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HighmoonMedia
Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Miami Beach, FL
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 Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:46 am Post subject: [New Order] The Spear of Phinehas |
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This is a reworking of an Order I originally submitted to the Open Call for The Blessed and The Damned. As submitted, it wasn't chosen (The Seekers of Emet won over it, and frankly, I'm happy about it) so after a few months of not looking at it, I took another pass at the manuscript and made a few changes (starting with a new name and tighter focus).
The Spear of Phinehas presents a Jewish Order purportedly founded by King Solomon himself as a band of warrior-scholars that take on the Invisible World with zealous alacrity. They complement The Seekers of Emet acting as scouts and bodyguards for the relic hunters, and have the ability to see into the Invisible World at-will and deliver holy smites upon demons and Accursed.
Hope you like it. Feel free to leave feedback as well.
This was also posted to my blog.
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Daniel M. Perez
Highmoon Media Productions
The Gamer Traveler Podcast
The Digital Front Podcast |
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HighmoonMedia
Joined: 11 Jun 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Miami Beach, FL
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| Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:47 am Post subject: |
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THE SPEAR OF PHINEHAS
A Jewish Order of Witch Hunters for your Witch Hunter: The Invisible World game.
By Daniel M. Perez
Other Names: Zealots, Spears.
Area of Origin: Palestine (especially the cities of Jerusalem, Tiberias, and Safed/Tzefat), though the Order has also been recruiting from Jewish communities across the Ottoman Empire, Europe, The Netherlands and New Amsterdam.
Having given the task to hunt down the witches of the Coven of the Dark Canticle to Antiochus the Younger, King Solomon decided to gather a group of pious and zealous warrior-scholars which he would instruct himself in the true essence of the Invisible World, as brought down in the esoteric lore going back to Abraham, enabling them to fight head-on the shedim (demons) and those in league with them. He named the Order The Spear of Phinehas (Pinchas in Hebrew), after the weapon used by the warrior-priest when he demonstrated zealous alacrity in rooting out evil from before the Lord. Arguably one of the oldest Orders in existence, the Spear remains small and elusive, moving in secret through lands usually hostile to Jews, carrying on their mission to fight the denizens of the Invisible World.
| Quote: | | Designer’s Notes: While not necessary, it is recommended you also have The Blessed and The Damned (PCI 2408) sourcebook. The Jewish Order in that book, The Seekers of Emet, is interesting and complements the Spear quite well, and the introductory information about Judaism in the Grave New World is also very helpful. |
History and Homelands
After the death of King Solomon, The Spear of Phinehas survived the split of the kingdom into two, though with the first exile and the dispersal of the Ten Tribes, about one fifth of the Order got “lost” as well. After the Babylonian exile ended, the Spear reformed under the leadership of Ezra the Scribe, who along with returning the scrolls of the Law, brought the Secrets Scrolls of King Shelomo, wherein the monarch wrote extensively about the Invisible World and how to combat it.
The destruction of the Second Temple and Jerusalem by Roman forces under the control of future-emperor Titus resulted in extreme loses to the Spear; the Order officially disbanded as a result, the remaining members going underground in order to preserve as much of their lore as possible. Throughout the remaining years of the Roman Empire, and into the Dark Ages, The Spear of Phinehas operated as lone wolves, opposing the minions of the Invisible World, rarely staying in one place for long.
The Order reformed in the 12th century, shortly after (and as a direct result of) the establishment of the Seekers of Emet (Truth): the Seekers pledged to hunt down relics from the Second Temple, with the Spear taking the role of scouts and bodyguards, passing along whatever stories they picked up of possible relics, and offering extra muscle to any Seeker that needed it, always ready to engage the shedim of the Invisible World.
Traits and Tactics
Members of The Spear of Phinehas are accomplished scholars and warriors, pious in their observance of the Law. Most members of the Order are taciturn with the world at large, maintaining their distance and secrecy as much as possible; though certain parts of the world seem to be learning to accept Jews in their midst (to varying levels of tolerance), the general feeling is still one of mistrust and blind dislike.
Members of the Order tend to be well-rounded individuals capable of subsisting on their own for extended periods of time. That said, like all Jews, they seek the stability of a community and the access to all the essentials of a Jewish lifestyle that brings, like access to a minyan, kosher food, and maybe even the member’s immediate or extended family.
Recruitment
The Spear seek, whenever possible, to recruit members well-versed in the study of Jewish mysticism. Masters Kabbalists well acquainted with the Invisible World in the Holy Land, the Ottoman Empire, Eastern and Western Europe, and New Amsterdam and Newport in the New World, keep an eye out for students that show prowess in their studies as well as those that outright exhibit the mark of the Witch Hunter and funnel them to the Order for evaluation. If the student indeed has the aptitude and can handle the rigorous training of body, mind and soul, he is then accepted into the Order.
Most members of the Order are male, though there are women operatives as well in smaller numbers. The Spear welcomes them both equally, although they particularly heedful of the laws of tzniut, modesty, the set of rules that govern situations where men and women interact with one another.
Religion
Members of The Spear of Phinehas are all Jews, whether by birth or conversion according to the Law. Individual members may be more observant than others, but all are far more devout than the average Jewish layman living anywhere in the world. Each Guardian undergoes religious training almost identical to that of a rabbi, and while not all pursue or gain their ordination, each member of the Order is fully conversant in even minute details of the Law, Rabbinical elucidations, and Mysticism.
The Current Day
The Spear has two distinct chapters, one on each side of the Atlantic. The group in the Old World is still based out of the Holy Land, primarily in Safed, where the Order maintains a house of study for its trainees. Self-sufficient cells operate across the Ottoman Empire and Europe, rarely ever more than five strong, and always secretive to the utmost, given the general feelings towards Jews in these areas. The Order does count Amsterdam as something of a safe haven; the Spanish Portuguese Synagogue holds a room reserved specifically for members of the Order and it is not uncommon to find itinerant Spears resting here, assuming the mantle of a “normal” life if only for a few days.
The Spear has also established a relatively strong presence in the New World, thanks in part to the tolerant attitude displayed by New Amsterdam and Newport, both of which have allowed Jewish communities to settle and flourish with reasonable freedom. New Amsterdam is the main base of operations, and here the Order maintains a house of study for training new members recruited from the local Jewish families. A group of fifteen Spears has made their way south to the lands of New Spain after having found a new recruit descended from a family of New Christians, or conversos (or more derogatively, marranos), Jewish families that converted to Christianity to avoid expulsion from Spain but continued to practice the Jewish faith in secret. These anusim, forced ones, are of great interest to the Order, both as a matter of Jewish importance (helping lost Jewish souls return to the fold) as well as on a more practical level, considering what could happen if the Inquisition found them out.
Friends and Foes
Aside from the Seekers of Emet, whom they regard as members of their own family, the Spear of Phinehas has neither friend nor foe among their fellow Witch Hunters, mainly because most are not even aware of their existence yet. On a grander scale, the Spear’s main issue is the fact they are Jews, which immediately puts them at odds with most of Christendom, if not in outright danger with the more radical groups, such as the Inquisition or the Jesuits (especially in Spanish lands, be it on the Old or New World), or the Crusaders Inviolate among the Orders.
Because of their modus operandi, Spears of Phinehas and Stalkers of the Unseen Hunt meet often in the wilderness; in fact, most Witch Hunters who have met a Spear in the past probably think they have encountered just another Stalker, a confusion that suits the Jewish Order just fine. Save for a few cases here and there, individual Spears and Stalkers tend to have at least cordial relations when they meet while on a hunt, especially given the many ideas they share about how to carry on the battle against the Invisible World.
In the New World, the Spear has found unlikely allies in Witch Hunters of the Ghost People, and though a number of members argue that they should not readily associate with pagans, the native peoples’ lack of prejudice against Jews makes for a refreshing change of pace. The scientifically-minded members of the Lightbringers, likewise, present a relatively safe ally to the Spears, evidenced by the handful of members of this Order that the Order count as reliable contacts in both old and New Netherland.
Benefits
Spears of Phinehas are all well trained in matters of Jewish Law. Beginning Spears gain double their Education to spend on Trained Knowledge (Philosophy & Theology) and Speak Language (Hebrew), both of which are always considered background skills.
The Spear of Phinehas learned how to fight the Invisible World from the writings of King Solomon himself, who knew how to see into that hidden realm and how to combat it with pious zeal. A Spear of Phinehas gains one of the following benefits per session (as with the Seekers of Emet, these boons are only available if the Spear is ritually pure).
True Sight: The first letter of the Aleph-Bet (the Hebrew alphabet), Aleph connects the upper and lower realms, as represented by its shape, with one arm reaching up and one reaching down. Through the power of Aleph, the Spear gains the ability to see into the Invisible World at will, without suffering any drawback due to the shift in perception. This ability does not protect the Spear from being seen by denizens of the Invisible World.
Holy Smite: The tenth letter of the Aleph-Bet, and the first letter in the name of the Lord, Yud has tremendous power over nature in all its forms. Through the power of Yud, the Spear imbues his strikes with holy energy when fighting minions of the Invisible World and Accursed Humans, dealing one extra hit that cannot be negated by the use of Defense points.
_________________
Daniel M. Perez
Highmoon Media Productions
The Gamer Traveler Podcast
The Digital Front Podcast |
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