Drachus Vachar is a labyrinth in Mage: The Ascension.
History[]
Drachus Vachar was originally located on an island off the coast of Georgia, where corrupted Garou kinfolk worshipped three Nephandi. A child of the cultists, Galarius, was raised a Nephandus from birth. When Technomancers attacked the island, they briefly cut the cult off from Drachus Vachar's Umbral aspect, but Galarius managed to reconnect it. He found the chantry abandoned and its portal to the Deep Umbra closed; the original Nephandi seemingly vanished through it.
Geography[]
The labyrinth's Horizon Realm, Ulic Batu, is an infinite ocean containing the labyrinth and its nodes. Breathing underwater here requires no special magic, but the wildlife of the Realm is distinctly oceanic: fanged octopi, whales with human arms and hands, and the like. The only source of light is the sickly luminous ooze spread across the sea floor.
The chantry itself is made of black metal, with tubular or dome-shaped architecture appropriate for an underwater setting. There is air inside, and the ocean never intrudes, even if the doors are thrown open. The layout of the interior is constantly moving, and not even the Nephandi inside venture into the lower levels, where their servants reside.
On Earth, the chantry has two physical aspects: a lighthouse that stands in its original location off the coast of Georgia, and a stately antebellum house in Charleston, South Carolina.
Purpose[]
Galarius' goal is to properly re-open the portal to the Deep Umbra so that his alien masters can come through. To do so, he needs 1301 pure souls. In the short term, he has recruited the Watchers of the Void, a cabal of Traditions mages, and corrupted them thoroughly. He has also created soulless servants that the Watchers call "Hooded Horrors." These black-robed creatures dwell beneath the chantry and constantly spy on its residents for Galarius.
At least one of the Watchers of the Void is still coherent enough that she wants to escape. So far, none of their Traditions allies suspect they have turned barabbi. They exploit this by "rescuing" other mages from attacks or emergencies (usually ones they have engineered themselves), endearing themselves and eventually corrupting their new friends - or simply taking them to Drachus Vachar to fuel Galarius' ritual.
References[]
- MTAs: The Book of Chantries, p. 112-118
- WOD: Blood-Dimmed Tides, p. 25
