In order to provide new players with a bit of extra background required to create their character, we hereby offer the first level of 'anarch Lore'.
Note: Your character needs to have this lore on their +sheet in order to be IC-ly aware of this information.
anarch Lore
This section is locked to those with Anarch Lore. You will be able to read the pages that are locked to your level of lore or below. To know more, buy the lore. There are likely to be updates in the future, and these should be announced, but check regularly just in case.
anarch Lore 1
You know enough to understand that there are really no such thing as the "anarchs," either in Los Angeles or anywhere else in the world. They are not a unified sect by any stretch of the imagination, and to the extent that the anarchs share anything, it is the danger these rogue vampires face by refusing to live by the Traditions. Thus, knowledge of "anarch lore" is a study of patterns and individual events more than the study of a society's rules, history, and customs.
In Los Angeles, the so-called anarchs are a collection of vampires powerful enough to ignore the Traditions and the rule of the Princes - but only to a point. Even the most powerful anarch in the city, Alvin Forrester the Warlord of Inglewood, does not press the Princes too hard. Everyone remembers the heady successes of the 1965 Watts Riots, but no one is ready to deal again with the aftermath. What were those successes? Well, one need only *really* know one thing: the Watts Riots started with the Brujah Prince Rodrigo Domingo firmly in control of the city. When the ashes finally settled from the wind, both he and his feared Gangrel enforcer were gone; the Prince was fallen, the city leaderless. From that chaos, however, came the rule of Emerson, followed quickly by the rise of the Eight Princes in 1984. In this new world, it can be easier to get away with things because of the decentralization, but the possessiveness of the individual Princes means that violators are often punished more harshly.
The anarch "position" on the Traditions and the Camarilla is as varied as the anarchs who hold that position. There is no one view embraced by all, and many actually believe in the Traditions but object to the Camarilla's medieval interpretation of them. Typically, the consensus is that the First Tradition: The Masquerade, is a relatively good idea: don't scare the populace. From there, the Traditions decrease steadily in value. Yes, there's something to recognizing someone's authority in their own home. But to most "anarchs" that's common manners and decency, not some engraved vampiric custom punishable by death, and certainly not enforceable by one vampire over a whole city. Responsibility for your progeny is one thing; being killed for not asking permission is quite another.
But "anarchs" come in all shapes and sizes; there are authoritarian "anarchs" who believe in a rule of law, free from the corrupting influence of the elders. There are libertarian anarchs, religious anarchs — even anarchs who dream of being Prince. The only thing they all share, every last one of them, is the scorn of the Elders and harpies for not "playing the game" with the rest of the Camarilla. "Anarchs" is an insult, not a club.
You've got a rough idea of which domains are the friendliest and freest, and which are the most dangerous to those who don't play by the Princes' rules. South Central is, by far, the domain most amenable to "anarch" sensibilities. Several prominent anarchs have actually established enclaves in that domain, and both current Prince Chance Marshall and the former Prince Cora Fleece were well-known for their anarch sympathies and modern mindsets. The Valley, under Prince Fletcher, is also a relatively relaxed atmosphere, though beware the wrath of Prince Fletcher if you get yourself into any real trouble. Prince Pyotr of Torrance is relatively new in his position, but he seems more or less willing to let vampires do as they will, so long as there is no reason for him to get involved in their activities.
On the other end of the spectrum is Long Beach, ruled by Prince Elaine Pruitt. Her enforcers have been called "The Secret Police" and she ruthlessly stamps out any hint of rebellion or disregard for the Camarilla's Traditions. Santa Monica is similarly conservative, although perhaps not with such vim and vigor. Downtown is simply unpredictable; Prince Emerson can be permissive one moment, and deadly strict the next. The Orange County domains are somewhere in the middle, their Princes ultimately more interested in keeping the peace than in seeing every neonate bow and scrape.
