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 • Ground Floor

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

The Pemmington family who serve the Guardians of the Veil of Dragon Eye Hall are a family long loyal to the Order. No one knows the entirety of the family's history, although some Guardians believe that the elders of the family - or perhaps even their ghosts - are aware of it. What is known is that the family has always been associated with Dragon Eye Hall, even before it was employed as a caucus for the Guardians of London. Though the Pemmingtons once maintained a title in the peerage, that title is now extinct, although they are permitted by heraldic law to maintain a proper coat of arms, its central figure a tower with a flame at its peak.

• Nickname: The Towermen, for the family's heraldic figure.
• Appearance: Pemmingtons tend toward dark Roman Brits, with dark eyes and hair. Their skin is frequently pale, and they often appear slightly sickly or melancholy, with dark circles under the eyes that grows more pronounced the older the proximus gets. Though they wear perfectly modern garments when outside the Hall, they wear simple robes of dark charcoal with black belts and mantles when in the Hall.
• Parent Path: Moros
• Blessings (Death, Matter, Space): The Pemmingtons have ancient lores used by the family to keep the Hall in fine condition, to maintain its small army of ghostly defenders, and to provide them with the means to see and travel nearly anywhere in the Hall and its environs that they might be needed.
  • Death: Soul Marks •, Speak with the Dead •, Suppress Aura ••, Touch of the Grave ••, Quicken Ghost •••
  • Matter: Craftsman's Eye •, Find the Balance ••, Hidden Hoard ••, Nigredo and Albedo •••
  • Space: Ground Eater •, Locate Object •, Scrying ••, Secret Door ••, Co-Location •••, Secret Room ••••
• Curse: The Pemmingtons are tied to the land they inherit, the land where the bones of their ancestors lie. The ghosts of their forefathers drive them to remain on these lands, to defend them at all costs, and to serve those who are the masters of the Hall.
  • Persistent: All Pemmingtons experience the Nightmares Condition, experiencing fitful sleep thanks to the whispers of their ghostly predecessors.
  • Severe: A very vital part of the Pemmington remains behind on Pemmington lands. Should a proximus of the family depart those lands, they are immediately afflicted with the Soulless Condition, which resolves only when she returns to family lands.
• Oblations: Upkeep on Pemmington lands, communing with ancestors in Pemmington crypts, meditating on stormy nights.
• Character Concepts: Village vicar, mortician, unsettling villager, suspicious groundskeeper.

Status in Dragon Eye Hall

Caucus Titles

• Epopt (Status ••••+): 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.
• Susceptor (Status •••+): Susceptors are the spies, warriors and assassins chosen for the most difficult of missions among the Guardians.
• Interfector (Status ••+): There is no single Interfector; the task is apportioned up among those Guardians of sufficient rank to be trusted with its duties. The identity of the Interfector is always kept a secret: only the epopt and the wearer of the Interfector's mask ever know who it is at any given time.
• Emissary (Status •+): An emissary acts as the go-between between Order and Consilium.
• Cultor (Status •+): The Cultors are in charge of the various Labyrinths maintained by the Guardians of the Veil in London.

Magisters (•••••)

Magisters are Masters 1º at least, have Gnosis 5+, know twenty rotes, have Occult and at least one other Mental Skill at ••••+, and otherwise exemplify the ideals of the Order.

• Sublime Lodge: Valens (•••••; Epopt) • Gozmin (••••; Cultor - Freemasons)
• The Roseacrux Sodality: Ormus (•••••; Cultor - Rosicrucians)

Famuli (•• to ••••)

Famuli are Adepts 1º or Disciple 2º at least, have Gnosis 2+, know ten rotes, have Politics and at least one other Mental Skill at ••+. Junior Famuli (••) may hold the title of Interfector. Famuli (•••) may hold the title of Susceptor. Senior Famuli (••••) may hold the title of Epopt.

• Sublime Lodge: Albedeus (•••); Cultor - Freemasons) • Ovanda (••; Cultor - Freemasons)
• The Inficiunti: Ash (••)
• The Torch at the Crossroads: Frost (•••; Susceptor) • Autumn (•••; Cultor - Guild of Naturists) • Igraine (••)
• The Roseacrux Sodality: Goodman Dull (•••) • Gratius (•••; Cultor - Rosicrucians)
• The Brothers of Colton: Gryphon (•••; Cultor - Sepulchre of the Holy Transfiguration) • Manticore (•••; Cultor - The Thorn Society) • Satyr (•••) • Basilisk (••) • Phoenix (••)
• Varda: Dhua (••; Cultor - House of the Wheel Yogic Society)
• The Red Monks: Iscariot (••••; Susceptor) • Salome (•••; Susceptor) • Tamengal (•)
• The Cavalcade of Masks: Sanguinia (•••; Susceptor) • Melancholia (•••; Susceptor) • Phlegmatus (•••; Susceptor) • Cholerus (•••; Susceptor)

Neophytes (•)

Neophytes are Disciple 1º at least, know eight rotes. They may hold the title of Cultor or Emissary.

• Sublime Lodge: Jacob (•)
• The Inficiunti: Samovar (•)
• The Torch at the Crossroads: Verna (•)

Initiates (–)

Initiates are Apprentice 1º at least, know six rotes.

• Solitaries: Lagnaippe (•)

Secret Levels in Dragon Eye Hall

Though there are inevitably secrets of each level that are shared among specific Guardians of the caucus, the following are the degree of secrets generally known to everyone of the proper ranking in the caucus.

• Grey: Sleepers. Grey secrets are those that can even be known by Sleepers, even if they don't understand the provenance. Grey lore is always slightly twisted occult lore, which leads to the Inner Mysteries. Gray secrets of Dragon Eye Hall include:
  • The mortal occult societies whose teachings lead into Guardian lore are the Freemasons, the Guild of Naturists, the Rosicrucians, several ecclesial mystery cults, and the House of the Wheel Yogic society.
• Crimson: Sleepers of Labyrinth Mystery Cult Status •••+, or Other Mages. This is lore a Sleeper Retainer would need to accomplish a mission for the order; may reveal some of the morally or legally questionable aspects of a Labyrinth's activities. Crimson secrets of Dragon Eye Hall include:
  • Masons famously leverage their extensive network of professional contacts and benefits to the use of the caucus.
  • Naturists frequently lend stranger assistance to the caucus, providing rare herbs or secluded refuge to those the caucus wishes hidden, or other tasks that individual members might provide from their daily vocations, including legal and medical assistance.
  • Rosicrucians often assist with nobility and Lutheran church matters, including getting influential members of both groups to lend support to caucus purposes, as well as providing funds to the Hall.
  • Ecclesial mystics very frequently aid with matters of the Church, particularly the Catholic Church and Church of England on the local scene. They have assisted in passing on confessions and providing sanctuary for specific individuals, as well as funneling church funding into caucus purposes.
  • House of the Wheel initiates have aided the caucus in the past by infiltration and information gathering in areas where their ethnicity make them natural fits, such as the docks and in ambassadorial agencies. They are perhaps the most underused of the Crimson operatives.
  • Trusted non-Guardian mages have been activated to assist Sleeper and Sleepwalkers of importance to the Guardians who operate within the spheres of influence of the mage in question. Dragon Eye Hall keeps a very strict record of this assistance, as well as what they do to repay it, as they are favors not for individuals but for the caucus as a whole.
• Black: Guardians Initiates. Fully initiated Guardians learn the Exoteric Tenets, the Law of the Mask and about activities specific to the caucus. Forbidden from learning about other caucuses. Guardians must convince their fellows that they not only are worthy of these secrets, but need to know them. Black secrets of Dragon Eye Hall include:
  • xxx
• White: Guardians of the Veil Status •. Trusted with all but the highest levels of secrets, including the Esoteric Tenets. These secrets are not handed to the Guardian, but gained through personal drive and proving to be worthy.
• Colorless: Guardians of the Veil Status ••••. Secrets so dangerous they must be hidden from the rank and file of the order.
• True: Worthy Mages. Mages of other orders who have been tested and passed. They may be told more than others, including information needed to remain safe in the event of Guardian purges.

Cabals in Dragon Eye Hall

• Sublime Lodge: Guardians of the Veil • Holborn, the City. The core cabal of Guardians of the Veil in London, the Sublime Lodge has spent literally centuries strengthening their Masonic Labyrinths. They absolutely and completely claim Masonic Lodges as their sole dominion, and look with ill-amusement on those who would trespass there. The cabal is based out of the Freemason's Hall, in North-Central London, beneath which they maintain an old subterranean sanctum.
• The Brothers of Colton: Guardians of the Veil • Islington, the Hills. A strange group of religiously-focused Guardians who concentrate on the disproving of the supernatural, the Brothers of Colton are well-revered by the Consilium for their diligent protection of the secrets of the supernatural world. The Brothers of Colton have taken the symbolism of old legendary creatures for their cabal's symbolism. The Brothers of Colton are based out of an old monastery in Northwest London that has been turned into part of a local theological seminary. Sponsored by the Seekers of the Cenacle.
• The Roseacrux Sodality: Guardians of the Veil • The Square Mile, the City. A cabal of Rosicrucian magicians, the Roseacrux Sodality maintains ties to the Anglican Church and to a variety of the nobility through their Labyrinth, the Rosicrucians. Though the ancient Temple of the Knights Templar has been turned into a simple set of hotels and other sight-seeing attractions in Downtown London, the ancient Temple itself still serves those who have taken the oaths. Beneath the great outer buildings lies the Sanctum of the Roseacrux Sodality. Sponsored by the Seekers of the Cenacle.
• Torch at the Crossroads: Guardians of the Veil • Chelsea, the West End. A coven of witches, the Torch at the Crossroads helps to defend the Mysteries with deception and poison, when the situation calls for it. The name of their coven is a reference to the Goddess of Witches, Hecate, and they use a season-theme for their coven workings. The Torch At the Crossroads oversee the Guild of Naturists, a group of upper and middle class nudist artists who focus on pagan and mystical themes in their work. The Torch at the Crossroads maintain a small block in Walham Green in Southwest London, a very bohemian part of town. Their four houses block off the center of the block, which boasts a tiny grove screened from the view of others. Sponsored by the Inficiunti.
• Cavalcade of Masks: Guardians of the Veil • Holborn, the City. On the darkened stage of a tiny Central London theater called the Harlequin's Round gathers the Cavalcade. They stand, masked, cloaked and facing away from one another, speaking in the code of the Guardians. They tell of their successes and make requests of one another, and then disappear without glancing back at whence they have come.
• The Red Monks: Guardians of the Veil • The Square Mile, the City. In the ruins of Blackfriar Monastery along the Thames in Downtown London, the Red Monks meet at the dark of the moon, if they are alive and not working on a mission. Should one of their number disappear, they will never seek to find him or her — they are simply lost, without investigation.