16th century and onwards

[maddox]

Posting moved to this section of the forum.

1560.  After the death of the Great Unifier Sapa Inca Atahualpa  the Incan Empire stopped to expand, and the stagnating leadership of the 2 following Sapa Inca's, Tupac (named after his grandfather) and Roca II gave way to another century of civil wars.
The contenders for the throne in Cusco and the last stand in Machu Pichu are plentifull, and most are forgotten, or by lack of fame, or by succesfull erasure by the victors.

But one stands above all. In 1647, during an especialy strange solar year, a decendant of Inca Atahualpa, Manqu Qhapaq II,  made a last stand in the mighty mountain fortress of Machu Pichu. Inti, the Sun god answered the defenders desperate prayer, accepting the sacrifice, ordered Ayar Kachi to cause an earthquake. One that rattled the humongous stones of the fortress, and send mighty landslides, avalanges and lightning over and trough the besiegers army.
From there , the battles for the Incan Empire went to Manqu II.

Manqu II did prove a capable, even compassionate leader, and instituted several big changes. He loved exploring, but as the Sapa Inca he was unfortunatly restricted to the palaces designated to him.
His people claimed it was to keep him safe to avoid another round of civil war. He responded by sending his trustees, men and women to every corner they could reach, to tell him about the wonders of his empire. Most died in their goal to please the Sun appointed Emperor, but the ones that returned regaled him with the stories/knowledge he craved.
One result was the gilding of the central keep of Machu Pichu, and the Imperial quarters in Cusco*.
Another result was the establishment of "House of Lore Gathering and Knowledge Retention". (call it the university of Cusco :) )

During the civil wars, some changes in society came to be.
One of them was a even more egalitarian approach of male/female empowerment. Both sexes still have different "standard" roles, but cross overs are more common and accepted. Nobody bats an eye on a woman being a blacksmith, or a male being a midwife.  The only exception is the emperor. Whatever preferences he has, only a male can become Sapa Inca.   

Science. With the rule of Manqu, the thirst for knowledge was unquenchable. To please the Re-Unitifier, every bit of knowledge became important.
And with that, came the idea of proving "facts". Even a brief periode with a unknown plague didn't stop this quest for "measuring and proving". 

But alas. Manqu even favored by Inti, was mortal. He died in 1699, with 1 son as heir. Lloque Yupanqui II



* OOC , As the Inca's didn't had to pay for the ransom of their Inca Sapa to the Spanish, they had gold galore.  Using the imperial treasury to get a few 1000 artisans a stable income, and make buildings impervious to the weather....

[maddox]

With the 18th century in full swing, a new young Emperor who had extensive schooling at the House of Lore gathering, the quest for more knowledge increased to feverish levels.
Still limited to his Palaces Lloque used the same methode his father did, sending out envoys, messengers and similar to give him the knowledge of the world.

The well known Chasqui was a perfect start for these Heralds of the Emperor.
At first, these heralds were messengers with some extra duties, legal and royal. But with new additions of people with less stamina but more wisdom and/or pure curiosity a new service was created, the Lore Seekers. Some of these people still had the agility and stamina of the Chaqui, but most brought their own speciality to the mix.

In this exotic melange of people, and knowledge gained from outside the Empire, drastic changes in Inca technology were seen.  The wheel was a revelation. Draft animals, obtained at great cost from the Mayans. Iron making from the incredibly far away Shogunate (they kept the secret of steel well), glass and subsequent better mirrors and lenses.

Gunpowder. The incredible Wanu (Guano) deposits and the abundant sulfur reserves around the Andean Volcano's, combined with a virtualy limitless supply of charcoal from the Green Hell made this semi magical powder inevitable. It made the forming of farming terraces, building roads and mines, excavating stone and a lot of other things a lot easier.
And yes, bronze flintlock muskets were a huge aid in the military campagns agains the Green Hell demons and the Southern desert raiders. In short, a boon to the Incans. The yearly "Inti Welcoming feast" is a sight to behold, fireworks are the main offer to the Sun God. And the originators of the most spectacular (doesn't mean the biggest or loudest) fireworks will have the favor of the emperor for a year.

Bronze, already well known and readely available, made from the copper obtained from the Southern desert tribes outside of the border, and the tin from the Kamaq mine was the main metal for tools and utensils. Experiments yielded even stranger metals based on copper or tin. One found its base in hydrochloric acid dissolved emeralds combined with purified guano. This kind of bronze still is very expensive to make, due the time and chemicals needed, but is the near equivalent of the beter kinds of steel.

In short, even if it is the 20th century, In the Incan Empire bronze is still preffered to iron or steel, and steelmaking on a large scale is only a recent Industrial Achivement.

Medicine wasn't neglected. Coca is well known for the beneficial effects, surgery is a fine art. With the occasional "unknown plague" sweeping down , things like inoculation were reported and tested, but it all depends on which doktor, surgeon or other medical practitioner a person consults if the results are good or not.