2014
Quetz Civilization
Story Document
Civilization back-story v.1
This is the first draft of the story for Quetz from mODDular Studios.
Ian Giovannetti
mODDular Studios
1/1/2014
Contents
Quetz Back-Story V.1............................................................................................................................. 3
The Age of Creation .................................................................................................................................. 3
The Age of Development .......................................................................................................................... 3
Hierarchy: .................................................................................................................................................. 5
The Age of Betrayal: .................................................................................................................................. 6
Final thoughts: .......................................................................................................................................... 9
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Quetz Back-Story V.1
The Age of Creation: There was once an island located in the North Atlantic Ocean,
in the area that we now call the Bermuda Triangle, known as Quenita. On this island lived many
tribes, of many different cultures and practices, who all co-existed with one another in
fluctuating times of peace and war. One tribe, known as the Eltari, grew more powerful than
their fellow tribes as time went on. These people claimed that they had been chosen by the
deities to conquer Quenita and create a kingdom of the gods. As a sign of their will, the gods
bestowed upon the Eltari advancement weaponry. Led by a fierce warrior queen and a zealous
priest, the Eltari quickly overpowered their rivals. Thus was the Eltari civilization was formed.
The Age of Development: Under the rule of the Eltari, the word of the gods spread
quickly. The prophets, led by the high priest, travelled far and wide to bring word of their gods
to the other tribes and their religion was swiftly adopted. This unification of Quenita led to an
age of peace that had not yet existed. To signify this victory and as a monument to the gods, the
Queen ordered the construction of a new capital city at the center of the island. It would be a
symbol of the prosperity and peace to come; a place where her people could worship and live
together. This pleased the gods, and as a reward for their disciples love, sent a gift. A being
known as Quetz came to the Eltari in the form of a sentient being that bound herself to the city.
The gods had instructed Quetz that her duty was to help the Eltari build their civilization, protect
them against any harmful forces, and at all costs ensure that the peace remained amongst their
chosen children. Quetz had the ability to move, resize, and control all matter around her. She
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was strong enough where she could complete many of these tasks at once, making her invaluable
in the building process.
As a reward for their faith and loyalty, the priests and the queen were also given some of
the same power that Quetz possessed. However, this power was limited and they could only
manipulate matter on a much smaller scale, this did allow them to assist in the construction of the
city though. This gift was given directly to them by the gods and was injected into their genes.
When the city was complete, it was beautiful. Made out of fine stone and gold, it was the
technological and cultural achievement of its time. The people began to worship Quetz amongst
the other gods in light of her divine power. She was loved, and in return, she loved her people.
She kept foes away, cured disease, misguided travelers away from her beloved island, and in
short did her duty to keep her people safe. Her energy was enough to generate power for the
entire city. In short, she was responsible for the development and sustainability of the capital.
For generations, the Eltari civilization went through a golden age of development and
advancement. The priesthood grew and they began to act as both the scientists and the religious
leaders of the city. An entire sect was devoted to studying how Quetz could use her power, and
if they could amplify their own. For many centuries, life continued like this. But it would not
last.
The City: The location of the city was in the center of Quenita, in the heart of the
jungle. Fresh water lakes and fruit were plentiful here, which made it a great location to settle in.
Behind the city flowed an enormous waterfall, which provided canal systems and water sources
throughout the city. The city was built up with three levels. The first consisted of the farms,
peasants and middle class homes, as well as the early schools and recreational areas. The second
level consisted of a massive, bustling marketplace, granaries, a games arena, and the bath houses.
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The third and final level consisted of only the royal palace and the temple of the gods. The
temple stood above all other buildings as a reminder to the people that the gods were above all,
even the queen herself. There were no walls, because there was no need; Quetz could protect
them from all. Floating buildings and towers were commonplace as well (Quetz could easily
power anything within the city). Transportation was taken care of by the native beasts bound by
Quetz’s will; huge flying beasts that resembled whales or stingrays were ridden throughout the
city and were the main source of transportation.
Hierarchy: Two ruling classes were present in the Eltari civilization: The Priesthood
and the Nobility. The priests were the direct representatives of the gods and were led by the high
priest. These priests had powers similar to Quetz, but nothing in comparable scale to her. They
also acted as both spiritual leaders, and researchers working to uncover the secrets of both how
and why Quetz could use her power and giving daily services to the gods. They were met with
respect, fear and distrust as they held themselves in much higher regard, and deemed the
peasants beneath them. The priests were the only ones allowed to interact with Quetz, besides
the Queen herself.
The nobility on the other hand, were the direct representatives of the people and were led
by the Queen and her advisors. The nobility were made up of both the wealthy and descendants
of the original Eltari tribe. The nobles followed a blood lineage with all queens descending from
the original Eltari Queen. Every Queen possessed the power of Quetz, just like the priests and
could manipulate matter similarly. The Queens were deeply loved by their people and were seen
as wise and just rulers. They had the final say in what happened within the empire. They
represented the combination of the spiritual aspect of the culture as well as the people’s needs,
and were the ones who could relate to both.
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The Age of Betrayal: As time progressed, the priesthood began to learn more and
more about the power Quetz possessed. Over the many years of the civilization, the nobility and
priesthood began to see matters differently in terms of political and social orders of the empire,
and tensions between the two factions rose. The current Queen at the time, Xipli, had been
trying to make social changes and make reformations so all her people would be allowed to come
and see Quetz. She envisioned a society where all could share in the wonderful gift that the gods
had given to them. This put her at odds with the current high priest, Zuma, who was a zealously
corrupt priest who sought power. Zuma had been studying the power of Quetz for many years
and obsessed over its potential. He constantly tried to find ways amplify his own and was known
to perform strange rituals and experiments with his own limited manipulations. If there was one
thing that Zuma did not want however, it was the filthy peasants sharing his connection to the
gods. So he devised a plan, one that would give him everything he ever wanted. He came to the
conclusion that if their way of life was to survive, the priesthood must be the sole authority. His
years of research had paid off. He discovered a way that would allow him to trap the goddess
herself and allow him undisputed control of her powers. He developed a gauntlet, full of strange
and evil magic, which would bind Quetz to him and allow his direct influence over her.
When he thought his time right, Zuma travelled alone to the temple of the gods, where
Quetz lived. On bended knee, with head bowed, he told her how the queen requested her
immediate presence. How there was a danger coming, one which had never been seen before.
And finally how he could transport her to the queen through this gauntlet he had created in case
of such a crisis. Quetz quickly complied, eager to help her people. Zuma performed the ritual,
transferring Quetz to the gauntlet, eager to feel her power running through him. When it was
complete, Quetz began to sense that something was amiss; Zuma felt the power of a goddess run
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through his veins. He returned to the priesthoods quarters and summoned his brethren to him.
He proclaimed that the gods had sent him a message, saying that they demanded the priests to
take their rightful place as sole rulers of the city. He revealed the gauntlet to his fellow priests,
demonstrated his new power, and declared himself messiah. Quetz understood what was
happening now, and fought to break her bonds, but to no success. The priests took this as divine
intervention and with tensions high between themselves and the nobles, they were all too willing
to take power from them.
Zuma had rallied his followers and with them marched on the palace to demand his
rightful place on the throne. They were stopped at the entrance by the guards who demanded
what their business was. When Zuma told them they had urgent business with the Queen, the
guards refused them access, until the Nobility was consulted. This displeased Zuma and he
demonstrated his new power on the guards killing them easily. Quetz cried out in despair; the
priests chanted their approvals. The priests entered the temple and stood face to face with Xipli
and her nobles. Zuma told her that the gods had sent a message that the priests were to rule. He
demanded that the nobles relinquish their power and step down. Xipli, sensing something
wrong, refused her throne, and a struggle broke out between the two powers. Xipli and her
nobles fought Zuma and his priests inside the palace, but they were little match against the
powers of the gods. Quetz struggled the break her bonds and end the violence, but they once
again constrained her, and forced her to do Zuma’s will. At the center, Zuma dueled with Xipli.
While she fought bravely, she was no match against the power of Quetz. Channeling the
goddess’s power, Zuma pinned the queen to the wall of the palace. He then hefted her own
massive stone throne and hurled it at the defenseless queen, crushing her instantly. Seeing their
beloved ruler leader murdered, crushed the spirits of the nobility and those who had survived the
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onslaught fled the palace. Something broke within Quetz that moment of seeing the Queen
crushed by her own powers. She channeled her rage against the bonds of Zuma’s gauntlets and
broke them to an extent. She ravaged Zuma’s mind and unleashed her power. Zuma lost control
of the gauntlet and everything around him began to change size, shape, color, and levitate. Key
pillars holding up the palace were hit and began to crumble and the palace itself began to give
way. Zuma tore the gauntlet from his hand and fled with it and his followers out of the
collapsing palace. Zuma refused to relinquish the power that he felt was so rightfully his, and so
sought to conceal Quetz away until he could correct the failure in his design. Zuma ordered his
priests to go and take control of the rest of the city. Meanwhile he and his closest followers
brought Quetz deep into the temples vaults, a sacred and secure place where the Eltari kept their
most valuable possessions.
The surviving nobility had fled into the lower levels of the city to warn the villagers of
what happened. Blinded by the rage and eager to seek vengeance for their murdered Queen, the
villagers marched out against the priesthood. As Zuma locked Quetz away in case she lashed out
again, the priests descended upon the villagers. The Eltari were not warriors, and the many years
of peace had softened them. This led to a slaughter and priests easily cut through them with their
advanced powers and the city was sent into flames and chaos. When Zuma was finished, he left
the temple to view his new empire. Everywhere in the city there was death. Quetz felt the
suffering of her people and was filled with rage, failure, and sadness. She knew she must stop
Zuma, no matter the cost. She must not fail at her duty, no matter the cost.
Mustering everything she had left, Quetz unleashed her full power. The city went awry
with the amounts of energy coursing through it. Statues toppled, houses were crushed, rooms
exploded and the city was forever altered. Such was the force from the blast, that nearly
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everyone on the island was killed. It also cut deep into the very roots of the island and broke the
earth beneath it, and Quenita began to sink beneath the waves. Those that survived the blast
sank with their homeland to a watery grave and so ended the Eltari civilization. There was one
survivor though, Quetz. Alone for centuries, she sat in solitude at the bottom of the ocean.
Tormented by the guilt and shame of her failure, she wept at the bottom of the ocean. (Possibly
lashes out her anger, which causes strange happenings and storms above Bermuda triangle?).
During this time part of her personality split; one side focused on nothing but hatred for Zuma
and his betrayal. The other thought of nothing but the sadness of her lost people and how she
had failed them. Quetz never thought she would see another human again, until one event
changed everything…
Final thoughts: As I was writing this I thought that it might make more contextual sense if
Zuma takes control of the city for a period of time, that way the art and graffiti you find on the
walls tells the story of how shit went down, and would give that feel of unrest in the city.
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