Russia (WOD)

This article is for Russia in the Classic World of Darkness. Gothhic-Punk Russia, while resembling the real Russia in many ways, is a more extreme place. The ravages of the past can be seen in the eyes of the populace. Devoid of challenge, the Russians walk past each other like zombies. They walk as if they were alone in the world, ignoring everything else. Each citizen follows her own agenda, completely oblivious to what might happen to others in her path.

The supernatural denizens of Russia of the World of Darkness found themselves separated from the rest of the world via the Shadow Curtain in the 1900s. By now, the Curtain has fallen and whatever power erected it has been vanquished by unknown forces, so many of its inhabitants intepret this as a sign that the Final Nights have begun.

Vampire: The Masquerade
The Kindred had a relatively small presence in Russia until the time of Peter the Great. Previously, Russia had been primarily used as a battleground between Tzimisce and Lupines and as a refugee for wandering Gangrel, but during Peter's reign, many Kindred saw a golden land ripe with kine and resources. The Toreador in particular saw a chance to develop the Russian writers and musicians. The Kindred presence in Russia grew steadily, and the Lupines could do little about it. In 1917, the Brujah proved to be on top of the situation. Latching themselves onto Lenin and his followers, they aided the Communist Revolution in the midst of World War I, ousting the Ventrue and Toreador princes that had previously dominated the cities. While the coup succeeded, and the last czar and his family were eventually murdered, the Brujah plan backfired. Disagreement over the manner of government to be formed sent Russia into civil war for a time. The Brujah factions quarreled, and the people of the Soviet Union suffered.

And yet, darker and much older powers had dwelled in Russia long before the Rus themselves had ventured into the land. As these lands were once the territory of the Iron Hag Baba Yaga, Nosferatu agents of powerful generation have inhabited these lands and when the Hag awakened in 1991, she immediatly began to amass forces to return Russia into the rural land she grew up in. She either outrighted killed and devoured native vampires or forced them into servitude, sometimes with brutal force, sometimes via proxies, sometimes via subtle means like Disciplines. Many Kindred felt that something old had awakened in the wastes of Russia, but few could pinpoint it down.

In the Final Nights, Baba Yaga has met her end by the fangs of the Nictuku, the bogeymen of Nosferatu legend. Without her presence, Camarilla and Sabbat vie for influence over Russia, both eager to use the resources of people for their own purposes. Tzimisce territories and their Revenant line of the Oprichniki hold to ancient estates, while Ventrue, Toreador and Brujah squabble among themselves for control over the cities. Gangrel and Ravnos wander the forests, and many Nosferatu that descend from the Hag have their warrens beneath the cities.

Kindred

 * Baba Yaga
 * Ilyana Ravidovich
 * Durga Syn
 * Viktor
 * Sergei Voshkov

Werewolf: The Apocalypse
Russia is the ancient home of the Silver Fangs, whose Kinfolk lines can be traced back to the earliest human tribes. The Russian Silver Fangs tell epic sagas about fights against the draconic Zmei and the demon Koshchei. The Silver Fangs used to have much influence over the affiars in Russia thanks to their connection to the royal line via their Kinfolk, but faced competition in the form of Glass Walkers and agents of the N.W.O. When the revolution came, the Bone Gnawers supported the serfs, although they quickly withdraw their favor after vampiric involvement became public. Following Stalins rise to power, Wyrm influence began to grow until it was too deeply entrenched to be dislodged.

Each tribe has at least one sept in the area of the former Soviet Union, and many of them have more. Today, there are nearly a thousand Garou spread throughout the land, from the western borders of Poland to the edge of the Bering Sea. The most populous tribes are the Silver Fangs, Bone Gnawers, Glass Walkers and the Get of Fenris. Other tribes are the Wendigo and Uktena in the East and the Shadow Lords and Black Furies in the West. Red Talons used to be one of the more numerous tribes, but they have been decimated recently by the pogrom against wolves comitted by the Soviets. The Children of Gaia have been banished from the Russian borders following their failure to stop nuclear tests and only few Silent Striders or Fianna lose themselves in the russian wilderness. Black Spiral Dancers prosper in the polluted environment of nuclear plants and many had turned to service of Baba Yaga during her activity.

An interesting phenomenon of the siberian tundra are the Siberakh, a Garou tribe native solely to Russia, who is rumored to be a mixture of Silver Fang and Wendigo ancestry. The Siberakh have refused all contact with the Western Concordat, preferring to be let alone. Fera native to Russia are a small enclave of Khan in Siberia, numerous Corax and Ratkin colonies beneath the cities. Rumors tell of ancient Gurahl that lie in stasisin the Far north of the land.

Garou (not mentioned in timeline)

 * Grimfang
 * Petrov Koldar
 * Athena Remov
 * Sings-for-the-Beast
 * Tatiana
 * Tears-at-Flesh

Caerns

 * Aral Sea Caern
 * Blood of the Sea Sept
 * Sept of the Crescent Moon
 * Sept of the Crystal Mind
 * Sept of the Learning Hall
 * Sept of the People's Will
 * Spirit Stone Caern

Mage: The Ascension
Originally, many mages in Russia practiced Shamanism and similar rites. When Baba Yaga spitefully opened the door for Christianity in Russia, displaying an act of vengeance against her rival Durga Syn, the Celestial Chorus took the opportunity to consolidate their power in the Motherland. Over the centuries, the church hunted the volshun, the ancient Earth-worshippers, often with help from the Chorus. Over the centuries, Chorus mages within the Russian church fell out of favor with many others of the Traditions. The Russian church maintained a strong grip on the Tsars, and the Chorus guided their vision of Ascension through the rulers' hands. Though the peasantry was oppressed, they remained faithful to the church, and their faith prospered. Through differences of doctrine, a long-standing dispute with the Order of Hermes, and the hubris that came with their power, the Russian Chorus cut their ties with the other Traditions outside of Russia, while hunting down Dreamspeaker volshun and Verbena vedna, or witches, within the country. These activities did not make the Russian Chorus popular with the Traditions as a whole.

Peter the Great paved the way for the Technocracy. With Peter came the High Guild, an older version of the Syndicate, and the Hippocratic Circle, forerunners of the Progenitors. As the Tsar set scientists to the task of bringing Russia "up to date", the Technocrats made their influence felt. Across the land, Paradox crept into once-secure bastions of magickal power. Although the mages were able to retain their influence into the 20th century, the power of the Chorus waned while the Technomancers grew strong.

Baba Yaga either enslaved mages or killed them, breaking the Technocratic hold over the land. This led to several unlikely alliances between Technocrats and Traditionalists, who sought to slay the ancient beast that ahd risen.

Changeling: The Dreaming
Western parts of Russia are part of the Galacian Confoderation, which rejects Noble rule following the Resurgence. Given the bleak situation of many cities, however, Glamour is hard to come by and Dauntain threaten the native Changelings. Banality is ever-present and many of the more delicate Changelings leave for other parts of the Confederation.

The unspoiled forests of central Russia and Siberia, however, are the home to several Inanimae, who have chosen to not join with any faction of Changeling society. They are, however, under a constant threat by mining and lumber companies, who want to harvest the ressources of Russia's nature.

Hunter: The Reckoning

 * Fyodor

Timeline

 * 5000 BCE: Baba Yaga is embraced around this time.


 * 862 C.E: Rurik, Kinfolk of the Get of Fenris, unifies the Slavic tribes of Novogrod.


 * 980 C.E.: Vladimir I wins the throne of Russia with the help of the Varangians. Warders of Men appear in Kiev during this period.


 * 988 C.E.: Vladimir I converts to Christianity in and quickly established Christianity in Russia which opened the way for Tzimisce, Shadow Lords, and Ventrue from Europe. The church flourished despite Garou efforts, and as Vladimir was a Get of Fenris Kinfolk the Silver Fangs blamed the Get for the new church.


 * 1224: The Mongols invade Russia.


 * 1240: Tartar Yoke begins. Mongols invade Russia and rule it. This is secretly supported by the Shadow Lords, although they outwardly protest that they can’t control the Mongols. Most Garou do not believe them.


 * 1240: The mighty Silver Fang heroes, the twins Yuri Tvarivich and Sophia Tvarivich lead a number of werewolves against the Zmei Sharkala the Cruel, including five Silver Fangs – Georges of Armenai, Boris, Foma, Vassili, and Utra. They were also accompanied by Pyotor, he of the Glass Walkers; Ulu, he of the Stargazers; the Bone Gnawer Igor Valkof; Mehmet, he of the Silent Striders; Katja, she of the Black Furies, and the Get of Fenris hero Ragnor. Utra, Ragnor, Boris, and Katja all died in the battle, as did Sophia, and Yuri was crushed by Sharkala as he delivered the final blow.


 * 1425: Czar Vasili II, a Silver Fang Kinfolk, ascends to the throne of Russia.


 * 1462: Czar Vasili II, a Silver Fang Kinfolk, dies. Czar Ivan III, also a Silver Fang kinfolk, ascends to the throne of Russia.


 * 1467: Parovich is Embraced in Russia by Boronisk.


 * 1480: Tartar Yoke ends in Russia.


 * 1565: Oprichniki are created by Ivan the Terrible in Russia. Their cruelty impresses the Tzimisce and they are adopted into revenants.


 * July 19, 1610: Silver Fang Czar Vasili IV is deposed from the throne of Russia.


 * 1780s: Steam engines develop, marking the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Czars and Garou kinfolk are able to prevent this in Russia.


 * 1861: Bone Gnawers start to become more active in the politics of the Garou in Russia.


 * 1902: Sept of the People's Will, an experimental Russian, sept is formed in 1902 by a number Bone Gnawer leaders who seized upon Lenin's ideas. This sept follows the social teachings of Marx.


 * June 8, 1908: Tunguska event takes place in Siberia. This occurred because the Zmei Trevero broke free from the Rite of Draconic Binding, and the resulting battle with Uktena, Silver Fangs, and a mage resulted in the explosion. The Zmei was eventually rebound. A completely alternate explanation for this event comes from Mage: the Ascension canon: the explosion was caused by Void Engineers crew trying to investigate curious alien ship, dubbed ‘The Vivo’ by them, and accidentally causing it to generate miniature black hole.


 * 1917: Silver Fangs and other aristocratic clans move to stop the impending revolution in Russia, but their methods prove unable to stop what has begun, especially since the revolution proves to be backed by a number of forces, including Brujah and Bone Gnawers. Minions of the Wyrm take advantage of the chaos to launch attacks against the Garou; the Silver Fangs rally the divided tribes together to make a series of counterattacks, but it ends in failure when they encountered the Zmei Shazear while raiding a Black Spiral Dancer caern at the behest of the Children of Gaia. The carnage will weaken the Garou of Russia literally for years, and also cast doubt on the leadership abilities of the Silver Fangs. The failure may also have sown a seed of resentment in the Silver Fangs toward the Children of Gaia. Agents of the Wyrm end up in control of Russia's government.


 * 1918: The Garou in Russia begin to lose ground with the defeat of the anti-Communist forces. Even the Bone Gnawers begin to realize that what they began might be going out of control.


 * 1918: Many Utopians start leaving to join Russia's Bolsheviks, attracted by the possibility of a "Scientific State."


 * July 17, 1918: Silver Fang kinfolk Princess Anastasia escapes execution by the Bolsheviks when Silver Fangs escort her out of Russia via moon-bridge.


 * January 21, 1921: Lenin dies, his death having been arranged by the Brujah. Trotsky is supposed to replace Lenin, but Stalin; who is backed by the Toreador and Ventrue, takes power instead..


 * 1930: The Garou of Russia war with Stalin, but lose even more ground as the Brujah, despite their misgivings, step in and support him.


 * 1933: The Glass Walkers of Russia establish limited contact with Garou outside of Russia.


 * 1939-1945: World War II. The Zmei Gregornous awakens in Russia at some point during the War.


 * September, 1941: Garou attacks on German troops assist in reducing the force that strikes at Leningrad. The Russian Get of Fenris war with their German brethren.


 * November, 1941: Bone Gnawers do their best to help the besieged humans of Leningrad survive by feeding the hungry with what they can scrounge through their Gifts.


 * 1945: Turgiv Bruzov, a famous Gurahl Russian portrait painter, smuggles six Soul Brush fetishes out of Russia. His whereabouts are unknown.


 * 1946: The Children of Gaia in Russia begin attempting to prevent the Soviet government from developing atomic weapons.


 * 1949: Kolya Blood-of-Iron of the Silver Fangs is born in Saint Petersburg; he will eventually become a mighty warrior and Master of the Rite.


 * August 29, 1949: The Soviet Union detonates an atomic bomb in Kazakhstan, horrifying the native Garou. Overcome with Rage, the Red Talons blame the Children of Gaia (who had been trying to foil the nuclear efforts through subtle and political means, and obviously failed) and turn on them. The Silver Fangs do nothing to stop the bloody designs of Griffin's tribe, perhaps still bitter over the poor advice of the Children of Gaia in the battle of 1917 that led to defeat at the talons of the Zmei Shazear. The Children of Gaia will suffer grave casualties and will be forced to go into hiding; officially they are in exile from this point onward. (Note: The massacre of Children of Gaia may have taken some time to gain steam; refer to year 1956 for another potential date when this all occurred.)


 * March 19, 1965: Voskhod 2 space shuttle falls into the Ural mountains by accident. Soviet cosmonauts find themselves surrounded by threatening wolves. These wolves are actually Red Talons debating whether or not to kill them. They finally reach the consensus that it would be bad to kill humans attempting to leave the planet, and allow the cosmonauts to be rescued.


 * 1973: Tundra Runner becomes Alpha of all Red Talons in Russia.


 * 1986: Chernobyl accident occurs, appearing to fulfill the fourth sign of the Prophecy of the Phoenix.


 * Late Winter, 1990: Baba Yaga awakens in Russia, and begins to manipulate her pawns into position for a conflict with the local Brujah council.


 * August 1991: Baba Yaga begins to assert power in Russia, consuming, destroying, or dominating all vampires that stand in her way. She's assisted by a dozen mages who erect a mystical barrier, preventing anyone from stepping into the Umbra, while a string of coincidental effects prevents all supernaturals from leaving. Even communications are affected. (Please note that this is contradicted by the Werewolf Storyteller's Companion, p.59, which says it went up in 1992)


 * 1992: Baba Yaga erects the “Shadow Curtain”, effectively strengthening the Gauntlet in Russia. Supernatural creatures will find it nearly impossible to leave Russia while the Shadow Curtain stands.


 * 1994: Baba Yaga begins assaults against the Garou, prompting great losses – not only did the Garou die in great numbers, but many caerns (already weakened by the Shadow Curtain) were lost as well.


 * 1994: Arkady, a Silver Fang, escapes Russia to seek aid from House Wyrmfoe. He was denied.


 * 1995: Wendigo leader Blood-on-the-Wind is slain on his way to an embassy to the House of the Crescent Moon. The Wendigo refuse to have anything to do with the Silver Fangs and the other Garou of Russia from then on.


 * 1995: Early this year, Baba Yaga's armies are forced to temporarily retreat from Siberia, so fierce are the attacks of the Wendigo living there.


 * 1995: Late this year, the Silver Fangs and their allies manage to build a foundation for survival and a counter-offensive in Russia. Piotr Volk obsesses over the Firebird Crystal, and is overcome by its power when his niece Tamara Tvarivich manages to secure it, and is reduced to a comatose state. His niece is forced to step up to the role of leadership.


 * 1996: Baba Yaga sends an ambassador to the Spirit Stone Caern of the Uktena, offering them power and safety if they would swear fealty to her and show her a way to reverse the Rite of Draconic Binding. The ambassador is torn limb from limb. Retribution comes swiftly, destroying a quarter of the sept.


 * 1996: Kolya Blood-of-Iron is badly wounded defended in the Aral Sea Caern from attack.


 * 1996: Alyosha Lyubov, one of the few remaining Children of Gaia in Russia, and the leader of those remaining, is utilized by the Shadow Lords to help them approach the Get of Fenris to achieve an alliance for the benefit of all Garou in Russia.


 * 1996: By now, the Garou of Russia are at only two thirds of their original strength.


 * Late 1996: The first Glass Walkers caern in Russia is attacked; the Sept of the Learning Hall in Moscow is paid a personal visit by Baba Yaga, and it is destroyed. Luckily, Children of Gaia had advised the Glass Walkers to pull out, and so only 17 of the 40 sept members were present during the attack, though all of them died.


 * 1997: Early this year, Garou begin to regroup in Russia and launch a series of counter-attacks against the forces of Baba Yaga.


 * October, 1997: In late October Baba Yaga's forces attack the Sept of the Crystal Mind (of the Stargazers) and the Aral Sea Caern (House Wise Heart, Silver Fangs). By the end of the month every single member of the Silver Fang sept had been destroyed, ending the line of House Wise Heart Silver Fangs in Russia. The Stargazer caern barely survives through guerrilla tactics. At the same time, the hag sends forces into Siberia to deal with the Wendigo who had fought her back in early 1995.


 * November 1, 1997: Garou begin to converge on Kursk, the former home of Gregornous Deathwing. Silent Strider spies claimed he had returned to his home after decades of absence, and so an attack is launched this day, slaying Gregornous Deathwing. Over fifty Garou die in the battle, including a number of great leaders – the Bone Gnawer leader Nicholas Zukeine and Mother's Pride of the Black Furies.