Tara

Settlers of the Western frontier traveled in groups and died in droves; despite courage and tenacity, the uneducated, poverty-stricken family of Tara joined the other unfortunates, one by one, at the bottoms of shallow Texan graves. Unable to fight cholera, starvation, political unrest and outlaw assaults, Tara buried her children, her husband, and her hopes in the desert sands. Perhaps it was pity that moved Tara’s sire; perhaps it was the passion with which she decried an uncaring existence. Whatever the cause, she was Embraced by a Brujah revolutionary on the border of Texas and trained to fight against “injustice.” Border skirmishes held no interest for Tara, though; parting ways with her sire, she set out to form a new family of her own, one that would not fall prey to the ravages of the frontier. Surrounding herself with a small coven of fledglings, Tara established a small domain in Texas, near what is now El Paso; she fought to give her haven the security that she’d never had in life. When the Civil War came, she and her brood defended their territory fiercely, but many of her childer left — Tara had no interest in taking sides, but many of the younger Brujah felt the fiery need to become involved in the war, or to see their side or their families victorious. Unable to convince them to stay, Tara again watched her family drift apart. Without a stable family, Tara set about expanding her control of her holdings. The end of the Civil War, though, paved the way for a slowing economy. Despite learning to exert her personality and charisma, Tara failed to adapt to changing fortunes, and her havens and towns dried up like desert weeds. Within a decade of the war’s end, Tara lost most of her money and her property and had to move to Dallas in search of better fortunes. Dallas was not kind to Tara: The primogen of the city considered her young and unworthy of position, but potentially dangerous enough (due to her potent blood) to bear watching. Under their scrutiny, she was forced to develop her financial skills, covertly managing her own operations in order to support herself. Drawing on her still-growing leadership capabilities, she managed to improve her fortunes despite a lack of much influence in the city’s policies. The American Anarch Revolt was just the break Tara needed. She gathered her revolutionary brood from the Civil War years and traveled west to San Diego. Once in the midst of the revolt, she and her childer provided much-needed support and combat experience to the anarchs. The former Don of San Diego had already been killed by the time of her arrival. With little opposition and her group of loyal, experienced fighters, Tara found claiming San Diego as her domain to be a simple task. The provisional council of the anarchs didn’t have the time or resources to oppose her land grab; besides, they needed the support of her warband. The city of San Diego became Tara’s barony. For several decades, Tara “ruled” distantly over San Diego. Her education in finance, politics and deal-making had been finely honed, and her fighting skills compared to those of combat veterans. Planting loyal agents in city police and financing pet projects in the government allowed Tara to nudge the city along her own desired paths. For the most part, the anarchs of the city begrudgingly abided her rule, as she remained undemanding. As long as nothing threatened San Diego’s growth and her control, Tara allowed the city and its Kindred to do as they pleased. By the mid-1990s, San Diego had grown from a sleepy little town into a prosperous west coast city with a military presence, a famous zoo and parks, border trade and international celebrations. Seen as a jewel perched on the edge of the United States, San Diego became a lucrative opportunity for many Kindred hoping to expand their prestige and influence. A careful strike by rival anarchs decimated some of Tara’s followers and resources in the city proper, forcing her to retreat to Oceanside (an hour’s drive north of the city). From there, she watched as anarchs set up new “baronies” in an attempt to jump-start their own status. Having learned to let her enemies exhaust themselves in combat with one another, Tara waited for the inevitable bloody clashes of power in San Diego. Sure enough, no single individual proved equal to the task of maintaining the city. A succession of petty rulers ensued, each one ousted by anarchs or would-be heirs to the city. Once the most dangerous and powerful Kindred had wasted their efforts, Tara swept in with her ghouls and experience to take the reins of a tired city. Many of the Kindred had grown weary of the constant CHAPTER TWO 61 turmoil and fighting; sentiment leaned toward the peaceful organization of the Camarilla, and Tara at last declared herself prince in full. With the Camarilla’s tacit approval (and a visit from Federico di Padua), she set about sweeping up the remaining opposition and appointing the officers of her reign. Tara’s heavy-handed swiftness in claiming San Diego as her Camarilla fiefdom startled some anarchs and enraged others; nevertheless, she cemented her hold quickly. However, sand leaks through even the firmest grasp; shortly after her ascension, Tara found many of her contacts in the underworld and border control compromised. Key mortals suddenly knew of their vampiric masters; gangs and police alike balked at vampiric interference, forcing a series of cover-up murders. At first blaming anarchs, Tara soon realized that the disorganized neonates of the city could not orchestrate such a coup. From rumors and tales pieced together by terrified Nosferatu and Caitiff, she discovered that her city is threatened from the shadows by the eastern Cathayans. Tara, able to sway people to her side with her forceful leadership, competent in battle and skilled in politics and intrigue, has yet to learn the full measure of a war of espionage and subversion — and so, once again, her dominion slowly crumbles as its foundations erode.

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