Cipactli

"The weirdest place I've been? Cipactli for sure. No place in the world like it, for better and for worse."
-Jace Cartwright, retired adventurer

To almost everyone else in Covenant, there is no land more exotic and more alien than the floating island of Cipactli. Few ever travel to this land, and fewer still ever leave. It is as though this place is a world all on its own, almost entirely unknown to those from elsewhere.

The most anyone has to go on are wild stories. These tales tell of dark, impenetrable jungles full of dangerous and hungry beasts. More tell of the bloodthirsty gods that watch over these lands and the things their followers do for them. Even with all these stories, this remains a land of mystery.

Structure

On the surface, it would appear that the Cipactlins are part of a series of independent communities, not unlike the city-states of Polisia. These towns are much smaller, however, and frequently fight among themselves. Their overall organization is far more than it appears, and the nature of this conflict far different.
Each of these communities owe their allegiance to the emperor in the holy city of Teotlticlan. In some ways this emperor is similar to the Kemetan pharaoh in that he is considered the mortal incarnation of the sun god. In this case that god is Huitzilopochtli.
The rest of society is very much ruled by the priesthoods of the other gods, such as Quetzalcoatl, Xipe Totec, Tlaloc, or Xochiquetzal, who determine the laws the people live by day to day. These priests are ruled by priests of Huitzilopochtli, who serve as a sort of nobility that rules these various towns and villages, which serves to determine their position in Cipactlin society.

Culture

If there is one thing that is often told of the culture of the Cipactlins, it is the brutal rites demanded by their gods. Tales tell that thousands are marched up their pyramids every day only to be slain in horrible fashions best left unsaid. These stories are exaggerations, but there is a kernel of truth to them.
The Cipactlins do perform human sacrifices to their gods, but only on the longest day of the year, the Festival of Earth and Sun. Dozens are sacrificed to their gods: their hearts to Huitzilopochtli, their skin to Xipe Totec, the rest of their bodies to Tlaloc, and their blood to Cipactli, which is believed to be a slumbering beast that needs the blood to remain asleep.
These sacrifices are prisoners captured in the conflicts that rage across Cipactli. These are always simple raids conducted from one town against another meant to take or liberate prisoners. Those still in captivity by the time of the Festival are marched to Teotlticlan and sacrificed. In a way, that makes these conflicts more like games than true war.
The Cipactlins value strength, and not only because of their internal conflicts. They also have a series of games that depend on athleticism, including wrestling and footracing. The most popular of these is called tlachtli, and is played by knocking a ball through a stone hoop.
They are also quite an energetic people, enjoying lively music and dance. These performances often seem very alien to foriegners. In the same vein, they also have a preference for very colorful, very strange artwork. This even often extends to brightly-colored body paint as well.
The Cipactlins also have a very complex understanding of arcane magic. Their mages are well-honored parts of their culture, often dedicated to the god of wisdom Quetzalcoatl. Others, however, are instead dedicated to Tezcatlipoca, god of strife. These keep themselves hidden, working to undermine society.

The Festive Season
On some level, all cultures of Covenant are idealized versions of themselves. That said, the Aztec society was in many ways built on human sacrifice. Even the ballpark for how many sacrifices were performed is hard to pin down because contemporary reports came from conquistadors trying to demonize their enemies and their estimates were... excessive.
I created the Festival of Earth and Sun to put something of a limiter on the sacrifices. I wanted the Cipactlins to have a greater respect for life, but human sacrifice is such a central part of the mythology I couldn't ignore it the way I did for Bjornland or Fasach.

History

According to legend, it was the rain god Tlaloc that brought the floating island of Cipactli to Covenant. It is said he tore it away from a larger monster, also named Cipactli, whose body made up a different land on a different world. It is then said that Tezcatlipoca seduced Tlaloc's wife Xochiquetzal, goddess of love. In a rage, Tlaloc rained fire upon his new land.
In response, Tlaloc stepped down from his role as the king of the gods. His new consort, a goddess of water named Chalchiuhtlicue took the role from him. She was the one who first brought humanoids to Cipactli. The story goes she loved these people and gave them everything they desired until Tezcatlipoca suggested that she was only doing what she was doing so they would love her. Her tears flooded Cipactli and killed all who lived there.
The next and final god to fill the role at the head of the Cipactlin pantheon was the sun god Huitzilopochtli. He also brought humanoids to Cipactli, and left them to build their own lives, only inspiring them with his light. These built the holy city of Teotlticlan, as well as the communities surrounding it.
Huitzilopochtli's rule wasn't unquestioned among either gods or mortals. A conspiracy among followers of Tezcatlipoca cursed various high-ranking priests of Huitzilopochtli to become werejaguars. They then used this as leverage to convince them to perform sacrifices to Tezcatlipoca, instead. Because of this, the power of the god of the sun was waning while the power of the god of the night was waxing.
It was under these circumstances that a hero, the warrior Citlali became involved. She was very nearly sacrificed to Tezcatlipoca, but flew into a rage and escaped. Fortunately for Cipactli, they underestimated Citlali's intelligence and subtlety. She managed to track them all the way to Teotlticlan, and slew Tezcatlipoca's hierophant in single combat on the roof of the sun temple in the dark of night.

Demography and Population

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of the Cipactlin population is human. This majority is not as wide as one might assume, however. The next largest population belongs to the cat-like tabaxi, while the rest of the island's population are serpentine folk known as yuan-ti.
Unlike practically anywhere else in Covenant, Cipactli recieves almost no visitors, especially traders. Adventurers occasionally find their way there, however, either to explore or by circumstances beyond their control. These people are rare enough that they attract great attention among the Cipactlins.

Territories

The floating island of Cipactli drifts throughout Covenant's oceans. The island almost always remains near the equator, which keeps the island at its typical tropical humid climate that seems to define the life on the island, making it such a unique environment compared to everywhere else in the world.
The most important environment in Cipactli that covers most of the island is jungle. These dense forests are difficult for most travelers to make their way through, although Cipactlins are very practiced at it. The island is also home to many swamps, as well as mountains in the island's center.
These environments are almost entirely alien compared to those of other lands, home to animals found nowhere else, such as jaguars and parrots, as well as varieties of snakes and monkeys unique to these environments. The pelts of such creatures are often extremely valuable in other places due to the lack of travel to and from Cipactli.
Despite the rare and mystical nature of this land, magical creatures are surprisingly rare. This is the only place on Covenant dragons, to include lung and linnorm, are not found. There are a few creatures unique to this place, such as the ahuizotl that live on the water's edge or the tescaliuar in service to the chaos god Tezcatlipoca.

Military

Officially, the emperor has no military of his own, neither does the city of Teotlticlan. It is the other towns and villages across the island that have their own forces. They answer to the priesthood of Huitzilopochtli, and the warriors of each of these communities has a hierarchy its own, as if they were each an independent military of their own.
Cipactlin warriors wear light to no armor, and wield weapons made from stone, especially obsidian. These are mostly spears, but also short blades and clubs that have a cutting edge made from stone. These warriors mostly decorate themselves with the hides of beasts such as eagles and jaguars. It's not uncommon for them to use their rage to both cause greater damage and protect themselves from harm.

Foreign Relations

Simply put, the Cipactlins are deeply isolationist. Even when Cipactli drifts near other lands they do not interact with them in any way. They tend to be too concerned about their own internal struggles to care about diplomacy with foreigners, especially when they don't feel they need anything from them.
Those of other lands also never seek out contact with them, often viewing the Cipactlins as barbaric mostly due to their traditions of humanoid sacrifice. Many travelers who do meet them are often surprised by their intelligence, even in the face of their occasional brutality.

Agriculture & Industry

Since the Cipactlins don't trade with others, they need to remain entirely self-sufficient. They grow mostly grain and berries, as well as corn. They do not, however, engage in herding livestock. The meat found in the Cipactlin diet mostly comes from hunting, mostly wild pigs, but also stranger animals such as tapir.
The Cipactlins primarily work in stone and wood for their tools and weapons. This is not because they are incapable of metalwork, but rather that such things are reserved for religious works. Mostly these icons are gold and platinum, but they are perfectly capable of working with iron as well, although this mineral is rare in Cipactli.

Infrastructure

On the surface, it seems as though the towns and villages of Cipactli aren't connected in any way. No roads make their way through the jungle. However, there are a series of smaller trails that connect one to another. Any foreigners that do visit have a very hard time finding these trails, but the locals have no trouble.
Most Cipactlin structures are built very simply, often from rocks, reeds, and leaves. This can give the false impression that they are a primitive people, but there are also huge structures made of stones cut to fit together so tightly not even rain can fit through. The grandest of these are temples built like the pyramids of Kemet, or the ziggurats of Sakkal.

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Capital

Teotlticlan

Demonym

Cipactlin

Government System

Monarchy, Theocratic

Power Structure

Confederation

Economic System

Barter system

Controlled Territories

• Teotlticlan

Notable Members

• Citlali