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Next bit of lore/fluff putting together for another AOS realm, this one a bit differently than before.
Legend of the Hero Twins
This is the story of how the Hero Twins, the demigods named Xbalanke the Saurus (“Jaguar-Deer”) and Hunah-Pu the Skink (“One Blowgunner”) travelled to Shyish, the Realm of Death, and forever freed the ethereal souls of the Lizardmen from the grasp of the Undying King Nagash and his evil minions.
- The Twins descended through the nine levels of the Xibalba, the "Place of Fear", where they came across the minions of the Lord of Death. There they were trapped, and were forced to endure many challenges and ordeals in an effort to thwart their mission.
- The Nine Lords of Death sent them to the Dark House, where the Twins were given a torch and two burning cigars within a room full of blackness. They were told by the Lords they must return both the torch and cigars exactly as they had received them, or else they would be killed the following morning. Many victims in the past had smoked the cigars and used the Torch to keep the dark terrors at bay, but the Twins knew better. They swapped a macaw’s brilliant scarlet tail feathers for the torch’s flames, and stuck fireflies at the ends of the cigars to fooled the inhabitants of the House.
- Next they were sent to the Razor House, where many sharp, flying blades were supposed to cut them to pieces. But their armor and scales were strong, and the blades became frustrated. The Twins then spoke to them, and convinced the blades it was their job to cut up animals, not the Hero Twins. And they left the house unscathed.
- In the Cold House, the Twins were subject to the bitter frost of Winter and the terrors of an undead Ogor. But the Twins were not affected by the cold, locking it out from their scaly skin and defeating the giant skeletal construct.
- In the Fire House, the Twins were subject to an intense heat, as hot as the Realm of Aqshy. But the Twins were again not affected, defeating the magmarite monsters sent against them, and only having their reptilian hides scalded a deep brown.
- And in the Jaguar House, the Twins were hunted by a great Beast of colossal proportions, grown in the wilds of Ghur to be the ultimate predator. The Twins instead distracted the Beast by feeding it the bones of their defeated foes, and again escaped unscathed.
- It was only in the Bat House where the twins made their first mistake, in accordance with their destiny foretold in Great Plan on the golden plaques. They hid from Camazotz, the Great Bat and lord of the house, who hunted the Twins but could not find them. This was until Hunah-Pu stuck his head out of his hiding place. When he did so, the Bat swooped down and decapitated him, his head rolling across the floor of the House and coming to rest at Xbalanke’s clawed feet.
- The Lords of Death gloated at Xbalanke over his brother’s death upon completing the ordeal of the Houses, and challenged him to the Great Game within the depths of the Underworld Ballcourt. To further humiliate him, they used Hunah-Pu’s head as the ball during the game. But Xbalanke had trained with his lost twin in the Celestial Ballcourt high above Azyr, and easily defeated the Nine Lords at their own game.
- Then the Lords became enraged, and threatened to sacrifice Xbalanke on the spot. But Xbalanke was prepared. He placed the dead Hunah-Pu’s head back on his lifeless body, and spoke the Words of Death to resurrect his twin.
- The Lords were so impressed with this feat of magic that they asked Xbalanke and the newly-resurrected Hunah-Pu to perform their magic once again. So the Twins sacrificed a dog, then brought it back to life. And when this was done, the Lords asked it to be repeated again with a living denizen of the realm, one of their human slaves. So the Twins did so. When the Lords still asked for more, Xbalanke dismembered his Twin again, this time cutting out his heart and bringing him back to life.
- This whipped the Lords up into such a frenzy of delight, crying “Now do us next!” And so the Twins sacrificed One Death and Seven Death, the two chiefs of the Nine Lords. Only then the Twins did not bring the deceased Lords back to life. The remaining Lords then realized they had been truly defeated, and released the control of the Lizardmen souls unto them, which they carried up from the Nine Levels of Death back to the Realm of the Heavens. The many souls they rescued became the multitude of stars. And Xbalanke and Hunah-Pu, their heroic quest complete, ascended into the sky and became the sun and the moon.
From the hieroglyphic texts of the Books of Chilan Balan, translated from the original High Saurian.
Legend of the Hero Twins
This is the story of how the Hero Twins, the demigods named Xbalanke the Saurus (“Jaguar-Deer”) and Hunah-Pu the Skink (“One Blowgunner”) travelled to Shyish, the Realm of Death, and forever freed the ethereal souls of the Lizardmen from the grasp of the Undying King Nagash and his evil minions.
- The Twins descended through the nine levels of the Xibalba, the "Place of Fear", where they came across the minions of the Lord of Death. There they were trapped, and were forced to endure many challenges and ordeals in an effort to thwart their mission.
- The Nine Lords of Death sent them to the Dark House, where the Twins were given a torch and two burning cigars within a room full of blackness. They were told by the Lords they must return both the torch and cigars exactly as they had received them, or else they would be killed the following morning. Many victims in the past had smoked the cigars and used the Torch to keep the dark terrors at bay, but the Twins knew better. They swapped a macaw’s brilliant scarlet tail feathers for the torch’s flames, and stuck fireflies at the ends of the cigars to fooled the inhabitants of the House.
- Next they were sent to the Razor House, where many sharp, flying blades were supposed to cut them to pieces. But their armor and scales were strong, and the blades became frustrated. The Twins then spoke to them, and convinced the blades it was their job to cut up animals, not the Hero Twins. And they left the house unscathed.
- In the Cold House, the Twins were subject to the bitter frost of Winter and the terrors of an undead Ogor. But the Twins were not affected by the cold, locking it out from their scaly skin and defeating the giant skeletal construct.
- In the Fire House, the Twins were subject to an intense heat, as hot as the Realm of Aqshy. But the Twins were again not affected, defeating the magmarite monsters sent against them, and only having their reptilian hides scalded a deep brown.
- And in the Jaguar House, the Twins were hunted by a great Beast of colossal proportions, grown in the wilds of Ghur to be the ultimate predator. The Twins instead distracted the Beast by feeding it the bones of their defeated foes, and again escaped unscathed.
- It was only in the Bat House where the twins made their first mistake, in accordance with their destiny foretold in Great Plan on the golden plaques. They hid from Camazotz, the Great Bat and lord of the house, who hunted the Twins but could not find them. This was until Hunah-Pu stuck his head out of his hiding place. When he did so, the Bat swooped down and decapitated him, his head rolling across the floor of the House and coming to rest at Xbalanke’s clawed feet.
- The Lords of Death gloated at Xbalanke over his brother’s death upon completing the ordeal of the Houses, and challenged him to the Great Game within the depths of the Underworld Ballcourt. To further humiliate him, they used Hunah-Pu’s head as the ball during the game. But Xbalanke had trained with his lost twin in the Celestial Ballcourt high above Azyr, and easily defeated the Nine Lords at their own game.
- Then the Lords became enraged, and threatened to sacrifice Xbalanke on the spot. But Xbalanke was prepared. He placed the dead Hunah-Pu’s head back on his lifeless body, and spoke the Words of Death to resurrect his twin.
- The Lords were so impressed with this feat of magic that they asked Xbalanke and the newly-resurrected Hunah-Pu to perform their magic once again. So the Twins sacrificed a dog, then brought it back to life. And when this was done, the Lords asked it to be repeated again with a living denizen of the realm, one of their human slaves. So the Twins did so. When the Lords still asked for more, Xbalanke dismembered his Twin again, this time cutting out his heart and bringing him back to life.
- This whipped the Lords up into such a frenzy of delight, crying “Now do us next!” And so the Twins sacrificed One Death and Seven Death, the two chiefs of the Nine Lords. Only then the Twins did not bring the deceased Lords back to life. The remaining Lords then realized they had been truly defeated, and released the control of the Lizardmen souls unto them, which they carried up from the Nine Levels of Death back to the Realm of the Heavens. The many souls they rescued became the multitude of stars. And Xbalanke and Hunah-Pu, their heroic quest complete, ascended into the sky and became the sun and the moon.
From the hieroglyphic texts of the Books of Chilan Balan, translated from the original High Saurian.
