REES: THE RED WATCHMAN

THE RED WATCHMEN

Once, dragons were said to inhabit Atlantis. One-by-one, they abandoned their home, allowing the Exarchs to take over. These magical behemoths were so powerful that it's said if they ever returned, they could reclaim their throne. While most were never seen again, two, a red and a white dragon, remained on Earth in order to settle their rivalry. And while their battle ended in a deep twin slumber, it's said that the one is still trying to wake up to this day.

WE PROTECT HIS RESTING PLACE 
The Red Dragon has many names, though the Welsh call him Ddraig Goch. Where his body remains is a secret to all except his Watchmen, but it's said that he is so magically potent, that even in his slumber he makes his place of rest mighty. The Red Dragon only reaches out to those he deems worthy in order to initiate, directly tutoring them with mysterious magic. He makes a simple deal with them. "Protect me and my interests until I awake, and I promise great power." Arthurian folklore about Ddraig Goch is considered commoner's nonsense by the Magical Orders, which is just how The Red Watchmen want it. They are only interested with one concern, doing the Red Dragon's bidding. 

ORIGINS
Parentage: Thyrsus, Obrimos, Mysterium

Background: Every Red Watchman is of rare origins or supernatural circumstances. Some were born kings, while others have traveled through time. They are chosen for their open minds and pliable reasoning. 

Appearance: Contrary to belief, The Red Watchmen do not wander around in red robes and dragon pendants. They prefer to wear whatever makes them comfortable. However, because they tend to have exotic ancestries or rare histories, many lean towards extravagant clothing or avant garde fashion. 

DOCTRINE
Prerequisites: Life 2 or Forces 2, Occult 2, Chosen by Ddraig Goch

Initiation: Must quest to find the Red Dragon's Tower after being summoned 

Organization: The Red Watchmen have no hierarchy, and their "watch" rarely overlaps 

Theory: Ultimate power and enlightenment will be had once the Red Dragon awakes. It is the responsibility of every Red Watchman to both protect Ddraig Goch while he slumbers and assist in his reemergence. 

MAGIC

Ruling Arcanum: Life and Forces. If either are your Common or Inferior Arcanum, they are now upgraded one step (Common Arcanum becomes another Prime Arcanum and Inferior Arcanum becomes a Common Arcanum) 

Yantras: Harsh arm weaving and serpent-like head rotations while casting a spell (+1), Casting spells within Vortigen's Tower (+2), Squeezing obsidian +1,  Casting in the same scene that the user successfully furthered Ddraig Goch's agenda +1

Oblations: Studying magical fringe theories, Solving riddles or puzzles, meditating in steaming waters, allowing oneself to be hypnotized by a crackling fire, taking pleasure flights over scenic horizons

ATTAINMENTS

First: The Mirror's Eye
Prerequisites: Initiation
The Red Watchman closes their eyes and can see anything within Vortigen's Tower, much like the scrying mirror located on the third floor. The Red Watchman can in essence see all four floors, the dungeon, as well as perspective from on top of the Tower or at the front door (bird's eye view of Snowdonia or close up of the front yard). This allows the Red Watchman to always have an eye on the sacred location he’s sworn to protect while being able to complete the Red Dragon’s fieldwork. Weather obstructions such as thick fog or rain may still block the user's view. 
Optional:  Forces 1
The Red Watchman may also telekinetically open and close doors, move chairs or flip through books in order to read them via his/her mind's eye. The character must close their eyes to do so, making them blind to their physical world.

Second: Dragon’s Breath
Prerequisites: Forces 2, Life 3, Occult 2
Once per scene, the mage can call forth the energy given by Ddraig-Goch and weave it into a  wave of flame that protrudes from their mouth. Creating Dragon’s Breath requires an instant action (no roll required). The fire does an amount of aggravated damage equal to the Mage’s dots in Forces. The range is the Mage’s  dots in Life x5 meters (5 squares on maps). Though the flame appears slightly cone shaped, the true damaging fire only affects a straight line.
Optional: Spirit 2
The Red Watchman may also affect spirits with this attack


Third: Ddrag Goch’s Form
Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Forces 3, Life 3
Once per day, as an instant action, the Red Watchman can take a form similar to their great master for a number of rounds equal to their Life dots. While this form does not create a Paradox, it is not recommended for use around Sleepers, as it will most often gain unwanted attention (possible Witch Hunter skull). This is a great power against physical attacks, but does not typically help the user against many spells or mental manipulations. If the Mage is damaged in battle, he first loses any bonus “Dragon” health boxes before his own before shifting back. The user keeps all Mental and Social stats (they may still cast spells if need be). Physical stats and abilities gained are as follows.

STRENGTH: +10 (This also changes your Speed)
DEXTERITY: +5 (This also changes your Initiative and Speed)
STAMINA: +10 (This also changes your Health)

SIZE: 20 (Warning: While this extends your health, it also makes it easier for others to hit your new form. However, bonuses to Stamina, plus Dread Powers, make most attacks obsolete)

DREAD POWERS
Flight (custom): The creature can fly at their Movement speed by flapping their gargantuan wings. Certain challenging activities may cause a Strength + Athletics roll.

Madness and Terror (p. 146 WoD): The monster’s gaze (or perhaps its voice, touch, or toxic blood) induces madness and terror in its victims. By spending 1 Willpower and making a roll of an appropriate dice pool (usually Presence + Intimidation) contested by the victim’s Composure, the Horror may inflict one of the following Conditions on the victim: Guilty, Shaken or Spooked. For 3 Willpower it may instead inflict the Broken, Fugue or Madness Condition.  

Natural Weapon 000 (p.147 WoD), Claws & Bite : The creature is armed w/ formidable natural weaponry, whether savage jaws, rending talons, bony spurs, or metallic blades. The weaponry has a weapon modifier and armor-piercing quality equal to the number of dots in this Dread Power (+3L, -3 Armor Piercing). If the creature’s natural weaponry includes a bite, it doesn’t need to establish a grapple in order to bite.

Regenerate, 00000 (p. 147 WoD): The creature possesses incredible powers of regeneration. As a reflexive action once per turn, the creature can spend 1 Willpower per dot in the Regenerate Dread Power, healing once point of lethal damage or two points of bashing damage for each Willpower expended in this way.

Red Scales 00000 (custom): The monster has a natural scale hide that grants 5/5 physical armor. This does nothing against certain spells or elements that ignore armor (IE: lightning). The creature also gains immunity to Fire.

Unbreakable (p.148 WoD): The creature is nearly indestructible. Any attack that does not score an exceptional success inflicts only a single point of bashing damage. Exceptional successes inflict damage as normal. If the creature has a weakness of some sort, attacks incorporating that weakness bypass this power.

Optional Arcanum: Spirit 3
If the mage also has Spirit 3, they can affect spirits in the same manner that they affect physical beings with this form (can physically attack spirits they can see).


Fourth: Master’s Memory
Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Life 4
Once per game session, the Red Watchman may cast a single spell from any arcana they possess at an equal rating of their highest arcana owned so long as it is not their Inferior Arcanum. The player must declare this action before casting the spell.

Optional Arcanum: Life 5, Fate 3
If the mage also has Life 5, Fate 3, they can take advantage of inferior Arcanum spells as well.


Fifth: Call Upon the Tower
Prerequisites: Gnosis 5, Forces 5, Space 1
Once per day, the Red Watchman can call upon Vortigen’s Tower to arrive from a cloud of mist. Anyone besides a Red Watchmen cannot seem to locate the door unless the Red Watchmen wills it. Upon the Red Watchman’s command, or when the Tower sees fit, it disappears into the mists, returning to Snowdonia.

Optional:  Time 1
The Red Watchman can return to the last place they summoned the Vortigen’s Tower that same day, but it disappears into the mist once they exit.

For the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosæ Crucis I believe we could go with...

1) Purpose, to improve the quality of life for all members and eventually all people by learning the universal truths first discovered by the Eygptian Mystery Schools and later further developed by Greek and Arabic Philosophers & Scholars.

2) Relics can consist of a collection of artifacts and manuscripts from ancient eygpt, greece and arab empires. They do not need to be magical items, simply having orginal philosophical texts, mathamatical manuacripts, and art work from said regions and eras would suffice.

3) Doctrine, I do not know the actual Cult Rules in real life because I have not signed up for the $150 membership, but I would guess members are expected to make regular donations, share any findings or discoveries with the Order, and all are expected to continually improve their education, and the more senior members are expected to sonate time tohelp improve the education of the newer members.


AMORC Ranks


•  Initiates, Are introduce to the lessons of the Ancients and gain a Philosphy Specialization in the Academics Skill. If an Initiate already has said Specialization he or she may instead take an Academic specilization in History.

•• Respected Member, There are a great many members of the order who never achieve this rank because to do so you are expected to be able to read the lessons of the Ancients in their orginal language. A great many people who are seriously devouted to awakening their fullest potential, are not dedicated enough to bother learning Greek, Aramaic, or Ancient Eygptian. This who have reached this rank have put in the efforts to learn a language of the Ancients and can gain the Language Merit for Greek, Aramaic, or Ancient Eygptian.

••• Mentors, these members have studied the lessons of the Ancients, learned the language of the Ancients, and are now responsible for mentoring those not so far along the path find their way. Mentors are expected to lead discussion groups and dole out the wisdom if the ancients in bite sized digestable portions to lesser members who are still struggling with the mental prowess needed to understand the truths of the universe or the spiritial courage and fortitude to make the changes they need in their lives to progress unfettered by ignorance. Mentors have a great impact upon the lives of their students, and like baby birds grateful to have worms chewed and then spewed into their mouths, students are nothing short of grateful to the Mentors who helpped them take their first steps towards enlightenment. Mentors gain two dots worth of Allies or Contacts that are to represent cult members who have attended a Mentor's lessons or disccussions and are grateful for what they have learned. Perhaps the local law enforcement are allies, or you have a contact in the financial district who learned so much from your lessons.

•••• Master of a Grand Lodge or Shadow Master, you have elevated yourself from a position of peer to peer mentoring and are now the leader of a Grand Lodge, or the shadowy equivalent. With such comes the responsibilities of keeping the Grand Lodge properly funded, recruiting new members, inspiring the membership, and overall directing research and lessons of your Grand Lodge. In addition to the responsibilities comes the power to direct the activities of the membership for the good of the order, or for your own ends. Members who have reached this level of power within the organization can directly assign research tasks to those below them be it by issuing orders or politely requesting particular avenues of research be preformed. Masters of the Grand Lodge or their lesser known Shadowy counter parts effectively gain the Merit Staff •••. Each rank of Staff represents different Cult Members available to do research on your behalf, and the three mental skills covered are Academics, Occult, and Science.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Staff (• to •••••)
Effect: Your character has a crew of workers or assistants at his disposal. They may be housekeepers, designers, research assistants, animators, cheap thugs, or whatever else makes sense.  For every dot in this Merit, choose one type of assistant, and one Skill. At any reasonable time, his staff can take actions using that Skill. These actions automatically garner a single success. While not useful in contested actions, this guarantees success on minor, mundane activities. Note that your character may have employees without requiring the Staff Merit; Staff simply adds a mechanical advantage for those groups. ((PAGE 54, Chronicles of Darkness))


••••• Imperator, there is only one person that the Grand Lodges of the continent  answer to, and that is you. Well you and your peers who are hidden in the shadows, no need to risk all the highest ranking masters by making all the faces and names public figures. The Imperator and his or her Shadow Councilors are not only responsible for the success or failures of an entire continent's worthy of members, but also reaping the rewards of having numerous well connected and highly educated members beneath them who are regularly tithing into the organization. At this level within the Organization Imperator's and Shadow Council members are provided a modest stipend of Resources •••. Additionally they can  make larger withdraws from the coffers for purchases up to Resources •••••, on a monthly bases without anyone daring to question their authority to make such withdrawls or the wisdom of their purchases.

NOTE: In addition to all of this your Cult Initiation Rank or Cult Influence Rank also counts as Status in regards to other members of your Cult. So while a  Rank 3 Mentor does not have Staff the way a Rank 4 Master of a Grand Lodge does....a Mentor can still use his superior Status as bonus dice against lesser members in Social Maneuvers, and perhaps talk some lessers into doing research, or divulging secrets, or looking the other way.

The Philosopher's Stone

The Philosopher's Stone, also known as the Sorcerer's Stone or the Elixir of Life, is a legendary alechemical item handed down from generation to generation. It is said to be able to turn any metal into gold and make the user immortal. While  some alchemists proclaim that the philosopher's stone is a metaphor for a recipe that extends life, those who knew Nicholas Flamel best understand that he had imbued his magical arts into an ancient artifact of Atlantis. Each mage that takes on the Shadow Name of Nicholas Flamel attempts to improve on its potency. While many have failed, a few have managed to alter its power even further in order to fulfill the Stone's legacy.

Rees's Contribution
While the Stone used "Time" Arcana from past Nicholas Flamels in order to slow aging, with the help of Rees's contributions, the Philosopher's Stone has adopted the arcane of Life to compliment these effects. This has allowed any slowed aging to be permanent instead of temporary. Past owners who were not touching the stone would suddenly catch up with the time they cheated, aging dramatically. Now, this does not happen. The slowed aging is permanent due to Rees's genius work.

Mana: 11
Gnosis: 7 (Ritual Intervals 10 Minutes, Trait Max 7, Yantras 5, Paradox 4, Combined Spells 3, Obsessions 3, Mana Per Turn 25/7, Highest Arcanum 5, Other Arcane Max 5
Arcana: Time 5, Life 5 (Rees), Matter 4
Effects: See Below

Name Practice Primary Factor Withstand Suggested Rote Skills Description Source
Transubstantiation: Patterning, Duration, No Withstand, Crafts/Empathy/Science
Transform any type of matter into another type. For the Philosopher's Stone, this means common metals into valuable gold (Risks Paradox to Sleepers).
+1 Reach: Transmute multiply substance into a single substance or vice versa
Add Life 4: Transform matter into living things or vice versa
MtAw2 p158

Slow Aging (Life/Time): Making, Duration, No Withstand, Occult/Medicine/Science
This spell slows the user's biological deterioration of cells, tissue and organs. They have not stopped aging, but transition at a slower rate. For every ten years that passes, the user only ages 1 year (so 100 years means 10 years). The user must always keep the Philosopher's Stone on them for this effect to work.  
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
MERIT (free for Rees through RPing): Artifact (•••••••+, Special)
Effect: Your character possesses an Artifact, an item from the Supernal World which is both a physical symbol of magic and a unique item independently empowered create to sorcerous effects. These items possess their own Mana stores, and have their own effective Gnosis and Arcana with which to generate effects. They can cast these effects when harnessed by an Awakened owner who has researched (or divined through Prime) the manner in which the item works. In general, this takes successes on an extended research action equal to twice the Artifact’s Merit dots.

To calculate the cost of an Artifact, look to its single greatest effect, and map it to a spell effect. The base cost is equal to the highest Arcanum used, or three, whichever is higher. Each additional effect adds to the cost, but only half the highest Arcanum used (rounded up). Including a Utility Attainment in a spell effect (for example, an Artifact that can cast at Sympathetic Range) increases the cost by one dot for each Attainment included.

The item can store Mana equal to twice the dot rating. The item’s effective Gnosis is equal to half the dot rating, rounded up. An owner can access the item’s Mana as if it were her own, or can use it to fuel the Artifact’s abilities. The Artifact can also use its Mana as part of its own activation. The Artifact has effective Arcana equal to the highest Arcanum used in its various effects. Artifacts cannot Reach beyond the “free” Reach for their Arcana ratings on their own. If an Artifact risks Paradox, the user can spend Mana to mitigate Paradox (in any combination of her own or the Artifact’s Mana pool, up to her Gnosis-derived limits) and may choose to contain the Paradox herself. Otherwise, the Artifact automatically releases it. Every Artifact will use its effects under different circumstances, determined when you create the Artifact. For example, an Artifact might cast its effect the moment it is first seen by human eyes, or whenever it’s dropped on the ground.If an owner accesses the Artifact’s effects, she may use her own Gnosis and Arcana, the Artifact’s, or any combination thereof. Every Artifact is also a Path tool Yantra worth +1 dice for mages of the Path of the Artifacts’ highest Arcanum.