Hall of Victory
In this chamber is a ceramic mosaic on the floor, titled: "The Council of Nine of the Gauntlet of the Four Quarters triumphs over the White Serpent of the East. 949 Age of Aries." The mosaic is of a deck of a ship in extremely turbulent waters, out of which erupts coil upon coil of a gigantic three-headed white serpent. Its heads (that of an ugly old woman with blackness for eyes; that of a red-eyed bestial man, bearded and fanged, wearing a helmet; and lastly, that of a laughing, golden child) glare down at the group of figures arrayed against it on the deck of the ship.
At the center of this group, there are four magi performing some kind of ritual against the laughing head of the child:
- Alexis, an older noble looking man, in a white robe with purple trim. (of Bonisagus)
- Pronia, a woman with long, greying hair. (of Quaesitor)
- Seraphis, a young man in rich red clothing. (of Tytalus)
- Althea, a blond woman dressed in green. (of Tytalus)
To the left of this group are two figures facing the head of the eyeless old woman:
- Thais, a handsome woman with a headband with a crescent moon on it who commands birds of the air and fish of the sea to attack the Serpent. (of Criamon)
- Sophrosyne, an old man who seems to do nothing except contemplate the head of the old woman with detached interest. (of Criamon)
To the right of the central group, four men do battle with the snarling man-beast head:
- Hephaestion, a scarred man in armor wielding a flaming spear. (of Flambeau)
- The Dioscuri, two identical bearded young men, both with silver shields, one armed with a sword, the other with a javelin. (of Bonisagus)
- Cassius, a clean-shaven man with a bow, who is down on one knee on the deck, with an arrow nocked. (of Verditius)
This room exists within a regio. The higher level, at +6 in aura, is exactly the same, except all colors are more vivid. And the walls have seven niches, each with a life-sized statue of one of the founders of the covenant. Above the niches is a mural representation of twelve individuals, in conclave. These individuals follow the normal iconographic representations for the founders of the Order.
The ceiling has these words engraved in large fiery letters (Greek):
O Powerful Victory, by men desired,
With adverse breasts to dreadful fury fired,
Thee I invoke, whose might alone can quell
Contending rage, and molestation fell:
'Tis thine in battle to confer the crown,
The victor's prize, the mark of sweet renown;
For thou rulest all things, Victory divine!
And glorious strife, and joyful shouts are thine.
Come, mighty Goddess, and thy suppliant bless,
With sparkling eye, elated with success;
May deeds illustrious thy protection claim,
And find, led on by thee immortal Fame.
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Last modified: Thurs Nov 19, 1998 / Jeremiah Genest