The Kindred Modern History

To creatures that do not change, trapped in a form of stasis from the time their lives end and their undying life begins, change itself can be a terrifying ordeal.  To creatures that go through decades like months, and centuries like years, the rapid flow of time can quickly and easily slip past them without them realizing all that has changed in the blink of their immortal eye.

Some things however, cannot go unnoticed.  The Human Race, from which all Vampires are born into, and leave upon their death into Kindred society, was under attack.  Nature had finally risen up to smite the ones that were tearing the very world apart, and her wrath was horrible.  The Mega Flu swept through the Vampiric food stocks so quickly, that many Kindred scarcely knew how to compensate.  At first it was something that tightened around the Clans, thousands of people dying in a city in record numbers.  Then it was millions, and things were more than tight, things were desperate.

Every Covenant felt the pain of decreased food supplies, devastated hunting grounds, and entire cities seemingly dry up.  The Masquerade was in danger on a constant basis as Prince's decreed that embracing new Childer was prohibited.  the Unaligned were targeted next, being hunted out of Domains and territories as things grew further desperate.  It was only a matter of time, many knew, until something had to give.

Something finally did when coastal cities started to vanish from the earth, sinking to a watery grave. Countless Elders where forced to accept Torpor as the answer, riding out the devastation instead of battling through it. Covenants where left but a skeleton of their former selves. A select few chosen to carry their orders through this difficult time. With the  chance to gain Status and a way to prove themselves many were ordered or volunteered for the task of protection. But it was only a matter of time before the young became restless. Survival of the fittest became the rule of the night, The Elders to stubborn to hide or to paranoid to let go, lost and unaccustomed to the early nights of the 21st century found themselves very wanting in that regard.  What was worse was the way in which some Neonates and Ancillae sold out their Elders so easily, made desperate from their Beasts gnawing at them through hunger every night, just to see the Elders horde all the good herds and blood supplies for themselves or just cannibalize the young indiscriminately. The Covenants where bought to the brink of war and self destruction.

In a weakened state and at the brink of extinction ancient feuds and paranoia where bought to a halt with the realization of a new threat in an old enemy. The Church was rising like a tidal wave out of the Vatican, and though many through the Kindred world knew it was assisted, they also knew that it would be all too easy for another Inquisition to be formed.  A call across all Vampiric fronts came up to bolster the Masquerade. Many a Kindred slipped back into shadow to watch the reckless youth fall to a new brand of Hunter, augmented, powerful, carrying technology never before seen.  The tables were evening, the prey was becoming predator of its own sort. As new technology's took root and surveillance became a thing of society, drones recorded everything, what once protected kindred from prying eyes became their greatest set back. Their images forever blurred on film made it harder and harder for them to attend their nightly activities. Exhausted by constantly reinforcing their image the situation was becoming dire with the threat of the new hunters. A break through came from the Circle of the Crone. A Ritual was formulated that allowed Kindred greater control of their images. The Ritual performed only to those within a Covenant allowed permanency through force of will when the image is recordered instead of them reverting back after several days or so. In game terms a single point of willpower can reinforce the Kindred's image for an entire night, it can be relaxed at will but then another point of willpower must be spent to reinforce it once again. The cost of this ritual is carried by the Kindred's Covenant. The origins of this ritual is unknown and a closely guarded secret. One top of this the Circle of the Crone boasts a break through with enhancements and the Kindred condition. But the price is steep.

It was not just the ancient struggle between the Covenants and the Church. Other factions used the ever changing climate to suit their own agendas. The Gypsies, for once, began to flourish, the world much too busy to worry over old prejudices and cultural divides. The Rom found work within the Mega Cities as cheap labor, and thrived in the shadows of the great sea walls being erected. There was also an influx of Sorcerers, Mystics, and Psychics that began to trickle into the Cities once they were constructed.  Many banded together and formed potent Crafts and Cabals within the labrynthine streets and infrastructures of Mega Cities.

However, not all began a new, not all slipped away into the night to lick their wounds.  In some cases, bad blood stayed bad and old fueds still raged through the back alleys and the board rooms of the new cities. After the main foundations of the Mega Cities where poured, Vampires of all Covenants started to stake their claims. Elders where awoken by their loyal servants.  A Ventrue of Invictus was one for the first to spot the potential of the Mega City of the Atlantic City Grid. Displaced from his homeland of Rome by the floods Leopold Russo took his entourage to the Americas to help rebuild for a better future. To strike back at the Enemies and rivals of Invictus by undercutting their influences. Form the very beginning he saw the importance of New Babylon, for it stood just back form old New York. The grand game of influence and cunning would start with the new Corporate sovereignty laws and the claiming of the Throne as Prince not only of New Babylon But the ACG North complete. The Covenants began to thrive as the populations began to grow once more. Mortals displaced by war, famine and disease flocked to the new Mega Cities in hope of the American dream reestablished. A new Balance was starting to take shape.