44 ogee SMe Ral e oe Smee esas peerage and vampire: 1he Masquerade:ans Authors: Fetan Campbell Jackie Caseada nnd Nicky Ret Developer: Justin Achill Editors James “Dr, Octagon” Stewart Art Director: Richued Thorns Layaue &: Typacettings Beian Glave Interioe Art: Mike Danza, Jefl Holt and Vince Locke Front Cover Arts Larry MacDougall tan Glass Front & Back Cover Design: tly ge Pa 735 Pak WORTH BUD. SUITE 28 Cuanaston, GA 30021 USA % Gane Stuplo © 2000 White Wolf Publishing, Ine. All rights reserved. Keprexiction without the written permission ofthe publuher is expresly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for Blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for penonal we only. White Woll, Vampire the Masquerale, Vampire the Dark Ages, Mage the Ascension, World of Darkness and ‘Aberrant are reguteredtradeinatks of White Wolf Pubs lishing. Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse, Wraith the Oblivion, Changeling the Dreaming, Hunter the Reckoning, Werewolf the Wikl ‘West, Mage the Sorcerers Crusade, With the Great War, Trinity, Vampite Storytellers Companion, Kin- ‘Text UsAsour Your Cuanacten ‘That's right — we want to hear about your ‘Transylvania Chronicle. So write it up! oe storthecreative effortsof troupesthat have used ot less — of your own series of stories. Don't just recite ‘the details of the book series; tell us what made your tale unique and how i fits int the Work of Dake. Tae ety hat mom tes our fany wil come part of “official” Vampire history in an upcoming sourcebook. See your coterie immortalized in the pages of one of our surplement! Send cm in by December 31, 2000, dred ofthe East, Kindted ofthe East Compania tf the Arcanum. Ascension's Right Hand, Hamed, Chibiren oftheNight, Transylv [Dark Ties Rising, Tr s the Deagon, Transylvania Chronicles I Ill Omens and Tranylvania Chronicles IV The Mrapon Ascend tradematks of White Wolf Publahing, Ic. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein ate copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc “The manilon of or sfern prodhct in these pages isnot a challenge tothe trademae or copyright concerned This book uses the sypemanural er settings, chara temand themes. All mptiea nad mapernacoral ate fiction andintended for entertainment purposes only Reader dicretion i advised Foraftee White Wolf catalogcall 1.800.454. WOLF. ‘Check out White Wolf online at hurpi/www.white-wolfcomalt games. vhitewolfand ree.games ep storyteller PRINTED IN USA. Trrsnviin Goons N 2a She Degen Aone Tasie OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHapter One: Bevonn THe Forest Cuapter Two: THe DANUBE BY MOONLIGHT Cuapter THREE: THE ACCOUNTING Cnapten Foun: Reverations Cuapter Five: DRAMATIS DERSONAE CHAPTER Six: STORYTELLING THE CHRONICLE OF THE AGES Appenpri: Time’s INEHORABLE CRAWLAV \ \The sun fad already disappeared, a monstrous Gack shadow came running from the east, it was as UPicruoncs cog os Umi ena economy sae ae vet cua Ot Ba ata — Leonid Andreyev, “Lazarus” PNG ute aes aon Tees Gem facets to ROT eee me ko TR Can the Kindred foreetall Gefjenna iteelf?blase up without From your seat, wheresoever you are Broxing in ths pense of ram days from hatte, ai even’ Bus the maalence of your foes goes abroad n the Breery lent, while oll men mock with tna most grievous; and my sorrow pastes rot away Sophocles, Ajex The planing sum Blinded Anatole ashe cowed Beneath the sow of one of Vienna massve caches. AS the aged fascination, wel edad men ar wemen, fheamngthereslees m an anstocrake manner, proceeded yp the the church ard daurpesned behind the tnwermg doers This cannot be, Conuities ago [turned my back on the son and now Avatle felt Nowy yea, stained with am avi fear, pour Jone: is forehead, soaking hs face + ind, Youstand here se wil s0, Regard ths place and mark ¢ well your our weer her wil fl upon enbcarn cmumg all the some when heat. S pose cho seek the screts aringn his ex, asf the pron eath wiry with the wice of Kup, deanin from the land beyond the forest What hes within? Ans shy. eres flesh with arrows of flame. cannot beth agony a moment fon hin fn disor har winced as the sm re higher in Anathersodceanuseredhim A Koo andthome whos | fron these meat worthy of using its knowledge Anatole racmisd the presence of Oxtanto onic the Voice Kupola wud the hanbinger of Geberina, none an inert fra of Amanle'scum dened so 1 Why have youthinae this curse ups An spar weal tame the ate ral A hush, deranged Laughter Hudgeomed hi mine to fd myself of all this prophecy, Oxtaes within hr, Pi the bunden on ti one more worthy. creature who did not see the fall of w> many empty cexpetience the futility of being destiny’ anointed, shonlde thisunwholesome weight. {will resin weet oblivicn, Apa Octane’ tcacldes filled Anatul's a levtend, Lint test lo, Anatale, bam with you alway The Malbanian fel the ground Keneath his ft opened op canal wach dark, fthy hands reach him dine the darkness. As he fell. Anatole hed ms wa whisper. Bebold the furute, anal deypa “Anatole?” Luciza’s ove joined the demons, b concern seemed to comme fom withnt. Arata open hi te find himself n his fara re the cellar tdbandoned tannery on the cutska a. Plow su ie ake with dreaming asa,” she sad Aruuoe rave from hs mits ballet arid clutched Lact rndders. In her centuries of ass cts had seen ti fel the Lasombys his omer vision 1 phommmeted ines the dines timeless place, Taw the pn of he coming broncosflame as fre fl from ret skyterne beast of see, | sow armies Hecken the face of the a smoke from the chal fies leone ‘thes xara for signs hat theo ones had aun frm che slumber, yet saw nome but maz tthe helm ofthis desmacton.” “The sun has set, ld friend,” Luci said. "You must replensh that akich ou have shed so profusely in your seep. ‘nate laughed, heaving the echoes ofan cake laughter ‘hs wie “Would cha I could shed more than blood,” he sai. “1 woud slough off these wuions ant succumb to whatever tes beyond death's vel.” “There are wes to accomplish that pa,” he whispered, She hal dane any times ithe past. ‘Anatole shook his head. “They well not alow. am the swice of Geen aa I must be about my wank, Tee hands of tens roman before the last ofthe sins comes to as, and what Aestructiom must precede their camming” ‘The prophet donned hs filthy coat and wate for Lucita ‘prepare for their nightly charade. Wich Lucia on his arm, ‘Anatol tr is place ameng the throngs of Vienna I ats the 1896 Anno Dunnin. The furure awaited, Tr ste ENp or THE WoRLD (As We Know It) The final centuy ofthe millennium hers new age for the mortal world. Philosophy and seience usher in bold. cancepte thar change the perceptions of humans shout hele place in the world. Prosperity and discovery are the catch- ‘words of the glittering decade before the 20th century. Bur two world wars, « global economic depression and Ioalogicalatnlamater potunend to dhiarwece hope: Dealer the accelerated progress of the 20th century, the end of the millennium beings uncertinty and dread For the Kindred, the century before the millennium hic sunnplacemy wm ce londvo the night, Teche nology places greater powerin the handsof the kine. Electricity ‘conquers the terrors of the dark, New methods of transporta- tion allow mortals to travel safely and rapidly from plice to: ind i din wan rereatng to Elysium and withdrawing from contact with humanity. Younger Kindred revel in the changes, using their techno logical edge to secure among theit elders. The relative fpowerof the Cama ‘othe nocturnal struggle for ascendancy as the world under sees cataclysmic political and social change. ‘As millennial fever brings the sense that something sonimensons will oom mark the ticking OFF Of the yea, ‘handfl of Kindred prepare. Only» whisper inthe hall ofthe ‘Comweilla, the word “Gchenna” resounds throughout the Sobtut, Scholars of Kindred history on both sides of the stivide recognize the signs ofthe Final Nights but few dare to voice their observations. {nnBastern Europe, the land once known ss Transylvania sroansunder the weight of a century of conflict and oppres- son, but even more transpires beneath the surface, A great igeomantic web, spun by Zelios centuries ago, draws power from the earth itself, Within that web, the demon Kupala stir senving that its time of awakening approaches. The final igns portending Gehenna make thermselves known to those who watch...and wait... and despair ‘Theve are the en ime Those are the Final Nights Moon The procession of the centuries picks up its pace as mortal civiizationsrive and fill For the centuries-old inden, the world has changed far beyond their capacity to compre ‘hend it. Some things, however, remain changeless, among them the certainty that Cainite history crawls inexorably, toward a aniaee culmination. Cahenn approvches with « ‘sense of inevitability. Eight signs mark its arrival. Six of the ‘signs have come to pass. Although most of the Kindred ‘remain ignorant of these omens, a few watchful individuals recognise the gtheringstorm for whatit ic Torosignsremuin before the great upheaval that, once set into motion, will wash over the world in a tide of fire and blood. Acchorus of moods harmonizes in this, the final installment ofthe Traneyanin Chrontslen. The nin of wn evunes wahtacros the ages, forming amotifiagainst which the story takes place. The end of the 1h exer surges with opti, alive with the possibilities beaught about by 4 cemingly endless Fara of iene advances Behind the mere dhe Kibo play our thei interminable schesmes in the Jynad, orchestrating their moves wth the eaxcade of new sensations that flavor the night. All things seem posible asthe 20h cent besins. By the endo the 20a cerry, the mud fs darkened, Lrleby litle, the Kindred find ther influence shppingaway, co-opted by the sophisticated tools of destruction controlled ‘by morta institutions. The children of Caine nolanger enjoy sunnquetioned unaicry of de ight. ‘The motif of destiny, with the characters preordained to play role in the unfolding ofthe Final Nighss, injects another element into the mix. While Kindred society scrambles to smaisuai the delicate balance between the Camara and the Sabtat, while Methuselahs pull the strings in the endles Jyh, few Cainites poses the tue knowledge of Gebers’ signs. The countdown to doomichy has begun, and i seems unstoppable. Hopelssnes threatens fo overwhelm even the most determined of will. Yet the abence of hope does not necessarily mean the presence of despair. A feeling of grim determination, of defiance inthe face of the inevitable, offers s+ modicum of hope. Fethags the characters can stern the destraction that rites actos the face ofthe Ean. Tueme The confict between fate and re will orm the central theme of The Dragon Ascendant. The characters possess knowledge that allows them to alter the course of Cainite destiny, Can they change the future, despite the prophecies snd the fulflinent of the signs of Gebenna? If they cannot Trova GrowsUltimately prevent the frusionofancient schemes, how farcan they goin tempering the destruction that seems imminent? From their fire encounter with the prophecies of henna, the characters unlives intertwined with the plots and schemes of the Antediluvians as well as those of the demon Kupala. All t00 often, they discovered the illusory nature of their choices too late Stil, they held their course, ‘weaving # tortuous path across the centuries, knowing that they hold the key tothe future in their hands. Isthis enough? Doesknowing whatmay come allow the individual to affect the course of destiny? Or does this Knowledge make the furure all the more certain? Are some things written in stone? A dark ide threatens to engulf the world, but a few individuals may choose to confront. fate ‘head-on, swimringagainst the current in the desperate hope that they ean make a difference. Who knows! Perhars they ‘ean make the transition from pave to player and add their ‘own pieces to the gamebward ofthe Juhad. How To Use Tuts Book ‘The Dragon Ascendant concludes the Transylvania (Chronicles an epic aorythat hagan inthe L2¢hcennury and ha pavolitelfou cn hicorystaye- your characters participated in the events described in Dark Tides Rising, Son of the ‘Dragon und Ill Omens; they should havea faitly good grasp of their place im Caine hiry. They have. eeitedtheigh centuries of upheaval and change — some of it catastrophic. Whether they resisted that change —as most vampires do— or accepted new concepes they have cared with thema bunden of Arnone shat ow of thor pers rae Now the time has come for them touse what they know, tw put together the final pieces of a puzzle that has taken cemtuties to solve. ‘Teamrylvanin Chronicles IT Il Omens tle the che acters to deal with the aftermath of the French Revolution wad the Reign of Terror. The Dragon Ascendant jumps abeadto the endof the 19th ceaturyand brings them from the turn of one century to the end of another: The infor tnthis book sheuld help Storytellers and players capture the feel ofthe modern world chrough the eyes of characters who remember when few mortals dared walk the night. “The dice sores The Dragon Ascendant presen pam Lnltics, not certainties, forthe charicter. Ue these stores as written or make whatever changes ne necesary 10 integrate them into jour chronicle Depending on the particulars of yor jonere, yow may neal «alte soxne of dhe ecumBtanne. A Sabor pack doesn’t appeaach thingsin the same way as grou of stmunch Camrila supporter, while inkependen« charnctes (ifuchastance's posable might takeadiferentcousse entirely CONTENTS, ‘Chapter One: Beyond the Forest brugesthe gap between the end of Transylvania Chronicles IH: Il Omens and the Feqmnnng of Transylvania Chronicles TV: The Dragon Inco ‘STARTING From ScRATCH “The material in this book assumes thar your troupe has playedthrough the previowsinstalmertsofthe Transylvania ‘Chronicles If youmimed the previous books inthe seriesor | choore notto use the aiermatei in yourehronicl, you ‘enn os the taboos peel ace o's mieaiglone f chronicle. This & not, however, ate for inexperienced ce | “young” vampire chanctem. Elders with several centuries | ‘under their belt are most appropriate forthe three stories | presented ia this book. Ifthe chamcten have not yet | ‘encoxintered references tothe signs of Gchenna ot the romantic weh of Zello, you tay cd 10 povide ther | ‘same background so that they do not mis out on crucial © Lnowwledge. Momentos events tee place during the cour of thes stories they involve some of Cainite society's mow wer individuals and deal with the unbollirg ofevents prophesied long ago. Make certnin that the characters have ‘lke vesinen en abilsinnsSsoseshr shemonm Ascendant, providing informution on the word at the end 19th century as well as alook at how the Camanila any! Sabbat howe changed and grow since the end af the Ish century In Chapter Two: The Danube by Moonlight, the he waning year of the 1800s characters travel to Viearia in In the city known througho the grand design which has become their quest Neatly 2 century elapses before the next 0 stories ‘Chapter Three: The Accounting kes pce Sable ereitery, the characters undertake & dips mmission that requites them to journey far from the land beyond the forest tn MexieoCityt betrayal, one that may mark them as tn the eyes of their computers Irs Chapter Four: Revelations, the cycle begun 0 sun cate in Trarsyheania completesitel Thecharicten retum tothe catty now kiwoan as Romana, where the choncesthey mak ether stem the to reckoning o herald its binning ina storm of desrtion (Chapter Five: Dramatis Personae providesdesriptions ofthe individuals the characters may encounters they take part in the events chronicled in this book. This updates familie iavihials and iaesces new in the chronicle of the centuries Chapter Six: Storytelling, the Chronic inches a brief summary of 20th century (3 Ihstry as well iets for upsbting the player’ characters and Aetermining how (o change that marks the as hundred years stem wen ‘eines rect the appearance of Abies wet world, while story se present sagaotions to help Starters inven their own adventures ito the Transyania Chronicles Finally. the Apoendix eivesa racine feta vets and provides adefinitive listing ofthe Edt Sins CicheroNor public Flame, nov mivste, dares w she [Now huanum Spark iste nor Glimpse divine Lo thy dread Empate, Chaos! is reso’ Light dies before thy wcreating werd Thy hand, great Anarch’ fers the ce ‘And universal Dereness boies All Alexander Pope, The Dunciad Dark 19th conn se dencends upon Teasylvania, Atte ender the ausaults from the Ortoman Empire have weak- ened Easter Earope, leaving it ready for covet, By day, ‘at armies struggle for control: by night, ancient vatnpites endure suf Hon. praying that the co tccween the Turks and the Russias leaves them unscathed Once the sun sets, greater horors prowl the night, Cainites onctentghustalker who have suc cnbod wo cemnten corruption and despair —prowl the land beyondthe forest.” As the in Teanaylvania conti a. Advances in transport allow vamputesto medi oftheir ancestral domain. By the dawn of the Victorian Age they can peruse nightly reports of events in London aad diversions of the ma have kepe the Kindred of ou Last century. Conflictsin Tearwytva for the time being... but noe for Boo sar polisica regions of Transylvania An Times. The Winnowin Tue of Thin Boos Ghenns slowly tans hy ‘vampires now ths well, forthey haveseenm The porcents lead Transylvania, sath dheape of Eurupe, ever i the mon renee call «t what you wall. The sins of aghout the world. The featun portrayed by yo this chromicle ¥ these events unk the tarted so ancient evil is awakentny, ready to devour thar challenges tts socent Before we pre pow ceed to the next three chapters nour continuing drama, let us speak betty of what has come before, Destiny a CHRONICLE SUMMARY The Transylvania Ch vampiric hasty. Our heroes or lain as the case may be ig of the Damned. While may witness some of the movt are aware of deeper currents, All at hiss occured, ad wil ‘occur, has been foretold by prophecy. Most vatrp of the corni the Anvedtluvians will rise devour their childer. Kindred occultins have sadied the Fos "‘ans thar foretell Gehenna's approach. Several of the proph- «siestefer to theresurrecton of an ancient entity, the demon ‘Kupola in the lands of Transylvania. Eight signs foretell Kupala’s return, Much of Cainite story — from the ie of the Usurper Tremere in the 11th century to the dawn ofthe third millennium after Christ — an be ivided into eight ages: Scholars such as Anatole de Lautent and the Comte Augustine d’Esette can declaim at seat length about the most salient events. Curiously enough, some of themost significant take place inthe land beyond the forest, deep within Transylvania, In the Age of the Fist Sign, devious Tsimisce warred with ambitious Tremere. From the peaks ofthe Carpathians ‘othe untamed forests of Eastem Hungary, Transyvania was sland of turmoil. As the Fiends squabbled over control of minor Eastern European irsas and knestes, Clan Tremere seized its positicn as one of the most powerful clans in the world. Tremere himself became infamous for his dablerie of Saulot, one ofthe 13 Antediluvians. His fou crime flilled the Fist Sy. In the Age of the Second Sign, a noctumal alliance of seven Kindred princes known asthe Council of Ashes dm nated the domains of Transylvania, As the Ventrve of the Holy Roman Empire tried to bring the land under theit authority, petty conflicts tore apartthe Transylvanian princes ‘who orposed them, At the height of the Councif's power, the Nosferatu Zelios helped its members construct a series of castles and smanses throughout Transylvania, Zelios possessed an intui- tive knonledee of geomancy. talent tht onhanced his skill sasan architect and earned him fame asa master mason, With ‘nisgeomantic skill, Zelios unknowingly created a vast web af power. The 13 largest castles served as nexus points, and the nattem of ley lines connecting thembound an ancient avin the land. Few suspect the tre siificance of Zell's actions, even in the modem nights. The protagonists of our story helped establish Zelion's pattern of ley lines when they erected the fist nexus point: 9 caule in the Carpathine designed to guard Tihura Pas. At Zelion's behest, they later placed sigis of power on the Tihuta Passcastle. As a reward for their diligence, a few of them rose to power, claiming Positions as Transylvanian princes During this time, events in other regions of Europe fulfilled the prophecy of the Second Sign. Scholars refer to the “threefold. breaking,” when three of the Dark Ages’ sreateat orders fll The destraction of the Templars in 1308, the los ofthe Holy Landsand the fall of the magus brought the world one step closer to Kupala’s return. The legendary fnagus was Tremere — his undoing can be traced to the Embrace of Goratrix.atreachorour childe who later betrayed bissite by forming a house of Tremere andr In the Age of the Third Sign, a new sect arose to tear apart the political stncture of Transylvania. This was the age ‘ofraballiu chiller, sheers ofthe Anatch Revel agate the elders of Europe, In the land beyond the forest, skulking “sabbats of bestial vampires held bloody noctumal revels They found common ground with Gratiano, the Lasornbra who convpined against the elders of his cl, and with the Fiends who diablerzed the Timisce Antedilwian. When ‘Hardestad the Eder, ahighty influential Ventrue almost fll to a similar attempt, his enterprising childe proposed a political solution that eventually came to passin the Age of the Fifth Sign. Loremasters refer tothe Ageof the Fourth Sigma the era when theSonof Dragon joined theranksofthe Transylvanian, undead. Many believe the thin prophecy was fulfilled by the achievements of Vlad Tepes, the lmpaler — a hiscorical figure known as Dracula. During his mortal eign of terme Vlad the Impaler leamed ofthe strength grantedby vampitic ood. Heextended hisown lf with the power fvitac while his mercenary Axes brraly slaughtered thousands of inno: cent victims. In is rise to power. he forced a Tsimiace to Embrace him and diabletized another to earn his infamy in the annals of Cainite history. Using the same treacherous tactics, he carefully played the Camarila and Sabbar against cach other for centuries. The fourth sin teers to the rising of a Dragon in the East. ln this case, however, the Kindred scholar are wrons The Dragon of the East s none other than Saulor himself, who has twisted the Usirper Tremere hit own ande since his diablerie. Because prophesy is an imprecise science, few had any inking thatthe grandsie of Javanie, the “Second Bone Dragon” from an apocryphal aécount of the Saluba's early strueeles with the Baal, is maly the Dragon to which this ore refers. Dacula irrelevant to this prophecy, though he manages ro intertwine htnself with Fate te. Youttroupe should have the opportunity if they're clever, to enjoy this knowledee — bur convincing athers may prove difficule The foundation of the Camanilla ruarked the Age of the Fifth Sign. Our protagonists were present at the Covenant of Thoms, an epic event that united sevenclansanddamned the test: Hanbatn the Younger, Rophaal de Cormisn and other “Kindred” galered in village near Sichester to unite against the anarchs and forestall he dangers of the moral Inquisition Ac Thoms, Clan Assamite submitted ta blood curse exacted by Clan Tremere. The Carnorilla's fonmeation and the sabse quent creation of the Sabbat fulfilled the fifth sig. tn the Age ofthe Sixth Sign, while the seven Camarila «ans prospered, Caine'schilder created and destroyed many Ieee eseds of vampires Entire clare wets suited: One ofthese doomed legacies, the Cappadocians, were hunted by the Venetian necromancers of Clan Giovanni. The protago nists of ourchronicle were drawn into this ineigue when they handed over Maria Asunetin, dhe lant Cappnkian to te very claws that would rend her limb fom limb. Through her destruction, the sixth sgn was fullled. While Caine’s chiller ploted nightly, Lord Dracula ‘mined distant (am ave concerns of the Camarilln and Tusa Groecis!¥ a