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| | == '''[[History of San Francisco]]''' == | | == '''[[History of San Francisco]]''' == |
| − | A rich and at times tragic history precedes the current
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| − | state of affairs in San Francisco, though many of the vampires
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| − | embroiled in the conflict are unaware of it (and perhaps
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| − | doomed to repeat it). What both Kindred and Kuei-jin know
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| − | is that history has picked up its pace in the Bay Area as well
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| − | as the rest of the world for some time now. It is a pendulum
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| − | racing on the downward swing , a prisoner of both gravity and
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| − | momentum and subject to forces and paths not of its choosing.
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| − | Aware of this, both sides fear there may be no stopping the
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| − | events they set in motion within the city.
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| − |
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| − | === The Earliest Days ===
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| − | While San Francisco’s history only covers a two-
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| − | century span, the history of the Bay area extends back
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| − | much farther than that. Native American tribes like the
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| − | Ohlone and the Miwok inhabited the region long before
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| − | the arrival of the first Europeans or Asians landed on the
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| − | shores of North America. These people knew nothing of
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| − | t he Curse of Caine or the Fall of the Wan Xian, although
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| − | they understood the creatures haunting the world’s dark
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| − | and wild places. For the most part, the tribes remained
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| − | small, warding off undue attention from their preternatural
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| − | predators. They lived in relative peace with the Changing
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| − | Folk of the wilds, never dreaming their fellow mortals
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| − | from across the Atlantic would prove the greatest threat
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| − | to their existence.
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| − |
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| − | === Exploration & Settlement ===
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| − | The first European visitors to curse the shores of
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| − | California came in 1542, when Portuguese explorer Juan
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| − | Rodriguez Cabrillo circumnavigated the tip of South
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| − | America and sailed as far north as the Russian River,
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| − | mapping the western coast of South and North America
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| − | along his route. In 1579, famed English sailor Sir Francis
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| − | Drake landed on California’ s northern coast, pausing
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| − | briefly to claim the land for Queen Elizabeth before
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| − | repairing his ships and setting sail once again. Sebastian
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| − | Cermeno, another Portuguese explorer, “discovered”
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| − | Punta de los Reyes (King’ s Point) in the 1590s. All the
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| − | visiting Europeans missed the narrow entrance to San
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| − | Francisco Bay, however, shrouded as it was by mist and
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| − | nearly invisible from the sea. It would be centuries more
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| − | before a European discovered the site of what would
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| − | become the city of San Francisco.
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| − |
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| − | In 1769, a Spanish soldier named Gaspar de Protola
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| − | accidentally stumbled upon the bay’s entrance while
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| − | sailing to Monterey Bay in the south. Six years later, Juan
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| − | Ayala actually sailed into San Francisco Bay on a mapping
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| − | expedition for the Spanish crown. It did not take the
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| − | Spanish long to realize the value of their new discovery,
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| − | given its strategic and economic potential.
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| − |
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| − | In 1776, about a week before the thirteen English
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| − | colonies on the other side of the continent declared their
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| − | independence, Juan Bautista de Anza and some thirty
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| − | Spanish-speaking families made their way from Sonora,
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| − | Mexico to San Francisco Bay. They claimed the land for
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| − | Spain and settled there. Their headquarters was an adobe
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| − | fort they named the Presidio.
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| − |
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| − | The settlers established a mission about a mile away
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| − | from the fort. The priests officially named the mission
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| − | ''Nuestra Senora de Dolores'' or Mission Delores, and dedicated
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| − | the church to St. Francis of Assisi; it was known as “San
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| − | Francisco,” the name later applied to the bay itself. The
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| − | mission’ s priests took an interest in the spiritual welfare
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| − | of the local Indian tribes, ensuring they were baptized and
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| − | converted to Christianity; for the most part, the natives
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| − | welcomed trade with the new settlers.
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| − |
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| − | === Independence & Growth ===
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| − | In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain,
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| − | secularizing the Spanish missions and abandoning interest
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| − | in the spiritual well being of the natives — or anyone else,
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| − | for that matter. Freed from European rule, California’s ports
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| − | opened for trade and shipped a wealth of goods (mostly
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| − | hides, furs, wood and tallow) by sea around Cape Horn to
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| − | the burgeoning factories in New England and New York.
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| − | Trappers and hunters told tall tales about the strange beasts
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| − | they encountered in the California hills, but few paid them
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| − | any heed so long as the goods continued to flow.
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| − |
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| − | The area’s growing prosperity was enough to convince
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| − | English sailor William Richardson to jump ship in 1822
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| − | and settle there. He fell in love with the daughter of the
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| − | Presidio’ s commandant and converted to Catholicism to
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| − | marry her. He established a trading post that he named
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| − | Yerba Buena (or “good herb”) for the wild mint growing
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| − | in the area. The aptly chosen name later became a source
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| − | of great humor to the people of San Francisco in the
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| − | 1960s. Richardson’ s enterprise was wildly successful, and
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| − | Yerba Buena grew from a trading post to a small town,
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| − | with a saloon of ill repute frequented by English-speaking
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| − | hunters and trappers.
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| − |
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| − | Even though Yerba Buena and Mission Dolores grew,
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| − | their population remained a few hundred at best, comprised
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| − | of mostly farmers, trappers and a handful of soldiers
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| − | stationed at the Presidio. During the war between the
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| − | United States and Mexico in 1847, U.S. Marines from the
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| − | warship ''Portsmouth'' seized the Presidio and the main plaza
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| − | of Yerba Buena. The dozen or so Mexican soldiers at the
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| − | Presidio surrendered without firing a single shot.
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| − | Commander John Montgomery raised the U.S. flag and
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| − | declared California an American territory. Among the
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| − | first acts of the new territorial government was to change
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| − | the settlement’s name to that of the bay: San Francisco.
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| − |
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| − | Such small political victories were certainly of no
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| − | interest to either the Kindred hunting in the nighttime
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| − | streets of Boston, New York and Philadelphia, or to those
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| − | sleeping by day in the mansions of Louisiana, Georgia or
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| − | Carolina. The events in San Francisco were of even less
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| − | interest to the Kuei-jin, who barely knew of California at
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| − | all and remained far more concerned with the Opium
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| − | Wars brought on by European (and Kindred) incursion
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| − | into the Middle Kingdom. That, however, was about to
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| − | change with a single word....
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| − |
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| − | === '''''Gum San:''''' The Golden Mountain ===
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| − | “Gold! Gold in the American River!” Mormon preacher
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| − | Sam Brannan shouted that memorable statement while
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| − | running through San Francisco’s streets in 1848. Although
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| − | Brannan was a notorious charlatan, in this case he shouted
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| − | the truth. Gold was found in the riverbed at a sawmill
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| − | owned by Swiss-born John Augustus Sutter. Despite Sutter’s
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| − | best efforts to keep the discovery quiet, the news spread like
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| − | wildfire. Sam Brannan, incidentally, purchased large tracts
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| − | of coastal land in San Francisco, as well as cornering the
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| − | market on shovels, pickaxes and canned goods before
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| − | making his fateful announcement. He became fabulously
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| − | wealthy without turning over a single spade of dirt.
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| − |
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| − | It seemed the world was primed for the news from San
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| − | Francisco. The “Year of Revolutions” swept through Europe,
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| − | with political and social unrest in many of her major cities.
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| − | The Potato Famine stalked Ireland, driving people from
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| − | their homes in hope of a new life elsewhere. The United
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| − | States caught its breath following the war with Mexico
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| − | while the conflicts leading to the Civil War simmered
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| − | beneath the surface. China reeled from the Opium Wars
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| − | and the abdication of Hong Kong to the British, while
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| − | reforms swept through Japan. All this was dry tinder for the
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| − | spark of hope ignited by the discovery of riches in California.
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| − |
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| − | People from around the world flocked to San
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| − | Francisco in droves. Ships departed from docks in Europe
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| − | and America groaning from the weight of passengers
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| − | and mining equipment. Ship-crews immediately deserted
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| − | upon reaching California’s shores, leaving boats
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| − | abandoned and turning Yerba Buena Cove into a “forest
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| − | of masts.” Townspeople in America’ s heartland headed
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| − | west in wagon trains, leaving behind empty homes and
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| − | shops with signs in their windows reading, “GONE
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| − | TO THE DIGGINGS.”
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| − |
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| − | In 1849, San Francisco’s population soared from
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| − | 900 to 26,000. Another 100,000 people drifted
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| − | through the area on their way into the California hills
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| − | and hinterlands in search of their fortune. San Francisco
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| − | crushed the equivalent of fifty years of growth and
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| − | development into the course of a single year.
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| − |
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| − | The effects of San Francisco’ s sudden gold boom did
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| − | not escape the Kindred. While their elders continued
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| − | their affairs in Europe and the Eastern Seaboard, the
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| − | promise of wealth and blood offered by an overcrowded
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| − | boomtown drew young vampires from across the nation.
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| − | Ambitious Camarilla neonates saw the potential to create
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| − | domains of their own, away from the stifling grip of their
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| − | elders. Meanwhile, Sabbat packs and anarchs anticipated
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| − | a new, unspoiled frontier where they could do as they
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| − | pleased. The Kindred certainly found opportunities in
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| − | San Francisco, where the arrival of a ship laden with
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| − | heavy crates was commonplace. In a place where so many
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| − | new people intermingled, hardly anyone noticed one or
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| − | two strangers among thousands... or cared if a few of
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| − | those new arrivals mysteriously vanished.
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| − |
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| − | Although there was no gold in San Francisco
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| − | itself, it was the largest port community near the
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| − | gold fields, making it the destination of choice
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| − | for disembarking prospectors. Although a few of
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| − | them actually found gold, most didn’t. Instead,
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| − | most of the money in the area was made in a more
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| − | traditional fashion. It didn’t take long for the locals
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| − | to discover that it was far more profitable catering to
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| − | the miners and prospectors than searching for gold
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| − | themselves. Shops, saloons and all manner of businesses
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| − | sprang up in San Francisco, looking to serve the needs
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| − | of the burgeoning population.
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| − |
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| − | The abandoned ships in Yerba Buena Cove were put
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| − | to good use in helping the city grow. The city fathers
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| − | handled the problem by hauling the ships up onto the
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| − | shore, where they were either broken up and used to
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| − | construct new buildings and furniture or simply turned
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| − | into buildings themselves. Cut a door or two in the hull of
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| − | an overturned ship and you had a saloon. Many such
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| − | structures sprang up along the harbor.
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| − |
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| − | In the shadows between these new buildings and in
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| − | the tent cities of the newcomers, the Kindred hunted with
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| − | near abandon. Prospectors in the San Francisco Bay area
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| − | fell victim to accidents, the elements, starvation and
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| − | despair. They committed suicide at the rate of over 1,000
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| − | a year. It was not uncommon to stumble across a dried-up
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| − | corpse bearing a pickaxe and shovel in the hills; common
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| − | enough, in fact, that inquiry into the deaths were unheard
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| − | of. Nobody cared how the poor wretch died.
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| − |
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| − | The hunting was plentiful and good, so much so that
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| − | vampires all but ignored the traditional conflicts between
| |
| − | Camarilla and Sabbat while glutting themselves on the
| |
| − | bounty of blood. Naturally, vampires fought over certain
| |
| − | watering holes, but the conflicts simply demonstrated
| |
| − | how easily they fell to their baser needs. Kindred and
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| − | Cainite were all too similar in their bestial tendencies —
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| − | except when the Sabbat and Camarilla sects stepped in to
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| − | enforce opinion and policy. Regardless of allegiance,
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| − | however, all vampires quickly learned to confine their
| |
| − | hunting to the new city. The Lupines stalked the wilds
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| − | outside San Francisco as guards encircling a prison. They
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| − | shredded the first vampires to stray into their domain as
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| − | a warning to the rest.
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| − |
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| − | === A Land of New Promise ===
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| − | Of course, new arrivals to San Francisco came not
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| − | only from Europe, Mexico and the United States, but also
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| − | from the Middle Kingdom. China’s Opium Wars against
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| − | England and the ongoing encroachment of ''gweilo'' —
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| − | white barbarians — everywhere strained the situation in
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| − | the Far East. To many Chinese, California was Gum San,
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| − | the “Golden Mountain,” a land of promise and opportunity
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| − | away from war and starvation. Around the time of the
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| − | Gold Rush, the first ship laden with some three hundred
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| − | Chinese arrived in San Francisco.
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| − |
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| − | Unfortunately, these immigrants discovered their
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| − | “golden land of promise” was a rough frontier following
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| − | the Golden Rule: Those with the gold make the rules. The
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| − | Chinese remained a close-knit community even after
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| − | their arrival, laying the foundations for San Francisco’ s
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| − | modern Chinatown. Rather than becoming prospectors
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| − | and miners (though some of them did), many Chinese
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| − | found employment either serving the needs of San
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| − | Francisco’s more fortunate inhabitants or working for the
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| − | powerful railroad companies, who sought cheap labor to
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| − | complete the transcontinental railroad.
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| − |
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| − | Of course, with the Chinese and other Middle
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| − | Kingdom immigrants came the Wan Kuei, the Ten
| |
| − | Thousand Demons. It was not that the August Courts had
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| − | any interest in a frontier city in a barbaric land, but the
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| − | presence of some Kuei-jin was inevitable. A few, disgraced
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| − | in shadow wars or fallen from favor in the August Courts,
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| − | chose self-imposed exile over facing the Eye of Heaven
| |
| − | and Final Death. Some found the freedom of the frontier
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| − | exhilarating while others suffered in silence, hoping to
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| − | redeem themselves and return to civilization. There were
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| − | also those mortals who crossed the ocean only to die in
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| − | their new land, fight their way free of torture in Yomi and
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| − | take the Second Breath. More experienced Kuei-jin usually
| |
| − | dealt with the resulting ''chih-mei''.
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| − |
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| − | Regardless of their reasons for coming to the Golden
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| − | Mountain, though, the Wan Kuei who made the ocean
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| − | crossing quickly discovered they were not alone in San
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| − | Francisco’s nights.
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| − |
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| − | ==== The Kanbujian ====
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| − | In Chinatown’s early years, the Kuei-jin learned
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| − | that leaving the Middle Kingdom behind did not
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| − | necessarily free a soul from the weight dragging it
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| − | down to Yomi after death. On occasion, a mortal of
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| − | Chinese descent would take the Second Breath
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| − | outside the bounds of civilization and away from the
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| − | watchful eyes of the Kuei-jin ''jina'' and elders. With
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| − | no aid from others of their kind and no knowledge of
| |
| − | their nature, most of these poor unfortunates
| |
| − | succumbed to their Demons, becoming ravening
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| − | flesh-eaters that the Kuei-jin were forced to hunt
| |
| − | down and destroy. On rare occasions, the Kin-jin
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| − | discovered one of these ''chih-mei'' and destroyed it as
| |
| − | a threat to the Masquerade, unaware of what it really
| |
| − | was or where it originated.
| |
| − |
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| − | The Wan Kuei called these poor wretches
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| − | ''kànbujiàn'' — “unable to see” — because they were
| |
| − | blind to Dharma and the path to the Hundred
| |
| − | Clouds. If found soon enough, they were often able
| |
| − | to master their P’o nature and join Kuei-jin society;
| |
| − | if they failed or were not found in time, the Wan
| |
| − | Kuei “mercifully” gave them Final Death. What the
| |
| − | Kuei-jin did not know at first — and later refused to
| |
| − | acknowledge — was that some rare ''kànbujiàn'' mastered
| |
| − | their Demon nature on their own. Most did so by
| |
| − | surrendering to the Yama Kings and becoming ''akuma'',
| |
| − | but a few struggled to find their own way, even
| |
| − | discovering some Dharma principles through trial
| |
| − | and error. Their Way was flawed and fraught with
| |
| − | peril, but their determination was great.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === East Meets West ===
| |
| − | The first encounters between Kuei-jin and San
| |
| − | Francisco’s Kindred were brief and fleeting. The Kindred
| |
| − | quickly discovered the clannish Chinese immigrants were
| |
| − | better left alone. While most Europeans and Americans
| |
| − | had abandoned such “childish” notions as vampires, the
| |
| − | Chinese still maintained their old ways. The Kindred
| |
| − | were surprised that Asians knew enough to take precautions
| |
| − | against creatures of the night. Some of them — paper
| |
| − | charms, rice scattered across thresholds and the like —
| |
| − | were laughable. Others, such as prayer beads, charms
| |
| − | backed by a true and abiding faith or the simple wisdom
| |
| − | to huddle close to the light in groups, made the Chinese
| |
| − | more difficult prey.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Of course, most Kindred created excuses not to bother
| |
| − | rather than admit difficulty. “Chinese blood is thin and
| |
| − | not as satisfying,” some said. “They’re not as vigorous, and
| |
| − | less lively than other mortals.” “It’s a small loss, since
| |
| − | there is so much already available.” Still, it vexed some
| |
| − | Kindred to be denied anything. Some accepted the
| |
| − | challenge by hunting more “interesting” prey in
| |
| − | Chinatown... only to vanish and never be seen again.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Rumors circulated among the city’s vampires. They
| |
| − | said the Chinese knew far more than they let on, luring
| |
| − | Kindred into some kind of trap. Another whisper claimed
| |
| − | that their numbers included mysterious magi or vampire-
| |
| − | hunters. Yet others said that they had forged a pact with the
| |
| − | Lupines, or they were host to a hitherto-unknown clan of
| |
| − | Cainites . This last fiction was the closest to the truth.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Wan Kuei needed the Chinese community to
| |
| − | build Scarlet Screens in this new and alien land. To
| |
| − | protect their interests, they destroyed any threat to
| |
| − | Chinatown. In the process, the Demon People learned
| |
| − | more about the White Demons dwelling among the
| |
| − | Western mortals, the ones who came with the ''gweilo'' to
| |
| − | the Middle Kingdom.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The first thing the Kuei-jin realized was that the
| |
| − | Westerners were too numerous; they were too few to risk
| |
| − | open confrontations. So the Wan Kuei remained in
| |
| − | Chinatown’ s shadows and kept to their own affairs and
| |
| − | council. They gave the ''gweilo'' vampires good reason to
| |
| − | avoid their domain, but did not venture too far outside of
| |
| − | it either. Those who disobeyed or threatened this version
| |
| − | of the Kindred’ s Masquerade paid with their unlives.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === Shadow Plays ===
| |
| − | Lawlessness ruled San Francisco’s streets in the years
| |
| − | immediately following the Gold Rush. The population
| |
| − | surge overtaxed the city’ s limited law enforcement, and
| |
| − | bribery helped ensure the law looked the other way for
| |
| − | almost anything. Along the waterfront rested saloons
| |
| − | and whorehouses where miners spent their money, with
| |
| − | roving gangs of criminals more than willing to help
| |
| − | lighten their pockets.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | One of the most notorious gangs was the Sydney
| |
| − | Ducks, comprised of criminals who had escaped exile in
| |
| − | Australia and made their way to California. They would
| |
| − | waylay passers-by, throwing a bag over their heads and
| |
| − | relieving them of their money and valuables (often leaving
| |
| − | the victim dead or merely stunned with a strike from a sap
| |
| − | or fist). The practice became known as “hooding” and the
| |
| − | criminals who did it as “hoodlums.” The Australian
| |
| − | gangsters also operated protection rackets in and along
| |
| − | the Barbary Coast. The Sydney Ducks set fire to parts of
| |
| − | the city five times for denying them tribute. It happened
| |
| − | so often that Chinatown and Barbary Coast residents
| |
| − | built exclusively with brick and stone rather than wood,
| |
| − | so their homes and businesses would not burn so easily.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Some Kindred thought it too convenient that the
| |
| − | depredations of the Sydney Ducks hurt businesses
| |
| − | influenced by the Camarilla as well as burning out portions
| |
| − | of Chinatown. Rumors claimed the gang was under the
| |
| − | influence of a Sabbat pack or anarchs. Some even believed
| |
| − | that its roster might have included vampires, though no
| |
| − | proof of these conjectures ever manifested. The fires,
| |
| − | however, did convince many local Kindred and Kuei-jin
| |
| − | to find fireproof havens — a precaution that would prove
| |
| − | vital a few decades later.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | By the mid-1850s, miners had panned or mined out
| |
| − | most of California’s surface gold, leaving only the deeper
| |
| − | underground veins to be tapped. Those wise enough to
| |
| − | invest their money carefully (including the Ventrue and
| |
| − | other Camarilla vampires) funded large mining operations
| |
| − | to dig out the gold that remained beyond the means and
| |
| − | reach of individual miners. The continually expanding
| |
| − | waterfront also became the mouth by which to feed the
| |
| − | hungry factories of the East Coast and Europe. During that
| |
| − | period, trading companies shipped every product workers
| |
| − | could dig, drag, chop or tear from the mountains, fields and
| |
| − | forests. The city became the premier center for commerce
| |
| − | along the Pacific Ocean, finally drawing the attention of
| |
| − | the elders and Princes that their childer had left behind
| |
| − | years before. The unspoken truce between Camarilla, Sabbat
| |
| − | and anarch vampires in San Francisco was over.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Of course, “peace” was a relative term. Kindred from
| |
| − | all three factions struggled against each other previously,
| |
| − | but mostly over territory and mortals. When the
| |
| − | Transcontinental Railway became a reality, the Camarilla
| |
| − | mentality reasserted itself. It was decided that San Francisco
| |
| − | should be brought under the Camarilla’s aegis, to that
| |
| − | ensure the Sabbat and anarchs would not control the city.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === Public Vigilance ===
| |
| − | As usual, the Camarilla operated behind the scenes,
| |
| − | using mortal proxies to carry out their plans. The Sabbat
| |
| − | Cainites in 1850s San Francisco were wealthy and powerful.
| |
| − | In very un-sect-like machinations, they influenced mortals
| |
| − | — usually criminals — who in turn assumed positions of
| |
| − | power locally during the Gold Rush and held them through
| |
| − | graft, corruption and influence peddling. Ballot stuffing
| |
| − | was practiced openly and an honest man’s vote counted for
| |
| − | little. The common people , however, grew tired of this
| |
| − | lawless state of affairs. Their desire to see justice was the
| |
| − | Camarilla’s weapon against the Sabbat.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | On June 9, 1851 in Sydney Cove, a man named John
| |
| − | Jenkins simply walked into a merchant’s store, picked up
| |
| − | the safe and walked away. He loaded the safe into a boat
| |
| − | and calmly rowed out into the bay. Several of the
| |
| − | merchant’s friends and associates pursued Jenkins and
| |
| − | caught him easily, though he dumped the safe overboard.
| |
| − | The public outcry was considerable.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Local citizens formed the Committee for Public
| |
| − | Vigilance, which tried and executed Jenkins on its own
| |
| − | authority. The Committee was very loosely organized at
| |
| − | first, but its presence did give San Francisco’s criminals
| |
| − | pause, at least for a short while. Jenkins’ boldness and the
| |
| − | relative ease of his capture sent rumors among the Sabbat
| |
| − | of a Camarilla plot, but local corruption ran deep. The
| |
| − | Sabbat knew it would take more than a few outraged
| |
| − | vigilantes to mobilize San Francisco’s citizens against its
| |
| − | mortal power base.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | It wasn’t long, however, before matters worsened. In
| |
| − | 1855, there were nearly 500 murders in California but only
| |
| − | 6 legal executions. Corrupt politicians maintained a tight
| |
| − | hold on the government. Municipal spending was through
| |
| − | the roof — much of it went into graft, bribes and
| |
| − | embezzlement, lining the pockets of the city’s “civil servants.”
| |
| − |
| |
| − | James King was a prominent San Francisco banker
| |
| − | who had lost his fortune when local financial panic closed
| |
| − | his bank. Outspoken against local corruption, he used his
| |
| − | remaining money and the encouragement of his friends to
| |
| − | found a newspaper voicing his opinions. In October of
| |
| − | 1855, King began publication of the ''Evening Bulletin'', a
| |
| − | four-page paper. In it, he denounced criminals and political
| |
| − | figures alike in fearless editorials that had people all over
| |
| − | the city talking.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | When notorious gambler Charles Cora shot and
| |
| − | killed U.S. Marshal Richardson, he was “formally arrested”
| |
| − | by friends of his who held public office. It was considered
| |
| − | likely that he would walk away a free man. Following the
| |
| − | incident, King ran an editorial saying that that if Cora
| |
| − | wasn’t hanged, Sheriff David Scannell should take his
| |
| − | place on the gallows.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | King also took on city supervisor James Casey, revealing
| |
| − | that Casey was a felon who had served time in Sing-Sing
| |
| − | Prison in New York. In retribution, Casey shot King outside
| |
| − | the ''Bulletin'' office on Montgomery Street. Witnesses rushed
| |
| − | the wounded reporter to a doctor while Casey’s cronies in
| |
| − | law-enforcement “took him into custody.”
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In response to the shooting, over a thousand people
| |
| − | turned out at the Montgomery Block in a show of support
| |
| − | for James King. The crowd later made its way to the Plaza,
| |
| − | where word circulated that the Committee for Public
| |
| − | Vigilance was reforming. The following morning, members
| |
| − | of the 1851 Committee met and created a new, more
| |
| − | organized group. They penned an oath of fealty and
| |
| − | assigned each member a number by which he would be
| |
| − | known within the organization, to maintain anonymity.
| |
| − | A few days later, the Committee consisted of some 3,500
| |
| − | members. In the meantime, however, James King died
| |
| − | from his gunshot wound at home.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Committee for Public Vigilance marched on the
| |
| − | jail guarded by hundreds of local militia and law officers
| |
| − | loyal to James Casey. Using a cannon to batter down the
| |
| − | door, the Committee took Casey with little protest from his
| |
| − | protectors. They also took gambler Charles Cora into
| |
| − | custody. Both men received advocates and stood trial
| |
| − | before a jury of Committee members, who summarily
| |
| − | convicted the two men and sentenced them to a public
| |
| − | hanging. An immense crowd filled Sacramento Street to
| |
| − | watch the double execution, cementing the Committee for
| |
| − | Public Vigilance’s power in the minds of San Franciscans.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Meanwhile, the Camarilla encouraged the
| |
| − | Committee’s vigilantes to attack the Sabbat’s mortal
| |
| − | proxies in the name of justice. They eliminated many of
| |
| − | the Sabbat’s pawns from positions of power. The so-called
| |
| − | revolution also hid the nightly movement of Camarilla
| |
| − | scourges eliminating Sabbat targets and consigning
| |
| − | vampires to ash. As far as the Camarilla was concerned,
| |
| − | the strikes were clean and precise. They believed that
| |
| − | they were the cause of the Sabbat’s fall in San Francisco.
| |
| − | What they did not realize was the extent of the Sabbat’s
| |
| − | internal dissent and scattered resources. The Sabbat were
| |
| − | defeated as much by their own lack of foresight as the
| |
| − | Camarilla’s attacks.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | After the Committee’s cleanup of the city’s political
| |
| − | echelons, legitimate businesses thrived — with the
| |
| − | Camarilla riding their coattails. San Francisco formally
| |
| − | incorporated as a city of some 30,000 people. The City
| |
| − | by the Bay became reality, and the Inner Circle
| |
| − | recognized the rule of Prince Jebediah Hawthorne in
| |
| − | the Domain of San Francisco.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== '''Emperor Norton''' ====
| |
| − | ''"At the preemptory request of a large majority of
| |
| − | the citizens of these United States, I Joshua Norton,
| |
| − | formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now
| |
| − | for the last nine years and ten months past of San
| |
| − | Francisco, California, declare and proclaim myself the
| |
| − | Emperor of These United States."'' — Joshua Norton, September 19, 1859
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The first and only Emperor of the United
| |
| − | States was born in London, England in 1819. He
| |
| − | arrived in San Francisco by way of South Africa at
| |
| − | the age of 30, with the sum of $40,000 to his
| |
| − | name. Within five years, he’d lost that
| |
| − | considerable fortune by speculating in real estate
| |
| − | and attempting to corner the local market on rice.
| |
| − | Living in poverty, Norton wrote a proclamation
| |
| − | declaring himself Emperor of the United States.
| |
| − | It was published in a local newspaper, at least in
| |
| − | part due to the sheer novelty of the idea. He wore
| |
| − | a uniform that he obtained from a second-hand
| |
| − | store and walked the streets, administering to the
| |
| − | daily needs of his “ domain.”
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Emperor Norton issued various proclamations
| |
| − | during his “reign,” including the abolition of the
| |
| − | Democratic and Republican parties and a decree
| |
| − | against using “the abominable word ‘Frisco,’ which
| |
| − | has no linguistic or other warrant.” That alone
| |
| − | carried a $25.00 fine. He also proposed the idea of
| |
| − | a “League of Nations,” where the international
| |
| − | community could settle its disputes (many years
| |
| − | before the actual League of Nations signed its
| |
| − | charter in San Francisco). He issued his own
| |
| − | money, which he traded for legal tender; many
| |
| − | stores came to accept Norton’ s currency as
| |
| − | payment. He even mediated public disputes,
| |
| − | defusing one anti-Chinese demonstration by
| |
| − | quietly standing and reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
| |
| − | His example shamed the demonstrators so greatly
| |
| − | that they returned to their own affairs.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Idle speculation about Emperor Norton
| |
| − | circulated among San Francisco’s Kindred. One
| |
| − | account said he was the victim (or, perhaps,
| |
| − | beneficiary) of Malkavian manipulation. Others
| |
| − | suggested he was a puppet of one faction or another,
| |
| − | or that he provided a useful spectacle for the mortal
| |
| − | herd. Some even believed he was fey-touched.
| |
| − | Whatever the case, vampires considered Norton
| |
| − | inviolate because of his fame and public standing.
| |
| − | He was left as a purely mortal phenomenon.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Norton died on January 8, 1880 on California
| |
| − | Street. He was buried in the Masonic Cemetery, and
| |
| − | his funeral procession ran two miles long. Between
| |
| − | 10,000 and 30,000 people attended his funeral to
| |
| − | bid farewell to America’ s first and only Emperor.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === Paths of Iron ===
| |
| − | San Francisco continued to grow steadily through the
| |
| − | next decade, remaining a key center of commerce for
| |
| − | North America’ s entire West Coast. As gold mining
| |
| − | dwindled, the discovery of the Comstock Silver Lode in
| |
| − | Nevada sent a new infusion of wealth into San Francisco’s
| |
| − | coffers. Many of the city’s most powerful mining magnates
| |
| − | owned either the Nevada mines or the machines to
| |
| − | properly drill them, setting up a continuous circle of
| |
| − | wealth. The newfound prosperity further cemented the
| |
| − | Camarilla’ s hold over the city, their only real victory of
| |
| − | any substance in California. It was a bastion of influence
| |
| − | amid a sea of Sabbat and anarch power.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | San Francisco’s only limitation was its isolation from
| |
| − | the rest of the United States. Out on the edge of the
| |
| − | continent’s westernmost frontier, travel to and from the
| |
| − | City by the Bay required East Coast ships to circumnavigate
| |
| − | Cape Horn. The building of the Transcontinental Railroad
| |
| − | in the 1860s rectified that problem by connecting the
| |
| − | Pacific and Central rail lines.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Chinese immigrant workers did much of the hard
| |
| − | labor required to extend the Pacific Line through the
| |
| − | harsh Utah desert. This elicited jealousy from Caucasian
| |
| − | workers, who grumbled that the Chinamen stole their
| |
| − | jobs. The government responded by passing “coolie laws”
| |
| − | that penalized the Chinese workers and made it hard for
| |
| − | them to earn a living. It was only part of a prejudice
| |
| − | against Chinese people that simmered and festered beneath
| |
| − | the surface — occasionally erupting into accusations or
| |
| − | even violence.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | San Francisco’s Chinatown remained a city-within-
| |
| − | a-city; people mostly kept to themselves, running their
| |
| − | own schools and businesses and generally catering to the
| |
| − | area’s inhabitants. In turn, the city government passed
| |
| − | laws limiting “foreign” ownership of property. It also
| |
| − | enacted laws taxing foreign (mainly Asian) workers more
| |
| − | heavily, thus protecting jobs for “good Americans.” The
| |
| − | situation suited Chinatown’s few Kuei-jin and shen, since
| |
| − | it kept their havens secure from foreign devils and
| |
| − | prevented expatriated Chinese from intermingling with
| |
| − | local Westerners.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== Black Bart, the Plundering PO8 ====
| |
| − | One of the most notorious criminal figures of late
| |
| − | 19th century San Francisco made his debut in August
| |
| − | of 1877. The man who later became known as Black
| |
| − | Bart stopped a Wells-Fargo stagecoach, leveled a
| |
| − | double-barreled shotgun at the driver and uttered his
| |
| − | famous command: “Throw down the box.” The driver
| |
| − | surrendered the wooden strongbox, after which the
| |
| − | robber allowed him to leave unharmed. The box
| |
| − | turned up later, empty except for a poem scrawled on
| |
| − | the back of a waybill:
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ''“I’ve labored long and hard for bread —"''<br>
| |
| − | ''“For honor and for riches —"''<br>
| |
| − | ''“But on my corns too long you’ve tread,"''<br>
| |
| − | ''“You fine-haired sons of bitches."''<br>
| |
| − |
| |
| − | It was signed: “Black Bart, the PO8.”
| |
| − |
| |
| − | News of the mysterious Black Bart and his “po8try”
| |
| − | spread quickly, though the robber himself remained
| |
| − | out of sight for roughly a year afterward. When he
| |
| − | finally resurfaced, he robbed another stagecoach,
| |
| − | followed by several more. He always worked alone,
| |
| − | apparently traveling on foot through the rough hills
| |
| − | outside San Francisco. Wells- Fargo and the city
| |
| − | placed a considerable reward of $800 on his head, but
| |
| − | Black Bart remained at large.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Authorities didn’t capture Black Bart until 1883,
| |
| − | when he was wounded in a stagecoach robbery.
| |
| − | Although he escaped, he left his possessions behind.
| |
| − | Investigators tracked him through the San Francisco
| |
| − | laundry that cleaned his clothes, leading them to
| |
| − | Charles Bolton, AKA “Black Bart.” Bolton confessed
| |
| − | to the robbery, but the courts sentenced him to only
| |
| − | six years in prison. He served a little over four.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | At his release, reporters mobbed Bolton, looking to
| |
| − | interview the infamous Black Bart. When asked if he
| |
| − | planned to rob any more stagecoaches, he replied that
| |
| − | he would not commit any further crimes. The questions
| |
| − | continued, until one young reporter asked, ”One final
| |
| − | question. Do you plan to write any more poetry?”
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Bolton smiled and said, “Young man, didn’t you
| |
| − | just hear me say I would commit no more crimes?”
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Charles “Black Bart” Bolton left San Francisco
| |
| − | heading south. He disappeared shortly thereafter and
| |
| − | was never heard from again.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === The Dragon Thrashes its Tail ===
| |
| − | ''"Fire has reclaimed to civilization and cleanliness the"''<br>
| |
| − | ''"Chinese ghetto, and no Chinatown will be permitted in the"''<br>
| |
| − | ''"borders of the city... it seems as though a divine wisdom"''<br>
| |
| − | ''"directed the range of the seismic horror and the range of the fire"''<br>
| |
| − | ''"god. Wisely, the worst was cleared away with the best."''<br>
| |
| − | ''— The Overland Monthly, 1906''<br>
| |
| − |
| |
| − | On April 18, 1906 at 5:12 AM , Kuei-jin geomancers
| |
| − | sensed a shift in the dragon-lines, a stirring of powerful
| |
| − | forces — the Earth Dragon was restless, and a tremendous
| |
| − | earthquake struck San Francisco in response . The quake
| |
| − | itself lasted for less than a minute, but it toppled buildings
| |
| − | and buckled streets. Broken gas mains and fallen lamps
| |
| − | ignited fires that swept through the city.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The local fire department mobilized almost
| |
| − | immediately, but the earthquake had ruptured all the
| |
| − | water mains, leaving them to fight the fires with buckets
| |
| − | instead of hoses. They retreated, hoping to contain the
| |
| − | inferno and allow it to burn itself out. That, unfortunately,
| |
| − | did not happen. The fires raged and spread, burning all of
| |
| − | one day and into the next. They consumed some 28,000
| |
| − | buildings, including all of Chinatown.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Despite both the Kuei-jin’s and Kindred’s best
| |
| − | precautions, the fires caught them all by surprise. A few
| |
| − | vampires perished in the blaze, unable to flee without
| |
| − | facing sunlight and frenzied by Rötschreck or wave soul.
| |
| − | Retainers helped some Kindred escape from mansions on
| |
| − | Nobility Hill, while other vampires sought refuge in the
| |
| − | earth that had seemingly turned against the city. A
| |
| − | handful remained underground for several nights, fearful
| |
| − | of the heat they felt above their heads. The horror of being
| |
| − | burned to kindling frightened one or two Kindred so
| |
| − | greatly that they waited too long and sank into Torpor,
| |
| − | where they lay to this night. Some sires tell their neonate
| |
| − | progeny that on still nights, you can hear them, scratching
| |
| − | at the underside of sidewalks and roads.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finally created a
| |
| − | firebreak by dynamiting entire city blocks in the western
| |
| − | districts. The blaze lasted for three days, as did the quake’s
| |
| − | aftershocks. When it was all over, reporter Jack London
| |
| − | wrote in a newspaper dispatch, “the City of San Francisco
| |
| − | is no more.” The city was devastated, with some 3,000
| |
| − | people dead, 225,000 injured, vast numbers homeless and
| |
| − | $400 million in damage (valued in 1906).
| |
| − |
| |
| − | San Francisco’s vampire enclaves were in great
| |
| − | disarray. Worse yet, with the mortal survivors huddled
| |
| − | together for protection and comfort, hunting and feeding
| |
| − | became exceedingly difficult. Forced to pick on lone
| |
| − | stragglers and looters, many vampires turned on one
| |
| − | another for vitae, sect be damned. The following weeks
| |
| − | endured nightly destructions, with the strongest
| |
| − | eliminating the weak . During the inevitable
| |
| − | reconstruction, however, the Camarilla sent scourges
| |
| − | into San Francisco to halt the indiscriminate feeding and
| |
| − | make examples of Kindred who committed diablerie. The
| |
| − | scourges caught and destroyed three Kindred, including
| |
| − | one member of the primogen, but any other culprits either
| |
| − | fled the region or hid their crime expertly.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The surviving Kuei-jin suffered the loss of their havens
| |
| − | as well, and they would have to struggle against ''gweilo''
| |
| − | opposition (both mortal and Kin-jin) to regain it. Bereft
| |
| − | of their sanctuaries , they hid among the mortal refugees
| |
| − | of Chinatown as best they could, taking advantage of the
| |
| − | deaths caused by the disaster to conceal their own feeding.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Some heralded Chinatown’s destruction as a blessing
| |
| − | of sorts, and publicly hoped it would not be rebuilt.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Chinese and Western businessmen, however, planned to
| |
| − | turn Chinatown into a tourist attraction — a unique part
| |
| − | of San Francisco’s heritage that would draw people from
| |
| − | around the world. The plan received the quiet support of
| |
| − | Chinatown’s ''shen'', including Father Li T’ien.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The city could not ignore the potential for prestige
| |
| − | and income. Even Kindred who bothered concerning
| |
| − | themselves with the “Chinatown problem” believed a
| |
| − | tourist-town would eliminate the barriers the Asian
| |
| − | enclave presented before. What they did not know was
| |
| − | that the Kuei-jin chose to sacrifice their previous security
| |
| − | for the opportunity to hide in plain sight.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In some ways, the fire and reconstruction following the
| |
| − | Great Quake benefited both Cainites and Kuei-jin. With
| |
| − | decades of influence among the wealthiest and most powerful
| |
| − | mortals, the vampires subtly directed the reconstruction to
| |
| − | suit their own needs. The rebuilt mansions on Nob Hill and
| |
| − | the new Chinatown’s maze-like urban topography took
| |
| − | shape under the watchful eyes of the city’ s oldest residents,
| |
| − | with few people the wiser. The destruction of so many
| |
| − | important papers and public records in the fire facilitated
| |
| − | the flood of forged identities and birth certificates. In fact,
| |
| − | a new wave of Chinese citizens known as “paper sons”
| |
| − | gained their citizenship through such fake documents,
| |
| − | swelling the local Asian population. Vampires “reset the
| |
| − | clock” and established new, “legitimate” identities that
| |
| − | withstood official scrutiny. The earthquake was a setback,
| |
| − | but it would not keep San Francisco down.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Of cardinal importance to the Kuei-jin was that the
| |
| − | earthquake revealed the shifting dragon lines in and
| |
| − | around San Francisco. The shaking of the Earth Dragon’s
| |
| − | tail released reservoirs of Chi that the Demon People
| |
| − | tapped for their own purposes. They ensured that the new
| |
| − | Chinatown controlled one such Dragon Nest. This life-
| |
| − | force filled an invigorated San Francisco, thinned the
| |
| − | Wall between worlds and drew the attention of other ''shen''
| |
| − | as well, who migrated to the city over the years. The Kin-jin remained largely ignorant of the geomantic implications
| |
| − | of the quake, as the Kuei-jin hoped. Let the barbarians
| |
| − | play at their petty struggles... the Demon People controlled
| |
| − | San Francisco’s true power.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== ''WHERE THE DEAD OUTNUMBER THE LIVING'' ====
| |
| − | ''"Such room to roam in after death!"'' — Joaquin Miller, speaking of the new graveyards in Colma
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In 1901, San Francisco passed an ordinance
| |
| − | banning any burials within the city. Land on the
| |
| − | peninsula was simply too precious to waste on
| |
| − | cemeteries. In fact, the city fathers encouraged the
| |
| − | relocation of existing graveyards to outside the city,
| |
| − | so that land currently allocated for cemeteries would
| |
| − | be open for development. This need only increased
| |
| − | following the 1906 earthquake and the city’ s
| |
| − | reconstruction. Many landowners found it lucrative
| |
| − | to move bodies to other plots and sell the land at a
| |
| − | considerable profit (or, sometimes, to leave the
| |
| − | interred bodies and sell the land anyway).
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Between re-interring the previously deceased
| |
| − | and the number of quake-related fatalities, it was a
| |
| − | simple matter for a cart laden with caskets to move
| |
| − | through San Francisco’s streets unnoticed. This
| |
| − | allowed the city’s Kindred to go about the business
| |
| − | of rebuilding and relocating with minimum duplicity
| |
| − | during the years immediately before and after the
| |
| − | reconstruction. Disturbing the graveyards also stirred
| |
| − | the occasional ghost, drawing more psychics and
| |
| − | mediums to the area.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Several new graveyards opened in the small
| |
| − | town of Colma. In fact, the “town” consists mostly
| |
| − | of cemeteries, with only a few homes and businesses
| |
| − | for the cemetery attendants and other support
| |
| − | services. Even tonight, Colma’s deceased far
| |
| − | outnumber the living, a situation that draws the
| |
| − | occasional Bone Flower, Giovanni or Samedi.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === For Their Own Protection ===
| |
| − | After rebuilding, San Francisco settled into a
| |
| − | seemingly quiet existence for the local Kindred and Kuei-jin. Anarchists found the City by the Bay less appealing
| |
| − | than Los Angeles, but this was mostly thanks to the
| |
| − | reconstruction process. Camarilla and Kuei-jin alike
| |
| − | helped fund or support the city’ s restoration, thus claiming
| |
| − | territory and businesses from the ground up. The Sabbat
| |
| − | and anarchs, however, contributed little. Thus, they
| |
| − | found themselves with no grip on the city whatsoever, be
| |
| − | it socially, politically or financially.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Conflict between Kindred and Cainite in San
| |
| − | Francisco was tame by comparison to domains like New
| |
| − | York or Mexico City. Resultantly, the Camarilla’s reign
| |
| − | over the region grew weak and decadent, raising concerns
| |
| − | over Sabbat and anarch activities that local Kindred
| |
| − | largely dismissed. San Francisco’s inhabitants were
| |
| − | confident in their mastery of the night — confidence
| |
| − | perhaps justified in the years following the quake, but that
| |
| − | turned to unsupported arrogance as the years passed.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The city’s Kuei-jin, on the other hand, saw
| |
| − | considerable activity in the first decades of the 20th
| |
| − | century. Unrest in China sent thousands of rebellion-
| |
| − | weary refugees across the sea, filling Chinatown’s already
| |
| − | crowded streets. Occasionally, this deluge of mortals hid
| |
| − | survivors from shadow wars and conflicts within the
| |
| − | August Courts, fleeing the Middle Kingdom and seeking
| |
| − | shelter in the West. These Kuei-jin — taught the formal
| |
| − | manners and precise discipline of the Quincunx — were
| |
| − | shocked by the laxity of North America’s ''kànbujiàn''. The
| |
| − | friction between traditionalists and Chinatown’ s undead
| |
| − | inhabitants inevitably degenerated; shadow wars spilled
| |
| − | over into conflicts between the city’s Tongs and associated
| |
| − | criminals during the 1920s and ‘30s.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In December of 1941, the Empire of Japan attacked
| |
| − | the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, drawing
| |
| − | the U.S. into World War II. In response, the American
| |
| − | government displaced over a hundred thousand Japanese
| |
| − | (two-thirds of them American citizens) from their homes
| |
| − | to detainment camps in California, Utah and Idaho “for
| |
| − | their own protection.” Many San Francisco ''gaki'' hid
| |
| − | initially, while the army spirited their mortal screens and
| |
| − | protection elsewhere. Eventually, however, the ''gaki''
| |
| − | realized that they were imprisoned as well. They possessed
| |
| − | no freedom of movement, since no individuals of Japanese
| |
| − | descent were supposed to be left behind.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | When war workers and low-income families moved
| |
| − | into the housing vacated by Japanese families, the gaki
| |
| − | were forced to relocate. One or two ''gaki'' returned to Japan
| |
| − | through the Yellow Springs, but most sought refuge in
| |
| − | Chinatown. This latter lot suffered at the hands of their
| |
| − | Chinese Kuei-jin hosts, who treated the ''gaki'' like slaves in
| |
| − | retribution for Japan’ s invasion of the Middle Kingdom.
| |
| − | Eventually, a few ''gaki'' escaped into the countryside, waiting
| |
| − | for the matter to resolve. When the displaced Japanese
| |
| − | returned, they found their homes and neighborhood
| |
| − | occupied. Most resettled elsewhere. Japantown shrank
| |
| − | from 30 blocks to a mere six.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Kuei-jin of Chinese descent capitalized on the Japanese
| |
| − | deportations to eliminate or subjugate many of the ''gaki'' in
| |
| − | San Francisco, deliberately ignoring the shadow war rules
| |
| − | and requirements detailed under the Precepts of the War.
| |
| − | What was the point, after all, since the August Courts
| |
| − | were across the sea and thus could not appoint a ''ganshezhe''
| |
| − | (mediator) to oversee the conflict.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | San Francisco was a pale reflection of the struggles
| |
| − | transpiring in Nanking and Shanghai, but it was traumatic
| |
| − | nonetheless. The city’s ''gaki'' population never truly recovered
| |
| − | from the experience. Any Kuei-jin of Japanese extraction
| |
| − | faces a difficult existence under the watchful eyes of San
| |
| − | Francisco’s New Promise Mandarinate. Conversely, the
| |
| − | Kuei-jin’s actions taught the ''gaki'' they could effectively
| |
| − | play dirty pool in shadow wars, a trick they use to their
| |
| − | advantage against the tradition-bound Mandarinate.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === THE GREAT LEAP OUTWARD ===
| |
| − | As the 20th century drew to a close, signs and
| |
| − | portents of an impending storm grew. In San Francisco,
| |
| − | the status quo changed in ways few people anticipated,
| |
| − | making the city a pivotal location in coming events.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== The Dragon Wakes ====
| |
| − | In October of 1989, a powerful earthquake struck the
| |
| − | San Francisco Bay Area incurring billions of dollars in
| |
| − | damages and resulting in 63 deaths and numerous injuries.
| |
| − | It thankfully did not spark the same terrible fires of 1906.
| |
| − | In addition, most of the city’s buildings were constructed
| |
| − | to resist earthquakes (although some “quake-proof”
| |
| − | structures failed miserably). The event damaged portions
| |
| − | of the city, however, including the Marina District and
| |
| − | sections of the freeway and Bay Bridge.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | To the citizens of San Francisco, the earthquake was
| |
| − | a disaster. To local Kindred it was a nuisance, but also an
| |
| − | opportunity to hide their activities in the resulting chaos
| |
| − | and again influence reconstruction. To the Kuei-jin, it
| |
| − | was something far more. The regional dragon lines shifted
| |
| − | once more. The city’ s presence and continued growth
| |
| − | polluted the wells of Chi in the area, sending out poison
| |
| − | arrows that disturbed the slumbering Earth Dragon. The
| |
| − | city’s life force waned, and the Kin-jin were bloated
| |
| − | parasites feeding on its weakening Chi.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In the early 90s, Jochen Van Nuys was a junior
| |
| − | member of a cabal of East Coast Ventrue, sent to San
| |
| − | Francisco as their envoy. What Van Nuys found was a city
| |
| − | of great wealth and potential ruled by a weak and ineffectual
| |
| − | Prince, who did little to either keep the anarchs in check or
| |
| − | even to enforce the Camarilla’s traditions. He also uncovered
| |
| − | vampires existing in fear of the Prince and his primogen,
| |
| − | squabbling over feeding territory and committing diablerie
| |
| − | against each other in a dog-eat-dog struggle to survive. In
| |
| − | short, he found a city of great potential that was ripe for a
| |
| − | revolution. He decided to provide it.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | By 1996, Van Nuys was ready to act. With allies back
| |
| − | east as well as newfound local support, he executed a swift
| |
| − | and masterful coup that deposed Prince Vannevar Thomas
| |
| − | and his few remaining supporters. The Inner Circle was
| |
| − | aware and tacitly approved of Van Nuys’ coup, backing
| |
| − | his claim as the new Prince of San Francisco.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | From the very first night he assumed power, Van Nuys
| |
| − | walked a thin line. He replaced Thomas’ weak and
| |
| − | ineffective leadership with decisiveness and action, but
| |
| − | not so much as to rankle San Francisco’s anarchs or foster
| |
| − | resistance against his rule. He guided with a firm but light
| |
| − | touch, and San Francisco remained an unusually free and
| |
| − | open city. Ventrue money followed in his wake, and San
| |
| − | Francisco’s economy strengthened while the Ventrue’s
| |
| − | coffers grew fatter.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== The Two-Fang Serpent Plan ====
| |
| − | The first stirrings of San Francisco’s current woes
| |
| − | began far from California’ s shores, in the August Courts
| |
| − | of the Quincunx. In 1997, two of the five regional capitols
| |
| − | of the August Courts were in foreign hands, with Hong
| |
| − | Kong controlled by the Kin-jin and Shanghai under the
| |
| − | ''gaki akuma'' of Japan. The “bamboo curtain” of Maoist
| |
| − | China grew increasingly tattered. Western influences
| |
| − | reverberated throughout the Middle Kingdom, carrying
| |
| − | with them the influence of the Kin-jin. Elders and ''jina''
| |
| − | alike pointed to the impending Sixth Age and demanded
| |
| − | something be done, while the Running Monkeys lived up
| |
| − | to their names and strayed even further from tradition.
| |
| − | The Bamboo Princes, in turn, demanded modernization
| |
| − | and an abandonment of the ancient ways, practically
| |
| − | courting the Demon Emperor’s arrival.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Two factions formed within the August Courts, each
| |
| − | advocating their own plan of action. The Righteous
| |
| − | Foreigner-Vanquishing Crusaders followed Mandarin Hao Wei-Liang, a cunning Resplendent Crane politician. It
| |
| − | consisted of Resplendent Cranes, Devil-Tiger extremists
| |
| − | and Thrashing Dragon hotheads. They called for a crusade
| |
| − | to sweep the foreign devils from the shores of the Middle
| |
| − | Kingdom and carry the battle to the unrighteous in their
| |
| − | own lands. They proposed the Ash Plan as a means of
| |
| − | accomplishing just that, which found support among
| |
| − | Wan Kuei opportunists and those frustrated with the
| |
| − | August Courts’ apparent weakness.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Harmonious Menders of Broken Fences, led by
| |
| − | Bone Flower elder Jiejie Li, proved more moderate. They
| |
| − | claimed the Middle Kingdom needed to put its own house
| |
| − | in order before beginning any crusades against the
| |
| − | unrighteous. Corruption and evidence of the Yama Kings
| |
| − | were rife in their own domains, yet the Foreigner-
| |
| − | Vanquishing Crusaders would charge off to other lands,
| |
| − | leaving their homes to rot from within. This was foolishness,
| |
| − | the Fence-Menders said. The Crusaders countered by
| |
| − | accusing their opponents of being cowards unwilling to
| |
| − | take action while the world slid screaming into Hell.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The Menders of Broken Fences offered a compromise
| |
| − | they called the Two-Fang Serpent Plan, which dealt with
| |
| − | both the threats facing the Quincunx at home and abroad.
| |
| − | The Kuei-jin directed the first “fang” toward securing the
| |
| − | borders of the August Courts and dealing with dangers
| |
| − | close at hand, like the occupations of Shanghai and Hong
| |
| − | Kong. The plan’s second “fang” proposed taking and
| |
| − | holding a western city to probe the Kin-jin’s strengths and
| |
| − | abilities while establishing a foothold for a later time.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Shadow wars erupted between the two factions, each
| |
| − | struggling to win the support of the August Courts.
| |
| − | Finally, the Elders decided Hao Wei-Liang presented the
| |
| − | greatest danger to their power and the Quincunx’s
| |
| − | traditional ways. They chose the moderates’ plan, with
| |
| − | some slight revisions. The August Courts created the
| |
| − | Extraordinary Commission on the Rectification of Borders
| |
| − | and appointed Jiejie Li its Ancestor, with experienced
| |
| − | Devil Tiger General Chiu Bao as her lieutenant and First
| |
| − | Oni. The Courts placed Hao Wei-Liang in command of a
| |
| − | force known as the Glorious Ocean-Crossing Warriors,
| |
| − | and charged him with capturing and pacifying Los Angeles,
| |
| − | under the watchful eye of his rivals. The Ancestors would
| |
| − | see whose approach proved more successful.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In the first days of 1998, scouts for the Ocean-
| |
| − | Crossing Warriors entered Los Angeles, launching the
| |
| − | Kuei-jin’s invasion. Initially things went smoothly. Kuei-jin warriors struck the Kin-jin like a hurricane, sweeping
| |
| − | away loners and small, independent gangs of anarchs,
| |
| − | while leaving the other Kindred scrambling for information
| |
| − | and protection. By contrast, the Fence-Menders’ efforts
| |
| − | in Shanghai and Hong Kong were slow and costly, both in
| |
| − | terms of resources and the number of Kuei-jin who met
| |
| − | Final Death. Hao Wei-Liang’s star was rising, to the
| |
| − | concern of the August Courts’ Ancestors.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In 1999, however, a new star arose and changed
| |
| − | everything. The red star known as the Eye of the Demon
| |
| − | Emperor appeared in the heavens; it was believed an
| |
| − | omen of the impending Sixth Age. Organized resistance
| |
| − | spread among Los Angeles’ anarchs, sending Running
| |
| − | Monkeys and war-''wu'' to their Final Deaths in greater
| |
| − | numbers. The Righteous Crusaders allied themselves with
| |
| − | the spirits of the Yin World and the Yellow Springs,
| |
| − | preparing a final, massive assault on Los Angeles from the
| |
| − | Spirit Realms. In the midst of the attack, however, a storm
| |
| − | of unprecedented fury struck the Yin World, smashing
| |
| − | Kuei-jin and spectral forces alike. The Kin-jin pressed
| |
| − | their advantage until, by summer, both sides were too
| |
| − | exhausted to continue fighting.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Meanwhile, the Fence-Menders made considerable
| |
| − | progress in Shanghai while maintaining a stalemate in
| |
| − | Hong Kong. Jiejie Li also secured the defection of high-ranking Tremere Oliver Thrace, providing the August
| |
| − | Courts with valuable information. Meanwhile, Hao Wei-Liang’ s troops were decimated and demoralized, his
| |
| − | assault a failure in the eyes of his superiors. Ancestor
| |
| − | Ch’ang of the Blood Court sent Hao an inkstone and
| |
| − | calligraphic brush as a sign of his judgment. In late 1999,
| |
| − | the Resplendent Crane Mandarin Hao met the Eye of
| |
| − | Heaven with honor, leaving the Foreigner-Vanquishing
| |
| − | Crusaders greatly weakened.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The invasion of Los Angeles sent shock-waves through
| |
| − | the Anarch Free State and the Camarilla, which quickly
| |
| − | moved to secure San Diego and San Francisco. Refugees
| |
| − | from the fighting in LA sought shelter in Prince Van
| |
| − | Nuys’ domain. He generously granted it, swelling the
| |
| − | number of local anarchs. The Camarilla’s western princes
| |
| − | strengthened their borders, looking to the Inner Circle for
| |
| − | aid and waiting to see what the Cathayans would do next.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== THE NEW PROMISE MANDARINATE ====
| |
| − | With the Final Death of Hao Wei-Liang, the Ancestors
| |
| − | of the August Courts turned their attentions on Jiejie Li.
| |
| − | Although the Fence-Menders won a considerable victory,
| |
| − | Li knew full well she must now succeed where Hao failed,
| |
| − | or she would follow him into the mouth of Yomi. If she were
| |
| − | killed, the Ancestors could eliminate two powerful rivals
| |
| − | and still reclaim Shanghai in the bargain. She didn’ t
| |
| − | intend to allow them that opportunity.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | As Li studied the situation, it became clear that a
| |
| − | direct assault was no longer viable. The ranks of the
| |
| − | Glorious Ocean-Crossing Warriors were severely thinned
| |
| − | and morale was just as depleted. Elements loyal to the
| |
| − | Foreigner-Vanquishing Crusaders also needed to be
| |
| − | weeded out and replaced with jina and mandarins loyal to
| |
| − | Li and the Fence-Menders. Li appointed Monkey Trip
| |
| − | Wu ancestor of Los Angeles, with Mandarin Fun Toy of
| |
| − | the Flatbush and Stockton Posse as his seconds-in-command. With that accomplished, she and Chiu Bao
| |
| − | went to Los Angeles to oversee matters directly.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The new Kuei-jin strategy used a weapon from the
| |
| − | arsenal of Western colonialism: divide and conquer. The
| |
| − | Cathayans approached some of the prominent surviving
| |
| − | anarch leaders and offered them a deal: their cooperation
| |
| − | in exchange for aid in wiping out their closest rivals. It
| |
| − | only took the agreement of a few to break the back of the
| |
| − | anarch resistance and drive most of the surviving rebels
| |
| − | out of the city. The Kuei-jin dubbed their alliance the
| |
| − | “New Promise Mandarinate” and created a power structure
| |
| − | that included both Wan Kuei and Kin-jin.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Jiejie Li presented this as a victory to the August Courts.
| |
| − | Not only were the Kin-jin under control, but the Kuei-jin
| |
| − | could civilize and teach them proper behavior, making them
| |
| − | a useful resource in the coming struggle against the Sixth Age
| |
| − | rather than chaff thrown to the winds.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | To the Kindred of Los Angeles, the Mandarinate
| |
| − | presented itself not as another process towards
| |
| − | “enlightenment” or an egalitarian society, but as the
| |
| − | fruition of those pursuits. It promised to upend the
| |
| − | Camarilla’s ''status quo'' and offer advancement based on
| |
| − | merit and ability rather than generation or diablerie.
| |
| − | This strategy worked, leaving The Kuei-jin and their
| |
| − | allies in control of Los Angeles. The Camarilla knew it
| |
| − | would be a matter of time before the New Promise
| |
| − | Mandarinate turned its attention elsewhere along North
| |
| − | America’s Pacific Coast.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== AN HONORABLE AGREEMENT ====
| |
| − | To forestall the Mandarinate’s expansion, the Inner
| |
| − | Circle appointed Justicar Madame Guil to deal with “the
| |
| − | Cathayan problem.” Of course the Camarilla’ s idea of
| |
| − | confronting the situation was to sue for peace with the
| |
| − | Cathayan invaders and cede Los Angeles to them. Hopefully
| |
| − | this would keep them contained while the Camarilla dealt
| |
| − | with a more pressing threat in the Sabbat. Theoretically,
| |
| − | the justicar’s presence would also remind the western
| |
| − | princes where their loyalties lay and help keep other cities
| |
| − | from defecting to the New Promise Mandarinate.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Madame Guil and her entourage traveled across North
| |
| − | America from Boston to San Francisco, dealing with
| |
| − | several minor matters along the way and “marching out
| |
| − | the flag” to rally the Camarilla’ s western holdings.
| |
| − | Unfortunately, the local princes realized the Camarilla
| |
| − | was essentially leaving them to the mercy of not just the
| |
| − | Sabbat but also the Cathayans.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Once Guil established herself in San Francisco with
| |
| − | Jochen Van Nuys unable to do anything save cooperate,
| |
| − | negotiations with the New Promise Mandarinate began
| |
| − | in earnest. To the Camarilla’ s surprise, the Cathayans
| |
| − | eagerly discussed terms and welcomed the offer of a
| |
| − | settlement. Negotiations took place throughout 2000,
| |
| − | with meetings alternating between Los Angeles and San
| |
| − | Francisco. Negotiators sent flurries of messages back to
| |
| − | their superiors in the Camarilla and the Quincunx every
| |
| − | step of the way, finally resulting in an acceptable agreement
| |
| − | for both sides. The Kindred saved face by recognizing
| |
| − | Kuei-jin authority in Asian matters and “approving”
| |
| − | their recovery of the renegade domain of Los Angeles,
| |
| − | allowing them to retain it so long as they kept “good and
| |
| − | reasonable order” in the city. The Camarilla also agreed to
| |
| − | compensate the Cathayans for the costs they incurred in
| |
| − | “recovering” Los Angeles from the anarchs.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In short, the Camarilla capitulated, agreed to let the
| |
| − | Cathayans keep what they’ d stolen and offered them a
| |
| − | bribe in hopes they wouldn’t plunder any more territory.
| |
| − | The Kuei-jin willingly allowed the Kin-jin to ascribe
| |
| − | whatever face they wanted on the compromise, since it
| |
| − | provided the Quincunx with significant gains — and
| |
| − | even Western barbarians should be allowed to save face.
| |
| − | The deal was set, but there was something on which
| |
| − | neither side had counted.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== THE WHEEL TURNS ====
| |
| − | Regardless of the Camarilla’s intentions, the western
| |
| − | princes were not about to accept the Inner Circle’ s
| |
| − | betrayal to Cathayans. Neither were the surviving anarchs
| |
| − | driven from Los Angeles by the invaders. In the anarchs,
| |
| − | the princes found the perfect tool. They would use one
| |
| − | problem to solve another and, regardless the outcome,
| |
| − | they would come out ahead. The plan called for the
| |
| − | anarchs to execute a coup in San Francisco as the
| |
| − | Camarilla’s delicate negotiations came to a close,
| |
| − | eliminating both the Eastern and Western envoys. Once
| |
| − | in control of the city, the anarchs could raise a force to
| |
| − | move south and re-take Los Angeles with the backing of
| |
| − | the western princes.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | If the anarchs succeeded, they would eliminate or at
| |
| − | least weaken the Cathayan threat and owe their success to
| |
| − | their former political enemies. If they failed, the anarchs
| |
| − | would be eliminated and the Camarilla would be forced
| |
| − | into conflict with the so-called New Promise Mandarinate
| |
| − | instead of suing for peace. Even if the Inner Circle
| |
| − | discovered the culprits behind the coup, they would still
| |
| − | need support to deal with the Cathayans (as well as the
| |
| − | Sabbat). Any retribution would be minor at best and long
| |
| − | in coming, even in the worst case scenario.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The details of the meeting between Kindred and
| |
| − | Kuei-jin representatives on San Francisco’s Telegraph
| |
| − | Hill are hazy, but what remains clear is that a well-armed
| |
| − | force of anarchs attacked the meeting site. Many vampires
| |
| − | met their Final Death that night with many more destroyed
| |
| − | in the following hours. Accusations of betrayal and
| |
| − | collaboration with the anarchs flew on both sides, as
| |
| − | Prince Van Nuys watched his hopes of becoming the
| |
| − | Camarilla’s peacemaker crumble.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== THE TAKING OF SAN FRANCISCO ====
| |
| − | The August Courts graciously accepted the Camarilla’s
| |
| − | tribute, then sent “envoys” and “peacekeepers” to San
| |
| − | Francisco to ensure the safety of their own kind. In short
| |
| − | order, the city’s Tremere and Toreador primogen met their
| |
| − | Final Deaths at the hands of Kuei-jin assassins. The Wan
| |
| − | Kuei swept into San Francisco like a black wind. It seemed
| |
| − | nothing could stand before them. They seized control of the
| |
| − | city’s prime areas, then opened “negotiations” with Prince
| |
| − | Van Nuys and his surviving primogen.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Although couched in diplomacy, the Kuei-jin made it
| |
| − | clear that the Kindred would be relocated to specific areas
| |
| − | of San Francisco and allowed to exist under the watchful
| |
| − | eye of the New Promise Mandarinate. Those who showed
| |
| − | “merit” (i.e., loyalty to the new order) had the potential for
| |
| − | advancement, while any threats would meet with swift
| |
| − | retribution. The local Kindred had little choice; most
| |
| − | complied with the invaders’ terms and moved their havens
| |
| − | and strongholds to Cathayan-appointed areas.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | After Van Nuys’ failure to hold the city, the Inner
| |
| − | Circle stated they needed his diplomatic skills to “continue
| |
| − | negotiations” with the Cathayans. They relieved him of
| |
| − | his duties as prince, conferring that title on Sara Anne
| |
| − | Winder, an ambitious and cunning Ventrue tactician
| |
| − | charged with eventually re-taking the city.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In turn, the New Promise Mandarinate named Van
| |
| − | Nuys Minister of the Office of Western Affairs, making
| |
| − | him their official representative and mouthpiece for dealing
| |
| − | with San Francisco’ s Kin-jin population. In their view,
| |
| − | this places Van Nuys above Winder in the city’s hierarchy,
| |
| − | even if many within the Camarilla don’t see it that way.
| |
| − | It also secures the ousted Van Nuys’ loyalty for the New
| |
| − | Promise Mandarinate.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | Having taken the city, of course, the Fence-Menders
| |
| − | now face the challenge of holding both Los Angeles and
| |
| − | San Francisco while dealing with affairs at home. To
| |
| − | worsen matters, the Quincunx expects them to expand
| |
| − | their holdings in North America — against the better
| |
| − | judgement of Jiejie Li and her advisors. The Two-Fang
| |
| − | Serpent Plan is something of a victim of its own success,
| |
| − | leaving the Kuei-jin stretched thin across California’s
| |
| − | coast. The Kindred have regrouped from their early defeats,
| |
| − | and the Camarilla now makes the Cathayans a greater
| |
| − | priority than before. Robbed of the chance to gather
| |
| − | intelligence while maintaining the element of surprise,
| |
| − | the New Promise Mandarinate faces the prospect of
| |
| − | organized resistance and an inevitable Camarilla
| |
| − | counterattack while they fortify their holdings.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | In San Francisco, these two powerful factions dance
| |
| − | a delicate and dangerous diplomatic tango, each carefully
| |
| − | hiding its weaknesses while ferreting out the enemy’s
| |
| − | vulnerabilities and making plans for the future. On the
| |
| − | city’ s fog-shrouded streets, Kuei-jin and Kindred encounter
| |
| − | each other almost nightly, sometimes slipping past one
| |
| − | another in the mist with the barest acknowledgment,
| |
| − | other times exploding into violence that may eventually
| |
| − | consume the city. As the pressure grows, each side can’ t
| |
| − | help but reflect upon the prophecies of the End Times,
| |
| − | watching the signs manifest all around them and wondering
| |
| − | if hope still exists.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ==== An Uneasy Peace ====
| |
| − | For thirteen years, a tentative peace held based upon the the Kuei-jin and Kindred joint awareness that war is bad for business and immortality. However, public peace, simply gave way to clandestine struggles in the shadows of skyscrapers and in the all concealing fog. Despite the regular, low-level internecine conflicts that consumed lesser domains within the city, the two primary powers kept the official peace. In 2014 a third party decided to shift the balance of power. Suddenly business fronts and havens were burning, peripheral Kuei-jin met the final death while prominent Kindred were diablerized and feral neonates were everywhere creating chaos enough to shatter the Masquerade - the Sabbat had returned with a vengeance. The Camarilla under Princess Winder and the New Promise Mandarinate under Jiejie Li were able to mount a counter offensive that while effective left both the Kindred and the Kuei-jin dangerously weak. In the aftermath, the surviving lords of the night cobbled together San Francisco by establishing five domains belonging to five theoretically equal ''barons''. This political amalgam was never meant to last, but to the exhausted vampires of East and West, it was a welcome respite from the hell of war.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | === FIVE YEARS GONE ===
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The city was preparing for another assault on the city by the Sabbat. Members of the Kindred and the Kuai-jin both ready to defend the city. The attack was expected at any time, but the attack did not come from the Sabbat but a completely unexpected enemy. In one day a great deal of the elders of the city were destroyed by a Government controlled group of hunters, including Jiejie Li and Sara Winder. In one 10 hour period the city was thrown into a desperate fight for survival. Most of the Kindred and Kuei-jin who lived stayed in hiding over several weeks.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | When all was said and done, very few elders survived and the population of the city was cut in half. A rebuilding period slowly took place, Ancilla of the city were now the most powerful members of the city. The Sabbat had all but disappeared, their cities empty and notable figures gone. Members of the city found that if they were not careful with technology the hidden government organization would find and try to destroy them.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | The balance of power changed again five years after the attack. Information was discovered that would give the person that had it enough power to rule the city. A young coterie of kindred decided to help the Brujah Baron, Sebastian Toc, get the information and rise to the princedom. The most powerful Kuei-jin, Cho of the Thrashing Dragons, became senechal. No one is saying what information gave Toc the power he needed.
| |
| − |
| |
| − |
| |
| − | ----
| |
| − | <br>
| |
| − | ----
| |
| | | | |
| | == '''Population''' == | | == '''Population''' == |
- Main Page
Quote
"San Francisco is 49 square miles surrounded by reality." -- Paul Kantner of Jefferson Starship
"May you live in interesting times." — Chinese curse
Appearance
"No city invites the heart to come to life as San Francisco does. Arrival in San Francisco is an experience in living." -- William Saroyan, Armenian-American novelist
City Device
Climate
San Francisco has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) characteristic of California's coast, with moist mild winters and dry summers. San Francisco's weather is strongly influenced by the cool currents of the Pacific Ocean on the west side of the city, and the water of San Francisco Bay to the north and east. This moderates temperature swings and produces a remarkably mild year-round climate with little seasonal temperature variation.
Fog is a regular feature of San Francisco summers.
Among major U.S. cities, San Francisco has the coolest daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures for June, July, and August. During the summer, rising hot air in California's interior valleys creates a low pressure area that draws winds from the North Pacific High through the Golden Gate, which creates the city's characteristic cool winds and fog. The fog is less pronounced in eastern neighborhoods and during the late summer and early fall. As a result, the year's warmest month, on average, is September, and on average, October is warmer than July, especially in daytime.
Because of its sharp topography and maritime influences, San Francisco exhibits a multitude of distinct microclimates. The high hills in the geographic center of the city are responsible for a 20% variance in annual rainfall between different parts of the city. They also protect neighborhoods directly to their east from the foggy and sometimes very cold and windy conditions experienced in the Sunset District; for those who live on the eastern side of the city, San Francisco is sunnier, with an average of 260 clear days, and only 105 cloudy days per year.
Temperatures reach or exceed 80 °F (27 °C) on an average of only 21 and 23 days a year at downtown and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), respectively.[96] The dry period of May to October is mild to warm, with the normal monthly mean temperature peaking in September at 62.7 °F (17.1 °C). The rainy period of November to April is slightly cooler, with the normal monthly mean temperature reaching its lowest in January at 51.3 °F (10.7 °C). On average, there are 73 rainy days a year, and annual precipitation averages 23.65 inches (601 mm). Variation in precipitation from year to year is high. Above average rain years are often associated with warm El Niño conditions in the Pacific while dry years often occur in cold water La Niña periods. In 2013 (a "La Niña" year), a record low 5.59 in (142 mm) of rainfall was recorded at downtown San Francisco, where records have been kept since 1849. Snowfall in the city is very rare, with only 10 measurable accumulations recorded since 1852, most recently in 1976 when up to 5 inches (130 mm) fell on Twin Peaks.
Demonym
Economy
Geography
Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco",
which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of High Misdemeanour, and
shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars. -- Emperor Norton
San Francisco is located on the West Coast of the United States at the north end of the San Francisco Peninsula and includes significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay within its boundaries. Several picturesque islands—Alcatraz, Treasure Island and the adjacent Yerba Buena Island, and small portions of Alameda Island, Red Rock Island, and Angel Island—are part of the city. Also included are the uninhabited Farallon Islands, 27 miles (43 km) offshore in the Pacific Ocean. The mainland within the city limits roughly forms a "seven-by-seven-mile square", a common local colloquialism referring to the city's shape, though its total area, including water, is nearly 232 square miles (600 km2).
There are more than 50 hills within the city limits. Some neighborhoods are named after the hill on which they are situated, including Nob Hill, Potrero Hill, and Russian Hill. Near the geographic center of the city, southwest of the downtown area, are a series of less densely populated hills. Twin Peaks, a pair of hills forming one of the city's highest points, forms an overlook spot. San Francisco's tallest hill, Mount Davidson, is 928 feet (283 m) high and is capped with a 103-foot (31 m) tall cross built in 1934. Dominating this area is Sutro Tower, a large red and white radio and television transmission tower.
The nearby San Andreas and Hayward Faults are responsible for much earthquake activity, although neither physically passes through the city itself. The San Andreas Fault caused the earthquakes in 1906 and 1989. Minor earthquakes occur on a regular basis. The threat of major earthquakes plays a large role in the city's infrastructure development. The city constructed an auxiliary water supply system and has repeatedly upgraded its building codes, requiring retrofits for older buildings and higher engineering standards for new construction. However, there are still thousands of smaller buildings that remain vulnerable to quake damage. USGS has released the California earthquake forecast which models earthquake occurrence in California.
San Francisco's shoreline has grown beyond its natural limits. Entire neighborhoods such as the Marina, Mission Bay, and Hunters Point, as well as large sections of the Embarcadero, sit on areas of landfill. Treasure Island was constructed from material dredged from the bay as well as material resulting from the excavation of the Yerba Buena Tunnel through Yerba Buena Island during the construction of the Bay Bridge. Such land tends to be unstable during earthquakes. The resulting soil liquefaction causes extensive damage to property built upon it, as was evidenced in the Marina district during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Most of the city's natural watercourses, such as Islais Creek and Mission Creek, have been culverted and built over, although the Public Utilities Commission is studying proposals to daylight or restore some creeks.
Population
- -- City (883,305) - 2018
- -- Metro (4,729,484) - 2018
- -- CSA (9,666,055) - 2018
Arenas
Attractions
Bars and Clubs
- -- The Way Down -- A club known for its mixed supernatural clientèle.
- -- Laura - Waitress at the The Way down
- -- Dracula's Daughter -- A Kindred club that has admitted a number of other supernaturals.
- -- Gold Club -- High End Gentlemen's club
Cemeteries
Changing Breeds
San Francisco is friendly to the Garou in almost direct proportion to its unfriendliness to the Kindred. There are more werewolves here than in just about any other major city in North America, drawn by the relaxed atmosphere and eco-friendly politics. Many live on the Peninsula, occasionally interacting with the fae of the Edge of the Labrys, but there are quite a few Glass Walkers lurking in Silicon Valley as well. The Bone Gnawer population of San Francisco is on the rise as well, as word gets around of the relatively easy pickings.
There are many bay area caerns, and as they are places of power for others as well, the Garou often share them with nunnehi. There is an unspoken mutual aid pact between the two groups, and Queen Aeron of the fae generally considers the two as a unit in reference to matters of policy. Of all the Kithain rulers, Countess Evaine sees more of the werewolves than any other. Certain sept leaders have observed her dealings with the selkies, and hold her as trustworthy.
Regional Garou
- Rufus McLaren
- Wears-Many-Stories
- Andrea MacNilnoc
City Government
Crime
In 2011, 50 murders were reported, which is 6.1 per 100,000 people. There were about 134 rapes, 3,142 robberies, and about 2,139 assaults. There were about 4,469 burglaries, 25,100 thefts, and 4,210 motor vehicle thefts. The Tenderloin area has the highest crime rate in San Francisco: 70% of the city's violent crimes, and around one-fourth of the city's murders, occur in this neighborhood. The Tenderloin also sees high rates of drug abuse, gang violence, and prostitution. Another area with high crime rates is the Bayview-Hunters Point area. In the first six months of 2015 there were 25 murders compared to 14 in the first six months of 2014. However, the murder rate is still much lower than in past decades. That rate, though, did rise again by the close of 2016. According to the San Francisco Police Department, there were 59 murders in the city in 2016, an annual total that marked a 13.5% increase in the number of homicides (52) from 2015.
Gangs
Several street gangs operate in the city, including MS-13, the Sureños and Norteños in the Mission District,. African-American street gangs familiar in other cities, including the Crips, have struggled to establish footholds in San Francisco, while police and prosecutors have been accused of liberally labeling young African-American males as gang members. Criminal gangs with shotcallers in China, including Triad groups such as the Wo Hop To, have been reported active in San Francisco. In 1977, an ongoing rivalry between two Chinese gangs led to a shooting attack at the Golden Dragon restaurant in Chinatown, which left 5 people dead and 11 wounded. None of the victims in this attack were gang members. Five members of the Joe Boys gang were arrested and convicted of the crime. In 1990, a gang-related shooting killed one man and wounded six others outside a nightclub near Chinatown. In 1998, six teenagers were shot and wounded at the Chinese Playground; a 16-year-old boy was subsequently arrested.
Peace Officers
The San Francisco Police Department was founded in 1849.
The portions of Golden Gate National Recreation Area located within the city, including the Presidio and Ocean Beach, are patrolled by the United States Park Police.
The San Francisco Fire Department provides both fire suppression and emergency medical services to the city.
The city operates 22 public "pit stop" toilets.
The Angel Detective Agency
Citizens of the City
Ghosts
- Tina Ó Nualláin -- Irish/American English Lit major who died of an overdose in the Church
- Coby Seymour -- Dead drug addict and mental health patient
Culture of the City
The Culture of San Francisco is major and diverse in terms of arts, music, cuisine, festivals, museums, and architecture but also is influenced heavily by Asian culture due to its large Asian population. San Francisco's diversity of cultures along with its eccentricities are so great that they have greatly influenced the country and the world at large over the years. In 2012, Bloomberg Businessweek voted San Francisco as America's Best City.
Music
Classical and Opera venues in San Francisco include the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Ballet. They all perform at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. San Francisco's Ballet and Opera are some of the oldest continuing performing arts companies in the United States. San Francisco is the birthplace and home city of the vocal ensemble Chanticleer. The city is also home to the American Conservatory Theater, also known as A.C.T., which has been routinely staging original productions since its arrival in San Francisco in 1967. Additionally, the New Conservatory Theater Center (NCTC) is known for being an intimate theater that routinely stages original productions by the local, national, and international LGBTQIA+ community. Hundreds of smaller, alternative theaters also attract a significant portion of the audience given their historical role in the San Francisco performing arts culture. The oldest of these are Intersection for the Arts, founded in 1965, and the Magic Theater, founded in 1967. A major player in the promotion of theater in the Bay Area is Theater Bay Area (or TBA). A non profit organization, Theater Bay Area has members from more than 365 Bay Area theater and dance companies, is the publisher of Callboard Magazine, and runs San Francisco's Half-Priced Ticket Booth.
The Herbst Theater stages an eclectic mix of music performances, as well as public radio's City Arts & Lectures.
The Fillmore is a music venue located in the Western Addition. It is the second incarnation of the historic venue that gained fame in the 1960s under concert promoter Bill Graham, housing the stage where now-famous musicians such as the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and Jefferson Airplane first performed, fostering the San Francisco Sound. Beach Blanket Babylon is a zany musical revue and a civic institution that has performed to sold-out crowds in North Beach since 1974. Bimbo's 365 Club, in North Beach, is one of the city's oldest entertainment venues and plays host to music shows of all genres.
Additionally, San Francisco is home to the 200-member San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, the world's first openly gay chorus, as well as the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, the world's first[citation needed] openly gay musical organization. Two additional gay choruses, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco and Golden Gate Men's Chorus, also perform throughout the year.
Theater
San Francisco has a large number of theaters and live performance venues. Local theater companies have been noted for risk taking and innovation, as documented in the film Stage Left: A Story of Theater in San Francisco. The Tony Award-winning non-profit American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a member of the national League of Resident Theaters, and has been in San Francisco since it moved from Pittsburgh in 1967. Other local winners of the Regional Theater Tony Award include the San Francisco Mime Troupe, and Berkeley Rep in nearby Berkeley. The Magic Theater was the home theater of the playwright Sam Shepard during his most productive period, and many of his plays were first staged there. San Francisco-based SHN hosts productions of Broadway shows in its vintage 1920s-era venues in the Theater District: the Curran, Orpheum, and Golden Gate Theaters.
San Francisco has had a thriving improv theater community, with a distinctly different style of improv than much of the rest of the country[citation needed]. Unlike Chicago where one venue will host three 30-45 minute shows in one evening, most San Francisco improv shows are 2 hours long, complete with their own intermission. And while Chicago and New York are full of improv companies who perform formats based on the Harold (with multiple storylines going on at the same time), San Francisco is full of improv shows with single-story formats. Often referred to as play-length improv shows, these improv shows are rooted in the idea that if someone can perform something scripted (like a play, movie, or musical) then it can also be improvised just as well. Some groups that define the improvisation scene in San Francisco are: BATS Improv, The Un-Scripted Theater Company, and The San Francisco Improv Alliance.
Current Events
Fortifications
Galleries
Holy Ground
Hospitals
Hotels & Hostels
Landmarks
- Alcatraz Island -- is home to the abandoned prison, the site of the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States, early military fortifications, and natural features such as rock pools and a seabird colony (mostly western gulls, cormorants, and egrets).
- Three Brother's Storage -- Owns several storage units inside office buildings in financial district
Maps
Mass Media
Missives
Monuments
Museums
The Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) contains 20th Century and contemporary pieces. It moved to its building in South of Market in 1995 and attracts 600,000 visitors annually.[2] The California Palace of the Legion of Honor contains primarily European works. The De Young Museum and the Asian Art Museum have significant anthropological and non-European holdings.
The Palace of Fine Arts, a remnant of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, used to house the Exploratorium, a popular science museum dedicated to teaching through hands-on interaction, which moved to a new location on the Embarcadero in 2013. The California Academy of Sciences is a natural history museum and hosts the Morrison Planetarium and Steinhart Aquarium. The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world. From 1958 until 2003 the collection was housed in a wing of at the original de Young in Golden Gate Park. When the de Young closed while constructing a new building, the Asian Art Museum moved to the former San Francisco City Library building, which was renovated for the purpose under the direction of Italian architect Gae Aulenti who had previously overseen the conversion of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
The San Francisco Zoo cares for a total of about 250 animal species, 39 of which have been deemed endangered or threatened.
Other museums include the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Museum of Craft & Folk Art, the Cartoon Art Museum, and the Mexican Museum. Some "offbeat" museums and galleries dealing in unconventional topics include the Antique Vibrator Museum, the Musée Mécanique (dedicated to penny arcade machines), the Museum of Ophthalmology, Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, the Stamp Francisco/Stamp Art Gallery (rubber stamps not postal stamps), the Tattoo Art Museum (old tattoo machines and instruments), the UFO, Bigfoot and Loch Ness Monster Museum, and the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf.
The Haas-Lilienthal House (2007 Franklin Street) is the only intact private Victorian-era home in San Francisco that is open to the public year-round and available for private functions.
Newspapers
- -- San Francisco Chronicle -- It is the only major daily paper covering the city and county of San Francisco. {Est. 1865}
Parks
Private Residences
Restaurants
Ruins
Schools
Shopping
- -- Doc's Comics & Collectables -- Owned by Dr. Diego "Doc" Soto, a PhD in both Criminal Justice and Civil War History, author of books on Alcatraz, comic book store owner, writer, and artist.
- Graven Goods -- A shop that sells only items belonging to dead people.
Strange Objects
Telecommunications
Theaters
Transportation
Cable Cars
The passenger cable car was invented by Scotsman Andrew Hallidie of San Francisco. The first operating line was on Clay Street and began service in 1873. Based on similar systems used in mines, Hallidie hoped to improve on the horse-drawn omnibuses then laboring up and down the city's steep hills.
Cable cars are powered by a moving cable that passes under the streets. The car is equipped with a "grip" which, reaching down through a slot in the street, clamps to the moving cable, drawing the car along. Cable cars cruise at a speed of ten miles per hour... no more, no less.
Hallidie's design was quickly copied and soon cable car systems were found all over the world, from Providence, Rhode Island, to Melbourne, Australia. Within a few years, however, the electric-powered trolley was invented. Requiring less maintenance, and generally safer, they quickly replaced cable car systems in most cities, save those with the steepest hills. San Francisco's various cable car systems once stretched over most of the city, but by the 1950s, the last two remaining lines were scheduled for removal. Only a last-minute citizen's movement saved the cable cars and they are now designated a National Historic Monument (just a mobile one). Expensive and far less safe than most forms of public transportation, they are a symbol of the city.
Other Mass Transit
At the hub of the bay area, downtown San Francisco is well-served. Electric and diesel buses run regular routes to all parts of the cit. Electric trolleys, usually referred to as the Muni, travel underground along Market Street, emerging a few miles away to disperse along different routes. The Muni lines share the underground with the BART system, which runs one level deeper. From central San Francisco one can catch frequent BART trains south to Daly City, or travel under the bay all the way to Richmond, Concord, or Fremont.
Warehouses
Mages
One thing a few Kithain dislike about living in San Francisco is all the damned mages. Fortunately, Frisco is primarily a Tradition city, being especially friendly to Virtual Adepts and Sons of Ether. There's a strong neo-pagan community in San Francisco, providing friendly base for Verbena and Dreamspeakers as well. While the Technocracy does have a strong presence on the West Coast, it is concentrated further up the coast, at major research and software concerns up in Washington State. Hollow Ones by the score wander the streets, and one cannot help but wonder if the existence of so many Orphans is part of someone's plan. It hardly seems likely that so many could arise otherwise. (The Waydown Chantry is located here.)
- -- Penny Dreadful -- Born as Penelope Anne Drizkowski, is a mage and signature character of the Hollow Ones.
Vampires of the City
Court of San Francisco
-- Sebastian Toc -- Brujah Prince
-- Cho -- Seneschal -- Dance of the Thrashing Dragon
Primogen of San Francisco
Brujah
- [[]] -- Kiera -- Social Justice Warrior
Gangrel
Giovanni
- Diego -- Drug-dealer of Death
- Bob -- Black gang-banger who loves cocaine
- Jesus -- Hispanic gang-banger who is entranced with Everett
Malkavian
Nosferatu
Ravnos
Toreador
House Genji
House Genji is one of the Clans of the Sun, the major groups of Japanese kuei-jin (called Gaki in Japanese).
Jade Dragons
The Jade Vipers are a local chapter of the Japanese Yakuza and their relationship with the Gaki of San Francisco is as complicated as it is potentially profitable or deadly.
Golden Dragons
For the most part, the Golden Dragons are a Chinese Tong, but one beholden to the undead.
- [[]] -- Lo Chow Wang -- Mandarin of the Golden Dragons
- [[]] -- Zhou Ong -- Mistress of Profits
-- Zhou -- Negotiator for Zen
Vox Deorum
Ventrue
Deceased or Missing
The Baronies: Undead Territories
Places of Interest
- San Francisco State University -- San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different bachelor's degrees, 94 master's degrees, and 5 doctoral degrees along with 26 teaching credentials among six academic colleges.
Coteries of San Francisco
- The New Crew -- An unofficial gang of neonates and fledglings that has recently sprung up.
Stories of San Francisco
Websites
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https://www.audioblocks.com/royalty-free-audio/music/night+club+background+music?bpm_max=250&duration_max=10000&page=1&sort=most_relevant&vbonly=false
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https://environment.ambient-mixer.com/
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https://tabletopaudio.com/
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https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/julyaugust-2012/the-power-broker/ {How politics really work in San Francisco}
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_(TV_series)
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https://www-sfgate-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.sfgate.com/bayarea/amp/Slow-Streets-San-Francisco-closed-map-SFMTA-15286136.php?amp_js_v=a3&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfgate.com%2Fbayarea%2Farticle%2FSlow-Streets-San-Francisco-closed-map-SFMTA-15286136.php
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http://www.foundsf.org/
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https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/northern-california/san-francisco/abandoned-san-francisco/ {Abandoned San Francisco}
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https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/author/sgarr/ {Visitor's guide to San Francisco}
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https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/metropolis/photos/metropolis-san-francisco-then-and-now
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_San_Francisco
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https://www.killerurbex.com/abandoned-places-in-san-francisco/#2
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Errata
SF - Character Sheet
-- Thalia Toreador Primogen
-- Tristram Ventrue Primogen
-- Zen -- Flame Court -- Place: 8 Immortals Restaurant
--Angelica White -- (PC)
-- Amira - Brujah Bodyguard to Thalia
-- Cord Brashen -- Sebastian's Muscle
-- Esko -- Gangrel Elder
-- Logan Wakefield -- Gangrel wanderer (Former PC) <<Now in Torpor>>
-- Liborio Tosetti (PC) [Morgan]
-- Nannette Liborio's Child
--Stephen Carvell -- (Mac PC)
-- Alban -- Sebastian's Accountant
-- Delight -- Hacker?
-- Isaac Thompson -- Mob Doctor
-- Waraj Sind -- Ravnos Fixer
-- Lorraine - Owner of The Way Down club
-- Quon Corbyn - Teen Hacker
-- Katia -- Sebastian's Second
--Simon Bass -- Childe of Leslie Booth --Sire of Lydia Dax
--Lydia Dax
-- Everett Young -- Anarch Musician {On Tour}
-- Justine McDavid -- New Child of Everett Young {On Tour}
--Annabel Nolan -- (Former PC)
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