Home > Between the Shadows > History of Rochester

History of Rochester

In 1850, a Sanctified Elder came to Rochester to build a stronghold for the Lancia Sanctum in Western New York. At the time, Rochester was a strong agricultural (seeds and flowers) and transport city but rather small for a kindred presence. Simeon used his influence with the local Baptists to help support the dissenting members of Colgate University to found the University of Rochester. That support turned the UR into the base of Simeon’s power in the city.

The industrial boom at the turn of the century brought many people to the city, expanding its borders and kindred population. The core was held by Simeon and perhaps two others, with an extra vampire or so on the fringes.

1950 marked the high tide for the city. People began migrating from city to suburb, and kindred throughout Western New York started plotting. Times were changing, and in the Dance Macabre change is a chance to gain power.

Between 1950 and 1970, the population of Buffalo dropped by one hundred thousand people. Those who saw it coming gathered power and allies to keep their own power and hopefully take someone else’s. As the kine were marching off to Vietnam, a civil war broke out amidst the kindred of Buffalo. Many kindred from Rochester saw an opportunity and took sides, hoping to gain boons or domain from a larger city.

At the same time, people were moving from the city to the suburbs. Kindred who had previously been relegated to the suburbs to keep them away from the center of power found that their domains were growing in both people and importance. Joseph, an upstart Invictus Ancilla, who had claimed Henrietta as his domain managed a coup when the Rochester Institute of Technology moved from its downtown campus to his domain in 1968.

By this time Simeon had been ruling Rochester for over one hundred years. He had not been young when he moved here, and was now seeing the nights when kine would no longer give him sustenance. While many of his subjects were distracted in Buffalo he made arrangements to sleep away the years to thin his blood. He would place his body under the protection of his loyal Sheriff, Mr. Albrech, and leave his city to a fellow Sanctified.

But when the night came for Simeon to enter his Torpor, nothing went according to plan. Neither Simeon, his Seneschal, nor Mr. Albrech have been heard of for nearly a decade. Instead, Joseph has claimed Praxis and the city has been in a state of quiet war since. Some of the other elders of the city have either had their holdings in the city demolished, left the city, or simply vanished. Between the fighting and horrible rumors of the new Hound, simply called Nameless, the court of Rochester did not met for some time.

Despite the rumblings that Joseph is an upstart too young for his ambitions, he appears to have been able to hold his position and establish a new court. While many of the elders of the city have left (or simply gone missing), a truly ancient Nosferatu by the name of Martin has stepped forward, given his support to Joseph, and claimed the position of Keeper of Elysium. This surprise move has calmed the outright violence in the city, bringing a return to the traditional political and social backstabbing of the Danse Macabre.

The peace is an uneasy one as neonates jockey for power, ancilla draw on their decades of planning, and elders work on things beyond the other’s knowledge and possibly understanding. Ancient forces and odd beings have seemed to use the vampires distraction to gain a foothold in the city. Nobody is quite sure what is to come in the nights ahead…

Come to game and make your mark. Times of upset are times of opportunity as well.