In the late 1600s, a priest in Mexico reported on his visit to the ruins of an extensive underground temple in Oaxaca, one that the local Zapotec residents believed contained the entrance to the underworld. Local lore held that it had been sealed off by Spanish missionaries underneath a Catholic church built atop the ruins. Now scientists think they've discovered this long-fabled complex.
https://notthebee.com/article/archeologists-discover-entrance-to-ancient-mexican-underworld-under-catholic-church (https://notthebee.com/article/archeologists-discover-entrance-to-ancient-mexican-underworld-under-catholic-church)
Alright peeps, let's get cracking on adventure ideas!
Who's ready for spicy jalapeno Mythos?
I seem to recall years ago (like, 25 or so) reading about one of the Mesoamerican peoples (Aztecs, maybe?) having a ritual labyrinth (or long underground passage, at least) that represented the journey to the underworld. Priestly aspirants (I think?) would make this journey, sort of like "Heroquesting" in Runequest, as a religious rite. I think the article was in National Geographic. Sorry, my memory is pretty fuzzy, but this sounds like the same sort of thing so I can easily believe it.
The way those Spanish priests viewed it reminds me of the plot of the horror movie Borderlands, a.k.a. Final Prayer in the U.S.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2781832/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_2 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2781832/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_2)
Oh, way to go Science! Now Mexican spirits and demons will come flying up from their underworld, and put hard working Christian spirits and demons out of work, by committing evil for half the blood and souls our guys will.
Quote from: Grognard GM on July 14, 2023, 09:34:10 PM
Oh, way to go Science! Now Mexican spirits and demons will come flying up from their underworld, and put hard working Christian spirits and demons out of work, by committing evil for half the blood and souls our guys will.
I think you have it back asswards, it's the prehispanic demons the ones that demand MORE blood not less.
Quote from: Spinachcat on July 14, 2023, 07:24:59 PM
In the late 1600s, a priest in Mexico reported on his visit to the ruins of an extensive underground temple in Oaxaca, one that the local Zapotec residents believed contained the entrance to the underworld. Local lore held that it had been sealed off by Spanish missionaries underneath a Catholic church built atop the ruins. Now scientists think they've discovered this long-fabled complex.
https://notthebee.com/article/archeologists-discover-entrance-to-ancient-mexican-underworld-under-catholic-church (https://notthebee.com/article/archeologists-discover-entrance-to-ancient-mexican-underworld-under-catholic-church)
Alright peeps, let's get cracking on adventure ideas!
Who's ready for spicy jalapeno Mythos?
The year is 1970, Santo, Blue Demon and The Mystic receive a call for help from the Padre in charge of the Church of San Pablo, strange sounds and lights have been seen/heard and people have been dissapearing.
IMHO this is the perfect idea and setting, Mexican Luchadores against the Zapoteca Demons.
Cisco Kid was a friend of mine.
Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 14, 2023, 10:27:04 PMMexican Luchadores against the Zapoteca Demons.
Genius! We need that video game.
I've seen at least three bad horror movies derived from this premise none of which are good enough for me to recall the title.
Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 14, 2023, 10:22:34 PM
Quote from: Grognard GM on July 14, 2023, 09:34:10 PM
Oh, way to go Science! Now Mexican spirits and demons will come flying up from their underworld, and put hard working Christian spirits and demons out of work, by committing evil for half the blood and souls our guys will.
I think you have it back asswards, it's the prehispanic demons the ones that demand MORE blood not less.
Good luck to them re-establishing their brand dominance with that attitude, in this economy. I see them getting a lot of local investors, then going bankrupt.
Quote from: Grognard GM on July 15, 2023, 10:44:28 AM
Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 14, 2023, 10:22:34 PM
Quote from: Grognard GM on July 14, 2023, 09:34:10 PM
Oh, way to go Science! Now Mexican spirits and demons will come flying up from their underworld, and put hard working Christian spirits and demons out of work, by committing evil for half the blood and souls our guys will.
I think you have it back asswards, it's the prehispanic demons the ones that demand MORE blood not less.
Good luck to them re-establishing their brand dominance with that attitude, in this economy. I see them getting a lot of local investors, then going bankrupt.
Well, they might get some capital from Blackrock...
Quote from: GeekyBugle on July 14, 2023, 10:27:04 PM
The year is 1970, Santo, Blue Demon and The Mystic receive a call for help from the Padre in charge of the Church of San Pablo, strange sounds and lights have been seen/heard and people have been dissapearing.
IMHO this is the perfect idea and setting, Mexican Luchadores against the Zapoteca Demons.
Fuck yes. Luchadore-flavored Diablo.
That's a gold medal idea, man.
The Aztecs were used as forced labour to build churches for the Spanish. Big mistake: they built the churches but they hid in them idols, religious symbols and other elements of their own religion. So, the Spanish saw them devoutly praying in these churches and didn't realize that they were actually praying to they gods.
Now, let's say that one or more of these churches are still standing, and the archeologists just opened the catacombs of the very wrong one...
As someone who likes to take a good idea from a different adventure, I would start with the Cosmic Horror we met in "Viral":
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/391974
It is set in modern era, but just take the central idea, move it to Mexico (you already have a cursed church/hospital, cursed catacombs plus cursed monks) and instead of a ghost-hunting crew have a group of archeologists who, desperate for funds, stream their "first exploration" over the internet. IMHO, with a bit of effort, it can work.
Quote from: Reckall on July 15, 2023, 03:04:27 PM
The Aztecs were used as forced labour to build churches for the Spanish. Big mistake: they built the churches but they hid in them idols, religious symbols and other elements of their own religion. So, the Spanish saw them devoutly praying in these churches and didn't realize that they were actually praying to they gods.
Plot twist: Jesus would sneak in at night and remove the idols, so all of their prayers really did go to him. He's a loveable scamp.
The ruins are in San Pablo Villa de Mitla, Oaxaca. They're in the middle of a town of about 11,000 people.
Wikipedia says the town had a museum (the Frissell Museum) that closed without warning in 1995 and a huge collection of Zapotec and Mixtec artifacts (40,000 to 80,000 pieces) vanished. Idols, axes, urns. Jade and obsidian stuff. Fingers pointed at the dean of the Universidad de las Americas, who said "no, we couldn't handle this stuff so we turned over management to the national institute of history and anthropology." Can't find anything that says definitively if INAH actually has the artifacts or if they're just straight up gone. Frissell was an American who collected all the artifacts and opened the museum.
From a Popular Mechanics article about the discovery of the underground area:
QuoteIn 1674, Francisco de Burgoa—a 17th century Dominican chronicler—gave an account of exploring subterranean temples containing four interconnected chambers with a group of Spanish missionaries. They found tombs of priests and kings of Teozepotlan. And then came the most intriguing—a stone door that led to a cavern as deep as 90 miles (yeah, we're not sure how that's possible either) into the Earth, complete with intersecting passages and a pillar-supported roof.
INAH is part of Project Lyobaa, which ran the geological scans that found the underground area.
The above is all real-world stuff.
A Delta Green, or Mexican equivalent operation, perhaps?
Quote from: Thornhammer on July 15, 2023, 10:07:02 PMWikipedia says the town had a museum (the Frissell Museum) that closed without warning in 1995 and a huge collection of Zapotec and Mixtec artifacts (40,000 to 80,000 pieces) vanished.
OMGerd. That's awesome. Just imagine the look on players' faces when they discover that in game and again when they learn it really happened.
Most, most excellent.
Quote from: Reckall on July 15, 2023, 03:04:27 PMThe Aztecs were used as forced labour to build churches for the Spanish. Big mistake: they built the churches but they hid in them idols, religious symbols and other elements of their own religion. So, the Spanish saw them devoutly praying in these churches and didn't realize that they were actually praying to they gods.
Love it. Very Kult.
Quote from: Spinachcat on July 16, 2023, 02:43:02 AM
Quote from: Thornhammer on July 15, 2023, 10:07:02 PMWikipedia says the town had a museum (the Frissell Museum) that closed without warning in 1995 and a huge collection of Zapotec and Mixtec artifacts (40,000 to 80,000 pieces) vanished.
OMGerd. That's awesome. Just imagine the look on players' faces when they discover that in game and again when they learn it really happened.
Most, most excellent.
They could find a note - maybe a printed email - that references this. At the end it says "Here is were you can find more info" - with the address of the real website. If they go to the address... lo! It exist for real and they get the "real" story.
Of course it is then up to the Keeper to decide what's real, what's not and what was covered up.
Edit: the same with Popular Mechanics of course. The site itself already seems a handout from Call of Cthulhu.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a44475021/archaeologists-found-ruins-of-famous-backdoor-to-hell/
Quote from: Spinachcat on July 16, 2023, 02:45:20 AM
Quote from: Reckall on July 15, 2023, 03:04:27 PMThe Aztecs were used as forced labour to build churches for the Spanish. Big mistake: they built the churches but they hid in them idols, religious symbols and other elements of their own religion. So, the Spanish saw them devoutly praying in these churches and didn't realize that they were actually praying to they gods.
Love it. Very Kult.
The Catholic Church already had bizarre habits by itself. They razed down "pagan/demonic" cult sites all over the World and then purified the area by building churches in their places that incorporated stones and other parts of the original - after blessing them - so to assert even more dominance over the Heathens. Let's say that, IMHO, if the original cult was of Shub-Niggurath the actions of the Church weren't really smart... Unless the Church knew more than they let us see.
To remain in Mexico, the Metropolitan Chatedral of Mexico City was built on the site of Tenochtitlan's temple districts and, to this day, incorporates stones from the razed temple to Huītzilōpōchtli. They were blindsided by the Aztecs because the workers put in the churches unknown - and thus unblessed - symbols.
Shadows of Mitla
Adventure Hook:
The Luchadores receive a desperate plea for help from the people of San Pablo Villa de Mitla in Oaxaca, Mexico. Strange occurrences plague the town, centered around the Church of San Pablo. Local legends speak of hidden ruins beneath the church, believed to be the entrance to the ancient Zapotec underworld. The disappearance of the Frissell Museum's valuable collection further deepens the mystery. The heroes answer the call, embarking on a perilous adventure to uncover the truth and restore balance to the town.
Adventure Synopsis:
The Call for Aid: The Luchadores arrive in San Pablo Villa de Mitla and meet with the townsfolk, who share stories of the strange happenings and the vanished artifacts. They learn about the ruins beneath the Church of San Pablo, rumored to hold the key to the mystery.
Descending into Darkness: The heroes explore the hidden underground ruins, facing traps, puzzles, and encounters with ancient Zapotec guardians. Within the depths, they encounter cultists worshipping Camazotz, the Bat God, who seek to exploit the mystical artifacts for their own nefarious purposes. Along the way, they encounter Zapotec-specific monsters like the Tlalocs (water spirits) or Cihuateteo (female spirits associated with childbirth).
Confronting the Cultists: The heroes confront the cultists, battling against their dark powers and uncovering the truth behind their plans. The cultists may have skeletons or mummies as their loyal servants, adding to the challenges the heroes face.
Unveiling the Plot: As the heroes defeat the cultists, they discover evidence pointing to the involvement of a powerful cult leader in Mexico City. They learn that the mystical artifacts from the Frissell Museum are key to a larger, sinister plan. The heroes must travel to Mexico City to confront the cult leader and recover or destroy the artifacts before they unleash dark forces upon the world.
The Road to Mexico City: The adventure ends with the heroes preparing for their journey to Mexico City, where they will face further dangers and unravel the true scope of the cult's activities. They may receive additional information or guidance from a local informant or ally, setting the stage for future adventures in the bustling capital.
Needs a suitable dungeon design.