Re: OOC thread
Well here's an idea: 3 factions, plus the Brujah Hegemony.
Faction 1 is something like the Camarilla/Invictus (from nWoD). Ventrue have a high place within it by default, also Toreador, Lasombra and Tzimisce Kolduns, and any kiss-asses from the low clans, notably the powerful Nosferatu methuselahs who steal the secrets of Necromancy from the Cappadocians.
They want to rule humanity and other vampires, and wish to do so smartly, and in secret. They play the long game, a game of patience and manipulation. They run the Elysiums. They occassionally hold court with independants and ambassadors from the other factions, though rarely from the Sabbat, as they've declared war upon them and only agree to ceasefires when the other factions are growing too powerful. The Camarilla are the faction with the highest amount of Elders.
Faction 2 is the Sabbat, secretly a Baali led faction that masquerades as Followers of Set (Set being the only located Anti-diluvian who slumbers in a great temple, though they are actually a demon), the Tremere, the Tzimisce 'Dragons' (Metamorphosis types), the Lasombra-antis, the Nicktos (true Nosferatu) and most of the low-clan antitribues.
They believe that Vampires should inherit the earth and draw in anyone who wants to be 'free' to rule the night. They have the greatest numbers of neonates, very few of whom live long, as they are cannon fodder shovel heads. The leaders of the Sabbat are usually thoroughly corrupted by their demonic masters, including but not limited to "Set."
Rather than give themselves titles with a religious tone (that's the next faction), the Sabbat tends to refer to themselves by military ranks. At the low levels, they're like skin-head gangs, but behind that they are trying to forge an elite army of survivors, people who prove themselves to be a part of the ''superior" breed of vampire. Yes... I'm meaning there's definitely room here for a Vampire Nazi vibe to these guys. The Tzimisce Dragons teaming up with the Tremere in an infamous treaty that shook the Cainite world and split off the Old Clan permanently has led to the idea that the Sabbat way is the way to become the True Vampire superower, bolstered by the strongest of occult magics.
Faction 3: The Covenant, led by the Salubri, with Tremere anti-tribu, Brujah antitribu, Ventrue Antitribu, Toreador Antitribu, the Cappadocians, the Nosferatu rebels, and rag-tag self-righteous types. They continue their shadow war against the Baali and the Sabbat, but their willingness to do battle at the expense of keeping the Masquerade sacrosanct has made the Camirlla consider them a liability that must be purged.
The Covenant fights the good fight against the Baali's Sabbat, who are the vampires willing to sacrifice their own souls to obtain blatant power. The Covenant view themselves as paladins, the first and only line of defense for humanity. The Covenant risks much to continue their mission, and they are the faction with the fewest in number, because with a potential eternity to exist, few among the damned have the moral or ideological fortitude to risk their unlives on a nightly basis uncovering nests of foes who seek to unlock the powers of Hell.
The Valeran Warrior-Caste Salubri outnumber and outweigh their Obeah kindred on the Covenant's high council. The covenant is highly adorned with the trappings of Religion, specifically run like the Catholic Church. There IS a warhawkish, inquisitorial subdivision within the Covenant that represents maybe the worst colors of Vampire Fundamementalism, though they are counterbalanced by the more passive 'monastary' strongholds that promote a Redemptionist approach to 'evil' vampires. This would be a faction that seems like the Lancea Sanctum from nWoD on the surface, and there's definitely a vampire religion here, tied to mortal Christian-Judaism. But they're not blatantly evil, like the Lancea Sanctum is. The Covenant IS littered with heretical sects however, and from city to city, the accepted doctrines of the Covenant might be wildly varied. It depends on whoever is the Archbishop of the City.
Faction 4: The Brujah Hegemony. The True Brujah return in force, aided by the Assamites and the Laibon Kingdoms. Culling many of the descendents of Troile, they then convert others to their cause, offering 'forgiveness' to Brujah who join their ranks willingly. This causes a major schism in the clan, which is severely underestimated by Brujah elders. The Trujah recruit more than expected numbers, because they promise a return to the utopia that the children of Troile could not achieve while being under the thumb of the other clans. The Trujah are brutal in their tactics, each of them acting like individual warlords.
In modern nights, those who find that they do not wish to rise within the slow moving ranks of the Camarilla and they don't want to get caught up in the Salubri-Baali holy war, instead get drawn into the Hegemony, where the offer of advancement comes through merit and a willingness to prove oneself to the cause. The Hegemony is, in a way, much closer to the Black Hand from the orginal setting.
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That's just an idea. Add to that the Anarchs if you want.
Oh, if you're wondering where the Gangrel are... they're independents, though some of them take up positions in the Camirilla. A lot of the non independents join the Sabbat, though they're a favorite for Gargoyle fodder. Few join the Covenant, because they tend to be loners as apposed to working with a religious community. The Hegemony likes to bring in Gangrel and give them a 'pack' to belong to.
