TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN NEW YORK CITY
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Tuesday, August
19, 2003.
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PRE-HISTORY
1600-1800: First vampires trickle into the new world. Very few of the more powerful elders leave Europe before the dawn of the 19th century – it’s simply too dangerous.
1772: A small number of Brujah, led by one Brutus, start making names for themselves in New Amsterdam.
1803: Elder Ventrue Wilhelm Gearhart arrives in New York City from England. He quickly establishes a controlling interest in the blossoming financial districts of New York. Brutus and Gearhart do not get along at all, and their rivalry quickly becomes heated.
1812: Brutus leaves New York to fight for the U.S. in the War of 1812. Days later, Gearhart declares himself Prince. His people quickly walk all over the few Brujah who are left, forcing some out of town and others to acquiesce to Ventrue leadership.
1813: After the War of 1812, Brutus returns. He attempts to stir up a rebellion against Gearhart, but little can be done -- the Prince's fingers dip deep into virtually every important area of mortal influence.
1895: A Sabbat siege strikes New York City, and Wilhelm Gearhart, along with many of his closest allies, flee the city. Gearhart winds back up in Philadelphia. Others scatter. Several individual Kindred remain, but only the Giovanni remain active as a clan, having made some tenuous peace with the Sabbat.
1899: The last vestige of Camarilla resistance is witnessed as a fire at the Windsor Hotel takes out several Sabbat leaders, including two of the three challengers for the position of Cardinal.
1900: Father Carpenter, once a Catholic priest, is “ordained” as the Sabbat Cardinal of New York City.
1992
Easter: Quisian, a Gangrel Archon, arrives in New York City trailing a particularly virulent pack of Sabbat. He finds the city deserted of Kindred.
May: The Malkavian Justicar Benedict arrives in New York and claims it for the Camarilla.
He encounters an odd group of Gangrel, led by the Magus, moving into Central Park. They are not Sabbat, however, so he leaves them alone.
June: Benedict proclaims himself Prince of New York City. Kindred begin flocking to New York, one of the most important cities on the planet ripe for the picking.
August: Prominent Kindred such as Chandra, Derek Fleming and Zaragossa arrive. Fleming establishes the Manhattan Chantry.
September: Tremere Pontifex John Diamond moves his Chantry to the edge of the Connecticut border, extending his considerable influence into NYC proper. The Regent of the New York (now the Manhattan) Chantry, Derek Fleming, is highly angered by this. This is followed by several years of angry politicking.
October: The first society-type elders appear, led by Harcourt of the Toreador and Angelique Montgomery of the Lasombra. The Lasombra quickly establish a large presence, as there is relatively little suspicion of their allegiance here. Veronique, a powerful French Toreador, arrives with Harcourt.
December: The first Anarch activity is noted. City elders note with some irritation that Grendel, a prominent Anarch formerly active on the west coast, has moved into the Bronx. Another Brujah, Saul, has declared himself Clan Elder.
1993
February The first Primogen meeting is held. Much of the meeting is spent keeping the younger Regent, Derek Fleming, from trying to have the Connecticut Chantry expelled.
It becomes publicly known that Benedict has moved a castle, stone by stone, from Spain and had it placed on top of the south tower of the World Trade Center. Benedict, being a low-grade Methuselah, uses his considerable powers of Obfuscate to keep it hidden to all but the most prying eyes.
May A number of Benedict’s former Archons take up residence in the city. Among these are Randolph Carter and Jeremiah Hartwood.
August The Ventrue return, fresh off putting down the Sabbat siege of Philadelphia. The former Prince, Wilhelm Gearhart, takes a seat on the Primogen. Other notable Ventrue, including Elijah Hightower and Isaiah Jericho, accompany him. Overnight, the Ventrue become one of the most powerful clans in the city.
October An elder Ventrue named Fessicus Wyle arrives in New York, bringing with him a wide variety of business interests. He is believed to have emigrated from Cyprus or Crete.
December: A Brujah named Young makes his debut.
1994
January: A Cainite calling himself “The Sentinel” is first seen wandering the streets. Anarchs rumor him to be a member of the Inconnu.
February A handful of Anarchs decide to teach Denver Hammersmith, John Diamond’s right hand man, a lesson in etiquette. Hammersmith escapes and the Anarchs disappear at a rate of one a night for the next week. None are ever heard from again.
March The Nosferatu are first noticed in Elysium. The most prominent member is an enigmatic sewer rat named Masters, who is assumed to be clan elder.
July Rumors begin to fly through New York about a Conclave to help decide who is supposed to be the next Malkavian Justicar.
October A group of anscillae is put together by the powers that be to look into the actual reason for the Sabbat disappearance. This is a matter which troubles some elders, but seems to be being ignored. This group, jokingly referred to as the “God Squad,” consists of 2 Malkavians, 2 Tremere and 2 Lasombra. It is widely expected that they will achieve nothing and take the blame for it.
November Toreador elder Persephone appears.
December Contrary to all expectations, the God Squad discovers information relevant to the cause. The Primogen re-commissions this team to further track down information.
1995
January Harcourt, Scarlette and Helena Garibaldi form a second group of Kindred, whose mission is parallel to that of the God Squad’s. This group consists of 2 Brujah, 2 Toreador and 2 Ravnos.
February The Ravnos elder, Chandra, tricks a younger Ravnos into
killing one of the Lasombra elders. Chandra is blood hunted and the younger
Ravnos, Rebecca Rockefeller, would have been too if it were not for the aid of
Wilhelm Gearhart.
March Harcourt disappears from the city, at least in a social atmosphere. Rumors of her disappearance are inexorably tied to a Sabbat siege in Buffalo. She is still rumored to be behind the scenes of the Toreador clan until this very day.
April Ravnos elder Helena Garibaldi is killed by an Assamite. Her lover is Chandra, who vows revenge. The Assamite’s head is found on the Primogen’s desk with a note: “I will find you.”
June Chandra attempts to assassinate Benedict, but kills one of his Archons instead. Benedict pledges a renewed vow to blood hunt Chandra.
July 4 Yankee Stadium. A Conclave to decide the next Malkavian Justicar is interrupted by an attempt on Benedict’s life by Chandra. Again, nobody is sure what happened, but one of Benedict’s archons, Deveraux, is slain for treason. A Lasombra candidate for Justicar, Krymson and a Caitiff Primogen member, Gideon, are killed as well.
July 29 A meeting is called by Saul, the Brujah elder. It turns out that this meeting is arranged by Chandra, who discovered that Saul was the one who hired the Assamite. It is further revealed that Randolph Carter was responsible for manipulating Saul into doing so. Her attempt to kill Carter is thwarted by Benedict’s declaration of abdication of Princedom. The city’s entire elder population descends upon the location, and Veronique is “elected” Prince. Gearhart, Hightower and Scarlette all have issues with this, but for now the issue is settled.
Chandra is discovered to have murdered both Saul and Juliet Giovanni. After a lengthy diatribe with new Prince Veronique, Veronique chooses to exile Chandra from the city rather than attempt to take her down right there.
You can find more specific details by reading the recap of the 1995 game, "The Powers That Be."
July 30 It is discovered that Tremere from the Connecticut Chantry no longer have the ability to enter New York City proper. Upon approaching its borders, a terrible fear frenzy takes them over and they flee in whatever capacity they can. This costs the life of a couple of younger Tremere who aren't prepared.
1996
August The Second Live Action Game, "Power Play."
At some point during this year, popular Ventrue Isaiah Jericho leaves New York for Boston to become the Ventrue elder there. Since that point, the Ventrue have lost some of their clout and empathy among the younger generation.
1997
August The Third Live Action Game, "The Power Company/Power Failure."
1998
August The Fourth Live Action Game, "Power Struggle."
December 8 Grendel declared himself the Prince of the Bronx. This caused all sorts of tremendous ramifications, including the collapse of Veronique's Princedom the following summer. This also caused a tremendous reaction from Manhattan's upper crust. Although Veronique was initially outraged, she followed it up with simply an amused air of indifference.
Grendel's declaration of the Bronx as an Anarch haven really doesn't make very many people happy. Anarchs of all shapes and sizes start arriving in the borough. This continues until the present day, and has caused tremendous amounts of gang violence and rising crime in the district. This is exacerbated by the approval of gambling in the Bronx by the city council in 2001.
1999
January 5-9 The Sabbat attempt to siege Boston. A number of casualties ensue, including the Tremere Prince, as well as a handful of locals. The Massachusetts Minuteman Militia, led by Ransom, and a handful of visitors from New York City help fend off the attacks until Democritus and Payne arrive. The Sabbat, led by the Prince of Nightmares, are forced to retreat.
This begins a new and more active role for Democritus in the northeastern U.S. Nobody is terribly thrilled with this.
April
An Elder Lasombra by the name of Moncada is seen haunting the New York social circle for the first time. Angelique seems less than thrilled by this.
Shortly thereafter, a huge warehouse in the Bronx revealed quite a surprise. Apparently, the new Lasombra (Moncada & co.) had purchased the warehouse and had the castle constructed inside of it. The appearance of a medieval castle in the Bronx unnerved many, but others, including Grendel, seem unconcerned.
August
The Fifth Live Action Game, "Absolute Power."
Derek Fleming is assassinated, reportedly by John Diamond. About twenty Kindred end up at the Tremere Chantry in Connecticut by the end of the night. A conflict arises in a distant warehouse between the Tremere and the Lasombra, aided by the Caitiff Tempest, who seems to be leading the effort, which raised some eyebrows.. The only one not to be seen emerging from the building was Diamond.
October
Chelsea Gray moves to New York from London and becomes the new Regent of the Manhattan Chantry, replacing the deceased Fleming. Very few of the subordinates in that Chantry are pleased, as they all felt they deserved the title.
She simply shows up to the first Primogen meeting, taking Fleming's seat as she arrives. The only one to bat an eyelash is Angelique, and the rest acquiesce to her appearance.
December
The Connecticut Chantry picks up and moves to a new location in suburban Long Island. The Chantry is now run by Denver Hammersmith who is the Prince of Queens. Again, no sign of John Diamond. He is presumed dead or "recalled permanently to Vienna."
The Primogen now consists of Chairman Wilhelm Gearhart, Angelique Montgomery, Veronique, Persephone, Monroe and Chelsea Gray.
2000
June
Xaviar, the Justicar of Clan Gangrel, confronts a Camarilla conclave in Baltimore with reports of a crazy Methuselah having exterminated a Gangrel gather in upstate New York. He demands Camarilla help, and when he does not get it, he withdraws the clan from the Camarilla. Stunned silence ensues.
August
The Sixth Live Action Game, "Power to the People," a.k.a. "Headless."
2001
August
The Seventh Live Action Game, "The Price of Power."
September
During the first Primogen meeting following the gathering, a missive from Grendel was received. Despite the fact he had initially agreed to move to Jersey, it became quickly apparent that this wasn't in his long-term best interest, or so he felt. Any letter ending in the words "Fuck Democritus," seems bound to cause tremendous scrutiny. To this point, however, Democritus has not seen fit to "come and get him."
September 11
The attacks that changed the world occur. The two main targets are the public havens of two of the Camarilla's most powerful members: Benedict (World Trade Center) and Democritus (Pentagon). Democritus makes a public appearance that very day, but Benedict has not been seen since. Rumors fly as to who caused the attacks, but nobody knows for sure. Even the Sabbat aren't claiming responsibility for this atrocity.
November
A number of Anarchs hijack the a tow truck and an attached car.
It turns out that staked in the trunk is none other than the Prince of Manhattan
and Staten Island, Imogen. She disappears for a few weeks as her picture
appears on the front page of several of New York's tabloids. Something
changed that day in Imogen and Anarchs are no longer so cautious around her.
At the first Primogen meeting she returns to, she tells them that things are going to be different. Things have changed -- she's no longer going to be the pushover that she was before. She's going to be a voice in this city, and if the Primogen didn't like it, they could kill her where she stood. Chairman Wilhelm Gearhart looked at the others and turned to Imogen, "The city is yours. Be the Prince you think you can be."
2002
At some point during the late spring/early summer, the situation with the Asian vampires is taken care of. Toreador Robert Lockley, Tremere Kari Justice and Caitiff (?) Marcia Scathe are given the credit for it. Good for them.
July
A rumor spreads amongst the Kindred population the Nosferatu have counted over 100 Anarchs in the Bronx.
November
The Sabbat attempt to siege Boston again. This is tremendously unsuccessful, with the Ventrue, Tremere and Brujah working together to thwart the Sword of Caine. Virtually no Camarilla lives are lost, and there is a minimum of property damage.
2003
January
Imogen blood hunts and leads a party to track down and kill three Brujah Anarchs who were causing problems in Harlem. Despite the fact that the chase leads into the Bronx, she doesn't care. She follows them in and delivers the death blow to the most obnoxious herself. This happens down the street from Grendel's infamous Marble Hill Shipyards. Anarchs howl for blood.
Grendel calms the situation. His line: "You can't shit in somebody else's pot and not expect them to come for you. The Bronx is not Asylum from crimes you commit in the real world. You can't break the fucking Masquerade and not pay the price. If Imogen hadn't caught them, I would have." Whether Imogen called Grendel for permission before entering the Bronx is a matter of some debate.
Rumor has it this divides the Anarchs into two camps: one believing that the Bronx is an all-encompassing asylum where anyone can hide from anything. The other camp has a more traditionalist viewpoint: it's a place where the rules are looser, but still present. The Bronx won't protect you from the law if the law wants to find you bad enough.
March
Democritus makes a sweep through the mid-Atlantic, visiting Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. He also stops in Wilmington, Delaware long enough to establish a Prince amongst the five or six Kindred there. He kills the Brujah elder out of hand.
June
Imogen blood hunts and kills an unauthorized progeny of a local Toreador, Warhol. Warhol is not pleased about this, and Imogen warns that if anyone else does this, the sire will be killed as well. Unauthorized breeding is a breach of the traditions that will no longer be overlooked.
August
A blackout over the eastern seaboard panics the Kindred of New York, but no significant events seem to transpire during those few hours. Or so it appears, as some conspirators say. What could someone have done during those few hours?
Rumors of strife within the Ivory Tower are common among Harpies everywhere. It's reported that the Tremere and Ventrue Justicars are on the verge of war with the Brujah and Toreador.
The Sabbat are also in the midst of an internal struggle. The Cardinals of Mexico are arguing with the rest, and those closest to New York seem to be on the minority side of everything. Whispers from the Nosferatu suggest that the Sabbat are more worried about something coming out of the Canadian north than they are about the Camarilla to their south.
Additionally, a Malkavian named Babe has begun playing baseball in the streets of New York again......
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