San Francisco Fanum

The San Francisco Fanum is housed in the Paradise Heights Building, a luxury short-term residence/hotel building with a public restaurant, night club and spa on its first floor, and a variety of fine retail shops throughout its floors.

The Naos Group Offices, San Francisco

The home offices for the Naos Group in San Francisco, the five offices (plus a Director's office and office for his secretary) act as home for the San Francisco Naos Group Staff, a variety of researchers and other agents of the Naos Group, who spend most of their time focused on the archaeological and cultural topics dealing with the American West and Pacific Islands. These Offices are also home to the Special Projects Team, though only the Director of Special Projects, Alfonso de Valencia, actually has an office here, which he shares with his Assistant. The other offices serve employees of other Naos Group divisions.

• Reception: Leland Carter
• Academics: X
• Archaeology: X
• Conference Room: X
• Special Projects: Alfonso de Valencia and Sambethe Fatemi
• Defense: X
• Assistant Director: X
• Director: Dr. Glenn McMurtry
• Finances & Archival: X
• Vault: X

The San Francisco Fanum Relics

The following items are found in the San Francisco Fanum. Each of the cases is a massive affair, lining one of the walls, though Cases 3 and 4 sit in the middle of the room, back-to-back.

Hawai’ian Relics

Case One

This case is set into the western vault wall, and contains only one Relic — a massive surfboard displayed on a thin metal stand.

Papa He’e Nalu Kalamainu’u (Relic ••)

The surfboard of the Hawai’ian lizard goddess Kalamainu’u, this massive twelve foot long wooden surfboard is covered in intricate engravings that give it a pebbled surface like the skin of a lizard. It has patterns of mother-of-pearl all over its surface which gleam a pearlescent silver in the slightest light.

• Purviews: Water
• Powers: Grants a bonus equal to the user’s Legend to all Dexterity + Athletics rolls made while riding it.

Case Two

This case is set into the western half of the north vault wall. A massive stone club, set with shark’s teeth lies on the bottom of the case, flanked by stands within the case displaying a preserved white wing of a large bird and a pair of double-bladed curved daggers that seem to be made from shark’s teeth.

The Midnight Owl Wing (Relic •••)

Once belonging to a Scion of Paupueo (the Hawai’ian owl god) around the time when missionaries first arrived in Hawai’I, the Midnight Owl Wing is a preserved and beautiful pure white owl wing, with a handle set into the shoulder allowing it to be used as a fan. The ancestors of the Hawai’ian people often took the shape of owls, so this Relic had some kind of association with interactions with the dead.

• Purviews: Animal (Owl), Death
• Birthright Connection: May be used to summon an ancestor Guide in the shape of an owl.

The Kamohoalii Blades (Relic •••• x2)

The Kamohoalii Blades are a pair of unique Hawai’ian double daggers — a central hilt with a pair of curving blades projecting out to either end of the hilt. Named for the shark god of the isles, the blades on these paired relics are actually the impressive curving teeth of some massive megalodon-sized monstrosity. They are clearly meant to be wielded one in each hand.

• Traits: Spd 4, Acc +1, Dam +3L, Def +1
• Enhancement: +1 Damage
• Powers: Instead of inflicting damage, the wielder may elect to instill terror in a struck target, requiring a Charisma + Presence + Legend roll and opposed by the target’s Willpower + Integrity + Legend. The target flees for [succ] actions before returning to his senses, but simply seeing the wielder anytime within the next [succ] days causes that panicked reaction again. Additionally, the penalty associated for making multiple attacks with these weapons is reduced by 2 (allowing a diceless action and an attack at no penalty, or two attacks at –2).

La’au Palau Pele (Relic •••••)

A large, impressive club made out of black volcanic rock, this club is inset with shark’s teeth up and down its striking lengths. Its handle is wrapped in braided leather cord, and a length of deep crimson silk streamers flow off of its pommel. This club (the “toothed club” of Hawai’ian war traditions) is associated with Pele, the volcano goddess. Its precise history is unknown, though it is known the club has some connections to the powers of earth and fire.

• Traits: Spd 5, Acc +0, Dam +7B,
• Purviews: Earth, Fire, War
• Enhancement: +2 Damage

Trans-PolarRelics

Case Three

This case is the west-facing half of the center cases. In the case is a stand providing a cross-bar and curved top to drape what appears to be a bear’s head and length of fur over, and a pedestal on which rests an intricately scrimshawed bone dagger, its handle wrapped in pieces of multi-colored leather intricately sewn on.

Nanukanirniq (Relic •••)

This large polar bear head-and-skin is worn as a hood and mantle, with the massive fanged top muzzle of the polar bear providing something of a brim. When the lashes are tightened around the body, the wearer remains warm, comfortable even on the ice and has an easier time navigating the open snows of the trans-polar regions. The name of this item means “Spirit of the Polar Bear God.”

• Traits: Soak 3B/1L, Mobility –1, Fatigue 1
• Purviews: Animal (Bear)
• Birthright Connection: While wearing this mantle, the wearer can roar like a polar bear, summoning a ghost-bear out of the cold snow to come and fight for him if he has such a Creature.
• Powers: The wearer may add his Legend to any Survival rolls made while wearing this mantle in conditions lower than 35º.

The Angakkuq’s Blade (Relic •••••)

It is said that many of the spirit-blooded mystics of the Inuit tribes — men and women called angakkuq — possessed one of these blades. Out of all the blades the Naos Group has gotten hold of, however, only this one is clearly a Relic. It is a knife made from bone, and intricately scrimshawed over generations. The handle is actually a variety of small swathes of human skin, taken from the patch of skin at the top of the head, just over the fontanelle, which is where the spirit of an angakkuq leaves his body when dealing with spirits. These patches are apparently from the mentors who came before the knife’s last wielder. Its precise abilities are unknown, save that it interacts with ephemeral spirits in some fashion, and is used in the making of magic — specifically flames, apparently.

• Traits: Spd 4, Acc +1, Dam +2L, Def +0
• Purviews: Fire, Magic
• Powers: This item can be used to cut ghosts and other ephemeral spirits when they are in their incorporeal forms. It does not grant the ability to see them automatically, however.

Pacific Northwest Relics

Case Four

This case is the east facing half of the center cases. The center-piece in this case is the tall, impressive totem pole, showing the carved face of a raven at its top. To one side of the totem pole is an armor stand bearing an ancient set of armor made with slats of red cedar wood and leather straps, while on its other side there is a suit of hide armor sewn with coins that appear to be Chinese in origin, and topped with a carved wooden mask also in the shape of a fiercely scowling raven’s head.

Ta’xet’s Champion (Relic •••)

According to the Naos Group’s records, this suit of armor belonged to the last known Scion of the Haida pantheon. The son of Ta’xet, the Haida god of violent death, he was finally tracked down and shot to death by the U.S. Army after he killed more than a dozen soldiers. This armor is made of slats of thick, lacquered red cedar wood, affixed in place with tightened thongs of leather. It is painted a garish black and white pattern so that the slats seem almost rib-like.

• Traits: Soak 4B/2L, Mobility –1, Fatigue 1
• Purviews: Death, War
• Enhancement: –1 Mobility Penalty

Haida Totem Pole (Relic •••)

Some ten feet in height and actually set into the base of the case, this Haida totem pole is from the Raven moiety among their tribe. It represents the stories of how Raven brought the sun to earth, and how the Haida peoples learned to plant green growing things to bring themselves health and prosperity.

• Powers: The one seated beneath the pole receives a bonus equal to his Legend to his Charisma + Expression rolls while seated beneath it. Additionally, the pole may be used to enact the “Bless” Boon, from the Fertility Purview.

Moosehide Armor (Relic •••)

This breastplate of moosehide armor is fairly typical of the sorts of armor found among the Tsimshian. Its manufacture dates back to the late 1800s, because the front of the armor is covered by sewn-on Chinese coins, a fairly typical practice meant to make traditional armor a bit more resistant to guns. Something more went into the making of this armor, though, because the coins make a pleasant ringing sound, and luck follows the wearer.

• Traits: Soak 4B/3L, Mobility –1, Fatigue 1 and inflicts a –4 penalty to all Stealth attempts while wearing the clinking armor.
• Enhancement: +1 to soaks
• Powers: This armor can recreate the effects of the Bona Fortuna Boon, with one exception: it is activated by performing a dance in it using Dexterity + Art (Dance).

Tsimshian Raven Clan Helmet (Relic •••••)

This noble helmet is a fine example of Tsimshian artwork. It is crafted of wood and leather, and accented with deep blue-black feathers from a raven somehow affixed to the surface of the helmet so that they seem to be growing from its surface. This helmet is a potent relic for the warrior who bears it. It speeds his reactions to attacks that would strike him, sending him a jolt of sudden movement and adrenaline with a sensation best described as “the fluttering of raven wings in the belly.” Attacks that would wound him glance off him, like rain off the oily feathers of the raven; it is also known that anyone who wears it can also comprehend the cawing of ravens, crows and similar corvids.

• Enhancement: +2 to all soaks while worn
• Powers: The wearer of this helmet gains a +2 to all DVs while wearing it. Additionally, he may speak to ravens as though using the Animal Communication Boon.

Pueblo Relics

Case Five

This case is set into the eastern half of the north vault wall. This case has quite a few objects in it. A massive woven rug depicting a stylized spider web hangs as the backdrop for the display. A weapon stand is centrally placed, displaying two weapons, laid horizontally — a long spear seemingly made of blackened bone, and above it, a tan-hued bow with a crystalline string that catches the light and breaks it into rainbow shards. To one side of the weapon case is a coyote fur-covered stand upon which is set a small sandstone figuring of a coyote. On the other side is a second case covered with a thick woven cloth decorated in the Pueblo style —a two and a half-foot long pipe rests in a stand atop it.

Bow of Four Mountains (Relic •••••)

A bow made of a smooth wood the color of the desert mountains, with a string made out of raindrops, the Bow of Four Mountains is a sacred Relic of the Navajo. Entrusted to the keeping of the Naos Group in the early 1950s, the Naos Group has sworn to the Navajo that should they send a representative, it will be properly turned over to them.

Just above the grip, the bow is set with a stone, which changes composition based on the direction the bow’s front faces. Because it faces the ground currently, it is a tan clay stone which blends mostly with the surface of the bow. When it faces south it turns to turquoise, and becomes yellow abalone in the west. Facing north it becomes a piece of smooth jet, and smooth white shell when directed easterly. Facing upwards it because a clear, prismed stone, almost like suspended water.

• Traits: Spd 5, Acc +1, Dam +2L, Range 30
• Purviews: Sky, Sun, Mystery
• Powers: The Bow of Four Mountains never needs ammunition, creating an arrow of the stone appropriate to the direction it faces in when the string is pulled to its utmost. Moreover, the Bow of Four Mountains allows the wearer to add his Legend rating to any Dexterity + Marksmanship rolls made wile using it.

Navajo Coyote Figurine (Relic •)

This small sandstone sculpture was given to a Scion of Coyote as part of his Visitation in the late 1800s. Eventually, though a life of following his father’s creed wore on him, and he renounced his heritage, giving the figuring to the Naos Group.

• Purviews: Animal (coyote)

The Kokopelli Pipes (Relic •••••)

A Zuni Relic, the Kokopelli Pipes are practically priceless. A two and a half foot long wooden pipe made of some kind of unidentified wood, the pipes shift in appearance slightly, changing their purpose based on the needs of its wielder. Though they normally appear as an elaborate recorder-like set of musical pipes, if the item is aimed at a target and the wielder puffs at the mouthpiece as though it were a blowgun, it fires a small cactus needle out of the flat end of the pipe. Further, when held with the mouth to the end of it, the hollow chamber into which the pipist blows is revealed to be filled with a tobacco mixture, and can be smoked.

• Traits: Spd 4, Acc +1, Dam +0L, Range 20
• Purviews: Fertility, Health, Sky
• Birthright Connection: The Kokopelli pipes can be used to call on the mighty storm serpent, a creature that was said to be capable of bringing rain and storms with it.
• Powers: When used as a blowgun, the Kokopelli pipes never need darts. When used as a pipe for smoking, it is always filled with a strange herbal concoction that smells of sweetest tobacco and sage, with a hint of some kind of bitter to it.

Grandmother Spider’s Rug (Relic ••)

Grandmother Spider brought the Hopi peoples a great many gifts, including this one: a rug she wove herself, as a symbol of her compact to bring them health, fertility and prosperity. This rug, which features a gorgeous, intricate spiderwebbing design, traditionally lay on the floor of the wise woman Scion of Grandmother Spider. There, she sat with those who came to her, to speak with them about the health of their crops and bodies and the fertility of their plants and wombs.

• Purviews: Fertility, Health

The Masauwu Spear (Relic •••)

This six-foot long piece of blackened bone features an impressively sharp tip and it has scratches all up and down its length, as though it was accustomed to being wielded by clawed hands. The Masauwu Spear, named for the Navajo god of death and fire, connects those who wield it to those forces. Additionally, those Scions with undead Followers (particularly animate spear-wielding skeletons) can use this to summon them into the World.

• Traits: Spd 5, Acc +0, Dam +4L, Def +2
• Purviews: Death, Fire
• Birthright Connection: The wielder may summon a set of shambling skeleton-men armed with spears, assuming he has such as his Birthright.

Miscellaneous Relics

Case Six

This case is set into the eastern vault wall. It bears a wire-mesh frame in the shape of a man’s torso, over which has been draped a suit of hide armor decorated with the skin of a jaguar, including the head being worked into a helmet. Beside it, standing quite tall, is a Chinese-style brass fu dog statue.

Suit of Ocelotl Armor (Relic ••••)

A suit of the mighty jaguar armor of the ancient Aztecs, this suit is draped on a plain wire-mesh frame, encased within one of the vault cases by itself. It was found in Baja California, at the site of a dig that showed signs of some kind of incredible conflict. The Naos Group generally agreed that the site was the scene of a battle between a Scion of the Atzlanti and either a native Scion of some sort, or (more likely) a creature of Legend in the area. In either instance, the archaeological evidence shows that after the battle, the bearer of the ocelotl armor was interred in the lowest point of the village and the village itself abandoned.

• Traits: Soak 3B/1L, Mobility –1, Fatigue 1
• Purviews: Animal (Jaguar), Moon, War
• Powers: Grants a bonus equal to bearer’s Legend to all Dexterity + Stealth rolls.

Fu Dog Statue (Relic •)

A large brass statue that comes approximately to the waist of most adults, this Chinese statue of a fu dog is known to be capable of summoning an actual fu dog under the right conditions. It was found in Chinatown after one of the San Francisco fires, and purchased by the Naos Group shortly thereafter.

• Birthright Connection: Summons a fu dog.