Beaten, Yes. Defeated, No

-Narrated by Andrei, member of Clan Nosferatu and Knight of the Judges of Hadrëany squad, late 2000.

Retreat.

In the end we had no choice but to withdraw to a position where survivors could regroup, count losses, and prepare a counteroffensive, or wait for reinforcements from neighboring Camarilla cities.

Even so, it was not easy. Those nights were marked by constant small skirmishes between packs and squads trying to reach the other side of the river, to Hadrëany, where reports said the Archons had gathered all remaining Camarilla forces. There were episodes of "urban warfare" in Stare Mesto square, at the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, and in scattered points near the Astronomical Clock. In part, we owe our successful withdrawal to Tremere. Sabbat could not tolerate Tremere holding a position in the very heart of conquered territory, so they hit chantry with such force that it opened weaker retreat corridors where packs peeled away to go after Usurpers. To top it off, chantry is still holding to this day, which has turned it into a deeply personal issue for Sabbat, and that lets us keep them diverting major effort into a mission with no payoff. It is like soaking one corner of sponge while we walk around the rest of the kitchen.
During those nights, some Camarilla members escaped Final Death at Sabbat's hands by trading information on where the rest of us were. Those traitors now fighting in Sabbat ranks have a special treatment waiting for them when our paths cross again.
Though it was clear Sabbat would settle into conquered territory and not leave city, theirs was no unconditional victory. Carlak, it seems, was destroyed in final Old City battle, while others claim he escaped and took refuge nearby, now coordinating counteroffensive from shadows. Sabbat would have a harder time finding surviving Camarilla Kindred now that we had been informed reinforcements from Budapest and Kyiv were on their way, giving us chance to strike back.
But to keep going, we needed logistics. We could not sustain war under these conditions without rebuilding ground. Though driven from Old City, and though Sabbat spent first days of assault wrecking our economic and financial base, they did not finish job. Unlike us, they do not know how to exploit daylight through ghouls. We quickly created new retainers in the city's key financial and economic institutions, repairing much of initial damage. Because Sabbat does not use servants, and even less daytime ghouls, they could do almost nothing to stop it, and within a few nights we recovered much of our financial power. That blow still infuriates Sabbat: in their eyes we are beaten, yet still "draining" money from their territory while they watch, unable to intervene. This situation will not last forever, especially once more Tzimisce and Lasombra arrive, the only ones truly capable of matching Camarilla on this front. For that reason, reconquering those territories remains high priority.