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Sects
Feb 11, 2007 22:57:35 GMT -5
Post by Tami on Feb 11, 2007 22:57:35 GMT -5
Sects
Sects are groups of vampires and clans that supposedly share a common ideology. They are a modern contrivance, but an important one. Sects as they are known in these nights first surfaced after the Great Anarch Revolt, a continent-wide upheaval which took place in Europe during the 15th century. Many elders accept sect membership grudgingly, deriding sects as "foolishness -- the Blood is all that matters." In nights before the Great Anarch Revolt and the Inquisition, these elders claim, there were no sects at all. Other vampires argue that this is still true -- a vampire in a sizable city may go a decade or more without ever seeing another Kindred, so of what use is a sect?
Regardless, most vampires belong to one sect or another; others claim independence, no preference, or that they are affiliated with their clan, not a sect. The sect known as the Camarilla is arguably the largest and most prevalent, though its rival the Sabbat has recently made considerable inroads against it and still opposes the Camarilla at every turn. The secretive Inconnu, when it may be reached for comment, maintains that it is not a sect, although it seems to be organized and manages to steer clear of the other sects. On the opposite side of the coin, the anarchs make much show of pretending to be a sect, though they are the first to enlist Camarilla aid when the Sabbat appears at a city's borders. Thus, the Camarilla considers the anarchs to be under its purview.
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Sects
Feb 11, 2007 22:58:26 GMT -5
Post by Tami on Feb 11, 2007 22:58:26 GMT -5
The Camarilla
The largest sect of vampires in existence, the Camarilla concerns itself with the Masquerade, thereby hoping to maintain a place for Kindred in the modern nights. The Camarilla is an open society; it claims all vampires as members (whether they want to belong or not), and any vampire may claim membership, regardless of lineage.
According to the often-contradictory history of the Kindred, the Camarilla came to be at the end of the Anarch Revolt, sometime in the 15th century. The Kindred of Clan Ventrue loudly claim to have been instrumental in the sect's formation, to which many Kindred owe their unlives. With the enforcement of the Masquerade, Kindred had a means of foiling the Inquisition, a Church office sworn to the destruction of supernatural creatures.
Though the Camarilla is the largest sect, just over half of the 13 known vampire clans actively participate in its affairs. The sect holds meetings attended by active clans' representatives; these gatherings are known as convocations. It also calls periodic conclaves, which are open to any and all members of the sect, to discuss matters of imminent sect importance. Only justicars, officers elected by the Inner Circle to attend to matters of the Traditions, may call conclaves. Justicars are always of great age, and rightly feared; as such, their interpretations of the Traditions are heeded out of self-preservation. Coteries of vampires known as archons attend the justicars; meeting an archon is usually a portentous event.
Officially, the Camarilla does not recognize the existence of the Antediluvians or Caine. It reasons that these vampires, if they ever existed at all, have long since suffered the Final Death, and those who allude to them are publicly derided.
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Sects
Feb 11, 2007 22:59:17 GMT -5
Post by Tami on Feb 11, 2007 22:59:17 GMT -5
The Sabbat
Rumored to have its origins in a medieval death cult, the Sabbat is greatly feared by Kindred who do not belong to it. The sect is monstrous and violent, and no longer clings to any trappings of human philosophy or morality. Members instead revel in their vampiric unlives. Sometimes referred to as the Black Hand, the Sabbat actively seeks the overthrow of the Traditions, the destruction of the Camarilla, and the subjugation of humankind.
The Sabbat recruits wherever it takes hold, spreading like a poisonous weed and tearing down the established institutions around it. Unlike the Camarilla, the Sabbat recognizes the existence of the Antediluvians, though it rabidly opposes them. According to Sabbat propaganda, the Antediluvians pull the strings of the entire world, and it is this malignant control they oppose. They see the Camarilla as pawns of the Ancients, and oppose its members politically as well as physically. Most Sabbat express bilious contempt for the vampires of the Camarilla, whom they see as cowardly wretches unable to accept their predatory natures.
Outsiders know little about the Sabbat's inner workings. Some Camarilla Kindred even doubt its existence, believing it to be a rumor created by elders to keep troublesome childer in line -- an undead boogeyman. Lurid tales about the sect spread like wildfire, including claims that its members indulge in ceaseless diablerie, worship demons, hunt and kill other vampires, and possess the ability to break blood bonds. They only consistent rumor attributed to the Sabbat is its members' apparent love of fire -- the sect has a fearsome reputation for leaving burning wakes behind it.
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Sects
Feb 11, 2007 22:59:50 GMT -5
Post by Tami on Feb 11, 2007 22:59:50 GMT -5
The Inconnu
The Inconnu are not a sect so much as they are a disparate group of like-minded vampires. No longer wishing to be the puppets of those older than they, and tired of the incessant maneuvering of those younger than they, the Inconnu seem to have dropped out of the Jyhad altogether. This is what distinguishes an Inconnu vampire from those of other sects -- the Inconnu distance themselves from other vampires and their contemptible machinations.
The Inconnu are rumored (as no one ever really goes looking for them) to be of great age and potency. Many reportedly spend much time in torpor or otherwise sleeping, the better to avoid the Jyhad. Some Kindred liken the Inconnu to the Antediluvians, claiming that they have grown away from the world and into a timeless, inhuman mindset. Other Kindred believe that the Inconnu all pursue or have attained Golconda, a fabled state of vampiric transcendence.
Kindred who deal with the Inconnu typically leave the encounter with a sense of profound mystery and awe. Although the Inconnu seem to be informal and loosely organized, they communicate very well among themselves. Inconnu know when to avoid Kindred, when to hide from them and when to unleash their significant power to turn vampires away. Their agenda, if they even have one, is unknown.
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Sects
Feb 11, 2007 23:00:14 GMT -5
Post by Tami on Feb 11, 2007 23:00:14 GMT -5
Gehenna Cults
As the fear of Gehenna grips the Kindred community, more and more Gehenna cults form. These groups, which resemble secret societies or cliques, are most common among the Camarilla, though some Gehenna cults pervade the Sabbat and even the Independent clans. Due to the stigma of belonging to a Gehenna cult, cult business is always conducted in secret, and the cults are officially derided as foolish rumor. In recent nights, though, they have proliferated, and certain vampires of great power and influence secretly belong to Gehenna cults.
Gehenna cults exist to prepare for, or prevent, the end of the world. Fearing the culmination of the Jyhad and the return of the Antediluvians, the cults prepare either to serve the Ancients (thus hopefully averting their own destruction when the end comes) or to discover the Antediluvians' hidden havens (thus striking preemptively against them and averting Gehenna outright).
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