Atlanta is truly a city of friends and of rule by association. In its varied history, the most significant definers of power have not been individuals but rather small groups of movers and shakers commonly known as coteries.

The weak have banded together to survive, the strong have formed up to conquer, and all along the way it has been the coterie more than any single person that has shaped Atlanta's future and solidly marked Atlanta's past.

Although several notable coteries have come and gone, many of them have left solid marks in the landscapes of Atlanta. The various coteries of Atlanta hail from all parts of the globe. The lines of alliance have been drawn and often redrawn both in the blood of friends and the blood of enemies.

Here is a list of the publically known and widely accepted coteries that have dominated Atlanta in the recent past and whose memories and presence still haunt us. By any other name, these are the real powers in the darkness, whose names still have people looking over their shoulder or trembling in fear.

• House Moussilon
• Sebastian's Brood
• The Pack
• The Pander Anarchs
• Vortex