The Fourth Saeptum: Eustachius Abbey
The Fourth Saeptum: Eustachius Abbey
'"Not against flesh and blood."'
When the Eustachian Abbot went into eternal eclipse in 1668, the entire sect changed purpose. Where they had been hunters of the worst kindred criminals, they now tracked down troublesome spirits. The harsh training given to recruits and the stern methods of the old Sept were less draconian; the inquisitorial mindset gave way to being inquisitive. The Lucien institute was instrumental in the reformation of the Saeptum due to its focus being forcibly changed by a paradigm shift of the mortal world. It was necessary to keep the Masquerade by splitting into two specialised areas: the mundane and the scientific, as Kine understood the world around them better than they had previously.
As wolf-shepherds, it was the Sept's duty to prevent knowledge of supernatural by dealing with matters of the spirit realm as spirits could possess and trouble Kine. Therefore, protection of the Traditions required the sect having expertise in dealing with ghosts. Thus, the exorcists were born.
The Brethren are scholarly mystics who delight in delving not only into the church sanctioned scriptures, but the apocryphal works, myths, and legends from the blasphemous holds of the Forbidden Libraries. Eccentric and devout to the last, other Sanctified members look at them with disapproval, as their studies of the supernatural would be otherwise considered heretical. The rest of the covenant has always been a little suspicious of them, and while the pre-Reformation Saeptum law that required the death of anyone who tried to leave the Eustachius Abbey has since been modified and the Sept itself will not usually hunt retirees, the rest of the covenant consider them highly dubious members of the Sanctified at best.
A handful of the Sept's original hunters survived its purge; when Father Eustace the Younger reformed the old sect they quietly shifted allegiance to the Nameless as elder Pilgrims and the new order Eustachian Abbot knows better than to take issue with it. While they remain part of the modern Abbey, once newcomers to the Sept take up their duties, they’re quietly instructed that any rumours of diablerie are to be passed immediately to those particular Sept elders who... never seem to do anything. But most are glad to wash their hands of such things and leave the offenders to the unkind mercies of the old and terrifying.
Those old holdovers from the original Saeptum have created an unexpectedly close bond between the old and the new. The new Sect is acknowledged in their own right. The exorcists of the Abbey take pride in their secrets, in the mystique of being the only known way to call the hunters of old. And it benefits them too, because, while they may be asked to attend to something resembling possession, there is no way to exorcise a soul shard.
There is a disproportionate number of Khaibit in this Sept, and they are the most reliable line of defence against the Strix; as well other spirit dealings that may arise. Other clans are, more- or-less, evenly represented. It’s not unusual for an Abbey exorcist to maintain a mortal identity almost identical to their kindred one, and thereby use Kine organisations to help with the workload and with information gathering. Those who don't wear a Russian wedding ring on their left hand have a triquetra pendant somewhere about them, but otherwise, tend to prefer simple and unassuming appearance.
Relic: The Great Tarrot (Noted book of the Exorcist St Furour, the Divine, reported to contain exorcism rituals written in code.)
Merits:
O: Specialty: Exorcism.
OO: Area of Expertise: Exorcism.
OOO: Indomitable 2
OOOO: Occult 1, Professional Training: Exorcism 1, Mentor 1
OOOOO: Temple of Damnation 3 (ideology: Ghost Hunting/Exorcism)