Moctezuma -
At the head of the bureaucracy and leadership structure is Moctezuma II, the Terrible Lord and former ruler of Tenochtitlan. He now serves as chief priest for Mictlantecuhtli in the Underworld and rules with the God of Death's approval. Moctezuma knows many of the secrets Mictlan, such as its foundations and relationship to the destroyed Dark Kingdom of Obsidian. On the Day of the Dead, Moctezuma enacts a powerful ritual that renews his tie to Anahuac, modern Mexico. He has contacts among the Sons of the Feathered Serpents and utilizes a secret alliance with Ocelote, head of the Tezcatlipoca Sect of the vampiric organization called the Mictlan. (Note: it is this connection that is reciprocated when the vampires of the Mictlan are created. Their Shadow and Psyche enter the Underworld for a time, before being tethered back to the newly undead body)
The Council of Mictlan - Consisting of the main leadership of the great Mesoamerican tribes, the Tlaxcala, Otomi, Tarascan, Texcocan and the Mexica, the Council oversees the laws, assignment of ranks, preparation for war and taxes for Mictlan. The Five Councilors act as a Security Council, with the ability to veto actions proposed by the Lower Council and even Lord Moctezuma himself. The Lower Council consists of dozens of members of many tribes. Among the Mexica Restless, the Pipiltin dominate these seats. Zapotec, Mayan, Huastec, and many of the smaller tribes are represented in this body. Anru Ka, a Maya from the citadel of Mayapan, is the speaker of this body and gives many of the central Mexican tribes the sense of Mayan acceptance of the arrangement. He does not, however, represent the interests of most Maya.
Pipiltin - The Pipiltin are a closed, bigoted, and secretive group exclusive among the Mexica. Publicly, the espouse faith in Mictlan and the unity of all the tribes, but in secret, they contrive plots that would make Ventrue, Tremere, and Shadow Lords jealous. They are the masters of intrigue, and hold many positions in the Mictlan bureaucracy. Only the vigilant efforts of the Pochteca have kept the Pipiltin from sending Mictlan into civil war.
Pochteca - In the first days of Moctezuma's Mictlan, it was the pochteca who served the critical purpose of scouting and information collection. They were the first to study Arcanos in different lands, including Stygia. Yet, their very sense of profit, duty, and wanderlust has prevented them from rising to the positions of power that such foresightedness would normally result in. Pochteca cannot serve in the Lower Council of Mictlan, and have few political rights. They do, however, command vast economic and strategic resources. Many have become the de facto emissaries of Mictlan, and have a powerful say in foreign policy. Most specialize in the Arcanos of Argos, Usuary, and Inhabit. Through these powers, they can travel about the underworld, the Shadowlands, and even through Anahuac itself. They often trade in souls, relics, and most importantly, artifacts. Several pochteca have purchased souls of servants and slaves in order to barter them away to living mages and Garou. An example would be the trading of spirits to power five fetishes, one of which will be Claimed through the Inhabit power, and destroyed by the Fetish maker in order to create an Artifact. This does not always work, but many rituals have been developed in order to secure a steady supply of Artifacts.
The Alliance of Priests - Once honored among the tribes, the majority of priests are now reviled and disrespected. Most long ago returned to their birth affiliation. Pipiltin became pipiltin, pochteca became pochteca. Those who cling tenaciously to their faith are often drawn to places in Anahuac to affect the lives of humans. They do not like Mictlan politics and procedures, feeling that their own gods are the true sources of power. The great exception are the priests of Mictlantecuhtli and Mictlacihuatl who understand many of the secrets of the Underworld. They have developed the rituals which allow greater ties with Anahuac and have influenced Mexican culture in a way that borders on an obsessive, if not colorful view of Death incarnate.
Honored Sacrificial Victims - Among the dead of Mictlan exist the sacrificial victims of the bloody alters of Tenochtitlan. Victims of the Flowery Wars, drowned children, stone beaten women, and Aztec warriors who became as gods to the people of Tenochtitlan walk in Mictlan in positions of esteem and elevation. Yet, this regard is superficial. The dead were expected to stay dead, but instead, these Restless live in an afterlife that they were promised would be luxurious to them. Some of the promises have been kept, but most have been ignored. Nothing discouraging is said openly about the Honored Dead, but secretly, whispers are spread that these Restless Wraiths are good-for-nothings, gossipers, untrainable, unworthy, and unwanted. Yet, they are the oldest citizens of Mictlan, having wandered it when only a wasteland existed. Ix Chel, they claim, the goddess and priestess-queen of the Dark Kingdom of Obsidian helped guide them to Mictlan. Some derogatory statements claim that she actually rejected their souls and banished them to what was then the uninhabited Far Shore of Mictlan.
Sacrificial Servants - They only thing that prevents a complete purging of the Honored Dead is the large numbers of servants they have brought with them. These souls were bound to them in life and continue to follow them in death. In the early times, before the reign of Moctezuma, the Honored Dead could be seen walking through the shrouded mists with entourages of servants. After Moctezuma's ascension to power and the transposition of the temples of Tenochtitlan to Mictlan, the Honored Dead came to the city with their servants and helped build up much of the city. The servants proved to be the first line of defense as Stygian freewraiths came to Mictlan in hopes of expanding there as they had over the Dark Kingdom of Obsidian. Many servants were sent as tribute and offerings to Stygia before the bulk of the Indian population finally arrived in Mictlan. At that point, warriors came to the defense of the city and pushed back the invaders. Without need for food, clothing, or warmth, the role of the servants seemed to become obsolete, but the Honored Dead were promised servants in the afterlife, and the Council of Mictlan decreed that the souls of these servants were forever bound to their masters. Most of the Servants are little more than slaves today, and their ability to think for themselves is all but diminished. Centuries of servitude had worn out their free will and only a few came remember, perhaps in dreams, what it is to be free.
The Quetzalcoatl Cult - The priests of this cult found themselves in a precarious position during the conquest of Anahuac. First, as Moctezuma feared the Feathered Serpent's return, they made bold proclamations about the great change in the Aztec lifestyle that would occur. Unfortunately, Cortes was not Quetzalcoatl, and the priests were branded as fools and traitors by angry peasants and soldiers. In the afterlife, the Quetzalcoatl Cult continues to survive, though, they keep thier advice to themselves. They use the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, but do not interfere with the politics of Mictlan. They have learned their lessons too well. Most seek Transcendence.Through this, they hope to rejoin their true god and bask in his power. The only actions that this cult does take is against the minions of Tezcatlipoca. The rivalry between the gods continues even here. Unfortunately, the agents of the Smoking Mirror have adjusted to the hardships of the Underworld much better than those of the Feathered Serpent.
Sons of the Smoking Mirror - Tezcatlipoca's priests were never quite satisfied with the assumption of Huitzilopotchli as chief god of the Aztecs. Huitzilopotchli, the Humming Bird of the Left, was the minor god of a barabarian people. Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror, had dewlled in the Valley of Mexico for over two thousand years, in one form or another, and only Quetzalcoatl stands as a deity with as long a histrory. After taking Tula, the capital of the Toltecs held by the preist-king of Quetzalcoatl in the Tenth Century, this cult believed that taking Tenochtitlan, a barbarian state of the late Fourteenth Century, would be easy. But they found that the minions of Huitzilopotchli were too great for them, and soon their god was consumed by the grandiose image of Huitzilopotchli. The Sons of the Smoking Mirror are not happy, either, with the rulership of Moctezuma. In life, he served Huitzilopotchli above all else, and in death, he has turned that dedication to Mictlantecuhtli. Tezcatlipoca, they remember, was the first of the great gods to fall, and they also claim that he was the first citizen of Mictlan, not Mictlantecuhtli. This may be true, as the Sons of the Smoking Mirror claim their god to have existed centuries before the God of Death. The Incarna Tezcatlipoca, as well as his minions in Calpulli Tezcatlipoca, a vampire sect of Mictlan, and the Nahual, city dwelling Balam with a flair for the dark side of life, continues to influence Gaia's creatures on earth as well as in the underworld. The Nahual are gifted necromancers, and have often made journeys to Mictlan, though such a thing is not an experience to envy. The Sons of the Smoking Mirror enjoy enticing the Nahual into their Realm and then using powerful Arcanos that unleashes their own Shadow and Harrowing into the mind of the Nahual. This is a painful, invasive, and dangerous process, in which the Nahual victim may be consumed by Oblivion, but one that also teaches them the greatest and most powerful secret Gifts of Tezcatlipoca. This cult's members can more easily travel to Anahuac by night than can other Mictlan wraiths and often bring the Pandemonium Arcanos with them. It is their specialty and all Sons can be expected to possess at least some knowledge of it. In Mictlan, they conspire and plot, plan and prepare, but for what is unknown. They have never taken any direct, and very few indirect actions against the Lords of Mictlan. But there are always rumors.
Tlatelolcan Idealists - In the final days of the Aztec Empire, Cuahtemoc made many deals to gain support from recalcitrant allies. Chief among these alliances was the one made with Tenochtitlan's sister city, Tlatelolco. The nobles of Tlatelolco resented their annexation by Tenochtitlan, and did not like being attached as a fifth barrio of Tenochtitlan. Cuahtemoc promised them actual political power in exchange for their aid against the Spaniards. The last few days of battle took place in Tlatelolco, as Tenochtitlan's streets had already fallen. After the Aztec defeat, many Tlatelolcans were put to death for their aiding of Tenochtitlan. They felt, however, that even in death, the empire now belonged to them. In Mictlan, Tlatelolcan nobles appeared and demanded their due. Initial skirmishes erupted between the dead of Tlatelolco and Tenochtitlan. Before Moctezuma's rise, it appeared as if the Tlatelolcans would be victorious. Yet, Moctezuma cut many deals, including the now famous (infamous) one with the many warriors of Tlaxcala, which turned the tide of the uncertain period and established his rulership. Tlatelolcans still resent this conflict. In many, a sense of betrayal was born, for both they and the Tenocha (Aztecs of Tenochtitlan) were Culhua-Mexica, Aztecs, and by siding with the Tlaxacalans, sworn enemies of all Aztecs, Moctezuma created an entire class of wraiths who wish to see him fall. Tlatelocan Idealists are among the best educated, most knowledgable wraiths in Mictlan. They have many ties with the Pochteca underclaa, but both know the alliance is purely based on self interest, not idealism.
Reapers - The Reapers are the only strong organization in Mictlan that pre-dates Moctezuma's arrival. Most were originally pochteca or death priests in service of Mictlantecuhtli though a handful are rumored to actually be destroyed Mictlan vampires who serve their ancestors by working in the underworld. The Reapers have the most important job today, for though the pochteca recover information about the living, it is the Reapers who make recommendations and collect the souls of the dead. Among their more recent valued citizens to be gathered are Jose Clemente Orozco, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Ambrose Bierce. Carlos Fuentes and Octavio Paz are on their Very Likely' list. A few of their less then welcome selections have been Emiliano Zapata and Che Guevarra, both of who have brought a note of chaos to Mictlan that had not been seen before.
Mayan Villagers - Not living in the actual citadel of Mictlan are the Mayan villagers. They are fiercely independent, but accept some degree of responsibility for their ancestors influence upon the rise of cities in Mexico. Mictlantecuhtli, whom they call Cizin, has an important and different role in their lives than he does for the Aztecs. To the Maya, Mictlan is a final refuge from the pain brought on by life and the expansion of people who would oppress them. They merely ignore the existence of Mictlan, and carry out their days enacting rituals, singing songs, and visiting their living families in order to share experience and guidance. They do not participate in the defence of Mictlan proper, but if their lands are attacked, they will defend themselves, usually by means of stealth and traps. It is said that more than one lost city exists in the Mayan realms, but none has even been found. Ix Chel, the former ruler of the Dark Kingdom of Obsidian, is said to have been punished for her foolishness and pomposity in erecting a kingdom. Many Maya remind themselves that their bloodlines, their villages, and language have survived so long in the Skinlands because they gave up the complex and precarious existence in the great cities, and returned to their proper place in the jungles.
Yaqui Separatists - The first Yaquis were brought to Mictlan for their fierce and unwavering defiance against the Mexican army in the mid to late Nineteenth century. The Council of Mictlan, as well as the Reapers believed that a strong anti-foreigner, anti-European force was needed to bolster the defence of Mictlan. What they got instead was a nation that refused compromise, refused surrender, and refused to live in the city of Mictlan. The Yaqui fled to the misty mountains that the Mexica often call Popocateptl, though it has nor direct relationship with its earthly counterpart. Among the barren lands, they exist and even prosper, finding paths back to northern Mexico and keeping in contact with their living relatives. There are even unconfirmed reports that the legendary Don Juan, written about in a series of books by Carlos Castenada, was actually a Yaqui Wraith, sharing ancient and lost secrets with the South American. It is likely untrue, but still, it provides the Yaqui with a degree of notability in the world of the living.
Zapatistas - When government forces killed Emiliano Zapata at the end of the Mexican Revolution, they created a whole new series of problems for the Lords of Mictlan. Zapata was the perfect choice for citizenship in Mictlan. He was strong, bright, experienced, and articulate. He cherished indigenous culture, spoke Nahuatl, had fought European influence, and promoted a return to the indigenous culture. This made a great resume for the Reapers. Yaxchilan, himself, chief reaper of Mictlan, journeyed to Anahuac to claim the revolutionary's soul personally. At first, Zapata was happy with the decision. The idea of spending an eternity with the Christian god frightened him, and Mictlan proved a better alternative. For ten years he lived in Mictlan, giving advice and judging matters in a way only the revolutionary general could. Yet, when he witnessed the harsh treatment of servants and slaves, the hording of representative power by a few city Maya over their more numerous country brothers, and the second class citizenship held by the Yaqui, he could hold his tongue no more. A now legendary confrontation took place as Zapata stood before the Council of Mictlan and demanded an end to the practice of slavery and oppression. Some found him amusing, while others found him infuriating. Moctezuma himself passed judgement of Zapata, branding him a criminal and demanding that he retract his words. Instead, Zapata did the only thing he knew how. He shot Moctezuma. In the chaos, Zapata escaped, far away to the Yaqui mountains. There, he was taken in, and taught even more secrets of survival than he had known in life. Small groups of disenchanted pochteca, servants, and slaves came to his side, protecting him and aiding him in his fight. By the early 1950s, Zapata had begun the collection of souls from Mexico. It was always dangerous, for the Hierarchy was strong in Mexico, and Heretics often tried to impress souls to their form of worship. Spectres also scavenged the land for lost souls, and only Zapata made the Shadowlands of Mexico a true home. He went so far as to secretly influence the Reapers to travel to South America to take the soul of Che Guevarra upon his death. Then, while in transit to Mictlan, Zapatistas attacked and freed Guevarra. Zapata and Guevarra became fast friends and quickly doubled the trouble faced by Mictlan. Since then, Guevarra has left Mictlan and returned to the Shadowlands of South America, making trouble for the Hierarchy.
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