The Jew-devil plague has taken a heavy toll on the great Aztlan Empire. The peasant scum are revolting, many altars lie bare of blood, soldiers are deserting their posts. The Emperor, even though he has only recently ascended, is the last line of defense, overseeing the maintenance of good order despite the horrors of the plague. Rebel scum and Jew-devils stand no chance against this spirit of the Jaguar!
Huitzilopochtli has granted us the sacred fruit of victory, and his kindness is repayed in blood.
The Jew-devils are evasive though. Even Quetzalcoatl cannot pin them down. We will have to fight this plague back inch by inch, yet it spreads much faster than it could ever be beaten.
Fearing what might happen if the plague gained a foothold in Tenochtitlan, the new Emperor begins enacting quarantines in areas recently affected by the Jew-devil scourge.
Even in times of crisis, parasites seek to drain out the soul of the Empire. Such scum cannot be allowed to Prosper. A particular trade minister has been expanding his power and influence at the expense of the quarantine effort. For his corruption, he is sent to the altar naked and in chains, like an Eye-rish.
The Emperor continues to centralise power. The quarantine effort has given him good cause for this, so the reforms go through without much protest.
Plague cases begin to dwindle, although there is no reason to yet suspect that it might subside entirely. The Hook-nosed Ones are a tricky lot like that.
The Aristocracy has been a barrier against Imperial power for some time now, but they seem to be calming down. Their revolt during the Anglish rebellion taught the last Emperor a hard lesson, and he passed that experience down to his son, who is intent on stripping away Noble power.
As such, the Emperor takes strides towards developing a "middle class" of sorts. This does not go over well with the rich and powerful, but if they wish to offer themselves up against the plague, that's their choice.
Imbeciles! Parasites! You will feel the butthurt of the Gods!
The recent reforms and controversies have deeply shaken good, Imperial order. Aztlan has suddenly been thrown into a state of chaos, although the plague does seem to be wearing out. The Emperor will not tolerate disorder, and immediately institutes the most drastic of measures.
The Aristocracym as expected, reverts back to outrageous butthurt.
The tribes, stricken with plague and angered by the actions of their Monarch, are now refusing to send their tribute payments. The Emperor is hardly in a position to individually punish them either. His grip over the tribes is starting to slip.
The devastation wrought by the plague, harsh quarantines, and the recent political chaos has thrown the lower classes into open revolt. Meanwhile, the outer tribes continue to reclaim power from Tenochtitlan.
The Jew-devils seem to have vanished, as suddenly as they appeared. Nevertheless, the devastation they wrought will not simply go away. Things will never be the same again, even if the Emperor can pull Aztlan through this crisis.
Backwards jaguar-fuckers!
At the very least, the worst of the chaos quickly subsides, thanks to the Emperor's policy of "Sacrifice and Forget".
Even some of the most loyal tribes around Tenochtitlan are plotting against their Emperor. This cannot be tolerated. The Royal Tenochtitlan army is called up to crush these dissidents, although it is still too chaotic to begin subjugating the outer tribes.
Tenochtitlan itself is secure, but the Emperor's authority in the provinces continues to degrade. Even with Jewitzipotl's plague behind us, his trickery lingers still.
Meanwhile, Brotzalcoatl brings news from across the sea. The Anglish are gaining ascendance in their own homeland...
Back in Aztlan, the situation is beginning to normalize. The plague seems to have faded, and order is being restored throughout the Empire. It will take some time to truly bring the tribes back to heel, but for now all is well.
Using the sudden prosperity, the Emperor orders the construction of a provincial accountant for Tenochtitlan and the surrounding lands. Why? Because he (I) can.
Crazy philosophers with their free thinking and frictionless sodomy.
The Anglish invasion is fading into distant memory. Even the plague will, Gods willing, soon become mere history. The chaos of the past few years is subsiding. Change, after so much strife, is inevitable. It only falls to the Emperor to decide what shape that change will take. There is of course the option to remain as Aztlan always was, only now sporting the guns and horses of the invaders, but such a change would ultimately be of little long term benefit in the war against the Anglish.
The other choice is to embrace the strange technologies and ways of the invader. Aztlan will never become Anglish, for the Aztlan people are far better than those seaborne cripple-molesters, but it must be admitted that their ways have some merit. After long, careful consideration, the Emperor comes to a decision. For Aztlan to avenge itself upon the Anglish and Prosper in this much larger world, the ways of the invader must be embraced, not shunned. In good time, Gods willing, we will be the ones filling the assholes of our enemies with magic black powder!
Of course, this is not taken well. The country is plunged back into chaos as the Emperor begins enacting his extremely radical new policies. A massive revolt even breaks out in holy Tenochtitlan itself.
The new reforms build directly on the slow changes enacted by previous Emperors. Tribalism is now a purely provincial issue. The Emperor is now not only a mighty tribal overlord, but a supreme Monarch, appointed by the Gods to rule regardless of actual merit.
Old, brutal measures from the plague and the subsequent political chaos are reintroduced, so that no other potentially devastating revolts break out during this sensitive period of transition,
The Emperor is also intensely interested in the sea. The wooden vessels of the Anglish are a sight to behold, and without anyway of traversing the sea, revenge is impossible.
The Aristocracy are of course displeased, and revert back to their normal state of terminal butthurt.
The Emperor's new government does prove remarkably efficient, despite the severe instability. When things calm down, the Emperor expects that taxation and tribute will increase dramatically, and all other aspects of administration will improve as well.
Aztlan is back on its way to being mighty once more! The Emperor is establishing himself as not only the ruler of a ragtag collection of vaguely similar tribes, but of Aztlan, Nation of the Gods.
Brotzalcoatl saves!