Chronicle of the End Times

From Carlisle by Night Wiki

June 2009:

Carlisle is hit by an intense, but short-lived power cut starting at 01:00 in the morning and lasting approximately thirty minutes.

...well, not really a power cut per se. It's not that all electrical devices stop working, but rather that the lights go out. All of the lights, including streetlights, computer monitors, battery-powered torches and other such things. The moon disappears, and even the stars vanish from the night sky. For a brief period, Carlisle is plunged into nearly total and utter darkness. The only source of light which still works is fire, and even the light from naked flames doesn't seem to cast properly or shine half as brightly as it should.

The phenomenon doesn't last for more than half an hour, and since most of the city's mortals were asleep there hasn't been much in the way of a Masquerade incident, but it's still pretty damned unnerving to most of you.

July 2009:

A number of strange and disturbing occurences take place across the world. The Egyptian capital city of Cairo is struck by a short, violent earthquake, followed by a city-wide blackout which lasts for several hours until dawn. Other cities across the Middle East are also struck by earthquakes, though the inexplicable darkness which plagued Cairo does not appear elsewhere. In Vienna, the city is lashed by freak storms which flood the streets and damage numerous ancient buildings in the space of a few hours. Dallas, Texas is hit by a string of explosions which almost obliterate the entire city. No terrorist group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident.

Here in Carlisle, there is no grand disaster exactly, but the Red Star which has been visible to Auspex users in the night sky for the past ten years suddenly flares into violent, physical existence. The mortal news writes it off as a satellite burning up in the atmosphere above the city, but any Kindred who looks upon the Red Star immediately recognises it as a portent of disaster.

August 2009:

On August 12th Eastern Europe was rocked by a series of violent and unexpected volcanic eruptions along the Carpathian mountain chain. A number of volcanic caldera - many believed to be extinct or long-term dormant - flared back into life and buried a number of Romanian towns and villages beneath a tide of magma. The casualties are still being counted, but are in the tens of thousands.

August is also the month in which Kindred society begins to notice that the numbers of Setites seem to be dwindling. In fact, clan Set's numbers seem to have fallen by half over as little as the past six weeks...or maybe this is just the first time the Camarilla has noticed as to how few of the Serpents seem to be left.

On August 15th there is a deliberate, concerted attempt to break the Masquerade. A piece of very intricately-designed viral software is released onto the web which fills computer servers with thousands of copies of the same video file. When played, the video shows a panicked individual explaining that Set has arisen and begun reclaiming his own, and that "the harvest" is underway. The Camarilla's leaders have quickly moved to discredit this, and have made it clear to Princes around the world that this is just one more reason why such nonsensical Gehenna hysteria must be clamped down upon; in a futile attempt to please a god which does not even exist, Clan Set has clearly begun making sacrifices of its own members. If the more civilised Clans are to avoid such a fate, then this Antediluvian idiocy must not be tolerated.

September/October 2009:

Another rash of dark happenings afflicts the society of Kindred and Kine alike. On October 4th, news channels worldwide report that contact with the French, Norwegian and Argentinian research stations in Antarctica has been lost. A leaked document from the French government claims that in the last hour of communication, a message was sent from the French station saying "The Gods are coming...may they have mercy on us all." One version of events claims that a rescue plane was dispatched from New Zealand to investigate, but radio contact with the aircraft was subsequently also lost.

This item was shortly overshadowed, however, when three days later astronomers in the Middle East reported what they "could categorically confirm as a high-atmosphere nuclear explosion" over Israeli airspace. The report re-ignited fears of nuclear conflict in the Middle East, but for the time being Israel has refused to make any official comment.

Among Kindred society, things are continuing to deteriorate. A massive Lupine incursion recently hit Mexico City, the heartland of the Sabbat. The werewolves were eventually defeated (barely, by all accounts) but the casualties they inflicted were devastating. In the attack, a great many hard-line Sabbat leaders were slain. The Camarilla is declaring these events to be a happy accident, and more likely than not an inevitable consequence of the Sabbat's recklessness. For their part, the Lasombra and Tzimisce elders of Madrid have declared that their city will serve as the headquarters of Sabbat operations from here on. The Sabbat leaders of Cairo have declared their support for the relocation of the sect's leadership to Europe.

Lastly, the Kindred of London have been struck with panic after a Thin-Blooded neonate burst into the Court and declared that the dead Methuselah-Prince Mithras still lives. The incident has been quickly and publically ridiculed, but the elders of London are far from sleeping soundly in light of this news.

November 2009:

The ancient Ventrue Mithras returns to London and makes his existence public. Although there are some who claim that he looks a little...different...to when he was last around, none can deny that he seems to possess the power to back up his claims. Queen Anne Bowesley is literally thrown out of court as the Methuselah makes his bid for power, and none dare to oppose him. In the wake of these events, he is sending agents to every city of the Courts of Avalon (the old name Kindred once used for the British Isles) in order to collect oaths of alliegence from every Prince.

North of the Border, Cardinal Charles Emmanuel de Sourriére is preparing for his annual Sabbat ball; word has it that he is intending to make a major push to claim control of Edinburgh from the Camarilla. If he succeeds, the only sizeable Camarilla enclave left in Scotland would be Aberdeen, which would very likely fall in short order with Edinburgh's resources turned against them. This conflict could leave the Lasombra-dominated cities of Scotland united against the mostly Ventrue-controlled domains of England, with Carlisle stuck right in the middle.

December 2009/January 2010

On Christmas Eve of 2009, the forces of the Sabbat roll into Edinburgh. A number of Camarilla havens are burned down by the first wave of attacks, while others are invaded by Sabbat vampires and their occupants overwhelmed and diablerised. A number of long-established and respected Elders are slain in these hits. The next night, the Camarilla attempts to strike back. The counter-effort is lef by a coterie of Prince Geoffrey Montague-Forsythe's most adamant rivals, who claim that the Toreador Prince has failed the city by being unprepared for the attack. The warriors of edinburgh began hunting Sabbat vampires throughout the city, pursuing their enemies into The Meadows on Ediburgh's southside for a last stand. Too late, they realise they have been drawn into a trap. Charles de Sourriére and his pack of Sabbat Elders are waiting for them in person, along with a host of other packs. The Camarilla's warriors are swiftly slaughtered, and news offices across the country report on the Christmas day terrorist attacks in Edinburgh.

In the aftermath of the conflict, Geoffrey Montague-Forsythe and his remaining loyal supporters moved to confront de Sourriére and his followers in person at the Royal Museum of Scotland. A great many vampires on both sides were present, and word swiftly spread when Prince Montague-Forsythe knelt before the ancient Lasombra and swore fealty to him as the Lord of Caledonia. Montague-Forsythe's loyalists did likewise, declaring their new alliegance to Charles Emmanuel de Sourriére. Those who did not were quickly slain. After this spectacle unfolded, de Sourriére accepted the Prince's pledge of alliegance and began appointing new vampiric leaders to govern the city. At this point the former Prince stood and declared that while he accepted the Elder Lasombra as the Lord of Scotland, he wished to retain his personal rulership of Edinburgh. Only one Sabbat vampire stepped forward to challenge Montague-Forsythe's claim to the Archbishopric of Edinburgh, and a Monomacy was declared in order to settle the matter. The challenger was swiftly cut down in single combat, and to the astonishment of the Sabbat vampires present, Charles de Sourriére granted Geoffrey Montague-Forsythe the title of Archbishop. The Sabbat vampires Albrecht Rothmann and Victor Smith were made Bishops for the part their packs played in the capture of the city.

February 2010:

On February 27th, a co-ordinated series of terrorist attacks against Endron Oil company's Apophis Pipeline rendered the multi-million-dollar Egyptian oil piping operation damaged beyond repair. Attacks hit the pipeline at critical locations near Aswan and Cairo, somehow bypassing the pipeline's extensive security and inflicting millions of dollars' worth of damage. Investigations are underway as to how such a catastrophic and well-organised attack could have taken place against what is one of the most heavily-guarded industrial facilities in Egypt. Agents of the Egyptian government are believed to be looking into three as-yet-unnamed men who they believe to have had a critical role in the terrorist operation.

March 2010:

In March it emerges that five villages in Afghanistan's notorious Helmand province have been placed under quarantine by coalition forces after reported outbreaks of "mass contagious hysteria" in the region. British, American and Afghan government forces are yet to officially comment on the events, though leaked reports have mentioned that ritual sacrifice and other behaviours described as "demon-worship" were spreading through the aforementioned villages at an alarming rate. If the military are aware of the cause of such dementia, they are not making it known to the public.

Meanwhile, in America, a pair of survivalists have gained attention after an SOS message was received from their base camp in the Mojave desert of California. Both men were rescued by emergency services after their distress call was intercepted, and were immediately treated for dehydration. Both have since been committed for psychiatric treatment, after they began raving about a gigantic sabre-toothed cat which had been prowling the desert around their camp. Six seconds of film footage, supposedly of the creature in question, was recorded by the pair. Analysis is currently underway to determine the film's authenticity, but the footage is grainy and unclear.

Lastly, events hit closer to home as the Protectorate of Caledonia makes its final push to claim Aberdeen from the faltering remains of the Camarilla. Under the leadership of Charles de Sourriére, the crusaders swarm into the city and meet the defenders in a series of bloody skirmishes throughout Aberdeen's back alleys. A solid number of Camarilla loyalists gather to fight, and although they drag down many of their enemies with them, they are almost all slain. The long-entrenched Kael lineage is all but obliterated, with only two of its eight members in the city having possibly escaped the carnage. Prince Brendan himself is known to have fled south during the battle, and is believed to have sought Sanctuary with his old ally Prince Wodenson of Newcastle. Whatever the case, Abderdeen now rests firmly within Lord de Sourriére's hands.

April/May 2010:

Springtime sees a wave of nightmares infecting the minds of Kindred throughout the North of England. Those vampires who have contacts among the other supernatural communities soon learn that such visions are not confined to those of Caine's Blood - it seems that almost every creature which hides in the shadows of humanity has been suffering the same visions. The frightful dreams last for a week from the 15th to the 21st of May, and the image is always the same; a monstrous and hungry creature of tentacles, suckers and eyes, rising towards the world from stormy depths. Obviously, some of the Kindred of Carlisle will find this visage disturbingly familiar.

June 2010:

As June begins, Edinburgh is reeling from the assassination of Archbishop Geoffrey Motague-Forsythe. In his place, Bishop Victor Smith is given control of the city by way of popular support. As the Kindred of Scotland cry for revenge, a wave of violent retribution sweeps south into Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Durham. Fires are started in a series of arson attacks, and prime feeding grounds in those cities become the targets of bomb warnings, both hoax and genuine. All of this disrupts the nightly feeding habits of Kindred in the North East, making them easier targets when the attacks begin. Prince Wodenson of Newcastle rallies his court for war as packs from north of the border start to make raids into his streets. Although the elder Ventrue's experience and strong leadership allow him to keep order in his city, a number of Newcastle's vampires do vanish without trace.

Former Prince Brendan of Aberdeen - who has been hiding out in Hexham since the loss of his domain - shares his concern with the other cities of the North that Hexham would be able to put up little resistance if the Protectorate attacked en masse. Prince Cassius of York responds by extending invitation to Brendan allowing him and other survivors from Aberdeen to reside in York until the threat has died down.

Carlisle so far has not come under direct attack from the Protectorate. Some have stated that perhaps the presence of the Voivodate to the west is responsible for this, and Mithras had been right in his belief that Bartholomew's fearsome reputation could be used as a shield against the vampires of Scotland. Word has it that Clan Assamite has started to take a renewed interest in the hostilities between Kindred on both sides of the border.

July 2010

In the early weeks of July, Mithras, the Prince Eternal of London, announces that he will be briefly away from his city. Seneschal Anne Bowesley is once again placed in control, though few Kindred believe she would dare try to move against Mithras in his absence. The Methuselah-Prince does not announce where he is going or for how long, leaving many elders of his court wondering just what alien agenda is going through his head at this time. With the north of England under attack from the Protectorate, what could Mithras possibly gain by abandoning the throne even for a short time?

Shortly after Mithras' departure, a series of violent storms and earthquakes are felt throughout Iran and Iraq. The cities hold out relatively well, but many rural villages are destroyed by seismic activity. These horrendous events last for six nights, after which they abruptly stop. Malkavians and Thin Blooded vampires suffer from the headaches and visions which have been commonplace in recent years, with many reporting dreams of two mighty forces clashing in the desert.

On July 15th Mithras returns to his throne in London. There are reports that his demeanour has changed somehow, that he carries with him a new and greater strength. Those who believed that the decades of Torpor since his last reign had robbed him of his power no longer dare to voice such opinions. From north of the border, the Protectorate have slowed down their nightly assaults upon Newcastle and Middlesbrough. They have slain eight Kindred in retribution for Geoffrey Montague-Forsythe's final death, and have killed many more Ghouls and connected mortals. Now, however, it appears that they are once again concentrating on fortifying their defences.

August 2010

Global weirdness emanating from Polynesia this month, as satellite photographs leaked to several internet news groups reveal that for a period of 24 hours starting at 17:41 on 19/08/2010, Easter Island appeared to vanish without trace. Maritime agencies in the area acknowledged a loss of communication with the island, but blamed it on adverse weather conditions, commenting that the photographs showing an empty patch of sea where the island was are clearly a hoax. Contact with Easter Island was re-established exactly 24 hours after its disappearance was first noticed, though none of the island's 4000 residents claim to know of anything unusual happening during this time.

In other news, Interpol has arrested a cabal of three arms traders in Cambodia, following investigations into munitions dealership Black Eagle International. Following their arrest, the three men (all of them employees of Black Eagle) confessed to embezzlement and under-the-counter gun-running for personal profit. Black Eagle CEO Alejandro Pierce made a statement pronouncing his "shock, and disgust" that three of the corporation's employees would break both company rules and United Nations decree in order to supply arms to a number of illegal conflicts across the globe. All three men have been dismissed from the company, and are currently awaiting trial.