Shadows of the Past

Azel · Jan 17, 2018

[X] [Tezcatl] Take him up on his offer and investigate together.
[X] [Action] Hide among the excavated dirt and see if the spirits come.
[X] [When] At night.

1.6.17.10.9.1 - 1st of the Green Storm

Having some company while doing this, and a second set of eyes on top of that, is quite nice. Less so is the hiding place you have for yourself. The guards didn't want you to waltz around among the huge piles of gravel and earth during the day, since they have their hands full enough to keep track of the workers without outsiders among them. They didn't challenge you when you came there again after dusk, but there was no time to prepare a proper hiding place, forcing you to make do with the bit of shrubbery growing on one of the older piles. Neither had the rain stopped entirely, and a constant drizzle was coming down on you. The rain had never really bothered you before, but then you usually were in the middle of the jungle and the trees shielded you from most of it. Tezcatl, who sits beside you, had luckily a second leather cloak for such occasions, making the whole thing bearable.

Sneaking:
69 + 80 (Dexterity) + 60 (Concentration) + 80 (Sneaking) = 289

Perception:
85 + 50 (Intelligence) + 60 (Concentration) + 80 (Perception) = 275

The place you've ultimately choosen is a rather thick bush of some sort, right on the crest of one of the dirt piles, giving you a good view of your surroundings. Sometimes your gaze wanders from the forest to the pit on your side, now illuminated by many small fires and painting a rather pleasant picture. The work in Xoxo never rested, and so even now there is the steady sound of tools striking stone coming up to you. All of this, just for a bit of metal.

"Something on your mind?" A small whisper from your side. Tezcatl and you are sitting next to each other, but turned to face opposite directions. You pretty much had to sit him down exactly right, since he had shown no aptitude whatsoever at staying inconspicuous.

"Just thinking about Xoxo. I never quite knew about where metal comes from, and then seeing all of this... So many people working to the bones just for that..." The dagger at you side seems to weigh more and more as you thoughts drift. Not greed made it worth so much, but the blood and sweat shed beneath you.

"A necessary evil of our time, I'm afraid. I've seen more mines like this and they all tend to be on the ugly side. Some more than others. Most have been nice in the old times, where the Stone Man still obeyed the words of man and did these things."

"I haven't asked yet, but how far did you travel?"

"Here and there. Never beyond the great river, I'm afraid, but I walked the mountains to the east and south. Even saw the great sea and the plumes of smoke coming from the Burning Isles when the wind is right. You should travel there, too. The south is a lot drier than these--"

You quickly lay your hand on his shoulders and he breaks off immediately. Something moves among the trees. Plants rustle before your eyes, leaves being bent away and the sparse grass parting for something, yet the movements have no rhyme or reason. Even as you concentrate on the place where you know something should be, nothing comes into view save more moving plants. Then whatever it is steps out of the underbrush and suddenly plants bow out of its way that weren't there a moment ago.

DC 200
25 + 50 (Intelligence) + 50 (Intelligence) + 80 (Spirit Lore) = 205
One Degree of Success

As the spirit steps further towards the rim, you finally see it for what it is. Simply "Spirit Wolf" they call it, for it is close in appearance and temperament to his lesser brethren. Not fur garbs it, but the jungle itself. Figments of earth and greenery run down its flank as it moves with silent grace, its gaze never leaving the pit it walks towards. A majestic beast, a cunning hunter like few others and nearly as tall as yourself.

"I've heard they were larger." It's a barely audible whisper right next to your ear, and yet you still startle at Tezcatl's voice.

"It must still be young. Maybe separated from his pack." The answer you give just as quietly and grip your knife all the while. No wooden arrow would pierce its hide, and as close as it is it would be folly to rely on a single shot to bring it low anyway. Silently you thank Noche for his generosity in reforging your dagger or you would sit here like a tasty morsel with no way to defend yourself. And yet, a small part of you has other urges. After your fight with a cousin of the spirit before you, you idly think about trying for a jaguar. The hunters always ridiculed you for never having brought down a truly impressive quarry. This? No hunter from here would Zacatl could deny your prowess with such a trophy.

"We should wait it out. The Wise Men should be happy enough to know what is preying on the workers. Or do you think you can lure it away?"

You shake your head before remembering that he is unlikely to see the gesture in the dark. "No. What could I offer that compares to all these men he can hunt at his leisure? We could still do more. It is alone after all or the others would have come by now. Let alone that a full pack would not bother to hide its presence and come down on Xoxo in force to sate their hunger."

It grows quiet for a while. The Spirit Wolf watching the settlement below and you two watching it in turn. Then Tezcatl finds his voice again. "I will trust you with this, but remember that I'm not worth much in a fight."

You found out that there is indeed a spirit. What now?
[] Sneak up and attack it. You can take a lone Spirit Wolf with your new weapon.
[] Wait till it departs and follow it to its lair. You can just slit its throat in its sleep.
[] Wait till it departs and go back to Xoxo. The Wise Men can send their own hunters after it.

Sneaking: 11 XP
Perception: 15 XP
Spirit Lore: 70 XP

AN: You found it, but now comes the hard part. Dealing with it.

Azel · Jan 18, 2018

[X] Wait till it departs and follow it to its lair. You can just slit its throat in its sleep.

1.6.17.10.9.1 - 1st of the Green Storm

Slowly your hand drifts away from your knife. Tussling with a spirit would be dangerous, metal blade or not, and you have little hope that the guards would care enough to help you. "We wait. It must have a lair somewhere and we can end this far easier when it isn't in a state to defend itself." To this, Tzecatl says nothing, but neither does he make any move to gainsay you. The spirit remains for a long time, still as a statue and his eyes always directed into the crater. Would it not move it's head now and then to look at another part of Xoxo, you might think it nothing more then the plants it pretends to be. It must be not that long until sunrise, with clouds covering the stars you can't truly tell, when the wolf turns around. Your heart is beating faster and fast as its head swivels into your direction, but it does not stop, doesn't look at your hiding place, and you slightly relax again. With the same slow and measured steps that it had when it stepped out of the thicket, the spirit moves back to it before disappearing in the brush.

Tracking, DC ???:
94 + 50 (Intelligence) + 60 (Concentration) + 40 (Tracking) = 244
??? Degrees of Success

You look around the area again to make sure that the spirit hasn't just moved to a different vantage point, but can't spot anything. So you carefully walk down the slope of the small hill you sat on for what feels like ages before walking to the bushes where the wolf disappeared again. Tzecatl is right behind you and crouches down to as you examine the ground. "You think you can follow it?"

"Easily." At this you point towards a deep paw print in the soggy earth. "It's heavy and the soil is soft. It's a bit dark and we can hardly light a torch, but they should be easy to follow."

You can't quite read his expression in dark and yet it feels odd that he gazes so long at the print as if it would divulge some greater secret about your quarry. At long last he tilts his head downward in what feels like defeat. "I will trust you to keep me safe Yaxkin. I'm not really made for these things."

Said trust should feel flattering and yet you can't stop a slight sliver of guilt from forming that you drag him along for this.

Following the beast through the jungle is child's play. After the first few paces, where the border of the treeline lets enough light onto the floor for things to grow, the thick roof of leaves makes sure that the ground is clear enough to see a decent distance and the tracks have ample room to form. Only when you come across an old patch of road it seems you might loose him. It's hard to form paw prints on moss covered stone. Yet as luck would have it, the spirit scraped of a few patches of moss with its steps, marking clearly that it followed the road for a bit.

Tracking: 15 Degrees of Success !?

Perception:
Auto-Success, it's no longer hiding since you stopped.

As you crouch there next to a torn bit of moss, you finally notice it. It is easy to track the spirit. Ridiculously easy. As you look around for Tzecatl, you see the reason standing between the trees where you just came from. It's strange pelt makes it nigh invisible in the darkness, but those eyes are impossible to miss. A deep green that seems to glow like a torch in the night and a pupil that is only a narrow slit, all the more visible for it's absence of light. Only dimly you note your companions standing right beside you, straight as a rod and not moving a single muscle.

As the spirits stalks closer, you throw a frantic glance back in the direction the tracks lead. It might have just circled around to catch you from behind, but with how thoroughly you where had, you suspect something else. And indeed, from down the half rotten road, another pair of these baleful eyes glow towards you. The blade has been in your hand since the first moment, but as you look down on your prize, it feels just as useless as a wooden stick. Next to you, Tzecatl still stands straight, through you can faintly notice that he seems to shake under his cloak. "I'm sorry." Nothing else is there to say in this moment.

The same ponderous steps that made the bait for you bring the wolf ever closer. Its eyes never waver from your form. Then it stops and a rumbling growl, not unlike a rotten tree finally collapsing reaches your ears. Even with the distance in between you, you still feel the hot breath of the grand beast on your face. You smell the mixture of foul soil, rotten plants, and spoiled meat it carries to you, with each part competing to be the worst part of the disgusting smell. He throws his head in the direction of the second wolf and lets out a deep bark. A quick glance reveals that the other eyes have stopped a bit farther away. The one before you seems larger then the other, so he must have first right to the meal of the night.

Intimidation
Spirit Wolf: 12 + 80 (Dexterity) + 70 (Concentration) + 70 (???) + 30 (Baleful Gaze) = 262
vs.
Yaxkin: 79 + 80 (Dexterity) + 60 (Concentration) + 60 (???) = 279

Not cowed.

Its eyes bore into yours, and for a moment there is nothing but them in your world. Dimly you hear the dull beats of your heart, feel the rush of blood through your veins. A moment of perfect clarity comes over you and the fear that threatens to well up in your chest is dying down again. You will not be cowed by this beast.

What now?
[] Fight. You will not calmly wait for your end or run away to be taken down by the fast spirits. If you can beat the larger one, the other might flee.
[] Run. You might be able to shake them off in the jungle.
[] Wait. If all they want is a meal, they could have sprung the trap long ago. See what they do next.

AN: The cunning pack hunter got one over you.

Azel · Jan 18, 2018

[x] Wait. If all they want is a meal, they could have sprung the trap long ago. See what they do next.

1.6.17.10.9.2 - 2st of the Green Storm

You hold the spirit's gaze in defiance, but move not a muscle. There is only the sound of rain falling in the jungle as you wait for its next move. It does not take its eyes from you, but throws its head in the direction of the other one more time with another bark to announce its intent. You realize it was never meant as a signal to the other wolf. "I think they want to lead us somewhere."

Tzecatl stood silently behind you for now and instead of speech, he just coughs awkwardly at first before his throats does as told again. "To the rest of the pack?"

"Maybe. Do we have much of a choice?" With this you start walking down the path, right towards the other waiting wolf. You had underestimated just how clever these spirits are and now you will pay the price for it. At least it seems it might not be the one you feared at first.

It is a good long while that you follow the broken road. With Tzecatl and you aware of their presence, the spirits make no attempt to hide that they guide you. The smaller one still goes ahead a short distance in front of you while the other follows behind and makes sure that you keep walking. Whenever it feels that its rancid breath is not enough of a reminder of its presence, you hear that rumbling growl again, and it can't be denied that you walk faster whenever it happens. As you crest the final hill, what comes into view surprises you. In the small dip before you stands a small camp. A tent, a fireplace, some pots with what must be food, and a single figure sitting near the flames. His cloak is made from leaves and grass, making him look like an oddly-shaped shrub at first, but it's open at the front and reveals a faded grey robe underneath.

At your approach he doesn't stir and just a slight dip of his head shows that he even notices you. The wolf leading you quickly trots over and lays down some distance from the fire and behind him, while the other nudges you to the other side of the fireplace before settling next to the other spirit. As the silence stretches, you look back to Tzecatl and hope dearly that he has encountered something similar in his travels. Just the slightest hind of recognition in his eyes would be enough to sooth your mind, yet what you see in his face is startling. Gone is the playfulness he wore since you've met him. Instead he stands there as if his features were carved into rock. His gaze holds recognition to the figure before you alright, but it is mixed with a deep loathing and hatred that you wouldn't think him capable of before.

"So we meet again, Tzecatl. That it would be you of all people they send to me is surprising though. Are you stretched so thin already that they send a common cheat like you to do the job of a warrior?" It is with a rich baritone that the stranger speaks. His face is shaven clean and you can't see much more than his mouth beneath the cowl he wears. Deep lines are furrowing the parts you see, and you guess he must be quite old.

If the insult affected Tzecatl, he doesn't show. Neither do you hear a hint of the anger etched into his face as he answers. "I can't claim great joy at the reunion, Matlal. I expected someone else or I wouldn't have come."

"Vexing, isn't it?" As the stranger, presumably named Matlal speaks again, you stay quiet. Whatever is at play here, you don't understand half of it and stay quiet as the two men trade barbs.

"We got used to you hiding from us. To strike at Xoxo in such a bold fashion seems a bit bold for you, through."

"Striking? Oh, nothing of the sort. Had we desire to take this pit of broken men from you, we would just do so. I am just here as a reminder that you can no longer hold the leash as tight as before. That some of your workers, as you call them, escape to join our ranks is just a nice benefit."

"Fitting that you take bandits and murderers into your fold. Replacing those you lost to us with more of the same ilk."

"Spare me the self righteousness, Tzecatl. We both know that one in five you brand is guiltless of any wrongdoing and that isn't even counting those where you do away with the pretense. You've build Tlamaca on their backs and still pretend to guide them towards civilization while you rise your throne upon their shattered bones."

The words seem to finally get to Tzecatl, for the fury is written plain in his face. Spite flows like water with his words. "You dare to lecture me? I have not forgotten what Cuixtli has done. Where was your fake compassion as he broke them deeper then to the bone?"

Matlals reaction couldn't be more different then what was spoken. He still speaks with an utter calm, as if the whole matter was of no great import. Slowly the pieces of the conversation form a picture for you. "We too made sacrifices. I will not deny that fact. And yet those few brought us farther in mere years than your thousands did in centuries." A short pause follows in which he idly shifts the embers in the fireplace with a stick. "He goes by Nonotzale now, by the way."

"Nonotzale? He calls himself 'majesty'?"

"No. He didn't want that name, but we insisted that he should bear it. And a title given freely is worth a thousand claimed, Wise Man." At this he looks at you and for the first time shows emotion. A little smirk pulling at his mouth. "Given that you looked rather confused by us old men warming up old grievances, I take it you didn't know who you travel with?"

You just shake your head and look back to Tzecatl. It seems to be his real name, but all else he told you seems to be fake. He looks as if he regrets it, and yet you can't trust that face any more then you should have the others. "No. He claimed to be a wanderer and story collector."

"Ah... That tells me more about you than about him, you know? He always liked to play the kindred soul to those he met. Spoke of shared dreams and hopes. Offered wondrous tales to captivate those poor sods who couldn't see his duplicity. I wonder if he even knows himself beneath all those masks anymore." The edge on the words of Matlal can't be denied, though your gaze is locked firmly on Tzecatl. No defense he brings forth. Not a single word of explanation. Maybe there is nothing else to say than what Matlal already did. "But enough of us. While my companions had set out to facilitate a meeting between Tzecatl and me, I'm intrigued by your presence. If you did not know who he truly is, you are not one of them, so what brings you to this little patch of nowhere in the dead of night?"

For the briefest moment you contemplate to stay silent on the matter. Would it be wise to speak of your desires with someone clearly hostile to the Wise Men? "I wanted to find out what is behind those rumors about Xoxo. He..." You stumble and glance back at Tzecatl. Almost you had said that you met him there, but that was not true at all. "He picked me up there." That he much he probably knows anyway. Nothing said that might hurt you.

Yet Matlal seems more then able to fill the gaps you've left. "Making yourself useful to the Wise Men, then. You wish to learn." The knowing smile holds none of the malice you feared, and so you nod to confirm what you can't really deny. "I'm afraid you are wasting your time there, my dear. The Wise Men may promise you wisdom and lore, and yet they give their acolytes just the scraps. They claim ignorance in things, while entire shelves of codices are hoarded in their halls about that topic. For centuries Tlamaca stood under their 'benign guidance' as they call it and still the tribes paw at the dirt to keep them fat."

As Tzecatl interjects, he has not quite the same fury as before, but the words still ring with conviction. "You know why we do that! You know what dangers lay in these codices! Cualli fell because its arrogance blinded it to the consequences of its actions! Shall we just teach everyone, so that they can dig the grave even deeper?"

Still it's only cool and measured tones that answer him. "I have to disagree there. You make your acolytes scrape by with the morsels you deign them worthy of until the dusty codices dulled them enough to see things your way. You keep the knowledge they crave out of their reach, to hand it out as treats for good behavior. Claim that you give it only to the worthy all you want, in the end its only the obedient who receive the tuition they where promised." Then he turns back to you, as if you were the judge of their spat. "Would you not chaff at being made their lackey? Only worthy to do the work the oh so wise masters deign beneath them and fed with the scraps from their tables?"

You bite your tongue. Nothing beyond what these two men said is known to you and there is no way to know who speaks the truth. Probably both, just from different perspectives. As the silence stretches, Matlal nods towards the spirits still resting easily behind him. "I've seen how you look at them. Respect. Yes. Only a fool would not respect their might. But not fear like so many others. You know more than the common man about their nature, don't you? What if I told you that the Wise Men deem such lore tainted? To view them with anything but fear and hatred is a sign of corruption to them. What label was it again you do brand on those who don't hate the spirits enough?"

Tzecatl throat is dry and he nearly spits out something before reconsidering and rallying himself. "Don't be fooled by his words. What he speaks of is more then any sane man would ever do. It's not just Spirit Wolves they commune with, but far darker things. They pact with beings that should no be, let alone be courted."

"More lies and slander, dear Tzecatl. Nonotzale knows all too well the border between skill and hubris. You just repeat the blind idiocy handed down through the ages. Had Cualli embraced the changing times, it would still stand tall. Instead they tried to hold onto their old ways until the end. As they could not bend to the coming storm, they broke instead. You have promised a new world to us for centuries and still dwell in the ruins of the old, fading a little bit more with every turn of the calendar. The Wise Men are just a relic of Cuallis failures. We have learned from their mistakes and prosper for it."

Silence reigns after that statement. All vitriol is spent. All lines said. You can't help the feeling all of it was just for your benefit, so as Matlal breaks the silence, you are not surprised by his words.

"Tell me, young woman, did you wish to join them out of conviction? Knowing who they truly are? Or is it just a lack of choice behind your path? However, here you finally have one. You can go back to Xoxo, pretend this night has never happened and play their little games. Obey their silly rules. Maybe they will even truly teach you in the end. We usually don't take on those who associate with the Wise Men. Spies are a constant threat to us, for while their acolytes are like unknowing sheep, it would be foolish to not fear the might of their masters, where it brought down on us. Too many would die for nothing. More bones for the pile, achieving nothing in their deaths." Slowly his head turns to Tzecatl. "And yet the old liar might have opened a path for you by dragging you here. You are not the first one he hides behind, but you might be the first one to turn the tables on him. I offer freely what they would deny you for years upon years, if only you prove that you can be trusted."

As Tzecatl turns to you, you expect fear in his face and there is some of it. Yet his gaze seems pleading for quite a different reason. "Don't listen to him. They have lured far too many with promises of power. You have no idea what horrors they have wrought already and that's just what we know. It is only poison he offers and it will be far too late for you when you notice the price you've paid for it." He pauses and draws a deep breath. "Please. Trust me. I can get us out of this, if you just trust me again."

For the first time, Matlals composure breaks. Not with anger, but with a short snort of strangled laughter. "And now the liar speaks of trust. Don't be fooled by his empty words. He would feed you to my wolves in a heartbeat just to save his own hide."

Your gaze wanders between the two men and yet neither speaks another word. The choice is all yours and deep in your bones, you know that the consequences of it will be far reaching.

Choose:
[] Accept Matlals offer. Kill Tzecatl to prove which side you stand on.
[] Refuse the offer. Trust Tzecatl to get you out of this.

AN: Before you wonder, the wolves came up with that ambush entirely on their own. The only order Matlal gave them was "Get Tzecatl here" after he learned of his presence. Everything else was the spirit's own work.

Azel · Jan 19, 2018

[X] Plan TNE
-[X] This choice is meaningless with no reliable information. Unless that's what you spouse, answer me you two:
--[X] What happen to Cualli? You certainly speak with a terrifying surety. From what I see, Cualli bent the spirits to their whims, while the Wise Men now shun them and you unnamed freedom fighters apparently... bond with them?
--[X] Who is "us", by the way? From how you speak, either you are a society that's existed for centuries, or you personally have lived that long. Which is it?
--[X] What did Cuixtl do?
--[X] What unspeakable acts did they do? How were people broken "deeper than to the bone"?
--[X] What is the price paid for this power? Everything has a price. Is it just time and effort? Or something more, something deeper and irreplaceable?
--[X] What are these terrifying creatures that should not be?
--[X] Tez knew someone from "us" would be here. That's why the incidents were dismissed as rumors. What did he expect?

1.6.17.10.9.2 - 2st of the Green Storm

Your look searchingly at both of them. Can you even make a choice, when you know so little? As neither man speaks and just watches you, you raise your voice. "I will not choose blindly, unless that is what you want."

Tzecatl looks shocked at the very notion. His eyes widen and he slowly shakes his head. "Do you truly think about it? Even when he asks for my life?"

"You have given me little reason to trust you Tzecatl." He flinches as if you had struck him and the chagrin creeps back into his features.

Matlal meanwhile just nods at you. "Ask you questions then and I will gladly answer. We will not hide the truth from you, expecting others to define it in your stead."

"Then answer me, who is 'we'? You haven't even said the name of your group yet. And why do you claim the WIse Men have misled you for centuries?"

"I am afraid that there is no grandiose name we garb ourselves with. When we broke from the Wise Men, we founded the city Nenepanoliztli, Unity, which we named after out desire to not hide any longer behind masks and lies. Our knowledge and skills should be apparent and available to all, not hidden behind trials to prove someones 'worthiness'. However, we are a young community. When I spoke of 'us' I meant the people of Cualli as it is now. The Wise Mens palace is filled with codizes, penned by acolytes of centuries past, that documented their work. They have shared little with others over all those years, preferring to keep their knowledge to keep the tribes and villages around them under their heel. Why, I personally found a codex where they debated it, what was the word... wild savages I think they used there, should be taught to forge bronze or if they would just use it to wipe out each other."

While Tzecatl doesn't cut him off, his retort follows without a single breath fitting in between. "That codex you reference is older then we two put together! We have always shared what we could. Just telling everyone about the higher secrets like you do just wakes greed and lures them to take shortcuts to obtain that might. It is a wonder your den of bandits and murderers has not collapsed into itself yet. We choose wisely who can handle these lores with responsibility instead of abusing them for their own benefit."

The notion chaffs a bit with you, especially since their choices seem anything but infallible right in this moment. "And yet you took Cuixtli into your fold and taught him. What did he do that caused all of this? How did he break people deeper then the bone?"

Tzecatl shakes his head emphatically at that and folds his arms before his chest as she speaks again. "No. The Wise Men saw potential in him and let him join, but they never thought him ready for the higher lores. He found a codex in the ruins and studied it in private without telling us. When it didn't answer all his questions, he stole from our restricted archives to sate his curiosity. Caution he threw to the wind and so he did the guidance of his elders. Soon enough, he began to experiment on unfortunate victims. Twisting flesh and tainting minds and souls with forbidden arts."

"Have you repeated these lies until they became truth to you Tzecatl, or are you too blind to see it any other way?" Matlal chuckles again as if just told a good joke. "How else should he have learned when you denied it to him? Had he shown you what he found, you would have just locked that codex away in some dusty crypt so that centuries of Wise Men could take it out and wag their tongues at its contents, before burying it again. You claim them victims, but all of them came willingly into his chambers. They knew what risks they took when they underwent those rituals and while some perished under the strain, others claimed the prizes promised to them."

"You speak as if the taint he spread among them was a boon. They changed in those circles. It was not the same men and woman that stepped out who had entered them."

"Of course they changed. That was the point. Is it truly surprising that they would take risks to improve themselves, if told that they where unworthy for years and years? To use the higher arts is always to change yourself and to become closer to the truth of the world. Years of study and practice it takes usually and the methods to accelerate the process can have repercussions, to forge a blade in haste might shatter it, but there is nothing tainted to it. Is not your third trial doing just that? You say you want to see how resistant the applicant is to that 'taint' you imagine everywhere. You throw them out if they break under the strain or make them menial servants for you, the black mark forever barring them from gaining deeper knowledge. And yet..." He pauses and shakes his head as if lecturing a child. "When they succeed. When they come out of the cruel process stronger then they entered, then you call them prodigies. Where is the difference between what we did and what you do to this very day?" As Tzecatls remains silent at the question, Matlals smile is growing deep and satisfied. "Ah, the hypocrite finally sees. Wanted to tell me that they know the risks and that you don't force them, don't you?" Then he grips the rim of his cowl and pulls it up a bit. For the first time you see his eyes and they are grey and milky. With a start you realize that he is blind. "I too have undergone those rituals. Some might say the price I paid for them was steep, but I knew that it might happen. Gladly I would trade my eyes again. My sight became both less and more on that day." For a long moment you stare at the white orbs and wonder what he claims to see, then the cowl is pulled down again.

As Tzecatl gives nothing in return, you raise your voice again. "You both claimed to know what caused the Fall. Was it the spirits then? The things not meant to be?"

Now the man beside you finds words again and nearly rushes to get his version out first. "Cualli made the first spirits. Stone Man and others they created as their servants. Thought and ideas pressed into dead vessels in a mockery of life. In their hubris, they proclaimed themselves gods and ignored the cost of their works. With the gates thrown wide open by their acts, others formed without their guidance. Demons they called them. Alien creatures that cared nothing for the humans around them. They fought hard to stem the tide, but in their refusal to see their hand in this calamity, they never stopped with their practices. And so Cualli fell. Now Matlal and his ilk seek to bond with them. To bind demons and invite them into their homes. They play with forces far beyond their understanding."

"A single point I want to concede, it was indeed hubris that felled Cualli." That Matlal can stay so calm when talking about such matters still bewilders you. "The world was changing around them and as the pressure mounted and the first spirits came into being, they just tried to destroy them. They never truly studied them, just removed the imperfections in their little world. As the pressure mounted, more and more might the spirits wielded. As the first true demon came into being, Cuallis fate was sealed. To the end they didn't want to see and thought themselves above their foe. But we know quite well the difference between a spirit and a demon, not like the Wise Men who decry even the lowest of them with a name more suited to far less wholesome things." With a sweeping gesture he points to the two Spirit Wolves who even now rest easily behind him in the shadows. "Do they look like demons bent on nothing but ruin? We know well enough not to approach the fell relics of the Fall, but we don't shy away from allying with those that are willing to live among us."

You sigh deeply. Not the answers you had hoped for, but you have the feeling that you still know to little about the arts they speak of for them to tell you any more details. One thing though still weighs heavily on your mind. "You said that you expected someone else here Tzecatl."

A curt nod he gives before answering. "Yes. I thought the stories indicated figments and illusions woven to rile up the workers. I admit to have lied to you, but that I am no warrior was not one of them. I would not have come here, had I known I would have to contest with Spirit Wolves in the flesh."

Silence falls again and even though both men seem to stare into the flames, you know that all eyes are still on you.

Choose:
[] Ask more questions.
-[] Write-In

[] Accept Matlals offer. Kill Tzecatl to prove which side you stand on.
[] Refuse the offer. Trust Tzecatl to get you out of this.

AN: Some answers I couldn't give you clearly, for you lack the lore to understand them. They both know that and thus gave you more general answers.

If you voted to choose a way in the previous chapter, please do so again now.

Azel · Jan 19, 2018

[X] Accept Matlals offer. Kill Tzecatl to prove which side you stand on.

1.6.17.10.9.2 - 2st of the Green Storm

As you close your eyes, you suck in a deep breath to steady yourself. Neither of them is trustworthy. Both just tell you what they want you to believe. Are the Wise Men as bad as Matlal paints them? Would they take you as a pupil and then lead you on with scraps, but never teach in truth? Is Matlal twisted for seeking the company of the two wolves behind him? Is his desire for knowledge reckless or wrong? Unbidden, the last words of Tzecatl come back to your mind. 'I would not have come here, had I known I would have to contest with Spirit Wolves in the flesh.' And yet here you stand just the same. When you stepped into the brush to track the spirit, he said that he trusted you to see him safe. "One more thing then, Tzecatl. Had I not been here, what would you have done upon learning about the wolf?"

He turns to you and raises his arms. His hands are slightly twitching like back when you were alone with the two wolves. "I'm not sure what you want to imply. I just followed your lead, since you seemed confident to be able to handle the spirit."

"And that you suspected Matlal or one of his allies here? When would you have deigned to tell me that? You used me as bait." You nearly shout the last word and your anger is clear to see on your face. When you drew your knife, you don't know, but the hilt feels good in your hand as you clench your fingers around it. "He is right. You would have thrown me to the wolves to save yourself. And if he is right about that, then why shouldn't he be right about other things? I've met one other of your vaunted order in Tlamaca. A condescending bastard who couldn't speak a single sentence without calling me useless and a waste of his time." For a heartbeat, you glance to Matlal. The old man still sits at the fire, the flames throwing deep shadows in his wrinkles. He smiles at you and dips his head in a fraction of a nod. Then you eyes are back on Tzecatl, who slowly steps back from you. "I will take my chances with those who are willing to teach me."

Two steps separate you from the retreating Tzecatl. His eyes widen as you take the first. You do not crouch down, for you won't be striking low this time. As you take the second, his arms slowly try to rise. A mere heartbeat it took you to close the distance and the man before you is far too slow. You hold your blade in parallel to your forearm and in a long swipe it tears across his throat. But then your eyes widen in shock as it is not blood that spurts from the place where metal met flesh, but dust. As if build from solid smoke that you disturbed, the flesh around the wound just wavers and trails after your weapon. The ripples spread from that point and in the time it takes you to draw your arm back into your stance, there is nothing left but faint colors in the wind of the man you just tried to kill.

A dry chuckle draws your eyes back to Matlal. "A most annoying man, wasn't he? The coward was gone right after he last spoke. It was a clever move, I must admit. While he could never hope to fool my eyes or my companions' noses, he knew that I would have to let this scene play to the end to see if you would do the deed. Disappearing was always one of his greatest skills. However, he never was a fast runner." Then he turns slowly towards the resting spirits. "Ecatl. Anqui." It must be the names of the spirits that he says, for they rise at once and look at him. "Kill Tzecatl." And with this, the spirits bound off with a speed you would have never expected from the great wolves. With hunters as swift as them, it didn't matter how fast a runner Tzecatl was. As you look back to Matlal, the last doubts in your mind melt away. Even with this trick you would have never expected, Tzecatl couldn't hope to escape. What would that plan to save both of you have been? It seemed the man before you knew the liar truly well. He would have abandoned you to your fate just to make his own escape.

"Sit with me." He pauses for a moment and tilts his head. "It seems we went all this while without anyone speaking your name. I apologize for the rudeness to not have introduced myself, but after all this talk it is rather redundant to tell you that my name is Matlal."

One last glance you throw in the direction the wolves departed to, then you sit down at the fire. "Call me Yaxkin."

"An interesting name. The name of your birth or one acquired later?"

"No, the one I was born with. Seating of the self same month, at noon of the day of the solstice I was told."

"A name that lends itself to deeds if I ever heard one. I'm glad about your choice, for I would have hated to know another curious soul wilt under the Wise Mens shackles. You've faced hardships in your life and in enduring them grew stronger for it, that much my eyes can tell."

You give him a startled look at this, unable to keep your confusion from showing. Nearly you outright ask how he knows, before stopping yourself. "Why do you think that?"

"It was no idle boasting when I said my eyes see both less and more. Don't ask me to read a codex for you, but yet I can see the things for how they truly are. When you see not the faces of others or the cloths they wear and instead their weight upon the world, you realize how hollow many of them are."

As you nod, you realize how weird a gesture it is. The whole time you talked with Matlal as if he could see, even once you knew that he couldn't. And yet he smiles at you in response to that nod. It made your head hurt a bit to think about it. Then you think about his words again and what he said about Tzecatl. That he personally disliked him makes so much more sense now. "So you despised him, because he is a fake. You can see right through him."

"Not when I last saw him, at least not in that sense. Back when I was an acolyte of the Wise Men, he was a brown noser and braggart. Always the perfect little pupil to the masters, making him rise quickly. Yet he squandered the chances offered to him, while others worked themselves to the bone to be graced with a single bit of acknowledgement. I only gained my new sight after we left for Nonotzale, so I was curious how he would look to me now, when his falseness was already so apparent to me before."

You can't quite tear yourself from his tale. Never before have you heard of such skills, and while you would not gladly trade your sight for what Matlal has, you are curious. "And what did you see now?"

"What I expected. It is hard to explain to someone who never saw the way I do. A twisting, churning mess. Fine control that keeps that chaos bound and whips it into shape, and yet no weight behind it all." He waves towards the place where the figment stood just moments before. "Just like the illusions he wove. That was Tzecatl at his core."

"And what do you see when you look at me?"

Again he chuckles and you begin to notice that his features wouldn't fit a full blown laugh anyway. "Many things and yet nothing. You are not yet settled into your ways as he was, like a codex where only the first paragraph is written yet. Youth is something far too easily squandered. It is the time where you can still change the paths of your soul instead of following the markings the past left on you. And yet you are... starker, so to speak. More distinct than those who walk around you."

It is easy to see how he struggles for words and likewise you struggle to get his meaning. While you still try to make sense of the last bit, you are surprised to see the wolves return and lay back into their places. Their muzzles are still red.

"Before we further dwell on these things, there is something else we need to talk about." If he sees your emotions too? The reminder of Tzecatl's death was certainly not welcome, but you wrest your attention back on Matlal. "I take it that you live in Tlamaca, at least lately?"

The question of how much to tell him comes to mind and is quickly dismissed as silly. For better or worse, you've made your choice. "Yes. I have found some friendly people willing to host me. I haven't been in the city for more than a month."

He nods and stares at the flames again. Which, as you suddenly notice, makes not much sense either or did he see the flames differently too? After some contemplation, he raises his voice in slow ones. "My tasks here at Xoxo are done, so it is time for me to return to Nonotzale before the Wise Men send others to hunt me down. I could take you along right now, so that you may see the city we have build, but truth be told it's more of a refuge."

"What do you mean?"

"We fled to the ruins west of Tlamaca, because they are surrounded by areas touched by the spirits. It is perilous to go there unless you know the right paths to take, and what those paths are or how you have to take them changes often. Few tribes live behind that curtain and while we can endure in this isolation, it can't be forever. To truly carry our teachings to the world, we must step back into it. Yet we are few in number and with no source of metals of our own, we are not truly strong, even with the higher lores taught freely among our number. The Wise Men hoard not only knowledge, but also arms. Would we show ourselves too openly, they would 'gift' them to the tribes subservient to them to see us crushed." He sighs deeply and turns his head to you. "Gladly I will take you to Nonotzale so that you may claim the knowledge promised to you, but I have to ask if you would be willing to wait a little while longer. We have few trustworthy people that can walk within Tlamaca and its surroundings, and you have proven yourself trustworthy tonight. If you returned now, you could claim a spirit hunting gone wrong and no one would truly suspect you to be one of us."

It is your turn to think and you do so carefully. The lure of going now is great, but his words make sense. You could achieve more for them if you stay in Tlamaca and thus earn yourself greater rewards for these services. And it would mean to stay with Noche and Ixtli. "And what would you have me do should I stay in Tlamaca?"

"For half a month, nothing. That's how long your should wait. From there on, I would speak to you in ways that can't be traced." At this he pull something from his cloak. A short string that holds three wooden pearls on a small cord made from woven red and green string. "At any point, you may refuse what I ask of you and likewise, I will bring you to Nonotzale at any time if you wish so. This choice must not be final, but if you don't stay out here now, the chance will pass away. Once we have a place to make camp outside the western wilds, we will be able to meet in the flesh again and I will gladly stay there to teach you whatever you ask of me."

He stretches his arm to you and so you take the small band of pearls from him. It looks like a simple charm for good luck, but as you run your fingers over the wood, you somehow know that it is more than wood and string that you hold.

What will you do?
[] Go to Nonotzale (Tlamaca may or may not become hostile to you, unable to leave Nonotzale for a while)
[] Stay in Tlamaca (Tlamaca will not suspect a thing, can go to Nonotzale at a later point, Matlal will contact you regularily and offer quests)
[] Ask further questions: Write-In

AN: Tzecatl means "mirror", which was a very, very stealthy hint at his duplicity. He had a social and illusion focused build, but sadly nothing that made him capable of dodging two wolves the size of horses.

Azel · Jan 20, 2018

[X] Stay in Tlamaca (Tlamaca will not suspect a thing, can go to Nonotzale at a later point, Matlal will contact you regularily and offer quests)

1.6.17.10.9.2 - 2nd of the Green Storm

It takes you but a moment to decide. You have barely seen anything of Tlamaca so far, and Ixtli still owes you some lessons. "I will stay, then. This is a sign that I'm on your side?" You hold up the strung-together pearls, which makes Matlal's smirk grow a bit more.

"No Yaxkin, this is a bit more then that." Then he pulls another object from his cloak. Another thing that looks like a charm, but this one made from two feathers woven through a wooden ring. He holds it to his mouth and whispers something to it.

With a start you realize the pearls in your hand are rattling, the wood moving entirely of its own accord and clinking against each other. Just as you want to ask what is happening, the rattling coalesces into the faintest whisper of a voice. Matlal's voice, which sounds as if he had whispered directly into your ear. 'Did I not tell you that I have means to talk to you?' As the last syllable is heard, the charm falls silent again. The wooden pearls lay just as dead as they should be. Your shock is written clearly on your face as you stare at the man before you.

"Interesting, isn't it? The ring I hold is carved from the same piece of wood as the pearls, and in the strings that hold them are made from parts of the feathers. These charms may be separated, they even look nothing alike, and yet they are the same." He puts it back into his cloak as he explains further, easily captivating your attention. "A minor thing, so the messages are short and once you have sent one from yours, it takes thirteen days before you can send another. Just think about the charm I carry as you whisper into yours, and I will hear your words. None other than the bearer will see or hear the pearls clinking or the message spoken, but keep them hidden well, for one who has studied the lores might recognize them for what they are."

Ever so slowly you tear your eyes from the gift in your hands. Something that makes even a metal blade pale in comparison and he hands it out so freely. Heeding his advice, you hide it in one of the pouches of your belt.

"Alas, while I would delight to talk longer to you, our time draws short. The Wise Men are not without resources, and the longer we stay together, the higher the risk that they will find out about your presence tonight when they investigate Tzecatl's demise. I have muddied the waters for them, but only fools think themselves beyond failure."

A small sigh comes from your throat. So much he told you in such a short while, and so many questions you have about the lore he shared already. "Shall I go back to Xoxo, then?"

"No, that might raise their suspicions if you come back the way you ventured out. Go west and follow the road back south to Tlamaca. Take some rations from my stock, for I will not need all of them. Tell the guards at the post that you lost Tzecatl out of your sight as he ran from the spirits and make sure that you say exactly that. The greatest lies are those that are part of the truth. Be careful when you are back under the Wise Men's noses. They have eyes and ears in the whole city, and even those you fully trust might draw their attention with a single careless word. You've seen their careless cruelties in Xoxo, and trust me when I say that they can be far worse to those who they suspect to shelter traitors, let alone the traitors themselves."

"So you want to tell me to find my own lodgings?"

"It would be safer for both you and your friends. The less chance others have to notice your activities, the better your secrets are kept."

It is awkward to even consider the notion, given that Noche and Ixtli are part of the reason for you to go back to Tlamaca, yet you see the reason in his words. How often and when Ixtli reads the codex you found is quite obvious to you, given that the house is not that large. Would you read something of a more sensitive nature, he would notice within a day. "I will consider it." A curt nod from Matlal closes the matter and you rise again. The eyes of the two spirits follow you up, but as their master makes no move to stop you, they lay their heads back on their paws. "Goodbye then, Matlal. I will... hear you. I think."

"Indeed you will. In thirteen days or later, I cannot tell for sure yet. Good travels, Yaxkin."

1.6.17.10.9.7 - 7th of the Green Storm

With heavy and weary steps you walk though the gates of Tlamaca and can't quite keep yourself from throwing a wary glance at the guards. The way back took a good while longer, for walking straight west in the middle of the jungle is easier said than done. The weather was a bit better in those days, but now it's pouring again. The city feels quite different in this rain. The chatter of the main roads is muted and fewer people walk around. Even the market is far less busy, despite those hardy traders who ignore the weather having spanned tent-like cloths around their stands. As you see the Wise Men's palace, you shudder the slightest bit. You've made enemies within that place in that night, even if they don't know it yet, and with some luck they never might. Tzecatl's blood is on your hands, even if it was not your knife that snuffed out his life.

You will have to be careful in the future. It might be more than your own fate you are now gambling with.

Long Count	Tzolkin	Lunar	Notes
1.6.17.10.9.8 - 8 Yax	5 Muluk	0.12 Coming	First Day Of Turn
1.6.17.10.9.9 - 9 Yax	6 Ok	0.13 Reign
1.6.17.10.9.10 - 10 Yax	7 Chuwen	0.14 Reign	Trial of Knowledge, Empowering, good for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.9.11 - 11 Yax	8 Eb	0.15 Decline
1.6.17.10.9.12 - 12 Yax	9 Ben	0.16 Decline
1.6.17.10.9.13 - 13 Yax	10 Ix	0.17 Decline
1.6.17.10.9.14 - 14 Yax	11 Men	0.18 Decline	bad for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.9.15 - 15 Yax	12 Kib	0.19 Decline
1.6.17.10.9.16 - 16 Yax	13 Kaban	0.20 Decline	Trial of Steadfastness, Unmaking, bad for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.9.17 - 17 Yax	1 Etznab	0.21 Decline	Trial of Might, Balance
1.6.17.10.9.18 - 18 Yax	2 Kawak	0.22 Decline
1.6.17.10.9.19 - 19 Yax	3 Ajaw	0.23 Decline	good for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.10.0 - 0 Sak	4 Imix	0.24 Decline
1.6.17.10.10.1 - 1 Sak	5 Ik	0.25 Decline
1.6.17.10.10.2 - 2 Sak	6 Akbal	0.26 Decline
1.6.17.10.10.3 - 3 Sak	7 Kan	0.27 Decline	Trial of Knowledge, Empowering, good for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.10.4 - 4 Sak	8 Chickchan	0.28 Decline
1.6.17.10.10.5 - 5 Sak	9 Kimi	0.29 Absence
1.6.17.10.10.6 - 6 Sak	10 Manik	1.0 Coming
1.6.17.10.10.7 - 7 Sak	11 Lamat	1.1 Coming	bad for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.10.8 - 8 Sak	12 Muluk	1.2 Coming
1.6.17.10.10.9 - 9 Sak	13 Ok	1.3 Coming	Trial of Steadfastness, Unmaking, bad for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.10.10 - 10 Sak	1 Chuwen	1.4 Coming	Trial of Might, Balance
1.6.17.10.10.11 - 11 Sak	2 Eb	1.5 Coming
1.6.17.10.10.12 - 12 Sak	3 Ben	1.6 Coming	good for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.10.13 - 13 Sak	4 Ix	1.7 Coming
1.6.17.10.10.14 - 14 Sak	5 Men	1.8 Coming
1.6.17.10.10.15 - 15 Sak	6 Kib	1.9 Coming
1.6.17.10.10.16 - 16 Sak	7 Kaban	1.10 Coming	Trial of Knowledge, Empowering, good for Alchemy
1.6.17.10.10.17 - 17 Sak	8 Etznab	1.11 Coming
1.6.17.10.10.18 - 18 Sak	9 Kawak	1.12 Coming
1.6.17.10.10.19 - 19 Sak	10 Ajaw	1.13 Reign

AN: If you need a longer calendar, tell me and I will edit it in.

Current cost of living: 3 Beans a day

[] Training
-[] Write-In one of the below
Your skills are what keeps you alive, and improving them is always time well spent. Spend a while to train one of the following skills or traits:
Self practice: Bladed Weapons, Archery, Endurance, Perception, Diplomacy, Intrigue, Charm
From Noche: Metalworking, Leatherworking (can organize a teacher for you), Masonry (can organize a teacher for you)
From Ixtli: Metalwoking, Reading & Writing
Time: 5 days, can be broken up

[] Find a Trainer
Not everything can be learned on your own, but you know preciously little people in Tlamaca so far.
-[] Search among the caravan guards and other warriors.
-[] Search among the artisans.
-[] Somewhere else: Write-In
Time: Interrupting

[] Find new lodgings.
Matlal suggested that you should get your own place as to not risk Noche and Ixtli finding out things you do or possess that they shouldn't.
-[] In the Artisan District. (Expensive, Very Safe)
-[] Near the market. (Expensive, Very Safe)
-[] In the better housing districts. (Regular, Safe)
-[] Near a somewhat busy road (Cheap, Occasional Guard Presence)
-[] In the slums. (Free, Unsafe)

[] Work as a Hauler
Between the traders, artisans and the market, there is nearly always someone who is willing to pay to have something hauled through Tlamaca. It's neither glorious nor well-paying work, but it's better then nothing.
Trains: Endurance
Pay: Low
Time: 1 day

[] Gather herbs for sale
The nice herb seller you've met on your first day in Tlamaca told you that she is always looking for something to sell and has a steady buyer for rarer plants.
Uses: Herbalism, Survival, Perception
Danger: Low
Pay: Decent
Time: 10 days

[] Go Hunting
While not formally a huntress, you have trained long enough under one of them do earn a living from it.
Uses: Archery, Tracking, Survival, Perception
Danger: Medium
Pay: Decent
Time: 10 days

[] Work as a Healer
The Wise Men might do most of the healing in Tlamaca, but there is still some room left for you to earn something. Though it might be dangerous to make visits in the less safe parts of the city.
Uses: Medicine, Surgery, Charm
Danger: Medium
Pay: Low to Good
Time: 1 day

[] Go to the Market
The good thing about Tlamaca is that you can buy and sell pretty much anything at any time.
Time: 1 day

[] Work for the Wise Men
Word on the street is that the Wise Men are hiring workers for excavations under their palace again. The work is said to be grueling and dangerous, but the pay is decent.
Danger: Unkown
Pay: 2 Quachtli
Time: 20 days

[] Gather herbs for Alchemy
-[] Write-In for which recipe
Unless you want to buy the ingredients for your alchemical substances, you will have to go out and find some on your own.
Uses: Herbalism, Survival, Perception
Danger: Low
Time: 10 days

[] Perform Alchemy
-[] Write-In which recipe. Requires ingredients. Up to 5 doses made per action.
The greatest skill that you master taught you. When the stars are right, you can make things that go beyond what mere herbs could ever hope to achieve.
Uses: Alchemy
Time: 1 day

[] Make Wound Dressings
It can never hurt to be prepared. Even a small wound might be lethal if left untreated.
Uses: Herbalism, Survival, Perception
Danger: Low
Time: 10 days

[] Join a group to fight bandits.
The banditry problem is still growing strong and some even say it is getting worse. What riches could you take from them?
Time: Interrupting

[] Scout for decent campsites near Tlamaca.
-[] Write-In where to look.
According to Matlal, Unity wants to make a permanent camp near Tlamaca to have a presence in the area. Given that this would mean you could learn from them there, it could be good to be a bit proactive about that matter.
Time: Unknwon

[] Attend the trials.
Now that you figured out when they are held, there is nothing stopping you from trying to become a Wise Man. Or Wise Woman in your case.
Must be done on a trial day.
Time: 1 day

[] Travel to Xoxo
During your short stay in the mine, you haven't seen much that would make a journey here worthwhile. The only thing that can be said is that copper bars are a bit cheaper here then what Noche tells you is the price in Tlamaca.
Time: Interrupting, 2 days travel

[] Travel to Zacatl
-[] Alone
-[] With a caravan.
While Ollin has already gone on his way again, you could still go their on your own.
Time: Interrupting, 20 days travel

[] Request to be brought to Nonotzale [WARNING: Can't leave Nonotzale for a while after going there!]
By contacting Matlal, you can request to be brought to the city of Unity. There will be no easy way back for you, but it might be worth it to see the people living there and learning in a place where it is every man and womans right to do so.
Time: Interrupting

[] [Plan] Write-in

Survival: 77 XP
Perception: 52 XP
Intrigue: 90 XP

AN: This concludes Xoxo and marks the beginning of a new turn. As the chapter alludes to, being a agent in hostile territory has some risk. There will be a hidden Suspicion system to track how much the Wise Men suspect you or others to be Unity agents. Rise too high by being caught doing dodgy things frequently and you will get a visit from the guards. Keep quiet for a while and suspicion sinks again. Since Yaxkin can't divine how suspicious she is to someone, you will not see the actual values at any point.

Azel · Jan 21, 2018

[X] Plan Education 2.0
-[X] Training
--[X]Reading & Writing (5 Days)
-[X] Go to the Market
--[X] Purchase 32 Travel Rations and 5 Wound Dressings
-[X] Find a Trainer
--[X] Search among the caravan guards and other warriors.
---[X] Go Hunting x2
---[X] Focus on Stealth and Bow.
----[X] You are decently skilled. They get a qualified assistant on the cheap, we get pointers, everyone gets profit.

1.6.17.10.9.13 - 13th of the Green Storm

Returning to Noche and Ixtli was strange at first. You repeated the same story that Matlal suggested to you to them and they accepted it easily enough. Anything weird they might have noticed from you was probably chalked up as lingering fright or guilt from losing your companion while being chased by spirits. They suggest you rest for a while to get your bearings again and you are quite happy to oblige them there. While you where gone, Ixtli has brought the codex to the Wise Men for restoration and while he assures you that he will soon have a copy for you to read once you can, you doubt that. If half of what was said about the Wise Men is true, they will only return a fraction of the contents to Ixtli, if anything at all. At least it means that he has more time to teach you your letters, and while its still obvious that it will be a long while until you are truly proficient, you at least have all the letters of High Cualli down and are getting better at drawing those of the older language.

Today, though, you needed to get out for a bit. Being cooped up with the two men all day is stirring a desire to see something else again, for you are not really used to doing what feels like nothing for so long. Given that your supplies are running a bit low, you elect to go to the market. While still overcast, the weather is decent today, and so the market filled with the buzz about it that you've learned to like quite a bit. As you walk through the aisles and deftly dodge around other people to get ahead just a bit faster, you are glad to have come here. Listening into other peoples gossip and chatting with a few yourself is a nice change from scratching lines into soft clay while Noche hammers bronze into shape.

Charm:
27 + 50 (Charisma) + 50 (Charisma) + 60 (Charm) = 187
Only basics

Rising Prices
Bandits still prey on the caravans to the north and west of Tlamaca, which is starting to affect the prices in the city. They mainly seem to hit those carrying metal goods, but this disrupts trade just the same. Some claim the bandits slaughter whole caravans down to the last man, yet others say they can be bribed to let a merchant pass. Thus traders have begun to take light things of value with them to attempt to pay off the highwayman. The more wealthy even took this as a reason to splurge on their more permanently hired guards and started buying metal weapons to deter any attackers. The prices of metal goods have thus risen already and most likely this will continue. A few people even fear that the price of food will likewise rise soon.

Silver Peccary
Hunters tell of a majestic peccary they spotted to the east of Tlamaca. It's said to be higher then a man, boasts a coat that seems made from shining silver and is followed by dozens of regular pigs. Many discount this as tall tales, but others seem interested in finding that spirit for one reason or another. Since it was seen close to the Red Forest, the general agreement is that the great peccary is a spirit of some sort.

Disappereance
To the south-west of Tlamaca, an entire village is reported missing. The buildings are still there and there are no signs of struggle that implicate bandits, and yet not a single soul is still within the palisade. The trader who found this poked through the houses in the hopes of finding any survivors, but all he found was signs of life that seemed just abandoned as if the whole tribe dropped what they were doing and dissolved into thin air.

As the sun slowly sinks, you meander a bit around the side streets leading away from the marketplace. Here the streets are still dominated by market stalls and others peddling their wares directly from the curb while the buildings themselves are mostly inns and taverns offering a stay for weary travelers. When going further, these give away to small shops and the homes of less well-off artisans who settled here instead of among their more well off competitors and beggars come in sight. Old men and woman, young children, maimed hunters and people in tattered cloaks you see who are happy whenever a passer by drops a bean or two into the cups they hold out. They are not that many and they quickly scuttle away whenever the guards can be spotted in the distance, but not everyone is fast and even the gleaming metal spears are sometimes missed among the milling people. One of the beggars, a sickly looking boy with a twisted arm, is rudely dragged off by them before your eyes, yet nobody seems to care about it.

You almost want to turn back home as you spot another strange thing. A loose cluster of people is huddled into the entrance of a small alley. Curiously, you step among them to see the reason behind the gathering. Before you sits a young girl, maybe two years younger then yourself and wearing rather threadbare cloths, marking her as city dweller. In front of her stands a small tray on the cobblestone with three overturned wooden cups on it. Under your wondering gaze, the man beside you drops ten beans on the tray and the girl throws ten more to it. She holds up a still green bean, then places it under one of the cups and starts shuffling them. Her movements are sure and fast as she twists the cups around on the tray. Abruptly she stops and gestures with an open hand to the man. He points to the left cup from your side and with a chagrined look, the girl raises it to reveal the green bean. Laughter sounds around you as the man makes a move to pick up the beans, but then draws back and throws another twenty at the tray instead.1

"You want to make me a beggar good sir?" The girl grins uncertainly, but throws down more beans all the same.

"One should not play games when you can't pay up. Now shuffle. You are going to pay for my octli2 tonight."

He gets a nod in return and the girl starts shuffling again. "I must admit that I would prefer if you pay for my meals the coming days good sir. There are a few people who would go hungry otherwise."

Yaxkin:
77 + 50 (Intelligence) + 60 (Concentration) + 80 (Perception) = 267
vs.
Girl:
50 + 70 (Dexterity) + 60 (Concentration) + 80 (???) = 260

You carefully watch her shuffling and still nearly don't notice, but as she draws back the cup with the green bean a bit, you can faintly spot it lifting just the slightest bit before her hands moves forwards again. As she still holds her fingers tight when going on, you are sure of it. She took the bean and still holds it in her hand. This time the man seems less sure about himself. The shuffling was quite a bit faster then the last time, but you know that he can't win now anyway.

What do you do?
[] Call her out on her trick.
[] Let her go on and call her out when it's just the two of you.
[] Gamble yourself. Knowing her tricks, you can cheat the cheater.
[] Leave. This is none of your business.

Read & Write: 91 XP
Charm: 53 XP
Perception: 12 XP

Bought:
32 Rations for 64 Beans
5 Wound dressings for 50 Beans

Cost of Living: 18 Beans

Total Expenses: 132 Beans

1 While I couldn't find a genuine meso-american scam for this scene, the shell game as you see it here goes back to ancient egypt and appears everywhere over the centuries, making it sufficiently universal.
2 Octli is a wine like drink made from fermented agaves and a traditional meso-american alcohol. It's still drunk today, but called Pulque these days.

AN: Finally the random encounter table for Tlamaca came into play.

Map on the front page was updated with some new knowledge you have about your surroundings.

Azel · Jan 21, 2018

[X] Let her go on and call her out when it's just the two of you.

1.6.17.10.9.13 - 13th of the Green Storm

It's quite amusing to see the man next to you flounder around as he obviously picks wrong, and you are not alone in laughing at his misfortune as he doubles his bet again just to lose even more beans. After that, a few patrons win again, slowly whittling away at the gains the girl before you made. One time it even looks as if she cheats to make sure the gambler wins. The man just came in, played a single round and left right after, so you did not have the time to have a good look at him. After a while longer and with a good number of beans in her pocket, the girl declares the game over for today. A few of the sore losers grumble at this, apparently still thinking they can win back their losses, but are swiftly drawn away together with those who only looked on as others played. Soon you are the only one left to watch her count her beans while leaning on the wall of the alley.

"Game's over for today. Gonna have to look for something else to pass the time." She doesn't look up as she says it, still sorting beans in a total of three pouches she took out of her cloak.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you." A quick glance behind you shows the street emptying and nobody paying any attention to the two of you. No point in getting her into trouble just because her means of staying fed is a bit questionable.

"What about?" It's easy to miss the tiny moment of stillness or that she only pretend to count further, while actually filling the beans into the bags as fast as she can. Seems she is not keen on being talked two after a bout of swindling people. Go figure.

Alas, what you have to say is probably not going to reassure her and thus you cross your arms before your chest and slouch a bit more. It would be a shame if she just bolts. "I've seen how you move your hands. You cheated a few of them." This gets her full attention and her head snaps up to you, deep brown eyes boring into you as the long fringes of her hair are thrown out of the way by the motion.

Charm
Yaxkin:
88 + 50 (Charisma) + 50 (Charisma) + 60 (Charm) + 50 (No Ill Intend) = 298
vs
Girl:
38 + 50 (Intelligence) + 60 (Concentration) + 100 (Perception) = 248
5 Degrees of Success

Gained 54 XP.

She musters your pose for a moment, then glances at your necklace and finally rests her eyes on the dagger on your belt for a heartbeat. She relaxes the tiniest fraction and snorts before returning to her bean counting, though she still just fills them into the bags in what you assume is roughly the right ratio. "So? Would've taken more if they wouldn't be out for blood otherwise. Don't think I took something from you or that you would miss a few beans. What gives?"

"I'm merely a bit curious about what you are doing here. I'm Yaxkin by the way." As she gathers the bags and her tray, she throws one last glance at you before slowly walking down the alley. You are not sure if that's supposed to be an invitation, but follow her anyway.

It takes a few steps and a glance from her back to see that nobody else follows before she speaks again. "Iciuhca. Just trying to keep my belly full. Don't know what's so interesting about that."

"With what? Over a hundred beans? You must have quite an appetite."

She sighs a bit at that and seems to feel the bags with her hand through he coat. "Ain't all for me. Half goes to a few friends who keep me out of trouble. Not interested in a knife in the back for my haul. A large chunk then to a few actual friends. Can't do this sort of thing too regularly or the guards get nosy and it's off to Xoxo for me. We take turns and share with each other."

A month ago, that would have sounded odd to you, but with what you've seen there, it's clear why she is so defensive. "So not that much left for you in the end then." A curt nod follows and you walk in silence for a bit. "You know, I'm new to Tlamaca and still trying to figure out how everything works here."

"Want in or what?"

You shrug at that. "Maybe. Depends on what's in for me." As no response comes to your attempt to draw out something, you try a different track. "Guess when you do this together with others, you hear a lot of things. And you seem to have quiet a bit of skill at what you do."

"Maybe." She smirks and you can't help to join her, knowing full well what she is going to say next. "Depends on what's in for me."

What do you offer her?
[] Ask for training in her skills.
-[] Write-In payment.

[] Ask her to pass rumors to you.
-[] Write-In what she should pass to you.
-[] Write-In payment.

[] Ask her for contacts. She mentioned people protecting her.
-[] Write-In payment.

[] Ask her if she knows where you could earn a few quick beans.
-[] Write-In what line of work.
-[] Write-In payment.

[] Part ways. There is nothing more you want from her.

AN: Outright recruiting her is unlikely to work, since you barely met, but it's certainly an option after you got to know each other a bit more. Take note that most jobs she can get you will probably be of dubious legality.

Azel · Jan 22, 2018

[X] Plan just information
-[X] Offer her 30 beans a month, more if her work is good, in exchange of keeping you abreast of major happenings and rumors, both over and underground.

1.6.17.10.9.13 - 13th of the Green Storm

You ponder for a while what you might want from her. Someone to show you a few tricks with the knife would be great, but at the same time it might be unwise to go into the slums and look vulnerable by asking for something like that. Some aid to scrounge up patients wouldn't go amiss either, yet you plan to leave for a whole month soon enough. And that is just for hunting, not even anything Matlal might ask of you taken into account yet. The chance seems good though in the end, only so much might be practical. "How about this deal, then." As you stop, Iciuhca just trods on at first, at least until she hears the rattling of beans in the little bag you pulled from your belt. "If you keep your ears open for me, I will give you 30 beans a month. Nothing strenuous for you and I'm not expecting to hear about the secret arts of the Wise Men either." As she turns around, you make a little pause and grin at her, the pouch still held aloft. "Though I might be inclined to pay extra for something truly interesting."

Slowly she walks back over to you and lifts her tray. "Beans up front. Promises don't buy bread."

"And people I meet because I saw them cheat at games are not the most trustworthy to pay in advance." She slowly smiles, but the tray stays firmly in front of you. "Ten now, the rest when you've got something to show." A curt nod is all the answer you get and thus you pull out ten beans and lay them on her tray.

"So in 20 days we met again? The alley fine for you?"

"Sure, but make it 21. I'm leaving for a bit."

At this Iciuhca just shrugs and turns around to walk away, leaving you to wonder how your next meeting might be.

1.6.17.10.9.14 - 14th of the Green Storm

The next day sees you walking to a quite different part of Tlamaca. Under a slight drizzle, you leave the market towards the western gate on the search for a ruined building that Ixtli called an Ollamaliztli1 court. Admittedly, you didn't listen quite as closely to his rambling explanation as you probably should have, but you do know what it looks like. Two stone slopes opposite of each other and this one had a roof of palm leaves built over it, which was apparently something horrible to do, if you consider the despair in his eyes as he described it. Then he started ranting about balls being too expensive to properly play the old Cualli game correctly, which left you wondering why a pig's bladder should be expensive while you made a hasty retreat towards the door. Back in the tribe, they said that shamans go a bit weird when learning their trade. Maybe reading codices did the same.

Before going on his rant, he had at least explained the significance of the place. As Tlamaca grew through the metal trade, so grew the number of warriors seeking employment as caravan guards. With them came the drinking. As the taverns on the marketplace ran out of space to house them all, the drunkards tended to spill out over the square and cause more than a few problems. This got even worse as a few traders started to sell alcohol directly on the market. So the Wise Men revived some old piece of Cualli law that only permitted the sale of such drinks within buildings and leveraged rather hefty fines on those caught drunk in public.2 So someone decided to use the court, which arguably counted as a building, to sell his booze, prompting the guard to have more then a few fights about the definition of a building there. In the end it was ruled that a building is only a building when it has a roof, hence the 'defilement' of the court, and the Wise Men just cut their losses and let the place be.

Why he knew all of that eluded you, but the salient part was that the place had a bit of a reputation. While most common guards frequented the taverns near the market, the more organized and skilled groups tended to be found here. So it was not much of a surprise to see the small place filled with a few groups of intimidating-looking men and woman sitting on the slopes. At the far end stands a small counter with a trader offering a few fruits and meats, but mostly Octli and Mexcalli if the jars and cups with monkeys carved on them are any indication. You had a pretty clear goal in mind when coming here, to look for some hunters, yet you let your gaze wander over the people sitting here.

Directly left to the entrance sits a small gaggle of men and woman in rather heavy looking armor made from leather and bones. Every single one of them carries a macuaitl4 made from decorated wood and finely-carved obsidian blades. It is clear as day that the man that sits the highest is their leader. His hair is hidden under a leather helmet, yet his weathered face and full, graying beard let you guess that he has earned his place by experience. His macuaitl lays beside him and it is a truly massive thing that you would not really wish to have to wield into battle.

Further in sits a gaggle of more familiar figures. Not that you know any of them, but seeing hunters in nothing but loincloths and wielding spears tipped with obsidian and flint reminds you of your home. Some also carry light bows and quivers and only a few bits of leather armor are strapped to their limbs. Their leader seems to be the rather boisterous woman currently engaged in telling them a tale with a lot of sweeping motions of her hands. Or hand as the case may be, since her right forearm ends in a ragged stump with some leather straps running around it. Given the large, wooden shield she leans on, you hazard a guess that she isn't any less dangerous for her wound.

As you shift your eyes to your right, you have to carefully keep your face from shifting into a frown. The third bunch has clearly had a few drinks too many and the group made of only men is laughing a lot at whatever tales they whisper between each other. A few times you catch one of them looking to you, before whispering too somebody else. Yet they look to be the most well off group here, for while their equipment looks far less uniform than that of the others, every single one of them seems to wield a metal weapon. From a staff with bronze plates at the end, over a similar looking club to a full on short sword, they seem very keen on showing their wealth to the world.

The last group is not much of one, except that they dress very much alike. Directly next to the counter sit three figures in heavy cloaks made from woven leaves, much like the one that Matlal had worn. Aside from the occasional turn of a head towards the loud drunkards, they seem not even to talk with each other and aside from the heavy bows on their backs, you can only guess at what lays beneath their cloaks.

Who do you want to approach?
[] The graying man with the massive macuaitl.
[] The maimed huntress.
[] The well-off group of men.
[] The three quiet figures.

1 Also known as "that meso-american ball game". There are actually a few indegenious people in mexico still playing a evolved version of the game, called Ulama.
2 The Aztecs where a bit harsher. Public drunkenness was punished with being publicly strangled to death. Luckily, this is the post-apocalypse, so morals are a bit looser and less murderous.
3 Octli is a wine like beverage from fermented agaves and the monkey cups are the traditional container to serve them in. It's still served in Mexico under the name Pulque today. Mexcalli is the accompanying spirit distilled from agaves, which is called Mescal today. The most widely known brand of Mescal is Tequila.
4 Basically a club with obsidian on the sides. Rules wise, they are Exceptional Natural Swords.

AN: I know that you mostly wanted the hunters, but I decided to give the you the full pick anyway.

Also: Footnotes.

Azel · Jan 23, 2018

[X] The three quiet figures.

1.6.17.10.9.14 - 14th of the Green Storm

At first your gut instinct draws you towards the familiarity of the hunters. It's a woman not unlike them that taught you all you know about fighting so far, and yet you also know the limits of their skills. They too favor spears, a weapon you never really felt any affinity towards. So your eyes wander over to the unassuming three in their quiet corner. They seem quite happy to stay to themselves, so it would be a gamble to approach them at all, but who knows? You might have more luck with them than with all the others. As you approach them, one looks up and tracks you the whole time. The other two make no move on their own, but you have the feeling they are well aware of your presence all the same.

Even as you stand right next to them, no one speaks and so you make the first step before the silence grows even more awkward. "Hello. I'm Yaxkin." The slight pause you leave for them to introduce yourself stretches. Had you not seen them talk among each other before, you would think them mute or deaf. "I'm a trained huntress and healer and seeking companions for a month long hunting trip. Preferably people who would be willing to share some of their skills for me in exchange for a larger cut of the haul." And again, there is no response. You look them over more in depth during this pause. Beneath their cloaks they wear quite expensive-looking leather armor and you think you can spot the pommel of a dagger peeking out of the belt of the young man that keeps staring at you. The other two still sit half turned away from you, not even acknowledging your presence. Might as well try one last time. "You three looked like you know you way around the jungle quite well, so I thought you might be interested."

Yaxkin: 30 + 50 (Charisma) + 50 (Charisma) + 60 (Charm) - 50 (Go Away) = 140
vs.
???: 239
Like talking to a statue.

"You talk a lot." To finally hear the man, no, the boy, speak is quite a surprise. He looks quite a bit older than he sounds and you get the sinking feeling that whoever is in charge of those three has delegated it to the apprentice to get rid of you. You admittedly feel rather silly right now, but this isn't nearly as embarrassing than it would be to actually go now. With the chances of actually getting what you came for already gone, you might as well leave a few barbs of your own.

"Given that you are only slightly more talkative than a Stone Man, it's no surprise that you think so." He just quirks is eyebrow in what is probably supposed to be a dignified manner, but after hearing his slightly squeaky voice the novelty of his act wearing down quickly. Now he looks more and more like a puffed up idiot. "I'm glad that you silently approve of my proposal. Shall we meet here tomorrow to depart?"

That gets at least a scowl out of him, which deepens to compensate your growing grin at having gotten a rise out of him. Finally he caves in and speaks again. "I agreed to nothing."

"Well, you certainly didn't disagree or tell me to go away either."

"I thought that much was obvious." The response comes immediately this time and he is getting slightly red in the face.

Finally the person to your left injects herself into what may be called a discussion if you squint a bit. "Give it up." At first you think this is directed at you, but the boy wilts before you and the hooded figure turns to you. Under her cloak you see a young woman, maybe ten years your senior. "This is a stubborn one." That she doesn't look disapproving of that fact kindles a bit of hope in you.

"Maybe. Seems we have something in common there."

Yaxkin: 89 + 50 (Charisma) + 50 (Charisma) + 60 (Charm) = 249
vs.
???: 242
Barely

She scoffs and gives you a once over. Unlikely most others you've met lately, she apparently couldn't care less about your pendant, but takes a good moment to look at your blade and bow. "Apparently. Though I see no reason why I should take your offer."

"Well, you would earn a few beans for it, and if you treat all your potential customers like that..." As you trail off, you throw a meaningful glance over the court. Beside the warriors, there is nearly no one here today and those few looking for someone to hire ignore the groups and just pick with a few lone fighters.

She shakes her head and turns away again, but at least she keeps talking. "The few beans are the problem. We can get a good deal more with other work. I wouldn't mind to do a bit more than sitting here, but it's a bad habit to sell yourself under worth. Besides. You might pack decent gear, yet that alone doesn't mean you know how to use it. Saw more then enough traders get who thought themselves great masters with blades they bought with their parents earnings. I'm not in the habit of training amateurs."

Just once you would have preferred to be called a tribal. You stand there in a loincloth and chest wrappings, well-armed besides, and she compares you to a city dweller playing huntress. "Luckily for you, I learned the blade since I was eight. Carved up dead animals since I could hold a knife, so I thought it a good investment of my time to learn to do the same when they still move."

"Well, if you are so good, prove it." It might have been a challenge, but she doesn't move or turn around again. "I want an even two-hundred beans in advance, then I will go on that trip with you. Not your money though. You will make one of the other groups here pay for your training."

"What do you mean by that?"

She chuckles a moment and the boy before you awkwardly tries to laugh along. As he notices you looking, he immediately scowls at you again, prompting another bout of amusement from the woman. "Simple. I don't care how you do it, but you have to pay me with money you got from the people here. Convince them to lend you the beans. Challenge them to a duel for it. Steal one of the drunkards purse. Tidy up your loincloth a bit and charm them for all I care. Either you prove that you are not only talk or you prove that it would be fun to spend a month with you. Either works for me, but I'm not going to trek through the wilderness with anyone who asks me to do it." Then she turns around to you for a short moment and gives you a slight wink. "It will be well worth your time, if you manage it."

You blink and look around you again. The huntress is either still not finished with her story or already started the next, the drunkards are pretty oblivious to anything around them and the macuaitl wielding band is deep in some discussion with the graying man presiding over it like their chief. If anybody bothered to look at your chat here, they probably lost interest a while ago.

Which leaves you with the question what to do now.
[] Accept the wager.
-[] Write-In how to get the beans.

[] Approach another group.
-[] The graying man with the massive macuaitl.
-[] The maimed huntress.
-[] The drunken group of men.

AN: Writing the beginning of this chapter was just as awkward for me as it was for Yaxkin to stand there.

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