At the turn of the millennium, Los Angeles has become a city spiraling out of control. Freeways are packed to capacity far beyond rush hour and into the night. Masses of humanity stream into the city, hoping to acquire some of the vast wealth flowing in and out of its electronic channels every day. Hollywood and the Recording Industry strain to satisfy the nation's need for the titillating and perverse while numbing any sense of individuality or initiative. Crime runs rampant through the poorer neighborhoods, as the smallest urban police force in the nation tries to patrol an ever-expanding urban sprawl. Politicians, criminal syndicates, corporations, and the undead all vie for control of this conglomerate megalopolis.
Desperately, the undead pour more and more energy into the city, and with every squeeze, the city boils and rolls and becomes more and more unstable, oscillating this way and that. Wealth is polarized, as the enclaves of Beverly Hills, Palos Verdes, Malibu, and Brentwood retreat from the unmanageable terror of Compton and Inglewood. But it's all one city - linked by L.A.'s legendary freeways, by the Internet, and by the threads of influence which spread through the city like a virus.
Los Angeles continues to spread and grow unchecked, guided by a hundred different minds. One Prince could not control it any longer, and the city was divided in parts. Eight Domains with eight Princes fight each others, fight their enemies, fight the city itself, aiming to control it all. After decades of preparation one Prince makes his final bid, claiming all of Los Angeles sanctioned by the Camarilla… and fails.
The turmoil and betrayal splits the city in two. The heart of the City including the districts of Downtown, Santa Monica, and South Central is claimed by a powerful Ancient. Emerson has claimed independence from the Camarilla's global lead, supported by six Elders, one from each Clan. They stand against the traditional Camarilla fundamentalists lurking outside; who will not have, will not accept this act of defiance.
With the Elder's focus on the shadow plays behind, the management of this micro-world of vampire society is left to the young. Age matters, but it matters less. Whether Ancilla or Neonate - those willing, competent and relentless enough to engage in this lethal dance of politics, intrigue, deceit and violence can come to rival a Prince. Anything is possible.. but are you willing to risk what you have? Are you willing to pay the price that comes with rising to power and wielding it?
The primary theme of Los Angeles is the struggle for control. Each night is a struggle in a sprawling world going mad. Who will come to control the Heart of the City? Who can? Will the Traditional Camarilla fundamentalists crush the independents? The World of Darkness is scarier than our world, but no less confusing. Power structures, politics, everything is complex, and interconnected. Vampires live forever, so how much more connected are they?
Vampires are also creatures apart from mortals and their humanity.
The secondary theme of the MUSH is the fine balance between humanity and the Beast that vampires face every night. The Beast is inside, and it claws to get out. You fight it, every night, but the true horror is that the Beast never consumes you - it overpowers you. Should the Beast reign ascendant, you will forever be trapped inside, unable to act. The Riddle is the only answer: Beasts we are lest beasts we become. What role do the masses of humanity play in this?
Los Angeles is an excellent place to find out.
