Zlatlan

Zlatlan, the Hidden City, is the greatest Temple-City within the Southlands and one of the few that remains intact and inhabited by the Lizardmen. The Slann Mage-Priests of Zlatlan are unable to maintain contact with those of Lustria via telepathic links because of the curvature of the earth. The Slann communicate thoughts and magical energy along lines traced out across the jungle from one pyramid to another. The expanse of the World Pond and the curve of the world's surface prevent such a line between Lustria and the Southlands.

This has led to the Slann Mage-Priests of Zlatlan having to make their calculations and rituals in isolation from the other Slann. One consequence of this is that, although the Slann of Zlatlan may deduce the time that an event predicted or planned by the Old Ones should occur, they are sometimes out of synchronisation with the Lustrian Slann. This may explain why the great armada of Emperor Wu was struck by two typhoons. It is difficult to know which school of Slann Mage-Priests is most accurate. Whereas the Lustrian Slann have suffered the loss of many key sacred plaques bearing the glyph inscriptions of the Old Ones due to raids, the plaque sequence of Zlatlan is probably more intact if not complete due to isolation from raids. The Lustrian Slann are very arrogant in many ways and are loath to admit that the Zlatlan priests might be more accurate.

Despite its isolation, Zlatlan was not forgotten by Sotek. The Mage-Priests of Zlatlan observed the two-tailed comet and perceived that it represented the forked tongue of Sotek. Once again, it was their complete sequence of sacred plaques which meant that they had access to the Prophecy of Sotek and knew exactly what it meant. At this time the Skaven Clan Pestilens washed up on the shores of the South Lands having abandoned Lustria. The rat spawn were in a vicious and aggressive mood. Plagues penetrated the jungle but fortunately did not reach Zlatlan. It was said that Sotek himself encircled the city to protect it. The Mage-Priests marshalled the Skink cohorts and Saurus legions and prepared for war. Miraculously, the Skaven did not attack. They ignored the city, if they ever knew it was there, and instead set upon the underground strongholds of their own kind. For a long time the Slann of Zlatlan had been concerned about the rat spawn strongholds beneath mount Lhasa and Bhagrusa, now the Skaven were despoiling them in some strange frenzied rat-strife. All the priests agreed that the rat spawn had been sent mad by the magic of Sotek! Thus the cult of Sotek arose also in Zlatlan and henceforth any clashes between Lizardmen and those Skaven who yet remain in the South Lands provides Sotek with his rightful tribute of sacrifices.

History
If it were not for tbn Jellaba and Yin-Than no one would know of the existence of the Lizardman city of Zladan. This pyramid city has remained secret within the jungles of the South Lands since the separation of the continents. Maybe the Dwarfs of Karak Zorn encountered the Lizardmen, if so it is not recorded in any known Dwarf sagas. Almost certainly, the Dwarfs would have been interested in the gold and riches of the city, and fascinated by its stone architecture. They may have even made contact as friends. The mysterious silence surrounding the fate of Karak Zorn could be due to war with the Lizardmen, but it could just as easily be due to war with the Undead, who sealed off the route to Karak Zorn centuries ago. As to the Undead legions of Settra and Nagash, they have never penetrated into the jungle to attack the Lizardmen, or if they have then they certainly met with defeat. The mummified remains of the oldest Slann would be sought out by any power crazed Necromancer, if he knew where it was and could fight his way in and out of the Lizardman city.

There may have been a time when there was contact between the Lizardmen of Zlatlan and the ancient civilisation of Nehekhara in its formative stages. The people of Nehekhara could have been influenced by the Lizardman cities in the form of their own architecture. From the Lizardmen, the rulers of Nehekhara might have taken the idea of the pyramid and the practice of mummification. The priest kings themselves could have been set up in imitation of the Slann Mage-Priests. It is possible that at some early time the Slann of Zlatlan encouraged the human population of Nehekhara to build a civilisation on the Lizardman model. They would have done this in order to further the plans of the Old Ones.

However, when things turned bad in Nehekhara, or more probably, when the Slann realised that things inevitably would turn bad in Nehekhara, they cut off all contact and hid themselves within their jungles. The Slann would have been extremely anxious to prevent their arcane knowledge getting into the hands of Nagash or others of his ilk. To this end they were supremely successful. Barely a handful of outsiders have ever encountered the Lizardman city of Zlatlan; it remains a fable and a rumour.

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