Land of the Great River - Plane Shift: Ixalan

Land of the Great River. New Horizons Geography of Ixalan The center of the world is the great continent known as Ixalan, which has given its name to the plane as a whole. A tropical land covered in lush rain forest, soaring mountains, lofty plains, and winding rivers, Ixalan is shaped like a large crescent enfolding a vast inner sea. Its history has been shaped by the interaction between the Sun Empire and the River Heralds. Both peoples lived in balance while the Sun Empire maintained its stewardship of the Immortal Sun. But that balance was upset when the emperor abused the artifact's power. Now the Sun Empire has been pushed to the coastal lands of Ixalan, while the River Heralds dominate the interior. Island Ixalan Ancient Sites The Sun Empire was once larger than it presently is, and remnants of its past glory still lie scattered throughout the jungles of the Great River. Some of these remnants are no more than heaps of rubble overgrown by hardy plant life, potentially interesting for the sake of inscriptions that might remain on worn stone surfaces, but otherwise remarkable only as landmarks for those traveling through the uncharted wilderness. However, several whole cities also lie in ruins scattered throughout the jungle. Quetzatl was once the home of a self-proclaimed king who challenged the authority of the emperor. Its ruins betray the violence used to tear its buildings down stone by stone, and legend holds that spirits of the dead, including the Pretender King, still haunt those ruins. The city of Pecatli was known for its grand temple, which boasted three great spires for the three aspects of the sun. The spires have long been toppled, but the diamonds, emeralds, and rubies said to have crowned them have never been found. Techepec was a retreat for the emperor and the imperial family, a place where they could escape the trials of life at court for a time. In fact, Emperor Huatzan II used Techepec as a sort of capital-in-exile during a brief period...