The Accidental Archmage Book: Three- Blood Wars (Now on Amazon)

PROLOGUE - 1st Part: Celebration

Masters of the world, their empire so wide and abundant that they had conquered all the nations and that all were their vassals.

Friar Diego Duran, quoted in the Oxford Handbook of Mesoamerican Archaeology, written by Deborah Nichols and Christopher Pool, 1st Edition, Oxford Handbooks, 2012.

CELEBRATION

The Aztecah Empire.
Region of Aztlan.
The Temple-City of Tamoanchan.
The Teocalli of Tlaltecuhtli.

The two figures walked along the temple hallway. Orbs of magical energy lit their way. The entire temple was made of stone. A majestic multi-layered tapered ziggurat reached towards the heavens.

“Whose turn is it again?” asked one figure.

“You’re becoming forgetful in your mortal form, brother. It's Tlaloc's month,” answered the other.

“Ah, nearly planting season again, I presume.”

“It is. Here we are,” replied his companion as they reached the exit. They were on top of the temple, and before them lay the majestic view of the colorful and impressive expanse of the enormous complex. There were streets paved with stone, gardens in every corner, and smaller but still grand temples in front of them. The entire landscape gave the impression of an orderly, powerful, and deeply religious people. Wide straight lanes defined the design of the complex, reflecting the structured lives of the populace. Every building in sight was either made of stone or faced with the same material. Their colors were bright and distinctive. An aura of discipline, power, and enormous strength filled the air.

The two stood at the very heart of the feared Aztecah Empire. Around them was a vast religious complex. It was a city solely devoted to the Aztecah gods—there was nothing like it in the entire world. Twenty temples formed the center of the complex. Four on each side, creating a square, and four in the middle. The ones inside the square were larger than the enclosing structures, already huge as they are. Among the four inner temples, one was more massive than its immediate brethren. No mortal was allowed inside the tall and gigantic edifice. The remaining space bordered by the sixteen temples was enough to accommodate more than a million people.

The two beings stood on top of one of the three other temples inside the square. They watched the festivities being conducted in front of a nearby teocalli - or “god house” as the people call the huge temples - specifically, the teocalli of the deity Tlaloc, the Aztecah god of rain, lightning, and thunder.

Hundreds of thousands of the faithful were already gathered and rejoicing, all dressed in their most beautiful clothes. Festive and happy noises filled the air. A multitude of bright colors greeted one’s eyes. In front of the temple’s steps, which led up to the flat and wide platform at its apex, were elite warriors of the Jaguar and Eagle military societies.

The warriors formed double lines at each of the three sides where the multitude gathered, keeping the happy crowd from disturbing the ongoing ceremonies. More warriors lined the steps up to the top of the temple. Lined up in numerous rows, hands bound, were thousands of prisoners. In each row, captives were connected by a thick rope which was coiled around each person’s neck and continued to the next one in line. The cords which tied their hands were also linked in the same manner.

At the top of the temple was a group of people with elaborate headdresses and attires. A sizeable flaming brazier was merrily burning in the background. Lighted orbs on posts surrounded them; they were arranged in a semi-circle around a raised stone dais slick with blood.

As the two observers watched, a man garbed more elaborately than the others raised an obsidian knife and plunged it into the chest of a victim tied to the dais. He then meticulously cut open the breast amid a shower of blood and tore out the still beating heart. All that, while the bound man was screaming in agony. The organ was presented to the sky, and then after some words from the killer, it was thrown into the flaming brazier. The dead man was untied and tossed down the steps of the temple. When the body landed, nearby warriors took hold of it and continued throwing it down. A row of captives was already lined up to feed the waiting brazier. The steps leading up to the sacrificial platform were wet with blood and pieces of human flesh.

“Won’t he get tired?” observed one of the watching beings.

“He will. He's only human, after all. But you have to give it to Tlaloc’s favorite tlamacazqui, he gives it his best try,” laughed the other being.

“At least our pets won’t be hungry for many moons,” replied the other.

“That spell our demanding patrons gave us does prevent spoilage.”

“Did they get their share of the latest victory? I know they’re hungry. Too hungry, to my eyes.”

“Don’t talk that way. You do know what happened to the last one they deemed disrespectful. Though we still don't know what they did to him. But yes, they got their share. Five minor deities from our enemies. Four Incan and one Etruscan.”

“They’ll be happy then. For now. What if we finish off our present foes?”

“It’s a big world out there,” answered the other.

Chapter Lore:

Aztecah – Nahuatl. Meaning “people from Aztlan”. The name of the empire of the Aztecs on Adar. In this story, the more common word “Aztec” will at times be used to refer to the Aztecah. This story adopts the Nahualt version as the name of the Aztec Empire.

Tamoanchan – A word believed to be either Mayan or Aztec in origin. In Aztec legend, it is believed to be the place where man was first created. In this story, the word is adopted as the name of the massive temple complex at the heart of the Aztecah Empire.

Aztlan – Nahuatl. The term refers to the legendary home region of the Aztecs. According to myth, the term means “paradise” but there are other opinions on the matter. Even the location of Aztlan is a debated topic among scholars. The Aztecs, according to legend, were originally a grouping of seven tribes. Used in this story to refer to the primary territorial region of the Aztecah Empire.

Teocalli – Nahualt. A term which meant a temple. Literally, a “god house”.

Tlaltecuhtli – Nahualt. An Aztec god of earth. Literally means “earth lord”. In this story, he is considered to be one of the three primary Aztecah deities.

Tlamacazqui – Nahualt. A priest.