Here is how the order breakdown goes:
Silver Ladder controls Boston and Guardians of the Veil controls Chicago. The Mysterium comes up in second place in both cities, and the members of the Adamantine Arrow end up being used as pawns of various factions in both cities. The Free Council is more important in Chicago than in Boston, but still not that important. In Chicago, the Silver Ladder consists primarily of people new to the city and the Adamantine Arrow has lost most of its mages to the war. In Boston, the Guardians got booted from leadership positions years ago, and still haven't recovered any political power beyond whatever they get from being spooky assholes. The Guardians in Boston are really spooky: they wear masks and robes when they aren't under cover, and they try to manipulate people via secret disinformation wars and sleeper cults.
In Chicago, the Mysterium should be ruling the council, but the senior member of the order chose to give the position to the Guardians. In Boston, the Mysterium wants very badly to rule the council, but cannot overcome the immense social power of the ruling cabals.
