Keepers of the Gate

Backstory: It should come as no surprise that the city of Montreal would be of immeasurable interest to those who dabble in the occult. The city's cultural tapestry is rich and diverse, allowing for plenty of history, lore, traditions, folk medicines, beliefs, and a hodge podge of rites to co-exist and blend. The strength of this history and this community has attracted many Kindred over the years, for better or worse. Blood Sorcery has always been deeply ingrained in the city; long before the Anarchs came along, The Serpents of the Light and Tremere Antitribu weaved their dark powers in service of the Sabbat, and traces of their lineage remain to this day. More importantly, Montreal and it's sister city of Quebec were among the few places where European Kindred first stepped foot in the New World. In fact, Quebec City itself is renowned as one of the most valuable Tremere strongholds in the world. Prince Annabelle, along with her predecessors, have had their sights set on Montreal for well over a century, it's history and raw occult appeal locked away behind enemy lines. With the Sabbat now out of the picture, and the Anarchs primed to take the city over, it was only natural for Annabelle and the Tremere of House Carna in Quebec City to want a piece of the pie.

Fortunately, the incursion in the city of Montreal would be in dire need of occult expertise. Of course, Annabelle had hoped that her and her Tremere associates would be able to claim exclusive rights, but conflict soon reared its ugly head as other Clans began to campaign for a seat at the table. As conflict threatened to erupt, Annabelle conceded, agreeing to a meeting with representatives of the Hecata & Lasombra Clans. An agreement was reached; a Coterie that brought together representatives of each clans would be formed, they would also welcome occult collaborators from other Clans, assuming they had knowledge or expertise worthy of the name.

Each of the three clans chose their representative; For the Hecata, it was Maman Séraphine, a former member of the Samedi Bloodline who, in her mortal days, lived as a voodoo priestess in Haiti. For the Tremere, Annabelle chose her own Childe, Blythe Adams, to act not only as representative of the Clan of Warlocks, but also as Regent of the Montreal Chantry. Finally, the Lasombra appointed Carmine Salvi, a scholar of Abyss Mysticism and former Priest of the Catholic Church. In early 2025, the three representatives and their followers made the journey to Montreal after acquiring a property and land rich in history and occult potential. There, they built a home for all of them, where together, they planned on digging deep into Montreal's dark past, with the intent of sharing in the knowledge and power they would ( hopefully ) soon unlock.

Purpose and goals:

• Assist the sister Coteries in upholding the agreed upon Traditions, as well as keeping the city free of threats.
• Assume and maintaint control over the Occult, Church, Health & University spheres of influence within Montreal.
• Research remnants of the former supernatural inhabitants of Montreal to unearth their secrets and learn more about their fate.
• Keep an eye on local pagan cults and covens.
• Heavily monitor the city's religious cults and churches in order to anticipate and prevent hunter interference.
  

Style & Symbolism

• The Coterie's chosen crest is the Reversed Hierophant; a Tarot card representing Wisdom, Spirituality and the pursuit of high knowledge. In it's reversed position, it encourages to question norms and established dogmas while seeking spiritual growth and personal development.
• The Coterie's chosen color is Purple.
• Members of the Coterie tend to favor styles that are inspired by, or blend formal wear, goth, pagan, punk, alt or witchy aesthetics, especially during functions, rites & rituals.
  
  

Spheres of Influence: University, Occult, Church, Health.

Clans: Primarily Tremere, Hecata, & Lasombra. The Coterie also accepts members of the Banu Haqim, Tzimisce, Malkavians and Ministry with Occult or suitable Academic focus.

Favored Candidates: Thaumaturges, Occultists, Scholars, Necromancers, Priests, Shamans, Sorcerers, Pagans, Seers, Diviners, Scientists.

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The Seat of the Coven
The Seat of the Covenant is a small, secluded estate in the Mount-Royal district, surrounded with stone and wrought iron gates, and heavily guarded by wards, ghouls, zombies and other spirits. It serves as not only a base of operation for the Keepers, but also as an occult library and laboratory, safe house and place of power. Members of the Keepers are free to use it as a communal haven, claiming one of the rooms as their own as long as they want. Among its most interesting features is an extensive occult library that provides characters with a +1 dice bonus on occult research rolls as well as a sizable and secluded garden that not only serves as a Ritualistic space, but also sits on a powerful Furcus where multiple ley lines cross, granting +2 dice bonus to any ritual conducted on the Garden grounds. The location of the seat is to be guarded and kept secret by all members of the Coven.

Pre-Requisites:

• Characters of all Clans can join Axis Mundi.
• Must have the Blood Sorcery or Oblivion disciplines, or have at least 3 dots in Occult, Science or Academics with suitable specialties. Examples of suitable specialties would include; Noddism, Archeology, Alchemy, Ancient History, etc. Malkavians with the Cob-Web Loresheet are also accepted as Oracles.
  
• The character must provide a 2 dots in Retainer as per the The Blood Provides tradition mentioned above. The retainer must occupy a strategic position within one of the Coterie's preferred spheres of influence ( Finance, Legal, Politics or High Society ).
  

Merits and Advantages:

• Characters who are part of Axis Mundi benefit from a free one dot background of Status: Camarilla that they may use to add to their social rolls when dealing with Kindred of the Camarilla. Characters who occupy the offices of Herald or Keeper of Elysium see that Status increase to two dots.
• Members of Axis Mundi benefit from +1 dot to their Resources background. ( Cannot take it over 5 )
• Members of Axis Mundi benefit from a full 2 dot Mask. It consists of a fake identity, a name that carries weight within the city's mortals. Mechanically, it grants them + 2 to social rolls when dealing with mortals who operated within the Coterie's favored spheres of influence, or when dealing with law enforcement. ( Such as using their 'name' to gain access to a VIP room, get the best table at a restaurant, schedule a meeting with important members of the political elite, being accepted for a loan or getting out of a speeding ticket )
  

Character Creation Tips

• Founding members will usually have been recruited among the Anarch Kindred of Quebec City or Ottawa by Marie-Helene or Robert Ward. Founding members could also have been recommended by Anarchs from other cities. Vancouver, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, New York or Chicago.
• Think of your character's motivations for joining Axis Mundi and the incursion; Are they eager for social climbing and attracted to the potential provided by a newly claimed city? Are they perhaps seeking a city where their skills and talents will be recognized? Are they a pariah in their former home city, attempting to run from past indiscretions or nasty rumors and start a new life? Maybe one of the major players behind the initiative to take back Montreal called upon a boon they were owed?
• Make sure to think your character's lineage through. Who is their sire? Grand sire(s)? Are they their sire's only childe? What kind of reputation did they inherit, if any?

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  Séraphine
  

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  Blythe
  

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  Carmine
  

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