Salem's Inner Circle

Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen. And Haven will be next.

Salem's Faction (unofficial) consists of Salem and the subordinates assisting her in her plans. Their objective is not clear, but it apparently involves changing the world of Remnant through the use of the four Relics, and the destruction of the Academies which are said to each house one of the Relics in question. They also appear to be hunting down and taking the powers of the four Maidens, as their powers are the keys to unlocking the vaults holding the Relics. The group is closely connected to the Creatures of Grimm, as their headquarters is located near to a desolate spawning ground for the Grimm.

Apart from Salem herself, known members include Cinder Fall, Doctor Arthur Watts, Tyrian Callows and Hazel Rainart. Known associates of the group include Cinder's own subordinates, as well as the White Fang under Adam Taurus. Haven Academy's headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart, served as an informant in Mistral, before Salem killed him for failure and cowardice. Their opponents include Ozpin's Group as well as the Academies and the Kingdoms.

History
The origins of the group are not clear, though at some point prior to the start of the series, Cinder Fall and the other members were presumably brought into the fold by Salem to assist in her plans. Hazel, one of the members of the group, also states that they have successfully "dealt with" Silver-Eyed Warriors in the past.

The activities of Cinder Fall and her group, including the recruitment of Adam Taurus and the White Fang, the theft of the Fall Maiden's powers and the destruction of Beacon Academy, were carried out under Salem's direction. Cinder's status as the Fall Maiden is described by Salem as being "key" to their further moves. However, due to Cinder's new unspecified "weakness", Salem instead opts to keep Cinder close to her.

The actions of the other members are not known in detail. Tyrian has been on the hunt for the Spring Maiden for some time, though at a meeting following the Fall of Beacon, he is reassigned to capture and retrieve Ruby Rose after she defeated Cinder. At the same meeting, Watts is assigned to carry out Cinder's role in meeting with Professor Lionheart in Mistral. Hazel is to attend a meeting arranged by Adam with the leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, in order to bring her to heel.

Tyrian fails to defeat Ruby due to the intervention of Qrow Branwen and loses his tail in the process, but Watts' meeting with Professor Lionheart goes well and leads to Lionheart's complete obedience with Salem's plans. Additionally, Hazel's meeting with Sienna leads to Adam killing her and taking over the White Fang, much to Hazel's discontent.

Following Beacon, Haven Academy is their next target. Headmaster Lionheart, Cinder's Faction and Hazel, with aid from Raven Branwen, Vernal, and Adam's White Fang troops, planned to enter Haven Academy's Vault to retrieve the Relic of Knowledge, and blow up the CCT when they were finished to make their escape.

However, the attack proved to be a complete failure: Cinder was defeated by Raven in the Vault, while Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel were forced to retreat, Lionheart fled the battle and was killed by Salem for his failure and cowardice, and the White Fang were stopped by the combined forces of the Menagerie Faunus and the Mistral Police, leading to Adam fleeing, his forces being captured, and his leadership claimed by Ghira Belladonna. Ozpin's forces retrieved the Relic and plan to take it to Atlas.

Members
Other associates of the group include Cinder Fall's underlings, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, as well as Adam Taurus of the White Fang. They also had an informant in Mistral, who is revealed to be Professor Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven Academy, but Salem killed him for his cowardice during the Battle of Haven.

In a panel at RTX Sydney 2017, Miles referred to the team as Team WTCH (Witch).

Trivia

 * Although not an official name, composer Alex Abraham named the theme that plays when Salem walks into the meeting room in "The Next Step", "A Dark Cabal", most likely referring to Salem's Faction.