Steam & Strife
The Walpurgis Society
The Society
Founded by a woman, (and it is one of few professions where women are not only permitted but can take up leadership positions), Rose Bradley, a witch, began the operation in 1666 following the Great Fire of London. The fire, which began in a bakery, was in fact started by an elemental air who had been cornered amongst the pies and pastries by a witch (Rose) and a priest who were making every effort to exorcise him. The resulting temper tantrum caused the worst fire in London's history (he blew a flour trail directly into a lit grate), but had the unexpected benefit of wiping out the bubonic plague.
Realising that such matters were much larger than anything she herself could combat, Rose started the first garden and named it -- humbly -- after herself. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, expanding exponentially with the city of London itself. The supernatural equivalent of Mi6, the society caters to all of Britain but makes its home in England's capital city.
Each city and borough has its own particular section, often with particular names. Internationally there are equivalent organisations, but they are not conducted by the Walpurgis Society -- they are independent.
The Supernatural
The relationship the Walpurgist have with the supernatural is as to the relationship an exterminator has with rats. They are merciless in their eradication, and the singular belief that anything beyond the ordinary is beyond saving is legion within their workbooks -- there is no leeway in their arsenal for coexistence.
Codenames
Walpurgists refer to one another in all paperwork and in person by their codenames, which are all flower or garden related. Codenames are individual, though may be differentiated by color -- e.g "Orchid" is taken, but "Black Orchid" would be permissible. This is both in homage to their founder, Rose, and to ensure that there is no paper-trail proving the identities of any of them should they ever be discovered.
The codenames also serve the purpose of levelling the playing field -- in an organisation where an Irish labourer might be elbow to elbow with an English lord, it was necessary to equalise the participants somehow. Codenames remove some of the stiff formality society would otherwise impose.
Retirement
The Walpurgists are effectively a deputised government agency, and leaving the job is roughly the equivalent of leaving the Secret Service. Confidentiality is key, and those who retire in good stead and maintain their silence will receive a generous yearly allowance. Women who fall pregnant or wish to leave in order to get married are also permitted to retire, along with those who are injured in the line of duty. Defectors and people who breach the secrecy of the society are liable to be committed and/or arrested, as breaching one's contract is considered an act of treason.
People associated with the society who demonstrate an affiliation with the supernatural (particularly the Spooks) are considered amongst the worst offenders.
Mundanes
Most mundanes know nothing whatsoever of the Walpurgists or their influence. Whilst they certainly have operatives in Scotland Yard, no one there is apprised of this fact. There is some evidence to suggest that the Queen knows of their existence and endorses their work, but such things have never been acknowledged openly (save for in the notion that to betray them is treasonous).
TODAY
The Walpurgis Society today is as much a business as it is a civic service. The higher ups are shrouded in mystery, and those who work in the trenches aren't entirely aware of how their funding is acquired nor who it is that sends down the wax-sealed orders week on week. Much like an ordinary police force there are different roles available, and not everyone is selected for field work.
Walpurgists come from all walks of life, and can be noblemen and women or ostensibly unemployed peasants. Specialists come in all shapes and sizes, and as an organisation it has never been in their best interest to discriminate.
Although on the surface their work must seem very noble, there are certain practises which to the modern world would seem very dubious. For example, any witnesses to supernatural phenomena are usually committed to an asylum as there is no way to alter an individual's memory -- the only thing that comes close are glamour spells, and they do not work after the fact. In fact, from the outside of the organisation -- in the Spooks in particular -- there is a definite suggestion of corruption in the ranks of Walpurgists, particularly at the lofty heights of leadership.
These rumours are unconfirmed and certainly not believed by anyone noble enough to call himself a member.
