A Guide to the Sabbat of the Chains of Steel World

Introduction

If Chains of Steel deviates from Canon then it is not going to be any more evident than here! In first edition, the Sabbat got a mention. They were shrouded in mystery. They were the bad guys, the evil doers, they were different from the Camarilla, but the reader had no idea how. It was a name.
Over the course of second edition and most obviously in third, all of the mystery was sucked out of the Sabbat and they were there for all to see in glorious Technicolor.
This guide presents a very different Sabbat from that of Canon. I return to first edition. The Sabbat is a name. They do hold some territory, but not a great deal, they exist more as a model of a society, a conspiracy across the world. They do not fight openly with the Camarilla, but instead look to spread their message throughout the Kindred. The Sabbat of Chains of Steel are not gun toting maniacs that proclaim themselves to be undead. They are much more cerebral.

As with all documents in the Chains of Steel world this one is also open source. It is an interpretation on a theme, other interpretations can and do exist.

What are the Sabbat?


The Sabbat are an organisation of vampires that believe in one thing. They believe in Vampires. They believe that Vampires are at the top of the food chain and have dominion over all beneath them. To them the blood is everything. The mysteries of the blood, the control of the blood; the blood is what makes Vampires what they are, what sets them apart from mortals. What makes them masters of the globe.
They also strongly believe in Gehenna, the end of the world, where the antediluvians will rise up and consume them. This belief scares them, for it runs contrary to their beliefs of individual vampires running the proverbial show. Moreover it hints to them that they are not at the top of the food chain. For this reason they are dedicated to the destruction of the Antediluvians and their servants.
The argument that the Sabbat holds with the Camarilla is their interpretation of the sixth laws of Caine. They see the Masquerade of the Camarilla as a denial of vampirism. They see it as something born of fear of mortals. The mortals are beneath vampires. The Sabbat believe that to deny vampirism is the worst thing that they can do. And the Camarilla denies vampirism by focusing the attention of vampires on territory, status and preserving the Masquerade. The vampires of the Sabbat are not afraid of mortals, but at the same time they recognise that the mortals can wreck a lot of damage. They don't flaunt their vampirism openly, for if one startle the cattle one receives a stampede. But neither do they enforce a Masquerade in the territory that they control.

Who are the Sabbat?


The Sabbat are many. Primarily they are made up of Clans Lasombra and Tzimisce, the 'rulers' of the Sabbat. They hold territory in South America, amongst some of the poorest peoples in the world. They thrive in areas of mortal trouble, where the rule of the gun and the despot holds sway. Places that the Camarilla is hard pressed to conquer with its money and influence.
Individuals of the 'Camarilla' clans and independents have joined the Sabbat, some of them holed up in territories ruled by the Sabbat, but a great deal more are working within the Camarilla, seeking converts to the cause, looking to spread the conspiracy. These infiltrators cause the Camarilla no end of grief, for they win over many of the young with smooth words and honeyed promises of "things being better".
The Camarilla can only think on a large scale. It sees the territories ruled by the Sabbat and it worries. It worries that the Sabbat will destroy the Masquerade and bring the mortals down on all vampires.

How do the Sabbat operate in Albion?


Quietly. In all Realms where the Camarilla has form control (and a fallen realm is no exception), the Sabbat operate very carefully. They operate in small groups, called packs. One member will typically watch the kindred of a city for those that are disenfranchised. Then another pack member will make contact, usually as a visitor to the city, and following all of the Camarilla's rules and get close to the target. Then a process of conversion begins - the other pack members setting up situations where the target can feel good about himself and good about being a Vampire. All the time the pack member that is looking to do the conversion becomes friendlier and friendlier with the target. Until the target realises that the Camarilla is stifling him, and his new friends are who he wants to be with.
It is not uncommon for the Sabbat to pose as Anarchs, especially given the attitude of the Camarilla towards the unruled. But the Sabbat are not Anarchs. They have clear objectives. And in their fight against the ancients they need all the help that they can get.

Themes associated with the Sabbat


Mystery. No one outside the sect really know what they do. They see cities with problems, and these shadowy lords ruling over them. Most Kindred have heard of the Sabbat, they know that the Camarilla is at war with them, and they know that the Anarchs don't like them. They also know that members of the Sabbat move around the Camarilla unseen, and that any Camarilla vampires that go to Sabbat cities do not come back. The Justicars would rather wage war against the Anarchs in the face of the Sabbat. Rumour suggests that even if the Sabbat territories were conquered, the Sabbat would still be out there.
What really scares the vampires of the Camarilla is that they cannot see the Sabbat; Anarchs are very obvious, they blow up buildings. The Sabbat attack minds. They also are rumoured to be masters over blood bonds. And they want control. Control over everything.
Fear, mystery and a sense of something missing should accompany any games with a Sabbat presence.

Powers


The Sabbat's chief power is its mastery over blood bonds. They can alter bonds, make bonds, break bonds, pretty much do anything with them. New recruits are blood bound into the pack, normally via the pack leader. Rites such as crawling out of graves are not practiced by the Sabbat, what on earth does it have to do with the embrace of Vampirism?
In addition, the Sabbat also make extensive use of the disciplines that they possess. Unlike the Camarilla, clan divisions are not important to the Sabbat. All Vampires have clan, and all vampires have gifts from Clan. The Sabbat though, put the sect first. A Vampire is one of them first, and then of his clan second. A Vampire existed before the clans, so they argue.

Conclusions


The Sabbat is something different. Something that isn't just a vulgar bunch of crackheads on bikes. They have a purpose and a plan, and they will work towards that purpose. Sleep all day, party all night. It's fun to be a Vampire!
Don't forget though, that they are embracing Vampirism to defeat the ancients - their driving goal. The Camarilla serves the ancients and prepares the young for consumption. This has to be stopped. Further it tries to remove any traces of Rebellion and vampirism from it's halls. This is why the Camarilla must be subverted.

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