Cordotl

Cordotl was the smallest city-state that was subjugated by the Maztican Nexala empire during the reign of Ipana III, Fourth Revered Counselor of Nexal.

"The horse carries me like the wind across the face of the True World, but always the places I pass are realms of darkness, destruction, and despair. We fly along the road to Cordotl and pass the smoking ruins of that town. Here the monsters of the Viperhand have erected a great edifice atop the pyramid, like a great skull image of Zaltec... The folk of Cordotl are gone, either fled or given to the fanged jaws of the war god in sacrifice."

- An excerpt from the Chronicle of the Waning

Description
Cordotl was a small trading settlement on the slopes of Mount Zatal. The beautiful vista of the Heart of the True World – the Valley of Nexal down blow as well as its great lakes, was visible from Cordotl.

Geography
Cordotl stood on the opposite side of the mountain chain that included Mount Zatal and Mount Popol from the Valley of Nexal, that stood surrounding the great lakes of Nexal. Cordotl was built on the elevation between the two mountains, with the town of Palul being its closest neighbor to the east and Azatl to the northwest. Cordotl occupied the key mountain pass – one of the entrances that led into the Valley of Nexal.

Trade
Cordotl became connected to the Valley of Nexal via a trade route in the early years of the Nexalan empire's expansion. As of 1352 DR, Cordotl was a small trading village connected to a smaller settlement of Palul through minor routes. The main industry in Cordotl was mayz farming.

Defenses
At the time of the subjugation by Nexal, Cordotl's defenses were led by Karmac – a Jaguar Knight, and followed by two warrior heroes and six commanders, all armed with Heartseeker spears. The troops count included twenty-four maca wielders, thirty-six club fighters, twenty-four spearmen, twenty slingers, and twenty-four archers.

History
Centuries before the Rise of Nexal, a collection of warring city-states were settled in the Valley of Nexal and the lands in the vicinity. Each of the aggressive nations helmed wars against each other out of joy and glory of war, rather than over resources or political conflicts. These city-states consisted of Azatl, Cordotl, Tezat, Zokil, and many more smaller townships.

As the bloodthirsty empire of Nexal rose to power and claimed all the city-states in the Valley at the foot of Mount Zatal, the empire set its eyes on the cities further away from the center of the True World. The period of time that was known as the Feathered Wars led to a series of short and bloody wars, led by Ipana III, that saw Cordotl claimed as part of the Nexalan empire, along with many other towns and cities. Revered Counselor Ipana III assembled a small force of Nexala veterans, sending them against Cordotl, reasoning that the city-state's humble size would make it easy to subjugate. To the emperor's surprise, Cordotl's army was formidable, despite most of them being simple farmers who were ready to lay their lives on the line to remain independent from Nexal. The veteran Nexala chose a direct assault, and two armies clashed in the mayz fields of the valley west of Cordotl. The devastating battle was won by Nexal, and the loss devastated Cordotl's morale, leading to the immediate surrender.

As the empire grew, it was Tenoch II who ordered trade-ways and roads to be built outside the Valley of Nexal. The first path established was the one that connected the Valley with Cordotl.

In the, a young girl named Erixitl destined to become the herald of the Feathered God Qotal, was kept from traveling with her friends to the town of Cordotl. Erixitl's father was ordered to do so by his deity, guaranteeing the girl being kidnapped by Nexala slavers – the deed that would eventually lead to the fall of Nexal and the return of Qotal to the continent of Maztica. Erixitl traveled past Cordotl a decade later, in the, accompanied by Halloran of Amn and Poshtli of Nexal, during her quest to help the deity's return and the struggle between the colonist army of the Golden Legion and the bloodthirsty Nexala.

By the, as the war between the Golden Legion and the bloodthirsty Nexala raged, the town of Cordotl was thought to have been decimated and deserted. Most structures in town were torched by the Nexala Cultists of the Viperhand. A pyramid temple to the god of war – Zaltec was erected in the middle of the ruined town. The inhabitants of the town fled the Nexala cultists, while those unlucky were captured – their hearts were carved in glory of Bloody Zaltec.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Viperhand &bull; Feathered Dragon
 * Ironhelm
 * Ironhelm