Balador

The remains of an Earthly aspect of one of the great Cultist Horizon Realms, it's a mere shadow of its former self. Having had to relocate from Broadway to the Bronx due to being exposed by the Technocracy in 2003 didn't help its prospects, and now it's the weakest Tradition faction in the City, looking back at lost days of glory more than to a brighter future.

## Outer Appearance

A grand theater in the Bronx, one of the few ones left. The exterior is stone, and must have been built a century ago or earlier, and those who look carefully can spot a couple of decorative gargoyles on the side. The building is fairly well kept-up, but it the wear and tear of time and periods of neglect are obvious to anyone who knows how to look: chipped masonry, one gargoyle is missing half a wing, plants that should have been pulled growing in the stones, and the like. Even so, the place is in business, and the marquee shows the name of some show or performing group or other most of the time, though oddly they seem to lack any sort of schedule in advance.

## Inner Appearance

The public areas are simply a theater, and it's much nicer than the outside indicates. The place has been restored recently, and just because the Chantry has fallen on hard times since the Avatar Storm cut it off from the Realm doesn't mean that they can't keep the place together. Business isn't great, but the members don't need it to be.

The back rooms include all the normal rooms that the theater itself needs as well as the Chantry proper. The Chantry itself consists of a set of common rooms, including a well-stocked kitchen, a living room with many entertainment options, a gym, and several other general purpose rooms, alongside small private living spaces available to each member. The Node is located in the basement.

## Policies

Tradition mages and Disparates may be brought in as guests, but the location cannot fall into Union hands

Any action taken by a member without consent is grounds for immediate expulsion

Though there is a Deacon, decisions are made communally

NOTHING can interrupt a performance on the stage

## History

Balador was once one of the great Cultist Chantries, with a major Horizon Realm and three physical locations: New York, Los Angeles and Ankara. One of the greatest cultists in centuries, Marianna of Balador, took over the Chantry in 1976 as well as the Cultist seat on the Council of Nine. She both led the Tradition and the Chantry until the Avatar Storm cut off contact between Balador and Earth, leaving the three Earthly aspects to survive on their own.

The Ankara Chantry abandoned the name of Balador. It had been a stronghold of the Cult for centuries, and was perfectly willing to return to its old status and reputation. The Los Angeles and New York aspects, though, both claimed to be Balador proper, one deriving its power from Hollywood and the other from Broadway. Just as Hollywood eclipsed Broadway (in fact, quite a bit earlier), the Los Angeles Balador rose in power, while the New York Chantry faded.

Though it had been a minor issue before 1999, the rival chantry of Inferno was also siphoning off Cultists and reducing Balador's prestige and power. Though things improved somewhat in 2003 when Inferno's leader, Jeffrey Chambers, was revealed to be a Nephandus and overthrown, by then Balador had bigger problems. John Robertson had discovered Balador's location, and his Stanev Center for Aerospace Research moved against them. The last Master of Prime that the Chantry had gave his life to relocate the Broadway Node to the Bronx, finding a new theater for the Chantry to live in.

Diminished by war and rivals, Balador jumped at the chance that the Ceasefire offered and has been attempting to rebuild itself, with little success, ever since. When new Cultists move to town, they usually want to spend time in Manhattan, and are recruited to Sanctuary, which still holds a second faction of the Cult. For now, the remaining members of Balador are looking for a way to push their Chantry through this Winter, and open up a new Spring.