Rules

Death was a prominent feature of the Aztec beliefs. Multiple Gods were connected with the concept of death and the Underworld that awaited the soul (tonalli) after its passing. Indeed, the manner of a person’s death determined their destination in the afterlife. For example, warriors that died upon the battlefield were destined for the rising sun, whereas mothers dying in childbirth were destined for the setting sun. In addition, those that drowned or were struck by lightning went to Tlalocan, a paradise ruled by the Gods. However, the destination of the majority that died in the Aztec world was Mictlan, the Underworld that existed to the far north, ruled by its King and Queen, Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl.

Given his role, Mictlantecuhtli is a name that appears frequently in the incantations of many of the Pisanob family’s rites. What many also find apt is that Mictlantecuhtli was often depicted as a skeletal figure, splashed with blood — very much like the appearance of the Pisanob themselves.

Despite the degrees of separation between Western and Aztec philosophies, as well as other Mesoamerican cultures (also seen in Nahuallotl — p. 80), Necromancy provides several points of common ground.

The Aztecs regarded skeletal imagery as depictions of life and fertility. The juxtaposition of these concepts against death that the imagery naturally conveys is not unlike the act of breaking taboo in Western cultures. Thus, the Pisanob’s own appearance, and the style of their rites, are both elements that they can draw power from.

One Pisanob ritual (the Ritual of the Smoking Mirror, V20, p. 178) features the use of an obsidian mirror, but this is not the only rites to rely upon this particular piece of equipment. Obsidian mirrors were seen as devices that could be used to gaze into the Underworld and communicate with its denizens. These mirrors were seen as a symbol of rulership in Aztec society, to the point where they had a God of their own — Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror. Divinations and rituals using obsidian mirrors were said to impart the wishes of the Gods to the rulers of society. Thus, they make perfect symbols of authority with which Aztec Necromancers can command wraiths.

Like other rites stemming from their culture, Aztec Necromancy is highly ritualistic, relying heavily upon ceremony and preparation. Without these elements in place, the power of the blood provides a partial substitute. Necromancers deprived of the equipment they require to perform these rites in the traditional fashion suffer

a +2 difficulty increase, although this can be overcome for a scene by spending a Willpower point.