Bestiary

Leveraging Other Allies

An Alastor’s coterie is, first and foremost, more than just a collection of Kindred the Alastor travels with. A good coterie can mean the difference between unlife or Final Death for any Kindred, and this is especially true for Alastors. For this reason, many Alastors choose who they surround themselves with very carefully, and those members vary widely. Some Alastors feel they work best with other Alastors; others, with Josians, Archons, Scourges, or Sheriffs. Still others opt to work with a mix of Kindred: some ranking, and some not.

Alastors tend to develop their own methods to hunt the Anathema that tailors to their unique skill set and, more importantly, surround themselves with like-minded individuals. One of the more crucial decisions an Alastor makes is to balance her responsibilities against the needs of her coterie. It’s highly unlikely for two or more Alastors to be connected at that level for security reasons. Typically, an Alastor’s coterie is made up of one Alastor and Kindred who either desire to become an Alastor or who have pledged to serve them, much like an Archon’s servire.

Allies help Alastors in any number of ways, even going so far as to provide them with the necessary resources required to hunt. Perhaps the one reason some Alastors may want to consider building up their network, is to ensure that there are other Kindred who can vouch for him when necessary. Red Alastors, especially, exist to stand up for their Alastors if they’re being suspected of falling prey to an Anathema like Kemintiri or, worse, an infernalist like Dylan Bruce. The relationship an Alastor has with her Red Alastor, however, needs to be nurtured in the same way a progeny might connect with her sire.

Alastors who go deep undercover tend to operate differently than their peers. They are forced to tread carefully because they understand what happens if the Mark is revealed or if they make one too many missteps. Most Alastors do not expect to return from an undercover assignment, and often make preparations assuming that they won’t. They may still try to find sympathetic allies whenever possible, but in many cases it’s not easy to find a like-minded individual in the midst of so many enemies.

Undercover Alastors can expect they’ll be subjected to intense scrutiny once they return due to the subversion of the Mark. At this time, the Justicars have instructed the Red Alastors that any decisions regarding the Alastors that are deep undercover are outside their purview. Due to the severity of the breach, the Justicars have taken back the authority over this subset of Alastors and expect total compliance — a decree that many Red Alastors aren’t happy with.

The members of an Alastor’s coterie that don’t hold a rank within the Camarilla are referred to as auditors, and are thought to be Kindred who are hoping to one day become an Alastor themselves. They are not as well regarded as Alastors are, but no one will dare to say that publicly. Auditors can and do carry out tasks on behalf of Alastors, and most Kindred realize, after a proper introduction, that the auditors speak and act when Alastors cannot.

Auditors and Bellators

Auditors also often operate in secret, helping out with a variety of tasks like: Masquerade clean up, haven or domain maintenance, translating and encrypting messages, spying on the Anathema or her network, etc. Those who do are hoping to gain something like the honor of being named an Alastor, part of the Clan Trophy, or the attention of the Justicars for other reasons.

When Alastors need more muscle, however, they turn to the bellator. The bellator reflects Kindred who are physically capable of holding their own in a fight, and may be called in to assist any ranking member in exchange for a reward. In this case, the Alastors think of the bellator as willing Kindred who are capable of backing them up — for a price. Alastors believe that the bellator are akin to mercenaries who will fight to the bitter end provided they get paid. For this reason, some Alastors think the bellator might not step aside when it came time to deliver the killing blow.