From: Matthew
Date: 25 November 1999 05:11
Newsgroups: alt.games.whitewolf
Subject: Re: So...what DOES a Tremere chantry look like on the inside?

Wade Lahoda , traitor and Fallen.
LadyAth (ladyath@hotmail.com) wrote:
: If a non-Tremere were to actually manage to make his way inside a
: Tremere chantry, what would it be like? I need to design a chantry
: and would like some ideas on what would be inside the place. Traps
: would also be really handy ;)

This answer may disappoint you...and many others...and especially many LARPers, but..

Think mundane.

At least to outsiders.

Tremere Thaumaturgy isn't usually grotesquely overt. The paths get pretty flashy, but are rarely used. The rituals...well, a lot of them you'd be hard-pressed to identify as magic. Tremere magic, mostly, isn't about extra-dimensional portals and flashy demon beasts.

It's about old tomes, occult paraphenalia, and general stodginess. If a mortal could walk through a Tremere Chantry and (without meeting any of the Vampires), see definite proof of the supernatural nature of the inhabitants(as opposed to just inhabitants who believe in the supernatural), the Tremere are doing something wrong. =)

Now that we've got that pet peeve out of the way... The classic tremere chantry is an old mansion type location. It should be bigish. Secluded is a plus, but not a nessecity. Depending on the particular Tremere, it may be run down, or it might be in tip-top condition...but it should most definately not look lived in. It is, of course, but not by living people. =) The labs and library can be other matters, of course, but...

Other variations (from my own chronicle) include:
- the back rooms of a Satanic Antichurch (hide in the wide open), isn't the West Coast great?

- a series of interconnected (but not noticeably) rooms, corridors and libraries, labs and such. This particular chantry was quite old and was well designed to maximize ley line placement. The 'chantry' was part of a sedate university campus. Books and grimoires were hidden in certain 'store rooms' and 'restricted collections' in the library, some rooms were linked off campus (Dean's house for ex). Mundanes were subtly "dissuaded" (almost like the Mists from Ars Magica) from entering certain rooms or noticing that almost no one ever used the rooms. There was no umbral connections (no umbra in my game) per se (meaning no doors into the Umbra), more or less Ratkin-like tunnels through Umbral space from one place to another. The placement of the "chantry"'s parts was confusing and deliberate. Those without intimate knowledge (or the Regent's passwords), like invaders, would be forced to walk 'overland' from room to room, giving the defenders immense advantages.

Speaking of...labs should be creepy, and have tons of occult items, but not be overtly supernatural. Same for the libraries...1000 general occult books of no Thaumaturgical significance for every grimoire.

As for defenses... First off...ghouls. Not tons...maybe 3 as a base, + 1 for every Tremere in the chantry. Thus, most chantries are looking at around 5(Tremere being the least populous of the 7 big Camarilla clans). The ghouls should look normal, and very respectable.

Another step would be a ritual which does divert attention (not invisibility ala the Shadow but even weaker than Obfuscate 2: There is nothing particularly interesting here).

As far as general Chantry mood goes... People should always feel as if they are being watched(they doubtless are). They should always feel as if something spooky and supernatural is going on. But whenever they encounter someone(or something), it should be boringly mundane. Tremere are the experts at hiding the supernatural and the evil under a cloak of absolute mundanity - only the Giovanni are better at it. =)

It should also be tied to the nature of the inhabiting Tremere (resonance and all that) - the tesseract Chantry had a very eery feeling to it (due to the almost constant vigilance of a cursed warlock, and it's New England environment). The Satanic Church chantry is all glitz and glam, the Regent and the clan members have blurred the line between the public facade of shock rock superstition and their personal views of magic. They wouldn't be infernalists (that would just be cliche) but they are more excited about flashy magics than spells of real power.

--
Matthew Hickey aka Tiama'at ][ WS/Soc (H) III - Carleton U
matthewhickey@hotmail.com ][ "Hold On To Nothing
ICQ: 12954569 (Tiama'at) ][ As Fast As You Can" - T.A.