The Battle of Nightmares

-Narrated by Melisande, member of the Serpents of Light and priestess of the Tongues of the Asp pack, late 1999.

The city was practically ours, and packs and high-ranking figures were already "dividing" the profits of the assault in their own way. No need to tell you that profit-sharing in Sabbat is anything but democratic. Whoever arrives first and hits hardest keeps everything. You only had to look at the nights after the final battle in Old City: antitribu, Lasombra, and Tzimisce cracking each other's skulls over pieces of Prague. As if it were not enough watching our own Cainites tear each other apart over prey, what came next, by the grace of the Rogues, was the final drop that overflowed the cup.
The Book of Nod warned us, and we fools looked the other way as always. No one understood until it was too late and the blow left its mark: the Week of Nightmares and the extinction of Clan Ravnos.

No need to tell you it was common in these lands to see Independent Ravnos traveling and living among Rom caravans. Add to that the arrival of Bishnu, a Ravnos antitribu who, one way or another, managed to fill city and Sabbat packs with his Rogue kin. From the beginning of the city-assault plan, we had a good number of Ravnos antitribu swarming here and there, mostly nomadic at first, then forming their own packs or joining others when losses created openings to be filled with fresh flesh.
By the time we realized it, at least one Rogue sat in nearly every pack, and Jewish quarter held at least half a dozen Independent cousins. Sounds exaggerated, maybe, but after assault there were far fewer complete packs than at the start. We all hated having that many Rogues loose, damn it, who likes a Ravnos? and if they are antitribu, worse. But since Bishnu and his lot had contributed heavily to success, remaining Sabbat "tolerated" them and let them run free. That was what damned us.
By mid-July 1999, every Sabbat pack felt like a time bomb. Ravnos antitribu went mad, and I mean truly mad. Next to them, a group of Malkavian antitribu psychopaths looked like charity nuns. They were calm one moment and then exploded, as if centuries of rage had finally broken loose from inside with the full unleashed force of nature. Bastards went for whatever was nearest, devouring brothers and not-so-brothers. Hell, they devoured each other with more hunger than they showed for the rest of Cainites. It was as if something drove them to self-destruction in a single week. Worst part: it caught us all with our guard down and from behind. On top of that, they displayed an inexplicable surge in power. Where once a Rogue could barely pull a parlor trick, now they unleashed torrents of living nightmare in pure form.
On the first night of Week of Nightmares alone, two packs and one Templar were annihilated by Rogue frenzy. I had to kill Zavid myself. When I returned to haven after leading an esbat, I found Dimitri and Oleff's remains splattered around room while Zavid licked blood pooling on floor. When he saw me, it was like dropping a sack of rice in the Third World. He leapt at me with claws and fangs out, and I thank Cain I always carry a stake.
In the end, remaining packs managed to stop Rogues. Some destroyed them on sight, you know: "better safe than sorry... Sabbat style." Others tried staking them to figure out what the hell was happening, but that caused more casualties and gave no useful answers... if someone ruled by Beast can offer anything remotely like an explanation. So Templar Rochenko ordered a full hunt of every Rogue in city for attacking the Sword of Cain. Those roaming streets, hunting other Ravnos or attacking Sabbat, were hunted down and exterminated like dogs. Those immobilized, cornered, or staked were burned outright.
Worst of all was Jewish quarter. Independent Ravnos there had fought Giovanni and Setites for a long time over territory Camarilla had granted them. When Week of Nightmares began, Giovanni and Setites interpreted maddened Ravnos behavior as direct move to seize whole quarter while sect-war chaos raged. They were not about to be trampled, least of all by Ravnos, so they struck back. And there we were: Independents in the middle of their own district killing each other, as if parodying our war against Camarilla.
By the end of Week of Nightmares, many Sabbat packs were in pieces. I think only one Templar and one Bishop remained. Independents refused any further cooperation, accusing us of trying to wipe them out to avoid paying what we promised; we blamed them in return, claiming they had allied with Ravnos to drive us out. Total chaos.
What I do know is this: since Week of Nightmares, nobody trusts Ravnos, antitribu or otherwise, if any are even left. Advice? If you see one, shoot first. Ask questions later. And if you were wrong, relax, I doubt there will be reprisals. You might even be congratulated.