Gentlemen of Valour

The Gentlemen of Valour is a skirmishing cabal formed by the Order of Hermes High Tower, officially as a response to aggressive actions by the Technocratic Union. The real mandate is to investigate the Goetean Party's breaches of the Code of Hermes, as well as the rumours of their alliance with the New World Order. The Gentlemen of Valour was formed in 1938 by the Conclave of the 7th Clause, a secret annual conclave between Primus Athos Theraxi of House Bonisagus, Primus Haqim ibn Muhtaraq of House Janissary, as well as Master Eloise Jerbani of House Flambeau, and Magister Insignitor Lucius Arachnidus of Hose Ex Miscellanea.

The four members of the cabal were handpicked by the Conclave of the 7th Clause for their loyalty to the Order as well as for their particular skillsets. Once the cabal had been assembled, they were sworn to secrecy and given Justicarial privileges, allowing them access to any chantry within the Order. Formally, the Gentlemen of Valour report to the High Conclave of House Janissary, as do all Justicars of the Order. In reality, these mages answer to no one but the Conclave of the 7th Clause.

A Skirmishing Cabal is an old designation stemming back to the battles of the Massassa War. The term is still sometimes used to describe a cabal of mages formed to combat a defined threat to the Order of Hermes and is independent of any chantry or House. A Skirmishing Cabal enjoys a particular set of rights and privileges allowing it to travel as required and access any resources it may need to fulfill its mission.

Adeptus Maior Samael Tempeston bani Bonisagus
The senior Adeptus of the cabal, an accomplished swordsman with an exceedingly sharp mind, and its leader. Samael is a student of war cabals and the Order’s leading authority on Hermetic warfare. He won a name for himself when he emerged as the champion of the Ring of Certamen in 1921, as the youngest champion for 307 years.. The Ring of Certamen is a dueling tournament held every seven years, where Adepti from each House compete for glory for themselves and their houses. His treatise on cabals at war in the early 19th century earned him a scholarship with the Second House chantry in Boston, where he also served in the role of Keeper of the Gate until he was summoned by the Conclave of the 7th Clause.

Adeptus Archibald Lion-Boldly bani Janissary
One of the sharpest legal minds of his generation and a devout Ascension warrior, Archibald was one of the first names to be considered for the cabal. His specialty is Hermetic law, with a focus on breach of Clause, but his first case was as the advocate for an Ahl-i-Batin brought before the Tribunal at Horizon on charges of betrayal of his cabal. Not only did Archibald win the case and discredit the Celestial Chorus Master who had brought the charges, but his closing argument was even quoted by the Batini envoy who announced their withdrawal from the Council of Nine.

Archibald was also one of the Adepti of Meayll Hill. The ancient Verbena Node on the Isle of Man came under attack from a Technocratic amalgam while the senior members of the chantry were gathered in Horizon. Archibald happened to be travelling through when the Union struck and without hesitation he organized the resistance. Five Adepti of the Order of Hermes, Verbena, and Celestial Chorus, four Initiates, and six sorcerers fought off a force of Men in Black, Border Corps Marines, and Armatures long enough for help to arrive.

Adeptus Johannes Tymeborne bani Flambeau
The dour and stone-faced war mage embodies the ideal of the modern Hermetic war mage. He was the Adeptus-at-Arms for the Templar House chantry in London for the last five years before he joined the Gentlemen of Valour. During this time, he earned a reputation for loyalty and vigilance. What brought him to the attention of the Conclave of the 7th Clause was his role in the Blackfriars Incident.

An NWO Watcher had been following up on police reports about missing cats and strange noises from the sewers. When the Technocrat investigated, she came upon a Marauder who had gathered an army of rats and was preparing to take over the city. Tymeborne had just picked up an order from “Smithwyck & Son Rare Books et al.” when the rats swarmed into the subway station. He ordered all the Sleepers up on the street and waded against the current of rats. In an old service tunnel, he found the Technocrat and the Marauder locked in combat. It was clear that the Technocrat was losing and Tymeborne drew his halberd from its holster and charged the Marauder. Between him and the NWO Watcher, the Marauder was killed and disposed off before the police arrived.

Adeptus Thybalt de la Crux bani Criamon Ex Miscellanea
Behind the cultivated image of a charlatan and a dandy lurks a shrewd magician who is capable of pulling off impressive Magickal feats without incurring Paradox, particularly in front of Sleepers. Thybalt only became a member of the Gentlemen of Valour on the insistence of Master Arachnidus. His reputation is that of a womanizer and playboy, with connections in all the shady parts of the Tradition Horizon Realms. In actual fact, he was recruited by Master Arachnidus when he was still an Initiate and has been one of the Master’s curriers and spies ever since.