Chapter 4 – Independents

Crusade, Raid, Lex Talionis, Monomachia, Gehenna.
Historically Independent Clans are living very dark times. But the truth is that in the World of Darkness nothing should be taken for granted.

The Malkavian have disappeared: no one knows where they are.

The Assamites have observed the “Awakening” of their ancient father through the mouth of Ur-Shulgi. The passion with which the avatar of Haquim has massacred the deserters who didn’t want to abandon their faith for Allah is unique, that’s why the clan is decimated, but it has surely the most important and fearsome damned of all times in Alamut. The Assamites who were still loyal to the Blood Path and their ancestor have an Antediluvian on their side, so somehow, they run away from Gehenna at the hands of their father. But they have an important mission for him, that is finding the Wizard of Time and destroying him. Something unthinkable for the other clans, something that is far beyond the foolish Jyhad.

The Gangrel clan is formally separated from the Camarilla becoming actually Independent. Contrary to popular belief, the Gangrel are not used to run carefree into the woods or waste their time around a fire.

Today it is committed in the fight against the Infernalists, True Brujah and the Antediluvians. Many Beasties seek revenge against the Camarilla that sent them to die against Ennoia teasing their Justicar. Several are the Gangrel who are getting close to the Sabbat, pushed by a certain thirst of revenge and an insane sense of justice against Ennoia, while the youngest ones remain in the ranks of the anarchic movement and contribute to the alliance with the Sword in the sense of duty. None of them appreciate the Brotherhood, that is considered hypocritical and a useless ridiculous farce.
Giovanni Clan suffers a deep internal crisis because of only one of their Members, Vittorio Giovanni, who alongside Aida Bayer becomes a real nightmare not only for the Shadowlands but also for the entire Globe. A young damned who causes one of the greatest powers and authority struggle in Giovanni Clan and in political networks with Camarilla and Sabbat. His undisputed hate arises from the claustrophobic and oppressing rules of Giovanni Family that, through the selfish head of the household’s figure Leopoldo, challenges the young and rebel Giovanni’s patience when they tear his beloved cousin Marianna off. Leopoldo was doing nothing more than an act of force that the young Vittorio will make him pay until the last moment of his non-life.

The Nosferatu abandon the Camarilla and many of them also the Sabbat, because they are busy thinking about their own personal profit and negotiating with the best bidder. They are very active in the Brotherhood, cautious in the interchange relations with the Bayer, or occupied in the construction of Shelters unreachable by the Antediluvians, the Nosferatu have simply decided that their place in the Camarilla no longer yielded and, for this reason, they left. What they actually think about Gehenna does not matter to anyone, maybe also the same Nosferatu don’t care about it.
They follow the Winner and Gehenna will be won by those who will be able to hide better or take advantage of the best chances.

The Ravnos are exterminated by their own Antediluvian in the Nightmares Week. Remembering this independent and brave Clan is a way to keep in mind that Gehenna is not coming. It is already here. They say that someone is still hidden somewhere, or that some important elder protected somebody to preserve the important power of illusions. What is clear is that no one has never seen again a Ravnos trampling the ground during the night.

The Sethites are one step closer in their ancient struggle to the Disciples of Ba-al and their ancient Father’s awakening. They are going to prepare the end of the world, when the Ancient Sutekh will rise to devour everything in order to restore prestige to his only devotees and sons.
Nothing will come between, everything is expendable.

No many nights passed after the news that the Lunatics had abandoned the Tower: the Elisei seemed quieter and bumping into a Malkavian in the big cities was very difficult. Three were the elements that pushed the Clan to reconsider totally their own position: Xaviar, leader of the Beasties’ Clan, had suffered the scorns from the camarillic elders – after declaring to have seen the Antediluvian Ennoia with his eyes – and the Lunatics knew that this was the true; Dr. Neutchurch, after having a particular encounter in Egypt, decided to completely retire to private life, with no explanation: someone has supposed that the old scientist had a meeting with the mystic, others have even used the world “Seth”; an echo in the mind of every Malkavians, like a distant reminder, indicates to the Clan an appointment towards the Promised Land. It is rumoured that the Clan had decided to meet up right in the city of Jerusalem, waiting for their Messiah.

There are also those who, hilariously, suggest that it is the umpteenth joke. Few Malkavians who, on the contrary, have chosen to stay in the ranks of the Brotherhood’s independents while the Chained and the Craziest members of Sabbat shout loudly their father Malkav’s comeback. However, not everyone seems happy with this return: The Anti-tribes Malkavians are more hardened than ever and want to use any weapon in their possession to free themselves from the Antediluvians’ power. Some among the Brotherhood’s Lunatics, on the contrary, claim that Malkav will come to rescue their sons together with Saulot and Haquim to destroy the brothers sick of cruelty and demonism.

The Nosferatu is a Clan with a long tradition and big power.

It was common that even though a city, whether Sabbatic or Camarillic, had a subsoil’s domain run by the Nosferatu. If these smart merchants of information, computer technicians, actors, sellers of remains or ancient pirates in old times could have the tunnels of any city at their disposal, after the last political events (and the falling bombs, of course) they would have lost the majority of their freedom. They are not certainly Princes or Barons who denied it to him, but the mortals, who fleeing from the radiations or battlefields had reconstructed their own cities right in the beautiful underground theatres that were used by the Mask Clan. The Nosferatu, surely not wonderful beings, but prominent for their alacrity, would have used this difficult situation to their advantage. If when the ship sinks the rats are the first to abandon it, these monstrous brothers (or Cainites) didn’t make otherwise: many of them were able to leave Seattle several weeks before this was hit likewise all the others did. Europe, United States, China…the Clan was never so united.

An important assembly saw the mouthpieces of all the Nosferatu in the world meeting in Milan to discuss the possibility of leaving or not the Camarilla: in addition, another important topic was that of Aida Bayer and the multinational cooperation that would soon become a real problem for all the damned.

In particular the Nosferatu could consider Aida as ‘their’ problem as long as these remained in the Camarilla: this was the fact that had pushed the foolish who would embrace Aida to commit such an imprudent act, and then abandoning it and accusing the Clan to have acted without discussing adequately with the Elders. A stupid move, after the Gangrel’s public humiliation, that committed by the Camarilla’s Archons and them, ancient masters of the underworld, would not have tolerated such a dishonour.

They decided to declare themselves independents and do whatever they could: selling information, offering war tactical consultations, washing their own dirty clothes away from prying eyes and solving as soon as possible the problematic issue of the Bayer.

The Clan decided to split into three groups, spontaneously and aiming at mutual collaboration: the Country Rats would remain in the Sword, they would offer them the best information at very reasonable prices, they would earn the regency’s respect being able to count on the fighting strength of the droves of the Re-forged to destroy one or another enemy; the Sewer Rats would remain independents, they would welcome the greatest possible number of independents in their domains indulging the fugitive Tzimisce Demons in their desire to lead the Brotherhood. They would offer them resources, allies, contacts and especially domains: it was not easy in fact, in these tempestuous times, to find places to use as free ports. Even in this case, the objective was controlling and regulating large flows of brothers in this or that congregation in order to dispose of the one that, in the World of Darkness, was the best possible currency: Cannon Fodder; the Lab Rats were those who would face the problem one on one: word for word. These would have surrounded the multinational corporation’s entire human resources organ through a very elaborate system of blood dominated workforce: when the faction’s leader, Mikey, decided to meet Aida to propose her a strong collaboration, she was informed that 70% of her employees was loyal to the Clan. The negotiation was long and complex, the Bayer announced that it had been victim of eight accidents before their Leader decided to ally with the Lab Rats. However, this alliance was not the result of the charismatic act of force that Mikey had prepared for his cousin Aida, but the consequence of Adeline Muller’s intervention – blood sister of Aida Bayer and Anarchic Baroness of some lands in the north of Seattle, in search of serenity in her domains – who had suggested to the tests subject to offer Aida something that would really interest her: the NodBlood, through which she could complete her project of Vystfalia’s prototyping. From that moment the same Nosferatu, desirous of taking revenge against the insolent Camarilla, and ready to reclaim what was once rightfully theirs, decided to support the Bayer’s cause and provided all the know-how required for the beginning of Tech’s development advanced by the Bayer.

Gehenna is coming, the echoes of its arrival are discernible in the night. What the Assamites’ ears listen are not silent whispers, but words of resentment, exhortations, orders, impositions. Their Methuselah is awake and ready to set things right: in Alamut, Haquim’s sons should have get themselves back in line, recovering centuries of breaches, finding their way back to the truth.

Any religious formalism towards Allah would be tolerated, the only direction in which the Assamites would turn their faith would be that of their blade, five prayers and good doctrine would be replaced with the fervour in the search of those killers traitors who had tried to escape, hiding among the Sabbat’s ranks, being at the service of this or that camarillic prince or declaring themselves an anarchic looking for blessings and freedom. Only the few who instead put their blade at the brotherhood disposal would be spared and recalled to Alamut, because these were able to see a glimmer of light in the darkness of ignorance.

The Assamites Clan had certainly freed themselves of the Tremere curse, but a far worse curse had hit them, their ancient past, too often considered a faraway legend, it returned to reclaim what was its: Clan’s complete dedication and loyalty towards Haquim and the Sacred Mission.

Free anarchist states have always been the greatest conquest for the Cainites who preached freedom. Since the Cold War between West and East started in 2013, the Vampires were the first to suffer the consequences of the weapons of destruction possessed by the mortals. Many were the Damned that preferred moving from Europe to the United States finding a free territory, but surely more savage than the most temperate European domains. Indeed, the United States of America are mainly divided between Anarchists and Sabbat, with some Camarillic exception, against which the Anarchists launch themselves in bloodthirsty raids.

After Don Sebastian’s insolence, the Toreador prince of Los Angeles who brought the Anarchists to organize the great revolt of 1944 to his detriment that would release L.A. from Camarilla indefinitely, in the States there is a war between Anarchists and Camarilla to the point that the Sabbat didn’t interfere too much, even if it often offered its help by negotiating important agreements with the Anarchists.

Since the Thin Blood have attacked Mexico City the New Sabbat, led by the new Ruler Adine, has reorganized its hierarchy by embracing much more “anarchic” ideals than the old sword’s ones. This makes the sect a rather inviting field for those anarchists that want to change things, without having to make too many pacts with the devil or accepting compromises. In addition, with the arrival of many former camarillics in the anarchic ranks, the Anarchic Movement splits apart in two big branches: The Anarchists and the Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood is mainly composed by Nosferatu, Gangrel Tzimisce, Assamites and sheltered Brujah, some by the Camarilla, some by the terror of Ur-Shulgi, others by the same Sabbat that was smashed and re-formed against the traditional principles.

For this reason, the Anarchists decided to negotiate the Bloody Alliance in Detroit, which provides the no-Belligerency with the Sabbat, support in case of crusades or raids and in the Elders hunt. Adine, in fact, not only hunts the Ancients down, but legalise the undisputed fight against all the elders who are tied to the Eternal Struggle, the Jyhad, in the Sabbat accusing them of being traitors to their ancestry and true architects of the sin of all the damned.

That’s why, after the United States of America’s liberation, Sabbat and Anarchists move against Mexico City, by punishing the Thin Blood and driving them out to Europa or to the borders, to South America.

The Bloody Alliance is so called because all the Anarchists who accepted Adine’s call to arms, who clarified and revealed all the elders’ dark plans, even those of her own clan, signed in a big Vaulderie their alliance with the heroin’s figure, who swears to take on the big responsibility of the fight against the Antediluvians in the public square. It was no longer time for games, this time the Gehenna was upon us.

The Brotherhood is a congregation of Anarchists and Independents who believe that the only way to be saved is being brothers. The main difference between the Brotherhood and Anarchists is simply the attitude towards the other Damned. The Anarchists are involved in the fight against the elders, they want to overturn the institutions’ power and destroy the Jyhad’s players. The brothers, on the contrary, don’t consider these problems, they know that victory lies in Faith, in what they are and in their ideals of freedom. It’s not necessary to strive for useless wars with other brothers, it’s not important destroying this or that elder. We are at the last nights and the Eye of God will come to punish everyone. Even the Antediluvians. Only those who will be helpful for the purposes for which they have been created, in the redemption for what they have become, in the acceptance of their still human self, will be forgiven by God and will become mortals again, as in the ancient prophecies.

The Brotherhood firstly was a Gehenna’s Cult, born between Assamites and the last Healthy. Today it becomes a sort of big sect, which incorporates many Gangrel that have followed Xaviar leaving the Camarilla; Nosferatu that have understood the impossibility of remaining underground to hide from the sect’s fights, by abandoning the Camarilla, also because the underground is no longer a safe territory; Assamites, mostly Viziers and Warriors, who have left Alamut because they have refused to abandon the faith for Allah and so they are persecuted by their own clan.
If the Nod’s book talked about Cowards, Sire-less orphans and thin blood as a symbol of the defeat of all Damned, then they would welcome these homeless protecting them, in order to avoid that their hate could explode as written in the prophecy. The desire to break free from the blood curse was so great that no vampire would be able to use its powers in the Brotherhood’s sacred places. Their domains were real free ports where the elders could do nothing.

Anarchists and Brothers agree on one thing. The presence of free Ports, excluded only to the Infernalists for obvious reasons.
Free Ports are a sort of Camarilla’s Elysium, distinguished only for the fact that the faith of all those Brothers, whether they are weak, united is able to prevent the blood powers. The Only Discipline that is exempt from this seal if Obeah.

In free ports, for this innate power that the Brothers have developed, there’s no chance of being destroyed, if not by the blood’s anathemas. However, for some reason, the brothers don’t go into red terror or frenzy.
It’s as if the free territories were truly blessed by the eye of God. No one, until now, was able to find an explanation, but surely much of the responsibility is mystically attributable to the Thin Blood that use free ports and the brotherhood as a safe shelter in which no one can touch them.

A keen eye would immediately notice that where there is a free port, there is also its Tzimisce keeper. Not a simple Sabbat Tzimisce with his distinctive characteristics: unusual body deformities, tattoos and piercings, genitals placed in a weird and striking way in the most uncommon locations. The offering of the Carpathians’ Blood in the Brotherhood was of a certain level: Tzimisce Koldunisti, wise and educated gentlemen of the darkness divided on the thought about Cain and Lilith, but united in the conviction that the Gehenna will see God going against the evils of the world.

The mystical power of Free Port could be probably a consequence of the Koldunist Thaumaturgic and some application for the pain. The Bahari of the Old Clan, in fact, protect life so that everyone can have the possibility to transcend. Theirs is not an act of respect of the existence cycles. Their Cain brothers’ disciples, on the contrary, use the concept of Free Port to explore the human soul in the Cainite soul. Together with the Tzimisce who escaped from the Shadows, these amazing Koldunists prepare themselves to the biggest challenge of all times. The Gehenna. They know that there isn’t only one possible Gehenna: prophecies are different and all as false as true. The truth beyond the lie is that until that moment, free ports will be a Temple of protection for them:

The Cainites’ powers will not be possible thanks to the Goddess Nestrecha, while Krivda will protect who live there from the red Terror and Frenzy, except who, on the contrary, will be insulted by them at the behest of the Koldunists. If any brave souls felt some hostile thought in a free port, his mind, by order of Kruchina would surrender to the melancholy and pain, crying the lost Humanitas and pining in pain and despair. No man can say how Chernogolov and Marena, Kupala’s wife, protect Free Ports but anyone who ventures towards them with hostile intentions or against the will of those who are sheltered there, will meet the rage of these two divinities.

For unknown reasons, all the Damned belonging to the Tremere Clan are destroyed by an inner power. The oracles announce that the Antediluvian [Tremere] has won his Fight against [Tzimisce], but the reality is different.

Only a small group of Tremere manages to survive: Circle of Penelope is, in fact, what remains of the Telyav bloodline which thanks to the Sielanic Thaumaturgical was able to survive somehow inquisition’s power that in the 16th century saw them all destroyed.
Indeed, these little weavers would gradually retried, in the shadows, to re-form the clan hidden until that moment in the woods or in the Shaowlands.

The Malstorm was the trigger that brought them again to step on the ground from which they escaped at the time. Spirits are agitated because in the World of Darkness a big threat is arising. The Bayer’s Power, thanks to the help of Vittorio Giovanni, a young Cainite put on the red list and hated by all the damned of the world, is truly incomparable. The Telyav will meet Vittorio right in the Shadowlands, who will offer them the entire Hermetic Order’s safety in exchange for collaboration. There is not only their own not-life at stake but also the possibility of release the order from an ancient and painful anxiety.

Aida Bayer was not born with the iron mask, or with her amazing abilities of war strategy. Aida was simply a mistake that the Damned couldn’t afford and that now they will pay dearly. There’s nothing worse than a young girl close to death, who spent her life in pain and hate. After her unfortunate embrace, the confused and disoriented young lady, finds out that she has acquired some mutation that her future dear ally, Vittorio Giovanni, will explain as the Nosferatu clan’s curse.
Vittorio is a young Italian Damned who, as his companions of clan, lives a life on the boundary between the vampiric society and the mortal society. Businessman, clever economist, capable interlocutor: he will conquer Aida’s heart who will see an affine ally in him. Theirs will be a relation of enduring and productive friendship: in a chance meeting in Venice the two know and confide in each other, discovering that one was the possibility of salvation of the other.

Vittorio is, in fact, desirous of escaping with his beloved, Marianna, who he would like to steal from the head of the family Leopoldo, who would make her his descendant and lover. An inconsiderate and dangerous act that Aida will want to support: thanks to the Nosferatu Vittorio will be able to kidnap the still mortal Marianna and will find in the Bayer a safe shelter in the new Continent. In exchange of this act of kindness, Vittorio will teach Aida all about Vampires. The young girl wants to take revenge on this dark society that manipulates at their will the mortal lives that vampires call cows. Vittorio, now part of damned society’s red list, would do his best to help Aida in her intent to exterminate Vampires. He will explain to her how to prevent the camarillic elders’ moves and how to transform the Bayer in an unlimited resource against the damned. Using the uncertain political situation and leading the Bayer to the path of medical and paramilitary resource, Aida would become one of the most powerful figures in the world. Vittorio will plan with Aida the settlement of Bayer military bases and political conquest of some strategic cities. He will explain her how to take advantage of the “Bastards” clan in her favour so that they are the ones to provide Bayer with important information on this or that elder.
In return, Aida would have to allow him to use the Bayer’s financial resources to build her empire in the Shadowlands. Thanks to the Necromancy and collaboration of Lithuanian Tremere, the Shadow Bayer would be built quickly and no Necromancer could ever have approached him and his loved Marianna.

After the escape of Vittorio, the Giovanni Clan decided to join the Tower in order to transform their family matter in a state one. For a Giovanni the family hegemony is a too precious good.

With the Roses’ Convention the Necromancers of Venice would have entered into the Camarilla, in return the Roses would have sent Mme Guil and other important and powerful damned in search of Marianna Filiberti. This prestigious Coterie called “The Restorers” is composed, in addition to the already mentioned Toreador, by Violante Orsini, Le Juje and the Tzimisce III, Bounty hunter and important Koldunist.

After having come into possession of Marianna Filiberti, the Restorers will have to face the true rage of Vittorio, who managed to get in touch with an important Sabbat Clan to ask for their help, thanks to the new Lithuanian mystical allies’ support.
Vittorio will find in the Sabbat an important ally in the fight against the Restorers’ Coterie: Heralds of Skull. These powerful necromancers will help Vittorio to rescue his lover and run away from Seattle and III, who is actually a member of the undercover Black Hand ready to exterminate both the Coterie and the young lover to ridicule the Camarilla and show to Giovanni Clan the true power of the Sabbat by giving back Marianna to the legitimate Sire. Unfortunately, the Heralds never shared the political interests of the Sword. In order to kill Vittorio and rescue Marianna at any cost, III will send a capable huntress, his descendant, against him, while the Sabbat regency will push in order that Aida will be forced to attack openly the city by letting her know that this is in the hands of a Bioterrorists’ group and in the grip of a vampiric war.

The young Aida’s reaction is unpredictable even for the clever Lasombra. The neurotic Nosferatu will fire a missile into the city to purify it, unaware of the presence of her ally on the territory. While Vittorio is involved in a fight against Amalie, Tzimisce huntress, the bomb hits the city. The huntress’ mission is that of protecting Marianna and bringing her back alive to her own Sire, so her main interest is to defend the girl’s safety. Vittorio, to save her, will try to entry in the Shadowlands to find shelter, saving both Marianna and the Huntress from death. Since that moment Vittorio will not be the same.

With the Shadow Bayer he will initiate the Dark Reich, where the dominion in the spirits’ land will give him the possibility to become the most fearsome enemy of the damned, together with the Bayer. Indeed, the Heralds of Skull help to save himself revealing to him that they are Cappadocians who returned after the sixth Maelstorm in order to take revenge against the Giovanni. Vittorio swears them loyalty and together assemble the Reich of Darkness’ alliance, composed by Tremere of the Penelope’s circle, Heralds of Skull and the Bayer A.G.