Valley of Nexal

The Valley of Nexal was a fertile valley located in central Maztica. It was the location of Nexal, along with three other major city-states.

Geography
The Valley of Nexal was located squarely in central Maztica, west of Pezelac and east of Huacli. The Sands of Itzcala and Kultaka bordered it to the north, and the House of Tezca bordered it in the south. Rocky mountain ranges surrounded it as well, but the valley itself was fertile, with four lakes and three major city-states, and the grand city of Nexal as well.


 * Nexal: The greatest city in the valley, it was located on an island in the middle of the lakes and was the heart of the Nexal Empire.
 * Tezat : One of the city-states, it was located on a lake shore in the northern part of the valley.
 * Azatl : One of the three city-states, it was located in the western part of the valley.
 * Zokik : The last of the three city-states of the valley, it was located in the southern areas of the valley.
 * Lake Qotal : The smallest and shallowest of the four lakes in the Valley of Nexal.
 * Palul : A small Nexalan city-state located just outside of the valley to the east.
 * Cordotl : A small Nexalan city-state east of Nexal and Palul, outside of the Valley of Nexal.
 * Mount Zatal : A volcano located in the mountains overlooking the valley.

Inhabitants
The Valley of Nexal was inhabited solely by humans of the Nexalan ethnic group. They spoke their own language, Nexalan, and they lived in mostly in the four great cities of the valley. Many Nexalans also lived in villages located throughout the valley.

Society
Each the Nexalan city-states was ruled a by Revered Counselor, and high-ranking priests and warriors had much influence as well. However, all obeyed- and payed tribute to- the Revered Counselor of Nexal.

The Nexalans had an incredibly war-like culture, and practiced human sacrifice more than other Maztican nations. They worshiped the Maztican pantheon, honoring Zaltec above the others, and Tezca and Azul as well. They did not honor Qotal outside of a small cult. The Nexalans were the ones who came up with the Feathered Wars, which were staged battles meant to collect prisoners for sacrifice, held between the armies of the valley's city-states.

History
Originally, there were three city-states in the Nexal Valley, Tezat, Azatl, and Zokik, which fought each for the sheer joy of fighting. The three cities existed in a delicate balance of power, neither one gaining much advantage over the others. However, not long after the fall of Payit, a small group of people from the north, descendants of a tribe of Dog People, arrived in the valley. This small group claimed an island in the middle of the lakes as their home, and built a small, crude village upon. They also offered to fight, and thus have the protection of, Tezat, which was the most powerful city at the time.

This small tribe brought to the valley a new devotion to both fighting and the worship of Zaltec. They were fierce warriors, though few, and defeated many of their enemies. As they multiplied in numbers, Tezat came to rely on them more and more, until it seemed close to conquering the valley. However, the warriors upon which they relied betrayed them, allying with Azatl and Zokik to conquer Tezat, before using diplomacy to conquer the other two as well. The once-small tribe took a new name for themselves and their city: Nexal.

For centuries, Nexal ruled the valley, conquering Pezelac, Kolan, and Huacli (with the exception of Otomi). 299 years and 15 Revered Counselors after their rise to power, though, Nexal's power was broken when the god Qotal returned, and Zaltec rose to fight him. Mount Zatal erupted, the valley was devastated, and people fled south into the House of Tezca desert (later founding a new city).