Dragon Eye Hall
Guardians of the Veil Caucus • London, England
Dragon Eye Hall has stood for as long as any records among the Awakened suggest they might have. Their earliest mention is part of the Consilium's Accords, when the fourth Draco Cruentis named the Watchers of the Dragon's Eye as their spymasters and silent watchmen. For much of the Dark and Middle Ages, the Awakened of Dragon Eye Hall weren't even permitted to dwell in London, as a means of keeping their loyalties to the work of the Hall and not to whomever they might befriend in the Consilium proper. This ended in the early Renaissance, when the Councilors of that time took advantage of a surge in their power over the hierarch to alter that trait, among many others. Today, the old crumbling keep about two hours by train outside of London, still serves the caucus house for the Guardians of London. But make no mistake, the Guardians of this caucus are well-situated in London's consilium.
Dragon Eye Hall maintains connections in the cutting edge of burgeoning intelligence communities that many other Guardians have taken notice of and infiltrated the world over. They are spymasters and secret police par excellence, and they are ever watchful. Rumors say that sometimes members of the Consilium disappear for days at a time when the Guardians have a few questions to ask of them; those that return always claim to have been called out of town on personal business, however, so this remains no more than a rumor (albeit one that most Awakened in London take to be some version of the truth).
Dragon Eye Hall's caucus has a great many old and lingering traditions that demonstrate their pedigree. The spiritual and esoteric aspects of the Guardians are in full bloom here, and a part of its traditions and systems of operations, rather than being restricted to personal endeavors as is often the case with so many younger Guardian caucuses. It is notable that the Guardians of London are not the only Guardians that belong to this caucus: Guardians throughout all of southwestern England are members. Moreover, the Hall also maintains a small population of long-term spies planted in other consilii around the world, and at any given time those mages might arrive here to deliver the results of their missions and prepare for the next one.
Caucus House: Dragon Eye Hall
Dragon Eye Hall • First Floor
A great old house, there is an extensive history of Pemmington House, as this crumbling structure is known among Sleepers, and all of it false. In previous days, the Pemmington family acted as the local gentry when it came to dealing with the locals in the small village (also named Pemmington) below the hills on which the great house is situated. In truth, this family is a bloodline of proximi, magic-wielding hereditary Sleepwalkers in service to the Guardians of the Veil.
By and large, the great house remains unoccupied, save by the Pemmington clan, and one or two Guardians at any given time. The Order sees no need to protect it, for when no Guardians are in residence, it is an entirely ordinary structure, without any magics, or Awakened treasures, that need guarding. Members of the caucus are always guaranteed a bed and meals should they require them for any length of time. Indeed, it is not unknown for Guardians who are abandoning one long-term Masque to come here for a few months in order to scour that cover life entirely before returning to London in a new identity, ready for continued service to the London Consilium.
The house is situated on a sloping, hilly part of the countryside, at the fork where two smaller streams meet and flow away. The Outer Courtyard has the main entrance, which is through a gate-and-tower that is called the Epopt's Tower, with interrogation cells on the ground floor, and a parlor, library and ritual room, and personal quarters on the tower floor above it. The Outer Court also connects to the old Servants' Wing, which is now the residence of the Pemmingtons who are in service at the Hall (as about half of them serve the Order in London proper).
Connected to the Servants' Wing is the Great Hall, with a common room in the floor above it. This forms the gate in the southern part of the Outer Court which acts as the passage to the Great Court, a great cobbled interior often used for training or rituals by the Guardians during their gatherings here. Attached to the gate is the Porter's Watch, for the Guardian who guards this entrance during gatherings, and also the Bath House, with two large pools used for bathing and relaxation by members of the order when in residence. There are three Dormitories – the North Dormitory, the South Dormitory, and the West Dormitory. These have multiple guest bedrooms of modest comportment, as well as Parlors on the second floor for socializing.
Finally, the two western domed towers are the Temple Domes, as the paired structures are called. On the first floor are empty vaults intended for the use of spellcasting or ritual workings (magical or esoteric). The chambers above the temples are libraries, although they contain no books on the occult or Awakened lore – they are simply books of reference and history.
Gatherings
Dragon Eye Hall holds gatherings on nights of the new moon.
- Rite of the Diamond Wheel: A ritual, facilitated by an Adept of Prime, which reaffirms the philosophy of the Diamond Wheel to the Guardians gathered, and re-empowers them in both Willpower and Mana for the task at hand.
- Dinner Presentation: Caucus gatherings that include dinners often include a guest speaker of some kind.
- Investiture of the Interfector: When a new Interfector is chosen, he is chosen by surprise - the Epopt suddenly shouts an order to "Seize him!" and everyone gathered (many of whom know to expect it) leap on and subdue the new Interfector. He is dragged before the current Interfector, who waits in proper robes and mask, and forced to kneel. Abuse is then heaped on him, insults and spitting most often, but some caucuses administer a beating. Then, the Interfector pulls him to his feet, removes his mask and places it on the new Interfector. All gathered then turn their back on the Interfector, rejecting him from their company for the ills he must do, and the Epopt banishes him from the gathering. Those gathered are then warned that this could happen to them, and to honor the Interfector for making the sacrifice he has made for them.
- Colloquia: The teachings of the Order are made generally available in the form of workshops and discussion groups, each with a very specific and narrow topic. These colloquia are usually organized either by different cabals (more common in caucuses with all-Guardian cabals) or by the members of the various Factions (much more common in the modern era). Some of the topics include espionage techniques, historical lore, Masque training, the performance of ordeals and the like.
- Rote Training: The Guardians usually assign someone to assisting the mages of the Order in locating and learning rotes they are interested in. This usually happens where the caucus keeps its collection of grimoires, though the one responsible for helping usually also has a rough idea of the rotes known by the majority of the Guardians at the caucus, in order to point out rote mentors if the Order does not have a copy of the rote sought.
- Midnight Assembly: Generally, things wind down around midnight, when the Epopt gathers them to thank them for their attendance, reminding them of their duties. Afterwards, though that is the signal that it is acceptable to depart the caucus gathering, many Guardians stay to socialize with one another, seek out mentors and the like.
The Pemmington Family
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Titles in Dragon Eye Hall
Epopt
Though there are four Guardians in London with the kind of power and influence to be chosen for the position of Epopt, the Obrimos Valens, of the Sublime Lodge, holds that honor. He is aware of the goings-on of all Guardians in the city, and understands the ins and outs of the various Labyrinths of the city's Guardian cabals. An Epopt must possess Guardians of the Veil Status ••••+.
- Sublime Lodge: Valens
Susceptors
Susceptors are the spies, warriors and assassins chosen for the most difficult of missions among the Guardians. A Susceptor must possess Guardians of the Veil Status •••+.
- Torch at the Crossroads: Autumn, Frost
- The Brothers of Colton: Gryphon
- The Red Monks: Iscariot, Salome, Tamengal
- The Cavalcade of Masks: Sanguinia, Melancholia, Phlegmatus, Cholerus
Interfectors
There is no single Interfector; the task is apportioned up among those Guardians of sufficient rank to be trusted with its duties. Any Guardian with an Order Status of ••+ may be chosen to fulfill the role of Interfector, but only those listed below are likely to be actually asked to fill the role
- Sublime Lodge: Jacob
- Torch at the Crossroads: Igraine
- The Brothers of Colton: Phoenix, Manticore
- The Red Monks: Salome
Emissaries
An emissary acts as the go-between between Order and Consilium. An Emissary must have Order Status •+.
- The Brothers of Colton: Basilisk
Cultors
The Cultors are in charge of the various Labyrinths maintained by the Guardians of the Veil in London. Cultors must have Order Status •+.
- Sublime Lodge: Valens, Gozmin, Ovanda, Jacob
- Torch at the Crossroads: Autumn
- The Roseacrux Sodality: Ormus, Gratius
- The Brothers of Colton: Gryphon, Manticore
- Varda: Dhua
Cabals in Dragon Eye Hall
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