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Vampire the Dark Ages: York 1304 Clans & Politics

Clan Descriptions and Politics

The following is a general guideline for the politcal views and motivations exhibited by the Clans present in York. Clan Elders and their current Screen Names they employ are provided here to aid new characters and old in contacting the proper players for storylines and new/old character development.

Assamite

  • Elder: None

Almost none of these kindred come this far North, and seldom do they stay long. The Crusades may have ended, but their is still much resentment and hostility for any Moor or Arab. Also, with the vast majority of people being good Catholics, they also tend to consider paganism of any sort to be akin to witchery and devil worship. Thus, an Assamite must be quite careful this far away from home. However, their skills are noted and appreciated by some unscrupulous kindred, and so they do find work if they seek it. Many come here simply to spy out their enemies or do some work for their own masters.

The Assamites have no elder and two ancillae.
Please contact Sorentaine@aol.com, AidanGrey@aol.com, or AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Assamite PCs.

Brujah

The Brujah hold the greatest amount of power in Scotland's lowlands and among the Scottish nobility, though they do have some power in England (the English Brujah tend to hold power among lesser lords, gangs of brigands, the FreeMasons, and some knightly orders). The various Scottish clans each have been claimed by one or more Brujah, and it is for this reason that the clans continually make war upon each other or act in complete disunion, because as any vampire knows, the Brujah can't even get along with each other, much less the rest of the Cainites. It is this fractitious governing which has allowed the Ventrue to continue their control over lands that they have so few of their people in....they have simply played the Brujah against themselves, promising one clan lord one thing, and another something else, and pushing them into conflict. During the Wallace campaign, it was an easy matter to simply buy off the lot of them, promising them greater power and more lands, so long as Wallace dies and the Ventrue remain in control. With the martyrdom of Wallace, some of the Clanlords and their Brujah masters have had a change of heart, and some do even cry out for war against the English. Alas, the Gangrel will give no more trust to the Brujah, and without their help, Scotland will not be freed.

The Brujah, being a large and powerful clan, have an elder and four ancillae.
Please contact AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Brujah PCs.

Visit the Clan Brujah Home Page

Cappadocian

  • Elder: None

The Cappadocians are, as ever, enigmatic and morbid to the other Cainites. While relatively small in England, they are quite interested in the city of York, and so are a presence there. The cemetary of the York Minster cathedral has been under their scrutiny and study for some time, and they have recently sent several of their number to York to further investigate the hauntings and spirits who do linger there. The Cappadocians tend to avoid politics, preferring their studies, but do get involved occasinally, often acting as advisors.

The Cappadocians have one elder and two ancillae.
Please contact Sorentaine@aol.com, AidanGrey@aol.com, or AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Cappadocian PCs.

Followers of Set

  • Elder: None

This clan, like the Assamites, suffers from the prejudices of the West. The most successful Setites tend to be more Western in appearance and style. However, this is a time of decadence in England, and the Setites have enjoyed it immensely. There are even some rumors that the mortal King, Edward, was corrupted by them long ago, and that even now serves their needs. Certainly there is no shortage of the easily corrupted in the courts. Still, the Setites are small clan far from their power bases in Egypt and the African Continent.

The Setites have no elder and two ancillae.
Please contact Sorentaine@aol.com, AidanGrey@aol.com, or AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Setite PCs.

Gangrel

  • Elder: None

The gangrel are quite populous in England, but hold their greatest number and power in the Highlands of Scotland. It is here that they rallied behind William Wallace and started the campaign to bring an end to the persecution of their peoples. It is here that they began the war that led to the sacking of York. It was here that many of them returned to when their beloved Wallace was betrayed by the Scottish Clans (ie: The Brujah) and Robert the Bruce. Now the Gangrel wait and prepare, knowing that the English are quickly weakening, and that soon enough they might find a way to free Scotland forever. Many of the clan do gather or visit York regularly, knowing that it is here that they must strike first, and here that they met their greatest success. The Gangrel have a great deal of anger for the Brujah, who did betray them and their Wallace, and so have little trust for the ClanLords of Scotland. However, their greatest malice is reserved for the Ventrue, who they hold responsible for the persecutions of the Scots and for the loss of their wild places.

The Gangrel, the second largest clan in the Isles, is allowed an elder and four ancillae.
Please contact Sorentaine@aol.com, AidanGrey@aol.com, or AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Gangrel PCs.

Lasombra

Though this clan is smaller than the previous three, in this time of chaos and turmoil, they have been bringing in as many of their number as they can, concentrating them in key areas where Lasombra power is strong. Because of the large cathedrals in Canterbury and York, and the great deal of power the Lasombra hold in the church, the Lasombra often work out of these cathedrals. Only the Cathedral of London remains out of their grasp, and much effort is being made to take it. The Lasombra hold the second most amount of political power in England at this time. Because of the enormous amount of power that the Vatican has in all the Western nations, and because of the strong religious beliefs of the catholic people of Europe, the Pope easily has as much power as the Holy Roman Emporer ever did. It is through this power base that the Lasombra have begun slowly corrupting the Ventrue's government. Already, the church has managed to inherit the lands of many heirless nobles who died, rather than these lands being returned to the King. They also have spent vast monies on various members of the aristocracy, or used their religious power (indulgences, promises of Heaven, gifts of land, etc) to manipulate or outright control them. Lastly, the Lasombra learned early on the importance of the Guilds and the newly forming world economy, and already have control of a great many of them. Still, the Lasombra do not have the resources of armies and numbers that the Ventrue have, and must therefore work slowly and carefully towards their goals.

Because of their power, the Lasombra have one elder and four ancillae.
Please contact DiegoDC@aol.com regarding new Lasombra PCs.

Malkavian



  • Elder: None

This clan has no real structure, goals, or strong place in the political arena. However, they are a presence in the Isles. It is rumored that they hold some special place in the city of York, and that they are a protected clan in Yorkshire.

The Malkavians have one elder and three ancillae.
Please contact Sorentaine@aol.com, AidanGrey@aol.com, or AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Malkavian PCs.

Nosferatu

  • Elder: Ktucheck

Though this clan is relatively strong in England, in Yorkshire they are nearly extinct. Recently, the warrens of the Nosferatu in York (and in a few other places) were attacked by an unknown (to most) threat and exterminated. A few survivors still exist, and Nosferatu from other places have come to York to repopulate and investigate the matter. They do as they have always done, protecting themselves through hiding and information spreading, getting involved as little as possible in the eyes of the others, but secretly working their own agendas as much as they can.

The Nosferatu have one elder and two ancillae.
Please contact Ktuchek@aol.com regarding new Nosferatu PCs.

Ravnos

  • Elder: Melei Perislav

The Ravnos have just recently discovered the stuffy, stodgy English, and have taken great pleasure in abusing them. A few caravans of gypsies have come here to exploit this untapped resource, and though their numbers are very small, and though they already have found themselves to be as unwanted by the English as any other peoples, they have begun to settle in.

The Ravnos have one elder and two ancillae.
Please contact Sorentaine@aol.com, AidanGrey@aol.com, or AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Ravnos PCs.

Toredaor

  • Elder: None

The Toreador have already begun their campaign to sieze Paris, and then France, from the Ventrue, and have met with no small amount of success. The clan has also targeted England as a potential base of power, though they do not believe they will wrest it from Ventrue control. Already, London has seen numerous artistes roaming about, considering architecture and other matters. Though the conflicts on the continent concern local Ventrue, the Toreador have managed to maintain good relations with the Kingly Clan here in the isles. They tend to act as advisors or else simply concentrate on their studies, avoiding most of the political issues of the times. However, the Toreador do have some power in the church as well, and would not like to see the Lasombra in control of London's cathedral. They also will do whatever they can to keep the English out of their attempts to takeover France.

The Toredor, being an average sized clan, has one elder and three ancillae.
Please contact Sorentaine@aol.com, AidanGrey@aol.com, or AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Torreador PCs.

Tremere

Then Tremere clan is finally starting to settle into the Cainite community. Though there is still much resentment against them for being a clan of diablerists and usurpers, the bloodwizard's successes in the East against the Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Tzimisce have garnered them some respect. Also, because they have managed to stay in the Ventrue Council's good graces, many of them enjoyed a "protected advisor" status in Ventrue cities on the continent. This is not exactly the case in England, as the Tremere have just recently begun their "colonization" of the Isles, and Mithras is notorious for hating any sort of sorcery. Because of this, the Tremere have infiltrated the Freemasons, feeling that this organization would much better serve their needs than the Brujah and their refugee Templar knights. They have also concentrated on the cities of York, Liverpool, Manchester, and other cities outside of London, planning to slowly gain power in London, where they are barely tolerated.

The Tremere have one elder and three ancillae.
Please contact Sorentaine@aol.com, AidanGrey@aol.com, or AstonSmyth@aol.com regarding new Tremere PCs.

Tzimisce


  • Elder: Pyotr

As the Crusades have ended and the little border wars and skirmishes now ravage the lands of Eastern Europe, the Tzimisce have fought against Turk, Moslem, Assamite, Gangrel, Nosferatu, their own fellow Tzimisce, and most especially, the hated Tremere. Though they endure, many lands have been lost to their various enemies. Though they continue to rule the East, their power is slowing crumbling. This has caused the exodus, exile, or exploration of many Tzimisce both young and old. Though their number is not many, one might find an occasional Elder, ancillae or neonate in nearly any Western land. England knows no exceptions to this, and a few Tzimisce have settled here, though most who come this far north are surely exiles or fleeing some threat.

The Tzimisce have one elder and one ancillae.
Please contact York1304ST@aol.com regarding new Tzimisce PCs.

Ventrue

The Ventrue dominate the political scene in England at this time. They are the largest clan (only the Gangrel truly compare in numbers) and have many ghouls and dominated servants among the nobility and royalty, thus giving them control over most of the armies and fleets in England. However, of late there has been a great deal of conflict and chaos in the clan. With the death of Edward Longshanks and the lengthy abscences of Mithras, Ventrue King, the various Ventrue princes of the other cities and many of the Ventrue lords have seen this as an opportunity to expand their power bases, perhaps even overthrow Mithras. Some of the other clans, too, have taken advantage of this opportunity to grow in strength as well. The new king, Edward the Third, is incompetent and foolish, but Mithras has not had opportunity to find an appropriate replacement for him, as the ancient Ventrue is so often on the continent dealing with the Ventrue Council, the French, and some other, unnamed, issues. When Mithras is in London, he spends most of his time trying to make sure he loses nothing of his power, and has become very paranoid about who he can trust.

In York, Julian DeLyonesse has been Prince for quite some time, and has generally been considered a successful prince. Many eyes are on him at this time due to some recent events, particularly two rather bloody wars (one against strange creatures from the Northeast, one against werewolves, according to local rumor), the last ending in great destruction within the walls of York. York, being the most northern stronghold of England, is very important to the Ventrue (who see it as a bastion against Scottish (ie: Brujah/Gangrel) invasion, and to the Gangrel and Brujah, who did watch with glee as William Wallace besieged and sacked the city in recent times. With the casualties caused by the war, the Ventrue have begun fortifying Yorkshire with a fleet to protect its coast and some armies nearer to the Northern border of the fiefdom. These are currently under the control of Lord Barrington, a ruthless Ventrue who has proven quite loyal to the King, Mithras.

The Ventrue, being the largest clan, are allowed both a Prince, an Elder, and five Ancillae.
Please contact Delyonesse@aol.com regarding new Ventrue PCs.

Caitiff

The cast aways or lost.

Please contact York1304ST regarding new Caitiff PCs.

Baali

The Baali are out there lurking somewhere...
At this point, they are strictly an NPC clan.