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The Teōtl of the Mēxihcah Proud of Itself Is the City of Mexico-Tenochtitlan Here No One Fears to Die in War This Is Our Glory

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The Teōtl of the Mēxihcah Proud of Itself Is the City of Mexico-Tenochtitlan Here No One Fears to Die in War This Is Our Glory The Teōtl of the Mēxihcah Proud of itself Is the city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan Here no one fears to die in war This is our glory. This is Your Command, Oh Giver of Life! Have this in mind, oh princes Lest we forget it. Who could conquer Tenochtitlan? Who could shake the foundation of heaven? — Cantares Mexicanos ​ “The Centzonuitznahua advance at dawn ​ Ranks without number Malice without question I fight with flame I roar with fury The blood of a thousand burns in my veins Who am I to fear? They know not sacrifice.” - Tlanextli, Eagle Warrior and incarnation of Huitzilopochtli Other pantheons question the “savage” methods of the Teotl. The Teotl question their dedication. Blood is the elixir that feeds the gods, and the gods preserve the universe. Who are outsiders to question their methods when they stand between humanity and eternal darkness? To comprehend the Teotl, one must understand the nature of sacrifice. Sacrifice unto them, and they will sacrifice unto you. Are you strong enough? Are you brave enough? Are you prepared to pay the price? Born of the Primordials Tonacacihuatl and Tonacatecuhtli, the four sons of heaven, the “Tezcatlipocas,” begot many other gods and were tasked with populating the universe. Taking up their task with vigor, the Tezcatlipocas attempts were thwarted when the fearsome crocodilian monster Cipcatli consumed all they wrought. The Black Tezcatlipoca plunged his foot into the void to distract Cipactli, who quickly devoured it, only to be set upon by the other Tezcatlipoca’s in all their fury. The brothers tore Cipactli asunder to create the universe. Cipactli’s head became the heavens, its tail the underworld, and its body the World. With Cipactli vanquished, five worlds were created—and then destroyed, along with all their peoples. Each had a sun whose light was extinguished. First it was Tezcatlipoca, the Jaguar Sun, who took up the responsibility of lighting the world by jumping into the sacrificial fire, but his dark nature or Cipactli’s wounds weakened him, and he burned but dimly. Quetzalcoatl knocked him from the sky and took his place. Furious, Tezcatlipoca had his jaguars consume the race of giants that peopled the World. During Quetzalcoatl’s reign, the reign of the Wind Sun, the new people became lax and descended into decadence. Tezcatlipoca changed the worst of them into monkeys, and Quetzalcoatl swept humanity from the land in a fearsome hurricane. Defeated, he vacated his place as sun and abandoned the few surviving monkeys to eternal darkness. Tlaloc, the Rain Sun, was next to take up the burden. He shone brightly over a loving humanity until Tezcatlipoca stole his beloved wife Xochiquetzal. In his grief, Tlaloc failed to send rain, plunging the world into drought. Humanity begged him for succor, but their pleas exceeded his mercy, and Tlaloc sent a fiery rain to burn them to ash. From the ashes, the world was rebuilt, and Tlaloc was quickly replaced by his wife Chalchiuhtlicue, the Water Sun. Jealous of her kind treatment of humanity and the veneration she received, Tezcatlipoca called Chalchiuhtlicue’s sincerity into question, forcing her to cry so vigorously, she drowned the world in a flood of tears. Quetzalcoatl then descended to Mictlan to retrieve humanity’s bones from prior ages. He sprinkled them with his blood, creating the humans of today. The humblest of the gods, Nanahuatzin, sacrificed himself to become the Fifth Sun, but required the heart’s blood of all the Teotl to set him into motion. As the Teotl’s blood burned and steamed skyward, the Earthquake Sun was born. This is the final Sun, for there will not be a Sixth. Should the Teotl fail, earthquakes will rend the World as celestial horrors and Titans consume humanity, but the Gods know their duty. There is nothing they won’t sacrifice for humanity, and they expect nothing less in return. Principal Members The Teotl are a fearsome pantheon that maintains a great sense of duty and sacrifice. They are passionate, yet sober, inclined toward fatalism while knowing they can change their destiny. They hold a ridged hierarchy with clear demarcations between the powers of one god to another, but encourage innovation among their Scions. While ultimately dedicated to maintaining the Fifth Sun and reclaiming their civilization, they are more than capable of destructive infighting. The Teotl are a study in contrasts, but all are united behind the ideal of shared sacrifice. Pronunciation Guide There are no silent vowels. Words are stressed on the second to last vowel. Nahuatl had no U sound, only O. X is pronounced "sh." UC and CU are both pronounced "kw." UH and HU are both pronounced "w." TL counts as a single consonant, never as a full syllable. H without an adjacent U represents a "silent" glottal stop. As in the pause in “uh oh” or “go over”. C before E or I is pronounced like English S. Z is pronounced like English S. Quetzalcōātl: Quet-zal-CO-atl Huehuecoyotl: [weːweˈkojoːt͡ɬ] ​ Huītzilōpōchtli: Huit-zil-o-POCH-tli Tezcatlipoca: Tez-ca-tli-PO-ca Tlaloc: TLA-loc Mictecacihuatl: mik tl'ahn si KWA tl Xīpe Totēc: she pe TO tek Chālchihuitlicuē: chall wee tl'E kO Xochipilli: Xo-chi-PIL-li Xōchiquetzal: Xo-chi-QUET-zal Ītzpāpālōtl: its pahpah LO tl Chantico: chan TE kO Chicomecoatl and Centeotl: [t͡ʃikomeˈkoːaːt͡ɬ] and [senˈteoːt͡ɬ] ​ ​ Quetzalcōātl, The Feathered Serpent Aliases: The White Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the West, The Wind Sun, Ehecatl, Kukulkan, Precious ​ Twin Callings: Creator, Liminal, Sage ​ Purviews: Beasts (all), Order, Sky, Stars ​ Quetzalcoatl is the morning wind that brings nourishing rain, the first light of dawn, protector of craftsmen, teacher of farming, inventor of the ritual calendar, friend of the learned, patron of the priesthood, and ultimate promoter of order and civilization. Quetzalcoatl’s appearance alternates between that of a formidable feathered serpent and a wizened Mexica priest adorned with a red mask and black body paint. He often associates with his more monstrous, dog-like twin brother Xolotl who guides the evening sun on its journey through the underworld to be reborn at dawn. Like their divine father, Scions of Quetzalcoatl engage in a tireless quest to promote, justice, mercy, learning, and civilization. They show more compassion than many Teotl Scions and work hand-in-hand with humanity to recover ancient codices, promote sustainable farming techniques and wind energy, and revive cultural awareness about the Mexica and their heritage. They also participate in missionary endeavors to spread faith in the Teotl. They are priests, artists, farmers, engineers, architects, astronomers, explorers, police officers, and educators of all stripes. Of all his Scions, Topiltzin and Nezahuacoatl were Quetzalcoatl’s most beloved and set the standard for all that follow. Huehuecoyotl, The Old Coyote Callings: Lover, Sage, Trickster ​ Purviews: Artistry (Music, Dance, Storytelling), Chaos, Epic Dexterity, Passion (Desire) ​ As the god of music, song, and dance, Huehuecoyotl is the life of any party. He revels in decadence, always looking for a way to satiate his bottomless sexual appetites and lust for a good time. Huehuecoyotl is a notorious trickster and a loaner by nature, although he has a formidable entourage of adoring revelers. Huehuecoyotl eschews the company of his fellow Teotl with the notable exceptions of Xolotl and the questionable, yet vigorous, “companionship” of Xochiquetzal. For all his youthful exuberance, Huehuecoyotl’s eyes reflect the weight of ages. When not in the thrall of his lifestyle, he waxes philosophical and can often be a source of great knowledge and sage counsel for Scions in need. The price of said knowledge can be anything from a night of karaoke, to winning of heart of the goddess of saunas, but whatever it is, it will never be boring. Huehuecoyotl’s natural form is that of a human-like coyote, but he is a masterful shapeshifter, capable of taking any form that allows him to slack his lust. This lust is difficult to satisfy, and Huehuecoyotl occasionally abandons his parties to sew chaos and war to pass the time. He recently manipulated the Mexican government into canceling its German (secretly Aesir) defense contracts in favor of local Mexican arms manufactures. Cooler heads prevented all-out war, but Huehuicoyotl’s penchant for mischief is not easily satisfied. Huehuecoyotl’s Scion’s drink down life in panting gulps, yet have the soul of a sage, mirth of a trickster, and loyalty of a dearest friend. They are party organizers, revelers, spies, tricksters, reality TV stars, the idle rich, prodigal musicians, and professional dancers. Huītzilōpōchtli, God of War and the Sun Aliases: The Blue Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the South, Patron of Tenochtitlan, Champion of the ​ Mexica Callings: Creator, Leader, Warrior ​ Purviews: Epic Stamina, Fire, Prosperity, Sun, War ​ Huitzilopochtli greets the dawn with a roar of fury and the flash of his Xiuhcoatl, banishing night ​ ​ from of the world and escorting the sun aloft with a train of fallen warriors at his back. Ascending skyward, Huitzilopochtli becomes the noon-day sun, the light that banishes all shadow. As the sun sets, Huitzilopochtli’s warrior entourage retreats on hummingbird wings, replaced by a fearsome host of skeletal Cihuateteo, women who died in childbirth. They fight with rictus grins ​ ​ and clawed hands to beat back the dark until the sun is swallowed by the underworld to be reborn on the morrow. Huitzilopochtli never wavers, never tires, and certainly never retreats. Huitzilopochtli participated in the creation of the world and later took interest in a promising young tribe from Aztlan, marking them for greatness. Leading them south, he guided them on an onerous pilgrimage to Tenochtitlan, the center of the universe, and site of their future glory.
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