World of Future Darkness

Setting Guide
Credits
Document Layout & Design: Brian-Joseph Baker (Cincinnati, OH, USA) Last Updated: 01.21.09 Interior Art By: Travis Jones (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) Document Contributors: Brian-Joseph Baker (Cincinnati, OH, USA) James Edward Tremlett (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) R.Talsorian Games White Wolf Games Studio

Table of Contents
Page 1: Credits & Table of Contents Page 2: What is Minds Eye Theatre Page 3-4: What is the Dark Future? Page 5: The World in a Nutshell Page 6-10: The Dark Future Page 11-16: Life in the Dark Future Page 17-20: Camarilla Dominions of North America Page 21-28: The Corporate Life Page: 29-31: Uniform Civilian Justice Code Page 32-35: Future Shock: A Timeline for the Dark Future Page 37-40: A Timeline for the Victorian & Modern Ages Page: 41-42: House & Clan Tremere Hierarchy Page 43-44; Dark Tidings for the Garou Nation Page 45-46: The 4th Sabbat Civil War Page 47: Dark Future References

What is Minds Eye Theatre?

I'm glad you asked, even if you didn't. Lets go back to the beginning of civilization to find our answer. no, i'm serious, really. Early man began Theatre as a ritual to bring rain, a good harvest, whatever... As time progressed they became a bit more complex. The first sign of theatre as we know it today arrived in Ancient Greece when the first actor, Thespis (well ok he is the first KNOWN actor) stepped out and took on a character aside from the chorus. This developed in praise of Dionysus, the God of ecstasy and frenzy. Unfortunately with the fall of the Greek Republic and the rise of the Romans, Theatre gave way to more disgusting and brutal forms of entertainment until the theatre was finally outlawed at the advent of the Catholic Church. but once again a resurgence of theatre came with the rise of the church in England (ironic how the ones who forbade theatre created modern theatre). So anyway we move onto the Renaissance and find Comedia Del Arte, a form of theatre based upon improvisation to a defined plot, the origins of modern role-playing. this continued on until finally we have MET which systematized and popularized this form, but now we aren't calling rich theatre-goers our audience, now we have the player's as the audience, and anyone can play. Now raise your hands if you learned something new today.......sit back and enjoy!

What is the Dark Future?

(Dark Future)
Welcome to the Dark Future. Welcome to a techno-horror chronicle that explores the human condition through the personal horror of humanity lost. This is a world where mortal corporations have finally succeeded in dominating the destiny of nations. In this world, governments rise and fall at the whim of these corporations; these are the new super powers of the world. Outside of the mortal cities, society is coming apart at its seams. The environment is turning against man because of his blatant disregard of nature and mother earth. Mother Earth is being raped and sold at wholesale prices. Only the Garou; the werewolves and a few others of the Changing Breeds are left to stand up against the Corporations and the Gaia's worst enemy... the Wyrm. The Weaver has all but solidified its hold on the mortal world through the Net. Technology and Black Tech is everywhere; who's going to think twice when some poor bastard buys the farm attempting to commit industrial sabotage. It happens every day, its seen on the news when some poor fool is caught and executed for going against the way of things. And just under the surface there is a World of Darkness. It is a world where the technocrats have finally succeeded in their mission to make the world sterile and safe for the unawakened masses. This is a world where the Traditions are struggling to survive against Technocratic Agents that are out to either convert them to their paradigm or put them to the flame as heretics against the Technocracys Utopian Vision of our future. Even as the Technocrats and the Tradition Mages fight their battles for the hearts and minds of humanitys unawakened soul; the Kindred lurk in the shadows, their Sects continuing to fight their millennial Jyhad for supremacy over the mortal world. The playing field has finally been leveled in the Camarillas war with the Dread Sabbat; at least in North America. The Justicars no long hold sway in North America, now Warlords the likes of which has not been seen in centuries have been placed in power to govern and protect the survive of the Camarilla, to wage its Jyhad against the Sabbat. And then to make matters worse for both the Camarilla and the Sabbat, the Cathayans; Kindred of the East have invaded the North American shores of the West Coast in an attempt to finally displace the warring Cainites and to begin the last dance as the Cycle winds to an end. Neither the Camarilla nor the Sabbat seem to be powerful enough to dislodge these Asian Kindred from their recently acquired holdings in the New World. The Fae have been give a short reprieve from the autumn storms that herald the coming of Winter. The Net has given them hope that humanitys creative spark has not been lost entirely. In secret Freeholds the Changeling Courts meet still, continuing their dance of light and shadow. And from the Shadows lurk nightmare, the Shadow Court; it is determined the ensure that the Fae survive Winter, even if it means killing off most of the weak that make up the Courts of Light and Shadow. In the Underworld, the restless dead walk the shadows of our cities. Watching with envious eyes the comings and going of the Quick, watching with concern as more and more of the Quick come to join them on the other side. More and more of the Restless Dead have turned to riding and using the Quick to ensure that they are not forgotten, that their fatal quest for Transcendence is not in vain and that they do not suffer the fate of Oblivion. In shady bars and clubs, those mortals in the know; Hunters, gather. They know that the monsters walk amongst us. Some have a plan to give a final rest to these horrors and to save humanity from itself. Others have become so filled with hate that they can not tell friend from foe and in the end, they themselves have become the enemy that they sought to destroy. The price of life isn't that high, in the Combat Zones across North America, mortals hold a lottery of what the end of days body count will be. Some mortals even go into the Combat Zone with the express purpose of driving up that body count; especially when the result will be winning a pot of money to help them survive another day in the Zone.

Places like the "Zone" are favorites for Kindred wishing to feed and avoid notice. Its just another body to be added to the ever growing pile. And who would think twice about the constant state of fighting that is always engulfing the "Zone" ? For the Technocrats, the Traditions, the Kindred, the Garou, the Changelings and the Wraiths its just another way to help obscure their passing from the rest of the world.

There's your taste of the Dark Future.

The World in a Nutshell

(Dark Future)
This isnt a loving world, bad things happen every day. Good people die, honest people are framed. Neonates are constantly on the shit end of the stick when it comes to dealings with the Ancillae or Elders of their city. Generally, depending on the size of the city, each city has its core of Elders that control what goes on within the city and their respective domains. Its these very same Elders that always sire a brood to handle their affairs within these cities. Its these broods that the Ancillae come from, working under the constant eye of the Elders and attempting to gain power for themselves by siring their own broods. While at the same time trying not to make themselves targets to other Elders or Ancillae by gaining too much power too fast. If your have become a target of some Ancillae or Elders , you will eventually become a victim. Like I said before, its not if it will happen, its when it will happen. Most Neonates in these dark times were embraced within the last 15 years. Many of them will fall within the Edgerunner concept. Some PCs will have cybernetics that went inactive the moment they were embraced, like synthetic skin, eye implants to change the colors, tatoos , etc,... those types of things stay on because they were a living part of their bodies. Things like Neural Processors would remain, but be useless because they require the bioelectric currents that only a living breathing body can support. Generally, Kindred do not embrace those with major cybernetic enhancements because they would be creating a creature that couldn't survive without those implants. Imagine a Brujah embraces a Solo only to find out that the Solo is a total paraplegic after the embrace because that poor soul had their arms and legs cut off and replaced with cybernetic limbs. But, there are also Kindred out there that have somehow figured out a way to re-activate those enhancements, and it is these Kindred that terrify those around them. Some whisper of secret clinics that can and will perform these operations. The world of the Dark Future moves fast, and only those willing to pay whatever price necessary to survive are going to prosper in this world. Alliances are but temporary passings in the night, everyone is a potential threat to tomorrow nights continued survival. With North America in chaos, only those Kindred with a mind for reigning in the chaos and stabilizing it are on the up and up. Those stupid enough to voice their opposition to Camarilla policy or gods forbid, dumb enough to create that chaos themselves, often can and do become victims as those moving up the latter use them as another body to add to the pile that is propelling them into the upper levels of Camarilla Society and closer to those in true positions of power. And now it comes down to you, what are you going to do in a world that cares nothing for you and would kill you and add your undying body to the pile they are using to further their political careers? Will you be the ones that start the pile yourselves, or will you become victims of this deadly cycle and become a part of the pile?

The Dark Future

(Dark Future)
"You don't understand; the Masquerade will be outdated inside the next thirty years. Technology has advanced to the point that nearly anyone who cares to spend the cash can identify Kindred. We must be prepared for the inevitable exposure of our 'lifestyle. The Canaille possess the means to destroy us now! What will they have in five years? Ten? Twenty? Adapt, die, or get the hell out of the way." -- Margali, of Clan Ravnos, in a letter to the Camarilla, 2009

Vampiric Society in the Year 2022

With the introduction of cybernetics into the mainstream, many Elders have become concerned about their own futures. In 2009, the Camarilla Inner Circle met in Venice Italy to deal with major issues facing the North American Camarilla Territories. At this Conclave, it was decided that the North American Camarilla needed to impose harsher restrictions on the Neonates and Anarchs dwelling on that Continent in order to keep them under tighter control and to eliminate future risks to the Masquerade. When the Cathayans invaded the West Coast of North America, many Anarchs allied themselves with the Camarilla Loyalists if only to protect their homes. In the end, only isolated pockets of the Camarilla have been able to remain in the Cathayan controlled west. Those Anarchs that didnt become turncoats to their brother and sister Anarchs were forced to relocate into the Midwest, or are in hiding on the West Coast; staging raids and sneak attacks against their Cathayan invaders. With the chaos present in North America, the Camarilla deemed it necessary to take more control on the continent. North America was broken up into Regional Dominions, for each Dominion the Inner Circle appointed a Warlord to directly oversee the Camarilla's interests in those Dominions. After the incident with Prince VonBrom of the Toledo Metroplex, the Inner Circle of the Camarilla charged each Warlord with governing their respective Dominions to insure that treason and insurection did not crop up within their Dominions. An unfortunate byproduct of this decision was for the formation of two new factions within Kindred society; the Children of Carthagos and the Brotherhood. The former being made up primarily of Brujah Individualists, Gangrel, Malkavians, Nosferatu and Toreador. Their goal was to create a world where Kindred and Kine could live together without fear of one another . Since those early days in 2010, the Children of Carthagos have been insilating themselves into the power structures of the Anarchs and the Camarilla. Within the High Courts of the Warlords, it has become known that these Kindred are out there and the standing order is that should any Kindred be found breaching the Masquerade, the punishment is Final Death. In some cases, Blood Hunts have been declared with only the suspicion of membership of this faction. Anarchs as a whole view the Children of Carthago has hopeless idealists that will be put to Final Death by the end of the century. The Brotherhood on the other hand, it is not viewed as a laughable threat. The Brotherhood is made up entirely of Anarchs that view the Camarilla as a weak crumbling relic from the past and they see it as their divine right to be the wrecking ball that will smash the Ivory Tower into rubble. As the Brotherhood sees things, the Sabbat had it right in the reasons why they fought in the Anarch Revolt, but their formation of a Sect was totally flawed. The Sabbat saw themselves as Gods that walked the earth with nothing that could stop them, which in the end sent themselves spiraling into the darkness of madness and frenzy. Not so with the Brotherhood, they freely admit that they were once Kine and that they still have ties to the mortals upon which they feed. They see mortals in 2021 as the threat that they

potentially could become. With cybernetics entering the picture, the Kine have more than the ability to fight Kindred and win. Organizationally speaking, the Brotherhood works like terrorist cells, once one group is brought down, another quickly activates to take the fallen Cell's place. This has made it exceedingly difficult to track and destroy the Brotherhood as a faction.

The Camarilla
Clan Brujah: The golden age is over, darkness has descended upon the mean streets of 2022. Those leading the meaner elements of this post modern society are the Iconoclasts of Clan Brujah. With the decay of suburbia, street gangs and worse roam the remains of what was once a bastian of blue collar society. Those Brujah Idealists that arent on the streets creating civil unrest are in music studios singing about the civil unrest on the streets or are quietly gliding through the Corporate world trying to stay under the radar of the Ventrue or worse, the Giovanni. Clan Gangrel: In 1997, Clan Gangrel; at least most of it, left the Camarilla for reasons that even their Eldest wont go into. With the destruction of the forests that once were home to many Gangrel in the 20th Century, most have turned to traveling with Nomad families in an attempt to stay on the move and to keep ahead of any that would wish them ill. Some have even turned to travelling with their much disliked cousins, the Ravnos. Others though have turned to running with human gangs, if only for short periods of time. Those few that dare venture into the cities tend to stay to themselves, preferring to remain the strong silent types. Some even dare work for the few corporations that have the sense to not rape the natural world, as Solos and Medics. Clan Malkavian: With the chaos of the early 2000s brought on a mass embrace of mortals into the line of Malkav. In their minds eye, the Malkavians saw it as the perfect opportunity to strengthen their clan and to enhance the paranoia that came about in the days shortly before the United States government collapsed. Since those days, these poor fools have wandered the ruins of society into an attempt to make sense of their new existence. Some or these newly embraced Malkavians have taken it upon themselves to "enlighten" the dregs of society in the Combat Zones with their own unique form of divine inspiration. Clan Nosferatu: The Clan of the Mask has become ever more so removed from the societies of Kindred and Kine alike, with their horrific appearances, few have the courage to confront the Nosferatu, even when they stand to gain much from these sewer rats. The Information Age on the other hand has made these Kindred some of the most well informed vampires in the Camarilla, Anarchs or even the Sabbat. If you truly need to know something, these are the vampires to go to. Clan Toreador: The Muse has truly gifted this Clan of Artistes and Posers as one of the most powerful clans in Camarilla society. Many influential Toreador own their own Entertainment Corporations, dealing in nearly any media that could possibly be exploited or promoted. Clan Tremere: This clan of warlocks has made many inroads into the Corporations that shake this post modern society. Some adventurous Tremere have even dared to attempt to gain footholds in Corporations owned by the Ventrue and the Giovanni. With the power of the world shifting from national governments to megacorporations, the Tremere have begun travelling a very dangerous road that can only lead to their eventual discovery by the enigmatic forces of the Technocratic Union. Clan Ventrue: The Clan of Kings has awaited this day for a long time, the day that they could truly shake the modern world through their influence in the Corporations. Everyday another powerful shareholder is "bought out" by a member of the Ventrue. Being the Blue Bloods that they are, this Clan has fought the hardest to keep cybernetics out of the mainstream.

The Independents
Caitiff: With the thinning of the blood, Caitiff are becoming all too common in cities across the global. Many Princes see this rise in the Caitiff populations of their Cities as a precursor to the prophesized coming of the Dark Prince mentioned in the Book of Nod. Many Caitiff have turned away from the Camarilla, because as they see it, the Camarilla wants nothing to do with them and would sooner stake them for the coming sun rise than help them in even the smallest ways. Those that have turned their backs on the Camarilla has gone willingly into the awaiting arms of the Anarchs or the Dread Sabbat. Some have turned to darker ends and have joined with the Brotherhood to help bring down the Ivory Tower. Clan Assamite: The modern world has made the business of Clan Assamite much more profitable. In these times they can easily move among the Kine, in fact many have extended contracts with the megacorps as a way to pad the coffers of Clan Assamite. The coming of the Warlords has forced those assassins that still wish to pursue the richest prizes of all; kindred vitae, into doing it ever more discretely. At this point all Assamites operating with North America do so under an alias to protect them and their clan from reprisals. Followers of Set: The Black Sun rises on barren sands, Set has quickly arisen to swallow the sun. His brood however has been getting their hands dirty every night since the advent of the newer, nastier of the designer drugs hit the North American streets from Central America. Setites in this time are truly the kings of the underworld, every time someone needs a fix they are at their side to make sure its "their" special brand of the designer drugs that get their clients high. It is they, the Followers of the Snake God that rule from behind the shadowed veil of the night sweep streets. Clan Giovanni: The most unlikely of Clans has finally risen to a position of dominance over Kindred society, even if the Camarilla and the Sabbat don't even know it. Only through direct pressure of the Giovanni member on the Board of Directors for the Pentex megacorporation has Kindred society been allowed to thrive as it is. When the Technocratic Union finally finished their technocratic utopia, they immediately turned their sights on the Kindred, only through the direct intervention of the vampires of Clan Giovanni were the crosshairs of the Hitmarks lowered. No one knows what dark agreement they made with the Technocracy, but every Kindred knows that when they see the Giovanni leave a city in mass, its time to get out. Clan Ravnos: In North America, Clan Ravnos has taken to the roads more so now than any time in their past. With the Camarilla using any and all means to control every aspect of Camarilla society on the North American continent, the Ravnos finally decided that staying on the move better enables them to cope with the changes. Nomad caravans travel the old highways of America every day and night and no one thinks to care just how might be travelling with them. Those with the mental fortitude to actually remain in the Combat Zones and Corporate Cores of American cities tend to side with the Anarchs if only to remain free and independent. The Inconnu: These mysterious Kindred, ever the ones to not interfer with Kindred society have become ever more strict in this discipline. Many speak in whispers about this mysterious sect of vampires that watches Kindred society yet takes no actions to make it better, though there are those that whisper that these Inconnu may be responislbe for making it worse. Within the last 50 years, fewer Kindred have been brought into the fold of the Inconnu than in any other time in history. Have they lost interest in their quary? Or are they waiting as a wolf for their targets to stumble.... The Sabbat: The Dread Sabbat has long had massive sway across the eastern seaboard of North America. In these dark times they have a decided advantage against the vampires of the Camarilla. With their lack of control or care about who they embrace or how many they embrace on any given night, their numbers are overwhelming the Kindred of the Camarilla. The East Coast for all intensive purposes is a perpetual warzone between the Camarilla and the Sabbat. With the sheer violence of the Combat Zones, the Sabbat has been able to continue their ancient war against the Camarilla on a nightly basis. And every night, a city falls to the south of them, a city falls to the west of them. Most police forces tend to view these Sabbat packs as some of the most dangerous Boostergangs that are out there, while others tend to think that these vampires are cyborgs that have truly gone head long into the depths of cyberpsychosis.

Children of Carthagos: Since the Children of Carthagos came onto the scene, the Camarilla Warlords of North American have been making every attempt to root out and destroy members of this heretical faction that threatens to destroy the Masquerade that the Camarilla has fought for centuries to keep in place. Many Elders within the Camarilla have begun witch hunts within their own respective cities in an attempt to root out this "evil force" that threatens the existence of all Kindred. But in many cases, it is these very same Elders that are implicating their enemies as members of this heretical faction as a way to remove them from the grand picture with as few questions as possible.

Other Groups
The Cathayans: Since their Invasion in 1997, the Cathayans have been consistently pushing the Kindred of North America farther and farther back from their conquered holdings in Los Angeles. At this point, the Camarilla has been attempting to establish diplomatic negotiations between themselves and the Cathayans in the hopes of stopping their advance into Camarilla lands. As of yet, the only of the Cathayans that seemed willing to come to the table where those of House Genji of Japan. The Mages: Since the Technocracy has been able to solidify their hold on the technological world and have promised humanity visions of the ultimate utopia, the mages of the Traditions have had to go into hiding for fear that the Technocracy will send their cyborg assassins and agents after them. Out of all the Mages, it is the Technocracy that is calling the shots now, it is they who hold massive amounts of sway with the Mega Corporations and it is they who are at times guiding their corporate armies against all enemies of their utopian dream. The Mummies: Many things change in the world, but then again there are some that do not change. These creatures walk the earth, carrying out some kind of plan that few know about and even few would speak of for fear that the Mummy would strike them down for saying so little. As far as the supernatural world knows, none of these ancient creature require or even want to be "enhanced" by this modern age. The Vampire Hunters: As vampires gain ever more power in the mortal world, there are few out there would know of them, and even fewer that would try to stop these vampires from carrying out their nefarrious plans. Unfortunately, in this case, Vampires really do have something to be concerned about. About a century or so ago, the Society of Leopold was tossed out on its collective ass by the Holy Seal when they considered the Inquisition to be over. That seemed to be the end for these Inquisitors until in 2000, a new Pope came into power and lets just say that this Pope knew that the vampires were out there and did care enough to do something about it. The Inquistion may have had the Vatican doors nail it on the ass on its way out, but on its way back in it was welcomed with open arms. Of course, this welcome happened behind closed doors, and for all intents and purposes, no one but the Holy Seal knew about their reinstatement, but in the end they were back! This time around they have the full funding of the Pope through secret accounts, this time around they have access to cybernetics, this time around vampires really have something to worry about. FBI Special Affairs Division: When William T. Burroughs became the the current Director of the FBI, he had such plans for the Bureau. And then you can guess what happened....Nothing. Every time his agents went to investigate anything connected to possible supernatual causes, somehow his budget was cut, or and internal audit was sprung on the Bureau forcing him to order an investigation cancelled. Does he suspect something is up? Of course. Does he suspect Vampires? Yes. So how do you investigate those that do not want to be investigated? You turn to shadier channels and you start working like the bad guys that you seek to bring down. To this end he has hired some of the best Edgerunners in the industry. So why did poor William end up with an old TV Guide clipping of Fox Mulder taped to his office door? You pick the answer... NSA: When government conspiracy nuts go on their rants, generally talk of the NSA always comes up. No Such Agency. Thats what alot of the public would like to think, but the Gang of Four and their antics in Central and South America proved to America that without a doubt, the NSA did truly exist. What few know is that this Agency, even in its crippled state after its fall still has alot of power left in it. What even fewer know is that it is an Agency divided. A Sabbat ghoul here, a Camarilla Ghoul there, and somewhere in the mix you have those clueless fools that are conducting their witchhunts to find the vampires or ghouls or whatever hidding in the interoffice closets. Lets just say they have been

kept very busy sweeping the cobwebs out of their own spookhouses. And what makes it almost comical is that is all TSSI-level. The Center for Disease Control: AIDS, the Black Flu, etc,... Yeah, these guys have been keep busy over the last 20 or so years. When Justicar Petrodon called a Conclave in Atlanta Georgia in 1994, the purpose was to figure out how all of these vicious diseases were making their rounds. Why you ask? Because every disease that has the potential to be spread by mortals make it all the more difficult for Kindred to feed. Now if you don't care that everyone you are feeding on is getting a potentially lethal disease, its not a big deal. But eventually someone will start to see a pattern, and if that pattern leads to the Kindred, then there is a big problem. In any case, Petrodon's manipulation of the CDC's research wont be able to go unnoitced for much longer. The Arcanum: In 1993, the Georgetown police department was brought in to inverstigate the disappearance of one Jonathan Kelvin, the former head of the American Order of the Arcanum. When the police were found to be clueless, and the FBI turned up nothing; big surprise there. Thomas Yardley; Jonathan's successor, brought in his own crew of investigators and Psychometrists. While investigating the house they found traces and an ancient powerful presense in Kelvin's room at the Georgetown Chapterhouse. Since that discovery, almost 28 years ago, Thomas Yardley is becoming very bored, and can not fathom the reason why London ordered the investigation of Kelvin's disappearance terminated. The Werewolves: The Garou Nation can see the Apocalypse coming with the sun rise and they are not too happy with what they see. Many have taken to making "terrorist" attacks against Corporate installations in an attempt to protect Gaia from the slow death that they can feel coming upon their sacred mother. The Garou have it bad... (for more information check out the Garou Nation link). The Wraiths: Yeah, there are stories about ghosts shadowing Netrunners on the Net, but who would believe that? Apparently some, because these stories continue make their rounds across the Net.

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Life in the Dark Future

" Here - every look is murder Here - every act is a crime Here - every presence a poison Here - every word is a smile When you say turn, they all start to turn When you say dive, they're all on their knees" Front 242

(Dark Future)

The Future
You're not sure how you arrived here no one ever is. One moment you are a child, lost in dreams and honeysuckled visions of the bright world to come. Then you grow up, and things just aren't what you thought they would be. You're not sure where you belong here - no one ever does. There are three types of people in this world: those who give standing, those who have standing and those who do not. Those who give you your standing will always be above you, living in luxury. Those with standing live in often-cramped apartments, caged like mice. Their company lets them out to run their respective treadmills, and gives them some Euro to ease the blows and survive. It isn't nice, but it's better than being one of the many unlucky ones -- the ones the Police force away from restaurant windows with riot batons and shoot for sport. The ones who couldn't cut it, or never did. The ones who could have been you. You're not sure whose fault this is -- no one ever is. Was it the corporations for being such cold-blooded bastards ? Was it the people's for letting the corporations take over ? Was it the Governments' for allowing themselves to falter ? Or was it just basic human failing -- the irrepressible need to have more, make more, and get more things, no matter what cost to others, the world, or themselves ?

Love Big Brother

You know that you are watched: it is an everyday fact of life. Every time you walk down a hallway there's a camera. Every time you log on someone, somewhere is listening and recording. Every time you buy something it's crossreferenced and compared. Every time you watch the television it's watching you too. You are told this is for your own good. Thoughts can be dangerous things. Societies need right-minded people to guide them and make them work, and people with wrong-minds hurt themselves and others by speaking out of turn. That is why there's a 1000 Euro reward for turning in traitors, who always protest their innocence at first but later confess their sins to the whole world. They die at the end, of course, but at least they die clean. Those who run just make more trouble, and their families and friends pay for their crimes in their stead.

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The corporations are your friends. They are there to make your life worthwhile and happy, and only ask for increased productivity and absolute loyalty in return. True, they may occasionally do things that many would consider to be wrong or heavy-handed, but their responsibility is awesome and god-like. Occasionally they arrest the wrong person; occasionally they make very bad mistakes. But is a little forbearance and understanding on your part too much to ask ? Of course not; consider the alternative.

The Dark Past

Less than a twenty years ago, humanity was on its last legs. Earthly governments had failed to settle their disputes in an efficient manner, leading to loss of life and profit. Millions starved while a select few feasted, and thousands fought and died for the profits of their corrupt rulers. The promise of technology was suborned, implimented to make more weapons of mass destruction. Progress that could have revolutionized agriculture, medicine and education was instead applied to bombs, viral plagues and propaganda. A economic crash destroyed the United States' economy, and the people became more desperate than before. Brother fought brother for food and shelter, and those with nothing left to eat began to kill and eat one another. Vicious gangs of looters, rapists and murderers rode from ruin to ruin, taking what they wanted and killing anyone who got in their way. It was a time without law, and without hope. But there were those who had made wise decisions, and those august men and women began to build from the ruins. Where there was devastation they created beauty: from anarchy came civilization. Within 15 years, decency and humanity once again took control of the Earth, and those elements that created the chaos were all but exterminated for their crimes, or left to wander the out edges of the Combat Zones. Who would remember those horrors now ? Now that the corporations have conquered space, and have made the elements and ecosystems bow before them ? Now that man has truly harvested the potential of the atom, and harnessed the Sun's rays for heat and power ? Now that humanity is set for the next great step in its progress -- the colonization of solar systems beyond its own ? And if the control needed to keep such progress on track is occasionally cruel or repressive, you must remember that your own life does not matter. Everything must be sacrificed for the greater good, and everyone must be ready to make the personal sacrifice to ensure that good. There is no higher love than that. At least that is what you are told.

The Dark Present

There are those who can escape the dragnet that the Police and Corporate Soliders set for the unwary, and they say things that make your blood run cold with fear and loathing. They say that much of what the Corporations tell you is a lie. They say that it was, in fact, the Corporations themselves that created the wars and plagues and horrors of the last thirty years. They say that the Corporations bought the governments, and that the governments fought among themselves when the Corporations could not buy each other out, or when one company didn't like what another was

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doing. They say that the governments fell only because of the crash, and that the Corporations laid low offworld and waited for the last vestiges of resistance to die. Then they took over again. But this is forbidden knowledge: only those with a high credit-rating would have access to that sort of education, and most of them will not speak of what they have discovered. Why should they ? They are the elite: the ones who control what the Corporations do, and live or die at the whim of the Euro. To admit this would be suicide for them, and they have so much to gain from the lies they spread. And those who say this have an even darker knowledge to convey: humanity's worst fears are true. The tribes of the night walk among us -- shape-shifters, vampires, magicians and faeries. They provided the power that shook the past to a standstill, and still provide much of the power that shapes this world. They walk among us, silent and sure, quelling tension and hunting those who would destroy what their hidden masters have created. There is a hidden hand behind it all: an iron fist in a velvet glove that has shaped humanity's ascent into paradise. We live at their sufferance. We die at their whim. Every once in a while we catch a glimpse of their actions -- the man in black who follows your co-worker home, the smiling stranger who replaces him at work the next day. Strange things happen all the time, and yet there's no real news to be found, save for economic reports and the happy news that everyone hates yet pretends to love. Someone, somewhere is enjoying their private little joke. But not for long.

The Dark Future

You have had enough, and you're not the only one. Out there is a sea of replication and autonomy: a menagerie of blank faces and soulless shells. People are made into smart morons by Net teaching, and set to work at their own level of incompetence. Those who fall behind are tossed from heaven, and sent to root with the filth of the undercities. Under the threat of expulsion, people become desperate and paranoid, and would gladly turn in their own mother or kill their own lover just to keep going up, or stay where they're at. Stability is acceptable, but backsliding is anametha. This is a model for the human race of the future, and they're not done yet. Within a few generations they plan to destroy all emotions and values, leaving nothing but productivity and slavery. Beyond that, no one is certain, but those who whisper speak of human machines decanted in tubes and set to work: sexless, thoughtless things who toil and die for the same elite that's brought you this black heaven. Life will become antiseptic, joyless, bleak and safe. But you're not going to let that happen. Maybe you'll continue to get out of bed at the right time and go to work, or maybe you'll drop out altogether, but in your own way you will stop them. You, and those who do not fit in to this technocratic society's idea of " decent humanity " will band together and stop them. Life will stop them. Hope will stop them. Love will stop them. You will yet be free. Welcome to the World of Future Darkness. Welcome to your future.

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The Setting
This isn't our future. At least, we hope it isn't. In the World of Future Darkness, the Technocracy has won, and it is they who rule from the shadows - manipulating the massive corporations thhaat govern society. In the dark future, knowledge is power, thoughts can be a crime and education is a priviledge of the elite. While the masses are kept passive, and programmed to be good citizens through the constant use of the Net, the upper class lead lives of luxury, marred only by the constant desire to move up and the constant threat of being moved down. The corporate culture is a steel pyramid, with only so much room at the bottom and increasingly less space on the higher tiers. The only way to get ahead is to double-cross, set up and turn in your superiors, knowing full well that your subordinates are going to try to do the same to you. Trust is all too often misplaced and betrayed, family ties and love mean nothing. In this world you are either upwardly mobile or you are dead. It is a cold and vicious world, where betrayal is common and encouraged. Thought crime is punishable by death: random mutterings about the wrong subjects will lead to imprisonment, torture and public execution. The penalty for successful escape is knowing that your family and friends will be killed in your place, which leads most thoughtcriminals to acquiesce and die with compliance. Those who turn in the guilty are hailed as heroes, but often become " traitors " themselves in a short time as someone else gets revenge. Humanity is leaving its cradle and seeking its fortune among the stars. There are space stations in orbit, and colonies on the Moon and on Mars. Deep space vessels prowl the outer reaches, seeking new planets to conquer and new resources to exploit. Those unable to make the grade on Earth often go off-planet, signing up for tours in mining colonies, or becoming the work force that transforms the face of another world. Yet even in the face of such pioneer spirit, the said Corporations hold sway, for it is they who control the flow of resources and equipment needed for such a project, and their ships who deliver the men and materials to make it work. Once the colonies are established, and the mines operational, it is the Corporations that will rule them, with the same tenacity that they do Earth. Most accept this life as " the way things are and must be." They are told that without the Corporations, things would become what they were like a thirty years ago -- bleak and chaotic, with no laws, decency or hope for a future. Such control is only for their own good, and many just kowtow out of fear or resignation. They do not know the full scope behind the facade. They know nothing of the Technocracy, which has shaped this world into what it has become. They know nothing of the war for Ascension, which many Mages are calling lost. They know nothing of the Kindred who control the Corporations, themselves manipulated by the Technocracy, or of the Jyhad that many say is coming to a rapid and bloody conclusion. They know nothing of the Garou, who are almost without hope or vision now that the Apocalypse has come and gone. They know nothing of the Changelings, who are all but extinct as banality has taken hold of the world. And the ranks of the restless dead grow with each passing year, as the unhappy proletariat is bled to feed the hunger of the machine. Their ignorance has been their undoing, but knowledge will be their salvation. Perhaps.

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Theme and Mood

The central themes for the World of Future Darkness are fascism and entropy. With Fascism, things are kept under a tight grip. Individuality is all but unknown, and undesireable. Individuality gets you killed. It's better to just fit in and do your job than make noise and be executed on live television. It's better to just say yes, sir. The Police are everywhere. Those above you and below you are looking for anything you might say or do that would give away your sedition. The Thought Police are scanning your mind even now. Shut up and be happy. Obey. And yet, at the same time the order is bringing about a strange kind of chaos: Entropy. The more the Corporations tighten their grip, the more slips through their fingers. Rebels, malcontents and freedom fighters are banding together and creating havoc where there was little or none before. Insurrection is ripening on the vine. What would have once been good-natured grumbling is leading to cunning plots of revenge and treason. Time is winding down, chaos is setting in: things fall apart, the center cannot hold. The future is Neo-Gothic Punk.. Neo-Gothic-punk is black, fast and deadly. It's as much about attitude as Gothic-punk ever was, only the rules have changed. Before you just had your gang to back you up, now your gang works for a Corporation, and so do your rivals. Maybe you're in an office, stuck behind a desk for most of the day and only show your colors at night. Or maybe the streets are your office, and you're always on call to make a little extra money. Either way it's dog-eat-dog, both in the towers and outside of them. The outrageous glam and black leather has been replaced by jump-suits and uniforms, but off-duty fashion has gone to the extreme. People go out of their way to look menacing, fearsome and intimidating -- guaranteeing another day's worth of survival in the steel jungle through fear factor alone. Specially-tailored eyes replacements and piercings keep the competition at bay. Electric tattoos accentuate facial features, turning accountants into dragons, demons or Kabuki dancers. Tribal scarring, old-style tattooing and dressing flash keeps rival corporate types at bay and internal threats on their toes. The corporations do not seem to mind this, and even sanction it (to a point) by providing the gear needed for such spectacles. Their jumpsuits come specially modified to accept and show off such modifications. Snap-on high collars, sleeves and pins turn a uniform into a fashion statement within seconds. Some Corporations even provide their employees with special, see-through sleeves to show off the corporate tattoos. But even their tolerance for such things have limits. Rumors have been circulating of growing interest in " black gear ": cybernetics, bioware and weaponry that succeed where fear fails. They speak of arms that can crush a man's neck with a glancing blow and legs that can kick a hole in a person's chest; corporate gangers install guns in their palms and lasers in their eyes; the more forward-thinking have their heart segmented into six parts, spread throughout their body, or buy livers that can neutralize poisons and spit that can eat through metal. These things are highly illegal, but their use escapes the detection of the Police more and more. Are their manufacturers becoming smarter, or are the Police becoming more lax -- or have they been bought and sold as well ? Many of the Police are now using " black tech" to increase their efficiency; perhaps they turn a blind eye in order to avoid turning in their suppliers ? Either way, the race to become more human than human, and thereby more deadly, is a widely accepted fact of life. To survive you must be more of everything: cunning, more confusing, more intimidating and more skillful. That's what NeoGothic-Punk is all about. More.

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The Worlds of Darkness

And then there are those who have always lived at the edge of things -- the monsters that walk among us. The Kindred, Garou, Mages, and Changelings have fought for survival for so long that this new world is just another complication. Some join the Corporations to survive, some work against them, some sell their allegiances with the moment. Their lives are precious, fleeting things in this world of silver and steel, and they are prepared to die and kill to protect what they deem precious. Though the majority of human population consider such beings to be old stories, the Corporations know better, and have made accomodations for their survival, for the time being. Many Corporations knowingly employ Kindred as muscle, saboteurs, spies and personal asisstants. Many CEOs are themselves Kindred -- older, lower generation vampires that hhaave escaped the Technocracy's culls through their power and influence, or by selling out their own kind. Technocratic Mages are used extensively throughout the Corporate world -- influencing the market, making small accidents happen at rival corporations, occasionally just working at a desk until the time comes that they can, or must prove their worth. Many of the old traditions no longer exist in the strength that they once did, or no longer call themselves by their old names. Many Mages work for the various branches of the Technocracy and never even know it, or know of the history behind what they're working for. Orphans and Hollow Ones abound. The Garou and Kithian, on the other hand, have it the worst in this new world. Changelings have lost almost all their Glamour in this dark time, for very few believe in their kind or have awakened to the possibilities that lie beyond the progress and steel. Myths are just that, and espousing belief in them may be perceived as a weakness that your subordinates can exploit. This has caused the Changelings to wither and die: their freeholds have crumbled, the dreaming has been wracked with the blight of banality, and more and more of their kind disappear or die. The Unseelie Courts alone have prospered, but even they are finding this to be a phyric victory as their kingdoms topple around them. The Apocalypse has come for the Garou, and they have lost. Gaia is no longer what she was, for the Weaver and the Wyrm have all but consumed her. Save for a few pockets of glory among the oil slicks and steel archipelagos, nature has been raped into submission. Only those who can master the new ways survive, and those who could only cling to the old are all but gone. Still, there is some hope. The Garou have lost the battle, yes, but Gaia need not be in only one place. Elders speak of a world beyond this -- perhaps in our solar system, perhaps in another -- that even now beckons to the Garou, calling them to their new home. As a result, many Garou have joined the expeditionary forces or terraforming companies, hoping to either re-create Gaia on a nearby world, or find her again by some distant star. The quest has re-invigorated the Garou, and for some it is all that gives them hope and succor in this dark and horrid time. This Section was written by James Tremlett, modified by Brian-Joseph Baker for use by World of Future Darkness Reborn.

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Camarilla Dominions of North America

Here's how the structure of a Dominion works, more or less a flow chart if you will. For each Dominion, there is one Grand Tribune to represent the Warlord's Court to his Dominion. There is one Grand Harpy, and there is a Council of Prefects (they are like a Primogen Council for the Warlord). For each state or Province thats in a Warlord's Dominion, there is a Prefect. As the IVC, I would like to eventually get PCs to take up the roles of the Prefects of each state, because like the Warlords, the Prefects' have their own Courts to deal with. For each Domain there is in a state, that domain's Prince is their representative to the Prefects Court. I know it seems complicated, but the Camarilla set up this byzantine structure in the New World so that they wouldnt have to deal with its internal politics. And if its internal politics ever came to them, it would be through one of the Warlords, because each warlord has been charged to govern of his or her dominion.

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Dominions
Atlanica - Eastern Dominion
Warlord: Claudius Lucinius Serrentus, Elder of Clan Ventrue

Thornlands - Midwest Dominion

Warlord: Vladimir Dracovich, Elder of Clan Brujah

Outlands - Mountain Dominion

Warlord: Maximillian Winters, Elder of Clan Tremere

Pacifica - Western Dominion

Warlord: Alexis Morganne, Elder of the Rose

North American Stations within the Camarilla

(All Ages)
Warlord - Warlords are the appointed rulers of the Camarillas holdings in North America. Unlike the Justicars, the Camarilla has given these individuals the power to eliminate any Kindred that pose a threat to the continued survival of the Sect. (Dark Future) Justicar - The Justicars of the Camarilla are a group of kindred, one from each clan, that are responsible for enforcing the traditions over a widespread domain (such as a continent). They report only to the Inner Circle, and are the final say in anything that happens within their assigned area of rule. A Justicar often has a brood of vampires who enforce his will within his domain called Archons. Centurion - Centurions are the enforcers of the Will of the Warlords. They travel their respective Dominions looking for any signs of unrest and treason, should they find it, they are empowered to destroy any and all individuals that threaten the stability of the Dominion and the Camarilla as a whole. (Dark Future) Status Gained: Feared, Empowered, and Sanctioned Grand Harpy - Like the Master Harpies of the individual domains, the Grand Harpy sets the status quo for what is right and proper within the Camarilla, but in the case of the Grand Harpy, they are a member of a Warlords Court. Master Harpies stay in continuous contact with the Grand Harpy to stay involved with the greater intrigues of the Dominion and so the Grand Harpy knows whats what and who has what in each domain that makes up a Warlords Dominion. (Dark Future) Status Gained: Influential x2 Grand Tribune - In these dark times, it becomes necessary to have an individual that travels from Domain to Domain relaying the wishes of their respective Warlord. The Grand Tribune is of at least Ancillae to Elder in Status and Prestige, and it is their duty to keep the Domains aware of the wishes of the Warlords and to relay information from the Domains to the ears of the Warlords Court. (Dark Future) Status Gained: Honorable x2

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Archon - Archons are the servants of a Justicar. The are willingly blood-bound and brought into the service of one of the Justicars, and sworn to enforce their will in whatever way their Justicar demands. Their position is comparable to the Prince of a city, but changes on a case to case basis depending on the individual status and respect each hold with the Camarilla at large. When speaking directly for a Justicar in that lords domain however, an Archon is considered to have the respect and honor of his or her regent. Status Gained: Feared and Empowered Prefect - Prefects are the governors that the Warlords appoint in each state or province within North America that falls within their Dominion. Prefects have the full backing of their respective Warlord and have the power to send Centurions to a city that they believe to be teetering on the verge of leaving the Camarilla. (Dark Future) Status Gained: Exalted x2, Famous, and Well-Known Prince - The Prince is the ruler of a Camarilla Domain. Status Gained: Exalted, Famous, and Well-Known Seneschal - the Seneschal is the right hand of the Prince. Status Gained: Cherished and Esteemed Sheriff - The Sheriff is the Enforcer of a Princes Will within a Domain. Status Gained: Feared Scourge - The Scourge is the individual that a Prince charges with the duty of removing, in many cases, destroying any Kindred that fail to present themselves to the Prince of a Domain. Status Gained: Feared Keeper of Elysium - The Keeper is the individual that keeps the peace within the Elysiums of a Domain. Status Gained: Honorable Master Harpy - Also known as the leader of the Harpies, is responsible for maintaining the status quo within the Camarilla city. It is the Master Harpy that watches for scandal and in many ways, is the face that his or her domain presents to the rest of the Camarilla. Status Gained: Influential Harpies - The Harpies are any kindred that follow and assist the Master Harpy in maintaining the status quo within a Domain. Status Gained: However many Temporary Status Traits that Master Harpy chooses to give them to carry out their duties. Primogen - The Primogen is the leader of a Clan within a Camarilla Domain. In many cases it is the Eldest member of that clan, but sometimes thats not always the case. Status Gained: Revered Whip - The Whip is the Second in Command within a Clan. Status Gained: None

Additional Camarilla Positions

Dux Bellorum - This is the official title of the vampire delegated control of all other vampires in wartime. This figure could be, and typically is, the prince of th city. However, princes less experienced in martial issues can select a more warlike underling to lead the Cainites of the domain into battle. Status Gained: Feared & Respected

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Tribune - In classical times, the tribune was the spokesman for the citizenry. In the twisted world of the Kindred, the Tribune is the herald of the elders, and responsible for the communication of information, be it tactical intelligence or spy reports, or even reports as to who is committing treason. The Tribune is only a wartime title, but some cities have a Tribune as a permanent office. This Kindred, usually an ancillae, functions as her ancient namesake might, representing the vampiric "citizenry" of the city. But he also exists diplomatically among that same citizenry, keeping them informed on behalf of the prince. In theory, the Tribune in wartime announces the commencement of hostilities, issues the orders of the Dux Bellorum and is responsible for keeping the primogen and the prominent elders informed of the "state of the union" among the lesser Kindred. Status Gained: Honorable

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The Corporate Life

(Dark Future)

Part One: Life in Heavn

The Promise Unfulfilled
In some ways, Humanity has both progressed and regressed further than it has in any other time in its history. Higher technology has allowed it to perform great medical miracles, travel to other worlds and reap untold resources from its surroundings. However, this technology has also caused widespread polution and decay. It has been used to control the minds and lives of billions. It has been utilized to expand the profit of mindless, grasping Corporations that see Humanity as one more resource to be strip-mined. Technology has always been a doubled-edged sword, but in this time it has cut for bad far more than for good.

Computer Love
Machines are everywhere. The alarm that wakes you up in the morning also provides you with protein bars and randomly monitors your conversation for subversive trace elements. Your work schedule is given to you by machine. You sit in front of a computer for hours, or labor in a soundless room whilse machines make more machines on the factory floor below. Robots take your measurements for the company jump-suits you must wear and drive you to and from work. The machine is your friend, lover, father-confessor, judge, jury and executioner. This reliance on artificial intelligence has led to overall psychosis: humans can neither live with machines nor exist without them. Most become more machine-like in their responses and actions, supressing emotions and drives and just doing their jobs. Some come to love the radio that tells them the time and gives advice on what to buy. Some try to become machines and Borg-out. Some seek solace in human contact, any human contact. Some hole up. And some just crack and jump from their tower window.

Corporate Culture
While Humanity has become more machine-like, it has also become more tribal. The Corporations are their lives, both figuratively and literally. For the average person in their towers, there is nothing on Earth but the Corporations. Each city-state is ruled by a joint council made up of representatives of all the Corporations that operate within, and singlecorporation city-states, known as Company Towns, are ruled by the single Corporation that runs them. As a result, Corporate loyalty is the life's blood of survival. Entire generations of worker-class families have worked for one and only one Corporation since the dawn of memory. They join the department, more commonly called Division, that their parents worked for, and their parent's parents before them. Their children will probably join the Division too. Inner-office loyalty runs high, even if everyone is trying to get their boss fired or killed, and vice versa.The workers may be out to get each other, but everyone loves the company. Both on-duty and off it, the Hires and Interns live and die by the word of the Division, and the Corporation it belongs to. They all frequent the same bars, east at the same restaurants and hit the same other Divisions up for credits or revenge. They know that they will probably never make it to any higher levels of Management, and will progress only as far as their leader's desk within the Division. But for most, that will do nicely.

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Above them, Middle-Management lives a life of relative luxury. Though they too live and die by their Division, their plots are more subtle and their conflict less bloody. They are better-educated and longer-lived, and have the option of changing Corporations should a more lucrative offer come along. And above that, living in a private world shut off from all else, are the true elite of the scoiety: The CEOs. Their moves are mysterious and their whims shake entire worlds. In their hands lie the secrets of life and death for humanity, and it is said by some that they possess strange powers, alllowing them to live useful lives for hundreds of years, or command the world around them with a thought. There is yet another level above that. Heaven must be built on land, and the land is owned by one empire or another. Save for those city-states in the unclaimed territories, each town is pledged to the empire on whose soil they inhabit. Though the relationship would seem to be a dictatorial one, the companies still retain their power, and more often then not the Ambassador is the odd man out at the council table.

The Automatic Jesus

This computer-driven culture has led to a death of spirituality, and those few religions tolerated by the Corporations lose more and more adherents each year. Humanity lives a life taken from Fritz Lang's Metropolis set to a soundtrack by Kraftwerk. The Company is your life and your death, so where does any God or higher power fit into it ? However, people need to believe in something, and the Corporations are more than happy to provide them with either a religion or something to take its place. Stimulants and mood suppressors are handed out for free, prescribed by Morale supervisors or given away for good work. Some Corporations have created their own religions or modified older ones to give their workers something to believe in and strive for. They almost always stress good work, devotion to duty and suppression of boredom or subversive thoughts. Some of these religions worship their CEOs as deities, and the Corporate wars and power-struggles are seen as chapters in an almost-magical mythology that unfold more and more each day. Worker-class Hires gladly Cease Transmission in battle, knowing that their divine CEO is watching their Cessation and smiling upon them, ready to grant them an Intern-ship in his celestial office.

Life in a Box
The Programming Years
The average, Worker-class, Earth-bound human lives about 50 years. all of which are expected to be productive in one way or another. Within two years of being Processed, every child is taken away from their parents and enrolled in Programming. There they are taught by Virtual Reality and Androids who function as surrogate parents, disciplainarians and instructors. They learn how to crunch numbers, speak (but not always read) the dominant language of their city-state and behave in public. They are told right from wrong and instructed in Correcthink, which will guarantee good relations with their Corporations. Programming is progressively rigorous, and culminates after twelve years in a battery of tests known as the Proving. Those who pass are Graduated, and go to be Interned at the Corporation, usually in their parent's division. Those who do not pass are given three more chances, each year apart. Anyone who passes a Proving may enter the Company, but will suffer a loss of Face for their earlier failure. Failing all four Provings leads to a total loss of Face and expulsion from the Corporation. After passing the battery at age 14, most Programmers are Interned at the Corporation, usually doing menial chores or thankless boring tasks. Those Programmers deemed to have special skills or aptitudes are Programmed further and then must succeed at another more advanced Proving. Those who pass enter the Corporation at a later date,

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performing a much more important task in another division. They lose no Face for entering late due to their more important duties.

Interning and Hiring

Upon being Interned, each new employee is given an initiation (which varies from division to division) and made a probationary member of the Division's Corpgang. Each Division has its own Corpgang, with its own hierarchy, leader and politics. Interns quickly learn how to survive in the Plastic Jungle, or find themselves sacrificed in one plot or another. Some Interns learn the game very quickly and become Trusted to one or more factions within days of being Interned. Some never get the idea and Cease Transmission in a hurry. Corporate life is staid and routine. livened up only by the inter-office intrigue and plots. A normal morning can see three assassination attempts, two power plays and a lunchroom coup de'tat, all carried out with machine-like efficiency. The divisions above your own play yours against the ones on your level and are in turn played against each other by those above them, and so on. For some reason the Though-Police do not consider this to be subversive, but openly questioning why such a system exists is a crime. Eventually, those Interns who learn to survive in the Plastic Jungle are made full members of the Division through a ritual known as the Hiring. It is the most important mark of status in any human's life, and cofers automatic Face and respect. Each Division has its own ritual, and may confer gifts or other favors upon the new Hire. Hirings are considered so important that no plots may be carried out or discussed on days when they take place; they are a joyous lull in the brutal world of the Division.

Pair and Process

Once an Intern has become a Hire, he or she now has the privilege of being Paired. Pre-Pairing sex (herterosexual or homosexual) is perfectly acceptable, but Pairing cofers a number of advantages and responsibilities that Interns are not considered ready for or worthy of. Pairing gives both partners more Face, eases some taxes, and confers a social status that goes beyond Face. Pairings are usualy done within a Division, though cross-Division pairings are not unknown, and are sometimes encouraged as power plays unto themselves. The Pairing can never match the status of being Hired, but it rivals it. Such is the status-level granted that openly gay or lesbian Hires may marry the opposite sex just to Process children, and then stay with their Pairing to enjoy the benefits. Processing is done as soon as possible, and it is considered good luck if the conception happens within the first week of being Paired. It is an almost uniform rule that pregnant Division members may not be killed or involved in plots due to the importance of Processing children. Abortion is highly illegal in Corporate culture, except for those cases where the pregnancy is threatening the life of the mother, or her ability to Process any more children. Maternity leave is non-existant, though the Division will provide a nursery android as a gift when the child is born. The mother is expected to come back to work the day after giving birth, and in her drugged and woozy condition, may be subjected to the plots and grudges that her rivals have been restraining for the last nine months. This is referred to as the Afterbirth, and the mortality rate is very high. Processing children confers face upon both parties, and when the time comes to send the children to be Programmed the Division always throws a party to wish them well. Since the children are taken away on one of four particular dates in their second year, rather than their birthday, several children are often honored at once. It is a high point in their life, and that of their parents, and many parents will give their child a gift at the ceremony that will be taken away at its climax and given back to them in twelve years when they are Interned. It is often a piece of Corporate jewelry, a small weapon or gold writestick. The gift is locked in a strongbox with the child's fingerprint as the key, making sure that should their parents die they will still get their gift back when they Intern.

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Final Processing
After their child-bearing years are over, Hires gain importance through political scheming or decline in importance. Though medical technology can keep them fit and healthy well into their seventies, most Hires consider it to be a disgrace to live to be old and dependant on pills when so many young Interns and Hires are ready to take their place. As a result, many seek to go out with a literal bang: volunteering for increasingly dangerous schemes, openly challenging long-hated rivals, or being used for suicide bombs. Others voluntarily go to waste reclaimation for Final Processing, which awaits almost any corpse in the Corporation. Divisions will celebrate the decision to willingly Cease Transmission, but will not accompany the interned to the waste reclaimation plant. Such would be rude and unnecessary -- a Hire should face Cessation alone and with dignity. Others, unable to die and unwilling to committ suicide, eventually find their mental faculties slipping away. Those who are not killed by their rivals reach a point where killing them would be ignoble, and such individuals are sent to Hospice. There they languish. waiting for the Pink Slip to collect their souls as androids use their bodies for transplants, grafts and experiments. Some last for decades, others are Harvested the day they arrive. At any rate, the bodies all arrive at the waste reclaimation plant in due time, and are processed along with all the sewage, biological rubbish and trace elements into nutritious food and pills. It is the last and best sacrifice any Hire can make for the Company.

MiddleMiddle-Management
Life on Earth is highly stratified, resulting in three classes of people: those who have no standing, those with standing, and those who give standing. The echelon known as Middle-Management carries this awesome responsibility with pomp, class and cunning. Like the Worker-class below them, loyaly to the Company is something that is instilled from birth. But they have a number of options that Workers do not have. Not only can they rise up the rank, perhaps someday becoming one of the CEO's personal retinue, but they can change Divisions at will and change Corporations with minimal loss of face. Their lives are similar to their lessers, and yet much different. Processing children is less deadly for the mother since materity leave is common and encouraged. Though their children are Programmed from age two, they are under no oligation to leave their parents, and may enter that Division any tome they, or their parents, think them ready for it. Tenyear-old Interns are not uncommon, especially in families that have had their genetic structures altered to favor intelligence. Abortions are legal and common, since Middle-Management mothers wish to Process only perfectly healthy and intelligent children. Once Interned, Middle-Management has a time-table they must stick to in order to be Hired. They must complete a number of tasks -- which vary from Division to Division -- within a certain amount of time. Failure to complete these these will mean a lass of Face for both the Intern and her parents, and usually results in the Intern's expulsion from the Company. Success leads to a Hiring, and the oversight of one or more Work-class Divisions. The power-games played in Middle-Management are vicious and cruel, and yet subtle. Most of the time they involve sending one's own Worker-class Division against someone else's, making them lose productivity and, by extension, making that 2MP look bad in the eyes of the Division leader. At the same time, their own Division is being manipulated by those above them in Upper-Management -- the CEO and her retinue. Most of the rituals in Middle-Management mirror the ones followed by the Worker-class, but differ in style and length. Celebrating a new Hire could go on for two or three days, and celebrating a Pairing could take an entire week. Another difference is that unlike Worker-class rituals, plots and intrigue is not banned. It is not unknown for a happy Hiring to

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turn into a Julius Caesar-style assassination attempt, or a mid-season toast to be laced with poison. MiddleManagement must remain on their toes. Most Middle-Management eschew the idea that their CEO is a god. They may revere him or her as a superior, of course, but any pretenses towards divinity are left for the lesser classes. In their CEO, 2MPs recognize one of their own, only elevated. In fact, an exceptionally bright and cunning 2MP might someday by invited up to the Penthouse to join the inner circle -- a journey that no one returns from. A replacement walks in the next day and explains that there was an "Emergency Transfer", leading to a week's celebration to congratuale the former 2MP, now gone on to his or her reward. Ceasing Transmission can take a long, long time. The pills used on the Worker-classes are augmented by surgery, biotech, and gene-therapy aimed at keeping 2MPs alert, mobile and aware for as long as possible. Lifetimes into the hundreds are not unknown, and when gene-therapy fails there's always the raw materials available at the Hospices. Upon death (and they fo refer to it as that, not Final Processing), 2MPs are spared the waste treatment plant and enshrined in the Division's crypt. On special days families gather at the halls to acknowledge those who came before them, showing off their new children or talking to them as though they were still alive and unable to speak back. Some 2MPs have their remains freeze-dried and propped up on thrones, while others are content with see-through caskets and clear-plastic sarcophogi. The preservatives introduced at death are powerful enough to keep away decay fro thousands of years, ensuring that successive generations to come will be inspired by their austere features.

The Riddle of the CEO

As with most Corporate structures, those at the top are the most enigmantic; the CEOs of the World of Future Darkness are no different. They lead lives behind closed doors, cut off from those below them by miles of steel barriers and security cameras. No one save their inner retinue ever sees them. Middle Management does their bidding without always knowing it. The Worker-class thinks them supreme beings. CEOs are a mixed bunch. Some of them are mere humans, descended from the great corporate heads who ruined the Earth so long ago and then came back to build from the ruins. And then there are even stranger circumstances whispered about. There is talk of a Corporation run by things from beyond normal space, who enjoy the chemical soup that Earth become and wish to share the bounty with the colonies. Some suspect that a number of Corporations are being run by first generation AIs, or are still being governed by the original founders, now reduced to little more than brains in nutrient baths. The world and life of a CEO is a dangerous one, full of intrigue and built on pretense. Every conversation with a fellow CEO would appear friendly to the uneducated observer, but is in reality a deadly game of chess played with words. They control the fate of thousands, perhaps even millions, and one wrong word in a trade agreement will spell disaster for the CEO and doom for her subordinates. In the Council halls, where the Corporations are the government, the trusted spokespeople for each CEO verbally spar with one another. They know that the decisions they make must at worst lose no ground for their company, and at best place their own on top, for the day. Tomorrow is an entirely new market, and deals will change by the hour as the Credit fluctuates and changes hands. A good spokesperson can last for decades before burning out, some are there and gone within minutes. In all, the life of those who have or grant standing is a treacherous one. leaning too far to one side or the other will cause chaos, and letting down one's guard guarantees death or explusion. While the way gets less violent as one ascends the corporate ladder, it gets even more terrifying and the pressures become more severe. Still, anything is preferable to living outside of Heaven, in the ruins of the Undercity.

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Life in Hell
Many people are born lucky: they are Processed inside the towers and, with a good education and a ready wit, stay thereuntil they Cease Transmission. But there are also many who were not born lucky. The lost, the damned, the foolish and the lazy have no place in Heaven, and upon detection will be expelled from their world into the harsh environments outside it. After the Corporate Wars, the city-states were built over, and in some cases out of the ruins that preceeded them. All that was left was mass of ruined, labyinthine buildings that stretched out around them, sometimes up to a mile in every direction. Most people have no reason to go there as there is nothing out there for them. No food, no computers, no pills and no comfort await them there. The air is filled with pollutants and the water is all but undrinkable. Solar radiation seeps through what little is left of the ozone layer and devastates everything it touches. Strange beasts and things beyond imaginings lurk in the shadows, things that once were men, but through constant exposure to radiation and toxins have mutated into something else, and they are hungry. Many of these beasts are men. Outside culture is anarchic, brutish, and short. Children are Processed and learn to fend for themselves within a few years. Most join Tribes that look out for each other, yet are not without their power struggles. In a Tribe, the most powerful is usually also the most warped and freakish, and Police drafted into cull-duty often joke that to find a "King" one need only follow the tentacles. The Untouchables that avoid the Slavers, Rapegangs, Police Cullcrews and odd creatures that hide in the shadows might yet survive to Process children of their own. But far too many fall prey to the unique dangers of the environment. Some leave the ruins altogether and head for areas beyond each city's Hell, seeking a better life at another city-state's Hell or led on by prophets who speak of green fields, fruit trees and clean water in a strange land to the West.

The Untouchables
During the construction of the city-states, every able-bodied man and woman was put to work. They were promised food, water and a bed for their cooperation, and later became full employees of the Corporate offices they helped construct. Some, however, were less than able-bodied, and these were either euthanized for spare parts, ground into Nutroids, or turned away. Thus began the first generation of Untouchables, so named because the first group of them were so scarred with radiation or viral plagues that not even guard dogs would attack them. These underdwellers are a myriad lot. Some of them are just human scavengers -- congential idiots who scrape what existence they can in the harsh environment, feeding off of the diseased flora and fauna, as well as each other. Others are Newmeat: Worker-class or 2MPs who were expelled from the towers for a seditious offense (such as failure to report a traitor or accumulating too many demerits in a single work period). Others still choose to leave the towers to seek out what freedom they can in the concrete jungle beyond the plastic one.

The People in the Neighborhood

The environs outside the towers are no longer suitable for human life. The original Untouchables -- those descended from the imperfects turned away during the Reconstruction -- have adapted to survive the harsh climate. They have developed resistence to poisons and radiation, and learned how to east what would be considered unwholesome and scrabbling. Ordinary people who are expelled must fend for themselves, and often grow sick and die from eating the wrong thing, or drinking from the wrong stream -- either that or an Untouchable east them. Some of them find the strength to carry on, and often survive longer than expected. Others voluntarily go into Hell to escape the Police and Thought-Police, though it is a Faustian bargain indeed. Once a person goes Outside for more than a few days, her Subderm is automatically shut off and her Face revoked. Any

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attempt to gain access to a city-state through the main gateways will result in her immediate execution. There are many other ways in and out of a city-state, and some Untouchables have their own favorite secret routes. However, being caught inside with a terminated account will also result in immediate execution. Once you decide to Step Out, it's forever.

The Outsiders
Outside bands of Voluntary Leaves are not uncommon. They call themselves Outsiders, and group together in small hardworking communities. Some of them hole up in large, abandoned buildings while others prefer to be mobile, ever ready to depart when a Police or Corporate hovercraft is heard coming closer. They welcome in those who were involuntarily expelled from Heaven, so long as they're willing to work and keep their power games to themselves, and will allow in those Untouchables who can control their cannibalistic urges. Some Outsiders roam from Undercity to Undercity, trading goods and weapons to the people they find. Others are little more than mercenary gangs, plying their trade to whoever will give the best food, water and shelter -- for now.

Darkness Falling
As night falls, Untouchables and Outsiders scurry into shelter and take turns watching and waiting. Many dangers await when the Sun goes below the horizon, and not all of them are easily dealt with. The Police and Corporate Soliders like to hunt at night, preferring the nocturnal sport to the ease of killing their prey in daytime. They leave at twilight, surging out of the city-state in their armored skimmers armed with gatling lasers and sniper rifles. Their orders are simple: if it moves shoot it. Trophies are not to be brought back into the city, but many bring their camera and document the hunt to show later to their friends. This need to take pictures has led some Underdwellers to engage in what they call Baiting. One of the band that has recently died will be propped up with rods or scrape metal, and the other Outsiders will lie in wait. When a skimmer comes, the body will be shot at and fall. When the Enforcers get out to document their success, the band will strike, killing as many Enforcers as they can and stealing their food, weapons and armor. Bringing back a skimmer is a great prize. Untouchable Tribes do the same thing, but they usually nominate a live member to act as the bait, and it is her job to lure the skimmer into an ambush. Other, more bizarre creatures hunt the night. Old Outsiders tell stories of humans made up of worms that drink the blood of sleeping children, and two-headed snakes that stretch for yards, each maw large enough to swallow a man whole. Floating clouds of intelligent gas envelop unsuspecting Underdwellers and drain them of vital essences, leaving behindwithered husks that even Untouchables will not consume. It's not safe to go at night, or into dark places during the daytime. Not safe at all.

A Hope in Hell
And yet, within the danger lies a primal beauty that is impossible to ignore. Multicolored spiders spin ruby webs in cracks and crevaces, and orange-leaved trees with bark the color of dead skin arch their branches to the Sun. Every once in a while a cat will be seen, winding its way through the piles or rubble, eyes and easr alert to things that only they can see. As the wise ones say, when you see a cat, follow it for as long as you can -- they know what to watch out for better than any Untouchable. And then there is talk of Cibola: A land of milk and honey to the West, where the water is blue and pure and the fields are lush and green. Fruit grows from the trees, and those trees are full and verdant. There are no plagues, no predators, and no corporations. Humanity cooperates in this place, and men and beasts live in a balanced harmony. It is paradise on Earth.

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Many bands of Outsiders travel from city-state to city-state in search of Cibola, and continue to look to this day. No one has ever found it, but tales ot its majesty make their way into even the city-states, prompting an occasional Voluntary Leave. The Thought-Police try to ban all talk and thought of such a place, but have so far been unsuccessful. There is no Heavn on Earth outside of the towers they say. But what if it's true?

OffOff-World
Chariots of the Gods
Those in search of heaven can also find it elsewhere, if they choose to go looking. Many of the Earth-bound will be given the option of leaving their division for a stint at a colony, or space station. Though leaving the division this way causes some lose of Face, it provides an honorable way out for the least-trusted person, or for someone who is almost assured of being on the business end of a knife in a few day's time. 2MPs are offered good off-world positions all the time, either within their corporation or from another. They lose no face for such a move: in fact they may gain some. Written by James Edward Tremlett (reggies_ghost@hotmail.com), modified for used with World of Future Darkness Reborn by Brian-Joseph Baker (bbaker3@bex.net)

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Uniform Civilian Justice Code

(Excerpted from Cyberpunk 2020, Pages 179 through 180)

(Dark Future)
Here are the major crimes of the 2000s and their punishments as provided for under the UCJC:

Assault & Battery: Any unprovoked attack on another person. Punishable by personality adjustment or 2 to 8 months in jail. Assault with Deadly Force: As with Assault. 2 to 7 years in jail, manditory braindance. Burglary: Entering private property with intent to steal. Punishment: Exile, prison 2 to 8 years or braindance. Conspiracy: the crime of conspiring to commit a felony. Subject to Exile, prison 2 to 8 years or braindance. Counterfeiting & Forgery: the crime of creating false coinage, money, or documents with intent to defraud. Punishment: 6 to 15 years in prison. Extortion or Blackmail: the crime of obtaining something from another through threat of injury. Punishment: 6 to 15 years in prison. Homicide (1st Degree): Premdiated murder, or murder while in the commision of a felony. Punishment is death. Homicide (2nd Degree): Accidental murder, or murder without premeditation. Punishment: Prison for 11 to 20 years, braindance, personality alteration. Homicide (justifiable): Self defense, preventing the commission of a felony. No punishment. Kidnapping or False Imprisonment: To hold another against his will. Punishment: Prison for 11 to 20 years, braindance, personality alteration. Larceny, Theft or Robbery: The theft of another's property, either through force, threat, or embezzlement. Punishment: varies by severity of act from exile, to prison for 11 to 20 years, braindance, personality alteration. Malicious Mischief, Vandalism: the wanton destruction of another's property. Punishment: Exile, jail for 1 to 6 months. Rape: Forcing another to have sex by use of threat or force. Punishment: Prison for 6 to 15 years., braindance, personality alteration. Resisting Arrest/Obstructing an Officer: Attempting to escae legal arrest by a police officer or preventing an officer from carrying out his legal duties. Punishment: Exile, braindance, jail for 2 to 7 weeks Riot of Unlawful Assembly: A gathering with the purpose for destroying property, inciting violence, etc,.. Punishment: exile, jail for 2 to 7 days. Trespassing: Entering private property of another. Jail for 1 to 6 days.

Legal Background
The police of the 2000's are organized much as they were during the 20th century with Homicide, Vice, Burglary and Traffic Squards; about 5 men each. The most recent addtion to police organization has been the addition of the Bladerunners and the Cyberpsycho Squad ( also known as the Psycho Squad), whose main job is to deal with cybernetic criminals, the former dealing with the synthetic lifeforms know as Replicants (artificial humans). While the average beat cop hits the Street in an armored squad car, wearing an armor jacket, helmet and carrying a smartchipped Beretta sidearm, the Bladerunners and Psycho Squad detail employs aerogyros, AV-4's,miniguns, assault weapons and Stinger missle launchers. City cops can patrol all areas of the city, Corporate Cops are deputized to patrol only corporate facilities. However, in areas where a large number of office areas are side by side, this effectively can trun an entire downtown region into Corporate Cop territory. Corporate Cops are usually better armed and armored, and often have full Trauma Team

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medical coverage. They are also more vicious, sadistic and likely to shoot first - after all, they know the Corporation can cover the incident up.

The Uniform Civilian Justice Code

When skyrocketing crime rates in the 2000's proved that the existing legal structure was falling apart., Congress passed the Civil Justice Act; which created the Uniform Civilian Justice The amazing thing is, it worked. During this period, Uniform Civilian Justice Code; similar to the Code of Military Justice, became the main rule of U.S. law. Its draconian standards of crime and punishment became the standard by 2012. Although the law is administered by civilian governments, the Code is the guideline for all criminal procedure in the United States of the Dark Future. Plea bargaining (pleading guilty to a lesser charge to speed up a trial) has been eliminated. Probation is almost unheard of. The death penalty is standard for murder cases - there is a 3 month appeal process during which new evidence can be produced. Most felonies have mandatroy prison terms of 5 to 10 years. Lesser crimes are covered by exile or personality adjustment. Self defense is defined as "any instance in which the assailant can show just cause that his/her life or the life of another party was threatened, in circumstances where a duly appointed officers of the law could not be summoned, or where it was impossible to restrain the injured party by any other means. Theoretically, narcotics may not be possessed within the premises of the United States. The law also does not cover "designer drugs" such as endorphins, which are defined as medicinal.

Crime & Punishment

The punishment for criminal actions under the Uniform Justice Code of 2012 are swift, certain and draconian. The simplest is personality adjustment - a process which implants an aversion to committing the crime ever again. Adjustment has some nasty side effects, including exaggerated fears of situations and events related to the crime (such as a terror of money based on an anti-robbery adjustment). Exile implants are keyed to a transmission signal broadcast thru the city phone Net. If the offender enters the city, the implant causes excruciating pain. The offender is efectively exiled from ever entering the specific city again. Repeat offenses in other cities simply cause additional city codes to be added to the implant. After enough crimes in enough cities, the offender will be unable to enter civilization again. Prisons of the 2000's are horrendously overcrowded and deadly. After the riots of the early 2000s, prison authorities couldnt care less about rehabilitation - they are mostly interested in penning up society's "mad dogs" and keeping the streets clear. To cope with overcrowding, many prisons force inmates into "braindance" - they are placed in cyro tanks, wired to interface loop programs, and "shut down" for periods of two or three years. Continuous braindance creates a nightmare of unending , bland horror. making it the thing cons fear most. The simplest method of punishment is still execution. Most states have a State Executioner who administers justice with one well placed .44 slug at point blank range. He is also empowered to hunt down escapees from Death Row.

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Weapons
By 2010, even the most well-intentioned gun control states were buried under a wave of public protest as crime rates made America a siege state. Self-defense soon became an American lifestyle, and there was an explosive increase in light personal protection weapons. By 2012. most gun control statutes involved 1) filling out a "carry applicatoin" allowing you to carry a concealed handgun; 2) waiting 4 days for an extensive background check and approval, which could be refuse on the basis of a criminal record or history of mental illness; amd 3) paying the $25.00 fee and having a serial number laser etched into the butt of the gun. This number is cataloged with the ballistics firing pattrn of your weapons at FBI/CIA Headquarters in Washington D.C. The Federal Weapons Statute of 2012 states that if a gun with your ID number is used in the commission of a crime, you are liable for that crime, unless you have previously reported the weapon as lost or stolen, and have had this report filed with your local police agency. Under the provisions of the Federal Weapons Statute, it is not legal to carry submachineguns and other fully automatic weapons - possession carries a stiff 5 to 7 years mandatory prison sentence. Not that this stop anyone. While there's a certain style in using an old model sidearm like a Colt .357 or .45, the sensible cyberpunk knows that a modern pistol makes a good backup. Sine the introduction of the Glock 17 automatic in mid-1980's. most major handgun manufacturers now produce polymer resin pistols in a variety of calibers. The most ubiquitous of these is the Federated Arms X-22 and X-9 series, a line of polymer plastic handguns. Manufactured in a variety of bright designer colors, these so-called "Polymer On-shots" carry an easy to load 10 or 8 round clips of caseless ammunition, retail at $150 to $300, and are available in most sporting goods stores. They combine practicality, durability and style in potent little packages. The new Cyberteen line includes airbrushed castings with colorful shapes and artwork molded right in - the perfect gift for the young consumer interested in personal defense.

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FUTURE SHOCK
A TIMELINE OF THE DARK FUTURE
1914-1918: The Second Sabbat Civil war reaches its height during the Great War. [GttS,p19]. Melinda Galbraith is the new Regent of the Sabbat. [CC,p20]. The Sabbat Inquisition became a political tool but vanished when Jyhad spread between Sabbat-held territories. [SHS,p47] 1956: The Third Sabbat Civil War in the Americas bleeds over into Europe, emerging as another battle between the Brujah antitribu and Romania local Tzimisce. [TC4,p118] 1957: The Third Sabbat Civil War lasted only 100 nights from a Brujah antitribe coup in New York. [GttS,p19/NYbN,p25]. After their assistance in the Third Sabbat Civil War a group of Caitiff was recognized as a separate group/bloodline by the Lasombra and Tzimisce of the Sabbat. They were named Panders after their leader Joseph Pander. [GttS,p20] 1996: The City of Montreal in Canada was attacked by the Sabbat Inquisition for supposed accusations of Infernalism. September, 1996: A Sabbat Inquisition taskforce was sent to Montreal in an attempt to get to the bottom of a lot of accusations of possible Infernalists hiding within the supposedly loyal Sabbat ranks. October, 1996: The Sabbat Inquisitors have already put 13 supposed Infernalists to Final Death in Montreal and they were not finished yet. When asked, they simply told Sabbat that they had a list of names that they were able to get from the condemned Infernalists shortly before their final deaths. November, 1996: The Sabbat Inquisitors set their eyes on the Leadership of Montreal; which in many cases were members of the Younger Clans of the Sabbat (Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, etc,). When the Sabbat Inquisitors came for the Archbishop and Bishops, everything changed. What had started out as a search for Infernalists had turned into a hunt for anyone that could be possible traitors to the Sect. December, 1996: Archbishop Ezekiel was able to get many of supporters out of Montreal; sending them into the east coast cities of the United States. It was a call to arms, a call to rise up against the oppression of the Lasombra and the Tzimisce. The Sabbat Civil War that had occurred in 1957 had left many lose ends, many were still itching to finish what they started in 1957, and this gave them the perfect excuse to renew their conflicts. January, 1997: A high yield explosive device was detonated in Mexico City. The explosion destroyed 5 square blocks and the result was the core of the Sabbat leadership was gutted. A Sabbat Revolution had begun, and now no peace could be easily regained. The sides were draw. 1997: If the new Sabbat Civil War wasnt enough to destabilize the Sabbat, the bloody exit of the Tremere Antitribu of House Goratrix would permanently burn into the minds of all Sabbat the treachery that was possible through any members of Clan Tremere. On its way out of the Sabbat, House Goratrix cut a bloody path out, killing anyone that had ever learned Thaumaturgy from them and insuring that only they had access to the Thaumaturgy Paths that they had created during their time in the Sabbat. 1997: Clan Gangrel formally leaves the Camarilla when their Justicar; Xavier steps down. 1998: The Cathayans under the leadership of a Cathayan named "Mandarin Hao" begin the invasion of the West Coast of North America. By winter, the impact of the initial clash was blunted by the Anarch defenses, and the Jade Invasion reaches an undesired equilibrium.

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1998: The Sabbat has essentially been divided into two Sects that are warring with one another. Both sides adhering to the Code of Milan in regards to their own side, but both disregarding it in regards to the other half of the Sect. The Black Hand sided with Regent Ezekiel, while the Sabbat Inquisition sided with Regent Camila Delavega. 1998: Some Gangrel antitribu whisper that the Gangrel seem perilously ready to abandon the Camarilla. [TC4,p58]. Fortieth Justicar election. Brujah Jaroslav Pascek, Malkavian Maris Streck, Nosferatu Cock Robin, Toreador Madame Guil, Tremere Anastasz Di Zagreb, Ventrue Lucinde [GttC,p27] 1999: Millennium Cults begin to appear predicting an Apocalypse on Jan 1st, 2000. Thousands migrate to isolated communes and temples to "Await the End". 2000: Millennium Cults run amok on Jan 1st in an orgy of suicide and violence, most destroy themselves. Prince Frederick VonBrom closes the borders of Toledo to all Kindred from the surrounding cities. At least three members of the Primogen Council are executed for treason against the city and the Camarilla. November, 2000: President G.W. Bush is elected to the Offices of President of the United States. 2001: Sabbat Bishop "Brother Jed" leads an invasion force of 25 into Toledo in an attempt to take it from Prince VonBrom. The attempt fails. but Brother Jed and his minions are able to go into hiding within the borders of the Toledo domain. * House Genji of Japan begins make its move into the Midwestern U.S. by following in the wake of the Osaka Corporation. September 11th, 2001: The World Trade Center and Pentagon terror attacks occur. President G.W. Bush begins his War on Terror against the al-Qaeda and any nation that supports their terro attacks. September 20th, 2001: President Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security, and the appointment of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge in his Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People. September 26th, 2001: Corporate interests within the United States begin lobbying Congress to allow for the formation and expansion of corporate paramilitary security forces to protect their corporate holdings from terror attacks. October 3rd, 2001: With pressure from the Office of the President and the many corporations lobbying Congress, the Corporate Armament Act is passed by a slim margin. A vocal few Senators accuse the President of misuse of Presidential Authority, but with public opinion levels riding high because of the Presidents War on Terror, their voices go unheard. October 7th, 2001: President G.W. Bush announces Operation Enduring Freedom to dismantle the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which is harboring al-Qaeda terrorists. October 8th, 2001: President Bush issues Executive Order 13228 Establishing the Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council. October 8th, 2001: Tom Ridge sworn in as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security. November 19th, 2001: President G.W. Bush signs the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, creating the Transportation Security Administration. 2002: Justicar Petrodon sends an Archon into Toledo to examine the situation in that Domain. For unknown reasons, Prince VonBrom has the Archon executed for crimes against the Traditions. Support for Prince VonBrom on the Toledo Primogen Council begins to wane and whispers begin to spread that the Prince has taken the city Independent of the Camarilla. The Corporations: Arasaka, Armatech and Osaka Corp begin construction of their Corporate Office Towers in downtown Toledo.

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March 21st, 2002: Executive Order Establishing the President's Homeland Security Advisory Council and Senior Advisory Committees for Homeland Security. October 4th, 2002: Six suspected members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network operating near Buffalo are inducted. 2003: Brother Jed and a squad of 6 members of the Black Hand attempt to assassinate Prince VonBrom at this Westing Tower home, the attempt fails and Brother Jed and his "Jeddites" retreat back into the night. After the failed assassination attempt by Brother Jed, Prince VonBrom disbands his Primogen Council and begins ruling the Toledo domain through his own childer. The Arasaka Corporation and Osaka Corporation complete their Office Towers. March 17th, 2003: Homeland Security Department commences Operation Liberty Shield, an increase in protective measures to defend the homeland. March 19th, 2003: President G.W. Bush launches Operation Iraqi Freedom to end the regime of Saddam Hussein and its support of terrorism. April 2nd, 2003: House passage of the $79 billion wartime Supplemental Appropriations Bill to provide crucial funding for Operation Iraqi Freedom. May 1st, 2003: President G.W. Bushdeclares an end to major combat operations in Traq aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Terror Threat Integration Center begins operations. June 24th, 2003: House passes the first ever Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, approving $29.4 billion to bolster our homeland security, bring funding for First Responders to more than $20 billion since 9/11. 2004: Justicar Petrodon sends another Archon to Toledo, this time to remove Prince VonBrom from power. The Archon barely makes it out of the Toledo domain with his un-life, but he is able to make it back to Justicar Petrodon to inform this that the Toledo Domain has gone Independent of Camarilla rule. The Armatech Corporation completes its Office Tower in downtown Toledo. November, 2004: President G.W. Bush is re-elected to the Officer of President of the United States. 2003-2008: U.S. Military Forces occupy Iraq while insurgents are hunted down and a democratic government is installed in Iraq via free elections. 2005: The Auto Industry within the U.S., along with the Oil Companies begin work on an alternative fuel source that uses Alcohol to power combustion engines. New engine designed begin emerging. The Camarilla appoints Vladimir Dracovich Warlord of the Midwest Dominion of North American, shortly thereafter Warlord Dracovich is sent to Toledo with a force of 15 other Camarilla Loyal Kindred to Toledo to remove Prince VonBrom from power. January, 2006: Warlord Dracovich and his forces enter the Toledo domain, shortly after entering the Domain open warfare breaks out between the Kindred loyal to Prince VonBrom and those of Warlord Dracovich's invasion force. For the rest of 2006, the Kindred of Toledo are in a state of war with the Camarilla. 2007: Warlord Dracovich and his Camarilla Force continue to wage a shadow war with Prince VonBrom until mid-July of 2008. 2008: Prince VonBrom mysteriously disappears and Warlord Dracovich is finally able to retake the Toledo domain for the Camarilla. All Kindred not of Warlord Dracovich's Invasion Force are ordered to leave Toledo under pain of Final Death should they choose not to. Longer lasting batteries enter service in U.S. Military vehicles; using radioactive isotopes to store electrical charges.

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June 10th, 2008: President G.W. Bush declares war on Syria in a continuation of the War on Terror that began with the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. This war will continue to 2011. The Draft returns as 3 million Americans are called to duty in the Middle Eastern Conflict. November, 2008: President G.W. Bush is beat out in the national election as Edmund Sinclair; CA Democrat is elected to the Office of President of the United States. Sinclair is the first black American to be elected to the highest office in America. 2009: The first use of cybernetics occurs as a means of augmenting U.S. Soldiers that have been maimed in the Middle Eastern Conflict, also as a means of returning those soldiers back into the combat zone. 2009: The Conclave of 2009 in Venice Italy. With the chaos present in North America, the Camarilla deems it necessary to take more control on the continent. North America is broken up into Regional Dominions, for each Dominion the Inner Circle appoints a Warlord to directly oversee the Camarilla's interests in those Dominions. After the incident with Prince VonBrom of the Toledo domain, the Leaders of the Camarilla charge each Warlord with governing their respective Dominions to insure that treason and insurrection does not crop up within their regions. 2010: The first alcohol powered vehicles hit the automotive market, the auto makers also turn their sights to longer lasting Ni-Cad batteries for their vehicles. Artificial Muscle fibers developed at Stanford Research Center. 2010: First human clone grown in vitro. Mindless, it only lives for 6 hours. Warlord Dracovich and his Invasion Force begin packing up to head back to their respective homes, Brother Jed and his Jeddites attack "The Green Room" , one of Toledo's most popular dance clubs. Warlord Dracovich and a select few of his Invasion Force go to the The Green Room to put an end to the senseless killing of mortals that Brother Jed and his Jeddites are doing. Once Warlord Dracovich and this force get to the club, they find all of the mortal within it dead, and the club explodes killing all of Dracovich's followers and wounding Warlord Dracovich. 2011: The Middle Eastern Conflict between the United States and Syria finally ends as the U.S. invasion of Syria is finally complete. Alcohol powered vehicles begin gaining acceptance by the American consumers, some resist the change and gasoline is still available, but at greatly inflated prices. 2011: Warlord Dracovich sends out a call to all Camarilla Loyal Kindred in the surrounding area to come and assist him in driving the Sabbat Horde of Brother Jed out of the Toledo domain. Many heed his call if only to show that they are loyal to the Camarilla. 2012: Warlord Dracovich and the Camarilla wage a shadow war against the Jeddites for the next 2 years. When skyrocketing crime rates in the 2000's proved that the existing legal structure was falling apart., Congress passed the Civil Justice Act; which created the Uniform Civilian Justice The amazing thing is, it worked. January 1st, 2012: A hacker named Flashburn unleashes his Doomsday virus on the global internet, the resulting damage infects every satellite in orbit with a self-replicating virus that destroys every computer that attempts to log on to the internet through those satellites. In effect, the internet as we know it ceases to exist. November, 2012: The Framework of the new internet is now firmly in place with construction of the Grid Network. The new internet is a virtual reality environment rather than the old standardized keyboard, mouse and screen setup. First Cyber-modem invented. Thomas Thorintine, MA Democrat Senator is elected to the Office of President of the United States. 2012: Auto Makers in the United States are forced by Congress to transition gasoline powered automobiles to the new alcohol powered conversions. Federal Weapons Statute established. 2013: The Toledo Metroplex is formed when the management of the city government is taken over by the Corporations. The leading Corporations in this takeover are Osaka Corp, Arasaka Corp and the Armatech Corporation.

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Within 6 months after the takeover, the city of Toledo begins expanding its borders into the deserted or decaying neighborhoods around it. 2013: GridWatch established by Joint U.S./Eurotheatre Treaty. The Toledo Metroplex becomes one of the largest cities in Northern Ohio. The Camarilla and the Sabbat continue to wage a shadow war against each other, both sides taking unexplainable loses from a suspected third party in the conflict. Braindance developed at UC Santa Cruz. 2014: Between Agribusiness Corps and drought, the Family Farm all but disappears. 10.5 Quake shatters Los Angeles; ocean inundates 35% of the city. An estimated 65,000 are killed. First Corporate War: Involving the Armatech Corporation and the Osaka Corporation over mining rights in South America. 2015: The Camarilla under Warlord Dracovich is able to drive out the Sabbat, although it is suspected that some of the Jeddites, including Brother Jed have gone into hiding in the city. Network XXV now controls 62% of all media Broadcasting in U.S. 2016: Warlord Dracovich sends out a call to Camarilla Elders to settle within the newly cleared Domain of Toledo. Until the arrival of those Elders, Warlord Dracovich closes the borders of the domain to all Kindred. First True Artificial Intelligence developed at Microtech's Sunnyvale, CA. Facility President Thomas Thorintine is re-elected as President of the United States. 2017: First Self-Aware human clones created. Rise of the Cyber-Mercenaries; Lithuania hires Cyber-Soliders to repel invasions by Latvian nationals. 2018: International mission to establish a working Lunar colony and mining station leaving Space Station Alpha. The nations involved are; the United States, Great Britain, France and the Russian Federation. 2020: The Camarilla Elders of each Clan arrive in the Toledo Metroplex, the borders of Toledo will remain closed until the City Elders are able to take charge of the Domain. The Second Corporate War; involving get again Osaka Corp. and Arasaka; this time they are facing off in the South China Sea over mineral rights. 2021: Brother Jedd and his Black Hand Jeddites resurface in the Toledo domain. This time Brother Jedd does not attack the domain, it appears this time he is looking to convert or destroy anyone that will not join the Sabbat. 2022: The Civil War of the Sabbat has decimated Clans Lasombra and Tzimisce. Leaving the Younger Clans in a much stronger position within both halves of the Sabbat. Without the Younger Clans, the Traditionalist Lasombra and Tzimisce under Regent Camila Delavega would have collapsed by now. What has been a heated Civil War that has lasted for 26 years is now becoming more of a Cold War as both sides are starting to realize that neither side of the Sabbat may be strong enough to win this war, and that rejoining both halves may be impossible at this point. February 23rd-25th, 2022: The Thornlands Dominion Grand Elysium is held in Toledo Prime. During the Grand Elysium, some of the attendees are attacked by local Anarchs on their way to the Elysium site. It is also found out that the Setite Temple in Toledo Prime has been destroyed and that three sarcophagi have been opened, many suspect that some ancient evil has been released back into the world. June 17th, 2022: The Present.

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A TIMELINE OF THE VICTORIAN AND MODERN AGES

1022: Goratrix of house Tremere discovers a method of inducing immortality through ingesting vampiric blood. Tremere and seven followers become Cainites.[TC1,p102] 1205: Goratrix, responsible for France, is angered by Church instrusions. He begins inflitrating the Church. [TC1,p102] 1435: Camarilla was officially founded. [A&T,p31] 1465: A rogue branch of the Tremere within the anarch ranks make its presence known. Descendants from Goratrix, these rogues seek protection from the Tremere within the ranks of anarchs. In the 16th century, when the Sabbat forms, the Tremere antitribu are cursed (much like their sire Goratrix) with the mark of the traitor magically branded on their foreheads. Through invisible to normal sight, the mark is instantly noticeable by any non-Sabbat Tremere. [TC2,p112]. Age of the Fourth Sign: Son of the Dragon joined the ranks of the Transylvania undead. [TC4,p12] 1450: Toreador Raphael de Corazon made his famous about the Fifth Rule of the Code of Caine which lead to the Camarilla and the Masquerade. [Cb-Tr,p19] 1472: A gathering of Cainites meet in Hermanstadt to discuss the Dracula problem. At the charge of Count Radu of Bistritz Vlad Tepes is brought to him and then it is decided the antediluvian Yorak (TC4,p14) will Embrace him. [TC2,Act I]. The Fourth Sign of Gehenna is revealed Rise and Return of the Dragon Saulot taking dominance of Tremere and still being active in the Jyhad. [TC4,p119]. Age of the Fifth Sign: Marked by the foundation of the Camarilla. [TC4,p12] 1486: First global convocation of the Camarilla meets. [TC1,p104] 1493, 23rd October: The Convention of Thorns (CoT hereafter) ends the Anarch Revolt; a Tremere ritual prevents Assamites from continuing to diablerize Cainites. [TC1,p104]. First Justicars of the Camarilla were the Inner Circle members led by Ventrue Hardestadt include Brujah Adana de Sforza, Gangrel Milov Petrenkov, Malkavian Camilla Baines, Nosferatu Josef von Bauren, Toreador, Rafael de Corazon, Tremere Mistress Fanchon. [TC2,p61]. The Cainites attending the CoT refer to themselves as the Kindred for the first time. [TC1,p104]. The Fifth Sign of Gehenna The Making and the Breaking of the Compact of Kindred the foundation of the Camarilla and subsequent creation of the Sabbat after the CoT. [TC4,p119] 1495: Dracula orchestrates his own Embrace by pitting Sabbat and Camarilla against each other. Forcing the Tzimisce Lambach to Embrace him and then diablerizing to his sires generational equal. [TC2,p82/TC3,p102] 1496, Spring: Treaty of Tyre was signed by the Master and duat. [Cb-As,p16] 1528: Winter: Claudius Giovanni signed a formal agreement guaranteed Giovanni nonintervention in all Kindred affairs (known as The Promise of 1528.) [Cb-Gi,p16] 1560: The Ventrue of Transylvania begin implementing a more rigid hierarchy in their cities. This helps them maintain control during the Sabbat Crusades and ferret out Sabbat spies. The practice quickly spreads to other Camarilla cities across Europe. [TC3,p102] 1600: It becomes clear the Sabbat is losing its war against the Camarilla. Cities under Sabbat control fall on nearly every front, and Sabbat leaders begin fleeing to Scandinavia. [TC3,p102]

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1801: The Sabbat establishes the Purchase Pact, which forbids Sabbat packs from warring each other. Cardinal Radu Bistri witnesses the signing of the document. 1803: 19th Sept: Purchase Pact was created, an anti-Sabbat infighting agreement. [GttS,p18]. Gorchist is Regent of the Sabbat [GttS,p18] 1804: Sabbat Inquisition was founded by Priscus Ventrue antitribe Gustav Mallenhous. [SHS,p47] 1855: The Sabbat surrendered most of the American West to the Camarilla due to internal conflict being unable to make a subtle defense. [Cb-La,p27] 1880s: Dueling went out of style among Ventrue. [Cb-Ve,p22] 1895: Vlad Tepes of Clan Tzimisce attempts to rejoin the Camarilla and purchased several estates in London. [TC4,p118] 1896: A blood hunt is declared against Vlad Tepes, who flees to Transylvania. [TC4,p118]. Europeans were admitted to be Embraced into Clan Assamite. [Cb-As,p21] 1897: Vlad Tepes meets with the Irish author Bram Stoker and tells him story which he publishes as Dracula. This is Vlads attempt to destroy the Masquerade. [TC4,p95] 1914-1918: The Second Sabbat Civil war reaches its height during the Great War. [GttS,p19]. Melinda Galbraith is the new Regent of the Sabbat. [CC,p20]. The Sabbat Inquisition became a political tool but vanished when Jyhad spread between Sabbat-held territories. [SHS,p47] 1956: The Third Sabbat Civil War in the Americas bleeds over into Europe, emerging as another battle between the Brujah antitribu and Romania local Tzimisce. [TC4,p118] 1957: The Third Sabbat Civil War lasted only 100 nights from a Brujah antitribe coup in New York. [GttS,p19/NYbN,p25]. After their assistance in the Third Sabbat Civil War a group of Caitiff was recognized as a separate group/bloodline by the Lasombra and Tzimisce of the Sabbat. They were named Panders after their leader Joseph Pander. [GttS,p20] 1996: The City of Montreal in Canada was attacked by the Sabbat Inquisition for supposed accusations of Infernalism. September, 1996: A Sabbat Inquisition taskforce was sent to Montreal in an attempt to get to the bottom of a lot of accusations of possible Infernalists hiding within the supposedly loyal Sabbat ranks. October, 1996: The Sabbat Inquisitors have already put 13 supposed Infernalists to Final Death in Montreal and they were not finished yet. When asked, they simply told Sabbat that they had a list of names that they were able to get from the condemned Infernalists shortly before their final deaths. November, 1996: The Sabbat Inquisitors set their eyes on the Leadership of Montreal; which in many cases were members of the Younger Clans of the Sabbat (Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, etc,). When the Sabbat Inquisitors came for the Archbishop and Bishops, everything changed. What had started out as a search for Infernalists had turned into a hunt for anyone that could be possible traitors to the Sect. December, 1996: Archbishop Ezekiel was able to get many of supporters out of Montreal; sending them into the east coast cities of the United States. It was a call to arms, a call to rise up against the oppression of the Lasombra and the Tzimisce. The Sabbat Civil War that had occurred in 1957 had left many lose ends, many were still itching to finish what they started in 1957, and this gave them the perfect excuse to renew their conflicts.

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January, 1997: A high yield explosive device was detonated in Mexico City. The explosion destroyed 5 square blocks and the result was the core of the Sabbat leadership was gutted. A Sabbat Revolution had begun, and now no peace could be easily regained. The sides were draw. 1997: If the new Sabbat Civil War wasnt enough to destabilize the Sabbat, the bloody exit of the Tremere Antitribu of House Goratrix would permanently burn into the minds of all Sabbat the treachery that was possible through any members of Clan Tremere. On its way out of the Sabbat, House Goratrix cut a bloody path out, killing anyone that had ever learned Thaumaturgy from them and insuring that only they had access to the Thaumaturgy Paths that they had created during their time in the Sabbat. 1997: Clan Gangrel formally leaves the Camarilla when their Justicar; Xavier steps down. 1998: The Cathayans under the leadership of a Cathayan named "Mandarin Hao" begin the invasion of the West Coast of North America. By winter, the impact of the initial clash was blunted by the Anarch defenses, and the Jade Invasion reaches an undesired equilibrium. 1998: The Sabbat has essentially been divided into two Sects that are warring with one another. Both sides adhering to the Code of Milan in regards to their own side, but both disregarding it in regards to the other half of the Sect. The Black Hand sided with Regent Ezekiel, while the Sabbat Inquisition sided with Regent Camila Delavega. 1998: Some Gangrel antitribu whisper that the Gangrel seem perilously ready to abandon the Camarilla. [TC4,p58]. Fortieth Justicar election. Brujah Jaroslav Pascek, Malkavian Maris Streck, Nosferatu Cock Robin, Toreador Madame Guil, Tremere Anastasz Di Zagreb, Ventrue Lucinde [GttC,p27] 1999: Millennium Cults begin to appear predicting an Apocalypse on Jan 1st, 2000. Thousands migrate to isolated communes and temples to "Await the End". 2000: Millennium Cults run amok on Jan 1st in an orgy of suicide and violence, most destroy themselves. Prince Frederick VonBrom closes the borders of Toledo to all Kindred from the surrounding cities. At least three members of the Primogen Council are executed for treason against the city and the Camarilla. November, 2000: President G.W. Bush is elected to the Offices of President of the United States. 2001: Sabbat Bishop "Brother Jed" leads an invasion force of 25 into Toledo in an attempt to take it from Prince VonBrom. The attempt fails. but Brother Jed and his minions are able to go into hiding within the borders of the Toledo domain. * House Genji of Japan begins make its move into the Midwestern U.S. by following in the wake of the Osaka Corporation. September 11th, 2001: The World Trade Center and Pentagon terror attacks occur. President G.W. Bush begins his War on Terror against the al-Qaeda and any nation that supports their terro attacks. September 20th, 2001: President Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security, and the appointment of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge in his Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People. September 26th, 2001: Corporate interests within the United States begin lobbying Congress to allow for the formation and expansion of corporate paramilitary security forces to protect their corporate holdings from terror attacks. October 3rd, 2001: With pressure from the Office of the President and the many corporations lobbying Congress, the Corporate Armament Act is passed by a slim margin. A vocal few Senators accuse the President of misuse of Presidential Authority, but with public opinion levels riding high because of the Presidents War on Terror, their voices go unheard. October 7th, 2001: President G.W. Bush announces Operation Enduring Freedom to dismantle the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which is harboring al-Qaeda terrorists.

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October 8th, 2001: President Bush issues Executive Order 13228 Establishing the Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council. October 8th, 2001: Tom Ridge sworn in as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security. November 19th, 2001: President G.W. Bush signs the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, creating the Transportation Security Administration. March 21st, 2002: Executive Order Establishing the President's Homeland Security Advisory Council and Senior Advisory Committees for Homeland Security. October 4th, 2002: Six suspected members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network operating near Buffalo are inducted. March 17th, 2003: Homeland Security Department commences Operation Liberty Shield, an increase in protective measures to defend the homeland. March 19th, 2003: President G.W. Bush launches Operation Iraqi Freedom to end the regime of Saddam Hussein and its support of terrorism. April 2nd, 2003: House passage of the $79 billion wartime Supplemental Appropriations Bill to provide crucial funding for Operation Iraqi Freedom. May 1st, 2003: President G.W. Bushdeclares an end to major combat operations in Traq aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Terror Threat Integration Center begins operations. June 24th, 2003: House passes the first ever Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, approving $29.4 billion to bolster our homeland security, bring funding for First Responders to more than $20 billion since 9/11. November, 2004: President G.W. Bush is re-elected to the Officer of President of the United States. 2003-2008: U.S. Military Forces occupy Iraq while insurgents are hunted down and a democratic government is installed in Iraq via free elections. 2005: The Auto Industry within the U.S., along with the Oil Companies begin work on an alternative fuel source that uses Alcohol to power combustion engines. New engine designed begin emerging. 2007: The Present

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House & Clan Tremere Hierarchy

(All Ages)
Councilor Level Hierarchy Council of Seven Pontefix Quesitor Astor Lord of a Region Regent of a Chantry Apprentices of the Circles of Mysteries Chantry Level Hierarchy Keeper of the Cup Keeper of Secrets Keeper of the Lore Keeper of the Coin Keeper of the Mask Keeper of the Sword Master at Arms Regent Mentor Librarian Treasurer Primogen Whip Security

Chantry Level Hierarchy Definitions

Keeper of the Cup (Regent): Oversees the Chantry as well as the Apprentices of the Chantry. Keeper of Secrets (The 7th Circle): The Apprentice of the Regent who acts as the clan mentor and administers and decides upon (with the assistance of the Regent) advancement tests to the apprentices wishing to attain higher station. Keeper of the Lore (Chantry Librarian): A very honored position. It is this persons proclivity to gather occult information and keep the Chantry library. Apprentices lower than the 7th level wishing to advance in their paths must also get his permission first. Keeper of the Coin (Clan Treasurer): Gathers the influences of the Chantry in a collective pool and also decides on how to spend and properly distribute influences. While it is not necessary that a Tremere contribute to the Keeper of the Coin, it is recommended they donate at least one influence to the needs of the Clan. Keeper of the Mask (Primogen): This persons responsibility is the political liaison of the Chantry. The face the Tremere show to the Camarilla. While at court, the Tremere apprentices, even those of higher station, treat the Primogen with the utmost respect and courtesy. Keeper of the Sword (Whip): This is the person who the Keeper of the Mask chooses as his second. While the Keeper of the Mask is away, all authorities default to the Keeper of the Sword. Furthermore, the Keeper of the Sword is responsible for Chantry security as well as the well being for the apprentices of the Chantry. While the Primogen is away the whip has all status and respect of the Primogen. Master At Arms: This is the person who is the Keeper of the Swords second. He acts in the stead of the keeper with details pertaining to the Chantry. He does not however, act as the Whip at any time in court or otherwise. This person is responsible for training all apprentices in the art of war and should be the bravest and able-bodied among the apprentices.

Organization
Each Title from Councilor to Apprentice has seven ranks or circles within itself. In order to progress to the next Title a Tremere must prove himself by attaining all circles in any given Title. The Tremere hold the number seven as a sacred and magical number that contains the secrets of the universe and define all things within. Therefore they have divided themselves up into seven great Titles with seven positions within each Title and seven circles within each position. In

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any Chantry no more than one apprentice may claim the title of 7th Circle Apprentice. It is the same way in any given region with the Regents, in a Domain with the Lords, all the way on up to the Council members. Currently, Etrius is the only 7th Circle Councilor and non-have chosen to contest this fact. This makes the title of 7th Circle to be a position greatly coveted and respected. In addition to serving as stepping-stones to Lord, the Circles also serve as a Rank and Caste based system. That is, anyone of higher Circle is, by default, responsible for those below him. The only times this is different is when the specific Positions within each Title are in conflict operating under their auspices. IE: Even if someone were 6th circle and the primogen were only 5th circle, you would still respect and obey the primogen while at court. Listed below are the numbers of members allowed in a circle at any time. 1st Circle: Any Number of Apprentices 2nd Circle: Seven Apprentices 3rd Circle: Six Apprentices 4th Circle: Five Apprentices 5th Circle: Three Apprentices 6th Circle: Two Apprentices 7th Circle: One Apprentice

On Testing Regents
When Regents go to test for Lord status, they must first petition their Lord and either an Astor or Quesitor of their Region. This then comes to the Judicar/Justicar. The Lord then will give the Regent the tests required to become a full Lord of the 1st Circle. When the Regent becomes a Lord, he then assigns the 7th Circle Apprentice as the new Regent, leaves it to a vote of the Chantry, or places someone as the new Regent. If a Regent cannot be assigned then I will assign one of the Quisitors or Astors to act as Regent until such time as a replacement is worthy. In order for a Lord to grant domain to a Regent they must be at least 4th Circle.

On Testing Apprentices
When an apprentice is ready to increase in circle they will be notified by either the Keeper of the Cup or the Keeper of Secrets or the apprentice may request testing from the Keeper of Secrets. (Testing should be held monthly and should be difficult.) The exact nature of the tests or trials will be up to the Keeper of Secrets. Once the apprentice completes this task they are then placed in front of their peers who can choose to either accept the apprentices new circle or contest the ruling. If contested, the apprentice contesting must then explain to those assembled his reasons. If his reasons are acceptable then the apprentice originally testing is put on suspension until such time as the action deemed Unworthy of a Tremere is corrected. At this time the apprentice may petition the Keeper of Secrets for the right to test again. After this test succeeds the apprentice is then accepted at his new circle and rank by all in the Chantry and is submitted to the Lord, Astor, Quesitor, Pontefix, Councilor. If the Chantry wishes, those assembled may contest before the actual testing even begins for the hopeful. Note: Testing for Keeper positions with the Chantry follows the same rules, as does all tests and trials within the House and Clan of Tremere.

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Dark Tidings for the Garou Nation

(Dark Future)
It is the Dark Future , and for the Garou Nation, this is how the world ends. The Black Furies are losing their fertility, the hallmark of womanhood. The curse that struck them has yet to affect their numbers but each day the Tribe grows older, less kinfolk are born, and fewer children breed true. There are no explanations for the changes in fortune of the Tribe. Some theories highlight a spiritual problem. That someone in the tribe has possibly performed an unforgivable sin. More worldly conspiracies fault hormone in foods and chemical pollution. Whatever the case, the tribe has sworn to find an answer, or otherwise they will die trying. Alternatively, the Red Talons have grown to the largest Tribe in the Garou Nation due to a time known as Gaias Blessings. Wolf litters all over America have doubled in size. Nearly every pup born in the last three years has also had a twin sibling. 90% of new Kinfolk have bred true. The Red Talons believe that the time of the final battle is fast approaching. That Gaia is filling the ranks for one last battle. More observant Garou have noted that there are very few Red Talon Kinfolk left. With breeding stocks decimated, the Red Talons may not have much of a future at all. Oddly enough, the blessing has not affected European Red Talons or the Lupus of other tribes. The blessing also coincides with a US government program to perform birth control on wolves in the wild. The Glasswalker Tribe is currently at war with itself. A splinter group has formed that has dedicated itself to service of the Weaver. These Cyberwolves, able to take advantage of Cybernetic Advancements, deny their duty to Gaia. While so far the Cyberwolf camp is small, many other tribes fear that the Glasswalkers are slipping away to the side of the Weaver. More Glasswalkers join the camp every day. Silent Striders are disappearing across the country. No one, not even those in the tribe, knows where they have gone. So far half the tribe is gone and more are slipping away every day. Those remaining are beginning to converge on Septs in a bid to mass their remaining strength. A few of the other tribes dont take the threat seriously; Silent Striders were always wanderers anyway. The Uktena and Wendigo have undertaken a quest to revive the Totem of their former brothers, the Croatan. Recent discoveries by the Uktena have hinted that it is possible to resurrect Turtle. The fact that turtles still exist in the world shows that some spark of spiritual essence is left. While Theurges of the other tribes may find it a fools errand, the Pure Tribes believe this is the only way they can repay middle brother for his sacrifice. Silver Fangs across the country are losing their breeding. This has become both a blessing and a curse. The tribe is being refreshed because these new Fangs no longer are cursed with dementia. Unfortunately, they are unable to call upon the breeding of their ancestors. The old guard sees the new blood as pretenders to the throne; unfit of the heritage belonging to them. The new Silver Fangs feel that ability is more important than breeding, and plan to prove their rights to lead through action. Only time will tell who is correct. The Children of Gaia have been receiving warnings from their spiritual patrons that a Tribe has betrayed the Garou Nation. So far no other tribes have received such warnings. The Children are trying to root out the traitors, however many of the other tribes find their warnings and accusations baseless. The Fianna are beginning a mass exodus back to Ireland. While several Fianna have elected to stay in the states, they are a distinct minority. So far, there is no official explanation from the tribe for the exodus, but rumors abound. It is up to individual Fianna to decide if they should heed the call. A great and powerful fetish known as the Staff of Thunder has been found. Both the Get of Fenris and the Shadow Lords lay claim to the fetish as a tribal heirloom. The claim has caused conflict between the tribes, and the two are on the verge of all out war. Cooler heads have been prevailing, but as long as the staff exists, friction can only intensify.

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The staff has been constantly changing hands between one side and another due to the conflict. Its exact whereabouts are kept secret, but one tribe always manages to find where the others have hidden it. The Bone Gnawers are surviving, as always. Finally, The Stargazers have returned from their time in the east, spiritually refreshed and ready to join the Garou Nation. Unfortunately, anger and distrust still remains from their defection, and the Tribe has not been allowed to rejoin the Nation. Now, the Stargazers are questing to earn their rightful place by the side of their brothers. Each Stargazer must individually prove his right as a member of the Garou Nation. After acceptance, he is expected to do all he can to help other Stargazers rejoin, or work towards a greater quest that will aid the entire tribe.

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The 4th Sabbat Civil War: (aka: The Sabbat Revolution)

(Modern Age & Dark Future)
In the year 1996, the City of Montreal in Canada was attacked by the Sabbat Inquisition for supposed accusations of Infernalism. It all started in September of 1996 when a Sabbat Inquisition taskforce was sent to Montreal in an attempt to get to the bottom of a lot of accusations of possible Infernalists hiding within the supposedly loyal Sabbat ranks. By October of 1996, the Sabbat Inquisitors had already put 13 supposed Infernalists to Final Death and they were not finished yet. When asked, they simply told Sabbat that they had a list of names that they were able to get from the condemned Infernalists shortly before their final deaths. In November, the Sabbat Inquisitors set their eyes on the Leadership of Montreal; which in many cases were members of the Younger Clans of the Sabbat (Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, etc,). When the Sabbat Inquisitors came for the Archbishop and Bishops, everything changed. What had started out as a search for Infernalists had turned into a hunt for anyone that could be possible traitors to the Sect. When the Sabbat Inquisitors came after the leadership of Montreal, thats when everything changed. Archbishop Ezekiel and the few remaining Bishops that the Inquisitors had yet to get to were able to unite the Sabbat Clans of Montreal against the Sabbat Inquisitors that were being led by Archbishop Valez. With all of the wounds left open from that last Sabbat Civil War, Archbishop Ezekiel was able to gain the support of the Black Hand members that were still in Montreal. It was at this point that the match lit by Archbishop Valez ignited the pool of gasoline that was Archbishop Ezekiel and his remaining supporters. By late December, Archbishop Ezekiel was able to get many of supporters out of Montreal; sending them into the east coast cities of the United States. It was a call to arms, a call to rise up against the oppression of the Lasombra and the Tzimisce. The Sabbat Civil War that had occurred in 1957 had left many lose ends, many were still itching to finish what they started in 1957, and this gave them the perfect excuse to renew their conflicts. In January of 1997, a high yield explosive device was detonated in Mexico City. The explosion destroyed 5 square blocks and the result was the core of the Sabbat leadership was gutted. A Sabbat Revolution had begun, and now no peace could be easily regained. The sides were draw. If the new Sabbat Civil War wasnt enough to destabilize the Sabbat, the bloody exit of the Tremere Antitribu of House Goratrix would permanent burn into the minds of all Sabbat the treachery that was possible through any members of Clan Tremere. On its way out of the Sabbat, House Goratrix cut a bloody path out, killing anyone that had ever learned Thaumaturgy from them and insuring that only they had access to the Thaumaturgy Paths that they had created during their time in the Sabbat. It was during this same time period that the Salubri Antitribu and the Harbingers of Skulls would join the Sabbat, giving the Tremere Antitribu of House Goratrix even more reason to want out of the Sect. With the Salubri Antitribu joining the Sabbat, those of House Goratrix saw their end on the horizon. With the Sabbat split between those supporting the Younger Clans bid for power and those supporting the Status Quo of the Lasombra and the Tzimisce, all out Civil War began tearing the Sect apart. From the remains of Mexico City a Cardinal; Camila Delavega stepped forward to lead the Lasombra and Tzimisce as the new Regent. In Montreal, Archbishop Ezekiel Lord of Montreal was elevated to the position of Regent by his half of the Sabbat. And with that, the Sabbat as a Sect was divided down the middle. Of course there were Lasombra that choose to go with the Younger Clans under Regent Ezekiel in an attempt to gain power that they had long been denied by their Elder brethren, and some of the Younger Clans chose to side with

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Regent Camila Delavega because that was all they knew and because the power of the Vaulderie was strong enough to force them to side with the leaders of their respective packs. Since 1998, the Sabbat has essentially been divided into two Sects that have been warring with one another. Both sides adhering to the Code of Milan in regards to their own side, but disregarding it in regards to the other half of the Sect. The Black Hand sided with Regent Ezekiel, while the Sabbat Inquisition sided with Regent Camila Delavega. Both sides of the Sabbat have been waging a war of attrition against one another since 1998, while still attempting to take Camarilla held cities. With the division of the Sabbat Sects and the rise to power of the Camarilla Warlords in North America; both sides of the Sabbat have been forced into new tactics in their strategy against the hated Camarilla. Infiltration has been the preferred method of attack. It is easier to destroy the Camarilla from within than it is with all out assaults now. With the forces of both Sabbat Sects more limited, they are using what forces they have towards crippling each other rather than attempting to openly fight the Camarilla Centurions. Once there is one clear winner in this battle between Sabbats, they will once again turn their sights on the Camarilla. But until then, it is easier and more preferable to destroy their other half. It is not uncommon for a Sabbat pack to enter a battle with the Camarilla only to have another Sabbat pack of the other half of Sabbat attack them in mid battle. In regards to infiltration this has earned the respect and trust of many Camarilla Princes to those attempting to infiltrate the Camarilla. As of 2022 (2007 for the Modern Age), this Civil War of the Sabbat has decimated Clans Lasombra and Tzimisce. Leaving the Younger Clans in a much stronger position within both halves of the Sabbat. Without the Younger Clans, the Traditionalist Lasombra and Tzimisce under Regent Camila Delavega would have collapsed by now. What has been a heated Civil War that has lasted for 26 (13 years for Modern Age) years is now becoming more of a Cold War as both sides are starting to realize that neither side of the Sabbat may be strong enough to win this war, and that rejoining both halves may be impossible at this point.

For the Modern Age it has only been 13 years since the Sabbat Civil War started, but the end result is still the same because in the opening years of the Sabbat Civil War both Clans Lasombra & Tzimisce took enough losses to put themselves in the same situation they would be in 2022.

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References for the Dark Future of Trinity

Film References
Bladerunner Johnny Mnemonic Strange Days Mad Max Road Warrior Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome RoboCop RoboCop II Terminator Terminator II Demolition Man Freejack Max Headroom Virtuosity Men In Black Men In Black II The Fifth Element The Matrix Brazil Total Recall 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 2010: The Year we made Contact A Clockwork Orange Starship Troopers The Lawnmower Man The Running Man Batman Beyond Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker Akira

Book References
1984, George Orwell Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,Philip K. Dick Virtual Light, William Gibson Bladerunner II, William Gibson Neuromancer, William Gibson Count Zero, William Gibson Mona Lisa Overdrive, William Gibson Idoru, William Gibson Mirrorshades, William Gibson All Tomorrow's Parties, William Gibson Burning Chrome, William Gibson The Difference Engine, William Gibson Johnny Mnemonic, William Gibson Net Force, Tom Clancy & Steve Pieczenik

Roleplaying Game References

Cyberpunk 2020, R.Talsorian Games CyberGeneration, R.Talsorian Games Shadowrun, Fasa & WizKids Games SLA Industries, Nightfall Games

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