Chapter Summaries

Xolotl survived an arrow attack and led the Mexica Alliance to victory as the Tarasco Royal Army collapsed. The King of Tarasco was captured, and his kingdom’s Royal Banner fell.

• Zuangua’s cry that the Mexica commander had been killed briefly shook both armies, but Xolotl stood unharmed after a copper arrow struck his banner pole.
• Xolotl shot Zuangua in the arm, and General Yuku ordered the Tarasco forces to retreat while the Copper Axe Guard sacrificed itself to cover their withdrawal.
• Bertad killed the Tarasco guard captain and pursued Yuku as Xolotl sent five hundred guards to capture the fleeing general.
• Xolotl’s forces broke through the Tarasco center, while Ezpan captured the King of Tarasco and Kuluka chopped down the Royal Banner.
• The Tarasco wings surrendered after the Royal Banner fell, and Xolotl celebrated the Alliance’s victory.

After the Mexica victory shattered the Royal Banner and sacred Cacao Tree, the defeated capital forces began to flee. Black Wolf Toltec pursued Hound Yuku and the retreating king, while Chiwako urged Puapu to escape with his men.

• Chiwako slapped the dazed Puapu and persuaded him to abandon the Hummingbird Family commander’s doomed attack and retreat northwest.
• Puapu ordered his warriors toward the capital, and Chiwako left with them after reflecting that the first part of his plan had repaid a debt.
• Black Wolf Toltec ordered his scouts to pursue the capital reinforcements, then led two squads of longbow hunters after Hound Yuku.
• Zuangua grieved over the fallen Royal Banner, and Yuku urged him to flee southwest while Yuku stayed behind to cover the retreat.
• Yuku shot arrows at the pursuing Mexica warriors, slowed them, and then chased after Zuangua as Toltec continued pursuing them.

King Zuangua fled southwest with Yuku and the Copper Axe Guards as Toltec’s hunters harried them, forcing the guards to sacrifice themselves to buy time. Toltec caught up with Yuku, who drank the potent divine water and prepared to fight him.

• Wounded and exhausted, Zuangua drank divine water and continued fleeing with Yuku as Toltec’s hunters attacked their party.
• Yuku ordered the Copper Axe Guards to charge the hunters, but Toltec’s men repeatedly scattered and resumed pursuing them.
• With the enemy closing in, Yuku asked the remaining guards to hold until nightfall so Zuangua could escape; the guards accepted and turned to face the attackers.
• Toltec left his troops and pursued Yuku alone, while Bertad ordered his deputy to finish off the guards and followed after Toltec.
• Yuku stopped to confront Toltec, drank a jar of divine water, and readied himself for their fight.

Toltec and Yuku fought a formal duel until an arrow from Bertad wounded Yuku and saved Toltec. Zuangua fled into the jungle as Toltec pursued him, while the dying Yuku recalled the vanished Purepecha kingdom.

• Toltec and Yuku challenged each other to a duel and fought with their weapons until Yuku drove his spear into Toltec’s shield and forced the fight into close combat.
• Zuangua ordered his guards to attack, and Yuku pinned Toltec down and began to kill him with a copper axe.
• Bertad shot Yuku in the back, allowing Toltec to break free, and then killed one of the guards with another arrow.
• Yuku ordered Zuangua to flee, and after Bertad killed the last guard, the wounded king escaped into the woods.
• Toltec recognized Zuangua as a valuable captive and pursued him while Bertad stayed with the dying Yuku.
• Yuku told Toltec he was a loyal hound dying before his master and murmured about the vanished Purepecha people.

Bertad and Toltec captured Zuangua, the king of Tarasco, and brought him alive to the Mexica camp as the campaign’s greatest prize. Toltec presented Zuangua to His Highness, while the victory and the Southern nobles’ support strengthened His Highness’s position.

• Bertad closed Yuku’s eyes and prepared to take his head, but Toltec arrived carrying the captured Zuangua.
• Toltec offered Zuangua’s capture to Bertad, who urged him to share the credit with Kuluka and Ezpan’s Spear Legion.
• Bertad knocked Zuangua unconscious, had his neck wound bandaged, and led the army north with Toltec guarding the prisoner.
• Bertad met Kozat of the Southern Advance Legion, who said His Highness’s forces were searching for the missing Tarasco king and conveyed the Weasel Family’s support for His Highness.
• Toltec carried Zuangua into the commander-in-chief’s tent and presented the Tarasco king to His Highness as his sacred prey.

Xolotl’s army confirmed that the captive was Zuangua, king of Tarasco, and celebrated its victory with a series of toasts. Xolotl elevated Toltec to Chief Falcon Warrior and pledged to expand the Alliance, while Zuangua awoke amid the cheering.

• Xolotl summoned Oltar and Ospai, who identified the captive as Zuangua, king of Tarasco.
• The generals erupted in celebration, and Xolotl toasted the gods, the king, the warriors, and Toltec for capturing Zuangua.
• Xolotl named Toltec Chief Falcon Warrior, and Toltec toasted Kuluka and Ezpan for the central army’s part in the victory.
• Xolotl honored the fallen warriors and Ixtli praised his leadership, urging him to help govern the lake region and lead future conquests.
• Xolotl promised the generals a vast future for the Alliance and toasted his ambitions as Zuangua woke to the sound of their cheers.

Chiwako led Puapu and a band of Tarasco militiamen through the aftermath of the rout, where they defeated a small Mexica scouting party and captured Nekali. As the kingdom neared collapse, Chiwako persuaded Puapu to seek favor with the Mexica and released Nekali with a letter token, sending the two groups toward separate futures.

• Chiwako woke Puapu and organized the surviving militiamen and scattered defeated soldiers to leave their refuge before dawn.
• Nekali led a small band of Mexica scouts in an attack on Puapu’s group, but Chiwako rallied the militiamen into a spear formation and they captured Nekali.
• Puapu told Chiwako that the capital would soon fall and that its nobles and priests would likely bargain with the Mexica.
• Chiwako urged Puapu to earn merit with the Mexica, and Puapu gave him a jade token and agreed to seek a post guarding the south gate.
• Chiwako secretly offered Nekali a chance to help save the lake district, gave him a letter token, and released him.
• Nekali and the Tarasco militiamen exchanged farewells and parted ways across the fields.

After the Mexica victory destroyed the Tarasco royal army, Xolotl presided over the battle’s funeral and sacrificial rites, then tried to persuade the captured king Zuangua to surrender Tzintzuntzan. Zuangua refused Xolotl’s terms, and the Mexica legions surrounded the capital, leaving the kingdom on the brink of defeat.

• Xolotl led the Mexica warriors through rites honoring their dead and sacrificing captured Tarasco soldiers after the bloody battle.
• Xolotl visited the drugged Zuangua and asked him to persuade Tzintzuntzan to surrender in exchange for having his requests considered.
• Zuangua demanded that one branch of the royal bloodline be preserved and enfeoffed in the southwest, but Xolotl refused.
• Zuangua raged at Xolotl and Bertad, then fell asleep again after a priest forced him to take medicine.
• The Mexica legions advanced to Lake Patzcuaro and surrounded Tzintzuntzan, while Tzinni struggled to restore order inside the capital.
• Xolotl arrived beneath Tzintzuntzan’s walls with Jaguar warriors and shooting troops as the Mexica campaign approached its final stage.

Shulot admired Tzintzuntzan and began a siege while waiting for Avet to arrive. Avet joined him outside the capital, renewed his command, and publicly named him successor to the throne.

• Shulot questioned Oltar and Ospai about the Yakata Pyramid and the city's defenses, then promised to respect the Purepecha heritage and praised the Land of the Lakes as a foundation for kingship.
• Nearly twenty thousand Mexica troops encircled Tzintzuntzan, built siege platforms, and cut the capital off while Chief Minister Tzinni sealed its gates and nobles negotiated in secret.
• Shulot waited in camp, meeting with surrendered generals and delaying an assault until a messenger announced Avet's arrival with ten thousand warriors.
• Shulot welcomed Avet, offered him the honor of victory and command, and received command of the Northern Army and the southern vanguard in return.
• Avet publicly declared Xolotl his successor, and the assembled generals prostrated themselves as Gilim watched from the crowd.

After the Northern Legion’s victories, Avet praised Xolotl, reaffirmed him as heir, and laid out their plans for the Tarasco lands. The two agreed on Xolotl’s expanded fief and preparations to take Tzintzuntzan City, while Avet prepared to return and fight the Tlaxcalan invasion.

• Avet celebrated the Northern Legion’s victories, praised Xolotl, and ordered the generals to prepare for the siege of Tzintzuntzan City.
• Avet visited the captive Zuangua, stopped the priest from forcing medicine down his throat, and declared that the Tarasco king would never see Avet’s future conquests.
• Avet recalled his first talks with Xolotl, reaffirmed him as the Alliance’s heir, and gave him Alisa’s letter and sachet.
• Avet assigned Xolotl a vast fief in the Land of the Lakes, including Tzintzuntzan City and Ihuatzio, and granted him the River Mouth Fortress and shipwrights after Xolotl requested them.
• Xolotl promised to share bronze-making techniques with Avet, and Avet explained that he would leave to confront the Tlaxcalan invasion.
• Xolotl revealed his secret contacts within Tzintzuntzan City, and Avet placed eight thousand warriors under his command for the coming assault.

Xolotl read a heartfelt letter from the young girl and promised to stay safe alongside Avet. In Tzintzuntzan, Puapu accepted the Mexica’s offer of hereditary nobility and planned with Chiwako to help the Mexica seize the city, agreeing to Chiwako’s further proposal.

• Xolotl read the young girl’s letter, treasured her lock of hair, and promised to be well together with Avet.
• Puapu examined the Mexica letter and Jade Talisman, learning that he was being offered a hereditary noble title.
• Chiwako told Puapu that the Mexica planned to enter the city the night after tomorrow, and Puapu revealed a hidden gate and a way to reopen the southern city gate.
• Puapu and Chiwako planned to win over the five hundred militiamen and assist the Mexica forces once their scouts entered the city.
• After Chiwako proposed another course of action, Puapu agreed and asked the Three Gods for forgiveness, while Chiwako said the Main God sheltered them.

Chiwako helped Puapu and Nekali’s Mexica forces infiltrate the capital through a hidden tunnel, where they seized control of the wall and prepared to open the city gate. The Mexica killed the garrison militiamen and began digging out the gate while Chiwako’s group waited for a patrol to approach.

• Chiwako hid Reed in a burrow, disguised his home as looted, and left with Weizti and the other old militiamen.
• Chiwako met Puapu at the south gate, where they waited for the Mexica as Ayuli went outside to guide them in.
• Nekali and the Mexica scouts entered through the hidden tunnel, and more than a hundred warriors gathered inside the city.
• Puapu led the Mexica to the militiamen’s houses, and Nekali ordered his warriors to kill everyone inside.
• Nekali sent warriors to dig out the city gate while Chiwako suggested they wait in a nearby house, where they staged a drinking gathering.
• A squad of night patrolmen approached the house with torches.

Puapu and Nekali’s Mexica warriors opened the southern gate of Tzintzuntzan after killing Yupier’s patrol, and Xolotl ordered his forces to seize the capital’s key sites. The Mexica army poured into the city as Xolotl launched the assault on the royal palace and declared the Tarasco capital nearly conquered.

• Puapu lured Yupier and his patrol into a house with promises of wine while Nekali and the Mexica warriors waited to attack.
• A Tarasco recruit noticed suspicious activity at the southern gate, but the old militiaman killed him before he could raise the alarm.
• Nekali’s warriors slaughtered the patrol, and Puapu failed to convince Yupier to surrender before Nekali killed him.
• Mexica warriors dug open the southern gate, signaled Xolotl, and let several hundred troops seize the entrance.
• Xolotl sent Toltec toward the royal palace, Olorosh against the Tecos camp, Ixtli to the other gates, and other commanders to secure the city’s camps, roads, treasury, nobles, and temples.

Mexica forces invaded Tzintzuntzan, and Black Wolf Toltec led the vanguard through the city toward the Palace of Wind. As the attackers fought the palace defenders, Puapu prepared to carry out a hidden plan with Chiwako and a dozen trusted militiamen.

• Puapu guided Toltec and a thousand Mexica vanguard warriors through the open city gate toward the Palace of Wind.
• Toltec routed Tarasco militia and Tecos fighters along the way, leaving some Tecos to be handled by reinforcements.
• The vanguard fought through the districts of craftsmen and nobles, killing defenders as it advanced toward the palace.
• Tarasco archers and palace warriors met Toltec's force with volleys of arrows and a spear formation at the Palace of Wind.
• Puapu kept the palace's defenses and the Chief Minister's and royal heir's locations secret while Chiwako led trusted militiamen to him.
• Puapu agreed to leave with Chiwako and his men as the battle raged outside the palace.

As the Mexica attacked Tarasco’s capital, Tzinni entrusted Prince Shatini and the kingdom’s inheritance to Puapu, who revealed he had betrayed the city. Chiwako killed Tzinni for revenge, and the group fled with Shatini, the Chief Minister’s head, and the royal valuables, heading for the east gate.

• Puapu confessed that he had lost the southern gate after someone let the Mexica into the city, and Tzinni forgave him and entrusted him with Prince Shatini and the royal valuables.
• Tzinni told Puapu to take Shatini to Colima so the prince could become a future heir, and he gave him a jade token and an enormous emerald for the great chief.
• Chiwako and the militiamen attacked the palace guards, and Puapu admitted he was a Mexica and urged Tzinni to surrender.
• Chiwako stabbed and killed Tzinni, citing the loss of his family, then cut off the Chief Minister’s head and took the emerald.
• Puapu knocked out Shatini, and Chiwako led the group through the palace’s rear passage as Toltec’s forces approached.
• Chiwako rejected Puapu’s plans to escape through the north or south gates and led everyone toward the east gate.

Chiwako and Puapu fled through the besieged capital with Prince Shatini and stolen valuables, but Kozat seized the prince while they escaped. They later encountered disciplined Spear Militia sealing the streets, and Chiwako approached them hoping they were allies.

• Chiwako disguised his men in black robes and led them away as Mexica warriors stormed the city and destroyed the Temple of the Three Gods.
• Chiwako and his men passed through looted noble and artisan districts, then fought Tecos raiders as they made for the eastern gate.
• Kozat stopped the group, recognized Prince Shatini, and demanded their valuables; Chiwako threw down the baskets and fled with his men, leaving the prince behind.
• Chiwako decided the eastern and western gates were likely sealed and led the group back toward the southern commoner district to find their families.
• Chiwako and Puapu approached a disciplined Spear Militia unit with a wooden plaque, but the soldiers raised their copper spears and closed in.

As the Alliance captured the Tarasco capital, Ezpan escorted Chiwako and Puapu to Xolotl with news of a royal prince and a huge emerald. Xolotl rewarded the gate-openers, seized on Ezpan’s proposal to turn the gem into a symbol of his rule, and learned that Chiwako had brought the Tarasco chief minister as well.

• Ezpan recognized Chiwako and Puapu as Alliance agents after they presented a scout token and Xolotl’s jade token, and agreed to take them to Xolotl.
• Xolotl received reports of the capital’s fall, including the capture of a prince and craftsmen, the fires at the temples, and the ongoing search for Tarasco royals.
• Chiwako and Puapu reported that they had taken Prince Shatini from the Palace of Wind but lost him and their valuables to a defending general at the eastern gate.
• Xolotl confirmed the agents’ merit for opening the southern gate, promised them hereditary titles and rewards, and accepted a huge emerald from Chiwako.
• Ezpan proposed making the emerald into a Divine Staff to strengthen Xolotl’s claim to rule, and Xolotl promised to promote him to hereditary nobility.
• Chiwako revealed that his blood-soaked bundle contained the Tarasco chief minister.

After Tarasco’s capital fell, Xolotl tested Ospai’s loyalty and questioned Chiwako about the Chief Minister’s death. He rewarded Chiwako and his comrades, then hinted that Chiwako would soon make two long journeys south.

• Chiwako presented the severed head of Chief Minister Tzinni, and Xolotl asked Ospai to identify him and recommend what should be done with him.
• Ospai recognized Tzinni, asked that his dignity be preserved by burning his remains, and swore loyalty to Xolotl.
• Xolotl learned that Tzinni’s final message concerned the Colima mountains, a great chieftain, noble bloodline, and Prince Shatini.
• Chiwako explained that Tzinni’s conscription had destroyed his family and village, and that he had helped the Alliance capture the city to avenge them and spare commoners further suffering.
• Xolotl declared Chiwako and Puapu meritorious officials, promised Chiwako peace, status for his comrades, and a search for his son, then asked about Chiwako’s swimming ability.
• Xolotl told Chiwako he would make two long journeys in the near future, while looking toward the south.

After the Mexica pacified Tzintzuntzan, Shulot oversaw the forced conversion of the city's people and captives before Avet enfeoffed Xolotl as king of the Land of the Lakes. The ceremony ended with the Mexica acclaiming Xolotl as priest-king.

• Shulot celebrated the fall of Tzintzuntzan, reprimanded Toltec for failing to capture the Tarasco prince, and sent him to search with Chiwako and Puapu.
• Shulot ordered Bertad to restore order and prepare a conversion ceremony and enfeoffment for five days later.
• Avet declared the Tarasco Kingdom defeated, and Mexica priests and soldiers forced captured warriors and city residents to convert to Huitzilopochtli.
• Avet proclaimed himself king of all under heaven and granted the Land of the Lakes to Xolotl as his fief.
• Avet gave Xolotl Tarasco's sacred staff and named him king of the Land of the Lakes, and the crowd hailed him as priest-king.

Xolotl and Avet reviewed the Western Expedition’s casualties, population losses, and the forces available in Xolotl’s fief. Avet prepared to return east, leaving Xolotl to consolidate the west while the Alliance recovered before confronting Tlaxcala.

• Avet explained that Acambaro State had surrendered and proposed reducing its nobles’ privileges while reclaiming half of its militiamen for Xolotl.
• Avet offered Xolotl twenty thousand surrendered militiamen from Zitacuaro, and Xolotl agreed to take them after conversion and reorganization.
• Xolotl counted roughly three hundred thousand people and sixty thousand able-bodied men under his direct control, while Avet described the sparse populations of neighboring fiefs.
• Avet and Xolotl compared the enormous casualties and supply costs of the Western Expedition, and Xolotl said he would focus on integrating the Purepecha people.
• Avet reported that Penguari had unified the Lake Chapala region and submitted to the Alliance, then told Xolotl to govern the west while the Alliance recovered for a future war against Tlaxcala.