Clans

**The Clans –**
Outlines

The Birdspeakers

The Birdspeakers are a group of individuals who
band together having established that they have the innate ability to speak to
birds. This ability may materialise at any age and so new members may be drawn
into Britain Below at any time. Unlike the Ratspeakers, who the Birdspeakers
abhor, they do not serve the species that they can communicate with, but more
try to work alongside them in a mutual arrangement. Birdspeakers are usually
affiliated with a single type of bird who will always speak to them, but this
does not prevent them from attempting a discussion with another species. They
are very much the eyes of upworld and bring important information to Britain
Below.

The Blackfriars

The Blackfriars are a devout religious order
dedicated to opposing the machinations of the Whitefriars due to their beliefs
that the denizens of the ‘otherside’ should remain there, arguing the case that
even in the religious texts, not all ‘angels’ or other beings are benevolent.
Whilst the vast majority of the Blackfriars in the UK are based in the
Christian religion, there is no reason that a group couldn’t be based in an
alternative religion with the same aims.

The Constabulary

The Constabulary are plain clothed police officers
trained in magic and specially seconded to the underworld in order to maintain
order and ensure that British Law is applicable even out of the sights of the
court. Focusing on the law as much as justice, they should aim to hold to the
tenets of their work and not slip to the easy ways of many of the people that
they seek to police.

The Coventina

The Coventina are the half children of the Spirits of the
great rivers of the United Kingdom. They are naturally gifted in water magics,
though their capabilities are far stronger in their catchments than when they
travel.

The Greyfriars

The Greyfriars are a mystery to most of the other
clans. They seem to side with none, indeed that well maintained neutrality is
incredibly important to the order and to holding peace in Britain Below. They
are arbiters of justice, though many are trained in the ways of either the
martial or medical arts in order to facilitate their welcome everywhere.

The Hunters

The Hunters are interested in one thing, hunting. Whether it
be the tales of old hunts or plans and practice for future hunts, their lives
are consumed by the chase. Hunters may team up to take
down a particularly large prey, but there is more glory to be had in working
alone.

The Ratspeakers

Ratspeakers serve and venerate rats of all forms.
They are the spies and gossips of the underworld, constantly chattering amongst
themselves. They and their masters can get into most places, which often
clashes with many groups views on privacy, and as such they are often unwelcome
for fear that secrets would be taken. However the Ratspeakers are numerous, and
a move against one can bring along a whole clan for retribution.

The Sewerfolk

The sewerfolk are looked down on by the rest of
Britain Below, but this doesn’t offend them. Quite the opposite, they enjoy
being looked down on and underestimated. They are the archetypal underdogs. The
sewerfolk live on the things they find and their wits; they are wheelers and dealers
and love nothing more than selling something from the depths that they found
for a considerable profit.

The Temporals

Every now and then, someone or something gets lost
through the cracks into Britain Below. The Temporals are groups of people that
seem to have been lost through time and somehow ended up at the floating
market; Be they from Ancient Rome, the Dark Ages or the Renaissance, these are
often small groups dedicated to finding their way back to their correct
timeline.

The Upworlders

Upworlders are exactly what they sound like,
individuals who have fallen through the cracks of the present day and found
their way to the Floating Market. There is a major difference to the Temporals,
in that Upworlders never seem to come through in groups, only ever alone.

The Velvets

Velvets are true predators of Britain both above
and below, they are the stuff that passes between worlds in legends of
vampires. Provided they feed then they can live for many years and can
therefore be a source of great information; however that often can come at a
price.

The Whitefriars

The Whitefriars are a devout religious order
dedicated to opening the gateways to the ‘otherside’ where they believe that
benevolent entities, known in Christianity as Angels, will come through to aid
humanity. Whilst the vast majority of the Whitefriars in the UK are based in
the Christian religion, there is no reason that a group couldn’t be based in an
alternative religion with the same aims.