History and Crucibles



= I.                    History: the Crucibles of Time  = == A.                 Once upon a time, five Crucibles ago, the Parliament (name is changeable, but call it that for now) was formed. Domains came together to create common standards, and they succeeded to some extent, creating the Halcyon Era. Those standards began to take hold. However, at the next Crucible, things changed.  This proved especially frustrating to the Ordo Dracul and the Invictus, who had developed far-reaching coordination systems that were overcome by the development of Parliament. Some members of those two Covenants still seek a return to a more Covenant-centric national structure, especially during the critical time of the Crucibles. == == B.                  A single leader emerged four Crucibles ago, like a Caesar from the Senate. The second Caesar came to power by assassinating his predecessor at the end of the Crucible, though, and the era thereafter reflected that violence. Factions formed, rising and falling like tides. That era, a dark age for kindred society, was scarred by endless combat. Hundreds of immortals died as the factions warred in the shadows. Boons went unfulfilled, deals were rejected, power grew from the end of a firearm or claw, and the Masquerade was almost broken repeatedly.  == == C.                   Three Crucibles ago, exhausted from war, the kindred reformed the Parliament. They set common means to judge the worth of Boons, to address disputes other than warfare, and more (all the norms we wanted to put into place). Some of those commonalities have survived for the past three Crucibles, and have become so ingrained in kindred that they are mystically bound to all vampires. Much like the mystical effects of the three Traditions, by which cameras are fogged, by which only an act of great Will can cause an Embrace, and by which Diablerie undercuts humanity, these rules became mystically enforced. Even performed in secret, some sins are punished by the universe. (We would define which sins fall into this category). The Factions continued to compete, but within certain limits.  == == D.                  Two crucibles ago, the Parliament gave up trying to rule, and instead became a venue for the Factions to compete. That set the stage for…  == '''Last crucible, the Factions melded and merged, with several surviving, but only a few as the leading Factions. (We define the factions initially, but we get this document out to the players months before the new Chron so that they can build their own Factions.) Those who want to stay within the bounds of society at all- use Boons, receive Acknowledgement, be protected by the rules of kindredkind- participate, at least nominally. Higher standing leads to more benefits, but at a higher cost. '''