As mysticism and spirituality begin to come back into style in Victorian London, old occult societies come out of hiding and new ones form, all backed by the Traditions. Although the Council of Nine has practically fallen apart after the betrayel of the Solficati and the abandonment of the Batini, there is a glimmer of hope in the battle against the modern paradigm in this latest rise in occult interests.
Lacking in any sort of central coordination, Tradition efforts to effect the paradigm are rarely coordinated between groups. Often, they come into direct conflict. The Order of Hermes is notoriously guilty of this. It's recent attempts to take over Theosophy have put it in conflict with the Dreamspeakers, in particular. It is this divisiveness that eventually ruins any chance these groups have for popular acceptance after the turn of the century.
One hope exists, however, and that is in the form of the mysterious East, which is still resisting attempts at the invading British Empire to enforce its paradigm on it. With goods and news from the Orient come the Akashic Brothers and members of strange, obscure Crafts, looking to strike at the heart of their enemy's power. From India come the Euthanatos, whose aid is accepted less readily due to their strange and deadly beliefs, though they find allies in the death cults which linger from Celtic times, worshipping the Morrigan.
Since the formation of the Anglican Church, the Celestial Chorus has had little power in England, forced to conceal itself within the Celtic churchs of Ireland and Scotland. However, small sects have survived in England itself, and even London, catering to the spiritual beliefs of the faithful and attempting to spread distrust in the state-controlled church. They have had limited results, here and there, but little overall effect. In the last few decades, however, they have gained a strange ally in the Gabrielites, who are willing, perhaps, to work with their long lost brothers, if it will mean the return of the church to the center of life.
Elsewhere, the Chorus has more success, particularly in Catholic nations and as missionaries in far distant lands. Although this often brings them into conflict with indigenous Tradition members, it is not unknown for missionaries to turn against their fellow Europeans and fight against oppression for their new flock.
The Order of Hermes, though founded on the continent, has a long history in Britain. During the Dark Ages, one of the Order organized local pagan mages to fight a powerful nephandus and this group later became House Ex Miscellanea, one of the largest of the Hermetic houses. Throughout the modern era, this House has always been the most influential in the Isles, even absorbing some of the smaller ones who have past their glory days and are now fading into obscurity. With the rise of interest in the occult, some of the Order have begun to operate in public, in an attempt to take advantage of the trend and use it to bring the Order back into power. The result has been the newly formed Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Unfortunately, the Masons have much the same idea and have had as much of an influence on the organization as the Hermetics. The two groups are now quietly fighting a war of influence within the Order, each attempting to turn it to their own purpose. This has caused an internal schism in the Golden Dawn which will eventually contribute to its downfall. For the time being, however, it is a hotbed of political intrigues, aggravated further by the House politics of the Hermetics themselves.
This tradition was virtually unknown to London, except as stories from travellers to Darkest Africa or the American West. However, in the last few decades, with the rise of spiritualism, a new sort of Dreamspeaker, with a more cosmopolitan and modern bent, has arisen to flood to the city at the center of the British Empire. Led by visionaries such as Madame Blavatsky, they have introduced a new spiritual paradigm that mixes aspects of Buddism, Tao, Hinduism, and a host of other occult systems, to form Theosophy. Also, the Society of Psychical Studies has been formed and explores, among other things, the abilities of mediums, attracting the interest of more modern thinking Dreamspeakers who are finding tribal paradigms too outdated.
In the colonies and the rest of the world, the more traditional shaman endures. The steppes of Russia, the American West, the Australian Outback, the Amazon Basin, and Darkest Africa all hide practitioners of the ancient traditions, guardians of the ancestors and the spirits of plants and animals. These are the social leaders who rally their people against the invading British Army, often to great effect. The Zulu Wars were much more costly than the British would like to admit, and they have barely scratched the surface of the unexplored continent.
The influence of the Cult in Britain is limited to its cities. Rural sensibilities combined with the general British need for propriety do not mix well with Cult philosophies. However, they have flourished in London since the early part of the century, when visionaries like Shelly, Lord Byron, and Wordsworth espouced free love and broke all conventions in search of truth and fulfillment. Although the social atmosphere has changed in the last few decades, under the influence of the prudent Queen Victoria, there is still a sensualism underlying London society which the Ecstatics encourage and thrive upon. From male brothels in the West End to the opium dens of Limehouse, they seek the very limits of human experience.
Most of the attention of the Tradition is focused in the New World and the Mediterranean, where looser social constraints allow them more breathing room, and the Orient, particularly India, have always been more tolerant of their practices. Some Ecstatics are even disappearing into the wilds of Africa, Australia, and the Americas in search of new ways of thinking and new ecstatic experiences.
The Euthanatos have a long history in the British Isles. A sect known as the Aided originated among the Celts, alongside the Verbena, and they have been a small, but persistant, force among that culture down to the present day. With the rising power of Britain, and London in particular, these death mages have had the opportunity to meet other like-minded mystics from the far reachs of the Empire. For the most part, however, they remain rare and subtle, keeping to their cultural roots.
On the other hand, in India they are a major force behind the attempts to drive out British rule. They fight alongside the rebels in 1857 and continue to be a thorn in the side of the Raj throughout the rest of the period, allied with members of the Cult of Ecstasy practicing tantric rites and preaching transcendance.
The Verbena were the first mages of the British Isles, having come here with the Celts and even predating them, some say. Since the arrival of the Romans, however, it has been a constant battle and the last five centuries have seen continued losses among this tradition. The turning point was the conversion of the Irish and Scots to Christianity, which was soon followed by three hundred years of witch burnings. Since then, the Verbena have taken to working in secret for the most part, or hiding in traditional female roles like that of midwife.
A few exceptions remain, most notable among them being Glastonbury Tor, where the Choristers and Verbena have worked in harmony for centuries, representing the days when the Celtic Church combined traditional beliefs with Christianity. It is also notable that there are many pacts between the Celtic Verbena and the fae, who will often give aid or refuge to a witch hounded by enemies.
Although not a common sight in Britain itself, the Akashics are a plague on the Technocracy in the Orient, fighting a pitched battle with the Western invaders, aided by exotic Craft mages and bizarre creatures. Elsewhere, they come only on specific business or, rarely, to help the other Traditions in their fight, closer to the home of their enemies.
The Ahl-i-Batin, though distancing themselves from the other Traditions of the Council, are not entirely uninvolved. They still act as intermediaries and diplomats, bringing together disparate elements, and gathering their intelligence, as always. With the activity of the British in the Middle East and Egypt, many Batini have been seen in London on unspecified business.
The Solficati, on the other hand, have been reduced to a few scattered alchemists. The rest of the Tradition has either long since joined the Order of Reason or faded into obscurity. A few members of this mistrusted Tradition have infiltrated the Golden Dawn, using the organization to find prospective apprentices and to keep an eye on both the Traditions and the Technocracy.