Clan Tremere (Truh-me'er)

"Double, double toil and trouble:

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes."

The conniving magical pyramid scheme of Kindred society, Clan Tremere is the foremost magical master of the night, as well as strictly organized students of the occult and archivists of ancient knowledge. To be on their good side is to have a talented and skilled ally, and to be on their bad side is to be at immense risk. You don't want to test the limits of a clan that made an eternal enemy of three others.
They are the third pillar of Camarilla society, providing the machinations of others with magical power and defenses, all while they operate a mini-camarilla of their own within their vaunted Chantries across the lands, a strictly enforced, maintained, and staffed pyramid of rising levels of knowledge, study, and finesse. You will see them most in the shadowed corners of libraries and rare study collections, or searching underground caverns and long-lost tombs for parchments covered in dust and potential.
After some strange changes to the field of magic overall in recent nights, the Kindred abilities afforded to the clan are:

• Auspex: The increased senses the discipline allows not only gives Tremere an extra defensive edge, but also allows them to push their senses further to perceive ghosts, cloaked individuals, and the flow and existence of magic itself.
• Blood Sorcery: The main power of any Tremere. In the past, it was much more robust and varied in its applications, but even in its currently diminished state the variety and strength of the Sorcery reign true and guide Clan Tremere to great heights. 
• Dominate: It should come as no surprise that a clan so mired in control and dominion over their strict ranks would have the Kindred ability to command weaker minds and bend them to their will. Controlling ghouls, Gargoyles, and servile neonates is nothing to a properly trained Tremere.

Structure

House Tremere is one of the most internally structured clans in the mix, with many thinking of it akin to a supernatural Pyramid Scheme, not helped by their iconography and nickname. We shall split this organization into two categories: The Houses, political/social groups based on practice and mentality, and The Titles, which are clan-wide ranks found just about anywhere.

The Houses

Major Houses:

Many of the houses by their conception were social cliques that moved through the already complicated social network of the Tremere. After 2008, when the Second Inquisition succeeded in destroying the Vienna Chantry which lead to massive ripple effects throughout all of the clan, those structures have more or less collated into four Major Houses.

• House Tremere - The premiere house among the Camarilla, with the most intense loyalists to the structure and intent of the clan. They are led by Karl Schrekt.
• House Carna - A more rebellious and forward-thinking house that eschews much of the restrictive habits of the main clan. Many are still Camarilla members, although just as many have broken into the Anarchs. Led by the eponymous Carna.
• House Ipissimus - The radical anarchy to Carna's moderate liberal nature, House Ipissimus is a decentralized, leaderless house that is fully Anarch aligned. However, the lack of structure leads to it barely existing in any meaningful way, outside of those who show up to other Chantry's to be voices of dissent and detraction.
• House Goratrix - A formerly Sabbat-oriented house that was even more secretive and restrictive than House Tremere, out of the belief of some ancient conspiracies about the nature of the clan. In the modern nights, where most of House Goratrix was slain in Mexico City, those that remain have largely abandoned the Sabbat and joined either of the two alternative sects, while still holding their erstwhile secrets.

Minor Houses:

The Minor Houses of eld were less about ideological alignment and more about specific practices, making them more peer study groups than factional divides. However many still were lost in the shuffling and merging post-2008, yet some notable houses still have those who proudly identify with them, even without a leader.

• House Trismegistus - Focused on the magic behind numerology and occult symbolism.
• House Hashem - Focused on the Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism at large.
• House Rodolfo - Focused on specifically Divination based rituals.
• Daughters of the Crone - Focused on magic involving birth and death.
• Auram Guild - Focused on thaumaturgic Alchemy, with the mysteries of Thin-Blood alchemy becoming a feverish devotion.
• House Etrius - A house focused in simple, specific, precise Thaumaturgy in its rawest state, with even more procedure and less experimentation than House Tremere or Goratrix.
• Horned Society - A house focused on the art of Infernalism, pacting and dealing with Demons. The art is heavily looked down upon by Kindred Society as a whole, especially so in the Camarilla and Sabbat, but it still exists in the shadowed halls of certain Chantry's, and not all punish it as severely as they should. Accepts non-Kindred members.
• High Saturday - A house focused on Necromancy in its different forms. While the house is limited to Kindred members, they do not have to be a member of Clan Tremere, accepting the various families now under Clan Hecata among others.

Tacoma-based Houses:

While Tacoma is a very unnotable location for many Kindred, it is of particular notoriety to Clan Tremere. For as long as Kindred history stretches, Tacoma has been reported to have immensely weak magical power. The veil is thin and prone to ruptures that are difficult to seal, and hardly stay healed. Rituals are difficult to set in place, with more powerful and strenuous ones taking even more effort to activate and keep in place. However, this drew the attention of researchers who wished to understand, utilize, or solve this issue, often called "The Weakness" in studies about it. This created two distinct Houses that have since fallen to ruin for one reason or another but remain of historical note. Outside of that effect, two additional houses are beginning to spawn in the wake of the mass restructuring.

• House Waltheof - An offshoot of High Saturday, formerly led and gathered by the eponymous Waltheof/Valþjófr, a 7th Generation Tremere that settled in the area in the mid-1910s and created the city's first official Chantry underneath the Elks Lodge that had been recently been built (which still stands now as McMenamins Elks Temple).
  House Waltheof was intensely focused on the study of The Weakness in relation to the veil, and its relation to the nearby Necropolis which provided a steady supply of Wraiths.
  The first major blow to the House came in the 1940s when the Necropolis of Tacoma was seemingly destroyed in a spiritual storm. While wraiths and spirits still existed, there was nowhere for them to gather or hold power. Waltheof attempted to aid this through a mysterious ritual, and disappeared, rumored to be in a strange Torpor that ties him to that side of the veil.
  The second disaster came with the rest of the clan in 2008. While the area had already lost many of its members and social support due to the decline of Tacoma, the breaking of Clan Tremere's structure did a massive number on their membership and their allegiance to the study.
  The third and final nail in the pre-filled coffin of the weak house was the Sabbat invasion. Not only were many of the Tremere destroyed by the Tzimisce but in a coordinated attack during the Cleansing Nights, the temple was burned down with the remaining inhabitants of the House along with many Sabbat invaders.
  Luckily, the underground structure that held most of the notes and records of the House went unscathed. Unfortunately, even as the temple was rebuilt, many secret locks and wards exist in that underground passageway, as the formerly Camarilla House is long-dead, and the Camarilla no longer rule Tacoma.
• The Tide Society - A house formed not out of a specific pre-existing house, but instead by those with a collective interest in understanding The Weakness in terms of the physical leylines. While House Waltheof focused on the veil and its effects, the Tide Society studied the natural surroundings and the effects of rituals and attempts at sorcery. Where it worked, where it didn't, what the limitations were, and what new avenues could be taken.
  This approach to study drew in many different paths of Sorcery into the house, although as the years went on and the limitations vastly outweighed the new opportunities, many abandoned the houses project and went elsewhere with their abilities and efforts. Those that remained have largely turned to align themselves with House Carna within Tacoma, while some even go as far as aligning with House Ipissimus. They had no one Chantry, but rumors of coded journals spread throughout the city are abound, especially in the wake of the Sabbat invasion.
• The Rhododendrons - A recently formed house within Tacoma that is focused on the discovery, investigation, recovery, and preservation of the disparate and scattered rituals and studies throughout Tacoma. They don't have a particular thaumaturgic specialty, but many of their official Tremere members are more active and adventurous than other counterparts, a necessity for the risks and efforts of their task. Currently being operated out of The Blackwell Mansion, situated downtown, and led by Laodike Fay.
• House Fulgora - A transforming house that has risen and fallen time and time again. Founded by Fulgora Botello at the turn of the century, the house has focused on transforming Thaumaturgy for the modern day and testing the limitations of technology-infused Blood Magic. The house has never reached enough heights to be equal to the others, with its founder being subject to a Blood Hunt early in the house's life, and the general antiquity of Kindred not making it a popular idea. The fall of Schrecknet and the Camarilla's stranglehold on modern technology in its wake hurt their cause the most, but their ideals and research still flow within the faithful, and new attempts and studies are still commencing, with a select few of Tacoma's Anarchs feeling motivated to do just that. Currently operating out of the Marriot Tacoma Downtown and led by Greer Leclair.

Seattle-based Houses:

• The Electricians - A secretive group only officially formed in rumors among the twin Chantries of Seattle. Similarly to House Fulgora, the story goes they are focused on the use of electricity and electrical components in their rituals and sorcery. A handful of Kindred are rumored to be a part of their number, but everything about this group is currently draped in mystery.
• House Dorandi - Within the pyramid of Seattle, House Dorandi are the stalwart researchers and analysts of formula and research. Those that are aligned with this house have a reverent wish to trace the origins of knowledge to their sources, washing away the grime of revisions and censorship along the way.

The Titles

While the Houses portray one's mentality and approach to the mysteries of Thaumaturgy, their Title portrays the depth and power of their accumulated knowledge. It is also where the Pyramid Scheme analogs really shine, as in the tradition of a clan each higher rank should have seven beneath them, making each position 7:1 in descending order, with Tremere himself at the very top and his Inner Council of Seven beneath him, so on and so forth. With the destruction of the Vienna Chantry in 2008, that exact organization has largely gone out the window due in equal parts to the deaths of the ones strictly decreeing it and the dissolution of Blood Bonds that kept it supernaturally enforced. But, the Titles still exist and are largely still earned at the same markers of experience and expertise. They are as follows:

• Councilors - The Eldest and most powerful members of the clan, who advised Tremere himself in the past and are responsible for observing Tremere in large swaths of the world. All were present during the 2008 attack on the Vienna Chantry, and are presumed dead along with Tremere. Rumors exist of one, Meerlinda who oversaw North America, potentially surviving, but as of the present day that is unconfirmed.
• Pontifices - The second-in-command to the Councilors, and the highest rank a standard Tremere can achieve without massive feats of Thaumaturgy. Nonetheless, they are respected and feared members of the Pyramid with troves of knowledge at their disposal already. Pontifex domains typically involve fewer geographic divides and more subject divides, such as one seeing over economics or politics, or the various supernatural events in a key area.
• Lords - Similarly respected to Pontifices, Lords watch over the geographic domains, presiding over a Realm that covers a specific breadth of territory, and supervising the duties of all Chantries that are within it. Often very secretive when dealing with their appointed Regents.
• Regents - The front-facing members of Tremere authority. They are local overseers for Tremere in specific cities and are the heads of local Chantries that store the knowledge, materials, and studies of those under them. In Camarilla territories, they have the unique right to enforce the Traditions at their own accord, except for the fact they must still report to the Prince before siring a new Kindred.
  For Kindred in Tacoma, they don't really have a dedicated Chantry as of yet, and even if they did it's a coin toss if they'd even want a Regent to begin with. But, among the Overseers of the city, the one known as Sunny Gardner is looked upon with some note, as the position of Overseer at least promises some form of social ability and assistance.
  Seattle meanwhile has two Chantries, and therefore two Regents. The first, original, and more "tremere-esque" Island Chantry is run by Regent Anne Caesar, while the latest, social, more free-form Western Chantry is run by Regent Vienna Lebeau.
• Magisters - Some people aren't made for the social games and battles of the Tremere, and instead of struggling to be one of a select group, they take a backseat and support the others. That is where the Magisters come in. They are the advisors and assistants to the Regent, allowing them to delegate some of the more menial tasks, as well as take mentorship roles for the younger apprentices.
• Apprentices - The vast majority of Tremere students, and pawns in equal measures. They rise through seven ranks of "mysteries" as they gain knowledge and power, and serve their Regent as well as their Prince (any proper Tremere know whose loyalty comes first). To advance beyond Apprentice takes a specific zeal and desire to ascend the Tremere later specifically, as dallying with social politics will be naught but a distraction, as will getting caught up in extraneous projects. Of course, some are just targeted due to usefulness or uselessness, and some just don't have what it takes.
• Acolytes - Newly sired Tremere, barely introduced or inundated into Kindred society as a whole. much less the structure and secrecy of the clan. Still thought of more highly than Ghouls, or constructed servents like the Gargoyles.

Each rank from the Pontifices down is also divided into the seven circles of mystery, although that amount of subdivision is only relevant in the pettiest of Tremere judgments. In reality, they can be put into two categories: Base Circles (1-4) and High Circles (5-7), with those passing Circle 5 being referred to as "High X" depending on their title, and if it's grammatically appropriate.

Culture

Structure

To those outside of the clan, the ranks and chain of command of Clan Tremere look like a rigid and eternal power structure, a Camarilla within the Camarilla. The clan is entirely okay with letting them believe as such, hiding the more freeform and philosophical nature it actually is. While it's by no means a loose structure, save for perhaps the newly gathered House Carna and Ippissimus, it isn't as harsh and demanding as your Prince's commands. This, of course, depends on the Regents in your city and the Lords of your general region.

Appearances

Reputation is paramount to the Tremere, which is ironic and understandable in equal measures as they've accumulated maaaaaany grudges over the years. The Banu Haqim, the Tsimisce, and any surviving Salubri at the very least have some strong complaints with clan Tremere. But to a majority of Kindred in the clan, especially of the Apprentice level, such things will mean little, and it'll come down to the quality of your service and duties within the Chantry that will truly matter. This can lead to excessive plotting and maneuvering within said Chantries, as the sheer amount of Apprentices can only funnel upwards into a limited amount of Regents.

Knowledge

For centuries the Tremere were the de facto Thaumaturges within the Camarilla, having a near embargo on the art of Blood Sorcery. As such, having one available was a major boon, and having one at your opposition was at the very least a big wrinkle. Through their structure, strict loyalty to the clan, and their seeming impenetrability, the knowledge and research of the Clan stay firmly within the Clan. While this is changing with the dissolution of the clan's Blood Bonds as well as just the changing times, there are still many mysteries the Tremere will never let anyone spread. Through action or diplomacy, you'll take their information to your final death.

Embraces

Your typical Tremere on the hunt to Embrace will look for someone knowledgeable and wise, with an inquisitive mind, a hunger for knowledge, and a dabbling of occult mysteries already floating in their head. This way, they won't be dealing with too much of a culture shock when they enter the Pyramid overall. In the past, newly embraced Childer would be brought all the way to Vienna in order to enact a Blood Bond with the Council of Seven in order to ensure loyalty to the pyramid. But with the Council and the Pontifices destroyed, as well as the Tremere ability to Blood Bond other Kindred in general, one must merely get the permission of their local Prince and Regent, and ensure their new Childe doesn't step out of line.

Public Agenda

As far as Kindred society needs to know, Clan Tremere is an iron-fisted pyramid scheme that ruthlessly hoards information that gives them access to great mystic powers. While the veil has slipped a touch in the modern nights, revealing their less intense nature along with the creation of new weaknesses, they are still minds to be feared and allies to be had, especially on the ground level where the push and pull of social power are less dynamic.
Many Chantries are also set up in locations of knowledge and power, such as grand Libraries or monuments, so much of the Kine public will see the institutions as merely wide gatherings of knowledge, without knowing the true secrets nearby.

Assets

As a third pillar of Camarilla society, those in Clan Tremere have many assets on their hands, financially, socially, and most of all mystically. Strange components, rare esoterica, innovative formulae, and secrets of the dark universe at large are all the most valuable treasures within a Tremere's most secure locations, and it's what they'll part with the hardest.

History

Early History

Unlike many of the Kindred Clans, Clan Tremere is a more recent product. Well, recent comparatively, as the clan really began around the 1000s CE. Before the immortality of unlife, they were House Tremere of the Order of Hermes within the world of the Awakened, the reality-bending mages. Their original methods of immortality were failing them, and instead of coming to terms with the truth of mortality, the eponymous Tremere reverently began to research alternative methods.
It was one of his disciples, Goratrix, who kidnapped and researched off of local Tzimisce, who uncovered the secret of vampirism. Destroying an Elder among the clan and creating a potion from his blood, Goratrix invited Tremere and six of his closest advisors to engage in the ritual, which offered the immortality of vampirism without the curses that the other, older clans were afflicted with.
In 1022, the ritual partially succeeded. The eight were transformed into Kindred and did not possess an innate curse. However, they lost their Avatars, the spiritual embodiment of an Awakened's magical ability, and could no longer practice their true, powerful magic. In running from the waning power of their craft, they abandoned it completely, and you could read this as them losing their souls in the process.
Despite feeling rage at Goratrix for this result, Tremere ordered them to not attack him and advised them to begin operating their chantries in secret while investigating the limits and abilities of their new forms.
15 years later, as the Tzimiscce warred against House Tremere in general, and the Order of Hermes at large grew suspicious of their increasingly dark and secretive arts, Tremere forced the first blood bond on his seven disciples and formed the structure that has persisted in the clan since, and the eight of them began Embracing the rest of House Tremere, or killing them to avoid anything from getting out.

Integration

The next century of the clan was defined by their growing crimes against Kindred. Not only did the Tzimisce keep up their advance for the lives taken by Goratrix's research, but in 1121 the mad scientist and his own apprentices created the first Gargoyles, mutated and misshapen Kindred Hybrids, out of kidnapped Nosferatu, Gangrel, and (once again) Tzimisce Kindred, mutating them into mindless foot soldiers where the newly embraced House Tremere faltered due to inexperience.
Even as they began to stand their ground against the Tzimisce, they were heavily looked down upon by all other Kindred clans. They stole their power from the betters, they kidnapped and violated Kindred willingly, and they wield strange and rather juvenile magic. Who would want to look twice at them?
The next target the clan set their eyes on wouldn't be one who looked twice, but one who looked thrice. As they dove deeper into the history of Kindred, Tremere, unfortunately, found the benefits of Diablerie, and the importance of a true Elder. Using powerful Divination, he found the antediluvian Saulot, founder of the three-eyed Salubri clan, and journeyed into his long-locked tomb.
In 1133, Tremere found the antediluvian in torpor and drank his blood, soul, and mind dry. This dramatic burst of power not only strengthened the blood within Clan Tremere but forced the man Tremere into torpor, with instructions to the Inner Council to destroy the Salubri.
Lore meta-plot nonsense/spoilers, D.W.A.I

This was due to the souls of Tremere and Saulot going to war within him, a battle that would last until 1998 where Saulot was victorious, with Tremere's soul fleeing into Etrius, one of the Council, first and then into Goratrix, destroying his soul in the transfer. Saulot is free, off performing his own mission, and "Goratrix" has not been in the limelight since the event, with Tremere's original, misformed body presumably being destroyed during the 2008 attack on the Vienna Chantry. But, none of this is likely to matter to any Kindred in Tacoma or Seattle.

During the period afterward, with the clan having more strength and the former members of House Tremere coming to understand their specific powers in Thaumaturgy, they were able to worm their way into various Kindred courts. Even if they were not liked, being labeled one of the Low Clans, their skills were valuable. This wider spread also helped facilitate their defamation campaign against the Salubri, calling them devil worshippers and serial diablerists. Many Kindred didn't know enough to rebuke them, and those who did saw the benefit of removing an enemy clan, so Clan Tremere was fully realized.

Camarilla

By the time of the 15th century, the Salubri were hunted down into near-myth status, and clan Tremere was unquestionably a clan. This was just in time for the Inquisition to begin and start wrecking everyone's houses. While no Kindred fared well during the fever pitch of the Inquisition, Clan Tremere as practitioners of heretical magic on top of being vampires made them even better targets for the violent blaze.
While many of the clans' number were suffering at this time, Goratrix took the opportunity to try and corrupt certain orders to steal artifacts the church had claimed and to use them against his political enemies. This obviously didn't work, and the few he did corrupt were quickly found out and branded as Heretics. Adding salt to the wound, Tremere had a brief moment of lucidness in his torpor state and called Goratrix to trial, with him and the other members of the Inner Council finding him guilty of crimes against the clan, being stripped of his rank within it. Before he could be assassinated, he fled to eastern Europe.
Due to the events of the Inquisition as a whole, the The Anarch Movement began to form in earnest, and in response to it so too did the The Camarilla. During the course of the conflicts, Clan Tremere wasn't too bothered by the Anarch's actions, more impacted by the Inquisitors, but they found the dissemination of their knowledge via Anarch members of their clan, labeled Antitribu, to be a crime of the clan and fully shifted to supporting what would become the Camarilla, becoming a powerful pillar in their structure.
As a part of this structural power, they proved to be credible threats when they cursed the entirety of Clan Banu Haqim to be unable to drink Kindred vitae, as well as a Camarilla treaty binding them to certain neutralities. The Tremere Antitribu would also be cursed, so that if they had their blood bonds broken by the rising Sabbat sect, they would be marked to any "true" Tremere.
So, with their clan rivalries up to 3 (Banu Haqim, Salubri, and Tzimisce for those keeping score) and their numbers splintered between the Antitribu and Goratrix to eventually lead them, Clan Tremere was finally a part of proper society as the Camarilla began.

Rise and Fall

After their acceptance into the Camarilla, time was kind for once to the clan. They still had their enemies on all sides, and rumors of their treacherous ways were still abounding, but the path of magic and the accumulation was steadily going up, especially with the expansion into the Americas and the rise of occultism among the Kine. While many of them performed what basically amounted to parlor tricks, they did take the chance to work their way into secret societies and fine keen occultist minds among the Kine. The fact that many of those who were most appreciative and deceived by the occult were those with the extraneous money and heaping paranoia to spend on it, leading to more financial success for the clan as well.
Time marched on, fate ebbed and flowed, and things stayed pretty standard for the clan as a whole until mankind approached the turn of the century. First, a plus side, in 1998 the Tremere Antitribu were called to a special ritual in Mexico City, and the Sabbat-aligned sect was subsequently eradicated by that self-same ritual. It was a covert setup, orchestrated by a mysterious hand.
But, around the same time, there were three issues the clan faced. First, their Gargoyles, typically servile and unthinking monstrosities, were starting to grow much more sentient and called for more freedoms and rights as a bloodline proper. Second, Thaumaturgy was beginning to grow unstable and inefficient once more, just like the Hermetic arts did for Tremere 1000 years prior. Third, and most alarmingly, the Blood Curse over the Banu Haqim was broken! While a schism soon followed in its wake (See Clan Banu Haqim under "Victorian Era To Modern Nights" for more info) it left the clan ripe for revenge, and the invigorated warriors of the clan were more than willing to pay back what Tremere owed.
But, while these were bad, they were manageable. I mean, after 1000 years of planning, preparation, and accumulation of knowledge, Clan Tremere would be able to weather any threats, especially under the wise gaze and direction of their Superiors and iron-clad structure.
Then their Superiors and iron-clad structure got literally bombed.
In 2008, following the compromise of Shrecknet leading to the creation of Project: FIRSTLIGHT and the Second Inquisition, the Vienna Chantry, the center of power for the entire clan, the meeting place of the Inner Council of Seven, and the resting place of Tremere's own body, was destroyed in a violent attack which was covered up as a terrorist plot.
Much like the diablerie of Saulot, this sent massive ripple effects throughout the entire, now much larger, clan. All Blood Bonds to the Council were broken, and the clan lost the ability to Blood Bond Kindred altogether! With the dissolution of loyalty, threats appearing everywhere, and Thaumaturgy continuing to sputter and fail, the structure of the clan went to hellfire, and fever-pitched competition for knowledge and relics began, tearing apart the clan once more.
Amidst the chaos in the years since the Clan has reformed...in a sense. Much like a broken vase pieced together, the cracks are obvious, as the once unified clan is now home to the Houses (see: The Houses), but they are still one Clan Tremere...for now.

History of Tremere in Tacoma and Seattle

As the Camarilla went hand-in-hand with the mortal founders of Seattle, so too did the Tremere make their way into the area. But, being away from the main drama in Europe and the East Coast, as well as being far north of the discontent in California, they were left to deal with the local effects and didn't have to stress too much about the wider issues.
The first Chantry in Seattle was made close to the city, with the clan taking advantage of the Gold Rush period to gather test subjects, funds, and alchemical materials in droves. Their first Chantry went incognito shortly before the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, being able to move their most essential personal, research, and resources miraculously before the disaster. It wasn't until years later in 1908, following another fire that brought the Calkins Hotel to the ground, that they officially reemerged in the growing community of Mercer Island, thus officially designating them the Island Chantry, which remains to this day. After this, things were peaceful for a time in Seattle.
Between those years, a few members of the clan temporarily relocated to Tacoma, which while not fully in the control of Seattle's Camarilla was essentially a vassal state of its own. One of these members, a student of Necromancy and Spirits known as Waltheof, began to notice the irregularities of the Veil in the city, finding it weak, brittle, and resistant to healing. Finding local lore about Tacoma's magical Weakness overall spurred him to begin studying and utilizing its strange relationship with the veil. While many who came to Tacoma returned to Seattle with the appearance of the Island Chantry, many would stay with Waltheof, creating his eponymous House, and would in short order create their own Chantry underneath the Elk Temple.
Even as other Kindred interests began to wane and fade from the city, House Waltheof kept at their work, even constructing rituals to travel to the Necropolis of Tacoma, a ghostly echo of the city in its infancy, to understand the effects that The Weakness had on the wraiths themselves. But, a disaster in 1940 would call ruin for the mission as a whole. One fateful night, various rituals, trances, and bindings began to fail and shatter. Dozens of members lost themselves in the process, and many gateways to the Necropolis and patchwork aides for violent tears began to become undone.
The cause: A massive spiritual storm rampaging through the area, unlike the Maelstroms that usually afflicted the Necropolis like all others. In an attempt to use his own abilities to aid their greatest subjects, informants, and allies, Waltheof entered an empowered trance to try and stave off the storm.
When the night came to a close, the storm did cease, its effects not going any further than Tacoma. But, the entire Necropolis was destroyed, as were the Wraiths within, and while Waltheof's body never changed or decomposed as if he met the Final Death, he remains in Torpor to this day, rumored to be underneath the Elk Temple in the chantry his House built.
Thankfully, House Waltheof was not the only house that formed to seek answers about The Weakness, although their necromantic arts and unique insights are still locked within the Elk Temple Chantry underground.
While many Tremere in Seattle were saddened by the loss of knowledge, as they were interested in the new insight into Necromancy, they weren't particularly torn by its loss, as Waltheof was often seen as a madman.

Modern Nights in Tacoma and Seattle

Instead, the next big step for Seattle Tremere would come in the 1980s, when private groups of collectors circumvented the standard practices of the Clan and instead moved through collectives and private networks. This was viewed as undermining the hierarchy of the Tremere, and the clan unity as a whole in their continued efforts to be the premiere Sorcerers. Due to this, they hid their networks even harder and began to work with particularly wise Nosferatu cults to continue the efforts.
Come 1994, this united front of Tremere and Nosferatu would create their own unofficial Chantry as a parody of the Island Chantry that would decry them. They would go on to declare themselves, egging the traditionalists on further, which left the powers that be wondering what the best course of action would be. With Thaumaturgy starting to become unstable already, it was decided that it would be better to increase the scopes and styles of research rather than tear each other apart.
Therefore, to allow for this new method to be attempted while still securing the sanctity of the traditions, the parody Chantry was allowed to be an official one in 1998, and the Western Chantry was made for this more open style of information gathering. Regents Caesar and Lebeau met to outline the official terms of their separation and the ramifications of it (and not just in regard to the Clan).
When the Vienna Chantry fell, the Seattle Tremere was ever-so-slightly spared, since the Western Chantry was already less ironclad in its structure, but those in Tacoma were not so lucky. The scramble for information and bloody schemes for crumbs of political power basically meant the more ambitious threw in the towel to join one of the twin chantries to the north, or were cast aside and had their studies pilfered by them. This left The Tide Society essentially dead in the water and forced the remaining sparks of House Waltheof to lock themselves behind the wards and seals of their Chantry, with the only remaining outward face being a lone Kindred by the name of Anastasia.
Even she would have to flee come 2019 when the Sabbat invaded Tacoma, and all-too-gleefully were ready to strike down the last proper Tremere in the city. All Tremere had to flee Tacoma one way or another or face the final death if they were lucky. When the time came for word of a proper counter-offense to spread, and the future Barons of Tacoma traveled to negotiate and call upon the displaced Tacoma Kindred to take back their home, Anastasia and her childer were among the first the Tremere to join them, but they weren't the last.
When the Cleansing Nights came, with many Kindred joining the do-or-die cause, Anastasia's group was joined by many other Kindred hailing from House Carna and even more from House Ipissimus, with many of House Tremere providing support and logistics from the backgrounds, not willing to risk their own unlives for the Anarchs. Anastasia herself launched one of the signaling attacks of the Cleansing Nights, as she directed her Childer to trap several high-ranking Tzimisce Sorcerers within the Elk Temple, before permanently sealing the Chantry beneath and igniting the temple with herself and the targets inside.
While she and her childer met the final death in this act, it signified the start of joint operations all over Tacoma and was the first sign that there was some potential for success to be had. Eventually, that potential became a reality, and against all odds, the Sabbat were destroyed and driven out of the city. Even when the Camarilla were beaten back as well, and Anarch Tremere came into the city again, the ones who gave their lives to start the rebellion are honored among them, and the Elk Temple has since been rebuilt, although they have been unable to open the Elks Chantry as of yet.
In Seattle, the Tremere who remained in the city weren't as affected by the invasion itself, save for the influx of refugees into the area. Once the fighting was over, and they saw remarkably few losses, even the former Tacoma-Camarilla being pushed into the city allowed for old Tremere members to fill the Chantries once more. The Western Chantry has been far more receptive to this, although the Island Chantry still enjoys a resurgence in their ranks. Although certain detractors are critical of this mass travel and Prince Cross's seemingly lax acceptance of those who come in. But, in spite of the minor issues, the clan is generally stable, for now.

Demography and Population

The majority of Tremere within the Camarilla fall into House Tremere, the orderly platonic ideal of the clan's structure and inner workings. Second to them is the rising House Carna, with more lax rules and fewer restrictions on research and opportunities. While that lends itself to plenty of Anarch members of the House, many are still loyal to the Camarilla, wishing for the structure and order that comes with it, just not in a way that drowns them in the process.
In the Anarchs, many Tremere go undeclared to any House, save for ones that they operate and forge themselves, although those that do pledge to one of their clans major houses typically belong to House Carna or House Ipissimus, the most radically decentralized and freeform of the Houses.

Territories

While Clan Tremere missed the deadline to really be one of the "High Clans" during the pre-Camarilla days, they are one of the influential pillars of the sect in the modern nights, the mystic hand to the economic Ventrue and social Toreador. As such, a small number of Tremere hold power over certain domains, such as:

• Patricia von Bernstein - Prince of Wiesbaden, Germany
• Annabelle - Prince of Quebec City, Quebec
• Lucas Halton - Prince of Houston, Texas
• Tomás Marcello - Prince of Caracas, Venezuela

The more notable seat of power in Tremere however tends to be the Lords, although since they are typically in the shadows of their libraries, the Regents are the true influential faces to Kindred society as a whole. Anywhere there is a Chantry, there will be a Tremere in great power.

Technological Level

When the original members became Kindred, they sacrificed their True hermetic Magic in order to gain access to the secrets of Vitae. While at first, this seemed like an immense downgrade, with centuries of research and refinement it soon became a vast wellspring of possibility in its own right, with dozens of ritualistic paths being formed not just by Clan Tremere, but by other mystic clans as well, making for an immense array of options and potential weapons.
Metaplot lore non-canon theorization. 

Ever since the Beckoning began, a strange backlash has affected the various magic users across Kindred kind. The Tremere and Banu Haqim find their forms of Blood Magic becoming nigh-identical, as well as the various Clans Hecata and the Lasombra find their shadowy arts becoming more unified. For many, a strange psychic anomaly seems to have occurred, making them not even realize a change has occurred. 
This change has also eradicated many of the alternate paths of Thaumaturgy that once existed, although new rituals have been found in their place in some areas. If a skilled enough blood sorcerer is able to somehow find an unscathed record of one of the 'old' magical arts, they might be able to recreate it, but it's a rare chance, and untouched sources are stranger still.
For the very few who are aware of this change, a common consensus seems to be forming: The Beckoning, and whatever is going on in the Middle East, isn't the end of the world at all. At the very least, not the fire and brimstone, Ragnarok-type end of the world, but instead a catalyst to change the very nature and status quo of Kindred as a whole. Perhaps that is why all Elders are being pulled in from all clans, as they shall be the conduits for the massive change throughout the entire world, changing the nature of the Blood for the foreseeable future as well. 
Of course, this is all speculation, and it isn't without its gaps.

Foreign Relations

Clan Tremere has a tenuous relationship with many for obvious reasons. They rose to power by stealing blood from the Tzimisce, then diablerized the founder of the Salubri and ran them into the ground, and lastly cursed the entirety of the Banu Haqim to not drink the blood of other Kindred in order to keep them weak and obedient. This is not to mention their frequent political back-stabbings and the messes having a mini-camarilla within the Camarilla can cause.
But, foibles aside, Clan Tremere is still the premiere source of magical defenses, offenses, and lore, making them a vital resource for any Kindred society.

Laws

When a neonate is initiated, they must swear to The Tremere Code. While this has fallen a bit out of vogue given the shakeups and collapses in recent nights, the core tenets are still respected a bit at least, especially in the more traditional halls of House Tremere.
The Tremere Code

I, [initiate's name], hereby swear my everlasting loyalty to House and Clan Tremere and all its members. I am of their blood, and they are of mine. We share our lives, our goals and our achievements. I shall obey those the House sees fit to name my superiors, and treat my inferiors with all the respect and care they earn for themselves.
I will not deprive nor attempt to deprive any member of House and Clan Tremere of his magical power. To do so would be to act against the strength of our House. I will not slay nor attempt to slay any member of the House and Clan except in self-defense, or when a magus has been ruled outlaw by a properly constituted tribunal. If a magus has been ruled an outlaw, I shall bend all efforts to bring such magus to justice.
I will abide by all decisions of the tribunals, and respectfully honor the wishes of the Inner Council of Seven and the wishes of my superiors. The tribunals shall be bound by the spirit of the Code of Tremere, as supplemented by the Peripheral Code and interpreted by a properly constituted body of magi. I have the right to appeal a decision to a higher tribunal, if they should agree to hear my case.
I will not endanger House and Clan Tremere through my actions. Nor will I interfere with the affairs of mundanes in any way that brings ruin upon my House and Clan. I will not, when dealing with devils, or others, in any way bring danger to the clan, nor will I disturb the faeries in any way that should cause them to take their vengeance on the House and Clan. I also swear to uphold the values and goals of the Camarilla, and I will maintain the Masquerade. Insofar as these goals may conflict with my goals, I will not pursue my own ends in any way that would endanger the Masquerade. The strength of the House and Clan Tremere depends on the strength of the Masquerade.
I will not use magic to scry upon members of the House and Clan Tremere, nor shall I use it to peer into their affairs. It is expressly forbidden.
I will train only apprentices who will swear to this code, and should any of them turn against the House and Clan, I shall be the first to strike them down and bring them to justice. No apprentice of mine shall be called magus until he first swears to uphold the code. I shall treat my apprentices with the care and respect that they earn.
I concede to my elders the right to take my apprentice should it be found that my apprentice is valuable to an elder's work. All are members of the House and Clan and valuable first to these precepts. I shall abide by the right of my superiors to make such decisions.
I shall further the knowledge of the House and Clan and share with its members all that I find in my search for wisdom and power. No secrets are to be kept, or given, regarding the arts of magic, nor shall I keep secret the doings of others which might bring harm to the House and Clan.
I demand that, should I break this oath, I should be cast out of the House and Clan. If I am cast out, I ask my brothers to find and slay me that my life may not continue in degradation and infamy.
I recognize that the enemies of the House and Clan are my enemies, that the friends of the House and Clan are my friends, and that the allies of the House and Clan are my allies. Let us work as one and grow hale and strong.
I hereby swear this oath on [current date]. Woe to they who try to tempt me to break this oath, and woe to me if I succumb to such temptation.

Founding Date

1037 CE

Type

Geopolitical, Clan

Alternative Names

The Broken Clan, Wizards, the Pyramid

Demonym

Tremere

Ruling Organization

The Camarilla

Government System

Magocracy

Related Species

• Kindred Vampire