Ultra-conservatives –
The Utlra-conservatives are the elders and the militarists of the Sabbat. Take the Status Quo respect for title and status, add a pound of military bearing, and cull vigorously through three Civil Wars and you too will get the Ultra-conservatives.

1. Status is earned and can be lost, be effective or be removed.
   
2. The Code of Milan is not strict enough.
   
3. Bring on the centralization, one Regent 13, Cardinals, 26 Prisci – this is fine as far as it goes, but maybe we should add a clearly delineated set of responsibilities and duties as well?
   
4. Monomacy of weak leaders, sieges, crusades, full-out assaults on the pawns of the antediluvians these tactics are kosher.
   
5. Be efficient, be deadly, organize your pack and diocese, respect strong leaders, remove weak leaders.
   
6. Support the Inquisition, support the Black Hand.

The Ultra Conservative view is held by many Lasombra and Tzimisce elders and a strong scattering of Antitribu elders. Amazingly enough, the Black Hand has been publicly leaning more and more towards this Sabbat credo.

Status Quo –
Imagine if the Camarilla was more violent and was called the Sabbat and you get the Status !uo vision. This group has strong roots in Ventru Antitribu, Lasombra, Tzimisce, and stable political leaders throughout the Sabbat. Status Quo ideals:

1. Support your local leader, your loyalty will be rewarded.
   
2. Status is fun, earn some today. Status is the passcard of the status quo, without it you will not get in.
   
3. Strongly supports sieges and crusades while deriding them as unneccesary wastes of resources that could be better put somewhere else.
   
4. Does not favor removal of officers of the Sabbat except for any but the most heinous crimes.
   
5. The Code of Milan will be the law of the land, follow it and be well.
   
6. Pecking order will be established and held to. If you wait long enough and put in your time doing all the fun stuff you too will eventually rise up.
   
7. Support the inquistion and the Black Hand.
8. If the system ain't broke, don't fix it - as it has been so it should continue to be. Sabbat - the system works!

The Status Quo calls upon allies in the Moderates and the Ultra-conservatives to counter balance the upsetting influence of the Loyalist rabble. The worst threat to the Status Quo is not the Camarilla, Lupines, or the Kuei-jin, it is the Loyalists and their ideals of freedom from under the thumb of any, but a self- appointed heirarchy. This idea is anathema to the Status Quo as they believe that an officer of the Sabbat is inviolate, and must know what they are doing not because of any actual competence but simply by filling the spot of the office.

A Bishop who earned his title 50 years ago and has done nothing risky or worthy since yet still feels entitlled to and expects respect for his past deeds is a good example of a status quo office holder.

Moderates –
The Moderate creed is a balancing act between the Loyalists and the Status Quo. Where the Loyalists are obsessed with their "freedoms", and the Status Quo is the epitomy of Cainite stasis. The Moderates take a bit of every creed, including the Ultra-conservatives and Black Hand militarism. Within the Moderate creed you will find the baseline to be a group of grown up Loyalists who are not yet ossified into Status Quo members. The moderates:

1. support the Code of Milan about 95% of the time
   
2. support leaders they may not have personally appointed so long as they are good leaders.
   
3. Fully support the Purchase Pact.
   
4. recognize the utility of the Regent and Consistory even if they don't personally approve.
   
5. support the use of status as recognition of the labors of individual Sabbat.
   
6. support sieges and crusades, though they believe gains can be made other ways.
   
7. Support the Black Hand most of the time, maybe support the Inquisition.
   

This creed is the distillation of the Sabbat ancillae ethos. We are grown up enough to no longer rail at our elders/leaders, but we do not necessarily like it, and we believe we can find our own methods that our elders/leaders may not have though up yet.

Loyalists –
Loyalists are concerned with the issues of freedom the Sabbat espouses. The Code of Milan is a guide, not the last word in the law. The Purchase Pact has granted freedom and rights, the Code is a double edged sword for further freedom and further restricitons. The loyalist creed can be a healthy thing that battles the stagnation of certain Camarilla-like elders who are into "playing the jyhad." The dangers of this creed is that they are the most likely to strike at other groups of Sabbat with accusations of "oppression" or other similiar revolutionary cries. The problem with this is that the Sabbat can ill afford the level of factional in-fighting this provokes. With three Civil Wars under their belt the Sabbat are masters of teetering on the edge, the Loyalists may just prove to be the force to push them over it. The Loyalist view:

1. Freedom or Death.
2. Leaders ask us, no suggest a course of action but we only accept if it we would have thought it was a good idea to begin with.
3. Down with Ruleship.

Pander Movement –
So how do you get a Pander to go away? You throw them some shiny favor and they run and chase it. A large part of the movement can be so motivated. When the Ultra-conservatives condoned the creation of Clan Pander as a placation to the rabble after the 3rd Civil War in the 50's, the Panders were no better off really. Since then, they have proven what mercenaries they can be.

The movement is composed of Panders and sympathetic Antitribu who are basically political whores. One week they will support the Ultras, the next the Moderates. With a continual sense of bouncing around the political arena these Sabbat have a single goal: gain respect and status from their alliances.

1. The Code of Milan can be both a hindrance and ally.
   
2. Freedom is what you make of it, the Loyalists are a bunch of Pander wannabees without the balls to accept a paymaster.
   
3. Sieges, Crusades, the Black Hand, Inquisiton - We support all if you tell us to!
   
4. Status: we live on it, we desire it. Status and office are like drugs to the Pander movement.

Old World Sabbat or "Neo-feudalists" –
The old world Sabbat might as well be Autarkis with the li[ service some of them give to the Sabbat. If you were an two thousand year old powerhouse, would you want to deal with packs of Neonates bothering you nightly about felling the evil elders? No, so you calmly join the local Sabbat and get left alone by them as you are on there side.

1. Old domains, old vamps, lots of power little Sabbat manuevering.
   
2. Code of Milan, Purchase Pact, we have no need of these petty assurances from our children; we hold the reigns but remain remote
   
3. Sieges, crusades - these things do not happen for the most part in Europe.
   
4. The Black hand and the Inquision are not very active at all in these areas, they recieve little assistance and are granted little respect.
   Primarily ancient Tzimisce and some Lasombra, a smattering of Antitribu are within these ranks.
5. In the new world Neo-feudalists keep a low profile and their opinions to themselves or gather in enclaves of their own kind for support and insulation.

The Black Hand or "Manus Nigrum" –
The Manus Nigrum is the old name for the "Black Hand." You know that crazy group of guys you are repeatedly told to support in the Code of Milan? The Black Hand (herafter refered to as the Hand) is a paramilitary organization based on pack level units (called "cells") reporting to Overseers who in turn report to the Dominions who then report to the Seraph and then to the Regent.

Well mostly, the last part about the Regent is one of those amusing legal fictions that shows that the Hand is loyal to the Sabbat heirarchy and is not just working within it for its own reasons. And to a point they are, your average Hander is a devout Sabbat with admirable goals (in the eyes of other Sabbat at least).

Purposes of the Black Hand in the Sabbat:

1. 1Stability, the Hand has guided the safety of the sect through three Civil Wars and kept them from collapsing of these internal conflicts.
   
   
2. Functionality, the Hand is a organized group of Cainites, no other group with the possible exceptions of the neo-feudalists (due to the tight reign they hold on their subjects) or the Ultra-conservatives (the militarists) have such a sense of purpose. Now the purposes of the Hand are many and varied: war, intelligence, internal security, counter intelligence, and many other uses are what keep the Hand busy themselves with in their daily war against the pawns of the Antideluvians.
   
   
3. The Hand prepares for battle with the ancients, while the rest of the Sabbat fueds with itself the Black Hand is preparing to face off with the big boys.

Weapons of the Hand:

1. The Code of Milan, the addendum to the Purchase Pact, that most holy of documents that assures our safety. In the addenda of the Code, their are some words that say we need to support the Hand.
   
2. Military tranining and precision
   
3. Clearly deliniated centralized authority
   
4. Purpose and brotherhood

In short the Black Hand is the organization that for the most part gives the sabbat its real teeth. The missions they perform are performed with tenacity and skill. The recruiment of the Hand is done through invitation, those who demonstrate a great level of skill or maybe posess a rare discipline or ability, these are asked first. The Hand is primarily composed of Antitribu (most numerous are Assamite Antitribu), the percentage of Lasombra or Tzimisce who join the hand is usally a much smaller percenntage. There is a rivalry between the Lasombra secret society, Les Amies, and the Black Hand as each consider themselves to be the real controling factor in the sect.

The Inquisition –
Taking in hand the forces of Infernalism and Heresey, the Inquisition has devoted itself to rooting out these twin forces of dogmatic failure. With the recent growth to 30 members the Inquisitors are about to step into Sabbat politics with a bang. This group has the power to depose anyone below the Consistory(archbishop or lower) due to the edict of authority granted them by a quorum of Prisci.

There are three ranks for formal Inquisition members: Knight Inquisitor, Judge Inquisitor and Inquisitor General:

• The lowest of the three, Knight Inquisitor is that of a basic member of the Inquisiton. He or she travels with his Templars and possible a pack of other Inquisitors and their Templars. Their job is that of identifying and prosecuting Infernalists and Heretics.
  
  
• Then there are the few Judge Inquisitors, these are the supervisors of the Inquisition. They report to the Inquisitor General and no one else. They spend their nights pursuing the most difficult of cases(usually prosecution of Bishops or Archbishops, large infernal circles, and cases where maybe a Knight Inquisitor has failed or died).
  
  
• Then there is the Inquisitor General, he or she is the leader of the Inquisition and the face to the Consistory. In addition to the formal ranks of the Inquisition, the individual Inquisitors are each assisted by Templars, bodyguards and assistants, usually a pair for each per Inquisitor. These Templars are not actual members of the Inquisition, but serve nonetheless in the pursuit of its purposes.

The duties of the Inquistion, rooting out infernalism and identifying and prosecuting heresy, can and are carried out in many varied manners. An Inquisitor may walk into town announce themselves and pursue a public inquiry, or they may very well sneak in, insinuate themselves with a false name or identity and proceed to investigate in secrecy.

The reason for the pursuit of Infernalism is that to sell your soul and will to a demon is to put yourself in bondage to another, a purpose the Sabbat stands against with its very being, at least publicly. The mandate for the pursuit of heresy is a more recent addition, and one that causes more friction than the pursuit of Infernalism. Many are the reasons that a Sabbat member does not wish an Infernalist in their ranks, from fear of enslavement, sacrifice to their dark master, or religous prohibition. But the charge of heresy is debated hotly within the Sabbat. In fact the Loyalists will usually fight such a charge bodily, as their creed says that their is no such thing as heresy in the Sabbat, we are all free to pursue any sort of freedom we wish.

Charges of heresy are leveled against those who do not follow the Code of Milan and the Purchase Pact. It is argued that to remain Sabbat you must follow all tenents of the sect to the letter, lest you fall to the corruption of the antideluvian's heresey.

Whatever the method, the duties are the same, crush heresey and infernalism in all its forms. An Inquisitor is a devout and fanatical member of this sub-sect. They will not hesitate to face danger and possible extermination in the pursuit of their duties. Another interesting note about the Inquisition is that you will find more "God fearing" members weilding True Faith in the Inquisition than in any other group of the Sabbat.

In all the Inquisition is a force for stability and order at the present, but it is feared by many, including the Black Hand, that they may turn their authority against political enemies in the sect if given cause to.

Sabbat Warfare –

• Crusades - Long strings of sieges usually led by a strong Cardinal with the assistance of the Black Hand and war packs that make a habit of traveling from siege to seige.
  
  
• Sieges - Individual battles for cities, may or may not be part of a string called a crusade.

The frequency of a crusade is rare. Their might be one crusade a decade. They require months to years of planning and gathering of resources and a strong leader or group of leaders to bring them to fruition. Sieges on the other hand, there is always at least one going on, some cities have been in states of continual siege for years now, with no sign of let up.

The following is a breakdown of styles of warfare in Sieges in Crusades.
When the Camarilla goes to war, they bring to bear the power of their mortal pawns. They condemn known havens, arrest Sabbat and Anarch alike, crush front businesses of their enemies, and in general make life a living hell for the survivors PRIOR to moving into the city and pursuing open warfare.

The Sabbat on the other hand has a problem with pursuing that style of warfare, and the two main causes are interrelated; one is that the average life span for a Sabbat is five years, and two, is that in their is not enough time in five years for a Sabbat member to build up the type of Influence and power base that the Camarilla can typically direct in sect warfare.

This is the biggest weakness of Sabbat warfare, the lack of daylight and behind the scenes counter forces. Since they do not have these sources to fall back on they counter with "shovelhead" packs (mass embraces who are thrown at their enemies in disposable waves) and lightning quick smash and grab warfare styles. A succesful Sabbat attack is one that has the local enemy sect rolled up within the week, keeping them off guard and moving constantly with little coordination. It is the rare succesful Sabbat siege that takes more than a week, maybe two at the outside. There is a sense of urgency about a Sabbat crusade, the feel that if the enemy is allowed to regain their balance they will remain and all will be for naught.

The situation in LA, in which we will be playing our game is an exception to the above statements. For instance it is a city that actually has four Influences, or at least it did. Camarilla, Sabbat, Kuei-Jin, and Anarch. The Camarilla has been here for a while, they moved in when the Anarchs were in charge, the Kuei-jin moved in with surprise and numbers, the Anarchs owned most of the west coast for nearly on fifty years, and the Sabbat, Us.

These competing factions all have different resources and power to draw upon, the Camarilla has Resources, the Kuei-jin have foreign powers and magics, the Anarchs are mostly defunt, but had ferocity, numbers and a decentralized "government (if it can be called that) which was resistant to infiltration and corruption, and lastly, the Sabbat have purpose, unparalleled visciousness, renewable numbers, and no fear of publicity.

LA does not find itself part of an active siege anymore. It could be considered a lull in the campaign. Numbers of Sabbat are traveling to LA to join forces, they have heard the call of a city where the beacon of the Sabbat needs more fuel and they are coming to aid that call.

Elders in the "Elders-Hating Sect" –
Consider this, in your average large Sabbat city there might be one vampire over 200 years old; ONE, that's it, just one. Why is this? Well,l that is because of belonging to a sect that takes the war to the Ancients. So the causes are many:

1. War causes casualties, and if you're an elder, you're a leader, and in the Sabbat leaders lead from the front or are set upon by their so called followers.
   
2. War against the ancients? So who is better prepared to lead us in that war than another ancient, oh wait, why the hell would he want to help us? Answer: he doesn't, he's here to kill you, you guessed it he's probably in the Camarilla - the sect made by Elders, for Elders.
   
3. Attrition through two major Civil Wars of leadership.
   
4. The Sabbat tends to destroy leaders who fail them, and in 200 years or so you will most likely fail once or twice too.

These are some of the reasons that their are few elders in the Sabbat.

For the most part Sabbat elders are viewed, if they are seen by the rabble of proven Sabbat at all, with respect. They obviously did something right to survive all this time while fighting the good fight. On the other hand, certain groups (loyalist primarily) view Elders as mobile dinner trays.

So what do you do when speaking to an Elder in the Sabbat.

1. Be respectful, not because thea are Elders, but because they can snuff you out.
   
2. Don't bow to them, you're free, but hey, you might want to spare them your lip and show this out of date lick a moment of patience.
   
3. Do the favor they ask of you, if anyone can help you out in these trying times, they can, they have had centuries to build up hoards and favors.
   
   Elder facts,
   1. rare in the sabbat
      
   2. powerful and active
      
   3. predominantly Lasombra and Tzimisce
      
   4. hold all positions of Archbishop and up
      
   5. Sabbat elders are more flexible by definition, 100 years and some great powers can make a Sabbat Elder, while it takes 200 years makes a young Camarilla Elder.
      
   6. power for these Elders is earned, they have played the game and won, hence the fact that they are still here, respect their skill.