Bitter Surprises

-Narrated by Donata Minardi, member of Clan Lasombra Antitribu, missing since early 1999.

After the first nights of disbelief and chaos following Sabbat's assault, Camarilla survivors managed to organize around Carlak, now vanished, who gathered them inside the fortified Old City. As you can imagine, the name "Carlak," with the reputation he had built as an Archon over centuries, made Sabbat think twice.

It was suspected, and rightly so, that if Sabbat knew this, it would send its main force into Old City to finish the job once and for all. And that is exactly what happened. If you allow the expression, it was excellent in its brutality... a pitched battle, even by the standards of these modern nights. Things grew complicated for Sabbat when surprise guests arrived: the Archons. It seems that for some time, especially since Carlak stepped down, at least one Justicar considered it prudent to keep Carlak under observation and sent several Archons disguised as ordinary Camarilla members, unnoticed even by the Prince himself, to monitor him and report on the causes of the city's latest turbulent nights. Sabbat did not welcome this revelation when those fearsome Kindred removed their masks and showed their true faces, unlike Camarilla, who received it as a gift.
The Archons proved every inch of their fearsome reputation: centuries-old vampires, experts not only in espionage but in doing Justicar's dirty work, and generally potent in Blood, no more than six or seven steps removed from Cain himself. Add Carlak to that explosive mix, and result was that Sabbat lost at least two full packs in first clash, including my now-missed but poorly raised childe, Bishop Stepan, and his far less useful Templar.
In fortified Old City, Camarilla held initiative. Squads and packs fought almost in duels, as though personal vendettas were being settled, so what began as direct assault dissolved into isolated conflicts across broad area. In the end, only a handful of Camarilla survived, broken squads, but they tore through enough Sabbat that packs must still be licking each other's wounds. Carlak vanished, and surviving Archons took command.
This time, in quality versus quantity, Camarilla won the round. But Camarilla forces had already been reduced to one quarter of their initial strength.
Beyond that, no one knew what became of Carlak. Some said he survived and fled; others said he inevitably bit the dust, though not before making them pay. Sabbat, even after what could only be called a Pyrrhic victory, made the mistake that defines it: rushing to hang medals on itself. That is what made Prague the city it is now.

-Narrated by Liseta Iluminatta, Templar, member of Clan Nosferatu antitribu, late 2001.

Camarilla has no capable fighters? I did not think Sword's collective IQ had fallen that low in the past decade. Prague's Sabbat now knows there is always someone tougher and meaner stalking same streets, and let that be a lesson about relying too much on "numerical superiority." Archons are not to be laughed at. They carry at least a couple of centuries of experience, and enough cold blood to follow orders from those ancient abominations called Justicars. If someone survives even a century under monsters like that, believe me, they have my respect.
This is what happens to antitribu when they ignore Lasombra advice...