Archons and Templars (OEF)
Archons and Templars (OEF)
Archons and Templars (OEF)
Vanguards of the
Great Sects
Titles among the Damned aren’t always primogen and
prisci. Somebody has to do the dirty work. From fighting
Lupines to hunting rogue Cainites, from enforcing the
Traditions to leading a crusade, a few bold vampires step
to the head of the charge. Those vampires are the unsung
champions of the night.
1
CREDITS OVERHEARD
Written by: Ari Marmell, Sarah Roark and Janet Trautvetter I would cancel all my business trips if we could find
Vampire and the World of Darkness created by the dwarven citadel.
Mark Rein•Hagen — Chad Brown
Storyteller Game System Design: Mark Rein•Hagen Was that a giant cat? There were people inside.
Developed by: Justin Achilli — Rebecca Schaefer
Editor: Diane Piron-Gelman I do not know zee meaning of zee word “eraser”!
Art Director: Richard Thomas — Mike Chaney
Layout & Typesetting: Pauline Benney I just remembered that monkey that can run 40
Interior Art: Mike Danza, Mike Gaydos, Vince Locke miles per hour.
Front Cover Art: Lawrence Snelly — Justin Achilli
Front & Back Cover Design: Pauline aka Evil Ninja CORRECTION
Due to deadlines, an Additional Material credit for
Vis Sierra was omitted from New York by Night. In
recognition, we credit those contributions here and in
future printings of that book.
2
TM
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: THE NOBLE CAUSE 4
CHAPTER TWO: CAPTAINS OF THE HOLY WAR 40
CHAPTER THREE: CHARACTERS 68
CHAPTER FOUR: OF WITS AND WISDOM 88
CHAPTER FIVE: STORYTELLING 116
APPENDIX: TOOLS OF THE TRADE 138
3
CHAPTER ONE:
THE NOBLE CAUSE
Partial transcript of a briefing given to new therefore find ourselves in need of force with which to
recruits by Archon Kirsten Bellamy of Clan Torea- counter the force of others. Police and bodyguards;
dor; handwritten comments added after the fact by soldiers and assassins; detectives and spies; judge, jury
Archon Zachariah Shale of Clan Tremere and all too often executioner.
It should go without saying, when viewed through Mortal nations burden their governments and
both the lens of history and of modern affairs, that the bureaucracies with dozens of agencies designed to
Camarilla stands preeminent as the single most suc- fulfill these needs, from the CIA and NSA to the
cessful, and most vital, social construct of Kindred FBI and local police to trillion-dollar-budget armed
society. Without the sect, its laws, its procedures and forces We, of course, aren’t kine, and we don’t
above all its Masquerade, we would have long since govern the way they do. We do not govern at all.
been destroyed by either the endless mortal masses or The Camarilla wisely simplifies matters. What use is
rogue elements within our own ranks. a muddled collection of such organizations when
It should, but it doesn’t. Despite all demands of one will suffice? Almost from its earliest nights, the
common sense and sanity, Kindred still exist who wish Ivory Tower has laid the honor of such duties upon
to see the Camarilla torn down. the archons.
Violence is the last refuge of the desperate, but the More so even than the justicars to whom we swear
modern nights surely hold enough desperation to ac- allegiance, we archons represent the true might of the
count for a great deal of violence. We, the Camarilla, Camarilla. We spend most of our time in the field,
Only a fool would believe that such interfer- I’m not condoning such things, but you’ll have to
ence on the part of the archons is limited to the be aware of them if you’re going to survive more
“greater good.” Justicars and archons, despite than a week.
rules to the contrary, are no less partisan than The same situation often holds true in reverse.
other Kindred. Princes have been inconvenienced, Justicars and archons who do support a specific
weakened and even removed for no better cause prince — either for personal reasons, obligations of
than that a justicar or independent-minded debt and prestation or simply because they feel that
archon owed the target’s rivals a boon. No sane she’s the best thing for the city — bend the rules
archon would do such a thing without his on occasion and interfere in order to keep her in power.
superior’s consent if there were any chance of More than one potential usurper has been put down
being caught, or of destabilizing the city beyond hard when the threatened prince or primogen suddenly
acceptable limits; they may not be willing to received vast amounts of aid from unanticipated
completely forego their own agendas, but most quarters. Such aid often comes with the steepest of
aren’t willing to put them too far ahead of the prices, of course. A prince who owes her continued
Camarilla’s interests. Then again, not all ar- reign to an archon finds herself in substantial debt,
chons are wholly sane, and even those who are and God forbid an elder should actually owe a boon
sometimes make mistakes. to a justicar!
a position of leadership over his fellows. The Because she has specifically been given com-
Ventrue note that it is a distinction of their own mand over an operation by a justicar, a praetor is
elaborate system of honorifics, adapted for use by considered to outrank all other archons. Those who
the Camarilla as a whole. Although the “rank,” retain the title informally once the mission has
such as it is, doesn’t formally stick with the recipi- ended hold a slightly more ambiguous position. No
ent after the relevant endeavor is completed, formal tradition requires other archons to submit to
some archons have indeed borne the honorific a praetor after his official stint in that position has
long after it was first appended, at least in the ended, but serious social consequences might result
minds of their contemporaries. Theo Bell retains for those who refuse to do so. The rank of praetor
the title in the minds of many archons, though means nothing to anyone outside the archons, and
the taking of New York is still fresh enough that grants the holder no special privilege when dealing
the designation may or may not last. Others, with other Kindred. Of course, a praetor of the
including the Nosferatu Federico DiPadua, the Ventrue distinction might have something to say
Brujah Anna Petrova and the Malkavian Rüdiger should a Kindred choose not to afford her the re-
Kleiss also hold the title informally. spect she is due….
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one
by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.
— Edmund Burke, Thoughts on the Cause of Present Discontents
“Knockin’ on heaven’s door,” said Navarrese. Navarrese exhaled a cloud of heavy-sweet smoke.
“Want some?” “You shouldn’t think so loud,” he chided. I flinched.
I shook my head, more in disbelief than refusal. For “Serious, you want some?”
the first few seconds after I stepped over the threshold, “Why the hell would I?”
this place had looked just like any other Lasombra lair “You’re tense. Better idea — take the guest
I’d ever been in. Hopefully you know what I’m talking pipe.” He fumbled around in the pile of crap on his
about. As if their leftover shadow-spinnings gradually coffee table and handed me this clay blob that
find their way home, like those house pets you hear looked like somebody’s high school art-sculpture
about on Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and collect in the project. I guess it was meant to be Gratiano, or the
corners of the haven, waiting to be noticed and cleaned iconography of Gratiano anyway, with the vertical
up. At first, all I could see was different shades of cheek-scar and the curly hair and the eyes just dots
gloom. Then my eyes adjusted. Now I found myself in of black glaze.
Port Townsend hippy-dippy shitbox. Frank Zappa “What good is it?” I protested.
posters, Nag Champa incense, decrepit bead curtain in “Ever used one of these? Put your thumb over the
the doorway to the kitchen, Moroccan hassocks and hole. Breathe in and hold it.” He held a lighter to the
even beanbag chairs, for Christ’s sake. The only place little pile of flakes. “Now don’t laugh when I say this.
you could even sit upright like a dignified person was What you do is, you think about coughing. Don’t really
on the stools at the kitchen bar. cough, just — think about it for a minute.”
TEMPLARS
“For templar most Sabbat just translate flunky,” he
began wryly. “You may already have noticed it’s the
fashion among us to pretend, as far as possible, that
we’re each of us a sovereign nation making treaties
with other sovereign nations — that nothing so pro-
saic as obedience ever enters into it.”
“That’s the rhetoric, yeah.”
“Having been Camarilla,” he said it without the
soft, Spanish double-l’s, “I trust you know servitude
when you see it, and that there can be honor in serving
when that service is taken as the precious gift it is. In
fact, flunky isn’t a bad translation, just because it’s such
a broad word and so is templar — though that wasn’t
always the case. Short history lesson: the human
Templars were an order of knights, quasi-clergy really,
pledged to escort pilgrims along the pilgrimage routes.
And so we borrowed the term for the bodyguards who
traveled with our leaders, for obvious reasons.”
“Just keeping up with that cute little blas-
phemy theme.”
“Exactly. What better accompaniment for a bishop
than a knight templar?” He chuckled. “But of course
our leaders quickly found it useful to have traveling
companions that could do more than just guard them
on the road. Not to mention the fact that their other
assistants were also expected to join them in battle
whenever it was called for, which was often in those
bloody nights, so it sometimes got very difficult to tell
the templars from the other sorts of —”
fellow bishops to prosecute him there in his own city, If it was me, I might just decide to do a little fixing
but they certainly could have made it hell on earth for on the contest instead, but then my respect for doing
me to try — and they might well have forced me to things by the book was at an all-time low.
grant him an ordeal in the end.” “Have you ever had to fight a duel with someone
“So what would you have done then?” I shifted on far more powerful than you?” I asked.
the barstool. “What do you do if you have somebody “More powerful? A few times. Far more powerful?
you know is guilty, and they ask for an ordeal or a duel, No. I’ve never seen the point in getting anyone killed for
and for some reason you have to let ‘em have it, but no conceivable benefit, particularly myself. But that’s
you’re afraid they’ll win?”
when it becomes very important for an Inquisitor to
“Brandenburg wouldn’t have. But to answer your have high-ranking supporters, those who can provide
question — in such a case, I wait to grant the request appropriate champions when needed. Frequently,” he
until I’ve set out all the facts of my case, and hope that
grinned at me, “such champions are templars.”
the sensible folk in the area will take matters into their
own hands after I lose and leave.” Empty glass number “Ah-hah. And if things don’t go to an ordeal or
three tumbled to the sill beside him. duel or whatever...”
ANATOMY OF A WITCH-HUNT
What follows is a short discussion of some of the archetypal features of a witch-hunt. Note that most
Sabbat Inquisitors aren’t demagogues, and relatively few of their prosecutions blossom into full-blown witch-
hunts. This information is intended for stories where things are truly meant to get out of hand; incidentally,
it can just as easily apply to stories set among the Camarilla (or even the independents, though the
independents don’t really have anything like an in-house Inquisition in place).
Ever-Widening Scope
Terminology often provides the first foothold for a witch-hunt. In real-world history, the mortal
Inquisition had little power to prosecute witchcraft until the Malleus Maleficarum convinced the Pope to
formally expand the definition of “heresy” to include it. During Joseph McCarthy’s twentieth-century
IDEOLOGY
“It’s not so clear cut. It’s not as simple as this
official helps the Sabbat, that one hurts it. If it were
AND POLITICS
that simple I’d be burning somebody every week.”
“That’d be cheery,” I commented.
“Maybe not cheery, but productive. Excuse me. I’ll
The guy was off in never-never land. I let my mind try putting it another way. You have your officials who
wander too, to the subject of where was I going to want to do the right thing for the right reasons, and
spend the day. The little Victorian waterfront hotel I’d they’re capable of doing it. You have the ones who want
checked into was pricey, considering its genteel charm to do the right thing for the right reasons, but they’re
hadn’t been treated to a renovation since about 1930. incompetent. The ones who want to do the right thing for
I didn’t even know if there were other Sabbat in town the wrong reason — how do you handle that? Help them
or if this was pretty much Port Navarrese. I hoped he along because it’s for the greater good, even if you know
wouldn’t offer me haven. Anything I could lie down on you’re just giving them ammunition for some bullshit
would smell like a Led Zeppelin concert and the whole vendetta?” He clenched his fists. “The ones who want to
place had an overdeveloped sense of mood anyway. do the wrong thing for the right reason — do you have any
The fucking shadows were on the move again, like idea how hard it is to have to cut down somebody who you
know damn well shares your mind on everything but one who do it because they can’t even tell the difference
crucial point? And the fact that the same person might between their needs and the sect’s needs anymore!”
PROPAGANDA
fall into any given category at any given moment, and
Caine alone can tell which it is sometimes—”
“Yeah, I think I get it, señor.” Time to get off this train. Now here was a subject I could go with. “I’ve
“The ones who’ve gotten so fucking cynical they known Ivory Tower Cainites who were real good at
use our own ideals against us, and even worse, the ones that too,” I exclaimed. “Twisting the truth, making
Well, you’ve read the foregoing chapters (or at set from that of a character who is simply meant to get
least the one pertaining to the side you’ve chosen), in the way now and then. If she has an extensive
which presented a wealth of context and character network of contacts and patrons to call upon, she need
possibilities. Now it’s time to think about how all these not be as formidable as a lone-wolf archon — or, at least,
very special people are put together in terms of me- not as physically formidable. And so on and so forth.
chanics. Most of this chapter is addressed to players, Similar considerations apply to players’ charac-
but the concepts generally apply just as well to creating ters. In general, it’s not good player politics to have one
Storyteller characters. character in a coterie vastly out-power the others
TEMPLARS
Kindred from power. Archons have already accepted
the occasional need to assassinate powerful elders, and
AND INQUISITORS
they normally blame such activities on the Sabbat
anyway. How much easier and more believable to do
such a thing when everyone knows the Black Hand is in
the area? Elders, primogen and even princes have “tragi- A single military organization or police force
cally fallen to the enemy” under unusual circumstances. such as the archons smacks highly of totalitarian-
Archons also make use of the chaos to flush out ism. It’s all fine and dandy for the Camarilla to make
Sabbat collaborators. Should an archon be aware that use of such heavy-handed methods, but the Sabbat
a city is on the verge of falling because of the efforts of is a lot less regimented and allows for a lot more
an enemy agent, she may declare the city lost before personal freedom — or at least it wants to look that
the issue is actually decided. By staying in the shadows way. The Sword of Caine, then, spreads these duties
and spying on the elders as they’re (supposedly) pre- and responsibilities around, putting all the power in
paring to depart, the archon may be able to determine the hands of no one organization. Templars and
which of the elders is acting uncharacteristically or is Inquisitors, each with their own purpose and their
clearly in communication with the enemy. Sometimes own agenda, handle the distasteful duties of enforc-
the archon calls off the evacuation once the traitor has ing the laws of the Sabbat and ensuring that the sect
been discovered, but since the elders are already in remains free from infiltration by the Antediluvians’
motion, many archons take the opportunity to begin slaves and suck-ups.
preparations for the lure tactic described above. As free as possible, anyway, which does not mean
even remotely the same thing.
AFTERMATH
When the smoke has cleared and the dust settled, Although their stated purposes are quite different
the work is far from over even if the Camarilla main- — the templars often serve the needs of specific
tained the domain. Odds are good that there’s a archbishops or prisci, whereas the Inquisitors, in their
substantial amount of Masquerade-repair going on, crusade against heresy, ostensibly serve the sect as a
and the carnage probably left several gaps in the city’s whole — many of their tactics and techniques are
power structure. Many ambitious Kindred see this as quite similar. Where those procedures differ, those
the perfect time to make a grab for those empty discrepancies are explained below. Any procedure
positions, and it falls to the archons to see that they that does not specify one or the other applies equally
don’t get out of hand. to both groups.
Normally, of course, the archons could care less
who makes a bid for what position, so long as they don’t THE NAME GAME
make waves doing so. In the aftermath of a Crusade, It gets a little repetitive to constantly say
however, a domain is particularly unstable, and even “templars and Inquisitors do this” and “templars
the usual degree of intrigue and cold war might be and Inquisitors do that.” Thus, since “Caine’s
enough to finish the job the Sabbat started. Rather Anointed” has already been put forth as an alter-
than risk losing the city they’ve fought so hard to keep, nate title for these agents of the Sabbat, we use
many archons simply assign empty positions to surviv- the term “Anointed” to mean “templar and/or
ing Kindred who seem suited for the job. Inquisitor” whenever a concept, duty or strategy
It’s questionable as to whether an archon has the applies to both. Only when referring specifically
authority to do this even under wartime conditions, to one or the other are specific titles used.
Sect officials are hybrid creatures; they’re part de- laundry, elaborate conspiracies and savage vendettas
tective, part cop, part secret agent and part secret police. of both the Camarilla and Sabbat, from clashes with
Their stories can be drawn from a wide range of sources, anarch gangs and war parties to playing politics at the
ranging from mysteries to spy thrillers, police investiga- highest stratum of vampire society. Templars can rub
tions, action-adventure and (of course) supernatural shoulders with powerful prisci and famous archbishops
suspense. Their characters can be inspired by such great one night, and pound some manners into an arrogant
sleuths, investigators and cops as Sherlock Holmes, nomad pack the next. The red-robed Inquisitors can
Emma Peel, James Bond, Mick Belker, Mike Hammer, strike fear into fledglings and bishops alike, from the
Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. But these particular sheer tenacity of their investigation and the finality of
Kindred have a great deal more potential to offer a their judgment. Archons serve as the eyes and ears of
Storyteller and players than just another cop story with a justicar both in Elysium and in the clubs of the Rack.
supernatural cops. Sect officials have duties that go far On any given night they might be required to deliver
outside the range of mortal law-enforcement job de- an unwelcome message to a short-tempered prince,
scriptions — they have the rare and sometimes thankless play poker with a gang of anarchs, or hunt down a
task of making ideology into reality. neonate who has succumbed to Wassail.
Sect officials see sides of their own sects — and Sect officials also operate at the point where
that of the opposition — at levels most ordinary responsibility and power intersect. Unlike the other
vampires can never imagine. These characters allow Licks on the street, they have a rare opportunity to
the Storyteller to delve into the dealmaking, dirty shape their world — or at least their corner of it. And,
CHAPTER FIVE: STORYTELLING
117
of course, they have the dilemmas, disappointments to make choices that reflect the struggles in their own
and frustrations that accompany such opportunity. souls. In responding to their inner conflicts, the players
Their stories deal not only with what their power is, also shape events and relationships with those around
but how they use it. Their power is not merely physical, them. The difference is one of approach and emphasis
though many are formidable indeed. It comes from — do you as Storyteller start with the plot, and see how
their position, as the most visible and active represen- your players’ characters react to the unfolding events?
tatives of their sects, to investigate, enforce and Or do you start with the players’ characters, their goals,
administer the traditions and edicts of their elders over ambitions, and internal conflicts, and create a plot
their fellows, and to defend the sect’s ideologies that brings those issues dramatically out into the open?
against its enemies, both inside the sect and without.
And if it is true that absolute power corrupts abso- PLOT-DRIVEN CHRONICLES
lutely, how the power and responsibilities these The most common approach to a chronicle is
characters wield affects them and those around them driven by a Storyteller plot — the player characters
can become the theme of a chronicle in itself. How far become involved in a conflict that originates from
will they go to attain their goals, or succeed in the outside events, or from the actions of Storyteller char-
missions given them by their superiors? Does the end acters, rather than on their own initiative. Or perhaps
justify the means they use to achieve it? the Storyteller has designed a particular storyline ex-
CHRONICLE TYPES pressly for her players’ characters. This doesn’t mean
that the characters’ internal motivations should not be
taken into consideration, or do not affect the story.
Chronicles centered around sect officials can en- This just means that the primary conflict in the story
compass a wide variety of story genres: action, mystery, is initiated by outside forces, and the players are
conspiracy or political intrigue, in which the players’ reacting to those forces based on their natures, loyal-
characters match wits, perseverance, and all the abili- ties and sense of duty.
ties at their disposal with adversaries within their own
sect, or from the outside, while fulfilling their duty to The following section looks at different styles of
their sect and to the leaders they serve. Underlying all plot-driven chronicles, but they are merely that — a
of those elements is Vampire’s basic theme of personal style of approach, not an exclusive definition. Myster-
horror: the despair, violence and futility that pervade ies can include scenes with hard-hitting combat or
the World of Darkness and the souls of the Damned, moments of chilling suspense. Action stories frequently
especially those of the Damned who have chosen a revolve around a mystery to be solved. Tales of espio-
duty that requires them to defend their sect’s beliefs, nage often occur against a backdrop of war, siege, and
and risk their unlives in service to their fellows. Their betrayals, and so contain elements of both mystery and
missions may bring them into conflict not only with action, as well as some unique to the espionage own
the rogues and rebels of their own kind, but with their genre. The Storyteller should feel free to use any
own Humanity, ethical Path, or personal loyalties; combination that makes sense for her story, and suits
their dedication may drive them to fanaticism, despair, the nature of the players’ characters.
or to compromise their own values for the sake of
accomplishing their goals.
ACTION
Many sect officials are action-oriented Kindred to
At the center of every good story is a plot that
start with, unafraid to put themselves physically at risk
drives the action — and at the core of the plot is a
in the line of duty. That risk can come directly from
conflict that must be resolved, one way or another, in
their adversaries in that story. It can come from other
order for the story to come to a satisfactory close. In a
characters who oppose the characters’ actions for rea-
Vampire chronicle, the conflict has two basic sources.
It can be imposed on the characters by the unfolding sons of their own that might or might not have anything
plot, the events and actions of the Storyteller’s charac- to do with the goals of either side. It can also come from
ters with whom the players come into contact — and outside forces: the weather, a natural disaster, the
conflict — as they seek to carry out their duty to their dangers of the terrain or setting. To accomplish their
sects. Or the conflict can come from within the char- goals, the players must overcome or cleverly avoid all
acters themselves, as they struggle with contradictory these obstacles, usually relying on physical prowess,
loyalties to mentors, allies or packmates, idealism courage, cleverness, a well-thought-out plan of action,
versus cynicism, their Humanity versus their Beasts. A luck and occasionally superior abilities or firepower.
good chronicle has elements of both, which deepens There’s no such thing as a “random” encounter
the drama of the players’ stories. Events and interact- As the Storyteller, the setting and all but the
ing with other characters around them can force them players’ characters are under your control, and are your
Some say that progress is purely the child of war, known outside the ranks of the Quaesitors (or the
that humanity’s search for a bigger rock or stouter Inquisitors). Some are unique to the archons, some
club is responsible for the vast majority of techno- to the Sabbat’s Anointed, while others are found on
logical advancement. both sides of the sect division.
In this respect, the Kindred are similar indeed to While it’s not inconceivable that some of these
the mortals they so casually dismiss. Most of the powers might have been taught outside the ranks, as it
advancements the Kindred have made, the discoveries were, most of them are going to be well-kept secrets,
they’ve unearthed, were brought about by their own hidden weapons in the Jyhad. The archons don’t want
ongoing war. Winning — or even surviving — the the Sabbat, or even other elders of the Camarilla,
Jyhad requires an edge. knowing about some of these powers, let alone getting
The archons and templars have had century their claws on them. The same holds true in reverse, of
upon century to refine that edge, and they’ve gone course. Thus, while it is entirely up to the Storyteller
about it with single-minded purpose. The following if she wants to allow non-archon/templar Kindred
paragraphs represent a sampling of their creations, access to any of these powers, a character would have
combination Disciplines, high-level Disciplines and to have a significant reason for knowing the other
even rumored rituals of Thaumaturgy almost un- side’s secrets under most circumstances.
HIGH-LEVEL
Each use of the power can locate only one hue.
If the character wishes to find all Kindred (every
DISCIPLINES
pale aura) in the crowd, and then wishes to find
everyone in the crowd who is currently frightened,
that would require two uses of the power. This
CIPHER power can sometimes penetrate Obfuscate, per the
(AUSPEX ••••• •) standard rules.
The character can understand any written mate- CHAIN OF COMMAND
rial, even in a language with which she is unfamiliar or (DOMINATE ••••• ••)
scribed in code. Only words with some supernatural Sometimes a single thrall isn’t sufficient to ac-
nature — such as a Malkavian’s Scrawl (see Clanbook: complish a given task. Chain of Command allows the
Malkavian) or Thaumaturgical runes — are not al- character to implant a suggestion (much like those
ways subject to this effect. allowed by Mesmerize, except even more complex).
System: Cipher requires the expenditure of a For instance, the subject could be commanded to
blood point and a roll of Intelligence + Linguistics follow an individual and report who she speaks to, or
(difficulty 6). Each success allows the character to to travel from Mexico City to Houston and deliver
read a specific language or decipher a specific code intelligence from an undercover archon to the prince