Spotlight on The Haunters, Masquers and Mnemoi

A look at the current situations of these three guilds.

by J. Edward Tremlett (Wraith: The Oblivion | Resources)

This is a continuation of what was started in September with the Alchemists, and continued last month with the Artificers, Chanteurs and Harbingers. The other nine Guilds past these will be featured in the three months to come, three guilds at a time.

The Haunters

Nicknames: Poltergeists, Black Cloaks, Twisters, Freaks, Spectre Bait

Guildmaster: Sweet Sorrow

Center of Power: Imperial War Museum: Lambeth, London Necropolis

Specialty Arcanos: Pandemonium (with some also emphasizing Outrage)

Organization

It�s a bit of a misnomer to say that the Haunters have much organization, especially now. The five Alliances -- often known as "Clubs" -- that make up the Guild all have their own goals, leadership structures and ways of doing things. The only reason they call themselves Haunters at all is because of their shared Arcanos and their stated desire to tear down the Shroud. At times, even these two factors barely kept them together before, and now they�re doing an even worse job than ever, especially now that so many have left for the Skinlands. (see "Recent History," below, for more information)

The H.G. Dwellers are a group of highly-independent individuals who follow -- or ignore -- the dictates of a Council of five of their number. The members of the Council are picked by Midian, who was known as the Guildmaster in times past. They seek to manipulate time itself, pushing its hands back past the time of their deaths. Most of them are now in the Skinlands, with Midian, and those who remain are desperately trying to join their Resurrected companions.

There are the Mandelbrots, who follow the unyielding leadership of Dr. Shudder, and live in fear of his thirteen assistants, known as the Dead Cadre. They seek to manipulate the Shroud itself in the hopes of tearing it apart, though only in the most scientific manner. Most of them are in the Shadowlands, attending to their experiments and creating some of the most brutal and sickening of hauntings in order to further those same experiments.

The Caligarians are a completely disorganized group of Haunters whose only goals seem to be pushing the boundaries of "reality" until they snap, or the Caligarians do. Most of them remain in the Shadowlands, and use the Hierarchy�s end as an opportunity to create even grander spectacles than ever before.

The Bedlameers seem to be insane and psychotic Wraiths who follow the word of Sweet Sorrow, now the de-facto leader of the Guild in Midian�s absence. They seem keen to spread insanity and bedlam amongst those who already know it too well: the insane, the hopeless, the deviant and the victimized. They have mostly stayed in the Shadowlands, and are the front-row soldiers in the Guild�s war against Oblivion.

The Order of the Glass Menagerie are "equal opportunity" Haunters interested in making sure that The Fog doesn�t completely ameliorate the results of a good Boo Job. Most of them ran across the Shroud for the Skinlands, and those who remained have undergone a draconian purging of "alien sympathizers" at the hands of Sweet Sorrow and the Bedlameers. Those who stay in the Skinlands follow Midian�s example, and those who remained whole and hearty in the Shadowlands act in line with Sweet Sorrow�s "suggestions."

And so, of the five, two are mostly in the Skinlands, three remain in the Underworld. Of those, only two of those seem to be fairly organized, and each one follows its own leader to the exclusion of any others. All the same, for the other Guilds� benefit, the fiction of the Guild�s bending at the knee to one leader is maintained.

For now, that "leader" is the gaunt known as Sweet Sorrow -- often known as the "Grandmother of Pandemonium." Though she seemed content to be an advisor, rather than leader, this changed when the Maelstrom�s events unfolded. As a result of them, and Dr. Shudder�s unwillingness to claim a larger position for himself, Sweet Sorrow decided to take more of a hands-on approach with the Guild.

Notable Groups

Of all the five "clubs" that currently comprise the Haunters, the ones known as the Mandelbrots deserve the most mention at this time. Their brutal style of Haunting, and connections to the Spooks, could make for interesting reading now that they don�t have to worry about Hierarchy interference in their affairs. But their noteworthiness doesn�t stem from what they�ve done so much as what they�re currently doing: studying the effects the 6th Great Maelstrom had on the Shroud, and trying to replicate them.

From their inception, the Mandelbrots were always interested in combining Outrage and Pandemonium to affect the very Shroud itself. Their leader and guiding light, Dr. Shudder, has led them to new heights of scientific endeavour: discovering and researching ways that one might permanently lessen the Shroud via Arcanoi. They�ve had some successes over the years, and they�ve also had some pretty disastrous failures. Still, they keep researching in the hopes of leading the charge across a permanently-destroyed Shroud, and bringing death back to life, where they think it belongs.

When the Shroud�s near-fatal moment of weakness came, and Midian charged into the Skinlands with the majority of the H. G. Dwellers and the Order of the Glass Menagerie, the former Guildmaster ordered Dr. Shudder to remain behind and watch what happened. "You will be the chronicler of our efforts, here," he said: "Watch what we do! Learn from it. And when the time is right, what you see will help us bring the Shroud down for once and for all!"

Those were bold words that Midian spoke, and Dr. Shudder was happy enough to follow them to the letter. Since then he�s made a comprehensive study of those Wraiths who�ve been stuck in decaying bodies in the Skinlands -- the ones the Haunters call "The Resurrected." And, with the help of the Alchemists -- eager to make new friends -- how to affect large areas of the Shroud

And after a year�s worth of observation, he is happy to say that he�s found a way to achieve the same result through deliberate actions rather than happy accident. A number of his Alliance have been brought through the Shroud in such fashion, and are conducting field tests according to his designs. A lot of it involves doing leg-work for the Alchemists, it seems...

What he and the Mandelbrots are going to do with the knowledge of how to resurrect Wraiths is the question of the hour. None of the other Clubs know of it yet: Dr. Shudder is pretty sure Sweet Sorrow won�t take the news well, and he has the feeling she knows something�s up. So even Midian -- who charged him to do it -- is in the dark on this one.

Current History

The Haunters� Guild has seen quite a bit of upheaval in the time since the 6th Great Maelstrom�s outbreak. The Storm�s presence widened the fractures that were already formed within the Guild, and forced a number of events that were some time in coming, including temporary alliances with various "aliens" -- a term the Guild uses to describe those not in league with the Wyld. The result is a group that seems one step away from fracturing into splinters, each one claiming the name of "Haunters" for themselves.

The first fracture was nurtured in secret. While none can claim to know how Midian�s mind works -- most notably Midian himself -- there seems to be no question that he knew that the Storm, and a way back to the Skinlands, was fast approaching. He intimated as much to Dr. Shudder before it all came crashing down, and charged him to stay behind and watch what occurred. Dr. Shudder, as always, complied.

And then, one day, with the rush of a wave and the screams of a thousand approaching Doomshades, the Maelstrom was upon the land. The vast majority of Midian�s Club was there, with him, and as he leapt into the rushing wave of the storm they followed right after. And once the Order of the Glass Menagerie saw them going, they -- along with more than a few of the other Clubs� members -- jumped right in, too. Many were lost, of course, but many more were deposited into their bodies, or those of others, and have become known as the Resurrected.

Without a clear leader in the Shadowlands, those Haunters who remained were scattered and unorganized even worse than usual. Many were lost due to this madness, many more -- useless without constant supervision -- were left to the winds� mercy. All that could be done was to watch those who wouldn�t heed the warnings be eaten by Spectres, or torn apart by winds, and tend to those who did as best as one could.

Of course, that course of action led to a sadly diminished Guild. Those who remained in the Shadowlands of Europe fell back to the Bedlameers� seat of power at the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth -- London Necropolis. It was the previous site of St. Mary�s of Bethlehem, the infamous mental institution whose shortened name was the origin of the word "Bedlam." And there, amidst the congealed fear, horror and madness of centuries past, they waited out the storm and regained their strength.

Once the storm�s Outbreak was down a bit, Sweet Sorrow ordered her Bedlameers into the fray, as was their Guild�s calling when Maelstroms threatened. And she saw many of her Club go to their final rests in this, and too, too few come along to replace them. Nor could she count on much support from the others: the Caligarians weren�t interested in fighting, the Mandelbrots were all wrapped up in some "secret project" she couldn�t get them to talk about, and the H.G. Dwellers and the Order were too few to be counted on for anything. Only the Dantes -- a Club of Christian Haunters who thought themselves in Purgatory, and sought to use Pandemonium to wipe away illusions and punish sinners -- would stand by her Club�s side and fight the Storm.

The loss of much of her Club in this time was daunting, but Sweet Sorrow was hoping for some eventual payback, given certain deals she�d made. She was certain that, when the Storm blew over, the Guild would be sitting pretty with a new patron -- the Laughing Lady, leader of the Penitent Legion -- and many more followers for her own designs. And she labored under that premise for some time, at least until news of the Laughing Lady�s fall in Stygia�s defense, and the end of Her Legion, reached Grandmother Haunter�s ears.

A month or so after the Maelstrom�s initial outbreak had died down, another fracture was revealed when the Dantes left the Alliance. Father Foster, their spiritual leader, claimed that he had received a vision from God during the Storm�s worst moments. He spoke of a vision ordaining a new, more Transcendent calling for them to follow -- a path that led them far from being "Haunters."

So the Dantes left to become proper Heretics, and the six were five. More than a few of the Guild�s other Clubs weren�t to sorry to see the Zealots go, tired of their attitude. Their strict organization and sense of purpose would soon be missed by Sweet Sorrow, but, all the same, this meant that she could focus her attentions all the more on those five Clubs which remained, and see to broadening her powers.

For, despite losing the Dantes� support against the Storm, in some ways their leaving was the moment that Sweet Sorrow had been waiting for. She really never cared much for the Guild�s cause, preferring to create chaos for its own sake. It was to this disjointed end that she had manipulated events and decisions of the Guild, making certain that things were always just one step away from falling apart -- but only at the moment she deigned it to, and not before. And, with Dr. Shudder hiding in his lab, Midian away and Father Foster gone she no longer had to worry about their troubling influence in her plans.

By then, the reformed Council of Guilds was close to meeting. Sweet Sorrow received the notice by courier -- a letter from some Artificer named Lord McMahon, whoever that was -- and, of course, she couldn�t turn this down. She sent word back that she would agree to come and represent the Haunters Guild as its� new Guildmaster. An announcement of her preparing for this meeting was the only true announcement she made to signify her claiming that title.

Dr. Shudder said nothing to the contrary, but there was a sudden movement from those members of the Order of the Glass Menagerie who�d stayed behind in the Shadowlands. One in particular -- some little Lemure named Corrina -- seemed to be stirring up trouble concerning Sorrow�s sudden claim to the Guildmaster spot. A swift investigation followed, and it was discovered that the Order was full of alien sympathizers. The Bedlameers were set loose on the lot of them, and those who remained afterwards were only the ones who were steadfastly loyal to the Guild: Corrina�s whereabouts are unknown.

Thusly "vindicated," Sweet Sorrow attended the Guilds meeting when it occurred. In exchange for being listed as a "proper" Guild, with the others, the Haunters agreed to do what they have always done in any Great Maelstrom: fight the storm with all their ability as best as they can, and do whatever is necessary to deal with the Spectres who ride upon its winds. In this they joined the Masquers in their bid to go on the offensive against the Storm, and many of the Guilds were happy to hear of this continuation of their usual activity.

Since then, Sorrow has been making sure the Guild lives up to its word. In order to do this, she�s ordered her Club to intensify its usual hauntings, hoping to "recruit" more Bedlameers to hold out against the Storm.

Current Activities

As they have done in any Great Maelstrom, many Haunters have railed against the static and dull hell that Oblivion has brought to bear upon the Underworld. But past that, each "Club" has its own agenda, and things it wants done.

The H.G. Dwellers, along with their leader, Midian, are trying to work their time-warping effects from that side of things. Rumor has it that they may have succeeded in some aspects, but no one will say where this has happened, other than making some snide comments about the former owners not approving at all. The Order of the Glass Menagerie are also quite settled in the Skinlands at this time, carrying out their Haunting on a more physical basis. Those who remain in the Shadowlands are kowtowing to Sweet Sorrow, at least for now...

The Caligarians have stayed on the dead side of things, at least as much as possible, and are delighting in being able to construct even more elaborate galleries than ever before. The Mandelbrots have also preferred to stay on the dead side of things, though their activities often bring them into the Skinlands via Pandemonium (see "notable groups," above, for what else they�re up to)

Meanwhile, the Bedlameers are engaged on three fronts. The first is in the Skinlands, where they continue to spread their unique blend of madness wherever they can -- now specializing in fatal varieties in the hopes of gaining new members. The second is against the Storm, as it�s mostly their members who are going out to deal with Oblivion.

As for the third, it is internal. With Midian�s unexpected departure for the Skinlands, and the unmasking and Harrowing of the traitors in the Order, the only other Haunter who could really challenge Sweet Sorrow for the leadership of the Guild is Dr. Shudder. He and his Mandelbrots are doing other things at the moment, but she knows that sooner or later he�ll stick his nose out of the lab long enough to see what time of day it is. At that point, she�s expecting war, and she�s not slouching in her preparations for that time, either.

One thing that all five groups do agree on, though, is that they seem to have a new and interesting problem on both the Shadowlands and the Skinlands fronts. In the lands of the living, some of the Quick have suddenly gotten the moxie -- and the powers, natch -- to cause real problems at Haunt sites and the like. They may still be flesh and blood, but they have the capability of taking away Wraiths� powers and then pummeling them into Harrowings. They are also completely resistant to The Fog.

This is just not good news, and it gets even worse when one considers that their first appearance has been put square with the eruption of the 6th Great Maelstrom, and the weakening of the Shroud. Dr. Shudder is, along with his many other projects, trying to figure out how they came to be. He�s offered a standing reward for any Haunters who can bring him a specimen of these jumped-up Alien Skinbags for live experimentation. So far, no one�s been able to take him up on it.

And then there�s the Shadowlands problem. Of late, some of the most notorious Haunters are being followed and accosted by extremely powerful wraiths who, in all ways possible, resemble the Ferrymen -- right down to the boats, scythes and unbelievable powers. Quite a few of their number have been sent into final Harrowings while trying to do their business, and this is leading the Haunters� disrate hands to wonder what�s changed. Are these really the Ferrymen, or is someone with incredible resources playing a rather frightening scare of their own on the Guild?

Current Political Situation

The Haunters are, at best, tragically misunderstood by most Wraiths. In the old days they were told they were Spectre-bait and should be turned in to the nearest Patrol for "counseling" before they tipped over the edge. Now they�re..., well, what are they? Zealous martyrs defending against the storm? Crazed animals trying to tear down the Shroud by killing the Quick in droves? Perverse artists? Time travelers? Zombies?

As the average Wraith has no idea of the internal "structure" of the Guild, they do not understand what they�re seeing is the act of five different factions all on their own agendas. This just adds to the confusion and makes it hard to say whether they�re loved or hated. It�s better to just put them down as "avoided until needed." On the other hand, any Renegades or Heretics who break the Shroud on a regular basis find the Haunters to be friendly, if not allies.

As for their fellow Guilds, the Haunters more or less all value the Alchemists and Spooks. The Spooks� status comes from the fact that they were once one Guild, plus their associations ever after: Sweet Sorrow and the current head of the Spooks, Artemus Vanderwal, seem to be enjoying a decent relationship. As for the Alchemists� sudden friendship, it makes no sense unless you�re in the Mandelbrots, but one can�t help but notice that neither the Alchemists nor the Haunters hold much love for the Artificers.

They�ve also come to enjoy the companionship of the Masquers, given how they�re both in the business of defending Necropoli from Spectres, now. All the same, they know that the gleam in the Masquers� eyes means that this alliance is a temporary one, and everyone involved knows this very well. Such is the nature of the Storm to make allies from strangers. (though it�s said that the Order of the Glass Menagerie has a much more firm friendship with the Masquers for some odd reason..)

They�re also still on reasonable relations with the Monitors, who often team up with their Boo Crews to raze the Fetters of Wraiths they both don�t like. The Alchemists and the Monitors don�t like one another, true, but that�s no real problem at all. One just has to be careful not to see them both at the same time.

As mentioned earlier, they don�t like the Artificers one little, tiny bit. This has a lot to do with how the Artificers were so keen to help turn so many good Haunters into little, tiny coins. There was hardly a dry eye in the house when the eldest Guild�s reversal of fortunes came to light, really. And they don�t like the Puppeteers, either, because of that Guild�s annoying tendency to kill people. Of course, the Mandelbrots say "so what?" to that, and others voice similar concerns, but even they don�t truly care for the Puppeteers� company. Is there something more beyond that little moral quandary?

And then there are the Proctors, for whom is reserved a special kind of loathing. The Proctors betrayed the Haunters several times in the past, and the Haunters have really started to dislike the taste of the Jellybodies� meddling in their affairs. Now that so many Haunters are running amok in the Skinlands, the Proctors are going to start getting some real payback.

Soon.

The Masquers

Nicknames: Assassins Anonymous, Dopplegangers, Facelifters, False-Faces, Fleshcrafters, Skin Jobs

Guildmaster: "Dame Katrin" (really an interchangeable spokeswraith, Moliated into "Dame Katrin," speaking for the Guild�s council of seven)

Center of Power: Hollywood, the Los Angeles Necropolis

Specialty Arcanos: Moliate

Organization

The Masquers are arranged like most "standard" Guilds -- Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Grand Master -- with an extra step down at the bottom, below Apprentice. Such persons are known as Novices, who either try out for entry into the Guild, or are told that the Guild�s interested in them and that they should start to show some gratitude for it. If the Novices some talent with their Moliation -- and pass the excruciating Initiation Rite -- they will be accepted as Apprentices. The failures are not spoken of, these days...

Apprentices toil under Masters, who decide when and if such a person becomes a Journeyman. What criteria they use is really up to the Masters who oversee their instruction. Once they become Journeymen, they may be considered to be handed certain assignments, depending on which sort of calling they fall into. Once they become Masters, they can broker their own deals, at least so long as their elders don�t object to the details. And that�s provided they even know what they are. The Grand Masters are a secretive bunch who move in secret and never seem to be the same person two days running. They make up the ranks of the ruling councils -- most of which have names that seem to change by the week -- and do the secret things that the Guild is (in)famous for. They are also some of the most "visible" members of the Guild, though the visibility seems restricted to mere knowledge of a stage name.

The Masquers are trained to be adaptable, but most of them seem to gravitate to one of five "callings." Some of them are ones that the Guild is rightfully known for doing, while others are secrets to most who are not Masquers, or do not deal with the Guild on a regular basis. They are:

Arrangers, who live up to their name, making things happen, or fail to. Have you an enemy who needs Harrowing, or a more permanent sort of disposal? Talk to an Arranger, and it will be done.

Fetches, who are masters of impersonation. Do you need an inside agent, or someone to take someone�s place for a time so that her sudden disappearance isn�t noted right away? Talk to a Fetch, and be prepared to pay very well.

Helldivers, who infiltrate the Labyrinth, impersonating Spectres, and assassinate the ones who seem the most troublesome. They are not for hire except in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

Iduun, who are the body-shaping experts that the Guild is most known for. Need you a new look, a slight change in how you appear, or a total makeover on the fly to avoid capture? Talk to an Idunn, if he doesn�t walk up to you and comment on your need for a "trim" first.

Warsmiths, who bladed and armored other Wraiths for war. (Detailed further in "Notable Groups," below) There is another kind of Masquer that cuts across the lines of mere calling: they are the Anonymae. These are those nigh-mysterious persons who have given up all traces of their former selves in order to become as anonymous as their name suggests, save for a name that carries as far as their reputation and a certain style that is unmistakable. One of the more (in)famous of these is known as Slander, who has survived the Maelstrom just fine, judging from how hir trademark style has been spotted on a few jobs since then.

Special Groups

One of the worst-kept secrets of the Guild was that they could craft others� bodies into weapons as well as they could craft their own. Supposedly, this was impossible, but one only had to see a Barghest made, or be in the know in various Legions, Renegade Gangs, other Guilds and the like to know that such services were available. It was the Guild�s most profitable sideline of business, mostly because of the nature of what they were doing, as well as the rarity of finding a Masquer who knew how to do it -- it took a very "special touch," you see.

But since the Masquers agreed to see to the armoring of Necropoli�s defenders in order to remain on the Council, the big secret -- which wasn�t really much of a secret, to be honest -- is out. So now, where the warriors of the Underworld have no swords and no armor to defend the city against the storm, the Warsmiths of the Masquers are there to provide them. And though they were once able to command high prices for such deals, they must now provide them for free Of course, the Warsmiths aren�t so happy about all this. They can still make money doing up those who aren�t involved in Necropolis defense, since that doesn�t violate the agreement, but there�s hardly any time to see them on the side. In fact, most of them haven�t had much of a social life since their peculiar talents were first recognized, and now that the Storm�s on, they�re not getting hardly any personal time at all.

There�s talk of forming a union. There�s also talk of seceding from the Guild from some of the more vocal of Warsmiths. And given their rarity, the Guild can�t do too much to crack down on them: that would be a bit like killing the goose that laid the golden egg because it left droppings on your shoe. All the same, the Guild has a powder keg burning, and it just gets worse as the Storm marches on...

Current History

They say that, of all the Guilds, the Masquers have weathered the coming of the Storm the best. This isn�t exactly true, but you�ll never get any of them to admit otherwise. Keeping up appearances at all costs is their claim to fame, after all, and now is no different. This can be rather ironic, given how things that might be mistaken as achievements are looked upon as failures, and what would otherwise be losses are truly gains.

The loss of Stygia was one such paradox. While many Guilds have found this a wonderful chance to stand up and show their colors once more, it was quite a blow to the Masquers� long-range planning. For untold ages, they had been running a program of slowly and silently replacing upper-echelon Hierarchs with deep-cover Fetches. These moles would one day help to usher in the new age of the Guilds, allowing the "banned" organizations to keep Stygia�s strength, and yet have much more "sensible" leadership at the top. Such plans came to naught when that state came tumbling down. Though many of the Council of Seven were rather upset that they hadn�t seen all this coming, they have all since accepted that this is what happens when you don�t talk to the Oracles, much less spy on them. The best they could do was grab everything of worth from their ziggurat on the Isle of Sorrows and run for London when the initial wavefronts passed on by.

Of course, the biggest shock of that fateful day was the part the Mnemoi played in it. The Masquers hadn�t a clue that the thrice-cursed Guild had it within themselves to pull off such a deception for as long as they had, and that was saying something. After all, the Guild had hidden some of their number following the crackdown, and some had remained on reasonable terms with the Mnemoi in the ages following. You�d have thought some Fetch would have rumbled their game before now?

All the same, such matters were academic from that point. The Council repaired its losses as best they could in the Shadowlands of London, waiting out the worst of the Storm�s first movements. As they waited, they reevaluated their Intelligence program, and decided to make some changes to its structure and methods. The nature of just what those changes were are still questionable: personnel were shuffled and old assignments scrapped in favor of new ones, but any clear pattern is not there to be seen. Of course, these are the Masquers, so nothing less could be expected.

Some time after that, the Storm�s first onslaught died down enough to coordinate mass movements. The first thing the Guild did was to relocate their headquarters to a more fitting environment -- Hollywood -- and try to rebuild the numbers lost to the storms. Around this time, the Guild received intelligence that the Midnight Watch -- a band of ancient Renegades -- was on the move again. The hoary, old group was asking various Renegade Gangs to attend a meeting, hoping that they could all united into a single entity to rebuild London, and then the Underworld.

Such an idea was not pleasing to the Council of Seven, given that they wanted the Guilds to be the ones doing any rebuilding. Their response was to have the Fetches they�d had in the London Fogsuckers and the Flying Column go to the meeting and monkeywrench it. The meeting fell apart with all sides blaming the other for the disaster, and no one�s been able to get them back together since then. The Council called it a mission well-accomplished.

They have done other things as well, of course, but not all of them are that well-known. There�s some question as to the disappearances of various Monitors, and just who paid for those "accidents," and with what. There�s no shortage of people willing to speculate as to their current arrangements with the Usurers, or the Artificers, or any of the other Guilds that they work with on a regular basis.

All one can say for certain was that, at the reformed Council of Guilds, Dame Katrin agreed to have the Guild arm Wraiths to fight against the Maelstrom. That they were willing to commit to such an undertaking has led to a newfound appreciation of the Guild, and -- one can�t help but notice -- a notable decrease in the grumblings concerning their more nefarious dealings. One could almost wonder if the two were connected, somehow...?

Current Activities

Apart from girding their fellow Wraiths for the war against Oblivion, and doing people�s Corpi up for the day, the Masquers are just existing, thank you very much. Ask any Masquer, s/he�ll be happy to tell you so.

Yes, that�s all.

Masquers were often thought of as mere body-shapers by those Wraiths who never knew any better. In reality, they were some of the most sought-after spies, assassins and doers of secret things the Underworld has to offer. Now that Stygia is no more, and they can let their true colors show a bit more, there is no question of the sorts of things they can get up to (though they�ll never reveal any of the details). Warsmiths gird the warriors, Helldivers come back from the Storms carrying Spectres for the forges (where they still exist), and just about everyone�s heard that even your best friend could be someone in disguise. This has led to a strange sort of fascination and repulsion by the average Wraith: people still want their faces done, but they�re very careful who they consort with in that regard. The Masquers maintain very good relations with the Sandmen and the Usurers, given the former�s need for their skills and the later�s shared sense of business. Indeed, they are one of the few Guilds with whom the Usurers will openly deal with, given how often the Masquers work on their "go-betweens" for them. They are also on good terms with former "Chanteurs." As for the others, they consider the Harbingers and Oracles to be useful, but not so worthy of respect. They respect the Pardoners� abilities, and recognize their need of them, but they also understand that Guild�s dislike of some of their more..., grimy activities. And though they also respect the Puppeteers, the Guild has a distaste for some of their more..., grimy activities, not to mention a healthy aversion to their sense of "fashion." And though they appreciate the Haunters� jumping into the fray alongside their warriors when the Stormfronts roll into view, they know that this arrangement is only temporary, and treat it as such.

Though they once shielded many of the Mnemoi from Charon�s lackeys, and Masquer Gaunts often had decent relations with some of their number, the Guild as a whole was not very appreciative of Minos� lot. But now that it turns out that the Mnemoi were quite good at keeping a secret all their own for so damned long, most Masquers are quite in awe of the once-damned Guild. It may take time for them to all trust one another once more, though. They reserve a certain amount of disdain for the Artificers, though they haven�t been as keen to mention this of late. Most of the Guild�s leadership sees the eldest of Guilds as a relic that�s slowly decaying from lack of meaning, which makes for a wonderful sort of..., ahem..., irony. Puns like that shouldn�t be allowed, one supposes, but they�re content to make the obvious wisecracks while letting the Artificers spin around in their own dust. Unless they�re planning something...?

The Masquers also hold a very notable dislike of the Monitors, given that the two Guilds are in almost direct competition as the information brokers of the Underworld. They are said to have their inroads into that Guild, and could be doing their very best to slowly erode its innards. Given that they rarely get caught, we may never know.

There�s word amongst those who DO know something, though. Some harbor suspicions of an arrangement: one that would allow the Monitors to get proof positive of the Alchemists� Fetter-protection deals. Such a revelation would surely draw the Monitors into a very quiet war with the newly-emerged "lesser" Guild, and weaken them all the more. Or are they hoping for an outright conflict which would see both Guilds removed from the Council altogether?

The only Guild they hate more than the Artificers or the Monitors are the Solicitors, but they very wisely leave them alone. They�ve had any number of standing bounties on various Green-Eyes, most notably Don Salazaar himself, but most of these are quietly shoved back under the table for fear of getting caught in the dreaded Guild�s web.

And, unbeknownst to the Masquers, they have made a very nasty enemy of the Midnight Watch. After the fiasco of their attempt to unite the London Necropolis, those august Gaunts compared notes and realized it could only have been the Masquers at work. They�re busy planning both a return to glory and a very special kind of revenge on the Guild, preferably both at the same time. That the Masquers are not aware of this yet is sign of certain limitations: the Watch is falsely blaming all this on the London Fogsuckers, who are more than happy to return the insult and spread word of the Watch�s slander for free.

The Mnemoi

Nicknames: The Enemy, Mind Robbers, No-Blinkers, Pallonius� Lot Guildmaster: Phaedra

Center of Power: The British Museum, London Necropolis

Specialty Arcanos: Mnemosynis

Organization

The Guild is arranged in a very straight-lined fashion, with one leader up above and many followers down below. As with most other Guilds, there are Apprentices. Above that rank there seems no clear distinction, save for the Ancients: Mnemoi who have been there for so long that they can remember the Guild�s old days of glory.

There also doesn�t seem to be much structure in terms of actual jobs, especially now. In times past, Mnemoi known as the Wandering Ones tended to the reaping and recruiting duties, but these days any member of the Guild is entitled to do these tasks when needed, or appropriate. Still, with their assumption of the role of record-keepers for these new times, every Mnemoi has quite a lot of work to do.

The undisputed master of the Guild is Phaedra, one of the Ancients. Down through the ages she was the head teacher of Apprentices, and, more often than not, the one who saw to the Guild�s running. The original Guildmaster was Minos: the man credited with creating Mnemosynis and founding the Guild, and reputedly a friend of Charon's in life. With his disappearance following the Mnemoi�s return to grace, Phaedra has taken his seat and continued in his footsteps.

Though the Guild is no longer in the dire straits it once found itself in, they still act as though they were under siege. Orders are followed to the letter, assignments are carried out with attention to detail and no one dares question or complain. There�s talk that Phaedra might be slowly grooming her Guild towards a less tyrannical structure, in time, but no one expects to see that happen until the Storm is gone. Those who know her best say to not expect it at all.

Notable Groups

The Guild has always seen itself as a center for truth and the preservation of times past. It was those things which led Minos to cultivate Mnemosynis, and to train others in its use. It was the search for truth that led the Guild to be so vital to Stygia�s judiciary. And, now that the Guild has returned to grace, the interests of truth and history have led them to their current position as the historians of the new age.

A new order of Mnemoi, known as the Archivists, are responsible for creating a Greater Palace of the memories of Stygia. The vast majority of the Guild�s members have been pressed into service as Archivists, and most new recruits are picked with an eye on their worthiness to share the name. They can be seen walking the aisles of the Guild�s new home -- the British Museum, in London -- or going out into the world between wavefronts, searching for those who might give of their memories to the Guild. The group�s chief function is to hold the memories of Stygia�s past within their heads, and to duplicate them using memory shards, which will be replaced on a regular basis as the shards deteriorate. In theory, each Archivist will eventually be responsible for a certain group of memories: such as �the 3rd age of Stygia,� �a history of the Artificers,� �Diplomatic overtures with the Dark Kingdom of Jade� and so on. But, while they�re still getting everything organized, and are so few, the memories they have are still scattered about.

In addition to those who stay at the Guild�s new headquarters and act as walking bookstacks, there are those who go out to look for memories to find. These are divided between the ones who go out to find things to remember -- known as Eyes and Ears -- and those Remembrants who seek out certain individuals to ask for memory donations.

The Eyes and Ears walk around the Necropoli watching anything that takes their fancy, the more important-looking -- or banal -- the better. It�s a job that a lot of new Guildsmen are given to prove their mettle, and when they return with their memories they are graded on the quality of what they bring back. Some have likened it to being a freelance photographer, and some of the more up-to-date ones swear they have J. Jonah Jameson for a Master...

The Remembrants don�t have an easy task. They must go out and do their best to locate ancient Gaunts who may have been lost to the Storm, or simply do not wish to be found in these post-Stygian times. It�s not too uncommon to see one on the roads to and from London: Wraiths who never blink carrying a briefcase filled with clanking memory shards, asking all passersby if they�ve seen a certain Gaunt...

Current History

It�s no small thing to say that the Mnemoi have been on the lips of all those who�ve been paying attention, lately. They have endured the worst for the longest, and have finally gained the reversal of fortunes that so many of them were hoping for. Unfortunately, their personal fortunes did not carry over to success in their great plan, and the two people who could exonerate them above all others -- Charon and the Lady of fate -- are gone. The Mnemoi have had a secret to tell for a long, long time. It is a story that very few outside their number have known the full scope of, and one who�s telling saw them brought low from on high, broken and cast asunder, and then brought back to the surface once the moment of truth arrived. After untold ages of persecution and fear, they returned from the depths to address the other Guilds, and claimed that their suffering was a self-inflicted wound -- a blow they suffered for the good of the Empire at Charon�s request.

And at that Empire�s end they stood by the one who�d purportedly banished them -- Charon, reborn -- and gave him back those memories which they�d stored against his return. Sadly, the august Gaunt�s plan to make them feared had worked too well: instead of merely avoiding the Guild, Wraiths had gone on the lam against them, and countless Mnemoi had been smelted or resigned to Oblivion -- all in the name of the Emperor. In the end, there was no way that Charon could see retaking his place with so paltry a memory, and, after handing his reign to others, he Transcended.

The remaining Mnemoi were crushed at this failure, but it was too late to turn back from what had transpired. With the aid of the Pardoners they evacuated the faltering Isle of Sorrows, heading for London. Some of their number -- including Phaedra -- went to Minos� home, further up the River of Death, to try and get him to join them. They came back to London to say that he was gone, and would not speak easily of what they had found, there.

Phaedra took the reins of the Guild from that moment forward, and charged the others with looking to their own safety for the time being. Some took refuge with the Pardoners, others with the Masquers, and some went with those Monitors they could call on from the old times. Still others, in shock and ashamed of what they saw as a failing on their part, burrowed into the underbelly of London and have yet to resurface. These are feared lost to the Storm.

Though those Guildmasters that survived could attest to the truth of what they�d said, Phaedra knew that they might not be enough, and so told her charges to be wary. Oddly enough, the true victims of any post-Stygian backlashes were the steadfast Artificers instead of the Mnemoi. Some have whispered that this may not have been an accident, but given how anyone could believe anything bad if the Mnemoi�s name was invoked, this rumor is hardly surprising

After the worst phases of the Storm had passed, word was brought of the Artificers� desire to see a reformed Council of the Guilds. The Mnemoi were, of course, invited, and attended the resulting meeting without much incident -- though some of the newer Guildmasters were rather surprised to find the dreaded Mnemos in attendance. Some explaining, and vouching for, was done by Brother Tenacious of the Pardoners: that seemed to quiet down most of the alarm.

Every Guild had to perform a certain, needed function to remain on the Council and retain their claim to be a "Greater" Guild, but no one -- save the Pardoners -- desired to see the Mnemoi having any sort of power as they once had. Most of those who said no to their resuming their old roles as judiciary claimed that they feared a public backlash, and some of them may have spoken truly, but some of them clearly reacted from fear of the old tales. Phaedrus had realized such a thing might happen, though, and had thought of a second way they might be of service. She offered to have the Guild work on information keeping, consisting of their warehousing of memories so that important records might not be lost ever again. The others were much more amenable to such a notion, and so the Mnemoi signed on to do just that, with the stipulation that no one would be forced to contribute their memories to the record. With that agreement, it was left to her to transform her Guild along those lines.

Current Activities

As with their agreement, the Guild has been acting as the chief recordkeepers of the new age. It is hoped that they can use their Arts to create a few, greater form of information storage that can last through the worse Storms the Underworld can create. To that end, they have offered their services to all Wraiths who wish to come and have their memories recorded for posterity.

Unsurprisingly, they have very few volunteers from the general population. Most of their subjects have been either Pardoners -- with the stipulation that no memories of their Castigation subjects be recorded -- and other Mnemoi who wish to unburden some of their older records. A Greater Memory Palace is undergoing construction in the Shadowlands of the British Library at this moment: the lights are going on very, very slowly, if at all...

Past that, they are trying to let news of their true role in things be spread as far as the tale will carry. They are also embarking on a very large recruitment program, looking for good, honest Wraiths to help them with their toil. They�re hoping their usual methods, once applied to these new times, will result in the same kind of results they once did -- a Guild with very few malcontents and betrayers of trust to its name. Time will tell if it works, though some of them have cause to doubt.

A certain concern causes Phaedrus� brow to darken, these days. When the time came for them to return to Stygia and give Charon back his memories, a call was sent out to all Mnemoi who held those memories to return. A large majority of those who were still extant at the time -- and showed up in the Greater Palace�s interfaces -- obeyed, but there were a few of those who never appeared in the Onyx Tower on that day. She has compiled a list of the names of the missing, and is asking her Guild to be on the lookout for those who did not come. What she plans to do with them is not certain, save to her. Any one of them could have been the one whose memory Charon could not rule without, and is therefore guilty of the worst kind of treason. And they all carry a great treasure in their hands, regardless of their guilt, which makes the need to have them back go beyond mere punishment.

Current Political Situation

The Mnemoi are having a very hard time convincing the average Wraith of their situation. Brainwashed by the propaganda of the old state, most Stygian Wraiths still think the Mnemoi are the devil incarnate. Anyone who doesn�t blink too much is likely to get run off if he can�t prove he�s a Monitor -- not that the Monitors would be in too much of hurry to confess to such an association, either. Every once in a while, an enclave of the Guild can earn some trust, but it remains an uneasy thing.

The Mnemoi have cultivated some ties to various Renegade and Heretic groups throughout the ages, but now that they are back where they feel they belong some of those ties may be dropped. They have no love of armed rebellion -- having suffered so badly to maintain the Empire -- and most of the Renegades they once knew are no longer what they were. Some of the more outre Cults were just friends of convenience as well. And as for the Guilds, most of them run from dogged uncertainty to mutual dislike, and making friends is going to be hard going. They dislike the Usurers and have reason to be cautious around the Haunters, sensing that some greater calamity is riding their heels. And, having been grouped in the dirt with the Solicitors for so long, they have a loathing for that Guild that is almost unparalleled.

They can only count the Masquers as time-tested allies. Though they�re a little unsure of the Masquers� true loyalties in the matter -- these are the Masquers, after all -- they would even go so far as to call them friends. They can count on the uneasy alliance with the Monitors as well, as they have "enjoyed" a rather odd relationship due to their similar Arcanos markings. They were all never too happy with this state of affairs, of course, but the odd coincidence they shared did make for some good deals back then. The question is whether those deals will continue now that there�s no real need.

The Guildmaster of the Harbingers has been gracious enough to apologize for his Guild�s poor treatment of the Mnemoi. He has promised to do what he can to change this, but the Mnemoi know that he may have a difficult time of it. The Spooks have new leadership, and Artemus Vanderwal -- who suffered persecution in his own life -- seems sympathetic to their plight. However, the Spooks can be rather underhanded, and it may just be a ruse... And then the Pardoners have become their latest allies, and ones that Phaedra and the Ancients feel they can count on. That they have the Pardoners� full and utter friendship is the result of that Guild�s shame of having been so vengeful during the deception. Their repentance and good word is the sort of good news the Mnemoi have been waiting for since it all began.

The Guild has another enemy, though they know not of it yet, and this enemy lies within their number. The Mnemoi once known as Memory-Pushers -- who once held Stygians in blackmail to aid in the day of the return -- had their efforts almost completely forgotten in the endgame. Once the Empire was gone, their former services were no longer needed, after all, and they were shuffled back into the ranks as holders of information, Eyes and Ears, or Remembrants.

Going from such power to a mere cipher, or recorder of other people�s trials, is something that many of these Mnemoi are not pleased with at all. There�s word that some of the ones who lost the most are extremely angry with how things turned out, and are uniting with those who wished someone other than Phaedrus on the throne. They count a few of the Ancients amongst those dissatisfied with current leadership, and it�s anyone�s guess as to when a coup attempt may come.