Sabbat: Edge of Extinction
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Edge of Extinction: So what is a 'Sabbat', anyway?

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Post by Admin Sun Sep 28, 2014 4:04 pm

This is an overview of the setting and the concepts of the setting. It is aimed at players who don't really know that much about the Vampire: the Masquerade setting. The first note I will make is that Anne Rice's novels were an inspiration for the setting, while Jim Butcher's novels and Charlaine Harris' novels show (to my eye) clear signs of having been influenced by the Masquerade setting (it has been around for a very long time now!).



Caine, who slew his brother Abel, was cursed marked to become the first Vampire. He spread his condition to others, who spread it to others, who spread it to still more others. Caine is the First Generation vampire, a legendary figure. His creations would be Second Generation, if any were still alive. Sixth through Fourteenth Generation vampires are potentially playable player-characters.

As such, there is some debate as to what exactly happened back then. (A Third Generation Vampire awoke in 1999. They were a potentially apocalyptic threat, and nobody knows exactly who took them down)


In general, vampires throughout the ages have used the powers granted to them by their condition to dominate humanity (powers which are generally stronger the closer you are to Caine in ancestry, although individuals also grow stronger with age - strong blood is nice, but experience often counts for a lot more).

Over time, this led to a status where the ancient and powerful elder vampires were served by the younger vampires, in a hierarchy that would never change, as vampires do not die of old age (and their loyalty was enforced by the Blood Bond - if you drink of a vampire's blood, you begin to fall in love with them... well, into a love-like state).


So... some young vampires decided to change this. The jacqueries of medieval Europe led to revolution in the courts of the night. The Anarchs broke the chains of the Blood Bond using vaulderies... and the committed diableries, the drinking of the blood and soul of another vampire to take the strength of the elders for their own.

The establishment - the Camarilla - eventually brought the Anarchs to the negotiating table, but a faction wanted no part of this.


The Sabbat.


Some know the Sabbat as the Sword of Caine: an army created to fight and defeat the Antediluvians (3rd Generation), ancient vampires who will awaken during the final nights of the world. Others know the sect as the Church of the Dark Father: a religion based on embracing vampirism, reveling in dark purpose, and revering the most ancient vampire, the legendary Caine. In truth, the sect is both.

It is a point of faith that the Antediluvians are pulling the puppet strings of the Camarilla, and so the Camarilla are a main target.


It should be noted that in 1999, the Sabbat thought that the end of the world was nigh. The Week of Nightmares began, an Antediluvian awoke... and then the apocalypse fizzled out. Whether or not it is still coming is a good question (though the faithful say "of course it is"), as those who can see the future sometimes see false futures, of a world where the apocalypse did come.


In any event, the past fifteen years have been devastating for the Sabbat: humanity as-yet remains ignorant of vampires, but individual clued-in mortal hunters have had massive surges in numbers and effectiveness... and the Sabbat, always more violent and less willing to hide what they are than the Camarilla, suffered the brunt of this uptick.

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Post by Admin Sun Sep 28, 2014 4:25 pm

Important Concept: Clans

Vampires come in many kinds and types. Countless abilities have been attributed to them, and virtually all of them are possessed by at least *some* vampires (so *some* can turn into mist, *some* are incredibly strong, *some* can bind your will with a single glance...). The same goes for weaknesses; Lasombra do not appear in mirrors, but all others do. Nosferatu are hideous monsters, but others can be quite beautiful.

These variations are by line of descent; a vampire and the one who turned them into a vampire (their sire) and any they themselves turn into vampires (their childer) will have the same weaknesses and similar aptitudes for vampiric powers (although this is just an aptitude, and a vampire can learn tricks from other vampires that they do not have an innate aptitude for).

These lines of descent are referred to as 'Clans', and have some of the expectations of loyalty the name implies (at least on the surface).

The most common Clans in the Sabbat are as follows:

Brujah - Strong, passionate warriors. Often stereotyped as thugs.
Gangrel - Animalistic vampires - able to control animals and take their forms
Lasombra - Aristocratic Vampires, elegant and powerful
Malkavian - Vampires all driven mad, but they can see beyond what is.
Nosferatu - Hideous monsters, but stealthy and frightening
Panders - Vampires so far removed from Caine, their Clan ties have broken.
Serpents of the Light - Snake-like vampires
Toreador - Beautiful and artistic, figures of romance
Tzimisce - Monsters who put themselves far above humanity
Ventrue - Commanding and dominating, able to bend others to their will

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Post by Admin Mon Sep 29, 2014 2:53 pm

So you want to be a vampire...


Now, if you're here, you're hopefully considering making a character for this campaign. Fantastic!

For the playtest game, you should all be making relatively weak vampires (either young ones, or ones who were unlucky enough to be unconscious for a long period of time) who, for one reason or another, are in Auckland, aiming to kick the local Camarilla in the teeth and take their city. So make a character who has a reason to do that!

Ambition is good. If your character wants respect, well, this is a big mission with long odds - success would make your name to the rest of the sect.

Fanaticism is quite likely. The Sabbat has many true believers who are devoted to winning the war against the "puppets of the ancients", and are willing to risk their lives for it.

Desperation is reasonable. Sometimes, you do the impossible because you have no other choice. For one reason or another, you've been forced here.

Then again, maybe it's loyalty or love! The group here is a Pack, so you're all brothers in arms, so maybe you're here because the others are here.

All these options make for a rich gaming experience.


BUT WAIT!

Don't forget the mortal you used to be! You're a human being who has been turned into a creature of the night. Once, you had friends, family, a job, maybe a cat... and then one night, a vampire decided to make you another vampire.

Why you? What about you attracted the attention of your Sire?

Keep these things in mind and you should find that a lot of ideas for characters are bubbling up. Pick one or two and throw them at me, and we'll try to sort it out!

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