Anarea 1-off D: Breaking the Law 7 to 26 Aval 2000
Scenario 13C. (X)
Versions A & B in Black
Version C in Blue
The news is (see separate Scenario: "The Rumourmonger") that ships heading South from Fort Venture to Kuntax and the Southern Cities have reported strange whirlpools, geysers and coloured lights deep beneath the waves close to the shore of Mt. Anar. There are also reports of Giant Manta Rays picking over bits of flotsam that have bubbled up from the sea floor, taking shiny bits and diving away with them. According to an old sailors' story, these could be the legendary Ixitxachitl: a race of Chaotic Clerical philosophers in the form of Giant Manta Rays, who are rumoured to hoard a fabulous treasure in their underwater city in the depths of the Ocean. But nobody has ever managed to find the place, or at least to return to tell the story.
On 13 Garrack 605 a huge Star fell into the Great Ocean at the foot of Mt. Anar (see 1-off A: "To Catch a Fallen Star") at 243o, opposite the Mafast Peninsula. It plunged through 200 miles depth of water and straight into the seabed, where it burnt a tunnel into the silt and rock some 360 feet in diameter, with an initial crater 680 feet across, and 20 miles deep. It finally stopped embedded in the Anar granite, where the Fallen Star was some 80 feet across. Beneath it a passage, some 8 feet in diameter, led down into the Dungeons, made by the creatures of the Dungeons that were attracted to the Star.
The Ixitxachitl built their underwater city of Chaxachitlan over the crater. Chaxachitlan was grown out of corals, lit with fragments of the Star itself.
When in the Year 605 the first party of adventurers from Valdrea reached the Fallen Star, it infected them with the Starweb, which Abditus the ChaosMaster carried back to the Empire. He summoned the Star into the heart of Hapral, where it was eventually destroyed by Caldora, the young LOFIR, in Her first act of Destruction. The Starweb virus survived in the hearts and minds of men (see separate Scenario: "We Are The Ones"), but the Star itself was thought destroyed.
However, what had been summoned and destroyed was only the Starweb aspect of the Fallen Star. The great glowing lump of Chaos remained buried beneath the seabed, sending out its Chaotic influence. Amongst those who were attracted to it were the Giant Manta Rays, ever lovers of shiny things. The Rays who answered the Star's call were changed. They grew in intelligence and knowledge, and founded the race of the Ixitxachitl, Chaotic Clerical philosophers and Magic-Users, worshipping the Star itself (as an Aspect of TERRIK) and building their underwater city of Chaxachitlan over its crater.
To maintain the Chaotic nature of the place, near the otherwise-Lawful heart of Anarea, the Ixitxachitl gather fragments of fallen star-stuff whenever they can, and bring it to Chaxachitlan.
Although the Ixitxachitl do have treasures of other shiny things, their true treasure is their hoard of fallen Chaos.
Since 1 Aval 2000 the Chaos in Chaxachitlan has been very active. Being Chaos, it has always tended to do random things, which the Ixitxachitl welcome enthusiastically. But this latest upsurge of activity has sent them into a frenzy of religious excitement. They believe that their Grand Design is at last nearing fulfilment, and that the Star will soon be sufficiently re-energised by the Chaos that it will rise up from the Ocean and/or explode and/or tear apart the fabric of reality (their various Factions differ vehemently as to which will happen), leading them (by whichever way) to True Chaos and therefore Enlightenment.
The trouble is that bits of Chaos keep shooting off randomly and have to be gathered back to keep fuelling the Star. This is the activity reported by passing sailors.
The Chaos State in Chaxachitlan does not approximate to the Law State in Valdran. The area around the Star is at about Chaos State +1.
Version C only: The self-styled ArchChaosMaster Namaja came to Chaxachitlan in the Year 1997, following his escape from the Massacre of Lake Zarak, in which the Great Riot of that Year was finally put down.
Sailing by on the surface, he remembered from stories he had heard during his first spell as a Chaotic rebel in Valdran that it was somewhere in this area where the Star had fallen into the Ocean back in the Year 605, which had led to the Starweb. Opening his mind to this idea, he felt a Chaotic presence deep below the ship, in the Ocean or the Dungeons, which felt to him like the Star. On impulse (as always) he dived overboard in search of it. Partly swimming and partly ChaosWalking, he descended to the Ocean Depths, drawn by the Chaotic presence he could feel calling to him. Down and down he went, until he eventually found Chaxachitlan.
Namaja was soon able to rise to a position of power amongst the Ixitxachitl, despite being a human, because of the force of his personality and the power of his ChaosMastery. Discovering their mysteries, he realised that their hoard of fallen Star-stuff could be the key to unlock his intended realm of Chaos.
The Ixitxachitls hoard of Chaos has been getting gradually more active ever since Namaja's arrival, helping him gain their acceptance. Since 1 Aval 2000 the boundaries between Reality and Chaos have been breaking down, and Gateways have randomly opened into Chaos (as the Reality Breakdown Faction had predicted). The Star has also begun shooting bits of Chaos towards the surface (which the Rising Star Faction hail as forerunners to the whole Star Rising) and rumbling ominously (which the Big Bang Faction hail as precursors to the Big Bang).
When a Gateway opened on the Star itself (at dawn of 7 Aval), Namaja and leading members of the Reality Breakdown Faction stepped through it and disappeared. The Rising Star and Big Bang Factions preach that they are now inside the Star and will Rise or Explode with it (respectively).
The Chaos State in Chaxachitlan approximates to the Law State in Valdran, and is expanding at a similar (but not identical or even) rate from the Star as the Law is from the Sun Diamond.
See separate Underwater Monster Specification for the Ixitxachitl.
The Big Bang Faction (N), led by Joxachatlix (ML12, Lightning El), Custodian of the Shining Fragments
The Rising Star Faction (L), led by Hoxaxichitl (ML12, Cl), Hierarch of the Star
The Reality Breakdown Faction (C), led by Zixuxichitl (ML12, CM), Hierophant of the Star.
Version C only: the leading lights of the Reality Breakdown Faction have departed into Chaos with Namaja. The Faction is now led by Chuxachitlax (ML10, Cl), Hierarch of the Temple of the Thirteen Conches.
The Ixitxachitl speak only Ixitxachitlic, Black Chaos and Old Speech, so communication may be difficult. They are also aggressive and hostile towards outsiders, so obtaining information from them may be tricky for the Questers. Coming as pilgrims who welcome the Chaos is the approach most likely to be successful, if the Questers wish to talk.
It will in any case be apparent that the opposite is happening here to what is happening back in Valdran. Rather than the World becoming more Lawful, it is becoming more Chaotic. It will be harder for the Questers to discern that the effects are less extreme than in Valdran, as Law and Chaos are not really comparable.
If the Questers do manage to speak with the Ixitxachitl, they will be given different interpretations of events by the three main factions:
Version C only: as the Chaotic effects approximate to the Lawful effects back in Valdran, the Questers may more readily conclude that what is happening here is the mirror or flipside of what is happening back home.
Speaking with the Reality Breakdown Faction will readily lead to the information about Namaja's and his followers' disappearance into the Star. They may even urge the Questers to follow. The other Factions will acknowledge his previous presence in Chaxachitlan, but dismiss him as having now been subsumed or transubstantiated into the Star.
Back to Scenario 12C: On the Trail of Namaja: Into the Ocean
Go to Scenario 14: Tripping into Chaos
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