By Corwyn Alambar (nettiger@netcom.com) (10 Nov 94)
Given Proposition 187 in California, and the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment throughout the country, there is bound to be a backlash, particularly in the area of the native/Hispanic populations of the southwestern United States. By taking the fear and hatred and turning it back against its creators, using the victims becomes an easy task. So watch carefully, for the night will never be the same, once you discover the truth behind the Seekers of the Mirror's Shards.
The Seekers are a very strange group of mystics, based loosely on the Amerind traditions of the desert Southwest and the Tolto-Olmec/Aztec peoples of the central Mexican highlands. Preying upon the insecurities of Native American youths (and anyone who can trace their ancestry back to natives of the region) and the recent waves of anti-immigrant and anti-Native feeling, this group has swelled its ranks a hundred-fold in the last five years.
The seekers work by finding troubled youths, and offering them something of their heritage, a way to find their roots, to find meaning in an incresingly hostile world. They begin by introducing them to the mystical heritage of their peoples, including old Shamanic techniques, especially those involving peyote, mescaline, and other hallucinogenic/mind-altering drugs.
During their teaching in the spiritual ways of their ancestors (supposedly; this is only a fabrication made from pop-history and New-Age reference materials, and very little true history), they are also taught to be embittered about the way their people and especially their ancestors have been treated. Their hatred is stoked, but kept at a controlled level for the time being. Meanwhile, the group, through its "front" organizations, seems to be a charitable organization keeping kids off the street and giving them a reason to strive. Younger members of this cult often have a dramatic and marked increase in school and work performance, as well as becomming easier to deal with in family situations.
But then comes the time of their First Journey, a "voyage of exploration" into the spirit world. In fact, the new initiate is taken on a voyage into the Umbra, to a small jungle realm where there lives this large black jaguar that has named itself Tezcatlipoca, or Smoking Mirror. He sits upon a throne of human skulls, and sits the initiate down, explaining to him what his heritage is, and the true history of the New World.
He tells of Quetzalcoatl, the serpent god, who left his people, and voyaged to the Old World, to find converts there to his own power. Meanwhile, the people he left behind grew in power, and flourished into one of the most wonderful civilizations in the world, under Tezcatlipoca's guidance.
Quetzalcoatl became jealous of the success of Tezcatlipoca's power and success, and eventually he struck out with an army to take back the land. And during one of the major assaults, Tezzcatlipoca's Mirror, the seat of the power and prosperity of his people, was shattered. Quetzalcoatl's minions stole the pieces, which were then changed in form to become smaller artifacts that were then spread amongst the New World.
Tezcatlipoca then scars the initiate, and gives him a vision of one of the smaller shards, which is in fact a talisman or fetish of some power, but not extreme. The initiate is to capture this item, no matter what the cost. It is held by the invaders, and their lives are of no matter.
The initiate has several months to locate the 'shard', which is in fact merely another fetish or talisman, sometimes held by a knowledgeable mage or leech. Using the magickal talents he (or she) has been taught, eventually the focus is captured. Failure to capture the 'shard' within one year results in punishment, going to see Tezcatlipoca again, who then punishes the initiate for his failure. A second failure means the initiate doesn't come back.
Success brings another round of training, and another mission from Tezcatlipoca, his one a little more dangerous. Also, at this level the initiate becomes one of the lower-ranking priests, and is required to perform certain sacrifices to Tezcatlipoca, beginning with simple things, such as sacrificing an item of gold on an altar, and capturing some blood from someone and sacrificing it as well.
After some more successes, the initiate rises through the priesthood, choosing one of three paths: The Path of te Mystic, the Hunter, or the Warrior. The Mystic perfects the religious observances, often gaining several levels in Prime, Life, and at lower priority Forces, Entropy and Spirit.. The sacrifices become more and more bizarre and sadistic, eventually rising to the level of dismemberment and mass-murder, though by this point the priest has become very disconnected from humanity.
The Hunters are still searching for more and larger pieces of the Mirror. Their targets include larger Chantries, museums, and certain Kindred and Garou hoards. They begin to employ commando-raid style tactics, and often will inflict heavy casualties in capturing what it is that they seek.
The Warriors are the most frightening of the three paths, in that they become cold-blooded killers. Their status within the cult is obtained and held by the number of hearts they bring in in a moon-cycle. The more powerful the owner of the heart was, the more status and standing the warrior gains. At very high levels, they are taught to become masters of the Spirit sphere, and by using the rote 'Mirror's Touch of Glory' (see later) they can actually capture souls to bring them to the temple for sacrifice to Tezcatlipoca.
How can such an obviously bloody cult slip through the attention of the various supernatural forces of the WoD? Because a lot of the Tradition mages and Garou believe that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' The Seekers are active in raids on Technocratic institutions, Pentex outlets, and Kindred, making them automatic 'allies' of sorts with the traditions and the Garou. They are careful to cultivate this image, because it makes them better able to capture and subvert their enemies. Only Native American Dreamspeakers, Wendigo, Red Talons and Uktena are spared, however, with all the others looked down upon with sheer contempt and loathing, tools to be used then discarded.
THe greatest secret is what lies at the heart of this cult. The original Tezcatlipoca has nothing to do with this cult, and the false god is careful to assure that the great spirit Tezcatlipoca does not become involved. At the very heart of the cult is a Dreamspeaker barabbi who is the high priest of the cult, and a Balam [Nahual?] with many spirit fetishes that is the creature masquerading as Tezcatlipoca himself. Together they have masterminded this cult that seeks to drive all the invaders frm their homeland, and establish themselves as the gods of the new order. Their covert war is going astonishingly well, and they have succeeded in using the power from the stolen fetishes and talismans (and a few sacrificed spirits) to reopen several small power-spots in Central America and Mexico, giving them good bases to work from.
And what exactly is the Mirror they are trying to reconstruct? It is a total fabrication by the central priesthood to gather together a number of powerful fetishes and talismans, drain them of their energy, and use it to reopen the power spots they control, slowly spreading their influence over the land and taking it back, inch by inch, from the Westerners.
Rote
Mirror's Touch of Glory (Prime 4, Spirit 5): This is one of the most dangerous rotes known to the Seekers. With its power, they are able to snatch the very souls of their victims, leaving nothing but a slight pile of ash where the victim once stood.
To use the rote, the Seeker must take a broken shard of a mirror, with a very sharp edge, and hit the opponent to draw blood. (Diff. to hit is +1 given the awkwardness of the weapon, a botch means the wielder takes damage himself. Double botch means the mirror is dropped and shatters) Once this is done, the Seeker need only catch the gaze of the victim in the mirror, and then call upon the power of Tezcatlipoca to take the soul as a sacrifice. At that moment, the victim's Quintessence is drawn into the mirror, as is their soul, and the body crumbles to dust (as per the 'Purifying Flame' rote of the Celestial Chorus). The mirror now is a talisman/fetish, with the victim's soul contained within. This can then be sacrificed for the contained power and energy as any other fetish or talisman (see above).