nine individuals discovered the passages of xibalba. they speak of a fearsome world, void of creativity and individuality. a world where all lived in xibalba’s shadow. xibalba was a prophet they could all believe in.

the nine soon called themselves the Doom Disciples, and immediately lived out the passages. these Founders resigned their identities to xibalba, and adopted robes and masks to show that all were equal under xibalba’s shadow. the Founders had names before this, but no one knows what their names used to be. even the Founders themselves don’t remember the name they were born with.

instead, they go by names that appear in xibalba’s passages. it’s been noted that the teachings appeared to be inspired by the Mayan language, but none knew enough of it to verify how precise it truly was. as the Founders gained more Disciples beneath their ranks, they adapted their appearance to provide some distinguishing features, to allow these followers to address them by these names.

Ahaw (”Lord”) is the overall leader of the Disciples, as they were the first person to discover the passages. this honour is marked by the unique red lining within their robe, as well as the widest smile and most pointed nose among the Disciples.

Kaboomte (”High King“) is a founding Disciple. Their mask is the most polished and refined, but there’s a straight, seal-like crack across the mask’s cheeks.

Ch’ul (”Holy“) is a founding Disciple. Their mask is fairly standard, a neutral expression with no exaggerated features. It’s supposedly the original mask design.

Kab (”Earth“) is a founding Disciple. Their mask has the smallest eyes, widest nose, and dullest teeth.

K’ak’ (”Fire“) is a founding Disciple. Their mask bares the most teeth and has a slight but sharply angled grin.

Ja’ (”Water“) is a founding Disciple. Their mask has bloated cheeks and black rings around its eyes.

Hoy (”To Bless“) is a founding Disciple. Their mask has the widest eyes and pursed lips.

Pakal (”Shield“) is a founding Disciple. Their mask is the dimmest. Also has the most pronounced upper lip.

K’awil (”Spirit“) is a founding Disciple. Their mask has a stem-like nose. Their mask is similar to K’ak’’s, but with a neutral expression instead of a grin.

all of the Founders are address with they/them pronouns, as giving up their identities included their genders.

the Disciples that ranked beneath the Founders do not have to completely give up their identities until xibalba walks on earth. in the interim, they’re often addressed by alternate titles given to them by the Founders. a lucky few Disciples have risen the ranks to earn the right to choose their own title.