Brisbane X CofD History
Vampire Specific History
Bad things happen in Brisbane. The higher the mountain you climb, the harder the wind blows. Searching through the scattered annals of kindred who have visited Brisbane comes the disturbing pattern that few care to think about, blinded as most seem to be by the promise of the glittering tomorrow. Brisbane has hosted three powerful courts, each more powerful than the last, each built from the ashes of the previous one. Will history repeat itself?
First Court of the Invictus 1860-1899
The First Court of Brisbane under the ancient Lord Orion, a revered elder, fought a bloody turf battle through the 1890’s across the field of politics, power struggles, unions, black markets and smuggling rings before succumbing to the younger, more energised Acolytes. Almost none remain who remember these days and records are scant.
Second ‘court’ of the Acolytes 1900-1959
The Second ‘court’ of the Acolytes, predominantly younger blood who eschewed the established western power structure, hunted down the ‘elders’- the more established kindred- until none contested their power and ferocity. Under Hierophant William, age was a liability, traditional structure was a crutch, pompous titles of pointless functions were a hindrance, desire to grasp the future was all that counted then. For nearly five decades the Acolytes ruled uncontested with savage brutality and instilled the ingrained fear of the night into the city itself. Indeed few mortals wish to dwell on the past, so mired is it in fear, and some say it is what paved the way for the city to become what it is today: A city refusing to look back, always looking forward for fear of the past. The Acolytes grew in number and power, and their presence stained forever the night with a fear that stays to this day.
Then in 1959 came the owls. Few at first, but potent and terrifying, they emerged from the temple at Mt. Coot-Tha having twisted and fed upon the strongest… the court began to tear itself apart as kindred turned upon kindred. ‘The Torment’ was the foremost Owl, who delighted in twisting kindred against each other, and for a decade the kindred fought a losing battle against an ever growing Parliament of Owls. The battle between the vampires and ‘The Torment’ spilled slowly into the mortal world, already rife with half a century of fear of the monsters in the dark. Into this disaster came Mahyar al-Sahand- a young Mekhet who was a Middle Eastern priest of the Lancea Sanctum, and who brought with him the weapons to fight the Owls. With his teachings the priests of the Lancea Sanctum were able to repel the owls. But it was not enough. The Owls were too many. Inexplicably in 1969 the Owls vanished along with the most powerful of the Lancea Sanctum and almost all the mekhet, leaving behind a city ruined by fear. Almost all the powerful kindred were dead or in torpor and the mortal world was ever more terrified of the dark. Even to this day few dare to go near Mt. Coot-Tha, for malevolence still hangs there like an acrid stench and the Sanctified feel their power drain away most unnaturally.
Third Court of the Invictus – 1969- 2010
Out of the ashes of the Acolyte court of Hierophant William rose a vibrant young survivor named Christopher, who cobbled together an alliance and dragged the Invictus to power- but not without influencing and being influenced by the city. Fear set in, there was something out there and the kindred of the Third Invictus Court vowed never to be caught unprepared. With a tentative agreement from the other supernatural beings, the city moved forward towards a bright new tomorrow and never looked back. The Brisbane Plan, that set the path for the city ever since, was part supernatural agreement, part industrial development, part social control, part preservation act. Was it the kindred, or other supernaturals, or the mortals who desperately sought the safety of predictability and mundane banality? No-one knows but it forever shaped the city. For four decades the Third Court under Prince Christopher grew, as did the city; slowly at first, then faster after the dreams and hopes of all others had been crushed. Then Prince Christopher, barely in his 90th year, was replaced in a bloodless coup in 2000 by his sire, and once again the city prospered under firm leadership. However in Brisbane success and age in office seems to bring complacency and the court grew in power and decadence. In 2010 at the heights of power and decadence came the first slivers of doubt- had the court grown too proud? Too powerful? Too complacent? Few asked, and even fewer listened. Fewer prepared. It was not enough. A rebellion tore the court apart, Kindred fought Kindred, and in the wake Vernon Sawyer wrested power from the ashes of Prince Catherine. With the assistance of Jonas Lang and Varouna Ratti he reformatted the government into a Parliament, and held power for a few months before supernatural news from the city went inexplicably dark. No Kindred have left the city since, and those that enter are not seen or heard from again.