The Masques
The Masques' idea linger in François Villon and Ivan's minds since they sided with the Camarilla in the end of the Anarch Wars. The Masquerade was a good idea, but the idea would need more than seven justicars and their Archons to enforce. But until the 1789 Revolution striked, Villon had no real right to create a sect of Kindred who would have so much rights over the other Kindred that the Justicar activity in France would be reduced. The Masques were officially created in the beginings of the 19th century, and were their existence and power were the first decision of the Prince of Paris when he was crowned in 1805.
The Beginings of the Sect
The Masques already existed as a small secret police who acted on Villon's behalf since Louis XIV's era. They had no real power, be it political, or even physical. They were a small cotterie, with three major Toreador: Ivan, Aimé and Alexis. With Villon at their head, they enforced the authority of the Prince, Beatrix, and worked to enforce the Toreador Hegemony. The fact that the Masques seem to be reborn from the ashes of Villon's dissolved Anarch Coterie is not lost to him, and to the Anarchs...
In 1805, they were officialized, with the power to protect the Masquerade, the other Traditions and, of course the Camarilla. The Princes of other french cities rebelled against the Hegemony, and most of all, against this sect. Villon argued with the less passionate that the 1789 Revolution would not have happened if every Prince of the France were working together and that the Sabbat successes in the Revolution found their source at the constant bickering each Prince had with each other. The Inner Circle of the Camarilla, or the Justicar could not be everywhere, and so, Paris would be an intermediate level of power between the Inner Circle and the Princes. To the others, who wanted to hear nothing at all, and who had forgotten the La Rochelle example, Villon sent the armies of Napoleon and, behind them, the Masques to finish the work.
Even without Alexis, who gave the Masques their occult knowledge, the sect was succesful at avoiding most Sabbat infiltration and Anarch problems in the following revolutions of the 19th century, and most of all, removed most french prince's ambitions or power to further it. If the french Toreador somewhat liked the idea of the Toreador Hegemony (Villon gave them, secretly, more power and rights), the other Marquis still wanted to recover their rights, and sometimes petitionned the Justicars of even the Camarilla's Inner Circle to give them their rightful powers. The problem is that the Prince's status isn't defined in the Traditions, as Madame Guil, Toreador Justicar, reminded the Camarilla Elders, and that if Villon had the power to make himself of Eldest mong the Elders in the whole French Country, then he had the right to enforce the Traditions as per the Camarilla decision of 1743.
The 1871 Commune was a great coup against the Masques, as the Brujah and the Anarchs, who resented the Masques' power and wrath more often than others, tried to take the power in Paris. At first, they thought they could keep the power, but soon, their anarchy proved to be their undoing, as even the population make profit of it to not follow the orders from their leaders without a vote! As the forces of the parisian Elders, and the Masques were slowly winning ground into Paris, someone decided to burn official and noble buildings to slow them down. The Tuileries were burnt to the ground, and with it some of Villon's artwork, and its personal Library.
Villon's wrath knew no bounds: He declared a Blood Hunt against all the Kindred behind the Commune, and used the Masques against them. The Marquis thought they could use this country-scale Blood Hunt to show Villon's power were not as great as he wanted it to be: After all, if no one but him Blood Hunted the whole Brujah Clan, he would loose a great amount of status. Their surprise was great indeed as all the Toreador Marquis agreed to the Hunt, and as even their own Primogen followed Villon's outrageous action! They had no choice but follow, of be removed!
Some time after, the Veilleurs were created, with the same hierarchy than the masques, and separated from them, even if under them, in a strict hierarchic and jurisdictional status. Ivan resented to have to give the Veilleurs some of the resources he considered were of his personnal province (the Police), but could say nothing against it: He had no real occult knowledge, and the Masques didn't, too.
The next time the Masques were used, 20 years after, was when the Kindred of Paris and the Tradition Mages started a full-scale war, called the Traditions War. The Masques fought the Mages with surprising successes, while the Veilleurs found a way to reach a tentative peace.
The number of Masques was raised, as the Kindred population was still growing, and as Villon needed to have ears and eyes in most French cities. In the two world wars, the Masques contributed to keep the order in Paris, and even were behind the preservation of the french capital where every other major european city had been bombed beyond recognition.
One of their greatest success was in 1961, against the Assamite Clan: Villon had been the aim of a murder attempt from one of their number, and in his wrath, decided to remove all Assamite trace from Paris. In the middle of the colonial war of algeria, 200 algerian were killed while demonstrating pacificaly against the french colonial politic: The Masques had used their power to start a massive slaughter, and make profit of it to kill the Assamite hiding among their mortal pawns. Then, they succeeded to make the whole french population forget/ignore all about this event until the end of the year 1997!
Their first aknowledged failure was when, in 1968, students started a revolt that would turn to be a Brujah/Anarch revolution: The Mai 68' Revolution was first a success, and most french social class joined the students, weakening the power of the french general, and Villon's pet, De Gaulle, who would resign little time after. Villon agreed to accept once more the Brujah in Paris (to the condition they would agree to accept the Traditions and Edicts), and they would stop the revolution. (Some among the Masques wonder why they didn't used all their resources against the whole revolution, instead of just picking out the possible Sabbat infiltration within the Anarch ranks).
The Sect, Today
Raphaëla exited through the roof door, and walked under the light of the stars until she found her friend. Nicolas was looking down, in the next street, apparently deserted by all but an half dozen people.
Bonne nuit, mon ami... How are you?
Fine, I believe...
What did you find there?
Nicolas smiled.
Nosferatu... With a very powerful Obfuscate.
Raphaëla's eyes narrowed, as she tried to find the monster with her own supernatural Auspex.
oui... Where?
The monster is clever: He hides behind that lamp-post, and hidden from the lights of others by this tree. The only lights that would have illuminated him are out of service. And as people walks by him without seeing him, even when the post is not in the middle, he must use at least three Obfuscate powers working simultaneously.
I see him... I don't recognize him. He is not from Paris, and he is not a lowly Bâtard. Since when he is in our city?
I can't tell... So? What's Ivan's instruction? If you came here, I believe he does not want to kill him outright.
As we can't tell how long he is here, we can't destroy him: He is perhaps searching for the Louvre to Present himself to our Prince. Nicolas nodded.
I'm sure he is waiting for someone... Hey! He lowers his Obfuscate!
Raphaëla and Nicolas searched for potential witnesses, and the female Toreador only saw one.
You won't believe it: This one is Sabbat Ghoul: Patrice Richon, discovered when dealing with a Tzimisce fiend!
The Nosferatu is Diabolist! Look at those veins! I call for intervention.
Don't! Richon is our unknowing spy with the Fiend. Killing it would be an error... I say we wait for him to go away... There it is...
Nicolas checked his weapons, choosing the crossbow with wooden stakes, but keeping his incendiary bullets Micro-Uzi at hand reach.
"I follow the monster, and you follow me. Call reinforcements: Ivan would not like to have angry Sabbat survivors..."
The sect's power goes even beyond France's boundaries (some will say up to New Zealand, where the D.G.S.E.'s agents sabbotaged the GreenPeace's Rainbow Warrior with the success we all know!!!), and anyway, in any french city, as per the Toreador Hegemony.
Paris (and France) has a reputation of a solid power base of the Camarilla, and some will say it's because of the Elder's presence here. Ivan would answer that the Elders cause him as much problem as the anarchs, and that half his interventions to protect the Masquerade happens after some Elder failed intrigue. If it's true that french Kindred are more attached to the Masquerade, the real reason behind the solid Camarilla presence in France is the Masques themselves, who has the political and physical power to stop any Sabbat invasion in Paris, and probably in France. And to know that Kindred so powerful they can enforce Villon's interdiction of the Clan Assamite in France despite the power of this Clan is enough motivation to any Elder to clean the mess behind him.
But if France is so much protected against war-like assault from other Kindred, the said Kindred had to devise new way to further their cause, which increased the level of intrigue tenfold! Most uncontrolled (the reason for this adjective lies somewhere else in the Chronicle: Paris, la nuit...!) Sabbat members, or Assamite, or ravnos keep hidden, or infiltrate the Bâtards, or other Clans. There, the Masques are not so efficient, even if half their members are used as submarines, that is passive spy among the other Kindred, sending information to the Louvre as soon as possible.
