The Steel Barons

Once the most powerful and wealthy of the mercantile factions, the progress of the Steel Barons has followed the rise and fall of Pittsburgh quite closely. At the height of their prosperity they became the first addition to the Chamber of Lords since the founding of the government. They got to where they are by exploiting their monetary success in the Grim, and with a crumbling Pittsburgh, so too have the Barons fallen. They've always had a knack for figuring out what the coming thing was, and hopefully they'll soon find something new. Until then they've always got their friends. No other faction in New Dunston is owed by so many, and the Barons have no qualms about calling in favors when they really need it.

Internal Structure

The Steel Barons are run by a three person board of directors. David Reynolds, John Bachri, and Martin Reitz are the three current stodgy old men who sit on the Board. The Board assigns teams and leaders to projects that concern the Barons. Members of the faction are expected to file regular reports concerning all of their projects. Side projects are not encouraged though they are tolerated.

Recruitment into the Barons is done through an initiation process that seems much like joining a fraternity. The older members often find the best and brightest among the universities of the Grim and sponsor new recruits. Very few women have ever been admitted into the Barons, though in the last few years there have been some exceptions.

Relationships with Others

The most open ally of the Steel Barons is the Coalition of Tradesman. Both factions tend to stick together and have managed to form a solid voting block in the Chamber of Lords with the help of House Creoda. Most other factions wouldn't consider the Barons to be a formal ally, but they all owe the Steel Barons something. The Keepers of the Lost are one of the recent factions to have a major project funded by the Barons, that being their move to New Dunston. In the past the Barons helped the Smiths defect from under the control of the Peerage. They've also regularly funded projects of the Gaslight Hospital, the Buena Vista College, and Micah's Question. They're also one of the reasons why the Union of Workers was able to handle Sebastian Dabrowski's initial demands for resources.

House Enfield hates the Barons, and with good reason. When Enfield was kicked out of the Chamber of Lords, the Barons were there to quickly move into their spot. The faction is also quite perturbed that they haven't been able to form an "alliance" with the Businessman's Club as they see them as the biggest rival for their seat on the Chamber of Lords. But no matter ho hard they try, the Businessman's Club have always seemed to get through issues without the aid of the Barons.

History

The Coal Barons originated as the most powerful mercantile group in New Dunston. In 1818, the Coal Barons were approached by the Coalition of Tradesmen and told of the forming of the Trade Union. Interested in expanding their financial interests beyond the Grim they joined with the new government. In 1875 they changed their name to suit their new focus and became the Steel Barons.

In the earliest years they were one of the few factions that had a presence in both Johnstown and Pittsburgh, and still maintain cordial ties despite the animosity between the two governments. In 1889, when The Flood hit Johnstown, the Steel Barons of that area left and joined with those in Pittsburgh. Over the next few decades several other smaller groups attempted to muscle into the Pittsburgh steel industry. With a combination of their knacks and good old fashioned arm-twisting they subsumed or destroyed them all. When the World Wars began the Steel Barons were positioned to make the most profit from the increased demand for steel. In 1947, the Steel Barons petitioned to become a member of the Chamber of Lords. The Federated Commonwealth had no choice but to recognize their immense power.

Since the fall of the Pittsburgh steel industry, the Steel Barons have slowly declined. While they are still among the richest of factions, their wealth is no longer as overwhelming as it once was. Their admittance to the Chamber of Lords was a rather large wake up call to the rest of the factions and many have gone out of their way to avoid being funded by the Steel Barons since then. But when desperate, there are few places so easily turned to as the Barons.