geistnet | Entitlements Exclusive to the Brotherhood of Violence.

ALL: THE BLACKGUARD OF THE WELL

The Well of Souls was the start of everything for the Brotherhood, and while God Herself told one of the founding Brothers that the device no longer needed a detail, the compact continues to take its defense seriously. Brothers and Sisters who have decided to devote their lives to safeguarding the Well of Souls are called Blackguards. Operatives who gain this entitlement are, in more ways than one, living reminders of the Brotherhood’s roots, symbolic of the events that gave birth to the compact itself.

Unlike many of their Brothers and Sisters in Violence, the Blackguards are paragons of defense, trained to serve as the ultimate tanks on the battlefield. They are all about precision and consistency, and each one seeks to be immovable objects in today’s Vigil, unruffled by the storms of the constant war for the Balance.

PREREQUISITES.

Status [Brotherhood of Violence] ••• or higher
Conviction ••• or higher (for mortals) or affective Supernatural Advantage ••• or higher (for supernaturals)
Benedictions rating of ••• or higher
At least ••• or more dots in a Defense Fighting Style

MEMBERSHIP & INITIATION.

The candidate must accurately discern the current location of the Well of Souls, and present his findings to his superiors. If he is correct, he becomes a Blackguard immediately.

OATH & PURPOSE.

Blackguards are almost permanently stationed in Europe, and only move whenever the Well of Souls moves. They exist to be the first line of defense for the Well, and are expected to do everything in their power to keep others from discovering the Well’s whereabouts, even if they happen to be fellow Brothers and Sisters in Violence. This makes them, in many ways, incredibly important Keepers of the Vigil: they have been trusted with the protection of a device that could make or break the Fifth World.

BENEFITS.

A Blackguard is eligible to purchase the Lightningsong Merit and may acquire the following Benedictions either for free or at the lesser cost of 10 experience points per ritual rather than the usual fifteen.

SISTERS IN VIOLENCE: THE VESTALIS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Unknown to many, the Society of Jesus has an interesting reason why they do not accept women into their order – it is grounded on the fact that the two times they attempted to, the actions of their candidates directly compromised the Jesuits, or showed that the candidates had no respect for the authority that the fledgling society was attempting to enforce. Hence, two bad run-ins almost permanently shut the doors on potential Sisters of the Gesu.

The Brotherhood of Violence, however, is a compact that developed the roots of Ignatian spirituality, and does not move within the same kinds of restrictions that their Jesuit brothers have. Furthermore, Maes Mordechai felt that it would be unfair to rob his Sisters in Violence of the opportunity to take on vocations of their choice. As such, sometime during the 16th Century, the Vestalis of the Holy Spirit was born. They have been formally recognized as the all-female chapter of the Society of Jesus since the First Reforms.

In essence, the work of the Vestalis – or Firebrands, as many call them – is exactly similar to the Society of Jesus. The only difference lies in the fact that Firebrands are full-time Keepers of the Vigil, by merit of their membership within the Brotherhood. Granted, in many ways this makes them close to the original founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius of Loyola himself. They are soldiers of God in the Vigil, fully devoted to their cause. They also serve as the counterparts to the Maidens of the Veiled Sword, from the Order of the Mani dello Spirito Santo.

PREREQUISITES.

Character must be female
Status [Brotherhood of Violence] ••• or higher
Conviction ••• or higher (for mortals) or affective Supernatural Advantage ••• or higher (for supernaturals)
Benedictions rating of ••• or higher
Fighting Style: Sword & Shield ••• or higher

MEMBERSHIP & INITIATION.

The candidate must express her interest in joining the Vestalis to her superior. She is then made to participate in a battle royale, where she will engage all current members of the Vestalis. If she performs according to their standards, they gains the entitlement.

OATH & PURPOSE.

Firebrands are the justicars of the Brotherhood of Violence. They are expected to live a life of constant travel, ever ready to face any conflict that might greet them on the road, ever prepared to be the first to walk new paths in the Fifth World in the name of the faith. They are also meant to serve as the judges and mediators of the Brotherhood, handling situations that lie beyond the ken of the Faithful of St. Luke. In the earlier days of the Brotherhood, Firebrands, in fact, played judge, jury, and occasional executioner in delicate cases.

Another important role that the Firebrands play is the fact that they are meant to serve as watchers of the faith, defending Christianity by culling the weak and sinful within the religion. They must be prepared to dismantle structures of sin, most especially if they happen to rest within God’s own church.

BENEFITS.

A Vestalis is eligible to purchase the Fleur D'Orleans Merit and may acquire the following Benedictions either for free or at the lesser cost of 10 experience points per ritual rather than the usual fifteen.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

FLEUR D’ORLEANS (• TO •••••)

PREREQUISITES:

EFFECT:

ZEALOUS GUARDIAN (•): Your character is a seasoned veteran and practically one with her chosen weapon and shield, making it next to impossible to flank her. Your character will always apply her full Defense rating against multiple attacks.

PERFECTED DEFENSE (••): Usually, a fighter who uses a shield in battle can easily be flanked by the enemy. Your character, however, has learned to turn this disadvantage into a weapon in itself. With a successful reflexive Dexterity + Subterfuge roll vs. the targeted opponent’s Wits + the higher rating between their Weaponry, Firearms or Brawl (according to the attack they are using), the character can trick an opponent into thinking that she is unaware of incoming attacks. Their next attack roll against the character suffers from a -1 penalty. This stacks with any other penalties that may have been levied on their dice pool.

SILVER HAMMER (•••): Sometimes, combat situations require a warrior to get rid of as many opponents as possible with whatever’s at hand. By expending one Willpower point, your character can target two different enemies with her weapon and shield respectively. Attacking with the shield suffers from a -2 penalty; the Shield’s Defense rating becomes the attack dice pool’s weapon bonus and deals bashing damage. The second targeted opponent must be within the character’s Speed rating.

Drawback: using your Shield as a weapon means that you cannot use it to defend yourself. Your character loses the Defense bonus provided by your Shield’s Defense rating for that turn.

IRON LILY (••••):Your character is a formidable force in a combat situation, capable of deflecting incoming attacks as if it were second nature to her. When attempting to target the character for an attack or similarly offensive move, opponents automatically suffer a penalty to their dice pools equal to the character’s dots in Sword & Shield and her Weaponry Skill together with the character’s Defense and Armor.

ACHILLES’ HEEL (•••••): Your character has become adept at pressing against enemy attacks, so much so that she can immediately take advantage of their disorientation. Upon a successful Shield Bash maneuver, the character gains a free Weaponry-based action.

Edited 2014-08-14 10:13 (UTC)

Entitlements Exclusive to the Brotherhood of Violence.

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