The Benevolent and Sinister Order of the Fox

They are everywhere. They know everybody. Their magic is powerful. If you’re a mage of any great talent in the city of Byzantium, you will soon have to deal with the Benevolent and Sinister Order of the Fox.

Of course, dealing with them tends to include being invited over for wine and cheese while they discuss the terms of your membership.

Overview

 The Foxes are a secret society of occultists. Most of them are aristocrats, with little if any magic talent of their own, for whom the Order serves as a social club. Knowing about the Order, let alone being a member separates the ‘real’ aristocracy of Byzantium from the pretenders. Some know, few are in it. It’s the city’s most exclusive and mysterious social scene. They put on feasts, concerts, and the odd orgy. They ply the more fashionable, mind-expanding drugs. They reveal spells and secrets beyond the veil (real magic, but rarely more than cantrips and knowledge trite to any wizard) to members. They do host the young, progressive elite, though many of the older and conservative nobles have been members for decades. If you’re not attending at least one of their parties a month, really, how are you spending your time?

Entry this way is quite difficult. On the other hand, mages of even moderate ability are actively sought out for membership into the inner circle. Even most members don’t know about it. It is composed of the magically gifted, as well as a handful of trusted aristocrats. They determine the direction of the organization, new memberships, and keep the mystique of the Order without breaking any laws. There are numerous conspiracy theories that posit the Foxes as the true masters of the city, or perhaps the world. Such rumors are mostly unfounded.

The Foxes, fundamentally, are built to benefit mages at the expense of the city’s upper crust. As such, their events often serve dual purposes. Their celebrations are often created to gather particular psychic energies for rituals. Their membership fees go to buying spell components, if they don’t receive these as gifts from the local merchant kings.

In Your Campaign


The Foxes slot in nicely to any large city with nobles and merchants aplenty. They’re not necessarily malevolent, but easily can be, or can be taken over from the inside by cults. They’re even more interesting as allies. Are your PCs invited to a feast where a ritual goes wrong, putting dozens of nobles in a coma? Has a member stopped paying his dues, revealing a doppelganger has taken his place?