LA in Anarchy has been around since 2018, and since then, a rather vast history of events has been constructed (totaling over 17 million words!) While it’s definitely not necessary to know everything that’s happened since then, there are a couple of important events listed below that will be vital to the creation of any character..
Time and LA in Anarchy
LA in Anarchy is presently set in the year 2033, distancing the setting from real-world events happening at the time (primarily COVID). The setting isn’t sci-fi by any means, but players are encouraged to play a little fast and loose with technology and pop culture when flavoring their scenes.
Night-to-Night, time passes at the same rate it does in real life. To accommodate all time zones, there’s no limit on how long a scene can last, and scenes can easily be dated a week in advance (or in the past) should there be a need for it.
This unprecedented event became known as the Reversion (or the Regression, among those who look upon the period negatively), and sparked a tumultuous period among Kindred globally. The Sabbat in particular found the most change amongst their ranks, as Cainites either defected to embrace their reignited Humanity, or joined over fears of encroaching Gehenna.
Shifting allegiances and a little disruption of nightly routines wasn’t the only consequence, however. In the coming weeks, it was soon realized that female Kindred who neglected to make use of protection had managed to conceive even in undeath.
The Sabbat was the first to act in response to this information. As anticipated, they were quick to begin rooting out any Kindred bearing a harbinger of Gehenna, killing any they came across, and staging Wild Hunts for those that managed to escape. The Anarchs, as few and scattered as they were, had little in the ways of a unified response.
And then there was the Camarilla.
Many Kindred held out hope that the Tower would have an understandable, moderate response to the sudden pregnancies. Unfortunately, this illusion was shattered after the Inner Council made their decree: to ‘protect the Masquerade’, all pregnant Kindred were to be surrendered to local Tremere chantries, with any who refused to be executed.
The Second Reversion
The Reversion happened again on June 1st of 2030, this time lasting three weeks, though only affecting a small portion of the global Kindred population. As such, it isn’t necessary to include references to this Reversion in your character’s biography, but can offer some interesting narrative opportunities if you’d like to!
It began with a mass defection. The Ivory Tower crumbled as the Brujah, Gangrel, Nosferatu, and Toreador withdrew as pillar clans, and many of its members renounced their allegiance, bolstering both the Sabbat and Movement’s numbers by considerable margins. Even the Tremere splintered, with elder Carna removing herself from the sect, and bringing many of the younger Warlocks with her. Previously Camarilla strongholds became zones of attrition between newly declared Anarch gangs and Sabbat Packs trying to scrape together whatever advantage they could, while the Camarilla that remained fled to what few cities were still theirs. (City Alignment Sheet)
All the while Los Angeles, the renown Anarch Free State, was seeing Kindred arrive in droves. Anarchs wanting to escape the fighting and Antitirbu growing disillusioned with their respective sects alike wished to find some place to gather until the dust settled.
With territory up for grabs, and the local Tremere having already defected with most of the Camarilla in LA, Carna made her intentions to center her house’s operations there very clear. The Lord that had been sent to investigate the status of the LA Chantry, Meera Braun, was instructed to begin relocation to Rockhaven Sanitarium and prepare the site for the rest of the now Anarch-aligned clan’s arrival.
Out of the independent clans, the Followers of Set were impacted most heavily. Radicalized, the Cohort of Wepwawet seized control over the majority of the cults. With many Setites now disillusioned from the Reversion, those who didn’t share the Warriors’ fervor quickly fled to the Movement. Others found themselves among the Serpents of the Light as the Sword’s belief in Gehenna swayed them more than the supposed return of Set.
- The Barony of Angels is the oldest and largest domain within the city. Encompassing the Downtown area, an elder Brujah by the name of Garret Baldwin (NPC) has been Baron since 2010, retaining leadership due to his platform of ‘live and let live’, and fostering a neutral ground for not-so-politically inclined Kindred to dwell.
- Glendale is not quite a Barony, but still claimed entirely by House Carna as the headquarters for the Anarch-aligned Tremere. While it’s publicly known they claim this area as their domain, only those with access to the Chantry (Anarch Tremere and Tremere Dhampir) know its precise location.
- The Barony of Santa Monica has existed since 2029, and is led by Ancilla Lasombra Antitribu Eleanor Abate (PC). Her primary concerns are building a better reputation for her clan within the city, and offering a place for other Sabbat defectors to seek refuge.
- The Barony of Torrance was founded in 2031 by Elder Lasombra Antitribu Nico Moretti (PC) around the Kindred shelter Demimonde. Torrance is a haven for disenfranchised Kindred looking for a new start, particularly those new to Kindred life without the support of their Sires or peers.
- Malibu was claimed in 2033 by undercover Setite Elder Lady Françisca de Aragón (PC) around her art gallery, Elysia. Presumed to be a Toreador, she has expressed interest in being a line of defense between the Free State and potential Sabbat incursions, and a patron to those particularly skilled in the arts.
Presently, the Camarilla court is based out of Beverly Hills, and is led by Ancilla Ventrue Prince Giuliano Bartanelli (PC). The small representation within the city hasn’t necessitated the appointing of any additional titles.
Their most recent local activity of note was a siege staged against San Diego in 2030. Quick action from licks in Los Angeles managed to root out and repel them from the city over the course of a couple weeks, forcing them to retreat back towards Tijuana. It’s been all quiet on the southern front since.
Rumor has it San Francisco might’ve quietly fallen under their influence, but no one’s managed to say for certain.
Where’s X Clan?
The clans listed below have enough substantial development within the setting that would be required for players to make informed decisions when creating characters for them. If you want to see a clan listed, you’re more than welcome to try and establish them in the setting!
While the Reversion did cause some logistical issues in keeping most of them loyal to the Sabbat, the Lasombra’s reputation throughout Kindred society hadn’t changed. They were still greatly feared and despised, with the small but growing influx of Antitribu at risk of being turned on by the sects they attempted to flee to.
This remained the case in LA until the Baron of Santa Monica, Lasombra Antitribu Eleanor Abate, grew tired of hiding. In 2030, Baron Baldwin hosted a gathering at a common Anarch event spot (an abandoned warehouse known as Industrial), which served as the platform in which Baron Abate did away with any pretenses, making her clan public knowledge to the Free State. Reactions were understandably mixed, and tensions nearly sparked into a riot, but the crowd was eventually reasoned with—as those who wanted her chased out weren’t willing to square up themselves—and the Lasombra Baron retained her title and domain within the city.
Years later, the groundwork the Baron of Santa Monica laid has done wonders. While many of LA’s Kindred remain skeptical, and even more fear of potential Sabbat retaliation, other Lasombra and former Sabbat are not nearly in the same perilous positions they once were. As word of this success continues to spread, many are drawn to the city to take advantage of this newfound freedom for themselves—or to strike down the Keeper foolish enough to poke their head out of whatever cesspool they originated from.
Based in the Rockhaven Sanitarium Historic District, the Chantry of Los Angeles is the seat of the young House Carna. The elder herself rarely makes an appearance, leaving much of the night-to-night overseeing to the Regent Meera Braun (NPC).
The Chantry, and House in general, operates differently to their Camarilla counterparts. With far less oppressive policies, and no genuine Pyramid scheme, the Anarch Tremere of LA are generally free to exist as they please.
Of course, what the Chantry makes up for in freedom, they lack in funding. Being cut off from the rest of the clan meant they don’t have the same resources, which clearly shows in the rough state of the chantry grounds. Many of the buildings are incredibly old, with only one of the dormitories completely renovated and suitable for ghouls and other mortals to live inside of. The rest of the structures are habitable for the undead—if apprentices can tolerate the yellowing walls, lead paint, and asbestos.
Rough exterior or not, the chantry boasts quite a library (much of the material having been ‘repurposed’ from the former Camarilla Chantry before it was burnt to the ground), and the labs are well-equipped thanks to generous donations over the last few years.
The Tremere aren’t the only ones that benefit from their separation from the Camarilla. Many newly freed Gargoyles have flocked to the Glendale Chantry, the brood now boasting a dozen members. They’re organized by Augen (PC) and their Watchers, a group of three Gargoyles tasked with overseeing Chantry security.
In years past, a Toreador Methuselah by the name of Melisande was open about Hollywood being her domain, and unintentionally cultivated a cult of personality desperately vying for her attention. While this underachieving Rose Garden continues to try and impress their elder, the Cainite herself has secluded herself in a quaint haven outside the city. Her hold on Hollywood doesn’t seem so absolute anymore, though no one has tried to claim a piece of it for themselves just yet.
From a meta perspective, LA in Anarchy prides itself on semi-regular events that break the typical Sabbat incursion or petty politicking mold. These include Canon events, crossovers with other gamelines, and Alternative Universes (AUs). The history of our events include:
- The Festival of Fangs (2018) - A Vampire convention came to town, crashed by a shovel party during the final LARP event.
- Road of Mercy (October 2019) - All Kindred became mortal for a week, eventually causing the Third Anarch Revolt.
- The Fall (August 2021) - Fallen Masquerade AU
- LA in 2230 (February 2022) - Cyberpunk AU
- Road of Mercy: Suspire (June 2022) - The second Reversion
- Dead in the Water (August 2022) - Pirate AU
- Ill Met by Moonlight (October 2022) - A crossover with Werewolf in which a spiritual disease turned infected Kindred into Abominations.
- City of Angels (February 2023) - D&D 5e AU
- Metamorphosis (April 2023) - A handful of Kindred had their clans suddenly change for a few weeks.
- LA in 2231 (July 2023) - Cyberpunk AU round 2
- Wayward Souls (October 2023) - A crossover with Wraith and Hunter where a Wayward haunted by a spectre was severing the souls of their victims from their bodies, sending them into the Shadowlands as enfant Wraiths.
- Dark Alliance: Los Angeles (February 2024) - A truce is made between the local Sept of Garou and resident Kindred to reclaim their caern from Black Spiral Dancers
- The Twilight Carnival (October 2024) - A curious, supernatural, Halloween carnival comes to town.
- Land of Nod (January 2025) - Dark Ages AU set in 1242 infernalist-invaded Constantinople
There’s also events that take place every year, including:
- Anniversarchy (July) - Celebrate the server’s anniversary all month long with a prompt calendar and lootbox extravaganza!
- Christmas Gifts (December) - Receive a Christmas gift in the form of a tailored magical artifact from our friendly neighborhood Satyr.
The local werewolves belong to the Sept of the Stone Serpent, led by Older Brother Homid Philodox Speaks-Softly, and organized around a Caern dedicated to Rattlesnake: an ethereal grove at the heart of a winding and twisting series of underground caverns. The main entryway to the Caern is through a service station within the Angeles National Forest, which boasts several amenities for werewolves, including a bar, training hall, and den space.
While the Sept never boasted too many members, it was mainly composed of Older Brother, Glass Walkers, Bone Gnawers, and Black Furies. Unfortunately, their low numbers was their downfall, as the Caern was besieged and overrun by the Wyrm late 2031.
It was through chance that the local Kindred noticed something amiss within the National Forest early 2032. The vampires met with a young pack, and after a lengthy discussion, they agreed to pitch their willingness to assist in ridding the Wyrm from the area to their elders.
Sept leadership was split over the matter, as enlisting the aid of Wyrmspawn was the last thing they wished. However, with dwindling options, and the numbers within the newly consecrated Hive growing by the day, they decided to feel the leeches out. Speaks-Softly agreed to invite them to their next moot where they’d prove themselves worthy of aiding Gaia.
This Moot, held at the abandoned Griffith Park Zoo, was full of people. Werewolves from the local Sept and those beyond were mingling cautiously with the many vampires that were interested in lending aid; many of their numbers proved themselves against Garou and spirits in various tests and challenges, some even managing feats believed impossible. This impression made their next steps very clear: better the devil you know.
The following month was spent in preparation. The Garou and Kindred were organized by their respective leadership to train with one another, learning each other’s capabilities, weaknesses, and how they could best fight alongside one another for the coming battle.
In all, 52 Kindred and 41 Garou took up arms and stormed the tunnels. Formidable as one, they tore their way through the Black Spiral Dancers and Fomori inside, eventually carving their way into the defiled heart of the Caern. There, the front line was directly challenged by the Hive’s leader: a snow white Black Spiral Dancer known as Lion’s-Pride, self proclaimed to be the last of the White Howlers, and determined to maintain this Caern for the Green Dragon.
The Garou held off countless Fomori as the strongest Kindred went for Lion’s-Pride. He went down easily at first, but a plea to his totem brought him back even stronger. Still, the vampires cut him down a second time.
Frustrated and impossibly determined, Green Dragon flooded Lion’s-Pride’s mangled corpse. It changed, warping it into a vessel befitting his name. A dragon proper, Lion’s-Pride as Green Dragon’s avatar thought he’d won—only to get caught on Potence-fueled talons. Pinned, he roared and spat balefire while the Kindred gutted him, biting and clawing until everything ceased moving. With the tide of Fomori stemmed and the avatar dead, a quiet swept over the caern. It was quickly broken by the raucous howls of celebration as the Garou themselves descended upon the corpse to savage it further.
With the raid successful, a ritual was held in the following days to cleanse the Caern of the wyrm-taint. Kindred were once again invited back, and given the protection of a rite devised by Speaks-Softly himself, to participate in the ensuing spiritual battle. This group of spiritually aligned Garou and Kindred were able to coax the corrupted Rattlesnake out, and purge him of any lingering foulness that had lingered.
Now, the Caern has managed to rebuild, and the many Garou that had come to assist reinforced the Sept of the Stone Serpent’s numbers. Due to their assistance, there remains a truce with the Kindred in the city, though rumors swirl of many Garou growing far closer to individual leeches than one would hope.
The Near Dreaming of Los Angeles has been changed. For some reason, winter has come; it’s a sea of evergreens and white downy flakes, and a picturesque starscape with a beautiful, blue moon that seems a little too full.
Of course, the moment the leaves began to fall and a chill touched the air, the resident Changelings panicked. Most packed their bags and ran for the safety of the northern reaches of the Kingdom of Pacifica, distraught over the idea of getting caught in such banality. Not everyone left, however.
He Who Braves the Coming Winter, a Seelie Satyr Grump by the name of Winfried—or Miles Hardin—was determined to tough it out. Infamous for his beliefs, he sought to prove that the Endless Winter isn’t the end-all-be-all, and that even if it doesn’t take an ideal form, there will be something worth salvaging once it arrives. It’s not all for naught, and throwing in the towel is surrendering what hope’s left doesn’t help the scarcity of glamour. To him, LA is an opportunity to make his case and prove everyone else wrong.
Without any assistance from any other Kithain, Winfried started to try and bolster a different sort of ally: the numerous leeches that stalk the city.
For several Christmas seasons in a row, he started leaving gifts for various Kindred. Sure enough, they would marvel at the magical trinkets, and even their dead hearts would trickle out a little glamour at the momentary wonder of such an object.
It only took a few cycles of this before the local Dreaming responded. A trod split open in the Angeles National Forest, a pair of evergreen trees forming a snowed gateway in spite of the climate. Anyone who stepped through would find themselves in the midnight winter wonderland the Near Dreaming had become. Those who spent particularly long amounts of time even found themselves imbued with the essence of the Dreaming.
Over the years, local Kindred have grown closer to Winfried, and through it have learned of his grim prospects. He’ll only have a couple more years before the lack of a local Freehold will do him in. Fortunately for him, several vampires are determined to keep his faerie soul from fading. They just need to convince the Queen of Pacifica to lend them some balefire…
Due to overcrowding, the Necropolis in Los Angeles is actually in Vernon as opposed to the center of the city. In the recent past, it was one of the rare few that was actually under the authority of the local Guilds, but the increasing prevalence of Shadowlands hazards have led to the forceful occupation of the Grim Legion. While they have been successful in protecting the Citadel amid the recent uptick of maelstroms and tempest-born creatures, their takeover is hardly a popular one among the local Wraiths.
•
LA in Anarchy (LAiA) is not official World of Darkness material from White Wolf. Portions of this material are copyrights and trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved. For more information, please visit: https://worldofdarkness.com/
