The Watchers of the Veil sprung up from the ashes of the Samhain Massacre of 2127. They are a strange (and frankly creepy) order of magicians dedicated to the protection and preservation of the veil, which they believe protects our world from the Shedim threat. They are led by the Warden. A strange, charismatic, intelligent, and mentally unhinged elven hermetic mage named Alberich König, who lost his wife and son during the massacre. His daughter, Alvena, who was only ten years old then, went completely insane, clawed out her own eyes, and later bit off her tongue in a psychotic fit. It is rumored that her screams can be heard late at night, echoing from deep within the Grey Spire, where she is locked away for her own safety.
All members of the order swear loyalty the Martyr, and to her prophet, the Warden. They are identifiable by their characteristic pale grey and light blue hooded robes, and have no worldly possessions save for the robes and a weapon of their choice (if they become a Disciple). They "donate" all of their possessions and money upon joining the order, and the Warden uses it to fund the order's operations, and supply the members with whatever else they may need.
There are three branches within the Watchers of the Veil, not including the Martyr and the Warden.
Watchers: To become a Watcher, an Initiate must undergo a horrifying ordeal in which they carve out their own eyes. Their eyes are then encased in a reliquary and locked away within the Grey Spire's vast vault, to which the Warden has the only key. These sympathetic links help ensure their loyalty to the order. They are powerful diviners, and believe that blinding themselves helps to deepen their insight into the astral planes, as they are no longer distracted by worldly sights. They rarely leave the spire, and are heavily guarded by the Disciples. To initiate further (to increase their magic rating), they must fast and flog themselves for three days and two nights, which is how long the massacre lasted. (Did I mention these guys are nucking futs?)
Disciples: The Disciples are the "military" branch of the order. They guard the Grey Spire (Which is actually the remnants of the former home of the University of Medical and Magical Research, which was destroyed by members of Alamos 20,000 during the massacre), and the Watchers within. They also seek out and destroy any threats to the veil. Their definition of what counts as a threat seems to be rather loose, but so far have only gone after shedim and shadow spirits. Aspiring Disciples initiate into the branch by carving out their tongues, which are held in the same place as the Watchers' eyes, and for the same reason. They communicate with each other via mindlink and mindnet spells. To initiate further, they must undergo the same fasting and flogging as the Watchers.
Initiates: These are mages who have shown interest in joining the order, but aren't yet completely sure they want to drink the koolaid. They act as servants, messengers, errand runners, etc. When not running various errands, Initiates can usually be found in the Grey Spire's main hall, listening to the Warden give intense, passionate, and frighteningly well-worded sermons. He is nearly apoplectic during these sermons, and is quite skilled at phrasing them to get the reactions he wants.
Queen Margaret accepts their existence begrudgingly, because despite the overt insanity of most of their members, they still manage to do some good. She views them as a fanatic cult, and keeps a very close eye on them to make sure they don't step out of line.
