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In the Fiends Lair


"Will you walk into my parlour?" said a spicier to a fly...

- Mary Howitt, "The Spider and the Fly"

If that fly just walked on in, he deserved whatever he had comin'. Dumb motherfucker.

- Kim Wylie, pack priest

Through a combination of intimidation tactics, murder and some limited influence, the Sabbat extends a brutal hold over its conquered territories. Young Sabbat exercise their freedoms in bloody fashions unknown among the "Kindred" of the Camarilla; the elders of the sect rely on their innate powers more than they use any sort of influence among humans. Obviously, lacking the dreary strictures placed on vampires by more domineering rulers, cities of the Sabbat are exciting places... if you're a vampire.

For the Storyteller constructing a Sabbat-held city, the Sabbat's peculiar perspective toward mortals is paramount. After all, the teeming hordes of humans must be kept unaware of the vampires living in their midst (even if those vampires believe themselves the true and rightful rulers of humanity), and with young and rebellious Sabbat engaged in pastimes such as "Mossberg Madness" and car-chasing (with Celerity and Potence), the Sabbat is forced to adopt some sort of policy regarding mortal influence. In theory, the Sabbat disdains mortals as little more than food and fodder, but in practice, the elders and the Sabbat's revenant families exert control over those areas that are crucial to the sect's security and prosperity. Similarly, the appalling lack of human morality among Sabbat leads to disturbing trends in the mortal societies they manipulate. Without consideration for their herds, the vampires of the Sabbat often allow execrable conditions that would never be tolerated in cities of the Camarilla - or in cities bereft of vampiric influence (if such places exist). Indeed, Sabbat cities are hellish, even when one fails to realize that vampires lurk behind the scenes.

Relationships between Sabbat and Camarilla also color the development of a Sabbat city. The Sabbat sees itself as an army at war; as such, its cities are assets, military striking points and zones of control. While the decadent vampires of the Camarilla may be content to use their mortal lackeys to gather money, art and blood, the Sabbat always keeps an eye toward internal security and external expansion. As a result of this policy, the Sabbat keeps multiple auxiliary havens (for defense as well as the hosting of nomadic packs) and often has an "open border" policy allowing vampires to enter the city easily - something many Camarilla princes eschew, but that the Sabbat feels comfortable with given their use of recognition signs and ritat1. These and other differences should be readily noticeable to anyone familiar with conditions in cities dominated by sects other than the Sabbat. Indeed, a Sabbat city can often be evaluated by its adherence to some of the sect's more common policies.

As with any chronicle, presenting a Sabbat city is a matter of preparation. However, the presentation differs from that of Camarilla or independent cities. The Storyteller needs to be careful to set up the proper mood and locations. After all, once the players start asking about communal haven locations and ritual cemeteries, the Storyteller needs the requisite information at hand. Following the guidelines in this chapter is a good way to set up interesting, complete and believable cities.

(This chapter is intended for Storyteller use only.)

On Semantics

A word often associated with vampire influence in a city is control, which hears some investigation. Vampires are rarely feudal lords in the modem nights, commanding peasants from their gilded thrones (though some Tzimisce in the Old Country...). Modern vampires exert subtle influence over (or otherwise dominate) aspects of mortal culture - they are unchanging predators who follow societal trends, not make them.

Indeed, it is unlikely that any vampire, no matter how powerful, could truly control a modem city. Her enemies would besiege her and bring her down within a matter of nights, were she to be so obvious. Rather, vampires occlude their presence under numerous layers of secrecy and misdirection.

This technique may seem strange for the Sabbat, as raucous and blatant as it is. For all the sect's faults, however, its leaders are not stupid. If they rampaged through the streets every night, blowing heads off bank tellers and crushing political institutions, they wouldn't have lasted long enough to achieve the success they have. In fact, once past the ritae and open depravity, little distinguishes the Sabbat from vampires of other sects at all. As in the mortal world - how different is an average person's life in Canada than it is in the United States when matters come down to brass tacks? - ideology almost always takes a hack seat to the basic requisites of life... or unlife. Vampires all suffer the Curse of Caine first and foremost; all other matters are secondary at best.

Sabbat Cities

Suspended in various stages of perpetual confederated anarchy, the cities of the Sabbat teem with the elements that the sect sees as useful and valuable. While the Camarilla avoids open shaping of human society, the Sabbat has no compunctions about directly - albeit judiciously - encouraging the elements that ease its means of existence. As such, Sabbat-controlled cities often evidence high incidences of violent crime, drug trade, population overflow and corruption. Feeding among squalid masses of homeless and skimming money from the underworld, members of the Sabbat turn barrens and slums into their own personal (and pack) dominions. The upper echelons of human society become the grounds for the most affluent and subtle among the Sabbat, glutting the jaded and esoteric tastes of the sect's more influential members.

Each Sabbat city is an exercise in barely controlled chaos (though some are more controlled than others). Nominally overseen by an archbishop or council of bishops, the city's Sabbat strive against one another for power and prestige with ferocious abandon, held in check only by the bonds of the Vaulderie. Authority trickles down to lesser leaders and ducti, who advance the causes of the sect (and themselves) in their own individualistic fashions. Instead of loyalty along strict clan lines, the Sabbat thus works in mixed groups; the separation of packs, and the fact that the Vaulderie is shared only rarely between rival packs, means that Sabbat vampires are quite likely to engage in internecine warfare. When combined with the Loyalist movement (which advocates personal freedom and disobedience) and the fractiousness of young, modern and deranged Sabbat, this means that outbreaks of vampiric violence (against either mortals or other vampires) are fairly prevalent. Only common cause and the power of the Vaulderie keep Sabbat vampires working together - which shows in the fact that Sabbat cities are more likely to have slip-ups wherein humans learn of the existence of vampires and are brutally dispatched (or otherwise dealt with) before they can become problematic. One tale from the bizarre streets of New York concerns a rash of "Vampires Are Real!" news stories from a sensationalist writer who was found three days after his last story saw print, drunk, dazed and high on the steps of the New York Times offices wearing only greasepaint and a clapboard sign that read, "Yes, we're real. Stay out of the East Village."

Mortal Influence

Disdaining mortal influence causes the Sabbat multiple problems in its sway over cities. The Sabbat refuses to recognize mortals as a threat, and few of its members treat humans as anything more than ambulatory meals. This is a dangerous oversight on the part of the sect, for it means that mortal agencies can be used easily against the Sabbat.

The worst problem with the Sabbat's lack of influence, of course, is the possibility of mass exposure to mortals through the actions of rash, frenzied, insane or just hyperactive Sabbat. Unless the vampire in question has subtle and pervasive influence in the media-and few newly Embraced Sabbat do-the sect relies on terrorism and blunt uses of Disciplines to address problem mortals. This course of action backfires, of course, if a particularly talented mortal escapes and manages to acquire competent aid (say, from the Inquisition). The Sabbat counters this potential liability by fostering high crime rates in its cities, so that the occasional odd murder or disappearance goes unnoticed, but this tactic creates problems of its own. Savvy Sabbat leaders recognize the usefulness of the media, but in general, the media remains unexploited by the Sabbat.

The Sabbat's lack of financial investment in mortal society means that the sect as a whole has little sway over industry, politics or transportation. Although any vampire can get a small amount of cash simply by waylaying a hapless mortal, the ability to move large quantities of money around - exerting control over businesses and industries - eludes most Sabbat vampires, who see mortal business as a waste of time. After all, running a business requires paperwork, and it doesn't directly provide a source of food or entertainment. Elder Sabbat recognize, though, that interest in mortal industry and politics is necessary in order to develop staging grounds for attack and to support the herds necessary for vampires. A look at the sad economic state of many Sabbat cities shows that mortals often flee oppressive conditions, and the Sabbat has had the majority of its cities turned into burned-out economic wrecks through the efforts of other vampires - or even mortal industries. Some Sabbat leaders advocate more direct control of mortal financial and political institutions, but many younger Sabbat shout that the leaders are acting just like the Camarilla.

Crime-rates in Sabbat-controlled cities border on the appalling. Without recourse to media or police control, the Sabbat stimulates crime to cover its activities. After all, a few more missing people won't be noticed when hundreds die or disappear every year. Additionally, the vampires of the Sabbat find underworld traffic a good way to acquire money, drugs and guns, all of which are useful in fighting a war, be it against adversaries in the sect or versus enemies in neighboring cities. In particular, the Serpents of the Light, the Lasombra and the Ventrue antitribu tend to engage in more criminal activities than any of their compatriots, which leads to the higher incidence of violent activity among mortals that the Sabbat needs in order to cover up its own tracks. Additionally, the use of smuggling rings to transport vampires is not lost on the Sabbat, and many a racket previously devoted to smuggling cigarettes or weapons had found itself commandeered to transport unliving cargoes across terrain that would typically be dangerous for a vampire. A few enterprising Nosferatu antitribu even ran an "Underground Railroad" for vampires during the early 1980s, but rumors indicate that this venture is now defunct.

Sabbat Numbers

Because of their casual policies toward feeding and tendency to create new vampires in wartime, Sabbat cities usually support more Cainites per capita than most other cities. A typical Sabbat city may host up to twice the usual number of vampires - one Cainite per 50,000 mortals - though such overpopulation is misleading, as excess vampires meet Final Death in combat or simply leave with nomadic packs. Combined with the lack of an enforced Masquerade, this overpopulation means that Sabbat members are more likely to be discovered as vampires, although their use of direct means to rectify the situation means that they are no more likely to be completely exposed (and, indeed, the elders among the Sabbat recognize the need to keep humans in the dark - for now).

Contested Cities

Perpetual warfare occupies the nights of the Sabbat. Whether overthrowing the oppressive grip of the Camarilla, waging war against the cannibalistic Ancients, hunting down hostile Lupines or crushing enigmatic prodigals like wizards and ghosts, the Sabbat has its collective Black Hands full in trying to maintain control over its cities while expanding its reach. Packs contest against one another in ritual combat in order to hone their skills, while archbishops and other luminaries of the sect plan long-term stratagems to fight the war against the Antediluvians.

From the Sabbat perspective, the Antediluvians lurk behind the actions of everyone and everything outside the sect. It is little wonder, then, that the sect has no patience for anyone who doesn't join the cause. This, in turn, means that the Sabbat is always at war - one is either with the sect or against it, and the Sabbat cannot allow others to stand against it. As a result, the sect strives to spread its influence into as many cities as possible. The leaders of the Sabbat wage crusades (wars of territory) against the cities of the enemies so that the pawns of the Antediluvians get no respite. Just about any city within striking distance of the Sabbat has felt the effects of a crusade.

Starting the Revolution

Acquiring good information is the first step in taking over a city. To this end, the Sabbat makes extensive use of scouts in enemy territory. The exceptional selection of Disciplines among Sabbat vampires allows for a great deal of flexibility in espionage agents. Combining the powers of Vicissitude with the loyalty of the Vinculum means that the Sabbat is capable of activating highly effective spies. As long as covert agents avoid detection by paranoid individuals skilled in mind-reading, there is almost no way to ferret out Sabbat agents. These spies gather vital information about the allegiances of the city's vampires and the locations of havens and bases, as well as the strengths of the city. For delicate operations, the Sabbat even uses heavily Dominated moles or nearly undetectable revenant ghouls to infiltrate important places in the city's infrastructure.

Sabbat spies aren't Embraced as warriors. They generally operate independently or in pairs, with specific mission objectives. ("Discover the location of the Tremere chantry and return.") Assassination isn't a common goal for spies; the benefits of removing a particular scion of the city are usually outweighed by the fact that such tactics cause the rest of the city's vampires to draw together. Even when presented with the opportunity, a spy is unwilling to compromise her cover by killing an adversary.

The Sword of Caine

Once Sabbat spies have determined important information about the city, the crusade begins in earnest. In the past, the Sabbat would attempt to recruit anarchs or independents to their side. However, experience has shown that failure while attempting to recruit immediately alerts the targets to the impending Sabbat attack. Instead of announcing its presence, therefore, the Sabbat often strikes immediately.

The first casualty in a Sabbat crusade is the Masquerade. Since the Camarilla expends a great deal of its energy and resources in maintaining the Masquerade, the Sabbat works to force the Camarilla's hand. By selectively indulging in violence, the Sabbat can force the Camarilla to use its influence to cover up provocative incidents. This, in turn, allows the Sabbat to uncover areas of Camarilla influence in mortal society, and also keeps the Camarilla busy. Of course, the Sabbat is careful in just how much of a show it creates; nobody wants to fight the kind of two-front war that would result if hunters (especially the Society of Leopold) descended on the city as a result of blatant supernatural actions. Thus, the Sabbat usually limits the number of witnesses to its attacks and leaves a means of explaining them. For instance, a Sabbat vampire is unlikely to run through a mall in the evening at Celerity speeds, cutting up people with razor blades. It's simply too conspicuous, and it brings mortal investigators and hunters too quickly. However, if a half-dozen people are kidnapped by "a crazed psychotic who claimed that he is a vampire," the Camarilla can be forced to debunk the sighting while simultaneously trying to uncover the perpetrator, all of which allows the Sabbat to locate the Camarilla's pawns in the media.

Once the Sabbat has galvanized the local vampire community by forcing it to exercise its mortal influence, the attackers strike at those areas of influence. The horribly recessionary economics of many Sabbat cities are a grave testament to the efficiency of Camarilla influence in fighting the Sabbat, and the sect now does its best to undermine such counterstrikes. It has members buy off mortal agents, kill ghouls and rob or vandalize businesses. Some Sabbat, particularly Lasombra, even take pleasure in matching influence for influence, fighting against the Camarilla's political and economic moves in a chess game of mortal pawns and intermediaries. Here, the Sabbat's revenants come into play. Fiercely loyal and skilled beyond the capacities of "normal" ghouls, revenants can infiltrate mortal society almost invisibly and still match the Camarilla's servitors.

With pawns in place to fight battles of influence, the Sabbat makes a double strike against the city's vampires. Tremere chantries almost always become primary targets, and large quantities of recruits inevitably sacrifice themselves to destroy the mystical might of the Camarilla. Simultaneously, the Sabbat strikes at the prince and primogen of the city, undermining the leadership structure by playing up past injustices and rekindling rivalries. Once the elders of the city have fallen to bickering among themselves, the remaining younger vampires are (theoretically) easily rounded up or frightened off. Often, the Sabbat strikes directly at Elysium, demoralizing the vampires of the city by attacking on their neutral ground with overwhelming force. (Look at the cover of this book, for example. It's the same location as the Guide to the Camarilla, after the Sabbat has chased away those poncey bastards.)

Recruitment

Due to the heavy losses involved in taking a city, the Sabbat often needs to recruit new "talent" in order to complete its crusades. Once the attack begins, anarchs or independents are sometimes offered positions in the sect (though experienced Sabbat keep careful eyes on them). Such converts are often given difficult jobs and assignments to kill their own allies, both as a test of loyalty and as a means to get rid of troublesome adversaries. Those who fail are summarily executed.

Because the Sabbat cannot count on the conversion of existing vampires to swell its ranks, multiple-Embraces are the most common tactic for recruiting en masse. A pack may initiate a score of individuals in one fell swoop, throwing the whelps against the enemies in a frenzied horde. Survivors among the converts are rounded up, then added to new groups and once again directed at the enemy. Obviously, this makes for high mortality rates among new (and not yet True) Sabbat, as might be expected of groups of untrained and berserk vampires thrown against Tremere chantries and princely domains. Still, some do survive, and in recognition of their survival (and for weakening their targets), such converts receive the Creation Rites, to become True Sabbat after they have proven themselves or attained several years of existence.

Crushing Resistance

Even in cities that have fallen to the Sword of Caine, partisan resistance remains a problem. While most Camarilla vampires flee to safer territory when a city falls to a crusade, some stubbornly refuse to leave their homes, and they continue to harry the Sabbat. The Gangrel and the Nosferatu are the most ubiquitous among these pests, but a properly prepared and entrenched vampire of any clan can be troublesome.

Given the use of expendable troops in combat, the Sabbat's tactics for dealing with such interlopers are obvious. Typically, once partisan activity manifests, the Sabbat uses a few rank neonates to "feel out" the enemy, by presenting an easy target. Once these sacrificial lambs have gotten a "bite," the sect's packs strike on the now-revealed enemy. Simple. Unless....

Crafty vampires avoid striking the Sabbat directly. After all, the sect's major strength lies in its frontal combat capability and its willingness to use raw numbers. A hiding enemy may avoid all contact, picking and choosing his own targets. Such an opponent can't be drawn out. For these situations, the Sabbat must rely on Assamite antitribu and City Gangrel: The urban hunters take over, attempting to track the opponent down. Likely places are watched (old havens, possible resources, exit and entry points for the city) and double agents are called into play. Heavily Dominated converts are used to attempt to establish contact with the resistance under the pretense of assistance - and, of course, the Sabbat springs the trap once a meeting is arranged.

The Agony of Defeat

Of course, the Sabbat does not always win its crusades. The loss of a few small cities to the Camarilla amply demonstrates some of the weaknesses of the Sabbat's war effort, and the Camarilla is increasingly forced to fight the Sabbat on home turf- hidden wars of influence, instead of street-to-street combat.

The lack of front-line fighting ability in the Camarilla, and the unwillingness to meet the enemy head-on for fear of destroying the Masquerade, means that the Camarilla fights circumspectly. However, the Sabbat has little experience with or patience for such conflicts, and continually tries to drag the battle back to its area of expertise - raw combat. Brujah and Gangrel antitribu are dispatched in numbers, to tear the enemy to bloody tatters; Assamite antitribu hunt down individuals while members of the other clans counter the Camarilla's advantages (Ventrue antitribu countering the Camarilla's use of Dominate and Presence, Salubri antitribu and Harbingers of Skulls using their occult knowledge to neutralize the Tremere, and so on).

In order to fight against the Sabbat and win, the Camarilla must play to its own strengths, which means avoiding direct combat with the Sabbat's vampires while nullifying them through influence. Police forces are beefed up and mobilized to deal with the "gang threat." Auxiliary havens are activated as primary havens are abandoned to slow the Sabbat advance. Nosferatu and Malkavian spies funnel information about Sabbat whereabouts, and Brujah strike and fade, leaving confused and injured Sabbat to be rounded up by mortal lackeys and ghouls. Most importantly, the Tremere use their decisive advantage of Thaumaturgy to counter many of the Sabbat's unique Disciplines and to gather information or even strike at Sabbat leaders from a distance. Once the architects of the assault are isolated, they are picked off individually, leaving disorganized groups of recently created Sabbat with little instruction or experience to be dealt with expediently.

The Camarilla also has an advantage in that it maintains influence in geographically large sections of territory, where several powerful vampires make their havens. Once a city is under siege from the Sabbat, the Camarilla calls in assistance from the justicar and archons. Many of the Sabbat's shock troops are fledglings. A dozen hungry Sabbat may be able to pull down a single elder, but against an organized coterie of experienced and well-equipped archons, complete with powerful Disciplines and the benefits of age and generation, the Sabbat's young Licks tend to fall like paper tigers without reasonable tactics. Even when archons cannot be counted on for assistance, neighboring cities lend aid indirectly. Sabbat traveling to a siege site may find themselves waylaid en route by the actions of a neighboring city's Camarilla prince, exerting influence over the highways and transportation of the area. Bishops leading the attack on the front lines suddenly find themselves flanked as their own home cities are besieged by Camarilla forces from other locations. Blood bound, Dominated or Entranced agents arrive and stir up mortal unrest, causing difficulty among the Sabbat's own herds.

Deep Cover

When gathering information about enemy groups, the Sabbat makes great use of intelligence operations. After all, with the Vaulderie backing up loyalty and the sect's use of multiple specialized Disciplines, infiltration work is almost second nature. Given such circumstances, it's no surprise that the Sabbat has agents in many, many Camarilla cities throughout the world - arguably all of them (though such claims are generally made by the Sabbat itself and may not be wholly objective). Undercover work is dangerous and unglamorous, but a successful Sabbat agent gains a great deal of prestige in the sect for cunning and daring.

Manchurians

With extensive use of the Dominate Discipline, it's possible to rebuild someone's memory and personality, even to the point where the individual is not aware of her own true loyalties. The Sabbat makes use of this tactic to send in agents who are honestly unaware of their Sabbat ties. Nicknamed "Manchurians" (after the film The Manchurian Candidate), these agents are provided with a false set of memories and a few subconscious commands (post-hypnotic suggestions to make regular reports, usually), ensuring that they cannot give away their allegiances.

Sabbat Manchurians are often drawn from among the ranks of young, newly Embraced members hoping for quick fame. Most often, the subjects are Dominated by older Lasombra in the sect, who are meticulous in rebuilding the target's personality and memory. Some of these "programmers" even possess enough mastery of the Discipline to ensure that others have a difficult time penetrating the layers of false memory when attempting to undo the psychological work. Once the programmer has completely rebuilt the persona of the Manchurian, the agent is taken to a likely spot, instilled with a memory of traveling to the area or escaping from attackers, and released to find her way into Camarilla territory, there to be accepted into society (hopefully). Subconscious triggers force the target to report through dead-letter drops or surreptitious phone calls, promptly forgetting the event thereafter.

In a few rare cases, the Sabbat has made use of captured Camarilla vampires, altering their memories slightly and implanting commands to demand information and reports. These hapless Manchurians often have no idea of the fate to which they have been resigned until they are caught and executed by their own sect. This tactic is risky, though, since the victim's allies (if any) may be ferocious in their retribution.

Double Agents

Far more dangerous than working under mental conditioning is working with full knowledge of Sabbat connections. Since any paranoid Cainite with sufficient mastery of Auspex or Dominate can uncover hidden loyalties, Sabbat who pose as Camarilla or independents must step very carefully.

The most common double agents among the Sabbat are Brujah antitribu, since Brujah tend to spout revolutionary rhetoric anyway. The clan's loose structure makes it easy to join up with any Brujah gang or anarch front and work to benefit the sect while pretending to be a simple rebellious punk. Nosferatu antitribu are sometimes dispatched, but in many cases, the Nosferatu of an area are tightly knit enough to know of Sabbat loyalties of their brethren, and they may well sell such information to the highest bidder - if they care at all.

Another option is to infiltrate the upper echelons of vampiric society by claiming to be a powerful Toreador or Lasombra antitribu. This tactic is very risky because the credentials of such individuals are often surreptitiously "checked" by gentrified vampires who would prefer to find all of the skeletons in a potential rival's closet. To counter this investigation, the Sabbat sometimes creates a new vampire of early generation, and spends several months in specialized training and indoctrination to turn the subject into a shadowy pretender who has "apparently escaped notice" but now turns up seeking a place among the elders.

Other times, a Sabbat vampire may pose as a member of another clan, learning the Disciplines necessary to carry off the charade and then claiming a little-known branch of lineage. Obviously, this feat is nigh-impossible among strictly hierarchical clans like the Tremere, but a Lasombra might claim to be a wayward Ventrue, while a Tzimisce could pass herself off as a Nosferatu (and some take delight in doing so). Of course, any Lick who takes this course had better steer clear of the Warlocks; the blood-magic of the Tremere makes it too easy to detect such forgeries.

Replacement Vampires

Considering the fleshcrafting predilections of the Tzimisce, rebuilding an individual to look like someone else is a simple matter. With this in mind, the Sabbat occasionally engages in kidnapping particular vampires, then replacing them with fleshcrafted duplicates. This job is exacting and demanding, but ultimately one of the most effective forms of infiltration - it is rumored that the dreaded Dracula himself (should he exist) made use of this tactic to confound his political enemies.

To successfully pull off impersonation, the Sabbat spy must be able to watch the victim carefully for quite some time. The victim's habits and mannerisms must be studied, her friends and allies must be discovered, even her deepest secrets must be uncovered. Any failure on the part of the spy could break cover, warning the other vampires to the Sabbat presence. Adding to the difficulty, the spy must learn all of the victim's Disciplines, in order to fully duplicate the powers and limitations of the subject.

The use of powerful Disciplines other than Vicissitude often accompanies impersonation. High proficiency in telepathic contact, through Auspex, is essential in stealing the personality as well as in developing a complete template of the victim's behavior. The Dominate Discipline, used as with a Manchurian, ensures that the spy has no confusion about who he really is (by making him think about and remember himself as the victim). In some cases, Thaumaturgy conceals the victim's aura, but the lack of blood magic's accessibility due to the recent disappearance of the Tremere antitribu makes this tactic difficult; now, the agents must often rely on extreme proficiency with Obfuscate.

Soul-Swapping

A very recent tactic among the Sabbat involves the capture of a Camarilla vampire or anarch and the intervention of an experienced Harbinger of Skulls. Using the powers of Necromancy (specifically the Bone Path), the Harbinger exchanges the soul of the victim with that of a loyal Sabbat. Followed with a ritual or magical item to mask his aura, the new agent becomes almost undetectable. Again, the agent must learn some of the victim's Disciplines and mannerisms, but the body is obviously perfect and the spy need only worry about the possibility of mental detection.

Deep Cover Agents and the Vaulderie

Deep cover agents must work behind enemy lines without much contact with the Sabbat, and the power of the Vinculum sometimes inexplicably weakens over time. Without the enforcement of the Vaulderie, some Sabbat may find themselves questioning their motives and methods.

The first possible solution to such a problem is to arrange for surreptitious meetings in which the agent can partake of the Vaulderie with his fellow Sabbat. Such is preferable because it allows the agent to maintain his original loyalties. However, doing so is dangerous, because if the agent is followed and his activities are noticed, the entire point of the exercise is ruined. Instead of meeting up with a pack, therefore, a few agents are taught the Vaulderie, and they have mixed blood shipped to them so they can maintain the Vinculum themselves. The risk here is the possibility that the agent may decide to forego the ritual, weakening his own loyalty to the sect, or that he does not know the proper ritus.

The second solution to loyalty problems is to blood bond the agent. This prevents the Sabbat from escaping from his loyalty to a member of the sect. Most often, a local bishop or archbishop becomes the focus of such a bond, though due to the possibility of Thaumaturgical detection the subject may instead be a ductus. This method is frowned on because of the Sabbat's distaste for the blood bond, but sometimes there is no other viable option (for instance, if the agent must penetrate deep into Camarilla territory where meetings are impossible). In any case, the bond is broken with the Vaulderie once the agent returns from duty.


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