Second Inquisition

Who are the Second Inquisition

The Second Inquisition is not a single entity, but an event. A movement creating an era where risking the Masquerade comes at a cost and shapes Kindred to fear kine once more. What most Kindred mean by the phrase Second Inquisition is the covert multinational conspiracy that contains multiple intelligence services and other groups including the Vatican that are actively hunting down the undead, though this does not mean they are controlled by their respective agencies.

Overview

The Second Inquisition is a long feared event when too many humans peek behind the Masquerade. Second Inquisition is the name Kindred have given these new age witch-hunters, they are a loose confederation of intelligence agencies. Those under the name FIRSTLIGHT, are the US branch including agents from the CIA, NSA, and more. These agencies are usually disguised as anti-terrorism to fool lower ranking agents and the public of their activities. Their hesitation to make their secret war public is due to Kindred pawns interfering and a possible pushback from the public.

This new inquisition has weapons and tactics that have allowed them to burn many havens. Airports are now unsafe for Kindred, witnesses can be deadly, and messages sent via phone or text need to be careful not to contain any Masquerade breaching terms. Those that don't take precautions in this new era may end up a list or worse. While the importance of the Masquerade was proven vital. Kindred fears are met with these humans, Kindred are outnumbered by humanity. Oddly enough this may provide younger Kindred with means to move up in Kindred society in an opportunistic way. So many have died, there is a chance for a new Kindred to take their place.

The reaction has been all over the spectrum in Kindred society. The factions have had different responses to this, the Camarilla are more guarded with technology, encouraging members to use old forms of spycraft, animalism, ciphers, etc. Some Princes even outright ban online presence. The Tower has essentially retreated to their old ways and wish to keep their chance of discover small in this new age, hoping to repeat how they defeat the First Inquisition. The Anarchs are not as shy about tech using their know how to avoid detection with burner phones, dominated humans, fleshcrafted body doubles, throw in with hackers, etc. Some Thin-bloods can simply hide in plain sight or even corroborate with the SI.

History

Kindred have had the occasional pawn or crossed path with intelligence agencies, usually fleeing rogue agents. The Masquerade made the notion of the living dead ridiculous which served Kindred well, but after the War on Terror things changed. The Camarilla took a gamble, throwing the Sabbat to the intelligence agencies which wrecked havoc on the Cainites. As these agents did their work they started to find more Kindred evidence, impossibly old bank accounts and questionable records were discovered. Also the NSA was freed of most traditional restrictions allowed even more surveillance. As the hunted heated up the Tower threw the Anarchs to the wolves, but the flame of the Inquisition was already lit.

The Information Awareness Office (IAO) was founded by Admiral John Poindexter in 2002. The intention was to pinpoint any threats to the USA. The program used investigations and advanced economic algorithms to find anomalies; Camarilla accounts and high profile contacts. A result of their attempt to manipulate the War on Terror. This resulted in ghouls, dominated thralls, and even Kindred captured and each were extracted for information. The Camarilla was able to defund the IAO officially by 2003, by manipulating public opinion on human rights, but it was too late.  

Admiral Roberto Farrier, Poindexter’s handpicked successor, simply obfuscated the IAO activities under normal Pentagon black budget counterterrorism activities. Without Congress or Pentagon oversight this shadow IAO could run with Farrier at the helm, from his office in Pearl Harbor. He now can direct programs to anti-kindred activities, disguised as anti-terrorism programs. This proves a double edged sword, he can manipulate the defense department, but the resources he pulls needs to fit plausible operations.

Soon the Second Inquisition got a great gift in the freeing of Felicity Price, Associate Director of the NSA. She was a dominated thrall of a Nosferatu, Xóchitl. This gave the SI first-hand information on the Nosferatu and some knowledge into the Camarilla structure, clan structures, and a good chunk of the Camarilla network. Price has been instrumental in the formation of FIRSTLIGHT. She reaches out to international partners to join the coalition and share information.

The Second Inquisition cracked SchreckNET, Kindred internet overseen by Nosferatu, which ignited the flames of the Second Inquisition once humans had access to so much Kindred information. Using shell organizations and secrecy they are able to operate without scrutiny from the public and governing bodies.

FIRSTLIGHT began to work with others like Russia’s GRU and the Vatican’s Service, the Entity, providing vital records from old Inquisition tales. Loose agents in these organization were able to ban together and accomplish major feats; 2008 saw the destruction of the Tremere Chantry in Vienna, and 2013 is the date London was marked as Kindred free with the supposed death of Queen Anne, Prince of London. France had Marseille cleared by the DGSE forcing François Villon into hiding. Black sites are said to have held a number of captured Kindred. They have some major defeats too, such as the Detroit Hunt of 2012, a disastrous raid where a supposed turncoat Kindred betrayed the Coalition and freed others. This lead to the death of many field agents.

In the opening acts of this new inquisition the Camarilla has taken heavy blows with London and Vienna, but many Sabbat and Anarch havens have been hit the hardest. These events even factor into the Giovanni inclination to form the Hecata. The Banu Haqim and Ministry are finding being independent clans not as advantageous with domains between the Gehenna War and Second Inquisition.

Organizations

The Second Inquisition may seem like a FIRSTLIGHT agent bursting into a Kindred's haven in the day time decked out in tactical gear, but it can take many forms. The major government conspiracy raging a secret war is The Coalition. The alliance of agents and hidden uses of assets fund the deadly raids Kindred have learned to fear in this new age. Eyes on technology and algorithms Kindred are tasked with adapting or being burned out. But the Second Inquisition has more than men in black and special agents, it has individual hunters, conspiracy theorist, and even gang members in this movement. The larger conspiracy from the Coalition are the major concern of most Kindred, but the small homegrown hunters can prove just as deadly for Kindred new to the night.

The Coalition

This is what the Five Torches, the second-party, and third-party hunters call their overall conspiracy. It may be acronyms, code names, or whatever means they need to use to obfuscate their dealings. They can hide their information gathering and exchange at mundane and inconvenient locations while a more flashy event is happening like various summits or world conferences. A double edged sword with their effectiveness sharpened, but national interest and personal politics still rearing its ugly head. IAO, FIRSTLIGHT, and Vatican’s La Entità are major players keeping this conspiracy in line with limitless funds, information network, and mastery of mystical defenses, respectively.

The main body of the Coalition is comprised of the Five Torches, but they also ally with secondary partners in other countries. The max number of seats at the table for planning Coalition wide strategy are only ten or less. Though many countries oversee their own domestic tactics when able to.

The Five Torches

The five most influential countries with intelligence that have the information, focus, and funding for fighting a war on Kindred. The Five Torches are joined with other countries who have begun to put resources into the Second Inquisition.

Though Five Torches are resource rich, they may not all have the best interest at heart, often being just as corrupt as the Kindred they face. FIRSTHLIGHT and JTRG use their resources to eliminate political enemies and forward their national interest. PMEX in South America recruits human traffickers as well as terrorists to fight Kindred. The growing mistrust of FIRSTLIGHT's agenda or GRU constant espionage against allies is a constant thorn in the Coalition. The Vatican encourages government corruption to easier bribe officials so they can expand operations. Individual Farm Team hunters deemed a liability The Coalition is not above tipping off Kindred to deal with them. Better the nuisance hunters die to Kindred than endanger the Coalition's operations.

United States

Seeing Kindred as a threat to national security with Blood Bonds and mental domination of high ranking officials, they attempt to thoroughly attack the threat. While they seem cohesive to outsiders, the US has fractures in its agencies as competition for funding and jurisdiction are always up for grabs.

• Information Awareness Office - Also known as IAO, headed by Admiral Roberto Farrier in Pearl Harbor. This agency leads strikes and conducts US military operations or calls on private contractors. All of its dealings are classified or falsely mislabeled to misdirect the public and Kindred. They are also the purse of the Coalition, funneling US government money for operations while they find ways to justify the cost.
• FIRSTLIGHT - Headed by Associate Director Felicity Price, originally an organization in the CIA and NSA, the FIRSTLIGHT now touches many security agencies. It takes in information and either passes the targets to IAO, SAD or other agencies to strike, to have deniability. In special cases it sends in its own strike force for high value targets. Recruits Thin-bloods with promises of revenge and cures only to send them to experimentation sites.
• FBI’s Special Affairs Division - Also called SAD, headed by Deputy Director Marcus Questor. Originally formed by J. Edgar Hoover fought against the Giovanni and later Capone, investigating UFOs and Bigfoot. It fell out of favor for years upon his death. Seen as a career ending department for decades to follow as the FIRSTLIGHT and IAO began, SAD uses its influence in law enforcement and extensive case files for anti-Kindred activities. Usually using finesse and detective work to get their targets. They have a large collection of mystical artifacts they are reluctant to share. Commandeered Kindred assets give them enough economic freedom from IAO.

United Kingdom

The US may have more say in how the global conspiracy works, the UK with the clearing of London has given their branch prestige. Called the Newburg Group, as an informal like minded group of high ranking officials. This is spread headed by Sir Simon Newburgh. Scotland Yard and the mysterious order, the Arcanum, who have documented the supernatural also aid in these efforts. Plans to expand the model to other cities are planned, but the UK’s recent political climate has made international cooperation complex. They still manage to trade information with the US. They seek to expand partnership to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. SO13 is unwanted to many other organizations in the Coalition for its tactics.

• Joint Threat Response Group - Also called JTRG, directed by Sir Simon Newburgh. This group works as the information gathering portion of the UK and European effort with biometrics, Xscopes, and facial recognition technology. While their data mining leaves much to be desired, JTRG specializes in audio and visual surveillance. Faces 2 issues, hiding the fact all Kindred in London are technically dead which threatens their clout, and European nations are not too keen to have a wide-range British surveillance program in their home turf.
• Specialist Operations Branch 13 - Also called SO13 headed by Ishaq Khan. Officially SO13 merged with SO12 to make the counterterrorism unit SO15 to the British public. In actuality, SO13 remained an independent unit. Filled with SAS commandos and Royal marines and protected by GCHQ. They were the unit to destroy havens in London, and supposedly beheaded Queen Anne in 2012. Overly zealous wishing to also put Thin-bloods, herd members, and ghouls to the flame as well. Using face masks and decapitations as scare tactics and their extreme views have made others the Coalition reluctant to expand such agents into the rest of Europe.
• The Arcanum - Made up of occult scholars and hobbyists, and even some members are of England’s elite. The Vatican and SAD have more occult resources than they, but what they lack in artifacts they make up with in organization. Their sorcerous knowledge aided in the downfall of Vienna. Specialist in ritual magic and knowledge of the arcane. Unknown to the others UK organizations, while the Arcanum can divine locations and thwart wards, Kindred magic is still leagues ahead of them.

Russia

The Brujah used to have a tight grip on Russia’s KGB and information organizations. The GRU Fifth Directorate was formed to isolate influences by the KGB which discovered the Anarchs and Brujah pulling the strings. They started their fight against Kindred in the 1970s. Joining the Inquisition in 2004, they had enjoyed stake-wielding Spetsnaz with stakes. In 2009, their leader resigned and their funding was cut in a massive blow to them. They kept their operation essential, usually only striking out against high value targets. Even so they had been fighting 3 decades before the other organizations, so they are territorial in its jurisdiction, especially to UK and US agencies.

• GRU Eighth Direction - Called GRU-N58 or GRU for short. They consider themselves the more successful organization hunting blank bodies. Having used the time since their founding to secretly take out influential Kindred. While FIRSTLIGHT and SO13 prefer overwhelming force and brutality, GRU sees such as wasteful preferring a surgical approach with fully briefed agents. They specialize in false flag operations playing up Kindred faction warfare. They have a distrust of FIRSTLIGHT. GRU is always cautious about sharing resources with the agency, thinking their large information stores are a bigger threat than Kindred.
• Unit 242 Special Purposes - Called U242, they covers the occult aspects and even recruits foreign contractors. This is to have deniability and write off any caught or captured as radical agents. Their units have vampires and supernaturals in their rank from GRU compromised communities. Soldiers that show promise are taken to mysterious and dangerous training and pass through ZMEI protocols to get Kindred-like powers with benefits and no drawbacks. Though they will develop more traditional Kindred weakness, they seldom live long enough.
• The Akritai - An order originally from the times of Constantinople. The order tries to present itself to be an independent witch-hunting organization it in essence falls under GRU, unbeknownst to the members. They act as spies for GRU into the Vatican and manpower for operations. Many believe they still have mystical powers, in truth they use mostly combat skill and modern weapons, the true sorcerers are kept heavily guarded by GRU and restricted from leaving Russian soil save for special circumstances.

Brazil

Brazil’s agencies are close allies to the Vatican, and also have years of experience fighting supernatural forces. Due to Lasombra and Toreador warring over dominance, they were ignored and rather used by Princes as tools to attack their enemies. This allowed them to gain more experience and funds from plundered Kindred assets. The Vatican brought them fully into the Second Inquisition. Though they are reluctant to expand outside South America, others of the Coalition often overlook their experience in fighting supernatural forces.

• BOES - Special Secret Operations Battalion or Batalhão de Operações Especiais Secretas (BOES) is composed of different units in Brazil’s Special Police Operations Battalions (SPOB) from all over the country handpicking squads to dedicate in vampire hunting. BOES main goal is to keep kindred influence from oil refineries, political offices, and military bases. They do on occasion fight Kindred in cities and favelas, having experience in “block-by-block” methods. The Vatican provides them with artifacts, SAD with support, and IAO funding has allowed BOES to expand to places like Bogotá, Caracas, and Luanda. Though SPOB have territory issues and rivalry with commandos dying of odd circumstances linked to organized crime. Hiding the effects of their government corruption and fear of FIRSTLIGHT overreach are two pressing issues for the BOES in The Coalition.
• Military Police Extraterritorial Operations - Called PMEX, Formed at the behest of the Vatican with IAO funding. PMEX trains local forces in ways of vampire hunters in the wider South America. Working outside Brazil this group is composed of militias and insurgents that have lost people to Kindred. They are supplied with incendiary landmines as well as trained in staking and decapitation, PMEX still finds itself at a disadvantage relying on incendiary and mystical weakness still struggling against motivated hostile Kindred. The people trained for PMEX are all stripes: terrorist, insurgents, militias, war criminals, human traffickers, etc. This fact causes friction with FIRSTLIGHT and GRU, but PMEX refuses to argue morals.

The Vatican

The heart of the Coalition and most fervent. They are the foremost in knowledge of fighting Kindred with over 800 years of research. Composed of the Entity, their intelligence wing, and Society of St. Leopold, the latter of which was founded in 1231 by Leopold of Murnau and Pope Gregory IX. The Masquerade at one point convinced the Vatican the Kindred threat was ridiculous and severed ties with the Society. Now it has returned full force. In 1998, Ingrid Bauer began a crusade against Kindred. When The IAO and NSA began to form FIRSTLIGHT, Bauer began to make alliances with the US-based agencies. With the Entità and Society combined again the Vatican is a formidable force against Kindred.

• La Entità - Also called The Entity, the Inner workings is a mystery, supposedly led by 9 high ranking church officials. It works as the intelligence and decision making arm of the Vatican. Keeps the Holy See from direct involvement. Acknowledging the political corruption and misaimed first of the First Inquisition, they strive to burn out all Kindred this time. The Entity prefers to overlook their own operations, only giving advisors to other operations save for Brazil operations. To them, all others of the Coalition are expendable since they are the most important part. This is why Gladius Dei was created to have Vatican presence without the core being in any real trouble. Their ESOG and Gladius Dei teams operate with IAO or BOES in mission when a large force is needed, but their use in muddied war zones where Kindred presence is questioned has become a concern to The Entity. They are suspicious of US agencies using them as political tools and GRU information leaked confirms this.
• Gladius Dei/Entity Special Operations Group - Abbreviated ESOG for short. Gladius Dei serves as the secret master of the Entity, but contradictory subordinate to the Society of St. Leopold. Not all ESOG are Gladius Dei and not all Gladius Dei are in ESOG. A confusing structure, but the Vatican uses this to their fullest potential. The Entity recruit from Catholic militaries for young recruits to Gladius Dei. Those with supernatural talent are then turned over to ESOG. ESOG has access to unique weapons and items, decked out in tactical gear, they are the most used to military structure and tactics. Gladius Dei/ESOG got up against active Kindred threats at night unlike the rest of the Coalition who conducted day strikes based on intelligence reports.
• Society of St. Leopold - No longer a loose confederation of lone hunters, they are now more organized in their vampire hunting. The birth of suborders have helped with organizations and closer bonds with the Entity. They still freelance when on Coalition business or as advisors. But when working in their Society squads they have adopted modern tactics. Each suborder has tactics, but usually work in a team of six. Lightly equipped with powerful artifacts and even operating with Sorcerers. Their zeal for their missions can be twisted by Kindred or blinded by darker human impulses, and has proven their own failing in the past. They have fooled themselves into learning from the First Inquisition, but abuse of power and manipulative machination are prevalent still, just as much as they are Kindred society. They also are corruptors bending other in seats of power to their will.
  • Suborders: Each suborder has tactics, but usually work in a team of six. Lightly equipped with powerful artifacts and even operating with Sorcerers. Many more exist with varying ideology and techniques. Some even focus on more than just Kindred. Below are those involved in the Second Inquisition.
    • Children of Lazarus - Founded after the French Revolution and based in Paris, this suborder employs the harshest hunting tactics and considers Kindred blasphemy. Their methods make them only used as foot soldiers for ESOG. They mainly operate in North America and Europe, but has other safe houses.
    • Humble Bother of San Rocco - A Venice-based suborder. Many hunters also seek to care for the poor and sick as well as Vampire hunting. Involved in city restorations and excellent knowledge of urban layouts, this allowed them to survive Kindred attacks in cities. The corruption of the Society is slowly turning the suborder to more fanatical destructive tactics of the city it once protected.
    • Sisters of St. Sebastian - Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This suborder is small but has rare powers of precognitive visions at the cost of their health. The most potent seers suffer horrific injury from using their potent foresight. Usually overlooked by ESOG due to sexist bias in recruiting, though exceptions are made with powerful seers as they are inhumanly fortified mentally and against pain.
    • Order of San Carlo - One of the oldest suborders, tracing their founding to the Spanish Inquisition and based in Seville. Originally founded as a power grab with plundered riches over actual witch hunting, today they are more in line with the Second Inquisition and one of the riche suborders. They have excellent trained units and prefer daytime raids or incendiary devices.
    • Order of Sao Paulo - One of the largest suborders based in the Brazilian city, São Paulo. Their recruits are found in BOES veterans and locals. With sober corporate culture and link between BOES and The Entity, the Church in turns allows them the most powerful artifacts. They are decked out with heavy tactical armor, riot shields, and blades during operations. They prove prime picks for ESOG.
    • Friars of Tavelic - Also known as the cult of Friars, this small order is based in Zagreb, Croatia and operates all over Eastern Europe. They hold martyrdom on high to a troubling degree, so much so the ESOG finds their self-destructive nature a liability. They have close ties with the Russian Akritai and work as links between them and the Entity.

Partner Organizations

Not part of the Five Torches, but part of the Coalition, several countries have their own tactics for dealing with Kindred. They may partner with Coalition resources of course, but they each have their own Agenda and interest.

• Egypt: Homeland Special Program - The HSP infiltrates Kindred cults in North Africa and Europe, focusing on human intelligence. They use blackmail and coercion against Kindred cultists. The actual capture of the Kindred is left up to IAO.
• France: La Calcédoine - Guided by France’s DGSE intelligence analyst system, Emeraude, La Calcédoine are a group of specialists often. They are often attached to official operations when the operation is thought to have Kindred influence. They succeeded in clearing Marseilles and forcing Francois Villon into hiding. They believe Kindred is part of a greater conspiracy called la menace secréte. They specialize in capture and interrogation, they are pushing for an open war with Kindred as they have caught hints of a powerful ancient Kindred rising. They operate in France, Mali, Niger, Gabon, and Côte d’Ivoire.
• Israel: Unit 8211 - Unit 8211 excels at cracking complex information systems and works without bureaucracy and legal hassles. They can hack into delivered Kindred devices in the day time or even tract the movement of Elders in the Gehenna War.
• Japan: Third Intelligence Department - Called TID for short, Kindred overpopulation turned a once relatively safe place that came to an end upon the death of the Tokyo’s Prince. With no official sanction or oversight their agents err on the side of overly enthusiastic. Small in size and depending on IAO and FIRSTLIGHT for resources, they still prove effective.
• Poland: Bureau IX - Thought to be founded in 2002, it’s roots go back to the WWII era. Opposed to leftist groups and Russian influence. The Coalition offers a chance for Poland’s national interest and strengthens ties to the Vatican. Jaded with democratic rule, they plan for a government coup to push their radical agenda. They willingly plan night raids and deploy untested technology against kindred.
• Sweden: G-Kontoret - Dedicated to the Coalition since the early days of the Second Inquisition and founded by Arcanum members, G-K specializes in economic espionage. They distrust SO13, but work with JTRG and the Newburgh Group. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Coalition, G-K researches a cure for vampirism. Thin-bloods have been guinea pigs for their occult studies with some success in reducing kindred drawbacks. They rely on FIRSTLIGHT and Russian Akritai for new Kindred.

Farm Teams

These groups are sometimes called “Farm Teams” as a play on words for them being minor leagues. Not all organizations are part of the grand conspiracy like the Coalition or Five Torches. Some are more contained at lower levels of operation. Vampire hunting is just using weapons and finding out who is Kindred and who is not. They can be gangsters ready to strike back at a Kindred for their vigilante work to an online community posting about strange sightings.

To older Kindred enemies like cops, criminals, theorists, and solo hunters are easy fodder, but to fledgling and young neonates who lack power and connections, they can be major roadblocks or even formidable foes. Some of which can even seen induction into the Coalition.

Law Enforcement

From the local police departments to Europol or FBI agents, any that investigate violent crimes may stumble into the world of Kindred. They lack information or military-grade weapons, usually, but their determination, intimate knowledge of their city, and personal connections can give them a serious edge to an out-of-town neonate.

A major obstacle for law enforcement is police gear differs depending on location and they have to justify their weapon usage to their superiors, especially to firepower to hurt Kindred. They can however make hunting grounds hard to access, contacts less willing to break the law, and even hurt one's standing with the Camarilla or kine business relationships with heighten cop attention. It is imperative a Kindred, coterie, or retainers disrupt or distract the police while they are investigating. Given enough time they can uncover connections to associates and coterie mates, or worse perform a daytime raid.

Killing them causes more problems or higher level agents may appear, but hiding behind mortals is viable. Bribery or even going after their problem cases can turn them into assets.

Organized Crime

Russian Bratva, Mafia, street gangs, cartels, and the like are unique in the fact a character can find them as enemies even if the criminal syndicate is ignorant of their status as Kindred. These groups are territorial and hate sharing the exploitation of the vulnerable in the city. Some select groups may not even be amoral gangsters, but community criminal protectors who see Kindred as monster or blasphemy to God.

Given they do not know or care if an enemy is Kindred, what they do care about is when a Kindred disrupts their operations: a Puttanesca's crew rivals their gang, Thin-bloods deal on their block, supernaturally strong Brujah vigilantes, or even Ventrue manipulating local politicians to hurt their rackets. Their bottom line and dominance is usually all they care about. They are wily antagonists, manipulating finances, blackmailing herds, and getting hands on high grade weapons via black market. Worst yet they can be as ruthless and amoral as Kindred deeming firebombing, drive-by shootings, and kidnappings fair game.

They have money and people but neither are limitless, a Kindred can bleed them out figuratively. Violence works well as a few dead will be overlooked by law enforcement or even blow back on the gang as the police try to stop a “gang war” from progressing.

Conspiracy Theorists

Not a single person, a group of people with fringe ideas who think that maybe Vampires aren’t just fiction, but actually walk the earth. They congregate on forums and websites with like-minded theorists safe from the skeptics where they can look over, swap their evidence and maul over urban legends.

The power of the internet at work with some having access to special databases. This works as they usually never plan to physically confront a vampire, though some can get access to an assault rifle in a pinch. This biggest boon is remaining unseen and sending the SWAT to a haven, giving often ignored leads to intelligence agencies, and alerting other farm teams of Kindred presences. This can prove to be a hidden conflict Kindred suffers with if they aren’t tech savvy or have the investigation skills for.

Dealing with them is tough as bad tips quickly burn an account’s reliability and they generally distrust throwaway accounts. Best action may be to lay low for a while. Cunning Kindred can set the police on them by planting illegal guns, drugs, or bombing making items, if they can find out who these people are.

Amateurs

The classic solo Van Helsings many think of when they hear the words vampire hunter. They aren’t as looming a threat as the other farm team members, but can be annoying with their ferocity. These hunters can be made of desperate people looking, avenge a dead lover, or paranoid individuals wanting the drainings to stop. They can even be a moral dilemma to more empathic Kindred who need to consider their convictions. To others it is a chance to flex powers on weak opponents. Their equipment is never the best, but may wield True Faith or artifacts, which can make them actual threats.

They complicate things, such as it not really self-defense if they never proved a threat. They can go after touchstones or the much weaker, vulnerable childe. If Thin-bloods are important to a Kindred they may attack them on the streets with larger margins of success. They can even turn into accidental serial killers who make hunting harder. Some attack in public unafraid of arrest banking on Kindred holding back.

These Hunters may appear at inopportune times and make life difficult, but can be dealt with. Fed them a target to chase, direct them to a Kindred rival, send them to a human enemy, or even ghoul and Blood Bond useful ones.

Second Inquisition in Chronicles

Tactics

Before they resort to tearing down havens and firing on sleeping Kindred, the members of the Coalition had certain tactics they employed. Even cells of farm teams may adapt these tactics. Usually they attack on multifront social, mental, physical, and occult means. Their teams use a mix of these skills to corner Kindred then eliminate them.

Social agents can challenge Kindred in halls of power or worse make life harder for Kindred with little clout or political savviness. Blackmail, traitorous blood dolls, informants, etc. make up their ranks.

Mental agents lay the groundwork for raids and attacks. High levels like the FIve Torches are able to use algorithms and tap into numerous databases to track Kindred. Others still rely on old fashion investigation skills, hackers, and stalkers.  

Physical agents are more straightforward in their skills. It can be a well trained military-clad IAO agent or a farm team gangbanger ready to bust some kneecaps. While soldiers and amateurs are the main archetypes, interrogators, snipers, and demolition specialists also fall into this category.  

Occult agents can be varied and are largely up to the Storyteller to include them. On one hand they are something like occult advisors from the Arcanum or defecting Thin-bloods. They may be composed of enslaved Kindred, mystics, psychics, abandoned ghouls, or even old Tzimisce monstrosities.  

Opposing Force

Called “OPFOR” is a team a Storyteller builds to oppose their players’ characters. Storytellers may consider where the characters are, how the SI plays into the story, how competent the OPFOR is, and how they caught the attention of the Si members. They can be a mix of skills or a focused cell and what their general purpose is. Storytellers are able to come up with background, SPC motivations, and begin to plan the conflict to challenge the players.

Equipment

The Coalition uses many items in their secret war against Kindred. They can be various mundane arms, armor and military grade weapons. Crossbows, stakes, or military level assault rifles will be seen in their ranks. Their vehicles range from black helicopters to drones to Armored SUVs and anything in between. They also possess access to Xtech rare, effective tools used to fight Kindred. Each part of the world, what the Coalition can plausibly get away with, and how the Storyteller builds the SI antagonist causes differences in tools available. Below are some samples of equipment used.  

XScopes - Monitors heartbeat, respiration, and body heat. They are installed in many airports disguised as cameras. The first generation of them can be deceived by Blush of Life, but the second generation looks at blood flow making it difficult for non-Duskborn who are not lifelike to deceive. Many second generation types are installed in international airports.

Incendiary Weapons - Lethal and effective, these are the bane of Kindred. Tracer rounds might not cause Aggravated damage, the others can. This includes Dragon’s Breath rounds, Raufoss, Hafla, flamethrowers, Molotov cocktails, and explosives.

Stake Launcher - Replacing the grenades in grenade launchers with stakes. This proves very effective.

Phase Motion Detector - A device known as a screamer, as it lets out a high pitched sound when its microwaves detect motion. Obfuscated Kindred do well to not be detected by such traps.

Velum Sanctuarii - Called “Holy Veil” in English, though known also as “Red Gas” to Kindred. This is a mysterious weapon only the Entity and occasionally BOES uses on high ranking Kindred targets. To humans they see nothing, to Kindred they see a red mist, hear screams and wails, and experience a burning sensation. Usually used to funnel Kindred into traps. This has appeared in both LA by Night as well as featured as a game mechanic in Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodhunt.

Artifacts

This covers all of the mystical artifacts many hunters discover and use. There are generally three types of these artifacts: Icons, Relics, and Armamenta. Storytellers are encouraged to make up their own artifacts for their game.

The Vatican has a large store of Relics, loans them out usually only to BOES and seldomly IAO and FIRSTLIGHT. The Akritai have a collection that favors Icons, even though Brujah destroyed many of them once upon a time. FBI’s SAD has a vault with many occult and esoteric items.

Icons - The term can cover any large installation or tapestry, but statues or carved reliefs are what survived the test of time. Made by either occult artists who infused Icons with special properties or occultists who knew powerful geometric ratios to protect places of worship, these items affect Kindred upon looking at them or sometimes vice versa. Some varieties work on more than just Kindred.

Relics - .These items make True Faith more powerful and act as a conduit providing unique benefits to the user or maluses to Kindred. In the hands of mortals lacking True Faith or mere Kindred, these items are powerless, some even curse Kindred for attempting to use them.

Armamenta - Meaning equipment in Latin, these are very rare and unique artifacts. They are usually deadly to Kindred. These types of artifacts also tend to hurt the user if used improperly.

Terms

Blank body - Refers to the readings Kindred gives off on infrared cameras. Now the name used to refer to them.

The Coalition - What the Five Torches and its allies call secret global hunting vampire conspiracy. It is mostly what Kindred means with the Second Inquisition, but The Coalition is not all hunters.

Farm Team - A name for the other hunters outside of the Coalition, tongue-in-cheek way of calling these outsiders the minor league. They too make up the Second Inquisition.

Second Inquisition - The current movement by kine to wage a secret war against Kindred. This number of Kindred has not risen up since the old days of the First Inquisition.

X tech - Vampire hunting gear that is rare and expensive. FIRSTLIGHT is the only one with enough resources to make the gear available. Others may buy in small quantities, though GRU turns to the black market.

Game concepts

Antagonists

Second Inquisition • Sabbat