Sects are groups of vampires and clans that supposedly share a common ideology. They are modern contrivance, but an important one. Sects as they are known in these nights first surfaced after the Great Anarch Revolt, a continent-wide upheaval which took place in Europe during the 15th century. Many elders accept sect membership grudgingly, deriding sects as "foolishness - the Blood is all that matters." In nights before the Great Anarch Revolt and the Inquisition, these elders claim, there were no sects at all. Other vampires argue that this is still true - a vampire in a sizable city may go a decade or more without ever seeing another Kindred, so of what use is a sect?
If the myth of the Antediluvians is to be believed, Caine sired a number of pregeny, who then sired childer themselves. These childer, accordingly of the Third Generation, were the progenitors of the modern clans, and all vampires descended from them shared common traits and characteristics. Certainly this is true to some degree, as each clan has a set of vampiric powers its members learn more readily than others, and each clan also has a distinguishing weakness or character flaw by which its member may be identified.
Lineage is important to the Kindred. Though they are loners and typically shun each other's company by nature, the Damned place great value on their heritage. The honor a vampire is due stems from clan as much as generation, and even the most dull-witted Kindred is afforded some modicum of respect if his legacy demands it.
There are 13 known clans, each supposedly spawned by one of the Antediluvians, but whispers circulate through the Kindred world about "lesser" clans or bloodlines that branched off from their parent genealogies somewhere in the nights of history. Few vampires have ever met Kindred claiming to hail from these mysterious bloodlines, and few of these have turned out to be anything other than Caitiff with delusions of self-importance. It is widely accepted, however, that of the 13 "great" clans, six claim membership in the Camarilla, two belong to the Sabbat, and the remaining five abstain from sects entirely.
The Rabble are rebels and insurgents, fighting passionately for their disparate causes. The Brujah dream of a perfect society - for vampires.
Dangerously deranged and psychotic to a member, the Lunatics nonetheless possess uncanny insight.
Disfigured and skulksome, the hideous Sewer Rats are forever barred from human society, but gather secrets from the darkness that hides them.
Lovers of art and the aesthetic, the Degenerates are trapped in the stagnancy of undeath. The Toreador are passionate and decadent, surrounding themselves in excess to staveoff their encroaching malaise.
A clans of sorcerous blood magicians, the Warlocks are widely distrusted...and just as widely feared.
The reluctant aristocracy of the Kindred, the Blue Bloods atone for their damnation by enforcing the Traditions and the Masquerade.
Like the Camarilla, the Sabbat welcomes any Kindred who wishes to become a member - provided the vampire in question subscribes to the sect's inhuman philosophy. Indeed, almost every Camarilla clan has an antitribu, or "anti-clan" analog, in the Sabbat; these rebels reject the tenets of the mainstream clan in favor of the monsters' way of thinking. The Sabbat's two leading clans both claim to have destroyed their Antediluvian founders, and are said to pursue the annihilation of the other Antediluvians as well.
The shadowy, wicked Keepers nominally lead the Sabbat. Clan Lasombra serves itself first and its inner darkness second.
A clan of fallen nobles from the Old Country, the brilliant but monstrous Fiends now serve the Sabbat. They wield the fearsome Discipline of fleshcrafting.
The independent clans claim membership in no sect, instead following the legendary tenets of their mythical founders. Independent clans tend to be the most cohesive and sociable Kindred of all, as their clan duties ensure that they interact with other vampires almost nightly.
In elder nights, the independent clans held domains far from the havens of the rest of the Kindred and did not participate overmuch in the upheavals of the Inquisition and Anarch Revolt. As a result, they were rarely seen, their members considered more legend than fact. The past few years have changed that. As the world shrinks and the kine speak of "geopolitics" and "global economy," the clans of the Camarilla and Sabbat find their herds and spheres of influence conflicting more and more with those of the independents. Idependent Kindred cross Camarilla and Sabbat domains with increasing frequency, and the sect-affiliated clans are beginning to realize that the five "neutral" clans have networks, concerns and goals far greater than they had previously imagined.
Dreaded killers and diablerists on a terrible quest for Kindred vitae, the Assassins have perfected the art of the silent kill.
Corrupting and deadly, the Serpents are feared for their evil, yet sought out for their arcane knowledge and sinister gifts.
The nomadic Outlanders are feral and wild. These solitary wanderers are the source of much of the lore that likens vampires to dark beasts.
Insular and incestuous, the Necromancers ply their trade in blood, money and the souls of the dead.
The nomadic Deceivers are masters of illusion and guile, malevolently working their tricks as they travel from city to city.
