Macon:The Carthian Movement

The Carthian Movement has held some measure of power in Macon since the 1950s. Their use of the civil rights movement of that era helped to mask their efforts to subvert the stgrong Invictus presence. Their efforts were clearly unsuccessful as the Invictus still hold sway over any part of Macon that still retains economic significance.

The Invictus were not the only enemies that the Carthian Movement made during that time. Their use of religious fanaticism stressed the relationship between the Lancea Sanctum and Invictus in Macon forcing a strong response from the Sanctum.

In modern nights the Carthian Movement faces troubles from within. Between the organized efforts of the Reformists and the unpredictable actions of the Anarchs the Movement is splintering. Thankfully, the Invictus and the Lancea Sanctum seem content to sit back and watch.

Civil Rights Era
The civil rights movement played out in Macon in much the same way as it did across the rest of the south. Bus boycots, sit ins, increased church activity, assassinations, lynchings; the only outstanding event was the creation of The People's Credit Union.

The People's Credit Union
After the election of Herman Talmadge to the U.S. Senate and the assassination of Thomas Brewer (both occuring in 1956) the civil rights movements in west and central Georgia lost faith in the NAACP and turned to a more consolidated means of liberation. Regional african american leaders came together to form a credit union to help african americans get small business loans and purchase homes. The facility was bombed during its first week of operation and experienced two fires over the next several months. Despite these setbacks The People's Credit Union continued to open its doors. It wasn't until its own success began to cripple the institution that TPCU began to experience real hardships.

Less than six months after being established TPCU began to reallize that it had failed to estimate its potential impact. Word of its exclusively african american clientele had spread as far away as Mississippi. Blacks from all over the south were moving to Macon to take advantage of the new opportunity, greatly increasing the demand for loans. In addition, white supremacists had begun to threaten major investors as well as harass loan holders causing them to lose their jobs and, subsequently, default on loans. If TPCU could not find new investors, and keep those investors secret, then the credit union would fail in its first year.

Within weeks TPCU had begun bringing in investors from out of state. The identities of the investors remained secret, but the tool by which these investors had come to TPCU was brought ot light. When the exclusively african american learned that their credit union was being kept afloat by a white man it was as if a light had been snuffed out. People stopped coming from states away to settle in Macon and the credit union's name had been permanently sullied. One by one the board members left until the institution was little more than a shadow of what it once was. Eventually the Carthian Movement could not sustain the institution and the Lancea Sanctum, presumably with the aid of the of the Invictus, seized control.

Modern Nights
Now, the Carthian Movement has receded from the spot light. While it is clear that they are still very active in Macon, anytime the light falls on them they scurry like roaches. The only exception to this are the occassional half-hazard rampages that disrupt the quiet week nights during the hotter parts of the year. These rampages often result in several mortals dead and tons of property damage to, not suprisingly, Invictus holdings.

An Insider's Perspective
While elsewhere in the world the ratio of Reformists to non-align Carthians is around 1 to 3, here in Macon the Reformists have near complete control of their covenant. The only exception to this are the Anarchs.

Reformists
As a result of Macon's long standing history of socio-political activism combined with the city's tactical economic position (given the changing industrial climate in Atlanta), Macon is home to the highest concentration of Reformists in the world. They seem to have organized the local gangs into an economically efficient system that minimizes turf-related violence and prevents police interference while still bringing in substantial income from drugs, prostitution, arms trade, gambling and other organized crime as well dozens of legitimate business.

The Reformists seem unmotivated by revenge, making no attempt to regain control of The People's Credit Union.

Anarchists
Not exactly an organized group or truly a faction of the Carthian Movement, the Anarachists are only Anarchists when other members of the Movement consider the vampire to be an Anarchist. They only exist as a result of the oppressive discipline that the Reformists enforce upon a city when their numbers are strong enough to do so. In the case of Macon, where the Carthian population is almost exclusively Reformist, nearly anyone that is not a Reformist eventually finds themselves needing the release that eventually leads to being deemed an Anarchist.

Anarchists have no leadership, membership standards or unity. They are non-Reformists that act out from time to time, some more than others. They do not seem themselves as an group. If anything is going to unite them together for any amount of time it is the removal of the Reformist Carthians from the city.