Eyes of Argus
Backstory: Montreal has long been infamous for having served as one of the most impenetrable Sabbat strongholds, only for it to fall to Second Inquisition raids along with Vienna and London. Retaking the city presents considerable risk, and so it quickly became clear that it required some of the greatest minds when it comes to cyber security and intelligence. In that field, few names bear as much weight as the Meeks family of Louisiana; a brood of Nosferatu operatives spawned by Prince Martin Meeks of Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, members of the Meeks family are all staunch supporters of the Camarilla... all except one; Slade Meeks, the problem childe ( at least by Camarilla standards ) of Avery Meeks.
Slade Meeks, while young ( from a Kindred's point of view, that is ), is known to be talented well beyond his years. Embraced in the mid 90s by Avery Meeks, he quickly rose to the top and became a valuable asset to the Meeks dynasty. Unfortunately for them, Slade would quickly find common ground with other Anarch sewer rats, and slowly but surely, he began to see the appeal in joining the Movement. After the turn of the century, when ShrekNET fell to the Second Inquisition, and the Camarilla shunned the Anarchs, effectively throwing them to the wolves, Slade rebelled and left Louisiana to join the fight in Los Angeles. There, he helped secure the Anarchs' online holdings and, after a few years, he began a nomadic lifestyle out of a fully decked, high tech van. Travelling between Free States and small Anarch holdings, Slade provided his talent and knowledge to help keep the pockets of Anarch population connected and safe from the Inquisition.
When the Anarchs of Ottawa set their sights on the city of Montreal, Slade was the first name that popped when the time came to put together a Coterie that would have the finesse and skill to handle the risks of establishing a new Free State. Word soon reached Slade, and the young Nosferatu accepted without a second thought. After all, what better way to challenge himself and contribute to the Anarch cause that to help build a new Free State from the ashes of a fallen Sabbat empire?
Slade hastily packed his van and headed north. He immediately began soliciting his contacts, searching far and wide to find candidates that could help him in that endeavor. By the time early 2025 came along, the Eyes of Argus were born. They slithered into the heart of the city to start spreading their web across the city's landscapes, both physical and digital.
Purpose and goals:
- Maintain a constant vigil for signs of Second Inquisition activities.
- Establish and maintain a secure communication channel for the city's Coteries.
- Assume and maintain control of the Coroner's office building in downtown Montreal. Take charge of the Investigative and Forensics arms of the Montreal Police Department. ( Precincts, Covert Ops & Patrols should be left to the Thracians )
- Assume and maintain control of the city's Bureaucracy in service of the Coteries.
- Monitor and control all important news sources and media including TV Stations, newspaper & websites.
- Work in tandem with the Thracians & Keepers of the Gate to investigate and handle breaches of Traditions. Ensuring the integrity of the Masquerade is paramount.
- Establish a surveyance network to monitor critical access points to the city, including highways, bridges, tunnels, docks and airports. Keep watch for and report any and all trespassers.
Symbolism
- The Coterie's chosen crest is the Eye of Providence ( Aka the All Seeing Eye ).
- The Coterie's chosen color is Yellow.
- During battle or missions, the Coterie members are encouraged to wear dark tactical or tech wear clothing. They also tend to wear neon or led masks during secret meetings & Kindred functions, either to hide their identity or to score extra points for style.
Exclusive Spheres of Influence: Bureaucracy, Media, Transportation, Police ( Coroner's Office ).
Favored Candidates: Investigators, Journalists, Hackers, Programmers, Scientists, Spies, Coroners, Forensics experts, Security Specialists, anyone with ways of digging dirt and finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Domains: The Eyes of Argus lay claim to two primary domains, as well as a third shared domain. The largest consists of a large land mass that encompasses multiple neighborhoods all around Western and South-Western Montreal. While this domain holds no particularly exciting points of interests ( At least as far as Kindred go ), it grants the Eyes of Argus access to most of the major entry points to the city, including multiple bridges, highways, as well as Montreal's international airport.
Their second domain, while much smaller, is also infinitely more important; Chinatown. A small neighborhood in the downtown core area, Chinatown is a hop and a skip away from the heart of Kindred life in Montreal. It is also where the Eyes of Argus' headquarters can be found.
Their final domain, which they share with the Thracians, is known simply as The Moat; a long strip of land along the south shore of the island that encompasses the Port of Montreal, as well as multiple important access points to the city, including the Jacques Cartier Bridge and the Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine tunnel. This domain holds very little value to the Eyes of Argus and the Thracians, but it is considered to be the second most critical and vulnerable access point to the city ( After the airport, of course ). As such, the Thracians and Eyes of Argus are allowed free reign within the domain in order to help keep the city clear of threats and undesirables.
The Coterie's structure is simple; The leader, referred to as The Iris is the one calling the shots. He has two direct subordinates; one in charge of everything relating to the media, internet and hacking called the Cipher, the other responsible of investigation, infiltration and covert ops known as The Analog. The rest of the Coterie members are known as Operatives or Eyes. Hackers, journalists, security experts and other agents who focus on Media and Internet work under the Cipher, while Lawmen, Investigators, and spies work for the Analog.
Purpose: The Eyes of Argus serve as the city's equivalent of an intelligence agency. Detectives, forensics scientists, hackers, tech geeks, spies, journalists & infiltrators make the rank and file of the Coterie. They are the ones who investigate breaches of traditions and who track down undesirables. The Eyes have an almost absolute control over local Media, Transportation and the Coroner's office, making them especially apt at covering up unfortunate slip ups. The Eyes of Argus are the most likely to have dirt on everyone, and while most would consider them a liability, their indispensability allows them to do the work they do unscathed.
Neon Night Riders
The Eyes of Argus are the masterminds behind a hacktivist group know as the Neon Night Riders. Every now and then, the Eyes set up an event meant to test their potential targets' skills. These events range from Escape Rooms to Industrial Espionage contracts, Police investigations or Heists. Participants are often tested in small groups and asked to wear masks in order to remain anonymous. Top performers are granted a formal invitation to the Neon Night Riders, where they all operate under fake names and are given one of the iconic Neon Led hacker masks to wear during gatherings. These operatives are often tasked with gathering intel and dirt, or to monitor certain targets for the Eyes. This collective also serves as a source of potential ghouls and even Embraces for members of the eye. Also, should shit go south, the Neon Night Riders may also serve as Scapegoats for the Eyes to throw under the bus.
Map Quest
Map Quest nights recurring event organized by the Eyes of Argus, for the Eyes of Argus. It consists of a handful of Geolocation challenges or 'treasure' hunts around the city the help the group hone their knowledge of the city and it's nooks and crannies. Slade often rewards winners of these contests with money or valuable items to encourage participation. Bragging rights are also pretty nice.
C-lan Party
C-Lan Parties are gaming competitions organized by the Eyes of Argus. They are opened to all members of the Barony, and often pits teams composed of members of the same Clan or Coteries against each other. The Eyes of Argus also usually provide a price for the winners.
Pro Bono
Most Eyes of Argus like to cultivate the idea that they're the good guys. Every once in a while, especially in times of peace, Slade will enroll members of the Eyes of Argus to take on a case Pro Bono, usually for a group of unfortunate mortals such as victims of heinous crimes or blatant injustices. The purpose of this exercise to help members of the Eyes to keep a clear head by nurturing their humanity and keeping the beast at bay. It isn't unheard of for Slade to encourage members of the Coterie who he feels may be slipping a bit too far down the abyss.
Pre-Requisites:
- All Clans are allowed in the Eyes of Argus.
- The character must provide a 2 dots Retainer proficient in hacking to the Coterie. This retainer will join the Neon Night Riders and work for the Coterie as a hacktivist. The ghoul should also be, unbeknownst to them, highly expandable, and a potential scapegoat in case of slip ups.
- Your character should have at least a rudimentary social or mental focus, and a skill niche that serves the Coterie's goals and purpose.
Merits and Advantages:
- Going Dark: All members of the Eyes of Argus get access to protections against cyber crimes and technological investigations. Any attempts to hack them or their tech will be at a +1 difficulty. Any attempts to find information on them utilizing computer systems or technology will be at a +1 difficulty. While not all of them have completely gone dark in the system, they certainly found some cover.
- ACAB: All members of the Eyes of Argus also benefit from the corruption they have sown within the local Police force. Once per month, if a hunt or a mission goes bad, they can call on their 'friends' in the force to make sure the problem goes away. These favors can range from getting rid of a body, nullifying a parking ticket, erasing a criminal record, falsifying coroner reports, making sure someone else takes the fall for a crime, or ensuring something bad happens to a problematic inmate during a prison riot.
- Primordial: Members of the Eyes of Argus have access to Primordial, their official headquarters. With state of the art tech, any hacking or investigating attempt done using the equipment at Primordial is done with a +1 bonus to dice rolls. Attempts to track hacking attempts done from Primordial equipment is also very hard to trace back ( Up to Storyteller's discretion, depending on the level of success attained by player characters ).
Character Creation Tips
- Players who create a character for the Eyes of Argus should enjoy social & investigative/stealth gameplay, as well as trading in information.
- Founding members of the Eyes of Argus should have been recruited by Slade himself, prior or during the early months 2025. If that is the route you want to go for with your backstory, make sure you figure out a reason why Slade would target your character as a recruit over any others in your same field or niche of expertise.
- Concepts to avoid: Social Media Influencers, Online Celebrities.
Slade
