BoM/TWS Message Forum

Agree on Nicholas and the creepiness.

It's possible that the Saratoga Falls branch has that "old blood, close family" feel akin to Cuthbert and the Shabblemanns and feel that Nicholas is an intruder, which is why they don't act whenever Sydney (or Will) make their move to off him. We haven't seen so far as to see what happens when a full Brotherhood is enabled, and how the old guard will resist, but they're definitely making their play here. Again - they haven't shown an interest in the Libra, and considering that's a book everyone wants, it's all the more unsettling.

As for the creepiness, it's more about Aiden than anything else. As I read it, the first thing I saw was "damn, I wanna brandish a silver rosary on that bastard and stake him!", because the vampire vibes are undeniable. The "breast-milking" thing in particular, suggesting Aiden is a lamia or has somehow grafted its powers to it.

I'm pretty sure the Brotherhood knows how to make Watchers, but the {gwarcheidwad/i} devours them. The villa's guardian isn't very picky on what it eats, after all, and a place where you can do your stuff without being watched is definitely an advantage. If they don't, they're a little bit too incompetent - these guys are the closest thing to a Victorian occult group the likes of the Theosophic Society (heck, they are pretty much THE Theosophic Society!), and for them NOT to know how to do something that feels like essential to magicians (the fact that neither Will nor Blackwell do, but the Stellae *can*, is an example of why they're not professionals) feels like they're not as much a threat as they're set up to be.

What's more important is to figure out what's the relationship between Blackwell and the Brotherhood.