Horacio Lopez

Horacio Lopez joined the Mexican Army to escape life as an impoverished chicken farmer (the job of his father and grandfather) in Tehuacan. Naturally competitive, he entered into the Special Forces Airmobile Group (GAFE), an elite unit charged with special military operations. He received extensive anti-insurgent operations training from the U.S. armed forces at Fort Bragg as well as urban warfare tactics from IDF advisors. In 1994, the Mexican government sent Horacio and his unit to the poor southern state of Chiapas, the scene of an uprising by poor, indigenous Mayan farmers known as the Zapatistas. The GAFE put down the insurrection viciously, summarily executing any rebels they captured, slicing off their ears, noses, and tongues.
Horacio was next transferred to the border with the U.S. where his unit received regular bribes to look the other way at the loads of drugs flowing north. In the 2000 presidential election, the Institutional Revolutionary Party lost power in Mexico for the first time in 71 years. This sent shockwaves throughout the entire Mexican establishment, including the army; many of those tainted by corruption worried they would be sacrificed in the name of “democracy” and “accountability.” Rather than take the risk, Horacio and several of his colleagues defected to the drug cartels.
They took their name from the radio signal that GAFE members used, with each member given a Z code: Z-1, Z-2, Z-3, and so on. Horacio was Z-13, but he was nevertheless a key part of Los Zetas. As a hit squad unlike anything before seen in Mexico, Los Zetas oversaw many activities of the Gulf Cartel, from kidnappings to extortion. Its main duty, however, was to execute the enemies of the cartel, including the rival Sinaloa Cartel. It did so with unprecedented brutality, beheading victims in imitation of al-Qaeda videos or burning them alive in gas drums. Los Zetas became widely feared—and hated—for their atrocities, so much so that by 2010 the Gulf Cartel sought to  reign them in. This act instigated a civil war that Horacio found himself caught within. Before he could become another casualty of the infighting, he was Embraced and put through the Creation Rites by a Mexican pack headed to Miami to join a war party. Figuring some cartel hitmen would make good fodder in the fight against the Camarilla, they had little idea the level of professionalism their recruits possessed. For their part, Horacio and his comrades were shocked at what they had become, even if they found the inhumanity of the Sabbat already a bit familiar.
They also chafed against what they saw as untrained rabble getting by on their vampiric powers, completely ignorant and indifferent to proven strategies and tactics. As the most senior of the undead Zetas, Horacio eventually challenged his pack's ductus to Monomacy, a duel that he won easily.
After a particularly disastrous raid on a Camarilla safehouse went south, Horacio found himself the sole survivor of his pack in 2012. Cesar Rodriguez approached him with a position in Los Perros, an offer Horacio balked at until Cesar put him into contact with the Black Hand. The Sabbat's paramilitary wing reminded him of his original days in the army, and at least there was a clear chain of command and carefully planned missions. The trials of admission pushed him to the limit, just as the GAFE training once did. He has distinguished himself on several operations since, earning the attention of several high-ranking field generals.

The only point against him is his apathy toward the politics or religion of the conflict; these things matter no more to him now than they did in life. His enthusiasm for bloodshed and massacres can be a positive, but it also has the potential to be a liability. The Black Hand often prefers to work from the shadows, where Horacio is not used to being. When it is time to send the Camarilla a direct message, however, he is often tapped as the man to deliver it.
On a night-to-night basis, Horacio is often called to carry out field work for Los Perros and Cesar personally, either acting as a one-man hit squad or leading other, more junior members of the pack as their overseer. He specializes in sudden strikes meant to stun the target before meeting them with overwhelming force.
Such jobs take him across South Florida, and when in Miami he prefers to lay low and avoid sect gatherings. He generally disdains fraternicing with anyone outside of Los Perros, he never knows when an acquaintance could become a future target of his wrath.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Horacio is tall and broad shouldered, with a shaved head and a bushy beard that makes him resemble a wild eyed mountain man.
His indecipherable grey eyes obscure the nightmarish things he's seen, or the merciless resolve within himself. He wears loose-fitting casual clothes most of the time, unless he is conducting an operation, when he wears a soldier's tactical gear from head to toe.

Character Breakdown

• Sire: Javier Calderon
• Nature: Bravo
• Demeanor: Director 
• Generation: 10th
• Willpower: 6
• Morality: Humanity 2

Species

Lasombra

Year of Death

2010

Aligned Organization

Sabbat

Other Affiliations

• Los Perros del Noche

Stats

Physical

Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4

Social

Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2

Mental

Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3

Talents

Alertness 2, Athletics 2 Brawl 3, Intimidation 3, Leadership 3, Streetwise 1

Skills

Drive 2, Firearms 3, Melee 3, Security 3, Stealth 4, Survival 3

Knowledges

Investigation 2, Linguistics 1, Medicine 1

Disciplines

Obtenebration 2, Potence 2, Presence 1

Backgrounds

Black Hand Membership 2, Contacts 2, Resources 3, Status 1

Virtues

Conviction 3, Instinct 2, Courage 4