Post by Hematite on Feb 5, 2014 14:46:24 GMT
Ultra-Conservatives
A quite recent faction within the Sabbat, the Ultra-Conservative movement believe that the Sabbat has been coddling its own weakness for far too long. Predictably composed of the eldest members of the Sabbat, most of whom belong to Clans Lasombra and Tzimisce, the Ultra-Conservatives favour centralization and authoritarianism, hoping to turn the Sabbat into a military force against the Antediluvians and the Camarilla. They took the rising of Ravnos in Bangladesh as a sign that Gehenna truly is upon us and the Sabbat must be ready at all costs. The time for freedom is over, claim the Ultra-Conservatives. Gehenna looms around the corner, and it's time to stabilize the Sabbat, less it fail utterly.
Oftentimes the Ultra-Conservatives are mistaken for (or accused of) being elders who have worked their way into the heart of the Sabbat. Attempting to place a stranglehold on the freedoms of the sword (for reasons the Ultra-Conservatives believe necessary) places them under a great deal of scrutiny. Young Cainites see the Ultra-Conservatives as fat old bastards, more likely to use the Sabbat to settle personal vendettas than to forestall the impending Gehenna. Others view them as millenialist crackpots, fighting a war against invisible enemies out of vampiric senility. Even others of a similarly martial bent tend to see the Ultra-Conservatives as deluded armchair generals playing toy soldiers, with no idea what real war is anymore, and no concern for the troops they gleefully send to Final Death. This is of little concern to the Ultra-Conservatives, all of whom are perfectly aware of just how their faction is seen by most of the Sabbat. After all, when the time comes for war and the elders are struck down, the fence-sitting Moderates and weak-willed shovelheads of the Loyalists will be that that the Ultra-Conservatives removed the rust from the Sword of Caine.
All open members of the Ultra-Conservative movement gain the Positional Status Soldier.
History
In 1999 the Kine held their breath in fear of the collapse of their technological marvel, like a ephemeral Tower of Babylon. The Sword of Caine during this time began to worry at the upper levels. Rumor about the blood of Caine diluting to the point in which it could no longer embrace, bond, or access all the gifts of Caine. The time for patiently waiting to locate the Antediluvians had begun to run out. It is time to bring about the Sword of Caine to strike, the petty back and forth with the Camarilla had done its job to run out the clock. If we do not act we will all be food for the slaughter.
For many years before this, there had long been rumblings about the stodgy elders who now ran the Sabbat. Many of the younger members had begun to spot the hypocrisy of the sect, openly wondering how they were really different from the Camarilla if both were ruled by fat old elders using the Ancillae and Neonates as their pawns. This was getting worrying for many elders who had led the sect for centuries, only to now find themselves in the crosshairs. There were whispers of another civil war, the worst one yet modeled after the Great Uprising itself, all targeting the Elders of the Sabbat.
Many elders had different theories on how to deal with this, but very few had either the impetus to act, or the trust to bring others in on their plans. And so nothing got done and the problem only grew worse. It wasn’t until September of 1999, mere months after Ravnos had risen in Bangladesh that someone finally broke through the Elder passivity and decided to act.
Charles VI (Charles Delmare), a Priscus under Regent Galbraith herself and the only former Cardinal of South America to survive the post for more than a few years, saw a potential in the actual rise of an Antediluvian. The masses of the Sabbat had grown lax about their holy war. Most had never even seen a real elder, let alone the dreaded Methuselahs of nights past. A master politician, Charles knew that there was no better way to distract the masses than to play on their fears. He quickly gathered other prominent Sabbat elders to his scheme and within a few months formally announced the creation of a new Faction.
Masterfully capitalizing on the panic caused by the Week of Nightmares, Charles and his new Faction gained a great deal of support in an unprecedented short span, preaching how Gehenna was clearly upon us and the Sword was not ready for this fight. By offering a clear solution, unlike many of his contemporary doomsayers, Charles’ popularity grew by leaps and bounds and by the following April, he presented his cause and his followers at the Ecumenical Council and was accepted formally as a new Faction. The speed with which the Ultra-Conservatives gained official backing as well as such a large membership is largely due to the many hidden deals and threats Charles made in those crucial six months with other elders.
Over the next decade the Ultra-Conservative following would set an example of ruthless efficiency that would truly terrify even the most battle-hardened Sabbat warrior. They tolerated no failure and abhorred weakness in any form, seeking out those leaders they perceived as weak and removing them through Monomacy with surgical precision. A mere 10 years later, a full quarter of the Sabbat’s Cardinals belonged to the Ultra-Conservatives, and the same percentage if not greater of the Bishops and Archbishops followed suit as well.
Now 15 years later, the faction is coming to its first real stumbling point, namely the short attention span of most Sabbat neonates. Although galvanized and panicked by talk of Gehenna, the whisperings are starting again that this was all a smokescreen to take away their freedoms. Within their own ranks the Ultra-Conservatives silence such voices with ruthless efficiency, calling doubt in the cause a weakness to be culled. To this night they remain one of the most populous, if least popular factions.
Doctrine and Practices
The Ultra-Conservatives do not tolerate failure and the abhor weakness in any form. A prime mandate is to weed out the weak rulers and replace them with those that may lead us into these end times, even if that means placing someone who is not a Ultra-Conservative in power. To this end they have taken the motto Potentia et in Ordo (Power in Order) as their official standard and scream it with great fervor to all those who would speak against them or (perhaps more importantly) point out what they are really accomplishing.
Ultra-Conservatives favour strong leaders and is seen as having more than a slight obsession with Monomacy, its members making unprecedented use of the already overused Ritus to remove those the Ultra-Conservatives find “weak” from positions of command and leadership. Monomacy to them is the tool with which they push their political agenda, an agenda backed by the force of their arms. It is this drive for excellence that draws the most fire from those outside the Ultra-Conservative Faction. To the Ultra-Conservative mindset though, a weak general only leads her men to death, particularly in times of war. And the greatest war anyone has ever seen is here, even if everyone else refuses to see it. The Ultra-Conservatives seek to cull the weak from the entire Sword of Caine, not just their own pack or diocese. To an Ultra-Conservative, the weak are fat that they must trim to prepare for the coming war.
Most Ultra-Conservatives are Noddists to one degree or another, but all know how to use the rhetoric of the Sabbat’s holy text to bring the Initiated masses to near frenzied states. Through inspiration, religious zeal, and no small amount of fear-mongering the Ultra-Conservatives seek to make the rest of the Sword forget those pesky freedoms they fought for and form ranks as a tight and efficient military unit under their leadership. Most members of the faction are known to carry well-worn copies of the Book of Nod with them wherever they go.
Noting the success of the Pack structure at organizing the Anarch Revolt, the Ultra-Conservatives are quick to decry the practice as inefficient and disorganized. One would imagine, or so the Ultra-Conservatives are fond of saying, that an organization that calls itself the Sword of Caine would have developed a more structured view as how the rank and file address and interact with each other. The Ultra-Conservatives seek to minimize the confusion when hell literally erupts and Antediluvians begin cutting swaths in the Earth as they simply survey the world around them. To do so they have taken on a structure similar to that of the old Knightly Orders. The ranks follow as such:
Lord Captain Commander
Lord Captain
Knight Commander
Knight Banner
Knight Errant
Squire
Footman
Each of the ranks have a trial of not only combat, but of trial of wisdom for a leader needs to have proven they have the proper understanding of the enemy to lead those below them. There is a rigorous test required to attain each new position which must be administered by a faction member at least one rank above the rank one is attempting to attain. The test is both physical and mental in nature and requires a Cainite demonstrate everything he has. No punches are pulled and more than a few unfortunate recruits have met their final death attempting to test for a rank they were not ready for yet. Weakness and failure are not tolerated. There is some room for negotiation on the requirements below, but not much, and only in special cases where equal levels of other needed skills may be demonstrated.
Footman
- Politics: 1
- Brawl/Athletics/Firearms/or Melee: 2
- Specialties: Sabbat (Politics)
These are the common soldiers of the cause. Most are neonates who were swept up in the fervor after the Week of Nightmares.
Squire
- Strength (Including Potence): 3
- Dexterity (Including Celerity): 3
- Stamina (Including Fortitude): 3
- Politics: 1
- Occult: 2
- Intimidation: 2
- Any one of Brawl/Athletics/Firearms/or Melee: 3
- Any two others of Brawl/Athletics/Firearms/or Melee: 2
- Specialties: Sabbat (Politics), Noddism (Occult), Cainite (Occult)
- Potence/Celerity/or Fortitude: 1
- Accomplishment Status: Blooded
- Willpower: 6
These are seasoned warriors who have seen a few battles and understand the difference between a minor skirmish and real war. A Squire is usually assigned to a specific Knight Errant or Knight Banner for service. These are usually experienced Neonates or young Ancillae.
Knight Errant
- Strength (Including Potence): 4
- Dexterity (Including Celerity): 4
- Stamina (Including Fortitude): 4
- Intelligence: 3
- Wits: 3
- Politics: 3
- Occult: 3
- Academics: 2
- Intimidation: 3
- Brawl/Firearms/or Melee: 4
- Any two others of Brawl/Athletics/Firearms/or Melee: 3
- Specialties: Sabbat (Politics), Noddism (Occult), Cainite (Occult), Military Tactics (Academics)
- Potence/Celerity/or Fortitude: 3
- Both others of Potence/Celerity/and Fortitude: 1
- Accomplishment Status: Blooded, Blessed
- Conviction: 3
- Self-Control/Instinct: 3
- Courage: 3
- Willpower: 7
- Ritae: Must know The Vaulderie, the War Party, and the Sermons of Caine
This is the first rank of command, though not always. Though a Knight Errant has the right and position to command a unit in battle, more often he is an elite warrior leading by example on the front lines. These are usually experienced Ancillae, though the truly exceptional Neonate has been known to slip through the cracks. Knight Errants are also responsible for managing their troops and maintaining order and discipline in the ranks.
Knight Banner
- Strength (Including Potence): 6
- Dexterity (Including Celerity): 6
- Stamina (Including Fortitude): 6
- Charisma (plus Presence): 4
- Perception (plus Auspex): 3
- Intelligence: 3
- Wits: 3
- Politics: 3
- Occult: 4
- Intimidation: 3
- Leadership: 3
- Survival: 2
- Brawl/Firearms/or Melee: 5
- Any one other of Brawl/Firearms/or Melee: 4
- All others of Brawl/Athletics/Firearms/and Melee: 3
- Alertness: 3
- Specialties: Sabbat (Politics), Camarilla (Politics), Noddism (Occult), Cainite (Occult), Military Tactics (Academics), Instruction (Melee), Instruction (Brawl), Instruction (Firearms)
- Potence/Celerity/or Fortitude: 5
- Both others of Potence/Celerity/and Fortitude: 3
- Accomplishment Status: Blooded, Blessed, Devoted, Enriched
- Conviction: 4
- Self-Control/Instinct: 4
- Courage: 4
- Willpower: 8
- Ritae: Must know all 13 Auctoritas Ritae as well as The Sanguine Oath
These are the true battlefield commanders. One Knight Banner will usually be given full command of a large section of the battle, managing tactics and strategy for their post. Knight Banners are also tasked with the training and education of those beneath them. This is a post for very accomplished Ancilla or Elders.
Knight Commander
- Strength (Including Potence): 7
- Dexterity (Including Celerity): 7
- Stamina (Including Fortitude): 7
- Charisma (plus Presence): 5
- Perception (plus Auspex): 5
- Intelligence: 3
- Wits: 5
- Academics: 4
- Athletics: 5
- Brawl: 5
- Firearms: 5
- Melee: 5
- Politics: 5
- Occult: 5
- Intimidation: 5
- Leadership: 5
- Survival: 4
- Specialties: Sabbat (Politics), Camarilla (Politics), Noddism (Occult), Cainite (Occult), Military Tactics (Academics), History (Academics), Battlefield Command (Charisma or Leadership), Instruction (Melee), Instruction (Brawl), Instruction (Firearms), Instruction (Athletics), Instruction (Leadership), Instruction (Intimidation), Instruction (Occult), Instruction (Politics)
- Any two of Potence/Celerity/or Fortitude: 5
- Other remaining of Potence/Celerity/and Fortitude: 3
- Accomplishment Status: Blooded, Blessed, Enlightened, Devoted, Enriched, Fortified, Undefeated
- Conviction: 5
- Self-Control/Instinct: 5
- Courage: 5
- Willpower: 9
- Ritae: Must know all 13 Auctoritas Ritae as well as The Sanguine Oath
Knight Commanders are the elite of the elite. They must be masters not only of the battlefield, but the war room as well. To them is given the charge of running entire campaigns without direct supervision. No one younger than an Elder has ever held this post.
In addition to the automatic Soldier, those who ascend to the rank of Knight Commander are awarded the Positional Status of Elite
Lord Captain and Lord Captain Commander
The Positions of Lord Captain or Lord Captain Commander of the faction may only be taken via Ritae of Monomancy, and only by one who is a minimum rank of Knight Errant. In the eventuality that a Lord Captain dies outside of such a Monomacy, the Lord Captain Commander will appoint a replacement from the ranks of the Knight Commanders. Should the Lord Captain Commander die outside of an official Monomacy, the most senior of the Lord Captains will succeed him. The Lord Captains are Charles’ great generals, managing the overall effectiveness of the Faction and their aims. Within the Faction only the Lord Captains have the right to speak their mind to Charles without fear of reprisal.
In addition to any previously gained status for being a faction member, Lord Captains are known as Elite and Merciless. The Lord Captain Commander gains the status traits of Elite, Merciless, and Warlord.
Because the faction has hardly 15 years in existence they are trying to push hard to recruit. As such many of the elders and those of high station in the faction that might be more reluctant have been ordered to make themselves available to train the young/lower ranked Caintes. An order like that might have possibly broken the faction before it could complete its goal but a compromise of that a mentor would instruct you in a single aspect was reached as accepted. Immediately upon joining the Faction, each new recruit will receive one Mentor dot automatically with no price or additional quest needed. Each time a new rank is attained, this compounds, granting an additional 2 Mentor dots once one becomes a Squire, an additional 3 when one becomes a Knight Errant, and so on. This causes the faction to network and encourages Sabbat that may not have given the Ultra-Conservatives a second look to often join in hopes of getting a quick route to power but find themselves pulled to the cause.
Like the rest of the Sabbat, the Ultra-Conservatives view Humanity as a weakness to be stamped out with all of their ruthless efficiency. They boast the ability to strip a Saint down to a raving monster within days and have that same monster become fit to be called a soldier within weeks. The most common Paths of Enlightenment seen in the Ultra-Conservatives are the Path of Caine, the Path of Honourable Accord, The Path of Orion, The Path of Night, and the Path of Metamorphosis. The Path of Power and the Inner Voice is either quickly stamped out, or encouraged greatly depending on the recruit.
Politics of the Faction
For a Faction of only 15 years, the Ultra-Conservatives have certainly made wave, and made enemies in the process. Charles’ actions have almost unilaterally polarized the Sabbat with a no-middle-ground stance and ruthless enforcement of their aims. The worst enemies of the Ultra-Conservatives are the Loyalists and Moderates who cry out against their zealotry and fear-mongering, calling it nothing but a smokescreen to distract from the loss of freedom they support.
The Status Quo and the Order of St. Blaise are mostly neutral towards the Ultra-Conservatives, watching them closely to see what they do next, but neither openly supporting nor opposing their zealous crusade. The Children of the Dracon seem to find the whole faction rather funny, taking every available opportunity to mock the Ultra-Conservatives for their short-sightedness and hypocrisy, while at the same time supporting much of their agenda.
However perhaps the most surprising alliance is the fact that both the Black Hand and the Inquisition staunchly support the Ultra-Conservatives. This is all but unknown in Sabbat politics, the deep enmity between the Black Hand and the Inquisition preventing any shared allies. The Inquisition greatly respects their zeal and organization, seeing them as everything they wish the Black Hand would be. The Black Hand has remained mute on exactly why they continue to support the Ultra-Conservatives, though many have postulated that the antics of Charles and his cohort make for an excellent distraction from whatever the Black Hand’s secret agenda is.
The Ultra-Conservatives ironically support the Panders, and have even gone so far as to motion for their acknowledgement as a full clan in their own right within Consistory. Why would an elitist sub-sect of elder vampires support the clanship of a group degradingly called “the least of equals?” The truth is really quite simple: to the Ultra-Conservative, the presence of the Panders is required in the upcoming war, for every able body must serve in the army of that the Sabbat must mold itself into if it is to survive to win Gehenna. The Pander Movement has cautiously returned that support on a few issues, but is waiting to see where the trap is.
The Ultra-Conservatives flatly oppose the Church of Caine and will stop at nothing to see it destroyed. They see the whole purpose behind it as soft and encouraging weakness. In truth they also fear a new power base capitalizing on their hard-won religious zeal amongst the rank and file of the Sabbat.
Unique Ritae
The Sanguine Oath
Ignobilis Ritae
A member of the Ultra-Conservatives may make an oath to a higher ranking member of the faction and swear their blood on the task to gain aid at the risk of a terrible price for failure. The Oath may not be discussed prior to being sworn. When a member seeks to swear an Oath they approach a higher ranking member of the faction and cut their palm open and smear the blood over their heart. They then make an Oath. The Oath must include a clear and achievable goal ("I will kill the Prince of New York" is OK, but "I will do my best to protect the city is not"). The Oath-sworn must then spend a number of blood points to their Oath. The number of blood spent is the duration of the effect in days (10 blood is 10 days). The ranking member to whom the Oath is sworn then spends a number of blood up to their generational max (2 for 9th generation) these blood points become bonus dice for the Oath-sworn to accomplish the task. Should the Oath-sworn fail at their task, or give it up (even unwillingly) they suffer a number of Unsoakable Lethal Damage equaling the duration left on the effect (4 days left, 4 Lethal taken). If the duration expires and the task is not yet complete, the Oathsworn takes a number of Unsoakable Lethal Damage equal to the entire duration. For the Ultra-Conservatives, failure is weakness and weakness is not an option. If the ranking member does not believe that the task is acceptable or disapproves for any reason they simply turn their back on the oath-sworn. This rejection causes the blood spend for duration to violently evaporate from the Oath-sworn and causes 1 Unsoakable Aggravated Damage. The failed Oath-sworn can try again if they wish, but there is no requirement for the ranking member to accept the Oath. It is considered one of the highest offenses among the faction to use this Oath for ANYTHING other than forwarding the goals of the faction or the Sabbat as a whole.
Notable Members
Charles VI – Priscus to Regent Galbraith
Clan: Lasombra
Generation: 7th
Faction Position: Lord Captain Commander
Charles was a young Knight in the time of the Albigensian Crusade. He was embraced for his actions on the field after he nearly died an ignominious death from a fever caused by his wounds becoming infected. During the Anarch Revolt he notably fought on both sides, waiting to see who would prove victorious. His hand was forced to join the Sabbat when his sire discovered his double-dealings and warned the other Elders of his treachery.
Charles tries very hard to be all things to all Cainites at once. He is a firebrand to the Neonates and Loyalists, but sensitive to the concerns of the Moderates and Status Quo. He masterfully arranges the "disappearances" of neonates who speak out against their own elders, and so doing places those elders in his debt. Charles fully intends to be Regent one night, and that night cannot come too soon for the hour is late and the Sabbat's enemies are strong.
While power was once its own reward for Charles, this is no longer the case. For the last two centuries, Charles has become obsessed with how much most Cainites do not know about the world. He has met foreign Cainites as well as all manner of other creatures that simply do not fit in his world view and wonders how many of them are caught in the Jyhad in ways he could never have imagined. After all, if his own machinations could include such creatures, he shuddered to think of the unaccounted maneuvers of the Antediluvians who had had millennia to plan their schemes.
Charles founded the sect to create a distraction, and as much to his own surprise as anyone else’s, found that he had actually created quite an effective power base and military organization. Since founding the Faction, Charles has poured his every waking moment into making it the most effective tool it can possibly be. It is unclear whether or not Charles has bought his own rhetoric, and he certainly isn’t going to say.
For more on Charles VI see Mexico City by Night
Juliano da Ribeira – Cardinal of South America
Clan: Lasombra
Generation: 8th
Faction Position: Knight Commander
Juliano was a Conquistador who had long served as Archbishop of Sao Paolo while Charles was Cardinal of South America. He long idolized Charles’ skill and zeal and sought to gain favor by emulating him. When Charles was made a Priscus, Juliano was asked to take the Cardinal’s seat. As Cardinal Juliano has managed to both gain grounds in South America for the Sabbat as well as have his competing Tzimisce rival for the position outmaneuvered to gain his position by arranging an “accident” and allowing him to fall bravely in battle against the Camarilla. Juliano is known as brutal, fair, and efficient to the Sabbat of South America.
Francisco Domingo de Polonia – Cardinal of the Eastern Seaboard
Clan: Lasombra
Generation: 6th
Faction Position: Lord Captain
Born in Spain in the late 1560s, Polonia came to the New World as a stalking horse for Juan de Oñate's expedition into Mexico (specifically, in what is now New Mexico). Having proven his worth over the course of the (failed) mission, Polonia was Embraced by Anton de Concepcion in 1600. To his chagrin, the sunburn that Polonia was suffering from at the time of his Embrace has stayed with him through the centuries that followed, a fact that draws his anger whenever a neonate is foolish enough to mention it.
Polonia was trained in tactics, leadership and tailored to be one of the best generals in the Sabbat's army by the legendary Lasombra Don Medina Sidonia of the Spanish Armada fame. Under his tutelage, Polonia rose quickly within the ranks of the sabbat. In 1761, Gorchist appointed Polonia to the rank of Archbishop in the burgeoning city of New York, earning Polonia the ire of Ecaterina the Wise and the other sitting Bishops of New York. Other Bishops were appointed under Polonia in the years to come, notably Radu Bistri, who stayed only long enough to help Gorchist end the Civil War via the Purchase Pact and never amassed the local influence — or the desire — to challenge Polonia's authority.
Francisco Domingo de Polonia is one of the greatest success stories of the Ultra-Conservative movement. He was one of the earliest converts to the cause after becoming a Cardinal, seeing the new Faction as a means to obtain an army for his march up the Coast. Along with Charles, he is one of the founding members who was approached in 1999 and regards the success of the Eastern Seaboard Campaign as proof that the Ultra-Conservative model is the future of the Sabbat. He has become a poster boy for the Faction, the propaganda experts casting him in the same light as Alexander the Great.