Carmine Conclave Power Groups
Power Groups are organizations, orders, families, houses, and other social groups that have great influence over the workings of a Faction. In the Carmine Conclave, the Roseate Cabals and the Archonate Priories are its movers and shakers.
With one exception, Player Characters may choose to start from any of these or eventually earn affiliation with one of them. In fact, these are useful starting points in diversifying one’s Character from other members of the Carmine Conclave. Player Characters may even choose to create their own Cabals that work beneath one of Conclaves - if doing so, please contact Game Staff with the details to acquire permission to do so. While Player Characters may greatly influence a major Cabal, they will never end up in full leadership capacity within them.
Cabal Alvarado: Keepers of Port Sacrament, the Alvarado are seafarers, bureaucrats, and traders.
Cabal Champlain: Southern sentinels of the Carmine Conclave with a hatred of the Night League and a penchant for fiery dramatics.
Cabal Ithilios: The somber and knowledgeable Ilthios are a Cabal known for their dark magics and ruthlessness.
Cabal Montaigne: The root of Rachat’s liberation from the Night League - a Cabal of industrial and military prowess.
Cabal Valentinova: A pious Cabal of aesthetes, sorcerers, and romantics dedicated to the arts and welfare of Bastion du Rachat.
Priory of Excruciation: The merciless right hand of the Carmine Archon, their enforcers, their punishers, and their inquisition.
Priory of Orchestration: Tthe civic left hand of the Carmine Archon, dedicated to administering to the needs of the populace and maintaining the engines of governance.
Cabal Alvarado (de la Spirale)
Alvarados, Spirals
“The eternal seas grant petitioners their bounty and take their dues from fools”
Basic: Keepers of Port Sacrament on the west coast, the Alvarado are seafarers, bureaucrats, and traders.
Territory: The Alvarado operate in and around Port Sacrament but their trade contacts extend all across the western coast, even up to the Talonic Citadel and Ziggurat City.
Symbol: An nautilus shell wreathed by Blue and Green roses.
Overview: Mariana Alvarado and her followers are the root of this Cabal, dedicated to defending and managing Port Sacrament in the name of the Carmine Conclave. Mariana’s family was also in charge of their sister settlement of Paradise City. The fortunes of Cabal Alvarado changed with the loss of Paradise City and the attack of the Cascadian Dragon. For a time, it appeared that they would never truly recover.
True to Saint Carmine’s promise however, the Temple would not let Port Sacrament wither away. The Talon Conclave worked together with Alvarado to rebuild and to establish a naval foothold and conduct patrols in the area. For their part, this Cabal ensures that the economic and bureaucratic aspects of management are not overlooked. Thus, the Talonites provide protection, the Sanguinar provide knowhow, and all profit from the cooperation.
The Alvarado and the Sea Serpent Chapter work hand in hand together, affecting each other with their teamwork. While most Talonites dislike the Sanguinar methods, the Sea Serpents are much more understanding of their allies. Similarly, the Alvarado have a keener understanding and empathy with their Talonite brethren. To that end, these Carminians tend to be quieter than their kin and more observant. They have also inherited their allies’ love of the sea and of warmer climes, dressing in more daring fashions that would not be as proper in the northern territories.
Leadership: Imelda Alvarado was blinded by an ambush by Oceanic Seraphs many years ago but that does little to prevent her from performing her duties as Prince to the Conclave. Certainly, she has her younger brother, Benigno, and her aides to assist her. Even without them however, she surpasses the paperwork and wisdom of her princely peers.
She is said to be patient and willing to lend an ear to anyone willing to speak to her. But she is also possessed of a stubborn nature once she has decided on a path.
Cabal Champlain (de la Soliel)
Soleils, Champlains
“We are the God-Empress’ suns and in our light, the unholy will burn!”
Basic: Southern sentinels of the Carmine Conclave with a hatred of the Night League and a penchant for fiery dramatics.
Territory: The Champlain’s main stronghold is in Fallbridge, located near a gigantic waterfall. They maintain garrisons along the southern borders of Carmine territory.
Symbol: A many rayed sun wreathed in dark orange and light red roses.
Overview: Johann “Sunblade” Champlain was one of the greatest Leech hunters in Bastion du Rachat. Thus it was his pleasure and duty to continue his hunt after the Night Kings were driven from that city. He and his disciples viciously purged the land of his enemies in the name of Saint Carmine with a chilling relish. His efforts won him the town of Fallbridge and even liberated Carmine Spire from the vampiric menace. By that time, he was old and awarded the duty of protecting Fallbridge from any looming threat from the south, Leech or not.
He married into the leadership of Fallbridge and they soon became an influential Cabal in the Conclave. The farming and fishing in the area is of good quality, but better still are their profits from trade and tariffs. The Champlains have used this to shore up the defenses of the town and ensure the quality of their armories.
Many in the Cabal are greatly influenced by Johann’s legacy, creating a culture of great appetites and great “confidence”. A Sanguinar from Camplain will tell the world who they are, what they have done, and what they will do. For some, this is a veneer beneath which greater subtleties can be performed. For many, this bravado is utterly internal: it manifests in their interactions, their fighting, and even their flashy spellcraft.
Leadership: Johanne Incindia Champlain III is the current Prince of the Champlains and is a mirror image of his grandfather. Similarly, the antlered Chimera shares his ancestor’s love for flair and the dramatic, spending much of his youth watching plays and reading stories whenever he was in Rachat. Even after the War over Embers, he has less time for hobbies as a Prince. However, he is a patron for rising artists and minstrels that pass by Fallbridge. Beyond his usual distractions, he is concerned with the Night League and their plans -- the reports he has received show that they have rallied once again and are on the move.
Cabal Montaigne (de la Argent)
Argents, Montaignes
“Passion, Precision, Perfection”
Basic: The root of Rachat’s liberation from the Night League - a Cabal of industrial and military prowess.
Territory: The southern portion of the Bastion du Rachat metropolis and the holdings to the south and east of it. They share the city with the Archonate and their rivals, the Valentinova.
Symbol: A blue and white rose and thorns around two crossed silvery rapiers.
Overview: It is a common claim that the Montaigne were the first to join Saint Carmine’s efforts against the Night King. The stories tell of their first meeting, when the Archon-Saint and her disciples saved an entire cell from a terrible ambush. Though the tide truly turned when Saint Carmine recruited the Valentinovas and several other prominent groups to their cause, it was Montaigne and his daughters that held the line throughout the revolution.
The Montaignes’ incredible willpower and stubbornness allowed them to persevere where all others would have faltered, resting in their prominence as one of the Carmine Court. Currently, they are the other major Cabal in the Carmine Court that rivals the Valentinova in strength and in influence. Between the two, the Montaignes have the larger, better equipped army. They also have extensive industrial holdings in their southern portion of the metropolis for various crafts, including machinery and engineering.
When dealing with the Carmine Conclave, one can expect a Montaigne to be aloof and cold as a Winter Rose instead of the typical Sanguinaar joviality. This does not mean that they deviate from the Scarlet Dance, only that they play it in their own way: eschewing exaggeration and appearing forthright. This bluntness and precision applies well to the crafting arts: the Montaignes indulge in creating things by hand instead of using magics, hirelings, or servants. Whether it is a clock, a lantern, or a sword, their products are things of intricacy and beauty. Naturally, they have that Carminian focus on form over function.
Leadership: The Prince of Montaigne is Cassandra Tourmaline Montaigne de la Argent. She is a Psion known for her precise engineering as she is for her perfect swordplay. Of the former, she is immensely fond of crafting clockwork by hand.
It is said she is interested in anything to further her Cabal’s influence within the Carmine Conclave and decrease the power of her rivals. Indeed, Cassandra would never stoop to anything illegal, at least nothing that will get her caught.
Cabal Ithilios (de la Lune)
Lunes, Ithilios
“Through the God-Empress, even Shadows are made Sacred”
Basic: The somber and knowledgeable Ithilios are a Cabal known for their dark magics and ruthlessness.
Territory: The Ithilios are headquartered in Carmine Spire (formerly the Night Spire), northeast of Bastion du Rachat and overlooking the River of Saints.
Symbol: A bed of ivy with violet and black roses beneath a crescent moon
Overview: When the Night League was driven from what is now the Carmine Spire, their least loathsome lieutenants were given a chance to join the Carmine Conclave while the remainder were executed. The Ithilios are the Montaigne who were tasked with guarding these individuals while they continued their studies and taught their arcane secrets to the Carminians. The last of these former lieutenants were executed a decade later for Heresy, conveniently when their usefulness had run out.
The Ithilios are not the foremost Arcanists of the Carmine Conclave, but they are the most fearsome of the Cabals. It is known that they conduct vile experiments and strange rituals in Carmine Spire, usually with livestock rather than people. Despite these rumors, they are rarely visited by the Priory of Excruciation -- indeed, the Archonate has a civil presence within Carmine Spire instead of a guarded one. The Makers of these territories fear the Cabal more than they fear the Excruciators.
Fears and gossip aside, the Ithilios have successfully managed the mines and forests within their territory to great effect. Several industries have emerged and flourished, including papermaking/printing, lumber, and metalsmithing. Some credit this prosperity to the dark arts of the Ithilios , though the Archonate has said little and nothing about it.
Leadership: Prudence Charity Ithilios is the current Prince of her Cabal. She dresses conservatively, well beyond the standards of the Sanguinar. Righteous and pious as she is stern, Prudence governs her Cabal’s territories with an iron fist - she instructs her Dukes and Duchesses to inflict the harshest punishments. On the other hand, lesser offenses by Greys are often overlooked by her enforcers in their search for egregious crimes by Cabalim or Outsiders.
Cabal Valentinova (de la Miroir)
Crimsons, ‘Novas
“Roses answer with Beauty and Thorns”
Basic: A pious Cabal of aesthetes, sorcerers, and romantics dedicated to the arts and welfare of Bastion du Rachat.
Territory: The Valentinova headquarter in the northern portion of Bastion du Rachat, which is less populous but has its food producing gardens and orchards. They share the city with the Archonate and their rivals, the Montaigne.
Symbol: A wreath of red and purple roses around a heart-shaped hand mirror
Overview: The Valentinova are descended from a family of Psion Sorcerers that were once unwilling lieutenants to Night King Richelieu. The stories say that their matriarch saw Saint Carmine and immediately fell in love. In truth, the pact between Saint and Sorceress was one made to free their people from tyranny and avenge their decades of loathsome servitude.
In the transition from Night King servitors to the leaders of their people, the Valentinovas gained some measure of approval for their part in the tyrants’ fall. However, their previous associations and actions turned them into targets of retribution by the new regime. Remorseful for their past but unwilling to die for it, the Valentinovas have made redemption and vivacity their legacy. Their gardens and orchards feed the populace of Bastion du Rachat. Their feasts and plays fill streets and manors with festivities. Thus, the Valentinovas have become associated with plenty and charity.
For their part, these Cabalim are known for their piety as they are for their charity, such is their association with the Archonate. But beneath the silk and the velvet is a filigreed blade. Their protectors and enforcers are second only to the Montaignes, but the Arcanists that they train and employ are the strongest in the Conclave. The plenty they give to the Makers is a pittance of the resources that they apply to their defenses and the defenses of Rachat.
Leadership: Her heedless and wild past of adventuring did not kill her; Irina Maria Valentinova maintains that it made her far more interesting instead. The Necrotic Seraph is the eldest daughter of the Cabals’ previous Prince and her exciting past life (and deaths) make her one of the deadliest women in the Carmine Conclave.
Though beloved by the Greys for her charity and respected by the Archonate for her piety, the other Cabals are wary of her. She is said to be jovial but ruthless, capable of killing with a smile and willing to make hard decisions in the name of her people. It is fortunate for her that many of her enemies turn out to be Infernal heretics or Night League spies, otherwise she would be responsible for many, many murders.
Priory of Excruciation
Excruciators, Bloodthorns
Basic: This is the merciless right hand of the Carmine Archon, their enforcers, their punishers, and their inquisition. Members of this Priory are called Excruciators.
Territory: Their main headquarters is in Bastion du Rachat, but they also have smaller strongholds in Ziggurat City and in every major Carmine settlement.
Symbol: A circle of thorns around a triangle.
Overview: The first Excruciators were hunters of the Night League after the liberation of Bastion du Rachat. These were individuals with insight and ruthlessness to find the League’s spies. A half-decade later, when a minor Cabal was discovered to be compromised, the Excruciators were almost wiped out were it not for Saint Carmine’s personal intervention. The treatment of captured traitors then gave the new Priory their name.
Since then, they have recovered and expanded, rostered with clergyfolk that have forsworn all loyalties but to the Conclave and the Temple. To prevent overreach, the Carmine Archon keeps a close eye upon their activities and they work closely with the Talonites’ Sin-Eaters and the Calvarians’ Priory of Judication. Indeed, all three Power Groups are expected to assist each other in purging Sin from the ranks of the Templars.
By themselves, the Excruciators are a small but elite order - independent from the Priory of Orchestration’s peacekeeping forces. While they cannot defeat an army, their strikes are meant to be surgical, precise, and ruthless. Such is their prowess that even the large Cabals dare not cross them during inspection and are willing to give up members when the Excruciators ask for them.
Leadership: Vladamar Talis Nikarov is the Invokate of the Excuciators and has been so for two decades. He is an ancient Psion, never seen without his hollowed cane of bones (which supposedly holds an enspelled blade). The Invokate is as feared for his severity as he is respected for the sharpness of his wisdom - his judgments tend to be harsh but are regarded as fair by most. Despite his infirmity, he prefers to be on the field and attend inspections. Not many folk expect much from a bent, caned man but he has survived every ambush against him so far.
Priory of Orchestration
Conductors
Basic: This is the civic left hand of the Carmine Archon, dedicated to administering to the needs of the populace and maintaining the engines of governance. Members of this Priory are also called Conductors.
Territory: Their main headquarters are in Bastion du Rachat. However, every settlement features one of their strongholds or a minor temple to assist in civil and religious matters.
Symbol: A circle of leafy ivy around a red bird in flight
Overview: When Saint Carmine freed Rachat, one of her greatest concerns was ensuring that the people therein had shelter, clothing, and food. While the production of many of these were assisted by various parties, the logistics of their delivery required a specialized team of experts to ensure their efficiency. As this team grew in size and responsibility, Saint Carmine wrought them into the Priory of Orchestration to grant them the necessary authority they needed to help the people.
Most administrative and bureaucratic work is not handled directly by Conductors, but by specialized Makers under their employ. Unless they are Novitiates, the Conductors themselves are in supervisory roles or in positions of responsibility. Thus, a Conductor would not directly maintain records but they would be in charge of managing them. Similarly, a Conductor would not be the clerk that deals with newcomers but they would be the person that ensures that the procedures are followed.
Besides the mundane aspects of civic duty, the Conductors are often lauded by the populace for their more humanitarian roles. The Priory manages the healers, the custodial, and the guardianship of the people -- employing Makers or allowing Cabalim to take on these duties if necessary. They raise hospitals, maintain firefighters, and other necessary aspects of a functional society.
Leadership: The Invokate of this Priory is Lucas Maurice Vachon, a middle aged man who has dutifully served the Carmine Conclave for two decades. It is said that he is an exacting perfectionist with an incredible head for sums and numbers. The carriages and caravans run to, from, and through Bastion du Rachat through his organizational acumen.
Compared to his counterpart in the Excruciators, Invokate Vachon is not universally feared. However, he is said to be a terror to those who defy his orders and willfully disrupt his work. On the corollary, he is known to be very generous to those who consistently perform the Priory’s tasks to his satisfaction. His subordinates try to soften his wrath against the lowest ranks but many Conductors would rather have positions in distant settlements than be within shouting distance of the Invokate.