#Shard Investigation
The following content was compiled and edited based on written material preserved by the Lancer Ixchel, a small number of survivor interview records, and physical evidence collected in the areas of Outpost and Tzab.
Balamtok is a magnificent civilization that developed and thrived within lush rainforests. Differences in living environments caused their civilization and technological development to diverge significantly from Acme's Earth. They possess modern industrial production lines, and revolutionary technologies like computers were created long ago to enable real-time network communication and video broadcasting. However, their social systems are very unique: major decisions are made solely by shamans from different tribes, using methods such as divination and ritual combat.
In contrast to their laws, the mythological system of Balamtok is much more complete, detailed, and documented. The framework of modern Balamtok mythology had already taken shape in some of the Shard's more well-preserved ancient texts, and it has changed little since. The myths in these texts describe in detail the deeds of the deities in creating the world, embodying the sun and moon, revising laws, and protecting humanity—and many rituals and ceremonies from these myths still play a vital role in Balamtok's culture today. Perhaps most important of all, the investigation team discovered a shocking, unspoken truth for many of Balamtok's denizens: Kukulkan, the feathered serpent god, truly exists there.
In fact, since ancient times, Balamtok has been a land where humans and mythical beings coexist. During the investigation, scholars recounted this history to us: in the ancient land of Balamtok, there were not only human ancestors, but also "sacred creatures" regarded as deities. These sacred creatures lived in places far from human populations and had unimaginably long lifespans. Among them was Kukulkan, who possessed great wisdom and guided human development as a friend. Thus the feathered serpent came to be considered the most powerful and wise of all the deities. The first Lancer of Balamtok was born under the influence of this "god," either due to an accident during a ritual or deliberate contact with Kukulkan's essence.
Whatever the case, that moment was a turning point. From then on, the people of Balamtok regarded Lancers born during communion rituals as "messengers of the gods" and symbols of divine will. Subsequently, these messengers formed politically influential families, intertwining religion, politics, and supernatural abilities into a stable ruling system. "Ritual Combat" emerged to reinforce this concept. And once Balamtok's civilization was set on the right track, Kukulkan no longer needed to appear before its people. Perhaps it now rests peacefully in a lush paradise with other sacred creatures.
It should be noted that such a system is not without its faults: if someone deliberately fabricated the will of the "gods" with the intention of ruling Balamtok, for instance, the consequences could be unimaginable...
