This is our chronicle’s history of the East Bay and hopefully gives some idea of how we got into the various messes we’re currently in. This history covers 1945 to 1995. A history of the game from ‘95 to the present will be written just as soon as we can remember what happened - Johanna.
This is a large-ish file, so it has been divided into two parts. The link to part two is at the bottom of the page.
The fires of the Anarch revolt sparked more than Los Angeles into open rebellion. Soon the whole of the State was engulfed in the madness of the moment.
Nowhere was this story more complicated than in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. With the fall of the San Jose Prince, the Prince of San Francisco (Vannaver of the Ventrue) had no choice but to turn his sights to the south. With the vast resources of the Kindred of the City by the Bay setting southward, the enterprising Kindred of the East Bay saw a way to wrench themselves free of San Francisco.
To understand why these Kindred wanted self rule is easy enough: just look at the history of the area. Throughout the area’s history, the East Bay has always played “second fiddle” to San Francisco. It was never Oakland, or Fremont, or Berkeley or Livermore that people would go to, but San Francisco. For Kine, this choice would mean little, but for the ever-status-concious Kindred of the East Bay, this would not do.
Initially, only San Francisco could support any sizable Kindred population. The gold rush brought the railroad and fortune seekers. San Francisco could not accomodate this new population and industry, and the Bay Area grew.
The Garou presence in the undeveloped areas were an obstacle to the Kindred’s establishment, but as humans expanded their cities and developed the land, the Garou were pushed further back. This pace of development and Garou displacement increased when Vannever, attempting to reduce the burgeoning Kindred population of SF, offered large land grants and assistance to any Kindred willing to settle in the high-risk areas. Through this, he was able to control access to the land east of San Francisco, as well as increase his own fortune through investing it in the nascent cities.
The Elders of San Francisco were reluctant to move, even in the light of Vannever’s generous incentives, but they also wanted to cash in on the potential wealth that they all knew the East Bay could produce. So their Childer and retainers were sent instead, to hold land as tenants for their Sires. Many Ancillae saw the opportunity to build themselves their own personal empires, and happily moved into the East Bay. All Kindred, however, still owed alleigance to Vannever, much like feudal lords to their king, and Vannever made it very clear that he considered the whole Bay Area his domain and the traditions were to be upheld. The Kindred appreciate strong leadership, and they acquiesced to Vannever’s rule. Consequently, land disputes were few and settlement was usually orderly.
Some cities grew faster than others, of course. Oakland competed with San Francisco for the shipping industry. The coal mines of Mount Diablo spawned a thriving township. Most cities, though, merely supplied the work force neccesary for Oakland and San Francisco. Outlying towns were agricultural, supplying food and raw materials for the area’s industrial centers. As San Francisco expanded it’s wealth and influence over the East Bay and the west coast of California, other Kindred became jealous, and greedy.
The Kindred of the East Bay felt belittled by San Francisco’s presence. Some disliked being merely a sphere of San Francisco’s influence, and its Prince. Although, of course, these Kindred were still loyal to the Camarilla, they began to feel estranged from the political machine of San Francisco. The Kindred of the East Bay held great power of their own, but their voices were overpowered by that of Vannever. They held no formal positions within the power structure.
Change came with the installation of a Prince of Oakland in 1930. Robert Velner, of Clan Tremere, was emplaced by his bretheren that ruled Sacramento. This was also a deliberately calculated insult aimed at Vannever, who had attained his own position by Destroying his predeccesor, a Tremere. The Tremere of Sacramento and Oakland, hoped to be able to take advantage of the Great Depression, and siphon power away from San Francisco. This venture did not work.
Robert Velner was a Kindred of absolutist mien, and his vassals would not bend their knee to this militaristic individual. But Kindred do not rebel openly. Oakland was cut off from outside economic support, by Vannever and other Kindred, and the city was quickly mired in deep economic and social malaise. A few months after the blockade of Oakland began, the Regent of Alameda (a special position that had been created after Alameda had become of such vital military significance) died under mysterious circumstances, as did two prominent Ventrue and a Brujah. These mysterious circumstances were sometimes whispered of as magical, and Velner was blamed by his enemies for these deaths. Velner dared his accusers to produce evidence and when they could not, he claimed the now-vacant territory of Alameda, Richmond, Martinez and all land as far out, and including, the Altamont Pass.
Velner now controlled all the shipping lanes outside of San Francisco and he was able to break the embargo against his city. Had it not been for one of Vannever’s loyal vassals control of the railroads, the Bay Area would have become a suburb of Oakland. Kindred were forced to support Oakland, as well as San Francisco, to ensure the survival of their own territory.
In 1941, everything changed.
The Kindred managed to push aside their differences and unite for the duration of World War II. As the war ended, there were hopes that Velner and Vannever could put aside their differences, and that the Bay Area could once again be united.
However, the Anarch Revolt in 1945 destroyed that vision. San Jose, a city that had grown somewhat during the war, but was still essentially ignored by Velner and Vannever, suddenly placed itself on the map by joining the Anarch cause. Cities were told by the Inner Council to fend for themselves, and Vannaver and Velner were able to spare enough of their influence and resources to take back Redwood City, Santa Clara, Milpitas and Sunnyvale, but San Jose itself did not fall. Prince Velner ordered his own Childe, Maya Jackson, to install herself as Prince of San Jose - despite the fact that it had not been taken and the title of Prince of Sunnyvale would have been more appropriate. Jackson did as she was ordered and declared herself Prince of San Jose without setting foot in that city. She set up her court in Sunnyvale, close enough to watch San Jose, but far away enough that a hasty exit could be enacted, if neccesary.
Meanwhile, Velner had been too optimistic about his own security, as was oblivious to the small but significant Anarch population within his own city. Velner travelled to Sunnyvale to congratulate his Childe, sure of his personal safety. What actually happened that night, is still unknown, but by dawn, Velner was dead, and three Oakland Anarchs took the credit.
These Anarchs appeared carrying Velner’s head as trophy at a Vampire establishment in Oakland the next evening. As they told and retold their story to stunned observers, it grew thinner and thinner, and holes began to appear. The Kindred that heard their story guessed that these three Kindred were merely reaping the benefit of someone else’s actions, but what those actions were was never disclosed. The three Anarchs themselves were discovered the following night, scattered in several pieces across the Bay Area. Whatever they knew, however scanty it might have been, died with them.
The following times were chaotic ones as the East Bay split into three factions: The Loyalists who wanted a Prince to remain in Oakland, The Traditionalists who wanted a return to the way it was before the Prince of Oakland - one Prince ruling the entire area, and the Anarch Movement, sometimes referred to as just The Movement. Vannaver and Maya, who still existed, were preoccupied by San Jose and hoped that the East Bay would work itself out. The three factions battled for the next two years.
The Loyalists controlled Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley. The Traditionalists held the Tri-Valley area and eastern and central Alameda county. The Anarchs held west Alameda county, Hayward, Fremont and, of course, San Jose. The few kine that held opinions supported the Traditionalists, as most of them earned their living through San Francisco. The Loyalist kine wanted to retain the wealth, real and potential, of the East Bay. The Anarchs had strong Kindred support in the areas they held, but no financial backing or mortal influence. The war had become deadlocked by 1947, when the Giovanni entered the area. The Giovanni businessmen put their money behind the Traditionalists and their control of the ports within the bay. This gave the Traditionalists a great boost, but they were unaware that the Giovanni were also making use of the Anarchs to establish a foothold in their newly obtained city of Richmond, and the port therein.
When the Loyalists heard of this, they launched an attack on Richmond fueled by little more than paranoia. They were soundly defeated, and the Anarchs took advantage of their victory gaining Berkeley. The Traditionalists also saw an opportunity and stole Alameda away from the Loyalists.
The territory of the Loyalists was being taken apart, piece by piece, and they appealed to Vannever and Maya Jackson - now the Prince of Oakland, also - for help. However, the two princes agreed that they preferred to support the Traditionalists, rather than a support a source of future rivalry. Why Jackson would back a group that wanted to assimilate her Princedom back into Vannever’s grasp is unknown to this day. It has been speculated that Vannever called in some great favor that Jackson owed him...
In mid-1948, representatives from the three factions agreed to a conference, ostensibly to discuss terms of peace. The Giovanni insisted upon being present, and when the Anarchs insisted, their presence couldn’t be denied.
The meeting was meant to be the final ending of the Loyalists, not a convention to design a new Kindred government. The meetings continued for over a month, and while the Loyalists initially boasted that they would abandon their ties to the Camarilla and that the other two groups were puppets of the Giovanni. One Loyalist even threatened that they were going to create an army of Childer to smash their opponents, a threat which caused great alarm amongst those Kindred who knew this to be a tactic of the Sabbat. Those boasts and threats would eventually turn to ash on their tongues.
The Anarch Movement was eager to fight, while the Traditionalists desperately tried to keep everyone at the negotiating table. The Giovanni only watched, and did not comment. Three voices were particularly prominent during this turbulent week of the conference: Toreador Loyalist Marianne Wentworth, Ventrue Traditionalist Melanie Hunter, and the Brujah Anarch, John Stern.
Stern wanted the factions to leave things as they were and go their separate ways. Wentworth wanted some sort of unified single leader for the entire Bay Area, preferably herself. Hunter was aware that the Traditionalists were losing ground and agreed with Marianne, absolutism being something she could believed in. By the end of the week, both the Traditionalists and the Loyalists agreed the Anarchs had to be destroyed, and they temporarily put their differences aside to launch an attack on Richmond.
The Anarchs were ready for this combined attack, having been warned of it by the Giovanni. The Anarchs countered Kindred warriors with a massive number of mortal retainers, who were able to Destroy many of the enemy, while not a single Anarch suffered Final Death. Things worsened when the Giovanni withdrew their financial support of the Traditionalists, this being their intention all along.
The third day of open fighting was marked by an Anarch counter attack which was halted almost on the haven doorsteps of Hunter and Wentworth. The Anarchs demanded that they all return to the conference table and, fearing for their existence, they did.
Now, the Giovanni made themselves heard and became the de-facto arbitraters of the conference. The Giovanni can be very persuasive when they wish to be, and they convinced the Anarchs to accept a treaty. The next three weeks were spent determining the terms of the peace and the rights of a new organization, The Kindred Council.
The Council existed to be the voice of unalligned and Anarch Kindred in the area to the Camarilla of San Francisco and Oakland. Each clan that so chose could send a representative to this council, and that representative was usually decided by a vote within the clan. Councillors could only be removed by their own “consituents” or by their fellow council members. The Council was empowered to enforce the Masquerade and bring sides together on matters of Domain. Any decisions concerning these three issues were decided by a vote of the Council, with a two-thirds majority needed to carry an issue.
Another agreement made at the Paper Conference (so named because the negotiations were held within the Oakland Tribune building, not because of any lack of faith of the participants) was that a large piece of land outside of Livermore was given absolutely to the Anarchs. This land was worthless, used only for grazing cattle, and the Loyalists who held it were puzzled, but they gave the land over.
On July 5th, 1948, the Council of Free Kindred declared itself, and John Stern was elected Regent by his fellow Council members. Soon thereafter, both the Camarilla of SF and the Anarch Council of Los Angeles sent emissaries to this Council, seeking to assimilate it into their own power structures. These envoys were politely met and well treated, but sent home empty handed. Simultaneously, Stern gave the territory near Livermore to the Giovanni, who then removed themselves from the ports and towns of West Contra Costa County.
The next seven years were relatively peaceful. Again, both the Camarilla and Los Angeles sent representatives. Salvador Garcia, the Kindred author of “An Anarch Manifesto” tried to convince Stern to unite with Los Angeles, while Critias, a Brujah primogen from Chicago, gave several talks on the importance of the “right kind of Camarilla” at UC Berkeley.
While Stern was blandly listening to impassioned pleas to join one side or another, Vannever allowed the Council of Free Kindred to conduct its affairs unhindered. This was not out of any egaltarian sentiment of his own, but because he had other, more pressing, problems to deal with. He had burned too many bridges with his fellow Camarilla elders and had just realized that he was running San Francisco on his own. He was free from any inteference, but also devoid of allies.
Stern was unaware of this, and anxious to convince Vannever that he wasn’t a threat to Vannever’s own rule. Stern might have been a big fish in his own pond, but he knew of the sharks that Vannever could call on, or rather, should have been able to call on. Stern declared and identified clan-specific hunting grounds within his purview. This was a enlightened maneveur when the results of the first Kindred census of the area were made known. His territory contained a few more than a million kine, and thirty two Kindred, far more than what his Camarilla neighbors considered safe. However, the Masquerade was being well kept by his fellow Kindred, so Stern did nothing to control or reduce the population. In 1955, Stern decided to expand his census into a sort of Kindred Domesday book, and began to record the domains, income and influence of the Kindred in his area.
With the mechanism for this census in place, Stern gave in to an urge to travel. He went to Camarilla courts all over the world as an ambassador from the Council of Free Kindred, and met a variety of different responses. His Childe, Max Norton, was elected as Regent during Stern’s absence. Norton was believed to be loyal to his Sire’s vision, and as trustworthy as a Kindred could be.
Alas, Norton was not as enlightened, patient or peaceful as his Sire, although he was twice as devious. Norton used the information from his census, plus other facts gathered by his own army of Ghouls to locate the haven of every Kindred within the Council’s domain. He began a campaign to obliterate all other prominent Anarchs in Contra Costa and Alameda. Norton did not want any potential rivals for the throne he intended to put himself upon.
Within two weeks, his goal had been almost acheived. Most of the prominent Anarchs were destroyed or driven out of the area. Half of the council’s members were Destroyed, and their territories, if not their Council Seats, were given to members of Norton’s brood.
Marianne Wentworth called an emergency meeting of what was left of the Council. When they demanded that Norton justify his actions, Norton stated that he was moving against enemies that lurked within the Council, and that he had the greater good of the Kindred in mind. The evidence he produced of these enemies’ plans was surprisingly solid, and the Council was convinced, if startled, with the exception of Wentworth.
Norton now controlled the land north of Oakland and west of Martinez. Now he planned to pitch the council members against one another and pillage the remains of their battles.
The UC Berkeley campus, he declared, was now open territory. Anyone who could seize and maintain control could have it. The campus lay between the domain of two Kindred, Marianne Wentworth and a Tremere, David Wickman. Wickman desired the campus for the knowledge it contained and could produce, Wentworth wanted control of the expanding college community and access to the students and faculty.
The dispute became bloody when WentworthÕs Childe, hoping to distract the Tremere, attempted to burn down a Tremere chantry that was being built in Oakland. The foolish Childe was killed by the TremereÕs mortal security. Wentworth denied that she had sent the would-be arsonist and war seemed to be the only possible course of action. However, that was narrowly averted when Wickman discovered that WentworthÕs Childe was Bonded to Maxwell Norton. In a moment of rare discretion, Wentworth and Warwick agreed to keep this fact secret and work together against Norton.
This secret alliance grew to include other members of the Council. Co-operating together, not only were they able to resist NortonÕs attempts to turn them against each other, but they were able to discover that Norton was not Brujah, but actually a Giovanni.
Things became clear. The Giovanni had never withdrawn from Richmond, and had used Stern as a patsy to gain the Livermore land and the newly built Lawrence Laboratory therein. It was unclear whether Stern had been played for a fool regarding his ChildeÕs true identity, or if he was a willing co-conspirator. SternÕs continued absence led some to suspect that he was indeed, a willing tool of the Giovanni, if not a Giovanni himself.
The Council met in secret to decide what had to be done. Reluctantly, they chose to employ the Assamites, who, armed with painfully won information, burned out all known Giovanni, with the exception of Maxwell Norton himself.
During the Council meeting of July, 1960, Norton was unmasked, along with details of his convoluted plans and evil trickery. This collapse of the GiovanniÕs schemes was to set them back for decades. Maxwell was sent back to Italy with a message for his family: confine your activities to the Livermore Lab or we will let every Kindred in the world know not only of your past deeds, but of your future plans. Such a revelation would mean the complete destruction of that clan, and they reluctantly agreed, for the moment.
However, Norton was determined not to go quietly. He tried a foolish attack upon Marianne Wentworth, and was Destroyed that night. The CouncilÕs ultimatum was delivered via one of their ghouls.
Even Stern, who was in Eastern Europe at this time, heard of this disorder and returned to the East Bay. Dispelling accusations of Giovanni complicity was not easy, as Stern had either been a willing accomplice or an absolute idiot. His Regency only remained because Wentworth herself believed his story, and supported his continued Regency.
As payment for their duties, the Assamites were given a council seat and the domain running along Niles Canyon, which they turned into a training facility for their clan members. Its remoteness from the Assamite homelands tended to produced Assamites of unconventional beliefs, something the East Bay would regret in later years.
The Caitiff, too, were finally recognized for their efforts during the Anarch revolt and the war against the Giovanni, and were given recognition, a Council seat and were able to petition for domains of their own.
Marianne Wentworth was named vice-regent of the area, and was given the UC Berkeley campus as her reward - which Wickman was happy to accede to her. He realized that her star was ascending at that she could be a powerful friend.
Once again, a few brief years of peace prevailed. This was violently shattered by an unexpected attack by the Sabbat in the winter of 1961. The Kindred of the East Bay would have been completely destroyed were it not for the quick reaction of Assamite warriors and those they had trained.
Bahija Jalin, the Assamite council member, contacted his Unconquered counterparts in the Sabbat and told them of the emergency council meeting that was occuring in Niles Canyon. As fighting raged across the East Bay, the Sabbat converged on the Canyon. However, this was not treachery on JalinÕs part, but a trap of the councilÕs to destroy the SabbatÕs best warriors.
The Sabbat war parties had surrounded the area and were approaching the AssamiteÕs training facility when they discovered they had been duped. The facility was vacant, and booby trapped. The incedinary bombs within the facility and the Council and their retainers without, rushed upon the Sabbat war party.
The Sabbat fought as Sabbat will, but the East Bay Kindred won in the end. But the price was high as John Stern was Destroyed in the battle. Many Kindred mourned his death and the next council meeting was dedicated to his memory. Marianne Wentworth was voted to replace him with almost unanimous support.
The transition was smooth. Wentworth appointed Melanie Hunter as Vice-Regent for the council in a move that unified the Ventrue and Toreador clans. A census after the war revealed that the local population had increased, not decreased, and forty eight Kindred now existed within the East Bay in 1961.
Simultaneously, a massive change occured amongst the kine of the area. The war had created an economic boom in California, and many fortune-seekers had come to the Bay Area. The urban areas were increasingly the province of minorities, as increasingly affluent white humans moved to more desirable properties in the suburbs. Some tried to maintain the vitality of urban centers, but many more took the opportunity to exploit cheap land and cheap labor. This oppression of land and spirit caused the Garou to take an active interest in the cities, quite often to the detriment of vampire entrepeneurs.
It was a time of change for everyone.
It had become apparent that a vampire council based upon trust fared no better than an equivalent organization amongst the humans, and a replacement was urgently needed. However, the Kindred of the East Bay were too busy coping with an economic recession and other problems to give this matter as much attention as it required.
One of those problems was a sudden influx of Kindred refugees from other Sabbat-harrassed territories, including former Sabbat shocktroopers; individuals who had been forcibly Embraced as cannon fodder. In a move that drew some criticism, Wentworth allowed the refugees to establish themselves in the area, and most of them eventually recovered from the war and became productive beings. Many who could not determine their ancestry were adopted by Kindred already established in the East Bay, as surrogate Childer.
The greatest number of new immigrants were Clanless. They became the equivalent of homeless people within vampire society and had a similarly rough time coping. Many of them chose to Destroy themselves rather than be trapped in an unwanted new life. Others became gangsters on the street and a constant irritation.
Eventually, a welfare system evolved. The Council decided to finance a blood bank for Kindred who were new to the area. This eased their settling in, and decreased the likelihood of Masquerade breaches. Most new Kindred would use this service for a brief period and be able to support themselves after a short time, but there was always an underclass of vampires that were always dependent on the charity of others. This continued for fifteen years, until the plan was ended by some unscrupulous Kindred who wanted to take advantage of their less fortunate contempories...
By 1963, the Ventrue and Toreador were weaker than they had ever been before, and the true power lay with the Brujah and the Assamites. But this was not known publicly. Most Kindred were far more concerned with looking out for themselves and coping with the population boom within both the Kindred and kine communities. The Council began to fall apart from neglect and paranoia.
Once again, the UC Berkeley campus caused a rift, this time between Wentworth and Wickman. Since MaxwellÕs death, Wickman had firm control over the college administration. Wentworth controlled the Greek council and all other student organizations. Wentworth was dedicated to creating a new culture, using the student population and she did so. This local culture became a national trend of young people dedicated to political freedom and peace.
The death of President Kennedy marked WentworthÕs loss of control of the student culture she had fostered. Wickman forced a confrontation when the universityÕs administration called out the city police on the student body. Wentworth had neither the power nor the inclination to do anything about the violent events in Berkeley and she believed that the results would be an ultimately positive evolution of attitude. Unsurprisingly, Wickman disagreed.
It was immediately apparent to all other observers that the kine had moved beyond Wentworth and WickmanÕs control. The matter was fully taken out of their hands when the federal government was forced to step in a martial law was temporarily instated. The alliance that had destroyed Maxwell was itself destroyed and the Council was thrown into chaos.
Many meetings were held and much was discussed, but little was accomplished. Personal politics and bickering prevented any progress. The situation was aggravated by the encroachment of Settites, who preyed upon the most susceptible Kindred. The Caitiff, especially, with their minimal knowledge of their bretheren, were often victims.
The Settites quickly infiltrated the Council-backed blood bank. The vitae supplies were spiked with drugs and many helplessly addicted Kindred became pawns of the snakes. Even the Caitiff council member was one of their victims. These addicts were then used to introduce new drugs and addictions into the kine of the Bay Area.
The failed Sabbat assault on Los Angeles in 1965, beneath the cover of the Watts riots, renewed a fear in the north that the Sabbat may strike again. But this fear did not beget action except by Robert Black, the new Brujah council member. As an African American and vociferous civil rights activist, Black took exception at the SabbatÕs disturbance of the black community in Los Angeles. He used the fear of similar Sabbat agitation in the East Bay to force the local black communities together and he worked hard to remove antagonistic Kindred from the area.
By the later half of the decade, the Council and Kindred had lost most of their control over the humans of the area. The rest of the decade was spent rebuilding what was lost - usually by each clan dedicating itself to one particular cultural or political area.
The Brujah controlled the civil rights movement and the Black Panther Party. The Toreador took control of the new counter-culture. The Ventrue took up the feminist and atheist movements. The Tremere became more involved in local government. The Gangrel spread their influence into the local parks and wild areas as far as the central valley. The Gangrel Council member, Ryan Cortex, dedicated his time to the UFW, primarily through his ghoul, Cesar Chavez.
End Part One.
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