By James A. MooreOXx Author: James A. Moore Developer: Ethan Skemp Editor: Aileen E. Miles Art Director: Richard Thomas Art: Brian LeBlanc and Conan Venus Front Cover Art: Brian LeBlane Back Cover Art: Brian LeBlanc Cover Design: Richard Thomas Layout & Typesetting: Richard Thomas What is Arthaus? I's White Wolf's new- estimprint. White Wolf's mission has always been to create artthat entertains; White Wolf Arthaus is the embodiment of this ideal. Modeled after small press, the Arthaus team strives to create those games and projects thatarenew, experimental andunique. White ‘Wolf Arthausnow manageswhole gamelines, supports others and creates specialty projects whenever possible 735 PaRK NORTH BLYD. SUITE 128 CuunksTOx, GA 30021 USA GAWE STUDIO © 1999 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. 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Check out White Wolf online at herps//m ww white-wolf.com; alt games.whitewolf and rec.games.frp-storyteller eeeTable of Contents Legends of the Garou: The Calm and the Storm that Follows Introduction: Another War for the Territories Chapter One: History Chapter Two: Geography Chapter Three: The People of Mexico Chapter Four: The Bad and the UglyThe Calm and the Storm that Follows ‘The boy ran into the cantina, his face covered in thick sweat despite the bitter cold outside. “They're coming! Just like you said they would, they're coming!” The boy was shivering, partially from the unexpected cold of the night, but mostly from fear. Santiago Del Rio nodded and spita spray of, tobacco on the dirt floor. “I ain't been wrong on these things, yet, boy. Don'ts to start makin’ mistakes now.’ He looked around at his companions, a dour expression on his weathered face. “Everyone ready?” Three braves stood up, curt nods their only acknowledgment that it was time to do battle. ‘The barkeep promptly ached underthe well- polished wooden bar and pulled out a shotgun that looked like it was far past its prime. Throughout the cantina people stood and prepared themselves for war. There weresome who looked eager—theones Del Rio thought of as fools — and others who merely looked tired. Del Rio numbered himself among the latter group. Anothernightand anotherbattle against the damned Ticks; itseemedhisentire life these days was built around fighting back the vampires from the North. There was a time, distant now, when his family bad lived in what the Americanos called their own, the territory of Texas. He'd fought at the Alamo and a dozen other sites,and all the way through the battles he'd been certain they would win. Then the vampires joined the fights, moving through the dark- ness of night and killing wantonly, destroying anything that looked like it might consider denying them what they wanted. Hell, he'd had his First Change back in those days. A brief smile played on his lips when he thought about the look on the Tick’s face right before he bit the dead thing's face off But the time for reflection was past: The vampires were here now, ready to take more of his country from him, ready to kill and ravage anything that wasn't like them. He'd had his fill of battles through the years, but this was an outrage. Pushing past the doors to the tavern was an exercise in nerves: The cold outside wasn't natural. It shouldn't be cold down here; it should be warm and pleasant. Instead of the usual mild autumn heat, he was struck by a bitcer freeze that sent plumes of white rising from his mouth and every part of his body that wasn’t protected from the elements. Several ofthe humans around him gasped at the cold, which had gotten even worse since the night before. ‘When the snow first started early in the previous night they'd all been a bit surprised. ‘Word had gone out that the Wendigo were responsible, but that was shut down quickly. Next everyone wanted to blame the Get of Fenris, at least until they realized that there ‘weren't enough of them down here to make anything like this sort of weather And then Del Rio remembered the stories he'd heard of vampires that could change the weather: tales of hideous frosts and violent lightning storms. For all anyone really knew, the Storm Eater itself had brought the foul weather. Still, he was inclined to blame the ‘Ticks. He'd dealt with their sort enough times to know they were capable of almost any- thing, and one sniff ofthe air was enough to tell him the freezing weather wasn't merely Earth-Mother getting an early start on the winter season. It stank of the unnatural ‘Throughout the nightthat followed andall of today, the snow had kept falling, and every- thing was now covered in a heavy veil of white. It was beautiful in its way, but it would only make for treacherous footing in the com- ing fight. The only ones who seemed unfazed by the bitter cold were the Get and the Wendigo, and between the two tribes there were only three werewolves present for the coming battle. 6 Teles Prom The Tras: Mexico SLL:Marg Stonebreaker was old, but still carried himself with a warrior's pride. Autaqua and Walks-to-the-South were younger, but nei- ther seemed like they were ready for a battle He wondered why they'd chosen Mexico in- stead of the expanses of the frozen north, but never bothered to ask them what had driven them so far from their homes. Surely they had their reasons. The other Garou in the area included three Shadow Lords and two Bone Gnawers. The Uktena and Red Talons re- fused to deal with the Spaniardsand Europeans. Seeing the ways in which the strangers had hurt them, Del Rio really couldn't condemn them. They'd promised to be nearby if the ones he'd gathered failed to kill the Leeches. He prayed they'd keep their word. Legends of the Garou: The Calm and the Storm That follows Virtually every adult or child capable of carrying a gun was there, and as a single unit they walked into the wintry blast and away from the edge of town. There was going to be fire and bloodshed, and no one wanted to risk the protection they had from the cold or burn the whole town down around them. Del Rio led the force, and they followed him eagerly, glad to have an experienced gunfighter on their side. Beneath the snow thatcreptup to his mid-thigh, Del Riofelethe cold, level ground that marked the fieldwhere children had been playing only two days ago. Not faraway he saw the lights, fires moving in the hills. They were coming. [twas time for battle. He spoke quickly, his orders caught up in the unseasonable wind. The humans took their places in the snow banks and the Garou stood in plain sight. This would be an ugly fight, and there would be little they could do to take the vampires off-guard. He had to hope that seeing a smaller number of people ‘would mean the Ticks would be foolish enough to attack the easy targets, thus giving werewolves a chance to get the vampires in close combat. The vampires most surely had numbers, but with snow this deep and enough room, the Garou would have an advantage, especially if they waited to Change until after the battle had begun, A momentlater the enemy came into sight, and Del Rio grinned savagely. There were only seven of them, far less than he'd feared. The stories he'd been hearing had left him to believe they were traveling in groups of 20 or more. The riders came down the steep side of the closest hill, carrying torches and calling out with wild enthusiasm. Despite the rau cous cries, no plumes of warm breath escaped their mouths. They were pale, dead things that refused to accept their demise, and they were monsters in the truest form. When theywere done with the town they would surely make the people here into more of their own as they spread further south to take Mexico. Del Rio saw them coming and a second later felt the bullet slam into his leftshoulder, missing his heart by mere inches. The impact spun him to the ground, where he sank be- neath the ocean of snow surrounding him, exactly as he planned. Even as he fell he saw the others going down, heard their cries of pain and rage. He used those very same forces to help initiate the Change, and reveled in the familiar burning agony of muscles stretch ing around bones that were twisting into new shapes. He felt the inhuman strength take hold of him, marveled in the sudden warmth of fur stretching out to kiss the cold night air. The burning wound in his shoulder shrank to nothingness, replaced by strong, solid flesh fully capable of breaking a man in half with (Once again, he was reborn as something far greater than a human could ever be. Del Rio erupted from the snow with a howl ofrage thatshook the white powderfrom trees for a hundred yards. He bared his teeth in a feral grin as he saw the faces of his undead ‘enemies and prepared to rip them asunder. All around him his call of challenge was joined by others in a symphony of promised pain and revenge The riders stood where they had been be- fore, not moving closer, and that was a bad sign. The horsemen, still in front of them, should have surrounded them by now, mak- ing them easy targets. The leader of the seven grinned, his fangs glinting in the night. His long, scarred face was chilling. Del Rio stepped forward, ready to fight anyway, ready to kill his enemies and celebrate their deathsin song. In thedistance, behind him, he heard Kinfolk cocking their rifles and knew they only waited for his com- mand. He'd already told them to aim for the heads, as litle else would hurt the Leeches. “Yrall are pretty crafty, I have to give you that.” The scarred man spoke softly, but his voice carried in the nearly complete silence. “With most folks that litee trick might've worked, and youcould be back in your houses.” The smile left his face and the cheer faded from his speech. “But Boot Hill ain’t most people.” The vampire let out a whistle be- tween his fingers that hurt Del Rio's ears and made him want to return the favor a thousand fold. Before he could do more than step forward a single pace, the snow all around Del Rio exploded, revealing more of the vampires Each of them had pistols drawn in white- crusted hands, and though the frigid weather must surely have slowed them, they movedfast enough with the element of surprise on their side. Pistol fie ignited the darkness and Del Rio screamed in pain as the bullets tore into him. Something hot and hard punched through hisribs and explodeda lung. Another bullet shattered his right thighbone and yet another blew out most of his neck. The pain was excruciating, and he fell back into the snow with a startled grunt as his life's blood leaked away from him. A moment later he tried to rise and failed. His wounds would not heal. ‘There was more gunfire, and then there was silence. The cold crept back into him as he felthis body shifting to itsnatural formagainst his will. Some time later, minutes, hours, Del Rio couldn’e be certain, a well-worn boot pushed his face toward the heavens. The scar- faced vampire looked down at him from an impossible height and then suddenly loomed closer as he squatted. “Thought you was still breathin’,” he said in friendly, how’s-your-life-treating-youfashion. “Tknow your face. You were Santiago Del Rio before we came along, weren't you!" Hedidn’t wait for an answer, merely nodded as if he'd already received one. “Pleasure to meet a legend. Ill make sure you get buried proper. Pm Joe Hill, and Thunt yourkind, so don't feel too bad about this. I just set you up so’s we could knock you down. Heard there was a bunch of Lupines out this way.” Another voice spoke up, just as friendly and justassmug. "Here come the others, Boot. ‘Wanna join us or are you having too much fun?” Boot Hill looked away for a moment then grinned. “Ain't never havin’ too much fun to Kill a few more Lupines, Dawson, you know that!” He looked back at Del Rio with a broad, feral smile. "Don’t yougonowhere. fn, you're still around when we're done with these, you can be my dinner!” ‘The gunfire startedagain, but Del Riobarely noticed. The cold was sucking away every- thing around him. When the silence came again, he was beyond feeling anything. Joseph “Boot” Hill looked down at his wasted meal and sighed. “Damn shame. 1 reckon he'd a made a fine meal. What with bein’ a hero and all Beside him Jack Dawson grinned. “Ain't nuthin’ to fret over, Boot. There’sa few more of ‘em who're still kickin’ and growlin. “Yeah. There's always a few more, that's what makes it so sweet.” He pushed back the jaw of Santiago Del Rio with the toe of his boot and smiled, then kicked the jaw hard enough to shatter it. “When are you morons gonna learn? Silver makes great bullets!” He laughed as he walked away, and behind him Del Rio's body stared sightlessly into the sky until the snow buried him under a shroud of white,Mexico is abeautifulland, and that very beauty seems to be the curse that falls across her and scars her deeply. For as long asMexico has existed, she has always been visited with strife and turmoil, pain and death. There seems to be no escape from the misery that is drawn to Mexico, no peace in which toadmire her treasuresand wonders. The natives of Mexico have grown used toacertain level of disaster in the area, but what comes their way now is far worse than they've experienced in the past, and isonlyahintofthingstocome. The Wyrm has found the pure land of Mexico and now jockeys to have its way with her. Introduction: Another War for the Teritorias For this battle, the heads of the Hydra have found a new use for an old pawn, one that continues to deny the Wyrm's very existence, all the while reveling in the very nature of the Corrupter. Vampires Vampires have come to Mexico, seeking to claim the land as their own. Here they hope to build a new haven for their kind from which they can battle against others of their ilk — others who do not believe that humans are merely sheep upon which to feed, or that Earth-Mother’s bounty is theirs to exploit. They are the Sabbat, and they have no mercy, no need for anything that does not give them pleasure.Though past battles with strangershave cost the people of Mexico greatly, nothing that has come before can compare to what now moves toward them from the North As if that were not enough, the War of Rage continues in Mexico. The ‘Wyrmbringer Garou come to claim what they can take by force, certain that theirs istheright way. The local Changing Breeds do not agree, and they fight to keep what they have long since come to think of as their own. Darker still are the forces that have gathered in Mexico, shadowy, threaten- ing things that have long been the secret rulers of the vast land. Ancient, sacred rites have been perverted, twisted and warped to suit the needs of a few powerful beings who will use any means to keep what is theirs, even if they must destroy Mexico to save their base of power. A storm is gathering, and it promises to blow harsher than any the land has yet seen, Theme The theme of Tales from the Trails: Mexico is simply one of innocence lost. Despite the long and occasionally bloodyhistory of Mexico, the Changing Breeds here have lived together in relative peace, each accepting that the others had a role in the cosmos. The few exceptions were usually destroyed with ease, or were crafty enough to hide themselves from the wrath of the others. That attitude has changed drastically in only afew decades, and many of the shapeshifters of Mesoamerica are beginning to recoverfromtheirshock well enough tofeel the need forretribution and territorial war. The newcomers to the re- gion are not quite prepared forthe savagery of the locals, but what they lack in experi- ence they more than make up for in numbers. While this second War of Rage keeps the shapechangersat bay, the Sabbat has come to claim the area as their own, and they are very determined to do so at any cost. Mood There isawar going on, several actually, in which there can be only one winner. The battle changes shape daily, and the factions move against each other both Introduction: Another War forthe Teritories directly and with Machiavellian subtlety. Paranoia isarapidly growing problem, and the loss of trust even in those who have longbeen close allies is becoming a serious threat. The war is growing far more vio- lent, far more dangerous with every phase of the moon, and the shifting patterns of chaos bring with them a desperation that borders on mania. ‘Whois truly friend? Who is truly afoe? The Storm-Eater grows strongereveryday, and its power is having unusual affects on the land. Dark things that should be long dead are coming back with a vengeance, and the Interlopers from the North are bringing the Wyrm’s taint into a land that has long been free of the worst forms of corruption. Ie’s not merely the mortals who present a problem any longer, there are other supernatural disasters building in the shadows, and strange machinations obscure the path to salvation from the growing storm, Saddle up, gringo. You better be ready for it when it hits, ‘cause there ain’t gonna be nobody to cry at your funeral.When the Land was Sacted Been doin’ some travelin’ again, on account of its what | do best. Lately 've been listenin’ to my grandfather'sadvice. When! was younger he looked atme and said, “Laughing Manyskins. you can only learn the truth by askin’ people. And younomnally have to ask a lot of them, or youend up getting only part of the truth because everybody adds their own seasoning to a story. like when they make a stew.” So I've been downto Mexico, andI've beenlisteningandl've beenwatching Settle on down here, make yourself comfortable, ‘cause I've gota taleto tell you There was a time. long ago now, when the Land was sacted and umtainted by the Interlopers. That's what the folks down Mexico way call the Europeans, Intetlopers. The People knew their gods and those very same deities answered their prayers happily. Humans were scarce enough thatthere wasno need to keep themfiom growing too farortoo fast, and culling the herd was simple matter.Se —. Satay = What's that? Oh, [know what you'te saying — “The Wyrm is every- where.” Well, that's tue enough, butsometimeshe's more ina place thanhe is at other times, and just now he's figutin’ he's been away from Mexico a little too long Butlm getting’ away trom the story, the one! mhere to talk about. Seems Earth-Mother has her ways. She can defend herself to an extent, but she looks t6 het champions to do that. her guardians and defenders, Anyway. back to my story. Intime the humans began to settle intowns andincities They leamed to cultivate theircrops and farmthe land. accept- ing the blessings ofEarth- Motherwithoutabusing her in esponse.Inthanks they builtstone temples to the gods, giving them names that were not the same as the Changing Breeds used. but were meant for the same beings The servants of Earth-Mother looked on, and were pleased. Pethaps thee wassome arrogance in theirsatisfaction, thatwouldn'tbe impossible. Many took to working as the servants of these gods, answering the questions of the humans and teminding them of the proper path to follow. never truly revealing what they were. The humans accepted them, gi worship £0 their forms and offering sacrifices Foratime thesesactifices were accepted asttibute,ateplacement ofsons forthe killings thatonce kept the humans fiom growing too vast in number. The people called themselves the Olmec, and they were encouraged to grow andto leam. They built many cities, the greatest ofwhichwas called Teorthuacan. “the City of the Gods” Teorthuacan gtew mighty indeed Over 1 25,000peopledwelled within the city. serving Earth-Mother in her many disguises But the people soon changed, believing less in protecting the Land and more in serving them- selves They begantakingtoomuch fiom Earth-Mother replacinglittle and growing fat as. tick on the neck of a deer. With so many ofthem to teed, they began forcing their will on other tribes, expanding theirinfluence over hundreds of miles and cutting away the trees in order to grow theit food Earth-Mother was not pleased. and told the Changing Breeds to speak with the humans, ro wam them against their newly found ways Thehumansscorted. ignoring theirmessengers fromthe godsandcontin- ing intheirfolly. One ofthe greatestofthe Mokolé, Queztalomic, Heatot the Sun, demanded that the humans surrender theit leader for sactitice. The muler of the Olmec people. Malinche, a woman of great will and astonish- ing beauty, refused and sent het soldiers to destroy the messenger of the gods. Though the battle was fierce, they succeeded in killing the great Mokolé, offering him as the sacrifice instead of theit queen. ‘Teles From The Tras: Mexico 558When woud of this deed passed among the Changing Breeds theit tage was powerful. The Uktena. the Balam, the Mokolé and the Ananast the Corax. the Nuwisha and even the Camazotz all gathered together in a {great moot and spoke of what to do, The decision was simple enough to make; They had failed in their duties and allowed the Olmec to grow too strong, The time had come to rectify theit mistake and this they did with Earth-Mother's blessing. Teotihuacan fell under the collective wrath of the Changing Breeds Many ofthe humans led, scteaming nto the distantjunglesnevertotetum. Many others died for their foolishness. Malinche, the dark queen of the Olmec was killed and carefully buried in the traditional way. her body lett atthe ruins ofthe City ofthe Gods as a teminderthatthe messengers ofthe gods should never be disobeyed With the death of Malinche and Teotihuacan came the death of the ‘Olmec Empire. The people leamed theit lesson well, and all was forgiven Perhaps a trick, once leamed. can never be unleamed. The next time the humans gathered together in great numbers they called themselves the Zapotecs, and they too built greatcities, While the tibe thrived before the fall of the Olmecs, they became far greater when their neighbors to the north were vanquished. Many of the Olmecs went to the Zapotecs and joined them. The Zapotecs leaned away trom the ways ofEarth-Mother and they soon leamed the error of theit ways. Without the aid of the Changing Breeds, they fought amongst themselves and squabbled a great deal Before they finally (ell to their own dark desires, the Maya people gathered and began to build still another camp forthe humans. They were wiser. and they listened to the messengers of the gods and were rewarded with the aid ofthe shapechangers. They grew wise and learned well the lessons offered them, soon surpassing the knowledge of the teachers in many ways Still the bestefforts ofthe Mayans could notstop their great numbers fom harming the land. Simply by gathering in such large herds, th humans began to deplete their resources. They had to choose between claiming mote ofthe land for theit farms — or starvation, Some choice Several of the leaders felt differently about what had to happen. and wars came to the once-peacefil Mayan Empire, Chac. one ofthe greatest ofthe Mayan leaders and Kin to the Uktena. looked upon the damage they were causing Earth—Mother and fietted about what to do. The tribe felluponitselfin war, some using the combat asan excuse to seize the land Chapter One: Bistoryof others, some simply trying to do what was best for everyone. Chac contemplated the dilemma and asked the guidance of the gods. Unlike so many, he thenlistenedto thatadvice, He called upon the Changing Breeds forassistance. and some ofthem agreed thathis thoughts were sound. The Wolves the Jaguatsand the Lizards all helped him inhiseffortsto stop the war. Though matters did not change easily. in the end Chac managed to convince the remaining leaders that abandoning the cities and finding a better way to live with Earth-Mother was more sensible. The Uktena, Balam and Mokolé who stood with him might have been a very strong deciding tactorin getting everyone to agree. The cities were surtendered tothe Land, save fora few places where the foolish refused to agree and continued onas best they could. What'sthar?No. theNuwishadidn'tgetinvolved nordid the Coraxor the Camazotz. The Camazorzhadalteady lostmany when they battled the Olmec. and the Corax and Nuwisha had better things to do, othet places to go. Besides, speaking for the Coyotes, waris not our way. It's often wisest to let the humans tend to themselves. With their government in ruin and their cities forgotten, many of the remaining Mayans collapsed into separate smaller tribes, Those who chose t0 ignore the dictates of Chac and the messengets of the gods moved to the South and met other cultures, changing along the way. In time. the migrating temaining Mayans built their nation strong again, but wiser and with better cate. Meanwhile — atid you knew there'd be a meanwhile — to the North grew anotherforce. These fellas were farmore warlike, ready to take what they needed by force. They called themselves the Toltecs. The Toltecs came in great numbers, killing many and forcing the test into submission Thiswasnota quick and simple conflict, buttookmany years They didn't somuchconquerthe tribesotthe area assimply absorb them intotheitown growing culture, The Toltec adopted many ofthe Mayan waysand they tooleamedtolive withEarth-Mother— intheitown fashion Beingmote aggressive than the Mayans, they spread out in far greater numbers and buile ourposts to protect them fiom other invading forces. Theit power was so great that many ofthe lesser tribes paid them tibute as protection against being invaded and overwhelmed. In time they t00 began to look away fiom the simple bounties provided by Earth-Mother and began ignoring the wisdom ofthe Changing Breeds They took much ofthe land ‘fortheir farms, and they cut down great forests to make theit cities. Fook ishly. the Changing Breeds did not stop the trend before it was too late. Tales From The Tralls: Mexico zuand Earth-Mother took matters into het own hands, or pethaps she had help fiom the Wyrm, A drought came farto the north of Mexico, driving thousands of people south to avoid the ravages of starvation ‘The Wendigo, best knowntforstaying inthe fa Northemteaches, came downinto the land ofMexico forthe firsttime, and with them came many Of their Kin. There was no great war between the brother tribes of the Garou. but there were battles aplenty between the humans on both fronts A little ata time, the remaining Toltec people moved to the south, Over the course ofa decade the Toltec Empire collapsed under its own weight. and (oratime there werenomore great civilizations, there were simply the tribes who wandered the land. Even that changed quickly, as the people once again began settling in the rich land and cultivating their crops. The Changing Breeds soonleamedthatthey had waited toolong, they could no longer control the growth of the cities completely. Still. the city-states that rose were not empites and the Land was not abused as it had been before But.as time passed, the remaining seeds of the great Toltec Empire grew another force, a gathering of tribes who called themselves the Mexica They followed their leaders until they reached a place whee thett seers said the gods wanted them to be. They followed the dreams of the seers whotoldthemthatthey shouldnottestuntilthey saw aneaglekillasnake upon a cactus that grew ftom a tock. This single image had been given to the seers, and when they saw the image made reality. the Mexica people stopped and settled in a vast valley with several large lakes. the most important of which was Texcoco, For a over a century the Mexica people lived in subservience to theit neighbors, most especially the tribe called the Tepanec who dwelled in the city-state of Azcapotzalco, Though they lived well. they were considered inferior to theirneighbors Despite their difficulties, the Mexicasetabout creating their ownempite and joined with several oftheirneighboring comnumities in a pactof wat From this union the Aztec Empire was bom, and fiom the begining. something was wrong withthe empite. Somethingabouritwas darkerthan any of the previous gatherings of the humans had ever been The empire grew very quickly. conquering all they came actoss and either absorbing theirenemies orenslavingthom They spread acrossall of Mexico and into South America. as well as into the areas of Texas and Wyoming in the lands now called the United States The greatest city of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan, grew to a size never before seen in the Land. Over 200,000 people made the great city their home, and they built Chapter One: istory =massive temples to their gods among them Huitzilopochtli and Quetzalcoatl, While the Aztec Empite was physically power, it called for changes in the ways the humans thought, Pethaps because the Changing Breeds had interfered inthepast the AztecEmpite feltthe need to placate their gods with sac- vifices. Huitzilopochtlt in particular seemed to want all kinds of sacti- fices — hungry fella. | guess, During the reign of the Aztecs, the ficed 80.000 captured enemie: slaves to theit gods, Nort the greatest folk ever, but frankly. I've heard numbers from them Europeans’ history that make the Aztecs seem a little better. De- spite their often brutal and bloody ways. the Aztecsstill managed to live in harmony with the Land apeshifters were un. settled by their violence, but most agreed the problem belonged tothe humans.alone. Earth-Mother did not calll for the destruction of the Aztecs, and so they were lett in peace. saveforwhenthetrincursions tookthemtothe landssactedto the Changing Breeds, The Aztecs wel comed many of the shapeshitters and in particular the Balam were te vered.Inmany ways, all was good inthe Land. Atleast that’s what the Jaguars had to say about it But in this time a strange division occured. Some of the priests among theAztecschanged.growinghungry for power and making arangementswiththe gods orspecial compensation fortheiractions Thoughnone ofthe Changing Breeds knew of this, they were shocked when the secrets were revealed later. More shocked still. because these prayers of the priests had been answered by something, and that something could not have been the gods, who were merely other names for EarthMother. Woe still, though the secret again remained hidden, some of the followers of these priests were shapeshifters. Some of the priests them- selves were actually members of the Changing Breeds. A cancer grew within the Aztec Empire. one that threatened to swal- low the Changing Folk as well. Just as the factions within the empire began to realize there was a problem. the Interlopers came. They came tiomSpain bringing powertulweaponsandadesitetoconquet all they saw. The Aztecs heard rumors of these great waniors, as tales moved from the south speaking of the Intetlopers and their attacks on the now distant Mayans. Though the intedopets ost most of theirbattes, they continued to fight. seeking places where they could settle and expand thett empite, a notion the Aztecs understood very well. The Empetor or the Aztecs, King Motecuzoma (That's Montezuma to the ignorant? the Sec- cond, oweted that his people greet the Spaniards when they came. offering them feastsand teasuresi(they would simply leave.Itissaid by comethathe was not himselfwhen this event occued Don'tknow what they mean by that Wastitus There had been tales by the priests that the Aztec Empite would fall when the god Quetzalcoatl retumed to them. Though few can say the exact events, the Aztecs believed that another of their gods Tezeatlipoca. had disgraced and angered Quetzalcoatl. which lead to the great feathered serpent flying away to the East. The Mokolé say otherwise, they say thatthe great feathered serpent god never existed as they claimed. but that he was actually just the legend of Queztalomic the Mokolé killed by the Olmec way back when. | guess that makes a certain amount ofsense. seeing as the Aztecs’ stories claimed the Wind Godwouldcomebacksomeday andtiashthefollowersofTezcatlipoca. Seein’ how the Changing Breeds came and trashed the Olmec'scapitolas away of sayin they werent thrilled with Queztalomic gettin’ killed, | reckon that’sa possibility. Well. can youguess what happened when the Spaniardssettled inand had themselves a feast. then got offered a great big pile of gold an’ such to just leave? Nope — you'te wrong, They left But youre right 100, ‘cause they came back with reinforcements and a few cannons Chapter One: RistoryThis time around though. the Interlopers got help fiom some folks calling themselves the Tlaxcalans. Among the Tlaxcalans there was a woman of great beauty and intelligence, who soon made fiends with the Spaniards and fold themjusthow to whup upon the Aztecs, who were constantly demand- ‘ingtithesttom thettpeople andnow and then draggingatew ofthemofftoteed their gods The woman's name might sound familiar if you've been paying attention Hername was Malinche, and though she looked young and sweet. best! cantigure isshe was getting up inher yeatssince the Changing Breeds had killed her a few centuries eatliet. Seems she didnt like bein’ dead and she came back tollife. Maybe she hadn'tbeen able to build the Olmec empire by herself and maybe the people she was hangin’ around with weren't doin’ too much better, butshesaw an opportunity in dealing with the Interlopersandmadethe best of tc With her help Heman Cortes was able to build his small amy of around 600 into an amy of ive times tharsize Anyhow. best Lunderstand it, ol’ Motecuzoma thought the leader of the Intetlopers. Heman Cortes, was actually Quetzalcoatl come back fromthe East So he pretty much gave up hisentire empire totheman Cortes was pretty gratefid. limagine. but he started looking around the great big city ofthe Aztecs and his eyes went wide. They had gold aplenty, which they wouldshate,and they hadsome fine women, whichthey would also share, especially withone oftheir gods, butmostotall they didn'thavethe most important thing the Eutopeans could think of They didn't have a church that worked the tight way. Why. them heathens actually had more than one god. and on top of that they hadahabit ofcutting ourthe hearts oftegularfolktoteedto theit gods Seems there'sa difference between killing in the name ofthe European godandkillingforany ofthe others 50 the Spaniards gotnasty andstarted Killing priests, Mind you. they still had time to take all the gold they could get their hands om. Just to make sure the Aztecs behaved themselves, Contes captured Motecuzoma and had him locked up in a cell. but even before he was locked up snug and comfortable, the Spaniard made him sweat allegiance to the King of Spain. Altera few weeks of gathering gold and eeling selfimportant, Cortes got notice that his old boss, the Govemor of Cuba. a man named Velazquez. ‘iguredhewantedhisshare ofthe bounty, ‘causehe'dfinanced Comtesinthe fst Cortes went off to explain the facts of life and lett his second-in-com- mand. Pedro de Alvarado. in charge ofhisnewly claimed city. Just to make sure the Aztecs knew who was in charge, de Alvarado killed a few hundred of their people while they were prayin: That wasn't toosmart. mean, 300 orso men against 20,000, you figure outthe odds, Teles From The Tralls: MexicoDe Alvarado and his men, along with theit Tlaxcalan soldiers, found themselves surrounded by trouble. By the time Cortes came back. with his would-be jailers either drafted or dead. the situation was desperate. Even with 3,000 men athis beck and call, Cortes washavin’abad time He asked Motecuzomato give the localsallittle talkin’ too andexplainthatCortes wastheitftiend, butttdidn'tgo overso well. The localsthtew tocksattheit king. hitting him enough timesto break a whole lotofbones, Adding to the poorman’s troubles was the fact thathe kept claiming the Spaniards would leave soon. What he didn't catch onto was that Cortes'd leamed a bit of his language, enoughto teara double-cross, and even while he was talking he was getting stabbed in the back by his new buddies. The wounds were bad, butt till took him three days to die. Well, that was a bad day for Cortes and his tends. The dead king's cousin tookthe whole thing amite personally, and ashe was the new king, hetold his followers to get the Interlopers gone. Some 800 soldiers later. Cortes got the idea and they ran like hell There's rumors that Contes brought some powerful vampires with him whenhe came around the frsttime Well, whenhe retumed 10 monthslater, he brought even more of them. Nasty éllas who called themselves the Sabbat Unlike most humans, the Sabbat didn’t much care about what was lett when they got finished. They suggested bringing a few surprises forthe Aatecs, and supplied plague-ridden blankets and other “peace offerings” like mote cannons and nightly attacks by the vampires. To make a long story short. the Aztecs fell and they fell hard. Before the vampites could get too comfy, though. the Spaniards brought another nasty surprise: what the European Garou tefer to as the Inquisition ‘Mortal monsterhunters. TheSabbatranto the northandthesouthlike they had the Wyimhis ownselfnippin’attheitcajones.andlettthe ateaalone.Canyou guess what happened next Ifyou said “The European Garou moved in and madethemselvesathome,” youteright Truth ofthematteris leastastaraslcan figure, they came in with the Inquisition. Once it looked like the vampires had been taken care of they began claiming everything as their own. The Second Wat of Rage Alotofwhatl say here is conjecture, and seeing as Tm Nuwisha. | just mightadd abit offlavorhere and there, just to keep thingsinteresting — but nOttoo much. as the truth is usta bit sacted to me, (Especially when you gotta keep it sate by tellin’ some fella just the opposite) Chapter One: HistoryNeat as I've been able to gather, the fitst of the European Garou over here wete the Bone Gnawers Seems like they te always the first. sortoflike scouts for the rest of them. Rats on ships. one putit. Haven't been on any shipsmyselfyet solcan tspeak forthe truth ofthatcomparison Nextcame the Shadow Lords, and when they came they came in force. It was like a trickle in the north, where the “United States" is these days, but in Mexico, itwas mote like a hurricane. The Shadow Lords came with every wave of Spaniards. and there were wavesaplenty JustassoonasCortescame back he started knockin’ down everything that tesembled Aztec stylings and began rebuilding it all in a way bettersuited to his people and their Church. ‘Might have been that the Changing Breeds would have gotten more involved ifthey hadn't been fighting among themselves. Notall of them, mind you: The Corax and Nuwisha just walked away from it. ‘cause it involvedhumansandthatwasneverourstrength The Ananasijuststepped away into the forests and watched, as they’te liable to do, and the Camazotz whispered to Earth-Mother and waited for a tesponse. The Uktena and the Red Talons fell to arguing over damn neat everything. including the desites of the Red Talons to just kill all the humans and let the Earth-Mother figure out a better breed to take their place. It got so they couldn't get near to each other without some sort of bloodshed. The Balam blamed the Mokolé for everything going wrong, and the Mokolé took it personally. Now, when | say they were fighting, I think Ineed to clarify thara bit They weren'tkilling each other off they just weten'tbeing teal friendly toone another. There wasalotofarguing about this and that, and they pretty much agreed to disagree. That was made worse by the fact thatsome ofeach were doin thingsa bit diftetentttom whatthey ddone in the past Some had takento the Aztecrituals ofsactifice with a vengeance. and they haduo problematall hunting down the Spaniards and cutting out afew dozenhearts. They also did theitfaitshare of stomping onthe locals who'd agreed to fight with the Interlopers against the Aztecs. It was an ugly, bitter war, and there were no victors, just lots of victims. While they were going at each other like tabid Europeans, the Spaniards started explaining the tacts offlife to the natives and building theirnewtowns, Inno time atall. they ‘dsettledonthe ruinsof Tenochtitlanand made anew city which they called Mexico City just as they called the land itself Mexico. They setupnewnules forthe Aztecs to follow, and did theirbesttomake themleamthe Spanish tongue, thougheventoday moststillspeakNahuatl, the native tongue of the Aztecs. There might have been a problem with enforcing theitnew ules, butthe Aztecs and othersfacedaseriousproblemab ec) around thesame time. The Sabbat's diseased blanketsand the foul breath of theSpanlardsthemselvescausedsicknesstorimacrosstheLand Fromwhat lunderstand. only aboutone in 25 ofthe locals survived the plagues that tan throughout Mexico, Same story as the US, the Europeans brought death with them. Small wonder the Uktena and the Wendigo call them Wyrmbringers, Even without the foulness of theit culture, they killed mil lions Mostofthe locals were still immouming whenthe orderscame down, and without theit gods to guide them, without even the “Messengers” they'd grown to trust. they feltabandoned So, tt was into this mess that the Second War of Rage came actoss the borders of Mexico and started what the locals down here call the Buming Season Iguessmaybe the Shadow Londsarea bitcratterthanmost would like togive them creditor. a litle closerto the Wymn than they dlike 0 confess Atter they'd driven the vampires away. they sent their friends in the Church afferthe otherChangingBreeds. A casual word hete.ashtedofevidencethere, and suddenly the Mokoléand allthe othetsdiscovered anasty uth: Humans can kill the Changing Breeds a lot easter than most ofthem supposed You have to understand, they were used to spears and swords Even after seeing Cortesand hismen in action. they'd neverimagined the sort of devastation the Inquisition could cause. Whole villages were wiped out by fire, and when fire wasn't enough they brought out weapons A surprising number of those weapons were silver. The Shadow Lords used coercion and lies to get their way, where theChangingBreeds were used only tothe way oftheswordandtheclaw. Itwas more than just a battle for their own lives that the shapeshiftets of Mexico foughtit was a war forthe lives of their Kin.as well. The Church and the Inquisition cut through the area like a bullet punchesthrough rotted wood. Every time the Changing Breeds thought they'd won a fight. the Inquisition proved them wrong. Worsestill. even when they did win. they soon discovered that the Shadow Lords were waiting. ready to finish what their puppets in the Church had started for them Want to know how they fought their great want According toa few of the stories. and lam inclined to ake them with more than a grain ofsalt. at leastone band of the Shadow Lords used a cannon. They loaded it with silver shot and cut loose whenever they found a Mokolé too big and mean to take in. fair fight. I guess they were a bit obsessed with owning the whole ofMexico and everything bey ond tt. think maybe they would have just gone onand on with theit ways, ifthey hadn't been taught a painful lesson. From what | heat. the lesson was one they've never forgotten.They killed the last of the Camazotz. Thete hadn't been many of the werebats lett since they'd joined the other shapechangets so long ago in destroying the Olmec Unlike the other Changing Breeds, they'dnevertecov- eted ftom the fight as well as maybe they could have There's glyphs written down in along forgotten place. carved into the stone where almost no one will eversee it Irs.a confession ofsons ftom the leaderof the murderous pack He was called Datk-Claw-of Vengeance, and he was tenowned for his ferocity in battle. | think. though ve no proof that he was the main driving: force among the Shadow Lordsin theit conquest ofthe Land, They found the last of the Children of Batin the ruins of Teotthuacan. the city ofthe Olmecs The Camazorz never spoke his name to them. nordid he offer any resistance. There were fourofthe Shadow Loxdstherethatnight allofthemseeking glory andhonot Whenthey spottedhimhewasstanding guardovertherins which tothe Camazotz had become something sacted. a teminder ofall that went ywrong when the humans were leftto thett own devices They thoughthe was one oftheirown awerewolfgone tothe Wynn They claimedhe had danced the Black Spiral. and the nameless werebat claimed to know nothing oftheit accusations. Entaged by his lies” they pointed to his ears and to his wings, exclaiming that these were the signs ofthe Wyrm He said he heeded only the Earth:Mother, as was his sacted duty. Pethapsthey had leamed a few lessons fiom theirallies inthe Church, ot perhaps they taught those methods of forcing the uth to the Inquisition When they were younger. Using a silver lade, they cutthe werebat again and again, temovingtthinslices fromhisearsand fiomhiswings, pullingteeth fomhismouth and teating claws ftom his handsand feet. And when at last they had forced him to confess to consorting with the Wymm, they ended his lite by driving the silver blade deep into his heart The Mokolésay hisscream has been heard twice. The firsttime the lastof the Camazotz cried out. the ground shook and the sky tained blood for three days and nights. Nuwishal've spokento say the Umbra itselfechoed with thatscteam, and that the great Bat who was totem and father to the Camazotz tore apart the great cave where it dwelled and temains buried beneath the ruinsevento thisday. Some claim itwasthe fearsome, grievous sound of his scream that drove the vampites from Mexico, notthe Inquist- tion Who am 10 say otherwise? l was not yet bom when the last of the Children of Bat died at the hands of the werewolves. The confession of Dark-Claw-of Vengeance claims that the sound lett all four ofthe Shadow Lords there that night deafened. and that their fur tumed white, asifthey aged ahundred yearsinthatmoment Earth-Motherraged at the death of one of Her children, and Her rage was a fearsome thing. She wept blood and She shuddered in Her gtie€ casting down many ofthe buildings of the Pure Ones and the Interlopers alike. Whatever help She might have offered to those who suffered from the European plagues was lostin thatmoment, not because She was angty. but because Her grief was too great for Her to notice their illnesses A part of Earth-Mother died with the Camazotz. and the Shadow Lords knew then of their mistake. And in that moment, the Wymm did truly sink its vile teeth into the heart ofthe Land. Whentheblood stom ended sotoodlutheSecond WarofRagepasstiom Mexico, Whatever had driven the Shadow Lords to kill all they saw was spent. Many of the Mokolé claim the interloper Garou collapsed as one; all overtheLand and that whenthey rose again a everhad passed fiom themas surely asLumachangesherface.Itwasthe Mokoléwhotruly stopped the wat, fortheBalamand thenativewerewolvesalike wanted tevenge Eventhecold. ppassionless Ananasisoughtto destroy thelnterlopers butthe Mokoléstopped them. They alone knew that the feverhad passed. and that the Shadow Lords. forwhateverreason, would fight no more. leis said that the scream of the last Camazotz has been heard one more time-In Mexico, at least they claimhis scream washeardagainatthe very moment when the Stom-Eater awoke. | was not there, lcannotsay. Changing Times Well reckon you already know must of what's been goin’ on. but just incase 'mwrong, Ill cover the basics for ya Spain decided they owned the whole of Mexico fora long time. They taught theittongue to the locals and they made sure thatonly one god — theirs —was accepted at most dinnertables Like ve said before and most likely willagain. them Europeansloveusingthetr godasanexcuseto make mess of things They took to destroying everything that had ever been a part of the Aztec Empite.lfitwasn tapproved by the priests. and some times evenitit was, they stole it bumed it or buriedit A few ofthe more tolerable priests actually hid the relics ofthe Aztecs trom the Spaniards and recorded some oftheir knowledge, but lot of it gorlost to the humans They setupsomenew tulesthatate still goin’ pretty strongtoday —most ‘ofwhich made being aSpaniard instead ofanIndianthe bestway to geton with a comfortable life ORMThe Europeans brought in their own animals, cows and horses and sheep, and made sure they had plenty ofgrazingland Ifthatmeant the farms ofa few natives had to go. well that’s just the price of progress in the, Interloper way of thinking. l guess. Now according to Spain. the natives of Mexico were fiee and entitled to wages. What that means is the word “slave wasn't penmitted. Not for the natives, at least. The dark-skinned people fiom Aica could still be ‘owned, however, and they were. That's about all it means, 100. Blacks was still slaves and brought in regularly to work in the silver mines and plantations Lotsoffieed blackscame around, fleeing the United Statesana getting work fiom some of the Spaniards. They were often forced t0 work inthe mines, t00, buta few lucky ones gotto workas taskmastets overthe Indians, The natives got placed into the encomiendas, work camps where they had beds, clothes and food and maybe the occasional coin to spend onaSunday whenthey hadto goto their church and pray to the Spaniards god. Allofthis meant they had to hire themselves out to the Interlopers it they wanted to makealiving. They gotpaidalittle and they worked alot Theremighthave beenabigproblem with thateventually, but the Shadow Lords, ofall people. reported the trouble to Spain and refomations came around. New laws were made to ensure that the encomiendas had to go. No new encomiendas could be built. Those that were alteady owned would be allowed to continue onumtil their ownersdied. butatterthatthe holdings of that person became a part of the King’s own property. That stopped teal quick, just assoon as the colonists said they d revoltifthings stayed that way. No more of the labor camps were built. but those that were already thete got to stay there Well not having forced labor wasn't acceptable to the Interlopers, 50 they changed a few more laws until the natives had to surrender a certain number ofpeople from each oftheir communities to work forthe Spaniards They gotpaid better, butthe farms ofthe families weakened andl Spaniards picked up property fora song. Then they changed the rules again. Best way to own land—which is anotion |stilliind peculiar—wasto be Spanish, Those who'd had claims on the ground before just lost out Overseeing everything were the vicetoys, who served as messengers for the Spanish king. Linder them, and loyal to them as often as not. were the Hacendados landbbarons by any othername But bein’ astrange and proud people, the Spaniards had to make additional rules for the people to follow. Ifyouwere bom in Spain. youhad more privileges. The lucky ones went under the name of the Penisulares and they commanded the most ‘Tales From The Trails: Mexico IL...tespect. even ifthey had to use force to make sure they gotit, Under them, but still better than the rest of the locals. were the Criolles most often the pure-bred children of the Penisulares, They were bom in Mexico, so they weren't quite as good as the real Spaniards, but thatsin was forgiven them because their parents were proper Spaniards. Somewhere above mud. but well below the Criolles were the Mestizos, the folks who wete part Spaniard and part native. They often got the sctaps off the tables of the proper folks. Lastly, the descendants ofthe Aztecs andall the others were there, and they were allowed to live as long as they played by Spanish rules Ityoudidnthave land. youhadto work forsomeone who did have land, and the only way youcould call the ground your own legally was 10 be Spanish or of pure Spanish descent Therewasonly one problemastarasthe Spaniards were concemed, and that problem was the Holy Catholic Church. Seems it was okay for the Church to come inand save the souls ofasmany “heathens” asthey could. but the vicetoys weren't too keen on the notion of the Church owning land, even if they were Spaniards in most cases, They hated the idea so much thatthey decided to take the land fromthe Church and. aftera good longum oftights, they succeeded, They allowed thatalittle land could be set aside for the actual houses of theit god. but other than that. it was all taken away from the European shamans But they made a big mistake inthe process See, the Church wasso good at converting — or killing — the locals, that most of the remaining ones were only too glad to fight for their saviors. Mighty hard to get cheap labor when everyone's fighting against you. even your servants, Still, following the notion that might makes right they held onto the whole of Mexico for a few hundred years — until one of the padtes, aman by the name of Miguel Hidalgoy Costilla decidedthatmaybeSpainwasn tdoin things the right way anymore. Seems that Spain liked to take lowofmoney ‘from everyone fortaxes, and then take all that money back to the home- land and keep it Well, the natives got tited of that early on, but they weren'treally ready to do any thing aboutit Butwhenthepriest.aCriolles, mentioned t0 other locally bom Spaniards that maybe they should get a little something forall their hard work the others agreed that maybe Spain was getting’ a bit too pushy with the money demands Unfortunately. the padre trusted his fellows a bit too much. and when word got out about what he was trying to do, the Spanish govemument figured it was best to make an example of him. His attempt to free Mexico for the Mexicans failed and he was killed as an example to others, Chapter One RstryYou ever notice how sometimes people don't catch on teal quick? The Spaniardshadtriedthesamething with Motecuzoma.andallthey dgotentor their troubles back then was an ass-whuppin’ Same thing happened again. It tookover | Oyears butthe people of Mexicotinally convincedthe Spaniards tocallicquits andthe colony ofMexicobecame the country of Mexico. That ‘was backin 182 1 asthe Interlopers count things. They had themeetvesa party fora couple of years, butinthe end, human greed gotin the way again. There were too many people who wanted to be the chie¢ and not enough who wanted to be braves. Ifit wasn't one human claiming to be the new leader, it was two others gunning him down and making the same claim. Humans never get tited of killing each other Not too much later the Spanish the French and the United States of Ammetica all started takin’ sides as to who was gonna be the new bosses The French lett early, because the Mexicans took offense to them. Hell. most of the Wendigo I know would agree with their assessment of the French. 50 it weren't no big loss inmy eyes Withsomany roosters guarding the henhouse, lreckonitwasinevitable they’dleta ew weaselssneak past em. While everyone was fighting over who got to be the boss of Mexico City. a few ofthe North American Interlopersdecideditmightbenice to move tothesouthand west and make themselves comfortable in the northern Mexico area of Texas Well the Mexicans weren thaving a bit ofit. They sent their toops up into Texas to kick he hell out of those settling families. andran home with theirtailsberweentheitlegs Sixteen amilieshadsettledthemselvesinanew place and built themselves a small town called Nacogdoches. When the troops came up, the families beat ‘em black and blue and then went about their business. A few months later, the Mexicans sent in more soldiers, and only fourofthe familiesgot away torunbackhometotheirowntenitories and explain what them bad old Mexicans had done to them. Nevera group to take no foran answer. the United States decided they couldn't have their neighbors to the south complaining about them. and started fighting for the rights of their citizens to settle anywhere they damned well pleased. This time around. they got help. Once again, the Sabbat vampites decided they liked the atea of Mexico, and that maybe they could have fim feeding on the people down there, since much of the easter part ofthe United States was getting too civilized for their tastes. They started “recruiting” new soldiers and making their way down toward Mexico for a tetum t0 greamess. Its still going on today, and it ain't looking good for anyone but the Ticks. iRightaround the same time as all this was brewin’ up, Texasand Califor nia decided they didn't want to be apart of Mexico anymore, most likely because all that fighting in Mexico City wasn tdoin’ themany goodwhen itcame to getting proper protection fom any would-be invaders Mexico didn’ttake thenotion very well andthey started fightingmore andmoreto make sure everyone knew they wetestil in charge. Naturally, inthe interest of bein’ good neighbors, the United States decided to help Texas and Califomia stay fee. The humans had their Mexi- can-American War, and settled their dif- ferences ten years after the whole _ thing started, when US General Winfield Scott came into Mexico City with his invad- ing army in 1847. Less than a year later, Scott went back , home with a new treaty and \, formal ownet- ship papers on over a thitd of Mexico. They were nice about it. bein’ \ as the govem- ment of Mexicowasat least partially European and therefore civi- lized, they ac- tually paid money t0 the owners before stealing _ the land. | reckon my ttlbe could have found a new place to stay for the 15,000,000 dollars the United States gave to Mexico. Instead we got bullets, fie and the occasional cannon blast. But I'm not bitter. Mind you awhole lot ofthe Mexicans ate. On top of losing the wat. they also lost a lot ofland. All of Texas and everything allthe way over t0 Califomia was surtendered. Suddenly alot of Mexicans weren't really welcome intheirownhomesanymore, andthey gotanothertaste ofwhat itmeanstobeanunwilling guest ofthe United Statesot America Overnight youcouldadd Mexicansto the list ofpeople to be abused by the Europe- ans. There's beena lotofbad blood about iteversince. and there's alotof Mexicans up around Califomia who ain't eal happy about it. They like Chapter One: Bistorythe dea sollttle thatthey like to retum the favor by robbing the American settlers and the nmmning actoss the border into Mexico proper, where they can‘te punished legally. Alwayseagertotry something new and fun, alot OFUS citizens are doing the exact same thing. only they’te motives seem more likely to be simple greed. There's a lot of people. human and other- wise, who ate makin good money by crossing after them and dragging them back fora fairtrialand ahangin’ A lotofthem don’t come back tall. Thatlittle line the Europeans draw ontheirmapsisaninteresting thing. To most everyone it means nothing at all, but to the law it means you can't chase attersomeone any longer. Youriskinvadingaforeign country ifyou do. and if you're coming from the US overto Mexico at the time, youtisk getting’ yout (001 head blown oft for your troubles, Thete’s a lot of bad blood between the neighboring countries right now. and not knowing where the borders are isa good way to get yourselttkilled Mexico is in a sad state as far as humans ate concemed, No one really knows who’sin charge, and there's lots of people who are willing totight fortherightto be thenew tulerorthe Land Foralittle while. Mexicoeven had an Emperor. Augustin de lturbide, a Criollo who wasamajor force in getting Mexico ttee ftom the Spaniards, Thatlasted about two years, then everybody got sick of him and killed him, Atter that there were about a dozen presidents who got nothing done. and Antonio Lopez. de Santa Anna, one of those presidents, declared himself the ruler of Mexico. That didn’t work too well either, He gorkicked out about four or five times.and then gotaskedtocomebackagainwhen the Mexican Americanwatbtoke ‘out Santa Anna got to be the leader fora few years, butthen they gotsick ofhimagain, and after year ors0 of sneak attacks and litle tights, he lett Mexico, fearin’ that his lie would go the way of the Aztecs if he hung around any longer. Well. that pretty much brings us up to date on Mexican human history AtterSanta Ama. there wasa man named Juan Alvatez who riled while thenew govemmentgotitselftogether. Abouta yearlaterhe wasteplaced by an election instead of an overthrow, and Ignacio Comontfort took office. With the help of others he made some reforms There's some say he wastoo nice for his own good. He wanted all men to be equal, and that was.a sore subject forthe Spaniards and their descen dants, who were sort of fond of bein’ the big bosses. Then he said the ‘Church could only have enough land fortheirchurches, andmadeitalaw. That gotpretty ugly t00. Next thing youknow. they're atitagain. andthe Changing Breeds are just sitting on theit haunches and scratching their ‘Tales Prom The Tras: Mexico eee hepheads, Comonfort took one side, and a man named Benito Pablo Juatez. became his tumberone opponent. Took some doing, but uatez. anIndian became the nextpresident after an overthrow, He'sstillin charge right now. but its only luck that’s keeping him in power. There's still a lot of skimizhes goin’ on intemally too, asthe natives try to win backa few rights from the leftover Spaniards who like things just as they are. The Church is brawling along, hopin to grab up some more land. and mixed up in the whole mess, the Sabbat ate grabbin’ everything that aintnailed down to call their own, So what does that mean for the Changin’ Breeds? Same thing it always means. There's a war goin’ on, and it’s only getting’ uglier. Mexico used to seem like a big area. butit’s getting smaller all the time. The Sabbataredoingeverything they cantokillus off and they ve gotnumberson theitside Hell ifyoudon'tget emalll they justmake more soldiersfortheirwar and take over whole towns I've seen a few places where the humans ate all gone, killed orchanged over by whatever means the Ticks wee. These days the Ananasi are fighting themselves, and the Mokolé ate looking to kill damn near anything that gets too close to them. The Red Talons and Liktena are fighting with the European Garou. and the Balam ate doin’ some ofthe strangest things I've ever seen Burthete's more to it than that. There's somethin’ darkand nasty growin’ in Mexico. Something that | can't see, but that’s taking advantage of everything else goin’ on. 'm hearing tales that the ghosts of the Mexican Ancestors are restless, and looking for a few good people to kill. Tm heating stories that some one or some thing is helping them in theit tasks Earth/Mother is wounded here, mouming the loss of Her child and unable Orunwilling to stop the growing madness. Tnow thatthe Ston-Bringerruns through the Land here assurely asit does totheNorth wheremy people ight onasbestthey canagainstthe Europeans. Buthere the ames of the Stomm-Bringer ate greater. and there are secrets that need fimdin’ our everything isever going to come out all ight. I wonder i¢ pethaps: itis alteady too late for Mexico. Of course, tm somethin’ of an optimist. [tend to hope not. (Chapter One: History ye ee]Mexico covers great deal of land, shar- ing 1,900 miles of border with the United States and taking up over 761,000 square miles of the globe. The land ranges from arid in the northern areas, which only get around five inches of rainfall year, to wet in the southern tips, which come close to the equator and receive 70 to 80 inches of rain in the same span of time. The tem- perature in most of Mexico is ple: comfortable throughout the year, with winter temperatures around 60 degrees and summer temperatures that seldom rise above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. santand Several features in the lay of the land have exceptional impact on the lifestyles of the people living there, and bear men- tioning. The Central Plateau The Central Plateau covers most of Mexico, from the border of the States all the way down to Tehuantepec in the far south of the country. The height of the plateau runs between 3,000 and 8,000 feet above sea level, which isone of the reasons so much of Mexico remains comfortablywarm instead of extremely hot throughout the year. The Sierra Madre mountains fork around the plateau, making it almost impossible to transport goods easily throughout most of Mexico. The moun- tains themselves rise to heights of over 17,000 feet at their highest peaks. While there are volcanoes within the mountain ranges, they have been dormant for a long while; only a major spiritual event would be likely to stir the wrath of these moun- tains. The Pacific Lowlands The lowlands run to the west of the Sierra Madre mountains all the way to the Pacificocean. The lowlandsreceivea great deal of rainfall every year and are a prime location for farming. The land is very fertile, and growing quickly in human population. The Mokolé favor the region, andhave made a point of watching exactly whoandwhatcomestothe territory they've claimed as their own. Though they donet seek to enforce any known rules, there have been a number of mysterious disap- pearances when the Mokolé have made requests of the farmers and then been ignored. The Gulf Coast Plain The Gulf Coast plain runs from the border of Texas all the way down to the southern tip of Mexico. The land is fairly dry towards Texas, but quickly becomes a trap of swamps and lakes. The northern area is fertile, but the low rainfall leaves most of the people living there with little to help them in their efforts to farm. Fish- ing villages are common along the shore, 0 Teles From The Tralls: Mesico EM bucbeyond that the region isn’t hospitable enough to support human communities. Even so, there are a large number of visi- tors entering the area to avoid trouble with the US authorities. The central portion of the plain is home to the heaviest population of Mokolé in Mexico. The deep swamps and harbors serve them well, though there have been numerous problems with the Rokea and the occasional pirate ship. The native Mokolé, by and large, consider the weresharks troublesome, and the two groups have been known to have mild feuds from time to time. The same area is also a haven for the Ananasi, though the fighting between different tribes of werespiders has left them little time to bother with any of the other Changing Breeds. ‘The southern portion of the Gulf Coast plain is the domain of the Balam, many of whom have moved into the rainforests, further away from European influences. The port town of Veracruzislocated atthe southernmost edge of the plain, and is growing rapidly. The Spanish population of thearea is heavy, and the Balam do their best to ensure that no other Changing Breeds come to the city they've claimed as their own. They are failing, of course; the Ratkin recently found Veracruz and de- cided it’s a great place to set up a network of information exchange and other, less savory methods of making money. Addi- tionally, the Bone Gnawers have established themselves in the city, but seldom venture beyond the area on foot Most prefer to risk the often-stormy sea than rather face the anger of the Balam. OOO SOSThe Yucatan Peninsula runs from the Gulfof Tehuantepec tothe Gulfof Mexico, and ranges from dry lowlands in the north toheavy rainforestsin the south. The land tw the north has no rivers and is generally uninhabited by humans, with the excep- tion of the town of Merida, where the Mayans once lived. The area was settled by the Spanish in 1541, and has become another of the larger port towns. South of Merida, the climate changes to a zone of heavy rainfall, and farming and cultiva- tion of the land have been a way of life for centuries. Isla Mujares Isla Mujares is one of several islands of the Yucatan Peninsula that are a part of Mexico. In the distant past the island held ‘a major Mayan city, where they gathered the salt which supplied much of the Em- pire with the rare mineral. Arguably the biggest mistake made by the Mayans on Isla Mujares was in dealing with the Rokea in the nearby waters. According to at least a few of the Rokea, the Mayans did nor show their kind the proper respect, and were taught a violent lesson which left only a handful of humans on the island. While the other Changing Breeds might control the rest of Mexico, the Rokea, who have seldom bothered with the “Mes- sengers of the Gods,” hold a great deal of sway over the Caribbean Islands — in- cluding those claimed by the country of Mexico. Chapter Two: Geography The land directly to the south of the Central Plateau abruptly changes into the Southern Highlands, arange of high moun- tains, treacherously deep trenches and plateaus that few humans care to navigate. While the land is beautiful, with jagged cliffs running into the ocean and pleasant weather through a great portion of the year, there is litle chance for farmers or others to make an honest living in the area. Thought they are long gone now, the Camazotz once held the lands as sacred. Several packs of Red Talons make their homes in the Southern Highlands, further discouraging the occasional settlers in the area. The Baja California Peninsula Thepeninsulaisalmost 800square miles, andismostly beach surrounding large rocky surfaces that can’t sustain a large commu- nity, though a few small fishing villages are scattered across the land. There is some vegetation, but most of the land is simply not capable of supporting agricul- ture. The one thing the Baja California Peninsula has going for it is that it con- nects directly to California and the US — an easy escape for many wanted-poster rejects from the US.ESl>3 Major Settlements Tijuana Tijuana is virtually the first town most people from California find when coming to Mexico, It is a well-established copper mining community. The strong military presence here means thatunless one treads very carefully there will almost certainly be trouble. Here, proudly wavingan Ameri- can flag is not a good way to win friends and influence people. There isa pack of Bone Gnawers in the area and, like the rest of Tijuana, they are not known for tolerating strangers. As long as one behaves properly, there shouldn't be too many problems—thatis, no problems except for the growing popu- lation of Sabbat who have made Tijuana their home. Though they cause remarkably little trouble in the town, the vampires are known to haunt the roads leading to and from the area. They're also infamous for killing anyone who causes them the least amount of grief. Many of che travelers heading into Mexico via Tijuana never return — or when they do, they are not seen in the daylight. This sleepy town with a prominent military presence has become one of the top recruiting areas for the vampires. Cuidad Juarez Ciudad Juarez is connected to El Paso, ‘Texas by one of the few bridges crossing the Rio Grande. The bridge is considered “no man’s land” by the humans, but the Sabbat are not quite as easygoing about it. They have numerous agents in the town who watch and report who ever comes into their territory. These ghouls have their ordersand they follow them very carefully. Anyone suspected of being an enemy of the Sabbat is immediately arrested by the local police. Trials are quick and hangings are frequent. The Boot Hill Gang is fond of the town and often uses the bridge to make their getaways from Texas. Despite the Sabbat’s stronghold over the police, Ciudad Juares remains a popu- lar place for bounty hunters chasing after criminals. The unwary ones die quickly, but the more seasoned ones know that if they behave themselves almost anyone is likely to pass over the bridge. Pitic Piticisasmall own with grandambitions Situated at the joining fork of the Sonora and Gran Miguel rivers, the town has al- ready established itself with the Americans, preparing fora railroad line togofrom Texas into Mexico. Though the railroad is not yet completed, there has already been a popula- tion explosion in the area. The city was originally established by the local Indians and though a few of European descent have all come into the area, it re- mains primarily an Indian- owned and controlled own. There isa very nice church in the Town Square, but a few of the more observant may notice that only a handful of the citizens ever attend Mass there. To the east of the town are several hills where the locals mine for copper, gold and silver. Between their rich mining projects and the forthcoming railroad, the citizens of Pitic are all quite wealthy. Consideringthe influence they are gaining and the financial power at their disposal, most of the supernaturals might find it unusual that there are no other beings in control of the area. The Sabbat stay away from Pitic since the last four groups trying to take the town failed to return. The Uktena refuse to speak of the place, though they do occasionally enter the town and speak with a select few. In exchange for leaving Pitic alone, they have been promised that their caem in the distant hills will remain untouched. Many people have come to Pitic and a large number of them have stayed, finding employment and opportunity. Iffrom time to time a few of them disappear under unusual circumstances, no one has made note of it more than once in public. Hermosillo Hermosillo is the closest town to Pitic and, while it is certainly as large, it does not prosper in the same way. Several battles have been fought at Hermosillo, most re- cently during the attempts by the French to interfere in Mexico and during the Mexican-American War. Oddly, as most of the people of Hermosillo will point out, none of the fighting ever made it to the neighboring town of Pitic. Or if it did, no one over there is talking about it With the railroadscomingtoPitic, many of the people in Hermosillo are doing everything they can to attract some of the new industry in their direction. They've high hopes that a new company coming down to Mexico will make them a notice- able spot on the map. The Moonlight Canning Company of Topeka, Kansas,has already made overtures in their direc- tion. Most of the folks around Hermosillo couldn't be happier. Chihuahua Chihuahua is one of the best-estab- lished towns in northern Mexico Cattlemen and fledgling industrialistshave already claimed the land with an eye to- wards the glory of being the capital of the country. President Juarez has already de- cided to move the capital from Mexico City over to Chihuahua, to be closer tohis own land holdings. There are politicians aplenty and more revolutionists than even Santa Anna could imagine. More impor- tantly, there're enough hills to keep the Sabbat properly hidden for years to come Aside from Mexico City, this is the largest gathering place of the Sabbat vampires, and “La Sombra” rule overeverythingand everyone to one degree or another. Many of the “recruits” captured and converted by the Boot Hill Gang have made them- selves available to the leader of the Sabbat in the area, Arturo de la Marcon. There is constant tension among the mortals, an almost palpable need to make changes in the way Mexico is run. Shapechangers are generally uncomfortable with the growing population, but the Shadow Lords have maintained their presence within the city, despite the growing Sabbat threat. At present, Alejandro Reyes, the leader of the Shadow Lords in Mexico is offering a bounty of 200 pesos for the fangs of any vampire killed and brought to him. Bring- ing the vampires alive to his hacienda at the edge of town is worth 500 pesos. Reyes, known to his brethren as Killer- of-Leeches, has made the eradication of the growing vampire population his pri- mary goal. Like most of his fellow Shadow Lords, he holds with Garou and Spanish tradition alike. Those who wish to deal with him should have at least a modicum of proper etiquette ifthey wish to be treated as equals. Nuevo Laredo Until 1848, Nuevo Laredo was consid- ered a part of Laredo, Texas. When the Mexican American War came along, the people of the area were torn as to what to do. Surprisingly, they managed to survive the entire conflict by remaining neutral. They fought when they had to, but never let the war take precedence over business. Farming, canning, textile and cotton gin- ning are all a part of Nuevo Laredo's industrial complex, one of the oldest and best established in Mexico. Many of the people here are originally from the east coast of the United States, but are just as content to be Mexican citizens as long as they maintain their holdings and con- tinue to make a profit. The land around the city is heavily cultivated and well cared for. The Uktena and Shadow Lords, as well as the Bone Gnawers, have all been established in the area for generations, though they seldom agree on anything. Not far from the town, tothe north, are the remains of a Nuwisha iba. The kiba is avoided by all of the Garou, as it is said to be haunted by the ancestral spirits of the Nuwisha driven away during the second War or Rage 40 Teles From The Trells: Mexico HO3O,0, OLO0