The Queens of Mercy

Sabbat -- Montreal
Background: The Queens of Mercy were formed from the remnants of another gay-specific coven called the Mattachine. That nomadic pack spent the latter half of the 19th century in France, wreaking havoc in Camarilla held bastions. By the 1920s, multiple Blood Hunts across Europe forced the dwindling Mattachine coven to escape to North America, where it eventually split up. Montreal attracted the core members of the pack, and by the 1950s, the Mattachine was seven members strong and in control of the city's emerging gay district. It was at this time that Sebastien Goulet returned to Montreal and joined the Mattachine.

On June 28th, 1969, following the police raid on the Stonewall Bar in New York City, most of the Mattachine left for New York to revel in the ensuing Stonewall Riots. They never returned. Having remained behind, Sebastien formed a coven of his own called the "Queens of Mercy."

The Queens have taken heavy losses over the last decade. Between Spider's desertion to the Wretched, the death of three members by the hand of Pierre Bellemare, and the disappearance of Christien Ng, the Queens of Mercy are currently down to three members. Despite this, the coven maintains control over the Gay Village. The members feeding stock is the 12,000 - 15,000 gay men and lesbians who live in the village.

Lair: The Queens of Mercy are fairly mobile, attaching themselves to the most popular gay bars of the moment. When a new club opens up, the Queens migrate to it, making it their home. Over the years, the Queens of Mercy have had lairs at Truxx, The Garage, The Jungle, Prison, Max, KOX and a dozen other bars. The coven's current lair is Heaven, Montreal's newest hot spot for the gay community.

Rites and Practices: Pret-a-Porter: During the time between the Fetival de Jazz de Montreal and the Just For Laughs comedy festival in July, the Queens of Mercy invite other gay and lesbian packs from across North America to join them for festivities. The Mattachine of New York, the nomadic Sacred Band and the Bull Dykes always attend.

On the second Friday in July, the Queens host a Roman-style blood feast and orgy held at Sebastien's personal lair. On the following Saturday night, they all go out "straight-bashing" on West Island. Sunday night is dedicated to a grand drag show. Each pack is allowed to grab as many mortals as it wants and dresses them up in outrageous outfits. The terrorized humans are paraded around the Garage dance floor and judged for poise, costume originality and how loud they can scream (falsetto is preferred). The mortals are then forced to fight it out a-la-Dynasty, mimicking the cat-fights between Joan Collins and Linda Evans. Those who perform the best are allowed to leave; the rest are devoured in a late-night repast.