<strong>House of Change, The</strong><br/>Chantry of Metamorphosis<br/><br/>Type: Exploration<br/>Age: Respected<br/>Status: 3<br/>Season: Summer<br/>Reputation: 2 (about average)<br/>Purpose: Explore the limits of reality and train the upcoming generations of tradition magi<br/><br/>Council of Deacons<br/>- Mary Cline (Hermetic Master)<br/>- John (Hermetic Master)<br/>- Harald Thorssen (Verbena Master)<br/>- James Keegan (Ecstatic Master)<br/>- Lucretia (Euthanatos Adept)<br/>- Lavinia (Ecstatic Adept)<br/>- Thomas Bacon (Hermetic Adept)<br/>- Fr. Eric (Celestial Chorus Adept)<br/>- Artemis Nike (Verbena Adept)<br/><br/>A relatively young chantry, the House of Change was founded in the early-19th or late-18th century.  Founded on the principle of exploration and adaptation, the chantry has few masters and tries to include as many traditions as possible.  Despite this foal, the Order of Hermes, Verbena, and Cult of Ecstasy maintain a hold on most of the chantry’s power, in that order of traditions.  Surprisingly, given that the chantry has a decent sized realm, it only controls one node, which has its benefits.  Defending the source is easier, however, it limits the chantry’s strength, especially since priority is given to the Horizon Realm.  An added problem is that, being an old Garou caern, the old owners may return to claim it at any time.<br/><br/>Cabals (15-35 mages total)<br/>- Luminaries of Geraldus (ambassadorship, magickal labor)<br/>- Cline, Thorssen, Bacon, Lavinia, Nike<br/>- The Grey Order (Investigation, Protection)<br/>- John<br/>- Ovid’s Librarians (Collection, training)<br/>- Keegan<br/>- Johnson’s Children (node maintenance, collection)<br/>- Fr. Eric<br/>- House of Lee (protection, chantry maintenance)<br/>- Lucretia (named for Bruce Lee)<br/><br/>Node: The chantry only controls one node to date, but their founders managed to open and purchase the powerful Fallen Shadows Caern.  This one acre stretch of land in upstate New York was once a 17th century Shadowlord caern, stolen from the Croatan.  In the mid-18th century, the Garou sept died out, leaving their caern to be discovered decades later.  The region is sparsely populated, but haunted with minor magickal manifestations that have been documented by Sleepers.  It has a connection to the Chantry’s Realm and produces approximately 45 quintessence per day.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_u">Horizon Realm</span><br/>Concept: The realm, given quintessence limits, was meant to be a reflection of the chantry on Earth, without certain pesky things like most bugs, drafts, and Sleepers.  It was created as a place where magickal experimentation could go wild, within space limitations, and apprentices could be trained without concern for paradox.  As the chantry has grown, so has the Realm.<br/><br/>Environment: Since the founders had limited resources, the environment of the realm is very much like Earth’s, including weather and plant-life.  Given the space available, the founders tried to add as much variety as they could.  This has been added to as the realm grew and more traditions joined the chantry.<br/><br/>Denizens: Due to quintessence limits, the only denizens of the realm are small birds, mammals, and a few select insects as well as typical plant-life.  Any other denizens must be individually created by the magi.<br/><br/>Magickal Ratings: Normal<br/><br/>Realm Description: In its realm, the Chantry is a four acre Tudor style palace, rising to four stories over most of its area.  Six story towers cap the ends and another pair flank the solid oak door.  This large double door has much of the chantry’s history carved in bas relief on its surface.  Around the building itself are six acres of land evenly mixed between wildland and manicured garden, complete with fountains, a creek, and marble bridges.  The palace has internal room for about a hundred twenty people, though some of the magi choose to create sanctums on the grounds instead of inside with the servants.<br/><br/>Earthly Chantry: On Earth, the chantry is composed of the Shauffer mansion, located on the fringe of downtown.  The late-18th century mansion is owned in trust by all of the chantry’s masters, with others added to the title as they attain rank.  The mansion itself is unremarkable save for its age and obvious wealth.  All of the original furniture, wallpaper, and fixtures are intact.  The exterior is grey stone and red brick on half an acre of land surrounded by a wrought iron topped red brick wall.  A single driveway pierces the wall, blocked by an electronic wrought iron gate.  The building is wired for phone, electric, and DSL plus cable.<br/><br/>Purpose: As befits its name, the purpose of the House of Change is in a nearly constant state of flux.  However, certain core values have remained throughout the Chantry’s existence: a belief in the exploration of reality’s limits and the instruction of new magi to bolster the ranks of the traditions.<br/><br/>History: The exact foundation date is unknown, but believed to be in the late-18th or early-19th century.  The Metamorphics, or Changers, have largely kept to themselves in the city so far.  In the early days, the Chantry was composed of Hermetics, Verbena, and Ecstatics.  Supposedly this odd combination came from siblings drawn to different traditions.  By the early 20th century, other traditions came into the fold as the Technocrats advanced.  Eventually, the local Tremere and Tremere-antitribu discovered the chantry, as detailed below.  AS the founders grew in strength, they began to drift off to other chantries, leaving a maximum of six masters in the chantry, a tradition continued into the modern day.<br/><br/>Non-Mage Inhabitants: This chantry is home to roughly seventy servants and consors.  Most are non-aligned in terms of the cabals, but they tend to ally themselves by age.  The eldest with the Luminaries (4:1 servant to mage ratio), then the Librarians (2:1), Grey Order (2:1), Children (1:1), and House (1:1), in that order.  The same holds true for the number of devotees with the Librarians and Order averaging a 2:1 servant to mage ratio.<br/><br/>Internal Relations: Internally, the Chantry resembles a school in its organization with the Masters as tenured faculty, adepts as non-tenured, disciples as graduate students, apprentices as students, and non-magi as high school kids.  The cabals all have their own duties within this hierarchy, the House learns from the Order, the Children from the Librarians, and everyone from the Luminaries.  Each cabal has at least one adept or master to guide it, and to represent its interests on the Council of Deacons.  Traditionally, the Luminaries control the council with five of the nine seats, though its members are not necessarily expected to vote as a block.  For the most part, this system seems to work well, though there is always political maneuvering as in all chantries and faculties, magickal or mundane.<br/><br/>External Relations: The Grey Order and House of Lee keep tabs on local Garou and known Kindred whenever possible.  They also enforce the non-aggression treaty with the Tremere-antitribu and attempt to block the moves of the Camarilla Tremere against the chantry.  To date, the Changers have avoided contact with the Fae, other Kindred, and potential Technocrats.  Their region is small enough and node remote enough to avoid the latter.<br/><br/>Status & Reputation: The House of Change is a respected, established chantry with a fair history.  As a school and house of knowledge, it is reasonably well known.  Its role as a multi-tradition House adds to its reputation in some eyes, as does its body of alumni.  However, recent suspicion of outsiders has delivered a blow to the Changers’ reputation.<br/><br/>Policy Regarding Outsiders: Due to roughly six decades of withstanding Tremere incursions, the House is justifiably paranoid regarding outsiders.  Newcomers are subjected to a wide battery of tests and trials before entering.  Even then, they get suspicious looks for a while.<br/><br/>Allies/Enemies: The House has allies in many North American chantries due to its practice of farming out masters once they reach critical mass.  However, it has also created its share of enemies in the same region over the last fifty-some years due to stricter entry policies and some of its experimentation.<br/><br/>Research Capabilities: Because of space limitations, the House has only a good quality library of arcane materials, though an excellent array of mundane texts on a variety of subjects.  The contents range in age from 12th century manuscripts to recent bestsellers.  The laboratory space is, sadly, somewhat limited and typically monopolized by the Hermetics.  In the Realm, a half dozen or so labs exist in the building with lots of outdoor room to spare.  On Earth, Shauffer Manor is home to a split basement containing a modern chemistry lab to one side and biology lab to the other.  One of the old upstairs dining rooms has been converted into a state of the art computer lab by an enterprising Virtual Adept a few years ago.<br/><br/>Security: Both the Realm and Chantry are protected by magickal wards of great strength, though different purpose.  Additionally, they are both fortified to a surprising extent.  The chantry also has a fairly standard system of locks, alarms, and cameras.  There are no guardians to date, unless one counts any experiments the members may be working on.  Physical, living, security is provided by two cabals, largely the House of Lee for the Chantry and the Grey Order for the realm and as bodyguards.  The servants attached to both cabals (roughly 20-25) are trained to the level of a private security force, by mundane standards.<br/><br/>Chantry Stat Stuff:  (Points: 93)<br/>External: Atmosphere = normal, Phenomena = none, Psychic Emanations = Strong, Magickal Manifestations = None, Continuum Fluctuations = none, Energy Fluctuations = None<br/><br/>Guardians: None<br/>Location: City (-5)<br/>Size: Average (+5, Mansion)<br/>Security System: Average (+5)<br/>Protective Wards: Difficulty 9, Supernatural Entities<br/>Fortification: Well-Fortified<br/>Communications: Modem, Trans-Umbral<br/>Land Status: Privately Owned<br/>Misc: None<br/>Building Conditions: High-Tech<br/><br/>Realm Location: ---<br/>Size: Small (10 acres)<br/>Security: ---<br/>Wards: Diff 9, any unauthorized<br/>Fortification: Mighty<br/>Communications: Trans-Umbral<br/>Misc: Special Portal to Node<br/>Surrounding/Climate: Simple Terrain<br/>Climate: Earthly<br/><br/>Node<br/>Fallen Shadows Caern<br/>Phenomenon: Haunted<br/>Psychic Emanations: Normal<br/>Magickal Manifestations: Subtle<br/>Location: Sparsely Populated<br/>Size: Huge<br/>Fortifications: Average<br/>Land Status: Privately Owned, Well Documented<br/>Misc: Special Portal to Realm<br/><br/>Research Facilities<br/>Arcane Library: Good (70 Study Points)<br/>Laboratories: Normal<br/><br/>Internal<br/>Realm Population: No People<br/>Chantry Servants/Acolytes: Functional<br/>Loyalty: ---<br/>Internal Politics: ---<br/>Leadership: ---<br/><br/>Nephandi and Marauders may exist in or near Sanctuary at the GM’s discretion.