Donovan's Initiatives are special project groups instituted by the High Lord of House Dougal.
Overview[]
The greatest political force in House Dougal comes from High Lord Donovan's Initiatives. The High Lord himself supports these fields of work for the betterment of the House and Dreaming as a whole. Masters who choose to work within them get first choice of promising journeymen, liberal amounts of Glamour, and remuneration of their expenses.
The Initiatives[]
Catalog of Dreams[]
The Catalog of Dreams is the oldest of the Initiatives, started soon after High Lord Donovan reclaimed leadership of the House. The Catalog is an encyclopedia of Treasures and mechanical chimera. It includes pictures and descriptions of their powers. House Dougal makes copies of the catalog available for all monarchs, as long as they reciprocate by sending submissions to the House.
Following are a few items that have recently been added to the catalog by industrious journeymen. Some of them are their creator's exemplars.
Hinterlands Project[]
The members of the Hinterlands Project attempts to map every trod that connects Earth to the Dreaming. It's secondary purpose is to reactivate old trods and create new ones in the Dreaming. A most impressive accomplishment, the Nocker Rumpelbrow recently finished a prototype of his Dream Telegrapher: a device that allows for instantaneous communication between sites in the Dreaming.
The Project is headed by Master Ansel from Phantasmagoria, his fortified workshop in the Dreaming. Here, with his right-hand nocker, Master Rumplebrow, he leads four Masters with their journeymen and apprentices in studying the Dreaming.
The Project has seen several setbacks since the initial testing of the Telegrapher. The device works well but has a nasty habit of picking up "elevator music" from unknown sources. It also attracts attention from rather nasty creatures from the Dreaming. King Meilge, Rumplebrow's Liege, has used this as an opportunity to send a band of Eiluned knights to protect Phantasmagoria.
Internet Initiative[]
Queen Mary Elizabeth came up with this Initiative and heads its development, even though she is alternately helped and hampered by the Discordian Engineers. Her programmers at DreamSoft have produced a wide range of children's edu-tainment softwares and webpages that can monitor for the Chrysalis.
DreamSoft runs three workshops devoted to the Initiative and employs changelings of all kiths and several closely-watched enchanted mortals and kinain. It is the priceless work of these enchanted mortals that have softened Mary Elizabeth's heart to mortals lately and she now lobbies for one of the mortals (not even kinain) to become a full member of the House.
Emissaries[]
The Emissaries are perhaps the most important, if least "Dougal-like" of the initiatives. Led by Lady Legre and Donovan, a group of journeymen have started a project to contact as many "Dougal-like" Prodigals and Gallain as possible for an exchange of ideas and information. While many Masters have voiced strong opposition to it, High Lord Donovan has, uncharacteristically, dismissed their complaints.
The field operative in charge is Aaquila, Lady Legre's foster, and one of the few Eshu members of the House. At the moment there are only six Emissaries because every one of Aaquila's appointments have to be approved by Donovan, Lady Legre, and the Preceptors. The group operates out of the Freehold of the Forge but are rarely there, except for maybe Aaquila and an applicant.
References[]
- CTD. Noblesse Oblige: The Book of Houses, pp. 25-27.