Post by Diocles on Sept 25, 2021 9:29:10 GMT
Mortal
The Year is 1197, and Alexius III Angelus sits on the Imperial Throne of Constantinople after having blinded and deposed his brother, Isaac II. Isaac's son has fled to Europe, and rumors have reached Constantinople that he is drumming up support for a return to his city, where he might claim his rightful crown. There's talk in Europe of a Fourth Crusade to Egypt, but if the exiled prince can convince the greedy Venetians, and if he can get the Church on his side, many fear the Fourth Crusade will come first to Constantinople. And that would be disastrous.
Constantinople is a city on the brink of collapse, a sprawling, ancient city inhabited by the native Byzantine Greeks and Armenians who now have to share their beloved home with the newcomer Latins, Italian merchants who control not only the Latin Quarter (about half the inner city) but also the navy. Opulence beyond hubris stands next door to unimaginable filth and squalor, and everywhere the city boils with discontent.
Immortal
Long ago, even before Rome fell, three ancient and powerful Cainites, all dear friends, came to Byzantium and claimed it for their own, ousting the Kindred who were already there. These three friends were Michael, Antonius, and the Dracon, and they were all united in a vision of a heaven on earth, a new Eden. At the heart of this idea was and still is Michael's Dream. He is the central player in this, and Antonius and the Dracon lent their talents to helping make the Dream a reality. In order to secure stability, the three friends made their Families, calling it the Trinity. They elevated their idea of the Families above that of mere Clan, and so Michael's Toreador were not merely Toreador but Michaelite Toreador, Antonius' Ventrue became the Antonian Ventrue, and the Dracon's Tzimisce became the Obertus Tzimisce. Through charters, they granted scion status to certain Clans who allied themselves to the Trinity. Those Families are discussed in more detail in other threads here.
The Crisis
The city of Constantinople teeters on the edge of destruction. A great maelstrom threatens to devour it whole, throwing it and the Dream into ruin. As far as the kine know, the city and the empire are in the hands of Alexius III Angelus. Alexius, the worst example of the Angelus dynasty to hold the throne since 1185, locks himself away in the imperial palace at Blachernae and hoards concubines and riches, caring nothing for his empire.
The Italian trading cities, sensing the emperor's weakness, busy themselves with acquiring greater economic and political power. They have recently been granted complete control over the imperial navy. Loyal subjects recognize the collapse of their beloved home and either sink into depression or lash out in anger. Incidents of vandalism and violence are on the rise, and Latins in particular have learned that it is no longer safe to wander Byzantine streets without guards--be it day or night.
Among the Cainites, the situation is, if anything, worse. No leader seems ready to rise to the challenge of these trying times. Michael the Patriarch is rumored to be completely lost to his delusions of divinity, and almost all of his Toreador seem to have followed him into madness. The Ventrue, historically those who guide the city out of political turmoil, are equally without direction. The Antonian Ventrue leader, Caius, is paralyzed by his own secrets desires and is seemingly unable to assert himself over the rival factions in his family. Without his leadership, each Ventrue struggles to gain advantage over the others, and so the family grows further entangled in intrigue and secrecy. Even the Tzimisce, long united in their pursuit of mystical knowledge and spiritual enlightenment, are divided. A rift has formed between the brother Gesu and Symeon, and many are whispering that their bond is forever broken. Gesu betrayed Symeon somehow.
Constantinople's Cainites can ill afford a collapse of their leadership, threatened as they are by enemies on all fronts. Since the Eighth Council, the Latin Quarter along the Golden Horn has formed an independent enclave in the city. From there the Venetian Bishop Alfonzo works night after night to strip his hosts of the economic and political resources they need to maintain their Dream, while his sire, Narses, from his haven in Venice, watches approvingly.
Deeper in the cramped streets of the Latin Quarter, other enemies breed. The most dangerous are the elusive Chosen of Calomena. These mad cultists call for the destruction of all Cainites and have found willing followers among the mortals of the city and the most hopeless of vampires. Formerly limited to the Latin Quarter, the Chosen are reported to exist across the city. More subtle still, the shrouded hand of those ancient vampires from Old Rome who are envious of Constantinople's glory grips the city's throat. Acting through hidden agents at the heart of the most powerful families, these ancient lords of Rome work to destroy Byzantium for the crime of surpassing their achievements.
Twenty years of peace and plenty have left Constantinople in a position of wealth and power, an island of serenity amidst a boiling sea of unrest. The Turks, though they have not made an assay of the City of Gold itself, have been gathering like a thundercloud on the horizon.
In 1212, Alcibiades of Athens, Muse of Painting, Embraced Andreas, the supposed son of Michael IV, when he “died of fever”.
The Carrion of the Latin Quarter were overwhelmingly the victims of the fires in 1197 and 1203. It was in the spring of 1197 that the Setite temple connected to the Silk Road was destroyed by witch hunters, who started the fire that burned down both buildings.
From that night in 1197, no new Setites have entered the City of Gold.
There is still an appreciable Latin presence in the “Latin Quarter”, but the Carrion are gone.
Now, in the spring of 1217, there are rumors of upheavals, of fundamental changes in Cainite society, but no one can feel concerned, not while the Triumvirate rule. But the Blachernae Palace, where Michael IV has dwelt for the past twenty years, is being overhauled…
The Year is 1197, and Alexius III Angelus sits on the Imperial Throne of Constantinople after having blinded and deposed his brother, Isaac II. Isaac's son has fled to Europe, and rumors have reached Constantinople that he is drumming up support for a return to his city, where he might claim his rightful crown. There's talk in Europe of a Fourth Crusade to Egypt, but if the exiled prince can convince the greedy Venetians, and if he can get the Church on his side, many fear the Fourth Crusade will come first to Constantinople. And that would be disastrous.
Constantinople is a city on the brink of collapse, a sprawling, ancient city inhabited by the native Byzantine Greeks and Armenians who now have to share their beloved home with the newcomer Latins, Italian merchants who control not only the Latin Quarter (about half the inner city) but also the navy. Opulence beyond hubris stands next door to unimaginable filth and squalor, and everywhere the city boils with discontent.
Immortal
Long ago, even before Rome fell, three ancient and powerful Cainites, all dear friends, came to Byzantium and claimed it for their own, ousting the Kindred who were already there. These three friends were Michael, Antonius, and the Dracon, and they were all united in a vision of a heaven on earth, a new Eden. At the heart of this idea was and still is Michael's Dream. He is the central player in this, and Antonius and the Dracon lent their talents to helping make the Dream a reality. In order to secure stability, the three friends made their Families, calling it the Trinity. They elevated their idea of the Families above that of mere Clan, and so Michael's Toreador were not merely Toreador but Michaelite Toreador, Antonius' Ventrue became the Antonian Ventrue, and the Dracon's Tzimisce became the Obertus Tzimisce. Through charters, they granted scion status to certain Clans who allied themselves to the Trinity. Those Families are discussed in more detail in other threads here.
The Crisis
The city of Constantinople teeters on the edge of destruction. A great maelstrom threatens to devour it whole, throwing it and the Dream into ruin. As far as the kine know, the city and the empire are in the hands of Alexius III Angelus. Alexius, the worst example of the Angelus dynasty to hold the throne since 1185, locks himself away in the imperial palace at Blachernae and hoards concubines and riches, caring nothing for his empire.
The Italian trading cities, sensing the emperor's weakness, busy themselves with acquiring greater economic and political power. They have recently been granted complete control over the imperial navy. Loyal subjects recognize the collapse of their beloved home and either sink into depression or lash out in anger. Incidents of vandalism and violence are on the rise, and Latins in particular have learned that it is no longer safe to wander Byzantine streets without guards--be it day or night.
Among the Cainites, the situation is, if anything, worse. No leader seems ready to rise to the challenge of these trying times. Michael the Patriarch is rumored to be completely lost to his delusions of divinity, and almost all of his Toreador seem to have followed him into madness. The Ventrue, historically those who guide the city out of political turmoil, are equally without direction. The Antonian Ventrue leader, Caius, is paralyzed by his own secrets desires and is seemingly unable to assert himself over the rival factions in his family. Without his leadership, each Ventrue struggles to gain advantage over the others, and so the family grows further entangled in intrigue and secrecy. Even the Tzimisce, long united in their pursuit of mystical knowledge and spiritual enlightenment, are divided. A rift has formed between the brother Gesu and Symeon, and many are whispering that their bond is forever broken. Gesu betrayed Symeon somehow.
Constantinople's Cainites can ill afford a collapse of their leadership, threatened as they are by enemies on all fronts. Since the Eighth Council, the Latin Quarter along the Golden Horn has formed an independent enclave in the city. From there the Venetian Bishop Alfonzo works night after night to strip his hosts of the economic and political resources they need to maintain their Dream, while his sire, Narses, from his haven in Venice, watches approvingly.
Deeper in the cramped streets of the Latin Quarter, other enemies breed. The most dangerous are the elusive Chosen of Calomena. These mad cultists call for the destruction of all Cainites and have found willing followers among the mortals of the city and the most hopeless of vampires. Formerly limited to the Latin Quarter, the Chosen are reported to exist across the city. More subtle still, the shrouded hand of those ancient vampires from Old Rome who are envious of Constantinople's glory grips the city's throat. Acting through hidden agents at the heart of the most powerful families, these ancient lords of Rome work to destroy Byzantium for the crime of surpassing their achievements.
Some hopeful elements have emerged from this bleak picture, however. Three prominent scion families--the Baron's Gangrel, the Malachite Nosferatu, and the Lexor Brujah--have banded together in an effort to defend the Dream. Little more is known, since their agents work in secret and cannot be rooted out by the dominant Trinity families.
Twenty Years Later
Mortal
The Year is 1217, and Michael IV has been sitting on the Imperial Throne of Constantinople after having ousted the depraved Alexios III. Michael IV was the father to two twin boys, Alexander and Andreas. Andreas tragically died five years earlier after a lingering illness, but young Alexander is a thriving prince, following in his Imperial father’s footsteps.
The Year is 1217, and Michael IV has been sitting on the Imperial Throne of Constantinople after having ousted the depraved Alexios III. Michael IV was the father to two twin boys, Alexander and Andreas. Andreas tragically died five years earlier after a lingering illness, but young Alexander is a thriving prince, following in his Imperial father’s footsteps.
The Fourth Crusade did indeed go off, but it was not detoured to Constantinople, rather sticking to its originally intended course: Egypt and northern Africa. In 1198, King Leo of Seleucia and Az-Zahir, son of Saladin in Aleppo, both died mysteriously. The son of Saladin in Egypt, finding himself without rival or ally in his brother, Az-Zahir, in Aleppo, was overthrown by the Crusade. An attempt at establishing Crusader states in Egypt and northern Africa is still ongoing, but from 1212, the remaining descendants of Saladin are gathering in Egypt, to try to oust the Crusaders once and for all.
The Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church have been in talks of reunification for twenty years, and it seems about to occur.
Twenty years of peace and plenty have left Constantinople in a position of wealth and power, an island of serenity amidst a boiling sea of unrest. The Turks, though they have not made an assay of the City of Gold itself, have been gathering like a thundercloud on the horizon.
Within the city walls, Constantinople has become more prosperous overall, with much of the overcrowding in some of the poorer areas having been relieved by the great fires of the spring of 1197 and summer of 1203.
Immortal
Michael the Patriarch, Antonius the Gaul, and the Dracon have ruled in open council over a City that has thrilled nightly with the pulse and power of their shared Dream. All the Kindred who dwell in the City serve the Dream, will they or nil they. The Quaesitors, Petronius the Arbiter, Sir Diocles of the Bitter Ashes, and Lord Myca Vykos have done much of the nightly business. The Lady Chrysalia, Pakourianis the Dove, and General Belisarius have been out of the City for most of these twenty years.
Immortal
Michael the Patriarch, Antonius the Gaul, and the Dracon have ruled in open council over a City that has thrilled nightly with the pulse and power of their shared Dream. All the Kindred who dwell in the City serve the Dream, will they or nil they. The Quaesitors, Petronius the Arbiter, Sir Diocles of the Bitter Ashes, and Lord Myca Vykos have done much of the nightly business. The Lady Chrysalia, Pakourianis the Dove, and General Belisarius have been out of the City for most of these twenty years.
Zoe, childe of Petronius, was executed for treason in the winter of 1197. This much is public knowledge. The nature of the treason is not officially known, but the prevailing understanding is that she Summoned Lady Chrysalia from her distant aerie, and for that crime, Zoe was executed.
In 1212, Alcibiades of Athens, Muse of Painting, Embraced Andreas, the supposed son of Michael IV, when he “died of fever”.
The Carrion of the Latin Quarter were overwhelmingly the victims of the fires in 1197 and 1203. It was in the spring of 1197 that the Setite temple connected to the Silk Road was destroyed by witch hunters, who started the fire that burned down both buildings.
From that night in 1197, no new Setites have entered the City of Gold.
There is still an appreciable Latin presence in the “Latin Quarter”, but the Carrion are gone.
Now, in the spring of 1217, there are rumors of upheavals, of fundamental changes in Cainite society, but no one can feel concerned, not while the Triumvirate rule. But the Blachernae Palace, where Michael IV has dwelt for the past twenty years, is being overhauled…