| From: | K in the Shadows <Ereskanti@***.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Aztechnology & The Enemy (Near-Essay) |
| Date: | Sun, 10 Jan 1999 14:19:45 EST |
leisnj48@****.CIS.UWOSH.EDU writes:
>
> Yes, they were fatalists, but now FATALists, but FAT(E)alists, meaning they
> can't escape fate. And they believed their fate was to help in the fight
> against the evil. As for their end of the world, it was to take theplace of
> a firestorm that would cleanse (not destroy) the Earth and let a god
rebuild
> the civilization.
God's Martin, Jared here should get into that "Ancient Cultures"
conversational group we had a few months back.... :)
Jared has this part of the story right, at least as far as my own comparisons
and searchings have found. The divining of "Fate" and what those forces had
in mind was also something that they sought heavily into. Their developments
in Astrology, and Astrogation believe it or not, are believed to have expanded
from their attempts at comprehending their roles and the extents in those
roles the Universe had in mind for them.
> Again, I was hoping someone could give me background on how Aztechnology
> strayed that far from the Aztech religion. Was it Oscuro alone, or were
> there some others? Is it just another exacmple of state perverting the
> religion for its own ends?
I would almost have to say "Yes" to that last question. Now, I do NOT believe
that Oscuro was alone, for as far as I can tell, he was *never* truly alone.
And, if he was a "Horror Sympathizer" (okay, "collaborator" then), it
is very
likely he was "Horror Marked" in much the same way as existed in ED material.
If this last part is true, then *ALONE* he would never be again.
Now as far as State perverting Religion to it's own means/ends, that I don't
know. At the beginning of the SR timeline divergence from our own,
Catholicism (in one form or another- no debating this topic please) was the
State religion. However, there were numerous tribes and "clans" that existed
further south that have never absolved themselves of the "Mexican State."
Also, Aztechnology has a hugely "criminal" basis, in the opinions I put
forward, that basis took the form of the "Aztlan/Spanish Mafia". Though very
similar to the structures found in "Mafiosa" elsewhere on earth, they are
almost completely seperate in their developments. As they formed the
structure of their drug cartels and various related interests, they gained
further and further footholds into the Azatlan government. Now then, along
comes the Awakening and the (open/manifestual) return of Magic. Suddenly, the
one power that organized crime has always had to "dance around" (religion and
the church) is openly vulnerable. The drug cartels, real world here, have
long since made massive inroads with the various "backwoods people" (read as;
region locals) in many parts of Central and South America. And in so doing, a
fair amount of additional support was (likely) available to them in the form
of Tribal Shamans and Village Magicians.
Okay, I'm digressing, and I've caught myself.
The point I am trying (and failing) to make is that the Cartels, now with a
fairly strong amount of control over the government itself, have finally got a
way to move into and/or brush aside one of their obstacles to expansion.
Religion. The "Old Ways" of the Mayans, Olmecs, Aztec, Toltec, etc... are now
able to be "proven" to anyone that may have had doubts. Magic showed the fact
that with devoted practice and "belief", it was suddenly possible to see the
"Spiritual World" and even, to a limited extent, the path that Fate has in
store for it's "chosen."
IMO, this is probably where Oscuro came into the picture. He probably was a
magician (hermetic IIRC) that "strayed" down that Paths of Fate (in his
opinion) and became incredibly lost in the "Deep Astral" (aka; some Metaplanar
Juncture, etc..). He needed to get home, and found/encountered some help that
said "we'll save you, but it will have a cost later, we can talk about it
then? agreed?" He said "anything is better than Death" and the Wheel of
Time
continued to move forward. Eventually, down the road, years later, Oscuro
(Darke) was developed/created.
Now armed with this power, and the magical insights of an (earlier than many
would believe) initiated magician, he garnered influence inside the Cartels,
which gave him hooks inside the government and the corporation at it's core
(by now). And once the "Fox" is in the Hen House, it will take a lot to make
him leave (enter, the Dragonheart Trilogy).
The one problem that Oscuro's associates saw was the "return of Quetzalcoatl".
This has been the downfall of the Aztec in the past (Cortez' abused this trick
to make it his own). But the "Enemy" knew that it could have had some
potentials again. So, they likely took steps to ensure it would not work
easily. I seem to recall that "Quetzalcoatl" him/her/itself is
"missing" in
most considerations after reading (maybe too much, granted) from the various
Sourcebooks and Novels. Something would have to move in to fulfill that
"Power Vacuum" created by such an absence. And this is where the
"Enemy"
rushed right in.
Corruption has a way of breeding itself, if given a proper stock upon which it
can grow. It will self-destruct if it has no room for growth/change (as does
most things). This is no exception with regards to Aztechnology/Azatlan. The
trick, again IMO, is that the forces at work beyond these boundaries (the IE,
Lofwyr, Dunkelzahn, Azania) all were taking strides to make sure that the
corrupted forces had no real room to grow. With the encouragement of
Aztechnology's "Dark Reputation" (get that joke?), it became possible to
restrict the accessability of those forces to move beyond their own. In
response, the forces at work moved into stealthier modes of operation.
Enter "the Shadows". Shadowrunner (Para-Societal) communities are incredibly
independent in thinking, yet depending in survivability. They are tight knit
(like many of the grass-roots Mafia and Yakuza are pictured in the media as
being) and very quick to respond to anything they perceive as a threat, to
either themselves or their support base. Runners in general (many of the ones
we've created, seen or "met"- in the case of Internet chat or Conventions)
seem to be very mobile and very adaptive to a threat situations. Sure, manyof
them can be manipulated or maneuvered into doing what you may want them too.
All beginners are. But those that have experience, those in the know
(runners-turned-fixers for example) will recognize these tricks, and (as it
may be a threat to their overall support base) will respond accordingly.
So, as I said, Aztechnologies days of being dominated by "the Enemy" were
limited at best, especially once the GGD Bridge was shattered/flattened.
Now will the corruption go away? The "type" of corruption will change, but
not the concept of corruption itself. So sure, "the Enemy" may not be the
ones in control, but as I mentioned with regards to "Quetzalcoatl", that will
create a Power Vacuum, and *something* will rush right in and fill it up.
Keep that thought in mind when you play your more advanced characters in the
future. *What* can fill that kind of vacuum???
-K
