Chantry (VTM)

Chantry is a term used by the Tremere to describe their clan base of operations in a given city. It is their stronghold, laboratory and communal haven.

Overview
There are few things more important to the Tremere than their chantry. It is a home, a base, a stronghold, and an archive. The chantry is the first thing the Tremere establish when they establish a presence in a city, and they will defend it to their last blood.

It is rare for any two chantries to look alike. Not only do the buildings themselves vary, but they also reflect the personality and goals of the members of the Clan in that city. Some are city skyscrapers, while others are ancient manors on the edge of the city. Some are modern, whereas others have seen centuries.

The appearance can be almost anything, and sometimes the smallest and weakest-looking chantries are the most ancient and powerful. A few chantries have remained as they are for years, but many have been redecorated several times at the whim of their masters. A few of the ancient ones are actually systems of caves, and there are stories of young Tremere creating virtual chantries online.

Research Facilities
It is a poor chantry that has no library. While each may have a powerful collection of rituals and magical lore, the best libraries contain a wealth of mundane knowledge as well. For many Tremere, the library is the most important place in the chantry. A chantry with an extensive library will never want for members.

As well as a library, many chantries offer facilities for magical research and experimentation. In some cases, these laboratories resemble Frankenstein’s lair, while others are covered in occult symbols with great pentagrams inlaid in the floor in silver.

Security
The Tremere guard their secrets carefully, and a chantry is a tempting target, but many contain a wide variety of defenses, both mundane and mystical. While each chantry has magical defenses, it often needs mercenaries to run its mundane defenses, such as with Gargoyles. Such military strength has often proved useful outside the chantry in the service of the Tremere.