Tenoch

Tenoch, also known by his title Tenoyollotzin, was a historical figure in Natlan. He was a battle-hardened warrior who brought together six warriors from six of the seven tribes of Natlan in order to unite in a war against the Abyss.^[1] He makes his first appearance in a flashback in the Archon Quest Past and Future in Chapter V: Act II - Black Stone Under a White Stone.

Profile

Tenoch was a warrior-hero from Natlan who originally belonged to the Muratan tribe^[2], but he was exiled from his tribe at some point prior to the events of the cataclysm due to his battle-manic nature.^[3] Despite this, members of other tribes and Tenoch's former friends had much respect for him. At the same time, Tenoch also had many enemies, one of whom was a giant named Tupac, with whom he exchanged many injuries and scars, but would later reconcile and fight side-by-side.^[1]

Tenoch wielded a colossal obsidian-inlaid club known as the Talking Stick, which is named as such because it is implied that he used it to "mediate" discussions and disputes. With his club, Tenoch journeyed across Natlan, recruiting six warriors to fight with him against the Abyss.^[1]

Tenoch perished alongside Sanhaj in a battle against the Abyss that created the Mare Jivari, in which Sanhaj willingly sacrificed him to summon a miniature Night Kingdom inside Bakunawa and destroy the Abyssal monster from within. He was unable to be brought back to life by the Ode of Resurrection because he had already lost his Ancient Name beforehand. The player encounters his and Sanhaj's final resting place in the Pyro Archon Temple during the World Quest The Last Survivor of Tenochtzitoc.

Appearance

Tenoch had gray hair, a goatee and wore a hat with wide-rimmed eyewear adorning it. He wore blue clothes, consisting of a short-cut shirt and baggy pants fastened with a belt, with a dagger in its sheath present on his left side, and completed the ensemble with blue shoes and a large grey necklace that dangles over his chest. Tenoch's chest is tattooed. He is described as having many scars on his body, as well as an injured eye.^[1]

Quests and Events

Archon Quests

• Chapter V
  • Act II: Black Stone Under a White Stone
    • Past and Future

Story

Pre-Cataclysm

In his younger years, Tenoch fought Tupac, a warrior from the People of the Springs,^[4] when Tupac crossed the seas and met him, with their pride and Tupac's drinking horn on the line.^[1][5]

At some point in time, Sundjatta, chief of the Children of Echoes, petitioned the Pyro Archon at the time to expel Tenoch from the tribes due to his battle-manic nature. While the punishment was made out of necessity, Tenoch ultimately believed it was what he deserved, and accepted it without complaint.^[3]

Sometime later, Tenoch encountered Pyro Archon Mavuika, who explained her plan to save Natlan from the Abyss, to which he agreed, though not without informing her he would find some way to collect the debt if she could not deliver on her promise of victory.^[6]

Cataclysm

As the threat of the Abyss loomed on the horizon, Tenoch lamented that the tribal leaders were too absorbed by internal squabbles to recognize the danger. One-by-one, he gathered the group which came to be known as the Heroes of Natlan: Wanjiru from the Collective of Plenty, who was weary of the tribal infighting and was piqued by his call to unite against the Abyss; Menilek from the Flower-Feather Clan who, despite constantly quarreling with Tenoch, saw him as a true hero; Sanhaj from Mictlan, who had foreseen his and Tenoch's demises and was intrigued by the idea of becoming revered as a hero; Burkina from Huitztlan, who wished to follow in Tenoch's footsteps; Sundjatta, who agreed on the condition that the Children of Echoes would not be involved; and finally Tupac, who found the upcoming battle to be a worthwhile one.^[1]

Having recruited allies from each of the six major tribes, Tenoch and his comrades then clashed with a massive Abyssal tide in the Mare Jivari.^[1] In that battle, Sanhaj and Tenoch sacrificed themselves to empower a powerful border spell that created a miniature version of the Night Kingdom, which destroyed the horde and devastated the island, reducing it to a desolate, ash-choked waste. As he had already lost his Ancient Name, he was not eligible to be resurrected by the Ode of Resurrection.^[3]

Character Mentions

Character Stories

Character	Stories
Mavuika	Character Story 5

Trivia

Etymology

• Tenoch was a legendary chief and patriarch of pre-Columbian Mexican and Aztec history. He is also the namesake of the Aztec Empire's capital, Tenochtitlan, and their people, Mexica or Tenochca.
  • In the Nahuatl script, Tenoch's name is written with the symbols for tetl ("rock") and nochtli ("prickly pear"). The latter name is mentioned in-game as a now-extinct species of prickly pear endemic to Tenochtzitoc.^[7] The actor dressed up as a Nochtli is the Local Legend, The Last Survivor of Tenochtzitoc.
• Tenoch's title, Tenoyollotzin, may be a combination of Tenoch, the Nahuatl word yollotl ("heart"), and the Nahuatl honorific suffix -tzin.

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Tenoch
Chinese (Simplified)	特诺切 Tènuòqiè
Chinese (Traditional)	特諾切 Tènuòqiè
Japanese	テノッチ Tenocchi
Korean	테노치 Tenochi
Spanish	Ténoch
French	Tenoch
Russian	Теноч Tenoch
Thai	Tenoch
Vietnamese	Tenoch
German	Tenoch
Indonesian	Tenoch
Portuguese	Tenoch
Turkish	Tenoch
Italian	Tenoch

Change History

References