Presented Below is a modification to the rules in Wolves Upon the Coast, replacing Boasting with Carving Stelae, a process based heavily upon Ancient Maya practices in the Classic Period. The post is split into two main parts: The Inspiration, which details the context in which stela were perceived in their time as well as this one, and The Rules, which lays out the mechanics and provides guidance on how to implement this in a game. The Appendix provides additional reading material related to the Ancient Maya.

Summary

• The Inspiration
  • The History
  • The Cultural Legacy of Stela
• The Rules
• Appendix

The Inspiration

The History

For a period of about 600 years, the ancient Maya frequently created stelae, large monolithic structures that commemorated the passing of certain events and anniversaries. The end of certain cycles within the Maya Long Count, the anniversaries of important cultural events, marriages, death, and even warfare were commemorated by stelae, normally depicting the Maya noble that oversaw the anniversary.

From what we understand from our precious few remaining Maya books and histories, the religious practices of the Classic Period Maya were very interested in cycles, and put a lot of effort into finding these cycles in the stars and political events. They commemorated a lot of these events via stela (and presumably books, although most were destroyed) and viewed events that happened on the ends and beginnings of these cycles as particularly important.

It's worth noting as well that stelae were linked to a specific type of divine kingship. The stelae were probably part of a greater effort by the kings to solidify and embody their power through architecture. The Postclassic Maya Period is marked by a decided decrease in the presence of stelae and a general loss of confidence in the institution of the divine kingship. While the Postclassic Maya still maintained social stratification, stelae had faded into disuse by the time the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica.

The Cultural Legacy of Stelae

In modern times, indigenous people in the Maya area have readopted stelae as a symbol of resistance and remembrance for colonization and Spanish occupation¹. There are many living Maya people still living and practicing their religion in the region and its important that we recognize and understand Stelae are a part of their cultural legacy. As someone who is not an indigenous Maya or from Mesoamerica, it would be incredibly arrogant to assume that my understanding is complete and that I have a right to speak at length on the topic. If you research this topic further, please center indigenous scholars/voices and ethnographic accounts in the conversation. One OSR blogpost cannot communicate the depth of culture that exists in the region.

The Rules

To gain HD or increase their attack bonus, a player may make a Stela. Stelae are physical markers of a great deed; the footsteps of great heroes leave Stelae in their wake.

Making a Stela takes a night of rest and must include the name of the character, their deed, and the date on which it was performed. During the night on which the Stela is made, the player does not get any benefits from rest.

Stelae must be displayed in a public place in order to grant their benefits. If a stelae is destroyed intentionally, the character loses the benefit from the one destroyed until the culprit is found and punished.

Stelae commemorate mighty deeds, anniversaries, and cosmic events. Here is a non-exhaustive list of things that would demand planting a Stela²:

• Celebrating a holiday via legendary drunken revelry
• Great martial skill on the first or last day of the month
• Performing a great deed for the 2nd time one named interval of time after the 1st time. (e.g. slaying a second vampire a week/nundine/fortnight/lunar month/lustre/K'Atun after slaying the first)
• Watching a God die.
• Destroying all the stelae of a tyrant.
• Observing the turning of an Age.

Stelae may be made from any material, so long as the following conditions are true:

• The material is directly related to a deed performed by the player. The femur of a foe would count, but a nearby tree from the battlefield would not. This does not apply to stelae where this would be impossible, like those made in commemoration of holidays or major calendrical dates. Use common sense.
• The deed is not a repeat of another, unless:
  • The deed occurred a named interval of time after the original deed

Planting Stela into the world

The versatility of the stela system is that these external structures surrounding them can be supplanted for essentially anything. There might not be any restrictions on stela construction in a town; the cobblestones in the road are the long-eroded tops of stela from ages past. There might be a deeply ceremonial and cultural importance to stela, requiring a ceremony or some other sort of ritual before planting one. There might be a specific stela garden or other plot of land you must rent a slot in which to plant your stelae. If tying stelae to currency is interesting to you (which I predict it might be), you should take a gander at Gin's Keep 'Em Broke, which details several ways to separate Gold from XP and keep players scrabbling for currency. Most of these can be tied to stela in some way, but I'd implore you to look at slotting stela (and thus advancement) in a place that doesn't require currency.

Appendix

• The Maya: 10th Edition by Michael D. Coe and Stephen Houston. The most recent edition of the regular compilation of Ancient Maya knowledge, drawing from ethnography and archaeology. Start here. Previous editions are probably available online for free on the Internet Archive, but the quality of the 10th edition printing was well worth the purchase for me.
• Popol Vuh a text of the K'iche' Maya people of the Guatemalan highlands, detailing their history and mythology. Depending on the translation, it's a very accessible read. Several translations are available both for free and for purchase online.
• Various academics have been publishing papers regarding new excavations in the region, but one in particular stands out as particularly exciting. Takeshi Inomata has released work regarding the previously-unknown site of Aguada Fenix, the largest known Maya site so far. Excavations are ongoing and publications are gradually coming out. The next few years look incredibly bright for the field in the future.

1. :In my archaeology class, my professor showed us several pictures of modern recreations of stela, saying (essentially) the thing I have described above. I've been unable to find a good source to corroborate this in either English or Spanish. If anyone can find a source to corroborate this, I'll be happy to link it here :)↩

2. : These deeds are intentionally presented as somewhat difficult to attain due to the trivial time requirements, but this does not necessarily need to be the case.↩