The Aztec Empire

The source file of Sacrificial Reality

Introduction
When the Kantovian Darkness Device fled to Earth after being
defeated by the Gaunt Man and Heketon, it was suffering from
amnesia, and was exposed to the culture of the ancient Incas.
Centuries later, when Malcolm Kane assumed the position of High
Lord and it created its realm upon Earth, Huitzilopochtli modelled it
after its experiences. It has created a reality where the 'glory' of the
ancient Incas under the Device flourishes once again...

The Possibility Wars

Earth has been invaded. Powerful beings called High Lords,
from different cosms - different realities - have taken their Darkness
Devices to our planet to plunder the very energy of the Earth itself:
its Possibilities. Each High Lord has taken a part of the planet as his
own, subjugating it to his native reality, turning his conquered
territory into someplace else. Now, amongst other changes, ancient
magic and costumed heroics bring pulp-style action to Egypt, a
cyber-theocracy where free thought is heresy rules France with a
dark grasp, techno-enhanced demons terrorise Los Angeles, and
alien bio-technology and psionics 'enlighten' South America, just
some of the possibilities in Torg: Roleplaying the Possibility Wars.
Normal forces are helpless under the invaders: once under the
reality of a 'Possibility Raider', ordinary people find that they may
not operate technology, retain the concept of money, or indeed
attempt anything that may contradict the invaders' reality.
Earth has but one hope: rare people can store and manipulate
possibility energy. Possibility-rated 'stormers' can not only defy the
reality they are under, but may use Possibilities to exceed it. Those
of the stormers who oppose the High Lords and fight to save Earth,
the Storm Knights, are heroes thanks to their powers of existence
itself. Not only can they alone take on the High Lords and their evil
stormer allies on their home ground: they can win. There are always
possibilities.

Axioms and World Laws

Huitzilopochtli, like any Darkness Device, exists for the sole
purpose of inspiring destructive acts. It is for this reason that,
although its memory has returned, the Device remains enamoured
of the Aztec civilisation. Under Huitzilopochtli's corrupting influence,
the original Aztecs turned to conquest and blood sacrifice to
impress their gods, something that is being repeated in the
modern-day Mexico of the Aztec Empire.

Magical power: 14
Although all four types of magic are possible in the Aztec
Empire, the sorcererous arts are rarely used. When they are, Aztec
magic is often found to be similar to Nile magic, in that both realms
have extensive knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and
engineering. Use of magic is frowned upon in the realm, however,
as the High Lord fears anyone with such skill might one day pose a
threat to his power. The stated reason for the low esteem is that a
citizen who wishes a supernatural occurrence to take place is
supposed to ask the gods for aid, not take matters into his own
hands. There have been instances of realm residents blessed by the
gods with magical abilities, but these have been exceedingly rare.
Still, for those who wish to risk the wrath of the gods, alteration is
possible in many varied forms, enchantment of items is possible,
and permanent conjuration [including that of spell creation] is
possible. However, summonings, and spells with self-contained
effects after initial casting [for example, wards, and creations of
magically-based beings such as golems] are not possible.

Social organisation: 20
A relatively large religious bureaucracy exists within the Aztec
Empire to carry out the will of Huitzilopochtli and the chachalmeca.
Rigid castes exist and complex trading relationships have sprung up
between the Aztecs and those nations foolish enough to believe
exchanging goods will stave off invasion. A huge amount of
resources and manpower are poured into making the military
machine run efficiently. The Aztec Empire is able to field massive,
well-trained and well-disciplined armies and knowledge of the chain
of command is all-important. A soldier who disobeys an order does
not live to disobey another. Unlike the CyberPapacy, not even the
pretence of maintaining a civil government is attempted. All major
decisions are made by the priesthood, with military operations co-
ordinated between them and the generals. A battle not favoured by
the gods will not be waged. Warriors who have attempted to bribe
the priests to gain favourable omens have been put to death.
There is very little political discontent within the Aztec
Empire. Most of the transformed believe that the strong must rule
the weak, an excellent argument for expanding the realm. Those
who retain Core Earth's reality organise in small cells, but even
there, it is difficult to co-ordinate a mass resistance movement. Too
many feel that the Aztec Empire is restoring the glory of ancient
Mexico and will punish those who have exploited the nation's
people for so long.
 Spiritual intensity: 17
Religion is key to many aspects of life in the Aztec Empire.
The realm is a theocracy led by the chachalmeca [the high
priest/High Lord], with the priesthood and military castes the most
important. Most Aztec residents have some knowledge of the gods
and their powers, but few have been gifted with the ability to
discern the will of the gods. All accept the fact that sacrifices must
be made to retain the god's favour and consider it an honour to be
chosen for death. Certain temples within the realm are believed to
be imbued with the power of the god to whom they are dedicated.
As the axiom level permits regular miracles which can occur without
presence of the faithful, adventurers who brave the perils of these
places may be rewarded with an encounter with a god's
manifestation.

Technological development: 16
The Aztec Empire's Tech axiom is somewhat deceiving -
although higher than that of Aysle, it refers primarily to their
knowledge of science and architecture rather than equipment and
weaponry extant in the realm. The Aztec Empire has access to
relatively advanced concepts of engineering, astronomy and
mathematics- the finite speed of light can be discerned, and the
conceptualisation of gravity is possible. However, although
musketry is possible at level 16, nothing of the sort is used in the
realm. Huitzilopochtli's love for the ancient Aztec culture has limited
weaponry to javelins, dart blowers, bows and arrows, daggers and
clubs called macanas. The effective tech level in these situations is
8, sometimes 9 in cases: note, however, that weapons of up to tech
16 do not create a contradiction. An Aztec attack will usually be
prefaced by an "artillery barrage" of arrows and spears followed by
hand-to-hand fighting. The latter tends to be more devastating than
the former, as the Aztec macanas were commonly studded with
sharpened pieces of obsidian.

The Law of Sacrifice

Huitzilopochtli demands sacrifices from among its followers,
as did many of the gods of the Aztec pantheon. Any character
under the effect of the Aztec reality may gain the benefits of
performing such a sacrifice, even if he is not a follower of the High
Lord. There are certain restrictions imposed by this law. A sacrifice
to the Aztec gods must be performed with a melee weapon made of
obsidian, be it dagger, sword or spear, and the name of the god to
whom the sacrifice is being made must be invoked at the time of
the killing [see Scholar [Aztec lore], below]. Victims must be prone,
conscious and unwilling or unable to resist [this applies to human
sacrifices only - animal sacrifices must be on an obsidian altar when
slain]. Animals, non-believers and believers can be sacrificed for the
greater glory of the Aztec gods. The successful sacrifice of an
animal bestows upon the worshipper an Up condition for one round.
It must be used within an hour of the sacrifice or it is lost. Slaying a
believer in the Aztec pantheon provides the worshipper with an Up
condition for one round that must be used within the next day or it
is lost. Sacrificing an enemy of the faith [the most difficult type, as
they are so rarely willing to be killed] earns the worshipper two Up
rounds that must be used within the next day or be lost.

The Law of Divine Will

It is of paramount importance that the wishes of the various
gods be heeded. Failure to do so condemns the individual to eternal
punishment, not to mention helping to bring about the fall of the
realm as a whole. Naturally, one cannot carry out the will of the
gods unless one knows what it is. It is for that reason that the most
respected members of the priest class are possessed of the Will of
the Gods miracle, which allows them to consult with the deities and
determine their views on a given matter. Those wishing to take
advantage of this world law must consult with such a cleric to learn
the deity's wishes before embarking on a course of action. Once the
will of the gods has been divined [say, the gods think capturing a
Nile spy in the area is a very good idea], the character will receive a
+2 bonus to any action that brings him nearer to achieving that
goal. Any action that runs contrary to that goal suffers a -2 penalty.
This condition remains in effect until the goal has been achieved or
the character converts to another faith.

The Law of Conquest

The Aztec Empire is a warlike, militaristic realm, far more so
than even the Nile Empire. Huitzilopochtli has built this trait into the
world laws to guarantee a steady supply of death and destruction.
The Aztec Empire must remain in armed conflict with someone at all
times - these wars can range from something as minor as raiding
nearby villages for food and gold to a massive attack on a
neighbouring country. If the Aztecs go three months without going
to war with someone, they must enter into "wars of the feather"
among themselves. These are mock wars between different Aztec
armies, which frequently escalate into large-scale bloodbaths. Too
many of these "practice conflicts" could sorely deplete the supply of
Aztec warriors and so are to be avoided. Aztec Empire characters
travelling outside of the realm must also enter into combat with
someone [be it a fist fight or a firefight - some kind of physical
conflict] within a given period of time. Read the character's Reality
skill [or Spirit if an ord] value as days - if he does not enter into a
fight at some point within that period, he will turn on his comrades
and attack them. His fellow Knights must be aware of this and learn
not to use lethal force against their comrade - as soon as some
blood has been shed [his own, or another's] he will return to
normal. [Holding out your hand and letting him nick it will not work
- there must be actual combat.]
 For example, Itzcoatl has a reality skill of 14. That means
that, when outside the realm, he must enter into a combat at least
once every 14 days. If he does not, he will attack anyone around
him to satisfy the requirements of this world law. Non-Aztec
characters entering the realm are subject to the same world law,
unless they are protected by a reality bubble [the Law of Conquest
being a passive world law, one that is present in the environment
but cannot be used as a tool]. They too must enter into some
conflict within a period equal to their Reality or Spirit value in days.
This requirement ceases when they leave the realm.

Reconnection To Reality
When the Everlaw of One overpowers the Everlaw of Two in a
character, the link to their unliving reality is broken, and they
become limited to whichever reality that they may be in. Possibility-
rated characters may reconnect to their home reality and be able to
cause contradictions again if they make reality skill totals equal to
or greater than the difficulty numbers listed below:

Character: from Aztec Empire, in in Aztec Empire, from

reality of: reality of:
Atlantis 13 6
Avalon 11 7
Aysle 7 7
Aztec 0 0
Empire
Core 11 10
Earth
CyberPap 8 12
acy
Kantovia 16 4
Land 15 3
Below
Lereholm 17 3
Living 17 9
Land
Magna 9 3
Verita
Nile 5 8
Empire
Nippon 14 11
Tech
Olympus 13 4
Orrorsh 3 7
Pulse's 18 17
Cosm
Star 10 16
Sphere
Tharkold 5 12
Tz'Ravok 11 3

Skills

Omen Interpretation [Perception]

A specialised type of divination magic, this skill can be used
only for interpreting signs regarding future occurrences. It requires
a Magic axiom of 14 to operate. When using omen interpretation,
the character attempts to derive from the patterns of stones, the
feathers of birds, and other natural objects just what the future
holds. The character must inquire about a specific course of action -
the difficulty number is based upon how far into the future he
wishes to look [see the "Omen Interpretation Difficulty" chart].

Omen Interpretation Difficulty

Chart
Time Difficulty
Period
One 8
minute
One hour 10
One day 13
One week 16
One 20
month
One year 25
The level of success determines the amount of information
derived from the omen interpretation:
Minimal/Ave A general feeling that good or ill will result from a
rage: particular course of action, e.g. ‘I see ill fortune for
this way.’
Good: A more concrete idea of what form the results will
take, e.g. ‘I see death at the end of this path.’
Superior: A better idea of just who will be most affected by
these results, e.g. ‘I see death for John at the end of
this road.’
Spectacular: Information on the source of the good or ill results,
e.g. ‘I see death for John at the hands of Conundrum.’

This World law is active: it can be used outside the reality of

the Aztec Empire [albeit as a contradiction].
Omen interpretation cannot be used unskilled.

Scholar [Aztec Lore] [Perception]

This skill provides the character with a rudimentary
knowledge of the Aztec pantheon. When calling for divine aid,
seeking the will of the gods, or making a sacrifice, it is crucial that
one knows the proper gods to invoke. Anyone transformed to the
Aztec reality while in the Empire automatically receives this skill at
one add.
Here are some of the major gods of the Aztec pantheon:
Coatlicue Supposed mother of Huitzilopochtli, cannibalistic
goddess of serpents. Clawed hands and feet, a
skirt of snakes, a necklace of hearts and hands
with a skull pendant.
Huitzilopochtli Aztec war god, who showed the Aztecs the
necessity of blood sacrifice. Many of the feats
ascribed to him arose from the powers of the
Darkness Device [see High Lord of Earth].
Quetzalcoatl Feathered or plumed serpent god, lord of the
wind.
Tezcatilpoca One of the most important Aztec gods, gods of
the night, associated with witches, evildoers and
death. Represented with his face painted
different colours and an obsidian mirror for a
foot. Some believe that legends of Tezcatilpoca
may have arisen from the fragmented memories
of Huitzilopochtli regarding the Gaunt Man and
Heketon.
Tlaloc God of rain, wind, thunder, lightning and
agriculture. Pictured with tusk-like teeth and
snakes around his eyes.

Scholar [Aztec lore] can be used unskilled.

Miracles Of Faith

Earth Swallow
Spiritual Rating: 17
Community Rating: 12
Difficulty: 15
Range: 3 metres
Duration: performance
Effect: traps target character in a pit
When successfully invoked, a pit will suddenly open beneath
the feet of the target character. He must generate a successful
dodge total against a difficulty of the cleric's faith value. If he fails,
he falls into the pit. Upon entering the pit, the walls will
immediately begin to close in. The victim must generate a
successful climbing [or Strength] total against a difficulty number of
the cleric's faith value to escape. If he does not, he suffers damage
equal to the cleric's faith value.

Will of The Gods

Spiritual Rating: 17
Community Rating: 11
Difficulty: 14
Range: n/a
Duration: performance
Effect: imparts to the cleric the opinions of the gods on a planned
course of action
When successfully invoked, the cleric can ask the gods about
a single course of action. One of three responses will be received:
the gods favour the action; the gods oppose the action; or the gods
are indifferent. Should either of the first two results be achieved,
apply the Law of Divine Will accordingly.