This is an overview of the twenty years spanned by Forbidden Liasons, Forbidden Liasons II, Hunters Hunted, and Darke Silver Theater. Pages from the scrapbook and other references are linked in in appropriate places.
You can start here, before Steven and Rebecca, or when they first interact.
Approximately twenty years ago, a Nosferatu Prince called Victoria Caruthers was the ruler of the dying Berkeley principality. Within months of her taking the throne, the Court's holdings were liquidated, the Anarchs and Sabbat had them under heavy assault, and the Kindred of the area began leaving for greener shores. A summons went out along the Nosferatu information network to sell the data on Berkeley to promising and available Kindred, and invite those who wished to come to the area. A new court began to form in the beleaguered city.
As the Kindred organized, a Prince pro-tem was elected, the position going to one Jonathan DeWinter. He held the seat for a time, making rulings which became more and more controversial; unknown to his court, he made a deal with the local Garou, agreeing that the lupines could destroy Kindred in the city with the Prince's blessing. He was exposed as a Caitiff shortly afterward, and with this clear sign of Gehenna's approach, he was forced to step down. Selena, of Clan Tremere, took the Prince's seat.
After a few weeks, Selena was recalled to Vienna by the Tremere Elders, and her clanmate Ezra Darke was placed on the throne. Over the course of the next year of Ezra's rule, with the assistance of a mage called Peregrine, a tentative peace agreement was drawn up between the Berkeley Tremere chantry and the Garou of Tilden Park. The agreement was expanded and firmed as respect grew, until it became the Trinity of Fellowship, a working alliance between the mages, lupines, and Kindred of Berkeley.
The Treaty came before the court to be ratified by all sides in the fall of 1989. After its signing, signs of Gehenna began chiming through the city. The events were initially confined to Berkeley and the Bay Area, but soon they began to show across the world.
The Berkeley court sent an envoy to the Camarilla, asking for counsel and aid. The envoy returned, stating that the Camarilla had refused to advise or even recognize the Court of Berkeley as a Camarilla principality. The court was ostracized among the members of the Camarilla, and only the Signs of Gehenna kept the court from extinction.
After thirteen signs rocked the globe, there was a small silence. On a clear night in Berkeley, thunder echoed throughout the sky; many considered it to be an omen of doom, and braced themselves for the end. The next day, a large tile mosaic was found in front of the Elysium building on the U.C. Berkeley campus, where none had been before. It measured twenty feet on a side, and looked centuries old. The design was a simple Roman Numeral I.
As of that event, no Kindred could live in the city. Sires began pulling their broods out of the city, and others were chased away. The supernatural creatures of Berkeley were driven out by some strange aura or malfeasance which could not be identified. It became known as the Curse of Berkeley.
The Prince disappeared, and the city was abandoned completely. The Court and the Trinity dissolved. The Garou of Tilden Park left, moving to other caerns; the nodes, energy sources for the local mages, simply vanished. Berkeley became a ghost town to supernaturals.
Some seven years later, in November of 1997, the Malkavian Prince of a small court in Contra Costa County decided to deal with the Sabbat threat in the area. Pulling in the Court's influences, he deputized a Kindred named Templeton to form a Hunters group to take care of the court's enemies. Templeton, working through one Percival Longfellow, organized Hunters Incorporated, an elite group of Hunters from the surrounding area.
As the organization worked on the Sabbat, guided surreptitiously by Templeton and Prince Feld, a member of the court was uncovered to be a Sabbat infiltrator. The members of Hunters Inc. became aware of the court's existence, and Prince Vannevar Thomas of the Court of Yerba Buena pushed to convince Feld to embrace or kill the hunters, to protect the Masquerade. Feld kept the Hunter group, allowing it a tentative position within the court.
The Sabbat decided to make a move on the county, taking its resources and the aid of a Tremere antitribu to locate and begin defiling a Garou burial ground. The local Tremere predicted that, were they to be successful, some large and powerful spirits which were attached to the burial ground would be tainted. As the Sabbat continued their plans, two Garou envoys appeared in court: Arnold Cuts-Like-Fire and Mira Witchblade.
Templeton offered money to the Garou if they would aid in an action against the Sabbat. Mira agreed to help raid the construction site on the burial ground, and went with the members of Hunters Inc. when they set out. In the battle that followed, the Hunters managed to locate and kill the Sabbat sympathizer Kincaid, who had been Feld's Sheriff, but Mira was killed in the effort.
The court ferreted out a Sabbat sympathizer in the ranks of the Garou, and assailed this "Blackfeather" with influences until he was forced underground. Turning again to the Sabbat itself, they found that it was going to make its move on the Garou burial grounds, as an electrical storm threatened. As the storm was about to break, the court also discovered that the Sabbat were hoping to harness the power of the storm, perhaps to destroy the Garou of the area.
Moving quickly, several members of the court and the Hunters showed up at the site to try to disrupt the Sabbat ritual. They succeeded, destroying the Ritemaster and the ruins, but unleashing the pent-up energy in a flood across the site. As it touched the survivors of the battle, strange things happened: a female journalist, Ashley Wilson, shifted into a great black bird form, and Micah, a devout Christian, was imbued with the power of true Magick.
The battle broke the local Sabbat, and the threat receded. Giving in to pressure from Prince Vannevar, Feld disbanded the Hunters in May of 1998, embracing a handful of them with the aid of a few Kindred from San Francisco.
The energy from the Sabbat ritual triggered something deep in the land. Word came to the court that two ancient Indian artifacts, called "seals", had been activated. One was known as the "Heart of the Earth-Mother", a green sphere about the size of a tennis ball holding an immense amount of pattern energy; the other was the "Eye of the Serpent", a dark blue ball of dynamic power.
Mortal mystics were having visions of these artifacts, dreaming that the orbs needed to be returned to their rightful places -- one to the peak of Mount Diablo in Contra Costa, and the other to the peak of Mount Tamalpaias in Sausalito. The court discovered that one woman, Jessica Tawfall, had stumbled upon the Heart of the Earth Mother, and set out to find her. A dissident of Vannevar's court, a Brujah named Sarge, led her to the Court of Contra Costa.
Sarah Donner, feeling sympathy for a fellow mortal caught up in supernatural affairs, spirited Jessica away to the peak of Mount Diablo. The others, meanwhile, talked to Sarge and realized that Prince Vannevar was under the influence of the Eye of the Serpent. The court -- John Patrick Riley in particular -- pleaded with Vannevar to take the orb to Mount Tam to balance the power. Vannevar was swayed by the arguments and journeyed to Mount Tam.
The Garou of Mount Tam unceremoniously accepted his gift and literally threw him off the mountain. As he regained his senses, Vannevar declared war on the Garou, and despised the Court of Contra Costa for its involvement with them.
The restoration of the artifacts to their rightful places allowed the taint to lift from Berkeley, breaking the Curse after over ten years. The Tremere and Garou both breathed a sigh of relief and reinhabited their old haunts in the city.
While under the influence of the orb, Vannevar had cried wolf many times about the Sabbat threat, always amounting to nothing. The false alarms caused many to turn a blind eye later, as biker gangs crept up the coast to San Francisco in the fall of 1998.
In the Court of Contra Costa, the relations with the Garou advanced, and the Trinity revived and ratified once again. Ashley, who had been confirmed as a Corax shapeshifter, received a tip that liquid assets would be moved into Alameda by Vannevar. Hoping to thwart the enemy of the Garou and the Court, she moved to intercept the shipment, and encountered a host of Black Spiral Dancers doing the same. The court went on guard against this additional threat.
In late winter, Prince Feld went to a conclave of Princes and returned irritated. As he held court the next week, he was assaulted outside the Elysium building by a group in a black sedan. The only witness, the Garou representative Spirit Interface, professed to have no memory of the event. Feld's clothes and ashes were found in front, and the court reeled at the loss of their Prince.
Some investigation revealed the Sabbat to be the most likely assailants, but the court was too disorganized to take concrete action. There was a great deal of discussion by private messages during the court's recess, as the Brujah Jeremy Archdeacon declared himself Prince in the interim. Elise, Feld's childe, violently opposed this, stating that Jeremy had murdered her sire to allow just such a maneuver.
The former Seneschal, Teresita Giovanni of Clan Ventrue, suggested a vote, adding that she would become Prince if the court wished. Ezra Darke stepped in and declared that the issue would be settled at the next court gathering. Riley, as Keeper of Elysium, declared the entire county to be Elysium, and was forced to hastily amend his declaration at a violent protest from Spirit Interface, saying that Elysium was Kindred territory and that the declaration violated the Treaty.
When the court met again, Jeremy was elected by a board of Clan representatives, officiated by Ezra Darke, and negated Riley's pronouncement once and for all. Spirit Interface and Arnold Cuts-Like-Fire reassured the court that the Trinity would still stand.
Steven Millan's offer to Rebecca Nelson
Subject: seeking aid
As March wore on, gang violence increased in San Francisco, and disturbances in East County were detected; Black Spiral Dancer involvement was discovered at the Tosco oil refinery, and the court found that BSDs were running a sadomasochistic killing machine known as the Mangler in local clubs. An effort to track down and seize the machine resulted in the wounding of a few Garou, the burning of the nightclub the Mangler had been tracked to, and the capture of John Patrick Riley by the retreating Black Spiral Dancers.
A concerted effort by the Tremere and the Garou succeeded in lifting the Curse from Berkeley, nearly ten years after it fell on the city. A quiet sigh of relief was uttered by some in the Camarilla.
A BSD pit was found in Antioch, and the court considered an assault of some sort upon it. The unease grew in south San Francisco, and suspicions of Sabbat involvement strengthened.
Court News: April 12
Rebecca's reply to Steven Millan
Rebecca's diary: April 14
Riley Returned to the court after six weeks with the BSDs, though he seemed changed by the experience. Photographs of him meeting with the leader of the BSDs were found, linked with the former Seneschal, Aaron Maddison, who denied that he had provided the photos. Elise disappeared, and the court murmured that she might have been captured by the Black Spiral Dancers herself.
Subject: Clarification of my intent
Subject: Re: Clarification of my intent
Court News: April 25
Prince Archdeacon announced in open court that he had traded Elise for Riley's return, presenting several notes as evidence that Elise had been plotting to overthrow him. Spirit Interface stood and declared that Jeremy would be taken to task by the Garou for consorting with the enemy, and Jeremy seemed supremely unconcerned. The court began planning an assault on the pit in earnest.
At the next court, Spirit Interface showed up with Theodore Jackson and Arnold Cuts-Like-Fire to bring Prince Archdeacon up on charges. The Prince, after a bit of discussion, retreated with his Seneschal, Lady, to think over the matter, and slipped out to make an escape. After discovering this, the Garou demanded that the court appoint a leader and hold the tribunal in Jeremy's absence. Hastily, Riley and Devon Ashmoore were delegated to choose a Prince, and picked Corianna Stancliffe, Devon's childe. She appointed Riley as her Seneschal.
The tribunal was held, with Ezra Darke standing in for Jeremy Archdeacon, and he was found guilty of dealing with the enemy; it was agreed that his life was forfeit. In addition, Riley was brought up on charges of corruption and consorting with the Black Spiral Dancers, but was not convicted. As the tribunal ended, Spirit Interface was accosted by Corianna, who demanded that he withdraw from his position as Trinity representative. He refused, stating that she had no right to request that. He moved to leave, and was intercepted by Riley, who insulted him to the point that the Garou lost his composure and struck him. Spirit challenged him to a duel of honor, but Prince Corianna stepped in and refused to allow a Kindred to enter into such a duel. Spirit left in disgust.
Riley resigned as Seneschal a few days after court in the beginning of May, citing the court's suspicion as a reason he could not hold the position. Corianna made Aaron Maddison her Seneschal in his stead, as well as Defender of the Trinity, a position intended to advise the Prince on Trinity protocol.
Spirit Interface let it be known that he felt that the Trinity was no longer honored by the court. Riley publicly announced that he would answer Spirit's honor challenge, and agreed to meet him to settle the matter. He was to be sequestered in an unknown place until the challenge date.
As Corianna vowed to mend the crumbling alliance with the Garou, Ezra Darke delivered and read an official document, stating that the Garou were withdrawing from the Treaty. The Mage representative, stating that a Trinity lacking one side was no Trinity, withdrew the Mages as well.
Plans continued to attack the Black Spiral Dancers, and there was a concerted effort to pool the court's resources and influences; unfortunately, suspicion and rivalry prevented most from lending what they had. There was a great deal of debate over the best way to combat the BSDs; many were against a frontal assault, though those in favor of physical fighting proposed guerrilla tactics. The effectiveness of influences against the enemy was hotly contested. Training sessions and efforts to gain weapons continued, headed by Ramses.
Aaron Maddison proposed the use of Hunters to combat the enemies of the court, and disturbed many people greatly with the suggestion. After some discussion, the idea was discarded as too dangerous. Many chafed at the lack of action, as training and planning continued.
Martial law was declared in San Francisco, to combat the rampant gang violence; a cover for Camarilla action against the Sabbat in the area.
Aaron Maddison resigned as Seneschal, deciding that he could be more effective as an independent agent. Riley did not appear at his honor challenge with the Garou, despite the word of both Aaron Maddison as Seneschal and Corianna Stancliffe as Prince that he would show. Corianna announced at court that Riley had been found in his haven, murdered by unknown hand. The court was skeptical.
Corianna also announced her intention to step down as Prince, in absence of popular support, and asked whether anyone would take the position. Steven Millan, a Tremere, declared that he would take the Princedom, and asked for challengers. Devon Ashmoore stepped forward as a contender, and both were asked their views. As they withdrew, the members of the court discussed the decision, and voted as a body for Steven Millan.
Returning, the contenders were told of the decision, and Steven took a recess to collect his thoughts before appointing his officers.
Things were fairly quiet until the next court; the military released its grip on San Francisco. A study being announced by the UC Berkeley Parapsychology department was discovered, and quickly quashed by several people, to protect the Masquerade. At the court, a visit from an Archon disturbed the peace.
OOC Narrative: June 27
Court News: June 27
Vignette: Rebecca, aftermath [soon]
An anonymous post on the court's message board accused Ezra Darke of being Salubri; the Tremere as a body rose up to deny this, as demands to test her were voiced. The Tremere, specifically Paulos Stoneseer, declared it to be a Clan affair, and stated that it would be handled as one.
OOC Narrative: July 11
Court News: July 11
At court, there was an attack by Black Spiral Dancers while the Prince was attending a Conclave, and the Sheriff, Jeremiah Bridger, was carried off. Ashford, of Clan Nosferatu, watched the BSD pit and rescued the Sheriff as the BSDs evacuated under a cholera quarantine.
OOC Narrative: July 25
Court News: July 25
As the court convened again, the Prince declared a bloodhunt on the absent Aaron Maddison, declaring that his breaches of the Masquerade and actions against members of the court had become unbearable. Ramses, the Brujah Primogen, stood up and dropped his biker appearance, declaring himself to be an Assamite with a contract on Aaron. He stated that he had intercepted his prey that evening, and would take his bounty away, if no one objected. The Prince allowed him his prize, and the court watched, slightly stunned, as the Assamite left.
OOC Narrative: August 8
Court News: August 8
The Harpy announced the Prince's intent to bloodtest all court members at the next court gathering, provoking an outcry from some of the more independent Kindred. At court, a sizable number declined the test, gathering outside of Elysium and murmuring dissent. The Prince brought in a Justicar to handle the matter, resulting in the banishment of roughly a quarter of the court.
The Sorority Party [soon]
In the weeks that followed, Greg Stanton announced that former Prince Feld had been found and retrieved; he mentioned only privately that this had been accomplished with Rebecca Nelson, and she refrained from announcing her involvement. The message came from San Francisco that representatives of the Camarilla would be attending the next court gathering, and plans for a reception party were made.
OOC Narrative: August 22
Court News: August 22
At the party, no fewer than five Archons were said to attend, and the court was given three months to shape up. Many in the court found the Camarilla's recent scrutiny uncomfortable, but agreed that laying low would not help them anymore.
Rebecca's diary: August 25
Blood Gift
OOC Narrative: September 12
Court News: September 12
The Prince began the next court by displaying a necklace strung with the fangs of two rebellious Kindred, Obsidian and the Malkavian known as Gra, as a grisly sort of trophy. The court's reaction was mixed. It was annouced that large packs of Sabbat were in the area, and the Prince declared them to be of primary importance.
The attack on the Black Spiral Dancers known as "Operation Slurpee" was announced to be a success, having taken down four BSDs with minimal injuries and no Masquerade breach.
Rebecca visited by Nora [soon]
OOC Narrative: September 26
Court News: September 26
Feld's return to the court startled a few, though most court members were too newly-come to remember him. He helped defuse some of the tension as a Settite visited the court, but the air was still uneasy when the court was disturbed by the Hunter group which had been spotted in the area. Greg Stanton got the worst of the fight, being badly burned by a pyrokinetic, though later accounts showed that he had initiated the battle himself. The hunters were driven off, and Elysium was evacuated as police arrived to investigate. As the Prince convened court at a local deserted cafe, Ezra Darke announced her withdrawal from the court to serve the Prince of Alameda.
The underlying hum of dissidence among the court members grew. Steven Millan grew busy gathering his allies, as Tamatha Kiersley and the few other Primogen talked amongst themselves. The business of protecting the court and planning a defense against the court's enemies fell by the wayside, as it had for the last six weeks, and sides were chosen.
OOC Narrative: October 10
Court News: October 10
Greg Stanton, backed by Tamatha Kiersley and a handful of others, interrupted the court proceedings with a declaration of praxis seizure against Prince Steven Millan. Arguments ensued, culminating in a popular vote, which Steven Millan lost almost unanimously. As soon as the result became apparent, Millan fled with Rebecca Nelson, who had revealed herself to be his ghoul. Tamatha Kiersley took the throne.
The Sheriff and Keeper both resigned after Steven Millan's overthrow, and Prince Kiersley appointed new officers. Her placement of a caitiff as her Keeper of Elysium caused a stir, however, and she withdrew the status within a few days.
The issue of Greg Stanton, which had been brought up during the praxis seizure, would not be put to rest so easily. Greg stood accused of a major breach of the Masquerade, committed when he had attacked the Hunters two weeks earlier. After evidence was presented to him, Prince Millan had quietly offered Greg free passage to another Principality, in light of his service to the court. Greg had declined and instead remained to carry out the insurrection; now Tamatha Kiersley was burdened with the proof that one of her supporters was a Tradition-breaker, and she was pressured to act on it. She put it off, expressing a desire for more investigation. This strained her credibility as a Traditionalist, and undermined her rule, as people began to mutter.
OOC Narrative: October 24
Court News: October 24
Several court members were attacked in different incidents, but the group that met for court was still fairly cheerful. They were joined by the Prince of Alameda, and by a visiting Ventrue. Prince Tobler went about gathering sentiments about Prince Kiersley, while the Ventrue, St. John-Smithe, interviewed court members for his own purposes.
The gathering was disturbed by a visit from the head of the Hunter group, Percival Longfellow, wishing to parley. The Prince went to speak with them, and they left peacefully, thinking over the meeting; they had been informed that the Sabbat were a more solid threat to humanity than the court, but whether they believed in the Sabbat's existence was uncertain.
At court, St. John-Smithe chided those present for the items set forth in the praxis seizure, which had apparently been distributed after the last court. Prince Tobler observed without comment.
The Prince announced a bloodhunt on Greg Stanton, the culmination of her two-week-long review of the evidence, supported by her Sheriff's report. She was taken aback by the inaction of the court since the last court, a problem which her predecessors had struggled hard with, and demanded that the court take action. It did; several members, including the ex-Sheriff Jeremiah Bridger and ex-Keeper Ashford, had already formed a small group of dissidents. Satisfied that Tradition had been upheld upon Greg Stanton, they made plans to keep themselves clear of the Camarilla scourge sure to sweep the area soon.
The Tremere sent word that they had withdrawn their clan from Contra Costa, due to the apparent disregard for Tradition and protocol. They declared that they would return when it could once again be considered "Camarilla".
OOC Narrative: November 14
Court News: November 14
The court's successful ambush of the Sabbat followed a couple of weeks later, ending just before court. As people gathered, a couple more Sabbat descended unexpectedly, remains of the previous pack. As the court fought them off, the Hunter group arrived and assisted, then drew back. Longfellow spoke with the Prince, then the humans left, uneasily accepting a truce of sorts.
Princes Tobler and Vannevar Thomas arrived, accompanied by the Justicar Lucinde. Lucinde revealed the reason for her visit when court convened; she carried the news that, though the decision was still pending, the Camarilla was of the opinion that Contra Costa might have earned ts right to survive, but it would no longer be autonomous. The members had the right to choose whether the county would be under Tobler's reign, or under Vannevar's.
The announcement was followed by the Prince's firm optimism, as the rest of the court tried to absorb the news. The court ended on that note.
In the next days, the court scattered. Prince Kiersley and Franklin Montgomery caught a plane the very night of court, and were not heard from again. The others fled in all directions, as a very few sat tight and waited for the Camarilla.