The Labyrinth
By Shelby BabbHistory: In 1948, a Nazi Son of Ether named Hans Goeffels, began gathering corrupt scientists from the Nazi military and concentration camps after a mysterious "benefactor" showed Hans the fall of the Third Reich. Hans gathered the Wyrm-tainted Progenitors who experimented in human breeding to create a master race, and the corrupt Sons of Ether working on making various weapons for the Germans. In order to sneak the the Nephandi technomancers away from the SS, Hans called upon his benefactor to create duplicates of the scientists to take their place. This act gained the attention of the Iron Circle, an Ahriman that dealt with occult matters for Hitler, and caused Hans and his fellow escapees to be labeled as traitors. Clashes between the Iron Circle and the Phoenix Project still occur to this day.
The technomancers, led by Hans, fled Germany and went into hiding in various South American countries. All knew of the impending downfall of Nazi Germany but could do little to stop it. Instead, they began working on a way to gain immortality. They all agreed if they could but gain life eternal, they would have all the time they could want to shape the world in their image. This idea never seemed insane to the Nazi fanatics, but they knew that they could never hope to achieve it while confined to the limits of this reality.
It was in 1952, in Argentina, that Hans revealed his benefactor to an assembly of the technomantic Nephandi. While they had seen Hans talking to a mysterious person a few times, they themselves had never had any dealings with it. Only through Hans did they receive its instruction. The Dark Monk, so called because it always wore a black robe with the hood pulled down, revealed its true face to the assembled group. The racist mages gasped in terror at the monster that stood before them. Hans inwardly smiled, believing that his fellow Germans would never serve one who was not of Aryan blood, and that their loyalty to him was assured. A false belief he still holds.
Immediately upon disrobing, a shimmering portal appeared behind the Dark Monk, revealing an island surrounded by beautiful waters and dark stormy skies. Hans smiled proudly and said, "here, my brothers, is our promised land. Here is the palace of the Phoenix!" Within a matter of days the Nephandi had entered the seemingly deserted Horizon Realm and made it into their own. The Dark Monk was happy that its realm was once more aiding it on its path to Ascension and dominance of Gaia.
Ahrimans (Cabals)
Overseers
Members: Dark Monk (?), Hans Goeffels (Master, Son of Ether barabbi)
Background: The Overseers jointly rule the Phoenix Project, with the Dark Monk giving orders to Hans, and Hans passing them on to either the Scientific Core or Acquisitions, as he sees fit. While Hans believes that his fellow Nazis hold loyalty to him alone, they are divided in their loyalties. This error will prove fatal to Hans when he makes his move to oust the Dark Monk.
Scientific Core
Members: Adolf Schirach (Master, Progenitor barabbi), Gretchen Manheim (Master, Son of Ether barabbi), Ernst Mueller (Master, Progenitor barabbi), Peter Horton (Master, Son of Ether barabbi), Anna Goeffels (Master, Progenitor barabbi)
Background: The Scientific Core is responsible for conducting experiments into maintaining immortality. Adolf, a FACADE engineer, deals with mind transferal to clones. Gretchen is developing a means to extract a human consciousness and transfer it to a robotic body. Ernst and Anna work together trying to find a biochemical or surgical procedure to stop cellular aging and decay (they're currently exploring tissue grafts from human embryos). Peter is in charge of studying any interesting features possessed among other Awakened species (eg. resurrection among mummies).
Acquisitions
Members: Jack Hueller(Master, Iteration X barabbi), Alexia Peyetrovna (Master, Son of Ether barabbi), Harold (Master, Dreamspeaker barabbi)
Background: They get guinea pigs. Acquisitions is in charge of capturing live specimens of Kindred, Garou, mummies, fomori and anything else that is deemed needed by the Scientific Core. Acquisition members are all known for their knowledge of Awakened beings and for their abilities to wield magick offensively.
Environment
The Phoenix Project is situated in the Horizon Realm of the Dark Monk. It consists of the Phoenix Palace (the Chantry), on top of a large grassy island, surrounded by an ocean that seems to go on forever. A strong breeze is always blowing and despite the intensely dark storm clouds above, there is always plenty of light and never any rain. Thirty feet away from the island shore is the entry point into the Realm, and one must swim through the sea to reach the Palace. Within the waters are strange creatures who aid those in the Phoenix Project while attacking all others (even other Nephandi!). As one nears the hill, the denizens of the Island can be seen.
Denizens
The Acquisitions Ahriman brings many strange creatures from throughout the Umbrae to the Scientific Core. So far, all creatures have been turned into "failed experiments." Such creatures, still living or un-living, have their minds destroyed, are programmed to seek and destroy any non-Project members and let loose on the island.
Magickal Ratings
- Correspondence -3
- Life +3
- Matter +1
- Mind +2
- Spirit +2
- Prime +1
Labyrinth Description
Palace of the Phoenix: The Chantry house rests on top of an island. From the outside it appears as a multi-level Minoan/Roman structure constructed out of lavender-colored marble. While there are numerous pillars set into the walls to provide support for the ceilings, a student of architecture will note that the tops of the pillars are not of a Mediterranean design, but consist of patterns reminiscent of an M.C. Escher painting. The interior, while still seeming to be of ancient design, has had a series of power cables and hardware installed (including security cameras, public address systems and bizarre defense systems created by the Sons). The Palace contains over eighty rooms and almost as many corridors, with the scientists' research laboratories on the ground floor, their living quarters on the second and the third floor (all fifteen rooms) off limits to all but the Dark Monk. Hans has noticed that the ley lines which supply the realm are focused on the strange pillar tops, but has yet to find the Node sites to which they are connected (see below). It has also come to Hans' attention that he and his technomancer allies are not the first to use this realm. This lack of knowledge makes Hans even more determined to overthrow the Dark Monk and rule the realm unchallenged.
Berlin House: This is one of two earthly aspects of the Project. The Berlin House is used as a simple place to unwind and get away from their work for a while but due to their highly competitive nature they seldom take advantage of its facilities. The Berlin House is located on the outskirts of the city and consists of a walled-in estate, a three story mansion and a large indoor gymnasium. It has every luxury a person could desire. Despite the Project's Nazi origins, no evidence of their political beliefs are present due to their declining fervor and German laws which they fear would bring them unwanted attention.
Training Camp: What the Berlin House lacks in Nazi paraphernalia, the New Reich Training Camp (as it is secretly know) makes up for. It is here that Hans trains and recruits (and occasionally experiments upon) Neo-Nazis. Located in a small town in Louisiana, the camp is protected by a few citizens who are either members or sympathizers with "the cause". New recruits are flown in from around the world and trained in military and terrorist tactics, while being even more indoctrinated with Nazi propaganda (via devices created by the Sons). The camp is hidden in a valley on a stretch of the town mayor's property, covered with camouflage nets to prevent aerial detection. Automatic weapons, over-zealous "soldiers" and a group of fellow believers (and willing volunteers) provide Hans and his allies a power base for more mundane and direct actions on Earth.
Purpose: The Phoenix Project, as directed by Hans, is dedicated to establishing immortality in order to establish an eternal reich on Earth with Hans as leader — or so Hans believes. In actuality, all of the technomancers desire to rule the world in one form or another. And the Dark Monk uses the Phoenix Project...
Chantry Inhabitants: Besides the various Wyrm creatures found in the sea, there are numerous Garou, Kindred and fomori, all lobotomized and turned into guards. Also of note is a mentally undamaged mummy the Project keeps as a subject of study/experimentation (under heavy restraint, of course). Some mages have begun to see fleeting images form and disperse within the storm clouds.
Internal Structure and Relations: All mages seem to cooperate and work together towards the goals of immortality and a fourth reich, goals which Hans based the Labyrinth upon. Over the years the mages have largely lost their exterior Nazi trappings, keeping only the beliefs and prejudices. While all claim loyalty to Hans and the Dark Monk, their true loyalties are not so fixed. Jack Ernst and Anna support Hans, and work with him to overthrow the Monk, while Harold, Peter and Adolf either serve or work with the Dark Monk. The rest plot how best to gain power for themselves.
External Relations: While not xenophobic (yet), the members of the Phoenix Project realize that they are wanted worldwide as war criminals, enemies of humanity, servants of the Wyrm and traitors to Nazism. Combined with the fact that their goals of immortality and world rule conflict with everyone, the Project members do their best to keep their existence a secret. In fact, the Acquisitions members all change their appearances and behavior patterns (using Life and Mind magick) each time they leave the realm and revert to normal on their return. A process all the mages repeat as well.
Status and Reputation: Being all but unknown, the Labyrinth has low ratings in both even among fellow Wyrm constructs.
- Status: 0
- Reputation: 0
Policy Regarding Outsiders: Once again, the secretive nature prohibits the Project from interacting with outsiders (save the owner of the Berlin House and the director of the training camp). If someone approaches the Project attempting to join, he must first be of Aryan stock, devoted to Nazism and prove himself to Hans and the others. All other applicants would be used as experiments.
Allies and Enemies: In addition to the Neo-Nazis at the training camp, the Dark Monk can call upon a few Wyrm spirits of great power to assist it.
Just as the secrecy of the Project allows it few allies, it possess few enemies as well. As it is, only the Iron Circle and a cabal of Euthanatos work to destroy it, along with attacks from strange Nephandi creatures. If the Project were better known it would surely have more enemies.
Research Capabilities: An excellent (if somewhat dated) collection of mundane books and equipment were taken by the Project members upon their defection from Nazi Germany. Over the decades the Nazis have added a few articles of magickal significance (mainly in the Spheres of Matter and Life) to the millennia old collection of the Dark Monk. Some of the Dark Monk's magickal treasures and tomes are indecipherable to the technomancers (and almost any other mage as well).
In the field of transhumanistic studies, lifeform alteration and immortality research there is no other area more suited to the task. Acquisitions also seizes any items, living or otherwise, that the Project requests, including various magickal and mundane things (although magickal items are targeted only if deemed of utmost use and necessity).
Nodes: None known, and the Dark Monk keeps it that way. Hans is desperately trying to, secretly, discover the location of the Nodes that supply this realm. All attempts at tracking the ley lines away from the pillar tops to their respective Nodes has failed and Hans would give anything to know not only where the Nodes are, but how the Dark Monk hid them so well.