Gustav Breidensteins' Berlin: The Home of a Treacherous Tyrant

The history of Berlin, according to the tome Gustav Breidensteins' Berlin: The Home of a Treacherous Tyrant as found in the library at Castle Schrekt.

In the Year of Our Lord 1134, a group of humans led by Albrecht the Bear settled the area that is now called Berlin, becoming Markgraf of the Nordmark. The regions' Kindred made their presence known within three years. The first known Kindred of the region, Erik Eigermann, became careless in hunting. For this, he was hunted down and killed by Karl Schreckt, then demon-hunter from Vienna. Having shown his promise and power even before his eventual rebirth, Schreckt left the area victoriously.

In the Year of Our Lord 1244, Ilse Reinegger came from nearby Belitz to settle. She proved far more cunning, creating rules for herself and her get before the Masquerade even existed. By the time Berlin and Kohlen built their first town hall in the Year of Our Lord 1307, she was the leader of all Kindred in Upper Saxony. Her reign was strict but just, and her vengeance was fierce when any disobeyed. She made examples of those who disobeyed her rules, but at least one of her followers did not take these lessons to heart and instead plotted a great treachery.

As the fires of the Inquisition raged, this great leader of Kindred was struck down, betrayed and diablerised by one of her own childer, Gustav Breidenstein. Gustav insinuated himself into the Camarilla as soon as it was formed, spreading lies about his machinations in Clan Ventrue and hiding his own sordid past from the great Founders of the Camarilla.

Where Ilse had been a just and fair ruler, Gustav proved himself a tyrannical oppressor. He held the right to Sire to himself and always created his childer from his personal ghouls, assuring that they would be bound to him with false love for his odious person. He fed innocent visitors to the rising sun, including in the Year of Our Lord 1575, when a visiting scholar from House and Clan was killed for merely obeying the customs of the Camarilla, without debasing himself as one of Gustavs sycophants.

House and Clan brought just retribution to the city in the form of a plague that culled the herd available to Gustavs minions. Justicar Karl Schreckt then delivered a note of fair warning against any further mistreatment of members of House and Clan by the Tyrant and his minions.

Like Pharaoh, Gustav did not feel pity for his people as they suffered. He only hardened in his tyrannical ways, leading to the incident of the 'apology note' to the Council in Vienna, which had infamously been tied to a stake that had been pounded into the righteous heart of the Tremere Justicar. Even to the Kindred of Berlin, this insult proved that their 'Prince' was a madman, and was only tolerated because he was too strong to be removed from power.

During the Thirty Years War, House and Clan put aside the justified misgivings about Gustav to fight a host of enemies, for the most part aligned with the evil Sabbat. Many Kindred were left dead in the field, but the death of his comrades was only good news to the evil Tyrant. After victory had been assured, mostly by the contributions of House and Clan, there was only one thing that stood between Gustav and his domination of northern German lands: his ostensible allies. He now treacherously turned on House and Clan with unjustified blame for all sorts of imagined ills that need not be repeated. When the war ended, Gustav prepared for more conflict.

The tyrant manipulated a human, Elector George William of Brandenburg, into making Berlin his capitol. For three centuries he fuelled the instrument of his lust for power, turning peaceful farmers into Prussian soldiers that might unleash more bloodshed upon the world. Rather than trying to build on his Domain or preserve the Traditions, as a Prince should, he merely used them as puppets in his scheme to harm the Vienna Council.

Prussian armies crossed into Austrian territory on December 23, 1740. While these campaigns were going on, Kindred were unable to influence the state of affairs. Gustav can therefore not be credited, and the Council can not be faulted, for Frederick the Greats' continuing victories.

Clever diplomacy by House and Clan did ensure that these humans failed to seize Vienna, by exploiting Toreador demands upon their Bavarian allies. The tyrant fumed impotently as his vengeance was denied to him.