Post by Tami on Feb 11, 2007 22:27:59 GMT -5
Since the close of the Middle Ages, the dangerous pavanne danced by Camarilla and Sabbat has shaped the face of Kindred society. The bloody conflict has broken millions of human lives and shaped the secret history of cities across the world.
Of course, there are some clans that watch both sets leap at one another's throats in the name of the Jyhad -- and prefer to have none of that, thank you very much. Although they certainly have the pedigree of true clans (as opposed to the mongrel bloodlines that occasionally surface), the four independent clans share a powerful disinclination to "take sides" in the Jyhad. Of course, some of the younger members of each clan can be found in both Camarilla and Sabbat. However, the elders of the independent clans plot toward their own inscrutable purposes, purposes that would be delayed by such nonsense as sect allegiance.
It would be foolish to assume that the average member of an unaligned clan is somehow possessed of an absolute allegiance to her clan's ideal. Like all other Kindred, the independents are vampires first and clan members second. Most of these Cainites are concerned with their personal goals first and foremost, whether or not they coincide with (or serve) those of their clans. This fact serves only to aggravate outside observers further; an independent vampire is often a true wild card, with neither sect politics nor clan law as a guideline for predicting her behavior.
And yet...
And yet, rumor has it that the elders of the independent clans are awake in greater numbers than those of any other bloodline. One clan has thrown off an ancient spell that kept it in check, presumably due to the direct intervention of its forebears. Another, the youngest of the clans, allegedly has enjoyed the unceasing patronage of its founder since the Renaissance. The terrible and merciless Methuselahs of a third are said to be throwing off the earth of the ages and summoning their childer to them. And the fourth...
But despite such talk, the childer of each independent clan continue their activities as if all is well, offering as much loyalty to their clans as they did before. If they are indeed pawns of their Antediluvian sires, they are apparently ignorant of the fact -- or worse, fully cognizant, and quite acquiescent.
Of course, there are some clans that watch both sets leap at one another's throats in the name of the Jyhad -- and prefer to have none of that, thank you very much. Although they certainly have the pedigree of true clans (as opposed to the mongrel bloodlines that occasionally surface), the four independent clans share a powerful disinclination to "take sides" in the Jyhad. Of course, some of the younger members of each clan can be found in both Camarilla and Sabbat. However, the elders of the independent clans plot toward their own inscrutable purposes, purposes that would be delayed by such nonsense as sect allegiance.
It would be foolish to assume that the average member of an unaligned clan is somehow possessed of an absolute allegiance to her clan's ideal. Like all other Kindred, the independents are vampires first and clan members second. Most of these Cainites are concerned with their personal goals first and foremost, whether or not they coincide with (or serve) those of their clans. This fact serves only to aggravate outside observers further; an independent vampire is often a true wild card, with neither sect politics nor clan law as a guideline for predicting her behavior.
And yet...
And yet, rumor has it that the elders of the independent clans are awake in greater numbers than those of any other bloodline. One clan has thrown off an ancient spell that kept it in check, presumably due to the direct intervention of its forebears. Another, the youngest of the clans, allegedly has enjoyed the unceasing patronage of its founder since the Renaissance. The terrible and merciless Methuselahs of a third are said to be throwing off the earth of the ages and summoning their childer to them. And the fourth...
But despite such talk, the childer of each independent clan continue their activities as if all is well, offering as much loyalty to their clans as they did before. If they are indeed pawns of their Antediluvian sires, they are apparently ignorant of the fact -- or worse, fully cognizant, and quite acquiescent.