Vloei Bloed
Ebb & Flow
The ebb and flow of blood ties and blood itself in Durban, South Africa, inveighs a tale of isolation, segregation, rebellion, invasion, and reconciliation. Before the Kindred came to this country, there were no vampires. Oh, some occultists whispered of the Laibon, but they did not seem to exist in Zulu or Thembuland. Naturally, that meant the land and people were there for the undead’s taking. Kindred accompanied sailors and explorers and later colonists to the Natal Bay and helped establish what would become the city of Durban. Their influence never wavered whether Dutch or British powers controlled the realm.
Observing the Traditions, the oldest Cainite in town became Prince and appointed his most trusted advisors as Primogen from the represented clans. Durban became an outpost of the Camarilla. Like the United States, the elders in Durban tended to be younger than most European Princes and Primogen, but still stood doughty. They resisted the incursions of Lupines of all sort. They helped crush indigenous rebellions. And in the 20th-century, they entered into a pact with those Lupines. They promised to leave the Lupines’ Kinfolk alone if the Lupines agreed to stop attacking the undead in their urban havens just because they were “filled with worms” or whatever silly tribal myths that Lupines babbled on about.
But that pact held no water without action, so the Kindred acted—even if the Lupines (or namely their Kinfolk) didn’t much care for the action. The Kindred urged the creation of apartheid laws, playing on de facto or local de jure segregation rules that already existed throughout South Africa. While Kindred elsewhere in the country may or may not have backed apartheid, and if they did, for other reasons, the Prince of Durban did it to create an inviolable law: Kindred were not to touch the native folk. Rationalize why any way one wishes.
This immediately resulted in a backlash from neonates. Inspired to revolt as Anarchs, they went to war with the elders and their enforcers. Many neonates already were Embraced from the native population. Others simply rejected apartheid, some for idealistic reasons and others for selfish reasons. Either way, in the 1960s, it felt like the Masquerade would be blown as the undead fought tooth and nail. Some Anarchs associated themselves with the ANC and mk.
Naturally, another sect saw this as opportunity. The Sabbat arrived, hoping to capitalize on the civil war. The invasion backfired. The Camarilla and Anarchs drew a treaty and together fought back, driving the Sabbat into the snapping maws of the Lupines. The shaky treaty has existed ever since, as the Anarchs linger in only one part of the city, agreed to at least refuse to Embrace indigenous people, and observe the Masquerade themselves. Apartheid’s collapse was irrelevant to the pact with the Lupines, as all Kindred by then had internalized the rules. The Camarilla adapted to the shift in political and commercial enterprise well, while the Anarchs seem still to lack much ambition as far as controlling kine commerce and industry. The Prince considers them relatively harmless now and, in fact, a useful buffer against the Sabbat should those maniacs ever return to Natal Bay.
Special Events
Special events are annual (or more frequent) holidays or special ritual days that the main group or groups observe as a whole community. Attendance and participation are often expected of all members, and sometimes required.
Day of Reconciliation
This is a holiday of national significance in South Africa. It falls on the 16th of December. It remembers the end of apartheid and the day that the multicultural peoples of South Africa call themselves one nation. For the Kindred of Durban, it means more: it means the end of the civil war, the end of de jure apartheid, and the beginning of peace. It is honored with wild parties among the Anarchs and a genteel toast by the Camarilla. Despite its name, it is rarely celebrated by the Anarchs and Camarilla together.
Dusehra
Dusehra is a Hindu holy day that takes on special significance for the Court of the Holy Face in Durban. These Kindred, who weren’t all Hindu in life, and really don’t follow any mortal religion in their Second Breath but instead the tenets of their individual Dharma, take the day as an opportunity to remember and hone their combative edge. They honor Durga as a symbol of the ancient Wan Xian’s victories over the Yomi spawn in classical antiquity. Honorary duels, reenactments of famous battles, feasts of Chi-infused foods of all sorts, and sometimes more monstrous fare entertain the vampires. It all ends with a period of meditative reflection. This night is honored at the end of the mortals’ harvest festival, so it falls on different dates each year (typically the end of September or early October, per the Hindu calendar). The Brahmin of the Court sets the night’s activities off with this unique Level 4 Social Rite. All participants regain two points of temporary Willpower by dawn.
“There are rules, witou. They say the Masquerade is most important. No. The Tradition of Domain is. What I say goes. Masquerade, accounting, Blood Hunts, treaties—all me.”
-- Lord Peter James, Esquire, 8th-Generation Prince of Durban
