Misty Gates Chantry
Misty Gates
Here the bulk of the Awakened in San Francisco gather. This chantry embodies the spirit of exploration in the form of its dedicated sages, shamans, and sensualists. Cultists of Ecstasy are very influential here, but so are most of the other Traditions.
Chantryhouse
The Lincoln Pavilion rests at the heart of Lincoln Park, which lies on the northwestern tip of San Francisco proper. This enclosed park pavilion is five thousand square feet, set upon a wooded ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge. A Cultist of Ecstasy saw to the pavilion's construction almost forty years ago when she discovered a Node brimming to life on the eve of 1969 (it coincided with the return of the Sidhe faerie nobles).
The pavilion includes a number of "relaxation" rooms, many of which can and are used by as a hostel for visiting magi. As it is a privately owned pavilion, no one may enter without the approval of the Misty Gates Chantry. The triangular building is only one story, but has three doors that lead into bright and cheery halls. Some skirt relaxation rooms, others pass "activity" rooms in which various artistic tools are kept.
But all three main corridors lead to the central chamber of the pavilion, concaved into a wide auditorium-style circle. A dais in the middle of room serves as a stage; here presumably the mages would gather for monthly meetings with their brethren, give concerts or orations, and otherwise socialize in a formal condition. Sometimes chairs are placed in a circle around the edges of the room. Even with added furniture, the room has excellent acoustics. In fact, even with the strange and soft chalk floor, acoustics are wonderful.
Nodes
It is through this chalk floor that the energies of the Lincoln Park Node emanate. They waft up in almost invisible streams of energy, made visible as misty tendrils on certain nights of the year, or under certain mystical conditions. Simply meditating among them, breathing in this ephemera, recharges the spirit and Avatar with Quintessence and hope.
Defenses
The shape of the building as well as other mystickal measures blocks all attempts to scry or otherwise manipulate the dimensions, space, and Gauntlet within the pavilion. In addition, the power of the Node is such that it tends to suck at individual mages' magick, drawing magick into its primal heart. The Masters played on this tendency, erecting a limited anti-magick ward on the whole pavilion. Only powerful mages (like themselves) can cast effective spells within the pavilion.
Backgrounds & Characters
All members gain the Chantry Background at ***. All other Backgrounds must be purchased and acquired normally. The chantry commands a communal Level 2 Node of dynamic Mystery.
Custos
Misty Gates has limited influence in the affairs of Sleepers. They do keep a few Acolytes, namely a janitor for the pavilion. Both Acolytes and Consors are acceptable with the Masters' permission, which is given after testing the potential Custos as they would test new Awakened members for duplicity or other dangers.
The Waydown
The Waydown may be the most powerful Hollow One chantry in the world. Yet few know about it, thanks to the guidance it receives from its Master, the one and only Neville Sinclair. Founded on an old, decimated church, the Waydown provides a place for Hollowers to find their strength together, prepare for the inevitable future, ponder the bleak mysteries of the present, and even share the dark wisdom of the past with new Hollowers. Only Hollow Ones may join the Waydown; other mages have trouble even finding the place.
Chantryhouse
The Church of Saint Francis serves as the chantryhouse for the Waydown. This church is found about ten minutes east of San Francisco State University, which is in the southern part of the city proper. It rises tall, this former Episcopalian church, with steeples and breathtaking stone architecture. But the place is also forboding: no longer is it a source of light and hope for Christians, or anyone for that matter.
Once it was a place that Celestial Choristers ran, preaching to their enthralled congregation about the wonders of faith and compassion. But that same mercy was not shown to them when the Technocracy fell upon the church almost sixty years ago, setting it aflame with the mages (and some of their Acolytes) inside. All were burned alive and the Node that resided here was believed to be gutted, lost -- an acceptable loss to the Pogrom of the Union.
Yet the Node wasn't lost and the structure wasn't condemned. Yellow bands of police tap span the doorways and shattered windows, and the empty, hollowed-out building scares off most intruders. It's as if the ghosts of the murdered still dwell there... The truth is, of course, that the Hollow Ones come back and kick out any squatters when they deem to use the place for their activities, notably for festivals like Halloween. Candles and candelabras surround the walls and halls of the church and sanctuary. Nothing was taken down: crucifixes, stained glass windows, effigies, and tapestries all remain...tattered and carbonized as they almost all are.
Nodes
Like the church itself, the Node was not destroyed. However, the stripping of its former Chorus masters and the take-over by the more bitter Hollowers has changed its nature. Or perhaps the fire changed its nature and the Hollow Ones took advantage of that change. Whatever the case, they discovered that the Node of this church was based solely on the beliefs of those that meditated and prayed here. When the Chorus controlled the site, it was their holy faith that coaxed forth Quintessence. When their faith failed to save them from their enemies, the Node dried up. The Hollowers revived it, however, coaxing a new sort of faith from the Node: anti-faith, a belief in the despair and bitterness of reality. Even now, few outside the Hollow One "Tradition" can successfully meditate on or even sense this Node, and thus it passes by the notice of the other powers in San Francisco.
Defenses
Aside from having the guidance of a supremely powerful Hollow One leader, the Waydown has few defenses besides its members. It relies most heavily on its subtle lack of presence: nobody knows that the Waydown really exists where it does. When the church is being used for festivals and other special occasions, its members tend to raise anti-scrying wards and other common defenses. Otherwise, the place seems vacant and pointless, raising only one question for passersby: why hasn't it been condemned and demolished yet? This defense is the most important anyway, since the local Technocrats seem to gather frequently at San Francisco State University just ten minutes up the road…
Backgrounds & Characters
Hollow Ones who join the Waydown gained the Chantry Background at ****. All other Backgrounds must be purchased and acquired normally. The chantry commands a communal Level 4 Node of entropic Despair.
Custos
All Custos must be approved by the Hollowers' loose leadership and subjected to scrutiny from Neville Sinclair. Acolytes are more likely to be accepted than Consors, of course. And the only Consors so far approved are a group of wraiths who called the church their Haunt in the first place.
Twin Dragons
In the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown, many shen accompanied their human immigrant families and friends to this country. Some came centuries ago, some are much more recent. The oldest organization of shen in San Francisco is not the Hungry Dead, however, but the Twin Dragons. This chantry predated even the rise of any sort of wraithly family from the Jade Kingdom. When the first Chinese arrived to California, the mages that were forced to bond together and form this chantry were among them.
In the 1850s, mages from the Akashic Brotherhood and the Wu Lung joined their families on the ships carrying them across the Pacific Ocean. They feared for their families' lives, as well as the influence and wealth and secrets some of their family members preserved. They feared that their rival traditions would seize them and hold them hostage, or worse steal away those valuables. The Akashayana and Wu Lung had long disliked one another, and in the antiquity made war on one another, and now things seemed to be coming to a head again.
Gangland-style warfare broke out in the streets of what would become Chinatown. The nights became notorious for the kind of kung fu battles that now would be legendary, even ridiculous. But their outrage against one another was cut short. Shen were not the only supernatural beings to come across the waters of the Pacific. A terrible demon, Ma Yuanko, rose up and threatened to destroy both sides and their families. They had no choice but to join forces. Together, they were able to slay the demon and secure their homes and peoples.
Thereafter, they agreed to cease hostilities and even remain allies in the face of future dangers, such as the coming of the Wan Kuei. To date, no supernatural force can thwart this powerful war chantry of Wu Lung wizards and Akashic Brother warriors: even the Technocracy finds itself way out of familiar waters once they enter the heart of Chinatown, where this chantry's influence waxes. Of course, the chantry knows its limits, and rarely do representatives of Twin Dragons leave Chinatown. They accept other chi'n ta immigrants, however, including Dreamspeakers, Cultists of Ecstasy, Euthanatoi, and even certain technomancers, namely the Thousand Canes Society and Five Rings Gama.
Chantryhouse
The traditional site of the Twin Dragons' chantryhouse is in fact a great Buddhist temple in the heart of Chinatown called the Zhongxin. This massive pagoda-styled structure spirals up four stories and it is gilded with gold siding and crimson walls. Similarly impressive walls surround the base of the pagoda, creating an enclosed courtyard and cutting this mysterious place off from the curious pedestrian.
Each floor is lavished with opulent rooms that the Wu Lung favor, as well as more austere chambers for the more ascetic Akashic Brothers. Mages of other traditions must find their own place within this place. But luckily, it provides ample living space for many mages and their custos. Sleepers can and do come to this place to worship, but know well that the floors above the first are restricted to the "monks" only. Naturally, the rooms on the top floor are the grandest and given to the chantry's masters.
Nodes
The Zhongxin was in fact built on a wellspring of Quintessence. The Node funnels its magic up through the incense sticks planted in holders and vases on the first floor. Any outside mage could enter the temple and realize how much energy is filtering up through the sweet smoke. And no outside mage could do anything about it: the powerful mages of the Twin Dragons have such immense control of the immediate paradigm that their enemies find themselves at a distinct disadvantage. One Technocrat made the mistake of ordering an all-out strike on the Zhongxin once, stating firmly that "this is America!". He couldn't be further from the truth. Once one passes the zodiac gate and enters Chinatown, one has entered China, and the Zhongxin is the heart of this motherland away from the Motherland.
Defenses
The feng shui of the pagoda empowers wards that block all forms of Correspondence and the building has proven remarkably resilient to structural damage. The Gauntlet is policed by allied wraiths and elemental spirits. And as noted above, the chantryhouse's paradigm is in the Twin Dragons' favor: it is almost like it was in ancient China, when the Wu Lung guided the Emperor. Most vulgar Effects are considered coincidental within the Zhongxin, provided the chi'n ta performs the appropriate tasks (i.e., uses his foci and other paradigmal elements).
Backgrounds & Characters
All members gain the Chantry Background at ****: this is the most powerful chantry of chi'n ta (Asian mages) founded in the West. All other Backgrounds must be purchased and acquired normally. The chantry commands a communal Level 3 Node of static Sovereignty.
Custos
A number of unAwakened monks help maintain the temple. Consors so far include only allied spirits that patrol the Penumbra. Chi'n ta would have to gain the approval of the chantry's dual Master leadership for any Custos to join, and most non-spiritual entities would not be permitted. Sleepers who are not monks or other laymen of the temple would not be accepted as Acolytes unless emergencies dictate otherwise.
