Maderas Group
Clan Maderas arrived in the southwest of the Protectorate in the late ninth century, where their diverse interests and pronounced diplomatic skills led them to form a cooperative under whose aegis the region flourished. At the center of this territory was land owned by the Henry Clan which proved an ideal meeting ground, and grew into the modern city-state of Fort Henry. The Maderas Ranch, some 60-km west of Fort Henry, continues to operate as a working farm though the administrative branch of the clan relocated to the city in TN 1641.
The Maderas have the haughtiness typically associated with First Clans, but their accomplishments and diplomatic manner transmute this into a sense of authority. Though entry into the military is regarded highly (and is a requirement for any who seek to lead the clan), each member of the Maderas is allowed to find their own path. Thus Maderas interests extend throughout the Protectorate, ranging from the military and education to art and finance. With one notable exception (the Jasper Maderas, also known as the Black Maderas) the various branches of the clan are bound together by a bond of loyalty that grants the clan considerable power and influence. Fortunately, the clans' belief in cooperation and working for the good of all has led to few abuses of this power.
The Maderas Group officially came into existence late in the autumn of TN 1874, a response to the increasingly belligerent nationalism of the Zuccite faction. Much of the organization's power structure was already in place and had been so for centuries, in some cases thanks to the network of existing alliances. The Group's members are regarded as political moderates, favoring negotiation and compromise over confrontation. They are often referred to as "doves," but the group's martial prowess quickly disabuses any notion that they are pacifists. Indeed members of the Maderas and Christobal families are among the most respected military lineages in the WFP, each with several Field Marshals and Proconsuls in their history. Nonetheless the Maderan faction led calls not to launch the Protectorate and the CNCS into hostilities with the South, not because of cowardice - as the Zuccites claimed - but because such a fratricidal conflict would waste men and material while Earth remained a threat. They failed, and the attacks on Fort Henry and the Badlands fringe have prompted calls for vengeance among even the moderate Maderan Group. Proconsul Lang knows it will take a miracle - or a disaster - to restore unity.
Members
Structure
Though there is a clear order of seniority in the Maderan Group, many of the links between clans are partnerships rather than the master-vassal relationship that dominates the Zuccites. The Group's structure is loose and flexible, allowing it to adapt to meet a wide range of situations. Furthermore, the Maderas' diplomatic gift results in every clan being made to feel that they play a valuable role in the alliance, engendering a strong sense of fellowship between members. In an alliance the size of the Maderas Group there are naturally frictions and feuds, but care i s taken to limit the disharmony this causes. Attempts are made to mediate such disputes but some - like the Hernandez-Oken vendetta - have resisted even the Maderas' best efforts. A nine-person council determines policy within the Group. Eight of these are elected annually from the heads of the member clans while the leader of the Maderas Clan holds the ninth seat. The most senior WFPA officer, often a Proconsul, chairs the council, though by tradition leadership of the faction remains with the Maderas. In the case of a weak Maderas, though such an occurrence is rare, it is the council chairman who serves as defacto head of the faction.
Public Agenda
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