Kingdom of Aztenia (Uh-Zz-Teh-Nee-uhn)

In the lush jungles of Quetza there once existed a xenophobic, cruel empire. Isolated from the rest of the human kingdoms for millenia. The Quepa-Qual was known through all the continent as a vast empire of pernicious humans that used their prisoners not only in savage games of survival, but also in mass sacrifices to gods, on top of their blood covered pyramids.
The empire was feared, not just by their size and strength, but also for their cunning and tenacity. Such an empire lived untouched and unscathed from outside influences since it's foundation, somewhere during the Age of Arrivals. All that changed with the Great Deluge.
The Great Deluge shook the empire's core to it's deepest and with unforeseen consequences. The floods and the earthquakes brought hunger and plague that desolated the quetzan territory. Tens of thousands of people died in plain streets of the empires biggest cities. The capital, Zapotecla, saw part of it being swallowed by the river Lantas. A scar of those times for eternity.
The moral of the citizens was engulfed in flames and the low class and military finally burst against the noble hierarchy, thus beginning the War of the Triangle, also known as the Quetzan Civil War, disputed, as the name implies, by three fronts.
As time passed by, and the war dragging itself, the once united Empire was no more and three nations rose up from it's ashes. Young nations of old blood, thirsty to carve their name into the world and bring once again glory to Quetza.
These nations, of Quepatec culture, share most of the old empire's traits. The new nations work around these massive city-states, true metropolis (altepetl), and their surroundings (calpulli). The leader of each nation is known as the Calpuleh.
In society, they are divided into nobles (pipiltin) and common folk (macehualtin) and insde theses there is an elaborate hierarchy of social status, responsabilities and power. Interesting fact is that any common folk can achieve through merit to a lower noble position. a long distance merchant (pochtecah) is a good example of this. Their economy is based on agriculture, pillage, and commerce, now finally open to the rest of the human nations, and their mining of gold and marble. Each nation specialized itself on a different craft.
Education is mandatory to everyone until their fifteenth summer, taugh by their parents and the local priest. The next five summers, young ones go to two different schools: Telpochcalli, the House of Young Ones, where they are taught history, religion, combat, commerce and craft. And Calmelac, the House of Knowledge, dedicated to noble teens. Here they are molded into leaders (tlatoque), priests and scholars (tlatimini), healers (tizitl) and judges (tlacuilos), with areas covering calligraphy, astronomy, administration, theology among others.
A polytheistic culture with their own pantheon, priests and scholars are seen with utmost respect and take a very strict life: cold baths in the morning, intense physical training, resistance tests, and self-flagellation produce an extremely stoic social class.
Even though these hard folk still have a conservative society, they are determined to clean their image to the rest of the continent.
In battle, each new nation of Quetza has their own tactics, but all are strong with the atlatl, a mechanism to throw dards and javelins longer, and the maquahuitl, a serrated thick sword, usually made of wood, stone, or both.
An average citizen of Quepatec culture has between 1.50m and 1.80m. Possesses tanned skin, dark hair and usually big dark eyes. They wear facial adornments, like nasal bones, earings, lip spikes, among others, and almost always have facial paint or tattoos with intense colours.
The kingdom known today as Aztenica is what is left of the old empire. Controlling the region's core and the ancient capital ruins of Zapotecla, these folk kept the great master alchemists of old, keeping with them the mastery of poisons.
They mainly worship Quetza, the serpent queen, spirit of the jungle and the pantheon's leader.
In battle, the azteni are known for using blowguns to poison and enfeeble their foes from a distance, so they become easy prey for their sharp maquahitl.
The Great Deluge left this nation's territory into a swampy area of the jungle. The region, suffered a boom of amphibian fauna, from poisonous frogs to slippery gigantic snakes. As a result, the locals grew a fascination for these animals, taming them and using them in daily chores.

Main Hub

Techloztichcan

The Aztenian capital is located close to the ruins of the Quepatec's ancient capital Zapotecla and in the great lake Texclo that formed with the Great Deluge.
The city is the biggest in the whole Western human lands, housing more than two hundred thousand inhabitants. So many currently inhabit it that the city has expanded beyond the lake's thirteen small islands and housing can now be seen all along the lake's shoreline.
While the cities outskirts are defended by wooden walls and towers, the lake provides a natural defense to potential invaders. Stone bridges and avenues allows passing through the cities districts, all converging into the inner city's core, where a temple complex (mainly dedicated to the Goddess Quetza) with a massive pyramid exists. Besides the bridges, movement from the inner city to the outer can be done via the many rafts that transport people around.
one of the city's districts is dedicated to commerce and alchemy. Wide squares are filled daily with people trading goods, from tin to jade, while luxurious buildings house the many alchemy academies that exist since the days of the old empire.
The city's main arquitecture is composed of gray colored buildings, made of small squared stones. and stone made roads.

Aztenian Traits

Quepatec Ethnic Proficiencies

Characters with this trait are proficient with Atlatl, Blowgun, Bolas, Brutal Bolas, Javelin, Maquahuitl and Great Maquahuitl, Sling, Shortbow, and Short Spear.

Old Empire's Head

+1 to Craft (poisons), +1 to Swim, +1 to Climb and +1 to Knowledge (nobility) skill checks. These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels.

Quepatec Traditional Warfare

+1 to Attack rolls with blowgun, maquahuitl and great maquahuitl; +1 to damage rolls with blowgun. These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels.

Quetza's Snake Guard

• +1 to Handle Animal (snakes This bonus increases by 1 every 5 levels.
• Snake Animal Companions/familiars (viper) get the Advanced Template.
• Wildshapers in Snake form get +1 to Dodge Armor and +1 to poison's DC; These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels.
• +1 to the Spells DC check for Clerics, Warpriests, Inquisitors and Paladins of Quetza. This bonus increases by 1 every 5 levels.

Old Empire's Blood

+1 to Fortitude Saves. This bonus increases by 1 every 5 levels.

Legacy of Poison

Characters with this trait roll twice for fortitude saves against poison and pick the better result.

Medium Armor Restrictions

Characters with this trait can't use Medium or Heavy Armor, with the exception of Hide Armor.

Oral Traditions

Characters with this trait begin play unable to read or write and must spend 2 skill points to be able to do so.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom