Maelstrom Campaign - Major Nations: Maya

It is difficult to clearly demarcate the Mayan borders as the right of Maya to many of her border territories has been fiercely contested by her three neighbours for decades. There have been frequent border clashes in recent years many of which have spiralled into full-scale wars, as Alkyon, Amun-Sa or Flambard have tried to take advantage of internal disputes within Maya to seize more territory. The most recent conflict with the nation of Flambard ended just four years ago. The borders remain heavily patrolled on all sides and it can be difficult for honest merchants and travellers to pass them.

The heart of Maya is Sarakhan, the great City of Wyrms. This massive city is a testament to the power and majesty of the draconic rulers of Maya; there are huge palaces built entirely of marble, inlaid with miles of gold filigree. With few exceptions, all the most powerful dragons in Maya maintain palaces, villas or estates in or around Sarakhan. Though there are many other wealthy towns and cities in other lands, all are but pale shadows of the glory of the City of Wyrms.

For all its wealth and power, Maya can be a confusing land for visitors. There is no provincial lord or sovereign of any kind, for no dragon would acknowledge the right of another being to command them. What governance Maya possesses is in the hands of those dragons who command the respect or fear of others in sufficient depth to be able to draw upon their resources for purposes of their own. Politics is inseparable from everyday life in Maya and the twisted web of influence and alliances shifts each time the sun rises. Councils of dragons are formed to accomplish great works, such as establishing new settlements, raising armies or most recently founding a colony.

First Meeting
No dragon of status is without an entourage of trusted dracoscions, human beings who long ago traded their mortality for a lifetime in service to their draconic masters. All dracoscions are unswervingly loyal to the dragon they serve who can usually be identified by the colour of their scales, which they share with the dragon that made them, in a process called blooding. Most simple dealings involving a dragon's estate will be handled by the dracoscions, but matters of importance will usually entail a meeting with the master of the brood.

Dragons prefer an entirely sedentary existence and the ability to travel unaided is regarded as being overrated and highly undignified. To travel in anything less than a litter or palanquin is beneath a creature of stature. Unless you have exceptionally resplendent quarters to receive guests, you should expect most meetings to take place at a dragon's estates. The majority of dragons expect any visitors they receive to show appropriate respect at the very least, however most have little time for subservience, flattery or feigned humility.

Fashion
Dragons consider that the only people who carry themselves are those who are forced to do so. The palanquin is regarded as the basis of good taste, especially when cushioned and covered with silk curtains, but in recent times, horse drawn carriages have gained favour amongst younger dragons. Some dragons do wear clothing of a sort, but it is considered a very mortal thing to do by many.

Dracoscion clothing sometimes shows a hint of their origins, there are even some who were once from Malathia and still wear the kilt. Most, however, abandon their origins and adopt stylised armour or ornate robes. These are often chosen to compliment the colour of the dracoscion's scales. Politics and the appearance of power is never far from most dragons’ considerations and their entourage will be arrayed in uniform to emphasize their size and power. In any case the finest materials, the most expensive dyes, and the most brilliant embroidery available are employed.

Religion
Temples and shrines to the Gods are very uncommon in Maya. Whilst a few dragons openly revere one of the five Gods, most do not and many have little or no time for matters of faith. Whatever their views they rarely treat priests or holy men with any more respect than they do any other mortal. In the rare case that a dragon is a devotee, then such attitudes are likely to be shared by all the members of the dragon's brood.

Trade
The great wealth of the dragons of Maya is produced by vast armies of slaves who toil in the mines or work the lowland farms. Slavery is the traditional fate that befalls those who incur the displeasure of a powerful dragon and few of those who are captured in battle against the Mayan armies are ever held to ransom. Sarakhan has the largest slave market in the Known World, beings from every land are for sale here for a price.

Arms also fetch a good price in Maya, as vast numbers are purchased to equip the dragons' retinues. Almost any weapon, no matter the quality or workmanship can be sold in Maya, but gilded or ornate examples of the weaponsmith's art fetch an especially high price. Pistols are gaining popularity in some towns and cities in Maya, but the traditional weapons of choice for a dracoscion are the sword and spear with both commanding especially good prices.

Dragons are infamous for their love of gold, but in fact any rare and beautiful item will find a willing buyer in Maya. Hand painted porcelain from Kamakura, Rukhi filigree and jewellery, Flembic tapestries and embroidery, gentle perfumes and scents from the lands of the Tritoni. Dragons seek out the finest things to surround themselves with and those that deal honestly with them will be paid accordingly. The dragons of Maya mint no coins of their own, preferring instead to deal in a mutually agreed currency.

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.