Discussion: Pedias, Great People, Tech Quotes, etc.

The original SoulCalibur takes place in 1587, and the ones after that, well, they never exactly say, but within a few years of that date. But like Moogi says, they play pretty fast-and-loose with real history, so, yeah. And as for justifying him - well, more the fact he goes from "pirate who vows to kill everyone and never fight for Spain" to "Spanish national hero." Y'know?

As for Arthur... hmm. I think one of the latter two would be best - Tiberius leading a new Roman Empire would be a simple solution, but the other one fits better into the timeline. cfkane's decision, I think.

 

Well, I think Tiberius attempting to rebuild the empire could work. Maybe he's the one who created the Roman presence in London Below?

 

You know, I never thought of that. Sounds good to me.

 

Alright, here's an updated Rome; last to paragraphs rearranged and rewritten.

Spoiler :

Perhaps the greatest empire in human history, Rome spanned three continents and hundreds of years. While a unique entity on its own, its roots can be traced back to the city of Troy. After the Trojan War, Greece burned the city to the ground; few survived, and those that did united under the hero Aeneas. Their homeland destroyed, the group wandered the Mediterranean for many years. After briefly stopping in Carthage, starting a rivalry with the young city that would last for many years, the Trojans finally decided to arrive in Latium, where they joined with the native peoples.

While life was fairly difficult for the new nation, it survived for many years. The lineage of Aeneas eventually produced Numitor, king of Alba Longa, whose brother, Amulius, overthrew. Fearing a rightful heir to usurp him, he ordered Numitor’s daughter, Rhea Silva, to become a Vestal Virgin and never produce children. His order went unheeded, though, by the god Ares, who seduced and impregnated Rhea; she gave birth to twins, boys named Romulus and Remus.

Enraged, Amulius ordered the twins murdered – his order, again, was ignored, as the servant could not bring himself to harm such beautiful children. He instead left the pair in the woods, where a she-wolf arrived to care for the pair, and eventually Romulus and Remus were adopted by a kindly shepherd. The two grew up to follow in their adoptive father’s footsteps; eventually, however, Remus was captured due to a minor scuffle by Amulius and, their identity discovered, Romulus lead an army to slay the king.

However, rather than take the throne for themselves, they left Alba Longa to their grandfather and left to create their own city, along with various criminals and disgraced individuals. The two, however, disagreed over where to found it; Romulus favored the Palatine Hill, while Remus preferred the Aventine. The two waited for an omen, but could not agree over this, either; eventually, Romulus killed his brother, and founded his own city in his own name – Rome.

Founded in 753 BC, Rome grew slowly, for lack of women. Romulus attempted to negotiate for land with the neighboring Sabines; however, war became inevitable. The Roman army was able to crush their enemies, and took their wives as their own. This event became known as the "Rape of the Sabine Women," and the blood of Ares – now known as Mars to the new Roman people – was shown to flow thickly in the new nation.

With the death of his grandfather, Romulus absorbed his homeland into the growing Rome; with Sabine and Alba Longa now under control, Romulus established the governmental system of the Roman Senate and governors, with a king in power. He continued to rule for many years, a benevolent king, but disappeared suddenly in 717 BC; many assume he was taken to live with the gods, and became known as the deity Quirinius.

For the next two centuries, the kingdom of Rome continued to grow under the reign of the "Seven King of Rome." Many advances occurred in this period, but the kings themselves became debauched on a scale unseen before. The final king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, had a son who considered himself above the law. Sextus Lucius, Prince of Rome, saw the woman Lucretia, and wanted her for himself – she refused, and that night, he entered her room, awoke her with a kiss, and raped her. Lucretia took her own life in shame, and a rebellion began.

Lead by Lucius Junius Brutus, better known simply as Brutus, the king was deposed and replaced with a republic in 509 BC. Now the Roman Republic, lead by a pair of consuls, including Brutus himself, the city began to expand yet again. Before long the entire Italian Peninsula was under their control, and the other empires of the world took notice. To the south, Carthage, longtime rival, began to see Sicily slipping for their control, while the tribes of the north began to fear for their own safety.

In 387 BC, Brennus, the Celtic warlord, invaded and sacked Rome; almost two centuries later, in 192 BC, Brennus entered into an alliance with Hannibal Barca, leader of Carthage. The two long-standing enemies of Rome became a major enemy to the growing empire, and in a battle that would, perhaps, decide the fate of the region, the forces of the region clashed. Rome came out victorious; Carthage was burned to the ground, and Brennus was killed in battle. Not long after, they were able to conquer Greece, despite heavy resistance in areas such as Sparta.

With much of the known world under their control, Rome became a cultural center. The gods of old Greece found new life in Rome, with temples to Jupiter, Ares, and others erected across the republic. Gladiatorial combat, too, was a symbol of Roman culture; throughout the empire’s existence, countless men and beasts were put to death in the Colosseum, along with brutal races on the Circus Maximus. People were thrown to lions, forced to fight to the death, and exotic animals were brought out to the slaughter. Occasionally, even monsters were summoned to battle.

Yet, as with any new power, there were those that resisted. Figures such as the braggart Miles Gloriosus and corrupt slavers like Marcus Lycus did little to help the reputation of Romans as bull-headed, and the Romans squabbles over women gave foreign nations the impression of licentiousness. Rebellions - particularly the one led by Spartacus in 73 BC - rocked the empire to its core, as he fought to overthrow the system of slavery Rome had installed. The loyalty of his men was stunning, and the brutal crackdown following did more to harm his cause than aid it. Further north, the Gallic tribes continued to fight against Rome, such as those led by Asterix. The one who defeated both of these threats became known across the empire as Julius Caesar.

After his famed Gallic Wars, Caesar became famous across Rome. However, the Roman Senate feared his power among the people, and ordered him to stand down – he disobeyed and, in 49 BC, proclaiming "alea iacta est,” or, “the die is cast,” he crossed the Rubicon and marched on Rome. He quickly consolidated power after a brief civil war, and proclaimed himself dictator for life, effectively killing the Roman Republic. The Senate remained, and the senators began to conspire against Caesar; in a motion lead by his close friend Marcus Brutus – descended from the leader of the first Roman revolution – Caesar was killed on the Ides of March in 44 BC on the steps of the Senate.

Mark Antony, a close friend of Caesar’s, attempted to follow in his footsteps; Octavian, Caesar’s son, did the same. While Octavian and Antony were originally allies during the civil war following Caesar’s death, their relationship quickly soured, as Antony was unfaithful to Octavian’s sister. All the while, Cleopatra, who had carried out an affair with Caesar and later Antony, was attempting to protect her position as Queen of Egypt. The three lived intersected in 31 BC at the Battle of Actium, as Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet was defeated by Octavian’s. The two lovers shortly after committed suicide – Antony chose to fall on his own sword, while Cleopatra was bitten by an asp. Octavian took after his father, proclaiming himself Augustus Caesar and Emperor of Rome. Thus began the age of the Roman Empire.

On the whole, the empire was prosperous; following Augustus’ ascent was the Pax Romana, a period of internal peace and vast expansion, with soldiers sent as far north as Britain and the noble Five Good Emperors ruling. Generals such as Marcus Decimus Gallus, leader of the IX Roman Legion, and Maximus Decimus Meridius, great conqueror and later killer of the corrupt Emperor Commodus, gained great reputation across the land. Technological advances, too, were many; not only in warfare, but in general sciences, including a now-lost machine with the ability to travel through time, albeit on a small scale.

In addition, the introduction of new religions brought an influx of culture to the region. Having absorbed Jerusalem and other traditionally Jewish regions into the empire, monotheism became more common, and resistance movements by would-be messiahs were common, and figures such as Judah Ben-Hur and Marcellus Gallio. Some, such as Jesus Christ founded great religions that would last for millennia. Others, such as Brian Cohen, founded short-lived failures of faith.

After the reign of the Five Good Emperors, starting in 180 AD, the Empire entered a decline; as with any dynasty less-than-ideal emperors came into power. Commodus, consumed by his love of blood and violence, was eventually killed in battle by the aforementioned Maximus. Caligula’s reign was marked by its sexual and violent depravity. Nero was thought by many Christians to be the antichrist for his persecution of them, and during the Great Fire of Rome, which some historians believe may have been caused by the emperor, he simply played the fiddle. The people, too, became selfish and greedy, throwing extravagant parties to impress their friends and neighbors.

With rulers ranging from bad to worse, Rome was constantly menaced by barbarian tribes from the north, such as the Goths and the Vandals; most generals, including Titus Andronicus, gained their glory fighting these foes, as opposed to the empires of their ancestors. Some, like the Celtic tribes in Britain, refused to be conquered; though the Emperor Hadrian built a wall to protect Roman settlements there, they were pushed back, and other than some select groups (many of which were able to settle underground), the islands were abandoned.

It was not until the reign of Diocletian in the 3rd Century that Rome regained its glory; his son, Constantine I, followed in his father’s footsteps. Under Constantine, however, two great changes occurred – the capital was moved from Rome to Constantinople, and the state religion became Christianity. The Christians had long been persecuted by the Roman Empire, but had grown despite this, becoming the largest faith in the region. After the death of Constantine, the empire split in two; the western half remained centered in Rome, while the Byzantine Empire, as it came to be known was born around Constantinople. The Roman Empire again entered into a decline, subject to raids and attacks by many barbarian tribes from the north, while the eastern half flourished. In 476, the child emperor Romulus Augustulus abdicated – again, on the Idea of March – and the once-mighty Rome dissolved.

However, following this period was the rule of Lucius Tiberius. Ruling from Rome, he could not recapture most of the empire; however, he did reclaim some regions of Gaul, and even attempted to take back the Roman colonies of Britain. This brought him into contact with King Arthur of England, whom he did battle with on many occasions. However, after his death, Rome again fell to pieces, this time, permanently; Italy fractured into independent states, and remained as such until Vittorio Emanuele II reunified the peninsula in the late 19th Century. However, most, if not all, future European empires would take inspiration from the Romans, primarily those in Italy, such as the fascist dictatorship ruled by Benzino Napaloni. However, no other nation would ever reclaim the power of the empire at its height – and, more than likely, no other will.

Sources:

Spoiler :

* The Aeneid – Roots in Troy, Aeneas, Carthage
* Romulus and Remus – Numitor, Amulius, Rhea Silva, Romulus and Remus, Founding of Rome
* Rape of the Sabine Women
* Lucretia – Lucretia, Sextus Lucius
* The Rape of Lucretia – Rape in the Night
* Spartan: Total Warrior - Sparta's Resistance
* Tournament of Legends – Monsters in the Colosseum
* Circus Maximus: Chariot Wars – Monsters in the Circus Maximus
* Miles Gloriosus
* Poenulus – Lycus
* A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum – Marcus Lycus, Squabbles Over Women
* Spartacus – Slave Revolt, Spartacus’ Men’s Loyalty.
* Asterix – Asterix, Continued Resistance in Gaul
* The Death of Kings – Caesar Defeats Spartacus
* Julius Caesar – Caesar’s Assassination
* Antony and Cleopatra – Antony, Cleopatra, Octavian, Suicides
* HeroScape – Marcus Decimus Gallus
* Gladiator – Maximus Decimus Meridius, Death of Commodus
* SPQR: The Empire’s Darkest Hour – Time-Traveling Machine
* Caligula – Caligula’s Reign
* Ben-Hur – Judah Ben-Hur
* The Robe – Marcellus Gallio
* Monty Python’s Life of Brian – Brian Cohen
* Satyricon – Extravagant Parties
* Titus Andronicus
* Land Under England – Romans Under Britan
* Neverwhere – A Legion of Romans Under London
* Romulus the Great – Abdication on the Ides of March
* Arthurian Legend – Lucius Tiberius
* The Great Dictator – Benito Napaloni

Methinks that'll work.

 

Timeline's updated for everything up to Jaffe Joffer. I'll add the more recent stuff at a later date, but I need a break. Check the thread, since I have a few original pieces of information that future pedias may want to use.

 

Alright, added some mentions of the Paleo-Nordics - the original name for the people of Midgard, after the Aesir became gods.

Spoiler :

The Viking people inhabited the present day Scandinavia between the 9th and 11th Centuries – best known for their merciless raids on Europe’s coasts through the Middle Ages. During the time, there were three major groups. The Danes invaded England, the Norwegians attacked Scotland, Ireland, and other western kingdoms, and the Swedes invaded parts of Russia. However, all are referred to as Vikings, and all had the same roots and a similar cultural identity, rooted in the ancient Paleo-Nordic and Aesir cultures, during the period.

While the Vikings only existed for a short period of time, their roots are ancient. During the Hyborian Age, an ethnic group known as the Aesir lived in a nation known as Asgard, part of the greater region of Nordheim. Both before and after the Great Flood, Ymir, a massive frost giant, ruled over the region with an iron fist, and the Aesir - forming loose tribal communities - could do little to combat him. However, for his own reasons, Ymir moved south, giving the Aesir a perfect opportunity to organize. Odin became the Asgardian leader, and led his people to war with the frost giants, eventually slaying Ymir himself. Some giants, however, survived for many years after the defeat of their lord, such as Folstag; Folstag, however, would eventually reform, becoming a respected king. After the death of the frost giant, Odin crafted a new realm, known as "Midgard," for his people, from his body - by some accounts, literally.

Odin himself is a figure of great interest among the Norse Pantheon, as the Aesir became known, as is his son, Thor. For many years, the father and son both ruled over Midgard and its people - known to modern scientists as the "Paleo-Nordics," the ethnic and cultural precursor to the Vikings - creating political alliances with nearby tribes, such as the Dwarves, and protecting his nation from invasions. The greatest event in his period is generally considered the Atlantean Invasion of 1117 BC; along with Greek and Egyptian deities, Odin's soldiers were able to thwart Kastor's plans. However, over time, Odin chose to remain in Asgard for longer and longer periods, and few of the Aesir continued to interact with the people of Earth. One major exception is Loki, the God of Mischief. As a shapeshifter and a trickster, he committed countless transgressions against the gods and against the humans, to a point where he was exiled and chained outside of Asgard. The rivalry between himself and his half-brother Thor burns to this day - Loki's "children," such as the serpent Jörmungandr, are major threats to mankind and are constantly thwarted by the Thunder God. However, many others would do battle with these great beings; Bjarni Ericsson was once able to defeat Jörnmungandr, and while Thor's hammer was in repair, a clan of dwarves called the Diggles went to battle with Fenris.

Over time, as the continents shifted, Midgard devolved again into tribal warfare, as Odin, partially blinded by Loki, began to rule more loosely. Many became disenchanted with their gods, who ruled from afar. Valhalla, not Asgard, became the final destination the Paleo-Nordics. Warriors who died in battle would generally be brought to Valhalla by Valkyries, where they would prepare for Ragnarök, the inevitable apocalypse. It is described as a massive dining hall with endless food and drink, where not only those that died in combat but kings and warlords awaited the end of days. Valkyries, more than just guides, were fierce winged warriors, far removed from their angelic cousins. Due to this, the Viking warriors, when their era arrived, were more than prepared for death, even welcoming it, so long as they knew Valhalla awaited.

Sounds good? Sounds good. Glad to see the timeline up and running.

 

I suppose the end of Paleo-Nordic culture could be linked to Ragnarok. After some of the Titans (and thus the Norse giants) are freed during the events of Age of Mythology they gather the remaining giants (as well as gods and monsters such as Loki and Fenris) to battle the Aesir. The battle probably takes time either three years after the return of the Titans (because of the Fimbulwinter - three years of perpetual winter taking place before Ragnarok) or around the same time as the Olympians cut their ties to Greece.
The problem is that according to Norse mythology Ragnarok has yet to come. Furthermore, this would lead to the death of many important gods even before the age of Vikings.
Well, it's up to you.

 

As stated before, should we add a mention of the Second War in Heaven from His Dark Materials, or would that too dramatic a change?

 

Pray to the spirits, cast your mystic powers, dig up your hatchets, light the campfires, and be ready for the Greatest Ghost Dance ever - for I'm glad to present you Daniel Howling Coyote!

Spoiler :

DANIEL HOWLING COYOTE (June 25, 1991 - December 15, 2073)
Prophet of the Great Ghost Dance, First President of the Sovereign Tribal Council

Daniel Howling Coyote was born as Daniel Coleman on June 25, 1991 - the anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn - inside the Pyramid Lake Indian reservation in the American state of Nevada. Nothing is known about his parents, except that they were members of the Ondian Ute people. In his youth Daniel was educated both by a US school as well as a Ute shaman - some say his father. There, he developed a keen interest in history, especially the history of his people, and he discovered his personal hero - Sitting Bull, holy man and war chief of the Lakota Sioux during years of resistance to United States government policies.

With seventeen Daniel joined the Sovereign American Indian Movement (SAIM) - a radical organization defending the Native Americans and their territory against its exploit by international companies as well as the North American governments. On May 5, 2009, United Oil received rights to 25% of national parklands and 10% of Indian lands triggering a series of protests among Green organizations and the Native American community. Having proofed his worth and his devotion, Daniel Coleman - codenamed "Howling Coyote" - joined a group of radical protesters seizing the Shiloh nuclear launch facility in Montana and launching a Lone Eagle ICBM at Russia - an occurrence known as the "Lone Eagle Incident". Fortunately, the missile didn't explode. Nevertheless, Daniel and his fellow activists were arrested by the Delta Team and imprisoned in the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

As a reaction to the Lone Eagle Incident the US government ratified the Re-Education and Relocation Act (Nepean Act in Canada), rounding up Native Americans into "re-education centers". Daniel was relocated in one of these camps in Abilene. Ironically, this spared the secluded Native Americans the worst of the VITAS pandemic that killed a quarter of the world's population in the following year. In 2011 the situation change: with the Awakening of Magic the very world itself was altered forever. As one of the first Indian shamans to discover their suddenly awaking powers, Coleman started a massive breakout from the re-education camps. Attempts to retrieve the escaped prisoners failed - they just disappeared using powerful shaman magic.

In the following three years the ultra-conservative government of US president Nehemiah Scudder led to the persecution of both magically awakened people as well as the Indians - turning America more and more into a theocracy. Eventually, in 2014, Daniel Coleman - now solely known as Daniel Howling Coyote - and his followers suddenly reappeared with an ultimatum for the "Anglo governments": leave our continent or face the consequences. The US and Canadian government declined leading Howling Coyote to proof his power with the eruption of Redondo Peak. In the following two years the charismatic and somewhat enigmatic Howling Coyote gathered support all over North America - mostly oppressed Native Americans freed from the re-education camps but due to Howling Coyote's liberal attitude towards magic also many wizards and magically transformed "metahumans". Howling Coyote declared the formation of the NAN (Native American Nations) and, in 2016, he declared war against the USA and Canada. President Scudder answered with the Executive Order 17-321, which legitimized the extermination of the Native American tribes.

Fighting a magically aided Guerrilla war against the "Anglo governments", Howling Coyote's followers ignited the so-called "Great Ghost Dance War". The turning point of the war came on August 17, 2017, at precisely 10:32 am: following in the footsteps of his personal example, Sitting Bull, Daniel Howling Coyote and the Indian shamans used their mystic abilities to complete a ritual known as the Great Ghost Dance - striking the North American continent with their entire force. For weeks America trembled under floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Eventually, the Anglo governments had to surrender. With the signing of the Treaty of Denver on January 25, 2018, the USA and Canada finally ceased to exist.

The Treaty of Denver returned the entire Canadian territory (excluding the now independent Québec) as well as most of the US west of the Mississippi to the Natives, and various new nations were formed – the Athabaskan Council, the Trans-Polar Aleut Nation, the Salish-Shidhe Council, the Tsimshian Nation, the Algonkian-Manitou Council, the Sioux Nation, the elven nation of Tir Tairngire, Aztlan and the Ute Nation. For his great lead, Howling Coyote became the First President of the Sovereign Tribal Council (STC) - the government of the NAN.

The following decades were far from boring for Howling Coyote: as the head of the NAN he had to consolidate power, draw borders, establish local governments, rebuild infrastructure, fight occasional Anglo resistance, prevent tribal conflicts, face the remains of the Anglo governments (most of all Scudder's theocratic Republic of Gilead), dealing with international relationships and, in the years to come, he turned the NAN into major players of international powers. Even though Howling Coyote was worshiped by all peoples of the NAN, he couldn't prevent the decrease of the STC's power and, eventually, the Tribal Council was effectively powerless allowing the NAN to rule as individual nations. In 2035, the defection of the Tsimshian Nation from the NAN was the last straw for Howling Coyote. After he spent years attempting to guide the NAN through the Sovereign Tribal Council, he resigned in disgust. He was not afraid to let it be known that he was not happy at what the NAN had become.

Without the greatest of all their leader, tribal conflict and political infighting returned to the NAN, and in 2066 the Tribal Councils allied themselves with the remaining American Anglo nations to battle the UFAR (United Federation of Asian Republics) over the Earth's remaining resources - the prologue of World War III. The elderly Howling Coyote settled down in his old reservation in Nevada, shunning publicity while watching as his homeland headed straight for disaster. On December 15, 2073, Howling Coyote passed away peacefully in his bed and, some say, he was lucky because only four years later the new world he created went up in flames.

Spoiler :

*Shadowrun - Daniel Howling Coyote, NAN, Great Ghost Dance, Awakening of Magic, timeline
*If This Goes On— - Nehemiah Scudder
*The Handmaid's Tale - Gilead
*Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest - UFAR
*Fallout - WW III

The pedia is based mostly on Shadowrun itself, but I still want to explain some things. For instance, Howling Coyote is a rather enigmatic person in the Shadowrun universe and there is not much known about him prior to the Awakening except for the year of his birth. I think its reasonable to draw a connetion between him and the Lone Eagle Incident and he remainded me too much of a modern Sitting Bull not to include a connection. Furthermore, I think it wouldn't be logical that there are no recordings of the birthday of somebody born during the late 20th century in the US. So I came up with concrete dates of birth and death - the day of the Battle at Little Bighorn and the anniversary of Sitting Bull's death.

I'm afraid, I don't know His Dark Materials but after some quick research it seems to fit well into the God pedia.

 

Well, I don't see any harm in it. Nice pedia, BTW

EDIT: Hey, remember when I said that Terminator 2: Judgement Day was set in 1991? Apparently my Terminator trivia subroutine is faulty. It actually was set in 1995.

 

Wow, Daniel Howling Coyote's the man; the NAN seems like a cool concept in general. Can't wait to see him in action!

 

Alright, no harm done. I changed made some adjustments to the Cyberdyne pedia and I'll post the new one with the next pedia collection.

Well, he defeats the US by blowing up volcanoes - that's not just winning, that's winning with style! What else does a real leader need?

 

Why did i not think about a Cyberdyne corp for my mod ?
Everytime good to look in here .

 

Guys, take a piece of advise: keep your hands off Aztec mythology. That stuff's weird! Anyway, enjoy the new pedia - Meanwhile, I've gotta go sacrifice some slaves.

Spoiler :

HUITZILOPOCHTLI
God of War and the Sun, Hummingbird of the South, Patron of Tenochtitlán


Scholars and philosophers from Sigil - the city at the center of the multiverse - agree on the theory that the strongest power in existence is belief. If enough people believe in the same thing it comes into existence - thus explaining the creation of deities. The only god that predates humanity by far is the omnipotent creator known by many names - Deus, Azatoth, Allah, Gitche Manitou, Om, Gan, Tengri, and many others. When this God created humanity he made it His chosen species by giving it the power to use faith to draw energy from Keter, "the Source" created by Him in order to manifest his will. Thus, when humanity spread all over the world, its faith led to the emergence of hundreds of different deities. Perhaps the oldest of these were the Japanese spirits, the Celestial Bureaucracy in China, the Four Heavenly Kings of India, the deities of ancient Hyboria - Crom, Derketo, Father Set and others - and, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the deities of the Aztecs.

The Aztecs knew the Source as Teotl and God as Tonacatecuhtli ("lord of our sustenance"). As the first Mesoamerican tribes began to believe in these supernatural forces, Tonacatecuhtli created Ometeotl, the god of duality - light and darkness, fire and water, judgment and forgiveness, men and women. Being both male and female, Ometeotl was able to sire children all by himself - the four Tezcatlipocas, who each presided over one of the four cardinal directions: over the East presided Quetzalcoatl, the god of light, mercy and wind; over the West presided Xipe Totec, the god of gold, farming and Spring time; over the North presided the Black Tezcatlipoca, the god of judgment, night, deceit, sorcery and the Earth; and over the South presided Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and the sun, who today is known as Huitzilopochtli.

At that point in Mesoamerican history - at around 10,000 BC - began the Age of the Five Suns (called Paleo-Indian period by modern day scientists). The four Tezcatlipocas were eager to create a civilization worth of their divine power. After their first creations were all devoured by the giant crocodile Cipactli, the deities created the first other gods as well as a species of giants, and as the valleys of modern-day Mexico were rather dark at that time, the Black Tezcatlipoca burned himself in order to turn into a second sun. The world continued on in this way for some time, but a sibling rivalry grew between Quetzalcoatl and his brother the mighty sun, who Quetzalcoatl knocked from the sky with a stone club. In his anger, Tezcatlipoca commanded his jaguars to eat all the giants. Thus the people of the First Sun (or First Age) went extinct.

Another attempt of creation was made by Quetzalcoatl who turned himself into another sun. This time the followers of the Tezcatlipoca were normal sized humans, but after a while the humans grew less and less civilized and stopped showing proper honor to the gods. As a result, the Black Tezcatlipoca demonstrated his power and authority as god of sorcery and judgment by turning the animalistic people into monkeys. Enraged by the transformation of his favorite people, Quetzalcoatl stepped down as the sun, ending the Second Age.

The next sun became Tlaloc, a god of rain and fertility. But Huitzilopochtli seduced Tlaloc's wife, the goddess Xochiquetzal and the grieving Tlaloc refused to move over the sky, so a great drought swept Mesoamerica turning large parts of it into desert. As the peoples' prayers for rain annoyed the stubborn Tlaloc, he answered them with a great downpour of fire, ending the Third Age.

Eventually the benevolent goddess Chalchiuhtlicue turned into another sun as she couldn't watch the humans suffer. But the Black Tezcatlipoca - still enraged by Quetzalcoatl hitting from the sky - made the goddess cry and for the next fifty-two years a horrible flood drowned the land of the Aztec ancestors. Probably this was the same Great Flood that ravaged Eurasia.

After the Great Flood, Huitzilopochtli turned into a sun to dry the land, while his brother Quetzalcoatl resurrected the Mesoamerican humans using blood magic – cursing them to repay the debt of blood in the generations to come. But Ometeotl youngest children, the star gods called Tzitzimitl, were jealous of their brighter, more important brother Huitzilopochtli. Their leader, Coyolxauhqui, goddess of the moon, lead them in an assault on Huitzilopochtli. To withstand their savage attack Huitzilopochtli sacrificed himself by throwing himself in the real, great sun. From that day onwards, the star gods attack the sun every night and it is said that only the nourishment of human sacrifice helps the sun to survive this continuing war. However, this might just be propaganda spread by modern-day blood mages to justify their dreadful rituals.

But even though he sacrificed his life, Huitzilopochtli had the power of reincarnation. Thus he was reborn as the son of Coatlicue and the god Mixcoatl, who disguised himself as a ball of feathers. However, after Huitzilopochtli was conceived his sister Coyolxauhqui tried to kill their mother because she became pregnant in such a shameful way. Using his link to the sun Huitzilopochtli learned of this plan while still in the womb, and before it was put into action, sprang from his mother's womb fully grown and fully armed. He then killed his sister and many of his 400 brothers. He then tossed his sister's head into the sky where it allegedly landed on the moon. After his re-birth Huitzilopochtli adapted a human form with a distinctively black obsidian skin and a crown decorated with the green feathers of the hummingbird - his fathers disguise when he slept with Coatlicue. In this new form he traveled all over Mesoamerica gathering many tribes to form a new people, the Mexico - better known as the Aztecs.

Ruled directly by Huitzilopochtli, the Aztecs settled down in a secluded valley called Aztlan near an Atlantean trading post. Even in his human form, the deity continued his struggle against the star gods and he required human sacrifice - founding the Aztec sacrificial cult and the tradition of blood magic. The Aztec culture flourished until the Aztlan valley beginning to suffer from overpopulation. Thus, at some point during the 13th century Huitzilopochtli led the Aztecs southwards to Lake Texcoco. There he appeared to his chosen people in the guise of an eagle perched on a cactus - an image which would later decorate the Mexican national flag. At that location the Aztecs settled down to found their new capital city - Tenochtitlán. Furthermore, Huitzilopochtli decided that the Aztecs were now strong enough to rule themselves, leaving the throne in the hands of the first human rulers. Under their rule the Aztec Empire would quickly grew in strength and in science, expanding over large parts of Mesoamerica.

However, it is uncertain what happened with Huitzilopochtli. After the foundation of Tenochtitlán he disappeared and he would not return during his people's time of greatest need - when the Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés slaughtered the Aztec people and destroyed their empire in 1521. Some say Huitzilopochtli did not aid his people as he was busy protecting the sun against the assault of the star gods. Others theorize that he and the other gods returned to Aztlan together with their favorite priests, kings and warriors. Or perhaps the deity died after the slaughter of his worshipers as their were less and less followers of the Aztec cult. Eventually the Awakening of Magic in 2011 – which is traditionally known as the arrival of the Sixth Sun or the start of the Sixth Age - led to the resurgence of old Aztec traditions - human sacrifice, blood magic and the worship of the long lost Aztec gods. However, Huitzilopochtli himself did not reappear to the public - and perhaps he never will.

Spoiler :

* Aztec mythology - Huitzilopochtli and pretty much everything after the first paragraph
* Planescape - Sigil
* Christianity - Deus
* Cthulhu Mythos - Azatoth
* Islam - Allah
* Algonquian mythology - Gitche Manitou
* Discworld - Om
* The Dark Tower (series) - Gan
* Tengriism - Tengri
* Kabbalah - Keter
* Conan the Barbarian - Hyboria, Crom, Derkato, Father Set
* Japanese mythology - Japanese spirits
* Chinese mythology - Celestial Bureaucracy
* Buddhism - Four Heavenly Kings
* Age of the Five Suns - Age of the Five Suns, the four Tezcatlipocas, first birth of Huitzilopochtli as Tezcatlipoca
* Shadowrun - Awakening of Magic, modern day blood mages
* Cronica_Mexicayotl - second birth
* Plato's Dialogues - Atlantis

 

Well done, though I think my explanation of the Sephira was a bit shoddy.

Pic:



The ten Sephira are represented by the ten spheres in the Sephiroth, which refers to the tree as a whole. Each Sephira is a step in the process of creation, which in Kaballah is said to go both ways - God and man help each other create the universe. The Sephirah at the top is Keter, the brilliant white light from which all creation comes. The cosmology of Jack Kirby's New Gods comes from this idea - The Source is the place in the universe from whence all power, super and otherwise, comes from. So The Source is actually Keter, not all of the Sephira as you suggested.

EDIT: By the way, what do you have written so far on Transylvania? Maybe if you posted what you have so far we could help you edit it.

 

I see. I'll change that wright away.
Sadly, I have never started to write about Transylvania as I always failed at the research. I've got some notes, however they are German. If anybody wants to write about Transylvania (or about Vampires in general) I could translate them, of course.

Upon reading my Huitzilopochtli pedia a second time I'm surprised how weird all the sun stuff sounds. At second son to light the Mexican valleys? Was I drunk when I wrote that or just temporarily insane? Anyway, the sun is a very important part of Aztec mythology but I don't know if it would be write to give the Aztec gods the controll over THE sun itself. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm definitly going to partially rewrite the text. Perhaps I could link the sun stuff with eclipses - the gods feared that the sun would be gone or something like that. Or it actually was THE sun but the Aztec gods don't guard it alone but aided by Ra, Apollon and all other sun gods. Anyway, I'd highly appreciate any suggestions!

 

I'm getting together some stuff on Transylvania, actually - a bit busy at the moment so I doubt I'll be able to make much more progress until the weekend, though - so, yeah, any notes or help or what have you would be great.

As for the Aztecs... I'd think, I dunno, maybe have it metaphorical? Like, "Tlaloc the Second Sun" isn't the LITERAL sun, but a deity who claimed he was an incarnation of the sun or something. Maybe with some power over solar cycles - drawing their power from the sun?

That's how I'd take it, anyways. There's a reason I was hesitant to take on Huitzilopochtli!

 

Hi there. New here, DLed the mod last night. I have some feedback here - please don't take this as criticism as I loved the mod and the concepts behind it.

- As great a game as Battle Realms is, I feel it's quite a shame you decided to use that to substitute the (early) Sengoku period of Japan. The events of that historical period are heavily wrapped in popular culture and there's a lot of things you can do/expand with it. Oda Nobunaga himself could be used as another leader (incidentally, Kenji Nobunage is a nonsensical name - Oda Nobunaga's family name is Oda, not Nobunaga).

- There's a lot of Chinese mythology/pop culture/literature that can quite easily be incorporated. Sun Wukong is a great start, but consider for example the 108 Heroes of the Water Margin, or the various deities/heroes mentioned in the "Creation of the Gods" novel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_of_the_Gods).

- Why is Big Brother Aggressive? I mean, sure, it works, but wouldn't Organized work better considering his spy network and whatnot?

- Odysseus is a more cunning/resourceful typed hero - should he perhaps have special abilities to accommodate for that? (withdrawal chances, etc)

- Might Firefly (the TV series) sneak in a reference? Perhaps as a special unit or something...

All in all this mod is fantastic and I'd love to see it develop even further.

 

Hm, good points all.

You're probably right on Big Brother. I guess I imagined him as Aggressive because of his constant war policy, but Organized does make more sense. I'll make him Ind/Org and change Froschkonig to Cha/Ind

As for Odysseus, I had thought about adding a feature where he could build a Trojan Horse, but that idea got pushed aside to focus on the upcoming Superhero feature. I'll try to better represent his mental abilities in the future

I'll also see what I can do about the Chinese myths you mentioned. Firefly unfortunately lies outside our given time frame (late prehistory to 2100) to fit in, but there are certainly hints of other Whedon shows, if you're into that.

And don't worry. All criticism is welcomed

 

Well, today is my birthday! Here's looking forward to another great year of Fictionalization!