Maghan's Master

Maghan's master was the last Holy Sovereign of a tribe in Tezcatepetonco Range that would eventually become Mictlan 2,000 years ago. Maghan, then known as Dinga, was once her attendant. She played a role in establishing a home for humanity in Natlan, and for the Mictlan tribe in particular. She was killed by Maghan on the orders of Och-Kan. After her death, she became the tribe's Wayob. She was the first wielder of Starcaller's Watch and likely bore the Ancient Name Ukumbuko.^{[Note 1]}

Story

Maghan's master lived near the end of Xiuhcoatl's reign, when dragon civilization was on the decline and wars raged across Natlan. Her village was located in a deep valley that would one day be known as "Mictlan," which was at the time governed by Ix Kemonel Jasjatem Oox, also known as the "Weaver of Secrets".^[1]

Initially, her people owed their very existence to the mercy of the Dragonlord.^[2] However, unlike other Dragonlords who oppressed human tribes at that time, the Weaver of Secrets felt pity for her own kin, who had begun devolving into wild beasts after the War of Funerary Flame. Thus, she has sought to ally with humans who wanted protection from her, hoping to harness their souls to weave an "eternal, blissful dream-realm" for the dragons of her domain, such that souls of both humans and dragons find happiness and solace within this dream^[3]. Thus, the Weaver of Secrets made a pact with her human tribes, who would later become the forerunners of the Masters of the Night-Wind: she would build a labyrinth of mirrors and a fortress of mist for the humans, so long as they appointed a "Holy Sovereign" to place the dragons in a dream state. She then merged her consciousness into the Night Kingdom, bringing her plan into fruition^[2].

Unfortunately, just as the Priestess had predicted, the humans brought their chosen Holy Sovereign great suffering: the candidate must have a "star-bright soul", approved by the Lord of the Night, and was then blinded and amputated. Consequently, the "Holy Sovereign" was doomed to an early demise, making them more akin to a sacrifice. As a young child, Maghan's master was chosen to be the Holy Sovereign, for she had a "star-bright soul." It is implied that she was not the first to fill this role.^[2] It is unclear when exactly she met Dinga, but by the time of her appointment, he had become her attendant and only companion.

Kukulkan was disgusted that the Weaver of Secrets had chosen to flee into a world of dreams rather than face reality. He plotted to bring war and destruction to the valley by turning the Holy Sovereign against the dragons and sending her servant Dinga out into the world, far away. He began to manipulate her, fanning the flames of suffering and feeding her false hope. At some point, he took her to visit the Night Kingdom, possibly in a bid to win her trust. Believing her to be weak and naive, he thought that she would see nothing amidst the mist and smoke.^[4]

However, the Weaver of Secrets, having already foreseen Kukulkan's treachery, guided Maghan's master to reach the Night Kingdom successfully. There, the Dragonlord gave Maghan's Master visions and instructions, which she had later told Dinga: she prophesied that he would become a hero and "fated Sovereign," and would someday replace the old pact with a new one that brought true peace to humans and dragons. She told him of a future where his descendants could live without fear, where "the city of jade" would be established and "the master of flames and blazing infernos" would watch over humans and dragons alike.^[2]

She also warned him not to trust Kukulkan, and not to rely on the Lord of the Night or "the benevolence of the saints." She believed that humanity, despite its flaws, could only rely on itself. In order to establish a foundation for humanity in the land that would become Natlan, she told Dinga to follow Xbalanque, the "first rising dawn," and spread the stories of heroes among the tribes and record their memories in woven scrolls for future generations. She also instructed him to stab her in the heart when they met again, intending to use her own life to further anchor her people to this land and "stabilize the boundary." As a parting gift, she gifted him a statuette, the Starcaller's Watch, which would later become a sacred relic of Mictlan.^[4]

After Xiuhcoatl was defeated and Cinder City was established, Och-Kan declared the inhabitants of the valley to be traitors, as they had once cooperated with the dragons. He ordered their execution, with Dinga, now known as the dragon slayer Maghan, leading the charge. Maghan destroyed the labyrinth and the fortress and slew everyone within, including his former master, just as she had requested. In her death, she became the Wayob of the tribe that would later be known as Mictlan. Following the battle, Maghan would retire from Och-Kan's service and build Mictlan into a tribe that would last for thousands of years to come.^[2][4] Many years later, a young priest named Wagadu, who succeeded Maghan, would re-establish her pact with the Weaver of Secrets, giving rise to the first Iktomisaurus^[5].

Notes

Trivia

• Due to the Starcaller obtaining the title of "Holy Sovereign" by inheritance,^[2] it is possible that she is connected to the Python King Och-Kan, as he also bears this title.
  • Och-Kan is known to be half-human, and was created by Kukulkan using the body of a dragon and the soul of a human.^[6] The Sage was known to be close with the Starcaller in the time before Och-Kan appeared in history, and she had powers relating to the soul and dreams. Furthermore her ideology of independence from "the night" and "saints" matches Och-Kan's own beliefs. Kukulkan also planned for his manipulations to end with the destruction of Ix Kemonel Jasjatem Oox's land by turning the Starcaller against the dragons, and its destruction is triggered by Och-Kan ordering Maghan to lay waste to the valley settlement. With all this in mind, it is possible that she was involved in the creation of Och-Kan in some way.^[4]

Change History

References