The Carmelita Files – The Shattered Spear

Michael Tomassio, Baron of the North East of Los Angeles has many powerful allies accumulated over his year in the city. One of these is the noted Toreador Camarilla archivist and archaeologist, Carmelita Neillson. Carmelita unearths the past and interviews Kindred, chronicling a vast array of vampire history and conversations with vampires as old as two millennia.
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The Camarilla forbids her from archiving any of her findings electronically though she keeps detailed files. Michael has asked for any file she might have on the mysterious organisation known as 'The Shattered Spear'

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“We are Her spear, raw iron forged in the Blood of Artemis Orthia. We do not fear the Final Death, nor do we baulk when carrying out Her will. Be a beacon against the dark, my childe, and you will know your purpose.”

The Shattered Spear has existed far longer than the Camarilla, or so their adherents claim. They bear the Blood of Artemis Orthia, first and most beloved of Ventrue’s childer and Goddess of ancient Sparta, who led the vanguard against the Brujah of Carthage and fell battling the darkness that seized that city in its vile grip. The Spear operates in secret, each warrior standing firm against the tide of Gehenna and the diabolical forces that lurk outside of civilised Kindred society — for who better than to fight the savage demon-worshipers and blooddrunk diablerists than the Clan of Kings?

From the moment of their Embrace, most Ventrue are taught the importance of lineage and are expected to learn every step of their line by rote. After all, their Blood proves their right to rule and places them above the other Kindred clans. The children of Orthia can trace their line directly to the Goddess, laying claim to a legacy of fierce warrior kings and mighty generals. Orthia herself was said to be unrelenting in combat, as disciplined and powerful as the Spartans who worshipped her. This worship carried over to her childer, whom she chose from among the most skilled warriors of her people, and their veneration never ceased even after her fall in battle against the forces of Carthage. Some even refuse to acknowledge her Final Death, dedicating themselves to finding and recovering their progenitor’s body and safeguarding it until such time as she awakens once more. Those who took up this charge named themselves the Shattered Spear, with Orthia’s broken weapon as their namesake and symbol. 

With the rise of the Camarilla and its denial of any veneration of their forebears, the Spear began to operate in secret. The march of time saw their numbers dwindle and their influence weaken until all but a few cells were stamped out. Yet they clung to their purpose. It wasn’t until the Beckoning began to draw elders away and the rising Second Inquisition struck against any Kindred that it could find that the Spear could grasp for relevance again. The changing times have seen a boom in its membership as the remaining few have drawn in others of their lineage, speaking to the fire in their Blood that calls to battle and to their shared desire for direction and purpose. With their numbers bolstered with new converts, the cult redoubled its efforts to seek out their progenitor, while also dedicating itself to fighting against the threats posed by the Second Inquisition and more dangerous, heretical cults among their own kind as Artemis Orthia did when she led the charge against the diabolists of Carthage.

Carthage - Resting Place of Artemis Orthia?

A single Kindred, a Greek ancilla of Orthia’s line who emerged shortly after the first salvos of the new Inquisition sparked the Shattered Spear’s renewed vigour. She claimed the name of Elena Andreas, though many elder Ventrue consider her exact provenance suspect. The sire she named was long gone, and none could corroborate her story. She was easily dismissed, but those who took the time to listen to her words found that she bore witness to a persuasive idea: that Artemis Orthia had survived her fall at Carthage and has lain in slumber ever since. As proof, Elena produced the fragments of the fallen progenitor’s spear, leaving little doubt that at least she might know something about what she was saying.

Word of her appearance reached the Shattered Spear quickly. The remaining leadership of the cult approached her in secret to test her and the relic she carried for themselves. Elena satisfied the cult’s ruling council, called Orthia’s Hand, such that they followed her to what she claimed was Orthia’s current resting place — the city of Lisbon, Portugal. They descended beneath the city and emerged changed by what they found there, going so far as to name bold Andreas the “Voice of Orthia” and to relocate the centre of the cult to Lisbon.

In the short time since, Elena has cemented her control over the cult, delivering the orders of their progenitor to Orthia’s Hand, who then deliver her words to the ranks below. Their purpose is clear: war has come to the Kindred, and they mean to be the soldiers on the front lines. While the cult had never been complacent, the presence of the Voice and the knowledge that they now safeguard the slumbering form of their god-like creator have sparked a fire its members that they use to fuel their battle against the enemies of the Kindred — specifically, the Camarilla’s enemies — while paying at least nominal lip service to the idea of secrecy for their cult.

The cult’s leaders carefully regiment and administer the rites and rituals of the Shattered Spear, reflecting the organisation of the cult itself. Its members hold worship of Artemis Orthia as a god as well as the progenitor of their lineage above all else. Many of the cult’s rituals include solemn retellings of her greatest victories against the darkness. Since their relocation, which allowed them to secure Orthia’s resting place, members have begun to tell tales of her Voice in the same manner; how Elena Andreas was called to Orthia’s tomb and gifted with her purpose before the weary methuselah sank back into torpor, and her quest to recover the lost fragments of Orthia’s spear in particular.

Their temples are few, and those that exist favour modest, unpretentious adornment over vulgar displays of wealth and luxury. Simple stonework marked with the symbol of a splintered spear or the Spartan lambda symbol and plain altars are sufficient, and members of the Spear consider anything more excessive and distasteful. Statuary is the rare exception, depicting Artemis Orthia bearing shield and spear.

Outside of their hidden temples, members of the Spear bear little in the way of identifying marks and few risk creating a personal shrine. Instead, it has become popular among the cult to bear a symbol of a spear broken in two in the shape of a chevron, typically on a piece of jewellery. Some who were groomed as mortal servants to their sires prior to their Embrace even get the symbol tattooed somewhere on their body. Personal prayers are common among Orthia’s faithful. They memorise short incantations and recite them in hushed tones before battle to bolster the warrior’s conviction and bring the methuselah’s favour.

The Cult of the Shattered Spear holds itself to an ideal of courage and valour modelled after the code of The Shattered Spear the ancient Spartans, who first held up Artemis Orthia as a god in the Classical age. Though some tangentially aware of the cult might write the warriors off as reckless fools at best, and a danger to the rest of Kindred society at worst, the soldiers of Orthia are not prone to acts of reckless abandon, nor do they falter in the face of danger.

The Spear holds the city of Lisbon tightly in its grip. The Second Inquisition weakened the domain enough that the cult had little trouble in placing one of their own as Prince. They moved into the old aqueducts below the city, secured much of the subterranean network beneath the city, and reinforced the claimed resting-place of Orthia. Despite this, their efforts to excise the city’s Nosferatu from the tunnels have been met with repeated frustration. 

The increasingly insular nature of the Camarilla has worked in their favour, and while the cult exists as something of an open secret among the Kindred of Lisbon, few outside the domain know how deeply they’ve sunk their claws into the city. Only Ventrue of Orthia’s line are allowed within the heart of the cult’s power, an ancient cistern converted into a temple of their God, and even those do not know where She truly rests — only Orthia’s Hand and Voice hold that knowledge. Those few Ventrue outside of the direct lineage who have drifted into the cult’s circle of influence may dedicate themselves to its cause, but they will never be more than foot soldiers and pawns used to further the purposes of the Spear. 

The city of Lisbon, however, is not completely secure. As the Beckoning draws elders away and thin-bloods grow in number, outsiders continually test the purpose of the Spear within the city and without, as coteries of various sects and cults attempt to seize the domain for their own. The ongoing struggle has made the cult’s efforts to spread outside of Lisbon difficult, as they are forced to focus on the seat of their power and the protection of their sacred charge. 

It is from Lisbon that the Voice, Elena Andreas, issues the orders communicated to her by the slumbering Orthia. She remains within the temple, seen only rarely by those not among the five members of Orthia’s Hand. Beneath them, a cadre of warrior-priests and priestesses administer to the cult’s rank and file. They send these members, often young Ventrue and fresh recruits themselves, to new cities where the Blood of Orthia runs strong to seek the members of her sacred bloodline; and if necessary, to recruit foot soldiers from among neonates of the Clan. Their insistence on limiting full membership to the cult to Orthia’s lineage has limited the cult’s growth, but their adherence to the purity of their line remains steadfast.

The temple itself has changed little from its origins as a cistern. Banners bearing the cult’s sigil hang from the stone walls and a statue of Orthia herself stands at the centre of the great chamber. Winding tunnels snake away from the temple’s heart. Cultists clean hideaways formerly held by the city’s Nosferatu and turn them into simple, spartan facilities. Very few of the cult’s members reside within the temple, however, save for its selected guardians — warriors chosen from among the local adherents of all ranks, rotating regularly to prevent their public facade from falling to disarray. The cult has sealed and reinforced areas where the tunnels give way to the warrens of the filth that reside outside of the cult’s control, and guardians from among those chosen are stationed at each point to prevent incursions.

The convictions held by the members of the cult draw from the laconic ideals of spartan warriors, espousing valour in combat and adherence to the faith in Artemis Orthia. 

The cult’s warriors enter battle willingly. Displays of cowardice are anathema to believers. They lead from the front, refusing to allow others to enter danger on their behalf.

 

While seemingly contradictory to their boldness in entering combat, the Spear see this tenet as a simple matter. Even in combat, fight to live, for then you will fight with a greater ferocity than those that do not care if they fall. All warriors may fall, but only those who sought life after the blood and pain of battle may know they fought with valour.

The Voice speaks the words of Artemis Orthia. When she speaks, those words are to be followed. To deny her words is to dishonour yourself in the eyes of the cult and its god.

 

The Voice has decreed that diablerie is the greatest of sins among civilised Kindred. Those who drink of the heart’s blood and consume the soul of another are enemies of the Spear to be destroyed.

 

As Orthia fell in combat against the followers of Hell, so should the Spear fight them with her ferocity. Diabolists and demon-worshipers are the greatest of the Spear’s enemies, and to consort with them or their masters is to betray the purpose of one’s Blood.