The facts on the states presented here are naturally incomplete. It is not possible to give a satisfying in-depth view in so few pages. Be aware also that everything you read here is presented from a subjective point of view. It may be enough to fuel a single character’s back-ground or a couple of scenes in a story that takes place mainly in the United States, but if you want to run a chronicle exclusively in another country, take the information presented here as a base and extrapolate. The Internet offers nearly infinite sources; libraries and bookstores should also provide useful information, as well as travel agencies, where you might obtain the most up-to-date pictures. In any case, go ahead and invest that time. There are considerable differences in the way different nations ”tick”
and these details will add significant elements of mood and flavor to your story. Imagine your players late at night in Great Britain, looking for a bite, and discovering that all the pubs close down at 11 PM. As for Europe in general:
The weapons laws are significantly stricter than they are in the US. Without the proper legal documents and a brilliant reason, it is virtually impossible in most countries to carry a gun as a normal citizen.
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Horn of Africa. Arabic is both the official and unofficial language in states north of the Sahara and in the Sudan) and Khoisan (languages of the San and Khoikhoi, now limited to the arid parts of Southwestern Africa). French, English, Dutch, Portuguese and certain languages of the Indian subcontinent are spoken in the areas influenced by these countries.
Although many European and American Cainites delude themselves into believing otherwise, Africa is no place for our kind. It is too rural, too wild. We need the kine to sustain ourselves — the more, the better. Thus, we need the cities. Sure, people of the Blood dwell on the Dark Continent.
Not too few, if you were to gather them and put them together in one room. However, considering the size of the continent, Africa houses only a fraction of what might theoretically be possible.
The majority of Africa’s inhabitants — mortal or not — is indigenous. Significant immigrants from Europe are found in South Africa (about one-seventh of the population), Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Kenya and Senegal. Other substan-tial minority groups are Asian peoples (chiefly in Southern and East Africa), Arabs (in West and East Africa), and people of mixed origin.
Now, the present situation in these places derives, to a significant degree, from the colonization of the land by European explorers. It is an old story, a sad story, and you know it from your own continent. ”Un-civilized” tribes find themselves overrun by technically superior intruders and are robbed of their freedom, property, lives and often their entire culture. I will not elaborate on this, but I do advise you to research these events since they bear several lessons that also apply to our situation within a society overshadowed by amoral predators.
The Kindred of European descent dwelling in Africa most likely came down with or shortly after the mortal explorers. Depending on clan and individual tastes, they either secured themselves large portions of land — and thus herds — or embarked upon nomadic unlives though the nature resorts. Of course, since most of the rural parts of Africa are deserts, there aren’t legions of Gangrel hunting the nights down there. Only a few and the most brave (or foolish) dare to journey the barren sand seas.
Most cities in Africa are products of the 20th century. However, a few relics from the past exist along the Nile valley, the Mediterranean fringe of North Africa and also in Western Africa, such as Alexandria (Egypt), Fès (Morocco), Timbuktu (Mali),
G A Djenné (Mali), Kano (Nigeria), Ibadan (Nigeria) and Oyo (Nigeria). Several medieval Arab coastal towns are located in eastern Africa, such as Mombassa (Kenya). Examples of cities founded under colonial rule as administrative, trading or industrial centers and ports are Johannesburg (South Africa), Lusaka (Zambia), Kinshasa (Zaire), Lubumbashi (Zaire), Nairobi (Kenya), Dakar (Senegal), Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Abidjan (Ivory Coast). Often, they are built onto traditional towns, as in the case of Lagos (Nigeria) or Accra (Ghana). The last group usually features some sort of derivation of the classic domain organization. I have included a general guide for visitors as well.
Besides the emigrants from Europe, some Cainites whisper that Africa has spawned a native bloodline of Kindred — if they can be called that. I have found very little hard information on them other than a few veiled references and names like “Kagn” and “Laibon.”
Supposedly, their number is fixed and they do not Em-brace childer except for replacing deceased members of the bloodline. According to rumor and legend, these undead have strange powers, weaving some sort of blood magic through their strong ties with the earth and the land down there.
I have never met one of them, though I spent quite some time in Africa. After all, it is also the continent that was once home to Carthage. I still tend to believe in their existence, for the local folklore sports many myths around similar beings. Plus, something — or somebody — is keeping the European structures and traditions from getting a firm grip on the cities of Africa. Several of these cities can be called domains, but if you stay there for long, you will feel that it is not the same as home. It is difficult to put it in words, but it is definitely true.
First, many Kindred emigrants return to their homeland relatively soon or venture on to new shores.
If you talk to them, they can give you individual, plausible reasons. However, their sheer number makes it a strange phenomenon, as if something was driving them away without them consciously noticing it. I can say only that I went there, spent some time in various parts, then realized that it just wasn’t my cup of tea and went back.
Second, even in the so-called domains, strange things happen inside Kindred society. People talk and strike deals and collect boons in preparation of a decision, and they find, in the end, that they are doing something entirely different from what they intended to do. Projects to turn the desert into liv-able space, for example, turn into something else all the time.
Third, you never feel quite comfortable there.
We are territorial creatures — well, most of us are
— and we need some sort of structure to sustain us.
In most cases, this involves finding a suitable city, settling down and fighting for a permanent place in the domain’s pecking order. In other cases, it means developing a traveling routine. However, I found Africa always unsettling.
Apart from these elusive impressions, Africa holds a wide range of very concrete dangers to our kind. As in every place touched so little by modern
“civilization,” it is home to many hostile and savage beasts that hunt the deserts, rainforests, savannas and sometimes cities. Whatever you might or might not believe about my statements, these monsters do not want our kind in their territory for sure. They will attack on sight, and they don’t care about the Masquerade or any other of our little human-tinged rules. In Europe, the cities are big enough to hold them back. We can move quite freely there. In Africa, it’s veritably the other way round. Except that they do not care for negotiation. They just kill.
By the way, it’s not only Lupines I’m talking about here. You probably haven’t heard about them yet — or only about the ones on your continent — but plenty more races of shapeshifters exist other than just the werewolves. Look at the African tales and legends to get an idea what hunts its wilderness.
I have always possessed the wisdom to stick with my kind and never actually seen one of them, but I have heard whispers about humanoid alligators, tigers and even spiders.
Besides the shapeshifters, other, even stranger beings travel the lonely glens and mountains, jour-neying from village to village and tribe to tribe, telling stories and supposedly giving advice. Again, I take this from rumors, so make of it what you will.
Also, there is supposed to be more than just human hocus-pocus to the shamans and medicine men of the nomad tribes.
One last thing: It is often rumored by the ”of-ficials” that we anarchs were actively taking part in the numerous separatist and civil wars going on in different parts of the continent. This is an unwise idea. Of what interest are mortal affairs to us other than internal quarrying of cattle? One or two excep-tions to that rule may exist, but their involvement is part of their individual biography. It is far more likely to find African-based Kindred taking part in AIDS prevention to improve the health of his herd.
The areas plagued by guerrilla warfare are dangerous ground even for our kind. Plus, they drown in violent chaos. It’s ugly and mean and sad, so nobody without
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a serious, important purpose ventures there in these desolate modern nights.
Africa won’t kill you outright, if you pay reason-able attention and choose your destination well. In case you need to do the Grand Escape, it may not be the worst idea to spend a couple of years or even a decade or two there. Just be aware that it’s neither America nor Europe but a strange, strange land.
Therefore, try to plan ahead and gather information before you leave, if at all possible. The different areas vary largely.
It is not likely that you will be able to establish your own little domain or whatever you’d want to call your personal resort, and there will be no real foundational society to shock and shake, at least not like home. You will more likely find yourself as a part of a group of foreigners in a foreign country who tries to survive each night individually. Which, of course, bears a completely different danger to yourself and your beliefs.