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(Expansion of history for Old Bone)
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**Patan
 
**Patan
 
*[[Mayan Death Gods' Ball]]
 
*[[Mayan Death Gods' Ball]]
===Stolen by the Spanish==
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==Stolen by the Spanish==
 
**Ahalpuh
 
**Ahalpuh
 
**Ahalgana
 
**Ahalgana

Revision as of 04:01, 5 October 2020

Xibalba
49BF1C4B-5B5E-4B60-A012-F4903B982648
The Mayan hieroglyph for Xibalba
"A Place of Fear"

Type

City and cave cenote

Locality

Guatemalan rainforest

Inhabitation

1000 BC - 1500 AD

Anamolies

Gives initial victims a god-complex and feelings of sadistic superiority among all others; gives other victims immense humiliation and fear before their death; area is semi-sentient

Containment

Dormant

Discovery

Initial discovery: 95 AD
Neutralized: 200 AD
Reactivated: 500 AD
Re-neutralized: 1523

[Source]


A currently dormant AEZ located in Guatemala.

Origin

Xibalba, or the Mayan Underworld, is a place of fear. Ruled by the Mayan Death Gods, it is considered a place of trial; however, it was primarily a place where people would be humiliated by gods who could bring every type of plague and illness to man. It is usually considered to be in a cave, but is also believed to be a great city as well.

Effects

Initial victims who are brought into the cave city are given a god-complex and a feeling of sadistic superiority over everyone. They will bring others to them until there are twelve total, who then represent the Death Gods. The appearance of the city (as well as whether it stays above or below ground) rests in their hands.

The area itself will send waves of torment and suffering out from it when the AEZ is Active. Those who are strong-willed or filled with positivity are filled with dread and a strong urge to leave the area. Those who are weak-willed or filled with negative emotion are drawn towards the area and into the cave city.

The interior itself is a trial for those who enter, and a game for the Gods. With a majority, they are able to decide the layout of the city, as well as precisely what "Trials" the victims who enter will go through. The trials are extremely difficult and designed to humiliate the victims and increase their fear before they are killed. Should a person be able to survive the nine challenges set forth by the Death Gods, they are then given a choice: to be allowed to leave the area, or to meet and live with the Gods.

While the layout can change according to the will of the Death Gods, certain areas cannot be changed, as they are considered "key" areas. However, those areas can be moved around.

The AEZ is recognized as being semi-sentient. It requires "amusement" from the Lords on a regular basis, and it can amuse itself sometimes. However, if the Lords fail to amuse the area on a consistent basis, then Xibalba will move to circumstances that eliminate the Lord(s) who are not providing adequate amusement.

Neutralizing the Area

Due to the area's nature, it is extremely difficult to neutralize. The only known way to neutralize the area is to wipe out the Death Gods. This can be accomplished one of two ways: death or by knocking them out. Once all of the Gods are defeated, the area's traps will be neutralized, and the city will return below the surface (only if the current setup is above the surface). During this time, any person within the cave city is able to leave. They must leave within twenty-four hours in order to avoid re-activation.

It has been noted that the area could be easier to neutralize if the AEZ is not feeling happy with the current Lords.

History

It is unclear precisely when the area first became an Artifact Exclusion Zone, but the best guess is that it was prior to 1000 BC. It remained active for over a thousand years.

In 181 AD, the Death Gods drew in and killed two men, whom were the father and uncle of the eventual Hero Twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque.

In 194 AD, the Roman Empire sent a fleet of ships to travel across the ocean to the west in an attempt to find out whether there was land to conquer or not. After discussion with Warehouse 3, two Associates, Galerius Sepurcius Leon and Floria Sepurcius, were sent as well. Their task was to see if artifacts also existed in this new land and to retrieve or document any that they could to bring back to Rome. However, a powerful storm destroyed most of the fleet, and only a single ship arrived in Central America to the land of the Mayans. With not enough men to conquer the land that they found, the Roman troops instead made peace with the locals.

In 195 AD, Galerius and Floria formed the Mayan Warehouse Branch in order to bring some semblance of order to this new world they were now living in. They soon realized that their biggest challenge would be Xibalba, whose presence was negatively affecting the stability of the region. Understanding they did not have the resources to fight an AEZ, they searched for people who had the ability to help them out. Several weeks after beginning their search, they encountered the twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque, who had an uncanny intelligence and ability to perceive how things would proceed. Recruiting them to their Warehouse, the four searched for artifacts that would help them in their goal of taking down Xibalba.

In late 199 AD, Galerius and Floria attempted to enter Xibalba, figuring that their experience dealing with the unknown would give them an advantage. However, they were quickly outwitted by the Death Gods, who captured them and forced them to become servants to them. Realizing that they were now the only ones who had the ability to take down the Death Gods, Hunahpu and Xbalanque used their perception to figure out what artifacts they would need to bring in order to help them outwit the Death Gods.

With their preparations complete in early 200 AD, the pair made their move, playing on the Death Gods' love of Mayan Ball by showing off their skill at a nearby court. A spy for the Lords saw them and sent the information to the Lords, who decided to have some fun with them. The Lords invited the Twins to Xibalba, letting them know that they would greet them near the entrance. The Twins, knowing it might be a trap, used (insert Clarity Artifact here) to recognize the multiple wooden statues that appeared to be lifelike at first glance, finding the single Lord who had come out to greet them.

Disappointed that their usual initial setup failed, the Lord offered them a seat on a stone bench before entering the city. Again, they used the clarity of the artifact to recognize it as a heating bench meant to fry a person. Growing frustrated, the Lord let the pair enter the city and offered them a rest room before the match. Sending them to the Fire Room, the Lords were unaware that the Twins used (insert Fireproof artifact here) to prevent them from being burned and were frustrated by the Twins exiting the room.

Moving on to the game itself, the Lords initially tried to harm the Twins one last time by using a special rubber ball with blades inside. However, the clarity provided by their artifact allowed them to see that the ball was dangerous. The Twins, acting insulted that the Lords "merely brought them here to torture or kill them", informed the Lords that they would leave unless they were allowed to use their own ball.

Relenting, the Lords set up a tournament to allow the Twins many opportunities to beat them, on the condition that whenever they lost, the Twins would have to defeat a challenge of the Lords' choosing. The games were fierce, but the Twins managed to just lose each 20-point game in order to face each challenge.

At every turn, the Mayan Twins outwitted their opponents, utilizing the clarity artifact they had in their possession to defeat every challenge the gods sent their way. In their final trick as adults, the pair managed to win the final game, and they offered themselves to be burned alive for humiliating the Lords. The Lords, unaware of the pair's true intentions, gladly sent them back to the fire room, where the pair burned to ashes. They dumped the water into the pool at the entrance to Xibalba and left them be.

Unbeknownst to the gods, however, the use of (insert Resurrection artifact here) allowed Hunahpu and Xbalanque to become restored as infants. Xibalba itself, frustrated by the Lords' failure at providing adequate amusement, turned the Twins into catfish to amuse itself. After a year of that, the AEZ turned them back, not recognizing that the pair had aged.

Continuing their plan as four-year-olds and rapidly aging, the now youthful-looking twins made a show on the outside of Xibalba to be re-invited back in, where they prepared to kill all of the Lords and rescue the inhabitants. With the use of (insert Resurrection Artifact here) and (insert Illusion Artifact here), they were able to create the "illusions" necessary for the gods to believe that they were incredibly skilled and knowledgeable.

Unaware of the true identities of the Twins, the Lords invited them back into Xibalba, believing that the entertainment the pair provided would appease Xibalba. The Twins used the illusion artifact to perform great deeds, which while seeming very impressive to the gods, did not fool the AEZ. Next, they killed two monkeys and brought them back to life. Quite impressed by the feat, but wishing to see it on humans, the Lords ordered two of the slaves - one of them Floria Sepurcius - and the Twins brought both of them back to life.

Two of the gods, impressed by the miracles the young boys were performing, wanted to be killed and brought back to life as part of the show. The twins obliged in the first part, killing the two gods. Upon the deaths of the first two, they revealed themselves to the other gods, who begged for mercy. Realizing the Twins weren't going to give them mercy, they begged Xibalba to give them a way to defeat the threat quickly. However, Xibalba gave them nothing - it was sick of the current Lords and made no move to protect them.

Giving them mercy, they used (insert Shockwave Artifact here) to knock out the remaining deities, which began the neutralizing process for the AEZ. Hunahpu and Xbalanque were able to free Galerius and Floria, as well as recover the remains of their father, and proceeded to free all those who were held captive in Xibalba. Many artifacts were collected, but they were unable to locate four of the artifacts belonging to the Lords.

Afterwards, the twins, now recognized in their culture as the Hero Twins for their efforts, worked to keep Xibalba from reactivating, and worked to collect artifacts for the Warehouse, which they relocated to nearby Xibalba.

Several centuries later, around 500 AD, Xibalba reactivated. However, the Mayan Warehouse refused to intervene out of fear, and the AEZ drew in an indeterminate number of people to their deaths. While exact numbers are unclear, it is implied that it was in the tens of thousands, if not millions, over the next thousand years.

At some point between 1000 and 1300 AD, an unknown Mayan Branch Associate was lured into Xibalba. He was tortured and killed, but on the whims of two of the Lords, was brought back to life as Old Bone. While they brought him back as a skeleton simply to frighten people, Old Bone retained his memories. Although he was unable to communicate with anyone, he continued as a guard for the Branch Warehouse, unaffected by the proximity of the AEZ.

In 1535, the Spanish arrived to Xibalba. Believing the place to be a Mayan stronghold, they moved to take it over. Realizing that the place was a place of evil, however, they instead opted to wipe out all of the occupants and loot all of the treasures from the AEZ. Thanks to their unknowing efforts, Xibalba was neutralized, and continues to remain so to this day. While they stole at least a dozen artifacts, Old Bone managed to recover four of them - all four of which were the artifacts from the Death Lords that the Hero Twins had not collected.

In 1953, word reached the Agents of Warehouse 13 about the Mayan Warehouse and Xibalba. Agents sent to the AEZ were able to confirm without entering that the area was currently inactive, and due to its relative isolation, it was unlikely to reactivate anytime soon. Regardless, the Regents worked with the United States government to push Guatemala to keep the area off-limits.

Old Bone, wishing to maintain his role as a protector of the Branch, found his role gone. Determined to maintain his protection of these objects in storage, he followed his connection to the artifacts he had protected for centuries. In 1961, much to the surprise of the Agents, he appeared in front of the Warehouse, managing to avoid being noticed courtesy of (insert Masquerade artifact here), and patrols the Warehouse's Origin Circle.

Agents are required to check on the area once every ten years to confirm that it has not reactivated unless otherwise notified.

Features

At present in its Inactive state, the place has the appearance of a large city buried inside a cave.

Most of its features are constantly changing, though a few may remain consistent among the changes:

  • Cenote: The entrance to the cave and city is protected by a large pool of water. The entrance is partway down, although any who are "invited" into the AEZ do not have to worry about aquatic breathing, as they will be able to swim without running out of oxygen in their lungs.
  • Trial Chamber: A special chamber where those who have done something to upset the Lords are punished. The area where the person stands is subject to change, depending on the punishment chosen.
  • "Council of the Lords": A special chamber where those who are invited to provide amusement to the Lords perform.
  • Gardens: A large area for the Lords to keep animals and a farm. The land is tended to by slaves, and is also where the slave quarters are located.
  • Houses of the Lords: Where all of the Lords sleep. The appearance of the rooms can change based on the needs and desires of the current occupants.
  • Mayan Ball Court: A large ball court which can evolve and change based on the rules of the game chosen.

Though its features of torture and challenges change at the whims of those victims under the sway of the area, the following features were recorded by Hunahpu and Xbalanque as having occurred during their time inside Xibalba:

  • Rivers of Scorpions, Blood and Pus
  • Rooms of Darkness, Cold, Bats, and Blades
  • Room of Fire: A room where flames pop up out of nowhere and at various intensities. It is easy to be fried or turned to ash, depending on what the Lords would like.
  • Room of Jaguars: A room with an appearance like that of a large jungle. Unlike regular rooms, this one produced a were-jaguar of extraordinary strength. The were-jaguar is emotionally sensitive if one knows the correct things to say.

(TBE)

Artifacts

Any artifacts remaining in Xibalba are unknown, as the area is off-limits. However, it is likely that most, if not all, were looted by the Spanish after their conquest of the area.

Collected by the Mayan Branch

The following artifacts are confirmed to have been collected from Xibalba:

  • Artifacts of the Death Gods
    • Hun-Came's Flask
    • Vucub-Came's Ball
    • Xiquiripat
    • Cuchumaquic's Jade Necklace
    • Ahalmez
    • Ahaltocob's Knife
    • Xic
    • Patan
  • Mayan Death Gods' Ball

Stolen by the Spanish

    • Ahalpuh
    • Ahalgana
    • Chamiabac's Bone Staff
    • Chamiaholom's Skull Staff