Post by Badgerman on Oct 9, 2014 22:27:41 GMT
Welcome to the Midlands, the dirty black beating heart of the United Kingdom, London may be the brains and the seat of government but the midlands is its industrial core. Once the halfway point, the staging grounds for wars against the welsh to become a middle class bastion of industy, now a literate and sprawling group of cities and townships with little in the way of traditional families or old powerhouses. The center of this heartland is Birmingham, the second city of England. Welcome to Birmingham by Night
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England, United Kingdom. It is the most populous British city outside London with 1,092,330 residents, and its population increase of 88,400 residents between the 2001 and 2011 censuses was greater than that of any other British local authority. The city lies within the West Midlands Built-up Area, the third most populous built-up area in the United Kingdom with 2,440,986 residents (2011 census), and its metropolitan area is the United Kingdom's second most populous with 3.7 million residents .
A medium-sized market town during the medieval period, Birmingham grew to international prominence in the 18th century at the heart of the Midlands Enlightenment and subsequent Industrial Revolution, which saw the town at the forefront of worldwide advances in science, technology and economic development, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society. By 1791 it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". Birmingham's distinctive economic profile, with thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of specialised and highly skilled trades, encouraged exceptional levels of creativity and innovation and provided a diverse and resilient economic base for industrial prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. Its resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of broad-based political radicalism, that under leaders from Thomas Attwood to Joseph Chamberlain was to give it a political influence unparalleled in Britain outside London, and a pivotal role in the development of British democracy.
Today Birmingham's economy is dominated by the service sector. The city is a major international commercial centre, ranked as a beta- world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network; and an important transport, retail, events and conference hub. Its metropolitan economy is the second largest in the United Kingdom with a GDP of $114.3bn, and its six universities make it the largest centre of higher education in the country outside London. Birmingham's major cultural institutions – including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the Library of Birmingham and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts – enjoy international reputations, and the city has vibrant and influential grassroots art, music, literary and culinary scenes.
People from Birmingham are called 'Brummies', a term derived from the city's nickname of 'Brum'. This originates from the city's dialect name, Brummagem, which may in turn have been derived from one of the city's earlier names, 'Bromwicham'. There is a distinctive Brummie accent and dialect.
The kindred began to take an interest in birmingham around the early 1500's due to a steady growth in both population and an up and coming iron market, the Brujah and the Tremere were both quick to sink their political claws into the situation. The Two clans had held an uneasy truce for approximately 200 years or more with one never quite out doing the other. The tremere were entrenched in their chantries and had a ruthless control over the local food import from the surrounding counties, the Brujah however had dug hard into the burgeoning production industries. The elders of Clan Brujah who'd claimed dominion over the area had through some dubious political maneuvering put their own candidate on the small fiefdoms throne. Those in the greater cities such as lincoln york and London ignored them. It was a petty win for the clan of rebels and rabble rousers. They let them have it.
In the late 1600's several others began to filter through the backwater that was to one day become birmingham, the Toreador chief amongst them, although several of Malkavs line took up residence, as the city began to bloom, The town developed into a notable centre of literary, musical, artistic and theatrical activity;and its leading citizens – particularly the members of the Lunar Society of Birmingham – became influential participants in the circulation of philosophical and scientific ideas among Europe's intellectual elite. It was in these blossoming years that tragedy struck the Brujah, the Prince had succumbed to one bestial frenzy to many, in a fit of rage and bestial savagery he tore his way through several of Clan nosferatu and the local Tremere Regent before being put down by the combined efforts of several Cainites. The resulting power vacuum caused a small war, the Brujah called out the tremere, claiming they'd cursed the Prince, used their command of the blood to send him on a bloody rampage, the Tremere claimed that the brujah had gone feral, that the Elders had manipulated the prince into murdering the Regent. Weeks went by with the two factions openly warring against each other, it was the Malkavians who with the help of the nosferatu remnant; brokered the peace. They suggested the compromise that holds until the 21st century. A vote was called for, both sides were allowed to pick a candidate and each Elder would be allowed to vote once. The candidate with the most votes would rule as prince. The only catch was that the Tremere would pick the Brujah candidate and the Brujah the Tremere candidate. There was haggling, there was blood and there was a little begging but the end result was quite unexpected. The Brujah elders picked a Toreador, who held several favours amongst clan tremere to be the Tremeres representative. Nothing in the rules agreed upon by all parties claimed need for either candidate to be of any particular clan. With the Toreadors leverage, he 'convinced' over a third of the Tremere to vote him in, and with the brujah backing his plan, the man known in modern nights as Kade Sinclair rose to become the Prince of Birmingham.
In the early 1800's as the war for europe was raging, the ventrue invaded Birmingham from their holdfast in the Dudley area, they brought money and more importantly they brought many many workers. The city grew with the beginning of the industrial revolution, Clan ventrue in alliance with the tremere almost ousted the prince on a couple of occasions. He'd held his position through various mortal contacts, two suspicious deaths, a horde of bribes and favours and a severe compromise that he keeps very quiet. He traded various properties and contacts with the major Ventrue players for open support of his position. The tremere were blindsided by the apparent ventrue change of heart. The Princes new relationship with the controlling ventrue influences brought with it a world of problems and just as many opportunities. The city flourished.
Tonight the alliance is a content one, well as content as it gets in kindred society. The ventrue and the Toreador hold the power, the nosferatu and the Malkavians do not let the prince forget who allowed him his position in the first place even if they do agree that he does it very well. As for the Tremere they have several small satellite chantries and one large one within the city limits. They have been unwilling allies and are a constant thorn in the Ventrue/Toreador alliance's side.
The Cities Kindred are split along the usual lines of age and blood, and these have led to a few notorious spots on the undead visitors guide.
The Blackthorn Bar, a rather modern and upbeat bar, a place kept as the official and open to all elysium. A place that the nosferatu can mingle freely with even the most refined Toreador. The Prince or his seneschal are known to be regular visitors on evenings when the politicking and back stabbing are at a low eb. The Bar is usually filled with younger Kindred although the occasional Elder has been know to "slum it" more often than not.
The Goldleaf Club, is the exact opposite, it is a privately owned and run club house for those of more refined taste. The place officially died out in the mid victorian era, a former gentleman's club, some say it belonged to a printers guild, others that it had been an opium den of some repute. Neither of which particularly matter in modern nights. The building has been bought up and sold a dozen times over the intervening years, always between a few individuals. The Ventrue gifted it to the Prince as a "relaxed and comfortable environment for the more well read" of the kindred to enjoy the social freedoms of the eylisium without having to deal with "riff raff". In short it's an Elders club, each member must first be invited in by an existing member, and then verified by at least two others to be granted membership. Numerous attempts have been made to infiltrate the club by younger Kindred, each has ended somewhat poorly for the uncouth childe. To be invited is considered an honour amongst many of the aspiring young, although to others its a joke. Why after all would you want to spend time with a bunch of over self important fossils?
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England, United Kingdom. It is the most populous British city outside London with 1,092,330 residents, and its population increase of 88,400 residents between the 2001 and 2011 censuses was greater than that of any other British local authority. The city lies within the West Midlands Built-up Area, the third most populous built-up area in the United Kingdom with 2,440,986 residents (2011 census), and its metropolitan area is the United Kingdom's second most populous with 3.7 million residents .
A medium-sized market town during the medieval period, Birmingham grew to international prominence in the 18th century at the heart of the Midlands Enlightenment and subsequent Industrial Revolution, which saw the town at the forefront of worldwide advances in science, technology and economic development, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society. By 1791 it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". Birmingham's distinctive economic profile, with thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of specialised and highly skilled trades, encouraged exceptional levels of creativity and innovation and provided a diverse and resilient economic base for industrial prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. Its resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of broad-based political radicalism, that under leaders from Thomas Attwood to Joseph Chamberlain was to give it a political influence unparalleled in Britain outside London, and a pivotal role in the development of British democracy.
Today Birmingham's economy is dominated by the service sector. The city is a major international commercial centre, ranked as a beta- world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network; and an important transport, retail, events and conference hub. Its metropolitan economy is the second largest in the United Kingdom with a GDP of $114.3bn, and its six universities make it the largest centre of higher education in the country outside London. Birmingham's major cultural institutions – including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the Library of Birmingham and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts – enjoy international reputations, and the city has vibrant and influential grassroots art, music, literary and culinary scenes.
People from Birmingham are called 'Brummies', a term derived from the city's nickname of 'Brum'. This originates from the city's dialect name, Brummagem, which may in turn have been derived from one of the city's earlier names, 'Bromwicham'. There is a distinctive Brummie accent and dialect.
The kindred began to take an interest in birmingham around the early 1500's due to a steady growth in both population and an up and coming iron market, the Brujah and the Tremere were both quick to sink their political claws into the situation. The Two clans had held an uneasy truce for approximately 200 years or more with one never quite out doing the other. The tremere were entrenched in their chantries and had a ruthless control over the local food import from the surrounding counties, the Brujah however had dug hard into the burgeoning production industries. The elders of Clan Brujah who'd claimed dominion over the area had through some dubious political maneuvering put their own candidate on the small fiefdoms throne. Those in the greater cities such as lincoln york and London ignored them. It was a petty win for the clan of rebels and rabble rousers. They let them have it.
In the late 1600's several others began to filter through the backwater that was to one day become birmingham, the Toreador chief amongst them, although several of Malkavs line took up residence, as the city began to bloom, The town developed into a notable centre of literary, musical, artistic and theatrical activity;and its leading citizens – particularly the members of the Lunar Society of Birmingham – became influential participants in the circulation of philosophical and scientific ideas among Europe's intellectual elite. It was in these blossoming years that tragedy struck the Brujah, the Prince had succumbed to one bestial frenzy to many, in a fit of rage and bestial savagery he tore his way through several of Clan nosferatu and the local Tremere Regent before being put down by the combined efforts of several Cainites. The resulting power vacuum caused a small war, the Brujah called out the tremere, claiming they'd cursed the Prince, used their command of the blood to send him on a bloody rampage, the Tremere claimed that the brujah had gone feral, that the Elders had manipulated the prince into murdering the Regent. Weeks went by with the two factions openly warring against each other, it was the Malkavians who with the help of the nosferatu remnant; brokered the peace. They suggested the compromise that holds until the 21st century. A vote was called for, both sides were allowed to pick a candidate and each Elder would be allowed to vote once. The candidate with the most votes would rule as prince. The only catch was that the Tremere would pick the Brujah candidate and the Brujah the Tremere candidate. There was haggling, there was blood and there was a little begging but the end result was quite unexpected. The Brujah elders picked a Toreador, who held several favours amongst clan tremere to be the Tremeres representative. Nothing in the rules agreed upon by all parties claimed need for either candidate to be of any particular clan. With the Toreadors leverage, he 'convinced' over a third of the Tremere to vote him in, and with the brujah backing his plan, the man known in modern nights as Kade Sinclair rose to become the Prince of Birmingham.
In the early 1800's as the war for europe was raging, the ventrue invaded Birmingham from their holdfast in the Dudley area, they brought money and more importantly they brought many many workers. The city grew with the beginning of the industrial revolution, Clan ventrue in alliance with the tremere almost ousted the prince on a couple of occasions. He'd held his position through various mortal contacts, two suspicious deaths, a horde of bribes and favours and a severe compromise that he keeps very quiet. He traded various properties and contacts with the major Ventrue players for open support of his position. The tremere were blindsided by the apparent ventrue change of heart. The Princes new relationship with the controlling ventrue influences brought with it a world of problems and just as many opportunities. The city flourished.
Tonight the alliance is a content one, well as content as it gets in kindred society. The ventrue and the Toreador hold the power, the nosferatu and the Malkavians do not let the prince forget who allowed him his position in the first place even if they do agree that he does it very well. As for the Tremere they have several small satellite chantries and one large one within the city limits. They have been unwilling allies and are a constant thorn in the Ventrue/Toreador alliance's side.
The Cities Kindred are split along the usual lines of age and blood, and these have led to a few notorious spots on the undead visitors guide.
The Blackthorn Bar, a rather modern and upbeat bar, a place kept as the official and open to all elysium. A place that the nosferatu can mingle freely with even the most refined Toreador. The Prince or his seneschal are known to be regular visitors on evenings when the politicking and back stabbing are at a low eb. The Bar is usually filled with younger Kindred although the occasional Elder has been know to "slum it" more often than not.
The Goldleaf Club, is the exact opposite, it is a privately owned and run club house for those of more refined taste. The place officially died out in the mid victorian era, a former gentleman's club, some say it belonged to a printers guild, others that it had been an opium den of some repute. Neither of which particularly matter in modern nights. The building has been bought up and sold a dozen times over the intervening years, always between a few individuals. The Ventrue gifted it to the Prince as a "relaxed and comfortable environment for the more well read" of the kindred to enjoy the social freedoms of the eylisium without having to deal with "riff raff". In short it's an Elders club, each member must first be invited in by an existing member, and then verified by at least two others to be granted membership. Numerous attempts have been made to infiltrate the club by younger Kindred, each has ended somewhat poorly for the uncouth childe. To be invited is considered an honour amongst many of the aspiring young, although to others its a joke. Why after all would you want to spend time with a bunch of over self important fossils?
