Hourglass Universe

. . . Prologue . . .
I was there the day it all started. At the very beginning of this age, this earth, at the dawn of the first of the thirteen b'ak'tun. For I was the one chosen to be the prophet. The people of this place have lived here for almost two million days now. It's a number this age will never reach. For it has been told that on the one million, eight hundred and seventy-two thousandth, something will go wrong.

Why? Nobody knows for sure. It always has been. It's inevitable, ever since I told it to that first group of survivors, the first twelve who ever lived. I've seen how their descendants have changed the surface of this earth as it's shifted around them, how in time, they altered the future irrevocably. Naturally, the end still has to come, and one day soon, it will. According to the system devised by Gregorius, we have three hundred and sixty-six days - plus a matter of a few hours - until it all falls down around us. I know the exact date, time, and hour; I know what will come to pass, what MUST come to pass.

To understand how this came to be, you would have to have lived my life, to have truly known my story. Fortunately, this is something that can be arranged, young one. I can tell you my story, from beginning to end. For this also must be done. And pehaps, just possibly, by the time I have finished telling you, the world will be ready, and so will you and I.

I am Dustcloud, and I have spoken.
______________________________

Non Canon Intermission
Welcome to the end of the world, people!

This is a fairly new idea to even myself; it's not something I've had on the back burner for a long time - I didn't even get the idea for it until a couple of weeks ago. This is, as is most of what I do and write, completely spontaneous, out of the blue. I always wanted to do some sort of narrative, but the actual story concept, and everything after it, is completely under construction.

One thing I want to clarify before I begin: 2012 in real life is a load of nonsense. This work is entirely fictitious, and similarity of events to real life will be entirely coincidental, when and if they occur ingame.

Just so nobody asks, I have recorded the settings of the game below.

RFC Dawn of Civilization 1.73
The Maya
Epic speed
Viceroy difficulty
3000 BC start

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I have one year exactly to get this narrative finished. The deadline, of course, is December 21, 2012. Because obviously, when they chose the day the world was supposed to end, they decided it should be during the ten days between my birthday and Christmas. I don't expect my storytelling to live up to Sisiutil/Helmling/Tomorrow's Dawn/Tycho-standards, but I'm willing to have a go at it. I'm here to learn, while hopefully providing something to pass the time (and give me something to do while I'm not working my butt off in my first year of senior high school ).

We have fifty-two weeks, and then something's going to happen to the world.



. . . Table of Contents . . .
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . post 1
The First B'ak'tun
Mulac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .post 19
Cauac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . post 39
Ik' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .post 43
Kan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .post 50
The Thirteenth B'ak'tun (Intermission)
Dustcloud's Story, Part 1 . . .post 64
The Second B'ak'tun
A Midsummer Night's Dream . post 71

. . . Useful Websites . . .
List and brief description of Mayan gods
Basic English-Maya phrase book
[video] Why some people think the world will end in 2012

I'll be watching this one. I'm also expecting a rush of Mayan stories as 13.0.0.0 approaches.

Same here. Exciting!

On a completely random and other note: Chirstmas Smilies!



YAYZ!!!

Wherever the Maya are now, they're face palming at the fact so many people believe in 2012. And a few of them are probably shouting "We just ran out of space to continue the calendar, and these people twist it into the apocalypse...." Anyways, good luck on the story, can't wait for the first update

The Maya have the worse stable land in the game, I suggest settling an island to trap the conquers on it and settling the USA.

and kill monty before he has a chance

subbed

I'll be watching...

MaxWar said:

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, I bet that is exactly what happened.

Will be paying attention.

Auto-read to all Olaf stories

So, two of them then. (Well, and my RP, but that's not quite the same.)

Thanks for expressing interest everyone! The first update proper should occur tomorrow, or today if I get time.

Let's do this, then.

I actually saw that comic in the newspaper.

Anyway, this looks pretty good. You sticking to your deadline, however, is doubtful.

I'm actually going to try. I plan to get exactly fifty-two updates in in the time I've given myself.

My other projects, incidentally, are by no means dead. I'm going to try and get everything going again in the next coupla days (two updates for each story, and hopefully get presidentials done in RoMRPRiFE (best acronym ever ) by the time I go camping). I realise I've been slacking off.

EDIT: Next post is my 3,000th, so I'll make that the update. Happy?

Happy 3000th post.

My post count would be way higher, but your posts on the IOT forum don't count.

Subbed. Also, happy belated birthday, Olaf!

. . . The First B'ak'tun . . .
Mulac

The earth's current iteration came into being about five thousand years ago. It was the work of the four gods known as the Becabs. I didn't know it at the time, but I was going to be sent to look after their planet at their order.

"It's the world, and intact this time. I told you it would work," intoned Cauac, the first god, who holds up the South.
"Yes, but it'll end like all the others?" That had been Kan - the second Becab, upholder of the East where the sun rises.
"Naturally. That's how it's always worked," responded Cauac calmly. Cauac had always had a cool head... a mind for business. Maybe that's why his vision of Earth was the way it was. Cool. Businesslike. Merciless.

"And the humans? The ones you allowed to roam the planet... yet again? The same old trick; there's a pair who survive and get to repopulate the next world? You understand, we can't continue with this. They're getting more intelligent as each age passes," complained Ik', fourth god and upholder of the West. "They'll all compete for the honour of being the survivors. And the shallow ones? They could be a problem as well."
"Why the shallow ones?" Kan asked.
"How do you think Hunab-Ku will react if we make as much of a hash of it as that business with the first universe? Oh, surely you remember. The Amiricine girl?"
"Oh," Kan replied.
"Her mind had to be altered."

"I'm afraid I might have the only solution."
"Mulac! It's about time you arrived. What happened, fall out with Hunab-Ku or something?"
Mulac is the third god, as I'm sure you are aware. He supports the North of the world. It was he who was responsible for my arrival here.
"I was late because of only one thing. This is Dustcloud. He is due to be born to the two survivors of the second world eleven months after the beginning of the third world."
At this point, Dustcloud was shown in. Despite the four creator gods' informal mood, the young spirit appeared nervous - in fact he was shaking at the knees.
"Dustcloud is destined to be a prophet. He will remember what he has heard here. He will take that knowledge to Earth. He will live forever; he is immortal; he cannot be killed. It is his task to ensure this iteration of the universe plays out as it should."
"He will be supplied with everything he needs?" asked Cauac.
"It will be arranged. I will tell Dustcloud everything he needs to know, including where he will find the supplies he requires."
"Very well, then. Dustcloud, listen. I need you to listen very carefully to everything Mulac says. I have a few words of advice, as I'm sure the other gods will also. Following that, you will wait for your time. You must be ready two months from now."
So I did. And then... there I was.
_____________________________

Non Canon Intermission

This should help you find your way around the Mayan pantheon. I'll provide a link to it on the OP, with the table of contents.
In regards to the rather informal talk going on between the gods: don't worry, that's how I usually choose to portray gods. Keep in mind that they're equals.
Those looking for a degree of stiff formality will find that in Mayan society. Several of the next updates might be for you.
Those looking for emotion... sorry about this update. It's a phenomenon you wouldn't see much in gods and unborn children.

EDIT:

Mosher said:

Happy 3000th post.

My post count would be way higher, but your posts on the IOT forum don't count.

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Thanks! My PC would be higher if IOT/Mafia posts counted as well, but that's just the way of things

GHalfrunt said:

Subbed. Also, happy belated birthday, Olaf!

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Thank you

Yeah, I have the same troubles. I'd already have celebrated my 1000th Post a few weeks ago if it weren't for IOTs not counting.