City of Gold
Jan 8, 2017 4:14:23 GMT
Post by Taun-Lok on Jan 8, 2017 4:14:23 GMT
NAME: The City of Gold
KINGDOM AT A GLANCE:
The City of Gold is the mythical home of the Crokodon race, untold treasures from ages past, settled in the south-western Jungles along the equator. The Priest-Warriors of the Crokodon people hold complete dominion over the shimmering city, spending their days looking to the stars, praising and attempting to decipher the will of their Living Gods.
SIZE AND LOCATION: Medium
The City of Gold is nestled in the heart of the western jungles on the equator, south of the Darkwood and west of the Artarran Necropolis. It is extremely isolated, with only the single city in jungles bordered on two sides by swamps.
WEALTH: High
The City is literally made of gold. Not entirely, but a great amount of city is Golden. The Crokodons have no concept of money, and thus only ferociously guard their sacred places in the city, caring little for a handful of cobblestones from their roads so long as they are not taken from the Path of the Gods, the four primary roads running along the cardinal directions from the City's center.
They are much more protective of their artifacts and scripts, recordings of prophecies and events. Star-stones being immeasurably sacred diamonds holding the light of a stellar constellation within, even including the moving light of shooting stars, dying lights as a star dies out in the night sky or is blocked by some other object. These are said to match the sky as a prophecy is becoming reality and are thus incredibly important.
STABILITY:
The City of Gold has no struggles for dominion or power. The Oldest Priest-Warrior is denoted as the Priest-King and that being answers only to the Living Gods, Totutl, Grom-taq, Jag-gar, Tehaun, and Hexuatl. There is no theft, no infighting. Disagreements are often handled quickly and decisively by an elder Priest-Warrior, though sometimes this results in a duel or dominance displays. On occasion, prisoners are ritually sacrificed to the Gods, their blood poured into basins for the Gods to bathe in and their hearts eaten by those Crokodon that would commune with their Gods.
DANGER TO TRAVELERS: High
Navigating the Swamps, jungles, the proximity to the Darkwood and the Artarran Necropolis make it dangerous to cross through the Fog. Within the fog there are occasionally whole expeditions lost in the fog, wandering it for years never finding the City of Gold which may beset upon other travelers depending on what type of psychosis their wandering has caused.
The actual City of Gold is however very peaceful most of the time, with a mild distrust of travelers. Occasional Ritual Sacrifices done by ripping the hearts out of creatures or people are done, but only to prisoners who have wronged the City or its occupants in some way. Most people that do make it to the City are treated like they do not exist, avoided by the Crokodons, or simply watched when they are near the sacred sites within the city. Travelers may find that food and water are abundant within the city, free to anyone, kept in stalls along the streets, though hoarders and gluttons may be accidentally commit sacrilege by devouring too much or creating a mess on the Path of the Gods. However they are normally safe until they commit some form of sacrilege to the Gods or the City.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT:
The City of Gold is ruled by its Gods directly. In this case, five mummified corpses of the First Crokodon mages whose decrepit bodies still contain the connection to their spirits. The spirits of the Five Gods are normally dormant, the Celestial Forms of the Gods residing in their Otherworldly abode as the Crokodons believe, unless awakened by preforming ritual blood sacrifices allowing the Priest-King and the other Priest-Warriors to commune with them. When awoken the Gods are prophetic, often making freakishly accurate predictions that may stretch millennia into the future or occur just as they finish speaking. They are able to stand, walk, and talk in their mummified bodies, albeit only for short periods of time and are notoriously frail. Some rumor that if the city fell under attack they could be awoken to defend it. These Prophetic communions are often accompanied by astrological patterns, causing astrology to be a key portent at determining when the prophecies will come to pass.
Beneath the Gods themselves is the Priest-King, the eldest living member of the Crokodons. He acts more as an adviser to the City and its general in its defense. The eldest Priest-Warriors hold the highest ranks, with the youngest holding the lowest ranks. There is no arguments about chain of command, it is simply understood and known.
FREEDOM AND OPPRESSION:
The Crokodons are free, only rarely advised by their gods and ruled by their eldest. Humans and outsiders are only really oppressed for a short time, and then only those the Crokodons view as criminals. And they are only oppressed long enough to have their hearts ripped out over an alter of gold.
COMMON SPECIES:
Crokodons are the only sentient species in the City of Gold, being highly xenophobic due to their leader's ancient experiences with outsiders. They are very large, muscular humanoid-esque crocodilian people with thick hides, long teeth and claws like steel, and powerful prehensile tails. They are fairly slow moving most of the time, being cold-blooded, and normally quite docile. Only when provoked by outsiders threatening, stealing, or defiling their city do they explode into action. They are all prophetic in nature, some having more complex, accurate visions of the future than others, some seeing only one or two visions in their centuries long lives, some seeing the futures of strangers they will never meet or that will not live in the same lifetime as the Crokodon.
The jungles surrounding the City of Gold holds many jungle creatures, insects, poisonous frogs, venomous snakes, large cats, jungle boars to name a few. The swamps surrounding the City are filled with all sorts of dangerous things, Piranha-Mosquitoes being the most notorious tales that have been told, a swarm capable of stripping a man into a pile of bloodless scraps of flesh and clothes in a matter of moments. Immense Titanoboas roam the swamps and rivers, capable of crushing canoes and the people riding them all at once.
MILITARY FOCUS:
The City's primary defense is its remoteness. Not only is it hard to get too, but it is surrounded by a fog stretching for miles. Only the most stalwart traveler can pass through the fog without becoming lost and confused, and prolonged time spent wandering the fog can cause amnesia and psychosis. It is rumored that only those with pure hearts and honest intentions can navigate the Fog unhindered. This has additional effects on Undead and Dark beings, causing them to fall apart, their masters to lose control of them, and a noticeable decomposition of their constructed forms. The Fog obscures the city from view from all directions and is magically maintained by unknown means.
At the top of the Prime Pyramid, much its structure made of gold, sits a mystical artifact enchanted with sunlight and divine magic called the Sun Stone of Totutl. This has a mild effect on undead, demons, and other foul creatures. In the weaker undead and demons, it causes a slow and persistant burn that will eventually kill them. Mid-range undead may feel the symptoms of fatigue in the light of the Sun Stone, however in the strongest undead it is a mere weakening effect, keeping them from being able to function at peak capacity. They may also notice that necromancy and pure dark magics are less effective while within the rays of light. In rare circumstances a series of lenses can be used to direct a more powerful ray of light at a particular area that has more effect but covers less space. The Sun Stone can last for about a full day and night before it would need to recharged by direct sunlight.
As for Military, the entire Crokodon species consists of Eight to Twelve foot tall humanoid-crocodilian lizard Priest-Warriors known for wielding large Macuahuitls and Atlatls in combat. They are relatively few in number but quite ferocious when provoked, though are normally docile. Sometimes they make use of domesticated beasts in warfare, such as large reptilian predators to use as mounts, avian creatures to scout for them, as well as other monstrous creatures from their nearby jungles as siege weapons similar to war elephants. A very small handful of Dragon-Turtles live in the rivers near the city, and are sometimes used as ships.
The army of the Priest-Warriors is simple in its construction. The majority of the warriors are simple close combatants, their physiology and combat prowess make for excellent fighters in battle with loosely organized roles. Unlike trained armies found elsewhere, they fight more like a pack than a regiment of soldiers. The largest of these warriors stand twice the height of a man and wield weapons larger and heavier than the average knight, covered in thick scales and muscle. They are often used like other nations would use siege weapons, capable of battering down gates and buildings with their clubs. The next group are those that have aged to a century, wearing armor, sometimes riding large non-sentient raptor type beasts. Above them are the more venerable warriors, similar to Captains in authority. And the eldest Crokodons act as generals, leading from the front and influencing the battle directly.
TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: Bronze Age
Most of the Technology used by the Crokodons is primitive. Armor is mostly ceremonial, consisting of gold and stone tablets, feathers, leathers, semi-precious stones, and the like. Their weapons are simple, Macuahuitls and Atlatls, with even more primitive clubs and axes being used alongside these.
It is their script-writing, astrology, artistry that is most advanced. Brushes, chisels, each Priest-Warrior seeking to find and catalog omens in their own way. Their speech consists of gutteral grunts, growls, roars, and body language with similar sounds meaning vastly different things. Most verbal communication is based around situations where haste is required, such as combat, fleeing a volcano, an earthquake, and the like. Normally, in everyday conversation they will write their conversations, with different members of the species using different styles. Some may communicate in free form poetry, others only in iambic pentameter, others in song, some exclusively with metaphors and similes.
GODS AND RELIGION:
Crokodon are omnivorous, however due to proximity to rivers and lakes in the jungle they often eat primarily fish and fruit. They have found an abundance of food within their city and the mists that surround it, thus rarely if ever go hungry. They are happy to eat red meat or even other sentient beings, though will only do so to criminals that have been captured.
NOTABLE ARTS:
The Crokodon’s lives revolve around war and worship. From birth until the child reaches adulthood, they are taught to use weapons, read, write, hunt, and basic survival skills communally from many of their elders. After the child reaches about the age of twenty, they are fully grown and begin to learn other skills, such as developing natural talents, learning trades from elders, all while maintaining their combat prowess.
DAILY WEAPONS:
It is uncommon to see the Priest-Warriors carry weapons inside the city. Normally only guards delegated to protect the sacred places or patrol the jungles and walls will carry weapons. This is because of the species’ natural weapons such as claws, teeth, spikes, and tail, render them unnecesary for personal protection.
HISTORY:
The City of Gold's history is shrouded in myth to most. The Crokodons believe that Totutl the God of the Sky descended to the earth and called out to his four brothers and sisters, Grom-taq the God of the Earth, Tehaun the God of the Seas, Jag-gar the God of the Beasts, and Hexuatl the God of Time who came to him from the North, south, east, and west gathering together in the jungles. Together they blessed the lizards of the jungles around them with the Strength of the Earth, the Ferocity of Beasts, the Breath of the Sea, the Vision of Time, and the Wisdom of the Sky, forging the Crokodon species to serve them during the First Age.
In Truth, the Five are the Ancestor Spirits, mortal Crokodon Mages who first brought the tribes together and unified them, overseeing the construction of the City of Gold and imparting their wisdom to their offspring. The Great Pyramid was built from solid gold, towering over the jungles to house the Ancestor Spirits as they entered their slumber and the City was built around it, the Four Paths were paved with gold stones. The city was built to fuel the Ancestor Spirit's magic so that they could trap themselves in Limbo without having to pass on to the other side, so that their children would always be able to seek their advice. They together created the Divine Fog to keep the undead hordes from overrunning the fledgling city during this time. With the City's completion, they locked themselves within the pinnacle chamber and completed their ritual, Forever binding themselves to the City.
The Second Age began when the Ancestor Spirits sealed themselves away, and for centuries it was tranquil until the first Cataclysm. The three Castes, Warrior, Oracle, and Mage castes were able to work together through the few wars fought during the early part of the Second Age. During this time, the Oracles held dominion over the City interpreting the will of their Ancestors themselves, however they were normally summoned during a city-wide ceremony so that all could see and hear the words of their First Kings. Then the First Cataclysm began, in part because of the Mage Caste experimenting with Magic, causing a weakening in the Magical Barrier that protected the city allowing the Undead to march unfettered through the Jungle and to the city walls. Thus began the First Cataclysm known as the War of the Dead.
For centuries the Crokodon fought on the walls and in the city, driving the undead back only to face the next horde when the sun set again. During this time the Warrior Caste became far more fanatically loyal and devoted to the Ancestor Spirits, worshiping them as Gods, their leaders intimidating the Oracle caste into heralding them as Divine and just in their belief. Over the Centuries the Oracle Caste and Warrior Caste merged into one, their purpose becoming that of servants to the living Gods. The holdouts who remained purely aligned to their original caste became a minority in the City. Generations were raised in the Holy War, the Priest-Warriors claiming the young as their heirs, raising them to believe their
A great sacrifice was made by the Mage Caste, restoring the Fog at the cost of many of the great Mages' lives, bringing an end to the war they had inadvertently started. With the War over, Garrok, the Horned One lead the Priest-Warriors in the Great Betrayal, though it would be documented as the Great Awakening. All the other castes were sacrificed in mass to the Ancestor Spirits, now called the Five Gods responsible for all of existence and their Will was paramount. Garrok became the Horned King, the First of the Priest-Kings to rule the City of Gold bringing about the Dawn of the Third Age.
The Third Age was born from that night, the Horned King, the Oldest Son of Totutl, claiming utter dominance over the City. In order to ensure his dominance, he decreed that the Eldest Priest-Warrior was the only one who could hear the divinity of the Gods clearly, closing off the Ancestor Spirits to only a handful instead of the whole city. The Voice of the Gods spoke through the Eldest Son, and with its thundering righteousness the Priest-Warriors became the only thing within the city, and the Bounty of the Gods flowed within it. Since then there has been no hunger or thirst to the Priest-Warriors, and no war they could not win. Fruits and fish are easy to find and grow in huge abundance, freshwater wells only require shallow pits, and disease hasn't plagued the city. Their history was contorted by myth and sermons, the Great Betrayal praised as the restoration of the Will of the Gods, for if the City flourished because of it, how could it not be the Will of the Gods. As generations passed, the lies became truth, and the truth became absolute certainty.
With the Collapse of the Mapheri Empire, marking the beginning of the Fourth Age. It is a time of unrest as more and more prophecies from the gods come to pass, and fewer and fewer new prophecies are made has begun. Faith in the Priest-Warriors remains, but only the most stalwart of the faithful are without doubt. Several Crokodons have predicted a second Cataclysm, though these have been thus far dismissed by the Elders. The divine fog is fading once again, albeit slowly and without the Mage Caste to restore it, it will not survive. The current Priest-King, Taun-Lok the Mage Slayer, has outlawed all magics that do not flow from the divinity of the Gods themselves in the early days of his Kingship, though this edict had largely already been in effect since the founding of the Third Age, however now it applied to any traveler in the city as well, as few and far between as they are.
Taun-Lok has begun having visions of Doom and has heard the Five Gods prophesize the end of the City's existence, and thus he sets out on a vision quest to see the Gods' Will remains while he seeks to unravel the portents of a future he believes is carved in stone.
OUTPOSTS, FIEFS, AND VASSAL STATES:
The City of the Lost, Underwater Temple intended to be a military staging point for campaigns against Central Ardell's multitudes of Undead.
PLAYER CONTROLLED: Taun-Lok | Mage Slayer
KINGDOM AT A GLANCE:
The City of Gold is the mythical home of the Crokodon race, untold treasures from ages past, settled in the south-western Jungles along the equator. The Priest-Warriors of the Crokodon people hold complete dominion over the shimmering city, spending their days looking to the stars, praising and attempting to decipher the will of their Living Gods.
SIZE AND LOCATION: Medium
The City of Gold is nestled in the heart of the western jungles on the equator, south of the Darkwood and west of the Artarran Necropolis. It is extremely isolated, with only the single city in jungles bordered on two sides by swamps.
WEALTH: High
The City is literally made of gold. Not entirely, but a great amount of city is Golden. The Crokodons have no concept of money, and thus only ferociously guard their sacred places in the city, caring little for a handful of cobblestones from their roads so long as they are not taken from the Path of the Gods, the four primary roads running along the cardinal directions from the City's center.
They are much more protective of their artifacts and scripts, recordings of prophecies and events. Star-stones being immeasurably sacred diamonds holding the light of a stellar constellation within, even including the moving light of shooting stars, dying lights as a star dies out in the night sky or is blocked by some other object. These are said to match the sky as a prophecy is becoming reality and are thus incredibly important.
STABILITY:
The City of Gold has no struggles for dominion or power. The Oldest Priest-Warrior is denoted as the Priest-King and that being answers only to the Living Gods, Totutl, Grom-taq, Jag-gar, Tehaun, and Hexuatl. There is no theft, no infighting. Disagreements are often handled quickly and decisively by an elder Priest-Warrior, though sometimes this results in a duel or dominance displays. On occasion, prisoners are ritually sacrificed to the Gods, their blood poured into basins for the Gods to bathe in and their hearts eaten by those Crokodon that would commune with their Gods.
DANGER TO TRAVELERS: High
Navigating the Swamps, jungles, the proximity to the Darkwood and the Artarran Necropolis make it dangerous to cross through the Fog. Within the fog there are occasionally whole expeditions lost in the fog, wandering it for years never finding the City of Gold which may beset upon other travelers depending on what type of psychosis their wandering has caused.
The actual City of Gold is however very peaceful most of the time, with a mild distrust of travelers. Occasional Ritual Sacrifices done by ripping the hearts out of creatures or people are done, but only to prisoners who have wronged the City or its occupants in some way. Most people that do make it to the City are treated like they do not exist, avoided by the Crokodons, or simply watched when they are near the sacred sites within the city. Travelers may find that food and water are abundant within the city, free to anyone, kept in stalls along the streets, though hoarders and gluttons may be accidentally commit sacrilege by devouring too much or creating a mess on the Path of the Gods. However they are normally safe until they commit some form of sacrilege to the Gods or the City.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT:
The City of Gold is ruled by its Gods directly. In this case, five mummified corpses of the First Crokodon mages whose decrepit bodies still contain the connection to their spirits. The spirits of the Five Gods are normally dormant, the Celestial Forms of the Gods residing in their Otherworldly abode as the Crokodons believe, unless awakened by preforming ritual blood sacrifices allowing the Priest-King and the other Priest-Warriors to commune with them. When awoken the Gods are prophetic, often making freakishly accurate predictions that may stretch millennia into the future or occur just as they finish speaking. They are able to stand, walk, and talk in their mummified bodies, albeit only for short periods of time and are notoriously frail. Some rumor that if the city fell under attack they could be awoken to defend it. These Prophetic communions are often accompanied by astrological patterns, causing astrology to be a key portent at determining when the prophecies will come to pass.
Beneath the Gods themselves is the Priest-King, the eldest living member of the Crokodons. He acts more as an adviser to the City and its general in its defense. The eldest Priest-Warriors hold the highest ranks, with the youngest holding the lowest ranks. There is no arguments about chain of command, it is simply understood and known.
FREEDOM AND OPPRESSION:
The Crokodons are free, only rarely advised by their gods and ruled by their eldest. Humans and outsiders are only really oppressed for a short time, and then only those the Crokodons view as criminals. And they are only oppressed long enough to have their hearts ripped out over an alter of gold.
COMMON SPECIES:
Crokodons are the only sentient species in the City of Gold, being highly xenophobic due to their leader's ancient experiences with outsiders. They are very large, muscular humanoid-esque crocodilian people with thick hides, long teeth and claws like steel, and powerful prehensile tails. They are fairly slow moving most of the time, being cold-blooded, and normally quite docile. Only when provoked by outsiders threatening, stealing, or defiling their city do they explode into action. They are all prophetic in nature, some having more complex, accurate visions of the future than others, some seeing only one or two visions in their centuries long lives, some seeing the futures of strangers they will never meet or that will not live in the same lifetime as the Crokodon.
The jungles surrounding the City of Gold holds many jungle creatures, insects, poisonous frogs, venomous snakes, large cats, jungle boars to name a few. The swamps surrounding the City are filled with all sorts of dangerous things, Piranha-Mosquitoes being the most notorious tales that have been told, a swarm capable of stripping a man into a pile of bloodless scraps of flesh and clothes in a matter of moments. Immense Titanoboas roam the swamps and rivers, capable of crushing canoes and the people riding them all at once.
MILITARY FOCUS:
At the top of the Prime Pyramid, much its structure made of gold, sits a mystical artifact enchanted with sunlight and divine magic called the Sun Stone of Totutl. This has a mild effect on undead, demons, and other foul creatures. In the weaker undead and demons, it causes a slow and persistant burn that will eventually kill them. Mid-range undead may feel the symptoms of fatigue in the light of the Sun Stone, however in the strongest undead it is a mere weakening effect, keeping them from being able to function at peak capacity. They may also notice that necromancy and pure dark magics are less effective while within the rays of light. In rare circumstances a series of lenses can be used to direct a more powerful ray of light at a particular area that has more effect but covers less space. The Sun Stone can last for about a full day and night before it would need to recharged by direct sunlight.
As for Military, the entire Crokodon species consists of Eight to Twelve foot tall humanoid-crocodilian lizard Priest-Warriors known for wielding large Macuahuitls and Atlatls in combat. They are relatively few in number but quite ferocious when provoked, though are normally docile. Sometimes they make use of domesticated beasts in warfare, such as large reptilian predators to use as mounts, avian creatures to scout for them, as well as other monstrous creatures from their nearby jungles as siege weapons similar to war elephants. A very small handful of Dragon-Turtles live in the rivers near the city, and are sometimes used as ships.
The army of the Priest-Warriors is simple in its construction. The majority of the warriors are simple close combatants, their physiology and combat prowess make for excellent fighters in battle with loosely organized roles. Unlike trained armies found elsewhere, they fight more like a pack than a regiment of soldiers. The largest of these warriors stand twice the height of a man and wield weapons larger and heavier than the average knight, covered in thick scales and muscle. They are often used like other nations would use siege weapons, capable of battering down gates and buildings with their clubs. The next group are those that have aged to a century, wearing armor, sometimes riding large non-sentient raptor type beasts. Above them are the more venerable warriors, similar to Captains in authority. And the eldest Crokodons act as generals, leading from the front and influencing the battle directly.
TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: Bronze Age
Most of the Technology used by the Crokodons is primitive. Armor is mostly ceremonial, consisting of gold and stone tablets, feathers, leathers, semi-precious stones, and the like. Their weapons are simple, Macuahuitls and Atlatls, with even more primitive clubs and axes being used alongside these.
It is their script-writing, astrology, artistry that is most advanced. Brushes, chisels, each Priest-Warrior seeking to find and catalog omens in their own way. Their speech consists of gutteral grunts, growls, roars, and body language with similar sounds meaning vastly different things. Most verbal communication is based around situations where haste is required, such as combat, fleeing a volcano, an earthquake, and the like. Normally, in everyday conversation they will write their conversations, with different members of the species using different styles. Some may communicate in free form poetry, others only in iambic pentameter, others in song, some exclusively with metaphors and similes.
GODS AND RELIGION:
The City of Gold pays homage to the Five Gods, formerly the Ancestor Spirits, Totutl of the Sky, Grom-Taq of the Earth, Jag-Gar of the Beasts, Tehaun of the Sea, and Hexuatl of Time. Combined, the Five Gods are believed responsible for all of creation, but most importantly it is believed that the City of Gold and its inhabitants were made to directly serve and protect the Gods and their entrance to their Celestial home. Sentient Sacrifices are made to the Gods when the Crokodon wish to glean some influence from them.
In reality these Gods are merely the Spirits of five powerful mortals who learned how to trap themselves in Limbo so that they could continue to provide guidance to the tribes they had united and uplifted into a civilization. Because this was so long ago and contorted by absolute devotion, it is no longer known to the inhabitants.
FOOD:Crokodon are omnivorous, however due to proximity to rivers and lakes in the jungle they often eat primarily fish and fruit. They have found an abundance of food within their city and the mists that surround it, thus rarely if ever go hungry. They are happy to eat red meat or even other sentient beings, though will only do so to criminals that have been captured.
NOTABLE ARTS:
The Crokodon, despite being very primitive, war-like beings often become artists of sorts. Each warrior carries brushes or charcoal and parchment with them as a way of communication because in their society, unless haste is required, it is more polite to write for one another. Some will use poetry, haiku’s, limericks exclusively while others may be more freeform or script writing. A few are known to exclusively use metaphors and similes in their written communication.
Additionally painting and rock sculptures, particularly those of the Gods or the Priest-Kings are revered as forms of worship, with great painters and sculptors holding some level of renown in the City, even if war is the primary profession of the entire species.
RELATIONSHIPS:Most of the Crokodon have a very laxed view of relationships as whole, allowing individual to determine the duration and amount of partners for themselves. Some males and females maintain harems, others mate for life, and others refrain for whatever reason. Normally a female will pick two or three males every year in a casual relationship that only lasts a few months. Females are able to bear only two or three live offspring every other year, each offspring able to be born from different fathers. Because of this, females may mate with one to three males, picking them based on their individual traits she finds desirable, such as their strength, wisdom, talent, or even personality.
Interracial relations between Crokodon is not unheard of or frowned upon. Paternal side determines the Race of the child, allowing a female of any race of Crokodon to give birth to any race. Interspecies relations are rare however, largely due to their extreme isolationism. It would be assumed that if picked by a female of a different species males may be accepting and isn't culturally looked down upon.
EDUCATION:The Crokodon’s lives revolve around war and worship. From birth until the child reaches adulthood, they are taught to use weapons, read, write, hunt, and basic survival skills communally from many of their elders. After the child reaches about the age of twenty, they are fully grown and begin to learn other skills, such as developing natural talents, learning trades from elders, all while maintaining their combat prowess.
DAILY WEAPONS:
It is uncommon to see the Priest-Warriors carry weapons inside the city. Normally only guards delegated to protect the sacred places or patrol the jungles and walls will carry weapons. This is because of the species’ natural weapons such as claws, teeth, spikes, and tail, render them unnecesary for personal protection.
HISTORY:
The City of Gold's history is shrouded in myth to most. The Crokodons believe that Totutl the God of the Sky descended to the earth and called out to his four brothers and sisters, Grom-taq the God of the Earth, Tehaun the God of the Seas, Jag-gar the God of the Beasts, and Hexuatl the God of Time who came to him from the North, south, east, and west gathering together in the jungles. Together they blessed the lizards of the jungles around them with the Strength of the Earth, the Ferocity of Beasts, the Breath of the Sea, the Vision of Time, and the Wisdom of the Sky, forging the Crokodon species to serve them during the First Age.
In Truth, the Five are the Ancestor Spirits, mortal Crokodon Mages who first brought the tribes together and unified them, overseeing the construction of the City of Gold and imparting their wisdom to their offspring. The Great Pyramid was built from solid gold, towering over the jungles to house the Ancestor Spirits as they entered their slumber and the City was built around it, the Four Paths were paved with gold stones. The city was built to fuel the Ancestor Spirit's magic so that they could trap themselves in Limbo without having to pass on to the other side, so that their children would always be able to seek their advice. They together created the Divine Fog to keep the undead hordes from overrunning the fledgling city during this time. With the City's completion, they locked themselves within the pinnacle chamber and completed their ritual, Forever binding themselves to the City.
The Second Age began when the Ancestor Spirits sealed themselves away, and for centuries it was tranquil until the first Cataclysm. The three Castes, Warrior, Oracle, and Mage castes were able to work together through the few wars fought during the early part of the Second Age. During this time, the Oracles held dominion over the City interpreting the will of their Ancestors themselves, however they were normally summoned during a city-wide ceremony so that all could see and hear the words of their First Kings. Then the First Cataclysm began, in part because of the Mage Caste experimenting with Magic, causing a weakening in the Magical Barrier that protected the city allowing the Undead to march unfettered through the Jungle and to the city walls. Thus began the First Cataclysm known as the War of the Dead.
For centuries the Crokodon fought on the walls and in the city, driving the undead back only to face the next horde when the sun set again. During this time the Warrior Caste became far more fanatically loyal and devoted to the Ancestor Spirits, worshiping them as Gods, their leaders intimidating the Oracle caste into heralding them as Divine and just in their belief. Over the Centuries the Oracle Caste and Warrior Caste merged into one, their purpose becoming that of servants to the living Gods. The holdouts who remained purely aligned to their original caste became a minority in the City. Generations were raised in the Holy War, the Priest-Warriors claiming the young as their heirs, raising them to believe their
A great sacrifice was made by the Mage Caste, restoring the Fog at the cost of many of the great Mages' lives, bringing an end to the war they had inadvertently started. With the War over, Garrok, the Horned One lead the Priest-Warriors in the Great Betrayal, though it would be documented as the Great Awakening. All the other castes were sacrificed in mass to the Ancestor Spirits, now called the Five Gods responsible for all of existence and their Will was paramount. Garrok became the Horned King, the First of the Priest-Kings to rule the City of Gold bringing about the Dawn of the Third Age.
The Third Age was born from that night, the Horned King, the Oldest Son of Totutl, claiming utter dominance over the City. In order to ensure his dominance, he decreed that the Eldest Priest-Warrior was the only one who could hear the divinity of the Gods clearly, closing off the Ancestor Spirits to only a handful instead of the whole city. The Voice of the Gods spoke through the Eldest Son, and with its thundering righteousness the Priest-Warriors became the only thing within the city, and the Bounty of the Gods flowed within it. Since then there has been no hunger or thirst to the Priest-Warriors, and no war they could not win. Fruits and fish are easy to find and grow in huge abundance, freshwater wells only require shallow pits, and disease hasn't plagued the city. Their history was contorted by myth and sermons, the Great Betrayal praised as the restoration of the Will of the Gods, for if the City flourished because of it, how could it not be the Will of the Gods. As generations passed, the lies became truth, and the truth became absolute certainty.
With the Collapse of the Mapheri Empire, marking the beginning of the Fourth Age. It is a time of unrest as more and more prophecies from the gods come to pass, and fewer and fewer new prophecies are made has begun. Faith in the Priest-Warriors remains, but only the most stalwart of the faithful are without doubt. Several Crokodons have predicted a second Cataclysm, though these have been thus far dismissed by the Elders. The divine fog is fading once again, albeit slowly and without the Mage Caste to restore it, it will not survive. The current Priest-King, Taun-Lok the Mage Slayer, has outlawed all magics that do not flow from the divinity of the Gods themselves in the early days of his Kingship, though this edict had largely already been in effect since the founding of the Third Age, however now it applied to any traveler in the city as well, as few and far between as they are.
Taun-Lok has begun having visions of Doom and has heard the Five Gods prophesize the end of the City's existence, and thus he sets out on a vision quest to see the Gods' Will remains while he seeks to unravel the portents of a future he believes is carved in stone.
OUTPOSTS, FIEFS, AND VASSAL STATES:
The City of the Lost, Underwater Temple intended to be a military staging point for campaigns against Central Ardell's multitudes of Undead.
PLAYER CONTROLLED: Taun-Lok | Mage Slayer
