By - The Reporter
On - 02 SEP 2016
STAFF ARTICLE
"A leader is a dealer in hope."
- Napoleon Bonaparte
From the early years of our fair city, factions (both clans and lineages) have formed the backbone of our social interactions. Those who've been here since the beginning - or near to it - have watched dozens of factions be born, mature and die. Some left a mark on our city; others have long since faded from memory. The life cycle of such groups begins and ultimately ends with the leadership of the faction.
In the early days, cults of personality reigned supreme, with Mooncalf, Capadocious, and Beljeferon forming the city's first clans. Of the three, Mooncalf was the only leader to rally his followers under a banner bearing a name not his own: first The Travellers, and then Blackhaven. As time wore on, more and more clans formed, adding to the list of clans taking the name sake of their leaders: Clan Capadocious[1], Clan Beljeferon, The Sun Clan, Clan Archangel[2], Clan Mooncalf. Even Clan Capadocious was subsequently broken down into Houses bearing the names of their respective leaders[3].
This ego-driven trend slowly faded, and clans with more original names began popping up like weeds. Perhaps because people realised that there was more to a clan than its leader. Strong core values and dedication from its membership form the heart of a clan, and the idolisation of one individual just didn't cut it anymore. After all, without a loyal following, an otherwise good leader is nothing. Without a good leader, loyalty will never equate to success.
As time wore on, clans came and went, increasing in number until roughly 2007. Between 2007 and 2008, we saw the number of active factions decrease dramatically. Membership dwindled and clans either closed their doors or faded into nothing. It was around this time that bloodline-based groups became more and more prevalent, but still, the number of distinct factions has decreased since then, as has the number of residents in the city.
Was it at that time people started to realise they wanted more from their leaders? Did the cream simply rise to the top? Were there not enough individuals to support so many factions? Or was it something else entirely?
Over the years, factions have failed for various reasons. Some clans were assimilated into others (Path of Enlightenment merging with the Ferrymen, League of Shadow Demons merging with RoR), and others (The Shadow Court, The Splinters of Dusk) knew when it was time to close their doors. Many others - the House of Heorot, Halls of Astarte, and more recently, Yggdrasil[4] - simply faded over time. And more have been lost due to their leaders' personal agendas going out of control: Lestat and Murrz Ramirez putting their own personal glory before the needs of the clan marked the downfall of the Scions of the Phoenix during their final war; Miranda Dawn tore apart Hells Angels; The Inner Circle was lost with the shadowing of its leader, What The.
It takes a measure of ambition and a desire for power to flame the spark of an idea and bring a faction flaming to life. It seems that many of the early clan leaders had what it took to spark a flame, but over time, lacked the agency to keep it alive, and to see it prosper. After all, many people ill-suited to power crave it, and those born to lead rarely seek out leadership positions within their respective groups.
Perhaps that dichotomy is the heart of our loss of faction diversity. Leadership isn't about fame and glory, it's about diligence, hard work, and perseverance in the face of a city who wants nothing more than to tear everyone down. That strain wears on a person, and someone with an agenda of their own will crack under pressure. At the start, it's hard to see the stuff a leader is made of, but given a few years - and hundreds of hours stamping out the flames of in-faction conflict, drama, and outside criticism - it becomes clear who's made of something that can't be weathered - not easily, anyway.
Today few factions remain, and it's easy to see why: with so much negativity flying around, both within groups and without, it's hard for a leader to remain motivated. Instead of recognising the good, we focus on the bad: that one mistake the leader made years ago; the past behaviour that we no longer see, but still attribute to them; that lost war; the spying; the social faux pas; the misbehaviour of one member last week; the company they keep... The list is endless, and everything is open to criticism once you step into the limelight as a leader.
And only those who should never hold any measure of power in the first place bask in the glow - albeit temporarily.
Every remaining leader in this city, no matter how large or small their group, has merit despite any personal opinions to the contrary[5]. With few leaders withstanding the test of time, the city's residents wanting to 'clan up' are forced to choose between fewer and fewer options. With fewer visible factions to chose from, the spectrum of beliefs, values, and clan structures seems very limited. Where once there was a gradient of differences allowing people to choose exactly what they wanted from a clan, we now have more polarised options, leading to an increasing vastness in the perceived distance and difference between the remaining groups. And of course, with many of the former faction leaders stepping down due to the strain, with no wish to resume leadership duties, new leaders just aren't being mentored. New factions rarely spring up, and because of this, we've seen the formation of increasingly insular mega-clans[6].
Even though we're not human, the vampire populace falls easily into the very human habit of xenophobia - perceiving the 'other' in a negative light for no other reason than that they are not-you [7] . People strain to see the bad rather than let themselves see the good. In this day and age, it seems you're either in or out, and since the rise of bloodlines as warring units of their own, some clan leaders remain leery of admitting members outside the traditional (blood)lines drawn in the sand, while warring lineages are completely exclusionary of those outside their own line. And really, why bother branching out when your faction has 20-50 people in it? Nobody needs more than that many friends.
The formation of the Alliance has brought some traditionally divergent clans together, but that peace is tenuous, hard won, and past wrongs are hard to forget. Meanwhile, those not part of the in-group are left out in the cold, intentionally kept at a distance in many cases.
But that distance - those gaps between the lines - leaves a void to be filled. With so many on the sidelines dissatisfied[8] with the way things are, it would be easy for someone, or someones, to step up and try something new. In the heyday of the city when clans flourished, one did not need dozens of bodies to be considered successful. After all, back in the city's earliest days, eight people was all it took to keep a group safe[9].
For those of you thinking of potentially starting up your own group, remember that you have nothing to lose. There is absolutely room for more diversity in our city, and for those of you who opt to try, I leave you with some advice from our readership, when asked what makes a good leader:
- Be unselfish, kind, and organized . Know your limitations and surrounded yourself with others to help you lead. Value all contributions, not just warriors. Not everyone fights, they can finance, scout, call runs and teach.
- Sapphira - Be honest with a side of transparency. If you aren't upfront with the people that you expect to follow you - whether it be into battle or anything else - then how can you expect them to do the same for you? [Show] loyalty to your people. Whether it be your family or your friends or your clan or whatever you've decided to be a part of. Be generous: to expect those you lead to put in as much as you do, you - as the leader - must set the example and raise the bar. No one else is going to do the work for you. Leading is a very demanding job and if you fall silent and lax, those you lead will do the same. If you continue to work and show the people around you that you are willing to work hard, it will inspire those around you. That's not always be the case, but if you don't even bother, how can you demand that they do?
- Leitha Greye - Being a good leader requires a lot of personal sacrifice. Do the right thing, even when it feels wrong; sometimes what's best for the group isn't what's best for your heart, and you have to be willing to accept that.
- Anonymous - A good leader must be strong in the face of controversy and compassionate with those who follow and support them. They build their team up by highlighting differences. They make people feel important, confident and competent. They also hold people accountable and push them to never be complacent.
- Shi de Draak - The ability to keep followers entertained with forward momentum to whatever goals set forth. The ability to receive and accept criticism. Keeping face in public settings and knowing when action speaks better than words.
- Anonymous - A good leader needs to listen, and to be able to admit when they don't know everything - they need to be able to [accept their] mistakes and fix them.
- Kim Dae-Hyun
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[1] Of the 'original' clans mentioned here, only Clan Capadocious still remains active
[2] Clan was not actually formed by Archangel, but he did take it over soon after its inception
[3] Leader (House): Heimdag (House of Heimdag), Sodakk (House of Sodakk), Syzygy (House of Syzygy), Euphoric Lust and emily lang (House Anais Dracone), Morganafq (the Mists.
[4] Many have tried to pin the blame of Yggdrasil's demise on Seyda, but the clan had been in shambles long before ophelia left. Handing Seyda the clan was ophelia's attempt at salvaging what was left.
[5] If you're so blind that you cannot admit your enemies/people you personally despise have merit - if only based on the loyalty of their people - then there's a problem, and it's not with them.
[6] Mega-clan: a clan whose numbers would have, a decade ago, been high enough to populate multiple clans. Example: with an average membership of 10-15 individuals per clan, the Alliance's numbers (including students and non-combatants) would have been enough to populate 7-10 clans instead of the actual 5 member-groups.
[7] Lazy as it is, Wikipedia does a great job of explaining in-group-out-group bias.
[8] In researching this article, short questionnaires were sent to random subscribers of this establishment. Most declined, but all those who returned the survey are presently unaffiliated to any clan, but most of whom had past clan affiliations.
[9] Before the power of Surprise was available, eight vampires crowding together formed a [mostly] impregnable city block, protecting the members within.