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Patron Deities, Episode 43: Hueheteotl and Huitzilopochtli (Patreon)

Published:
2019-06-20 06:38:17
Imported:
2023-12
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Content

In this episode, we talk about two of the most important deities in Aztec religion. Plus: the eagle and jaguar knights, and how much human sacrifice do you want in your game? 

Comments

Anonymous

I limit large scale ritualized human sacrifice to “evil” societies in my games. Every now and then you might have a situation where a society I don’t want to portray as totally evil has an occasional ritual sacrifice but in those cases the PCs can either eliminate the need for those sacrifices like the Greeks where they offered up sacrifices to the Minotaur or Kraken (ok, I may mix movie Greeks with the real legends) or where the PCs want to just avoid those societies during the time of those rites like in the classic film The Wicker Man (Christopher Lee version not Nicholas Cage version). I can see stealing aspects from the Aztecs for a culture in a fantasy game but would have a hard time presenting the Aztecs themselves as anything but an evil culture. We aren’t taking about the occasional sacrifice we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of human sacrifices (woman and children as well as men) including rituals where the priests wore the skins of the sacrificed people. Yes, there is evidence that in some cases those sacrificed were willing but it is still a huge leap. Ok, rant off. I understand I’m judging them by my standards but wanted to give an honest answer on how I would handle it in my games and the reasons (even if they aren’t cold & removed) why.

monsterman
>>23928453

I mean, I don't disagree, but I do think that we tend to put human sacrifice in a category that is a little different from other atrocities, and I'm not exactly sure why. I think maybe the fact that it's a religious thing makes the PCs feel more *complicit* in it, in a way that they don't if it's "just" an execution or massacre.

Anonymous

James, no doubt. I would hope that a group of PCs whose king ordered the mass execution of slaves that revolted or the creation of a “forest” of impaled captured invaders (ala Vlad Dracula) would have a similar reaction. Unfortunately I could see groups that would support the latter action... I think that visceral reaction to human sacrifice and the innate desire to defend one’s religion and ethics (for a fun fictional example see Conan’s reaction when Subotai tells him Crom lives under his gods) is one of the reasons we, modern western society, might see Vlad’s actions defending his country in a more sympathetic light than the Aztecs. Of course that falls apart when you know Vlad used impalement as a punishment for his political enemies and his subjects...