In 1966, Robert Black decided that pacifism would not bring victory to the civil rights movement, especially since the Sabbat believed in violence of every kind. Robert wanted to be able to face the worst that the Sabbat could unleash, and he chose to support charismatic Huey Newton of the Black Panther Party.

Under his silent patronage, the Party grew from a small group of thirty men to a nationwide organization in a very short time. Black soon felt strong enough to confront the Ventrue Vice-Regent, Melanie Hunter, who controlled the police of Richmond and Oakland. He perceived her as an oppressive white establishmentarist, and used his Panthers to force her police into bureaucratic and legal traps.

Hunter accused Black of using the black population to wage his own private war against the Council and to usurp her position as Vice-Regent. Robert defended himself by saying that the Panthers were just defending their rights and that he was trying to avoid another situation like Watts. Hunter reluctantly decided that the way to destroy Black as a threat was to destroy his greatest supporter, the black community.

Hunter called upon sympathetic Ventrue across the country to strike against The Panthers. Some of Hunter’s assistants already believed that The Panthers were supported by the Sabbat, others just wanted to be rid of a source of civil disturbance and still others suspected that Robert’s actions were part of a worldwide plan devised by the Brujah council of the USSR for Brujah domination of the globe. It was this final bit of paranoia that convinced the Ventrue in Washington DC who controlled J. Edgar Hoover, to act. Hoover never needed much convincing that anything was a Communist plot, and he was easily sold on the idea of destroying the Panthers.

The leaders of the party were imprisoned, removing Robert Black’s direct control. Black was not a fool, but while he was able to sense what was happening to him, he could not understand the full extent of the Ventrue retaliation. Even Hunter was now only a spectator to the events that unfolded, as those far more powerful than she controlled the situation.

The Ventrue enlisted the Settites in their plan and allowed them to saturate urban, usually black, communities with illegal drugs as the Ventrue simultaneously removed what little political and economic support that was left in the inner cities. Division and strife were encouraged by the Ventrue and the Settites, and the Panthers’ cause was rapidly buried in urban violence and white, media-supported, fear. Hunter was outraged at this extreme reaction, as she never wanted to encourage violence within black communities, merely remove their support for Robert Black’s cause.

So Hunter told Black’s agents the real cause of the collapse of the Panthers and the degradation of urban black communities across the country. Black and his retainers used this information to attack and destroy Settite drug distribution networks. Robert was Destroyed during these attacks, but so was the Settite drug empire in the Bay Area. Almost accidently, Black’s retainers discovered the Settite’s tampering of the area’s blood supply and, as a gesture of good faith, took this news to Wentworth.

Wentworth called an emergency meeting of the Council and pledged to remove all traces of Settite pollution, although she distinctly neglected to mention or apologize for her own role in that corruption.

An area-wide anti-drug war began. Dealers were killed, laboratories were burned to the ground and the Free Blood Bank was closed and purged of all tainted vitae. Three Settites and many of their retainers were killed, much to the alarm of the local temple, and in reaction, a serpent called Louis Harris attended the next Council meeting.

Harris admitted to the Settite agenda and promised that the Settites would move out of the area as it was no longer worth the effort of staying. The Council relunctantly agreed to allow the Settites to leave, rather than Destroying them out of hand, and Wentworth was chosen to observe and supervise their departure.

By 1970, the Kindred of the East Bay had weathered some extremely turbulent times. But now a new threat came onto the scene: the Garou. The Garou returned to Mount Diablo in force, after only a token pack had been caretaking the area for several decades. The presence of an ancient Wyrm creature had caused the Garou to return and the sudden - to their eyes - increase of Kindred convinced them to stay.

As the Garou were deciding their particular policy towards the Kindred of the East Bay, the Anarchs of Los Angeles decided to send another envoy. The ambassador from Los Angeles announced that LA had finally finished licking its wounds after the turbulence of the last decade and, rather patronizingly, would now allow negotiations for the East Bay to join the Anarch Territories. The envoy was politely, but firmly, sent home.

At the end of 1971, the Garou were about to destroy the Assamite training facility still at Niles Canyon. However, they decided to give the leeches a chance to flee, and a Garou emissary attended the Council meeting of December 1971 to warn the vampires of the area.

The Garou did not have a lot to tell the vampires of the area. All national, state and regional land was theirs, and any vampire found on that land would be Destroyed. The Council was shocked by such a blunt announcement and despite the futility of trying to argue with the lupine, they debated their limited options for several days. The Garou were patient as it made little difference to them whether the vampires left the area willingly or otherwise.

The Assamites knew that their coveted training area was threatened but they were reassured by the Council that they were entitled to their protection because of their past support of the Council. But it was the nature of that support that was causing precious time to be wasted in debate. The Caitiff, Wentworth, the Assamite council member, Jalin, and more hot-blooded Kindred thought they could fight the lupines and convince them to leave the Assamites’ territory alone, while Hunter and her supporters tried to create a diplomatic solution.

After several days’ discussion, Hunter’s idea won out, and the Council convinced the Garou to meet them near the foot of Mount Diablo. What exactly happened at that meeting is lost to history, but it is known that a fiery explosion occurred. Hunter, seeing the triumphant expression upon the faces of Jalin, Tim Lilly the Caitiff representative and others, immediately knew their treachery.

To the surprise of the Garou, Hunter and her associates did not flee the explosion wrecked building, but they worked hard to rescue all trapped in the flames, both vampire and lupine. The lupine were forced to admire the vampires’ bravery in that instance. Hunter quickly explained to the lupines of the treachery they had both suffered by and one of the few instances of vampire-lupine co-operation occurred.

Wentworth was ousted from the council and Hunter was declared Regent. Hunter moved quickly to remove the Caitiff and isolate the Toreador. The Garou agreed to remove the Assamites, as they had already planned, and the Assamite’s influence from the areas the Garou desired. The Gangrel were used as scouts by both the lupine and the vampires.

On the other side, Wentworth, now completely under the control of the Settites, backed the Assamites in their efforts. The Settites called on the temples of San Jose and Sacramento to aid them in their fight. The Caitiff assisted by performing lightning fast hit-and-run raids on their opponents.

Unfortunately, the Gauntlet in the East Bay was so strong that it was almost impossible for the Garou to bring reinforcements. They had no way of knowing that this had been caused by the Settites, as part of their plan to destroy the lupines first.

The Garou attacked the Assamite training center in Niles Canyon, entirely sure that the victory would be an easy one. They were wrong. The Assamites had gathered together every trainee the clan could call upon, promising them that if they remained standing after this battle, they would be rewarded with immortality, regardless of what stage of training they were at. For many, this was a goal they had been told not to expect - six out of every seven recruits didn’t survive Assamite training - and the Garou of Mount Diablo suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of not a few, but dozens of Assamites and their ghouls.

Meanwhile, the Caitiff were waging their battles by luring their opponents into buildings and setting them on fire; brutal, but effective.

Hunter began to suspect that her enemies were receiving support from outside of the Bay Area, but she wasn’t sure from whom. At a suggestion from the Tremere, she changed her tactics and legions of spirits, summoned and instructed by both the lupines and the Tremere, moved across the battlefields, seeking Wentworth’s haven, which they eventually found.

Hunter then leaked information that she was going to meet with the Camarilla to negotiate her support in return for their help in this latest war. Hunter knew that Wentworth would not be able to resist attacking such a meeting. As Wentworth left her haven, armed for battle, she was captured by several waiting Garou. The Garou took her to the U.C. Berkeley campus and the Tremere chantry therein.

Hunter, and a very smug Wickman, dissembled Wentworth’s mind and gathered all that Wentworth knew and planned about their conflict. They learned of Wentworth’s addictions that made her a pawn of the Settites, and that the Assamites, surprisingly, were unaware of the extent of Settite involvement in the conflict. Wentworth’s memory was erased of this incident, a few suggestions were added, and she was returned to her haven.

Hunter met secretly with Jalin, the Assamite leader, and told him how he had been used by the snakes. The Assamites were enraged, and began to exact their revenge for being used. Meanwhile, the Garou located the haven of Lilly, the Caitiff leader, and decapitated him. The camouflaging layers hiding the Settites were being stripped away.

Meanwhile, Wentworth followed the orders that Hunter and Wickman had implanted, and she gathered her allies together for a meeting to discuss their final assault. Wentworth herself was spirited away by the Garou as an explosion destroyed the meeting site, and most of Hunter’s opposition.

The war was over and it had had an unexpected benefit of creating a somewhat stable association with the Garou. The Garou were given the land that they had demanded months before, and the Assamites, still ashamed by being used by the Settites, voluntarily gave up their training facility and left the East Bay. However, the Assamites asked that if they ever returned to the area, their facility could be restored to them and the Garou agreed, believing the Assamites would never return.

Hunter remained Regent and while Wentworth was stripped of her rank, she was permitted to survive, as Hunter believed that she was a victim of the Settites, and she was also reluctant to create a potential martyr. Sophie Vance, of the Toreador clan, became Vice-Regent. A census of the Kindred population, taken after the Assamites departed, indicated only nineteen Kindred remained in the area.

Hunter used this radical drop in population to reassign domains, based upon a Kindred’s abilities, rather than personal preference. Hunter was quite aware of the resentment that nepotism could create.

Believing that it was time for new blood to step in, Hunter began to groom a replacement, her Childe, Allen Wente. Sophie Vance was quite enamoured by Wente, and the two became very close.

Wickman spent his time trying to re-establish the local Tremere with the rest of the clan. Wickman made no secret of this and, as he was considered quite trustworthy for a Tremere, the Council didn’t object to his activity, as long as his loyalty to the East Bay remained primary.

More regional parks were created, and given to the Garou as a continued gesture of good faith by the kindred.

In 1974, the Camarilla used the ties forged by Wickman to send more envoys to the Council. Again, they were politely received, but their offers were refused.

At the same time, Maya Jackson, prince of San Jose called for the “Final Crusade” against the Anarchs within her borders. This Crusade continues today, bogged down with no sign of ending.

In 1975, Hunter was ready to relinquish her position in favor of Sophie Vance, providing that Wente would be Vice-Regent. The transfer of power went smoothly, as the Council wanted to maintain the new peace. With the installation of Sophie, the East Bay began a period known as The Decadent Years. Sophie was not an inspiring, or particularly active, leader, but did fulfill her reputation as a hostess of outrageous parties. She was a significant contributor to the creation of disco culture. She at one point had control of Levi Strauss Co., and forced them to produce only bell bottomed pants.

Sophie considered these great leaps in fashion, which was all that concerned her, and she left actual political activity to Wente, who was happy to indulge her. Sophie, in a misguided attempt to create “a more fashionably sensitive culture” promoted recreational drug use within all communities. It was obvious to everyone but Wente, who was clouded by love, that Sophie was a dangerously reckless woman.

Finally, in 1979, Sophie was accused and found guilty of multiple breaches of the Masquerade, including being a guest on a local tv program, Creature Feature, and telling the audience about being a vampire, even demonstrating Disciplines to convince them. Wente had no choice but to call a blood hunt on Sophie. Wente, himself, finally killed her. In the rage and remorse that followed, he declared that he wanted nothing to do with the Council and stepped down as Vice-Regent.

In the next six years, the Council elected eight different Regents and ten Vice-Regents. By 1984, all Kindred were calling for the return of Hunter and Wente. Hunter was determined not to return, but Wente reluctantly acceded to popular demand and returned as Vice-Regent.With Wente’s support, James Cotton, of Clan Brujah, became Regent. The next six years were to be known as “The Laissez Faire Years”.

Wente’s political reluctance combined with Cotton’s belief that the Council should play less of an active role in the night-to-night affair of local Kindred eroded the Council’s influence and much of the respect that Kindred had for it. Without the Council as an umbrella organization or meeting forum, Kindred became more isolated from one another and clans that had once worked together began to distrust each other. Throughout this growing paranoia, Hunter pushed Wente to take the Regency and return the Council to its former position.

Wente told Hunter that the Kindred neither wanted nor needed a strong Council. Hunter knew that Ellen was still mourning Sophie’s death and this clouded his opinions. The East Bay was resembling the petty baronies of Los Angeles rather than the productive democracy it had once been.

The Oakland Hills blaze of 1991 was an attempt by Cotton to destroy one of his rivals. The blaze was a dangerous folly as it not only caused far more damage than it intended, but it also jeopardized the peace with the Garou.

At the November 1991 Council meeting, Wickman and Wente forced Cotton out of office. Wente became Regent and a young Ventrue, Grace D’Ampton was elected Vice-Regent.

Wente feared another Sabbat attack, and the persistant rumor that such an attack was backed by the Camarilla greatly alarmed him. A statement had been made by the Prince of Sacramento that “We (Camarilla) would find the Sabbat a better enemy than the Kindred of the East Bay.”

For the next three years, Wente, over-riding D’Ampton’s opinion that he was being an alarmist, worked hard at pulling the Kindred back into the cohesive group that they had once been. With Hunter and Wickman as allies, Wente was able to make it work. Wente drew the domains of all Kindred and mapped out hunting grounds, while simultaneously taking a census. As of 1994, the Kindred population stood at sixty. Wente also created several emergency shelters for Kindred in the event of a Sabbat attack.

Other forces were at work just across the Bay. The war in San Jose was not the quick success that Maya Jackson had anticipated, so she introduced a pogrom to rid the South Bay of Anarchs. Many Kindred of the East Bay felt obligated to aid their bretheren to the South and they left their posts to fight in San Jose.

This was the chance the Sabbat had been waiting for and in late 1994, they attacked. However, this time the Kindred were ready and the Sabbat were beaten back, but not without taking their toll. Ten of Wente’s Kindred allies were destroyed. Wente was worried by the relative ease of his victory and he declared a state of emergency, recalling all Kindred from San Jose. Wente soon realized that the Sabbat attack had been a prelude to a more serious assault, and there was no way to tell when the that assault would happen.

In June of 1995, the real attack came, not just in the East Bay, but across the whole Bay Area. Over a hundred Sabbat warriors came to the Bay Area and Wente, desperately trying to match their numbers, called for all ghoul retainers to be Embraced. Deciding to sacrifice the eastern part of Contra Costa, Wente pulled his forces back and decided to make his stand in the Orinda hills, while asking San Jose and San Francisco for help.

Vannever, still Prince of San Francisco, send ten Kindred and their retainers, but they arrived only after the worst of the battle. Maya Jackson refused to send any help, stating that he needed all his resources to protect his southern border.

On Tuesday, June 17th, the Sabbat and the Kindred of the East Bay met. The battle defies description, as no-one survived the confrontation; no-one from the East Bay, at least. However, it did buy some time for the few East Bay Kindred who were not on the field that night.

The Kindred won time enough to evacuate central Contra Costa, and San Francisco was able to better organize its own defense. By Thursday, the death toll was startling, over fifty Kindred dead, and only two of the nine council members survived. Vannever almost lost his head but, surprisingly, the Sabbat avoided Jackson’s domain.

The criminal areas of Oakland fell under complete Sabbat control, and became known as The Badlands or Deadland, as any non-Sabbat Kindred entering those areas are never seen again.

One of the two surviving Council members, Grace D’Ampton, called all undead still extant to meet the following Saturday at a park in Pleasant Hill to determine their future.

This ends the history of the East Bay, and how the Kindred there decided they lived in the shadow of a devil. They took the name Diablo’s Children, and what happened after that is another story...

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