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To study the Anarch Movement in North America is to study the variety and contradictions that anarch thought often embodies. For every radical West Coast anarch ready to to go war for what he believes in, there's an East Coast Anarch who views the principles of equality and egalitarianism as a fascinating theory fit for debate in Elysium but far too impractical to work in the real world.
North American anarchs show a pronounced tendency to slide into the roles they so often claim to stand against: judge, autocrat, and tyrant. California, as the site of the first successful anarch uprising in North America, is a beacon of hope and inspiration for many who would not follow the Tower or the Sword.
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Anarch Ranks
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Baron
This is actually the only universal title currently used by the Anarch Movement, with regard to the political arena. By its simplest definition, a baron is simply the Anarch Movemen'ts equavalent of a prince. The anarchs — or at least, those anarchs smart enough to have gained some experience without winding up on the wrong end of a stake or a sunrise — know that any territory with even a modest Kindred population requires someone to moderate it.
An anarch baron normally isn't one for passing a great number of policies; again, he must avoid the appearance of ditating the behavior of those below him. Instead, most of his time is devoted to mediating conflicts and disputes between Kindred, orchestrating agreements with other local Kindred leaders (both within the movement and other sects) and enforcing those traditions — the anarchs aren't so stupid as to bring the wrath of the mortal world down upon them - that even the anarchs must obey.
The problems barons face when it comes to mediating disputes is that the aggrieved parties rarely com to them willingly. If two KIndred are battling over a corporation, a street corner, a bit of terriotry or even a favored mortal, it's the baron's job to keep abreast of the situation and to step in before it gets out of hand. Sure, an anrach occasionally comes to the baron with a problem, but that's usually because she's come out on the losing end of a conflict she's already tried to handle on her own.
So what a baron really is, when all is said and done, is a Kindred with all the responsibiolities of a prince, but without the tools. He can't count on the respect that a prince's title inspires, because he doesn't have the strength of a prince. In addition to having less political clout than most princes, a baron isn't necessarily one of the eldest or most powerful Kindred in a region. The anarchs believe in a system that awards merit, and that means the best administrator in the city — and thus, the best baron — could be 70 years old and a pushover compared to the ruthless prince in the next city who's seen three centuries since her breathing days.
Emissary
This is actually an informal title; emissries are also called ambassadors, heralds, and by more cynical members of the sect, expendables. The Anarch Movement is surrounded by enemies or at least rivals. IN most cities, the anarchs intermingle with the Camarilla Kindred around them. On the West Coast, the remains of the Free State will struggle to retain its independence, or else has alredy been subsumed into the Cathayans' New Promise Mandarinate. Nomadice coteries sometimes find themselves deep in Sabbat territory, with precious little room for error or escape.
The baron usually appoints these emissaries, though some are selected by popular vote (particularly in towns where no baron has claimed the title, or among nomadic packs without a fixed leader) and others merely fall into the role and discover they've a talent for it. Their job is to travel to the leaders of the other sects and somehow convince them that isn't in their best interests to help the anarchs or, at the very least, to leave the movement alone.
By far the most frequent duty required of an emissary is negotiation with a Camarilla prince (or other elder). Despite holding themselves somewhat separate, the anarchs are still part of the Ivory Tower; someone needs to look out for their interests, and the elders themselves certainly have no incentive to do so. Within a Czamarilla city, the most common duty of an emissary is to plead the case of another anarch who faces punishment for some violation of the princes interpretation of the Traditions.
Sweeper
The barons themselves prefer to call a vampire who holds this position a counter or even a census-taker, but most anarchs use the terms sweeper, proctor, Sherlock or even on occasion, abacus. The plethora of names, some of which border on comical, certainly suggest that the anarchs don't take these kindred seriously. It's true, they don't, but their mockery, while genuine, is tinged with more than a little fear for what these vampires could come to represent.
Barons in anarch-dominated territory don't have much luck when it comes to the Tradition of Hospitality. At any given time, a baron is fortunate to know the identity of half the Kindred currently occupying a domain. Some barons have accepted that as the way things are, but others have developed the office of counter — or the sweeper — to rectify the problem
A sweeper's duty is simple. He frequents the Rack, the outskirts of the city, the nightclubs and any other place that might attract the Kindred, particularly young newcomers. He observes, recording names and faces and where possible, attitudes abilities, clan ancestry and anything else he can discover. This information is used for no nefarious purpose; he simply reports at a regular interval so the baron has at least some notion of who's in her city.
Very few anarchs are willing to give voice to the true nature of their dislike (and their fear) of the sweeper. To many of them, an independent Kindred sneaking about the edges of the city and the Rack, taking careful note of who's new and who isn't, who belongs and who doesn't, reminds them far too much of that most loathed of the Camarilla bullies, the scourge.
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Setting
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Landmarks
-Under Development
Known Figures
-Under Development
Packs
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Links
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- something happening here soon
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Lingo
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Common Form
- Baron: An anarch "prince"; a Kindred who claims a domain but is a member of the Anarch Movement
- Barony: The domain of an anarch "prince". Also, an autonomous community of anarchs.
- Gang: A coterie of anarchs modeled after mortal inner-city crime groups
- Gear: Supplies or armaments hidden in a cache.
- Idealist: An anarch whose struggle is rooted more in intellectualism or theory rather than real-world experience. Sometimes used with derision, to imply that one has his head in the clouds and that his personal utopia would never work
- Pack: A coterie of anarchs. Origin is uncertain, and the term may have come into use during the nights of the Anarch Revolt or shortly afterward to spite the Sabbat.
- Piper: Also, pied piper. An anarch who uses mortals or ghouls excessively to fight battles for the anarch cause.
- War of Ages: The class of Kindred over issues such as age, sect policy (which favors elders in anarch opinion) and generation. Also the Jyhad.
- Ivory Tower: The Camarilla
- Emissary: An anarch whose job is to negotiatie with the leaders of other sects.
- Sweeper: An anarch whose job is to keep track of the Kindred within a barony.
Vulgar Argot
- Blood Boy/Babe: A vessle
- Cape: An obvious vampire. Also, an elder
- Donor: A vessel
- Five: A member of another sect who carries on of those sect's titles. Presumably originates for the "5-0" mortal slang for a police officer.
- Highway Haven: A portable haven, such as a trailer or even a secure sleeping bag.
Old Form
- Antitribu: While the Sabbat's use of this word is more vernacular, a few aged anarchs still use this term to referr to any Kindred who turns his back on the main body of his clan. The anarchs were the original antitribu, these elder revolutionaries claim, and the Sabbat merely stole the name as they struck out on their own.
- Return, the: The apology of the anarchs at the Convention of Thorns, where they disgracefully returned to their elders' sides and agreed to support the Camarilla
- Sabbat: In certain contexts, particular among very old anarchs, a sabbat is a pack or coterie, rather than the sect that adapted the name for its own use.
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Anarchs and the Camarilla
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Those anarchs who actually manage to obtain something in the way of status in the Camarilla itself - not the chameleons specifically, but simply those who have succeeded at playing the political game in hopes of changing the sect — are subject to their own particular Faustian temptations. Some of the most power-hungry up-and-comers in the Camarilla are former anarchs who have abandoned the movement to line their own nest, as it were. Anarchs hate these turncoats with a passion, but they also exhibit a tendency to blame the Camarilla itself for their fall, rather than their own lack of will. Just another reason the system has to be changed; it corrupts even those who go into it with the best of intentions.
This love/hate relationship with the Ivory Tower creates an interesting dichomoty in the anarch attitudes. Mention any given facet of the Camarilla, and you'll receive a veritable barrage of scorn, vitriol and mockery. Yet when the shit hits the fan and the Camarilla is menaced by threats from without, such as the recent Sabbat offensive on the East Coast, the anarchs are always among the first on the front lines, fighting back the enemies of the sect.
What this means is that the anarchs are more than willing to grant their respect to a Camarilla prince, but he's got to earn it, not demand it. A prince who handles his domain well, who's concerned about the welfare of the Kindred who dwell within, who refuses to put his own advancement and the game of prestation over the good of his city, earns the accolades of an entire anarch community.
Most princes, of course, fall into the "selfish, power-hungry monster" category, and the anarchs have long since grown disillusioned.
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Anarchs and the Sabbat
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There was a time, not really all that long ago, in the scheme of things, when the anarchs and the Sabbat seemed tailor-made for each other. The anarchs espoused freedom from the oppression of the Camarilla elders, and the Sabbat offered just such an escape in the form of the bond-breaking Vaulderie. Both sects were far more openly violent than the Camarilla, and both seemed willing to acknowledge their inhuman natures.
Then the anarchs got a really good look at what the Sabbat is.
They don't offer freedom at all, just a new form of enslavement. The Vaulderie might allow a bit more room to roam than the blood bond, but ultimately, it's still just another leash. Forced devotion to a fanatic ideal isn't any better than bondage to an ancient monster, not when that fanatic ideal seems to be nothing less than the glorification of the worst parts of Kindred nature. The don't just "acknowledge" their inhumanity, they venerate it, treating mortals like less than chattel. Sure, even the Camarilla Kindred refer to the mortals as kine, but at least the don't make a practice of glorifying mass murder. How could the anarchs justify claiming equality with Kindred more powerful than they, if they treated their inferiors - even mortals - in ways they'd never accept from their own elders?
This isn't to say that the Anarch Movement doesn't have some nonviolent contact with the Sabbat. A small anarch population exists in quite a few Sabbat cities. They do tend to keep their heads down much of the time, since they'd rather not draw attention. Some actively work against the Black Hand, trying to sabotage the Sabbat from within their own territory. Most, however, are far less brave (or foolhardy..) and dwell in Sabbat domains primarily because they have nowhere else to go.
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Anarch Members
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| Known Anarchs
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