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The magical subculture of Southwest Florida, and the Consilium that directs it, has a distinct and fairly renowned center: the Crossroads. A large “Victorian” seeming edifice sitting primly in one of the less-traveled areas of Miami-proper, the old Gentleman’s Club maintains an air of old-time respect and mystery well into the 21st century. Three stories tall and somewhat larger on the inside than its outward façade hints, the Crossroads has been a part of Mage society since the Broken Candle took control of the sanctum and renovated it during the early years of the 50s.
The Sanctum itself is perhaps best described as cavernous, with numerous hallways, hidden niches, crawlspaces and side rooms. While the main areas of the Sanctum are fairly well known, the outer rooms of the Crossroads can be somewhat confusing to those unfamiliar with their layout leading to the occasional visitor getting lost “in the back”. Sometimes it can take an hour or more to find your way back to familiar territory. Some use these seldom traveled areas for hidden meetings or secretive rituals, but most people simply stay to the “clubhouse” (as the main areas of the Sanctum are called).
The clubhouse largely consists of six rooms, dominated by the large entry hall where one first enters the Crossroads from its front entrance. A massive foyer that is ultimately dominated by the arching stairs that lead up to and down from the overhanging balcony that overlooks the hall itself. The furniture here is all high-backed and beautifully upholstered, while the walls are graced with beautiful works of art. The hall even boasts two large suits of armor, which rumor suggests act as guardians when necessary. Beautiful double doors on each side of the room lead to the Sitting Room on west side, and the Study to the east. A small lounge rests in the very back of the hall (along with a unisex bathroom), in a room comfortably tucked under the Balcony.
While technically considered a part of the entry hall, the Balcony located above is usually used as a dining area for formal gatherings and a stage area for the Consilium when it needs to make an address (to mages gathered in the hall below). More formal and official gatherings take place in the Meeting Hall, past large double doors on the Balcony, which leads into a somber and almost judicial-like room. It is here that the Hierarch holds such things as trials and private audiences. Those who know how to navigate the back areas are also able to reliably find their way to such things as the Consilium’s Library, Service Areas such as the Kitchen and Pantry, the Attic, and various private areas reserved for unknown purposes many of which are commonly locked.
The Broken Candle takes the security of the Crossroads very seriously, and as a result the sanctum boasts a number of guardians (known and unknown) and various types of security magical and mundane. The most well-known of these include the wards and bindings that protect the Sanctum. Powerful workings of Fate and Space, these wards are so complicated as to defy most scrutiny but work expertly to keep most uninvited guests from even finding the building itself – much less the way inside. Most sleepers would never even notice the building at all, but occasionally one blunders inside. Usually it is discovered that such “accidents” weren’t so accidental at all, but Destiny. Many of the Crossroads’ small mortal staff (of Sleepwalkers) were recruited in such a fashion.
Lastly, lest it be forgotten, the Crossroads is a potent Demesne – containing the soulstones of five of the most powerful Mages on the Consilium. The magics of all five paths are considered covert within its walls, though overt magic is frowned upon. Those abusing the Demesne or causing damage to it in any way are punished most harshly by the Broken Candle or the Eumenides.
Mysteries of The Crossroads
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