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The Sabbat Civil Wars were a series of internal conflicts in the Sabbat. The sect has been wracked by three civil wars to date. With the final book of Vampire 20th anniversary edition -Beckett's Jyhad Diary- a fourth Sabbat Civil War has shaken the sect to its core.

Overview[]

Each of the Civil Wars has upset the Sabbat's power structure, and only the Black Hand remained unscathed through the original three conflicts. The recent death of Regent Melinda Galbraith left a power vacuum in the sect's leadership that ignited a fourth Civil War and formed the basis for the Gehenna Wars in Vampire 5th Edition.

First Sabbat Civil War[]

The First Sabbat Civil War began in North America immediately following the American Revolution[1]. The conflict began as younger Lasombra and Tzimisce in the New World turned against one another in competition over mortal resources — resources that had became bitterly contested as more and more Cainite emigrated from Europe or sired new childer. It began with an attack by the Tzimisce against Lasombra holdings under the cover of Shay's Rebellion in 1786.

These younger Cainites had little supervision from their elders in Europe and little connection with the Sabbat outside the Americas; as a result, they had come over time to see their fellow Sabbat as competition rather than compatriots. The strife of this civil war allowed the Sabbat to lose much of their territory in the American East Coast to the Camarilla.

In a brief 30 years, the Sabbat's work had been undone by the very enemies they fled from in the Old World.[2]

The war ended with the signing of the Purchase Pact on September 19th, 1803, which declared all internal grievances void and forbade conflict amongst sect members. Further, it decreed that any Sabbat who waged open war against his fellows was to be hunted down and diablerized by his fellow Sabbat.[3]

Following this war, adherence to the Code of Milan became more widespread within the sect.

Second Sabbat Civil War[]

This war occurred in Mexico and Canada from 1863 to 1933. The conflict began with the assassination of Regent Gorchist by Ravnos antitribu in Mexico City just prior to the French capture of Mexico City, likely in 1863.[4] The conflict was exacerbated by rivalries between the Lasombra and Tzimisce that had been simmering since the prior Civil War; both Clans blamed the other for dominion of the United States slipping through the Sabbat's fingers.  Fighting occurred primarily in Mexico, which was nearly torn apart as the Lasombra and Tzimisce swept up any clan, faction, or cult which could lend a strong arm.[5] Several would-be Regents emerged throughout the world even as the Sabbat south of the US border tore into each other with bloody relish.[6]

A combination of factors saw the internecine conflict end. The catalyst to the end of the war was the Shepherds of Caine hosting the apolitical Conference of Caine in 1910 which brought many of the members of rival factions together under unspoken treaty.[7] Second, many packs turned to Melinda Galbraith, who had made Mexico City into a tenuous neutral ground, for protection as the daytime battles of the Mexican Revolution caught them in its crossfire. With disease and warfare culling the herds the Sabbat depended on for sustenance, the fighting cooled. Galbraith took advantage of the lull in fighting and summoned the highest ranking Sabbat envoys to Mexico City. With the support of several Packs plus the Seraphs of the Black Hand, Galbraith presented herself as Regent and demanded the cessation of all hostilities.[8] While the conflict officially ended on December 21, 1933-when the Code of Milan was formally acknowledged by the sect- in practice, fighting ceased following Galbraith's demand.[9]

Third Sabbat Civil War[]

This war occurred in the latter half of 1957, and lasted for only a hundred nights. The conflict began when Brujah antitribu in New York attempted a coup against the Lasombra and Tzimisce that had dominated the sect since its inception. After nearly two-thirds of the resident Sabbat in New York were killed in a conflict just shy of open warfare, the two sides agreed to settle the matter by diplomacy. The Lasombra and Tzimisce recognized their antitribu compatriots as equals within the sect and agreed to recognize the Clanless as their own unique distinction so the minority clans would have greater voice in Sabbat politics. Some of the non-Caitiff saw this as a ploy to water down the Antitribu's voice by adding another growing bloodline to the Sabbat's factional internal politics.[10] These Clanless fought against the stained beliefs and superstitions of archaic vampires, arguing that Clan had no meaning as to a vampire’s potential. In the end, they overcame many of the biases and bigotry within the Sect and earned a place for themselves as a Clan.[11] After a few months, they chose to name themselves "Panders" after the Caitiff "antitribu" Joseph Pander, who had killed the first Lasombra in the Third Sabbat Civil War.[12]

Fourth Sabbat Civil War[]

Following an explosion at the Gran Hotel Ciudad De Mexico, where the vampire archeologist Beckett was supposed to meet with the Regent-in-disguise , the Sabbat once more descend into a bloody internecine war. With a number of vampires in town due to the Palla Grande and three of the four Seraphs of the Black Hand vanished, the conflict has drawn in numerous vampires, even formally apolitical institutions like The Black Hand[13]. This conflict is not localized, as the Sabbat across the globe work themselves into apocalyptic frenzy certain Gehenna  is at hand.

Other Sabbat question for the first time the nature of Gehenna. Many elect to defect to the Anarchs, with more fleeing in the span of five years than the previous four hundred. The ones that remain accept that the opening shots of a war that may last a hundred years have been fired, and these Sabbat will be the footsoldiers of the Gehenna Crusade to come.[14]

References[]

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