Old World

Not part of Riordanverse The following article/section is from the Storm Runner/Shadow Bruja continuity under Rick Riordan Presents and not the Riordanverse canon.

Old World
Position	Meeting place for the Mayan Gods
Ruler	Council of Gods: Nakon, Ixtab, Hurakan, Ixkakaw, and Alom Formerly: Ixchel and Pacific
Appearance	The Storm Runner The Fire Keeper

“	It’s the original place, where the first world was dreamed up. And the second and the third. The oldest and most powerful magic in the universe was born here! Man, this is going to do wonders for my career!	”
–Jazz in The Storm Runner

The Old World is an abandoned meeting ground of the Mayan Gods. According to Hurakan and Jazz, it is not marked by time.

The Old World is the sacred ground where the council (the five dominant gods) ruled, created, and destroyed. The council was formed because the gods competed for seats here, each temple represents a different god of the council: Nakon, Ixtab, Hurakan, Ixkakaw, and Alom. Ixtab was ruling Xib'alb'a these days, Ixkakaw had to overthrow Ixchel, who didn't like fighting, these gods made themselves kings and queens. Pacific also used to be on the council until she was erased from history due to the Prophecy of Fire, so the gods said they merely lost the time rope but now they can't time-travel anymore.

Description

Hurakan, one of the council members

The Old World resembles a Central American jungle, night is eternal as the Old World has been asleep ever since the gods abandoned it eons ago. Broad trees stretched toward the cloudless sky that contained two moons, their branches drooping with the weight of spiderwebs that were choking the life from them. It was a strange world—dull, like all the color had been drained from it. The trees, the sky, the earth were all different shades of gray. Other than the dried leaves rustling in the slow breeze, the place was as silent as an old graveyard.

Puksí’ikal (Mayan for heart) is the center of the world marked by five enormous pyramids that once served as the congressional site for the five most important gods to the Maya. The clearing was as long as five football fields and dominated by the pyramids arranged in a semicircle. It used to be a place the gods made together, where they could meet, give counsel, pass judgment, create, destroy, and do other stuff gods do when they've got nothing else to do. Each side of each pyramid has ninety-one steps, making three hundred sixty-four total. That's the number of days in a year when added the step taken to enter the temple at the top, this is how the the marking of time was invented here.

The entrance to the Old World was the mouth of an enormous face with a nose and sleeping eyes. Inside was a tunnel with rusted, corroded metal walls like the hull of a wrecked ship. It smelled like the dairy farm at Zane's home, but mixed with raw chicken decaying in the sun. In the dark waters below were bizarre-looking eyeless fish, as long as bull sharks and as bloated as puffer fish. Their pale flesh looked half-eaten, and chunks fell off as they slithered through the dark.

The entrance to the White Sparkstriker's lair was through a giant hole in the ground between the gnarled roots of a massive tree, a thick rope was tied to the trunk. Fifty feet down there was a pool of water surrounded by tall stone walls. Beneath the surface were flashing lights, actual lightning bolts under the water made it ripple and sizzle and steam. Next to the pool was a cave opening where sparks flew out in bursts.

Storm Runner Trilogy

The Storm Runner

Zane Obispo ventures to the Old World with Hondo Obispo, Brooks and Jazz to find a way to defeat Ah-Puch. Hurakan had advised Zane to look for Saqik'oxol, the White Sparkstriker, in order to unlock his power. Zane sacrifices his cane with a dragon shaped tip and Brooks sacrifices one of her boots so they can enter the mouth. On their way Zane plunged his hand into the water to allow the fish to eat the tattoo Ah-Puch gave him, even though it was extremely painful.

As they wait for Ah-Puch, Brooks' sister, Quinn, arrives and takes Zane to the White Sparkstriker. When he gets there, Saqik’oxol pounds lightning in his short leg, it takes him to the Empty where he meets with his father and discover his power of fire. Upon returning, the White Sparkstriker gives Zane a new cane which he uses to kill Muwan, but Ah-Puch traps him in a cage of smoke. Ixtab arrives with two Hellhounds, one of them was Zane's dog, Rosie, who was killed by a demon runner. Ah-Puch dodges Zane's spear cane and grabs him while sending demons at his friends. K'ukumatz and the rest of the council arrive at the Old World, Hurakan reveals that he released him from the Beast and claims him as his son, allowing Zane Obispo to reach his full power. Mat reluctantly chains Hurakan in snakes, Ixtab convinces the other gods to let Zane fight Ah-Puch, if he wins they can go home but if Ah-Puch wins the new war will begin. Zane was successful in defeating Ah-Puch in the Empty, but the Sacred Oath stated that any godborns after the hero twins had to die. Fortunately, Ixtab managed to convince the gods that Zane was dead when he actually survived and was sent to Isla Holbox.

The Fire Keeper

Zane Obispo mentioned the Old World when the bird Jazz sent them escaped through a long, ragged tear.

Trivia

• The "Old World" is a term that can be used to refer the Western continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. On the other hand, the Americas and Oceania were referred to as the "New World," that's because they were not known to the rest of the world before the "Old World."