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 prefers to be refered to as a Coven than a Coterie.
• 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.

Domain: blah blah

The Keepers of the Gate is more than just another Coven, it is a carefully balanced collaborative effort between Clans that, under regular circumstances, would be unwilling to share knowledge and notes. To maintain the peace, the Coven works as a Democracy where each of the 3 Clans who spearhead the effort ( The Tremere, Lasombra and Hecata ) have one vote when it comes to political decisions. Important decisions and accords are usually written and signed in blood by the representatives of each Clan, a ritual that binds and holds all members of the Coven accountable for their actions... in a symbolic manner, of course.

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.

The Tree of the Dead
Standing on the Seat's Furcus, sprouting out of the ground is a tall, dead birch tree. Called the Tree of the Dead, it is the tree upon which many of the Wards and Rituals protecting the Seat of the Coven are cast. Maintaining these spells has a cost, and each Coven member must pay. Once per month, each member must spill some of their blood on the soil at the foot of the tree to feed it. ( This requires a Rouse check ) This empowers the tree and the ensures that the wards protecting the property do not fail. It also provides a number of advantages. See the Merits & Flaws section below for more information on the ritual's effects.

The Ties That Bind
The Ties That Bind is the Coven's initiation ritual. The Ceremony is simple, solemn and without much fanfare; Coven members gather in the Seat of the Coven's gardens, around the tree of the dead. ( An old, dead birch tree that sits directly on the Furcus. ) The inductee must cut open their palm, spilling enough of their vitae to fill a ceremonial cup ( A rouse check is required ). A long white ribbon is then dipped into the cup and carefully coated with the new Coven mate's blood before being handed to one of the three Clan representatives. The representative leading the procession then kisses the long strip of blood soaked fabric before tying it to one of the tree's branches, and finally placing a blood soaked kiss on the new inductee's forehead. The Ritual takes effect immediately, binding the new inductee to the rest of the Coven. See the Merits & Flaws section below for more information on the ritual's effects.

Pre-Requisites:

• Allowed Clans: Hecata, Lasombra & Tremere ( House Carna & Ipsissimus only )
• Restricted Clans: Banu Haqim, Malkavian, Ministry, Tzimisce. Restricted clans can easily become members of the Keepers assuming they have suitable skills, knowledge or perks.
• Heavily Restricted Clans: All the rest. Members of Heavily restricted Clans are very unlikely to become members of the Keepers of the Gate.
• 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.
  

Merits and Advantages:

• Seat of the Coven: +1 to Research dice pools when using the Seat of the Coven's library. +2 to rituals conducted on the Seat of the Coven's grounds thanks to the Furcus.
• Occult Authority: The Keepers of the Gate have been making waves in the occult circles of Montreal. Members of the Coven gain a +1 to all social rolls that involve dealing with NPCs who are part of the city's occult community. ( For example: A member of a circle of Hedge Mages, the owner of a New Age store, Members of the local pagan circles, etc. )
• All members of the Keepers of the Gate get the background Mawla •• ( Heads of the Coven ). This allows them to seek out the counsel of the Heads of the Coven ( Maman Séraphine, Blythe Adams & Carmine Salvi ) which they will often ( but not always ) provide without demanding boons or favors in exchange.
  

Character Creation Tips

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  Séraphine
  

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  Blythe
  

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  Carmine
  

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