gain, it was felt that the Spirit of the Forest would treat the Aztecs kindly in return.

There were, however, certain places that the tree-huggers saw as especially sacred. In particular, not far from Tenochtitlan there were two hills, each of them covered in dense forest, in which every tree bore fruits both succulent and delicious. Many Aztecs felt that to defile these areas would be a grave insult to Tree, and would likely cause him to turn against them - a terrible thing indeed.

What to do:Changes (NFTE):Edit (OOC): I should add that although the Aztecs see the Spirit of the Forest as 'apart from and above' the other spirits, this does not necessarily reflect his actual relationship with other nature-based gods, should anyone wish to play as one.

"Sir, should you be taking an interest in worlds during a duel?"

The Lord of Shadows continued to examine the view screen intently. Finally, "Poor city placement, no? Settling south along the coast would have created a city that great people would naturally flock to, don't you agree?"

Richard Drillman said nothing; he was a messenger, not a domestic planner.

"Come now, Richard, you have a brain. Surely you have an opinion in it, too," the Lord of Shadows said.

Debating the matter momentarily, "I think the current location will do fine for a factory city((workshops)) or an urban hub ((cottages, even on hills)). With Phaelep's gold and the dyes, the latter makes more sense."

"Interesting, but I would value Great People more. In any case," the Lord of Shadows said, turning ver attention away from the screen, "it's this Phaelep that I'm wondering about. I keep getting the same vibes I got from Ashus from him."

"You think they might be related?" Richard asked.

"Most likely. If it's just familial, however, then it's meaningless." The Lord of Shadows turned ver attention to the messenger. "Now, there's a reason you wanted me. What was it?"

"Vulcan, sir. He was requesting some fast-growing seeds for something."

"Fine, but tell him he owes me a small favor for it." And with that, the Lord of Shadows went off to prepard for the next round.

((OOC: no changes))

Montezuma was angry. No - angry was too mild a word, and furious would not do either. Frothing, spitting mad would be more appropriate, had his advisors been willing to voice such a thing.

They weren't.

"Gods! These demanding, irritating, annoying beings think that Montezuma lives to serve them?!" (Montezuma had developed a habit of referring to himself in the third person) "Montezuma commands, and Montezuma leads the Aztecs! Not these gods!"

He paused in his rant, looking around the room with a feral grin. One of his greatest bits of fun was that no person knew that he was actually very intelligent and cunning beneath his anger. He may be in a spitting rage, but he was in control, and that advantage was what had made him ruler of the Aztec people over the others who would have tried.

"Train my workers! NOW!" Montezuma screamed at those in the room.

So it was done. Aztec citizens were pressed into service to develop the land around Tenochtitlan. (whip) They first went to mine the copper that had been found in the hills to the north.

Another cadre of fishing boats was commissioned to harvest from the seas...but things were going to slowly for Montezuma. Again the Aztec citizens were pressed into service for the glory of the nation. (whip)

So many slaves were in service, that the troop barracks Montezuma wanted built was constructed at lightning speed. (1 turn from overflow)

Next, Montezuma wished to make use of the recent improvements in Sailing, and thus construction of a Lighthouse was begun, but progress was slow...there were too few citizens left to do work because of the massive impressment into slavery.

A temporary halt was placed on the 'recruitment' of new 'workers', and Montezuma rested in his palace while things developed. Unfortunately, they developed rather poorly...both the scouting party and the small warrior band that continued the work of mapping the continent met their ends; and, in the gold mine that Nihil had seen fit to provide, a poisonous gas killed the entire workforce. Fortunately there was gold in the treasury to save the mine itself...Montezuma did not want to waste time rebuilding things (even though the mine had barely been of any use, as most citizens were out working the fishing boats to feed the re-growing population).

Word came that another of these 'religions' had been founded - Judaism. Montezuma wondered which of the gods this religion followed...

Finally there was a surge in the Aztec population...just in time for Montezuma to demand that the Lighthouse (still in construction) be finished. Now. (whip)

But Montezuma had big plans: roads were being built towards a site for a new city, and so supplies were being gathered to send settlers for the expansion of the Aztec nation. At the same time, construction of a Granary to better hold the city's food stores was begun; and in the barracks, a cadre of warriors equipped with new bronze armor and axes was being trained.

Soon enough, Tenochtitlan was garrisoned by well-trained and armed troops (whip); Teotihuacan had been founded to the south (settler built with whip overflow and 1 chop), and the granary was nearly done.


...of course, in all this time, the Aztecs had learned much: Sailing, Animal Husbandry, Pottery, Agriculture, and Writing. Now, Montezuma had ordered research into new metals - there were riches in the vast jungles to the west, and Montezuma wanted access to them.

As he sat to rest in his throne room, Montezuma wondered why the gods had been silent for so long. He had made use of Nihil's gold...it was there, after all, and the god had not really given him an alternative. However, the gold stolen by the jester who claimed to be Nihil's older sibling had been left untouched...not because Montezuma feared Nihil's wrath (for he had done nothing to provoke it), but merely because he had had other plans. Whether the jester god would know the difference, Montezuma did not know...


======
OOC - sorry for the lack of pics, this wasn't exactly a very exciting set to take screenshots, and the ones I did are kind of ...blah.

Nihil looked at the burgeoning Aztec Empire and all the empires of the world. They were all making great technological advances such as the use of roads for commerce and arrows for protection. They were all making great societal advances and had begun to live together in harmony. In short, they were all disgusting. Worst of all, Gilgamesh had built a large wall to save his people from the fury of the wildmen. Filled with scorn for everything living, Nihil journeyed from his northern stronghold to the land of Montezuma, first among his subjects.

"Montezuma, your northern neighbor has committed a grievous offense. Do you see that massive wall? It is a sign of cowardice. Take these warriors of mine and annihilate it and its builder. Show no mercy. I have burned a pathway for you in order to make it to the land of this unbearable disgrace to your race. See that Gilgamesh and all who follow him are killed. Look to the south for an example of one leader such as yourself who didn't heed my command. Beware the same does not happen to you"

After doing this, Nihil went to all the continents in the world, stirring up wars and revolts. Once he was done, only three leaders were not involved or soon to be involved in war. They will be dealt with though the dread lord of destruction, Surely they will taste my fury as well


Changes!