Tradition and Dogma

[Tami]

The very notion of control by an aged is anathema to the anarchs. Government "of the people, by the people, for the people" may be a mortal invention, but it's what they strive for in the Kindred community. Boil it down, the anarchs don't want to destroy the Camarilla, just the "geriocracy" that runs it.

It could be argued, of course, that rule by the elders is what defines the Camarilla and that you can't have one without the other, but the anarchs aren't buying it.

Ostensibly still part of the Camarilla, the Anarch Movement pays lip service, at the very least to the Six Traditions. That said, the anarchs tend to hold some what differing views of these laws than their hidebound elders, and they're enforced very differently in an anarch-dominated barony than in a comparable Camarilla domain

[Tami]

The First Tradition: The Masquerade

On this point, at least, no argument exists. The vast majority of the anarchs fully recognize the importance of maintaining their illusion of nonexistence. While few of them are old enough to recall the nights of the Inquisition, they are creatures of the modern world, fully cognizant of the capabilities of state-of-the-art weaponry.

That said, young anarchs occasionally stretch the definition of what constitutes a Masquerade breach. Many of them still maintain contact with those they cared about before the Embrace, and some have gone so far as to reveal their true nature to those they can trust...or think they can. This practice is strongly discouraged by older and wiser Kindred, and its not particularly common to begin with. Nevertheless, it may only be a matter of time before a young anarch opens his mouth to the wrong person - someone who will not only tell the story to others, but might persuade the wrong people to believe her.

A serious Masquerade breach is one of the few things that can make even the most rabid anti-establishment anarch work hand-in-hand with the stodgiest Camarilla elders. Only a true idiot (or lunatic) can fail to recognize the dangers involved in such an event.

[Tami]

The Second Tradition: The Domain

Anarchs don't much care for this one. They prefer to give a Kindred leader the respect she's earned through her actions and her policies, not simply because she's the eldest Kindred and toughest all-around bitch in the region. Most of them acknolwedge that this holds true in reverse. They don't expect others to grant them respect they haven't earned. This attitude, more than anything else, causes the most problems between anarchs and the local prince in many Camarilla cities. It's also why the barons hesitate to wield their full authority.

Smart anarchs hide their dislike behind at least a thin veneer of civility when they're outside their home territory. Less intelligent anarchs mouth off in Elysium, spray-paint graffiti on the prince's haven, occasionally burn down buildings important to local elders and frequently find themselves spitted on the scourge's claws. That sort of behavior may gain them a certain amount of respect from their more careful brethren, but it's worth pointing out that the smart ones remain quiet, and thus remain undead to to continue giving props to those who "stick it to the man."

[Tami]

The Third Tradition: Progeny

If there's any real sticking point between the various ranks of the Anarch Movement, it's this. Popular opinion among the masses has it that the Camarilla elders enforce the Tradition of Progeny purely to keep the balance of power tilted firmly in their direction. If the old bats can make it punishable by death for anyone except them to create childer, they've pretty much got a guaranteed way of keeping the younger generation from growing large enough to threaten them. To many neonates, procreation is a basic right. Some joined the Anarch Movement for no other reason than the freedom to choose their own progeny when and where they want.

The problem, of course, is that the barons and other leaders of the movement are in a position to see the larger picture. The recognize the need for population control, to say nothing of the need for someone with clearer judgement than a lust-addled neonate to determine a given candidate's suitability for Embrace. Without some sort of safeguard, anarch terriotires would quickly grow overpopulated with reckless, uncontrollable neonates without the slightest understanding of Kindred society, or the sense to keep witch-hunters from burning all the race of Caine to cinders.

Unfortunately, they've not yet found an viable way to get this point across to the younger generation. Frankly, most people, living and undead alike, take poorly to being told "We don't trust your judgment." Any attempt by the barons to crack down and enforce the Third Tradition would meet violent opposition from a large portion of the sect, yet failure to do so might have devastating repercussions in the near future, possibly threatening the Masquerade itself. If the Camarilla really understood how precarious the anarch situation was, they might move to wipe the sect out completely, rather than viewing it as the ideological threat they do tonight.

[Tami]

The Fourth Tradition: Accounting

A vocal minority of the sect wants this one done away with as well. In a society based on freedom of the individual and judging each on her own merits, how can one Kindred be held responsible for the actions of another? Would a mortal justice sysstem imprison a woman because her son shot a cop? Then why should the sire suffer for the sins of the childe?

Most anarchs, however, recognize the need for some order, especially in the youngest of their number. They don't necessarily agree that a sire should be punished for the childe's crimes, but they acknowledge at least that Kindred who choose their childer poorly are responsible for making things right. So long as a Lick is willing to take that responsibility, willing to make reparations for his childe's crimes, and, if necessary, apprehend the childe himself and turn her over for punishment, most barons are willing to let the sire off with no additional consequence.

[Tami]

The Fifth Tradition: Hospitality

This is the flip side of the domain coin. Anarchs are more than happy to present themselves to a baron or prince they respect, but they feel no compunctions about informing one they don't. (Well, assuming they can get away with it. A frightening scourge is sometimes enought to hie the anarchs to Elysium regardless of their feelings for the prince in question.)

One might expect that anarchs might present themselves more frequently to barons - their sectmates - than they do to Camarilla princes, but this proves not to be the case. True, most anarchs hold more respect for a given baron than a given prince. By the same token, however, they know that this hypothetical baron is far more lax about tha rules, and they can get away with failing to present thmeselves without repercussions. For their own part, the barons would certainly prefer that thier comrades present themselves when they enter a given barony, but they know that it's not really a point they can press without causing more trouble than it's worth. Some rely on intelligence gathered from a sweeper but most just throw up their hand and move on to other business.

[Tami]

The Sixth Tradition: Destruction

Anarchs are more than willing to abide by this Traditions -most of the time. The sect tends to frown on barons who order or santion executions without very good reasons; none of this "You have offended me! Off with his head!" bullshit the Camarilla princes like to pull. So long as the anarchs trust their leaders to not execute someone or call for a blood hunt unless the subject really is guilty of some heinous crime, they're content to follow the baron's lead on the occasions when Final Death is really called for.

On the other hand, some anarchs aren't willing to wait for their leaders. If a Kindred is obviously guilty of crimes against the sect, his fellow anarchs, or the Masquerade, mob justice is the rule of the night. "He needing killin" is a valid justification for murder in the eyes of many, and they're more than willing to take on the task themselves. The barons aren't happy about it, but there's no real way to prosecute one's entire domain for a violation of the Sixth Tradition, so they usually let it go (unless the victim was someone of importance, of course, in which case an example has to be made of someone).

It's important to note, though, that this is not (or at least not usually) an excuse for random violence. When this sort of thing happens, its almost always with valid cause, or at lease those participating believe it's with valid cause. Even the rowdier anarchs usually save their destructive tendencies for Camarilla cities, not their own territory.



~ pp58-60 Guide to the Anarchs, White Wolf Publications 2002