The Devaki
Introduction
Vampires have an unfortunate tendency to look down upon human beings as mere cattle. Camarilla, Sabbat, Anarchs -- their perspectives differ little when it comes to "the kine". These perspectives, however, are inherently flawed. Men cannot be cattle to vampires as cows are to men. Why?
Cows don't pick up machine guns and defend themselves from the slaughter.
The undead of Kansas City relearned this fact in recent years. How quickly they forgot the fires of the Inquisition! But the Devaki aren't power-mongering priests hell-bent on torturing anyone who didn't agree with their religious beliefs. They are average citizens hell-bent on keeping their families and loved ones safe from the pride-ridden blood thirst of Cainites. The Devaki is a militia of vampire hunters with a hidden master that keeps them well-equipped and protected against the most dangerous threats.
OOC Overview
The Devaki, also known as the Crusaders, is a group of over 150 human beings dedicated to the hunt of vampires. The vast majority of the Crusaders are normal people, with mediocre combat abilities and no supernatural powers (Numina) of any sort. A few demonstrate unusual talents. And some shen are involved in the Devaki as well. However, if one wishes to play a Devaki character, special permission must be obtained to "cross-over" one's mainstream CoLA character into this Fringe Troupe. Note that permission will most likely be granted! The Crusaders have a history of working with supernatural demon and vampire hunters. Some advanced demon hunters even led teams of the Devaki (and some still do).
By and large, however, the Devaki is meant to reflect the impact outraged human beings can have on the supernatural environment. It is meant to give players a chance to play complete underdogs -- Hunters Hunted -- and enjoy the opportunity of victory over monsters, while coping with the horror of such confrontations. For those shen who participate, including Nekoko's Reito Cabal, this is a clear demonstration of humanity's ability to take care of itself. Any aid from supernatural allies comes as a beginning bicyclist's training wheels. Eventually, they'll just slow the rider down. The allies must learn this fact. This is especially appropiate for Mage and Hunter crossovers. When are Sleepers completely self-sufficient?
To play a standard human Crusader character, utilize the normal character creation process for "mortals". However, players should make sure Willpower is at least 5 to start. Weaker-willed individuals simply aren't recruited.
Flames of Purification
The population of vampires was out of control. A huge city like New York or Los Angeles could host perhaps 300 Kindred. Most of those cities hosted twice that and suffered major vampire overpopulation problems. But Kansas City, with the massive and ongoing three-way Jyhad between Camarilla, Sabbat, and Anarchs, had gathered over 800 vampires in one city! With so many monsters, the morgues were working over time. The people lived in fear of the night.
And that sickened Nekoko, the visionary creator of the Crusaders. This war-mage was used to an age when men took up arms and defended their families. She began to lure citizens into special martial arts training seminars that resembled brawl scenes from Fight Club with their raw, hard impact activities. She gave people a taste for blood, for action, beginning in 2001. Once she had a few dozen pliable "acolytes", Nekoko told them about the undead. She proved it, with a captive vampire. Through extremely cautious recruiting procedures, the few dozen became a few score, and the few score became a few hundred. Their training began in earnest throughout 2002. Nekoko appointed a few allied shen from the Court of Infinite Ages (which later defaulted to the Coalition of Little Asia), such as dedicated vampire hunter, Zannin Choki. With his many years of experience, he supplanted Nekoko as the militia's commander.
Nekoko took a back seat, using her Reito (cabal) to protect and empower the infant Crusaders organization like any of her ambitions' interests. The Reito secured an illegal arms cache, used to supply the Crusaders with military-grade weapons. Nekoko also brokered secret deals with the local branch of the Subtle Thunders, making sure the Technocracy did not clamp down on what should be considered an ally of convenience. And as for the laws of American society… Well, when a number of Crusaders were (and still are) police officers, there wasn't as much to worry about.
By 2003, the Crusaders were ready for action. She planned the attacks, allowing Zannin to execute the strategy and prepare tactics. A three-pronged attack was launched over the space of a week, timed specifically with an outbreak of race riots that followed the Al-Qaida bombing of the TAT (Trans-Atlantic Tower) in downtown Kansas City. The Crusaders screened their violence behind the madness. And when a small two-man team mortar was deployed to batter down the Sabbat bunker's walls, Nekoko summoned a thunderstorm to cover the verbrato song of war.
The Crusaders swept over the Sabbat, Anarchs, and Camarilla alike. The Sabbat's core bunker was flattened, every vampire inside slaughtered. Their Jyhad was crushed with this successful attack, and only a small contingent of the Sword of Caine lingered in the city after that night. The Anarchs were cornered during one of their (Brujah) Rants in a college frat house. The Crusaders burnt it to the ground, shooting every vampire that tried to make a run for it with concentrated assault rifle firepower. And the Tremere Chantry didn't last an hour with all the chi'n ta backing the militia's attack.
With this earth-shaking assault, the Crusaders announced their deadly presence to the undead of the city. The Sabbat slunk into obscurity while, the Anarchs ranted in impotent fury and many withdrew to other cities. Some Camarilla left, but most thanked their lucky stars that the Crusaders didn't focus on them beyond the unfortunate Tremere. Despite the Crusaders' furious onslaught and its sudden quieting, the Camarilla never met any agents interested in brokering a treaty. Now the sect walks on eggshells, afraid to allow the Anarchs to run too rampant. The Tremere demanded justice but got none from the Prince -- this appeared to be the work of the Inquisition.
But the Crusaders weren't finished. They simply sat back and watched to see if the Kindred had learned any lessons. Having culled the undead of some 40% of their population, frightened off another 10%, the number of vampires in the city was closer to acceptable. But the Crusaders weren't interested in an acceptable number. Only complete destruction of the undead would suffice. If the Kindred were smart, they would hide behind their Masquerade and stay there. Thankfully, the Camarilla were smart enough to do that. It was the Sabbat and Anarchs that still felt the wrath of the Crusaders now.
The undead didn't just stand around and let the Crusaders pound on them. The Camarilla launched an investigation through an Archon. However, he was executed by an unknown party (the Reito) and the investigation halted. The Sabbat launched a counter-offensive against their aggressors. However, they knew few details. They knew only that the Crusaders were largely Asian in ethnicity, and that Asian shen were seen among the assailants at their bunker in Little Mexico. They assumed it was the shen that mounted this attack, and thus declared war on Little Asia at whole. The Court of Infinite Ages (which predated the Coalition) responded with its full might at the Sabbat's rampant attack, and the vampires' entire campaign ultimately proved disastrous. Had they targeted the Devaki alone, things might have turned out very differently. On the other hand, Nekoko never demonstrated any problem with personally jumping into the fray when her agents were outmatched…
Changing their official name from the Crusaders to the Devaki, which meant the "Angels of Heaven", this citizen militia of vampires watched their city vigilantly. They couldn't save the world, they knew that. But they could save their homes and families. Let other cities form their own brigades of Devaki soldiers.
