Post by chrisbartos on Jan 27, 2010 19:51:46 GMT -8
As I discussed in an earlier post, Watchtower level is similar to Defcon levels the military uses. Here is the Watchtower levels explained in Caines Chosen:
THE FOUR RIDE FORTH
This watchtower is the "base" level of vigilance for the
Hand, which, needless to say, still surpasses that of most
vampire communities . At this watchtower, operatives may
propose any potential contracts or assignments they wish to
their superiors, and those superiors have a fair amount of
latitude in deciding what avenues to pursue . Of course,
assignments explicitly handed down from above still take
priority over anything else . What's called "Noddist intelligence"
(this generally means information on things like
artifacts, scriptures, prophecies, omens, Gehenna cults,
Methuselah tombs, etc ., but can also refer to extremely highlevel
political intelligence) is to be sought out only during
times of relative leisure or by operatives whose main duties lie
in that area. Hand members may use any of the usual means
of communicating with each other, provided they can assure
reasonable security.
THE CHOSEN ARE CALLED
At this watchtower, vigilance increases. Watch Commanders
must keep a quarter of their operatives on standby
(that is, free for assignment at a moment's notice, ideally
brushing up on their fighting skills while they wait) . Dominions
should also propose appropriate intelligence missions to
the Seraphim . Some of the operatives in areas where there's
nothing really "appropriate" to do locally may be sent to the
more troubled regions, or to another officer or commander to
receive new orders .
Contracts come under much closer scrutiny than usual .
Assignments trump any and all outstanding or proposed contracts
(even if said contracts have already been approved),
unless a Seraph specifically rules otherwise . Superiors must
make every effort to communicate news to their deep-cover
agents about the change in watchtower, provided that can be
done without compromising their covers . Agents should whenever
possible avoid "less secure" communications media,
including cell phones, electronic mail, regular mail, and animal
cNouriers bearing written messages. oddist intelligence also becomes of greater interest .
While operatives need not go looking for it at this stage, they
should bring any and all new information, rumors, etc., that
they come across to the immediate attention of their superiors .
In addition, they are expected to remind their superiors of any
known Noddist mysteries in their area that have been left
uninvestigated due to lack of resources or interest . Dominions
compile and analyze all this information and make formal
reports on the subject to the full Council of Seraphim .
The Council has set in place various contingency plans
that the dominions and Watch Commanders are to carry out
the moment they hear this watchtower called . Most of these
plans have to do with the movement and assignment of
operatives; but plans may also include an assassination scenario
that's been held in abeyance for just this occasion, or a scheme
for a Masquerade breach or other major distraction- the sort
of thing that wreaks maximum disorganization upon the enemy
with minimum effort. The Hand has been at this
watchtower more often than not since late 1997 .
THE GREATEST FALL
This watchtower has only been called twice in the subsect's
history, the last occasion being during the Week of Nightmares
. (A number of dominions pleaded with Jalan-Aajav to
call it during the recent wave of mass desertions, but he refused,
claiming that he needs to finish his investigation first . The
acting Seraphim seem to have accepted this decision for the
moment, but many wonder how much longer they'll be willing
to wait-and they can certainly force him by majority vote .)
At this watchtower, agents may not pursue or accept any
contract without the approval of the full Council of Seraphim,
no matter what the rank of the Sabbat official requesting the
contract . Superiors must pull operatives off all nonessential tasks
as soon as those tasks can safely be terminated. Operatives of
whatever rank who have been formally assigned to Noddist
intelligence temporarily gain the rank of dominion, and have
the authority to recruit assistance from other operatives as
needed without reference to chain-of-command-though they
had better be able to justify such action to the Seraphim later .
Deep-cover operatives will quite likely be ordered to either take
immediate (possibly suicidal or extremely hazardous) action, or
pull out without any regard for maintaining cover .
The Seraphim have set additional, rather more mysterious
contingency plans for this watchtower . Rumor has it that
one of the order's chief sorcerers casts some dire ritual to protect
the Weeping Stone whenever the watchtower is called, but
what precisely the ritual does and what cost it exacts in return,
none can or will say . During the Week of N ightmares, a heavily
armed crack troop of removers and Noddists was sent to
Bangladesh, but couldn't get close to the trouble's source owing
to the flooding. Instead, it remained just outside the area,
"cleaning up" the frenzying vampires and other less classifiable
menaces that came rampaging out of the maelstrom . The Black
Hand has become reasonably certain that what happened in
Bangladesh was indeed the arousal and destruction of an
Antediluvian - the first in many centuries . Accordingly, it
studies every scrap of data it can find on the episode so that it
can revise its contingency plans for this watchtower (and the
next) accordingly.
THE WOLVES FEED
The Seraphim have never called this watchtower to the
recollection of any Black Hand agent currently walking the
night-or at least, if any do recall it, they're not talking . Elder
operatives say it's held in reserve for that inevitable night when
Gehenna ceases to merely threaten one nation, region or clan
at a time (like Indonesia or the Ravnos) and actually becomes
an imminent global threat . At this level of alert, operatives
must not be surprised or regretful to find centuries-old standing
orders overturned without an instant's hesitation. No contracts
may be accepted or pursued, period . Suicide missions
become far more frequent and operatives may not appeal up the
chain of command . Operatives have standing permission to
send any Cainite (of any sect or affiliation) who interferes with
carrying out Hand orders to the Final Death . All communications
between Hand members must be not only in code but in
Hand-specific code, and failure to adhere to this rule is punished
as treason .
Theories about the contingency plans for this watchtower
range from the common-sense to the utterly fantastic . For
instance, some Chosen insist that the subsect has long been
capable of commandeering weapons of mass destruction
(nuclear, chemical and biological), but refrains because of the
political damage such a move would do . If this watchtower is
called, however, such plans will go forward, politics be damned .
Others whisper of horrible blood-plagues, capable of affecting
vampires, sitting in vials in an enormous network of caverns
large enough to house not only the entire membership of the
Hand but also enough uncontaminated mortals to feed them
for two years . (Nosferatu operatives scoff at this rumor. They
insist that if such a gargantuan cave system existed their clan
would certainly be aware of it.)
One story even holds that one or more high-level officials
of the Camarilla are actually deep-cover Hand agents - or
even Manchurian candidates - planted into the sect many
centuries ago . For now, if the story has any truth to it, these
agents confine themselves to subtle sabotage, but on the proper
night they will rise to deliver a sudden and devastating betrayal
to the Inner Circle itself.
Some Hand agents deliberately keep aloof of all this
conspiracy-theory buzz . They say they're content to find out
what the final watchtower brings simply by seeing it for
themselves . The opportunity's coming soon enough.
THE FOUR RIDE FORTH
This watchtower is the "base" level of vigilance for the
Hand, which, needless to say, still surpasses that of most
vampire communities . At this watchtower, operatives may
propose any potential contracts or assignments they wish to
their superiors, and those superiors have a fair amount of
latitude in deciding what avenues to pursue . Of course,
assignments explicitly handed down from above still take
priority over anything else . What's called "Noddist intelligence"
(this generally means information on things like
artifacts, scriptures, prophecies, omens, Gehenna cults,
Methuselah tombs, etc ., but can also refer to extremely highlevel
political intelligence) is to be sought out only during
times of relative leisure or by operatives whose main duties lie
in that area. Hand members may use any of the usual means
of communicating with each other, provided they can assure
reasonable security.
THE CHOSEN ARE CALLED
At this watchtower, vigilance increases. Watch Commanders
must keep a quarter of their operatives on standby
(that is, free for assignment at a moment's notice, ideally
brushing up on their fighting skills while they wait) . Dominions
should also propose appropriate intelligence missions to
the Seraphim . Some of the operatives in areas where there's
nothing really "appropriate" to do locally may be sent to the
more troubled regions, or to another officer or commander to
receive new orders .
Contracts come under much closer scrutiny than usual .
Assignments trump any and all outstanding or proposed contracts
(even if said contracts have already been approved),
unless a Seraph specifically rules otherwise . Superiors must
make every effort to communicate news to their deep-cover
agents about the change in watchtower, provided that can be
done without compromising their covers . Agents should whenever
possible avoid "less secure" communications media,
including cell phones, electronic mail, regular mail, and animal
cNouriers bearing written messages. oddist intelligence also becomes of greater interest .
While operatives need not go looking for it at this stage, they
should bring any and all new information, rumors, etc., that
they come across to the immediate attention of their superiors .
In addition, they are expected to remind their superiors of any
known Noddist mysteries in their area that have been left
uninvestigated due to lack of resources or interest . Dominions
compile and analyze all this information and make formal
reports on the subject to the full Council of Seraphim .
The Council has set in place various contingency plans
that the dominions and Watch Commanders are to carry out
the moment they hear this watchtower called . Most of these
plans have to do with the movement and assignment of
operatives; but plans may also include an assassination scenario
that's been held in abeyance for just this occasion, or a scheme
for a Masquerade breach or other major distraction- the sort
of thing that wreaks maximum disorganization upon the enemy
with minimum effort. The Hand has been at this
watchtower more often than not since late 1997 .
THE GREATEST FALL
This watchtower has only been called twice in the subsect's
history, the last occasion being during the Week of Nightmares
. (A number of dominions pleaded with Jalan-Aajav to
call it during the recent wave of mass desertions, but he refused,
claiming that he needs to finish his investigation first . The
acting Seraphim seem to have accepted this decision for the
moment, but many wonder how much longer they'll be willing
to wait-and they can certainly force him by majority vote .)
At this watchtower, agents may not pursue or accept any
contract without the approval of the full Council of Seraphim,
no matter what the rank of the Sabbat official requesting the
contract . Superiors must pull operatives off all nonessential tasks
as soon as those tasks can safely be terminated. Operatives of
whatever rank who have been formally assigned to Noddist
intelligence temporarily gain the rank of dominion, and have
the authority to recruit assistance from other operatives as
needed without reference to chain-of-command-though they
had better be able to justify such action to the Seraphim later .
Deep-cover operatives will quite likely be ordered to either take
immediate (possibly suicidal or extremely hazardous) action, or
pull out without any regard for maintaining cover .
The Seraphim have set additional, rather more mysterious
contingency plans for this watchtower . Rumor has it that
one of the order's chief sorcerers casts some dire ritual to protect
the Weeping Stone whenever the watchtower is called, but
what precisely the ritual does and what cost it exacts in return,
none can or will say . During the Week of N ightmares, a heavily
armed crack troop of removers and Noddists was sent to
Bangladesh, but couldn't get close to the trouble's source owing
to the flooding. Instead, it remained just outside the area,
"cleaning up" the frenzying vampires and other less classifiable
menaces that came rampaging out of the maelstrom . The Black
Hand has become reasonably certain that what happened in
Bangladesh was indeed the arousal and destruction of an
Antediluvian - the first in many centuries . Accordingly, it
studies every scrap of data it can find on the episode so that it
can revise its contingency plans for this watchtower (and the
next) accordingly.
THE WOLVES FEED
The Seraphim have never called this watchtower to the
recollection of any Black Hand agent currently walking the
night-or at least, if any do recall it, they're not talking . Elder
operatives say it's held in reserve for that inevitable night when
Gehenna ceases to merely threaten one nation, region or clan
at a time (like Indonesia or the Ravnos) and actually becomes
an imminent global threat . At this level of alert, operatives
must not be surprised or regretful to find centuries-old standing
orders overturned without an instant's hesitation. No contracts
may be accepted or pursued, period . Suicide missions
become far more frequent and operatives may not appeal up the
chain of command . Operatives have standing permission to
send any Cainite (of any sect or affiliation) who interferes with
carrying out Hand orders to the Final Death . All communications
between Hand members must be not only in code but in
Hand-specific code, and failure to adhere to this rule is punished
as treason .
Theories about the contingency plans for this watchtower
range from the common-sense to the utterly fantastic . For
instance, some Chosen insist that the subsect has long been
capable of commandeering weapons of mass destruction
(nuclear, chemical and biological), but refrains because of the
political damage such a move would do . If this watchtower is
called, however, such plans will go forward, politics be damned .
Others whisper of horrible blood-plagues, capable of affecting
vampires, sitting in vials in an enormous network of caverns
large enough to house not only the entire membership of the
Hand but also enough uncontaminated mortals to feed them
for two years . (Nosferatu operatives scoff at this rumor. They
insist that if such a gargantuan cave system existed their clan
would certainly be aware of it.)
One story even holds that one or more high-level officials
of the Camarilla are actually deep-cover Hand agents - or
even Manchurian candidates - planted into the sect many
centuries ago . For now, if the story has any truth to it, these
agents confine themselves to subtle sabotage, but on the proper
night they will rise to deliver a sudden and devastating betrayal
to the Inner Circle itself.
Some Hand agents deliberately keep aloof of all this
conspiracy-theory buzz . They say they're content to find out
what the final watchtower brings simply by seeing it for
themselves . The opportunity's coming soon enough.