The Altars of the Skyreach Plateau

We touched very briefly on the art of the Windswept Desert, but never really talked about why we showed it in the first place. Well, that is because that are is going to be the Students' next battleground.  Within the windswept desert lies the Skyreach Plateau. This blog post is all about the lore behind the mysterious altars atop of the Skyreach Plateau and how significant they are to the history of the Afterlife and what this means for fellow Alchemists.

Each Altar contains an alchemical symbol that represent Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. The Altars are not Realm Specific so they can benefit both Light and Dark Realms. The Altars will periodically summon relics that can be controlled and deal a significant amount of damage to the wielders enemies. If the relic is not controlled in time, the Altars will retaliate against the homunculi who are battling atop the plateau.

Much is known about the Altars’ mechanical attributes but their origins have baffled alchemists and archaeologists who have studied them. The Skyreach Plateau was inhabited by fallen Aztecs based on the architecture and pottery that is scattered and buried between the rock and sand. The Altars themselves appear to be built by the Aztecs themselves. The mystery lies within the alchemical symbol engraved in the Altars as stated earlier. The alchemic symbols were beyond the times of the Aztecs, however, time and space is irrelevant in the Afterlife. That being said, why did the Aztecs leave or how did they die out?

Besides the mechanical attributes described above, the alchemical symbols were said to create a direct connection to the Aztecian gods. The Altar of Earth was able to contact Tlaltecuhtli, the goddess of Earth. The speculation behind the sex of the god considering its name translates to Earth Lord and is masculine, the goddess has been confirmed female in the Afterlife. The Altar of Wind could summon the feathered serpent, Ehecatl. This god is the very essence of wind and has been mistaken for the great Quetzalcoatl. The Altar of Fire could contact with the “Old God” Huehueteotl. The deity is the very essence of both Light and Dark realm philosophies of Fire being both origins and death. The final Altar, the Altar of Water could summon “She of the Jade Skirt,” Chalchihuitlicue. She is the goddess of all things water and was personified as flowing river and the heart of a prickly pear. She was portrayed as a beautiful woman despite being made of water.

With the power of the Altars, the Aztecs should have had a very powerful presence in the Afterlife so what exactly happened to them? Who would oppose the Aztecs knowing the wield such a powerful weapon or was fighting for such a cause proved fruitful? If that were the case than why would that new group leave? 

Sorry you guys but I'm gonna have to leave the real answer for you to figure out once the Skyreach Plateau is released. Talk about a cliff hanger!