Palatine Rite
The Illuminated Teutonic Rite of the Hidden Palatinate was founded in the Rhineland shortly after the Damascene Rite, in 1738. It was established by a trio of German Sworn of the Mysteries who were particularly dedicated to halting the growing power of The Circle of the Crone. They forbade Dragons to associate with the Crones and specifically sought to crush the pagan covenant wherever it existed. It was widely believed outside the Palatine Rite that the real purpose behind this Crusade was to steal the secrets of Crúac for themselves in the hopes that the blood magic would benefit the Great Work of The Ordo Dracul. Whether this is true remains unknown outside the Rite’s inner circles, but rumors of Palatine Dragons wielding Crúaclike powers continue to this night.
The Palatine Rite remains vehemently opposed to The Circle of the Crone, and when a domain harbors Kindred of both covenants there is sure to be a campaign of extermination underway, openly or, most often, hidden within the intricate movements of the Danse Macabre. The Palatine Dying Light is also the most accepting of the so-called “black arts” of all Rites,though these members maintain that they still view personal submission to another entity as an unforgivable offense. Despite these claims, a few anecdotal tales of Palatine Dragons opening hellish gates and inviting unspeakable things from beyond to take possession of their bodies and souls — or at least allowing the unspeakable the freedom to roam the halls of the chapter house — circulate outside the Rite.
Occasionally referred to as the covenant’s “German witches,” the Dragons of the Palatine Rite are also said to have possession of some of The Ordo Dracul’s most potent occult relics. Whispers of the Holy Grail, Hector’s Sword and even The Lancea Sanctum’s revered Spear of Destiny are not uncommon, especially given the close ties some Palatine Academies supposedly had with the Thule Society, the Ordo Templi Orientis, the Luminous Lodge of the Vril Society and other secret orders associated with the Nazis and their occult ambitions.
Tonight the Palatine Rite remains active throughout central and eastern Europe, despite the purges of mystical sites and treasures during the Second World War. In fact, many Dragons openly accuse their Palatine brothers of using that tragedy as cover to hoard what they could for their own selfish purposes. The Palatine Dragons, of course, deny this, and say they only did their best to survive and protect what they could from further destruction, activity that they say is the primary reason the covenant continues to exist at all in these parts of the world.
In Hungary and Romania, the Palatines also have a presence, but they have been unable to gain a greater foothold given the prestige of the Wallachian Rite there. The Ordo Dracul in Russia and a few of the smaller former Soviet states seem dominated by the Palatine Rite, but since the fall of the Iron Curtain their supposed monopoly has been challenged by the Wallachian and Philadelphian Rites.
The Palatine Rite remains vehemently opposed to The Circle of the Crone, and when a domain harbors Kindred of both covenants there is sure to be a campaign of extermination underway, openly or, most often, hidden within the intricate movements of the Danse Macabre. The Palatine Dying Light is also the most accepting of the so-called “black arts” of all Rites,though these members maintain that they still view personal submission to another entity as an unforgivable offense. Despite these claims, a few anecdotal tales of Palatine Dragons opening hellish gates and inviting unspeakable things from beyond to take possession of their bodies and souls — or at least allowing the unspeakable the freedom to roam the halls of the chapter house — circulate outside the Rite.
Occasionally referred to as the covenant’s “German witches,” the Dragons of the Palatine Rite are also said to have possession of some of The Ordo Dracul’s most potent occult relics. Whispers of the Holy Grail, Hector’s Sword and even The Lancea Sanctum’s revered Spear of Destiny are not uncommon, especially given the close ties some Palatine Academies supposedly had with the Thule Society, the Ordo Templi Orientis, the Luminous Lodge of the Vril Society and other secret orders associated with the Nazis and their occult ambitions.
Tonight the Palatine Rite remains active throughout central and eastern Europe, despite the purges of mystical sites and treasures during the Second World War. In fact, many Dragons openly accuse their Palatine brothers of using that tragedy as cover to hoard what they could for their own selfish purposes. The Palatine Dragons, of course, deny this, and say they only did their best to survive and protect what they could from further destruction, activity that they say is the primary reason the covenant continues to exist at all in these parts of the world.
In Hungary and Romania, the Palatines also have a presence, but they have been unable to gain a greater foothold given the prestige of the Wallachian Rite there. The Ordo Dracul in Russia and a few of the smaller former Soviet states seem dominated by the Palatine Rite, but since the fall of the Iron Curtain their supposed monopoly has been challenged by the Wallachian and Philadelphian Rites.
Related Organizations