Region	South Central Region
Domain	TX-070-D - Houston, TX
VSS Type	Multi-Sect
Venue Storyteller	Kat M.	Click here to edit
Venue Storyteller's Email	newmoon.vtm@gmail.com	Click here to edit
Assistant Venue Storyteller(s)	Sudiptya B, Drew F, Maricris B, J Felber, William H, etc.	Click here to edit

Heavy are the Heads…

“There is a kind of success that is indistinguishable from panic.” -Edgar Degas

Houston is described as enormous, diverse, and rich, and for these reasons, the Justicariate of the Ivory Tower chose to have their conclave here. But this gathering of higher powers didn’t happen in a vacuum… Indeed, the leadership of every local Kindred sect participated in its success. This was only possible because the tripartite Authorities of the city already have a standing monthly gathering: the Assembly.

All characters on the Houston VSS are members of the Assembly. Visitors may petition one of the leaders of the Assembly to have an issue addressed, present a deal, or call on a boon.

Each sect holds a specific territory of Houston, with Pillar clans of the Camarilla holding subsections within Camarilla territory. Here’s the Map.

VSS Boundaries:
Greater Houston Metroplex

Storyteller:
Primary VST: Kat Marvel, houstonvst@gmail.com

Storyteller Notes:

Players wishing to add an authority figure to the list of members of the Assembly should communicate with the primary VST. If the justification makes sense, the role will be added.

Members who have story ideas, whether a one-off, a 3-month run, or otherwise, should feel free to request running arcs within the confines of the VSS. Regular sharing of ST responsibilities is highly encouraged to avoid burnout and allow all members to play, as well as provide opportunities for members who wish to develop their storytelling skills.

Games are held the first Saturday of each month at Midtown Bar & Grill from 5:30pm to 11pm. Proper dress is highly encouraged.

Visitors to the Assembly should have an in-character token of entry from one of its members. Requests to attend can be made here.

The Ivory Walls

Territory Type: Camarilla Authority, subdivided into clan territories

The thousands of kindred residents in this area are all NPCs who look to the Assembly for guidance, protection, and enforcement. All are abundantly aware of the boundaries of their territory, and have learned to expect strict and swift reprisals for venturing into another territory without permission.

The Tower’s Elysium is located near the center of the Houston Metro, bordering the no-man’s-land of the boundaries between all three territories.

Camarilla Territory Timeline

• 1902–Elder Prince Everett Jackson of the Toreador claims Praxis in Houston after the island of Galveston is flattened in the most deadly hurricane to ever make landfall. Jackson holds his territory through whatever means necessary, be it treaties, sex, promises, or violence.
• 1993–No one knows who shot first, but the Tower holds that it was the Sabbat. In any case, a local skirmish erupts into a city-wide battle, then a full-blown war over the resources of Houston and Galveston.
• 1999–A detente is finally reached between the warring factions of Houston, allowing everyone to go home, lick their wounds, and think of a better solution than mutual annihilation. The Assembly is proposed and meets for the first time.
• 2000--On the first day of the new millennium, the current Prince claimed their throne with the first peaceful transfer of power that the city had ever seen. It set a new precedent for the denizens of the exhausted city that holds to this day - at least on the surface.
• 2011–The Beckoning and the rise of the Second Inquisition occur nearly simultaneously. Up to this point, the normal pattern of Kindred behavior had prevailed in Assembly: cold politeness in person, followed by backstabbing, political machinations, and power struggles in the shadows. The inundation of Houston’s borders by the highly organized and tech-savvy Hunter group called “Firstlight” created a new priority for the Assembly members: total cooperation. The Assembly has largely succeeded in retaking Houston, but any failure of vigilance results in another incursion.
• 2022--The Grand Conclave of the Camarilla takes place in Houston’s territory, a point of great pride for the Assembly.

OOC Information Theme: Mother Knows Best
Mood: Ennui, Predation, Fear, Pomp

Style Elements:
ACTION & ADVENTURE - 2
DRAMA & CEREMONY - 4
CHAR. DEVELOPMENT - 3
MYSTERY & INTRIGUE - 4
DARKNESS - 2
HUMANITY/MORALITY - 3
PC DEATH - 1

Where the Wild Things Are

Territory Type: Anarch Authority, held jointly by all members of the Anarch Movement

The thousands of kindred residents in this area are all NPCs who look to the Assembly for guidance, protection, and enforcement. All are abundantly aware of the boundaries of their territory, and have learned to expect strict and swift reprisals for venturing into another territory without permission.

The Anarchs of Houston have been exceedingly quiet, these past few months. It’s hard to say whether they are simply enjoying the peace of the detente, or if something more sinister is brewing.

Anarch Territory Timeline

• 1965–Anarch gangs begin to make their way into the unclaimed areas of a burgeoning city, grabbing small chunks of territory and defending it to deadly effect.
• 1993–A local skirmish between the Camarilla and the Sabbat somehow erupts into a city-wide battle, then a full-blown war over the resources of Houston and Galveston. Anarch gangs are dragged into the fray as their territories are invaded.
• 1999–The Baron of Houston knows a losing battle when they see it, and manages to beg, barter, and boon their way into calling a successful detente. With the Prince’s proposal of the Assembly, the Baron finds themself sucked into a level of responsibility they never asked for.
• 2011–The Beckoning and the rise of the Second Inquisition. Up to this point, the normal pattern of Kindred behavior had prevailed in Assembly: cold politeness in person, followed by backstabbing, political machinations, and power struggles in the shadows. The inundation of Houston’s borders by the highly organized and tech-savvy Hunter group called “Firstlight” created a new priority for the Assembly members: total cooperation. The Assembly has largely succeeded in retaking Houston, but any failure of vigilance results in another incursion.
• 2022--The Grand Conclave of the Camarilla takes place in Houston’s territory, a point of great pride for the Assembly, even the Anarchs. The Anarch members of the Assembly share in the responsibility of patrolling the city and keeping any nonsense from disrupting events.

OOC Information
Theme: This is my circus and these are my monkeys. Well, shit.
Mood: Exasperation, Frustration, Hunger

Style Elements:
ACTION & ADVENTURE - 4
DRAMA & CEREMONY - 2
CHAR. DEVELOPMENT - 3
MYSTERY & INTRIGUE - 3
DARKNESS - 2
HUMANITY/MORALITY - 2
PC DEATH - 1

Concentrating Power

Territory Type: Independent Alliance Authority

“A man without position in society cannot even get a dog to bark at him.”
-Machiavelli

While the IA is still an infant sect, its members are not new to Kindred politics. By seizing territory once held by a nasty Hunter sect, this new sect carved out both territory and respect in a city already saturated with Kindred powers.

Independent Alliance Territory Timeline

• 2011, May–The Independent Alliance is formed between the Giovanni and Settite clans.
• 2011, Jun–The numerous members of the new sect, along with their Anarch and Autarkus allies, clear out Houston’s southeastern area of what had been a burgeoning Hunter threat. Their claim to that territory is never contested, and their leadership is invited to participate in the Assembly.
• 2011, Oct–The Beckoning and the rise of the Second Inquisition. Up to this point, the normal pattern of Kindred behavior had prevailed in Assembly: cold politeness in person, followed by backstabbing, political machinations, and power struggles in the shadows. The inundation of Houston’s borders by the highly organized and tech-savvy Hunter group called “Firstlight” created a new priority for the Assembly members: total cooperation. The Assembly has largely succeeded in retaking Houston, but any failure of vigilance results in another incursion.
• 2022--The Grand Conclave of the Camarilla takes place in Houston’s territory, a point of great pride for the Assembly, even the Anarchs. The Anarch members of the Assembly share in the responsibility of patrolling the city and keeping any nonsense from disrupting events.

OOC Information
Theme: Acquisition and cementing of power
Mood: Greed, Desire, Need for Approval

Style Elements:
ACTION & ADVENTURE - 3
DRAMA & CEREMONY - 4
CHAR. DEVELOPMENT - 4
MYSTERY & INTRIGUE - 3
DARKNESS - 4
HUMANITY/MORALITY - 2
PC DEATH - 1