Och-Kan

Och-Kan,^[3] also known as the Sacred Lord, was the lord of Cinder City and a tyrant who ruled over Natlan during the era of the Grand Alliance. He was overthrown by the Scarlet-Eyed Hero and his party of heroes.^[4]

Profile[]

Appearance[]

Och-Kan is said to be "half-human" with golden patterns on his face. He hated his visage, and after he was freed from imprisonment, he wore a mask to hide it. Over time, the single pupil visible through his mask became vertical.^[5] He is also said to have draconic features.

Story[]

Och-Kan was a prisoner of the dragons. Xbalanque, who hadn't yet ascended to become the first Pyro Archon at the time, showed him great compassion, so Och-Kan devoted himself to serving him after he was freed from imprisonment and accepted by his former tribe.^[5] He joined Xbalanque's party, and when they ran into Yupanqui, Och-Kan was the one who tricked him into a mire, humiliating him into joining them.^[1] During the war with the dragons, Och-Kan helped the human warriors decipher the Iridescent Inscriptions. He had learned these skills from the dragons and took great pleasure in using them against his enemies. However, his unconcealed hatred for the dragons concerned his allies.^[6]

After Xbalanque ascended to the divine throne, Och-Kan took the reins of authority in his stead and proclaimed himself the Sacred Lord. Though the people were awaiting Xbalanque's successor, Och-Kan believed that Xbalanque should remain the one and only god. He broke the commandments Xbalanque left behind regarding the peaceful coexistence of humans and dragons and established a city in which "heaven and earth were separated from one another."^[7]

During this time, the tribes handed over their authority to the Grand Alliance and the dragons were persecuted. Och-Kan banned the practice of offering live sacrifices and forbade people from worshipping the Night Kingdom in order to consolidate authority.^[8][9] used the Turnfire to oppress anyone who opposed him.^[3] His hatred of dragons only grew when he saw that his sole visible pupil was becoming vertical.^[5] His behavior grew increasingly erratic. He once ordered craftsmen from the tribes to excavate "gigantic beastly constructs" from underground and burned the ruins and anyone who knew of them after he probed their secrets.^[10]

Yupanqui disagreed with Och-Kan's actions, but couldn't bring himself to go against his sole surviving friend and accepted the role of ordnance officer in the Grand Alliance, intending to die quietly in his old age. However, one night, the Scarlet-Eyed Hero visited him and convinced him to fight against Och-Kan. Yupanqui eventually agreed and joined the hero's party.^[1] The party was successful in overthrowing Och-Kan, and the Scarlet-Eyed Hero was said to have seen him ripping off his mask, revealing gaping holes that were "fearsomely draconic" and spewed golden flames. Och-Kan fell from a great height into the "pitch-black mire" below and met his end.^[4]

Trivia[]

Etymology[]

• Och-Kan is the Vision Serpent of the Maya.

Other Languages[]

Change History[]

References[]