Editing The Gift:Characters (section)

===House Snake Drinking===

House Snake Drinking was founded in 1880 as “The Boston Anthropological Society”, an organization dedicated to the study of magic.  The founders were convinced that magic was an art lost by modern western civilization, but well known in other times and places.  They hoped that by historical and anthropological research, they might collect such knowledge.  The society encountered the Council in 1885 and was admitted in 1900, at which point it renamed itself “Snake Drinking”.  The house generally frowns on mysticism, but also encourages a respect for all cultures and religions.  Once considered “stodgy”, Snake Drinking has embraced the modern age and the improved research methods that it has provided.  Their interest is not simply academic.  Old, foreign or secret artifacts and writings may bring a mage power and wealth, and competition between Snake Drinking mages can turn deadly.  House Snake drinking is firmly loyal to the Council, viewing it as the only alternative to anarchy and war.

Apprenticeship involves a broad general training in the social sciences with particular emphasis placed on magical theory and tradition.  Magical training focuses on learning to find information for yourself.

Cost: 24 points

Advantages:  Language (Any, Broken)

Skills:  Computer Operation, History (Any Two), Occultism, Philosophy (Western Analytic), Psychology, Research, Ritual Magic (Western Hermeticism), Ritual Magic (Wiccan), Sociology, Symbol Drawing (Western Hermetic), Thaumatology.

Spells:

Air:  Seek Air.

Communication and Empathy:  Sense Foes.

Earth:  Seek Earth.

Illusion and Creation:  Simple Illusion.

Knowledge:  Ancient History, History, Prehistory, Seeker, Trace.

Meta:  Detect Magic.


House Stances

Magic:  Magic is the ultimate product of human cultures.  If you want to understand magic, you need to understand those cultures.

Themselves: We aren’t the only house conducting important magical research.  We are just the best.

The Council:  Society wouldn’t function without police.  The Council may be corrupt, but corrupt police are better than no police at all.

The Old Houses:  They are an incredible resource of information.

The Young Houses:  We are the future.  Nobody else has our rigorousness and organizational ability.

The Circle:  They are as great a resource, in their way, as the Old Houses are.

The Cooperative:  Wow!  I’m not sure if what they are doing is good or bad but it certainly requires study.