18thCenturyMage/Mage Politics
The Boston Consilium:
This region is currently caught up in internal squabbling, its influence as the first great Consilium of the Colonies fading due to its inability or unwillingness to act on events in its vicinity. On the one hand, the Stone Assembly serve as a hyper-traditionalist keystone to the Consilium's power structure, so much so that most other Awakened consider them excessively elitist and blinded by their own snobbery. On the other hand, the Ebon Noose and their allies are a rag-tag alliance pushing back against the Assembly and stand accused of 'poaching' Awakened from other Consilia.
The New York & Albany Consilium:
Although its power base now resides in New York, this Consilium was originally founded by Dutch Awakened in Albany, and so has always endeavoured to keep at least some presence there. Even with King George's War and the concurrent Seer activity, a single Cabal still resides in Albany, albeit somewhat distant from the main Consilium's aid and sharing their settlement with Nefandi.
Prior to the PCs, there are eight active Cabals in the New York & Albany Consilium. There are Nefandi in New York State, but very few; the Ebon Noose's call to arms, combined with aggressive recruitment tactics on the part of the Diamond Orders, have left only a small number of the Nameless active in this region. At least, Nameless that the Diamond Orders know about.
You'll note that many cabals are dual-Order in membership. This is a practice that has been encouraged in the Consilium for decades, to ensure some level of pooling of resources and building of friendships between Orders, and to ensure that Cabals are not too specialised to the extent of weakening themselves.
The Half Moon Disciples: Named for the ship that Hudson sailed up, the Half Moon Disciples are an old, powerful Cabal of Silver Ladder and Guardians of the Veil, including the Silver Ladder Hierarch of the Consilium. The power in this Cabal definitely resides with the Silver Ladder at the moment. The Cabal is situated in New York City.
The Lunargent Temple: Made up of Silver Ladder and Mysterium members, the Lunargent Temple are mystics and visionaries who often toy with the language of building a new society, a new Atlantis even, in this New World. Considered one of the most knowledgeable Cabals of the occult amongst the Colonies, the Temple hold strong status but are not always entirely trusted by other Cabals of a different philosophical bent. Mason's mentor is a part of this Cabal. The Cabal is situated in New York City.
The Manticore Seal: Also nick-named 'the Skinners', the Manticore Seal are a mixture of Adamantine Arrow and Silver Ladder who refused to back down from defending Albany against hostile forces during King George's War. Taking their name originally from an oath to hunt a strange cryptid that marauded the area, now with connections and wealth from the fur trade, the Manticore Seal remain the northernmost representatives of the Consilium but lack the numbers and resources to really keep control of the area.
The Broken Chain: It turns out that the misery and suffering experienced in the holds of slave-ships is a remarkable pressure-cooker for Awakenings. Most of the Broken Chain are former slaves who Awoke on their journeys, often to the Path of the Warlock. The Broken Chain are members of the Guardians of the Veil and the Mysterium - they've experienced power in the hands of those who do not deserve it, and state that the true power of Awakened magic must, in turn, be held only by the truly deserving. The Cabal has most of its holdings in New York City.
Areopagitica: A small, relatively radical cabal of Silver Ladder mages, Areopagitica are vehement believers in the Supernal Truth being brought to the people; more broadly, they are opposed to any form of restriction on information and truth. Born from recent events in the Colonies, these firebrands are looked on with some concern by the Guardians of the Veil. The Cabal is situated in New York City but may end up moving somewhere a little less under the noses of their critics.
The Beneficient Society of St. Michael: Roaming the wider territory of New York province, the Society are made up entirely of Adamantine Arrows and serve somewhat as an unofficial military arm to the Consilium, including a Sentinel in their ranks. Due to earlier clashes with Seers and Scelesti, the Society is virulently opposed to the Left-Handed and the Exarch's pawns and itch for fresh opportunities to take the battle to them.
The Yellow Talons: This Cabal of Guardians of the Veil have a rather sinister inspiration for their name; they originally made use of outbreaks of Yellow Fever to cover their assasinations of Seers, Nefandi and Sleeper threats. They are based out in New York State and have managed to mostly keep it secret which towns and settlements they dwell in.
The Eye Over The Pine Plains: Mysterium and Adamantine Arrow members of this cabal are linked to the settlement of Schenectady, and claim to keep vigil not just for Seer intrusions but for other, even more esoteric threats that might be brought to bear against the Consilium. They're also noted as Atlantean ruin-hunters and fragment-seekers.
The Iroquois Consilium:
Divided along the lines of its six nations, the Iroquois Consilium currently only includes five cabals - the nation of the Tuscarora currently holds no Diamond Mages at all. Equally, the Seneca Cabal is just one Awakened, albeit a very powerful one.
Influence in this Consilium is currently divided between two powerful mages. The first is Thunderhawk, an Acanthus Storm Keeper of the Mohawk and the Consilium's Adamant Sage. Aggressive and tempestuous, she has encouraged the Obrimos and Acanthus of her Cabal to take up the legacies of the Tamers of Fire and Winds, building an elemental resonance to the coven that augments the weather-witch further. The de facto leader of the Consilium, she is nonetheless opposed by another Acanthus, the Raven, the sole Diamond mage of the Seneca. Such a solitary existence seems to only make the Raven thrive, and the other mages of the Iroquois offer the Mysterium fate-weaver a great deal of respect.
The Philadelphia Consilium:
Consilia of New France:
