B'akal (Viceroyalty)
Viceroyalty of B'akal Yajawil B'akal | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Location of the Viceroyalty in the Mutul | |
| Capital and | B'ah |
| Official languages | Mutli |
| Recognised regional languages | B'atsiil K'op püt |
| Demonym(s) | B'akaleses |
| Government | Absolute monarchy |
| Province of the Mutul | |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 8 million |
The Viceroyalty of B'akal, or B'akal Yajawil in Mutli, is one of the viceroyalty, or Provinces, of the Mutul. It is bordered, to the north, by the Yajawil of Yokok'ab with whom it share a long history, the Yajawil of Kanol to the west, Muynal to the south, K'ikxul to the south-east, and the viceroyalty of K'an to the east. With the Yajawil of Yokok'ab, B'akal is the cultural and geographical junction between the "core provinces" of the Divine Kingdom (the Central Mountains and the Northern Peninsula) with the Western Regions, chiefly represented by the Yajawil of Kanol.
The Kingdom of B'akal appear in history in 290 BC when Yax Chaan Ahk, K'uhul Ajaw of the Chaan Dynasty, intervened to stop the kingdom' expansion northward and protect the smaller Tzib'ahal city-states. The Chaan Dynasty would intervene in B'akal again four years later when B'akal fell into civil war following the death of their ruler. The Chaan enforced a treaty splitting the kingdom in two city-states: Joy Chan to the north and Bahakal to the south. The next mention of those core cities of the region come 36 years later when, in 250 BC, K'uhul Ajaw Yuknom Ch'en intervened to protect Joy Chan against the expansionist Kingdom of Maktun. In 240 BC, the alliances would shift and Bahakal became the leader of a new League of Bahakal opposing Chaan encroachement in the Tzib'ahal Lowlands. It's only in 233 BC that the Chaan Dynasty was finally able to besiege and take Bahakal, ending the succession of conflicts known as the Tzib'ahal Wars. Joy Chan and Bahakal, now renamed B'ak, "Captive", would remain part of the Chaan royal territories until the collapse of the dynasty.
Government and politics
The Toktan Yajaw (lit. Vassal-lord at the center of the cloud) is the official title of the Viceroy of B'akal. Like in other Yajawil of the Mutul, he is appointed by the K'uhul Ajaw although he is generally selected among the noble houses that have an origin in the province. The current Viceroy, Wakkim Pakal, descend from the ancient and prestigious House of Tan which rose to power following the Palatial Conflict of 1973 when the House of K'oh lost its patriarch and then-Yajaw of the province was killed by home invaders in the riots that began over a rumour that a failed assassination attempt on the Crown Prince was linked to a plot by the K'oh to take over the divine court. The K'oh remain a powerful family, but they're no longer the all powerful network of kins and clients they once were.