The self-proclaimed successors of Rome, the people and Cainites of Byzantium maintain a cultural elitism that, perhaps unsurprisingly, leaves little room for outsiders to obtain any degree of power. Even the destruction of the Empire of Byzantium during the Fourth Crusade and the dissolution of the region into a number of independent states has not weakened that ingrained cultural arrogance, though the Cainite world was shaken to its very foundations by the death of the Toreador Methuselah Michael. As such, the domi- nance of the High Clans is nearly as unshakable here as it is in countries like France.
The Ventrue hold a substantial amount of power here, much of it left over from the nights of Rome herself. The Toreador find their grasp on power in the region, formerly bolstered by their close association with Michael, to be on the wane, and the Brujah — many of whom see the restoration of the glory of Constantinople as the first step toward recreating the paradise of Carthage — are all too happy to pick up the slack. The Lasombra claim fewer of the region’s princedoms than the Ventrue or Brujah, but because one of their own now lays claim to Constantinople itself, their influence in the region belies their num- bers. The High Clans of Byzantium have grown substantially more covetous and ambitious in the past decades; without the presence of Michael as a uniting factor, many of them have focused their efforts on carving out the largest possible pieces of the former empire for themselves.
The only true threat to the power of the High Clans is the various cults that have sprung up around the Methuselah Michael since his Final Death during the sack of Constantinople. Many of these cults con- sist largely of Low Clan Cainites (alongside grieving Toreador), and several seek to unite all Constantinople — or even all Byzantium — under a new Cainite rule in honor, and following the teachings, of Michael. Even those first cursed who might agree with the concept balk at the notion of the fallen in positions of
authority and struggle to prevent these cults from gaining power. Several outside factions, including a coterie of Setites led by one Yavo Abdelahi, want to ride these cults into the upper echelons of power for their own ends.
In the past several years, rumors have swept through the Cainite population of Constantinople, rumors that even death itself could not prevent Michael from arising once more to fulfill his destiny. Sporadic sightings of the powerful elder have been reported, and while no hard evidence has yet turned up, many of the Michaelite cults take this as proof that their divine patron has returned.
In fact, the Lasombra elder Mandirali Sotko of Turkey and his brood have very carefully staged these “Michael sightings.” A master not only of Obfuscate but also of Presence, Mandirali hopes that he might eventually adopt the Methuselah’s identity, at least long enough to establish an unshakable base of power in the region. He has already approached several Michaelite cultists, stirring their religious fervor into a frenzy that will, he hopes, incline them to do whatever he asks of them when he finally appears publicly and openly as the Patriarch.
Outremer
In addition to being a place of perpetual and often bloody conflict, Outremer also holds some distinction as one of the regions in which the High Clans aren’t even remotely the only dominant power. Then again, considering the sheer number of competing factions here — Christian versus Muslims, Frederick II loyal- ists versus those who seek to throw off his influence, and of course the usual differences between kine communities and Cainite clans — the entire region is too volatile for any specific group to maintain a substantial degree of dominance.
In Outremer, clan lines rarely match up with religious ones. The Assamites, who are the greatest obstacle to High Clan domination and possibly the single most powerful clan in the region, are largely Muslim, but a significant minority are Christian and side with the crusaders against their brethren. The Lasombra, possibly the most numerous first cursed vampires in Outremer, are evenly split be- tween the sides of Christian and Ashirra. The Ventrue and Brujah are largely Christian, but even a few of them can be found fighting on the side of Islam. The split between those who support Frederick II’s claim to Outremer and those who oppose it is even more varied, with members of all clans on both sides.
The constant attempts by Ventrue, Lasombra and other Christian Cainites to gain power in the region certainly appear genuine, even fanatic, in their execution. The truth is, however, that many of the High Clans feel, deeply in what’s left of their souls, that Outremer is a lost cause. The reputation and the might of the Assamites are so heavily ingrained that few truly believe they have any real chance of taking the Holy Land from them. As such, many of the High Clan Cainites of the region do not devote their full efforts to battling the Assamites or the Ashirra, thus turning their own doubts into a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.
The other High Clans aren’t quite ready to relinquish their grip on Outremer yet either. The Brujah Nehemiah still rules “his” island of Cyprus, and while he has little interest in standard Cainite politics, he is also determined to rule his isle as he sees fit — and that means that other vampires encroach only at his sufferance. Zarathustra, the Lasombra Prince of Antioch, maintains substantial influence not merely in his own province but also in the neighboring state of Tripoli.
The Ventrue, however, are losing even more influence in the region due to the actions of the Ravnos Etienne de Faubergé, vassal to the Ventrue Lord Jürgen and Prince of Acre. Until recently, the
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ince 1228, many of the Cainites of Outremer have enjoyed the protection of a treaty called the Diet of Olives. Named after the Mount of Olives, where the convocation that adopted it met, it ensured a certain degree of peace and mutual protection between various Cainite courts and states within the region. The Salubri warrior Qawiyya el-Ghaduba hosted this gathering; it was her vision that led to the Diet in the first place. The treaty was agreed to last for at least 10 years, so the Holy Land should — assuming nobody has the poor taste to violate the pact — remain relatively quiet for some time yet. (Of course, the Diet hardly prevents the scheming and personal conflicts that are part and parcel of Cainite nature, but at least they most likely won’t boil over into open war.)Though the Salubri have fallen in numbers and grace, the High Clans still offer them sub- stantial respect and accolades for arranging the Diet of Olives, one of the few truly successful accords of its kind.
presence of a fragment of the True Cross prevented Etienne from even entering his own domain. Now that he can, he appears to have undergone some form of religious transformation. He has begun refusing to follow some of the more extreme of Jürgen’s orders, and some of the Swordbearer’s advisors believe that the Ravnos is simply awaiting the right time to cut ties completely. They are currently encouraging the Ventrue to take steps to prevent this desertion — or, if necessary, to replace Etienne with someone more pliable.