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[ENG] Campaign: El Dorado #1 Slash and Burn · Start the game already!

0:18
Welcome back to another campaign series.
0:22
I'm looking forward to this one. It's been quite some time since
0:26
I've done one. There is a good reason for why
0:28
I'm doing this now though. Multiple reasons, in fact.
0:32
First, while you are listening to this, I am somewhere in
0:35
Japan, probably in Fukuoka and enjoying sushi or maybe with a
0:40
bit of luck the cherry blossom trees.
0:43
I don't know, but I didn't want you, dear listener, to go for an
0:47
entire month without a podcast, which is why I pre produced
0:52
these upcoming 5 campaign episodes.
0:55
The second reason is that I was playing the last Chieftain
0:59
campaigns anyway to be able to talk about the DLC in various
1:03
podcasts, so I wanted to put the spotlight on one of those.
1:08
And I chose the newly released Muiska campaign called El
1:12
Dorado, which has nothing to do with the former Inca campaign
1:16
and is also controversial when it comes to the its historical
1:19
background because, well, there hardly isn't any.
1:24
Instead, the developers chose to merge mythology with historical
1:28
battles and I thought that sounded like a lot of fun.
1:33
It's also the last of the three campaigns I have yet to finish
1:36
because I've already played the 2P and Mapuche campaigns and
1:41
also the newly designed Inca campaign.
1:44
So there you go, this is how I ended up doing this campaign
1:47
series and I can tell you this much, this will be a lot of fun.
1:51
Starting today I will publish 1 episode per day until the
1:55
campaign is finished. So 5 days of campaigns.
1:59
This way you'll have daily podcasts to look forward to and
2:02
I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do.
2:04
Playing the campaign right now. This campaign has three swords
2:08
and is therefore rated as difficult, which is going to
2:12
mean a lot of trouble because I already struggled with a few
2:14
missions from the other two campaigns which were rated only
2:18
one and two swords. As always with the newer
2:21
campaigns, I'm playing on legendary difficulty.
2:25
Before we get started, let me give you a little bit of
2:27
context. In the centuries before the
2:30
arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, the central
2:33
Highlands of present day Colombia were ruled by Zakis,
2:38
which are the northern Muska confederation leaders, and
2:42
Zipas, which are the leaders of the southern territories.
2:46
Other areas were ruled by Cathy Kis, one of which was the ruler
2:50
of Ramiriki. The North and South had
2:54
conflicts, and that's where the campaign is set.
2:57
The Southern Confederation included most of the Muska
3:00
population and held greater economic power.
3:04
The NT was ruled by the Zaki and had its capital in Hunza.
3:09
Although both areas had common political relations and
3:12
affinities and belonged to the same tribal nation, the Muska
3:17
rivalries still existed between them.
3:20
Every tribe within the confederation was ruled by a
3:22
chief or a catheque. Most of the tribes were part of
3:26
the Muska ethnic group, sharing the same language and culture
3:29
and forming relations through trade.
3:32
The army was the responsibility of the Zipa or the Zakhe and
3:36
Guecha warriors. The traditional ancient warriors
3:39
of the Muska made-up most of the military.
3:43
The protagonist of this campaign is Pakanchike, who is a person
3:47
in the folklore of the Muska. He was definitely not a real
3:51
person, but as mythology tells us, he is said to have lived
3:56
during the reign of Quem Wencha Tocha, the leader of the
4:00
Northern Muska confederation at the end of the 15th century.
4:04
Paganchique's fiance Azai is said to have been kidnapped by
4:08
Quemencha Tocha, and Paganchique did everything to get her back,
4:13
eventually even leading the Spanish conquistadors to Hunza
4:17
to beat Quemencha Tocha. This conflict between Krewe
4:21
Chatocha and Pakanchika is inspiration for what's happening
4:24
in the campaign. However, it tells a different
4:27
and even more dramatic story. It uses the mythological figure
4:32
of Pakanchika and puts him into historical events to serve as a
4:36
narrative threat that leads us through the Muiska conflicts
4:40
between the North and the South. Serving the sake the ruler of
4:44
the northern Muiska is no simple task, especially when a
4:48
farmer's. Dull blood.
4:50
Flows through your veins instead of the nobles bright karma.
4:54
Yet I do my best and as I say often like to remind me I do
4:59
possess some talent pleaser hull.
5:02
In just a few years I've risen from a mere guard to the first
5:05
commander of the royal heir. Partly I'm sure due to the
5:10
strings they say has pulled within the palace.
5:12
It certainly helps that my beloved has connections at both
5:16
Royal Courts, but more importantly, it's because the
5:20
Sakis Air has come to depend on me.
5:23
You see, this should fill me with pride.
5:26
And it would. If the air was someone else,
5:30
someone honourable, someone, anyone but Kem Wensha torture,
5:35
there is a profound darkness in his heart.
5:39
We all see it when he lashes out at his servants and devises
5:42
plans to conquer our peaceful neighbors.
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The only one blind to it is his uncle.
5:50
The Saki may rule for decades more, yet I already dread the
5:54
day when Kem Wencha Torcha receives his gold dusting.
5:59
Still, it's pointless to dwell on the uncertainties of the
6:03
future, for the gods have already set a path for us.
6:08
I can only pray that the Saki will allow me, a farmer's son,
6:13
to marry a noble courtier. Perhaps after I help repel this
6:18
invasion, I can finally get his blessing to marry.
6:21
Essay It promises to be the bloodiest in living memory. 10s
6:26
of thousands of warriors are converging on the city of
6:29
Chocontar. From the South, the Sepa marches
6:33
with his formidable nephew and heir, Nemekenny.
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From the north come the Saki Kem Wencha, Torcha and I both the
6:43
excitement of the upcoming battle and the dread of the
6:45
inevitable bloodshed keep me up at night.
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I hold. I say close before saying my
6:51
goodbyes. As we March out of the palace,
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Kemwencha Torcha pulls me aside. This is our moment, Pakanchika.
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He says. I can feel it.
7:01
Something in his voice, or perhaps the smirk on his face as
7:06
he says it, sends shivers down my spine.
7:09
Let's set the stage for the first mission.
7:12
We are Pakanchike commander under the rule of the Zakhe, who
7:17
is the ruler of the Northern Mwiska.
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The Zakhe has a nephew called Quemencha Tocha, who is also
7:25
considered to be the Zakhe's heir.
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We are at war with the Zipa, who is the leader of the Southern
7:31
Mwiska, and it seems like the conflict is mostly stirred up by
7:35
Quemencha Tocha, who has once again convinced his uncle the
7:38
Zakhe to wage war against the South.
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The commander of the Southern Muska is called Nemeckene, and
7:45
he is basically the counterpart of Kuomen Chatocha on the
7:49
southern side, which is why he's our main enemy.
7:52
In the first mission, we've been given a respectable army of
7:55
champion runners and a few slingers, as well as our
7:58
protagonist himself, the Hiro unit Pakanchika, who increases
8:02
the armor of nearby military units by a + 1 + 1.
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And he's pretty damn strong, with tasks to take out three
8:10
generals of Nemekene's Vanguard who have set camp on our side of
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the river. The Sepa's forces have already
8:19
crossed the river. You must deal with them quickly,
8:22
packing Chique, and prove that my trust in you was not
8:25
misplaced. To make things worse, Nemekene
8:28
is mocking us. Are these the leaders the gods
8:34
have given our northern rival? A farmer?
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A coward and a scheming weasel. My, you truly are doomed.
8:44
Before we engage his army, we get some reinforcements.
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These two tribes have offered us their services, my Chieftain.
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We should decide which of them we want to recruit.
8:55
The Kimbaya of other pikemen and the Guayupa, they're Archers.
9:00
Given that this is a South American campaign, I kind of
9:04
felt like the pikemen would be a bit of a waste because I'm not
9:07
expecting any cavalry units, so I went with The Archers.
9:13
This tribe will now fight for us.
9:16
It's time to get into our first battle.
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The enemy has similar units to us but in less numbers.
9:23
However, there are patrols coming in and putting up a good
9:26
fight still after killing the first commander.
9:29
We have killed one of the Vanguard's commanders.
9:32
Keep it up man. Now McKenna surprises by making
9:36
an offer that seems very tempting.
9:38
I must admit that you are quite capable for a farmer Bakanchike,
9:43
far more than those wastes of breath you serve.
9:47
If only I had a commander like you, I could make short work of
9:51
this parasital maniac. He too wants to end this battle
9:56
and he sees our worth. Well, no time to think about
9:59
that. He's still our enemy, so we're
10:01
quickly getting rid of the patrols and the station generals
10:04
and claim the camps for us. The vanguard breaks and flees.
10:09
Now the real battle begins. The Seeper hides in a Mckenney's
10:14
main camp. Only by killing him can we end
10:17
this war for good. Set up camp and join me in the
10:20
attack. With this first victory in our
10:23
hand, we are allowed to set up a base.
10:26
We're given 500 food, 500 wood, 400 gold and 100 stone, but we
10:31
will need a robust economy and a great army to fight back the
10:35
Mckenna's bases and to defeat their leader, the Zipper.
10:39
In the very EI bought myself another 100 stone and built 2
10:44
town centres to get a little boom going for my food income.
10:47
I harvested food from deer and top years before transitioning
10:51
into farms. I upgraded my champion runners
10:54
to Champion Warriors and researched pretty much every
10:57
upgrade available to me. We're starting in the Castle age
11:00
and can't go up to the Imperial Age, and we're sadly also capped
11:05
at 125 pop space, so I decided that 69 villagers needed to be
11:11
enough. I've also scouted stone deposits
11:13
close to Kuomen Chatocha space and decided that I'm probably
11:18
going to make better use of it, so I collected that in order to
11:21
build the defensive castle. From my castle, I can train
11:25
Guecha warriors who are skirmishers that regenerate HP
11:29
over time, and also Guayupa Bowman foot Archers with fast
11:34
movement speed, but I'm limited to only having 15 of them at a
11:37
time to make my champion warriors and Archers even
11:41
faster. I can research herbalism as my
11:44
unique technology of the castle age.
11:46
Meanwhile, Kuomencha Tocha proves to be a terrible leader.
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I hear evil whisperings among our warriors, Uncle.
11:55
Our enemies crumble before a mere commoner, yet the Sakis too
11:59
afraid to face them himself. We must act decisively lest
12:04
these treasonous ideas take root.
12:06
You are right as always Kim Wincha Torcha.
12:09
I will lead the charge across the river and dispel with these
12:13
foul rumours with me, my warriors.
12:17
Very good, uncle, very good. He manipulated the Zakah, his
12:23
very own uncle, into an attack and the Zakah was too naive and
12:29
maybe too proud to question him. What is this Nemecanis?
12:35
Men are everywhere. I thought we had the upper hand.
12:39
The poor Zakah and his troops were overwhelmed and defeated.
12:44
The Zakah has fallen. This is a black day for our
12:48
people, yet we must take comfort that he died a hero's death.
12:53
Let us avenge his murder and kill the Sepa.
12:57
With the Zakah dead, Cuomencha Torcha takes over and rallies
13:01
his troops to kill the Zika. The leader of the enemy
13:05
Nemecena's troops, however, used this opportunity to take over
13:09
the north of our base from where the Zakah had launched his
13:13
futile attack. The enemy now has a nice vantage
13:16
point over us and keeps sending units to attack us.
13:19
This begs the question whether Kuomencha Tocha is actually fit
13:23
to be a leader. Despicable Nemekene may have
13:27
held the knife, but it was. Kemwencha Tocha, who pushed?
13:30
The saki onto it. It makes me wonder, am I
13:34
fighting for the wrong side? For now, he is our leader and we
13:38
need to take back the city in the north.
13:41
In order to do so, we have to damage the castle they took
13:44
over. However, the attacks launched
13:47
from there and Nekene seemed to be just as bad of a leader as my
13:51
own Lord because he sent his troops right into the castle of
13:55
Koran Chatocha. However, he has the right
13:58
intentions despite being our enemy.
14:01
Our northern brothers deserve a just ruler, not a vile preacher
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like him. When Chatocha soon I will unite
14:10
both North and South under my rule, and our people will
14:15
finally know peace. I really can't blame the guy, he
14:19
wants to end the bat, the battles and Comancha Tocha on
14:22
the other side is the one stirring the fire.
14:25
The McKenna is determined to win and unite the Mawiska, so he
14:29
starts attacking me as well. I had to repel some attacks from
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the east coming straight to my base, which was quite
14:36
distracting to be honest and made me want to wall at least
14:39
parts of my base to my castle. I also realized that he has some
14:44
Kembaya pikeman, so it does seem that he was able to convince the
14:49
other tribe to ally with them. You know, the ones from the very
14:53
beginning of the mission where he could choose between Pikeman
14:55
and Bowman. I have found another useful tool
14:57
for us. There is a commander in
15:00
Nemakini's retinue who is, shall we say, partial to the finer
15:04
things in life. We should bribe him to hold back
15:08
the enemy siege units for a while.
15:10
Komen Chatocha does not hold back when it comes to fighting
15:13
dirty and he proposes to bribe the enemy siege commander for
15:17
800 gold, which is actually not much considering I had a free
15:22
boom. So I went ahead and took that
15:24
opportunity. And just like that, we have rid
15:27
the battlefield of enemy siege weapons.
15:31
How easy it is to break a man's spirit.
15:34
Give him a treat, tell him to bark, and watch him transform
15:38
into a loyal lap dog. With this successful bribe, the
15:42
enemy would delay attacking with their siege units, buying
15:46
ourselves 15 minutes before the enemy uses siege again.
15:50
This is a good time to attack Nemakenna I believe, and pave
15:53
our way to defeat the Zipa. Nemakenna relies heavily on his
15:57
minds in the area. If he destroyed them, it was
16:01
severely weakened our enemies. In order to weaken the enemy, I
16:05
can destroy their stone mining camps in the north and gold
16:08
mining camps in the South. Getting to the gold was easy,
16:12
especially since we use some of the technology that was left
16:15
behind the commanders we defeated in the beginning.
16:18
The enemy vanguard left behind plans for an advanced siege
16:21
weapon. We should use this for
16:24
ourselves. With these blueprints, we were
16:26
able to build capped ramps. Despite being in the Castle Age,
16:30
these Rams proved extremely useful when battering down the
16:33
stone walls and towers protecting the gold mines.
16:36
Without his gold mines, NA Mckenney will struggle to train
16:39
enough soldiers to combat us. To get to the stone, however, I
16:43
first had to reclaim the north, which turned out to be just as
16:47
easy because the castle is placed at the edge of the base
16:51
and once that castle is almost down, the ghost just goes
16:55
straight back to us. From there I went to destroy the
16:58
stone mining camps past the river where the Zaki had fallen
17:01
in the north. We have demolished nemechanic
17:05
stone mines. Now he can no longer rebuild
17:08
what we destroy. This is a huge advantage because
17:12
now the real push on the enemy can begin.
17:15
I do want to point out though, just how annoying
17:18
Kuomintchatorcha is. He claims that we destroyed the
17:23
mines, but he was nowhere to be seen during that attack.
17:27
He is supposed to be the leader in all of this.
17:30
He's the reason why we're doing this campaign in the 1st place
17:33
against the McKenna and the Zipa.
17:36
But he's not really taking charge.
17:39
Instead, only after I take a position like the stone mines,
17:43
he begins to build a couple of military buildings.
17:46
Almost like he's mocking me. The McKenna however is smarter.
17:51
While I'm attacking in the north, they might attack my base
17:55
in the South and I lose half of my villages because I didn't
17:58
want to send my army back. But I was also pop captain,
18:01
couldn't build new army to be honest, I had resources for days
18:05
and my army was maxed out so there was no point in rebooming
18:10
anyway. Instead, I used the freed up pop
18:13
space to build even more siege weapons.
18:16
With this force, I steamrolled through the fortress of
18:18
Nemekenna and destroyed the Zeepa castle standing in the
18:22
middle of it. The Zeepa's corpse rots in the
18:26
baking sun. He should be proud.
18:29
Pakanchike. Never have I had such a useful
18:32
tool. Is this what the gods have
18:35
ordained for me? To serve a man who.
18:38
Would murder his own uncle for power.
18:41
I should abandoned him and serve Nemekenna instead.
18:44
He seems a more honourable master.
18:46
But if Kim Wencher torture finds out that Asay and I are lovers,
18:51
he might take out his revenge on her.
18:54
I would rather die than see her harmed.
18:57
Yet I I I cannot stand serving a man like him.
19:01
Somehow I must choose. Well, this is a dilemma, isn't
19:06
it? I do not want my future wife to
19:10
be in danger, but then again, Quermenchatacha proved to be
19:14
terribly incompetent and arrogant, whereas Nemekenna
19:18
impressed me with a nice counter attack and a very beautifully
19:21
built city. Ultimately, I decided that
19:25
fighting in the name of an heir that will only bring death to
19:28
the region is unethical. So in the hopes of a better
19:32
future, I will change sides and serve Nemekenna.
19:35
No, I cannot let him corrupt me. I will find a way to protect a
19:41
safe from afar. What Kemun Chatocha did to our
19:45
sake is unforgivable. Let us break camp and join with
19:49
Nemekenny. We will not serve this murderer
19:52
a minute longer. I believe that was the right
19:55
choice. I really don't like Kemun
19:57
Chatocha and would rather have him be my enemy than talk down
20:02
to me and call me a tool. Nemecane on the other side is
20:05
strong willed and seems to have honour.
20:08
I can only hope this wasn't a facade, but his true nature.
20:18
Our moment. That's how he described it, and
20:22
in a way it was not for the countless warriors who perished.
20:27
His nameless expendable pawns sacrificed for reasons unknown
20:31
to them. No, not for them.
20:34
But for him, in a single decisive move, Kim Wencha Torcha
20:39
burned down the leadership of both the North and South.
20:43
From the blackened soil, he will forge his empire.
20:47
Now he is being crowned at the heart of Lake Guatavita.
20:51
For a brief moment, he is El Dorado, the golden one, until
20:56
the ceremonial gold dust is washed away.
20:59
In a few days, Nemecane will undergo the same ritual, being
21:03
sworn in as the new leader of the South.
21:06
Our mode. Yes, it was decisive for me as
21:11
well. He was right about that too.
21:14
There is no turning back. I can only hope that I chose the
21:18
right side for a say's sake. Quemenchatacha got what he
21:23
longed for and succeeded as the Zakhe.
21:26
His rival in the South, La McKenna, has been named the new
21:29
Zipper, so it's clear that the conflict between the North and
21:32
South will live on. I enjoyed this mission because
21:36
there were a couple of design choices that I approve of.
21:39
First of all, starting in the Castle Age and giving me enough
21:42
resources to start a little boom increases the pace of the game
21:46
tremendously, and it's much needed because the attacks come
21:50
in pretty fast and in high numbers.
21:53
If you're not playing on legendary difficulty, you're
21:56
even getting more resources. The easier the difficulty, the
21:59
more resources you have at the beginning and up to 500 stone on
22:03
the easiest. The choice at the beginning,
22:05
whether you want the arches or Pikes, effects future scenarios
22:09
as well, because we'll be beginning each of the remaining
22:13
4 missions with some extra Guayuper Bowman.
22:17
I kind of regret not choosing the pikemen because they are
22:21
kind of like Kamauks with one range as I've now seen from my
22:25
enemy. So yeah.
22:26
So they are quite strong against infantry units and stacked very
22:30
well. Since the Mwiska are an arch of
22:32
civilization, I will also have great arbolesters anyway, so I
22:37
don't really need the Guayupa Bowman.
22:39
But this sadly is something I only realized after the mission,
22:43
so I'm going to stick with my decision.
22:45
I didn't like to be pop capped at 125 pop, but it does make
22:50
some sense, at least in two ways.
22:53
First, I am only a commander of part of the troops, so it's
22:56
plausible when it comes to storytelling.
22:59
Second, had I-200 pop space, this mission would have been way
23:04
too short because I only needed to full wall myself by a couple
23:08
of castles and once I reached 200 pop I could have steamrolled
23:12
the enemy. This way the enemy attacks had
23:15
an impact and I needed to think about my economy and military
23:19
balance. It seems like an artificial way
23:21
of prolonging the mission, and it probably is, but it felt kind
23:27
of right in the moment. What I really enjoyed was how
23:31
the mission succeeded in making Komencha Tocha a villain and
23:34
showing the struggle that Paganchiki is experiencing.
23:37
He's not just a cool hero unit in the game, which by the way
23:41
doesn't have any active ability like in the Three Kingdoms
23:44
heroes, but only a passive 1 which is increasing the armour
23:49
of close by units. I'm very happy that they changed
23:52
their approach on hero units in this DLC.
23:55
Paganchiki is also very relatable just thinking about
24:00
his motives. He wants peace and to be with
24:04
his love, but the political powers are making life very hard
24:07
for him. It was very unclear that what
24:09
would happen to Azai if I choose one or the other ending, which
24:14
is something I also enjoyed because it made me think twice
24:17
and really reflect on my protagonist character.
24:21
If I were in Pakanchinka's shoes, I'm not sure whether I
24:25
had the courage to make the same decision as I did within this
24:28
campaign, but I truly believed that Pakanchike would have
24:31
chosen the same. I was curious, however, what
24:35
Pakanchike were to say had I chosen to continue serving
24:39
Kuomintcha Tocha. So I reloaded the end of the
24:42
mission. No, I can risk my own life but
24:47
never assays. Let us.
24:51
Return to the capital man, the new sake is to be crowned and we
24:55
will all be honoured guests. Hearing that, I do feel sorry to
25:00
have chosen honor over my wife, but I don't regret it.
25:04
Would my wife want me to abandon my own people and let a power
25:09
hungry tyrant rule over them? Probably waging 1 pointless war
25:13
after another. Nah, I'm sure she understands.
25:17
However, if you read up on the decisions tab of the first
25:21
mission after completing it, it also reveals that Paganchika
25:26
keeps his relationship with Azai's secret in order to
25:29
protect her. The historical background of
25:32
this first mission seems to be the Battle of Kochonta in the
25:36
year 1490. The spark was the Zipa's
25:40
invasion of the territory of the Kasika of Guatavita, who was an
25:45
ally of the Zaki. When the Zakah demanded the Zipa
25:48
to cease his aggression, he was ignored, leading to an all out
25:52
declaration of war. The two armies met at Chokonta,
25:56
A strategic location that served as a border region between the
25:59
South and the north. According to indigenous accounts
26:03
passed down to Spanish chroniclers like Lucas Fernandez
26:07
de Piedrajita, the scale of the battle was massive.
26:11
For the time. The Zipas had sent approximately
26:15
50,000 Gweja warriors and the Zakis forces were about 60,000
26:20
warriors. The battle was famously brutal
26:23
and lasted only a few hours, but it's intensity was legendary.
26:28
The southern forces saw the Zipa's army eventually gained
26:31
the upper hand and routed the northern army.
26:34
However, the victory was bittersweet and hollow.
26:37
Zaki Michua was killed during the heat of the fighting.
26:41
Zipa Zaguamanchika survived the actual combat, but died shortly
26:46
after the battle ended, reportedly from wounds sustained
26:49
during the fight of the sheer exhaustion of the campaign.
26:53
It is true that after this battle, Nemekenny was made the
26:57
third Zipa and Kimenchatocha was made the next Zake at the age of
27:01
18 years only, which might explain why he's so eager to
27:05
fight without much thought. If you haven't heard me mention
27:09
the protagonist of the campaign, Pagan Chica, then you didn't
27:13
miss anything. He is a fictional character, not
27:16
a real person had therefore no part in this conflict.
27:20
He is just a narrative tool to put us as the player between the
27:24
front lines and choose one leader over the other.
27:27
We've also learned why the campaign is called El Dorado.
27:31
When a new zipper was crowned, he didn't just put on a hat, he
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was stripped, covered in sticky resin, and dusted from head to
27:38
toe in fine gold powder. He became a living golden
27:43
statue. He would board a ceremonial raft
27:46
in the middle of Lake Guertevita, surrounded by 4 high
27:49
priests, and dive into the cold water to offer golden emeralds
27:54
to the gods. When the Spanish heard rumors of
27:57
this gilded 1 El Dorado, the agreed sparked A frenzy that
28:02
would eventually bring this entire world crashing down.
28:05
But that, my friends, is a tale for another episode.
28:09
If you've enjoyed this one, then you're in luck.
28:12
The next one will be out tomorrow with episode 2 of the
28:16
Muiska campaign. If you haven't already and you
28:19
don't want to miss it, give this podcast a follow wherever you're
28:22
listening to just to make sure you won't miss out on any of the
28:26
other episodes. And with that, I'll catch you in
28:30
the next one.