HUITZILOPOCHTLI



   By Alejandro Melchor (al168214@academ01.mty.itesm.mx)

   Nickname: Hummingbirds

   In the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, human sacrifices were performed
   in honor of Huitzilopochtli. The priests claimed that Huitzilopochtli,
   in order to live and shine as the Sun, needed to feast on human
   hearts, the only food worthy of his stature. Indeed, many Aztecs died
   in the altar proud of helping feed the god and keep the sun in the
   sky; but only the first part was true: they were feeding
   Huitzilopochtli, a powerful vampire.

   Clan Huitzilopochtli's origin is lost in the middle of self gloryfing
   mythology. As it's members claim, they are Huitzilopochtli's Chosen;
   the warriors who proved themselves so worthy that they form their army
   of their god. Huitzilopochtli was far from being a god, but he did
   Embrace those warriors he deemed worthy of his ranks, and promptly
   blood bonded them to him.

   Huitzilopochtli was a priest of the wandering Mexica, a nomadic tribe
   that eventually settled in the Lake of Texcoco and founded
   Tenochtitlan. Many say he was actually Tenoch, the leader of these
   people, or Aacatl, the priest who gave the Aztecs warfare; but not
   even the Wyld Runners, the Garou that led the Mexica, are sure of
   this.

   The god Huitzilopochtli was the patron of the Mexica, and his
   transition from a normal, unremarkable god to the warmonger and
   bloodthirsty figure he became is marked by Tenoch's (or whoever's)
   Embrace. The new vampire claimed to be the god Huitzilopochtli and
   demanded blood, and then human hearts.

   As the Aztec prospered, Huitzilopochtli grew in power. He promptly
   diablerized his Sire and began to exert his influence over the rim of
   the Texcoco Lake. In the Triple Alliance of city-states that
   consolidated Tenochtitlan and the Aztec as a power, many discovered
   Huitzilopochtli's true nature, but did nothing further than breaking
   relations. Nezahualcoyotl, an Ehecatl Galliard who was prince of
   Texcoco, warned all Garou and Mage about this threat; but the Ehecatl
   and the Sons of the Feathered Serpent were too busy locking horns with
   the Nahual and the Nightspawn, the Tlaloque and the Sorcerers of Quiet
   Gladness shared Aztec worship and were complacent, and the Wyld
   Runners didn't care, so Huitzilopochtli ruled unchallenged.

   The only opposition came from the Mictlan, the New World equivalent of
   the Camarilla; a collection af vampires of different creeds and power,
   who traced their origin to Mictlacihuatl, consort to the God of the
   Deads' Realm.

   Huitzilopochtli had a ghoul: Tlacaelel, a general who was much the
   power behind the Aztec throne in obediance to his Sire's wishes. Soon,
   the expansionist desire revealed that Huitzilopochtli was insane, and
   very bloodthirsty too, for he raised his quota of blood by fighting
   the Florid Wars; battles meant only for sacrificial victims gathering.
   The Mictlan participated in these Wars too, backing other city states,
   so that they wouldn't have to hunt.

   War was the primary concern of the insane vampire, and so, through
   Tlacaelel, he created the Eagle Knights, an order of warriors, as a
   breeding lot of new vampires as much as an elite of warriors; they
   were the best fighters and some of them were ghouls of priests,
   waiting to be embraced.

   Although thwarted to his desires to the Aztec throne by
   Nezahualcoyotl, Tlacaelel's cunning prevented for years the collapsing
   of the Aztec Empire from the Mictlan's schemes and the Nahuals' bids
   for power and, realizing that Huitzilopochtli had no intentions of
   Embracing him (he was too useful as a ghoul), he reached outwards. He
   somehow managed to contact the european Kindred and convinced them
   that this was a land ripe for conquest, and so the Conquest began and
   concluded when im 1525, Hernan Cortes conquered Tenochtitlan.

   Now, Huitzilopochtli was powerful enough to hold back and actually
   defeat Cortes' army, but the Spaniards had the help of the Mictlan and
   the Tlaxcaltecan cities it governed, along with the help of Clan
   Ventrue and the Celestial Chorus and, secretly, the Technocracy.
   Against this coallition army, not even the mexican Bete's and Magi's
   help could resist long, and the forces of the Inquisition hunted for
   every supernatural and nearly annihilated all of Clan Huitzilopochtli.


   Nowadays, members of the Clan are rising from Torpor and, though a
   little disoriented, they are finding their way into Kindred politics,
   as allies of the Sabbat, although they plan to betray them and
   exterminate them as soon as they have reached the peak of their power
   and found and awakened Huitzilopochtli, who still remains in Torpor in
   an unknown place.

   It's important to point out that the Huitzilopochtli have declared a
   Blood Hunt on Tlacaelel, and will not rest until they diablerize him.

   Appearance: Powerfully built and bronze skinned, their eyes shine with
   an eerie red light when expressing their vampiric nature.

   Haven: Museum storage rooms, secret chambers in ruins. Some
   Huitzilopochtli are finding their way to appartments and warehouses
   thanks to the newest recruits.

   Background: Before the Conquest, Eagle Knights and priests were chosen
   for Embrace; now, they are recruited from street gangs, the police and
   the military.

   Character Creation: Depending on the status of the character, he might
   be chosen for priesthood or for a fighter; Occult and other knowledges
   must be used for a priest; fighting skills for a warrior. As the
   Huitzilopochtli have just risen from a Torpor of nearly half a
   millenium, they are all of low generation, so Generation must be
   chosen as a Background.

   Clan Disciplines: Thaumaturgy, Dominate, Xiuhcoatl.

   Weaknesses: Huitzilopochtli vampires are very, very bloodthirsty; they
   need double the amount of victims to renew their Blood Points; they
   must also eat their victim's heart. In addition, they Frenzy easily in
   battle; the difficulty dropping by 2, only appliable to combat
   situations.

   Organization: The priesthood rule the warriors, they are all
   bloodbonded and will obey blindly the High Priests and
   Huitzilopochtli.

   Gaining Clan Prestige: For priests, by excelling in their mystic
   knowledge and besting other magicians, be they Magi, Bete or Kindred
   (specially Tremere). For warriors, their deeds in combat and the
   number of defeated foes will rise their prestige.

   Quote: "We were defeated by treason; well, not anymore, these invaders
   will learn to fear Huitzilopochtli".

   Stereotypes:

   The Camarilla: Invaders of our realm, our Anahuac. They have been
   forced out of our lands for now, but we will not forget what they have
   done to what is ours.

   "Vampires who serve the sun? Just by the sound of it, I think they'll
   take care of themselves for us."

   Khalib, 8th Generation Brujah

   The Sabbat: They pretend to understand what the Beast inside is. We
   will show them, just in time for them to see us tear out their
   withered hearts.

   "Vicious creatures if ever there were ones. Beware of their powers,
   for dark forces hover about them."

   Ezekiel, 7th Generation Tremere antitribu

   The Inconnu: They match us in the power of their blood, but these
   'neutral' observers are hiding something sinister.

   "The cruelty of the Sabbat and the plottings of the Camarilla. Never a
   more frightening combination. Keep all observers clear of these ones."

   Antonia, 6th Generation Ventrue

   View Xiuhcoatl discipline.