I remembered tabi was the 1st to explore some kind of pyramid in Arypt. But last time I readed Horrobin's presentation I wasn't Hollow World wise (yes, last time I readed tabi description was in 1989 ;) ).
Now, I read that
tabi were the first to investigate the Crystal Pyramids of the ancient Katapec people of Arypt, across the Sea of Dawn
I'd personally be inclined to make them an M-Mayan counterpart, myself (and write off the linguistic problem, which isn't a huge deal; the Tiger Clan- seemingly an Aztec counterpart in the Known World, has a language that has no real world counterpart that I've ever been able to discover, despite the cultural similarities).
Your "cat" Katapec idea sounds kind of intriguing, though. Were there some Azcan-related species of Rakasta in the Dragon article by Bruce so long ago? (Seems to me there was a lynx or something tied to Atzanteotl).
Your "cat" Katapec idea sounds kind of intriguing, though. Were there some Azcan-related species of Rakasta in the Dragon article by Bruce so long ago? (Seems to me there was a lynx or something tied to Atzanteotl).
Lynx?
I'd prefer something like ocelot. Wasn't there some ocelot subrace?
Lynx?
I'd prefer something like ocelot. Wasn't there some ocelot subrace?
That's probably the one I was thinking of. The ocelotl.
I'm reading this site about crystal skulls...
And I can't think about Matazumi, Serraine chief librarian...
And... maybe there is also a link between Katapecs and druj spirits...
A Katapec people.
Crystal Pyramids
Tabi studying Katapec civilization
Matazumi, a floating skull
Rakasta
Oltecs and Azcans
In Earth (real world) we have:
Azcans, Incas, Mayan, etc etc
Montezuma, with a name sounding very like Matazumi
Crystal Skulls
Ocelots
So, here is my idea about Katapec people and their Crystal Pyramids.
Katapecs originally were an offshoot tribe of Oltecs, like Azcans was.
They were nomads. They loved to travel in jungles, from place to place.
Until they found a strange jungle plant.
This plant, if smoked, allows the user to travel in the Astral Plane, with an astral self and also with his spirit (like peyotl from Coaxaca's Little Peyotl House in Oenkamr - see Gaz10, page 28).
Katapecs discovered the great powers of the plant because local tribes of rakastas kept it taboo.
(I need your help here, as I missed the Dragon issue with Bruce's article about rakastyne subraces: is there any ocelot variety?)
Katapecs decided not to move away from the natural growing fields of Astral Plant.
Rakastas felled humans were breaking an important, religious taboo, and so a war started.
Humans were victorious, and rakastas reduced in slavery.
For some years rakastas lived as slave of their human masters. They learned lots of human ways. They learned to build stone pyramids, houses, temples, calendars. They learned the great powers of Otzitiotl (the Sun Prince Ixion, by the name Katapecs knowed for Him) and raised from a "shamanic" mysticism to an organized religion.
Astral Plant addicts discovered a strange plant power. In astral plane remained a strong imago of the traveller spirit. Or, some could think, a sliver of the spirit itself remained trapped in the astral.
So, after the death of an addict, his spirit was unable to rest as it should.
But, under the protection of the Sun Prince
They discovered the proprieties because if a dead body was not directly lighted a restless spirit raised from the body, bringing death and terror.
It was a protection from Otzitiotl, but it worked also with torches or bonfires during the night.
So it was that Katapecs started building crystal resting places for their deads. And the great Crystal Pyramids flourished.
The Katapec civilization survived long time, with great stone towns and Crystal Pyramids, with a dominant human class and a rakastyne slave class.
Keeping torches lighted during the night was a primary job, as spirits would rise should no light bath their resting bodies. But it was also an obnoxious job, one for a slave, not a job for a noble class human.
So it was that all night torch lighting job was rakasta done. Untile rakastas upraised and decided to turn off all torches and fires in the town.
Spirits raised and searched for humans victims. Because all spirits were humans (do you remember?: rakastas did never use the Astral Plant, because the keep it taboo).
So, spirits killed all humans, and leaved rakastas, as the feeled them little more than animals.
Rakastas, now the only Katapecs, started a new living. They was now themselves lieges.
After many years, tabi started to explore Katapecs towns. They found a rakastyne people living there. And they did not remember much about Crystal Pyramids origins. They just explained to their tabi visitors that a Crystal Pyramid is a building sacred to Otzitiotl, because his shining motes could reach inside, where ceremonies were done.
A tabi wanted to know more, and explored the inside. Knowing some Oltec symbol he learned a lot about spirits kept inside Crystal Pyramids. And he specked about it with his master, a nagpa studying necromancy at the Onyx Tower. The nagpa, seeing an easier way to control some undead, researched a simple conjuration spell to call for a spirit servant from the Crystal Pyramids. But the young student was not so smart as he believed! He called for Matazumi, one of the former human Katapecs. But he had no control at all over the druj spirit he called. So it was that Matazumi was geased and now he is Serraine Librarian.
Lynx?
I'd prefer something like ocelot. Wasn't there some ocelot subrace?
What about Tabaxi instead? I don't think they were a Mystaran critter though but another lost race is still fun too.
--Ray.
They don't longer build crystal pyramids. They don't need to do that, becouse they are only rakasta now.
But, they have contacts with tabis and with Serraine.
Tabi told about Katapecs, their crystal pyramids and the botanic richness of their territory.
Serrainians decided to go to Katapec towns and buy some vegetables and some fruits. Serraine is always in need of fresh food. And it seemed that Katapecs would like to have just some glass marble for a chest of maracujas.
So a Smurfiri-Lodestar F3F Cloud Clipper was sent to Katapec town.
They landed and meeted with the high priest of Otzitiotl.
Seeing the Serrainians coming from the sky (the kingdom of the beloved Sun God), Katapecs belived them to be Otzitiotl messengers, coming to bring the word of the Sun Prince.
They where treated like gods themselves.
And, after some trade, very advantageous for Serrainians, the Cloud Clipper crew leaved to go back home.
Katapecs, hoping to recive more visitors from the sky (bringing marvelous colorful marbles) started to build Nazca-like pictures in the plains near their town.
With great effort, Katapec wokans studied a spell to fly and obseved the great construction from high above.
It was beautiful.
Serrainians come again many times.
Now, Nazca-like pictures are more and more, near every Katapec town. And are used as useful landmarks by cloud clipper pilots.
The dark for the DM: lots of plants were brought to Serrain from Katapec lands. Also the Astral Plant is now in Serraine, and some Gray Front nagpa just discovered the usefullness of the plant. But doesn't know anything about the side effect of astral imago.
Meanwhile, a Katapec priest discovered that using Serraine colorful marbles as eyes in the crystal skulls improves his clerical powers. He does not know that the evil Arik is using the eye symbol as a way to gain power and influence in the Prime Material Plane.
So, the Katapec priest encourages the trade with the Serrainians. He wants more and more marbles, to give eyes to any and all crystal skull.
That's probably the one I was thinking of. The ocelotl.
Note that the ocelotl/ocelasta have an interesting background story involving Atzanteotl, who tried to force them into submission. The ocelotl fought back, and the entropic Immortal cursed them to never rise as a powerful nation.
The curse takes the form of devastating plagues that decimate all Ocelotl communities over 30 individuals. This, and the Ocelot determination to find a cure, has made them a sort of gypsy people of northern Davania and the Arm of the Immortal.
Maybe the ancient Katapec were the most powerful ocelotl nation, and were destroyed by the intial effects of the curse, though the region is a bit far from the current location of most Ocelotl tribes.
OTOH, the "Katapec" may be also linked to Ka, who indeed is the main patron of the Davanian Rakasta (especially of the Simbasta).
We could use a rakasta subrace with some of these cats:
Margay Leopardus wiedii - Mexico & Argentina
Oncilla (or Tiger cat) Leopardus tigrinus - Venezuela, Guyana, Brasil, Colombia, Equador
They are less famous than ocelots, but they have nothing to do with Atzanteotl ;)