RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

Welcome to Transylvania Chronicles

13:09, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Transylvania Chronicles

Introduction

The Transylvania Chronicles takes characters on the ride of their unlives through the epic annals of Cainite history. The chronicle begins with Vampire Dark Ages and cross over with Vampire the Masquerade, spanning 800 years of Vampire and mortal history. Although the chronicle is based on the four books of the White Wolf product, many changes have been made, so that it can be considered a different story.
The characters begin their adventures as young vampires in the Kingdom of Hungary at the court of Buda-Pest. Along the chronicle, they will be introduced into the Cainite society of Transylvania. At the time of the beginning of our story, Transylvania experiences a fragile period of peace, being it the result of past wars between the native Tzimisce and the invaders Ventrue and Tremere. As expected, one of the main themes of the chronicle will be the plots and political intrigues the characters will find within the vampiric society of Transylvania, and how such schemes are related with the rest of Europe. Besides that, the chronicle will touch two other important themes on which I think it is important to spend some words in this introduction.

The relationship between mortal and vampiric society will have some place in the story. Although Cainites do not control all institutions and structures of mortal society, their influence on them is considerable, especially for those clans notably known as rulers. Vampires live for hundreds of years and acquire a level of historical consciousness that is hardly comparable with the finitude of mortals. Many Kindred have trusted retainers, who occupy key positions in the political and social management among the kines. Apart from that, the Cainite´s exercise of Presence is often sufficient for him to be influential. Furthermore, some elders develop such high levels of Domination that may even possess the mental life of important mortal characters. It is therefore inevitable that some of the conflicts within the vampiric society have reflections in the mortal world. Given that this chronicle covers a span of 800 years, it is possible that the characters will be involved in events that will have some implications in mortal history.

Morality is the third important topic of the chronicle. Although, this issue is somewhat expected as one of the main themes of Vampire the Masquerade, it has been frequently underestimated and overlooked. I´m giving here some insights to better define this theme in the contest of this chronicle. The chronicle begins in the Year of Our Lord 1198. At this time, there are basically three philosophies the Cainites adopt to interpret vampiric existence. The first can be named as the acceptance of the Beast. Cainites following this philosophy tend to accept the Beast as their true nature and nothing or almost nothing should be done to counteract it. They are not necessarily evil or cruel, rather, they believe Kindred are superior beings because of their place in the order of nature. The human beings are vampire´s preys. Nature dictates that Cainites should consider the kines as cattle and the laws of nature have value by themselves. The Cainites accepting the Beast have no remorse in killing human lives, although they don´t usually go beyond the satisfaction of their instinct and animal appetite. They are impulsive creatures. Often, they squander the wealth they have accumulated, they make deals they cannot live up to, and they do so with no apology and no attempt at excuse. Cainites following this ideology include the Baali, the Tzimisce and some members of the Gangrel. Nevertheless, Kindred of any clan are always subject to falling into the grip of the Beast.

The second ideology preaches that Cainites should enounce their human, moral and spiritual values. The Beast exists, but only as a temptation. Cainites must learn to renounce it. Along their unlife, Cainites should work to deny their bestial existence and develop their moral and spiritual attributes. Humanized Cainites think God had vampires lived forever and gave them supernatural powers because the Kindred have a mission. Immortality was not given to vampires for their own narcissistic gratification. Cainites have great responsibility, which makes them spiritual guides, supposed to accompany the whole humanity along the path of God. Despite this idea sounds strange for the WOD of the Final nights, keep in mind that for the medieval man, God is everywhere and intervenes on everything, and when a mortal is Embraced this way of seeing things does not easily disappear. Most humanized Cainites have strong religious vocation. Among these, are the Cappadocians, who raised from the first Christian communities, and the Toreador, who are mostly found in the Byzantine Empire or in the Catholic clerical circles of Western Europe. The Brujah are also among those who think that vampires should be moral creatures, even if for them the achievement of human and spiritual values tend to be dissociated from the religious discourse. The Brujah give high value to human qualities, but in doing they follow Greek philosophy or political ideals, rather than religious practice.

Finally, the third ideology is the one of those who chose to tame, dominate and suppress the Beast. In order to cope with the Beast, these Cainites built strong, determined and authoritarian personalities, capable of dominating the inner demons by their will. This strategy has worked and has been effective in its main purpose. However, the construction of such a strong personality to deal with the internal world, affected the way these Cainites interact with society. These creatures are thirsty for power and prestige, feeling fulfilled and satisfied whenever they get control over the others. They usually behave like manipulators and their power can assume various forms: political, social, mystical or magical. They see mortals or other vampires as pawns they can maneuver at their leisure. There are important and interesting differences between this third type and those Cainites who accepted the Beast described above. The latter let themselves be driven by the thirst of blood. They tend to be truculent in using humans as a source of blood. They respond to their animal instinct, which exhausts as their thirst is satisfied. On the other hand, dominating Cainites learned to control their animal thirst and know how to feed discretely, so to guarantee the survival of their prey and to avoid her physical pain. However, their desire for power is insatiable. Their violence is devious, often cruel and, to some extent, human. Dominating Cainites wants to subdue the desire of those under them, they want to control their victims deep in their soul, so to be recognized by them as a masters. Cainites following this philosophy typically include the Ventrue, the Lasombra and the Tremere. the The Ventrue rule in feudal aristocracies, while the Lasombra are active in the Catholic Church. They manipulate the ecclesiastical hierarchy as their network of political power, with little care for Christian values like solidarity and brotherhood.

Clans not mentioned above may follow anyone of the three ideologies, depending on the context. Obviously, most Cainites do not fit the extreme versions of these three stereotypes. The majority falls somewhere between, including some aspects of one or the other. The three versions are a source of inner conflict for most of the Cainites, and there is no lack of those who alternate their behavior with each other, with consequent feelings of repentance and remorse. Furthermore, exceptions are found more frequently than expected.