DISCUSIÓN

the Great’s empire. The Diadochi believed that war should reduce human societies to petty fiefs. Its mages sparked war after war.

Ironically, they were too successful; they left behind degen-erate, fragmented kingdoms that couldn’t muster significant resistance to the Romans.

The cults then tried to dismantle the Roman Republic, but weren’t successful.

Rome was a nexus for rival supernatural con-spiracies: a quagmire of demons and spirits, each of whom defended its territory with exceptional viciousness.

One faction of the General’s Seers eventually abandoned the struggle, reasoning that an expansionistic state would always serve the Exarchs’

goals, provided it committed itself to a doctrine of constant warfare.

These mages insinuated themselves into high posi-tions in Roman military as early as the time of Julius Caesar, but couldn’t properly exploit them until the 3rd century AD, because this new faction — the first Praetorians — were too busy exterminating their Diadochi forbears.

By the reign of Aurelian, the Praetorians wielded considerable influence, but the Roman Empire was dying by inches. Even the Seers couldn’t return it to glory, but that wasn’t necessary any more. The idea of imperial power and eternal war left the cradle of Alex-War is a garden that grows red, nurtured by blood,

moistened by a rain of sweat. The Praetorian ministry tends that garden

and keeps it from running wild, but it also keeps it healthy, well fed by the world’s violence.

Praetorians are soldiers, yes, but they’re

so much more:

demagogues, executive s, politicians and everything else that powers the machin-ery of violence. They don’t carry a banner of honor, though they’ll pretend to when it suits their aims.

They aren’t modern knights, samurai or the other hon-orable warriors that Adamantine Arrows idealize. Violence is not a crucible for character, but an

instrument of the Exarchs.

It siphons human creativity and destroys good will. It eats productivity and shits devas-tation. Divided against itself, humanity can never overthrow

the Lie. The Ministry keeps those divisions vigorous and hate-filled, without letting them produce a global catastrophe.

Before the Praetorian Ministry, the dominant Western cult was the Diadochi: a society of petty warrior kings who seized the remnants of Alexander

ander’s Persia and strode through Rome and across the world. From then on, nations would always be restless and prepared to pursue it, given half a chance. That’s what the Praetorian Ministry wanted, and that’s the way the world is today.

Overview

The General’s cults have always been popular. For every man or woman who wants peace or at least strictly controlled violence, there’s been one who simply wants to win, no matter the cost. These pragmatists are the Exarch’s core followers. Ironically, they learn that controlled violence is the key to power, not its obstacle. War and violence have changed over the ages, however. War materiel isn’t made by villages or even individual nations, but by corporations that span the globe. On the grand scale, violence relies on transnational consensus: coalitions, networks and ideological movements.

The Praetorian Ministry maintains the global ma-chinery of war and simulates ambitions that can only be realized by force. Praetorians infiltrate standing armies, guerilla groups and arms manufacturers. On a smaller scale, they’re provocateurs in police forces, gangs and even protest groups. The Ministry ceaselessly ensures that societies always treat violence as a necessary tool, and keep the arms, people and ideology needed to slaughter their own people and their neighbors.

On the other hand, they don’t want Sleepers to get too warlike. People have the means to destroy themselves, but the Praetorians don’t want them going down that path. Omnipresent, controlled violence is the goal — not genocide. The Ministry considers the rise of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons their failure, but takes credit for global agreements against using them.

The Ministry promotes perpetual warfare to sow fear in the Sleeper population. Fearful people take comfort in authority. They don’t trust their neighbors, and direct their thoughts toward practical, materialistic goals.

Deep questions about the nature of things fall to the wayside. Violence is also wasteful. It creates scarcity.

Billions go to maintaining armies and manufacturing weapons. If the global community forged a lasting peace, it could redirect these resources to solving the perennial problems of poverty, disease and hunger.

Once it seriously deals with those, humanity has no-where to go but up: to the Supernal Realms. A violent world guards the Exarchs from their prisoners.

Game System Summary

Membership in the Praetorian Ministry confers the following benefits:

Prelacy: Watchers may purchase dots in the Prelacy of Fury for the same price as Path Arcanum dots. See p. 72 for more information

on the Prelacies.

Rote Specialties: Athletics, Larceny and Intimidation

Status Merits: Praetorian Ministry Status dots can add to dots in the Enhanced Item

and Retainer (Myrmidon) Merits, as well as Status in military and law enforcement

organizations.

Members

The Ministry recruits the soldiers and cops you’d expect them to, but they don’t stop there. They want experts in every aspect of war and violence, including corporate VPs, black-market moguls in war-ravaged places and members of protest groups, especially if they’re pacifists — infiltrators ensure they won’t stay that way. The Praetorians are not for people who be-lieve in an idealized warrior’s code. Effective violence relies on deception and passion. Some mages believe in the ideal of the warrior sage. Praetorians believe in warriors as they are: desperate for pay, traumatized by experience and held back from the edge of atrocity by unevenly enforced policies. Many Praetorians are very skilled marksmen and martial artists, but they aren’t particularly attached to the esthetics of these disciplines. These are professional skills, nothing more.

A professional takes a certain amount of pride in his competence, but measures his abilities according to results, not metaphysics.

Above all, the Ministry wants mages who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. That means a Praetorian should be comfortable overseeing the manufacture of a few hundred AK-47s, airlifting them to the Golden Triangle, selling them to the local narcotics warlord and if necessary, strangling the warlord’s son to prove a point. Ministry mages are often versed in a number of criminal trade skills. These serve them in chaotic, war-torn territory. A Praetorian should be capable of refinement in the boardroom, savagery on a bullet-blasted street and everything in between.

Philosophy

Fear is the enemy of enlightenment. The Awak-ened may show superficial fear, but they possess a transcendent bravery that denies the Lie and crosses the Abyss. It’s the Ministry’s duty to cultivate utter fearlessness, but sow fear in the masses. As long as every Sleeper has at least a subconscious belief that someone could take away everything she holds dear, the unease will be sufficient to stifle Awakening, most of the time.

This isn’t an ideal solution, because there are always a few stubborn, desperate souls that are actually propelled into Awakening by fear, but the Ministry believes this is part of the Supernal design. Even Seers of the Throne should have enemies to test their resolve. Otherwise, they’ll go soft. The Ministry despises softness. To the ideal Praetorian, mortal danger, social censure and moral condemnation are nothing.

Doubt is a mark of the Abyss. The Exarchs put it in human souls to keep them Asleep by making them afraid of their own power. Pentacle renegades overcome fear through selfishness.

They crave power and erratically steal in from the higher worlds. Praetorians aspire to radical selflessness instead. They are the General’s vessels, duly authorized to channel Supernal force in his name. Paradoxes are stains of doubt in their mission. Praetorians are ashamed when they experience them, because they’re a sign of subconscious disloyalty to the Exarchs’ regime.

Rituals and Observances

The Praetorian Ministry is a pragmatic group that lets individuals plan their own ritual worship of the Exarchs — with the General at the head of the pan-theon, of course. They watch each other to confirm members’ piety and loyalty, but that’s it. Otherwise, the Ministry consistently devotes itself to a few com-mon, practical projects.

Contingencies

Praetorians don’t like hot-headed improvisation.

They compile plans for everything, from how to kill a lone Acanthus Adept to battle plans that will take effect if the Abyss sends monstrous soldiers against the world. Areti formulate contingency plans at all levels of the Ministry, and distributes sealed portions of them down the ranks so that when the time comes, key

Praetorians will know what to do. Every contingency plan is only as good as the information that was used to make it, so they’re most useful when they concern the author’s specialty.

Armories

The Ministry has its hands deep in the global arms trade, and diverts some of its wares to secret armories around the world. Praetorians augment many of these weapons with magic, providing easy, collective access to enhanced items. A Praetorian in good standing can get her hands on small arms without too much trouble, but for anything heavier she must petition the Severix in charge of the facility.

Titles and Duties

The General knows her loyal officers when they display attributes that she herself possesses. These are the honors: titles that Ministry lore gives the General in worship. Praetorians aspire to the qualities embodied

in each, but they will usually only acquire one or two honors in their lives. These define the mage’s duties, because she should serve the General in a capacity where she displays excellence. There are supposedly 99 honors, but only nine appear consistently in the sect’s grimoires. Of those, five are commonly awarded.

Alastor: “Avenger.” A Praetorian with this honor vents the Ministry’s wrath on anyone who injures it.

No outsider who sees evidence of a weakness in the Ministry should be allowed to speak of it.

Albiorix: “King of the World.” As the General rules over his soldiers, they should rule over Sleepers. An Albiorix cultivates a secret command over Sleeper cults, mobs and militias.

Aretus: “Excellent One.” The Praetorian is highly skilled in a particular art, craft or science. The General represents universal excellence. An Aretus embodies this within a limited field. He teaches other Praetorians his special combat skills, sciences or other aptitudes.

Caturix: “King of Battle.” Praetorians are not all warriors, but many are. This honor belongs to the most effective fighters. They lead other Praetorians on military missions.

Severix: “King of Discipline.” A mage with this honor embodies the General’s unyielding discipline. A Severix manages the Ministry’s resources because he’s trusted, and enforces order in the ranks. He imposes no standard he wouldn’t apply to himself.

They need us to sur-vive. We need them to

approve our plans — barely.

Intelligence gathering is only a prelude to action.

lEsser Ministries ThE PEnTaCLE

If one challenges us, we’ll destroy it, or it will destroy us, as the Exarchs will it.

Treat them gently. It’s al-ways good to have enemies

that underestimate you.

Religion is as good a rationale for war as any.

PrELaCiEs:

ThE ExarChs ’