Fans of supernatural horror can relish in the World of Darkness as a vampire in Vampire: The Masquerade. Called Kindred, vampires in this set of TTRPG games constantly struggle to maintain their humanity while satiating their hunger for blood. And while the Camarilla Sect enforces the Masquerade to ensure Kindred remain like humans, the Sabbat Sect want vampires to claim their place as the rightful rulers of the mortal realm.
In Vampire: The Masquerade, the Sabbat is a misunderstood Sect, often associated with radical vampires out to cause wanton violence. However, players who want to try games like Sins Of The Sires might want to learn more about the Sabbat before they engage in a Vampire: The Masquerade experience.
10 But First, The First Anarch Revolt
The creation of the Sabbat coincided with the First Anarch Revolt. Having occurred during the Inquisition, the First Anarch Revolt started when elders (older vampires) decided that it was much safer to hide behind a “masquerade” and form a secret organization of vampires instead of taking up arms against the Inquisition that was killing neonates (younger vampires).
Realizing that their elders were more than willing to sacrifice them for their own survival, the neonates decided enough was enough and turned on their elders. The first largely-known instance of Kindred taking up arms was when the Brujah Tyler led a resistance against the Ventrue Hardestadt the Elder, who was at the time leading the meetings that created the Camarilla, and ended with Tyler diablerizing the Ventrue.
9 The Lasombra, Tzimisce Connection
There’s a particular reason why the Sabbat favor the tradition of diablerie or sucking a vampire dry, and this may be connected to the Sabbat’s founding Clans: the Lasombra and the Tzimisce. After news of Hardestadt’s defeat spread, it was these two Clans that started to move against not just their respective elders, but also their Clan’s progenitors, the Antediluvians.
The first notable campaign occurred in Italy, where Gratiano de Veronese of the shadow-manipulating Lasombra led an attack on the sleeping Lasombra Antediluvian, which he diablerized. News of this attack spurned the flesh-crafting Tzimisce of Romania to action, where leader Lugoj diablerized the Tzimisce Antediluvian.
8 The Convention Of Thorns, Enter The Sabbat
The First Anarch Revolt lasted for seven years until existing Kindred gathered in the Convention of Thorns in 1493. This resulted in a variety of things, including the formation of the Camarilla as the organization to protect Kindred with the Masquerade, and Anarchs being their own entities provided they don’t breach it.
Those who didn’t approve of the Convention’s result, which was mostly the Tzimisce and Lasombra, separated into packs that began harassing the humans of the elders’ settlements, most of whom called them the beasts of “the sabbat” or the midnight hour of witches and devils. The Sabbat was formally created after Tzimisce and Lasombra met with other Anarch malcontents in Majorca, Spain.
7 Not Immune To Civil Wars
While the core of Sabbat principles prioritizes Kindred independence and rejection of Antediluvian influence, the lack of any foundation of these beliefs is both the greatest strength and weakness of the Sect. As such, the Sabbat has actually had as many as four civil wars. These wars led to various groundbreaking elements in current Sabbat affairs, including:
6 Modern Times, The Beckoning, The Gehenna War
Unfortunately for the Sabbat, its current struggles didn’t end in modern times. They are currently facing a Fourth Civil War due to various events happening all at once. This has currently shaken the current status quo of the Sabbat:
5 A Penchant For Mockery
Given how the Sabbat came to life as a rejection of the Convention of Thorns, it’s notable how a lot of Sabbat culture and organization is tied directly to mocking various aspects of Kindred and human life, including:
4 Blood Bonds, Vaulderie
While Kindred mostly drink blood from mortals, it’s totally possible for vampires to drink blood from their own kind. However, this runs the risk of Blood Bonds, which forces Kindred to become addicted and wholly attached to the owner of the vampire blood they drink. It’s these Blood Bonds that elders use to subjugate younger vampires in recent times, and the same system that vampires joined the Sabbat to escape.
Tzimisce, among the Sabbat, found a solution, however. They discovered that they can cut their existing Blood Bonds through a ritual called the Vaulderie, which had Sabbat packs contribute their own blood and have everyone drink it. Thing is, the Vaulderie removed existing Blood Bonds but replaced them with a weaker bond that had members of a Sabbat pack be much closer with each other - effectively just replacing one bonding system with another.
3 Strict With Rituals
While the Camarilla expects strict adherence to its Traditions, so does the Sabbat but with a more rigorous and stricter outlook. Due to their culture resembling that of a religion, the Sabbat have two sets of Ritae they expect Sabbat members to adhere to and follow. Major Rituals are often done en masse and under the guidance of elder members, while minor Rituals often become personalized from pack to pack and city to city to fit their personalities. These Rituals are divided into two:
2 Dog-Eat-Dog Organization
The oldest among Sabbat progenitors uphold a dog-eat-dog philosophy to this day, expecting Sabbat members to be more independent and forceful in their pursuit of power as they grow in influence in the organization. As such, the Sabbat has a strict and rigid hierarchy in its organization. Typical of the Catholic Church, the Sabbat also follows a similar hierarchical format:
1 Not Without Factions
Given how the Sabbat values a lot of the personal freedoms of its Kindred members, it’s not unexpected for the Sabbat to form various factions with their respective ideals and philosophies. Sabbat may be inclined to join factions that share their perspectives, the most popular ones being:
Vampire The Masquerade: Sins Of The Sires was released on March 24, 2022, for PC.
