K'uk'ulkan
The K'uk'ulkan (both singular and plural) is an Elder race in the world of Arknights.
Overview
| “ | She is Liberi, she is Phidia. She rides with the wind and dances with the stars. She is the last Elder still blessed by the heavens. | ” |
| —An ancient quote of the K'uk'ulkan, mentioned by Jara[1] |
The K'uk'ulkan have the traits of the Feathered/Plumed Serpent in Mesoamerican mythologies and are named after the Mayan Plumed Serpent. True to this fact, they have the physical traits of both Liberi and Pythia: avian feathers on their heads and a serpentine tail, resulting in them often being mistaken as of either race.[1][2]
As one of the Elder races of Terra originating from Sargon, K'uk'ulkan were said to possess Arts that could manipulate the weather. In many legends, they are described to be the "rulers" of the sky, in which they were said to possess the power of flight. Thanks to their Elderly bloodline, they have an elongated lifespan that allows them to live for several centuries.[3]
However, the K'uk'ulkan practiced a cruel culture for four centuries (c.a. the 6th century). Upon birth, a young K'uk'ulkan had to undergo a magical "surgery", unrelated to Arts, in which they are forced to have their collective ancestral memories implanted into their brains. Even though they proudly see this ritual as a ceremony of "heritage" from their ancestors, it drastically reduces their lifespan as a grave consequence due to the permanent damage to their brains.[3] In the present era, only a handful of K'uk'ulkan still remains, and they have lost much of their ancestral traits due to their ritual.
Notable
 |
Trivia
- The Feathered Serpent is often associated with astrology, divination, and the sky, hence the K'uk'ulkan' legendary past associated with the sky and the weathers.
- The inhumane ritual practiced among the K'uk'ulkan alludes to the culture of human sacrifice practiced by ancient Mayans such as the notorious heart removal.
References
|