The Chixualtl Wilds
"Fighting civilized folk is one thing. You know when they'll cut their losses, you know they won't do anything too crazy, and you know they'll usually have respect for their enemy. But the Chixualtl Wilds work different. The things I've seen there still haunt me. How can they love bloodshed that much?"
-Gilbert Smithson, Harpsbilgian Officer, in 544 HB
Intro
Often simply considered a continent of unclaimed wilderness, there is good reason why the Chixualtl Wilds have remained unclaimed for so long. Vicious tribes of halflings prowl the wilds, capturing and sacrificing intruders to demigods. The inhabitants of the wilds are combative to a fault but quickly set aside their differences when an outside force threatens to encroach.Geography
The wilds take up an entire continent southwest of the Crown Ocean, which is comfortably nestled between the continent holding Harpsbilge and the one holding Salimstan. The continent is long and thin, extending from a subtropical region diagonally towards the tundra.The entire continent is mountainous, creating lush valleys which are shielded from cold. A multitude of rivers run throughout the region, which are often frequented by crocodiles and other dangerous wildlife. The valleys themselves are often occupied by jungles, though towards the south they lose the ability to grow most plants and instead are barren, with caves lining the mountains where people might take shelter at the risk of an encounter with yetis.
The Chixualtl people are spread out throughout these valleys, generally remaining more to the north. The exact position of any given group of people is not set; territories shift hands often.
History
The history of the Chixualtl Wilds is not widely known, even among the natives. What is known is that demigods have always held sway in the region. Three, in particular, have dominated the region since the earliest recorded history: Yalkshhalskashik The Serpent Scourge, Targlabel of the Writhing Vines, & The Lord of Bones. Each one has some agenda that opposes the others, and each has used tribes of people to achieve their agendas.Thus the Chuxualtl people are split into three broad groups: the Tlane, who worship Targlabel, the Omitl, who worship The Lord of Bones, and the Koatl, who worship Yalkshhalskashik. The groups fight on religious lines, slaying tribes of other religions and letting live those sharing theirs.
Harpsbilge has made several attempts to invade, but none have been successful. Each time hordes of halflings, empowered by their respective demigods, have bombarded the colonists, denying them any chance to push into the jungle. It's been an exceedingly rare occurance that even a single shipful of people has made it into the wilds and returned to tell the tale.
Governance
There is no central government in Chixualtl. Rulership is divided along tribal lines, with tribe elders or other types of leaders taking control of individual tribes. Each tribe has unique practices and leadership structure, so further documentation is pointless.Inhabitants
Chuxualtl is inhabited primarily by halflings. These halflings are genetically diverse, exhibiting a great range of skin, hair, and eye colourations among other traits. Yuan-ti also make the region their home, and live among the Koatl tribes. Finally, lizardfolk can be found in isolated villages in the valleys far from others.Culture
Chixualtl culture is largely divided along tribal lines. Each tribe has some unique traditions and other aspects that distinguish them from others. The big separating factor between tribes is which demigod they worship, as each type holds differing cultural values.Tlane
The Tlane are those who worship Targlabel, and are characterized by their use of plants in clothing and camouflage. It's common to see such individuals slathered in mud because it provides as much warmth as clothing and keeps them closer to their demigod. Tlane worship Targlabel by "planting people" - literally burying them alive so they might be fed to the earth. In return, the Tlane are blessed with some druidic powers and primeval awareness. Priests are given exceptional powers over plants and are the leaders of Tlane tribes.Tlane tend to value those in tune with nature and those who are able to endure hardship. As such, elders are particularly well respected because of how long they've been able to survive. A warrior isn't respected unless they return from battle - it doesn't matter how many or few people they kill as long as they actually fought and survived.
Omitl
The Omitl people are those who worship The Lord of Bones, and are characterized by how close they are to death at all times. They are often falsely seen as devout of Mordi, but their god is much more malicious. The Lord of Bones is much kinder towards undead, and in fact, expects those that serve him to continue even after death. More than half of the Omitl are undead, all of whom are skeletons (because bones). The remainder make it a point to dress themselves in the bones of all the creatures they've killed - humanoid or otherwise. Devout are given powers over death, and high priests are often powerful undead like skeletal mummy lords or even liches.Omitl hold no strong cultural values other than their proximity to death. Those who cannot bring themselves close to death are viewed as weak, and the inverse is true. Warriors are respected based purely upon body count. The more the better.
Koatl
The Koatl people worship snakes to a feverish extent. Those high up in society become yuan-ti, and the rest hold aspirations to one day reach that level as well. Koatl culture is the same as that of the yuan-ti, so for brevity's sake, read the entries on yuan-ti in the Monster Manuel and/or Volo's Guide to Monsters. The only difference is that all dieties noted to be worshipped there are instead Yalkshhalskashik The Serpent Scourge.
Founding Date
N/A
Demonym
Chixualtan
Government System
Tribalism
Neighboring Nations
Comments