The Guardians of the Veil
Please be aware that your character does not know everything in this document. The
knowledge it contains is representative of historical and current details, some of which a
character can ascertain throughout the chronicle. This document assumes that the player has
familiarity with the Guardians or has read the Guardians of the Veil order book. For a complete
Guide to the Guardians and how to play them within a LARP setting, players are encouraged to
refer to the attached link to the Guardians of the Veil Primer at Mind’s Eye Society website and
the section “Playing Guardians in the MES”:
http://www.mindseyesociety.org/games/genres/mage-the-awakening/the-guardians-of-the-veil/
A secret conspiracy of spies and masterminds who police mages and ensure that magic
remains hidden from humanity. The Guardians of the Veil sometimes prefer to call themselves
and the collective Order as simply “the Veils” (as in “I am member of the Veils”) and are rightly
perceived as a “secret police,” quietly taking dangerous and unethical missions to preserve the
security and wisdom of other orders. While spymasters and assassins find a place with the
Guardians, there are also just as many politicians to help smooth over concerns as well as
combat specialists who use intimidation and torture to keep tongues from wagging.
The Guardians organize themselves into caucuses. A caucus (organizational body of
Magi for a given Order in an area/consilium/assembly/Pentacle presence) serves a given
consilium, Assembly or even multiple Consilii over a small region. The Guardian caucus
maintains a Labyrinth in every domain where they are organized. This Labyrinth is a web of
secret societies, fifth columns, and cults that the Guardians create to conceal magic from the
unworthy and exert influence over Sleepers. To maintain the Labyrinth, and carry out their work
as secret police, all Guardians of the Veil learn how to adopt "The Masque". More than a new
identity, the Masque is a layer of false being that all Guardians use to perform a particular task.
There are 49 archetypal Masque identities and any Guardian who does not learn at least one is
shunned and isolated by her caucus until they do.
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Standard positions:
● Cultor (Status •): Cultors create and oversee the maintenance of Labyrinths.
Though they are not responsible for the ways in which the caucus will use the
Labyrinths, they are responsible for seeing that the Epopt's decisions are made
manifest in the Labyrinths.
● Emissary (Status •): The Emissary acts as the public face of the Guardians to
the local Consilium and other orders so as to avoid revealing the identity of the
Epopt. Emissaries attend to public and private meetings and are even tasked
with delivering threats.
● Interfector (Status ••): Executioners, torturers and scapegoats. The usuallymasked Interfector is the Consilium's headsman and interrogator, with
permission to kill any mage selected by the Hierarch and a majority of
Councilors. Interfectors are immune from prohibitions against violence, violating
sanctums and similar prohibitions. The Interfector may even be send against
other Guardians.
● Susceptor (Status •••): The elite spies of the Order, Susceptors are the field
agents of the Guardians, their identities usually known only to Epopts. They
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eschew long-term strategies in favor of immediate objectives and tending to
goals personally.
Epopt (Status ••••): Master of spies, the Epopt directs the activities of the
caucus, remaining in contact with other caucuses to oversee the functioning of
the order as a whole. Epopts tend not to be authoritarian, as Guardians who pass
through the Veils rarely need such direction. The Epopt acts as the
clearinghouse for the intelligence gathered, granting the Epopt a perspective no
other Guardian in the caucus has.
Guardians of the Veil in Canada
The Guardians of Canada are perhaps some of the most hardline and recalcitrant
members of their Order in recent history. Canada’s Guardians have always held fast to the
tenets of their Order and take a very dim view to those who waver in their dedication. The Order
has battled allegations by the other orders of corruption and madness within the upper echelons
of their ranks and, as a result, gone through several inner purges. All the major factions are
equally represented with the majority of Canada’s present-day Guardians falling into two distinct
camps: those belonging to an Inheritor and Prophet alliance and those belonging to an Ordeal
Keeper and Messianic alliance. The Faceless are quiet and taken no side in this factionalism.
Instead they have infiltrated the other four factions and act as de facto watchers watching the
watchers.
These new positions are unique to Canadian caucuses but do not deviate from the
canon settings of the Guardians:
● Weaver (Status •) - the name given to Guardians who act as diplomats with
mages who are sympathetic to the order’s objectives (those mage who are
referred to as “True”). They also act as handlers for the few mages in other
orders who act as informants and spy on the Guardian’s behalf.
● Proctor (Status ••) - the formal name for a Guardian factotum and internal
inquisitor whose job it is to shield and defend Guardians from both mundane and
Consilium legal attacks.
Guardians of the Veil History in Canada
This current draft bases the Guardians’ history against key events or engagement based on
several C@M Awakening documents.
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Pre-Columbian times: The Guardians are present in Canada’s indigenous Awakened
communities through “false face” societies. Atlantean knowledge is kept alive through
oral history (High Speech) and passing on of ceremonial masks.
1654: Maryam, a Guardian Morgani prophet, writes the 49 Verses of Port-Royal. It is a
series of poetic quatrains heralding the arrival of the Hieromagus linked to the destiny of
the so-called “Nine families”. The Verses are seemingly lost when the English occupy
French Acadia at Port-Royal that year. Nonetheless, the Guardians keep watch on the
Dynasties along with the Houses as they are founded for signs of the Hieromagus.
1701: The Guardian Atiron, representing a Guardian Cabal of Mohawk Awakened,
serves as a delegate at the Convocation of Montreal. He backs the Convocation and is a
key advocate for the formation of La Clémence Souveraine.
1711: Atiron represents the Guardians at the Second Convocation of La Clémence as
the Veiled Magister.
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1721: The Guardians “scourge” the Mysterium, revealing a deep conspiracy of Seer
traitors hiding within the ranks of the mystagogues. Xavier, the political leader of the
Mysterium, is murdered by the Seers and the Guardians seize his body for scrutiny and
safe-keeping.
1781: At convocation, the Guardians reveal a new infiltration of the Seers into the
Clémence Souveraine via the Mysterium.
1821: As a symbol of solidarity under La Clémence, the Guardians of the Veil return the
remains of Xavier to the Mysterium at the thirteenth Convocation. Theey are convinced it
is a sore spot with the Mysterium that it took one hundred years for Xavier’s remains to
be returned, and believe the mystagogues are plotting revenge.
1831: At convocation, the Guardians reveal another new infiltration of the Seers into the
Clémence Souveraine via the Mysterium.
1881: The Guardians denounce the nameless orders which seek admission to
Convocation as part of a Seer conspiracy. The Mysterium accuse the Guardians of
sowing paranoia and abruptly leave convocation.
1911: The Pentacle Accords of Hamilton are created. Annual convocations begin.
1913: War with the Seers; the Seers destroy a major base of operations for the
Guardians prompting the foundation of the Sisiutl House and the use of a network of
secure safe houses across the country.
1939: The Guardians allege yet more infiltration by the Seers into the Pentacle and
squarely blame the Mysterium. The Mysterium answer the accusations with their own
hard evidence of Guardians conspiring with the Seers. This time it is the Guardians that
walk out of convocation.
1955: After an exhaustive internal investigation, the Guardians begin ‘interfecting’ their
order of alleged Seer conspirators. The beginning of the “Labyrinthine Purge” The
Labyrinthie Purge is brutal, and lasts five years. The Guardians work to maintain
absolute secrecy about their actions.
1960: The Labyrinthine Purge comes to an end. A new generation of Guardians, under
Goneril and Regan, holds all important positions within Canada.
1962: Sources within the Mysterium leak evidence of the Purge to the rest of the
Pentacle and further tarnish the reputation of the Guardians.
1970: In the wake of the October Crisis, the Guardians begin a concerted effort to seize
and stabilize Ottawa Consilium and the national capital region as their home turf.
1975: A Messianic heresy led by the radical Saint Sebastian declares the Guardians of
Canada a “cult of false thrones”. He is challenged to a Duel Arcane by Goneril which he
loses before being Interfected when judged to be a Seer sympathizer. His cult is quickly
stamped out but sows further discord.
1984: Department Complex 49 is founded in Ottawa and the Guardians secure their
dominance of the region. In political retaliation, the Silver Ladder take steps so that no
Convocation is ever held in Ottawa again.
1993: Nekyia appears for the first time as a Guardian of the Veil much to the chagrin of
the Mysterium. He says little about joining the Guardians but secretly forms the
Phylaskes Komys and begins gathering loyal followers within the order to his cause.
2001: 9/11 and the War on Terror bolsters the order’s powers of surveillance and
espionage but some warn that a new Seer threat called Panopticon is on the rise to
infiltrate the Guardians using their own methods.
Regarding the High Consilium of Canada
The Guardians of the Veil were one of the strongest supporters of the High Consilium
when it was first formed, and swiftly agreed to the Pentacle Accords of Hamilton.. They saw it as
a means whereby the Seers could be dealt with most effectively. Their advocacy resulted in
their Order’s Magisterial representative - the Masque of Sorrows - on the High Consilium. But,
truth be told, the only reason the Guardians supported creation of the High Consilium was so
they could keep an eye on it. Its formation was a forgone conclusion and they knew if they were
to have any hope of steering its policies they had best get on board. Years later, the Guardians
see nothing of value in the High Consilium. Indeed, it has come to epitomize the so-called
“False Throne” that the Guardians are warned of in their Esoteric Tenets. They would like
nothing better than to see it dissolved so that Canada’s Consilii can govern themselves. But
overtly manufacturing the dissolution of the High Consilium would surely be frowned upon by
the other Orders and Magisters so the Guardians have quietly been sowing the seeds of discord
within the Consilii of Canada and at Convocations while their Masque of Sorrows pushes and
manipulates the rest of the council into consistent political infighting and egotistic stand-offs.
Regarding the Dynasties and Houses
The Guardians of the Veil largely support the three Illuminated Dynasties and the Arcane
Houses. If the Guardians have their way, the Nine will replace the High Consilium in its entirety.
The Guardians feel they will have far more clout within nine factional entities than in one large
one. Moreover the mystical signs associated with the Nine are much clearer and obvious to
interpret than the fussy bureaucracy of the High Consilium. The Guardians are well represented
in several of the Nine and have gone to great lengths to ensure that the lineages of the
Dynasties are kept pure and the integrity of the Houses are maintained.
Their rapport and corresponding presence is not equal and the Guardians have the
strongest presence within the Morgani, Strachan and Thrace. They have moderate presence
within the Völur, Wyndemere and Dunbar. They have the weakest/diametrically opposite
relations with the Tytalus, Papineau and Blake. Of critical importance, however, to the
Guardians is their belief that at some point in the next few years, the three Illuminated Dynasties
and six Arcane Houses will be the birthplace of the Hieromagus. The Hieromagus - an all
powerful mage who will forgive the Guardians their sins, absolve them from their crimes, and
lead all Awakened into a grand council to overthrow the Exarchs - is the key reason the
Guardians not only support the Nine but have seen an increase in Messianic rhetoric within the
upper echelons of their ranks.
Ironically, the Hieromagus prophecy within the 49 Verses of Port-Royal has not unified
the Order but only increased the schism that began in the wake of the Labyrinthine Purge.
Nowadays, Guardians are more divided than ever before on the nature of this coming messiah
and what is to be done if he/she truly does manifest within the Nine. But until it happens the
Guardians continue to keep watch and test the the worthiness of the Dynasties and the Houses.
Event The Labyrinthine Purge: the name given to a five year internal operation and purge of
several Guardian of the Veil caucuses and prominent figures across Canada, supposedly
routing out an infiltration in their midst by Seers of the Throne. The Purge was initiated by
Regan and Goneril, young Morgani Guardians at the time, who came out of with near control
over the Order. The plan was carried out by many young Guardians who would go on to
become Epopts across Canada, often filling the shoes of those who were found guilty of aiding
the enemy. Guardian tales reflect that many of the accused confessed after the “judicious”
application of torture. In the later years of the Purge, many of the most prominent who were
killed were, coincidently, either political or ideological opponents to the authority of the Morgani
sisters. The surviving Guardians consider the Labyrinthine Purge to have been a great success.
Indeed, those whose ways were found “correctable”, and were allowed to live, now are some of
the Purge’s greatest endorsers. Though meant to be an internal operation—it would clearly
undermine the credibility of the Guardians if it was public— Other orders, notably the Mysterium,
noticed the “disappearances” of prominent Guardians from their midst or saw the sudden
personality changes in others who had been “corrected.” The Labyrinthine Purge became
known amongst the others Orders.” Because of their collective paranoia about what occurred 50
years ago, the Guardians have deeply damaged their reputation as effective internal police and
added fuel to the fires of distrust held by the rest of the Pentacle.
Group Phylaskes Komys: The Phylaskes Komys are an Inheritor faction within the Guardians
of the Veil. They are a select few elders, who are both seeking, and acting to protect a
dangerous artifact, which they know as the “Atlantean Crown.” The Atlantean Crown was given
to the Guardians by the Hierarch of the Mysterium, Xavier, in 1721 prior to that year’s
Convocation and Xavier’s murder. Xavier had discovered that Seer infiltrators were pursuing the
censored artifact within his order. Xavier entrusted the Atlantean Crown to Atiron and the
Guardians, who arranged for it to be broken into nine pieces. A separate piece of the artifact
was entrusted to a Guardian in each of the Nine families. The Guardians believe that Seer
infiltrations into the Mysterium since that day have been specifically to find the Atlantean Crown.
The Phylaskes Comys have recently been formed, because in the 200 years since the artifact
was broken, the Guardians themselves lost track of the whereabouts of the pieces (more
particularly during the Labyrinthine purge). They believe there is now a Seer conspiracy astir
within the Mysterium to track down the pieces of the Crown and reassemble it. The Phylaskes
Komys have assigned themselves three tasks:
● Track down the whereabouts of the Atlantean Crown pieces and keep them secure,
placing a member of the Phylaskes Komys with each piece.
● Prevent the Mysterium from becoming aware of the Atlantean Crown, or reassembling it.
● Rout the Seer infiltration within the Seers that is hunting the Crown.
To date the Phylaskes Komys is only aware of the whereabouts of the Morgani, and Thracian
pieces of the Crown.
Veiled Sanctums of Canada
The Order has several sites in Canada where they train their best and brightest and extend the
power and reach of the Guardians.
Department Complex 49 - The Guardians of Ottawa have had time and resources to infiltrate
and develop what must be one of the largest and most clandestine of Order sanctums in
Canada. The sprawling sanctum occupies the entirety of the National Research Council
complex in Rothwell Heights and has been given a suitably bureaucratic name to further
obscure what really goes on here. It is likely that the Guardians were responsible for shutting
down CFB Rockcliffe to prevent unwanted scrutiny on their operations while, at the same time,
establishing the massive headquarters of the CSIS, nation’s spy agency, also under their
influence a few kilometres south of the region. The Complex is overseen by a
counterintelligence Guardian cabal known as the Grey Initiative. This cabal is active in training
Guardians in the art of espionage and surveillance but only to Guardians who have already
served in a caucus under the direction of an Epopt. Characters spending time at, or originating
from Department Complex 49 need High Approval to reflect that its existence is an order secret.
Much of the local or regional caucuses have had the following Families and/or Houses act as
arms-length caretakers and members: Morgani and Strachan
Peace Tower Consilium (Ottawa): Due to their strength in the region, the Guardians hold all
the cards in the Nation’s Capital and in Consilium, as well. If a Guardian politico isn’t the
Hierarch then you can be sure the sitting Hierarch owes the Veils a very BIG favour. As such,
the Ottawa Consilium is always a safe place of asylum for Guardians from across the country.
Sisiutl House for Transformation and Retreat: Publicly, Sisiutl House is refuge for Native
artists to practice their ancestral craft of mask making located on the eastern edge of Campbell
River, B.C. Secretly the entirety of the retreat and the land upon which it sits is a hallow
belonging to the Guardians. It is used as a place of rest and reflection by the Order, and is also
open to a select few of their allies. Guardians seeking to learn new Masques and understand
the more esoteric aspects of the Guardians often stay here for extended periods of time. It is
Low Approval and High Notice for a Guardian to travel to Sisiutl House. It is Low Approval to
have the Sisiutl House in a character’s past. The local caucus of Guardian who oversee Sisiutl
House are made up of a diversity of Thrace supported by Völur who either have ties to the local
tribe or were born First Nations.
Prominent Figures
These are prominent and powerful NPCs associated with the Order. These powerful Masters or
influential sorcerers may hold sway with PCs and utilize them as part of a larger agenda.
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Nekyia
○ In his 40s, and viewed as a Magister-in-waiting, this mysterious necromancer is
alleged to be a convert to the Guardians from the Mysterium. To be sure, no
Censor among the ranks of Canada’s mystagogues will vouch for this being true.
But then how to explain his extensive knowledge of the Mysterium and their
rites? Nekyia is a member of House Thrace and a stern taskmaster when it
comes to training the country’s Guardians in the most dangerous and
unpalatable of tasks. But he is also known to be somewhat pragmatic and
reflective when queried about the spiritual direction of the Guardians. He claims
no overt leadership over the Ordeal-Keepers or Messianics but his philosophies
clearly espouse their camps and, to be sure, he holds only grudging respect for
rival camps. Secretly, Nekyia is the leader of the Phylaskes Komys. His time is
spent focused on tracking down the pieces of the Atlantean Crown before the
Seers do.
○ Path: Moros
○ Order Status: 4
○ Thread Cutter (2nd Attainment)
○ Virtue: Faith | Vice: Greed
○ Homebase: Victoria, BC
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Regan & Goneril:
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Whether or not Regan & Goneril are actual sisters is unknown. To be fair, no one
has dared to ask them such a pointed question. They are now in their 70s and
figures who command respect in the order. What is certain is that these two
Guardians act as the ersatz right and left hand of the Subtle Magister. Both
women are Acanthus enchantresses and both hail from the Morgani Dynasty.
Regan is known to be the more pragmatic strategist of the two and this has led
her to be one of the foremost figureheads of the Prophet camp. Goneril prefers to
take an an active and sometimes brutal hand in the order's affairs which has
made her an exemplar of the Inheritors. Many suspect, but have never outright
said, that these two are largely responsible for the partisan sniping between
factions within the Veil. Regan and Goneril are viewed as largely responsible for
the Labyrinthine purge, and to this day, those who cross them end up
disappeared or interfected. Both Regan and Goneril are focused on maintaining
the conservative instincts of the Guardians of the Veil, and the Diamond,
frequently reminding their fellow Order members that “you are Atlantean, so you
should act like it.”
Path: Acanthus (both)
Order Status: 4 (both)
Virtue: Temperance | Vice: Pride (Regan)
Virtue: Fortitude | Vice: Lust (Goneril)
Homebase: Regina, SK
Ikelos
○ Thought to be in his late 50s, the self-proclaimed “Subtle Magister” and Mask of
Sorrows is perhaps the most famous (or infamous) of the Veils in Canada. The
undisputed authority of the Order’s national operations, Ikelos is alleged to take
an active interest in overseeing the work of every Epopt in every major city.
Thanks to his mastery of Space and Mind as well as his legacy attainments, it is
a certainty that he walks the many Labyrinths unseen whilst keeping surveillance
on those mages he deems a potential threat. Ikelos has been the active hand
behind many plots and conspiracies but says little to anything about what he
does even to fellow Guardians. The collapse of a Seer plot to infiltrate the Free
Council is largely credited to his machinations despite the protests of Libertines
to the contrary. Ikelos hails from the Strachan house and epitomizes the quiet
ambition and execution of power of his lineage. Although he began his career in
the Inheritor camp, Ikelos has since become the epitome of the Faceless in the
Guardians. Though some would like him to choose one side or the other, Ikelos
remains aloof on such political matters. At least, so he says. Truthfully, Ikelos is
dedicated to the future of the order and the next generation of Guardians. As
such, he is an active mentor and makes himself available to a host of protégés to
keep the order strong across the country.
○ Path: Mastigos
○ Order Status: 5
○ Subtle One (3rd Attainment)
○ Virtue: Prudence | Vice: Wrath
○ Homebase: Winnipeg, MB
Guardians of the Veil Canada Lore
(●)
You know the Guardians are one of the Atlantean Orders in Canada. You know
they maintain a Labyrinth and the basic job descriptions of the order described above.
You know about the 49 Masques and the Exoteric Tenets. You know about the
existence of Department Complex 49. (This Lore is available at Low Approval)
(●●) You know that the Guardians consist of several factions divided in Canada into
three main camps. You know the prominent Guardians locally (i.e. who holds what
position) and nationally (i.e. described in this document). You know that the Labyrinthine
Purge happened, but no details. You know about the Esoteric Tenets. You know that the
Guardians may expel you from the Order if you willingly reveal the information you have.
(This Lore is available at Low Approval)
(●●●) You know of the existence of the Sisiutl House for Transformation and Retreat
(you may have visited there). You know that the Labyrinthine Purge may have reflected
a political schism and that the Guardians keep this a tight secret You know about the 49
Verses of Port-Royal and prophecy of the Hieromagus in Canada as well as how the
Nine are involved. You know the prominent Guardian Legacies You know that there is a
schism between the different faction camps. You know the Guardians may have you
killed if you willingly reveal the knowledge you possess. (This Lore is available at Mid
Approval).
(●●●●) You know about the Labyrinthine Purge and the possible links between Canada’s
Guardians and the Seers of the Throne. You may also know of innocent victims of the
purge who nonetheless suffered torture or death at the instigation of Regan and Goneril.
You have heard of several false Heromagus cults and heresies sparked by Saint
Sebastian and know that they further fuel an internal schism within the order. You are
aware the Phylaskes Komys exists, and that it is working to protect the Atlantean Crown.
(This Lore is available at High Approval).
(●●●●●)You know that the assembled Atlantean Crown is alleged to be an artifact of
terrible power that would destroy the Pentacle if it were to fall into the hands of the
Exarchs. You know this history of how the Atlantean Crown came to be in the hands of
the Guardians of the Veil, and that they broke it and distributed it within the Nine
Families, and working to keep it hidden from the Mysterium and the Seers of the Throne.
(you may be a part of this faction). (This Lore is available at High Approval).