Post by Xaos on Mar 8, 2018 23:17:52 GMT
1992-98, Calm Before the Storm: As the other Sects adjust to the new age of mass media, the Sabbat turns inward after the extent to which it has been infiltrated by infernalism comes to light. The Sabbat Inquisition begins a widespread and remorseless campaign against all infernal elements. As this monstrous faction of vampires undergoes these trails, the rest of the world’s Kindred experience relief from their attacks and hope the Sect will tear itself apart. Further disasters befall the Sword of Caine. Their long-held stronghold of Milan defects to the Camarilla. A mysterious occurrence results in the total destruction of House Goratrix, which held the vast majority of Tremere Antitribu as members, in a single night. Despite these profound adversities, and contrary to Anarch and Camarilla expectations, the infernalism crisis does not result in a new Sabbat civil war, and the majority of demon slaves are purged from the Sect’s ranks. In the wake of the crisis’ end, two ancient Bloodlines emerge and join the Sabbat: a large contingent of the last remaining Salubri Warriors and a mysterious lineage of corpse-like necromancers called the Harbingers of Skulls.
1997, Assamites Unleashed: A slumbering childe of Haqim, the sorcerer Ur-Shugli, awakens from one thousand eight hundred years of torpor and takes command of Clan Assamite. Through Ur-Shugli’s ancient powers, the blood curse put on the Assamite Warriors by Clan Tremere is broken.
1999, Week of Nightmares: A massive earthquake in Bangladesh unleashes an ancient monstrosity that ravages the land for a week before being destroyed by parties unknown. Across the world, members of Clan Ravnos are driven, seemingly apropos of nothing, into a persistent frenzy. Though the Ravnos Antitribu seem mostly protected from this effect (perhaps through the power of the Vaulderie) the independent Ravnos and those of other Sects die off in droves during their collective fall to the Beast. This wave of madness subsides with the destruction of the monster in Bangladesh, leading many to speculate that the creature had been the Ravnos Antediluvian.
1999, Red Star Rising: In the Week of Nightmares’ wake, strange occurrences begin occurring in Kindred domains worldwide; each one strongly resembling a prophecy of Gehenna found in the Book of Nod. The most conspicuous of these is a red star which first appeared at the Week of Nightmares’ conclusion. At first only able to be seen through Auspex and other supernatural perception, the Red Star eventually becomes visible to the naked eye. Waves of hysteria about impending doom begin to circulate among vampire society at the Star’s arrival, while some cooler heads scoff and recall other past events, like the birth of the Soviet Union, which had been interpreted as the prophesized rise of the Red Star. The population of Caitiff begins expanding rapidly for reasons unknown, another supposed sign of Gehenna. Convinced their time has come ‘round, the Tal’Mahe’Ra launches plans long in the making and drastically ramps up recruitment, compromising somewhat their long-held practice of almost total secrecy.
1999, the Sixth Great Maelstrom: A massive cataclysm briefly but devastatingly wracks the Shadowlands. Necromancers the world over, vampire or otherwise, find both disaster and opportunity in the traumatically transformed realm of ghosts.
1999-2004, Last Crusade: Spurred on by these end-time omens, the Sabbat launches a world-wide Crusade to take as many Camarilla cities as possible. At first this campaign meets with overwhelming success and many key conquests occur within the United States, most notably Atlanta and Washington DC. But the wave of decisive victories the Sword of Caine claims in the first two years of its campaign rapidly began to deflate in frequency. Camarilla counterattacks began not just reclaiming lost territory but capturing Sabbat cities. One final assault in the Gehenna Crusade was made against Los Angeles in November 2004 but was thwarted. The Crusade ended the next month after it came to light that Regent Melinda Galbraith had actually been assassinated in 2001 and had been impersonated by a Tzimisce Neonate since then.
2000, Crumbled Pillar: After a heated disagreement with the Inner Circle over the last year’s events, the Gangrel Justicar resigns. This occurrence sets off a series of political events that end with Clan Gangrel as a whole seceding from the Camarilla. Too concerned by other fronts to fight this outcome, the Camarilla did not resist the departure and permitted a significant number of Gangrel who wished to remain in the Sect to do so. However, this event ends the Gangrel’s status as a Pillar Clan of the Sect.
2000, the Assamite Schism: Ur-Shugli, contemptuous of the religious convictions of modern Assamites, declares that Clan members will revere no being save Haqim. This results in mass defections due to a nearly two millennia long history of devotion to the three major Abrahamic faiths among the Clan. The entire Vizier caste successfully negotiates entrance into the Camarilla, many Warriors shelter among the Anarchs or are recruited into the Tal’Mahe’Ra. Sorcerers who try to defect find themselves destroyed by Ur-Shugli’s blood magic, though those who join their brethren that had long dwelled among the Tal’Mahe’Ra are protected by the Sect’s ancient magics. A sizeable portion of the schismatic Warriors and Viziers become Autarkis rather than joining a Sect. Ur-Shugli gives an edict calling for the death of every schismatic.
2000-2009, the Camarilla Strikes Back: After the initial surprise devastation of Sabbat onslaught, the Inner Circle musters their forces and begins a response. In order to combat the global offensive, the custom of naming an Imperator is invoked. Now organized as a military command structure under the Imperator, the Justicars and Archons are able to tactically coordinate the Camarilla to an extent that matches their enemy. Within the first year of the Imperator’s reign, the Sabbat were driven from New York City; a feat that had been unsuccessfully attempted many times over the centuries. The Camarilla grand strategy first breaks the Sabbat’s momentum, then reclaims the cities fallen to the Crusade and finally begins to take long-time Sabbat strongholds in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the USA and Paraguay. This counter-campaign concludes when the Inner Circle turns its attentions towards fallout from the global financial crisis of ‘07/’08 but, by the conflict’s end, Imperator had been declared a permanent title.
2004-2008, the Fourth Sabbat Civil War: With their morale broken by the sudden shift from violent optimism to certain defeat in their Gehenna Crusade, the vampires of the Sabbat began laying the blame on enemies real or imagined within the Sect. In this atmosphere, the Consistory proves unable to elect a new Regent. In-fighting breaks out and soon multiple individuals are either proclaimed or proclaim themselves Regent in contest. The Black Hand is split by its own internal conflict during this time. As this civil war rages, the enemies of the Sect take advantage. Many traditional Sect strongholds are overrun; mostly by the Camarilla but not always; such as in Detroit, which was captured by Anarchs and the Giovanni. Drawn out by overt displays of vampiric power during the Crusade and civil war, an unusual amount of vampire hunters with strange powers hunt Sabbat packs; another supposed sign of Gehenna. Eventually a Gangrel Antitribu named Temoch the Jackal defeats all his competitors for the title of Regent through Monomacy and helps deliver victory to one of the Black Hand factions, thus ending the civil war.
2008, Hand of the Puppet Master: In the wake of the Fourth Sabbat Civil War’s conclusion, newly-forged Regent Temoch called the Consistory, the Seraphs of the Black Hand and the leaders of the Inquisition to council in Mexico City. During this Synod, the facts about the events of the past decade were laid bare. The Seraphs revealed hitherto closely guarded secrets of the Black Hand; that from its inception it had been infiltrated by the Tal’Mahe’Ra. The call to Crusade had been initiated through secret Tal influence in order that the Sabbat might destroy itself and badly weaken the Camarilla before the next stages of Gehenna began. The Sabbat-loyal Black Hand had launched a purge of Tal elements in 2004 as the culmination of a centuries long shadow war within the Hand; this was the nature of it parallel civil war. Representatives from the Harbingers of Skulls explained that their own origins lay with the Tal’Mahe’Ra but that those of their number who still stood with the Sabbat had foresworn their Tal brethren, who had abandoned the Harbingers’ quest for vengeance. After close examination, the Inquistors vouched for the loyalty of the Seraphs and Harbinger leaders. At the Synod’s conclusion, a mass Inquisiton like the one that purged the Infernalists is declared against Tal’Mahe’Ra operatives and puppets. Followers of the Path of Lilith, though long tolerated in many Sabbat domains despite their official status as heretics, are the most heavily targeted after the Synod’s revelations of strong ties between the Tal’Mahe’Ra and the Bahari. Meanwhile, in the Camarilla, a secret investigation into Tal’Mahe’Ra infiltration in that Sect had been underway since 2001. When the Assamite Viziers arrived, they brought knowledge of the ancient conspiracy-like Sect and the Vizier Elders began collaborating with the Josian Archons to search for signs of infiltration. The extent of their discoveries was shocking but they waited for the opportune moment. When Camarilla spies gave reports of what was happening in the Sabbat, it became obvious that moment had arrived, for the Tal would be distracted. A list of every known Tal operative or puppet, along with overwhelming evidence, was delivered to the Inner Circle; the list of accused even included a Justicar. The Imperator was ordered to carry out a mass capture or kill effort against the Tal’Mahe’Ra. In light of the infiltration of the Justicars, all the holders of that position were dismissed and replaced. Out of recognition for their role in the investigation, the Assamite Viziers were granted the status of Pillar Clan. Now with its centuries-old networks in shambles and its existence known to the Camarilla and Sabbat global leadership, the end time plans of the Tal’Mahe’Ra had been crippled.
2008-2012, a New Sect is Born: While recognizing the massive internal challenges his recently re-united Sect would face, Regent Temoch knew the Sabbat could only thrive in war. But he also knew they could not survive another confrontation with the Camarilla after the failed Gehenna Crusade. As such he chose to target three independent Clans. The Setites literally worshiped an Antedilluvian, making them an enemy that could further unite the Sabbat, and often had lucrative drug smuggling and human trafficking operations to take over. Clan Giovanni had taken advantage of the Sabbat’s recent troubles to conquer several of their domains, including the traditional Sect stronghold of Detroit, and had even more wealth to plunder. While Temoch’s ambitions for the Setite and Giovanni offensive rose no higher than to demonstrate strength and loot, his attacks on the Gangrel were seen as a first step into coercing the Clan as a whole into Sabbat membership. This raiding campaign, however, would ultimately backfire. Pressed by unprecedented Sabbat assaults, the three Clans began to strike mutual defense deals on the local level. Eventually talks were arranged to discuss formalizing these pacts in Las Vegas during May 2011. Negotiations were long lasting and almost broke down completely multiple times. Though the Clans had little in common, what united them was alienation from the Camarilla and the awareness that, had it been them the Sabbat came for in 1999, they likely would not have survived. As is often their fashion, the Ravnos arrived to the convention unannounced and uninvited at the eleventh hour. Strangely, this intervention by the Ravnos, seeking security in the aftermath of their devastation, helped finalize the talks, and the Independent Alliance was forged by the four Clans. A year later, the representatives reconvened to discuss several petitions to join the Alliance. One came from a contingent of True Brujah who had coordinated with the North African Setites in recent decades. Another came from a lineage of Lasombra Antitribu. And the last came from a cabal of Old Clan Tzimisce. This second convention was even more difficult than the first but ultimately a compromise was reached. All three would be admitted but, because the petitioners would not bring the majority of their Bloodlines into the Sect, they would only be granted association in the Alliance rather than full membership.
2009, with a Whimper: Ten years later, and just as mysteriously as it had appeared, the Red Star vanishes. In the coming years, Kindred society will come to refer to this turbulent decade as the False Gehenna.
1997, Assamites Unleashed: A slumbering childe of Haqim, the sorcerer Ur-Shugli, awakens from one thousand eight hundred years of torpor and takes command of Clan Assamite. Through Ur-Shugli’s ancient powers, the blood curse put on the Assamite Warriors by Clan Tremere is broken.
1999, Week of Nightmares: A massive earthquake in Bangladesh unleashes an ancient monstrosity that ravages the land for a week before being destroyed by parties unknown. Across the world, members of Clan Ravnos are driven, seemingly apropos of nothing, into a persistent frenzy. Though the Ravnos Antitribu seem mostly protected from this effect (perhaps through the power of the Vaulderie) the independent Ravnos and those of other Sects die off in droves during their collective fall to the Beast. This wave of madness subsides with the destruction of the monster in Bangladesh, leading many to speculate that the creature had been the Ravnos Antediluvian.
1999, Red Star Rising: In the Week of Nightmares’ wake, strange occurrences begin occurring in Kindred domains worldwide; each one strongly resembling a prophecy of Gehenna found in the Book of Nod. The most conspicuous of these is a red star which first appeared at the Week of Nightmares’ conclusion. At first only able to be seen through Auspex and other supernatural perception, the Red Star eventually becomes visible to the naked eye. Waves of hysteria about impending doom begin to circulate among vampire society at the Star’s arrival, while some cooler heads scoff and recall other past events, like the birth of the Soviet Union, which had been interpreted as the prophesized rise of the Red Star. The population of Caitiff begins expanding rapidly for reasons unknown, another supposed sign of Gehenna. Convinced their time has come ‘round, the Tal’Mahe’Ra launches plans long in the making and drastically ramps up recruitment, compromising somewhat their long-held practice of almost total secrecy.
1999, the Sixth Great Maelstrom: A massive cataclysm briefly but devastatingly wracks the Shadowlands. Necromancers the world over, vampire or otherwise, find both disaster and opportunity in the traumatically transformed realm of ghosts.
1999-2004, Last Crusade: Spurred on by these end-time omens, the Sabbat launches a world-wide Crusade to take as many Camarilla cities as possible. At first this campaign meets with overwhelming success and many key conquests occur within the United States, most notably Atlanta and Washington DC. But the wave of decisive victories the Sword of Caine claims in the first two years of its campaign rapidly began to deflate in frequency. Camarilla counterattacks began not just reclaiming lost territory but capturing Sabbat cities. One final assault in the Gehenna Crusade was made against Los Angeles in November 2004 but was thwarted. The Crusade ended the next month after it came to light that Regent Melinda Galbraith had actually been assassinated in 2001 and had been impersonated by a Tzimisce Neonate since then.
2000, Crumbled Pillar: After a heated disagreement with the Inner Circle over the last year’s events, the Gangrel Justicar resigns. This occurrence sets off a series of political events that end with Clan Gangrel as a whole seceding from the Camarilla. Too concerned by other fronts to fight this outcome, the Camarilla did not resist the departure and permitted a significant number of Gangrel who wished to remain in the Sect to do so. However, this event ends the Gangrel’s status as a Pillar Clan of the Sect.
2000, the Assamite Schism: Ur-Shugli, contemptuous of the religious convictions of modern Assamites, declares that Clan members will revere no being save Haqim. This results in mass defections due to a nearly two millennia long history of devotion to the three major Abrahamic faiths among the Clan. The entire Vizier caste successfully negotiates entrance into the Camarilla, many Warriors shelter among the Anarchs or are recruited into the Tal’Mahe’Ra. Sorcerers who try to defect find themselves destroyed by Ur-Shugli’s blood magic, though those who join their brethren that had long dwelled among the Tal’Mahe’Ra are protected by the Sect’s ancient magics. A sizeable portion of the schismatic Warriors and Viziers become Autarkis rather than joining a Sect. Ur-Shugli gives an edict calling for the death of every schismatic.
2000-2009, the Camarilla Strikes Back: After the initial surprise devastation of Sabbat onslaught, the Inner Circle musters their forces and begins a response. In order to combat the global offensive, the custom of naming an Imperator is invoked. Now organized as a military command structure under the Imperator, the Justicars and Archons are able to tactically coordinate the Camarilla to an extent that matches their enemy. Within the first year of the Imperator’s reign, the Sabbat were driven from New York City; a feat that had been unsuccessfully attempted many times over the centuries. The Camarilla grand strategy first breaks the Sabbat’s momentum, then reclaims the cities fallen to the Crusade and finally begins to take long-time Sabbat strongholds in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the USA and Paraguay. This counter-campaign concludes when the Inner Circle turns its attentions towards fallout from the global financial crisis of ‘07/’08 but, by the conflict’s end, Imperator had been declared a permanent title.
2004-2008, the Fourth Sabbat Civil War: With their morale broken by the sudden shift from violent optimism to certain defeat in their Gehenna Crusade, the vampires of the Sabbat began laying the blame on enemies real or imagined within the Sect. In this atmosphere, the Consistory proves unable to elect a new Regent. In-fighting breaks out and soon multiple individuals are either proclaimed or proclaim themselves Regent in contest. The Black Hand is split by its own internal conflict during this time. As this civil war rages, the enemies of the Sect take advantage. Many traditional Sect strongholds are overrun; mostly by the Camarilla but not always; such as in Detroit, which was captured by Anarchs and the Giovanni. Drawn out by overt displays of vampiric power during the Crusade and civil war, an unusual amount of vampire hunters with strange powers hunt Sabbat packs; another supposed sign of Gehenna. Eventually a Gangrel Antitribu named Temoch the Jackal defeats all his competitors for the title of Regent through Monomacy and helps deliver victory to one of the Black Hand factions, thus ending the civil war.
2008, Hand of the Puppet Master: In the wake of the Fourth Sabbat Civil War’s conclusion, newly-forged Regent Temoch called the Consistory, the Seraphs of the Black Hand and the leaders of the Inquisition to council in Mexico City. During this Synod, the facts about the events of the past decade were laid bare. The Seraphs revealed hitherto closely guarded secrets of the Black Hand; that from its inception it had been infiltrated by the Tal’Mahe’Ra. The call to Crusade had been initiated through secret Tal influence in order that the Sabbat might destroy itself and badly weaken the Camarilla before the next stages of Gehenna began. The Sabbat-loyal Black Hand had launched a purge of Tal elements in 2004 as the culmination of a centuries long shadow war within the Hand; this was the nature of it parallel civil war. Representatives from the Harbingers of Skulls explained that their own origins lay with the Tal’Mahe’Ra but that those of their number who still stood with the Sabbat had foresworn their Tal brethren, who had abandoned the Harbingers’ quest for vengeance. After close examination, the Inquistors vouched for the loyalty of the Seraphs and Harbinger leaders. At the Synod’s conclusion, a mass Inquisiton like the one that purged the Infernalists is declared against Tal’Mahe’Ra operatives and puppets. Followers of the Path of Lilith, though long tolerated in many Sabbat domains despite their official status as heretics, are the most heavily targeted after the Synod’s revelations of strong ties between the Tal’Mahe’Ra and the Bahari. Meanwhile, in the Camarilla, a secret investigation into Tal’Mahe’Ra infiltration in that Sect had been underway since 2001. When the Assamite Viziers arrived, they brought knowledge of the ancient conspiracy-like Sect and the Vizier Elders began collaborating with the Josian Archons to search for signs of infiltration. The extent of their discoveries was shocking but they waited for the opportune moment. When Camarilla spies gave reports of what was happening in the Sabbat, it became obvious that moment had arrived, for the Tal would be distracted. A list of every known Tal operative or puppet, along with overwhelming evidence, was delivered to the Inner Circle; the list of accused even included a Justicar. The Imperator was ordered to carry out a mass capture or kill effort against the Tal’Mahe’Ra. In light of the infiltration of the Justicars, all the holders of that position were dismissed and replaced. Out of recognition for their role in the investigation, the Assamite Viziers were granted the status of Pillar Clan. Now with its centuries-old networks in shambles and its existence known to the Camarilla and Sabbat global leadership, the end time plans of the Tal’Mahe’Ra had been crippled.
2008-2012, a New Sect is Born: While recognizing the massive internal challenges his recently re-united Sect would face, Regent Temoch knew the Sabbat could only thrive in war. But he also knew they could not survive another confrontation with the Camarilla after the failed Gehenna Crusade. As such he chose to target three independent Clans. The Setites literally worshiped an Antedilluvian, making them an enemy that could further unite the Sabbat, and often had lucrative drug smuggling and human trafficking operations to take over. Clan Giovanni had taken advantage of the Sabbat’s recent troubles to conquer several of their domains, including the traditional Sect stronghold of Detroit, and had even more wealth to plunder. While Temoch’s ambitions for the Setite and Giovanni offensive rose no higher than to demonstrate strength and loot, his attacks on the Gangrel were seen as a first step into coercing the Clan as a whole into Sabbat membership. This raiding campaign, however, would ultimately backfire. Pressed by unprecedented Sabbat assaults, the three Clans began to strike mutual defense deals on the local level. Eventually talks were arranged to discuss formalizing these pacts in Las Vegas during May 2011. Negotiations were long lasting and almost broke down completely multiple times. Though the Clans had little in common, what united them was alienation from the Camarilla and the awareness that, had it been them the Sabbat came for in 1999, they likely would not have survived. As is often their fashion, the Ravnos arrived to the convention unannounced and uninvited at the eleventh hour. Strangely, this intervention by the Ravnos, seeking security in the aftermath of their devastation, helped finalize the talks, and the Independent Alliance was forged by the four Clans. A year later, the representatives reconvened to discuss several petitions to join the Alliance. One came from a contingent of True Brujah who had coordinated with the North African Setites in recent decades. Another came from a lineage of Lasombra Antitribu. And the last came from a cabal of Old Clan Tzimisce. This second convention was even more difficult than the first but ultimately a compromise was reached. All three would be admitted but, because the petitioners would not bring the majority of their Bloodlines into the Sect, they would only be granted association in the Alliance rather than full membership.
2009, with a Whimper: Ten years later, and just as mysteriously as it had appeared, the Red Star vanishes. In the coming years, Kindred society will come to refer to this turbulent decade as the False Gehenna.