Florence After Dark

Ahrimanes

This fierce and independent all-female bloodline sprouted from the Sabbat Gangrel. A vampire called Muricia, exhausted from the infighting between the country and city factions of Gangrel Antitribu, abandoned her sire and ran south into the lands of the Native Americans. She studied the magic of the native shamans and found within it the ability to break her Blood Bound with her pack. The richness of the spiritual culture gave her many gifts, and she wanted to share them; thus she founded a bloodline of like-minded vampires. Today, only a handful of Ahrimanes exist. They all keep large estates in the Deep South as well as secret underground havens, and they keep out of Sabbat politics as much as possible. Though they live alone, they contact their pack sisters at least once a month.

Blood Brothers

Conceived and created in crumbling Old World castles and chantries by the newly vanished Tremere antitribu and a few twisted Tzimisce sorcerers, the Blood Brothers are an artificially engineered bloodline of shock troops and servitors. The Blood Brothers are the dubiously successful result of extensive experiments in blood bonding, intended to create a cell of servants that thought and acted as one.

To some degree, the Blood Brothers are a hive mind, sharing the same conscious thoughts and experiencing their surroundings vicariously through other members of their individual "chapters," known as circles. This link allows them to work effective apart from each other -- the bloodline excels at coordinated combat missions and espionage, provided no one realizes what they are (which, due to their rarity and the difficulty of their creation, is unlikely). They practice an unusual, disturbing Discipline that allows them to "loan" their limbs to one another, heal their compatriots and even capitalize on their shared minds.

Blood Brothers commonly form exclusive packs, in which they undergo Tzimisce fleshcrafting to make themselves look exactly alike -- the better to unsettle their foes. The bloodline is notorious for its lack of personal drive, which makes it members ideal servants; no master needs to fear the Blood Brothers' fangs at his throat. Unfortunately, the bloodline has very little creativity, and it usually lacks the ability to outmaneuver opponents or outthink them, which is a flaw common to any enforced conformity. This is not to say the Blood Brothers are dull-witted or slow; rather, they do not possess much self-awareness.

Few outside the Sabbat have come in contact with the Blood Brothers, and fewer still have escaped to tell about it. Indeed, not many Sabbat have dealt with the Frankensteins, or even know about them. Blood Brothers have become increasingly uncommon in the modern nights, mostly due to the fact that the Tremere antitribu no longer exist to create new ones while the existing Blood Brothers have typical Sabbat rates of Final Death. Blood Brothers cannot Embrace (a fail-safe put in place by cleaver experimenters who had no desire to repeat the Gargoyle fiasco), yet they are vampires in every other respect, including the ability to create ghouls.

Brujah Antitribu

During the Anarch Revolt, the young majority of Clan Brujah was the first and most vocal to rally the cause. The elders of the clan, after passing interest in the challenge to the other elders' status quo, judged the anarchs to be in error. After much debate and posturing, the elders and loyal childer of Clan Brujah turned their backs on the "daft and dangerous" vampires who called themselves anarchs. As a result, the Brujah anarchs, who almost unanimously refuses to bow to the Convention of Thorns, bear a tremendous grievance against the parent clan and support the Sabbat with fervor. Unlike the Camarilla Brujah, Sabbat Brujah often feel very strongly for their sect -- while Camarilla Brujah bemoan their apathetic elders and spend their nights fighting in the parking lots of punk rock nightclubs, the Brujah antitribu have taken the Great Jyhad to the elders and Antediluvians themselves.

Of all the clans of the Sabbat, the Brujah antitribu are probably the most like their parent clan, with a few striking differences. The clan not only supports its sect with enthusiasm, it takes an active part in the nightly conquest and Jyhad that has made the recent Sabbat war effort so successful. Although still waters may run deep, the sanguinary turbulence among the Brujah antitribu does not indicate lack of intellect or profundity on their part.

Brujah antitribu make brutal shock troops and effective foot-soldiers for the Sabbat, and they find their greatest comfort in this role. Ruthless and vicious to the last, the Brujah antitribu enjoy their martial roles. As the Damned, they reason, why not indulge in a little violence and sadism to pass the innumerable nights? Fewer dissidents find their place among the Sabbat Brujah than in the ranks of the Camarilla, but that seems to be because the Brujah antitribu have better luck -- or skill -- choosing childer who are not so arbitrarily contrary.

The Sabbat Brujah are likely the most numerous non-Lasombra or Tzimisce members of the Sabbat, due to the fact that the clan is the least disposed to seeing the big picture. They take what they want when they want it, whether it is new childer, desirable vessels, shares of their cities vice trade or the money in your pocket, and woe be to whomever would stand in their way. Other Sabbat frequently consider the Brujah antitribu base and classless, while the clan sees itself as the closest in ideology to the Sabbat's original intent -- freedom.

Of late, many Brujah antitribu have grown frustrated with the antiquated leadership of the Lasombra and Tzimisce, and they have plotted their own spectacular plans and won their own victories. Most members of this clan find places among the Loyalist faction, and some few manage to transcend their atavistic urges to become productive members of the Black Hand or Inquisition. Indeed, the Brujah antitribu seem to be on the cusp of something momentous, and only time will tell what their nights hold in store.

Gangrel Antitribu

Feral and untamed, the Gangrel antitribu show an animalistic face to the Sabbat. Having grown apart from the Gypsy heritage of the mainstream Gangrel, the Sabbat Gangrel have returned to their bestial sides, becoming deadly hunters whose skill in the pursuit of prey is unmatched. The clan includes subtle slayers and savage berserkers alike, and the skill with which the Gangrel take on their foes lends a powerful strength to the sect. Gangrel antitribu are not sadistic bullies like the Brujah or mindless automatons like the Blood Brothers, however. Rather, they are instinctive, predatory creatures, enjoying the thrill of the hunt almost as much as the heady rush of feeding.

The Sabbat Gangrel have seen a recent influx of defectors from the Camarilla in recent nights, though few of these vampires seem to want to share the reasoning behind the exodus. Many whisper of "sleeping horrors" awakened, and the fact that the Sabbat has been "right all along." The sect as a whole seems frustrated by this turn of events and apparent reluctance of the defectors to speak about their motives, but whatever it is that scares these urban predators, it must be of epic scale.

Gangrel antitribu divide themselves into two sub-clans, based on the deviation of clan blood thought to have occurred in the late 18th century. The "original" Gangrel, known in the Sabbat as Country Gangrel, are similar to their erstwhile Camarilla counterparts, shunning society and eking out unlives as lone hunters. They resemble the monstrous vampires of mortal legend, possessing the abilities to assume animal forms and call on nature's lesser creatures. The Country Gangrel suppose the Sabbat as scouts and warriors, using their animal contacts to retrieve information and their martial prowess to rend foes to bits.

City Gangrel are rumored to have become a distinctive bloodline during the time of the Industrial Revolution, when cities became larger and less dependent on the resources of the countryside. Rather than forage for themselves in the hinterlands, a certain few Gangrel made havens for themselves in the cities, becoming monsters of urban legend and spreading terror in the wake of their feeding binges. No less animalistic than their Country Gangrel siblings, City Gangrel hide among the refuse and alleys of the city rather than the Lupine-infested copses other Gangrel prefer.

More so than other Gangrel, however, Gangrel of the Sabbat realize the importance of watching each other's backs during these tumultuous nights before Gehenna. The cities and outlands alike harbor many dangers, and a pack stands a better chance of dealing with them than an individual does. In this way, the Sabbat Gangrel consider themselves more in touch with their animalistic sides than Camarilla or independent Gangrel by emulating the wolves and lions of the wilds.

Harbingers of Skulls

A recent addition to the Sabbat, the bloodline calling itself the Harbingers of Skulls claims a history of treachery, for which it seeks to exact a hellish vengeance. Members of the bloodline are quite powerful without exception, and they claim to have returned from their banishment to the realms of the dead. Long ago, they whisper, a rogue society of sorcerers hunted them for their blood, stealing immortality to further their own arcane lusts for power.

Few Sabbat believe this fairy tale of ancient injustice in these modern nights, but the Harbingers are afforded a wide berth nonetheless, given the immense potency of their magics and their discomforting eccentricity. The Harbingers of Skulls are necromancers on par with (and some say exceeding) the dreaded Giovanni, surrounding themselves with miasmas of death, murder and mortification, all toward the end of righting their legendary wrong. It would seem, however, that for all their polemics, something rots below the surface they present. Like the corpses they themselves resemble, something eats away at them from within.

The Harbingers of Skulls have been members for the Sabbat for only a few years, and few of the youngest members of the sect have ever heard of them, let alone seen one. Apparently, one of their number came forth with a proposition to the cardinals, prisci and regent, who conferred and welcomed the Harbingers to the Sword of Caine. Since then, the Harbingers of Skulls have amassed unheard-of-power in the sect (given their small number, which is estimated in the low hundreds). The Black Hand, the Inquisition and even the ranks of prisci now claim members of the Harbingers among them. Scions of the Sabbat appear to reap great benefits from the Harbingers' death magic, maintaining contact with fallen allies or tormenting enemies from beyond the wall of Final Death. Indeed, the Harbingers seem more than willing to offer aid to the Sabbat compatriots -- in exchange for favors to be determined later.

Cursed by Caine's blood with the countenances of corpses, the Harbingers often flat the tattered, grave-tainted flesh from their heads, leaving them with grinning rictus of their namesake. Masks and ceremony play an important part in the bloodline's culture, and elders among these Cainites maintain vast collections of ritual masks and implements that they wear and use in their necromantic rites. It has been rumored that the vitae in their veins is ancient and quite potent, and perhaps their claims of grandiose history are not far from the mark. Whatever the case, the Harbingers of Skulls simply ignore inconvenient lines of questioning, preferring instead to spend their hours amid the tombstones of cemeteries or in deep contemplation of the powers of the dead.

Kaiysd

The origins of the strange Kiasyd bloodline have been lost to the passage of centuries, but their affection for pomp and their curious powers lead some Cainites to suspect that their roots lie with the Lasombra. The most pervasive theory attributes their creation to unholy experimentation with the blood of the Wild Ones and forbidden deals made with demons. Whatever the truth, the result is one of the strangest consanguinities of vampires in the World of Darkness.

The Kiasyd are scholars and keepers of secrets. They tend to be observers rather than taking an active part in acts such as War Parties. Kiasyd don't like to take physical actions against an opponent, preferring to spar with wits and words instead. They jealousy guard their knowledge and their private collections. While a Kiasyd's home is always open to visiting members of the bloodline, all Kiasyd are viciously territorial, and most cities house one member of the bloodline, at most. Weirdlings don't like to compete with each other for knowledge. If one encounters two Kiasyd together, it is likely an elder with her childe, who may study with the elders for upward of 50 years. Eventually, however, the time will come when the childe will seek his own haven, almost always in a different community.

The Kiasyd are well known for being very calm and studious. Their raison d'être centers around their collections of scrolls, books, spells and vampiric lore piled high on their library shelves. Their unusual stature and unquenchable thirst for knowledge make for very high-stacked shelves indeed.

As to the Kiasyd's membership in the Sabbat, the theories again involve Lasombra influence. Whether the Keepers have struck a bargain with the Kiasyd, trading secrets for protection, or whether their relationship is a more sinister brand of master and servant, few can say. Their inquisitive natures hide devious, twisted personalities, warped by massive amounts of forbidden lore and probably the far blood that contributed to their initial creation. In fact, some Kiasyd are rumored to be addicted to the blood of the changelings, drawing sustenance only from its magical nourishment rather than the pale, tepid taste of mortal blood. Other Kiasyd are suspect of even more perverse tastes, feeding only while violating their vessels in impotent parodies of sexual ravishment or stealing children away under the light of the full moon to eat their flesh in their own libraries. In the end, all that is truly known of them is that they are enigmas, suffered only for their knowledge.

Lasombra

The Lasombra clan has fallen from grace -- and its members enjoy it. Simultaneously graceful and predatory, the Lasombra guide -- and, when necessary, whip -- the Sabbat into an implacable force. Turning their backs upon the humans they once were, Lasombra give themselves wholly over to the dark majesty of the Embrace. Murder, frenzy, predation: Why fear these things, many Lasombra ask, if one is meant to be a vampire? In contrast to the Tzimisce, though, Lasombra generally seek not to reject all things mortal, but to shape them for their own pleasure.

The Lasombra have been involved with the Church since its inception, and some Kindred whisper that the clan was instrumental in the spread of the Christian faith. In modern nights, however, Lasombra have turned their backs on that divine institution. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part, Clan Lasombra bears only contempt for the notion of salvation. In fact, the Lasombra brought many of the Church's rites and rituals into the Sabbat sect, twisting them into mockeries of Christian doctrine. The Lasombra ordained many of the sect's auctoritas and ignoblis ritae, so that the vampires of the Sabbat might never forget who and what they are.

Lasombra are best known for their Discipline of Obtenebration, a means by which they call forth a tangible "living" darkness, manipulating it at their whim. Clan doctrine holds that this "darkness" is in fact the stuff of the vampiric soul, which has been simultaneously strengthened and corrupted by the Embrace. Through the Curse of Caine, some Lasombra believe, God has cast them out, and thus it is their duty to build a new order on Earth via the Sabbat. More scientific Lasombra scoff at this superstition, but even they tend to believe that, as vampire, they represent a new and more advanced breed of sentience, one unconcerned with petty human notions of ethics. Let the milksops of Clan Ventrue burn in the solar fires of martyrdom; the Lasombra are happy with what they are.

Naturally, the villainous outlook is not universal among the clan, but many newly Embraced Sabbat Lasombra take great glee in the wanton destruction and vulgar depravity that such a philosophy allows. In striking contrast, some elder Lasombra maintain their ties with the Church, though even they seem to consider themselves "tools of the Devil." The two groups do see eye to eye on one matter: Members of Clan Lasombra, as consummate manipulators themselves, adamantly refuse to submit to the antiquated whims of the Antediluvians. They fight the Jyhad proudly, but unlike many Kindred, they firmly believe they can win.

The typical Lasombra possesses a gift for manipulation, as well as keen leadership skills. Lasombra are the most common leaders of Sabbat packs, as their motivational and Machiavellian natures make them ideal for orchestrating the movements of the sect. Unfortunately, pride goes hand in hand with this dark nobility, and very few Lasombra acknowledge other vampires as equal, let alone superior.

Malkavian Antitribu

Cainites are humankind's base nature made flesh, and the Sabbat are Kindred who accept their nature and revel in the power of the Beast. The Malkavian antitribu, then, are the Beast unrestrained. While Camarilla Malkavians may instruct or illustrate an idea using their madness, the antitribu seem more concerned with spreading madness, much like a disease. If a Malkavian is crazy like a fox, their antitribu are rabid foxes.

The Malkavian antitribu wield their dementia like double-edged swords. To the antitribu, insanity is a weapon, albeit one that hopelessly distorts them. Mastery of its use may take decades, or even centuries. At once completely independent, yet strangely joined to other Freaks by an inscrutable group consciousness, a member of this clan is not easily forgotten -- no matter how badly one may wish it so. Malkavian antitribu are skilled at psychological abuse. By combining forceful words with subtlety, and the use of trust violated by moments of sheer terror, the Freaks can pry information from the most stoic victim or mortify even the staunchest of captives. It is for this reason the Sabbat hasn't destroyed the clan outright; it's too useful. From the most distinguished archbishop to the lowest ductus, vampires who have dealt with the Malkavian antitribu know that they are holding a weapon that may fully intend to annihilate its wielder.

Like other Malkavians, the Malkavian antitribu suffer the permanent mark of madness, though few know that they are incurably insane, and many outlets for their "philosophy" exist in the Sabbat. They seem to have the lest fear of Final Death of any Cainites, both inside and outside the Sabbat. They make fine soldiers or officers in times of war as well, for they believe that it doesn't really matter who fights the battles, as long as chaos comes out of order, and the cycle of chaos continues.

For a time the Sabbat were unsure of how to deal with the Malkavians in their midst. The Freaks could follow rules when it served their purposes, but for the most part, they were uncontrollable. Some Sabbat packs kept their Malkavian members locked away, bound in basements and crypts until the sect needed to loose the psychotics on their enemies.

According to popular rumor, it was this lack of respect for their unique insights that promoted the great Malkavian "disease." Starting in the depths of a thought-starved delirium, the seeds of mass psychosis started to form. Maybe it was an attempt by the Malkavian antitribu to show the clans that they would not be so easily manipulated. Maybe it was just a neat thing to try at the time. Whatever the case, one thing is certain -- the parent clan outside the Sabbat has become "infected." What this means, none outside the Malkavian antitribu know, but its possible repercussions set even the stalwart Lasombra on edge. Even this minuscule bit of knowledge comes only from consistent corroboration on the part of worried Cainites.

The Malkavian antitribu display a keenly vicious edge to their insanity. Rumors abound of Sabbat packs' seers who divine a War Part's success by reading entrails ripped from a still-living human and of blood-maddened prophets who presage the coming of Gehenna in this, the Time of Thin Blood. The most dangerous of all -- the serial killers, suicide cultists and the like -- may be "bred" for special missions into fast-held Camarilla territory, sent to spread the madness with which they are burdened, to pave the way for the Great Jyhad.

Nosferatu Antitribu

Cainite historians suspect that the Nosferatu antitribu joined the Sabbat not out of resentment for their elders, but out of something more malevolent underneath the clan's pustulant facade. Indeed, the Nosferatu antitribu seem to be on at least civil terms with their Camarilla counterparts, but their apparent cohesion may simply be due to the fact that they are beyond such things as petty allegiances and concentrate instead of the force that threatens their clan nightly. Of course, the Nosferatu and their antitribu are silently when asked about it, which inclines vampires to believe that this matter is theirs alone.

Like Camarilla Nosferatu, the Nosferatu antitribu are hideously deformed, damned to an eternal unlife of hiding from or (given their Sabbat tendencies) tormenting mortals. The Creeps make their havens in vast nests of sewers underneath their cities, forming clutches and broods that horrify those who come down to meet with them. Some Nosferatu antitribu ever revel in their monstrous ugliness, going out of their way to disgust Cainite and kine alike. In this sense, the Sabbat has greatly influenced the Nosferatu antitribu; they have given up on all that is human and accepted their damnation with stoic resolve.

Ironically, or perhaps because of their disfigurements, the Nosferatu antitribu are perhaps the most humane (if not human) of the Sabbat clans. Having transcended the need for ostentatious brutality, the Creeps have come to grips with their monstrousness. They do not caper in blood or senselessly slaughter mobs of kine; rather, a Nosferatu antitribu's every move is one of calculated precision, designed to get the exact response she seeks, whether that be respect, fear or understanding. Many young Sabbat consider the Nosferatu antitribu soft -- until they step into the sewers and see the true malice of the Creeps' black souls.

As the Nosferatu have since time out of mind, the Sabbat Nosferatu have traffic in the trade of information. Creeps cultivate vast networks of information and secrets while permitting little of their own dirty laundry to air publicly. Many Sabbat turn to the Nosferatu antitribu when seeking information of the common variety (as the clan is not known for too much dabbling in the occult), such as who dueled whom for their position and which of the traveling Templars is actually an Inquisitor. "The Creeps know everything," or so goes the sentiment, and the Nosferatu antitribu don't dispute this supposition, fading into darkness and conversing with their vermin spies.

More than any other clan, the Nosferatu antitribu fear their Antediluvian (whereas other clans may be said to despise their progenitors). To hear a Creep speak, fear is the most sensible emotion when dealing with the Ancients, and only the Nosferatu antitribu have enough awareness to realize this. In the grim legends of the clan, the Antediluvian, disgusted by his childer and scorned by Caine, turned loose a great evil on the clan, to absolve them of their heinousness. If this is true, all vampires everywhere should feel a tinge of fear, as whatever it is that hunts these hunters must surely be terrible indeed.

Pander

Although not truly a clan in the strictest sense of the word (as they have no progenitor from the Third Generation), the Panders have made much of the Sabbat's egalitarian society, carving a niche of respectability for themselves in spite of their bastard pedigree. Like the Caitiff -- which, for all practical purposes, they are -- the Panders have no formal, recognized lineage. Any vampire who joins the Sabbat and doesn't know what clan she is becomes a Pander, as do those childer Embraced by established Panders. The group consists of a wide variety of Cainites, most of whom are young and untested. It should be noted, however, that Panders are True Sabbat, not just a dumping ground for rejected or unproved vampires of other clans.

The Panders arose in the aftermath of the most recent Sabbat civil war, during the late 1950's. A clanless vampire known as Joseph Pander united the clanless Sabbat under his own banner and led them against the Moderate faction at the behest of several key Lasombra and Tzimisce. Impressed with his efforts, the elders of the Sabbat rewarded the sect-loyal Panders with a formal recognition, which immediately touched off a powder keg of ill response from more "legitimate" clans. In the end, though, the Panders won out, earning recognition time and again, through bloodshed and diplomacy. Joseph Pander still exists in the modern nights, but rumors of assassination attempts spurred by disapproving elders run rampant through the Mutts' circles.

Of course, the Panders are loose cannons and X-factors, the "rebels of a rebellious sect." Lasombra in the modern nights consider them threats to security, worrying that their lack of cohesion or millennia of tradition might make them unpredictable. The Panders understand their own position, though, and they accept their cannon-fodder role with resolve. Indeed, at any Sabbat Siege, the front line is most often composed of Panders out to prove themselves. As cunning as any Lasombra and as brutal as any Brujah antitribu, the Panders do what needs to be done for the good of the sect.

Panders lack the sophistication and the years of formalization held by other clans; they truly are a motley bunch of rogues and thugs. Unlike some of the other clans, however, they have the Sabbat at heart, and their terrible escapades are often fronts for conquest "For the good of the Sword of Caine!" With the sect's good-faith gesture in recognizing the Panders, it has earned an ally for the entirety of its existence, but the Panders are still the low Cainites on the totem pole. The Mutts almost invariably draw the worst duties, the most dangerous missions and the riskiest of ritae, all because they're still the newest and least established. Those Panders who are aware enough, accept this "honor" as a badge of courage, while the dimmer ones simply do what they're told in hopes of getting to feed first from the pack's kills. It is this reason -- this devout and reckless drive to get the job done -- that had paid off for the Panders, and they have grown in number and power because of it.

Salubri Antitribu

The tumultuous approach of Gehenna has wrought many strange events in the modern nights, not the least of which is the introduction of the Salubri to the Sabbat. While the mainstream Salubri suffer reputations as soul-stealers and diablerists, the Salubri antitribu have put the nigh-incomprehensible practices of their bloodline behind them. With a rage borne of centuries of persecution, the Salubri antitribu have developed a consuming hatred for the Camarilla and joined forces with the Sabbat to bring about its destruction.

The Salubri antitribu have existed among the Sabbat for a mere handful of nights, and probably little before that. During this time, however, they have made names for themselves as vicious opponents of the Camarilla, whom they blame for the destruction of some powerful vampire somewhere back in their lineage, whose name has been forgotten in the modern nights. They have little love for the philosophy of the Sabbat, choosing to ally themselves with the sect out of martial necessity rather than subscription to the grand scheme. The Sabbat will take any soldiers they can get, however, and the Salubri antitribu know how strongly the Sabbat despises the Camarilla.

The Sabbat Salubri have made bold claims as to their effectiveness, saying that they have destroyed the cabal of sorcerers who brought about their bloodline hero's demise.  They profess to have taken the war to the Camarilla, which they claim has hunted and persecuted them for close to a millennium. Spurred on by vengeance, Salubri antitribu have little time to pursue the rumors of Golconda put forth by the cowards of the bloodline from which they split. Indeed, the non-Sabbat Salubri supposedly give themselves up when they Embrace a new childe, sacrificing themselves so that the Childe may have every advantage she can get. This "sacrificial lamp" metaphor offers little to the Salubri antitribu, who reason that the flawed shall fall in battle while the strong uphold the clan's private Jyhad.

The Salubri antitribu serve the Sabbat as reluctant warriors, easily distracted by their own internal quests. The rest of the Sabbat considers them anomalies, useful allies in times of war, but intolerable proselytizers when not in combat. To the Sabbat Salubri, this is fine -- unlife is a hell of endless torment, ameliorated only by glorious death or victory in battle.

Toreador Antitribu

The Toreador antitribu were instrumental in the formation of the Sabbat, and much of what came out of the Convention of Thorns did so under the direction of the Toreador anarchs who would later guide the sect. With the organizational efforts of the Lasombra and Tzimisce, and a few Ventrue antitribu, the Toreador created much of the sect's structure, as well as codifying many of the sects beliefs. Indeed, the early, anarchic nights of the sect may have been its destruction, "if not for the masterful misdirection of our esteemed artistes."

In the modern nights, the Toreador antitribu have similar interests as their Camarilla siblings, only their appreciation for the aesthetic has grown to include pain, savagery, cruelty and depravity. How is a rose, sonnet or portrait any more enrapturing than a masterfully executed flaying, reason the Toreador antitribu? What is beauty, if not subjective?

The Perverts' talent for torture rivals even the Tzimisce in pain and duration. Young clan members begin on human subjects, while their elders graduate to other subjects. Some of the more practiced members have actually gotten their art introduced into Camarilla salons and Elysia, where they have garnered much Cainite support, to the dismay of the vampires whose bastions have been violated. In the 1980s, an anonymous artist showed "Woman's Submission at the Hands of Man" through the medium of a dress made of raw meat. This exhibit toured several Camarilla-held national galleries and made headlines in every city it visited. No one ever questioned the type of meat used, nor the method of creating the sculpture.

Tattoos, scarification and body piercing among the Toreador antitribu provide another opportunity as well -- one to which very few members inside the Sabbat (and none outside) are privy. The artists have created their own language of symbols and codes, which they use to pass information to each other for their own benefit and the benefit of the pack. A certain lattice of keloids or a particular stone in a nose-stud can provide vital information to those members who can read the hidden message. Tattoos and piercings heal over and force themselves out of vampire bodies unless they existed before the embrace: Toreador antitribu can send a different message each night, relishing the exquisite pain of the process every time they do so.

Of all the Sabbat clans, the Toreador antitribu interact most frequently with mortals. They move in the most glamorous mortal circles, plying their trade in the art and society, feeding as they will from the rich and indolent. Like the Toreador of the Camarilla, the Sabbat Toreador are lethal social butterflies, moving visibly yet mysteriously through mortal circles. Little do their sycophants and admirers know that behind every invitation, innuendo and expression lies the horror of the Sabbat.
Tremere Antitribu

The Tremere antitribu grew from a small group of Tremere that managed to break their clan ties for the freedom of the Sabbat in the 1700s. During this period, revolution shook the colonies, and vampires of the New World were in the middle of the action. The Camarillas power slipped during this period and the defecting Tremere believed their sect would fall before the Sabbat. For their own safety, these Tremere turned traitor and defected to the Sabbat. They provided clan secrets and Thaumaturgic knowledge to the Sabbat.

The Camarilla Tremere made every effort to hunt down these traitors, but many managed to find safety in the Sabbat despite Tzimisce opposition. The Tremere has since developed a curse on these rogue Tremere that allows them to be instantly recognized as traitors. The curse takes the form of a special symbol appearing upon the forehead of the Tremere antitribu; only the Camarilla Tremere can see this mark.

The Tremere antitribu is the smallest clan within the Sabbat. Since the Camarilla Tremere are such bitter foes of the Sabbat, the Tremere antitribu is the clan with the most to prove. However, the Sabbat leaders recognize the importance of having wizards on their side. The Tremere antitribu are given a status unlike the members of other clans. They are respected and trusted, but they are resigned to achieving only the lower positions of leadership. The Sabbat Tremere recognize the prejudice and accept it. However, they are in no way inferior to other members. While they are barred from leadership roles, they are often key forces behind the scenes, much like their Camarilla counterparts. However, the Tremere antitribu loathe the Tremere and often manipulate other Sabbat in their fight against these despised siblings.

   
  The clan values Thaumaturgic development at least as much as the Tremere but, while much of their magic is unique, they are more limited in diversity than the Tremere. Tremere antitribu are much more likely to share their magical studies with each other for the good of their clan and the Sabbat as a whole, but the price they charge is for their own benefit. If a Tremere is captured by a Sabbat Tremere, the Camarilla vampire may be set free in exchange for secrets of the Thaumaturgic arts. The Sabbat Tremere often serve as agents and viziers to Sabbat leaders, since the clan possesses a certain amount of knowledge concerning its counterparts. In most siege efforts, the Tremere antitribu are used to dealing with the Camarilla warlocks. There are no wandering members of the Tremere antitribu. All the vampires of this clan are members of founded covens. Their unlives are often filled with magical study, leaving little time for hell-raising.

Tzimsce

If Clan Lasombra is the heart of the Sabbat, Clan Tzimisce is the soul. Even other vampires grow uneasy around these eerie Kindred, and the clan's nickname of "Fiends" was given to it in nights past by horrified Kindred of other lines. The Tzimisce's signature Discipline of Vicissitude is the subject of particular dread; tales speak of crippling disfigurements inflicted on a whim, of ghastly "experiments" and tortures refined beyond human -- or vampiric -- comprehension or endurance.

This fearsome reputation often seems unwarranted at first. Many Tzimisce are reserved and perspicacious beings, a far cry from the howling war packs that compose much of the Sabbat. Most Tzimisce appear to be rational creatures, formidably intelligent, possessed of an inquisitive and scientific bent, and unstintingly gracious to guests.

Kindred who treat with the Tzimisce, though, realize that the Fiends' human traits are the merest veneer over something...else. For millennia the Fiends have explored and refined their understanding of the vampiric condition, bending their bodies and thoughts into new and alien patterns. Should it prove necessary, enlightening or simply enjoyable, Tzimisce do not hesitate to bend victims in similar fashion. While younger Fiends might be described as merciless or sadistic, elders of the line simply fail to comprehend mercy or suffering -- or perhaps they do comprehend, but no longer consider the emotions relevant.

In nights past, the Tzimisce was among the most powerful clans in the world, dominating much of the region now known as Eastern Europe. Potent sorcerers, the Fiends dominated the region's mortals as well, in the process inspiring many of the horror stories about vampires. Clan after clan conspired to uproot the Tzimisce, but it was the sorcerous Tremere who finally succeeded. Indeed, as some tell the tale, the Tremere used captured Tzimisce vitae in their experiments to become immortal. For this, the Tzimisce hate the Tremere unrelentingly, and the Tremere who fall into the Sabbat's clutches typically suffer a hideous end at the talons of the Fiends.

During the Great Anarch Revolt, the Tzimisce clan turned on itself, as younger members of the clan discovered the mystic means of breaking the blood bonds ensnaring them in the service of their elders. In the ensuing struggle, the younger Fiends destroyed many of their elders and demolished what was left of their power bases. Certain Sabbat whisper that the clan managed to find and destroy its own Antediluvian progenitor, though the Fiends will neither confirm nor deny this tale.

Now the Tzimisce serve the Sabbat as scholars, advisors and priests. Many of the sect's practices originated in the customs of the clan. By exploring the possibilities and limits of vampirism, the clan hopes to discover the greater purpose of the Kindred as a whole. If this means the wholesale destruction of the archaic Antediluvians, the razing of the Camarilla, and the vivisection of millions of kine victims, well, all experiments have their consequences.

Ventrue Antitribu

Long ago, before the Sabbat and Camarilla existed, before the Anarch Revolt and before the Lasombra slew their Ancient and drank his precious vitae, the Ventrue were knights and lords, masters of their manors. After the powder keg of the Anarch Revolt and Tyler's bold attack of the Hardestadt the Elder came the Renaissance, and the Ventrue changed with the times. Driven by greed and power-lust, the Ventrue shifted track. Rather than maintain their noble status, they pursued greater interests in the merchant class. Leaving behind the duty of nobility and the divine right of kings, the Ventrue surrounded themselves with excess and filthy lucre.

So believe the Ventrue antitribu. The few Ventrue anarchs who had originally opposed their elders' iron-fisted rule had grown frustrated with the static reins of power held by the aged Blue Bloods. As mortal currents changed, these elder powers still clenched tightly to their empires, forever preventing younger and more able Ventrue from taking their rightful places. By selling themselves, the Ventrue had given up the true nobility. For the Ventrue anarchs, their leaders had failed, tempted by material wealth and corrupted by power. In proclaiming themselves antitribu, the Ventrue who joined the Sabbat carved for themselves a unique niche that occupies their valorous hearts to this very night.

The Ventrue antitribu practice chivalrous noblesse oblige. They are grim knights and paladins, sworn to combat the Antediluvians and bring down the degenerate Camarilla. Althought their aims may seem noble in comparison to the hellish violence of the Sabbat, they support the Sword of Caine to the bitter end. The Ventrue know, as their preserved medieval chronicles attest, that Gehenna lurks just around the corner. In these final nights of chaos and Thin Blood, the only way to avert the impending Armageddon is to pull it out by the roots. Cainites and kine alike serve the Antediluvians unknowingly, and only those with the drive to fight their secret masters shall survive past the rain of fire and blood. The Ventrue antitribu see their Camarilla counterparts as failures, and they have assumed the roles of the race of Cainites' saviors to atone for this. They believe mortals to be ignorant cattle, sufficient only for food and service to their terrible lords. The world will become a hell, surely, but Cainites, as tools of God's vengeance and the Devil's will, are fit to be rulers of the Children of Seth. To accept anything else is to take the path of the disgraced Ventrue of the Camarilla, and the Sabbat Ventrue are not willing to accept that failure.