City Politics
Vampire: The Masquerade
Camarilla
Overview: The sect is well-positioned. Most of the American Midwest remains firmly under Camarilla control, or at least not under Sabbat control. Reinforcements can steadily pour in from either the West or East Coast, and at least one airport is under their influence. As far as the Jyhad goes, the Camarilla dominates in Kansas City. However, over the past twenty years, the Sabbat's influence grew in the Kansas side of the city, while the Camarilla held in Missouri. That has recently changed.
Infrastructure: Most of the Seven Clans are well-represented locally. The Toreador and Ventrue dominate the Salons but are actually of limited influence. Kansas City is hardly avant-garde, and the Ventrue are hard-up with financial competition from the Giovanni. Gangrel run wild in the Barrens to the northeast and Brujah in the city, and neither Clan has much say as usual. The Tremere have a forceful presence, but are unable to expand their influence presently. A few Malkavians run amok, but the real powerhouse is the Nosferatu. The city is blue collar industry to begin with, and the Sewer Rats have their talons firmly enmeshed in the real city machine. Overall, there are approximately 150 known Camarilla in the city.
Current Goals & Conflicts: The collapse of the local Sabbat stronghold would have given the Camarilla an excellent opportunity to consolidate its hold over all of the city. They have been faced with another problem, however, one that the Tremere are hard at work to solve. A strange blood-borne phenomena has affected much of the local mortal population. Though feeding from infected humans has demonstrated no permanent debilitation, infected mortals are worthless as vessels. In other words, the local herd is shrinking and fast. Feeling this pinch, the Camarilla have been only able to reach out and gobble up whatever financial enterprises the Sabbat dropped (which wasn't much). Actual territorial expansion isn't prudent, as the current herd cannot support a larger vampiric population. On the bright side, that territory isn't likely to be taken over by any other Kindred group.
Key Locale: White Rose Club. This embellished, high society dance club can be found in the center of the city's crumbling Cultural Center, not far from the Metropolitan Museum and similar sites. Toreador-controlled, it sponsors many Salons and almost every meeting of the Primogen Council.
Sabbat
Overview: Once the most ferocious competitor for the city, they got ahead of themselves. Their brutal karmic debt came full circle. Vampire hunters assaulted their primary complex en masse and crushed their base of power. Combined with the blood infection that troubles their Camarilla enemies, the Sabbat have been all but pushed out of Kansas City. A few packs or scattered agents remain at large, but for now the survivors have been ordered to regroup.
Infrastructure: There is no true leadership among the few nomadic packs roaming the region. Orders from the Cardinal come through occasionally, but the sect is letting these packs grow stronger. They will be the veteran shock troops when the Sabbat is ready to besiege the city once more. The Black Hand maintains a secret outpost in the Kansas half of the city, there to observe and strategize for the future. There were once hundreds of teeming Sabbat, but now there are less than fifty in the city at any time.
Current Goals & Conflicts: Obviously, the Sabbat have lost the Jyhad in Kansas City...for now. But they aren't routed and far from defeated. They are regrouping, and though it may be quite some time before they're ready to strike again, their resolve is adamant. They would like to hunt down the vampire hunters responsible, but their reach in the city is limited. Besides, some of the hunters were, as the few survivors were able to report, more than human.
Key Locale: Their temple destroyed, the Sabbat proper have no key locale in the city. The Black Hand maintains a small haven known as “The Bunker”. It is secreted in the hovels of Kansas City project neighborhoods.
Anarchs/Independants
Overview: The Anarchs and independent Clans have some presence in the city. For the most part, however, they are struggling much more than the Camarilla is. The Anarch population remains low, since neighboring Independence is an Anarch-dominated city and far more tolerant of such Cainites.
Infrastructure: The Anarchs consist especially of Brujah and Caitiff. Most are just passing through on their way to Independence, and so it’s rare than more than 50 are in the city at any time. Independent Clans -- well, the Giovanni are about it. There is likely a Setite or two slinking around, but no established Temple. The Giovanni, however, are well-entrenched in Little Italy. They have a firm hold on most of the local Mafia families, including the Marconi, and are also able to take advantage of the chaotic Underworld. Of course, in the Clan’s usual modus operandi, only a half-dozen tops are actually vampires.
Current Goals & Conflicts: The Anarchs are fairly content with Independence and have no plans to expand into Kansas City. Though the default Jyhad victory for the Camarilla disturbs them slightly, they are hardly worried with what has been dubbed the "Poisonman Plague".
Key Locale: The Anarchs have one key locale in the Kansas City area: Moonshade Bar. This crossroads establishment is actually in Smithville, which had been dubbed "no man's land" due to the Lupine presence. However, the Garou demonstrate little aggression to the bar despite its reputation. Most Anarchs just stop here on their way to Independence. The Giovanni, on the other hand, are spread out in Little Italy. No single place can be called "key" to the Clan, whose members tend to isolate in mausoleums and let the family ghouls expose themselves in day-to-day business.
