The Enclave of Nobles

The most powerful and influential families of Ultor form the Enclave of Nobles. Their vast wealth and connections make them one of the most powerful and influential of the enclaves even though they have no public presence to speak of. Controversy surrounds the Enclave, as they are well known to circumvent the laws of the Pact of Nörn, using their vast resources to bribe, threaten, and blackmail until they get what they want.   Public opinion is highly distrusting of this group, and I cannot blame them -- I've never seen a larger collection of worms in my long time on this world. Unfortunately, the Enclave leaves very little proof of their wrongdoing in their wake, and without solid evidence, even entire kingdoms find it difficult to punish them for fear of retaliation. Often the families involved are kin of the royalty itself, or are so important to the economy of the nation, that punishing them without proof of misdeeds could have dire consequences. I find this to be ridiculous personally, but I suppose that I never have ruled a kingdom (or even a small plot of land).   There are no formal ranks within the Enclave. One is either a member, or is a nobody. You cannot apply to join the Enclave, you must be invited (or else fill the right pockets to get in). Nobody outside of the Enclave truly knows how its affairs are handled, or even who is in charge. They have a grandmaster on the council, but it is unclear if that grandmaster has any real power within the Enclave, or if he/she is just a figurehead. They hardly ever do anything that will not fill their own pockets, but they can be very decisive and quick to action if you manage to irritate them enough for them to want you gone. Their meeting place (if it even exists) is unknown.