The Kindred

For most of its existence, Prague has suffered from a surplus of vampires. Even now, with a third of its immortal population gone or destroyed, the city is beginning to repopulate quickly. Several new Kindred have arrived in the city, and some old residents have created new vampires.

The vampire population now stands at a little over two thirds of its original level, but it is once again growing little by little. No one has tried to control that growth, and very few believe anything will be done about it until one of the two sects once again rises to absolute power over the city.

Prague has always been a large city where it is easy to hide; without senior officials from either the Camarilla or the Sabbat, it is easier still.

The Kindred who did not dare show themselves while Carlak or Vassily ruled can now come without worry.
On the Camarilla side, the Primogen is effectively gone until its last members return or find a way to reunite, so it pays no attention to the undesirables who may come to the city smelling fresh blood. On the Sabbat side, the lack of any real power structure and the void left by the destroyed or vanished Bishops have triggered an open pack war over control of parts of the city, preventing anyone from raising a voice capable of uniting them in a common direction.

Even so, many must think all this has an easy solution. It probably would... if this, my friend, were not Europe. Everything is done here very differently from what you knew.
How differently? Keep reading and you will understand...

The Traditionalist Family

If the Kindred of Europe have one thing in common, it is their respect for tradition. Many of the vampires of these lands are truly old; some have been elders for centuries, and a few can remember mortal lives from before the birth of Christ. The years have forged strong alliances between some and bitter grudges between others. There are elders who have spent decades plotting revenge against Kindred who offended them centuries ago. The anger and vengeance of these terrible vampires is too dreadful a thing for the young Kindred of the West even to contemplate.

The laws are strict and operate according to the principle of the Lex Talionis; among European Kindred, "an eye for an eye" has a rather literal meaning. The Traditions are sacred, even among the ranks of the Sabbat; violating any of them can have serious consequences. Manners and morals define the everyday experience of European Kindred, as do calling cards, respect for ladies, and adherence to "all that is correct and proper." The matter of progeny is very serious; with the vampire population so swollen, the feeding of new childer is not something to be taken lightly.

Unlike their western counterparts, European vampires still place great value on lineage. Certainly, it is all very well to be Embraced as a Ventrue, but not so much if your grandsire's grandsire committed diablerie, fled from the Gangrel at the Battle of Hastings, and fed exclusively on chambermaids, right? The deeds of centuries past, or in many cases the misdeeds of centuries past, return to hound their childer all the way to Final Death. Revered lineage is, of course, very rare; it is so hard to rise and so easy to fall. Those who possess it can sway Conclaves and councils with a single word, drawing on the achievements of a venerated ancestor they may never even have seen.

The Princes of the continent are considered the supreme authorities. Unlike those of the New World, many European Princes have no primogen councils. They rule their domains with the iron fist of a feudal lord, which many of them were in life. Though trusted comrades and advisers are not rare, Europe's Princes generally disdain democracy and shared government, seeing them as tools of anarchy and disobedience. Many Princes are no more than five or six steps removed from Cain and possess enough personal power to enforce their own rules. Few who value their unlives would speak against what many perceive as absolute tyranny, especially when those in command are not reluctant to call a Blood Hunt for the slightest offense.

The strong rule of the Kindred, the elders' reluctance to welcome change, and the unstable face of European realpolitik have produced a strange stratification of vampire society. Below the elders, however, stand the neonates and the true anarchists. These vampires rage under the yoke of elder rule and want to achieve what they see as freedom by any means necessary. Among other tactics, these Anarchs often join terrorists and mortal youth gangs to devote themselves to planting explosives and other forms of civil destabilization. Even now, well into the new millennium, Europe stands on the brink of a grave crisis, with elders, ancillae, and anarchists alike preparing for what will almost certainly be a decisive battle.

The mood in Europe betrays fear of the unknown future hidden beneath layers of polite civility. Rome and Paris may burn in the flames of anarchy, but while others cluck in sympathy and moral support, the Princes of the remaining cities go on ruling and judging as harshly as ever. Yet in their hearts lurks the fear that those flames will spread and consume their own fiefdoms.