Houses of the Veil

**Houses of the Veil**, also known as the Ancient Eight secret societies of Yale University. As traditionally landed societies, each House, with the exception of Berzelius, specializes in a powerful branch of the arcane. Utilizing the nexus their tomb is built upon, each society is able to perform powerful magic according to their specialization. Lethe House, the so-called Ninth House of the Veil, polices the Ancient Eight and ensures that their arcane activities are in line with university policies and interests.

## House System

### Induction

Each Ancient Eight society taps a new delegation of seniors every year, sixteen members—eight women, eight men. There is nothing innately magical about the people the societies choose. They are normal college students, albeit they were high achievers or considered accomplished in their various mundane fields. Nepotism and bias play a large role in the tapping process, as legacy students related to Ancient Eight alumna are more likely than not to be chosen.

### Magic and Influence

Each House of the Veil specializes in a branch of arcane magic, with a variety of different uses. These specific branches of magic are drawn to nexuses, sites where magic gathers in large amounts, and the societies' rituals can only be performed to the extent and power that they do because they are performed on nexuses. This is in contrast to a branch of magic such as healing magic, as its power is distributed more broadly and can be practiced more widely among laypeople.

As a result of benefiting from the Ancient Eight's magic, the Houses of the Veil have amassed a great deal of influence and power in almost every field—law and politics, finance and the domestic and global economies, news media, sports, entertainment and culture, and science and medicine. It should be noted that this influence is gained not only through the magic of the Ancient Eight, but also through the networking opportunities and financial security that entails being a chosen member of an Ancient Eight House. This amassed power also serves to monetarily fund the Ancient Eight societies, which they maintain by completing rituals for the wealthy benefactors who request them, all while protecting the societies' true activities from being revealed to the rest of the world.

## The eight Houses of the Veil

### Skull & Bones

Founded in 1832, Skull and Bones is the oldest secret society at Yale. The Bonesmen specialize in divination by use of reading entrails of sacrificed victims, either animals or humans. Influence is garnered through the specific predictions gained from these prognostications, such as stock tips and World Cup results.

### Scroll & Key

Scroll and Key was founded a decade after Skull and Bones in 1842. The Locksmiths specialize in *duru dweomer*, or astral and etheric projection and portal magic. Their magic is useful in traveling long distances and into secure buildings, although portal magic is versatile in function.

### Book & Snake

Book and Snake was founded in 1863; they specialize in necromancy and divination through bone conjuring. Information from their network of dead informants are passed to interested parties.

### Wolf's Head

Founded in 1883, Wolf's Head focuses on shapeshifting into animals, particularly on retaining human consciousness when transformed. Their specialization lends itself to animal espionage and information gathering.

### Aurelian

Aurelian specializes in *logomancy*, word binding and divination through language. Their magic is commonly used to create unbreakable contracts and binding vows, but can also accomplish inspiration spells and hound-dog castings. The loss of their consecrated rooms makes their magic only 'sometimes' functioning and dangerous, yet Aurelian's power has survived through its portability and practicality.

### St. Elmo's

St. Elmo's magics are are elemental, weather magic, or *tempestrate artium.* In its heyday, St. Elmo's manipulated weather conditions, summoning storms and droughts, for various reasons. The loss of their tomb has prevented St. Elmo's from performing the barest of magics.

### Manuscript

Founded in 1952, Manuscript is the youngest of all the Ancient Eight societies. They specialize in mirror magic, illusions and glamors. Their influence can be found in their ability to manipulate perception on a wide range of scale.

### Berzelius

Berzelius was technically the fourth House of the Veil to be established, founded in 1848. They have no specific teachings, adhering to the philosophy that the only true magic was science. Thus, they never gained much influence in comparison to the other Houses. Lethe House doesn't bother policing Berzelius and in turn, Berzelius delegates never donate to Lethe for their service.

## The Ninth House

Main article: Lethe House
Lethe House is the so-called Ninth House of the Veil. Lethe does not operate as a society but as a monitoring body.

## References

1. ↑ *Ninth House* Chapter 2 (Last Fall)
2. ↑ *Ninth House* Chapter 22 (Winter)