Cihuateteo

The Cihuateteo are a cult as well as a breed of nocturnal predators that are mainly active around Central America.

There are also rumors of a bloodline of Gangrel and Daeva vampires with that name that live in Mexico. The relation -if there is any- between the Cihuateteo as Kindred and those that are part of the cult are unknown.

History
The Cihuateteo are dedicated to the old gods of death, filth and decay of pre-columbian America. They search for women who have lost their child during birth and offer them to never lose a child again, in addition to eternal life. Those who accept are remade by their rituals, in which the supplicant has to sacrifice something close to her heart to the gods. When she is transformed, her eyes become golden and her hands twist into avian talons. During the process, she sees one of the mesoamerican hells and knows that if she dies or betrays her masters, she will suffer for all eternity.

The Cihuateteo have traditionally only harried those of mexican extraction ("the people of the gods"), but following the immigration of several mexicans into the United States, some follow them to induct more into their ranks.

Characteristics
All Cihuateteo wear a mask with the face of an owl or snake from turquoise affixed to a human skull. They paint their claws and faces white, and fashion brooms made out of twigs and grass. Armed with carved obsidian daggers, they do their masters biding.

The Cihuateteo are not Kindred. They age (albeit slowly) and do not feed from blood. Instead, they convert stolen breath into a substance similar to vitae. While they are immune to most poisons and diseases, they are unable to find solace in sleep, which only sends them visions of the hell-realm they have consigned themselves to. While they are nearly powerless during the day, they may walk under the sun without greater impunity.

Cihuateteo have an aggressive, instinctual side similar to the vampiric Beast that they dub the "little jaguar". They are only capable of rage Frenzies. Cihuateteo always secrete the Predator's Taint, which makes other Kindred antagonistic against them.

Cihuateteo have powers that allow them to shapeshift into an owl. They also practice some kind of primitive blood magic that draws upon the mesoamerican gods of old through ritual sacrifice.