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    Clanbook Brujah (Revised)

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pdf
    33 views106 pages

    Clanbook Brujah (Revised)

    Uploaded by

    Nestor Marquez-Diaz
    Clanbook Brujah (Revised)

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Crepiis, Weitten and Daoloped bys Justin Achill Mind's Eye Theatre Systems by: Deine Ri Editor: James Stewart ‘Art Dieectoe: Richi Thomas Layout 61 Typeseting: Heck Jollersten Interior Art: Mike Danza, Steves Mic Jones, and Chis Shy Front Cover Art: Jobn Van Fest Front & Back Cover Design: Becky Jollensten Gane StTublO © 2000 White Wolf Publabing, Inc. All rights reserved Reproduction wi fen permission of dhe pub lisher ts expresly forbidden, except for the purpenes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be ep nal use only. White Wolf, Vampite the Vampire dhe Duth Ages Mage the Ascensi ‘World of Darkness and Aberrantite registered trademarks of ‘White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, Changeling the Dream. ing, Hunter the Reckoning, Werewoll the Wild West, Mage he Sorcerer, Crusade, Wrath the Great War, Trinity, Guide to the Sabbat, Vaimpite hook and Clanbook Bruja ae trademarks fof White Wolf iy Ine Al rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein ate copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, In ‘The mention of or reference chal any company of product in these pages ion concerned. ‘Speciar THannes Chris "Young 1" MeDonough, for the digitally eu ited works in progress (wil sound effects), Mike "Suburbia" Tinney, for dragging the time-honored ‘karaoke into the depths Becky "Dominatrix Jallensten.for literally whptane the old ‘caper into shap “Ickybod” Boull, for startin with calscnes and ending brief top at Slepy Hollow ‘Steve “Bane Mammy” Wick, for making the servants Apophis all wussy Far Botoces The coffee spilling, bithroom-defitng, tash-stacking Shinty, Cc L A WN B Oo Oo K : BRUJAY CONTENTS ANiGHt Lite ANY OTHER Cuaprer ONe: MILLENNIA OF ConrLict Cuaprer Two: UNiire AMONG THE BRUJAH Cnaprer Turee: THe RABBLE SRANK A Nicur Lire ANY OTHER DD hadu'l ceached wy Can ol aol be a Pamplee. J ceimember slandivd,on the slreel cocuer, wallins tor a bus, Ihiwking, “Seen, does always catn in this city?" Thal was Ihe wikhtD died. adhen 2 look back on tt nou, Dlink of Uke al those oer cai wigs — as 1 God perconally punchu= ated auolher foomalive chaplee of mylife wilk-caln because ke though we eymbolicws badu't ye! been bealen to dealh: Diestned when aoa dumped me a TPs nok you, tH me"). Ikeatned when They diagnosed my wolher wilh lund cancer F and tl cained when 3 sent tothe hospice to See her. W rated the day Iurecked my | cae, whichis why Iivas watttud 4or a bus im the first places Cause and effect isa 4} candy thing; HED didu't have te wail for the bus, would my cre have found me? Thad fuel stepped tulo the bus-slop kiosk. 5 collapse, my wnbeella and shook, We ial eo ny ld eh cecil gn a le spy he gid Ihe bench. ‘The kiosk had one of those backlit mint-billboard ads — a beidhl yellow. sid advertising some aleb site. The elker duy sabia droul of th, the lidld from the sti making i look jaundiced. ae exchanied enply pleasaulres, consciously.” avelding che coulact and ecal conversalion, jusl like everyone else wt the ctly. Those cace limes you do make eyé coulact with someone, he's wvacably some sheet ltalic, by dor movey or watluglo lab you behiculic 4H and clk i. Dchecleed wy walch — 6:24. II was wiuler, so il had already been dark foc abou! au hour. like thal, or 3 guess ts more apprepriale lo say 9 liked it, Bud Sauyway, J ee thal J shill had a dood ainc minules before Ihe bus showed up. aie uy luck, 9 could make It fo he deli accoss the sircel and be back in lime for the next bus. Awl never gous to happen,” sald a voice trom the end of the kiosk *) bed your eae Jasked. Ramil, 9 Ihouskl lomysel}, you answered Nox he'é Joins to lalle fo wou “Deald, it atu'l uever Soiud lo happe, You waul lo eux ove Iheee aud piel up asandvich or a or somelling and make it back in lime tocalch the bus. You know beller han thal. The second you step tuto hal store, the bus'll come Fale.” Dlooked him over, preparing 0 slaling smick of dismtssal. Xe those weted, arly ly ri 2 lasses, cleatghl| indy shidd — zilher a lz il or a millionaire Julerne athe wasw'l a decelic And he had a pol iil, holhered we Thal D hand beew'so \eauspaccul. Reckaps he tas fuck excep bub it hasu’l been my expecence Ihal overcelimalins people “alas D Ikal obvious?” J asked. oF F > Dite ol thal you'ee cacy lo ead. Jou fuck excry youdsel} wale beside bays youwanl wore oul of the and you'ce yallind to talee a ciskelo set it.” Dawu!) should have seen lis coming, 1¢. was trying fo rope we into come mar- keeling scheme or talk we Julo purchasing, a lime-share or somelhind, “Don't det pissed off. twas a pe —— wosl people yeu see al bus stops 31 doInk from home lo. work or from work fo homes yun know? D's all they wnat to do — make ends wcel. You, though. You're piece You look forward when youwalk, nol down. You shook the water off your fackel inslead of leHing t make you miserable. You wanted lo pick up your magaxine bul shill catch the bus, £0 you've obviously dol somenhere to be.” thalthe kell was this? Dt almost made me lang. sere J was, I "3, to st “y sandwich (uot magarine) andmake Ht home iu time to see Jeopardy} aud Ihis ui was making me-out to be some high-powered overachiever 4rom a oe Aolte book: “Bul you dou'l see thw yourself. You dou'l lel wourcelt aul more.” Atkunderkead broke and Ihe rain came pourtnd down harder Ihan before. J woke lo secalching al my wtadow. 9 did Ink tobe scared. 24.9 had howd aboul tl for « moment, I'd lave cee t, because my spadment te on the aixtl floor; tl could have ouly been bieds or cals. 2 didn’t think, Ihoudh, and bolled up- cldil when 3 heard the wolse. was the suy from the bus stop. ae croucked on tke sill oulside, acms oulstrelched above lis head, knees beut, leks dandling tu the ate. The k was only about six inches wide, bul he seemed ison a ! J should have seceamed oc can. Called the police. Auylhiud, J couldu'l, ate waved me over'lo him. 3 couldu'l cesisl. ate Siac for ine fo open the window, a sean, smile crossing his face, showlnd wore and more leelh as J dumbly followed “Wie melruchons. As the window came open, J heard Ihe cam culeide "Hs fucking soaking out here. Invile me tu," he sald. SoD did. Ay dues! clambered through the ds weaclag a ane lealher coal aid a paic cf creased wool pauls, ae hadu't chansed his elicl from before, bul wow I could cee the bold cullines of muscle bencall. ate saasi’l bully, gucl defined, ac Hf all of the extraneous fal thal would have been ona typical person had been Hlensed aviay, leaving only vhhal was vital. The bizare cleommslances biad finally bedun to cedleler in my ticed mindA mau D had mel ala bus slalion had climbed lhrousl my salh-sion widow because Thad asked him in. “You thu I'm eons abou! you, dou'l you?* ke asked, sill smiling, “alait... whal do you mean?” 3 ceplied arsluacdly, cealizing ust how wach brouble 3 ad brought upon vy self. J wched back loward my bedroom door. ¢ emile had the fealures of a hurler, chacp and loclhy. Even his eyes had the ced slow of « predalor, nol the pale §rceu simmer of prey, ate ad- vanced, every clep a lithe, pucposeful inclion, like a guudle cal ona Dlacovery Channel special. “You Inule you'e sallefied here you are? alain, wore thaw tts litle \ jours makes you unkappy, so yowisnore it. Bul'you're scared — scared “yareban cee th. Fe ceall Chad tone wed doalea backward, p bunbling my wai down the hall and tnlo the kikchen. The floodlisll from Ihe bill- board accoss the sbeect eeflected tuto the coom).maleiug tt less dim Thaw it should have been. Twas a cold, sterile Uhl, Morkanlc aud ioxflallerings Ht made wy dues! © lock posilively shoultok. 5 "2 don't know whal you'ec Tales akoul. 2 don'l wal onglhis » This, nactment's fine, aud J have a decent. for." voice quavered, a more ie a s0b.asJ calionalixed mysclt to thts ivslien teak. “9 gel all the chanwels, I've sol my 401k)..." J scrabbled across the kilchen counter, grabbing a Sabatier chef's keulfe, bul sank lo iny knces onthe linoleum. Au eyes led with tears. 3 didn't cally know what J was doing with the kutte: ‘Ace you holud to slab me? athy? Because you hale yousel}? Thal’s a clupld ceason to huel we, ten'bil2” J Wodded: The inleuder placed his foot on my shoulder and shoved me down. fumbled backward from my beat position, landing wUceremoutonsly On my Ass, hill clutching the lentfe. “hy will had vautehed, and 9 sucked iu sazping breaths ©] Uke a child crying hinsel} to suffocation. 4 "Take Thal bate aud do what you need to do. D'Il etna bath tor you.” As he tuened lis back tome, 3 sprang, trom my clumsy position. Bucyink Ahee tu hig kidney, 2 slumped to the around, dol even caicitd that Ke slill stood. Xe J lay on the floor tn % trol ol mw ctiea, d B Dheacd lhe lanife clatler ou the floor beside my head. J ceinded al lhe éound aud the tang of Ihe'blood. The mau whom J had gust stabbed tu the back walked down ike hall, past ny bedroom, aud'can a bath. Before loud, steam billowed from the ballroom dooniay. | thy buck ccluened Jo mi std. "Come on, then. No uced lo delay thts.” ate. picked me up under my anne, handed the knife back and gave me a push down Ihe hallway. A& 2 approached b the balloon, Ihe hall of hig blood grew faluter and falitlec, as if he wound had P cloged ilcelt while he walked. ‘A\Neam La Avs Ones 9 D> As Yelunbled down Ike Kall, 3 knew thal whal J was doing was'caary, Slill, 9 Kener thal deal wae belles tau wha! Shad. Before I wade Ho the balkroom, 3 used the kulte fo score my weiele: Likenmy locmenlor's bloodstalus iu'ceverse, J left acmall letclde al fics thal dcew4eom ee spalters tubo awucky, viscous tall. b Dropping the knife onthe,tiled valkcoom tloor, 3 climbed Inlo'the tub aud died. « . * Thunder woke ma, which wade no sense. Al firal 5 Ihowal Dhaddecamed il all, bul my Suesl's sardonic voice soon pul my hopes of Ihal lo ces. “aselcome back.” Jas tn my bed. The widow was closed and the clock buked thal annoying, "14:00" over and over — the power had hone oul al'some point. J fell a warw, tusly nausca in my gut. “alhal happened?” J asked. “Adel, Ihal's 4 loud clog? lave beoudhl you amous he indeed, bub 3 needed lobe sure you wanted it He b “So how made we kell 2 bitch..." D lost all lind} Mn, bead Deetdt cal ra oasis le hack} opin tyler boos ht bebe sAboul, bul il pissed me off. *Zskal Ihe te the matter wlll you?” The ced Ware ep! ctsing, ae le my hence, luce me and enn te le some ldo... sme. hal Ihe te thie! uc ftalsny Foy Malle ed ual spilt lf? thal ac yon dao do ie *Sceeu you! Adal eld do yo lasie—* Pbpace'me Ne dcama-quccit dlalod, You kuen vhal D was when 3 ached you lo opew the Dion feed. Yow nanle te * thal tke kell are you Laletus aboul? 3 dos't sail Intel 9 didu’l acke you lo... "hale you a vampire?” *9 don'heven believe in vamplves!” Tale disp. You sure ack like one.” Ate nodded Wie head lo owe cide, indicalis the eoenec of Ihe bedroom. Tn the corner lay Ike body of my neldhbor, a Wispauic commubity collede shudeul, ater Moat lad been lot ori ot aise Weal daudled uss cack, deom Nhe while and ced machling of he muscle beneath. Smeaced blood slreaked Ihe frou! of her cuted | body. ater Hloust had teeu ceudely torn aud wrenched sideways. The moulk kun} open. |) Glasey eyes peered al Ihe coom, séciug volhind. RD had alled her — The warisca in mi slomach was hee Hood wacmbis me frei wil J Rvoniled. Sood caaced oid of my mouth ‘aud all ovee lhe cheels. S SDow' waste, chilhcad.” Cike a bell, hs had cisen 4rom his seal-andl forced my tace osu into Ihe Hlecdy mess. "Now lake back wm; Thal’s 4 ood boy.” "i Foret Ihe cick back down akalu, J conlianed lo celch, Wis line divmnk up lees oF the ay » delicious Fwd. I nas dehsing — Srhasmlc pleasure fran suallening mow tule of bod “Keepill down. You're boing fo need sb sokere you'ce " - *athal? adhere am J geinb?” 3 looked al Ihe Zceahuc.tu.a pawieias he forked we 40m © mipted and luted a hand o} clothes al me: tg “Come ou — t's: lhme for Dope to meal Ike new Kindleed tn toon: Damn, if Youcando This fo yoursel}, jus} think of what you'll be able 10 do lossomcoue who plesce you of! “Oh, aud beng yore catucoat.” This kind of experience essary for the learning. —The Venus in Furs, "Baby's On Fire” How far the Brujah have fallen! How shiftless and impotent chey are! Such arethe common impressions held by mem- bers of other clans, from the elders who remember previous Brujah dispositions to the neonates who stumble into anarchic Bruah domains. As with any such simple generalizations, though, these are not altogether teve. Ta fact, more than anything eke, the history of the Brujah has marked them as agents of change, perhaps mote so than any other Kindred. While Ventrue and Lasombm tighten their talons around their ever-dwindling holdings in the modern sigh jor squander unlife with de- bauches reminiscent of the aristocracies of old, as the Nosferatu scuttle through their timeless subter the Brujah evolve. From the proud kings of Biblical times to the peophers and revolutionaries of the Final Nights, the Brujah The story of the Brujah reads like » « account of human history. Every major conflict in the World of Darkness has likely had a Brujah on ‘one side or the other. This de "t mean that every bartle fought for the sake of the Thirty Years’ War had undead participants, but that wore Brujah sp ported the Catholics while others supported the ists. And that's only on the Like and often more 40, the childer of Cain the Thirty Years’ War may well have h gious partisanship at all, but German reform, Dutch mercar gued for change, wounds in the afterm: What do the Kindred tly know of the Brujah, though? What do the Rabble know about them: selves! History blends seamlessly into legend when h of their failed revolutions. (Gauri Ox: Mewes ot Cont B chant to buy a sanguin, Wher rl th ele dc mn. THe SECOND Ciry and the wine seller. In the S rine me the goods you purport 10 sll, but you doubt ty honesty and mybearng inthe same breath! Assurely as lam the son of [Zillab], | will kill you!" Aind with chat, Brujah slew the tineselle, drank hisblod and took the wine he wought. He ft double the price of the wine, for the merchant's widow 10 find, This story illustrates how the Kindred of the Second City abused the mortals with impunity and the hazards of not accepting their supremacy. Noone knows why Brujah chose to torment and finally kill the wine seller, but he exercised his rights under the ind City’s law. Ifthistale is true, itanswersother questions, such as why the other members of the Third Generation mistrusted Rrujah, and why they: might have chosen to saddle him with the guile for their own misdeeds. Ofcourse, aswith any consideration of the Third Gsnermtion, Sther sécounts of Broleh very. In che parable “Brujah and the Three Coins,” the Antedi- Juvian appeats in a much more compassionate light, paying the magistrate’s legal fees for 0 destitute sronemason with “a com for justice, a coKn for fai ness, and a coin for virtue.” In other tales, he appears as the passionate advocate for change 90 many of his lineage affect.asisthe case in“Brujahraraithe DeadKing.” Running contrary to the rebellious image so often attributed to the Antediluvian is the revision~ ist impression that a few Brujah uphold. These Kindred claim that Brujah was in fact an extremely conservative Cainite, calm and logical. They offer other interpretations of the parables: With his three coins, Brujah was doing nothing moe than paying for justice asthe wealthy sometimes had to dofoe the poor in early civilizations; in “Brujah and the Dead King.” he saw the need for stability and placed someone onthe throne to keep the state from degen- erating into anarchy, Of course, both positions rely heavilyon the one undeniable fact that arises when dealing with Antediluvians — no one can ever know for certain. Even the fundamental sumptions one makes are based on hearsay at best, which significancly affects the position most Rabble take on the marter of |. Brujah’s most infamous progeny. Troe A figuresurrounded in asmmuch mystery asBrujah himself, Troile represents for many Rabble what has become the modern embodiment of the cl Sources discussing Troile vary greatly, even on the matter of the childe’s gender. The Methuselah, Meneleus refers to his sire as “he,” while other Kindred Embraced while Troile presumably still walked the land refer to “her.” A few accounts even: specify that Troile had no gender, or that it changed at whim. Because the majority of accounts make Troile masculine, this text assumes such to be the case. In any event, the tales of Troile's exploits have more in common with the modern Brujah mindset than the conflicting accounts of Beujah. Most Brujah, accept that their lineage truly descends from this figure, instead of his equally mythical ste, for ane reason: foul diablerie. Troile committed the Ama- ranch upon his sire, which is one of the most popular reasons accepted for the start of the kinslayer wars that ultimately destroyed the Second City Troile’s short temper was also legendary, corte- sponding tothe modern Brujah’s propensity for frenzy. Pervasive rumors attribute acold, detached demeanor to Troile's site, which may explain why Brujah Em- braced him —maybe he sought adifferent viewpoint, or pethaps the Embrace resulted from a simple a Emetion of ppasites. The Book of Nod describes the Brujah as the “Learned Clan,” though none can say whether this refers to the brood of Brujah or the descendents of Troile. Going forward from the time of Troile and the Second City, the Brajah were still quite often philosophers, poetsand historians aswell aswarriors. In fact, the Curse of Troile — the clan's propensity for rage — may be one of the more backhanded blights Caine attributed to his childer, much like the Nosferatu’s reputed ugliness to atone for their progenitor’s vanity. Instead of being left to watch and record their world objectively, Caine may well hive cursed thechiklerof Traile withwildpassion, The most disturbing legends of Troile owe much to the oral history of the period. Few stories place Troile and Brujah together at any time — the Kin- dred have no accounts of, for example, Troile’s Embrace or the sire explaining the Curse of Caine to his childe. Skepties among the clan speculate that Brujah and Troile are the same Kindeed — Brajah ‘may have suddenly needed to change his ilentity ot hide from some terrible foe, and fabricated his own diablerie to corroborate his disappearance. The pos- ity, while remote. ise ogether inconceivable: The inconsistencies inreports of Troile’s gendermay have resulted from Brujah changing his appearance while he adapted to his new entity. The radical chide” may have ccome in response to the new identity, or may stem from a curse bestowed by the First Vampire. chife in personality from “sire” Gurus Ox: Miuowacr Covet Most reasonable Brujah dismiss this tale surd. They posit thar Troile cam treachery for which their clan atones nightly of, an account popular among Sabbar, that the war against Antediluvians began | justifying theie at Jyhad. By all modern belief, Troile has long since n ifhe, she or itever existed at al. In re the ideology of the Camarilla ply their own version of the creation myth, intended co explain the twilight before re corded history Tue Divisinwar Rroon One of the most pervasive ms the diffe cages spawned by these ew sumably separate Cainites. The general conven: that those Kindred hemsclveaddeavcrnd from Troile, as described above. Some Kindred m apart from Troile Brujah Embr ain other Kindred who sur vived the forn ery and Embraced broods of their own. Known through rumor as the “first brood” and the “True Brujah,” these controversy and fear with the merest whisper of their passing Of course, few Kindred have ever met any veri fiable members of this secret bloodline. While Gehenna draws nearer, reports of the True Beujah have arisen with alarming frequency, but these ac counts are secondhand, false, or impossible tc authenticate even cynics have (o consider. Self-avawed expert and Kindred historians sometimes attribute True Brujah with participation in the elusive “Black Hand." a sect within the Sabbat that has been ec fused with che entire sect in the past. Therelationship between this fabled Black Handand the Sabbat itself wn — some maintain that the Black Hand ly another name for the Sabbat while others that it is an autonomous body. Still other 1 the Black Hand is an entirely inde pendent entity and the only one to which the True Brujah belony wutdone, some hysterical Kindred tell grave tales of the invisible sect’s col lapse and the subsequent flight of the True Bruja t the lands of their origin, northern Africa. Lacking definitive proof, the ultimate fate of the True Brujah remains half myth, half speculation. FasLep CARTHAGE Tied inextricably to the demeanor of the clan is the fate of Carthage, a once-thriving African port located on the Mediterranean Sea. Karthadasht, by 600 D.C., hind become the capitol of the Phoenician, civilization, and its history before that dates back pethaps 150 years, though some legends place its origins even earlier. To hear those Brujah who spent part of their unlives in Carthage, the city was a utopia in which Kindred and kine coexisted in flaw- less symbiosis. Younger Brujah, including the more educated amongthe modern nights’ neonates, some- times refer to the city as though they had been there, conjuring an ideal Cainite city-state free from the restrictions imposed by the Masquerade. Almost all, Bruiah, whether or not they have any grounds to do: so, blame the Ventrue for the destruction of this idyllic city. Although little concrete evidence exists, most accounts of Carthage portray it ac a pit of turpitude, at least at the time of its sacking by the Romans during the Third Punic War (146 B.C.). The promi- nent religion, as in many Phoenician states, was Baalism, which local Cainites twisted to their own, ends, By the time of its fall, the city hosted nightly bloodbaths; sacrifices of children, virginsandslaves; demonic rites; orgies and all manner of luxurious indulgence. Certainly, the city had its glories — in herjournals, theancient Kindred Altamira described Carthage as a city in “perfect harmony with the Canaille, free from the restrictions of any prince. Some [Kindred] had discovered how to control the Beast, and others had been pulled back from the very depths of frenzy. Together, mortals and immortals [created] a wondrous, eternal city of peace, progress and equality.” The reality of the matter was not so bright, however, due to the decadent rituals de- scribed above, the Phoenician conflict with Rome, the powerlust of Cainites and the short, brutal na- ture of life during the time. Karthadashe attracted many Kindred, though it was most thoroughly influenced by Brujah, with a significant body of Phocnician Assamites cultivat: ing a distant second share. The mighty warrior, orator and reputed childe of Troile, Meneleus made his haven there, as did the barbarian philosopher Almira. And the city suffered no dearth of morcal visionaries, such as the mighty Hannibal, the scourge of Rome For centuries, Carthage enjoyed its debased prominence, with Brujah and Aceamites walking wt veritable gods among the mortals of the city. The Brujah Critias established a Socratic school there; Xenophon the historian received his Embrace there; Dida tnived her own cule among the Impoveruled and al-Ashrad visited in the nights before becoming Kindred himself. The enmity of Greece and later Rome conspired against Carthage in the long run, however. Allied with the declining Eruscans, cut off from the Per- sian Phoenicians, Carthage began its decline Government changed from a focused dictatorship to the rulership of squabbling oligarchs — the sufet magistrates, nobles and warmasters. As the Punic ‘Wars came to a head, Carthage’s coffers had been 0 plundered by greedy nobles and selfish Kindred that theccity couldn't affordta pay its armies. Instead, the rulers threw parties and orgies for the soldiers to distract them fromthe fact thatthey couldn't be paid for their services. The Rrujah had un decentralized the sufetsand nobles with their own power playsthat they had no hope of winning the Punic Wars, despite Hannibal's ingenious tactics and those of the cun- ning Cainive Dominic (see below). Meneleus left Carthage to seck aid from the Nosferatuand Gangrel of the southern continent when the city's great betrayal came, some say at the hands of a beautiful Toreador who was Mencleus's nemesis. The Roman forces swept in, influenced by a queasy coalition of Ventrué, Malkavians and a few Toread nd de- stroyed the city. ‘Carthaginian Kindred fled as the city bumed, and the Romans salted the earth to prevent any who had taken shelter in the soil fr sack of the city, Carthage neve “idyllic” conditions the Brujah under Roman rule after the Third Punic War and remained partof the empire, weathering an invasion of Vandals in the 5th century A.D, and finally, destruction at the hands of Arabs in 698 A.D. The razing of Carthage profoundly affected the Brujah, to whom it had been a sort of home city, free from the ubiquitous influence of the Ventrue and Toreador elsewhere. Since that time, many Brujah haveentertained, however untealistically, the dream of rebuilding Carthage or creating it anew at a different location. Todatevall ofthese attemptshave failed, and the Brujah stl! harbor a festering grudge... Foroorten Invits a ‘Certain documents letters and passages sug gest that despite the horrors of Carthage, not alll Brujah were idolaters.and blood-soaked lends. Many modern Brujah stholars cannot help. but smile at this — the clan's ignorant. neonates) assume that the city was a Kindred utopia, the. more erudite, maintain that it was a crucible blood. and thors few whe Losk avon daspee chon the casual researchers have tumed up a bit evidence that the ignorant neonates might have been right, after all. ‘ Although most concrese evidence suggests: that Carthage did indeed degenerate into ait’ arrogant, sactificial debasemeng, atleast one group of Brujah desired more than blood-tithes, Known! as the Promethians, these progressive Brujah de-| sired a return to the more idyllic incarnation Carthage, in which Kindred and mortals side by side symbiotically, Kindred scholars in the modern nights are of two minds on the maccer — some suggest that the Fromethians were merely. apologists who acknowledged thefall of Carthage: after the fact, while others ascribe an active po-. litical agenda to the group during the time of) Carthage's thriving. Most Cainite historians agree, however, that the Promethians were active dur ing the Dark Ages and probably for some time) before that, | ‘As is often the ease, some theorigtsieaply an} ‘even more sinister relationship. The Promethians — mostly Brujah by theory, no doubt. with a few! Assamite Carthaginians as well— may well have some sort of link to a cult of Roman Ventruc,) Toreador and Malkavians, who are speculated to have become what is known as the Inconny. The! state of Golconda has been attributed more than} jonce to each of these groups (or perhaps sub-} factions within them...), and both have the ‘sommon ground of their collapsed empires. Ger- tainly, stranger allegiances have been forged over the course of Kindred history. r ved tated J THe DARKAGES As the Roman Empire disintegrated, the world of the Cainites followed the lead of the morcal world, degenerating intocenturies of barbarism. As govern- ments became purely local affairs and the economies cof Europe shifted to backbreaking agrarianism, few people had time for such luxuries as education. The Portion of the population that wielded euch knowl- edge usually used it toward a different end — the Church, Christianity had become the universal reli- gion of Western Europe and even thrived under ifcrene ogni tnt Eastern Europe. The population of the Western world tuned to the Church to pro- vide them with the rewards of the aftetife; heaven promised far more than the mortal coil, but only far the just and faiehul Canny Kindred saw uses for the specialized skills of the clergy as well. Indeed, if not for the insight of the Church and a few Kindred who skulked within its houses of God, the modern world might have tumed out a very different place, ‘The Ints MonasticENDEAVOR: During the 3th dhrough the 10th centurees, the Church existed for two ends. it served its true purpose, to deliver the Word of God to his children. But the Church hadalsobecomean entity of immense politi- al power, able to deny any individual access to the Kingdom ‘of Heaven. It owned lands, which was primarily the purview of the noble class, and col- lected tithes, which the nobles levied and called taxes. Assuch, the Church had access to many of the benefitsof nobility, aswell as exemption from taxation. Ithad afew other asvetsas well; the most important was literacy. Moxt clerical records of the period relate specifi- cally tothe Church — land deeds, interpretations of religious texts, and the philosophies of theologians. In other caves, the Church — being the only institution wich uch a large body of literate scholars — collected books, whether or not they served a religious purpose. After all, when the lord of the ‘manor earesonly forthe taxes that pay hisdebes, and thepeasant who works the land tills the fields by day and eats a meager meal by night, rate is the person whohasa need for books. Before the invention of the printing press, each book had to be crafted by hand — recording information took many hours, which, to the average person, were better dedicated to grow- ing enough food to keep from starving. ‘Two notable Irish Brujah knew the perils of losing this valuable information. As old and traveled Kindred, they knew other civilizations had ideas to offer. Likewise, the ideas that arose from those times deserved to be recorded for posterity. To this end, Clara of Cork and Fergal the Pious of Clan collected the written word, making copies of valuable books and saving them in libraries for the edification of Gone0o Brut those living conte -w hours to this noble s of her abbey co work writing and copying books. Fergal, in wveled all over Western and East- em Europe, northern Africa, and the Near East in pursuit of written treasures. end, put certain catalog As the rest of the world busied itself with wars of territory and the daily ordeal of survival, these two Kindred convinced other Irish abbots to undertake ne preservative efforts in their own mona It, the Church's libraries were eepositories of knowledge that would have otherwise been lost to the world. Without the written legacy of hu t's quite possible that the Dark Ages may lasted forever THe Hicu Mippie AGes Many Kindred refer to period as “the Long Nigh,” an age just prior to the bbut subsequent to the brutality ipse of the Roman Empire inning of thie ofthese, that followed the co ng fled the oppressive Venn Brujah relocat the empire, to places I lands surrounding the Carpathi area known as Transyl The mention of Transylvania, Hungary and the Danube usually conjures images of th skulking Nosferat truth, the Hungarian Brujah were quit perhaps clans. But because they were not the indigenous Kindred of the “land beyond the forest,” clans forced them into bands of Trimisce or nests of Nosfera played as important a role, if less ley the local Fiends rity. While THe CLasite The Brujah’s abandonment of the Malkavian: and Ventrue-dominated inner Roman provinces took place early in the Christian Era. Mig fBeujal may have taken place as early as the first century A.D..and Rabble certainly accompanied the armies of Trajan into the region shortly thereafter. It’s also urna Ov: Museo Comer 19 —————— probable that Brujah rode with Acti the Hun, orat leat followed in hie w mingthe fit few centuries A.D., Eastern European and Near Eastern Brujah traveled with the Gangrel across the land, pillaging with the barbarian hordes. Over the pre- ceding the High Middle Ages, the Brojah found themselves in acurious position as they slowly settled into the valleys and forests around the Carpathians: and Danube, “The onginal mortal population of Romanians (Roman-Dacians) suffered a slow displacement as the Magyars, who would become “Hungarians” when the kingdom eared its independence, settled the land. The Komanians, known as Vlachs, watched the Magyars usurp their power under conquests led by mortals and Kindred alike. Thus, the indigenous Viachs had become a sort of underelass — the na- tives of the land occupied the bottom rung of the social ladder. Dominic, the Brujah warlord, accom- panied the usurping Magyars and established place forhimselfamone the bureeoning aristocracy. Alone with a handful of Szeklers — Roman Catholics set- ting in the area — the Brujah and Roman Ventrue subjugated the original stock rom which the Tzimisce lords and Gangrel prowlers had drawn their childer. Buffered by Saxons to the West and threatened by the vestiges of the Goths and other barbaric tribes to the east, Hungary suffered an identity exisis and terrible social upheaval. The Tzimisce aristocrats and their mortal fel- lows struggled for dominance under the Brujab influx. The social balance shifted radically, with the origi naldwellers of the region occupying the highest and lowest tiers, and the conquerors, immigrants and diplomats assuming the levels above the serfdom and alsothe lesser aristocracies. The lesser aristocracy, of course, wanted to displace the existing rulers and assume power themselves. The native rulers resisted fiercely, clashing with anyone it perceived as threat. The Romanian boyar nobles, among whom the Toimisce invested their influence, slowly bur surely gave way to the dominance of Ventrue-backed Magyars and Szcklers Clan Brujah, trapped hetween the imperialist Ventrue and the hoary Tzimisce, rankled under the this powerful press. It was their influence that ini- tially weakened the long-standing Tsimisce power in the ares, which many Brujah sought for themselves. The Ventrue jackals, however, saw that Hungary seemed ripe for the taking and rode the Brujah's coattails, basing their own bids for power on che jo Invfacs a cfforts of the Rabble who had gone before them. The Brjah raged ac they raged after the rack af Carthage, bur even the Rabble knew that something had to give. What the Brujah didn’t know was how far the inevitable confrontation would go. Aside from its sevestiyy Ure Drujels shwsthin tes Temeeylvonin wer nothing new —as long as the Kindred have existed- they have warred with each other and allowed their own vendettas to bleed out into the world around them. This time, though, it was different. This was no mere antipathy for a rival group of Cainites, but 1 fullscale hatred. The Transylvanian Brujah de- spised the encroaching Ventrue and the truculent Tsimisce. Rabble like Dominic still bore the scars from the collapse of Carthage while younger Brujah saw their own litany of failures at the hands of their enemies. The time for politics had passed — the frustrated Brujah saw their ole option as open revolt. ‘The initial stirrings of the rebellion surfaced as cearly as the 10th century, The patriarch Dominic, ciding with the military forces thot inveded Esstern Hungary, had his brocd feed vampiric vitae to their soldiers. By making them ghouls, Dominic and his fellows not only created a more powerful army but alse ensured the tre * loyalty, or at least depen. dency. Dominic set hissights on analliance with the powerful ruler, Bulsca, a lynchpin in his strategy to. hamstring Ventrve influence. Bulscu had his own plans, however, and saw dealing with Ventrue as more beneficial than committing himself to the spiteful and anarchic Brujah. Before long, Bulscu received the Ventrue Embrace, once again thwart- ing Brujah plans to cripple them. Dominic was livid. After the Transylvanian cam- paign, he turned his back on the larger Jyhad, focusing instead on hispersonal hatreds. Hiswarwasno grand ‘experiment to stave off the ennui of his elder years, but a murderous elimination of his oes. As Dominic reasoned, if he couldn't win the game, he'd change the rules. Other Brujah flocked to Dominic's banner, for not only was he charismatic, experienced and po- tent, his personal crusade embodied the Brujah passion. Other Brojah found themselves inspired by him, as his rage against his many rivals ignited the ‘emotions within them. Dominic had no illusions as to the nature of this war: He didn't want to lead a clan eruside, he wanted Final Death for his foes. The rebellion became a guerrilla war, with the Rabble using tactics almost unheard of at the time, Packs of Brujah rampaged across Transylvania, striking against Carson Bat Magyar Ventrue, Romanian Teimisce, isolated Nodferara domains and even mortal inuticucions Their fury unchecked, the Brujah terrorized Eastern Hungary and berond. They were as brutal as any ‘Tsimisce, but far less exacting, leaving sacked vil- lages and easenguinaved vonpeee tn thelr wake. For two centuries, the Brujah plagued the area before the cone of the rebellion shifted. Having already earned the reputation as anti-monarchists and political maniacs, the anarchistic Brujah be- came the first “anarchs.” By the turn of the 13th century, other Kindred who heard of them or ob- served them extrapolated the Brujah cause to theit ‘own ideals, More and more, Kindred attacked the institutions that had upheld the society ofthe undead for millennia. Young Cainites especially were se- duced by the erowing revolt. left as they were to the mortal influences that the avaricious elders hadn't already hoarded for themselves. The Brujah revolu- tion had taken on an unlife of its own, creating copycat factions and eplintar groupe wherever Kin dred spoke of the matter. Young Cainites marauded through the night in groups known as Furores, anarchs, covens and collections of “anti-clans” who had forsaken their heritage and pursued unlife as they saw ‘Themselves enamored of the Brujah resistance against their greedy elders, rogue Trimisce, Ventrue and Nosferatu in Hungary joined the cause. While they harbored itl love forthe out-of-control Brujah who had made a horror show of Transylvania for as longasthey could remember, the dissatisfied Cainites cof Hungary saw their elders distracted by the anarch menace and used the opportunity to make a place for themselves. As the H4th century approached, the Brujah had raged for so long that most Kindred had come to accept that Transylvania might well be a battleground for the undead forever. Ever more Trimisce revolted against their sires, and significant numbers ofother Kindred proclaimed. themselves antitrbu in open defiance of the estab- lished conventions of Cainite society. Packs of young vampirestoppled their sires, while cagey elders anni- hilated entire broods of neonates and ancillac indiscriminately. Hungarian cities like Bistrits, Klausenburg and Mediasch became Kindred cru- cibles, where anarchs terrorizedthe streets and princes sonceived desperate counterstrikes from their castles and manors. The rebellion spread to the west — all over Europe, childer battled their sires. Paris, Lon- don, Milan, Budapest, Cologne and Prague were all hotbeds of seni. LAURELS OF History’ As has been noted before, the Brujah have very little resembling a “clan history." Still, to tse that as a basis to dismiss the contributions of certain Rabble throughout history is foolish — despite the lack of unity among Clan Brujah, its members often influence the outcomes of key ‘events around the world Thn-El-Sayyid An unnamed Brujah if believed to have helped pen Poem of the Cid after fighting in the struggle wo dive dhe Moors out of Valencia in 1094. The Brujah are particularly fond of this | possibly mythical Kindred just ax the Lasombra feel a great tie to Rodrigo de Vivar — and a | rujah connection to himundermines the Keep- | ers’ arrogant claims to greatness The Real Robin Hood During the late 14ch century, Robin Leeland participated in many of the peasant uprisings in England, including Wat Tyler's tehellion and | several revolts against Edward III and Henry IV. Leeland is seen by many os one of the aanarchs, and sired prestigious beood of Rabble, including Patricii of Bollingbroke (see Chapter Three). j The Sun Never Sets... } Atthe beginning of India’s Sepoy Rebellion of 1857, the Brujah Bankim Hapsa was among the Muslim Indians who killed British officers after being imprisoned for refusing to bite open, tile cartridges that had been lubricated with pork fat. He followed the rebellion until it was finally suppressed in 1859 and aided in the cap- tare of Lucknow and Delhi. The American Revolutionary and Civil Wars Marguerite Foccar and the Embraced slave | Crispus Attucks led several rebellions against the British, including being present at the Bos: | ton Massacre, They also organized guerrilla strikes during che nights before the war itself that re- sulted in the weakening of British garrisons. Likewise, just 100 years after the American se- | cession from England, Foceart and Attucks conspiredagainstexpansionist Southern Ventrue during the Civil War, stealing war funds, inter- cepting missives and feeding from Confederate soldiers to weaken them before battles Coven One: Miuneen oF Coneucr u The war of the ages had become known as che Anarch Revole by this point, the original Transylvanian Bujah rebellion having been subsumed by the larger tide of undead conflict. While the significance of the Brujah involvement in the affair hhas been largely forgotten in the modern fights, many elders still remember. These venerable Kin- dred are the greatest critics of the Brujah, if not the most vocal — they know how instrumental the ing Brujah were in the eventual formation of the Sabbar. Although they know it's ridiculous to blame them entirely, these elders know that history repeats itself, and that without the Bruiah serving asa diversion for the antiibs, the Black Hand might never have come to be. ‘Staance Beprettows: While the annals of the tirujah’s collective past often read like chronicles of revolution and chaos, riot every member of the Rabble aligns herself with the agents of change. As are Kindred of any clan, Brujah ate first and foremost vampires — selfish creatures who exist as parasites on the vitae of the mortal world. To the Kindred, clan isnothing but an arbitrary designation, a concept as laegely meaning- {ess as nationality, ethnicity or even the street upon which they make their havens. These Brujah gladly bought into existing power structures of their envi- ronments, or opposed the rest of thetr Brujah comrades. From august elder seneschals to conserva- tive neonates, Rabble have supported the status quo with as much vigor as they have opposed it. The passion for change that burns in every Brujah’sundead veins, for some Rabble, is 2 passion to prevent the changes other would wreak on their staid, comfort- able unlives. After all, the Kindred are no strangers to sleeping with the enemy. Etheyra By various accounts the third childe of Troile, a whore of Carthage who stole the Embrace or one of the greatest traitors to the Brujah legacy, Etheyra was a North African Brujah who watched the im- pending approach of the Punic Wars with a critical eye. Knowing that though Carthage may wina few of thebattlesbut they would never win the war, Etheyra fled the city, taking solace in hated Rome and offer- ‘ing the secrets of Carthage to the undead aligned against it. Etheyra became a protégé of the great Ventrue Democritus. Some clder Brujah suspect that as Carthage burned, she suggested that the Romans salt the ground, to prevent any Cainites who had taken cover benrcat the sol one Iancu the Bloody Fieeing persecution in Ventrue-dominated Rome, “Bloody fohn" traveled eastward. finally settling in Lithuania, where he fell into torpor for several cen- turies, Acting in accord with his reputation, lane rose from his cold sleep to find « party of Vikings discesbacking from their ship to raid « fishing village and gorged himself on the vitae of every last one of them. The local Lithuanians briefly mistook him for legendary figure made real, until lancu swore alle- gance to the local Tzimisce Lord Trevolod. The Fiend finally had to destroy his vicious sergeantafter Jancu proved to be incapable of not decimating the serf population of whichever community he had been sent to tax or account for. lancu hated the Lithuanian Brujah passionately, blaming them for failing to come to the aid of their clanmates centu- ries before, derpice the fact thar few of thamhadbeen Embraced at that point, and took their fangs. as trophies whenever they ran afoul of him. Catherine Minot Catherine had married into the Saxon nobility cof England as a mortal, and it was among the post- Roman Anglicization ofthe land that she became on of the Kindred. Hee own mortal husband had met his ‘end a¢ the hands of the pagan Danes, and instead of marrying to retain her title and station, Catherine efendedthem herself For two centuries, she fought back the Danes, until in 1066, she was faced with « new threat: the Normans. For a brief period, she played one off the other, citing the Danelaw or the laws of William the Conqueror as she saw fit, strug- slingto retain her own autonomy, Finally, in 1075, she was declared a heretic, her lands ceded to the Church and awarded to one ofthe Norman invaders. Disgraced, Catherine joined the vestiges of the Danes and was diablerized by her childe, who had allied with the Norman gentrification. Ybalb Beneath the Sahara desert, where the winds How hor by day and chillingly cold by night, few Kindred have ever gone and returned to tell the tale. Ybalb, however, isone of them, though she would be loath to share her stories with the race of Caine. Of cither Dan or Yoruba stock, Ybalb’s sire told her that hhe was a great traveler from the City of Gods, far to the north, where men walked among their lords and (Conecoe: Banat pleased them upon command. Seduced by his prom- ine of wealth aunt pleasure, Ybulb allowed him (0 Embrace her. What she found upon following him, though, disgusted her — the wickedness and treach- eryof the Kindred made her ashamed of what she had become. Staking her site, she fled back to the lands of her home — where she had become a demon, a hungry spirit. Outcast, she met a few others, follow- ersof Karn. who werelikeher but nat the same as her To the best of anyone's knowledge, she prowls the lands Afric to chis night, counting among her allies the ghosts and laibon unknown to other Kindred. Malas Petits In the early part of the 18th century, before the Kingof England and the Prince of Wales plunged the country into a state of civil war, Malchus Feith served as the Midnight Advisor to George II, whom the Hanoverallied Ventrue considered “theirs.” An entente of French Brujah, Malkavians and Toreador attempted a minor coup of English lands, under the guise of apretended named Rudolph, who claimed to hail from the royal family of the “sovereign state of Ruritania.” The English court, smelling scandal, Hased with gossip. Duck were fought, lovers met their deaths in passion and nobles plotted and schemed how best © ally themselves with the nascent House of Rassendyll, to which Prince Rudolph belonged, without earning the ire of King George. Surely, more blood would have been spilled snd more treacheries enacted but for Chamberlain Feith, who defused the whole situation by making the courtaware, through ghouls, mortal servants and public notices that, indeed, there wasno such thing as the Howse of Rassendyll, and no nation known as Ruritania. Salvador Garcia One of the most influential anarchs of the fallen Anatch Free State, Garcia soured on the “glorious smuggle” after decades of resistance against the Cali- fornian princes. As one of Jeremy MacNeil’s compatriots, Garcia struck against Prince Sebastian, plotted against the malicious Lupines of Death Val ley and finally settled in East Los Angeles as part of the Revolutionary Council. As he grew older, how- ever, Garcia began to perceive the anarchs as less of «force fighting for a true “free state” and more a simple-minded group of vicious thugs. No longer feeling that he owed the cause any allegiance, Garcia turned not the Camarilla, but to the larger threat mn the horizon: theCathayans, With Salva- dor Garcia's help, the Kindred of the East crippled a powerful gang of anarchs, the Crype’ssonsand moved into positions of influence traditionally held by West- cern vampires inthe Anarch FrceState. Tothisnicht Garcia remains firmly in the carp of the Cathayan's “New Promise Mandarinate,” seeing the Kuei-jin’s order as a better one than the “gangland feudalism” that the Anarch Free State ecemed only to cagendes THe CONTEMpORARY Rassre ‘The end of the 19th century through the turn of the 21st bore witness to tremendous change, espe- sially for Clan Dy Ao che Jyhad rages, che Rabble [ress on, waging their own nightly wars against the backdrop of the most accelerated technological ad- vancement in the history of civilization, Most Kindred tind such omnipresent change unconscionable. Ascreatures cursed with an immor- tality that traps them in time, the undead prefer stasis to change because it is more difficult for their dead minds to accept new environments. This is even true of elder Brujah, who may have long since ‘witnessed the ascension of their “deal” society, only to watch it collapse beneath the inexorable tide of “progress.” To most Brujah, however, the events of the last hundred years have been a culmination of their efforts. Even in areas untouched by the slight- est Brujah influence. adjustment hasbeen the tule of theera. Even asthe world disintegrates nightly with the approach of Gehenna, the Brajah hope that they ‘can somehow affect the fate of the world. Poverty ‘soars while unemployment shrinks, as the “working poor” displace the out of work, The mortal lifespan extends, pethaps too long, as overpopulation de- ‘vours the world’s resources. Old political institutions come under greater scruciny during the Information Age, though the reforms chat result are often the most popular, not necessarily the best. In light of such unchecked change, many Brujah become disil- lusioned and are forced to consider whether change is always for the best. Across Europe Part of the problem facing the Beujah's identity and history throughout the High Middle Ages and ‘nto the future was that the Rabble no longet had a true “home”, Insomuch as Carthage was “the city of Gum Ove: Mama Comic 2B the Brujah,” the clan them forward in time Europe While cert the area, no place had been set centet for Brujaly society Js had long been the England and it ifthe Gangrel, but recent cent ably after the fall of Rome — had seer an f Vertruc eager to claim their own. kewise, France ha f Toreador influence since Charlemagne had tured his attentions eastward a und Sweden were and inward. Norway, S Ventre, Lasombra and even Setite wh mward from their traditional domains. E from which many later Brujah elders woul ely under the sway of the Lasomibea. Italy proved too cosmopolitan, though many Brujah did establish havens there — it was a port of call for exotic Kindred and a financial, religious and governmental center for domestic Cainite Taking all this into account, however, one must consider that by and large, few Brujah’ wanted center of power. Many preferred { over the loss of Carthage rather than go about creating « new ‘one, while most simply occupied themselves by wan: with migrating ethnic or religious pursue mi groups, or shutting themselves away « nastic of academic unlives, d fell during the High 4 many Zealots (as members of the Brujah princes rose Middle Ages, an Jan were then mn) made places for themselves amid erprinces Some oftheclan’s reatest thinkers, such as Ee the Wise, Gille the Frank, the reformist Don Udolfo Cerro and the marrano Balthasar of Seville acted as seneschals or 1s to. powerful peices, Many Bollingbroke, eamed reputations as notably Pat iconoclaim that characterizes the modern clan, With individuals —one ixunlikelyto hear about sweeping movements of the Spanish Brujah’s opposition to the Swiss Beujah concerning Habsburg Austria fol lowing the Peace of Augsburg because it simply didn’ thappen. Atbest, several elders who already had their own causes for quarrel cloaked thetr developments under cover of political tensions (Comwoce Bat religious persecution or cultural climes, Vampires may he great manipulators, hue part of prowese ot nanipulation isnot beingknown for it — individual Brujah generally had the sense co avoid making themselves obvious movers and shakers in the realms of mortal politics. THe New Word As is no surprise, many Kindred jumped at the epporwuniey to make « phice for themselves in the New World as the Age of Exploration opened new vistas to Cainites and kine alike. Brujah flocked to ships second only in number to the sleek Lasombra pirate corvettes, becoming scourges of the seas, Oth- ‘5, generally ancillae and neonates locking to make their own fortunes where cagey elders hadn't already. monopolized the local resources, set out to claim domains in the New World, Some followed the anarchs and autarkis West; some took the fledgling Camarilla's cause to the far shores and still others carried the Sabbat’s Great vhad acrossthe Atlantic Within a century, the New World was rife with Bryjah, outnumbering members of other clans by as many as two to one in. some estimations. Unlike in the Old World, Brajah in the eaely Americas centralized. This took place not so much out of camaraderie as it did out of Embrace practices — faced with significant resources as far as suste- mance were concerned and no strong princes to prevent them, many Brujah set foot on solid ground and immediately Embraced new broods. Rabble who followed Cortes to the great cities of the Aztecs set themselves up among the death-witches and gold: smiths. Some settled with the Incas and feasted on the hearty bleod of the quinoa farmers. Still others moved further south... and wete never heard from again, which causes many to speculate either that something destroyed themor they took the opportu: nity to remove themselves from the petty politics of Kindted society altogether, A few followed the Por. tuguese into what would become Brazil, but even these foresires of the mode South American Kin: dred know nothing of what became of the Brujah who traveled in Pizarro’s wake. To the north, the Brujah found Mexico to be infested by Sabbat and anarchs. Those who had no sympathy for these sects fled either to the South American jungles of the East Coast of what would cone night become the United States and Canada. ‘The Sabbat Brujah grew strong and complacent in Mexico. Led by Medardo Cancarone, several nomadic Bryjah Sabbat packs expanded the sect's influence into Baja Mexico while Rovsald Malkinus and his pack followed Jolliet and Marquette’s expeditions and proceeded further north intoCanada. In Mexico city, many traveling Brujah fell under the sway of the Subba Torcador who called herself Galbraith and joined the sect, while othersconverted to the Sword ‘of Caine’s cause on pain of Final Death. Fortified by the presence of Brujah and Gangrel Cainites, the ‘Sabbat tightened itsgrip around Mexico,even asthe colonies (and later states) to the north slipped through its bloody talon. The Sabbat in Mexico Joomed almost as ubiquitously as the Camarilla did in Europe and to the north — vampires populated the ranks ofthe local Catholic Church and claimed to be dons of their own estates. Away from the steeples and mud-brick walls of the cities, hestial Sabbat stalked the black plains, some even capable of defending their primitive domains against the ah alow gothered in New York, Providence, and later Atlanta and across Florida, Drawn by the teadily available supplies of vitae or the throngs of mortal life ities, the Brujah generally lef the ress west cals send shen members of other clans. The citieson the seaboard had all hey wanted why risk unknowingly upsetting a feral Gangrelor wone, a den of Lupines? Inevitably, though, some Brujah moved westward either out of wand due to the rarity of val which had already been claimed by the first waves of Kinulred to hie the shores. ‘Canada held little appeal for mest Brujah — it was too rural, and the parts that weren't were either inhospitable due to the ravening Sabbat present or oppressive exile domains claimed hy French and English Toreador, Tremere and Ventrue who found. the political tides of the Od World turned against them. This isn’t truc universally — Montreal had no shortage of Brajah both Sabhat and otherwise during its first nights, while Van resident Bruj however, New World Brujah quickly became con: int to defend these nore casily established domains, forcing much of the Kindted’s movements through, Canada and the westem expanse of the United States to be undertaken by other clans. They re- pelled Subbar incursions, backed princes claims 10 power, warred with each other and other elans, and generally behaved exactly as had their sires and elders throughout history, despite the vastdifference (Gurna One: Mauna oF Consuct B in thetrages. Pethaps this reflects on Kindred nature at lange, without regaed co clan. Tue Fronriern, Of course, not every New World Brajah was a paranoid homebody or a spiteful curmudgeon. Many ancillae who were present remember the American frontier fondly, if a bit nostalgically. Frontier law suited the tastes of many Brujah — for the most anarchic. the lw was practically nonexistent, and reformationist Brujah often found themselves able to influence the casual justice of the “Wild West* with their own pet philosophies. The middle to Inte 1800+ represented « wild, violent time, and not only in American history. Needless to say. thissuited the passions and tastes of many Rabble. In France,the aftermath of the French so the Emperor Napoleon, wher conquered as mach of Europe as was humanly pos- sible at the time, much to the pleasure of his Brajah and Ventrue supporters. Some simple Brujah reveled inthe violence of Napoleon’sconquest, while it gave others a cause against which to raise a hue and ery. Incellectual Brujah had the opportunity to watch the theories ofthe progressive philosophestested —which resulted in the rise of enlightened despotism in both Eastern and Westem Europe, and the penultimate radical stance of communism shortly thereafter. Things were certainly no ealmer for Kindred in the American West. Border conflicts in Texas, New Mexico and California between Sabbat, Camarilla and anarch vampires erupted almost nightly, with Little being gained in rerms of permanent advantage either way. Brujah vampires rode with the cattleherders and outlaw gangs alike — posthumous journals and newspaper reports have atributedknown Kindred to outfits like the Seate Cooley gang, the Clanton clan and practically every member of the Harrison Miner gang. Obviously, none of the Kin- dred outlaws were present for events like the O.K. (Corral affair, but nonetheless, a bared of armed noc- tural marauders with unholy powers cured many a wagon train or border town into # nightmare for the victims. NortH America While the North American continent doesn’t have the greatest concentration of Brujah Kindred (a distinction more likely belonging to Western Europe or northern Africa), it likely has the greatest population of the Rabble. From the childer of Kindred who came to the New Work! during the Age of Eeplorecion and sill make their havens in Manteo and Central America to the vast broods populating the Anarch Free State, Clan Brujah has pethaps more than its fair share of Kindred. ‘THE ANARCH Free STATE Forced westward at the turn of the 20th century” by the dual pressures of the Sabbat on the East Coast and Camarilla Ventrue and Toreador consolidating their influence over heartland cities, the Brujah finally found themselves with nowhere else to go, having arrived ac the West Coast of the United Stator. Even there, the influence af other clane Lept the Brujah politically impotent. Teeming with up: rooted Rabble by the first decade of the 10theentury. the cities of Sacramento, Seattle, Los Angeles and Gen Diego were ripe for rebellion, Princes of these cities, outnumbered but still ‘maintaining their influence, had to be careful to avoid a second Anarch Revolt. In the end, theit appeasement tactics fatled — despite offering con: sideration to the inordinate throngs of Brujah, violence flared. Inspired by the dissident Jeremy MacNeil, small group of Brajah staged an open rebellion against the Prince of Los Angeles, the Toreador Don Sebastian, in 1944. The event that touched off the revolt was indicative of the larger problem the Brujah faced: Overconfident of hi power, Sebastian ordered his flunkies ro beat MacNeil asa lesson to the unruly Rabble. Instead of being cowed into submission, the Brujah become enraged Sceing that his exercise in terror politics had failed. Schastian relented, promising an investigation and his own trial under a council of elders. These promises placated the Brujah, who thought the evidence was so solid against Sebastian that the council would have no choice but to censure him. One of the elders on the council was a Brujah himself, which the anarchs believed gave them a sympathizer on the council. Such wasn’ the case, however — the elders thrived under Sebastian’s princedom, and eitherhad no desire to sce a howling pack of rowdy childer in charge or sincerely underes- ‘tumated the threat posed by the anarchs, They made statement to the local Kindred that they had found ‘Sebastian and his entourage free from any wrongdo: ing. They even attempted to saddle MacNeil with trumped-up charges of conspiracy against the prince. The anarchs went ballistic. Rebels rioted in the streets of Los Angeles. Intellectualsderided Sebastian Coacoe Bays and the elders, claiming thac they ha Kindred social contract into a plutoctatic govern: dead. The anarchs and Brujah rall ing MacNeil to the status of a martyr s names they rampaged through the city. The revolt grew deven the reluctant MacNeil found hims ged into active partici pation. Within a week, the Brujah and the: allies had overthrown th princedom, bi hains and burning. wd his cronies still inside. The elders arch cause or fled underground. of twoshort months since MacNett's chs had completely us ned ice in Los Angeles with the most The anarchs had more where that came c Los Angeles revolt was only the bexit Sebastian's overthrow ignited an explosion th; gulfed all of the West Coast. Spurred toaction by th events taking place in LA, anarchs, Brujah and othe revolutionaries visite pon the prince: Jose. Elders were ash and dumped unceremoniously into Princes met grisly or dramatic ends as similar face and elders from San Diego to reduced the se testaments to the fury nchised childer. What the elders perceived to be a small but vocal faction of neonates turned out to be a vast mot Over three years, the Camarilla presen California had been scuttled by the Brajah a anatch allies. Rebellion spread up the coast as well inciting further anarch coups in Oregon and Washington. When everything settled down, the anarchs emerged triumphant hedisentr Jeremy MacNeil, having been thrust inte roleof leadership, did what he could with t c ingly successful overthrow represent: vole Assembling a ive collective of anarch councilors, the ies adapted the Camatill'straditionato itcheirneeds. Transcending mortal political bound ier, the strip of land affected by the proclaimed itself the Anarch F it plain chat while they didn’t oppose the tene which the Camurilla subscribed, they weren't about tostand for elderdomination out of obek free state, so went the philosophy, any Kindred was free to make his own fortune, reg ple respect for ste. They made rdless of age, with ie other Kindred present Thereality turned out to be less utopian than the theory, however. By the late 1950s, the free state had Gara One Men oF Com ea balkanized collective of anarch gang tert tortor end petty Camnrlle-euqun “haroniee:” Ax th 1980s approached, violence racked the free state as competing gangs and broods warred for influence With the lack of organ and direction, the social order weakennd — what hed once becn struggles between elders and younger Kindred for finite resources became struggles between rival ga of young Kindred for the same assets. In addition, few elders had crept tn to fill the power vacuum left in the wake of the initial revolts. In cities lik Angeles and San Diego, older, more capable Cainites once again hoarded influence, leaving the less prof itable concerns and less desirable real estate to the younger Kindred, who squabbled like dogsover scrap dropped from the master’s table. ¢ Los MacNeil and his assembled councilors recos nized what was happening —the names had changed but the situation e same. The council itself had no powe pretended to be an inetitution, but rather 1 fo ideals of the Anarch Free State. Although communication be tween councilots remained open, all ofthem harbored theit own agendas. While the free state had suc ceeded in making the local Kindred society more ‘egalitarian, it failed to eliminate the schemes and P that natute to the rice of Caine. While any Kindred, regardless of clan age, was welcome tomake his haven in the free» and build a place for himself, the old ordet had once taken root Still, the Anarch Free State made many youn, Kindred far more comfortable than they would hi ever been in any Camarilla domain. Vampire gang such as the Crype’s Sons rose to prominence while Kindred who had been ousted in bids for power elsewhere made new starts, Neonates largel what they pleased without the formality dem by the more iron-handed of princes, The period between the 60sand the early 90sseemedto bean era of Kindred prosperity, punctuated by a few well meaning but doomed attempts to push the borders of free state eastward. There, they met resistance by and Giovanni in Las V fractious but united princes of the Camarilla in cities who had no intention of letting their own domains become cor Nevertheless, svampices pretey mich ha State, limited only by com wervation instinct (and, of other Ki their own unlives), The rift between ind the Camarilla had even started the slow process of healing once the anarchs saw no It seemed as if the Anarch Free State had estab:

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