Talk:Oleksandra Tometchko

The Red Guards

[...the scene was not disturbed. Two sentries were found dead from a single gunshot wound each to the base of the skull. We could not find evidence of penetration of our security measures, beyond the use of the sentry keycards and thumbprints to access the interior of the facility. The infiltrator's objective appears to be [REDACTED]. We presume they exited along the same course, though we found no tracks or penetration of the border fence. At this time we have no solid suspects, though soviet espionage seems likely.]

  -Excerpt from CIA Report, Berlin, 1957

Do What You Must

The Red Guards are a relatively new gift from the Guardians of the Veil to the world. Originating from the early days of the Soviet Union, the Red Guards were the Guardians of the Veil's answer to co-opting the covert aspects of soviet military thought. They moved quickly to forge Labyrinths out of the Intelligence Services of many European Nations, playing agent against agent in a deadly game of cat and mouse that killed its participants as often as it lead to their Awakenings. The self-sacrifice, the single-minded determination, and the dedication to ideology present in the Soviet Intelligence services in particular proved an ideal crucible to produce those who could pass the Crimson Veil.

Indeed, it is a double-meaning, the name of the Legacy. Taken in part from Stalin's legendary wartime brigades and in part from the Crimson Veil and those capable of passing it, the Red Guards shepherd the Labyrinths, ply the craft of covert espionage, and deal with the wet work that is on occasion called for in service to the Diamond. One part fanatical, one part pragmatic, they are a Legacy of constant internal contradiction. A mind and body duality, an inconsistent tetrad of duty, honor, and secrets; they exist to ensure the fallen world's spies do not labor solely for the Iron Pyramid. And often, when the Guardians go to war with the Seers, it is the Red Guards that lead the charge.

Origins

Parentage: Acanthus, Guardians of the Veil

Background: Spies, special operators, intelligence officers, politicians, the sole survivor, hit men.

Appearances: One of the best assets a spy can have is being unremarkable. Put on a suit and be anyone. Though, quite often, the Red Guards adopt a rugged look if only because they are often operating away from contemporary hygiene.

Doctrine

Prerequisites: Mind 2, Subterfuge 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Stealth, Subterfuge, Politics, Larceny, Firearms, Weaponry

Initiation: The aspirant must pass the Crimson Veil, or some similar moral and ethical test which demonstrates the willingness to kill for the right reasons, and spare life for the right reasons. Often they will be given conflicting orders, or orders so morally repugnant that any rational human would refuse them. The idea is to select only those with a well-defined moral compass. Those capable of making their own moral and ethical choices, and carrying out what they determine to be the right course of action. They must demonstrate moral clarity, decisiveness in the heat of the moment, and the steadfastness to lead themselves and others into danger and back out again with a minimal loss of life on all sides. When the aspirant is a Guardian, the Crimson Veil is typically followed by more intensive education on moral and ethical considerations. These are typically not a weak point for aspirants of other orders, or as likely to be tested. Whereas aspirants from outside the order receive more focus on spycraft and espionage, since they are not as likely to receive such focused training otherwise.

Organization: Each Guard is a fifth column unto itself. The ultimate force multiplier. They are trained to be able to operate singly, or to make a group under their overwatch excel in ways they could not otherwise. So apart from loyalty to a common creed and upholding a common ethos, they rarely gather together, and rarely seek one another out. Such ties make uncovering their work easier, and this way if one falls, the damage ends there. When communication is necessary, it is usually done through elaborate networks of intermediaries or via dead drops and other fully analog means. In one rare instance, a Numbers Station was erected to distribute a message to the legacy as a whole, but this unprecedented act led to the destruction of several Seer Pylons across the globe in the span of two weeks.

Theory: If the Supernal is Truth, and it keeps its secrets, then surely the supernal has spies of its own. Guarding that truth, perfecting that ideal of the perfect operative, is the driving call of the Red Guard. Their actions may damn their souls, their methods may (it may be argued) defile many of the ideals the Awakened pursue, but in search of this singular truth, they are paladins of righteousness. The path to Ascension, the Guards say, is paved with their corpses.

Magic

Ruling Arcanum: Mind

Yantras: Being where you don't belong (+1, or +2 if you went there under your own free will); carrying the decryption of a code you broke within the past month (+2); Path tools usable as weapons or in spycraft (+2); dressing as someone else (+1); speaking other than your native language (+1); using an item you stole from an enemy (+1)

Oblations: Decryption; encryption; discussing moral philosophy such as the trolley problem; learning a secret; being alone in a crowd

Attainments

First: Debriefing

Prerequisites: Initiation
As any practitioner of time will tell you, a lot can happen in the span of a breath. During an operation, hyper vigilance is necessary to stay alive and carry out the objective.

The mind rarely has time to commit all that occurs to memory, yet the mind and the self received all of that information regardless.  It's there, ready to be recalled in a time of calm and clarity, for the benefit of the cause.  Like the Mind 1 effect Perfect Recall, this attainment allows the Guard to recount even the most insignificant detail that occurred, even in times of life or death violence or extreme stress.  The reach is used to make that recall an instant effect, and if used on another, able to be activated at sensory range.

Optional: Fate 2
Such recall is often rife with too much detail. The mind sees all, but the mind also must *parse* what it's seen. Without the filters of short term and long term memory, the recall can be filled with red herrings and useless details that are not pertinent to the mission or its objectives. Similar to the Fate 1 effect Reading the Outmost Eddies, this optional attainment turns Fate into the sorting sieve, guiding the mind through the reflections of recall to latch on to pertinent details. With two reach dedicated to making the effect instant and to making the resulting recall happen within an hour of activation, this is typically done during debriefing where the agent can discuss with their handler or cadre about the incident, eventually latching on to the important details enough to guide their next course of action.

Second: Peer into the Mists

Prerequisites: Mind 2, Subterfuge 3
A description.
Optional: Fate 2
Another description

Third: Mist Haven

Prerequisites: Mind 3, One of the other initiation skills at 2
A description.
Optional: Fate 3
Another description

Fourth: Paths Through the Mists

Prerequisites: Mind 4, A third of the initiation skills at 2
A description.
Optional: Fate 4
Another description

Fifth: Inviting the Mists

Prerequisites: Mind 5, Subterfuge 4
A description.
Optional: Fate 5
Another description