[X] "The Camarilla has flaws, but we can make it work better if we only just tried."
"I'll be the first to admit that the Camarilla is far from perfect, but we can still reform the system from within. The Traditions keep Kindred safe, but the Masquerade will only fracture even further. Staying inside the Ivory Tower is our best chance, but we need to shore up its foundations. Reforming the Camarilla will be an uphill battle, but it's the right thing to do. The
only thing we can do."
The expression on Anita's face is one of pity - not quite the reaction you were expecting. It's the look you might've given a rookie soldier fresh out of boot camp, eager to shoot terrorists as if real life were
Call of Duty. "You know, if it weren't for those scars, I'd think you were one of the Brujah loyalists. You sound an awful lot like Critias."
"I know I'm not the first lick to notice the issues, and probably not the last, either. Still,
someone has to try and make things better."
"But that's the thing, Artie. People
have been trying. They've been trying since the Convention of Thorns established the Camarilla in 1493. What do they have to show for it?
Nothing. It's been over five hundred years, and we
still have to put up with the feudal system that governed Europe centuries ago, established by elders who still believe giving power to the 'unwashed masses' was a mistake."
Anita leans back, away from the table, as she exhales through her nostrils. Vampires don't need to breathe, but the little human tics help keep the Beast at bay. "I hate to sound like a geriatric, but you've got to understand what unlife was like before all the elders started packing their bags for the Middle East. The licks who came before us had an iron grip on the reins of power, and they sure weren't using it to benefit all Kindred.
"Whatever you think about the assholes over in the Beltway, you can at least vote them out. Failing that, you find a tolerable successor while you wait for the incumbent to croak. That isn't the case with the elders who run the Ivory Tower. Once a lick seized power, they never let go. The only way things could improve was if others did something about it. Do you think the Old Prince would have stepped down had enough of us mailed in a politely-worded complaint?"
You shake your head. Prince Lodin was before your time as a vampire, but you've heard enough stories to know that he was a real piece of work, even for a Blue Blood. Anita continues. "Of course not. It took a pack of Lupines to overthrow the Old Prince. The elders might throw us some scraps here and there, but they'll never grant us the power to make
real change. Ask yourself this: do you think King George would have granted the thirteen colonies autonomy had they not started the Revolution?"
Anita shakes her head. "Enlightened absolutism sounds fine on paper, but it assumes that the ones in charge know what they're doing. The way things have gone over the last decade or two, we're convinced that the Camarilla will end up ruling over a pile of Kindred ashes
at best. However, it's far more likely that they'll drag us all down into the Inquisition's barbecue pit."
You've carefully watched Anita as she delivered her speech. Though she contains it well, the righteous indignation of Clan Brujah burns fiercely within her. To try and put out the flames a bit, you ask, "What about the Traditions, then?"
Anita takes a moment to collect herself before responding. "
Most of the Traditions are common sense. Our issues are less with the law and more with the people enforcing them."
"You mean people like me, right?"
"Gengis has told us you're not the kind of lick who'd abuse their authority, and I'm surprised to hear myself say that I almost believe him. However, your fellow Camarilla officials aren't so conscientious."
"Alright, so walk me through how the Anarchs view the Traditions," you reply, leaning forward so that you can knit your fingers together while resting your elbows on the table.
Anita appears unfazed by the increased intensity of your scrutiny. "The First Tradition, the Masquerade, makes sense. More than ever with the Second Inquisition on our backs. Any lick could bring the hunters down on our heads. No, it's not the Masquerade we have a problem with - it's how the Camarilla enforces it."
"You mean the ban on computers and smartphones?"
"Exactly. The Anarchs may be more vulnerable to the scrutiny of the NSA, but we're also better connected with the Movements in other domains. The blanket ban on modern technology makes every Camarilla city an island. It might be safer in the short term, but the Cammies are setting themselves up for defeat in detail.
We must all hang together, lest we all hang separately, and all that.
"The Second Tradition of Domain also makes sense. Each of us has our territory, even if it's only a basement studio, but the feudal system the Camarilla insists on enforcing makes it a problem. 'My roof, my rules' is an excellent principle, but I don't want my roof under the umbrella of some big-headed lick. If the Jackson regime wants my respect, they could start by not pulling the authority card while standing in the middle of my haven.
"Now, the Third - the Tradition of Progeny. Again, the Ivory Tower likes being selective in enforcing the Traditions. Prince Lodin sired almost a dozen childer in Chicago, yet he consistently refused to allow the 'Low Clans' like the Gangrel, Malkavians, and your own to Embrace more Kindred. Whatever the Third Tradition was supposed to accomplish, I doubt it was to allow Princes to preemptively cut potential threats to their praxis off at the knees.
"Alright, what about the Fourth Tradition of Accounting?"
Anita shakes her head. "It puts a fledgling entirely in the power of their sire. Many licks suffer some form of abuse from their sire. There's no recourse to any higher power, no access to mediation, or any form of justice. If it's not your sire destroying you for your mistakes, it's the Prince. Until your sire releases you, you're just another weapon for them to use in the Jyhad."
"Fifth Tradition?" You prompt.
"Hospitality?" Anita snorts. "The day Prince Jackson honors our territory, I'll honor his."
"And last but not least?"
"The Tradition of Destruction? Well, it might make more sense if there wasn't a long list of licks to which it doesn't apply. Do I need to beg the Prince for permission to destroy a bunch of Sabbat shovel-heads nosing around my haven?" Anita shakes her head. "It's just another ploy to keep the Prince on his throne."
At this point, Anita gets up from her seat. "I'll end this conversation by telling you our next meeting is at the Inland Steel Building in East Chicago this Friday. Gengis, do you mind giving Artie a ride?"
Gengis shrugs. "Yeah, sure, I'll bring him. Gotta make sure he makes it in and out in one piece, right?"
You recognize a dismissal when you hear one. You and Gengis head back to his car while Anita goes her separate way. As you stare out the passenger side front window, you begin forming your opinion on the Chicago Anarchs.
[] [ANITA] The Anarchs speak more to me than the Camarilla. Why didn't I seek them out sooner?
[] [ANITA] Wainwright's right - I'll never be able to accomplish my goals with the Camarilla's elders standing in my way.
[] [ANITA] Anita made some points worth considering. However, the negatives aren't worth throwing the tea into the harbor.
[] [ANITA] The Baron of East Chicago is just trying to sell me the same pyramid scheme as the Ivory Tower.
[] [ANITA] Let me record my reaction to Anita's arguments.
-
Despite the name, East Chicago is a small city in Indiana sandwiched between Chicago and Gary. On a peninsula extending out into Lake Michigan sits the Inland Steel Building at the head of a vast, semi-derelict steelworking facility. Here, within the disused walls emblematic of the city's failing manufacturing sector, Chicago's Anarchs gather outside to vote on the issues the Movement faces.
As you climb out of Gengis's car, you notice how the Anarchs whisper and point in your direction. What is one of Jacko's dogs doing here at the meeting? Still, Gengis's presence by your side keeps away those who would stake and bake you on principle. It's not a pleasant situation to be in, but you take comfort in the familiarity. After all, it wasn't
that long ago that the Degenerates in Annabelle's entourage were mocking you behind your back as you helped set up chairs and tables for the Toreador Primogen's next party.
Many of those present sport the rough-and-ready rebel look typical of Clan Brujah. However, you spy plenty of Gangrel doing their best to conceal their more animalistic features underneath their clothing. There are Caitiff and thin-bloods, too, off in a separate group.
You also count dissidents from the Camarilla clans. Fellow Nosferatu huddle beneath tattered clothing to conceal their disfigurements as the Malkavians babble to each other, themselves, and no one in particular. More than a few members of Clan Toreador flit from one conversation to the next while the Tremere are catching up on their occult reading. You even spot one or two Blue Bloods looking as imperious as can be in casual clothing. Prince Jackson would be
less than pleased to find those of his own clan among the opposition.
However, a rail-thin woman in her mid-twenties catches your eye. While her wardrobe of jeans and a band T-shirt is simple, the commanding gaze in her dark brown eyes makes her stand out. Indeed, the other Anarchs seem to be in awe of her. Gengis quickly catches her attention. "Maldavis! I'd like you to meet Artie Delacruz. Two-Face, this is Maldavis."
"Maldavis. The legend herself."
At the height of Prince Lodin's corruption, the Anarchs rallied around a fledgling Maldavis. Under her banner, the Movement grew powerful enough to challenge the Old Prince for control over the Second City. Eventually, the "Council Wars" ended in victory for the Camarilla establishment. However, it seems Maldavis still hasn't given up the fight.
You shake hands with Maldavis and exchange the briefest of pleasantries. However, the substantive conversation will have to wait as Anita calls the Anarchs' meeting to order. You follow Gengis to the catwalk overlooking the factory floor and stand back to observe the proceedings. Eventually, you think you understand the Anarchs' democratic process.
While prominent Anarchs like Anita, Gengis, and Maldavis moderate the debates from their positions high above on the main floor, any Anarch in attendance may step up to the catwalk to present their proposal. However, if none of the moderators second the motion, the idea falls by the wayside. Assuming one of the Anarch Center
does speak up in support, at least half of those in attendance must vote in favor of the motion. Even then, if the proposal concerns a territory, two-thirds of the attendees from that area must consent to make it official.
As you observe the proceedings, you can't help but have thoughts about how the Anarchs do things and how they might run the show if they
did manage to topple the Ivory Tower.
[] [COUNCIL] I like seeing democracy at work in the Kindred world. The Camarilla could learn a thing or two.
[] [COUNCIL] No bowing and scraping before a lick just because they've been around since the Dark Ages? Sign me up.
[] [COUNCIL] With the SI systematically wiping us out, we need decisive action, not this endless back-and-forth.
[] [COUNCIL] It'd only take one lick with the right Disciplines to turn this "democratic" process into even more of a joke.
[] [COUNCIL] My opinion is more nuanced than this. Let me write it down.
