DL the Order's operative Zan's Char Gen file.
Purpose : The Order of the Cross is now the special operations team of The Vatican. They seek to protect the Christendom throughout the world.
Modus operandi : They send specially trained monks to investigate, and if the need be, these monks are usually fully qualified to take any measure necessary to prevent disasters. They're supposed no to interfere with mundane affairs, only in mystical, christians oriented ones.
Extent of operations : Their agents have been known to operate anywhere on Earth.
Relationship to conventional authorities : During the Middle Ages, in Europe, it was respected just as any religious militant orders (Templars...). In the Modern Ages, at least until recently, the Order was but a myth. It's now some kind of secret order, where members and sponsors keep their relationship with it as quiet as possible. But these sponsors are indeed influent, at least members of influent organizations, though unnamed, and allow the order to be well equipped and well informed of the global geopolitical balance. So there is no official relationship with other authorities, but many non-official ones, except with the Church's authority (the Pope) from whom they could take direct orders.
Bases of operations : The main HQ is in Rome in the city of Vatican, but any Roman Catholic church is virtually a haven for the Order's members. In the USA, the Abbey of Montcairn is one of the best fitted training and command center in the World. Only second to Vatican City.
Former bases of operations : Any major Roman Catholic center of decision, throughout history, housed movers and shakers of the Order
Major funding : Roman Catholic Church
Known enemies : The Black Angel, IO, Travis (a fellow Team 6 member along Deathblow who joined The Black Angel)
Known allies : Deathblow, Backlash, Lynch, Grifter, Dane, The Muquateen Warriors (a muslim order similar to the Order of The Cross).
MEMBERSHIP
Number of active members : around 1,000 active agents and 10,000 administrative personel all around the world.
Number of reserve members : usually, members are dedicated to the Order for life, but we can easily imagine that members retired. Though, as it's a matter of faith, they should able to jump pretty quickly if asked to saddle up again.
Organizational structure : It's now a militant branch of the Catholic Church, so it shares its hierarchy (The Pope, ArchBishops, Bishops, Abbots...). But it's ruled by a circle of 11 Cardinals.
Known officers : Among the leading Cardinals, only 2 have been named : Cardinal Thomas, Cardinal Giovanni.
Known current members : Sister Mary, Abbot O'Conner
Known former members : Brother Peter Tomas (KIA by Deathblow in Iraq), Brother Timothy (KIA by Black Angel's agents while making junction with Sister Mary to protect the Miracle Child).
Known special agents : Deathblow, Volare, Velena, Armato, Domina, Surge.
Membership requirements : To join the Order requires a deep commitment to the light of the Christ. All members endure an oath. Needless to say, the Order as means to determine if an applicant is sincere or not. They don't accept anybody though, they usually admit people with intensive investigative or military background.
HISTORY
Founder : The brother that first held the Sword of Heaven to strike down the Black Angel, just before, and thus allowing The Christ's resurrection.
Other leaders : For 2,000 years, the Order as seen many leaders.
Previous purpose and goals : At first, they were made to deal with any major threat involving a biblical menace. By biblical, I mean something that was usually related in old religious texts like "The Dead Sea Scrolls", and usually related to the end of the World as we know it. But as their number grew to include powerful political and military personalities, they lost sight of their original mission. It needed the discovery of the "Book of Judgement", among the Dead Sea Scrolls, in 1955, to remind them of the menace of "The Black Angel" and the prophecy that he would release Satan from Hell, to storm the doors of Heaven with an army of demons.
Major campaigns or accomplishments : The most famous campaigns they won are those against the Black Angel. At Least twice throughout human history did they managed to ban him from the surface of the world.
Major setbacks : When daemonites placed a nuke near St Peter's Cathedral, they had to rely on StormWatch to save the city. When Gen 13 had their vacations in Rome, the Order's SPB team thought the teenagers were a menace to the Church and chased them.
PERSONEL AND EQUIPMENT
Swiss Guard : The regular "troops" of the Vatican, the Swiss Guard, can be considered as the first line of defenders of The Order of the Cross. They are just like regular military. They equip themselves with protocolar armor and gear, but they could also rely on more modern, Black Razor like armors and weaponry (though they are still mooks).
Standard operative : The standard field agent (I am not talking about administrative personel here) is usually a formidable fighter and investigator. They are all monks or nuns, dedicated to the glory of God and to repel any evil back to Hell.
Equipment : They carry the tools of their trade, Knives, Guns... as any military covert organization would do.
Talents: Detective/Espionage, Martial Arts A, Guns, Melee Weapons, First Aid, Military, Occult, Bible.
Contacts: The Order, Roman Catholic Church.
Bonus
Protection From Evil (any power fueled by evil energy has a -2CS)
Near-Immortal (for those who were worth The Holy Grail).
Notable operatives: Christopher, Miracle Child, Sister Mary, Volare, Velena, Armato, Domina, Surge.
Resources: MN
Equipment : The Order of the Cross is the keeper of many biblical artifacts:
THE HOLY GRAIL
UN material strength
Systematic Antidote SH-Z
Regeneration SH-Z
True Invulnerability SH-Z
SWORD OF HEAVEN
RM material strength
RM damage
Dimension Travel (Banishing) SH-Z
Limited to evil creatures from Hell
HORSEMAN OF APOCALYPSE'S SIGILS
These artifacts were kept as the most dreadful evil objects in the Vatican's deepest vault. They are sentient powerful evil creatures whose essence is trapped in Sigils. They need a corpse as a host body (FASE). The Sigils have access to the hosts physical skills and powers. They share these stats:
R- EX; I- EX; P- IN
Shrinking TY
Animate Dead (No Range) UN
Physical abilities of the corpses are not affected
Postcognition UN (Limit: No Range and limited to the corpse's background
People killed by Sigils' powers can serve The Black Angel as hosts bodies for summonned demons' spirits.
They now have 4 distinct powers (all are Always On):
War - Broadcast Empath EX (Area effect with a Range of 4 areas; limited to incite hatred and violence)
Famine - Energy Vampirism EX (Effect with a Range of 6 areas)
Pestilence - Poison Touch IN (Area Effect with a Range of 6 areas)
Death - Mind Drain EX (Area Effect with a Range of 4 areas)
Furthermore, they receive many prototypes of high tech equipments that would make Skywatch ridiculous:
INTELLIGENCE'S SATELITTES UPLINK Remote Sensing CL. 1000
NEUTRALIZING SUITS Control: Negation MN
SWISS GUARD'S HITECH ARMOR
Radio Communication RM
Their agents can rely on any conventional military, intelligence or communication hardware (and software too).
- Gen 13 #6-7 : European Vacations. Gen 13 are quietly having a good time in Rome. After getting drunk, and spending the night with Burnout, Rainmaker rejects him. This drives him mad and he falmes on and rockets in Roman air (and he is not the lowest profile of the group). Noticing the outburst of unnatural power, and fearing that StormWatch would step on The Order's juridiction, Cardinal Giovanni dispatches its SPBs team. They fight the teenagers and manage to capture Fairchild, Freefall and Grunge, after the brawl got out of control, destroying many civilian properties. With the help of Bliss, Burnout recovers Rainmaker and they breech Vatican's security, making enough fuss to be a diversion for the others to break free.
