Monster Hunters of the Church: New Orders for Your Night Shift: VSW Game
These are just some ideas I've played around with in my home game. I had originally planned for them to go into the Night Companion, but frankly, that book ran long as it sits and we just didn't have the space. So I decided to throw out the sketchy notes I've got for people to use in their home games as they like. As such, here are a few new Night Clubs for your Night Shift: VSW games.
The Order of the Dragon
The clandestine Order of the Dragon is the same order to
which Vlad II Dracul, father of the infamous Vlad III "the Impaler"
Dracula belonged. Originally, the Order was a chivalric order founded in 1408
and comprised of selected nobles dedicated to defending the cross and battling
the enemies of Christianity—in particular the Ottoman Empire. Later, the Order
was repurposed into a dedicated secret society promised to hunt down and
destroy the minions of Satan, and vampires in particular.
The Original Order
"… in company with the prelates, barons, and magnates of our kingdom, whom we invite to participate with us in this party, by reason of the sign and effigy of our pure inclination and intention to crush the pernicious deeds of the same perfidious Enemy, and of the followers of the ancient Dragon, and (as one would expect) of the pagan knights, schismatics, and other nations of the Orthodox faith, and those envious of the Cross of Christ, and of our kingdoms, and of his holy and saving religion of faith, under the banner of the triumphant Cross of Christ..."
The Betrayal
Dracula is a long-standing enemy of the Order, who have never been able to destroy him. There’s a theory that he may be the host to the source of vampirism, though it’s known that vampires existed long before he came along, so HOW he became the source is a mystery (and it may not even be true; that’s just a theory).
The order is entirely made up of men, largely Divine Warriors, but more than a few Veterans are members. Today it is comprised both of descendents of the original members and new members who have shown a talent and obsessive passion for hunting and destroying the undead. Members know very little about the Order at large; all are required to carry a tattoo of the dragon insignia to identify themseves to other members:
By NoPunIn10Did - File:Dragon_order_insignia.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86746580 |
Resources
Members have access to vast resources, reporting directly to the Magisterium, but not all resources are immediately available; access to the Vatican Library and Archives, for example, requires travel to Vatican City, and calling in backup can sometimes take days, weeks, or even months, depending on how many other operatives are nearby and available.
Ranks of the Order
- Postulant / Initiate
- Soldier of the Order
- Dragon of the Fourth Class (Sergeant)
- Dragon of the Third Class (Lieutenant)
- Dragon of the Second Class (Captain)
- Dragon of the First Class (Major)
- General of the Order of the Dragon
- Major General of the Order of the Dragon
- Count of the Order of the Dragon
- Grand Magister of the Order of the Dragon
The Divine Order of the Sisters of Orleans
There is, however, have a sister order of women: The Divine Order of the Sisters of Orleans (also called DOSO or The Order of Darc).
The Founding of the Order
The order was founded in the year 1431, on the day after the supposed death of Jeanne d’Arc, who in fact was not burned that day; rather, in her place a lookalike was sacrificed so that Joan could be saved. The Pope himself intervened in this event; he had become aware that Joan had during her campaigns in the Hundred Years’ War battled far darker things than human foes, and that she and her inner circle had become quite adept at exorcism and battling the forces of Hell manifest on Earth.
It is said by the Mothers of the Order that Joan never got over her guilt at allowing another to be sacrificed in her place, and never again took up her blade. She did, however, become the administrative leader of the order established in her name, and her knowledge as a scholar and sage was unparalleled. She was given unfettered access to the Vatican archives, and the Order even today holds this access. She lived to see her own exoneration in 1456, and died the following year after passing on the keys of leadership to the next Grand Master of the Order, who in her honor took the name Jeanne, as has every General since.
Identifying Marks
Resources
Ranks of the Order
The Order by and large has borrowed its ranks from the Knights Templar, but has blended these with common military ranks. There are 15 ranks, some of which have degrees. They are, from lowest to highest, as follows:
- Sister
- Elder
- Corporal
- Standard Bearer
- Sergeant
- Under Marshal
- Knight
- Knight Commander
- House Commander
- Drapier
- General of Rome (Second General)
- General of Jerusalem (First General)
- Grand Marshal
- Seneschal
- Grand Master / Holy Mother
Degrees can be awarded within ranks, and are referred to as order. They serve to create a hierarchy within ranks, such that, for example, two groups of Mothers come together comprised of corporals, each overseen by an Under Marshal, one might be an Under Marshal 2nd degree, and one might be an Under Marshal 4th degree. The 4th degree Marshal holds authority over the 2nd degree Marshal.
An increase in Order can be awarded by any officer of a higher rank. The only exceptions are Seneshcal and Grand Master, with there being only one of each of these ranks at any time, and Sisters, who form the rank and file and have no Orders among them. Promotions in true rank can only be awarded of an officer of Knight Commander rank or higher.
The Sisters are more of a general order dedicated to defending humanity against the supernatural. They view the Order of the Dragon as a group of fanatical buffoons with the occasional worthwhile member, and by and large they keep their own existence secret from the Dragons, revealing themselves only very rarely and to a member of the Order of the Dragons that they feel is truly trustworthy. Mistakes have been made in the past, which ended up coming to bloody conclusions.
Interested in more options for your Night Shift: VSW game? Grab a copy of the Night Companion, now available for pre-order from our web store!
As with everything in Night Shift, this is all Copyright © and Trademark ™ 2022 Elf Lair, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Treat it just as you would anything we publish.
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