The Anarch Free States

The first vampire to arrive in the area of modern Los Angeles was the child-Elder Christopher Houghton, an outcast from the Toreador society of Boston who originally wanted to leave the Americas and Europe with their outmoded views on art behind and travel to the Middle Kingdom. His ship crashed in 1828 and Houghton was saved by a loyal ghoul, whom he killed in frustration when he found his plans thwarted, along with the family that had taken them in. The only survivor, Don Sebastian Juan Dominguez, he ghouled and made into his servant, transforming the ranch of Don Sebastian into his haven. After consideration, Houghton decided to found his own city modeled after Carthage to show the Toreador of the East Coast true art. Using his influence and the one of his ghoul, the Toreador pushed for the secularization of the mission in California, causing the missionaries to leave and Houghton to be able to indulge himself in vices of every sort. When the United States defeated Mexico and acquired California in the wake of the Mexican-American War, new settlers arrived who discovered gold. The resulting gold rush caused a population explosion, much to the satisfaction of the Toreador. The city soon became known as one of the worst dens of sin in America, which Houghton encouraged to feed his own appetites.
In 1870, the elder had a change of heart, rumoured to be the result of outside manipulation by an unknown force. He decided that earnestly follow his dream of a city of artists and also decided to keep himself hidden from other vampires until he deemed the city perfect. He Embraced Don Sebastian and allowed him to become the Prince of Los Angeles. Under their influence, Los Angeles grew from a simple vice den into a prosperous city that soon attracted large numbers of Kindred. Anyone who challenged Don Sebastian met a mysterious and violent death, along with all their supporters, so most elders supported the Prince without question. Houghton, in the meantime, searched for the perfect art form and in 1909, discovered motion pictures. Intrigued, Houghton became a driving force behind major productions and the studio system (which, some naysayers claim, is the reason behind the little imaginative work in many Hollywood productions). Anarchs and similar malcontents that were banished from domains on the East Coast arrived in growing numbers, among them the charismatic Brujah Jeremy McNeil. Houghton was immediately smitten with him and forbade Don Sebastian from banishing him from the domain. Tensions between the decadent court of Don Sebastian and the large Anarch population lead to unrest during the Zoot Suit Riots, which caused the Primogen to lobby for a more oppressive style against them. As Jeremy McNeil became more and more of a public figure, Don Sebastian feared that Houghton would replace him with the charismatic anarch and reacted by capturing him, severely beating him and telling him to leave and never return. This proved to be a fatal mistake, since the mistreatment of their popular leader, along with the arrival of new revolutionary veterans like Salvador Garcia, spurred the Anarchs into action. In 1944, the Second Anarch Revolt took place, killing the majority of the cities’ Elders. Don Sebastian was found dead in his haven by Salvador Garcia, who claimed the deed for himself. At December 22, 1944, McNeil declared Los Angeles a free city and the first of the Anarch Free States.
While the Second Anarch Revolt continued beyond Los Angeles’ borders, the city fell into chaos without the infrastructure provided by the Camarilla elders. McNeil and his allies tried their best to fix the situation, with mixed results. Threats of an alliance with the gaki held the Camarilla at bay (even though no Anarch knew any gaki), who instead sent infiltrators into the growing Free States to probe them for weakness. In Los Angeles, McNeil, Garcia and the other leaders of the revolt drafted the Status Perfectus, which was to serve as the guideline for the Free States, before disbanding any hierarchy that had established itself during the revolt. Following that, coteries calling themselves gangs established themselves to secure the most bountiful domains for themselves, while defending their turfs viciously against other vampires. A massive influx of Kindred from other domains, most of them Caitiff that hoped for a better life in the Free State, resulted in turf wars that continued until McNeil called all gangs together in 1956. He established the title of Baron among the gangs, while claiming central Los Angeles as a neutral meeting ground. The new order proved to be resilient and weathered a Sabbat crusade during the Watts Riots and Setite infiltration.