Red Rain:
The HarpiesThey are unlike any organization, clique, or gang you've ever encountered.
Nothing in your mortal lives could have prepared you for the kind of power, influence and egotism these creatures wield.
Their judgments are swift--and final.
They dictate style. They make the social rules. To obey them is to survive. To kiss up is to prosper.
They make and break Princes.
They are the final word.
They are the Harpies.
The Viper
Deirdre, of Clan Toreador
Dee is Ancillae and was the first in the Domain to explore the insidious power the Harpy pseudo-status grants. She was born in Ireland, and her parents immigrated to Boston in the early 1800's. She was found there by Augustine, a fashion designer from Paris, who adopted her into her clique of Ghouls and Retainers who travelled with her extensively up and down the coast. Deirdre had a front-row seat to watch the development of a nation; she is most fond of detailing the history of New York City, how it became the fashion mecca it is today, and despite it's being usurped by the Sabbat (damn them all for wrecking such a good thing!) it's still a crucial nexus in the world of art and culture. She was ultimately created in Chicago but shortly after her Creation her Sire ejected her from her troupe; Deirdre sites both "creative differences" and "blatant, blind jealousy" for her departure. Augustine simply couldn't stand to have such a vivacious, intelligent childe around to steal her thunder. So, Deirdre returned to the place she most enjoyed: the East Coast. She settled on Baltimore for reasons she really cannot define, but soon tapped into the potential of the port city: if only she could find others like her, who wanted to shape the Camarilla, not just sit back like sheep, she could be a real force to be reckoned with...
Within the next few decades, she had gathered those who would become the Harpies.
The Asp
Beatrice, of Clan Toreador
Beatrice is at that delicate age where one's status teeters on the brink of remaining a Neonate for another decade or two, and advancing to the next level: the coveted position of Ancilla. Her Sire's notoriety on the West Coast only hindered her, she is happy to report; she blithely regales her tale to any available audience.
"How I won my admirable position in society."
Her Sire had chosen her and delivered upon her the Dark Gift so that her beauty and her talent would be preserved for all time. She was a caberet dancer in a local bar at the time, thrilling all the local men and drawing audiences from miles and miles around. Her celebrity was remarkable. When she met her Sire he was overwhelmed by her, of course, and Embraced her almost immediately. He treated her like a queen... for a time. A few years later, she noticed his attentions were wandering (not to other women, no! but to business ventures and the future, and what not). She began to feel like she was more an ornament than a true partner; imagine, she being treated like an accessory. Can't you feel her pain?
That is how she came to the conclusion she must leave, immediately. She made the dangerous trip across the fledgeling United States just as the Gold Rush was reaching its peak in San Francisco. She barely managed to escape her jealous Sire and his coterie with her life, let alone her stunning good looks, because if he couldn't have her, no one would, and she just knew that he'd kill her if he found out she was leaving while he was gone to Texas.
When she arrived in Baltimore--as far as she could imagine going all by herself, a woman no less, and so attractive that she couldn't beat her admirers off with a stick--she knew she would need to garner help from some source, preferably a handsome heir to an old money fortune. If she didn't, she knew that all the attention she naturally attracted would simply ruin her chances at a comfortable eternity of glamour and luxury. Her elegance captivated a lovely young man whose father was the head of the newborn shipping company down at those docks somewhere, and she made him her Ghoul and allowed him the honor of becoming her benefactor. It didn't take long before the young man's actual and first Regnant, Deirdre, appeared on the scene to confront the harlot who would so intrude. Deirdre and Beatrice took an instant liking to one another however, and before their cat fight erupted into a full-fledged war, they discovered they shared a penchant for sniping and making others feel as low in their presence as they ought.
The first arm of the unholy alliance was born.
The Fox
Cassandra, of Clan Malkavian
It has been established that Cassandra is her own person, independent of Harden, the elusive Primogen of their Clan. As Malkav's descendents left the city and their numbers dwindled, Cassandra remained, well-entrenched in the membership of the Harpies. An Ancillae by status, she is nonetheless noted only for her presence in Baltimore. Her mortal life, Embrace and every moment of her Unlife has been spent otherwise innocuously in this Domain. This is the primary (and often exclusive) reason for her inclusion in the Harpies: her connection to the Domain provides insight which others would miss. Her real name has been obscured, but she was handed "Cassandra" by Deirdre when the strange girl began murmuring prophesies which come to pass... eventually. No matter how odd or impossible they sound when she hums, sings or screams them.
Some suspect she is somehow rooted to Baltimore by a supernatural prohibition: that she is unable to cross running water, or is in some other way bound to the earth here. Only Beatrice and Deirdre tend to snipe about this, behind her back, however. When others try to curry the Toreador pair's favor by repeating their rumor, they are usually rewarded by a severe slash in their own social standing.
The Shark
Morden, of Clan Ventrue
Though unusual for his Clan, near-Elder status, and gender, Morden established himself as one of the social gurus a century ago. He was a favorite in Lady Anne's court, and his appeal to that Old World Prince was at least noted by Baltimore's Prince, Arnaud. Morden and Deirdre struck a chord with one another, and they were the progenitors of the awful entity which became the Harpies. They dragged into their tight-knit circle a select few... as well as an unwitting victim now and then. Their mind-games have left a notable trail of psychological wrecks and social outcasts in their wake. His chief rival in the world of economics is Portia de la Croix, and he does what he can to tarnish her sterling reputation within the Ventrue and within the Camarilla as a whole. Her weakest point is often her progeny, Devon, and thus the Neonate seems to be set in Morden's sights as his most recent acquisition--or target.
The Black Widow
Rebekkah, of Clan Toreador
She has been in the city for some time, but has spent very little time in public. The few excursions she made into the social world of Elysium were executed brilliantly: her balance of flattery and scintillating wit with just enough of an edge won her the attention, and later admiration, of both Beatrice and Deirdre. Morden also became her ardent admirer. It is said that the only time Morden has broken his routine of harumphing at his New York Times while irritably smoking his pipe and casting scathing reviews over all newcomers was when she passes through. When Rebekkah finally emerged from her seclusion in the early 1990's she was automatically taken into the confidence of the Harpies--a record for their group.
The Serpent, The Wasp and the Adder
All three have been known to put in appearances in Elysium. Sinjin, of Clan Tremere (aka The Serpent) has gone back to visit Vienna. He may return. The Wasp and The Adder are peripheral members of the Baltimore Harpies; they are two very visible, extremely vocal members of the Harpies in Washington, DC who visit on occasion just to keep everyone on their toes... Even the Harpies have to answer to someone...