From: [p f strack] at [gibbs.oit.unc.edu] (Paul Strack) Newsgroups: alt.games.whitewolf Subject: Alternate New Orleans: Coteries Date: 9 Jun 1994 14:25:38 GMT WARNING: Spoilers. ALTERNATE NEW ORLEANS by Paul Strack and Stacey Lawless CHAPTER FOURTEEN: COTERIES New Orleans is a city of individualistic vampires, but many groupings of vampires exist. Few of them are totally unified in purpose, and much internal bickering takes place. THE ELDEST Members: Accou, Annie, Claire, Jesse, (Francesca), Marie, Virginia. Meeting Place: Elysium. Only meets as a group in the direst of emergencies. Perceived Goals: Working to maintain peace and the Masquerade. Real Goals: Pursuing individual schemes, controlling the new Ventrue clanhead. Though not a proper coterie, the eldest vampires of the city are something of a group. They act in many ways as a Primogen, though they do not take that name. The Eldest have known each other for more than a century, feel that they are the life-blood of New Orleans, and consider most other kindred beneath them. Many of them have good reason to hate each other, but the caution of age holds them back from direct war. The eldest slip back and forth in varying alliances, but generally arrange themselves as might be expected along clan lines. Accou, Marie and Francesca spoke for calm, order and the Camarilla laws, while Annie, sometimes backed by Jesse, would speak for the younger vampires. Claire and Virginia acted as spoilers. Francesca's death threw the balance off, and much of the elders attention in the last 10 years has been directed toward determining the next Ventrue clan head. Each elder wants the new Ventrue clan head to owe their ascension to them and no other, but few of them have a fixed favorite. Annie would prefer to see no Ventrue at all. The scheming of the Eldest is the main reason it has taken so long to resolve this question. THE KREWE OF JANUS Members: Harlequin, Bran, Janine, Jezebel, Marisol, Meeting Place: Elysium and sometimes a residence of Harlequin. Percieved Goals: Protecting the Masquerade. Real Goals: Maintaining the city in its current state. The Krewe of Janus was founded by Harlequin through his connections with mortal Mardi Gras krewes. He originally intended it to be a vampiric continuation of his mortal social life, but the group's purpose changed in the chaos of the "New Prince's" arrival. When Accou stopped actively enforcing the Traditions, the Krewe found themselves in the peculiar position of being the only vampires willing to do anything. Harlequin initially stepped forward to keep things from getting out of hand during his beloved Mardi Gras, and policing this holiday is still the Krewe's best known activity. As time went on however, his fascination with masks led him to branch out into other areas, first in conflict, then allegiance, with Toreadors assigned to the same task. Harlequin acts as the Krewe's spokesman and leader. The Toreadors are responsible for handling the media. Janine and Jezebel acts as scouts, and do the more heavy handed domination if it is needed. The Krewe also keeps about a dozen well trained ghouls for muscle, and keeping the lid on things during the day. The elders are fond of this group, because it handles the daily maintenance of the Masquerade, leaving the elders time to scheme. Most of them would love to control this group, and each has made subtle attempts in the past. Harlequin is aware of this, and tries to play the elders off each other. His true goal is to maintain the city in its lawless state, which he enjoys, and which gives him his current power. THE WRECKING KREWE Members: Jordan, Millarca, Wyatt, supported by other Gangrel Meeting Place: The Bayous and the Audobon Zoological Park. Percieved Goals: None (this is a secret group). Real Goals: Stopping environmental depredations in Louisiana. Jordan Petrowski formed the Wrecking Krewe because he could no longer stand to see his beautiful state go to waste. He found a sympathetic ear in Wyatt, and had embraced Millarca for this very purpose. Though initially they tried to act politically, some of the groups they worked against were adamant about profit over pollution. In time they moved into more violent industrial sabotage style activities. Recently they have been encountering some very strange opposition, especially in subsidiaries of Pentex. The Wrecking Krewe keeps their activities secret from other kindred because they regularly risk breaking the Masquerade. They do have allies however. The Wreckers and the Snake Hunters exchange favors on occasion, each helping the other group out on particularly tough missions. Beagle also approves, and allows them to meet in the zoo. The Gangrel elder Jesse approves of their activities. He cultivates them in the hope that someday they will prove to be a useful tool in his own plans. Virginia is also becoming aware of their activities, and fears they will uncover her and Cartwright's control of the oil industry, and perhaps the reason for it. SNAKE HUNTERS Members: Isis, (Horus), Charlie, June, Cleo Meeting Place: No set place. Percieved Goals: Hunting Setites. Real Goals: Hunting Setites. The Snake hunters have formed more or less spontaneously, though Isis acts as their nucleus. Each of them has individual reasons to hate the Setites, and they find that hunting as a group is safer. In the last 10 years it seems that there have been more snakes than ever. The Hunters are particularly interested in finding one large organized group of Setites (actually the Tonton Macoute) that killed one of their number (Horus) several years ago. The elders approve of the Snake Hunters activities, because it saves them the trouble of hunting the snakes themselves. Annie in particular has been working to control the group, turning it into a strike force of their own, though she has had little success so far. Because the elders have left Setite hunting to this group, they are not aware at how common the snakes have become. Nearly everyone would be surprised to learn that half the members of the group are actually Sabbat. ANARCHS Members: Bastian, Jasper, Eris D., Scheherezade, Simon, Amanda, Dolores, Black Francis, Didi, Hannibal, Joey Stern (Alejandro). Meeting Place: None. Percieved Goals: Promote Anarchy. Real Goals: Varies by individual. Most of the younger vampires get lumped in with the Anarchs. There are two large gangs of Anarch in New Orleans, and they are not on the best of terms. The KLF is made up of local, older and more powerful Anarchs, but their mistakes during the Anarch Wars have tarnished their reputation. The Lost Angels are younger, West Coast Anarchs who are most violent and active, but are just barely hanging on. The two groups bicker constantly, but help each other out against outside threats. There are some "younger" Anarchs that aren't part of either gang. Hannibal is too much of a geek too be accepted. Joey Stern is friendly with both groups, but remains aloof and is a bit of a mystery (he is actually Alejandro, the true power behind Accou). The Ventrue Christophe sometimes makes Anarch noises, but no Anarchs believes him. There are rumors of a third Anarch gang in Baton Rouge as well. KINDRED LIBERATION FRONT (KLF) Members: Bastian, Jasper, Eris D., Scheherezade, Simon Meeting Place: Various "alternative" cafes. Percieved Goals: Promote revolution. Real Goals: Varies by individual. The KLF (the name is Eris D's idea) is the oldest Anarch group in the city, founded by Bastian. The KLF invited others to the city for the Anarch Wars, and their reputation has yet to recover. However, the older vampires of New Orleans consider them to be the only Anarchs that are much of a threat, so they get a great deal of respect locally. The KLF are mostly old, serious revolutionaries, and look down on other Anarchs as too frivolous. They tend to be extremely cautious, some might even say too timid. They have established a fair amount of influence in the mortal world, however, and have undercut some elder power, mostly without the elder's knowledge. The KLF has many ties with the Brujah, and Annie considers them to be in her pocket. All of them are unaware of the Sabbat spy, Simon, in their midst. LOST ANGELS Members: (Susan), Amanda, Dolores, Black Francis, Didi Meeting Place: Various hideouts known to Amanda. Percieved Goals: Promote Anarchy. Real Goals: Survive. The Lost Angels was originally formed by Anarchs from LA that decided to stay in New Orleans after the Anarch wars. They did all right until they helped Raymond, the murderer of the Ventrue clanhead, Francesca, to escape to the West Coast. The Ventrue retaliation killed their old leader, Susan. It has taken the groups years to recover from this defeat. They have a serious grudge against the Ventrue, and feel like they are at war with them. The Angels would be insulted to learn that the Ventrue have forgotten the gang in their internal bickering. CREOLES Members: Accou, Slane, Rebecca, Walter, Christophe, Maguerite, Bran, Katherine, Marisol, Claire, Harlequin, Virginia, Leah Hirsig, Tinker, Pinch, Millarca Meeting Place: Elysium. Percieved Goals: To interact with their social peers. Real Goals: Varies by individual. The Creoles are the more "social" vampires of the city, mostly Ancillae, with a few Elders overseeing it all. They meet frequently in large social gatherings, having party after party. Some of their larger gatherings are attended by vampires from other areas, for New Orleans vampiric culture is considered to be the most exquisite outside of Europe. Their most famous gathering is the Prince's Ball, held each year at Mardi Gras. Nearly every vampire in the city attends, including numerous guests from elsewhere, but the prince is unfortunately always occupied, so the party is hosted by Accou and the Krewe of Janus. The core of the Creoles are the Ventrue and the Toreador, with the Toreador hosting most of the parties. Claire Claremont and Harlequin have also earned a firm place in their ranks. Virginia is usually in attendance, but this is always a lingering prejudice against the fact the she is Nosferatu. Leah Hirsig, Millarca, Tinker and Pinch often attend the social gatherings, but are not fully accepted. THE SETITES Members: Lafitte, Dr. John, Julia Meeting Place: Lafitte haven and Temple. Percieved Goals: None (secret group). Real Goals: Corrupting the city and maintaining Lafitte's games. The Setites have secretly hidden in New Orleans since the 1860's, smuggling others of their clan through the city and exerting a subtle, corrupting influence on the city. They have used various brain-washed Setites neonates as a smoke-screen to draw attention away from their true activities. As the Camarilla slaughters these throw-away decoys, the true Setites are left in peace. Julia, the latest of these decoys, has been particularly successful, surviving much longer than normal. THE TONTON MACOUTE Members: Khalam, Clarise and Pierre Meeting Place: Khalam's temple on the banks of Lake Ponchatrain Percieved Goals: None (secret group) Real Goals: Taking over New Orleans for the glory of Set. The Tonton Macoute are a group of Setites recently arrived from Haiti. They find Lafitte's tactics of corruption to timid, and intend to take a more active role in corrupting the city. As a result, Lafitte and the Macoute have bickered, though they haven't actively fought each other yet. The main thing slowing the Macoute down is the Snake Hunters. The Macoute had a violent run in with this group a few years ago, and it has installed a bit of caution in them. THE SABBAT Members: John Murrell (bishop), the Ahrimanes, Manuel's pack, two or three other nomadic packs scattered about the state. Meeting Place: Various, but their main stronghold is Shreveport. Percieved Goals: Fighting the Jyhad, and conquering New Orleans. Real Goals: Meeting the hidden goals of the Sabbat leaders. The Sabbat have controlled the rural areas outside of New Orleans for the last two centuries. Only their isolation, incohension and lack of support from the rest of the Sect have prevented them from attacking New Orleans in force. The Sabbat of Louisiana are torn between the powerful personalities of John Murrell and Muricia of the Ahrimanes. THE AHRIMANES Members: Muricia, June, Cleo, Gabrielle. Meeting Place: No set meeting place, though they often meet at Muricia's mansion. Percieved Goals: Helping the Sabbat survive in the Louisiana wilds. Real Goals: Fulfilling the goals of the founder of their blood line. The Ahrimanes are a Sabbat bloodline originating in this area. All were originally Gangrel, and after undergoing a special Rite, have power over spirits. Their knowledge of the wilderness is useful to the Sabbat, but most are more loyal to Muricia, the founder of their bloodline. The Ahrimanes have engaged in a long battle against the Setites of the city, working through the Camarilla Snake Hunters. MANUEL'S PACK Members: Manuel, Harvey, Moses, Gabrielle, Speck, (Simon) Meeting Place: They move a great deal. Percieved Goals: Keeping an eye on New Orleans for the Sabbat. Real Goals: Staving off immortal boredom. Manuel's Pack is the group of Sabbat closest to New Orleans. One of their number is secretly a member of the KLF, a spy on that Anarch gang. The rest of Manuel's pack is supposed to keep a low profile, and spy on the city. Being what they are, they often get bored, and go "wilding" in the city, or prank someone. They have yet to be captured, but several New Orleans vampires have guessed who they are. ======================================================================= Up next: other supernatural creatures of New Orleans. I'm afraid it will be brief, but this is all written from a vampiric point of view. It may be a while before I finish it, but hopefully it will be out be tomorrow or Satuday. -- paul strack <[p f strack] at [email.unc.edu]> "Angst is the mandate of our generation."