Mage/Theme/Orders/Guardians of the Veil

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The Guardians of the Veil, The Enveloping Shadow, The Silence of the Ages

 All thrones are false, all souls are flawed. That truth rings in the ears of the Guardians of Philadelphia to this day. They arrived with Gaveston in the second wave of Diamond colonization of the new world. They were spymasters, masters of intrigues subtle and gross, and spun deceptions and webs of deceit in the furtherance of the Ladder's ambitions. They supported Gaveston right up to the end because they forgot that supernal precept.

 Since that day, the local Guardian caucus have become a far more esoteric order, embracing the belief that the Hieromagus will fulfill the Diamond Wheel. Their focus turned to matters of supernal study and safeguarding the world from the temptations of Hubris and the threat of the Abyss. They work more closely with the Adamantine Arrows these days, working on joint operations to eliminate threats to the Fallen World and the Supernal alike. They have even forged an on-again off-again partnership with the Mysterium, supporting their studies when they are deemed not to be a threat to the consilium.

 Their role as the secret police of the Awakened is still upheld, though they have largely entrusted enforcement to the Sentinels through the liberal rulings of the local Lex Magica. When you make individuals solely responsible for their excesses with the weight of law, few will complain when the Interfector's mask graces another occulted head.

Suggested Concepts: Acanthus Agent Provocateur , Mastigos Cult Leader, Moros Ghostly Spymaster, Obrimos Resonance Investigator, Thyrsus of 1,000 Faces

Guardians of the Veil History

 The history of the Guardian caucus of the Martyr's Tree is cautionary tale that the Order recounts to new recruits and incoming transfers with clear eyes. Walsingham, The first Epopt of their order, and likewise the first Moros Councilor of what would become the Martyr's Tree consilium, was complicit in the atrocities of the Unnamed War, and present during Gaveston's Great Hubris.

 It was Walsingham that directed the Order towards the furtherance of the esoteric precepts, and first uttered the word Hieromagus to his susceptors and trusted advisors. He and his inner circle worked tirelessly to massage the other orders into drafting "common sense silver law precepts" which the Guardians took every pain to oppose in public. They conspired to enshrine in law their particular vision of Hubris, and how it ought to be punished. By making each Magus responsible for their own messes, and providing the safety of contrition and atonement for those who breach the law, they turned their order from a secret police almost universally loathed for their meddling, to ritually obligated executors of the will of the Awakened Nation as a whole.

 It freed them to pursue the esoteric precepts, to spread their labyrinths and cults far and wide, and to turn their enforcement focus onto the servants of the Lie. They have raised confounding the Seers of the Throne to a high art, creating an air of mutual respect between the two organizations born of buried bodies and shattered ambitions.

 In the centuries since, they have worked to make allies of the Arrows, consultants of the Mysterium, and political tools of the Silver Ladder. Their preferred method of guiding Awakened society is through Walsingham's Gambit; which is to say, they make everyone else suggest their ideas for them, oppose them, and thereby ensure their passage.

Guardians of the Veil Resources
  • Guardian Safe House
    • Hallow of the Shepherd's Well
    • Epopt's Chambers
    • Sanctum of the Esoteric Will
Guardians of the Veil Members
These are the current members of the Guardians of the Veil Caucus.
Add [[Category:Guardians of the Veil]] to your page to show up here.
Active Guardians of the Veil
Active Guardians of the Veil NPCs
Inactive Guardians of the Veil
Dead Guardians of the Veil

none

Guardians of the Veil Roles
These roles are adapted from Mage: the Awakening 1.0 and are subject to revision in play.

NPC Roles

  • Epopt - The Epopt's role will always be held by an NPC. The Shadowname of Walsingham belongs to the Council of the Wise now. Which suits the present epopt just fine. Cypher, as the Epopt is known, has been at the head of the order for over thirty years. He is not a native of the area, having transferred from the Fecund Coin's caucus as a susceptor to aid then Epopt Logos uncover and destroy a cadre of Seers active in the Lehigh Valley. Through determination and wit, Cypher rose through the ranks and now leads the caucus with shrewd intuition and a paternalistic hand.
    Prerequisites: Guardians of the Veil Status 4.
    Current Epopt: Cypher

PC Roles

  • Susceptor - The spies and secret agents of the Guardians of the Veil. Experts in espionage, disguise, and targeted violence, they are the tip of the Veil's spear in combating the machinations of the Seers of the Throne. They answer directly to the Epopt, and while they are given wide leeway to pursue their own leads and chase down their own suspects, they are accountable to the Epopt for their activities. They require a keen deductive mind, the ability to make snap decisions in the field, and a good deal of social acumen to accomplish their tasks. They are conditioned to deal with the matter in front of them, leaving the larger picture to the Epopt to furnish.
    Prerequisites: Two Arcana at 4, Prime 2, Mind 2, Wits 3, Subterfuge 3, Persuasion 2, Guardians of the Veil Status 3.
    Current Susceptors: Man
  • Redactor - Redactors, as the name implies, Unmake mistakes. When a paradox is unleashed, when a Gulmoth erupts upon the material plane, when a Banisher's madness dances through the Fallen World, the Redactors will shortly arrive with a magical broom to make it all go away. Blood disappears, corpses rot away, magical resonances are scrubbed, nimbuses occluded, minds erased, even spirits borne of the activity are sundered from the earth. Moreover, burned buildings are repaired, crashed cars mended, and injuries healed. Through the looking glass of time, they see the site as it was before and they make it whole once more. It is a thankless job. The sort of job that, when performed well, receives no praise. For no one was aware it was done in the first place.
    Prerequisites: One of the following Arcana: Prime 4, Matter 4, Death 4, Spirit 4, Mind 4, Life 4; One of the Additional Arcana: Space 2, Time 2; Guardians of the Veil Status 2.
    Current Redactors: Gardener, Portia
  • Interfector - Executioner and assassin, the Interfector is a slave of the consilium. The Interfector alone doles out the punishment of death upon the Awakened. Once the Lex has spoken and the Council has ruled, the iron mask is taken up, the robes are donned, and death swiftly follows. The Interfector is ritually (and actually) despised by the Awakened nation as a whole. It's unclean to stand in one's shadow, nevermind to actually touch the body of an Interfector. Fortunately, the caucus rotates this particular duty among those with the stomach for it, ensuring no single individual has to suffer too long behind the scorned mask, or sacrifice too much in the way of wisdom to the whims of the consilium's council.
    Prerequisites: Prime 2, Mind 2, Composure 3, Resolve 3, Guardians of the Veil Status 2.
    Current Interfectors: Only the Epopt knows.
  • Decorticator - Decorticators do the daily work of the Caucus. They seek out Supernal truths, Abyssal incursions, or the activities of Banishers and Scelesti. They monitor their Awakened breathren for signs of Hubris, and report instances of Paradoxes. Their skill set is more generalized than those of Redactors and Susceptors, because their role is largely to uncover a matter rather than resolve it; though they are empowered to resolve such matters that they come upon should it be within their power to do so. Decorticators inform the Susceptors and Redactors when work needs doing, and partner with them to achieve those ends. The role is an excellent stepping stone towards those more specialized ones.
    Prerequisites: Investigation 2, Subterfuge 2, Guardians of the Veil Status 2.
    Current Decorticators: Anthelion, Pheme,
  • Cultor - On the surface, cultors appear to be little more than cult leaders. But that is doing the role a disservice. Cultors are responsible for creating the Labyrinths of the Guardians, and sprinkling them with Mysteries that appeal not simply to those who are drawn to cults, but disciplined minds, skilled researchers, and dauntless investigators. The Labyrinths of the Guardians provide a source of temporal income, a web of information gathering sleepers to supply useful trivia to the Order, and a vibrant garden to tend in the hopes of awakening a prodigy; proverbially reaching the center of the labyrinth. While this is the entry level position withing the caucus, without the vitality of the Labyrinths, the Order itself would collapse.
    Prerequisites: Guardians of the Veil Status 1.
    Current Cultors: Hearth, Thespis