Other Factions

Few things display the Nephandic sense of humor better than the gold bull on Wall Street and the cult that reveres it. A mocking allusion to the golden calf from Exodus, this statue was commissioned by a sect whose lineage goes back to the Florentine High Guild. Most members of the Golden Bull think they’re part of some mortal fraternity. That’s exactly what the Fallen want them to think. Nurturing an especially predatory strain of capitalism, the Golden Bull’s sponsors throw massive parties and political fundraisers, buy influence throughout world governments, and even stage prayer rallies around the bull itself. Several prominent evangelists and talk-show hosts belong to the Golden Bull, spreading a prosperity gospel with nationalist overtones. Scared Sleepers – many of whom are victims of the Bull’s economic policies – buy into that gospel, believing that they’ll someday own a share of it too. That’s ridiculous, of course, but it’s a compelling lie.

In reality, the Golden Bull is an elite Infernalist cult. Only the most select members of that fraternity even learn about the cult’s secret orgies and rituals, and even fewer get to enjoy them. Those who’ve demonstrated sufficient levels of callous profiteering (with additional incentives and rewards from Fallen tempters) are examined, tested, and provided with enough blackmailable indulgences to destroy them if need be. Only then are they invited to join the Midas Key Society, the secret club near the heart of the Bull. Supposedly, this Society controls financial matters worldwide… and many of its members, including several prominent Syndicate tycoons, believe as much. In reality, it’s just another Hellfire Club, with members who are destroying everything they touch, along with whatever souls they might have had left. The real magick remains the province of three Nephandic pawn-masters, plus whatever power the various pawns possess. The Bull’s true goal is corrupting influence, not Infernal Arts. The rituals are just for show… and, if a member steps out of line, for tell.