NYC Prince's Harpy Report, August 2011
Having not attended last Court I cannot offer a formal report on the proceedings - a fact I'm sure will send my fellow Beckette Mr. LaRoux into fits of giddy laughter not unlike that of a schoolgirl who just won Justin Bieber tickets - but the rumor mill churns whether Court is in session or not, and so I have a few tidbits to share:
How much is that Harpy in the window? I do hope that Harpy's for sale...
Speaking of the intrepid Mr. LaRoux, I must thank him again for his interest in educating me on the correct procedural methods of Harpydom. I especially look forward to the part where he explains to me how a really good Harpy takes bribes in public to keep scandals out of the news. I was under the impression that such dealings were to be done very quietly and with a certain level of finesse, but it is possible that my methods are outdated, and I very much look forward to learning the new math, so to speak.
Unfortunately I was not made privy to the exact information that Mr. LaRoux was paid not to divulge, so I can't make his dishonor worthless. But I assure you that I would really really like to do so and would if I could.
Rumors of Mekhet stealth have been greatly exaggerated.
It should be known to all that Mr. Thomas Hayfield can go wherever he wants, whenever he wants, and that no one is permitted to have private conversations anywhere in public lest he cite his standing within the city as his right to barge in. So be warned, Kindred - unless you want to invite Mr. Hayfield to all your parties/dates/spa appointments, it would be best not to have them in public places.
•••
And that's all the news I've got for now. So in lieu of more new scandal, let me offer you some old scandal, from the nights before most of you were Court regulars in New York. That's right, gather round, it's Story Time with Auntie Becky. Perhaps we'll even manage to reach a moral.
New York has been home to many princes over her long years, and your Auntie Becky has known many of them very well. But perhaps none so well as Gideon Craine.
Gideon Craine was a project of the Five Points neighborhood some of you may remember from your own youth. (If you're not, and have seen the film Gangs of New York, then you are at least passingly familiar with his contemporary William Poole, although Gideon would have called that movie a cleaned-up, watered-down piece of garbage.) Growing up in such an environment created, as you might imagine, a man as tough as he was stubborn who would become a Kindred devoted with every fiber of his being to a singular cause: to rule the city of his birth.
It would take over a century, but Gideon finally achieved this goal: in 2005 he claimed Praxis of New York City after the death of Prince Gavin Feathersong (which is another story for another time).
I said that achieving this goal took time, and it did. It also took sacrifice. Too many Kindred forget the cost of success in modern nights of internet and instant gratification. Gideon's rise to power cost him friends, resources, and even love.
I did mention scandal, didn't I? Gideon, a staunch and well-regarded member of the Invictus, harbored a dark secret: a shameful but long-standing dalliance with a Carthian of ill repute. A pillar of society couldn't allow such a blemish on his record as he ascended to power in a city as visible as New York. And so he ended the affair. The star-crossed lovers paired on bad terms - a fact that will only lead an extra Shakespearean twist to our tale's end.
For you see, after every rise comes a fall. And a reign begun with blood often ends the same way.
Gideon's rise hadn't come without the help of his friends, and like any good politician, he was sure to keep those friends close. But the Kindred condition is a curious one, and a certain percentage of our number are driven insane by the unending march of time (irony due to the source unintended). Among Gideon's friends was the Reverend Jarvis, a petty and jealous creature who built up those around him only to tear them down for his own amusement. And so Jarvis began a campaign against Gideon which reached its climax when his liege Nona Marcellus (Gideon's own kin) challenged Gideon to a duel. (For those not in the know, our civilized, orderly brethren in the Invictus solve their conflicts through the nuanced and acutely reasoned method of combat to the death.)
In November of 2005, only a few short months after he achieved his greatest goal, Gideon Craine was killed by a member of his own family led on by one of his oldest and closest friends. He put in over a century of patience, toiled endlessly within our corrupted system, and threw away love, all for a success that last him a few scant months.
If you're asking what relevance this tale could have to you, consider it a lesson to all those who reach for brass rings. No success is without cost, and reaching your goal may carry with it its own perils. The world in which we exist is one in which your greatest love or your closest ally may become your most feared adversary in the space of a night. You can trust nothing, be sure of nothing, feel safe in nothing. Those who would seek the spotlight in such a world should be well aware what you ask.
Perhaps, wherever Gideon is now, he regrets his choices. Perhaps he doesn't. What I can tell you with certainty is that the ending he got was not the ending he imagined. But then so few of us get the endings for which we hope. Maybe it's better to go down in a blaze of glory than to wither away slowly while time eats at your psyche.
In fact… call it a discussion topic: which is a better end?
Regards,
Rebecca Allen
Stupid Fucking Cunt
(Carthian x 2)
http://wiki.white-wolf.com/camwiki/index.php?title=Rebecca_Allen
-------------
Tara Crawford [us2002022873]
“Life is tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
How much is that Harpy in the window? I do hope that Harpy's for sale...
Speaking of the intrepid Mr. LaRoux, I must thank him again for his interest in educating me on the correct procedural methods of Harpydom. I especially look forward to the part where he explains to me how a really good Harpy takes bribes in public to keep scandals out of the news. I was under the impression that such dealings were to be done very quietly and with a certain level of finesse, but it is possible that my methods are outdated, and I very much look forward to learning the new math, so to speak.
Unfortunately I was not made privy to the exact information that Mr. LaRoux was paid not to divulge, so I can't make his dishonor worthless. But I assure you that I would really really like to do so and would if I could.
Rumors of Mekhet stealth have been greatly exaggerated.
It should be known to all that Mr. Thomas Hayfield can go wherever he wants, whenever he wants, and that no one is permitted to have private conversations anywhere in public lest he cite his standing within the city as his right to barge in. So be warned, Kindred - unless you want to invite Mr. Hayfield to all your parties/dates/spa appointments, it would be best not to have them in public places.
•••
And that's all the news I've got for now. So in lieu of more new scandal, let me offer you some old scandal, from the nights before most of you were Court regulars in New York. That's right, gather round, it's Story Time with Auntie Becky. Perhaps we'll even manage to reach a moral.
New York has been home to many princes over her long years, and your Auntie Becky has known many of them very well. But perhaps none so well as Gideon Craine.
Gideon Craine was a project of the Five Points neighborhood some of you may remember from your own youth. (If you're not, and have seen the film Gangs of New York, then you are at least passingly familiar with his contemporary William Poole, although Gideon would have called that movie a cleaned-up, watered-down piece of garbage.) Growing up in such an environment created, as you might imagine, a man as tough as he was stubborn who would become a Kindred devoted with every fiber of his being to a singular cause: to rule the city of his birth.
It would take over a century, but Gideon finally achieved this goal: in 2005 he claimed Praxis of New York City after the death of Prince Gavin Feathersong (which is another story for another time).
I said that achieving this goal took time, and it did. It also took sacrifice. Too many Kindred forget the cost of success in modern nights of internet and instant gratification. Gideon's rise to power cost him friends, resources, and even love.
I did mention scandal, didn't I? Gideon, a staunch and well-regarded member of the Invictus, harbored a dark secret: a shameful but long-standing dalliance with a Carthian of ill repute. A pillar of society couldn't allow such a blemish on his record as he ascended to power in a city as visible as New York. And so he ended the affair. The star-crossed lovers paired on bad terms - a fact that will only lead an extra Shakespearean twist to our tale's end.
For you see, after every rise comes a fall. And a reign begun with blood often ends the same way.
Gideon's rise hadn't come without the help of his friends, and like any good politician, he was sure to keep those friends close. But the Kindred condition is a curious one, and a certain percentage of our number are driven insane by the unending march of time (irony due to the source unintended). Among Gideon's friends was the Reverend Jarvis, a petty and jealous creature who built up those around him only to tear them down for his own amusement. And so Jarvis began a campaign against Gideon which reached its climax when his liege Nona Marcellus (Gideon's own kin) challenged Gideon to a duel. (For those not in the know, our civilized, orderly brethren in the Invictus solve their conflicts through the nuanced and acutely reasoned method of combat to the death.)
In November of 2005, only a few short months after he achieved his greatest goal, Gideon Craine was killed by a member of his own family led on by one of his oldest and closest friends. He put in over a century of patience, toiled endlessly within our corrupted system, and threw away love, all for a success that last him a few scant months.
If you're asking what relevance this tale could have to you, consider it a lesson to all those who reach for brass rings. No success is without cost, and reaching your goal may carry with it its own perils. The world in which we exist is one in which your greatest love or your closest ally may become your most feared adversary in the space of a night. You can trust nothing, be sure of nothing, feel safe in nothing. Those who would seek the spotlight in such a world should be well aware what you ask.
Perhaps, wherever Gideon is now, he regrets his choices. Perhaps he doesn't. What I can tell you with certainty is that the ending he got was not the ending he imagined. But then so few of us get the endings for which we hope. Maybe it's better to go down in a blaze of glory than to wither away slowly while time eats at your psyche.
In fact… call it a discussion topic: which is a better end?
Regards,
Rebecca Allen
Stupid Fucking Cunt
(Carthian x 2)
http://wiki.white-wolf.com/camwiki/index.php?title=Rebecca_Allen
-------------
Tara Crawford [us2002022873]
“Life is tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne