Many of the anarchs whose clans had joined the Camarilla saw surrender as their only opportunity before their own clans hunted them down. The Assamites swore an oath prohibiting future aggression against the Camarilla, but refused to commit to the Blood Bond. In return it was agreed the Tremere would cast an enchantment upon the entire clan rendering its members incapable of diablerie.
Some of the anarchs did not agree to this peace, believing that once again their leaders had sold them out. The Tzimisce and Lasombra clan members were among the most numerous of the anarchs who refused to accept the peace. The Tzimisces were the bitter enemies of the Tremere and would never accept defeat to them. The Lasombra had destroyed the leaders of their clan and many of the Ventrue elders as well, so they knew they would be severely punished. Together with the members of the other clans who refused to surrender, they formed the Sabbat, named after the witches' Sabbath as a reminder of their origin amid the Inquisition.
The Camarilla spared no expense in trying to destroy the Sabbat. Sabbat leaders knew their old tactics would not work against the Camarilla now that many former anarchs were with them. They chose the tactics of their own one time masters and pushed them to the extreme. They produced vampires of their own to fight against the enemy, only they did so in massive numbers. The recruits who survived the lengthy Jyhad were accepted as True Sabbat and in turn produced many more vampires. All the vampires went through the same ritual as all other vampires they created, thus ensuring only the strong would survive and would no longer be human in any way. All new recruits were Blood Bound to the group of Sabbat that created them to ensure loyalty.
The Sabbat-Camarilla Wars went on for more than 200 years. The Sabbat was numerically disadvantaged during the entire conflict, but its loyalty and upredictability kept the sect alive. Eventually the sect was forced north into Scandinavia and into hiding by the Camarilla. During the next century, fighting continued on a much smaller scale than before.
It was during this time of peace that Sabbat vampires, realzing they were inhuman, began their search for a higher code of morality. More than one belief system emerged during this time and these codes of vampiric quasi-morality became known as the Paths of Enlightenment. The Paths of Enlightenment could be considered vampiric religions, but they were also useful in helping many Sabbat recruits retain their sanity after the horror of the Creation Rites.
The Sabbat also began to develop occult rituals and practices. These served to unite the sect, strengthening its members' loyalty and providing a common bond. In addition, the warband of the Sabbat known as the Black Hand was created to act as a special militia that could be called up at any time to meet any threat.
During the early 1700's, the Sabbat saw the chance to finally free itself from the yoke of Camarilla interference. It was during this period that many within the sect moved to the colonies in the New World. As the cities grew, so did the Sabbat. In those early times, the Sabbat of the colonies found human prey scarce, so their number remained small. Many of the Sabbat even moved into the frontier to see the undiscovered wilds of America and prey upon the animals and aboriginal people.
Most leaders in the colonies were representatives of the crown, and these were controlled by the Camarilla of Europe. The growing influence of the Camarilla in the New World prompted the Sabbat to incite the American War for Independence. The Camarilla did not like this too much and it renewed pressure upon the Sabbat of Europe, eventually forcing the top leaders of the Sabbat to shift their power base to the New World. The Sabbat did gain strong influence in North America and it was during this time that the first defections by Tremere occurred. In fact, many Camarilla defected, believeing the Camarillas's influence in the former colonies to be declining.