Waxaklahun Ubah Kan

Waxaklahun Ubah Kan, also known as the Sage of the Stolen Flame, is a quest-exclusive NPC who appears in the World Quest Moment of Awakening in Series Lost Traveler in the Ashen Realm: Act III - The Tonatiuh Quivers. He is a historical character in Natlan who stole Phlogiston from the dragons and taught humans how to use it.^[1]

Profile[]

Appearance[]

Body-wise, Waxaklahun has brown and beige scales. His upper torso is humanoid, but his lower body is serpentine and has no legs, ending on a tail with a green feathered tip. He has four fingers in each hand, with talons in their ends. He has a pair of long, flat horns and two bundles of two-toned green feathers growing from the sides of his face.

Waxaklahun wears white and grey robes, with triangular patterns on his sleeves and a scaled pattern on the part that covers his lower torso. He has two stone structures imbued with Phlogiston floating behind his back, similar to those some Sacred Source constructs have.

Quests and Events[]

World Quests

Lost Traveler in the Ashen Realm
- Act III: The Tonatiuh Quivers
  - Moment of Awakening (as Dragon Sage)

Story[]

Waxaklahun Ubah Kan was known as the "wisest of dragons."^[2] Foreseeing the fall of his kin due to using violence to enforce their might and believing that they would only find salvation if they shared their knowledge with other races, he stole a seed of phlogiston from the scion of Xiuhcoatl and set out to find a land that has "yet to know the touch of filth and decay."^[2]^[3]

Waxaklahun Ubah Kan travelled the lands until he came upon humans, the "weakest of species." Impressed by their tenacity, he decided to teach them how to use phlogiston. However, he knew that it would not only civilize them, but also order their destinies. He dwelled on a floating island and gave the seed of phlogiston to Chaac, the first human to visit him. Waxaklahun Ubah Kan told him that the "savior of two worlds" would come from his heirs, and that he will slay the "overlord of fire" and ascend to the "oldest of thrones."^[4]

At some point Waxaklahun Ubah Kan in an attempt to further understand humanity would have his son Och-kan as a "dragon mixed with a human soul" with the hope that he would be the one to slay Xiuhcoatl and ascend to his throne, thus leading both dragons and humans into a new epoch.^[5]

At some point before Xbalanque became the Pyro Archon, Waxaklahun Ubah Kan created a realm of purity as the trial ground to teach human warriors the language of Phlogiston to wield its power. However, unlike his hope that they would climb the ladder of civilization, the tribes used the mastery of flames against each other, and the disheartened Sage withdrew from the world and history.^[6] The sanctum was concealed since, with its entranced sealed mid-air, but it is also said that the trials became unnecessary after the Pyro Archon seized the authority of flames.^[7]

Waxaklahun Ubah Kan used to be close friends with Xbalanque and Yupanqui.

There are stories of him dating from the tribal era, Ochkanatlan, and even the Cataclysm.^[8]

When Och-Kan revealed his memories to the Traveler, one of these showed Waxaklahun, who was on the Legendary Tonatiuh. Waxaklahun remarked about the fall of dragons and rise of humanity, along with his disappointment in his son's betrayal. He revealed that he had propagated the legend around the Jade of Return in order to catch a "lion" and taking on various forms due to his greedy child's actions, telling an unknown being that it wasn't the first time they had met. This being, the Chosen of Dragons, is soon revealed to be Little One, and Waxaklahun told Little One to take a token to the "sacred mountain," and that they would meet again when all was done; when that time came, it would be Little One's duty to decide matters.^[5]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

Natlan graffiti was allegedly inspired by the Sage painting vibrant murals on the cliffs of Tequemecan Valley using Phlogiston.^[9]
Some Natlanese like Chikya believe that Waxaklahun Ubah Kan was actually a human.^[1]
The story of Waxaklahun Ubah Kan stealing phlogiston from the Dragon and giving it to mankind as a symbol of advancement in civilization are most likely inspired by the real-world myth called the Theft of Fire, in which fire were stolen and given to mankind as a symbol of civilization, knowledge, and technology.

Etymology[]

Waxaklahun Ubah Kan was the Maya name for the War Serpent, of Teotihuacan origin, which could be translated as "eighteen are the heads of the snake"^[10] referencing its many incarnations. It was usually used as a symbol of royal power in war^[11] and it's believed that it later became Kukulkan, the feathered snake.

Other Languages[]