NationStates Jolt Archive

Princess Diana of Bilbtoria, the Danaan Ambassador to Pantocratoria, sat quietly in the waiting room of the Coronado Hotel in the town of Tlatzlka, Nabarro Abara. Tlatzlka was, in many ways, a provincial Indian town, but it had a number of fine hotels due to its proximity some of the largest Nabarran ziggurats. The Coronado was, in fact, fine enough to host the Imperial Party which included herself, her cousin the Emperor and his wife, the Minister for Culture, the President of the Council of Indigenous People of Southern Nabarro and their invited guests, Prince Basil of Pantocratoria and his family. All of the first day had been spent in formal receptions, a requirement when the Emperor received guests as high-ranking as Prince Basil and his family. Yesterday had been divided between travel and a formal reception for the Emperor and his guests by the Mayor of the town. Today they would actually see the ziggurats which were the ostensible purpose of the visit. Diana tried not to look too eager as she waited for Prince Basil and his family to come down, the rest of the party having already stepped out with some of the security operatives to enjoy the warm Nabarran sun.

Pantocratoria's second family descended the stairs to the Coronado's lobby, dressed appropriately for a visit to the Nabarran pyramids, which essentially amounted to the very best in climate-appropriate hiking wear. Court hairstyles wouldn't stand up to the sun and wind, and consequently the princesses all wore their hair much more simply than usual, Princess Jacqueline wearing it loose and Princesses Helen and Marie wearing theirs pulled back into pony tails so that their long hair wouldn't blow into their face. Prince Basil carried with him a hiker's walking stick, which he evidently thought was both appropriate and complimented the whole ensemble rather well.

Diana rose as they entered the lobby, smiling warmly. "I hope Your Highnesses had a good rest?"

"We did, thank you mademoiselle." Basil replied. "And now, we're looking forward to seeing some pyramids."

"I am as well." Diana said as she began to move towards the door. "They're the oldest still-standing human structures in Vasconia."

"You've not seen them before then, mademoiselle?" Helen enquired.

"Oh, no." Diana said. "This is actually my first trip to Vasconia. Given recent developments, I believe I'm likely to come here far more often, however."

"Shall we, then?" Basil smiled and prompted.

"We shall." Diana said.

OOC: Done over AIM with TRD.

The party traveled in short order to the ancient and now ruined city of Uztmal. The pyramid proper was located near the modern entrance to the sight. Princess Diana pointed out that the western stairway was perfectly aligned with the setting sun during the summer solstice. It certainly was an impressive structure. It was well over thirty meters in height and the base measured roughly eighty meters by sixty meters. The structure was characterized also by rounded sides, a steep slope and an elliptical base. Diana smiled slightly as she moved towards an entrance in the side of the pyramid at its base. The stone in this area seemed older and rougher than the rest of the pyramid. Even the untrained eye could distinguish that the construction here was different and discontinuous with the rest once they got close enough. The chamber Diana led them into was primarily decorated with masks of a hideous which looked almost like an archaic rendition of a demon or other monster. "I never quite get over how different the non-Hellenic pagan gods look." Diana commented.

The past two days had been full. It was not surprise that Marissa was feeling more than a little happy to be spending a more relaxing day sightseeing. She enjoyed doing all the formal functions, but it was much easier to get to know other people when in a more informal setting, and what could be less formal than a trip to the Nabarran ziggurats.

Like the rest of the guests, she followed behind Princess Diana, who was acting as tour guide, her eyes flicking around her trying to take in as many of the details around her. There was something about waking around ancient places that seemed to cause strange feelings inside, almost as if the very stones were trying to share their history.

Her gaze fell upon some of the masks that appeared to dominate the room, a few oddly reminding her of Tartarus. She was not sure whether it was the resemblance to some of the stone work around the city of Erebus or some of her father’s old friends. She smiled to herself, as she continued to wander around looking at more of the faces that watched as the party moved past.

“They certainly leave a lasting impression,” Marissa stated in response to Diana’s comment. “Who was this built for?” She asked, sweeping her arm in a slight arc to indicate the ziggurat.

"There are actually four different constructions. As empires rose and fell, this city would come under new rulers with a different religion who would normally just move in to existing structures. With regard to this temple, they added new construction as you can see from the different coloration of the stone." Diana explained. "This is the oldest part of the ziggurat and the one we know the least about. It was originally just a simple stone room. The ziggurat proper begins with the second construction. We don't know the name of the god worshipped in the first construction but we do know he was believed to have something to do with thunderstorms."

"Like an Indian Zeus." Princess Jacqueline offered, continuing Diana's contrast between the pantheon of the people who built the ziggurats and Hellenistic gods.

"The carvings are reminiscent of those at the Indian ruins in New Jerusalem." Prince Basil remarked. He stood observing the masks as if examining an exhibit at an art gallery; in fact, by the vaguely defensive pose he had subconsciously assumed, Basil almost looked as he did when he examined exhibits at modern art galleries.

"They're... disturbing..." Princess Helen commented, not wanting to say that they were scary although they did make her feel ill at ease. "I suppose these people practised human sacrifice?"

Diana nodded to Jacqueline. "He could certainly be compared to Zeus but also to Cronus. He was not a king but a father who fertilized the Mother Earth, a primite but reasonably accurate account of precipitation watering the plans these people would have needed to live, impregnating the Earth with life, if you will."

She turned to Basil next with a small smile. "That's interesting, Your Highness. I'm not actually sure exactly how closely related the two peoples are..."

The President of the Council of Indigenous People of Southern Nabarro, Leon Pacheco, stepped in at that point. "Actually, fairly closely. Pantocratorian Indians belong to the same general group which includes most native Vasconians except the Inuits in the north."

Diana nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Pacheco, and thank you for humoring me. I know this is more your area than mine."

When Pacheco simply nodded politely, Diana turned to Helen. "To answer your question, they did practice human sacrifice, but only of the king."

"Should I be worried?" Owain joked with a small smile.

Diana shook her head. "He wouldn't have been forced. He would have ... he would have understood it as simply part of his office. In fact, as an honor. He would have only reigned for a year when it happened."

"It seems hard to imagine how he would ever have an heir then." Owain responded, genuinely curious.

Pacheco nodded. "Only the king would rule but only the queen would have an heir. Queenship would be hereditary and every year, the queen would take a different lover who would become king for that year. We don't know exactly what this role entailed. It is likely not comparable to a monarchy in any sense most people are familiar with today although it certainly encompassed leadership in war. Every year, at the fall equinox, the queen, in her priestess role, would sacrifice her lover as part of the natural course of the seasons, so life could continue."

Owain nodded. "It is certainly amazing how .. differently .. the world was once viewed. At least, I hope..." he said with a wry, teasing smile to his wife.

Marissa, listening intently to the explanation of the temple and its rituals, smiled at Owain when he made he comment. “I assure you, Your Majesty, I have no intention of sacrificing you…just yet.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement, as she looked at the High King. “History certainly leaves one astonished at what used to go on before. I could not imagine killing my husband and then picking a replacement for him.”

She looked around at the features of the ziggurat, trying to imagine what went on during those sacrifices. It was obvious from the look of the place, that the gods worshipped there would expect nothing short of ritual killings and barbaric customs.

"People viewed human life, even there own, in very different terms back then." Diana said. "It can be rather disturbing to think about overly."

Owain nodded, glancing over to the Pantocratorians. "What do you think, Your Highnesses? Rather grisly age, wasn't it?"

"How long ago was that age, Majesty?" asked Helen. "When did the Indians stop human sacrifices?"

"I don't know exactly." Owain said, turning to his cousin. "Your Highness?"

"It got worse before it got better." Princess Diana said. "With the rise of the Maztlan Empire, it ceased to be merely a local cultural tradition, accepted as legitimate, if not pleasant, by executioner and chieftain alike. Instead, it began to be done on a substantial scale with the defeated warriors of rival peoples. The Maztlans crushed the other tribes and developing city-states and treated them quite brutally."

The President of the Council of Indigenous People of Southern Nabarro, Rafael Magallanes, spoke for the first time. "The imperialist nature of the Maztlans was, ironically, part of how this country fell so easily to Spanish imperialism. The Spaniards were able to form alliances with many of the native peoples subjugated by the Maztlans based upon a common desire to end Maztlan rule. Unfortunately, the end of the Maztlans meant the end of the only organized, strong state in Vasconia. The other peoples soon found themselves turned from allies of the Spaniards into their subjects. They were treated as cruelly by their new masters as by the old."