Game 5

¡Vivimos!

Team Members:
Gabriella Alessio
Christina Aridi
Alexis Coakley
Santiago LeDoux

YouTube Link:
View the website links below before joining the zoom meeting

Zoom Link:
https://asu.zoom.us/j/4272387423

Survey Link:
https://forms.gle/S2jQnEbkT2Ps9Eam8

Backstory

Lore:

The year is 2021 BC and the Mayan empire is the largest and most advanced civilization in Mesoamerica. You were born into a small tribe in Honduras, just south of the major Mayan temples, called the Tikal. In order to avoid the bloodthirsty warlords, your tribe has become hunter-gatherers that carry only what they can hold and your lives revolve around survival.It’s been 20 years and your entire tribe has managed to stay away from the Mayans with a few close calls and mild casualties. The elders have appointed you and your friends leaders with the primary task of shepherding and protecting the tribe.

The religion of the Mayans is what scares your family the most, and there’s rumors of horrible things they’ve done to captured tribes. Legend has it they cut the hearts out of their captured foes and sacrificed them to their gods. The names of all their gods are known throughout the western hemisphere and strike fear into everyone who hears them. The Mayans believe that their land will not receive rain from the creator god Itzamna unless blood is flowing from their temples, so their carnage never ends. They will do anything to appease their gods, and will sacrifice anyone for their cause.

Last year, one of your fellow leaders explored the idea of settling down and creating a home city that was small enough to remain hidden, but could still give the villagers a sense of pride. They were done running and constantly being on the move is something the people have been grumbling about for decades, but the threat of the Mayans had not subsceded in the slightest. This went well for weeks, until one night you woke up to the smell of smoke as the Mayans found the gathering of people and began burning the tents. As they took survivors as prisoners, you managed to escape with a little more than half of the tribe through the jungle. Losses were heartbreaking, but they reinforced the fear that at any second the Mayans could find your people and you all would stand no fighting chance. Ever since that night, you wear a necklace with the tooth of a jaguar around your neck at all times, which the Mayans believe is the god of the underworld, to symbolize this loss.

That memory haunts you, and that smell sticks with you always as a reminder that every choice you make is either life or death for your entire tribe. One night, you woke up to the smell of smoke again, but it didn’t terrify you more than usual because you wake up to it every night, not because it’s there but because you’re afraid. This time, however, that smell was very real, and the entire nightly camp was on fire. A Mayan patrol must have spotted a tent through the trees and now everyone you know has already fled or is already dead. Before you have the chance to stand up and run, a Mayan smacks you in the forehead with a jawbone he was using as a knife, and everything goes black.

You wake up in the Mayan temple with 3-5 of your fellow tribe leaders, all in a cell with their hands tied behind their back with rope. You are all scared for your lives, but also filled with grief at the horrors you’ve endured. As you look around, the group realizes they’re the next sacrifice. You hear cheers coming from the priests and the Mayan people in the distance, and reality has settled for you all. Everyone looks down in defeat, but you realize your necklace is still on, and you realize the tooth of a jaguar could easily cut through the old twine around your wrists. It tears with ease, and you free everyone in the cell from their bondage. There’s hope.

As you maneuver your escape around the temple, there is an eerie presence roaming the halls. As you take each corner, you feel as though the hieroglyphs on the walls are coming to life, and the statues of their gods are nearly autonomous. Then it hits you. This is their home. The gods are more entertained by your struggle than they are the sacrifice itself.

Your fellow leaders are running by your side and in sneaks the most wicked thought: if they don’t make it back home, you are the sole leader of the Tikal. The thought is so selfish, but you can’t help but entertain the idea. In fact, everyone in the group is thinking it at the exact same time.

You begin to hear three distant voices, one of wisdom, one of proving, and one of war. As you look around at each other, you all begin to realize you’re not going crazy, but the gods themselves are challenging you for your life. The one of truth introduces himself in a fast, wise voice as Itzama, the Mayan god of wisdom. The one of proving speaks very connivingly, saying that he is Camaztoz, the god of sacrifice and deception. A final booming voice states that he is Ah Puch, god of death. They say that there is no coincidence you’re here, and there’s no coincidence that the necklace around your neck was there in the first place. You’re a pawn and you’ve walked right into their challenge.

You can either betray your tribe leaders and secure your own power position, or build an alliance with them to ensure your safety. Either way, the choice is clear: you will do whatever it takes to reach your people, conquer their gods, and scream those victorious words: ¡Vivimos!