Los Hijos de Si

Los Hijos de Si, or The Children of Si, is a mysterious Kindred blood cult operating throughout Peru and Bolivia with a history far back nearly 1500 years and They worship dark creatures known as "Ancient Ones" or Machukuna.

History

Los Hijos de Si, or “The Children of Si,” is a Kindred cult operating throughout Peru and Bolivia with a history stretching back nearly 1500 years to its founding by Illari, a Moche priestess of the moon goddess “Si.”

Los Hijos have been active of late, quietly recruiting new members and expanding their influence. They seldom participate in the Gehenna War or the meaningless bickering of the Camarilla and Anarchs, their gaze firmly fixed on the moon above as they await the soothing darkness of salvation. Los Hijos serve the Machukuna, or “Ancient Ones,” revered entities from a prior age whose spirits persist into the present. The cult believes the Machukuna inhabit a shadowy parallel reality and were born of a nocturnal age lit only by moonlight.

Their species died in fire upon the birth of the present age, but many endure, their ageless and desiccated bones concealed from the sun’s killing light in deep caves and lake bottoms. Only the Machukuna know their origins with certainty and Los Hijos are not inclined to doubt them.

They are present during the Gehenna War, possibly serving a blood goddess methuselah.

Description

The cult believes the Machukuna are avatars of the moon goddess Si, who holds the key to escaping the Kindred’s endless Jyhad, and perhaps reality itself. They defend the Machukuna’s ancient bones, bear their sacred word, and satiate their unquenchable hunger for blood, passion, and offerings. In return, the Machukuna provide wisdom, access to the potent dust of their bones, and the promise they will lead Los Hijos safely into an age where Si rules the skies alone, unencumbered by the sun.

Until recently, the childer and descendants of the cult’s founder Illari made up the cult’s Kindred contingent. This changed with the induction of new coteries from the recently vacated Sabbat stronghold of Lima. These Kindred and their mortal counterparts work vigorously to fortify their Machukuna wards against time itself, always present, but seldom seen. They perpetuate false legends of the Machukuna, reducing them to folk tales easily explained away by mortals, defend their bones, and make sure their masters are well fed, cajoling humans and Kindred to propitiate them in return for Los Hijos’ favor. The Machukuna are the sacred beyond compare, creatures of darkness from a more perfect age, representatives of a better road forward than that offered by meaningless faiths, or seekers of Golconda. They are always watching, always waiting, and always pushing Los Hijos to greater acts of devotion, for they are the Si-given signposts on the road to salvation. A road every Hijo intends to walk.

Los Hijos’ goals are a balance of reconstruction and expansion. The cult took significant losses in the centuries where the Sabbat were dominant in Lima, stretching its ability to protect the Machukuna. Illari and her childer actively seek to Embrace new Kindred to restore their numbers in addition to inducting new Kindred from afar. In addition to replenishing her ranks, Illari places renewed emphasis on security. The Second Inquisition haunts Peru, thin-bloods walk the streets of Lima, and She Who Screams in the Forest is active in Brazil.

The signs of Gehenna are everywhere and Los Hijos prepare to weather the storm. Lima’s Nosferatu erase electronic records of Hijo activity and have fortified the cult’s mines with an astonishing array of defenses, transforming them into tunnels of death rivaling the Amaganti Warren of Brasília. As always, the cult seeks to accumulate additional power, food, and security for the Machukuna. High Priests Don Esteban and Giuliana work vigorously to expand their influence among the kine, while Illari’s childer walk unnoticed among the sick and poor mining communities of Peru, trading the vitae necessary to keep them alive in return for a steady supply of blood when demanded. They also ensure that the miners and villagers of the hinterlands leave proper sacrifices for the Machukuna and their servants. What the Machukuna do with cigarettes, liquor, and food is unknown, but these offerings are stacked neatly before their desiccated skeletons deep underground and vanish before the Hijos return.

References

• VTM : Cults of The Blood Gods, p. 118-119
• VTM: Gehenna War