Nahuac Rule

Nahuac is not a single political entity, but a Coalition of various separate, independent states. These states, known as ápal in the Náhuinn tongue, are not nations, or necessarily city-states, but rather communities formed by blood relations or a sense of mutual belonging. An ápal can be a single city that protects and provides for hundreds of villages, a clan that extends across a small region, or it can be itself a coalition of cities that share the same language and culture.

Separate ápalid have their own laws and customs. There are larger and smaller ápalid, mightier and weaker states, wealthier and poorer neighbors, ápalid with better and worse development or industry. The only thing the Coalition does is make sure that all ápalid obey the same rules - that all trade, travel and even conflicts between ápal states are conducted by a common set of laws and standards.

Thus, the rulers of Nahuac are the mahau, or monarchs, of each ápal state, who remain the sole authority within their domains, at peace or at war with their neighbors as they see fit - as long as they all respect the Coalition’s laws.

Overview
The Coalition rules itself by a lepalcáinn, a Council of Speakers, containing an envoy from each ápal inside the Realm. While each mahau ruler is supreme in their territory, and an individual mahau has a higher rank than their individual speaker, all rulers, and all Náhuinn citizens, abide by the collective decision of the Council. For example, it is the council that chooses the mahau of each state, not by inheritance but by their political and military merits.

There are Nine mahau rulers in Mígtal, the Realm’s North Quarter; Thirteen rulers in Iltal, the West Quarter; Seven rulers in Ad’tal, the South Quarter; and Four rulers for the ocelinn people, plus three rulers for three other source-gifted states, in Tlátal, the East Quarter. Every member of the lepalcáinn has equal voice and authority, but the speakers for the Realm’s East quarter, which includes Nahuacáinn, the realm’s capital, have significantly more influence than their peers, on account of their larger population, land and military.

The Three Great Ones, Mahauíd of the East
The rulers of Nahuac, in practice if not in writing, are the Three Great Ones, Altac the Golden Lord, Tanau the Obsidian Sorceress and Hata the Crimson Lady, mahau leaders of the ápal states of Nahuacáinn, Angdáin and Hishcáinn respectively. All three states have a majority population of ocelinn, or jaguarkin source-gifted, which comprise most of the people of East Nahuac. There are four more mahau lords in the East Quarter, but the Three Great Ones outshine them in importance, authority and power, and their speakers carry a heavier voice in the Council.

Altac, Tanau and Hata are known realm-wide as mighty warriors, cunning makaab spellcasters, and wielders of legendary weapons—Altac’s mace Chalanoc, Tanau’s Tarati, the thunder-spear, and Hata’s Cuítlann, the Silver Blade. All three are touted as exemplary Náhuinn citizens; sober in their personal life, fearless in battle, loud in song and serene in pain. They are also typically stubborn, particularly Hata the Crimson, and often at odds with each other on the finer points of government, requiring buunkun delegates to mediate between their speakers in the council. But despite their constant squabbles, they remain united by a sense of pride and mutual admiration.

Itzkaan, High Buunkun Sage, First Speaker of Iltal
Each of the thirteen ápal states in Iltal, the West Quarter of the Realm, has its own speaker in the council. But by far the highest-regarded of these speakers is the High Sage Itzkaan, the speaker for Itzána State, the wisest magician in Nahuac, and the most respected member of the Lepalcáinn.

Itzkaan is an elderly, yet flamboyant and intense buunkun, who likes to announce terrible portents and dispense deep advice with great paraphernalia and dramatic effect. He knows that wisdom is useless if not heeded, and he has learned to convey messages in such a way that even the most world-wise politician is swayed to consider his points. Adding the respect earned from his decades of flawless performance, it becomes almost impossible to disagree with Itzkaan. Which is a good thing, for Itzkaan tends to be right.

To date, Itzkaan has been re-elected as a speaker fourteen consecutive times, having seen the rise and fall of the last five mahau of his state, Itzána. This has allowed Itzkaan to remain in the Council, shaping Nahuac politics, for more than fifty straight years, giving him one of the longest tenures for a Council speaker in Realm history. Many say that he is, and has been for decades, the real, sole ruler of Nahuac. But in fact, while Itzkaan has a mighty influence in the council, he is a firm believer in the right of each ápal to govern itself, and in the rare occasions that a local mahau or a colleague speaker opposes his counsel, he immediately steps back and lets the matter rest. In his half century of career, regardless of his personal opinions, he has never once pushed for a law that wasn’t agreed upon by consensus.

Húna, the Champion Lord
The greatest warrior of the buunkun people, the Walking Ancestor that most Náhuinn revere as a living spirit, and the second most important mahau of the West, is Húna, the Lord of Ámandin state.

Nicknamed the Jadebird for the color of his stunning plumage, Húna is a particularly large, strong and handsome hummingbird buunkun, an exceptional specimen in muscle, mind and spirit. While the Great Three hold a higher authority, Húna of Ámandin remains the most regal and admired lord in the Realm, not only for his combat prowess and political deeds, but for his simple physical presence.

Húna started out as an outcast, born to a fallen tribe that seceded from the Coalition, but he traveled to the Buunkun states and slowly built himself a reputation as an errant hero and poet. After a life of countless adventures that remain the subject of songs throughout Nahuac, he established his own family and became an elder of his clan, and then a mahau lord of Ámandin after defeating the corrupt tyrant Cacalód the Vulture in single combat. During his tenure as ruler of Ámandin, Húna built more schools, gardens and libraries than the last five generations of Nahuacáinn lords put together, and his elite host of flying champions defeated nine separate incursions from Allarians, Risen Altanesi and Nwoda raiders. For the people, Húna is a celebrity, an example of everything a Nahuac lord should be, and one of the greatest heroes in Realm history, living or dead.

Brandúna the Bad Omen, Supreme Beak of the Realm
The most powerful politician in Nahuac outside the Lepalcáinn council, Brandúna of Beéntainn is a raven-feathered buunkun official, known as ‘the Bad Omen’ for his dark plumage and his network of Beaks - agents sent to collect supplies, debts and convicted prisoners from every ápal state in the Coalition.

Brandúna’s Beaks also double as the Realm’s secret police, informing the Council of anything that goes on in every corner of Nahuac. No place, no person and no act is hidden from the Beaks, and if you’ve broken the Realm’s law, nowhere is safe from their shadow.

In person, Brandúna is jovial, even whimsical, always looking like he just made a joke at your expense and you didn’t realize it. He likes irony and mind games, and has been known to let criminals escape, only for them to end up caught anyway by their own carelessness.

Zabac the Bloodeye, Wielder of the Black Cloud, First Brother of Ad’tal
The rulers of Ad’tal, the Realm’s Southern Quarter, are seven lizardfolk warlords known collectively as the Seven Thunders. And among these, the eldest and greatest is Zabac the Bloodeye, an old lizard with a hundred wars under his belt, nicknamed ‘400 skins’ for the countless times he has shed his scales.

Zabac is a lively and festive old saurian, who claims he has always been old, and loves to dance and scream, often taking the lead among his six brothers for rainstorm rites and war dances. Besides his title as First Mahau of the South Quarter, he holds the unofficial position of chief rain-priest in the Realm, a job he particularly loves for the amount of stomping and yelling involved. Zabac’s loud footsteps are said to shake the earth more than actual thunder, and there’s at least one story about his spear Black Cloud piercing the sky and causing it to bleed rain.

The Nine Lords of Mígtal
The rule that every ápal state rules itself, entirely independent of its neighbors, doesn’t fully apply in the Realm’s North Quarter. The Nine Lords of Mígtal, a cabal of xibac necromancers and undead witch-lords, who have always lived one step outside the Nahuac Coalition, learned to stay united the hard way. Since their practice of xibac magic has alienated them from the most orthodox Nahuac society, they were forced to build a united front, what amounts to a nine-headed, single rule, in their North Quarter dominion.

While they rule as one, and their Nine Speakers in the council—also undead spellcasters—usually speak and vote as one too, the Nine Lords have their own distinct personalities, and their respective domains have their own distinguishing features. They also have their own hierarchy, with each of the Nine Lords adding a number to their name in order of power and rank.

Hún Ka the One, the Pale Lord, is the supreme wizard of Mígtal, the oldest of the Nine and the most powerful sorcerer of Nahuac.

Buukub the Two, the Smoke Lord, is the twin brother of Hún Ka, and they live, act and rule so closely that their twin realms are often regarded as the same State.

Arau the Three, the Crowned Lord, is a gloomy king of pale skin and grayed hair. He lives his undeath as a mockery of life, and presides over a court of ghosts and corpses.

Mígtann the Four, the Wise Lord, is a champion of peace between the North and the rest of Nahuac, and it’s thanks to his mediation that the Nine don’t wage war on the Council.

Míwainn the Five, the Red Lady, is a skillful enchantress, known to change shape into a beautiful living woman, or into a crow that can fly and watch over the Realm.

Cihuáin the Six, the Black Lady, likes to watch mortals battle, blessing those that fought well with eternal unlife. She rides into battle in a chariot pulled by ghostly horses.

Crúac the Seven, the Grey Lady, is the eldest sister of Míguainn and Cíhuainn, and a master of darkness, concealment and secrets. Her ápal state is also the hardest to reach.

Tzínu the Eight, the Winged Lord, is a ghostly hunter, flying over his domain on skeletal wings, shooting his dark bow against random beasts - and mortals.

Anku the Nine, the Hooded Lord, is a mystery even to his peers, as no one living or dead has seen his unhooded face. He often travels the land incognito, seeking the wisdom of commoners and passersby.

Nuntaca the Pale Jaguar
Also called the Sick Lord for his gangly frame and his perpetually mangy white fur, Nuntaca is the lord of the Bab’al state in Eastern Nahuac. Bábinn people are known for their magic tradition, and for being less warriors and more scholars than other ocelinn states. They are even rumored to engage in xibac magic, which is sometimes cited as the reason for Nuntaca’s sickly appearance.

But the Bábinn do not encourage or forbid xibac arts, and Nuntaca’s sickly frame is an inborn condition. He has always believed, perhaps rightly, that this condition is at least partly behind his being considered a ‘second-class’ ruler. Thus, matching his reputation, Nuntaca became a resentful, conniving man, who despises the Great Three for leaving him and his people out, for their greater strength and popularity, and for the generalized prejudice against Bab’al ocelinn. He longs to give his state a preeminent place in the Council, but rarely raises his voice, preferring underhanded battles to open confrontation.

The Hiaap Sisters, Mahauíd of the Maame People
The State of Najeme, the driest region of East Nahuac, has not one mahau but two—the Hiaap Sisters, twin warriors and hunters of the maame deerkin people. Elected for their bravery and honesty, they don’t really like politics, leaving the rule of their domain to each individual tribe, and spending most of their time running around the plains, beaches and deserts of their lands, for sport or for hunting.

However, the sisters remain a very important piece of the Nahuac political puzzle, as their popularity and the strength of their tribes make them the only notorious non-ocelinn figures in East Nahuac. In a political landscape dominated by jaguar-kin, the twin deer-gifted rulers have come to represent the strength and inclusion of all minorities in the Realm, much to their surprise and little to their liking.