Vampire History: History of the Above

 

The first Kindred prince

 

In 1845, the first Prince of Yerba Buena was crowned. Prince Andrew Tanner of the First Estate, a Kindred of extraordinary wealth and power, began a rule that to some was tyrannical, and to others was well founded. The growing of the city, and the subsequent gold-rush population boom of 1848 caused not only a massive influx of kine, but with them Kindred, and a hierarchy was needed.

In 1846, the arrival of the Bishop Francis Rose brought with it both the Lancea Sanctum, and quite a bit in the way of controversy. Francis Rose, of the Line Daeva, was perhaps in his mid-teens when Embraced, and brought with him a depravity that had been very rare in these nights. Prince Andrew Tanner outwardly accepted the arrival of the Bishop, though the disturbingly young and monstrous visage seemed to haunt him even in his own Court.

Incidents involving Kindred Presentation sky-rocketed, and Prince Tanner all but outlawed the Embrace of anyone who "had not seen twenty summers", and any other Kindred who seemed too young were all but ostracized, going so far as create a Law that stated any Kindred to enter the city who's apparent age was 'too young' would have three nights to leave, and would then be under Blood-Hunt.

Bishop Francis Rose escaped this law only because of what power he had both within the city, and within the Lancea Sanctum as a potent and ruthless Elder.

When Lord Johann Von Heisel and a young Kindred who he only introduced as 'my son, Killian', arrived in San Francisco in late 1860, the childe--who looked even younger than the Depraved Archbishop--was given three nights to leave the city, and it seemed that he did, as the Hounds and Sheriff never did find him.

Lord Von Heisel told the Prince of 'his son's' Final Death, stating that he'd 'taken care of it himself'.

 

 

The earthquake

 

On April 18, 1906, there was a devastating earthquake just off the immediate coast of San Francisco. Estimated today at 7.8 on the Ricter Scale, it caused water-mains to rupture throughout the city, and the fires that resulted burned uncontrolled for days. Eighty-percent of the city was destroyed utterly, and when the city's Kindred populace was called together in the nights that followed, it was obvious that the city had taken a horrible blow.

Prince Tanner had disappeared.

In his place rose his childe, the Lady Elizabeth Sheridan, who confirmed that her sire met Final Death in the fires. and declared herself 'Princess' of San Francisco with little argument from anyone else. The quick reconstruction of the city and the subsequent arrival of new Kindred kept the new 'Princess' busy.

In 1957, Kiernan Tyler--Embraced in San Francisco in 1918--led a rather shocking--and successful--coupe against the Invictus Crown of San Francisco. The Prefect of the Carthian Movement, he'd allied himself with the Hierophant of the Crone, Lucius Davenport, and Lady Elizabeth met Final Death in the following nights--and Kiernan and his followers claimed that it was the fault of the Invictus themselves.

Of course, in an effort to save face and what little they still held in the way of temporal power, the First Estate--in a backroom deal with the Carthian Movement and the Circle of the Crone--implicated the entirety of the Lancea Sanctum, resulting in a city-wide Blood-Hunt for the Followers of Longinus. When the Mission de San Francisco de Asis [a former-Sanctified stronghold] was invaded, they found nothing of the Sanctified save a few Reliquaries and menial texts.

The Sanctified had been tipped off, and disappeared.

By whom remains a mystery, even in these nights, though it is rumored that things are not at all quiet in the subterreneaon tunnels of San Francisco's Sewers and Subways. Within the city of San Francisco, it is advised that no one go there, as those who've ventured into the subterranean tunnels and waterways have never been heard from again.

To this night, the Lancea Sanctum are exiled from the borders of San Francisco, unwelcome in the domain due to their crimes.

At least, that's the story....

 

 

Vampire History: History of the Below

 

1860: Master Killian McDonagh, Paige of the First Estate, is exiled from the city of San Francisco by Prince Andrew Tanner of the First Estate, citing his apparent age as the reasoning for his exile. Three nights later, a Blood-Hunt is called, though no sign of the 'Child-Vampire' is seen in San Francisco again, and the Hunt is fruitless.

1900: The Ordo Dracul of San Francisco, at the time a Wallachian Academy, send one of their number into the Underground of the City in order to investigate the sitings of a 'Child Ghost' in the Sewers. Tested Master of the Invisible and Fiery Hunger Chang Kai, Oracle of Mysteries [known to the city as "Haruspex Chang Kai of the Circle of the Crone"] is sent on the errand.

1901: Killian is inducted into the Ordo Dracul as a "Slave of the Equilibrium", and is subsequently mentored to Master Chang Kai. Hidden from the rest of the city in the subterranean tunnels, Killian proves to be an impeccable student, absorbing both the teachings of the Dracul and the teachings of Master Kai's Bloodweb, having his First Chrysalis by Christmas of 1902, thereby becoming a 'Remarkable Suppicant of Hunger'.

1906: The earthquake that destroyed San Francisco does much the same to the Underground, creating new tunnels and waterways to be mapped. Secretly hidden by the Ordo Dracul during this time, Killian is given the task of mapping, and stumbles across a Wyrms Nest of decent size in the Underground. He is quickly inducted into the Azure Sworn.

Aegis Cohn wakes from Eclipse.
Tristan Price, Nomadic Dragon of the Order of Hermes, Makes his First Appearance in San Francisco

1920: The Ordo Dracul makes the switch from a Wallachian Academy to an Oriental Academy, claiming their existence as an extended cotorie of scholars and philosophers who share resources.

Kallin Fitzmir joins the denizens of the Underground in 1928.

1929: Master Kai makes the decision to 'Sleep', and chooses his student [who he'd taken to calling 'His Childe'] as his guardian. He sleeps Below to this night, and is only accessible to Killian himself.

1947: As a result of the growing population underground, and with the insistence of the Onyx Sworn of San Francisco, Killian claims Praxis of the 'Underground Refugee City of San Francisco' [affectionately nicknamed 'The Undercity' or 'The Vagabond City' or simply 'The Below'], becoming it's Prince.

Aegis Cohn and Kallin Fitzmir are made Hounds of the Undercity.

1957: The entirety of The Spear are BloodHunted in the 'Above' City of San Francisco, necessitating their escape from the city under pain of Final Death. With the assistance of the Kogaion Gaius and an unknown benefactor, Killian brings the entirety of the Covenant into the Undercity. Within the week, the Bishop Francis Rose is Killian's Seneschal.

1970: A hidden room beneath the Misión San Francisco de Asís becomes the only sanctioned public Entrance to the Undercity. Laws are written to keep 'invaders from The Above' out of the Undercity.

1980: The rumors circulating 'Above' about the underground of San Francisco become more prevalent as the population of the Undercity grows.

Carter Eely arrives from Los Angeles in 1986.

2003: Esteban, a member of the Lancea Sanctum who'd been in the Undercity since the exile of the Sanctified, returns after a year sabbatical, bringing with him a new Bloodline, and a new childe

Patrick O'Conner arrives in the Undercity, with vague connections to the Seneschal Francis Rose. Conrad Schuler arrives with his sire, Esteban.

2005: In a Breach of Elysium during a Court Function, The Sheriff attacks the Seneschal, Bishop Francis Rose, when the Sheriff's Treason is brought to light. Esteban of the Lancea Sanctum meets Final Death in the moments after, defending the Court from the irrate Kindred. The Sheriff is subsequently killed by Esteban's Childe, Conrad Schuler.

In a closed door meeting between Prince Killian McDonagh, Seneschal Francis Rose, and Conrad Schuler, it is decided that Conrad would take the place of the Sheriff of the Undercity as 'repayment' for his crime. The 'sentence' is substantially less than it would have been, in light of the Sheriff's blatant crimes against the crown.