Since there have been Camarilla in the ancient City of London, there have been people trying to oppose them. Over the years the Sabbat numbers have swelled and faded, both attacking the Camarilla politically and openly at several opportunities.

Until quite recently, however; the Sabbat were thought to be in decline. The Camarilla had grown in power in the last fifty or so years, and there had been no real trouble since a violent attack against the Ivory Tower by a few Sabbat packs too young and too headstrong to realise they would not survive. Many more small packs were sent over the years.

That initial violent attack was almost twenty years ago.

What nobody realised was that the Sabbat leader in the City had deliberately sent the groups of packs to their death in an attempt to gauge the power of the Camarilla's defences over the years. Armed with the knowledge gleaned from the attacks, they prepared. Under a Brujah Antitribu who called himself Red Uther, the Sabbat launched a massive, co-ordinated offensive against the Camarilla headquarters in the winter of 2001. Exploding onto the streets in a orgy of death and destruction, they attempted to break the Masquerade at every given opportunity and the Camarilla were hard-pressed to stop them.

The Prince called in Justicars and Archons for aid, attempting to fight a battle on several fronts simultaneously. Alasdair Matthews had held his position for some time with good reason; he was a strategist and lateral thinker and realised the multiple breach attempts were just a smoke-screen. Preparing the Headquarters for attack and knowing defending it would be useless, his forces took minimal losses in the attack: a few brave souls who remained to cover the escape.

Retreating to a secondary base, the Prince was not surprised to find anarch representative Mr. Hand waiting for him, but made an error for the first time in his overall plan: he assumed Mr. Hand was there to try and seize control. He was surprised and shocked to find he was there to help. Mr. Hand offered the Prince the support of all the non-aligned Vampires in the City in exchange for them having their own voice and a portion of the City. The Prince, knowing his numbers were dwindling - and concerned as to how Mr. Hand had routed them together, was suspicious, but accepted. Hand vanished, leaving the Prince instructions of where troops were waiting to aid him and the combined forces of the Camarilla and Independent Vampires went on the offensive against the Swords Of Caine.

Whilst the Sabbat went mad with anger, the Camarilla and Independents pushed the war underground, away from the eyes of the masses and a huge guerilla war erupted into the Sewers and canal locks, hideaways and tunnels. Over three nights, London lost over 60% of its entire Kindred population in a bloody and aggressive war over territory and power. In the end, Red Uther sacrificed a portion of his best soldiers in an attempt to lead a retreat out of the City, and the Swords Of Caine left the City of London for the first time since its founding. Stragglers were left behind, and over the next year or so, they were exposed and destroyed. A few came to the Prince in hopes of redemption, to become members of the Camarilla in the face of such overwhelming odds, but were destroyed without trial. The Camarilla regrouped, and although they were shocked over how little of them were left, They took back their HQ and set up borders and patrols to gleam more information and to protect the city. Only now, After 6 years of rebuilding, are they accepting mew members from outside the city walls.