Moctezuma Murag
Moctezuma was born on a secluded sky island called Isla de serpiente alada, home of a religious native tribe of Skypeans, the Adora la serpa. This haven, 10,000 meters above the ground, consists of a small accumulation of clouds on top of which lays a layer of more fertile earth where a large tropical forest grows. The native skypeans feature a pair of small characteristic feathered wings on their back. They are a kind, trusting folk naturally, however they follow their strict culture religiously. The tribe inhabited a single village in the middle of the island and a large pyramid shaped magnificent temple to the north, surrounded by the feral forest.
The core of the tribes believes is that the gods, Tezcatlipoca, who showed himself to the people in the form of a great tiger, and Quetzalcoatl, who took the form of a winged serpent created the world. The two gods stood in constant conflict. One day Tezcatlipoca corrupted half of the people and planted evil thoughts of power in their minds. This made them lose their wings and turned them into humans. In order to save those who still were good in their hearts Quetzalcoatl carried up a piece of land into the clouds and placed it there. He created the heaven called Isla de serpiente alada for the skypeans to rescue them from the barbarian tyranny of humanity on earth. They therefore regard their land in the clouds as the chosen sacred land and the earth below as a forbidden hell. No inhabitant is allowed to leave the island. To honor their savior, the Adora la serpa build a magnificent pyramid shaped temple in the middle of their island many hundreds of years ago. Ever since its construction, the temple was inhabited by a smaragd green, two meter long snake which was worshipped by the people of the island as a servant of Quetzalcoatl.
Moctezuma Murag, who was given the nickname Mozu, was separated from his parents at birth and raised by the entire community, which was common practice for the tribe. It served the purpose to bring the tribe closer together and prevent rivalry and resentment between families. While the other kids stayed in the village for most of their childhood afraid of the forest, Mozu was a very curious and active kid in his early years, often found exploring the forest and the wildlife on his own. Even though he was killed nearly a dozen times by feral tigers or wild boars in his youth, he continued and quickly learned how to evade or handle those predators. He learned to use dials efficiently He even reached the edges of the clouds where he would glare at the vast blue which extended to the horizon and beyond that was covered with lots of green patches. When he turned 16 years old, Mozu already had seen every plant, every tree and every animal there was on the Isla de serpiente alada. He had explored every corner the island had to offer and soon he became very bored, walking to the edge of the island on a daily basis and wondering what adventures and secrets may lay below in this vast and seemingly endless blue see. However, this boredom did not last for long…
Every generation the Adora la serpa receive a special gift from their god Quetzalcoatl delivered by his servant. One of their kind is chosen by the sapphire green snake and injected with the powerful poison of its bite. The affected spends 3 weeks in a terrible fever, plagued by horrible nightmares which bring his body to its limit. Only with intensive care the bitten does not die from the snake’s poison. The venom leaves a permanent change on the afflicted body. If someone survives this trial though, he is blessed with enormous strength and enhanced reflexes caused by the antibodies formed from during the sickness. These however activate only when certain hormone levels are increased in the person's body. The Adora la serpa noticed that this can be achieved by a special mix of herbs found on the sky island. When Mozu was 20 years old it was time for this rite again. About 20 young males dressed in traditional, with feathers and scales decorated attire climbed the stairs of the pyramid shaped temple in the light of the setting sun. As they reached the plateau in front of the entrance, they knelt on the golden floor with their chest raised and eyes closed. As the sun touched the horizon the servant of Quetzalcoatl exited the temple. Its normally sapphire green scales shimmered like a rainbow in the red light of the dawning sun. With its serpentine movement it crawled in an S shape along the plateau. An almost silent hiss was the last thing Mozu perceived before the bite.
He experienced a sharp stabbing pain that felt like a knife piercing the flesh of this shoulder before he slipped into a paralysis without the power to let out a sound. His body fell into a septic shock as his limps started to twitch violently around him and his conscious started to fade into a dark place. In his feverish dreams Mozu had visions of enormous serpents eating away on his flesh and crawling through his nose ears and mouth into his body where they would nourish on his organs. Even though he tried to fight them off they overpowered him in his weak state. During his fewer his conscious often faded between the real world and his dreams with blurred and unclear transitions. After several days, the nature of his dreams changed drastically. Instead of snakes, his visions started to revolve around shadowy demons covered in metallic plates and helmets, wielding shiny silver swords and guns. They fought against angles illuminated in a radiant light in a fierce battle, laying waste and fire to their surroundings.
One day, Mozu opened his eyes, free from visions and dreams. Yet unable to move, he felt warm sand underneath him and looked up into the bright blue sky tainted with veil clouds. With his sore and paralyzed muscles, he thought about the then seemingly never-ending nightmares he endured. The pain he had felt and the screams he had heard, it all seemed so real… tbc