Fall of the Sects, Fall of the Shroud

In the months leading up to the Fall, the Giovanni prepared to bring down the Shroud. They ambushed the Sabbat during the Palla Grande. Many fell to final death, including the sect's leaders, leaving the Sword of Caine without a guiding hand. Surviving Bishops and Archbishops gathered as many packs as they could. They were, in turn, collected by the few surviving Cardinals. Most rallied to the banner of Cardinal Radu Bistri, the eldest surviving leader.

The Camarilla had little time to enjoy the weakening of their enemies. The remnants of the Sabbat blamed the Camarilla elders for the Palla Grande massacre. They descended upon Camarilla cities with a vengeance. Only two months later, the sun rose black. Vampires exulted in the darkness, indulging in their bloodlust upon a helpless world. The Camarilla's carefully maintained masquerade shattered. Few vampires were able to cling to their humanity, and many gave into their beast. Fortified against their beasts by their paths of enlightenment, and vindicated by the end times for which they had long prepared, the Sabbat redoubled their war against the Antediluvians' Camarilla pawns. Many Camarilla kindred, unable to deny the truth of Gehenna, sided with the Sword of Caine against the rising Ancients.

Gehenna

The death of so many vampires resonated through the bloodlines, and the Ancients stirred. As each of the antediluvians awoke, so too did their age-old jyhad. Emerging from the shadows into the dim light of Anthelios, they renewed their ancient rivalries. They competed with one another for power, territory, and an ever-dwindling herd. The kine bent before the power of the Ancients, unable to resist their power. Many younger vampires could not resist the power of their sire's blood and served their whims. Some even chose to serve, out of a sense of self-preservation.

Of those who resisted, few survived. Even elders could not oppose the Antediluvians. Any who faced them directly were swiftly reduced to ash. Such assaults were barely distractions from the Ancients' own rivalries. The Earth shook with the potent force of their battles. Earthquakes swallowed cities whole. The world crumbled under the Ancient's battles for control. Many fell to the fangs of their own siblings. Contradictory rumors circulated claiming which of the Antediluvians ended which of their siblings. Some vanished, but may have survived.

No younger vampire was witness to their progenitor's end. But, with each Ancient that fell, their deaths echoed through those who bore their blood. The strongest reverberation came with the death of Caine. Every unliving vampire felt it, even those in Torpor. Each knew, instinctively, that it could be nothing else. As with the Antediluvians, mystery and rumors surround Caine's death. The most common rumor is that only Lilith could be powerful enough to destroy the dark father. Most believe she exacted her revenge on Caine before ascending to rule the night sky as the red moon.