Coteries, Cabals and Factions in the Fief of York
CoteriesT'LadsA group of neonates who get together for rowdy evenings out. The group had no formal purpose or constitution but the members could almost be considered a coterie and would willingly help each other out of trouble. The regular members of T'Lads are:
They are occasionally joined by Kali or Mark Reiss, but as these two dislike each other, they are rarely present together. Colonel Charteris has also been known to tag along but the neonates generally find him a bit too much of a handful. The IdealistsThis group is named after the high proportion if Brujah in it. This coterie is simply the result of the friendship between those involved, who were all born around the same time, although their Embraces are more widely spaced. Most also share an interest in intellectual matters and are often found together at the Lillywhite Institute, talking or reading.
Suzanne is a new member of the group, sice her Embrace by Shackleton. After a rather prickly beginning, she has become friends with both Rainham and Donaldson, to the extent that they sometimes forget she is a relatively new addition to the fief. The Bradford ToreadorConfusingly, this name is applied both to a coterie and to a larger faction within the Toreador of the fief. Most people use it to refer to the faction but the group is much more closely knit than the Leeds Toreador and so can really be considered a Coterie.
CabalsThe MasonsThe Leeds Masons are entirely controlled by Sir Nicholas Gilbert. He is the Grand Master of the Lodge and has Blood bonded most of the senior Masons. As can be imagined, this gives him a tremendous amount of power in the fief, especially over the Police. His ghouls provide an extremely effient information netwrk, as well as providing him with the means to control large areas of mortal life. This has only been possible because of his close friendship with the Prince and other Ventrue of the fief. Noone has really considered the amount of influence this has given the Tremere Clan in York because Sir Nicholas is so well trusted within the fief. It is not widely known outside the fife, where is would certainly cause eyebrows to be raised. It is known to Dee and is the main reason why Gilbert has remained as Head of the York Chantry for so long. Order of the Blood of the First SacrificeThis is the Blood Cult concieved by Mark Reiss. The ideas of the cult are a mixture of Satanism, Vampire theology and neo-Nazism. The main tenet of their belief is that in the not too distant future, the Devil will return to earth in the shape of Cain (called the Marked Son). Once he has arisen, then then 'impure, mongrel, unclean and unworthy' will be destroyed or enslaved. Only those of pure blood who have pledged themselves to the Marked Son will be saved and will rule the new world. Mark Reiss is, needless to say, the current high priest of the Son and known in the cult as the Sacrificer. His real identity is not known to any of the cult members. All those who join the cult are blood bonded to Reiss before they are taught any of the cult's secrets. Reiss has actually Embraced two cult members over the years, sending them to new cities abroad to spread his word (and provide him with bolt-holes if anything goes wrong.) He has gathered a small group of influential businessmen and politicians in the fief. He is always careful to screen potential new members of the group to ensure that they are not already controlled by another Kindred and has limited himself to 'second rank' people. Also, he has steered completely clear of the Police in order to avoid Gilbert's main sphere of influence. At the moment there are six members if the cult, excluding Reiss himself. FactionsThe Leeds ToreadorThe Toreador of Leeds are in general older and more 'sophisticated', with their art scene revolving around paintings, plays and Opera. Despite the Clans avowed interest in mortal art and modernity, they prefer to look back, as if trying to create for the city as rich a cultural heritage as other 'great cities' of Europe. The settled, stable nature of politics in the fief has fostered a corresponding stagnation among the Toreador, who seem relucant to make the effort to keep up with the times, with many feeling secretly uncomfortable with the art of the later 20th century. A few of the Leeds Toreador feel that Bradford has begun to overshadow the indisputable cultural superiority of Leeds, undoubtably due to the underhand tactics of their vulgar brethren there. What cannot be agreed upon is a way of combatting this, without resorting to the same methods. So far, their main retaliatory strike has centred on the relocation of the Tower Armoury to Leeds, for which they have expended a great deal of favours and influence. The Leeds Toreador are usually considered to be:
The Bradford ToreadorThe Toreador of Bradford are mostly younger and involved in the cinema, television and 'modern' culture. The leader of this faction, Anne Cartwright, has her haven in the Cartwright Hall, a Victorian museum in Manningham Park, Bradford. While this may seem an odd choice for a proponent of the modern faction, under her guidance it has played host to performance artists, modern art exhibitions and events celebrating the cities cultural diversity. Her inspired leadership was the force behind the 'Museum of Film, Photography and Television'. This group of Toreador have supported several independant cinemas in the city and have even had success in having them added to Elysium. The Bradford Toreador are usually considered to be:
Despite this split, most Toreador events are attented by both factions. Toreador society in the fief is not large enough to permit too absolute a separtion between the factions. Besides, if they never met, how could they upstage each other? Pro-GarouThe leader of the pro-Garou group is undoubtably Thorolf. He has spent almost the last three hundred years in the fief living with the Septs and striving for peace between Garou and Kindred. The pro-Garou lobby has suffered greatly in the aftermath of the Sabbat attack as both de Lascy and Simeon of York were known to be pro-Garou. The pro-Garou faction is rather loosely held together and is really only identified by those who dislike the Garou. Thorolf is the only Kindred who actively works toward maintaining the treaty and the other members of the faction are merely those who have personal freindships with or interest in the Garou. On the Council, Gilbert is often considered to be a member of the pro-Garou group but this is really more a reflection of his admiration for Thorolf and his desire for peace in the fief than any real feeling for the Werewolves. The group is usually considered to consist of:
Anti-GarouThe anti-Garou faction is led by Sir John Hughendon-Smythe, the new Ventrue primogen. Anti-Garou sentiments have come to the fore in the fief after the deaths of the Prince and Simeon of York, the Brujah Primogen. The new Brujah primogen, Matthew McCrae is known to be at least unsympathetic to the Garou. The Toreador Primogen, Marie d'Anceny has privately expressed anti-Garou feelings to Sir John but is publically neutral. In general, the anti-Garou faction is more nebulous that the pro-Garou because action against the werewolves would involve violation of the Treaty of Fountains, which was signed by the Council and Prince. There might even be a majority of Kindred in the fief in favour of 'getting rid of' the Garou, but they would probably only surface after it had been accomplished, preferably without Kindred blood being spilled. The group is usually considered to consist of:
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