Mystery Cults/List

Active Mystery Cults

The Cult of the Black Hand

 The Merlino family within the Philadelphia Mob harbor a dark secret. The key to their power and independence from the five families is owed to creatures other than the grit of their hitmen. Things that mark the family, things that grant them and their supplicants wealth and power beyond the capacity of most to imagine. Under the guidance of a black hand, they rose to power and prominence with a look. Right into the waiting hand.

• : Resources • - The Secret Handshake With a Wink and a Nod. That's what they call it. You kiss the right rings, you give the right handshake, and with a wink and a nod the doors open. The champagne flows. The steaks keep coming. The bill never does. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut. And recognize that handshake when it's given.

•• : Resources •• - Made in the Shade. You've accepted the mark of the black hand or given your loyalty to one of the Marked. If marked, you're a standout. The envy of your peers. If unmarked, you've proven your worth to someone that is. And they trust you.

••• : Mind of a Madman ••• - Payback's a Bitch. You've got my mark now! Good for you, I'm glad to have you on board. You've had your fun, now it's time to start giving back. Oh, don't worry. You'll still get all the power and influence your murders will bring you. So stick to your enemies, and we can both come out on top. Right, pal? Someone always is taking a taste, might as well be me.

•••• : Mind Control ••• - The Illusion of Choice. You've proven yourself to the family. But most of all to me. You've got it where it counts, and between you and me, it should really be you up top. Joey's getting old. Getting soft. Getting sloppy. But enough about that, you keep telling those shit heels what the fuck is up. Don't worry about me, I'm enjoying this.

••••• : The Right Black Hand. That'll do, pig. That'll do. You've accepted the demon into your cold and merciless yet profoundly rich and powerful heart. Lucky you.

Members: Maria Angelica, Simon Dubois

Candlelit Visages

• An Early initiate into the Candlelit Visage will be invited in after they prove that they have a knowledge of the occult or at the very least, the ability to uncover it. Their time spent working around the restaurant, the boat, and the very odds happening on it will also test their ability to keep secrets and who to share them with. Receive a free specialty In Occult (Ghosts), Subterfuge (Secrets) or Expression (Storytelling)

•• Being part of the cult means you’re working at the restaurant or on the boat under some form or another. Your work for the Candlelit Visages is remunerated accordingly and you gain one dot of resource for free.

••• This level is attained after a test, devised by the leader(s) behind the group, reveals what is most needed for the subject to learn. The ability to keep a secret or maybe to share them with the proper people. Take a free dot in either Subterfuge or Expression.

•••• The Metaphors of Candles and the thematics about stories shared in the shadows take on a more literal aspect here. The Candlelit Visages learn abilities beyond the mortal kens. They learn the Psychokinesis merit at 3 dots with either Water, Fire, or Wind. Kindred members of the Candlelit Visages instead learn to feed on the strange things found in the night and gain 3 dots of Unnatural Affinity for free.

••••• At this level, the Candlelit visage is attuned to the abilities he needs to witness and touch the unseen and be able to interact with it in some fashion. Once per scene, while carrying a handheld item that creates non-supernatural light (Flashlight, Candles, Lantern, a Phone with the flashlight on and similarly sized item) the character can speak, understand and interact physically with an entity in twilight that remains in the source of light. But must choose when he activates the item if it targets ghosts or spirits.

Passing the Torch: It is a gift that you carry this light, some people are ready for it, some are not. To let someone in is a responsibility you should take seriously, to make sure they don’t burn themselves with the very fire that lights their night. (I.E. we’re recruiting but *very* slowly and only candidates we screen)

Carrying the Lantern: You hold a source of light, something that is the physical representation of knowledge. It can become brighter if you nurture the flame properly, but can burn you with a moment’s carelessness. (Try to learn, thread carefully)

Hold a Candle out: There are things out there that know more than you, people who’ve been around longer, supernatural creatures that guard their secrets closer than most. Know when you’re outmatched and seek someone with a brighter flame. (I.E. if you poke at something too big for you, please ask your betters, we don’t need a war with Sorcerers or Fae creatures.)

The Bushel over the Lantern: There’s a reason the rest of the world doesn’t know already and it’s partially your responsibility to keep it this way. Keep serving the customers, keep explaining the little oddities away, keep the public away. It’s safer this way.

Light your Visage: Share what you learn with us, stories and encounters, the meetings you’ve had, the strange people you’ve met. We learn from each other.

Inactive Mystery Cults

Order of the Railwalkers

Jack London's autobiographical novel The Road as well as several of its contemporaries and copycats helped create a rosy image of hobos to the elite of this country. Painting life as a vagabond as a virtuous choice as opposed to a failing of capitalism. Though none felt it as keenly as a group of well-to-do spiritualists in upstate New York. They believed that there was a true beatific beauty in the noble life of riding the rails. And once the Great Depression hit and more people then ever turned to hitching, they set up their lodge as a place for anyone to come and get a hot meal and a drink if they discussed morality and any occult phenomenons they encountered on the road.

Turns out there are a lot of monsters. A worrying amount of them.

In its modern day incarnation, it's more like a 12 step program if it was run by Van Helsing. Helping the homeless get off drugs, stay fed and find work with an undercurrent of warning about the supernatural. For those who take the program more to heart they have more material to read about in the back regarding the things that go bump in the night and how to keep yourself safe. The members are expected to show up for meetings and be non-disruptive discussion members. And to help with the charity efforts every now and again.

• Contact (Local Homeless)

•• Hobbyist Clique (The Order of Railwalkers; Occult)

••• Occult dot

•••• Bless Amulet 3, but the amulet must be a coin crushed by a train OR if you cannot take supernatural merits, Library (Occult) 3

••••• Clairvoyance using railroad tracks as a Medium OR if you cannot take supernatural merits, Status (Charity) 3

Murk Striders

Prerequisites: Werewolf, Wolf-Blooded, Spirit Mage, or Mortal+/other supernatural with a relationship to Werewolves or the Shadow. Occult 3, Empathy 1.

While primarily comprised of Uratha and Wolf-Blooded, there are a handful of others that dot the numbers of the order referred to as Murk Striders, Shadow Walkers, or simply Spooks. Regardless of what they're called, the individuals who are privy and party to this patchwork network of cells tend to be Ithaeur, Bone Shadows, Thrysus, Mediums, Piercing Eyes Wolf-Blooded, or have some other powerful connection to spirits, the Hisil, and other elements of Shadow.

They seem to generally be united among their dogged pursuit of errant Shadow entities, no matter their stripe, though the more esoteric and bizarre, the more alluring. Alluding to their name, many Murk Striders will travel far, far outside their territory in pursuit of their quarry, which is not always prey: sometimes the hunt is simply for answers, if such things can ever be called simple.

The Murk Striders are, above all, irrepressibly curious, which manifests in their developed affinities for the occult, and bits and pieces of multiple languages. Because of their far-reaching travels, they often rely on others for their briefings upon arrival, and are suitably sociable when called to the task.

• Occult specialty in (Spirits)

•• Multilingual OR Language merit

••• Occult Skill dot

•••• If Werewolf, take the Strings of the Heart merit and either Moon-Kissed in a Social Skill or dot of a Social Style. Non-werewolves can take the merit Empath and a dot of a Social Style.

••••• If Werewolf or Wolf-Blooded, take Fetish (•••). If Mage, take three dots of the Destiny merit. If Mortal+, take the Omen Sensitivity merit.