Norte Chico Empire
LH: ???
Starts with Mysticism and Agriculture
UU: ???
I don't know much about Norte Chico, but I think it would make a great civ.
Ive seen some posts about Norte Chico civilization referring to the first civilization of the Americas, recently discovered in the north of Peru.
Norte Chico civilization I better know as Caral, since this is the name of the place where the ruins are, The name Norte Chico means in Small North in Spanish and refers to the fact that this civilization developed at the north of the current capital of Peru Lima (area usually called Norte Chico) even when Caral is also a contemporary name, it doesnt means anything in Spanish and the name could be somehow rotted on the original name of the site.
I doubt they had written records, but here are some interesting discoveries that could be used as a base for the civilizations special attributes:
It is thought that this civilization had a theocratic government system, this due to the many temple structures founded all over the place. So from this we can assume that the favorite civic of the possibly ruler was Theocracy.
Its a fact that the civilization was also based in commerce since many imported objects were found on the site, like seashells that are only found in the coast for equator, this also give us a clue of the close relationship of the civilization with the sea, not only for commerce but also for surviving, since many fishing nets were found on the archeological site, and also the limited amounts of water source in the region could be limited the develop of big extensions of farms and agricultural use of the land.
From these two facts we could deduce the civilization could starts with Mysticism and Fishing. Although Mysticism and agriculture could be correct as well. (for all the seeds found in the place as well)
We also can deduce the two characteristic of the possible ruler that will be Spiritual/Financial (spiritual for the religious connotations of the city structures and financial due the commerce evidence, perhaps organized could be an accurate characteristic to), and perhaps the fav civ could be theocracy.
As for the special building I would suggest the stepped pyramid since this are the most obvious structures on the site, there are also other interesting structures like the circular plaza with a fire on the middle for religious ceremonies but I think that the pyramid is more impressive.
I have no clue for the leader name or the special unit, I think I have an architectural magazine somewhere with an article about Caral, Ill try to find some information there.
For the list of cities names, I would suggest Caral as the name of the capital as well as the name of the civilization (The Caral Empire). Other settlements are unknown to the moment however there are plenty of other archeological sites in the Norte Chico area that havent been studied, but there are thought to belong to the same period of time and the same civilization due the similar characteristics with Caral, I dont remember the names right now but I could find some of them latter.
Anyway, hope I could help to complete the request. I think is a great idea and it will be a great civilization to play.