London - Pax Britannica

World of Darkness: 1900 ~&~ London

Quote

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." - Samuel Johnson

An Introduction to the Capital of Great Britain

A Note of Welcome

Dearest Kindred,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to London, the greatest city of the European Union and seat of both Lady Anne Bowesley, Queen of London and the House of Windsor and its heir-apparent Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. I am certain that I do not need to inform a guest such as yourself of the details pertaining to the singular honor the Queen has granted you by giving you leave to remain in this mighty metropolis. You are, for the time being, a welcome guest in this, the greatest of all cities on the face of the Earth.

Of course, such an honor brings with it certain obligations and responsibilities that I am sure you will find it your pleasure to perform. A society such as ours can function only with the clearest of guidelines and strictures and any violation of said strictures will be met with the appropriate punishment. I hardly need mention the possible severity of such a chastisement. London, both by day and by night, is a city where law reigns supreme. People know their place in society and, while they may work to better it, until they have achieved that worthy aim they do not step beyond those bounds for fear of losing the approbation of their peers. You would, my Kindred, do well to remember that in the coming nights. The particular demands of our own society will be made clear to you in the in the normal way. I feel it is my duty, though, to guide you through the onerous task of dining out in our first weeks in London.

If I may make a distinction here, one would do well to note the difference between the city, which is London in its wider sense, and the City, which is the square mile within London's medieval city walls in which the major financial business of the city is transacted. Displaying an ignorance of this distinction is a certain way to mark yourself as an uncivilized buffoon from some rural retreat.

While this letter contains much worthy advice, I would caution you against hoarding it for many nights. Read, learn, and act upon what is within. Then, destroy it utterly, for you know the penalty for transgression against our primary custom. This letter is dispatched to you with the approval of Lady Anne, and the urchin who carried it is tied to us by the oath that cannot be broken. Its security and secrecy are your responsibility and your responsibility alone.

Dining Out

As a newcomer to this city, I suspect that it is unlikely that you have made appropriate arrangements for a regular supply of sustenance to your lodgings. I thus offer a few guidelines for a gentleman or lady of our society who seeks to dine with the minimum of fuss and inconvenience. When selecting your repast for the evening, one would do well to consider the social stratification of London society among the kine. They define themselves clearly into three classes, each of which carries its own set of responsibilities and manners of behaving.

The Working Class

The lower or working class is composed of those men and women who work with their hands to make a living. They are the laborers, dockworkers, cabbies and cleaners of London. They undertake the manual tasks that keep this city running, yet which require little in the way of higher thought or initiative. Their clothes match their station in life: simple, shoddily fit yet robust and often somewhat dirty. Among themselves, their manner is coarse and bawdy, yet they show due deference to those of higher status within the city, at least upon the surface. Their discussions in the mean and overcrowded slums they call home are of a quite different tone. The dwellings of such folk can be found in particular parts of the city. The East End houses many of them, for example, providing a ready source of menial labor for both the City itself and the transportation hubs that facilitate communication and transaction with the rest of the world.

Those among us whose manner or linage brands them as part of this lower class will find themselves able to dine easily and freely in such parts of town. They run the risk of consuming a meal tainted by alcohol or the wide variety of drugs that many people of all classes use to distract themselves from the reality of their lives. London can be a harsh mistress for those too weak to or ignorant to seize the opportunities offered, as you will no doubt discover.

The Middle Class

The middle classes are those who make their living from the skills of their minds. They are the scholars, businessmen and lawyers of the city; the very lifeblood, if I may venture such a play on words, of London's power and wealth. Most are well educated and some of them, if their fathers or mothers were successful, may well have attended one of the better boarding schools that dot the English countryside. Their clothes are stylish and well made, though they are not prone to the excesses of fashion that often characterize the upper classes. On the whole, they are a dour, serious lot with strong work ethic and traditional and strict moral and religious beliefs that lead them to repress their emotions and passions. This, of course, makes them deliciously easy to manipulate and ideal dining companions for our Kindred.

Many of the middle classes reside in the center of the city, in areas a short walk from their places of employment. The houses of Mayfair, Knightsbridge and even the better parts of Soho are home to them. Of course, there are other places suitable for such a person, but I will not trouble you with the complexities of London's geography just yet. Many of the middle classes now choose to live in the new suburban areas of London, developing thanks to the rapid growth of London's splendid railway network. Many of our kind have found such places to be suitable location for an evening meal, though one would do well to consult with General Sir Arthur Halesworth before making such a journey. Protocols must be observed in such matters.

The Upper Class

The upper classes are composed of those families who have ruled London, England and the whole of the United Kingdom by day for much of the last millennium. They consist of those people whose birthright is aristocracy. They are the lords and ladies, barons, baronets and baronesses of the mortal world. You can be recognize them by their expensive, exquisitely fashionable and beautifully constructed attire, their arrogance and, more often than not, their utter debauchery. Most have enough financial resources to negate the need to work, and so they lose themselves in such pastimes as hunting, politics, military service or sexual adventuring. You should discount them as potential dining partners: to even move on the fringes of their society requires a particular station of birth, significant wealth and a member of the their ranks who is prepared to offer you an introduction. Those of the Kindred who are in a position to do so are often loath to provide such an introduction to one like yourself easily, at least without a significant price being attached to it.

The upper class's right to rule is unquestioned but rarely exercised. The twin houses of the United Kingdom's parliament, housed in Westminster, work together to create the legislation that determines personal and national destiny. The House of Commons, voted for by men and women of all classes, decides upon the nature of the legislation needed and the house of Lords, in which the men and women of the upper classes sit by right, advise and aid their inferiors by dint of their long experience and noble upbringing.

Many of our kind feel themselves compelled to build some form of influence over mortal society. If you, too, suffer from this affliction, you would be well advised to steer a course toward the middle classes rather than the upper classes. The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, the middle classes offer greater influence over the day-to-day running of society, trade and politics. You will find that the right pressure applied on a member of this class can bring a most satisfactory conclusion to pass. Members of the house of Commons are particularly susceptible to pressure of the financial variety. Many of them consider such incentives to be an accepted means of supplementing the stipend they receive for their service in the House.

A Note of Caution

Those people who have been knighted by her Majesty and are now known as "Sir" are usually members of the middle classes whose service to the crown has been such that they are subject to special recognition or reward. They occupy a place in society that is both within the echelons of the upper middle classes and the lower upper classes. Thus, they can often be a useful bridge between the two strata of society.

In Conclusion

The living people of London are well aware of their place in the social order and are inherently suspicious of any who attempt to move in circles that do not match their standing. Your clothes, manner of speech and bearing will all mark you as a member of a particular class. You should attempt to dine amongst those kine who are of your own apparent class. Any attempt to do otherwise will, unless you are skilled indeed in your choice and manner of dining, attract unwelcome attention and render your chances of remaining within this city somewhat negligible. For example, a gentleman or lady of the middle classes who is found walking the slums of Hackney will be subject to the query and rumor amongst those people who are the lower class, and indeed may attract the attention of the Metropolitan Police.

I hope that his short work was sufficiently edifying and will prevent any embarrassing misdemeanors in the near future. I look forward to your further education in Elysium in the nights to come.

I remain, sir or lady, your most obedient servant,

Stephen Lenoir - E.S.Q.

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