Anarchanist League

Formed in Pittsburgh in the early 1930’s, the Anarchanist League is a loose alliance of Orphans. They have strong political undertones of Anarchist philosophy, in particular the works of Mikhail Bakunin. The Anarchanists oppose the elitist rule of the Traditions as well as the pogroms of the Technocracy.

The Pittsburgh Commune of Unaligned Magicians was formed around the Slums of Pittsburgh in November 1932. The city had seen an influx of migrants fleeing the collapsing farming economy of the Dustbowl, moving towards the coasts in search of employment. Pittsburgh had itself been struck hard by the crash of the stock markets and the depression that followed. As a result, more people than ever before were crowded into dilapidating tenement buildings and into migrant camps on the outskirts of town.

For unknown reasons, as winter set in that year the Slums of Pittsburgh saw a surge of Awakenings. The Primus of the Order of Hermes chantry, the House of Seven Bridges, reacted with panic. The Primus addressed the winter solstice conclave in Doissetep, calling for help fighting what he called “the unchecked tempest of Awakenings.” His call was answered by the Goethean Party, and that winter cabals of militant Hermetics would patrol the streets Pittsburgh, rounding up any Orphans they could find. This often resulted in magical battles the Orphans would invariably lose.

On March 1, 1933, a Hermetic cabal attacked and Orphan safe house in the poor Hill District. In the resulting battle, vulgar magics triggered an hour-long Paradox Storm that caused the death of at least 72 Sleepers. This forced the Technocracy to intervene. By March 7, agents from several symposiums across the East Coast were deployed to Pittsburgh. Over the following months, any Orphan caught out in the open risked immediate attack by either Hermetics or Technocrats.

As war cabals patrolled the streets, a group under the leadership of a mysterious figure called "the Expatriarch" began to organize the Orphans. Instead of fighting for territory in Pittsburgh, they established a network of safehouses in other cities on the East Coast. This group became known as the Anarchanist League and is now believed to have cells in most major cities in the US as well as in Montreal. As the Orphans went underground, the conflict in Pittsburgh abated, with Technocrats as well as Hermetics eventually returning to their chantries and constructs.