The Veilleurs

Paris

Introduction

Francois Villon was conscious of the Magickal nature of Paris even before taking the power there. Alexis, his lieutenant, said to him that there were more in the capital than what could be seen first. How to explain the weakness of the Lupine here? Why more and more wraiths came back to haunt the living? The Mages kept quiet but they never were reluctant to defend, how matter the price, the control of their Nodes. Nodes so numerous in Paris that the city could have been, if not for the Kindred, the capital of Magick. The origin of this influence, of this Aura of Decay and Corruption, as it was named after by Alexis, was unknown. And what was unknown was dangerous. An altercation with Villon made Alexis leave the Grand Cour and even the vampiric society as a whole after the 1789 Revolution.

He went to Egypt with Napoleon, fellow Kindred and a hundred mortal artists and scientists. Fighting the Setite, he succeeded to came back with copies of the walls of a tomb in Abydos.

He reconstituted exactly this tomb below the Louvre, as a present to Villon, who never had seen such antiquity.

Avoiding definitively the parisian Cour, Alexis tried in secret to decipher some hieroglyghs with the young Jean Francois Champollion.

After he had deciphered common ones, it was decided the work of this young genious would be edited (and it had the success we know). Alexis asked him if he wanted the Embrace but Champollion didn't. So he remained a Ghoul for years, until he visited the Egypt and its wonders. Then, victim of a desease so powerful that even Ghouldom didn't prevent his degeneration, Champollion asked for the Embrace.

After his Embrace, and after years of examination, they discovered the hidden meaning behind some hieroglyphs. Crypted, it was simply prayers to Thot and Sechat. Uncrypted, Alexis and Champollion had the surprise of their unlife. They came out after years, to give the conclusion of their investigations to Villon. It was the proof of non-Setite Cainite presence in Ancient Egypt thousand years before the Christ. But, more important, they discovered occult information about vampiric Thaumaturgy and Rituals four thousand years before the creation of the Tremere Clan!

In the same time, the manifestations of the Aura had become more and more bold, and more and more frequent. As wraiths appeared even in the Louvre, and even Villon and Alexis were attacked by a strange corruption creature, the Masquerade was really in danger. Alexis asked Villon the permission to create a vampiric organisation whose aim was to study those paranormal phenomena. Villon, who had just created the Masques in the beginning of the century, and they had shown their power after the 1871 Commune (The Masques is another organisation, the Masquerade Police of Villon, whose specialisation is Cleaning the proofs, dead, alive or unliving..., and whose Master is the dark and violent Ivan). Villon thought that another counter-power to the Masques would be a good thing. The Veilleurs were created, and resources were given to them to study, or even "cure" paranormal violation of the Masquerade.

It was in the War of Traditions that the Veilleurs showed their utility. They discovered part of the Technocracy's intrigue, and were ambassadors and messengers to the Mages as, in the same moment, the Masques were fighting them in the streets. Note than even today, it's the Veilleurs who keep an eye to the Mages...

As peace was concluded, The Elders looked the Veilleurs with a new perspective, and Alexis was invited to take his old place in the Grand Cour. But he refused and resumed his studies in shadowed libraries. Some didn't like Alexis'reaction. And Villon was one of them. Keep your friend near, and your enemies nearer, says the tradition. Someone who avoided his kindred and worked in secret with other Clan's Cainites... Lazlo, and most of all, Ivan were the official voices of the "discontented". And Alexis had just finished to show to the Prince the final version of the Veilleur's Sorcery, discovered in the walls of the egyptian tomb. The Veilleurs threatened the power of Villon: The Right of Police possessed by the Masque thus were not given to the Veilleurs, whose official power apply only when blatant supernatural threaten the masquerade or Kindred security.

Since then, the Veilleurs are in a strange position, as they must keep far from the Cour's intrigues. Their goal is study and research about supernatural. Villon is certain about the Veilleurs loyalty because of the Vinculum shared between the members and Alexis (Villon add some of his blood in each ritual: Each Veilleur has a Vinculum with him, too).

The Veilleurs are, then, as lawful to each other and to Villon as any Sabbat pack. As only Alexis know the exact ritual to destroy a Bloodbond...

Note that only the Veilleurs know that they share a Vinculum. For other Kindred, all Veilleur are officialy Bloodbonded to Villon.

Where the Masques clean up the mess, the Veilleurs became the eyes and ears of Villon, investigating in the supernatural, and sometimes in the Kindred affairs, for the Prince of Paris (the Masques are all Toreador: Sometimes, Villon needs to have a complete set of powers in a coterie...). If they don't have real power over the Paris' Kindred, they are those called to resolve enigmas and destroy threatening supernatural manifestations. With their loyalty for Villon, they are a sizeable addition to the Masques, helping Villon to keep his power in Paris, and in France.

Goals, Aims and Missions

The official goal is to investigate paranormal phenomena occuring in Villon's Domain (France, of course...), find reasons and scientific or occult explanations, and if necessary, neutralize them.

They don't have, as the Masques, the rights of Police in Paris. They simply have no power (unless personal power of the Veilleur) over the other Kindred. But as Villon hear them, they make dangerous witnesses and even potential dangerous ennemies. So few talk freely around one of them (their mastery of Veille is another reason).

The Mages are their exclusive field of work. In Paris, since the War of Traditions which opposed Vampires and Mages, no Kindred has the right to contact a Mage. It's not saying that no one has a contact (of any type) with a Mage. Only that Villon keep for himself the right to punish the insolent (he wrote some Edicts about it, and no sane Kindred would try the patience of François Villon).

Only the Veilleurs have the permanent authorization to keep contact with Mages (they must make a debrieffing, of course), as they are the Kindred's ambassadors in Paris for the Nine Traditions.

The Garou are more difficult to spy, but even the witch hunters, Arcanum members, are followed, studied and and their fate decided by the Veilleurs and Villon. The Arcanum have sometimes contact with them to exchange informations... But the Veilleurs give them only what they know about... other supernatural creatures.

But the Veilleurs are sure that the Aura around Paris is something darker than imagination, and they work with stubborn energy to discover its source. rumors of a Methuselah is considered possible, the other theories are accepted, like a Wyrm Caern...

Nevertheless, this creature is powerful beyond imagination, and is visibly a threat to the Masquerade and even directly to the security of the Kindred of Paris.

They have compiled a lot of informations in a library where one can learn about Garous' Wyrm, Mages' Ascension or even the netherworld of the Wraiths. Only Veilleurs (and Villon) have access to this library (called by some the Librairy of Shadow Secrets, or even Library of Shadows...), and few beyond this little sect know about its existence. Information is ubdated by the files written by Veilleurs after their missions.

Background Information

Even if the Veilleurs are a tight group, they are not a Bloodline, and are not, as are the Masques, of the same Clan/Bloodline. But strangely enough, the older members of this little sect show loyalty unheard for this kind of coteries in Camarilla cities. They have secret informations, as well as personnal, strange, egyptian-based thaumaturgy, with two original Paths...

Philosophy

Veilleurs are researchers as well as adventurers. They must know a lot (or be terrbly efficient), if they want to raise themself in the hierarchy, and then in the personnal power and knowledge access, some notions of history, archeology, etc..

But to keep their special and independant status in Paris, they must show their virtues each time they can. As they are, at least bounded by vinculum to each other, and more importantly to Alexis and François Villon, they are lawful agents of the Prince of Paris.

It's not a surprise that Alexis supported the learning of a new Path of Illumination for the Veilleurs, similar to the Road of Chivalry (see Vampire: The Dark Ages). The Path used by the Veilleurs is such, it inspire at least reluctant respect as one know that a Veilleur will always keep is word. Someone talking to the Masques know that their only mission is to clear the mess. And if lying or killing is the mean to reach this aim, then let's go... Someone can, in the contrary, talk to a Veilleur as he know that their only goal is to learn and solve, and that their Path asks them to be fair and promote a form of Justice.

Here is a resume of the Path of the Veilleur. A more complete description is given here.

Powers & Influence

The Police, Gendarmerie (french military police), intelligence service are officially the Domain of Francois Villon. Even if Ivan, master of the Masques, was given the responsability to control all the them, Alexis was given access to two intelligence services:

The D.S.T. (Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire: Direction of Supervision of the Territory) is the intern Intelligence Service controled by the "Ministère de l'Interieur".

The R.G. (Renseignements Généraux: General Intelligence), under the supervision of the Police (and again, the Ministère de l'Interieur).

Alexis can use, too, the Special Operations squad, a secret D.S.T. SWAT-like squad. To help the Veilleurs, each is officially a member of the D.S.T., under the name Delta Department. The Veilleurs can have access with a relative ease to high technology, be it weapons, electronics etc..

They have an alternate mortal identity and some partial immunity which protect them from mortals would-be investigators. And, more important, top priority access to 'strange' inquiries (where Alexis believe supernatural could be at work).

When one treasure hunter wannabe claimed to have discovered the Templar's treasure below the castle of Gisors, it was the D.S.T. which closed the castle and forbade access to it. (The treasure is now below the Louvre or in the Chantry of the Veilleurs for analysis.)

Futhermore, the Veilleurs have easy access to these Paths of Akhu (see Senef Hekau):

Akhu: Nepthys' Death Sorcery:: Give information and control over the dead.

Akhu: Temple's Warding: Path using Glyphs of protections were known by egyptian sorcerers.

Akhu: Veille: This enable the Veilleur to extend his senses.

We know that some other rituals exists, but they aren't so easily accessable. Alexis already showed to all his mastery over the more traditional Tremere Thaumaturgy (Path of Blood).

The Akhu sorcery is appparently different from the Tremere Thaumaturgy.

The Veilleurs are known by their 'Status: Veilleur', and by their Generation, their Clan and their real personnal Status in Paris. The 'Status: Veilleur' is, more or less, the trust Villon puts in this Veilleur. If a Veilleur asks someone to let him work in something of the Veilleur's jurisdiction (research, investigation), this person will (in the better situation) obey to save the Kindred security.

If he doesn't, the Veilleur has the right to complain to Villon who will always favorize the Veilleur if his 'Status: Veilleur' is greater than the Status of the Cainite who didn't obey.

The 'Status: Veilleur' replace the normal Status when it comes to the Veilleur's jurisdiction. There is a special jurisdictional power when a Veilleur cames into a conflict with a Masque. See Sectbook: Masque, Chapter 2 for more information.

There's only one Maitre (Master); who is the only one who can threaten a Duc. The others would require the help of a superior Veilleur to threaten a cainite with a higher Status.

Note that the Kindred Criaâr isn't known by all. His 'Status: Veilleur' is known only by the Veilleurs and Villon (his Corax abilities make him a good spy...).

Criaâr was officialy the creator of the Path of Veille. Of the Veilleurs, Master Chan, J.F. Champollion, Criaar and Anaïs were embraced by Alexis. Anaïs is his lover.

Havens

Alexis possess several appartments, houses and manors in Paris and its subburbs. But one Haven is important for the Veilleurs: The Chantry of the Veilleurs.

The Lady of Shadows (also known as the Shadow Sorceress, or Meryt-Neith) protected it such that it's considered as difficult to enter there than invade the Tremere Chantry in the Ile St Louis (Island St Louis, in the center of Paris), which is the Chantry of the French Pontifex.

The Chantry, located in a Hotel Particulier (particular Manor, most official buildings in Paris are located in a Hotel Particulier), is protected by even more powerful rituals. There is an occult library with a copy of most occult books known (and some unknown!), like the Book of Nod in one of the most complete copy in the world, or an incomplete version of the Revelations of the Dark Mother.

There is written all the information about the Generation and Sires of all the Vampires who put but one toe in Paris. Then there is studies where one can learn about past civilizations, occult mysteries and even some Thaumaturgical Paths.

There is, too, some cells where even Mages, Lupines of Wraiths would find difficult to enter... or exit. All was foreseen, and all who go in never go out by their own means or powers.

In Conclusion, the Chantry is a place that the Tremere would give anything to explore. There was even an Tremere Antitribu invasion which didn't succeed.

Hekau Thaumaturgy of the Veilleurs

This Thaumaturgy was created by Meryt-Neith three thousand years before the birth of the Christ (see the Chronicle: Uræus, Gods of Egypt chronicle). Meryt Neith was a Mage of no few powers, interested by Necromancy but with a poor health, before she was Embraced. She lost her mastery over Reality (Known to Egyptians as Ra-Hekau), and she tried to master more mundane Hekau praticed by some priests and court magicians. Combining it with the power of her

Meryt-Neith lay in torpor in her tomb in Abydos when Setites came and destroyed her, in the same tomb discovered by Alexis.

After the beginning of the 20th Century and of the War of Traditions, Alexis showed Villon the results of his reseach. He asked Villon the authorization to teach this Hekau Thaumaturgy to the Veilleurs, and Villon accepted.

The Tremere were furious.

In the Contrary of the more Hermetic Tremere Thaumaturgy, this Hekau Thaumaturgy wasn't full of latin, greek or hebraic words or symbols from the Kabbal or another classic occult work: All the components of this Hekau were egyptians (it was the proof that Alexis didn't stole it from the Tremere).

The Veilleur have no access to Hekau Paths not mentionned before. But some wonder at the protections of the Chantry, and other magical manifestations...

The Tremere & the Giovanni

The Tremere reaction to the Veilleurs is a double one: Apparently, they have for the sect a great respect, which never fails to unnerves other Kindred, who would like to avoid to have a second Tremere sect to bother their plans. Unnofficially, the Tremere are simply baffled by the mysterious origins of the Sect.

Even if the Thaumaturgy Discipline was known before the rise of Clan Tremere, few had succeeded in mastering it, let alone formalize it enough to make it a suitable Discipline for a full Bloodline. Even the Tzimisce and their Koldunic Thaumaturgy never succeeded in introducing it as a Clan Discipline. And now, in less than two centuries, a handful of weak-Generation Kindred discovered and mastered some kind of strange Blood Magic?

In the other hand, the Giovanni have apparently ignored the Veilleur until the late 1980's, when the Veilleurs became a real thorn to the Clan in Paris. Still, the Veilleur haven't demonstrated great enough mastery of Necromancy to the Giovanni, who are now true masters of the Discipline; at least great enough to bother them. But at least two Giovanni secretly try to learn more about this Egyptian Necormancy. If all the lore about Egypt, how the Setites refused the presence of the Cappadocian, etc., is true, then there must be something.

The Tremere Seven Councillors are greatly interested by the truth behind the Veilleurs, and greatly frustrated at their lack of results in their spying operations. Indeed, even their own power magic fail to penetrate the so called Veilleur Chantry. Some believe that the Clan won't remain silent for long, and that no visible reaction only means that something is in preparation.

And they could well be right.

Notes

Status: Veilleur

This Status is the measure of the trust that Villon puts in the particular Veilleur, and then, his influence in Paris. A Veilleur can replace his Status by 'Status: Veilleur' when confronted by another Cainite when talking (or fighting) over a thing in the jurisdiction of the Veilleurs.

No matter his actual Status, if the Status: Veilleur is higher than the Status of the other cainite, the Veilleur can give orders to him. If equals, discussions will decide of the winner. If lower, the Veilleur can always try...

Only Alexis reached the Level 4, and there is no Level 5 (As in Paris, only Villon has a 5-Status, and Villon is no fool).

Status, Veilleur Title Rank DST/RG (V) Resources (V) Influence (V) 0 Apprenti None - -

• Veilleur Agent ** -
  • Chevalier Inspecteur ** *
    • Paladin Commissaire *** **
      • Seigneur Commissaire Divisionnaire *** ***
        • Maître Prefet **** ****

The Status, Veilleur is the same as D.S.T. or R.G. Rank (See: Year of the Hunter: Operation Twilight). Also, the ranks of Seigneur (Lord) and Maître (Master) gives the Veilleur the same advantages accorded to the Masques (See Sectbook: Mask, Chapter 2).

The Backgrounds with an '(V)' are given by the Veilleur status, and are put separately from any other Background. So, a Veilleur can have a Resources *** and a Resources (V) equal to **. It does not make a global Resource *****!

The DST Rank offer some facilities to the Veilleurs, paid by the french contribuable. But the Veilleur can't abuse (or make profit) of it: their status in these intelligence services is classified beyond anyone security level, and other DST or RG agents don't like it (it's their job, after all) and they could start searching... The Veilleur must, then, limit their contacts with other mortals agents, and keep quiet. They must, too, avoid the DST or RG primary building.

Library of Shadows

Each Veilleur of at least Rank one can have access to secret knowledge.

   Occultism	****
   Lore: Kindred	***
   Lore: Camarilla	*****
   Lore: Sabbat	*** (no information about the Vinculi)
   Lore: Black Hand	**
   Lore: True Black Hand	*
   Lore: Inconnu	*
   Lore: Lupine	**
   Lore: Wyrm	**
   Lore: Mage	***
   Lore: Wraith	*
   Lore: Faerie	*
   Lore: Church	***
   Lore: Inquisition	***

Some say that some secret tomes exists, hidden and their access limited by Alexis, and that some some grimoires talk about secret Sects behind the Camarilla and the Sabbat.

Secret Notes, for Storyteller's Eyes only:

Who is behind the creation of the Veilleurs? Who is this mysterious Shadow Sorceress who haunts the halls of the Chantry and protects them from exterior threats (she was there to help the Veilleurs fight the Tremere Antitribu Siege)?

Alexis accepted the Bargain of a strange and powerful Methuselah in Russia, long before the French 1789 Revolution. He exiled himself in France where, following his Road of Chivalry, he offered his lawful service to Villon.

Alexis came back from the Egypt Campaign with a copy of Meryt-Neith's Book of the Dead, where he discovered that the woman thought to be the Royal Wife of Oudimou was really one of the firsts Pharao of Egypt, and the first female one. But she was victim of Nefertiti's treason and killed by Setites around 1100 BC (See Chronicle: Uræus, Gods of Egypt).

Champollion and himself were fascinated by this Cainite. As Meryt-Neith came secretly in Paris after the violation of one of her secret tombs, she was pleased to discover that the tomb-raider was the same Alexis she had bargained with centuries before, and that he had created the Veilleurs. And she discovered more and more proofs of Setite influence in Paris, as her current incarnation, Laureen of the Clan Tremere she intrigued to be sent here by the Tremere Seven Elders more officialy. She was behind the Technocracy's attempt to destroy the Mages and the Tremere. She was behind the desaster of Gustacio, the Tremere Chantry Leader of Paris. And she discovered Criaar and sent him to Alexis.

Then, after the Tradition Wars, she appeared in front of her Knight the first time since centuries.

Alexis was horrified to discover the tomb he opened and copied was hers! He was appaled to understand that the Laureen he knew was five thousands years-old and that she was Meryt-Neith/Meryt-Set, supposed consort of Set and Regent Queen of Egypt when the Antediluvian slept in Torpor!

She told her about her nemesis, a supernatural creature named Nebneferptah, former ghoul-mage of Nefertiti. She told him about his powers, and how she believed, perhaps wrongly, to have destroyed him three centuries after the Christ, here, in Paris. As she believed now that the parisian supernatural phenomena was Nebneferptah's doing.

Laureen, with her Tremere alternate identity, would be sent in Paris. She and Alexis decided to raise the power of the Veilleur who would have to fight the more and more powerful manifestations, and perhaps even Nebnefertpah himself.

She helped him complete the Hekau Thaumaturgy.

In the years 1980, she discovered that Nefertiti was somewhere in Europe (she is in Berlin, see Berlin by Night). She augmented the occult knowledge of the Veilleur, and thus won the right to add her Blood to the Vaulderie's cauldron, and have the Veilleur feel a Vinculum for her.

Alexis hated to have two masters in the same time, but if Nebneferptah was as powerful as Laureen/Meryt-Neith (and his own studies) said, and if Nebneferptah was behind all the magickal chaotic manifestations in Paris, it was his duty to find and destroy him.

Meryt-Neith doesn't participate to the Vaulderie, but is the infinite source of information of the organisation. Always hidden in heavy black silk cloak and hood, some Veilleurs knows her as an powerful and influencial elder who isn't officialy member of the Veilleurs.

One of the terms of the Alliance between Laureen/Meryt-Neith and Alexis is that she can add some of her blood in the Vaulderie, without having to drink herself (she had done it sometimes, in front of Alexis and Criaâr).

Before each monthly Vaulderie Ritual, Alexis verify that no Veilleur has been Bloodbonded, and that no one is infected by some blood desease.

Those bloodbonded are submited to a strange magickal ritual by Alexis (who is the only one to know how to break it and hide it behind magickal rituals and effects) who breaks his bond, and perhaps are punished if they wanted it.

In each Vaulderie Ritual, Alexis adds Villon's Blood in the cauldron (and Laureen/Meryt-Neith's), and anyone drinks it, creating an effective Vinculum between all members, and a loyalty toward Villon, and a mysterious sorceress said to haunt the halls of the Veilleur Chantry.

Note that no one with the Merit Unbondable can become Veilleur (Alexis verifies the blood, bloodbond the Cainite and then verify if the Cainite is really bloodbonded).

In each Vaulderie Ritual, roll a Vinculum for each member with each other member. For Laureen/Meryt-Neith, roll two vinculum and take the higher (Merit Strong Blood).