Guardians of the Veil

The Guardians of the Veil is one of the five Orders of the Pentacle.

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The Guardians in Blackmouth

The Guardians have been a quiet presence through much of the history of the Concilium, advocating caution and consideration of the complexities presented by Blackmouth, and pulling strings among Sleepers and Awakened alike to keep the world moving according to their careful designs. That intention to remain in the shadows fell apart during the tumults of the 19th century and the leaders of the Order decided that a more active hand was required to protect the Worlds from the damage wrought by the failed Rebirth.

The removal of the Ladder from the city might have been enough to restore balance if cooler heads had prevailed, but lines had been crossed and knives had been drawn and the Concilium descended into the Upheaval. The calm mask of the Guardians fractured and its razor edges drew their blood as well, as cabals broke with each other over fault for the city’s sins and old vendettas flared into bloody life.

By the time the Upheaval ended, the Guardians had been bled white by internal and external conflict. No one cabal could muster enough members or support to stand for the new Concilium. Rather than bow to the dominance of the Mysterium or Arrow, the mage Kadmon proposed that the entire Guardian caucus stand as one cabal as part of the Concilium. It was a ludicrous idea; as one cabal it would limit the Guardians to only one seat on the Ruling Council, and no caucus had existed since the beginning of the Upheaval. And yet Kadmon managed to unify enough of the fragmentary cabals to make it work, and was elevated to Councillor of the Gauntlet for his efforts.

Since that unification, the Guardians have worked to present an outwardly unified front, though in truth they are even more fragmented than any of the other Orders. The entire caucus nominally operates as one cabal, The 23th Letter, but under the surface it is a tumult of smaller cells and solitaries each chasing a particular agenda in the name of the exoteric and esoteric tenets of the Guardians. Some maintain the labyrinths, the dead-end secret societies and mystery cults that divert the unworthy away from true knowledge, while others silence those who would dig too deeply into the Rebirth, or study the occult significances of Hecate’s appearances, seek out signs of the Hieromagus, or follow a hundred other more personal agendas.

Some Guardians operate outside the umbrella of the 23rd Letter, standing in the Concilium as members of other cabals but most still accede to its primacy.