Can you remember phra pneh (chief of chiefs) Morena Truthseeing, who came to the city on a pilgrimage, but was not allowed into the temple by Yaxchila’s high priest, Kuklan Zipaniza? And who is now spending time with her warriors somewhere in the city. Yesterday, when I drew the city, I determined her location, and today we are thinking about what she is doing there and why she is camped in this exact place – in the middle of the Turtletown, however, with a small army (with 2 companies of Orenic marine warriors).

A while ago, battles broke out between the Nitzmanji (tribe 2) and Katamana (tribe 1) tribes – the reason being a sacred cave located in the Nitzmanji tribe’s city district, which both tribes claim as their own. The disturbances were bloody and hundreds of innocent people died in the city battles. Eventually, parts of the Nitzmanji district were set on fire and the king’s troops intervened under the leadership of Nene. The tribal leaders were brought to king Wadcha VII Itza to account for themselves. The king pronounced judgment and it was revealed that the arguments (or bribes!) of the Katamana tribe were stronger and the conquered cave remained in their hands. They had to pay compensation for the burned districts, but understandably the Nitzmanji tribe was not satisfied with this solution.

Phra Pneh Morena Truthseeing is a distant relative of the Nitzmanji tribal leaders and upon arriving in the city, she went straight to them. At first, the tribal leaders were extremely happy that such a respectable leader had set up her army’s camp between their quarters, on the burned land. In addition, the brave Orenic warriors increased the tribe’s sense of security, which was quite low considering the previous events.

Recently, it has come to light that the phra pneh Morena Truthseeinut may not be allowed into the Yaxchila temple at all. She now sits with her 240 soldiers in the midst of the tribe’s quarters that have recently suffered large losses and is eating her distant relatives poor.

The council of the Nitzmanji tribe is in conflict over what to do with Morena. Simply sending her away would be extremely impolite, and she doesn’t seem to be easily sent away with her soldiers. One side of the council would like to do it still – somehow. Could she be lured somewhere else, could her entrance to the temple be arranged or something else? The other side of the council would like to use Morena’s army against the Katamana tribe to regain control of the sacred cave and the surrounding quarters. But the first council side does not like the idea of a new war against the Katamanas, especially if the king chose their side. Even if the tribe is successful, Morena will eventually leave with her army, then what?

Today, I continued to draw out the plan for Turtletown, one of the unnamed city’s districts, and as a result, I made some decisions about the city:

1. The city and the rest of the kingdom are governed as a tribal federation, made up of various clans of Kalis and Oreens, who are bound by some sort of vassal agreement with the king known as the “Rustking”. The tribes pay him taxes and are required to appear in response to his call to arms. However, as the king’s personal strength, wealth, and power have diminished, the tribes view this agreement with disdain – they avoid paying taxes (known as tribute or gifts) or only pay a reduced amount, and only some of the tribes appear in response to the king’s call to arms.
2. This lack of central governance creates interesting conflicts in the city, as we now see it not as a unity but as a group of small tribes living in an unstable peace. As long as the Rustking was strong, his word was law and he resolved conflicts between the tribes. Now, the tribes of the city no longer turn to the Rustking and resolve conflicts on their own, likely in a much more violent way than with a neutral judge.
3. Therefore, the city is in a somewhat post-apocalyptic situation, where a large number of people have gathered on a small territory, grouped into different tribes, and peace between them can break down at any moment.

13 tribes of Turtletown

Turtletown is home to 1/8 of the city’s population (about 12,500 people), divided into thirteen separate tribes. These thirteen tribes also represent the city’s middle class – Turtletown’s fishers are not poor or the wealthiest tribes in the city. Their source of income, the sea, provides them with a steady wealth that is not affected by being on the outskirts of the main trade routes.

Since all families in Turtletown have canoes or catamarans that require parking space and there are canals in addition to streets between buildings, it can be inferred that the district is the largest in terms of area, perhaps even half of the city’s total area although it is home to only 1/8 of the population.

The tribes of Turtletown are required to pay taxes to the Rustking in the form of pearls and coral. In the past, when kings had more power, the handling of pearls and coral was only allowed for the king and his loyal followers. They were used by kings to pay for iron, tin, and other overseas goods from the asteanic merchants. Paying the asteanic merchants in pearls would result in a death penalty. Now, the Rustking is unable to fully control this restriction, but it doesn’t mean that trading in pearls would be a good idea. The Rustking’s chief of bodyguards, Nene, and the defense forces are still loyal to the king and will punish pearl trading immediately if it comes to their attention.

Yesterday’s video of drawing the canals and some base concepts: