This, ladies and gentlemen, is Ix Xoc, my "Road to El Dorado" character. I know that very few people actually like original characters, so I won't waste your time with her story. Unless, of course, someone actually comments on this and tells me they'd like to know about her.

EDIT: Thanks to Steph, who wanted to know more about her (you rock!) So, here's her background:

Ix Xoc is distantly related to Chief Tannibok, king of El Dorado, through her mother. As a noble, she was able to recieve an education, and soon joined the priests' school, which not many girls were able to do. She eventually rose through the ranks to become the most powerful priestess, but not the highest-ranked member of the clergy (that would be the High Priest Tzekel-Kan) .

Ix Xoc has quite a bit of power, but not as much as Tzekel-Kan. She can do some magic, such as lighting things on fire, creating illusions, etc., but her forte is communicating with the ancestors, and the art of writing.

She favors a much less violent approach to worshipping the gods than the High priest, who she was often at odds with. Still, the two of them have known each other since childhood, and there is a grudging respect between them that may border on something more...or might have, had Tzekel-Kan not left El Dorado.

After that, Tannibok chose Ix Xoc to be the new High Priestess. I'd say more, but I don't want to give away the plot of "What Hurts the Most", the sequel to "And The Priestess Laughs", which can be found in the RtED section of my gallery. That story introduces our heroine here, and examines her relationship with the High Priest.

On a historical note, "Ix" means "lady" in Mayan, so her name literally means "Lady Xoc" (I have been unable to find out what the second part of her name means). The historical woman of that name was the queen of Chiapas, a Mayan city-state. It is thought that she wielded considerable power; she is one of the few women to be carved on a stela. She is often shown communing with the Vision Serpent, a form of ancestor worship, or with her husband, Shield Jaguar. Those of you familiar with RtED will recall that Tzekel-Kan is rather obsessed with jaguars; I did not know Lady Xoc's husband's name when I created Ix Xoc, but it almost gave me chills when I found out.

Therefore, the border around her is her magic/the Feathered Seprent God Kukulcan (Quetzalcoatl, to the Aztecs) . For those of you unfamiliar with Mesoamerican religion, Kukulcan was quite a bit less bloodthirsty than most of the deities, but he could be warlike when he needed to be. Ix Xoc, likewise, favors nonviolence, but she can immolate people if she deems it appropriate.

This was originally going to be just a fulbody pic of Ix Xoc, but then I decided she needed a background...then a border, which started out as just her magic, then turned into what you see here. I needed a little variety in my gallery; I think this is a good start.

Yes, what you can see of the background sucks. I'm still learning, and Mayan architechture is hard! Likewise, the coloring doesn't look all that great either, because my scanner ruined it. But despite all that, I love this piece.

Dreamworks owns "The Road to El Dorado" , but I own Ix Xoc.