Like much of Europe, this region was once home to Celts. Occupied and incorporated into the Roman Empire, the lands called Hungary were then known as the Province of Pannonia. The Romans fortified the area through the erection of a system of earthen ramparts, which stretched along the Danube River to the Carpathian Basin and the western slopes of the Transylvanian Alps. The empire made its stand here, building strong fortresses and towns. The empire's defenses were upheld by the capital of Pannonia in the west, a fortress-town known as Aquincum (later to be known as Obuda). Constructed on a natural hill overlooking the Danubeat the point of a natural ford, Aquincum provided the Romans with a fortified position from which to keep invaders from crossing the river and sweeping onward to Rome. Seeing the flatlands to the other side ofthe Danube, the Romans realized that another fort and settlement would also slow the advance of foes trying to reach the river. That settlement, Contra-Aquincum, would later form the nucleus of the town of Pest. The Romans also penetrated eastward of the province, crossing the Danube from the south and moving upward into what is now Wallachia.
Humans did not act alone in their attempt to "civilize" the barbaric East. Several Cainites supported the Roman Empire. Those Cainites who were satisfied with Rome's amusements and comforts and those who were most respected and honored chose to remain close to Rome. Their political rivals and a few idealists and rebels were sent (orchose togo) to the far-flung reaches of the empire — including provinces like Pannonia and Dacia. They attempted to expand the empire northward from Dacia, but every time the legions tried to penetrate the dark lands beyond the fertile Dacian plains, they failed. Living and unliving alike were faced with foes beyond their knowledge and with unexplained opposition from the land itself. Despite having carved out an empire throughout the known world, the fearless Roman soldiers were afraid of the "darkness of the forests." The darkness in the land was far older than the empire. Since before remembered time, the lands had housed a great demon — a twisted, maddened entity known as Kupala. This abominable thing rested within the deepest caverns of the Carpathian Mountains. Removing his black, gangrenous heart so that he could not be slain by anyone who did not possess that organ, he entombed it in the lightless depths beneath the forested Carpathian foothills. Kupala's evil influence oozed upward and outward, poisoning and infecting the land even as it granted it a breathtaking, wild beauty and an indefinable sense of mystery. Rocks, plants and earth were imbued with power, becoming magical and attracting those beings who could feel their emanations. Madness and psychic disease slowly spread in waves from Kupala's center in Transylvania, reaching outward to encompass lands as far away as Bohemia, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Russia.
Along with the native Tzimisce who had long ruled and feasted on the Dacians, brutal Shadow Lord werewolves stalked the land. One of their Kinfolk, known as Decebel, King of the Dacians, invaded Pannonia and slaughtered the Roman armies there in the first century A.D., bringing both Dacia and Pannonia under barbarian rule. Emperor Trajan led the Roman armies in an invasion of Dacia in A.D. 106, and Decebel was driven to suicide. Over the next 20 years, the Romans rebuilt their civilization. After fierce fighting with the Dacians, Rome settled some of her soldiers among these independent tribespeople to prevent another uprising. The two cultures merged to become people known as the Romanians. The Shadow Lords retreated to the Transylvanian Alps to lick their wounds. The stability of the Roman Empire crumbled with the passage of time. Rome withdrew from her northern provinces in 271, leaving the empire's Goth allies to defend the northern border from more "barbaric" invaders. Although many of the wealthy (including most of the Roman Cainites who had come with the legions) chose to evacuate, others (mostly commoners who had established homes in the area) remained and accepted the rule of the Goths.
Defying many Roman senators, Constantine made Byzantium the second Roman capital in 330. The decision to establish a second capital reflected a schism in the empire — one that would eventually divide the Balkans completely. The empire was torn in two, with the west ruled by Rome and the eastern provinces looking to Byzantium, which would later be renamed Constantinople. This division would affect the history of the Balkans well into the 20th century. With its collapse, Rome's outposts in Dacia and Pannonia were abandoned. Pannonians moved westward, pushed along by invading barbarians, while the Romanians fled to theCarpathian Mountains and into Transylvania. When the Roman troops fled, they left behind a sleeping Cainite, a native of the region who had been Embraced by a Roman Malkavian. This tormented soul had unwittingly bound himself to the demon's heart while mortal, which maddened him with its visions of the future. This made him the perfect candidate for the Malkavian Embrace. The Cainite took the name Octavio, for he believed that eight great signs would portend the awakening of the demon Kupala. After slaying his sire in a moment of madness, Octavio haunted the Roman settlement of Aquincum until he fell into torpor when the legions withdrew. Destruction of some of the town overhead failed to disturb the underground crypt where he lay sleeping.
The Carpathian Basin became an outpost of the Hun Empire in the fifth century. Attila the Hun assaulted the eastern portion of the Roman Empire, driving his troops as far as Constantinople. A huge ransom (and some say, other methods of persuasion by Michael ofClan Toreador, patriarch of the city) dissuaded Attila from pressing further; his kingdom was short-lived. Less stable kingdoms followed. Gespids routed Huns. Odoacer deposed the last Roman emperor in 476.Theodoric of the Ostrogoths dethroned Odoacer. Kingdoms rose and fell as barbarian hordes moved across the land in waves. Chaos spread throughout the East. Bulgars conquered the southern lands near Constantinople; Slavic tribes invaded the Balkans, sometimes with die assistance of elder Shadow Lords or Tzimisce and Gangrel who moved westward with them. The northern Slavs did not come as conquerors, but as settlers. They put down roots in areas where they could farm without coming into conflict with more aggressive tribes. Avars dominated the Carpathian Basin through the seventh and eighth centuries until the power of Charlemagne subdued them. Many accepted Christianity as the price of their continued existence. The rift between East and West continued to grow as the Byzantine Empire practiced die Eastern Orthodox faith, turning away from Western Europe's Roman Catholic Church.The Balkans remain transfixed by religious war even today, crucified on the altar of differing doctrines. The Orthodox Church, with its veneration of icons and married priests (so unlike the Catholic Church), has remained mysterious and disturbing to the West for centuries.
The land's current history begins with the arrival of the Hungarians, or, as they called themselves, Magyars. The name "Magyar" derives from the Turkish word "Onogurs," meaning "10 arrows," indicating they once were a confederation of 10 tribes. They originated near the Ural Mountains, where Shadow Lords watched over their development. Many of these fierce warriors were Shadow Lord Kinfolk. Seven of those tribes lived a nomadic life in the Khazar Khanate, acting as soldiers for the Kagan, by the seventh century. The strongest tribe was the Magyars, and all seven tribes eventually became known by that name. When they refused to help the Kagan put down an uprising, the Magyars had to leave their homes. Many Shadow Lords went with them, traveling westward in search of new caerns. Led by a charismatic leader named Arpad, the Magyars migrated westward across the Carpathians and entered the Alfold in 895. In light of later events, when the chieftains of the tribes chose Arpad to lead them, they swore fealty to him
and his male issue by the ritual drinking of their mingled blood.
Each of the tribes was given a portion of the land they entered for their home. Arpad'stribe took the land around Buda. Then began a period that Hungarians refer to as "the adventure."Years of lightning-quick horseback raids across the Danube and into Western Europe ensued. The Magyars plundered Bavaria and northern Italy. The name Hungarian was similar to "Hun," and the Magyais did not apprise the terrified Westerners that they were no relation to the terrible Attila. In 933, Emperor Henry the Fowler led heavily armed knights against the Magyars and defeated them. Agyula of the Arpads made an alliance that would ensute the success of his warriors in 948. Bulscu, a fierce leader known as the "Man of Blood," made a treaty with the rulers of Constantinople. By accepting Orthodox Christianity in Byzantium, he gained the support of the mortal Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. Michael of Clan Toreador also allied with Bulscu, seeking a tool to use against the Holy Roman Empire.
Hungarian cavalry assaulted Western Europe. The Hungarian race had lived by tribal warfare for centuries, and their warriors spread like wildfire throughout the German lands. Supernatural assistance aided them. Michael had enlisted allies, as certain Balkan Brujah were eager to join his crusade against the north. The Teutonic Ventrue held power there, and a military assault on their domains would weaken them. The undead leader of these Brujah was Dominic, a vengeful warrior who had witnessed the destruction of Carthage firsthand. His soul hungered for vengeance and the struggle presented him with an opportunity. Dominic and other warriors of his clan accompanied units of Hungarian cavalry in their raids to the north. There were still Kinfolk in the warriors' ranks as well. The patriarch employed a devious tactic to further the efforts ofthis alliance. The most promising mortal warriors were allowed to feast on Brujah vitae on the eve of battle. Strengthened by Cainite blood, Kinfolk ghouls were made into ferocious fighters. In return for this assistance from the Brujah, a few of these select mortals would accept the Embrace. Dominic, in particular, had designs on the mortal ruler Bulscu, as he considered him a promising weapon against Ventrue rivals. Bulscu's success attracted other interested manipulators, however. His fame grew as the Hungarians became more powerful. The petty nobles of the north were forced to bow before him, yet Bulscu was seduced by the dominating voice of a powerful German Ventrue named Heinrich of Volstag. Outraged at the audacity of Michael's pawns and the temerity of the Brujah who rode with them into battle, Heinrich knew that leading Bulscu astray would further his revenge. The Man of Blood had an unshakeable addiction for vitae, and his strongest warriors lusted after the power Cainite blood could grant them. While his warriors hungered for the vitae of the Brujah, Bulscu dreamed of the power held by the Ventrue. Otto, the Holy Roman Emperor, fought the Hungarian horde to a standstill in 955. Their raiding days being over, the Magyars retired to the Carpathian Basin. Bulscu succumbed to the Embrace of his Ventrue mentor, strengthening his family's power over Hungary. Trade with the West became a source of riches for the Arpads. Members of the family were selectively baptized into darkness. Under their influence, mortal Arpads continued to make Hungary into a monarchy styled after those in Western Europe. Zombar, the son of Bulscu, became an emissary to Constantinople by 953 and after ritually feeding upon Ventrue vitae, he proclaimed his loyalty to the mortal patriarch, the Toreador Michael, and the Ventrue of the city.
EasternHungary, known as Transylvania or "the land beyond the forest,"was reluctant to accede to the desires of the Magyars. In the mortal sphere, tension steadily mounted between the descendants of the Dacian-Roman settlers and the Magyar invaders. By night,Transylvanian vampires turned against the Magyar Ventrue. The Sept of the Night Sky prepared for war against the new invaders in the shadow of the southern Carpathians. The descendants of the Arpads continued to gain power. Geza, a mortal Arpad ruler, realizing that the West would soon attack his lands, reasoned that his people's only hope was in converting to Catholicism. Although wooed by both Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, Geza and his family converted to Roman Catholicism in 975. Western leaders were forced to cancel plans to invade Hungary, as it now became the newest conquest of the Pope. Emissaries to the Imperial Diet in the Holy Roman Empire solidified the trade routes through Hungary. Geza sued for peace with Otto, received missionaries to convert his people, and moved to Esztergom, where he maintained a bodyguard of Bavarian knights, to whom he deeded large estates. However, Geza also wanted to make peace with the eastern peoples of his kingdom. Although he had been baptized as a Christian, he began to publicly venerate the pagan gods. On one hand, he broke the power of the shamans secretly operating in his kingdom; on the other, he attempted to spread a bastardized version of the Christian religion to unify the land.
When Geza took a wife, he chose the sister of the gyula of Transylvania. Her religion was unfortunately an affront to many of those who followed the Roman Catholic Church. Her faith was described by religious leaders as "worse than barbarism because it was infected with paganism." Religious disagreement was rife during this time. Before his death, Geza was recruited into the kingdom of the undead. Bulscu's Embrace and the transition unnerved him greatly. Far from being grateful for the immortality that Bulscu had bestowed upon him, Geza developed an abiding hatred for his sire. He had always thought of his association with the Roman Catholic Church as useful to his kingdom, though of little personal importance. Now he saw himself as corrupted by evil, forever damned and forever exiled from the Kingdom of Heaven. The mere sight of the cross forced him into apoplexy at first. Later, he was seduced by the dark taint of the land. Determined to overcome this horror, Geza fled to the city of Esztergom. There, he took his revenge on the Church. His ghouled servants, innocent children who had served the churches at a younger age, were taught rituals of desecration. Geza prayed for the forces of the infernal to guide their hands. The thought of former altar boys invoking the names of the ancient Slavic gods brought him endless amusement. He then allied with some members ofClan Malkavian to corrupt the servants of the Roman Catholic Church. Hungarian Malkavians rallied around their elders, delighted at the irony of this unholy association. Under Geza's guidance, the clan pursued its mission throughout the next centuries. Behind the facade of the Church he had aided in breathing days, Prince Geza of Esztergom — the so-called "Archbishop" of Hungary -— gained great power. His anger knew no bounds when he discovered that Bulscu had Embraced one of the Bavarian knights who had served as Geza's bodyguard. That his sire would Embrace a mere knight, making him the equal of one who had been King ofHungary, turned Geza completely against Bulscu and prompted him to plot revenge. Geza's son, Istvan, educated as a Christian knight, was crowned King of Hungary on Christmas Day in the year 1000.
Istvan then issued an edict:Henceforth all in his kingdom (except Jews and Muslims) must convert to Christianity. Istvan invited foreigners — especially Germans — to come into Hungary and settle. Though he ruled from Esztergom, the twin cities of Buda and Pest rose and became one, their growth spurred on by Ventrue trading interests. As the city once again came to life, Octavio stirred from his long sleep and began to walk the night again. Angered that time had passed him by, he sought omens of the eight great signs that portend the awakening of the demon. Monastic orders began to settle in Hungary, including the Cistercian and Benedictine monks. Ten bishoprics developed a network of churches, and pilgrimage routes leading through Constantinople to Jerusalem were established. The force of Catholicism brought national unity. Laws soon prohibited serfs from moving too far from the church, and burial grounds were established near churches, tying ancestor worship to Christian holy grounds. While western Hungary turned ever more toward Western Europe and civilization, eastern Hungary (known as Transylvania) became a war zone where new German settlers and Hungarian nobles subjugated the Romanians' descendants. Istvan was angered by the resistance in the eastern fringes of his kingdom. After executing his cousin in the east, whom he declared an "incestuous pagan," Istvan then moved against the gyula of Transylvania. Vicious battles gave way to atrocities, with each side inflicting needless cruelties and no side giving quarter. Hungarian Catholics took the lands of those Orthodox Romanians who refused to convert, and the Dacian remnants were made serfs.
Spurred on by the upheaval, paganism flourished. By night, blood warfare between Ventrue and Tzimisce ensued. Open warfare between Cainites was disastrous for the mortal populace. The villagers of Transylvania learned to bar their doors and windows at night. All business ended at sundown. By moonlight, ghouled warriors charged into the darkest parts of the Carpathian Mountains and the Tzimisce's unholy shrines. Civilization was at risk once again. Undead packs openly fought against the fleshcrafted ghouls of the Tzimisce. The war against the east was far more successful by day. lstvan's troops captured the gyula of Transylvania and Istvan annexed his lands. While the sun shone, the lands were safe, but when the sun set, the facade went asunder. Patrols of Hungarian Cainites slaughtered the abominations that were spawned in darkness. Yet, it would take another faction to drive back the Tzimisce, the Usurper Clan known as the Tremere.
For many years, mortal wizards in search of the key to immortality had maintained a chantry named Ceoris high in the Transylvanian Alps. These magi were always desirous of more power, especially the gift of immortality. When they discovered a ritual that would grant them this boon, they captured and used Tzimisce vampires in their magical ritual of change. By thus becoming Cainites, they made undying enemies of the Fiends. Quick to seize the opportunity, the Ventrue allied with the Tremere, offering them supplies, assistance and funds to wage their war against the Tzimisce. Glad of the support, the Tremere quickly accepted.
lstvan's actions on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church led to his canonization as St. Stephen, patron saint of Hungary. He ruled a prosperous kingdom, but his death in 1038 brought decades of turmoil. The Byzantine Emperor Manuel I tried to reconcile his empire's differences with the Kingdom of Hungary in 1071. Prince Bela, heir presumptive to the throne of Hungary, was also declared as Manuel's heir. Uprisings in Byzantium gave him an opportunity to seize Balkan lands controlled by Manuel, and Bela was soon a powerful leader in his kingdom. Under King Bela, the Kingdom of Hungary almost outshone Constantinople. The glories won by the king have been lovingly chronicled by a scribe in Beta's employ, a monkish figure known only as Anonymus [sic]. Esztergom has become an archbishopric, and many monasteries dot the countryside.
(Sidebar)
The Land's Ancient Masters
Within their ancestral fastnesses in Transylvania dwelt Ancient Ones who preferred to isolate themselves from the tumultuous world. In darkness, the
vampires of the east grew in strength.
Communing with the night, infected by the miasma of corruption that lay in territory, the eldest would sometimes walk among men and be worshipped as gods.
Humanity was never a concept the Tzimisce understood. Endless experimentation on the mortals they bred
brought them knowledge, but never understanding - The Tzimisce built their temples within caves and labyrinths in the eastern Carpathians.The greatest of these shrines was created by the Methuselah Yorak. Ghouled servitors brought Yorak abducted mortals, from whom he fed.
Breeding and experimenting on them, he soon began to craft them into elaborate sculptures that stretched across the walls of his meditation chamber. Over time, the Cathedral of Flesh took its abhorrent and unnatural shape.
The Old Country Tzimisce became increasingly introspective,.Seeking to understand the Beast Within through working horrors upon their own
(or others') flesh, they became an alien race — more monstrous than human. The shadows over Transylvania deepened as many fell to the demon's madness.
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Topic: Setting (Read 6776 times)