The following organizations are available for players to join. Chances are, that if the GMs put them on this list- there might be plots that tie to them directly- so… make of that what you will. Additionally, you may want to keep an eye on this post because as player backgrounds come in and the game grows and develops, more organizations may appear here.
Please also note: Restrictions listed here are for character creation only and these restrictions may or may not change during game based on the actions of characters.
Organizations
Ladies’ Academy
In 1832, the Presbyterian church was expanding in the South and it needed a piece of property in which to hold services. The abandoned mission was an ideal location. The church elected to utilize the facility completely, by opening a college for women- the first of its kind in the South. The college opened to its first class of students in 1838. Coursework included studies in religion, art, languages, history, natural science, and agriculture.
As the Confederacy and the Union fell into war, many colleges across the nation closed and campuses were utilized as hospitals, forts, and outposts. The Rodney Women’s Academy was one of only two institutions within Confederate borders that catered to women and remained open during the war. As a result, women flocked to Rodney in the pursuit of education.
Characters that choose to play a character associated with the Ladies’ Academy will receive additional information about the lodge and lodge related events before game.
Restrictions:
Race: None | Gender: Female Only | Religion: None
Masonic Lodge #56
Masonic Lodge #56 was built in 1850. During the war, many of the local area Masons served as surgeons and were part of a gentleman’s group known as the Gentleman of the White Apron. These gentleman were known for their philanthropy towards the injured for both the United and Confederate States. Members of the Lodge must be educated and have a trade skill.
Characters that choose to play a Mason will receive additional information about the lodge and lodge related events before game.
Restrictions:
Race: White Only | Gender: Male Only | Religion: Catholic & Protestant Only
Cite Soleil Social Club
The Cite Soleil Social Club is a civic organization that was formed by field laborers who wanted to unite people of a shared ethnic background together. The social club organizes events, religious services, holidays for individuals to socialize together in their free time outside of work. Additionally, the close knit nature of the group bonds the group together to assist others in collecting capital for investments, paying medical expenses, and affording school tuition.
Restrictions:
Race: Black Only | Gender: None | Religion: Freedman Only
Businesses and Government Offices
Bluff City Railroad
The Bluff City Railroad is an almost ironic name. As larger rail companies race to connect to each other and the myriad of North American countries to secure trade, the Bluff City Railroad operates, inside Rodney only. The City itself sits upon a bluff protecting it from flooding river waters, but it makes the city inaccessible to river traffic and commerce. The Bluff City railway is an ingenious method of taking supplies that have been off-loaded from river cargo and elevating them to Rodney proper or conversely lowering them to the river docks to be transported on ships.
Restrictions:
Race: None | Gender: None | Religion: None
Freedman’s Bureau
The Freedman’s Bureau was established by the Union in 1865 to assist freed slaves and poor whites in the aftermath of the war. The Bureau has been sending representatives and resources to the south to assist the people, however these gestures are often seen as a way to further incite hostility and implant northern agendas in the south.
Restrictions:
Race: None | Gender: None | Religion: None
Rodney Historical Society
The Rodney Historical Society is a great source of information about the town, the state, and it’s past. The old Hutchinson Manor houses the Historical Society and all of their records. The Historical Society is open to the public, but as it is only staffed part time, its hours are limited. Presently, the historian is trying to gather letters and accounts from soldiers to properly preserve war history in Rodney.
Restrictions:
Race: None | Gender: None | Religion: None
Churches
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
The Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a new congregation in Rodney. Over 75% of the congregation is made up of Northerners who have come south through the reconstruction. These Northerners have come not only with their political propaganda, but their religious propaganda as well. Sometimes spotting the divide between the church of the North and the state of the North is blurred at best.
Restrictions:
Race: None | Gender: None | Religion: Catholic Only
First Presbyterian Church
The First Presbyterian Church of Rodney was established in 1832. Prior to that, worship had been conducted in a small informal meeting house. During the War, in 1862, the USS Rattler fired a 12lb cannonball at the church, violating a northern war act, and the cannonball still remains lodged in the face of the church as evidence of the Norh’s aggression. Members of the church claim that the barbaric actions of the North were thwarted in Rodney by the faith of the citizens. The great earthquakes that shook North America in 1863 shook the cannonball loose, but the congregation has since cemented it in place as a rallying point and landmark in the town.
Restrictions:
Race: None | Gender: None | Religion: Protestant Only
Freedman’s Assembly
The Freedman’s Assembly is a new congregation that was established by northern white Catholics. The individuals who have established the congregation have turned the assembly over to the practitioners. The practitioners are utilizing the space gifted to them to freely practice the faith of their Haitian ancestors. Now that the space has been turned over to the Freedmen, the Whites avoid it for fear of being made the subject of some singing and dancing spectacle.
Restrictions:
Race: Black | Gender: None | Religion: Freedman Only