The empire consists of several cities and a capital (Pachatupa) and a central power structure. While the other two large cities are nominally aligned to the capital, that hold is tenous at best. The emperor resides in the Tocatli palace. The human warriors of the empire command and ride dinosaurs, and they are protected by the magic of their sun priests. Pachatupa and the other cities are built to accommodate the dinosaur riders, with high arches to allow their knights to pass through unobstructed.
Reclamation of their previous lands and power, and ultimately the retaking of their lost capitol, Orazca and the artefact known as the Immortal Sun
This faction has seen betterdays, but is still a regional powerhouse, their assets include:
Humble Beginnings
Before there was a Sun Empire, human civilization arose in several city-states scattered across the continent. One of the city-states, Orazca, gradually rose to prominence over the others, thanks in large part to the charisma and cunning of its ruler, Chacanto Intli. She began uniting the other cities under her leadership. Even at this time, the humans (and the dinosaurs they commanded) did not expand into the territory of the River Heralds, and the merfolk brought goods to Orazca in trade for items they could not make themselves. Chacanto Intli transformed the scattered and fractious city-states into a mighty empire.
During this period, the merfolk did something they had never done before and have not done since: they built villages, and even made a sort of city of their own. In keeping with their traditions, these settlements were shaped from and constructed in harmony with the natural environment, but they were permanent. The majestic Deeproot Tree is a surviving remnant of their ancient city, and it is still revered as a place where their ancestors dwelled.
Power Consumes
Generations later, a new ruler set his sights higher. Emperor Apatzec Intli was gifted the Immortal Sun in a fateful encounter, and vowed to conquer the merfolk and raze the jungle.
He wielded the Immortal Sun without any wisdom or restraint.
Devastation and ruin followed in his wake, and the Immortal Sun was taken away and gifted to the River Heralds, who vowed to keep its location a secret, even from themselves.
The Sun Empire was reduced to a handful of coastal cities. The emperor's heir founded a new capital, Pachatupa, but the bonds that tied it to the other cities were tenuous. During this period, three cities rose to dominate the other towns and villages belonging to the empire.
Meanwhile, the River Heralds' power increased. Their migrations took them far and wide across the continent, and the jungle itself spread to reclaim the lands that had been plowed and planted by the Sun Empire. The great river grew broad and deep, tended by the merfolk shamans and fed by new tributaries called up by their magic.
Reclamation
In recent years, a new ruler has taken the throne of Pachatupa. After years of raids from the pirate ships of the Brazen Coalition, Apatzec Intli III has forged a new, stronger hold over the other cities, fought back hard against the pirates, and even begun to expand.
Pressing into the inland reaches and pushing back the encroaching jungle, the forces of the Sun Empire seek to reclaim their lost ancestral heritage—the golden city of Orazca and its Immortal Sun.
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