Private eyes
are watching you.
-- Hall and Oats, "Private Eyes"
So far most of the world doesn't have a clue about the existence of immortals. The information
on them possessed by the Arcanum, Project Twilight and other such organizations is sketchy
at best. Most who associate with those groups assume any the Immortals they have
encountered to be members of the supernatural races they have already encountered. There
is, naturally, one notable exception. Only the watchers themselves know how long the group
has existed. Others who know of the society (and there aren't many) only know that the group
is ancient. Most watchers themselves are taught that as long as the Immortals have existed
there have been mortals who have watched them (which may be true, but that still doesn't tell
you how long the organization has been around). In truth, knowledge of the exact date of the
Watcher's founding is reserved for the continental heads of the group.
Organization
This is not the way the organization has always been run. Although the purpose of the
Watchers has remained constant, their methods have adapted as required by the times. This is
the way they conduct business now. This system has not been amended since a minor change
in the powers of the chapter leader in 1957. The Watchers are run by a council of seven. Six
of the councilmen (or women, of which there has only been one) each oversee the Watcher
activities of one continent. Antarctica does not have an active chapter since not very many
people live there. The seventh councilman is the chairman and president of the organization.
All council members are elected by the regional heads of their continent and serve for life or
until they voluntarily retire. When a new chairman needs to be elected the remaining council
members elect a new one from among themselves who is then replaced by a vote of his
continent's regional heads. The council convenes in Paris annually to discuss major changes in
policy, recent appointments as region heads and to review the travel and demise of immortals
across continents.
The hierarchy of power looks like this:
Chairman of the Council
Continental Heads
Regional Supervisors
Chapter Leaders
Chapter Cabinets
Watchers
Initiates
Associates
Regional supervisors report directly to their Councilmen. They are also appointed by their
councilmen. The regions are basically divided by political boundaries. The tri-state New
York-Pennsylvania-Ohio area is one Watcher region. Regional supervisors serve for life, until
they retire, are dismissed by a vote of the council, or are promoted. Regional supervisors
meet together with their continental heads quarterly.
Chapter leaders report to their regional supervisors who also appoint them. They serve only
as long as the regional supervisors want them to. A chapter consists of a city and its
surrounding areas. A regional supervisor can call a meeting of his chapter leaders at any time,
but generally does so only after every continental meeting. Every chapter leader appoints a
cabinet to oversee and advise him on specific aspects of Watcher affairs. The regional
supervisor then approves the leader's appointments. Specific cabinet positions vary from
chapter to chapter (being decided upon by the leader and approved by regional supervisor).
Typically there is a Treasurer, a Record Keeper, a Defense Minister, an Overseer of
Recruiting, a Public Relations Minister (who is responsible for keeping the public unaware of
the existence of both Watchers and Immortals), and an Overseer of Watchers (he who
watches the Watchers). In areas with a large population of other supernatural beings, a
cabinet position may be created to handle issues specifically with that situation.
A Watcher is a full member of the group. Upon being granted this status, a Watcher is
tattooed on his wrist with the "w" symbol of the Watchers. He is given a specific duty in one
of three areas. He either joins the Defense Branch, the Administrative Branch, or the
Observation Branch. Full Watcher status is granted by the regional supervisors. He most often
leaves the actual selection process in the hands of his advisors and signs off on any decisions
they make. A Watcher can be removed from the organization for any major or repeated
violation of the Watcher Code. A termination notice is signed by the regional supervisor, but
can be challenged at the next meeting of the Council by anyone who is still a Watcher in good
favor.
Initiates are trainees. These are the people who wish to be Watchers, but are still learning the
ways of the organization. To gain access to the group, a potential member must have a
sponsor who is a full member in good standing. Very often Initiates have a long history of
family membership in the association and are sponsored by a parent or the sibling of a parent.
However, being a Watcher does not allow much time for a family life and most Watchers die
childless or estranged from their families. This means that new members must also be sought
out from outside the society.
Finally, there are Associates. Associates are friends of the organization. They have no official
standing and no desire to become Watchers, but they are sympathetic to the cause and will
aid the group when they can. Associates are usually persons with influential positions in
government and business, or people with specific scientific or occult knowledge (Duncan
MacCleod is considered an Associate).
The Three Branches
All for one and one for all!
-- Alexander Dumas, "The Three Musketeers"
Defense Branch
However distasteful, every large congregation of diverse peoples will include several
paranoid, warlike individuals. Thankfully, given the passive goals of the Watchers in general,
this is the smallest of the three branches. Defense branch has three functions.
One, they maintain a standing defense force. This is not a organized army. It is run more like
the F.B.I. Each chapter is assigned several agents who live in the area and provide muscle for
any Watchers who need it. Agents usually report to the chapter Defense Minister. These
Watchers are trained as initiates by Watchers who are in this Branch. They are taught, in
addition to the rules of the association, how to use weapons, martial arts and sometimes learn
numina.
Two, they maintain the veil of secrecy that prevents the human and supernatural populations
from knowing of the group's existence. Watchers in this service get jobs in government,
business, and the media where they can control (or, rather, stop) the flow of information
regarding the group. These agents are periodically contacted by the Public Relations Minister.
Three, they maintain internal security. This is the internal affairs division of the Watchers. In the
same way a Watcher follows an Immortal, it is not uncommon for her to find herself being
followed by another watcher. The overseer of Watchers assigns these agents someone to
watch, usually at random. If they discover any violation of the Code, the Overseer reports it
to the Defense Minister who "takes care of it." Agents for this service are usually former
members of other services or branches with training in different areas. No Watcher, even the
Chairman of the Council, is immune from this division's eye. Note: The Overseer of Watchers
is primarily responsible for the Observational branch. This service is possibly better suited to
be a part of that Branch, but because it is a distasteful duty to spy on your own, these agents
are considered part of the this Branch.
Administration Branch
This Branch is responsible for record keeping, managing funds, and recruitment. The Chapter
Leader spends much of his time conferring with his Treasurer, Record-Keeper, and Overseer
of Recruiting running this Branch. This is what keeps the Watchers going and is arguably the
most important of the Branches. However, administration is boring and Immortal characters
are less than likely to encounter a Watcher secretary, so this section will be brief. Suffice it to
say that this Branch is run in a businesslike and professional manner.
Observation Branch
These are the watchers, the men and women who are responsible for information gathering
about the lives of Immortals. This Branch is run by the Overseer of Watchers. He confers with
the record keeper concerning what immortals in the area need a watcher and assign
appropriately. Once a Watcher is assigned to an Immortal, she follows him until she is taken
off the assignment by the Chapter Leader, the Overseer, or most often another Watcher with
word from the Overseer. Thus, a Watcher from New York may find herself traveling to Paris
in pursuit of her quarry. On arriving in Paris, however, she will take the first opportunity to
contact the local Leader and will be relieved by another Watcher. She will then return to New
York and wait for another assignment.
Another duty a member of this Branch may be chosen for is tracking down the location of a
"lost" Immortal. As efficient as the Watcher Organization is, they sometimes loose track of an
Immortal as he dies and resurfaces with another identity. A watcher with this duty has almost
unlimited resources at her command. She can travel the world in search of her prey and will
not stop until she finds him or is reassigned. Recently, though, with the coming of the
Gathering, most lost Immortals are found when they encounter another Immortal who is being
followed.
