Setting
Edinburgh, Scotland. April 19, 1885.
Less than ten years ago, there was an earthquake in the southwest area of England. Less than five years ago, there was a massively powerful windstorm that hit a fishing village in the lowlands of Scotland.
Freak, but natural, accidents as far as most were concerned. The kine still believe so. The kindred now believe those events were practice.
January 12 of 1885, Edinburgh was hit. The winds hit first, but were quickly accompanied by an earthquake as well. Much of the cities industries were ruined.
Before this event, Edinburgh was a free state in kindred society. Neither sect held power in this city. Most of the British Isles are under the sway of the Camarilla, and the Camarilla has never been a group to settle for “most”. The Sabbat is constantly trying to gain footholds in the Isles. Edinburgh has maintained its “free-state” status by the efforts of a group known as “The Hands of The Marquis”. This group was, and is, led by the enigmatic Marquis.
[For those that do not know, Camarilla has Princes, Sabbat has Archbishops, Independent cities are ruled by Marquis. However, the one who “rules” Edinburgh has never been named, thus being the equivalent of having a person in charge of a Camarilla city being known only as “Prince”]
Since the Great Disaster of Edinburgh the sects have been trying to take advantage of the cities weakness and take control of it for their own.
First came the Sabbat war-packs. Vicious, chaotic, frenzy-fueled attack squads intent on taking down anyone who dared defy the Sabbat right to rule. They came into the city in the confusion of the disaster, and quickly started trying to eliminate the main defense the city had, The Hands.
Then came the Camarilla. Their tactics were far more subtle, and much more political. Promising aid in the recovery from the disaster. Promising aid against the Sabbat’s war-packs.
Both of the sects have been recruiting anyone they can from the city. The Hands of the Marquis have been increasing their numbers as well.
Edinburgh. Battleground of the British Isles. The Sabbat, trying to gain ground in the Isles, would revel in the ability to take a major city to use as a base of operations in their war against the Camarilla. The Camarilla trying to deprive the Sabbat any ground in the Isles, as well as securing their own domination and “ownership” of the Isles. The Hands of the Marquis, trying to preserve the cities independence, as a safe ground for those who’d prefer not to deal with the sects, their politics, their engagements, all of their never-ending, convoluted jihads.
The Kindred have been warring here. This has attracted attention that the kindred would rather not have. Hunters, Lupines, anyone with a grudge against the supernatural, or against vampires in particular. Here, in these streets, there be monsters. And the monsters do not like each other.
About You
You’ve lived here in Edinburgh for at least a year prior to the disaster. You had managed to have some form of business or income. You had a haven of some sort. You were quite well off, in point of fact. Your source of income has dried up. Maybe your business was destroyed in the disaster, maybe your congregation no longer had any money due to their own troubles to maintain your tithe, or perhaps whoever was funding your research has stopped doing so. You still have a haven, and a few possessions that belie your previous affluence, but you no longer can afford to increase your possessions.
Since the disaster, you’ve managed to stay out of the conflict. It simply wasn’t, in an obvious fashion, conducive to your own goals to bend knee to any of the vying powers. You’ve even managed to evade being a random victim of the Sabbat packs. Maybe you were that stealthy, maybe you were that plucky, but most likely you were just lucky.
The rest of your story is up to you.