Second House

Located in Boston, MA, and founded in 1641, it is the oldest Order of Hermes chantry in the Americas. It is one of the few remaining Grand Chantries still located in the material world. It plays an important role in the politics of the Tradition, with more than one of its alumni going on to hold important offices in both Doissetepp and Horizon.

Motto
"Appetitus Scientiae Excedit Hominem Cadere"

Meaning: The desire of knowledge in excess caused man to fall.

Overview
The chantry occupies a large, forested lot in the Dorchester neighborhood in south Boston. The main building sits on a three acre property surrounded by a tall brick and wrought iron fence. The grounds are largely taken up by a Romantic park, with pines, oaks, cypresses, ponds, a creek, rocky features and at least three caves – one of which is natural. The main entrance is along a gravel road blocked by a massive wrought iron gate. The fence and main gate are protected with powerful wards. Inside it sits a squat brick guardhouse. There are a number of other, smaller gates, some hidden, all locked and warded. Despite its size, most people never notice the chantry.

There are several buildings on the property. The Main Hall is a 19th century brick and wood Gothic Revival mansion. It houses the chantry's library, the dining room, eight bedroom-suites, servant's quarters, store rooms, kitchen, and an outstanding wine cellar. The two-storied Art Deco pool house sits behind the mansion, beside a pond-shaped pool. The pool house has four bedrooms, a common room, a kitchen, and a smoking room. Away from the hall, hidden between the trees of the park, lies a colonial style cottage. This is the Sanctum of the Warden of the Grounds and is so well concealed that it cannot be found by anyone who hasn't been invited by the Warden. There are also a number of shacks and pavilions scattered across the property. Several portals lead from one house to another, or to other locations on the grounds.

Apart from the physical structures, the chantry is connected to a Horizon Realm which houses the chantry's arcane library, several study rooms and laboratories, a Chamber of Certámen, lodgings for a score of mages, and several other rooms. It appears as a tower overlooking a fertile valley, sitting on top of a network of tunnels carved out of the mountain. It is accessible from about half a dozen locations on the chantry grounds.

The Paradigm inside the physical walls is staunchly Hermetic, and the Gauntlet is strengthened. Crossing the Gauntlet outside of the few designated locations is very hard.

Both the fence and the mansion appears in the Umbra. The fence here is a 50' tall curtain wall patrolled by hulking figures and the mansion is a looming masonry structure surrounded by miles of hostile woods. These woods are almost impossible to navigate if one steps off the paths.