The House of Blackwell

The Medici, the Lancasters, the Giovanni, even the Kennedys of America. These families were powerful, well-connected and made no excuse for their loyalty to one another. Now let's talk about one of the families that's not so well known. The Blackwell family, originally from England, has had one foot in the World of Darkness for as long as anyone has known. Whether it was the witches who helped the 'White Queen' maintain her power within the struggle between the Houses of York and Lancaster during one of England's many wars, or the secret alliances between vampire, garou and mage that have permeated this family's legacy for nearly a thousand years.

History:
The House of Blackwell is one of the oldest and well-respected (feared) houses in the British Empire. Situated within the inner circle of the comings and goings of the crown, they have served the royals since the early 1600s and some say earlier. Their knowledge and use of dark rituals and magic are rumored to have been the source of the great storm that wiped out the Spanish armada that Queen Elizabeth faced. Because of their success they have been given a wide latitude within the empire to 'ensure its protection and success'. Blackwells are the dirty secret of the British Crown. They have their fingers in so many things its difficult to know where the crown begins and they end. They are also indiscriminate when it comes to where they get their power. Though many of their ranks assume a fairly 'spooky' and occult facade, not all of them use magic to get what they want out of life. Some use political power, others economic. Those who dabble in the dark arts whisper the name Blackwell as a warning for just how corrupt one can get.

Motto:
Aequalis Patientia Umbras: Equal to the Shadows in Patience.

The Blackwells are a long-game sort of a family. Their personal, political and overall economic interests take time to develop. Haste breeds confusion and curiosity. They tend to take things slow so as not to draw too much undue attention to their plans and schemes. Like other, long-standing organizations, the Blackwells think in terms of generations rather than years. They will plant someone in a family, business or the like so that sometime in the future, perhaps that person’s own child can be in a position to gain control or sufficient influence within it.

The Family:
Members of the family, as financial matters are often not a concern due to inheritances and things, are each encouraged to focus upon a particular area of interest within the mortal world - each designed to build or contribute to the pool of influence, wealth and power of the family. Only those few who demonstrate the clarity, determination and will to pursue a supernatural existence are provided access through the family and, more importantly, only if the family feels that it will benefit them in some form.

The family has conducted a centuries-old breeding program which has placed them well within the middle of the supernatural nations. Among the Garou, they have a few members of the family who are kinfolk to the Silver Fangs. Though this part of the family is not a direct access to power, it is useful to ensure that the family remains connected to the shifter races in some form. The more direct path is often through the family’s connection to the Ventrue and to the Tremere clans of vampires. In the family’s history, three of their members have been embraced and maintain contact with their household. It was decided that the family would pursue more of a connection with the Tremere to gain greater access to their supply of arcane knowledge, but the efforts to place Thomas Blackwell as the second Tremere of the family was...complicated by the Nosferatu.

Less direct but more common are the number of sorcerers or ‘witches’ who are found within the family. Many a member of the Blackwell family who demonstrate the talent for what some call ‘hedge’ magic are granted access to their vast libraries of arcane lore. Only four times within their history have any of their line fully awakened to ‘real’ magic. These members of the family rarely occur within a single generation, often scattered throughout the family’s history down through the ages. These rare gems within the family tree are fiercely protected, each being ‘urged’ by the leaders of the family to provide “sufficient offspring to ensure that the potential for awakened magic is not lost”. Members born outside of the family

Not everyone within the family was born with Blackwell as their surname. The women in the family who find their husbands elsewhere raise their children knowing that one day they will each face a question: to join ‘the family’ or to go on about their own lives in ignorance. Similar to the Bene Gesserit of Dune, these women encourage their children to be ready when their time comes and the family asks the question. They may or may not choose to adopt the name formally if they pass the trials - and in that step of ambiguity, it’s always uncertain if one is speaking to a Blackwell or not.

Organizations:
The Blackwell family is far too large not to have broken itself off into several, component factions which operate to help accomplish their goals - each in their own, particular ways. They have no formal name but each member of the newest generation seems to understand the ‘common’ names used by others to refer to them in ‘polite’ conversation.

The Aunts:
The aunts represent a collection of women within the family who position themselves as the shepherds of the younger generations. Comprised of several of the older women in the family, they fancy themselves as all knowing, all seeing. They are constantly on the watch for the particular talents of everyone within each new generation. Once a child has been assessed by the aunts, they will work with the parents to properly position the child to take full advantage of the family’s network of political and social connections to develop their talents to their fullest - for the benefit of the family. Whether this means getting them into the ‘right’ schools or aligned with the right mentors or even making possible a marriage to the ‘right’ family, the aunts are those who move the children around on the chess board. Nothing happens within the family without the aunt’s approval, involvement and assessment. They are the machine that makes the family SEEM to work with flawless efficiency. Only those born into the family are asked or even considered for membership as everyone else are considered simply a means to an end. Current Leader: Borgia Blackwell.

The Big Chairs:
Fewer in number than the Aunts but by no means less influential in how things are done, the big chairs are seen to be the most powerful and influential of the elder men within the family. Given the name because of the size of their chairs at any official family gathering, the big chairs are often involved in a particular aspect of the family’s operations. Like a board of directors, each member represents a degree of expertise in the fields of finance, politics, commerce, or the supernatural world. When someone is called before the Big Chairs, it’s never good. Often they will have to explain why they have placed the family at risk in one or a number of different fields. When they call to meet with you, it is often too late for you to fix your mistakes. They promise that they don’t -want- to get involved with people on an individual basis, they remain hopeful that family members will be able to see to their own affairs. However, if the family is put at risk, it is up to them to pull us out of the fire - even if that means throwing you onto the flames to step out. Current Leader: August Blackwell

Noted Members:
Not every member of the Blackwell family is going to stand out. However, there are some who gain notoriety due to their influence or potential within the mortal or supernatural world.


 * Lord Thomas Blackwell: One of the more influential members of the Blackwell family is Lord Thomas Blackwell, a member of the Nosferatu clan of vampires who was ‘stolen’ from the Tremere before he could be embraced. Though it cost the life of his sire, the Nosferatu wanted to send the Tremere in 1880’s London a message: do not think that you can ignore us. So, even though Lord Thomas’ embrace was planned by the family and orchestrated for a number of years, After his transformation, Thomas removed himself from much of the family’s more public notice and concerned himself with increasing their access to the flow of information which permeated the supernatural world. A focal point to his activities was delving into the subject of the origins of vampires.


 * August Blackwell: (Lliam Neeson as Ra’s al Gul, Batman Begins) Leader of the Big Chairs, he maintains his position within the council of eldermen of the family due to his connection to British parliament where he acts as an advisor to the crown on matters of state and fiance. He represents the first successful contact with the Ventrue clan with the family.
 * Borgia Blackwell: (Helen McCrory as Madame Kali, Penny Dreadful) Central to nearly every plot and scheme within the entire family, Boriga (named after the Italian family) leads the Aunts like her own internal sisterhood of Blackwells. Many suspect that Borgia is a powerful sorceress though few have ever been able to gain concrete proof of this - just the way she likes it. She’s always seen chatting with this person or that and is quick to offer a cup of tea and a friendly ear to anyone who she thinks that she can ‘help’. Many of the more powerfully placed members of the family owe their position to her machinations.
 * Marcus Blackwell: The only known member of the family who actually stepped beyond the role of ‘kinfolk’ and emerged as a ‘true’ garou. Known as Marcus “Silver-Flame” Blackwell, he suffered a crippling wound later in his life and was forced to walk with a Wolf Head Cane. The cane became an artifact of the family that was eventually possessed by Lord Thomas Blackwell. Marcus served as an ambassador to the tribe for the family, occasionally using the financial and political connections to aid the garou in their struggles.

Known Members:
Not as widely known or influential within the family as others, there are still those who have been identified - often through association with a noted member. Justin Blackwell (Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Harry Potter): Mentor to Russell Blackwell in ritual magic and hermetic hedge magic, Justin was introduced to Russell by Borgia once the Aunts had assessed him at a family gathering. Justin originally made contact with Russ as a private tutor to help him prepare for his college entrance exams - arranged for by the family. It was originally thought that the boy would be another sorcerer or possibly a psychic but Justin felt that there was more to Russell that needed to come out. All it took was some pressure and the right circumstance to lever a crack in the boy’s perception of reality. To this day he claims sole responsibility for ‘delivering’ a newly awakened mage into the family’s path.
 * Kirk Blackwell: (Brother to Jake Blackwell) retired CEO of many major technologically inclined corporations, ex CIA in his younger years (just did contract work, reportedly... uh huh, sure, we totally believe he quit), and aging Hermetic mage. Uncle to Amethyst, but disinclined to be her mentor. He's very orderly, and she's very troublesome. He may be consulted for advice or gifts, now and then.
 * Jake Blackwell: (Brother to Kirk Blackwell) Jake was a wealthy business man, involved heavily in operations in Seattle and San Francisco, and recently deceased in the August 2016 harbor bombing of Prospect, California while away on business. He was married to Ruby Wickward an extremely devoted political activist, being affiliated with Cascadia and a Verbena mage herself - a fact she kept from her husband and daughter, but known to her Tradition and likely the Blackwell family. Ruby and Jake married for love, having met in college at University of Washington, against his family's demand to marry for money or power. He has suffered a bit of stigma among the Blackwells for putting his heart before the family which produced their only child, a daughter named Amethyst. In 2016, when Amethyst had turned 22, Jake died in August of that year and Ruby the following September. Both deaths were declared to be 'accidental' in nature but the family, officially, suspects foul play.

Family Artifacts:
Some of the possessions carried by the members of the family become so synonymous with their owners that they inherit a degree of historicity and authenticity for all those who carry them. The items are not discarded upon the person’s death but rather passed down from person to person over the years. The Black Skull: A relic from the early days of the family’s history, the Black Skull is an artifact of the early necromancers within the household who claimed to possess knowledge of how to summon and enslave ghosts to do their bidding. Etched with a number of occult symbols and glyphs, the skull is said to be in possession of Lady Borgia Blackwell.
 * Wolf Head Cane: A walking cane used by Marcus Blackwell, the cane conceals a length of silver-treated blade within the shaft, perfect for dispatching garou and others who are vulnerable to such damage.
 * Calamus: A sword umbrella once held by a member of the family who worked for the Office of Strategic Services during World War Two. It conceals a single-edged sword within the shaft.

Associations:
The Blackwells have their hands in a number of projects all over the globe. Whether they’re working on gaining the upper hand in an American publishing company or a British shipping concern, they try and keep up with the world as it changes around them. This has made their name known within certain circles especially within the fringes of the supernatural world. Arcanum: The Arcanum knows of the Blackwell family - especially after we managed to infiltrate the organization and help ourselves to several choice texts from their library. It was all for the greater good, of course, as we also assisted them in gathering more information on those topics which they were researching - all for our own, long-term benefit. Because of this, the Blackwell family has been considered ‘a risk’ for membership recruitment within the Arcanum and many won’t go near us for fear that we might steal their precious books once more. However, others have been convinced through a lot of negotiation and a fair amount of diplomacy that our goals are the same (moderately so) as that of the Arcanum and we have worked together on a few projects here and there for each group’s mutual benefit.

Activities:
Blackwell Black and White Ball: An annual event with tuxedos and evening gowns that, at first sight, reminds one of any kind of high-end, fancy, shmancy thing. However, these are Blackwells so you need to add a little of the Adam’s family in this. Think… Mamushka: