Hunters of Shadows
Fearless Ranks
Many well-established and powerful organizations watch over the people of New York City. Devoted and respectable law enforcement agencies unknowingly work alongside (or sometimes against) ancient groups like the Society of Leopold. And around all of these would-be heroes, these hunters of the shadows, live millions of human beings. Some of them are actually heedful of their environment and are more likely to notice the ongoing weirdness and oddities of the city.
But most would still chalk it up to New York just being an unusual town. The powerful groups dedicated to protecting mankind from the monsters in the night, by pen or sword, know better. And recently, they’re becoming more aware of the terrible demons lurking beneath the city, lured to the city. The clues they’re starting to receive point to terrifying monsters on the rise, and it’s scaring the bejeezus out of the organizations’ leaders. Of course, fear begets hate, and hatred hardens the heart to make the hunt easier. And these fearless hunters aren’t about to just lie down and die.
Arcanum
For over a hundred years, the Arcanum had a major regional chapterhouse established in New York City. These supernatural researchers currently work out of Columbia University and keep all of their files hidden. They dwell in private residences, however, and are almost invisible as a group despite their numbers and efforts.
Cult of Sybaritae
This mystery cult of hedonists is all about finding enlightenment and joy through passion and pleasure. They seek the greatest indulgences and hold nothing back. The leading members have all dabbled in (hedge) magic, and use their talents to heighten they and their acolytes’ experiences. Clearly, the Cult of Ecstasy influenced this Cult of Sybaritae, and the mages may actually do so still. They are based (appropriately) out of a nightclub in the Soho District of southern Manhattan called the Sybarite.
DNA
This high-tech organization of werewolf hunters (Developmental Neogenetics Amalgamated) seeks to capture lycanthropes for biological experimentations. They eye both the Meadowlands and Central Park for victims. They use incredible gadgetry beyond the ken of normal science, funded and equipped secretly by the Progenitor Technocrats. They operate out of secret laboratories and underground facilities in La Tourette Park in the center of Staten Island.
Echelon Bandits
This ragtag group of computer hacking anarchists and conspiracy buffs are pawned by one group of electronically minded supernaturals at one time or another. The Virtual Adepts and Glass Walkers make the most use of them. But they are more dangerous than the supernaturals realize, for their shrewd computer skills have unlocked secrets no one expected them to find. They meet in the basement of a nightclub called the Flush Box, found on the northern peninsula of Queens called College Point.
Inquisition
The Society of Leopold is strong in New York City, a town with so many Roman Catholics. This results in numerous cathedrals, churches, and seminaries out of which Inquisitors may secretly operate. There is one cenacle of Inquisitors in each borough, and most are devout heroes bent to the cause. The main cenacle is based out of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, found in the Gramercy District found just south of Midtown. A few Children of Lazarus work with the Society of Leopold’s loyalists, trying to shift the torches of the Inquisition in the Big Apple to focus especially on the vampire problem. As recent evidence of impending vampire ancients on the rise is discussed, the arguments of the Children of Lazarus seem to make more sense.
Judges
The Roman Catholics weren’t the only ones who birthed witch-hunting Inquisitors. The Judges, so named after the leading citizens in the Old Testament, are a smaller society dedicated to the pursuit and eradication of devils for the betterment of mankind and the earth. And they aren’t Christian. These Jewish hunters use as much brain as brawn in the hunt, using Kabbala techniques and even ties to intelligence agencies (such as Israel’s famous Mossad) to help them catch and kill their prey. The chapter of Judges in New York City work out of the Temple Emanu-El, a synagogue found on 5th Avenue just outside of Central Park on the east side.
Orphic Circle
The Orphic Circle continues its age-old traditions of meeting and capering with the Restless Dead, even at the risk of their own souls. The Orphics in New York City have learned to keep to Manhattan for the safety of Stygian controls. The Orphic Circle long ago established an alliance with the Iron Kingdom, and respects the dead instead of seeks to try and exorcise or purge them as other hunters do. The Orphic Circle meets in a condominium that the wealthiest and oldest member of the local circle owns. It’s found above the Vorpal art gallery in Manhattan’s southern Soho District.
Romani
Various kumpaniyi travel through or at least skirt by the City That Never Sleeps. There are plenty of opportunities for bujo in this town full of tourists and locals too busy to double-check their wallets after they step off a packed subway car. Only one kumpania stays close to the city all the time, however. And that is the Mule Phral (“ghost people”), a band of Ravnos who keep close to the local Ravnos vampires, too. They’re often relatives, after all. Together both Romani and Cainite plot against Ravnos antitribu, who rank commonly among the local Sabbat vampires, and are usually little more than giorgios (non-Romani), polluting the clan’s lineage.
Special Events
Special events are annual (or more frequent) holidays or special ritual days that the main group or groups observe as a whole community. Attendance and participation is often expected of all members, and sometimes required.
Yule Tidings
From the start of Advent to Christmas Day (so, much of December), the Church in New York commands all cenacles to help bring good cheer to the good peoples of the city. Hunting monsters is not forbidden but good acts are instead encouraged, especially to the disadvantaged and poor (the most frequent victims of devils and vampires). Obviously, this event is not universally observed. Many hunters in Kansas City are not affiliated with the Church. But as the dominant organization, it nevertheless bears note.
“The shepherd must protect his herd…with automatic weapons if need-be.”
-- Father Henry Talbot, Abbé of the Cenaculum of the Immaculate Conception
