House Sinclair

The Order of Observers: House Sinclair

Coat of Arms
A crow to represent knowledge, a hand holding a scroll to remind the members of the order that their first and foremost mission to gather and record knowledge, a crown with laurels to represent the strength of the order, and an eye in the sun to represent the constant diligence and discipline required of the order.

Motto
Per Scentia et Vires. (With Knowledge and Strength.)

Colors
Dark blue and orange, representing knowledge and enduring strength respectively.

Values
Knowledge, Truth, Strength, and Diligence

Mission Statement
The most prestigious House Sinclair will observe and record events of the world as they unfold in a truthful and unbiased manner so that there may exist an accurate and detailed history of the world. Furthermore, members of House Sinclair will search for artifacts and archives of The Old Times in order to rebuild that which was lost during The Shift.

What is House Sinclair?
House Sinclair is an order of immortals, formed after The Shift. Though it is based in the former Library of Congress in Washington DC, the members of the order are spread all over the world, with only a few members remaining at the main office. The four that stay close to Washington are in charge of protecting the archives and restoring historical documents or relics. The leader of the order sends members of the order where they are needed, though he is never seen.

History
Thomas Sinclair was a historian that watched the Library of Congress burn while people stood by, unable to stop it with the limited resources left after The Shift. No effort was made to restore the library, with the mayor saying, "What's done is done. We shall not look back. There is only this day and the one that follows." Sinclair having been alive since the late 19th century, had been a soldier as well as a scholar, and he knew that those that didn't learn from history were doomed to repeat it. So he took it upon himself to start restoring what knowledge he could. At the same time, his wife, Margaret, dedicated her time to recording current events, arguing their importance as they would one day be seen as history. During her journeys she met other people like her husband, immortals, most of them newly turned and with nowhere to go. The Sinclairs took them in and offered them free room and board so long as they swore to help record events. Sadly, Margaret was mortal and soon died, leaving Thomas inconsolable. According to the archives, he handed over control to his oldest pupil and wandered out into the wilderness, never to be seen again.

The Rules of the order
Though never formally adopted by either Thomas or Margaret Sinclair, the following rules have been understood since the formation of the order and were officially approved by the members of the house following Thomas's disappearance.
 * Do not talk about House Sinclair.
 * DO NOT TALK ABOUT HOUSE SINCLAIR. In order for the House to operate under the radar, it is paramount that as few people as possible know about it.
 * Any member of the House Sinclair will leave their former life behind. They will take Sinclair as a surname and dedicate themselves to the cause.
 * In line with abandoning their former lives, all Sinclairs will cease to be public figures. They will live in sanctioned locations belonging to House Sinclair, and they will remain as inconspicuous as possible. Unlike immortals like Rhea Antigone, who uses her resources to influence events (i.e.: the construction of the Los Angeles Colosseum), House Sinclair will have as small a presence as is possible so as not to change the natural course of things.
 * Therefore, members of House Sinclair do not own private property, nor do they work to establish independent wealth. Like the monks of old, the theory is that their actions will not be colored by their own ambitions for wealth, nor will they be distracted.

If a member of the order violates any of these rules, disciplinary action may be taken. It's usually not a problem.

Current members
The current members of House Sinclair that are meant to stay in the DC area are Mitchell, David, Diana, and Phillip. While Mitchell is the oldest of the four and is their leader, he is not the leader of the order, though he does coordinate the Sinclairs in the surrounding area. Davey is an archivist, meaning that he mostly stays in the library restoring and filing documents. Diana and Lip are observers that attend and record current events.