The Cloister of Peace

The Consilium of Salem is utterly dominated by the Guardians of the Veil. Since the 1950s, the Guardians have claimed Salem as their own to protect, citing Seer preference for infiltration of government structures and organizations and the need to keep the state’s resources out of their hands. To their credit, they have done a remarkable job of keeping the Seers out of the city and state infrastructure. Of course, by the same token, most other magi aren’t interested in being around the paranoid consilium strictures and traditions that have evolved in Salem, either.

The Salem Consilium includes cabals with non-Guardian focuses as well; however, none of those cabals claim territory in Salem proper, instead existing in outlying townships including Dallas, Lyons and Albany/Corvallis. One of the Guardian cabals isn’t even truly based out of Salem, either, instead operating out of the town of St. Benedict.

• Hierarch: Stoughton. The Hierarch of Salem is Stoughton, a Mastigos Guardian of the Veil and initiate into the Bearers of the Eternal Voice. Though Stoughton is not the Epopt of the Oregon Caucus of the Guardians, his local political power is more than sufficient to put him in a position of importance not just in his consilium, but with the Guardians of the caucus in general. Indeed, most Guardians agree – if he wanted the position of Epopt, it is doubtful the Abbot could stop him.

Hierarch Stoughton severely dislikes Agrippa, the Hierarch of Portland. The previous Hierarch of Portland was Stoughton’s initiator and mentor in the Guardians of the Veil. Moreover, the Guardians had long dominated both the Consilii of Portland and Salem; indeed, it had become something of a tradition that a Guardian served as Hierarch for Salem before taking on the duties of Hierarch in Portland. With the assumption of power by Agrippa, all that changed, of course. It is well-known that Stoughton keeps several agents active in Eugene and Springfield as well, ready to deal with any violations of the Mysteries should their little quibbles boil out of control.

Stoughton is single-minded and dedicated in his relentless pursuit of preventing the Seers of the Throne from gaining any hold over Salem and the rest of Oregon. Since the Siege of Portland, he has become even more fervent, seeing the beginnings of a crusade by the Seers and preaching the need to root them out and destroy them before they can rally their forces. He has even gone so far as to send agents to investigate members of the Portland Consilium, which earned him the ire of Agrippa and Portland’s Sentinel. Nonetheless, he constantly sends representatives to “assist” in the defense of his northern neighbor; they are always sent back to Salem shortly thereafter.

• X: Guardians of the Veil. Political cabal.

• X: Guardians of the Veil. Law Enforcement/Oregon National Guard cabal.

• The Cenobium: Guardians of the Veil. A cabal based out of Mount Angel Abbey in nearby St. Benedict, Oregon, the Cenobium are dedicated researchers and instructors. Behind the scenes of the Abbey’s combination monastery, seminary, library and retreat house, the Guardians operate a training facility for those who have just been brought through the Veils. The Abbey itself sits on a potent Hallow (Rating 4, Introspection Resonance).

The leader of the Cenobium, an Acanthus simply called the Abbot, is the Epopt of the Guardian Caucus. The relationship between the Abbot and Stoughton is one of delicate balance; though the Hierarch prefers that the Epopt relegate his activities to the training of Guardians and cultivation of Labyrinths, the Abbot is a wise and canny man with more than his fair share of political savvy. He still is careful to walk a fine line with Stoughton, however.

• X: Mysterium. Albany/Corvallis cabal.

• X: Inter-Order. Lyons cabal.

• X: Inter-Order. Dallas cabal.