“Independent. Flexible. Everywhere.”

Leadership Node
Selwyn Arden – “Silverwind”

Location: Lincoln Park Sanctum (primary headquarters)

Function: Overall coordination, negotiation with other Orders, strategic planning, deployment of apprentices and adepts.

Primary Nodes & Sanctums

1. Lincoln Park Sanctum (Headquarters)

Purpose: Command, coordination, high-level strategy, training of key Free Council operatives

Personnel: Selwyn Arden, senior adepts

Features: Strategic planning table, scrying chamber, temporary astral portal to secondary nodes

2. West Loop Workshop

Purpose: Minor wards, magical experiments, field preparation

Personnel: Apprentices for ward maintenance and research

Specialties: Warding, artifact testing, small-scale rituals

3. Hyde Park Research Cell

Purpose: Academic and investigative node

Personnel: 5–7 researchers from both New York and USA cohort

Specialties: Spell research, anomaly analysis, minor artifact cataloging

4. Bridgeport Field Node

Purpose: Field operations, low-risk reconnaissance

Personnel: Apprentices, field operatives

Specialties: Surveillance, information gathering, rapid response

5. Ravenswood Spirit Node

Purpose: Spirit liaison and astral observation

Personnel: Thyrsus specialists (Spirit ••), 2 adepts for complex bindings

Specialties: Spirit monitoring, containment, communication with astral entities

6. South Side Safehouse

Purpose: Low-profile operations, temporary shelter for operatives on assignment

Personnel: 3–4 junior mages

Specialties: Safe storage of magical documents, minor wards

7. Loop Annex

Purpose: Secondary command, field coordination near downtown

Personnel: Mastigos and Obrimos apprentices

Specialties: Teleportation link monitoring, portal activation, low-level counter-scrying

8. North Side Gateway

Purpose: Temporary staging point for operations outside the city

Personnel: 2–3 mages, apprentice level

Specialties: Gate monitoring, artifact movement, travel logistics

9. Southwest Outpost

Purpose: Emergency and disaster response

Personnel: Small group of multi-path adepts

Specialties: Warding reinforcement, quick deployment of field teams

Free Council is deliberately distributed across Chicago, avoiding centralization to reduce vulnerability.

Nodes include safehouses, small sanctums, and minor wards across the city.

Members are mostly apprentices and adepts, with a handful capable of independent operations under Selwyn’s guidance.

Works cooperatively with Adamantine Arrow, Silver Ladder, and Mysterium for city-wide crises.

Jackson Cole – Mastigos (Mind ••) – Field observation

Emily Harper – Thyrsus (Spirit ••) – Remote spirit liaison

Connor Whitfield – Obrimos (Forces ••) – Physical protection support

Talia Grant – Moros (Matter ••) – Trap setup and investigation

Raj Patel – Acanthus (Time ••) – Temporal coordination

Leah Mendoza – Mastigos (Space ••) – Gate monitoring

Eli Sanders – Thyrsus (Life ••) – Healing and field recovery

Clara Nguyen – Obrimos (Prime ••) – Warding reinforcement

Marcus Vega – Moros (Death ••) – Artifact recovery

Isabel Torres – Acanthus (Fate ••) – Risk assessment

Nathan Kim – Mastigos (Mind ••) – Surveillance

Sara Patel – Thyrsus (Spirit ••) – Spirit reconnaissance

Derek Owens – Obrimos (Forces ••) – Combat coordination

Levi Brown – Moros (Matter ••) – Engineering wards

Maya Rossi – Acanthus (Time ••) – Strategic observation

Henry Cross – Mastigos (Space ••) – Spatial analysis

Alina Beck – Thyrsus (Life ••) – Emergency healing

Victor Ramos – Obrimos (Prime ••) – Ward upkeep

Iris Hall – Moros (Death ••) – Containment oversight

Julian Park – Acanthus (Fate ••) – Ritual timing support

Samantha Cole – Mastigos (Mind ••) – Interrogation

Owen Foster – Thyrsus (Spirit ••) – Spirit negotiation

Lena Brooks – Obrimos (Forces ••) – Minor combat, escort

Ethan Moore – Moros (Matter ••) – Technical containment

Natalie Burns – Acanthus (Time ••) – Temporal research support

Logan Fields – Mastigos (Mind ••) – Intelligence gathering

Ava Chen – Thyrsus (Life ••) – First-aid and morale

New York Cohort (27)

Mara Lenox – Mastigos (Mind ••) – Investigates magical anomalies

Jared Pollock – Obrimos (Forces ••) – Infrastructure and combat training

Lydia Chan – Thyrsus (Spirit ••) – Spirit liaison and reconnaissance

Gideon Price – Moros (Death ••) – Magical containment specialist

Sofia Alvarez – Acanthus (Fate ••) – Minor divination and timing consultant

Caleb Dunne – Mastigos (Mind ••) – Information broker and analyst

Ruth Simmons – Obrimos (Prime ••) – Defensive wards

Derek Huang – Thyrsus (Life ••) – Medic and spirit-assisted recovery

Tessa Gold – Mastigos (Space ••) – Quick-response field operator

Nathaniel Crow – Moros (Matter ••) – Artifact examiner and trap disarmament

Vivienne Park – Acanthus (Time ••) – Strategic planning and foresight

Isaac Redd – Obrimos (Forces ••) – Crowd control and minor combat

Eliza Byrne – Thyrsus (Spirit ••) – Spirit tracking and communication

Ethan Walsh – Mastigos (Mind ••) – Subtle interrogation and observation

Rachael Fleming – Moros (Death ••) – Secure disposal of dangerous objects

Julian Marks – Acanthus (Fate ••) – Minor ritual guidance and consultation

Clara Booth – Thyrsus (Life ••) – Healing and morale support

Lucas Stern – Mastigos (Space ••) – Gate operations and spatial surveys

Hannah Price – Obrimos (Prime ••) – Supportive wards and energy distribution

Dominic Grey – Moros (Matter ••) – Minor field engineer and ward repair

Amelia Ross – Thyrsus (Spirit ••) – Spirit liaison and recon support

Oliver Kane – Acanthus (Time ••) – Temporal observation

Naomi Fields – Mastigos (Mind ••) – Analyst and magical auditor

Gareth Wallace – Obrimos (Forces ••) – Combat support

Sophia Lee – Thyrsus (Life ••) – Emergency triage

Marcus Tully – Moros (Death ••) – Containment and preservation

Fiona Clark – Acanthus (Fate ••) – Minor divination, logistics coordination

Lillian Byrne – “Velvet Fang”
Elegant, dangerous beneath the surface.
Background: Heiress to a corporate conglomerate, abandoned family expectations to awaken fully, sees the mundane world as a chessboard.
Description: Elegant, late 20s, fashion-conscious, voice like velvet but cutting.
Path: Acanthus
Order: Free Council
Goal: Reshape social structures to favor merit and intellect over birthright; use finance and influence as tools.

Marie Kim – “Lockkey”
Unlocks patterns and hidden knowledge.
Background: Academic researcher in cryptography, awakened when her mathematical theorems revealed impossible patterns.
Description: Petite, always in lab coat, glasses, hair usually messy from running hands through it while thinking.
Path: Mastigos
Order: Free Council
Goal: Unlock the city’s hidden patterns to predict major political or financial shifts.

Marisol “Mari” Vega - 'Picturesque'
Almost too cool, edgy, street kid who tries to hard to be hip in world of constant change.
Background: Street artist awakened after graffiti murals began exhibiting sentient patterns. Picturesque runs the Weblink Cabal.
Description: Bright hair, paint-stained hands, loose clothing, energetic.
Path: Thyrsus
Order: Free Council
Goal: Influence cultural trends and media to shape public perception, subtly guiding the city’s mood.

Ricky Dee "DosBox"
Player: Andrew Knapp
Computer genius and investigator with close tie to the Guardians of the Veil. As a respected source of knowledge, when DosBox talks, the other Free Council listen.
Birth Name: Richard Davenport
Birth Location: Detroit, MI Age: 25
Path: Obrimos
Order: Free Council / Guardians of the Veil*
Cabal: Weblink
Description: Ricky is a 5’7” male with long, messy, brown hair and narrow, piercing, green eyes. He has a light build, and an unremarkable face. He has an unkempt goatee and lightweight, black glasses. His nose is on the larger side with a greek angle to it.
He smells of marijuana ineffectually masked with patchouli. His pace seems lazy at first, but he bears the stance of someone who has been hit with a stick for standing improperly.
He bears the vibe of one who is dreadfully average. One might find themselves sticking a question mark at the end of his name for fear of getting it wrong even after having been acquainted for years. The slope of his shoulders imply that he has, perhaps, been used as a metaphorical doormat through most of his life.
His aura gives off a faint electric field, as most of his magic is channeled through the use of computers or AI.

Harper Quinn – “ShortCircuit”
Blends tech and magic seamlessly.
Background: Former tech startup founder, awakened while developing AI with uncanny predictive abilities.
Description: Casual tech attire, wiry, always fiddling with gadgets.
Path: Obrimos
Order: Free Council
Cabal: Weblink
Goal: Integrate technology and magic to dominate digital and financial spaces.

Elara Nguyen – “Ghostcode”
Manipulates hidden patterns and digital/arcane information.
Background: Software engineer, awakened after discovering a “glitch” in reality during a hackathon.
Description: Quiet, introverted, glasses, always with a laptop.
Path: Mastigos
Order: Free Council
Cabal: Weblink
Goal: Map Chicago’s reality for potential magical and technological exploitation.

Liora Mendel – “Pulsewatch”
Keeps her finger on the city’s social and supernatural heartbeat.
Background: Journalist and activist, awakened while covering urban decay and social injustice.
Description: Sharp eyes, casual clothes, determined demeanor.
Path: Thyrsus
Order: Free Council
Cabal: Weblink
Goal: Protect Chicago’s disenfranchised communities while using information networks to manipulate city policy.