Angeles de los Campos Negros
Sabbat
The Sabbat by far dominate Puebla, as they do most of Mexico. The city is entirely under their control, though as usual for the sect’s elders, only nominal influence is extended. They consider mortal politics and bureaucracies beneath them. Mortal industry and commerce is for peasants, for the cattle and kine, not the monsters in the night. Most of the sect’s wealth is generated locally from illicit gains. Suffice to say, the spread of drug cartel violence in Puebla is especially thanks to the Sabbat not only allowing it but welcoming it. Cartel enforcers make great recruits, at least as Jyhad fodder.
Key Locations
The Sabbat has dominated the city since its inception and planned construction five hundred years ago. Even the magnificent Puebla Cathedral is under their sway, and they command that structure and all its inner enclaves and cloisters as key havens for the sect’s local leadership. Other churches and monasteries scattered throughout the city proper serve similarly. The vampires have no real interest in church affairs, of course. They simply revel in perversion of the faith to their dark desires. So, commandeering every old church in the state is not their goal or interest.
Most recruitment comes from rougher and poorer neighborhoods in Puebla, namely Tres Cruces, El Cristo, and La Margarita. El Centro is the city’s red-light district, and consequently serves as the most frequented Rack.
Bloodborne pathogens and drug addiction are serious problems for the sect to manage. This is typical of the Sabbat almost everywhere in the world.
Clan Structure
Lasombra birthed this city and control it still. Brujah antitribu outnumber the Lasombra but do not have as many elders in high ranks. Toreador and Ventrue antitribu are also common. The Great Pyramid of Cholula and other ruins have attracted the interests of Serpents of Light and Tremere antitribu. Nomadic packs predominantly contain Ravnos or Gangrel antitribu. Nosferatu antitribu infest the city’s storm drains and legendary tunnel system. Malkavian antitribu find the poverty and religious devotion of Puebla a splendid nurturing ground to Embrace more Freaks. Tzimisce, Panders, and Assamite antitribu are uncommon in Puebla.
Rules
The Code of Milan is sacrosanct and Monomacy duels are scheduled almost every night of the year. Additionally, the Archbishop approves of the détente-like armistice that the Nosferatu antitribu cultivate with the local Lupines, and the hunting of the lycanthropes in the city proper is forbidden without special permission (what happens in the wilds is another matter). Of course, special permission is regularly given (often for annual ritae), whether or not the Lupines uphold their end of the cease-fire. That the ugly Creeps end up paying the price of repercussions is not the Lasombra’s problem. The Lasombra have long amassed a small king’s hoard worth of silver weapons and bullets should the Lupines ever pour forth and attack the sect en masse. It was part of how they conquered Mexico in the first place, all those centuries ago.
The city and state of Puebla are considered part of the cardinal-bishopric Centro-Oriente region, overseen by the very old and powerful Melinda Galbraith. She spends most of her time in Mexico City. However, she is likely to get involved directly in poblano affairs if the Dominion of the God-House becomes a serious threat.
Camarilla, Anarchs, & Autarky
There are no Anarchs anywhere in Puebla, the city or otherwise. The Camarilla have no stake in Puebla (indeed, in almost anywhere in Mexico). Of course, should there be solitary Kindred in the area, they take care to avoid notice of the Sabbat, lest a Wild Hunt fall on their heads.
Dominion of the God-House
No greater threat to the Sabbat, to all European descendants’ claims over Mexico, has existed since the reign of Montezuma. The Nauatiliuiteokalli (“Dominion of the God-House”) began with the concurrent rebirths of several Tlazopilli immortals in Central Mexico. Their awakenings coincided with the visit of agents of Horus himself from the Old World. These Shemsu-Heru were, at the time, simply exploring the ancient Mesoamerican pyramids, fascinated by the parallel constructions. While tensions at first were high, the Shemsu-Heru wisely acknowledged an interest in helping the Tlazopilli, so long removed from their now radically changed homelands. From that point, these two cooperating Reborn factions began to reach out to other supernatural denizens and potential allies in the area.
Cholula marked where it began and still where it is secretly centralized: right under the Sabbat conquistadores’ noses. From there, alliances with mages, faeries, shapeshifters, and ghosts cultivate. Reborn artificers work tirelessly with ample reserves of (or acquired) Eztli (Sekhem). They create golems and amulets, including a series of charms designed to protect the wearers from severe allergy to silver: handy objects indeed if they could be distributed to all the Dominion’s lycanthrope allies…
Thus, the Dominion stands as a coalition of primarily indigenous supernatural creatures. They have largely put aside old rivalries and petty jealousies. Together, they intend to drive the Sabbat out, to vanquish the sect utterly from Mexico—starting with Puebla, from which an attack to Veracruz could be first mounted, or straight to the heart of the capital. The Nauatiliuiteokalli has its goals; it knows what it must do. The real question remains: how? The strategizing is the next step even as the core members shore up alliances. The Sabbat remains only vaguely aware of this developing alliance against their rule. Reports of sect occultists venturing into the Cholula ruins and vanishing have not concerned the bishops. Cholula lies outside the city proper; it’s assumed “Lupines” got ‘em.
So far, the organizations committed to the Dominion of the God-House include the Xibalba Mirage (the circle of Tlazopilli and Egyptian Reborn), at least two packs from the Sept of Azure Blood (Wendigo and Uktena Garou), the Den-Realms of Micohuayan (a pride of Balam), the Tepazolli Wallow (a clutch of Mokolé-mbembe), the Colony of Bloodflowers (Ananasi), the Teoticuaitl Protectorate (Nahuani fae), and the Tlapohui Miccacoyoctli (wraiths of the New Sun). Nearly seventy-five supernatural creatures have committed to the new coalition. (The Sabbat still outnumbers them 5:1, and that’s without counting the standard Sabbat tactic of mass-Embracing a bunch of cannon fodder whelps.) They are determined to bring the conquerors down and teach them the price of enraging the gods. This isn’t “Rage Across Mexico”. This is impending punishment, divine and brutal. This is celestial correction, the turning of the wheel.
